Chapter 4
Changes from the Far East- Chapter 4.
My dear student Twilight Sparkle:
Two weeks have passed since Marco came to Equestria, and I am happy to say that he is adapting well. Now I have decided that it is time for him to learn how to live in a pony community- Ponyville, to be exact.
Marco has happily agreed to travel to Ponyville, and will be arriving tomorrow afternoon sometime tomorrow. Due to an unfortunate mishap with Luna’s teleportation spell, he is now wandering around the Everfree forest. If he does not arrive by tomorrow afternoon, please send me a letter, and I will dispatch guards to escort him.
I hope that you and your friends will be able to get along with Marco and support him, as he is still very new to the world of Equestria.
Your mentor
Princess Celestia.
P.S: I will be sending his belongings to you for safekeeping. I believe you will find some of them to be very intriguing, especially the technological marvel he calls an “iPad”.
-----
One would think that a pony would encounter many hindrances while crossing a dangerous forest like the Everfree. Maybe they would have to cross a gaping chasm, or a face off against a wild beast. Heck, there’s even the possibility that they would stumble upon some cursed zombie town, complete with real zombies!
Me? I got stalkers tailing me since dawn. Since they weren’t a threat, I’ve pretended not to notice them…but it’s still unsettling to be watched. Even though I’m in my Pony form, I still stand out from the average crowd.
After another ten minutes of aimless wandering, I decided that enough was enough, and stopped.
“Alright, come on out you three. I can sense you hiding in the bushes to my right.”
After a few moments of silence, said bush rustled and parted, as three young fillies emerged; a white unicorn with a two-toned lavender mane, a yellow earth pony with a red mane and bow, and a orange pegasus with a fuchsia mane. All three looked about twelve years old, and looked up at me sheepishly
“Hi Mister!” The unicorn spoke. “How’d you know we were following you?”
“Hey, no need to call me mister.” I said, flashing them a smile. “And I could hear you three ages ago.” I actually spotted them because my left eye displayed emotions in the form of colored lights within an outline, overlaying whoever I was looking at. “A word of advice: Try hiding behind bushes instead of inside them when tracking a moving target. It’s much quieter and easier to switch cover.” The trio brightened up a bit after hearing that. “So…why were you following me anyways?” I asked
The yellow filly tapped a hoof on her muzzle in thought. “We were tryin’ ta get our Cutie Marks in Everfree Explorin’. Then we saw ya, an’ we thought you were some lost pony. But Scootaloo saw yer wings an’ eyes, an’ said y’all were some kinda foreign pony…” She spoke with a southern accent, vaguely reminding me of the Orange Stetson-wearing mare from two weeks ago.
‘Ah, like the ones from Saddle Arabia.’ I thought, remembering seeing the surprisingly normal-looking horses talking with the princess from the astronomy tower (or Luna’s hidey-hole, as Celestia called it.) ‘I wonder if there are other pony species elsewhere.'
“…An’ so, we decided ta ask.” The earth pony finished. “What kinda pony are ya?”
“I’m Firebug, traveler from the east and flame-user.” I introduced myself with a polite bow, using the alias Celestia and I agreed on. “I’ll tell you more later, depending on whether Ponyville accepts me or not…" Maybe I should find out whoever lives in that tree a kilometer or so back, just in case.
“Why’d you think Ponyville wouldn’t accept you?” The unicorn asked.
“Let’s just say that not all ponies are as welcoming as you three.” I answered, the memory of that upstart aristocrat yelling about an ape freak lurking the castle still fresh in my mind. Oh well, nothing a concussion didn’t fix.
“Well then you don’t have to worry!” The unicorn assured me with a grin. “Ponyville is the friendliest city in all of Equestria! Right girls?” The other two nodded in unison. “If you don’t believe us, then we’ll have to take you there to prove it!”
‘…Well that’s convenient.’ I thought. “Heh, guess I’ll have to take you up on that offer.” And so I followed the three ponies through the forest, striking up small talk along the way.
“How’d ya get yer cutie mark” The yellow filly pointed to the mark on my flank; Three verdant stripes that curved into the shape of a flame.
“Uh…when I performed my first fire spell.” ‘And nearly turned the royal library into Canterlot’s most valuable bonfire…’
“Why are you called Firebug?” The orange pegasus asked. “You don’t really look like a bug.”
“Actually, that’s because of my wings. My mother’s side of the family had some…unique ponies.” I explained, flaring them out to full length. “But enough about me. What are your names?”
“I’m Applebloom” The earth pony said.
“I’m Sweetie Belle.” The unicorn added.
“I’m Scootaloo.” The pegasus chimed in.
“And we’re the CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” They cheered in unison.
“Ow...” Holy shit, they are loud. “I mean, that sounds fun. What cutie marks did you try to get?” Their response is beyond surprising. Hang gliding, performing, bakers rock stars…the list seems endless, topped only by the property damage they’ve caused.
By now, the sun had risen in the sky, revealing the edge of the forest, and the village beyond. Other than being covered in a blanket of snow, I still easily recognized Ponyville; the quaint architecture, the ponies frantically searching near the border of the forest…wait, what?
“Hey Applebloom, do you know those ponies?” I poked her, and pointed at a familiar orange mare calling out Applebloom’s name, as was the huge red stallion beside her. Nearby was the white unicorn with an indigo high-maintenance hairdo, that was looking for Sweetie Belle, and a rainbow-haired pegasus scanning the tree line. Those four caught my eye, as the worry they emitted made them stand out from other ponies like flares among Christmas lights. I recognized the others as Twilight, the hyperactive pink pony, and the timid yellow pegasus.
“Sure I do! They’re mah two older siblings, Applejack an’ Big Mac!”
“And the white unicorn’s my sister Rarity!” Sweetie Belle beamed.
“And that’s s Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in Equesria!” Scootaloo proclaimed.
“Well, they seemed to be worried sick about you three. Didn’t you tell them where you went?” I asked. The Crusaders suddenly looked very sheepish, like a child just remembering something important at the last second. “…You snuck out to play, didn’t you?” The fillies reluctantly nodded. ‘Well no shit. They’re too hooked onto adventure and fun to understand how worried they made their family members.’ I thought, thinking back to when I was in a similar position. ‘Kinda like me when I was younger.’
“What’s with the frowns? I’m not going to scold you.” They looked up at me with confused expressions. “You’re not?” They asked in unison. I shook my head in reply. “Not my duty. You should return to your siblings though. They’re worried sick about-” A terrifying roar shattered the quiet of the forest, and drew all eye towards the source. I looked back, and gulped at the approaching cloud of hunger and thirst for blood. In the tree line, I saw a small pack of…something making their way through the trees. They didn’t know where we were yet, but that was going to change very soon.
“You three.” I hissed, my voice taking on a hard edge. “Run and get help. Something dangerous is approaching.” The trio nervously looked at where I was staring, then at me. “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Sweetie Belle asked.
‘Hell no. I'll be lucky if I survive four minutes.’ “I’ll be fine for a while. Now go! I’ll hold them off until help arrives!” With that, the fillies dashed off to safety. Satisfied that they were going to be in good hands…er, hooves, I transformed back to my human form, and immediately regretted playing the hero, as the sudden light had alerted my multiple pursuers.
“Why can’t I ever get a break?” I muttered, charging up a spell.
-----
Twilight and the rest of the search party were both relieved and worried as they saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders galloping towards them unharmed.. Rainbow, the Apple Siblings and Rarity eagerly embraced the fillies in relief, but quickly became concerned at the sight of their panicked expressions
“Rainbow Dash! There’s a colt facing off against something dangerous in the Everfree! You gotta help him!” Scootaloo pleaded. Without another word, Twilight, Big Macintosh and Rainbow ran towards where the Crusaders pointed, leaving the remaining mares to comfort the three children. As they neared the forest, the ponies could hear the sound of a timber wolf pack, and the yells of what sounded like a young stallion.
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash called, zipping towards the source of the noise. “Are you the one Scoo-ooOOOH WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT!?”
The creature trying to fend off the timber wolves looked nothing like a pony. Instead, he towered over the ponies by standing on his hind legs, like a Diamond Dog or a Dragon. However, he had no hair or scales covering him, save for a short black mane on his head, and a tough black shell covering his claws and forearms. The rest of the biped’s body was covered a shirt, cargo pants, strange hoofwear, and a dark jacket, from which his large wings protruded.
The biped was didn’t notice them yet, currently busy protecting himself from four timber wolves by using two gigantic hands of glowing green magic to swat them away. Although his blows were accurate and powerful , they failed to penetrate the tough wood, and failed to cause much damage.. Rainbow also noticed that his movements were slowing down as he became more and more fatigued.
One wolf leapt towards the biped, aiming for his neck. But the biped ducked, allowing the wooden beast to sail above him. Canceling the strange spell, he aimed an open palm at the surprised wolf, and uttered a single word.
“ 烧<Burn>” Green flames blazed into existence and formed a small fireball in his palm. He launched the fireball at the wolf, setting it alight in seconds. But it was clear the fire wasn’t very strong, as the lit timber wolf merely ran off into the forest, yelping in fright. The biped didn’t get to savor his small victory though, as another wolf swiped at his legs. “Agh, YOU USELESS PIECE OF WET FIREWOOD!” He spat, knocking it back with a vicious kick to the jaw. That insult merely angered the timber wolves, and they pressed on with their attack.
It was at this moment that Twilight remembered where she had seen him before. “Hey! Are you Marco…the hybrid we met last month?” Twilight called out, grabbing the biped’s attention. “It’s me, Twilight Spa-”
“IF YOU HAVE THE FUCKING TIME TO STAND THERE AND TALK, THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP AND HELP ME!” The colorful outburst was followed by a loud growl as another timber wolf pounced on him, pinning the biped to the floor. “AAAAHHH SHIT IT’S ON TOP OF ME” He yelled, frantically pushing the wolf’s jaws away from his neck “GET OFF YOU WOODEN SONUVA BIT-”
‘Thank Celestia that Applebloom ain’t here to listen ta that.’ Big Macintosh thought, looking at Twilight’s mortified expression. ‘If he weren’t fighting for his life, I’d scrub his mouth ‘till his tongue went raw.’ Wordlessly, the crimson stallion charged towards Marco, and sent the wolf careening into a tree with a well-placed buck. The other two wolves were subdued just as quickly, thanks to Twilight’s beam spell and Rainbow’s head-on charge. Once certain that no other enemies were nearby, the three ponies faced the hybrid, who was sitting, examining his wounds.
“Thanks for saving me.” He said, his tone much friendlier than before. “Sorry about our first encounter, it wasn't the best of introductions, I know...” The ponies just stared wordlessly at him, not sure how to respond to this drastic change in attitude. “What? You’re giving me the silent treatment this time…I screwed this one up, didn’t I?” He groaned, collapsing onto the ground.
“…Are you alright?” Twilight asked, surprised that the biped went from foul-mouthed and violent to friendly and calm in a matter of seconds. Marco merely shot her a deadpan look. “I’ve repeatedly avoided death over the last few minutes. I can feel numerous wounds all over my body, and my knuckles, shins and feet are in agony from repeatedly hitting those sons of beeches. Of course I’m feeling alright.” He groaned sarcastically. “I think I can still walk, though…hang on a moment, just need to blend in.” The ponies jumped back in surprise as green fire swirled around Marco, engulfing his form.
When the fire died, the biped was replaced with a young… ‘Winged unicorn.’ Twilight concluded staring at him. His tinted insect wings were folded back, blending in with his charcoal coat. His mane and tail were pitch black, with a cyan streak running down their lengths. Twilight also noticed that he had a cutie mark; three verdant streaks that curved to form a flame.
Rainbow’s eyes widened, remembering a similar sight from the disastrous Canterlot wedding. “I knew it! He’s in cahoots with Queen Chrysalis! Lemme go give him a piece of my mind!” She began to fly towards the surprised colt, but was held back by Big Mac chomping down on her tail. “What the-? Let me go, Big Mac!”
“Nnope.”
“He’s right, Rainbow.” Twilight agreed. “So far, he’s given us no reason to think he’s the enemy. We’ll need to question him, and find out the truth…” Her eyes briefly glazed over at the prospect of learning about a new species. “Yes…find out all there is to know about him…” A slightly manic smile began to creep onto her face.
“Uh…should I be afraid about that smile?” Marco asked, trying (and failing) to stand.
“Eeyup.”
-----
“What was that green fire you used?” Twilight asked.
After a hasty introduction involving reactions ranging from joy (The CMC, and the pink pony), to mistrustful (Applejack and Rainbow Dash), I was given a very brief tour of the town, courtesy of a certain pegasus that noticed my pained grimace during the CMC’s group hug, and literally dragged me through the streets, before arriving at the strange tree-library where I first met them. Applejack was in a (one-sided) discussion with her brother about yours truly. Rainbow was perched on a bookshelf, glaring at me like I was some convict on parole, The white unicorn (Rarity, was it?), the pink pony, a small purple dragon, and the Crusaders were all gathered around, watching me and Twilight talk. Finally, the yellow pegasus that hauled my sorry ass here was bandaging my numerous wounds, despite my insistence that I could just bullshit my way through a doctor’s visit later.
“One sec…” I murmured, examining my Ipad (after reclaiming said device and my bag from the claws of the dragon), and discovered that the repeated tampering meant that I had to wait for an hour before unlocking it. “How long have you been trying to unlock this?” I asked, bemused.
“Just answer my question!” Twilight blushed with embarrassment. Shrugging, I opened my bag (Enchanted by Luna to house a Hammerspace dimension. Basically, that means that I can easily store anything I want in there, regardless of size and weight. Sadly, the first attempt decimated my old backpack.), and pulled out a small bottle of pills and a water bottle. I popped two pills into my mouth, and washed them down with water, before packing the bottles and the tablet computer away. “Done…ah, I remember now. You were asking about the green fire, right?” Twilight nodded, her quill and scroll floating at the ready.
“It can incinerate anything, even magic. I guess you could call it my unique skill.” I said. “As far as I know, the flame can either become harmless…” My eyes briefly flashed green, and Twilight’s scroll was engulfed in fire, and fluttered towards the ground. Another flash, and the fire disappeared, leaving the paper no worse for wear. “…Or burn what it touches until nothing remains.” I pointed a hoof at a diamond the purple dragon held in his claws, and with a roar, the gem dissolved into a ball of green fire, earning me wide-eyed stares from the ponies, and an indignant “Hey!” from the reptile.
“On the- ngh! Downside, the more powerful the flame is, the more energy I use, limiting its usefulness in combat.” I finished, wincing slightly at the pang in my gut signaling my magic reserves were almost at rock bottom. Twilight nodded, focusing on the scroll in front of her. “Alright…next question. How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“What kind of creature are you?”
“I’m…I was a human, before appearing in Equestria.” I admitted. “Now, I’m a Hybrid part human, part changeling.”
“What’s a human?” Scootaloo asked.
“A creature from another reality, according to Celestia.” I said, turning to the yellow pony that had spent the last few minutes bandaging the last of my wounds. “Thank you for taking care of me…uh, I’m sorry. I never never really got your name.”
“O-oh, um…I’m…Fluttershy.” She mumbled. “Um…I noticed the incisors you have…and…do you eat meat?” The question was followed by a muted “Please don’t harm my animals.”
‘…D’aawww.’ I grinned at the adorable sight before me. ‘How can anyone say no to that face?’
“Well, I can eat meat, but it’s not a necessary part of my diet.” I answered. “Since I found out you have an ample supply Tofu, beans, rice and other protein-rich sources of alternatives, I can easily live of that.” This seemed to please Fluttershy greatly, as she gave me a small smile. I also noticed Applejack breathe a sigh of relief, some of the fear inside her dissipating.
“Have you been to a party in Equestria before?” The pink mare suddenly asked.
“No, I don’t believe I’ve had the chance to attend a paaaa-what the…” My jaw fell slack in surprise as the pink mare shot up like a spring, looking like I had just grown another head.
“I’ll fix that! You’re in need a welcome party, stat!” She declared. Suddenly, two huge baby blue eyes engulfed my vision. “Hi I’m Pinkie Pie and I need to know what cupcakes you like Do you like vanilla chocolate strawberry butterscotch lemon…*Inhaaaaa-” The pony paused to suck up an impossibly large amount of air.
‘Holy shit…Cartoon physics working their magic here!’
“*-aaaaale!* And finally, our Hearth Warming special: Peppermint Cupcakes!”
‘Yep…definitely ADHD.’ I thought.
“Nice to meet you Pinkie. Call me Firebug” I replied, smiling. “I’m flattered that you’d plan a party for me, and I’m definitely interested in the Peppermint cupcakes. Thank you.”
“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie chirped, before blasting out of the door in a flurry of…streamers?
“…Damn, how much caffeine does she take?” I asked rhetorically.
“Please…never mention that again.” Rarity shuddered, speaking with a classy transatlantic accent. “The filly has more than enough energy the way she usually is.”
“Huh…you mean she normally acts like this? Impressive.”
“…You’re taking this awfully well. Marco.” Twilight noted. “Most ponies would have been surprised, at the very least.”
“Before I answer that, could you please call me Firebug when I’m in pony form, since ‘Marco’ is a strange name for a pony to have.” Twilight, the other ponies, and the dragon nodded in understanding. “Also, I was born with a condition similar to your pink friend, so…ah shit.” I grimaced at my slip-up, as a psychotic grin slowly began to creep up on Twilight’s face again.
‘Here we go again…’
“You mean you know the mysterious reason behind Pinkie’s actions?” She began to walk towards me. As I contemplated how to make my escape, I noticed a magenta glow surround the windows and doors, barring all exits. “You will tell me everything you know about it. EVERYTHING!”
-----
Celestia paced the statue gardens, enjoying the peace and quiet of the statue gardens. As a princess, she rarely had time to get away from her duties, making her appreciate what free time she could get. Although Luna made for good company, sometimes Celestia felt that she needed to be alone, free from the burden of her duties.
“You look happy, Celestia. Finally removed that stick up your flank?” A voice spoke next to her; a very familiar voice, belonging to a very unwelcome creature.
“Discord…” Celestia hissed, turning towards the speaker. Sure enough, there was the avatar of chaos, floating on a candyfloss cloud. “How did you break free from your stone prison?” She demanded, a blinding ball of nuclear energy forming at the tip of her horn. “If you’re aiming at retaking Equestria for a third time, Faust help me, I will launch you into the next galaxy!“
“Now now, don’t get your tail in a twist.” Discord tutted, whipping out a pair of sunglasses. “Your boring little kingdom is safe.” With a snap of his claws, the miniature sun promptly exploded into a shower of confetti. “For today, at least.”
“Answer my question, Discord!” Celestia barked. “How did you break free of your prison?
“You’re so hostile, Celestia. I’m hurt.” Discord teased, dropping of his cloud, which then flew off into the distance. “The answer to both those questions was in your possession…until the other day, when he was sent to a little village near the Everfree...” He laughed as comprehension dawned on the goddess’ face. “That’s right, I’m talking about the human newcomer. Chaos comes off him in waves. And all it took was one little crack in order for me to harness that energy, and wear the harmonic seal down from the outside.”
“That’s impossible. Marco’s actions are far from the likes of yours” Celestia said. “And even if that were true, I would have detected chaos energy the moment we met.”
“Ah, but that’s the beauty of his species..” Discord countered. “Despite their talent for war, humans are beings of neutrality, have long made peace with the chaos inside them and melding it with harmony. As for the human's behavior…” Discord scowled, and for a split second, he looked more like the Discord that had wrested complete control of Equestria from Celestia on a whim. “Meddlesome ethics and laws, always ruining a perfectly good species.” He spat.
“What are you planning, Draconequus?”
“Well if you must know, Today’s actually my off day. Maybe I’ll head to Ponyville, celebrate my release at a party, catch up with my favorite mares, and maybe meet the honored guest. After that…” The avatar of chaos smirked. “Well, I’m sure you’ll find out. Ciao!”
Before Celestia finished processing what he said, Discord snapped his talons, and covered her in a thick layer of gooey cookie dough, before flying away on his candyfloss cloud. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to give chase, Celestia broke through the dough with a burst of heat, and galloped off to the main hall.
“Guards,send two squad to pursue to go after Discord. Also alert Captain Shining Armor to the situation and tell him to prepare a squad for teleportation to Ponyville!"
Deep down, the solar princess feared for her subjects, her kingdom, and what would happen to them if Discord cast his magic on Marco. During the weeks of training, she witnessed the hybrid’s potential for combat, and how it was subconsciously limited by his kind nature. But should he be corrupted by Discord, he would become a real danger for all.
“Finally, prepare a chariot and rouse my sister! We must head for Ponyville immediately! ”
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Not bad although you repeat "from her" two times before Duties in the 2nd sentense in the part where the narrative shifts to Celestia.
1822715 Fixed, thanks!
yaaaaay! an update!
Translation: Incoming shitstorm.
Just letting you know, chaos is actually a part of harmony, I think that it was order that you were thinking of when you said that humans have merged their natural chaos with their harmony.
"Just as the day needs night, so too does order need chaos for harmony to rise."
1837407
More or less. I mean, we did refine the art of war with strategies and rules.
1837828 Yeah.
FYI for those of us in America "candy floss" is cotton candy. For some reason English people can't speak English
jk
1838666
THE Shirotora viewing my work!? I'm honored! 
1838747 I didn't realize I was "The" shirotora yet. Thanks for the ego boost
1843503
CORRECT!
I found out about Kanji (which uses some chinese characters) a few years ago when I went to Japan with my family.
1845846
Forgot about that!
DERP!
1845745
Only 1 episode during English Class. Hong Kong doesn't broadcast Dr. Who, I'm afraid.
But I think it's a great show!
Will this story be finished or is it going to be forgotten like so many others?
1964764
It will be finished. I'm just overloaded by IB Diploma (English School), meaning that I won't be updating frequently...
Oh, ok. If that is the case, I wish you luck and look forward to the next part
Instead, he towered over the ponies by standing on his hind legs,
2125702
Fixed, thanks!
just a thing, but you don't need ' or " when your character is thinking.
hitting those sons of beeches
knowyourmeme.com/photos/117126
just a thing i've noticed, you keep switching between 2nd and 1st person. you might want to avoid doing that.
i am seeing a continuity error here. the elements of harmony were given to Twilight for safekeeping after Discord's last breakout, which means that Celestia either has an extra copy, or discord never broke out in the first place (which in turn would make no sense as he said "His favourite mares"
2389467
I really appreciate you pointing out the mistakes in my story. Never knew how much I missed.