> Returning Survivor
>  by Itchy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Returning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Down in Ponyville, a party was winding down, celebrating the return of princess Luna.  As is the norm of all Pinkie Pie parties, everyone was tired, and preparing to leave.

“Well Pinkie Pie,” princess Celestia 	started, “this has been lots of fun, but...”

At this point, princess Celestia was cut off by a sharp CLING ringing out.

“Huh?” was the official word of the day, as the entire party turned to face the sound, and then gasping at the sight.  There, walking down the street, clinging every other step was a midnight-black pony, with a flaming red mane.  His eyes were crimson, with a haunted look that distracted one from his roughed-up appearance.  His cutie mark was a simple toolbox, with several tools spilling out of it, but what really caught everyponies attention was the source of the clinging sound, for in place of his front right leg was a solid stell mechanical leg.

Walking forward, pulling a cart filled with crates of what appeared to be maps, journals, and supplies, the mysterious stallion stopped in front of the two princess, saluted, and said, “Corporal Mecha of the 444th scouting devision reporting in.”

At this, princess Celestia blinked and replied, “Did you say 444th scouting division?”

Still holding his salute, the newly identified Mecha said, “Yes ma'am.”

Blinking, Twilight Sparkle looked at princess Celestia, and asked, “Why do you look so started?  I mean, yeah, he's a little roughed-up, but isn't that expected?  Although, I am curious about that metal leg of his...”  she trailed off, as she tried to examine the leg in closer detail.

Realizing that Mecha was still saluting, Celestia spoke up, saying, “At ease.  Now Twilight, the reason I'm surprised is... well...”

Seeing that princess Celestia was hesitating, Mecha spoke for her, stating, “The 444th squad disappeared, or at least to the world, 666 days ago.”

The crowd surrounding the group, having been silent until this point, started whispering.  666 days ago? That is almost two years! Furthermore, what happened to the rest of the 444th?

Looking around, Mecha spoke up, “You were right about the foul play being involved with the disappearance of activity in the area you sent us, but not about the cause.” Realizing that she'd finally hear about the cause of the disappearance of an entire division, princess Celestia nodded her head to signal for him to carry on.  Taking a deep breath Mecha spoke a sentence that stunned everyone into silence. “The cause was the presence of the gates of Hell.”

No one could move.  Gates of Hell? Could it really be possible?  Seeing people getting tense, Mecha continued, “We entered the gates, not realizing what they were until we were inside, and by then, we were forced to blow them up or risk letting demons escape into Equestria.  Once trapped, we started to try and find a way out.  Unfortunately, most died in the first week.”

Gasping, the crowd started whispering again, all saying basically the same thing.  Death?  After all, this is Equestria, the most peaceful nation in the world! How was it possible.

Ignoring the crowd surrounding him, Mecha continued, “The week after that was worse, not in the death tally, but instead the assault.  Having lasted longer than most, we had attracted the attention of the 7 lords, Lust, who used her looks to try and turn our brothers in arms into her slaves, Gluttony, who used trickery to try and make us eat poison, thinking it fresh home-made meals, Greed, whose powers turned stones to gems, leading several away in an attempt to gain wealth to take home, Sloth, who's spell lead to a short but deadly sleep, Wrath, who directly attacked us, Envy, who turned one against the other in fits of madness, claiming the other held something truly precious, in that nightmare, water, and Pride, who preyed on those who felt that surviving the previous encounters would make them invincible to the remaining demons.  After that, I was the only one left, having ran when I saw the thousands of demons that Pride had brought.  Thankfully, there is one thing about Hell that I am thankful for.”

Hearing this, everypony just stared slack jawed at him.  Something about Hell to be thankful for?  They were going to have nightmares about this, and they weren't even in Hell, and yet here he was thankful for a part of it!

Seeing the looks of disbelief, Mecha merely chuckled and said, “I am thankful for the fact that Hell cannot keep anything not originally from Hell inside it for more than 666 days.  To wrap up my debrief, the journals in this cart are the entirety of the findings of Hell, and I will not be renewing my enlistment in 4 days.”

Blinking, and looking at the sky to realize that Luna had gone and done her job of rising the moon, princess Celestia said, “That is a lot to take in.  However, I do have one final question for you.”

“Ask away ma'am.”

“Where do you intend to stay?”

Chuckling once more, Mecha stated, “If my aunt is still here, I intend to live with her until I can get my own place.”

Raising an eyebrow, princess Celestia asked the question that everypony wanted to ask, “Who's your aunt?”

From amidst the crowd, a voice rang out, startling everypony, saying “That would be me.”

Everypony turned, and backed away from the voice to reveal none other than Mayor Mare.

“I have to admit,” Mayor Mare started, “After I got word from your parents that your whole division had upped and disappeared, I never thought I'd see you again.”

It was at this moment that something totally unexpected should happen, so of course it was Pinkie who shouted, “Wait a cotton-picking-cupcake-baking-chocolate-cake-smearing-hopscotch-playing minute!  You expect us to believe that this guy here was a part of some troop or whatever that disappeared nearly two years ago into this Hell place, happens to be related to the mayor, and only shows up now of all times, like a set up for some story!?!”

Looking her straight in the eyes, Mecha said, “Yep.”

Smiling brightly, Pinkie merely said “Ok,” before beginning to trot away.

Blinking, princess Celestia simply looked over the crowd, and said to Twilight, “Since it's so late, I think we'll stay here tonight, that is, if you think you have enough room with you in the library for tonight?”

Going wide eyed, Twilight Sparkle practically shouted “Yes!”  Looking at the poor pony's eardrums that she had all but shattered, she chuckled and said, “I mean, uh, yeah, I have plenty of room!”

Chuckling at her most faithful student's reaction, princess Celestia merely walked into the library.  At this point almost everypony had gone their own way.  Looking over his shoulder, Mecha told Mayor Mare, “I'm going to drop this cart off next to the library and then  walk around for a bit.”

Caught slightly off guard, his aunt only asked, “Are you sure you don't want to go to bed? It is quite late, and I doubt you've slept well at all during your time in Hell.”

With a ghost of a grin, Mecha replied, “You'd be surprised at just how true that is, but I don't need the sleep.  I'll explain some other time, okay?”

With some minor trepidation, she nodded her head and walked home.  Mecha then did as he said, and started his walk towards the center of town.  Looking up, he saw the stars, sparkling brightly, standing as start contrast to the edge of the black nothingness of space, with the moon bright and full being a reminder that princess Luna had returned from her madness of Night Mare Moon... and was standing right before him.

“Well,” Mecha stated, “this is something I didn't see coming.”

Turing around to see him, princess Luna stated, “I must confess, I didn't think I would see thou here, especially so late.  Usually I am all by mine self, and it did not occur to think that such would change over the course of these last thousand years.”

Lips in the barest form of a smile, Mecha replied, “If we are to be honest, you most likely wouldn't have come across anypony tonight, as I am only up due to what happened to me in Hell.”

Nodding in understanding, Luna spoke the question on her mind, “Then if thou doesn't mind my asking, why is thou up so late? It is not that thou is unwelcome, but it is unusual.”

Looking into her eyes, Mecha began to explain, “It's not actually all that much.  Combine heart-attack inducing nightmares if you sleep for more than an hour, with a lack of a way to tell time, and you end up needing about an hour of sleep for only two or three days.”

Nodding her head, Luna spoke up saying, “Thou makes a good point.”

At this point, they both stayed silent, and continued to walk through the town.
> Old Friends: Big Macintosh
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha and Luna had walked all night, and were standing in front of the library, waiting for princess Celestia to get back from raising the sun in the central square.  Taking one last look at Mecha, Luna said, “Thou has been good company.  Mayhaps we could do this again if thou comes up to Canterlot some time?”

Taking one last look at her, Mecha replied, “That would be enjoyable, should I ever come up to Canterlot.  Until then though, perhaps letters would suffice?”

Smiling, her reply was, “That will in fact suffice.  I shalt send mine with my sister's letters to her pupil to get to thou.”

At this, Mecha nodded his head, before heading to his aunt's house.

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Having gotten breakfast with his aunt, Mecha was wondering around Ponyville, looking for the answer to a problem he realized he had during breakfast.  Namely: the lack of a job or cash.  Granted, he would probably get paid for his time in Hell, but still, at the moment he had nothing.  Walking past Sweet Apple Acres, Mecha stopped.  Looking at the sign, Mecha wondered if this was the same Sweet Apple Acres his old friend worked on.  'Well,' Mecha thought, 'only one way to find out.'

Walking up the path, Mecha came across a tall pony, and blinking, asked, “Big Macintosh?”

Turning around, Big Macintosh just blinked at the sight in front of him.

Realizing it was in fact the pony he thought it was, Mecha laughed, and said, “Man it's been a long time since I've seen you! You look great man, been holding up well?”

Still blinking, the situation slowly made since to Big Macintosh, who began to smile, and said, “Eeyup.”

Laughing some more, Mecha continued, “Still a pony of few words eh?  Any ways, as much fun as it would be to catch up with you, I'm in a bit of a pickle.  See, I've essentially moved into town, but I lack a job and cash.  Now, the cash thing shouldn't be a problem soon, but at the moment, I'm basically living off my aunt's charity.  So, I was wondering if you had a couple of jobs I can do until I get sorted out?”

Taking a long look at his old friend, Big Macintosh replied, “I do have some work that needs to be done, and having you along will help speed things up... So sure.  Will 5 bits an hour* work?”

Releasing the tension that had been in him since he realized his predicament, Mecha stated, “Sure.  Only really need some spare change at the moment, that would be perfect.  So, what do you need me to do?”

Merely turning, Big Macintosh pointed out to the fields, and stated, “Buck all these trees.”

Seeing the sheer size of the fields, Mecha sighed, and said, “Of course.”

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It was lunch time, and Mecha was chatting with Big Macintosh, catching up on new times, as well as laughing at the old times. “I still can't believe it! There you are, barely out of your colt years, and those mare's were flirting with you like there was no tomorrow!  Not to mention the fact that every stallion was staring at you with envy!”

Laughing, Big Macintosh replied, “Don't forget how angry they were when we beat them!”

“Ah, good times,” Mecha said.  It was at this point that a flyer came through, being blown straight into Mecha's face.  “Ugh, what is this!” he yelled, pulling it off, and setting it on the table.  What it was was a flyer for the upcoming Renaissance fair, including a tournament with the grand prize of tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.  “Huh, what do ya know,” Mecha said.  It had been a while since he did anything fun... Not to mention, tickets to the Gala could fetch a good price should he chose not to go...

“Hey, Big Macintosh, you got anything planned next week?” Mecha inquired.

“Eenope,” was Big Macintosh's typical negative response.

“Want to hit up the fair for old times sake?” Mecha proposed.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, a grin stretching across his face.

“Good,” Mecha started, “although I think our original costumes might need a few minor adjustments, not to mention the blades...”

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“Welcome, fillies and gentlecolts, to the un-numbered-th Renaissance fair tournament!” Screamed Hayek, the brown Earth Pony hosting the event.  “As you know, this tournament is meant to honor the knights and soldiers who fell during the establishment of our nation! Thus, our competitors will be fighting with a spell that let's them fight without limits! For those of you don't know how it works, basically to sum up the spell, you get hit by a sword, it merely feels like your hoof got cut off, nothing more!”

While the cheering was going on, the mane six were talking in the stands, mostly discussing the tournament that was about occur.

“I'm so excited!” Twilight Sparkle stated, “I get to see this impressive piece of magic at work!”

“Are you kidding,” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “This is one of the best competitions of the year! The only way it could be better would be if I could compete!”

“Yes... well.. um... it is highly competitive...” Fluttershy muttered to herself, not really wanting to be there.

“Yeah, well, it's to bad that Big Macintosh couldn't make it though,” Applejack said, “He normally loves this kinda stuff.”

“Yeah, where is that giant hunky stallion?” Rarity asked.

“Now hold on an apple bucking minute!” Applejack started, “Don't talk about mah brother that way!”

“Oh calm down AJ! Rarity is just saying what passes through almost every mare's mind when they see him!  Not to mention the occasional stallion!” Pinkie Pie interjected, trying to avoid an argument.

“Ugh, ah did not need that image in mah head,” Applejack stated.  “To be honest though, I don't know where he is.  All he told me this morning was that he was going to hang out with that pony who came into town recently... um... what's his name?”

“OH OH OH!!! Do you mean Mecha?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Yeah, that's the one!” Applejack confirmed.

“Shush, they're about to start!” Rainbow Dash stated, waving her hoof at them.

Indeed, the excitement was to start, for down on the field Hayek was all but jumping with energy.  “May I have your attention please,” he started. “For I have news that will make you roar with joy!”  At this the audience started to rumble, as this was already an enjoyable event, what could make it better?  “For those of you who went to these fairs before, you will recognize the two who are about to take the field, for those who are new, you're in for a treat! For we have two of the best fighters in all of Equestria here once more! They need no introduction, but I'll give them one anyway!” Here, the older ponies got excited.  They were back? This would definitely be one of the best tournaments they've been to.

“Who are they talking about?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Shoot if ah know,” Applejack said.

“I'm as clueless as you,” Rainbow Dash stated.

“First we have the knight with the strength of ten ponies! Wielding a two-hoofed sword, no pony can knock him down, for this giant can't be stopped! Dubbed the juggernaut by all he's faced, he has yet to reveal who he really is, give him a round of applause!” The stadium shook as each pony pounded their hooves as a large pony decked out in completely in plate-mail walked out, with a sword as long as he strapped across his back.  “Also returning is the rouge unequaled in speed! His weapon of choice is actually weapons! That's right, he wields two, not one but two short-swords! But this feat is only improved upon by the fact that he can't be hit! That's right, this pony has never been hit! Also choosing to remain nameless, he has been dubbed quicksilver!” Here a pony entered the field, face covered with a hood and wrappings, adorned everywhere else in chain mail.

“Wow, those two must be tough if they can even wear that in this heat,” Rainbow Dash said.

Suddenly, another pony ran up to Hayek, and whispered something in his ear.  Hayek started sputtering, the crowd hearing, “Really Keynes?  Are … captain of...”

After minutes of babbling, Keynes ran of the field, and Hayek turned to the crowd, and announced, “It just gets better and better folks! It turns out that we have a final entrant into this contest!  He is one of the captains of the royal guard, a master of the sword and shield style, give a round of applause for Shining Armor!”

Hearing this, Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped, leading to the inevitable question of, “Do you know that guy?” from all her friends.

“Uh-huh,” she said.

“Well, don't hold the details to yourself,” Rarity started, “Spill the details on that good looking stallion!”

Blinking, Twilight merely stated, “My brother.”

Hearing this, Pinkie Pie broke out laughing, and said, “What is it with you and our friends brothers Rarity?”

Huffing, Rarity merely turned to watch the tournament.

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The tension was building, the audience on the edge of their seats.  The tournament had been going on for most of the day, and it was down to three ponies. The unstoppable juggernaut, the unhitable quicksilver, and the unwavering Shining Armor.

“This is awesome!” Rainbow dash exclaimed, thrilled at the battles fought so far.

“I must admit, this has been quite thrilling.  Although, who do you think will win?” Rarity inquired.

“My money is on Shining Armor,” Twilight said, “after all, he is a captain of the royal guards.”

“No way,” Rainbow interjected, “Quicksilver will totally run circles around him.  No offense Twilight, but he's going down.”

“Ya'll be fools if you don't think juggernaut will win,” Applejack stated.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Hayek started, “As you know, the prize of tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala goes to each of these fine stallions, but they have decided to give their exhibition match anyways! Furthermore, juggernaut and quicksilver have decided to show us who they are after this match!” This got the crowd going, as the anticipation for the match grew close to it's breaking point.

“It's going to be an honor to fight you two,” Shining Armor said.

“Eeyup,” said juggernaut.

“Going to be interesting,” quicksilver replied.  “Strength vs Defense vs Speed.  Who will win?”

At this point, they went into the center of the arena, took fifteen steps from the center, turned around, and then bowed to each other.  Upon the signal, they drew their weapons, and, taking one last look at the other, did something that shocked all the ponies in the audience.  They stood on their hind-hoofs.  “Dear Celestia!  I can not believe this! Folks, for those of you who don't know what is so important about that stance, it is the stance of master swordsponies! The added hight against normal ponies adds a major advantage, not to mention the additional moves available! However, against another master, well, it is just amazing to watch.”

At this point, all three ponies turned into blurs.  Quicksilver bolted forward, leaping over the juggernaut's blade, before swiping at Shining Armor's side, only to blocked by his blade redirecting his own blades to clash together.  At this point Shining Armor attempted to bash juggernaut's head, only for him to step back and spin into a slash that quicksilver stepped under in an attempt to get into juggernaut's guard, only to step aside from a blow from Shining Armor. Juggernaut then lunged at Shining Armor, only to be directed by his shield into the cloth of quicksilver's hood, who used took this chance to slash at both of them, only managing to nick their armor, before all three stepped back, the entire exchange lasting a mere 15 seconds, stunning the crowd.

Taking only a moment to take in a breath of air, they leaped into action once more, this time quicksilver taking the lead swinging left at Shining Armor's head and right at juggernaut's hooves, only for juggernaut to step on his blade, causing him to lose his balance, whilst both he and Shining Armor swung at him, forcing him to let go of his blade and tuck into a roll that allowed him to recover his blade.  Taking in a deep breath, juggernaut started to spin, causing his blade to hack away at Shining Armor's shield, not giving him a chance to block the swipes from quicksilver's blade, resulting in a series of small scratches that while annoying, weren't all that harmful.  When juggernaut finally stopped spinning, Shining Armor took the chance to strike, landing a strong strike against juggernaut's chest plate, causing a dent that would hinder breathing. At this moment, quicksilver came in, trying to land more hits on both of them, only to get nicked on his hind legs by juggernaut's long blade, earning a gasp from the crowd.

From there it turned into a flurry of strikes that only the combatants could keep up with, flashes of silver from the moving blades, sparks from the clash of metal on metal, and the sounds of combat overwhelming the audience.  Finally, they all jumped back, looking worse for wear.  Shining Armor's shield had been bashed until it only looked vaguely like a shield, his armor covered with scratches, his exposed skin cut with hundreds of scratches.  Juggernaut didn't look much better, the armor coating his body bent so out of shape it was a miracle he could move at all, let alone fight.  Quicksilver held the most visible wounds, having been slowed down badly after he took his first hit, only staying in the fight due to his ability to react quickly with his two swords.  Looking at each other, they nodded their heads.  This would be the last clash in this fight.  Charging in, they blurred in front of the audience's eyes, until a loud noise rang out, and all motion stopped, the result silencing the excited crowd.

Shining Armor's shield and armor had been pierced by juggernaut's blade, while his sword was lodged in quicksilver's chest, who had a blade in both juggernaut and Shining Armor.

With the combat over, all three contestants collapsed onto their backs, allowing the magic on them to work, to lift the illusion on them, showing that while scruffed up, they held no injuries, and that their armor and weapons were still in great condition.

“What a fight!” Hayek told the crowd, which was hollering in joy.  “Never before have I seen such moves, techniques, and power! As fitting for these titans of swordplay, none truly triumphed over the others! Gentlecolts, for your display of power, chivalry, and sword fighting skill, I am proud to give you your tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” At this point,  Keynes came onto the field, holding 3 golden tickets, which he presented to all three of the fighters who had picked themselves up.  Having claimed their prize, the three walked up the Hayek, who promptly asked, “So just who are you two? After a show like that, I'm sure the crowd would love to know who their champions are!”

Standing forward, quicksilver took off his hood and wrappings to reveal his face, and said, “Name's Mecha.”

At this point, Rarity asked Applejack, “Didn't you say he and Big Macintosh were hanging out together?”

Blinking, Applejack replied, “Ah did say that, and ah saw him leave with him too, but that means...”

At this point, juggernaut stepped forward, took off his helmet, and said, “And I'm Big Macintosh.”

Seeing her brother down on the field, Applejack said, “Well, that explains why he always enjoyed this kinda stuff.” And at that point, Applejack promptly fainted.

*I use the estimate of a bit to be equal to $1.05
> Old Friends: Doctor Whooves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“So, I'll see both of you at the Gala?” Shining Armor asked.

“Eeyup,” was Big Macintosh's reply for both of them.

“Good.  It'll be nice to know someone there,” Shining Armor said.

“Bro!” yelled out Twilight Sparkle.

“Twiley?” Shining Armor questioned, quickly turning to see that it was, if fact, his sister that had called out to him.  “Twiley!”

“Shining Armor! It's good to see you bro!” Twilight Sparkle said.

“It's good to see you to Twiley!” Shining Armor said.

Seeing that this was a family moment, Mecha said, “Well, Big Macintosh and I will be going then...”

“Now hold an apple bucking minute!” Applejack shouted! “Ah've got questions, and you've got answers! So, ya'll aren't going anywhere 'till ah get them!”

Sweating, Big Macintosh began, “Now sis, don't ya think you're over reacting just a touch?”

Stomping her hoof, Applejack shouted, “NO! Now, tell me what the hay is going on!”

Gulping, Mecha decided that since it was his idea to come in the first place, he would explain... “Well, you see, a couple years ago, we both decided it would be fun to participate in the tournament and show up the snotty rich ponies who thought they were all that since no one would face them.  So we entered... and won.  Now at that point, we couldn't very well show our faces, since we were, well, underage.  So, we just kept quiet about it, and well, this was the first year that we could both enter in a while... so we did.”

Stomping her hoof again, Applejack responded with, “That is NOT what ah meant! What ah meant was why didn't ya tell me what ya'll were doing!”

Blinking, Mecha looked at Big Macintosh, shrugged his shoulders, and said, “We didn't think it mattered to much.  I mean, unless we won the tickets, which we did, would it really matter? And though we did win, we each only won one, and they're stuck with our names on it, so...”

Staring angerly at them for another minute, Applejack sighed, and walked off, muttering to herself about “Wool-head fools” and “Egos the size of the barn.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Mecha turned to Big Macintosh and said, “So, I'll see ya at work tomorrow?”

LINEBREAKER

Walking back to the main barn with a saddlebag filled with apples, Mecha muttered to himself, “Just three more days... Three more days until my money comes in... Then I can finally get my own place and set up my shop...”  looking up, he saw Applejack and Twilight Sparkle talking with Spike on Twilight's back, going through apples.  “Hey girls!” he shouted, getting their attention.  “What'cha talking about?”

Giggling, Applejack replied with, “About the bet ah'm about to win with mah bro.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “The one about going into town wearing some of Granny Smith's clothes?”

Still giggling, Applejack said, “Eeyup!”

At this point, Spike said, “Perfect!” while pulling out a delicious looking red apple.

“Ohh...” Twilight started, “Spike, that looks delicious!”

At which point, Spike promptly ate it, earning a glare from Twilight.  With a sheepish look, Spike's belly suddenly rumbled, before he belched flames, which turned into two letters, one white with a red seal, the other black with a blue seal.

“Ah, the black letter is mine,” Mecha said, quickly taking his.  Ignoring the other three, he quickly read the letter from Luna, which basically said; You are coming to the gala since my sister is making me go, here's an extra ticket so you can bring a friend to be more comfortable.  Reading the letter again, Mecha started to chuckle, and then laughing, until he was rolling on the ground, holding his side.

“Now what is so dang funny?” Applejack asked Mecha.

Calming down, Mecha explained, “Princess Luna just gave me tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala so she'd have company and so I'd be comfortable while there, when Big Macintosh and I just won the tickets yesterday!”

At this point, Spike belched another letter from Luna, which Mecha took and read, only to burst back into laughter.  “No more!” he hollered, clutching his sides once more.  “It's too much! Why oh why must these letters be so funny!”

Staring at him, Twilight, Spike, and Applejack could only wait for him to calm down to tell them what was so funny.  After ten minutes, Mecha finally calmed down to the point where he could explain.  “Basically,” he started, still catch his breath, “Shining Armor came in the moment after she had sent the letter, and was asked how his day off went.  So, he told them, including the fact that I won a ticket to the gala, and so she had to send a letter telling me I could keep the extra tickets. The main thing though, is the fact that you can feel the embarrassment coming off the letter, since in the original letter, she's telling me to come, and then she finds out that I was going voluntarily! I swear, you can see it in her writing!”

Upon hearing the would extra tickets, Applejack immediately asked, “So, what are you going to do with your extra tickets?”

Having finally caught his breath, Mecha said, “I plan on giving them to a friend so he can finally ask the pony he's had his eyes on to go out with him.  Don't worry though, I expect things with Twilight's extra ticket to go pretty well for you.” Looking at the two of them, he chuckled, obviously knowing something they didn't.  “Look, I'll talk to you two latter, most likely when I need Spike to send a letter to Luna, okay?” Seeing the two of them nod, he walked off.

LINEBREAKER

“Okay then,” Mecha muttered to himself once more,  “where could he be?”  Looking around, he saw clouds ready to rain, and thus took quick shelter in Sugarcube Corner.  

Upon entry, he was accosted by Pinkie Pie, who quickly started talking, “HELLO! How are you doing Mecha! I mean, after all, you are new to Ponyville and as the resident partier, I have to know everypony, and that include you! So you just have to tell me about yourself!”

Blinking, Mecha took a minute to register all of what Pinkie said, and the sighed and replied with, “You'd constantly bug me until you knew everything anyways, wouldn't you?” Merely nodding her head, Pinkie signaled him to go on.  Sighing once more, Mecha said, “I'll tell you, but you have to promise to tell me where I can find an old friend of mine afterwords, okay?”

Shaking her head rapidly, she said, “Okie Dokie Loki!”

Sighing, and seeing that it was a good way to kill time while waiting for the rain to clear up, Mecha started, “Well, as you know, my name is Mecha.  My talent is, well, I suppose the best way to describe it is handywork.  Basically, I do well with and kind of work that involves tools, although I specialize in machine work.  For instance, I built my mechanical leg,” at which point he lifted up and wiggled said leg.  “I was born in Minot, and ugh, I would not recommend going there.”

Tilting her head at an odd angle, Pinkie Pie asked, “Why not Minot?”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Freazin's the reason.  Place is basically a giant iceberg, and that's durning the summer.  Anyways, my old man was a Lt. Col in the air force, he's a pegasus if you couldn't tell, and my mom, well, she was the volunteer for everything kind of mom.  Sweet, and caring, you'd be hard pressed to find a unicorn like her.  My brother is two years younger than me, and if I recall correctly, he is currently working as one of the Wonderbolts talent scouts. Hm... should probably have him meet Rainbow Dash... Oh well.  Anyways, I joined the army a little over two years ago, spent two months in training, and then, well, you know about the rest of my time for that bit of my life.  Um... will that do?”

Going wide eyed, Pinkie Pie said, “NO! That's your backstory, not yourself! I mean, if this was a story, yeah, that'd be good, but I want your likes, dislikes, birthday, that kinda stuff!”

Blinking, Mecha laughed, and said, “Pinkie, that's the kinda stuff I prefer to be learned from spending time with friends.  After all, a true friend picks up on those kinds of things, whereas a fake friend only memorizes stuff like that.  Make sense?”

Calming down, Pinkie Pie thought for a moment, and then rapidly nodded her head... again.  Stopping, she said, “That makes perfect sense! That makes friendship all the more valuable!  So, who are you looking for?”

Laughing at Pinkie Pie's antics, Mecha told her, “I'm looking for Doctor Whooves.  He's a good friend from when I was a colt, and I was hoping to repay a favor or two I owed him.”

Smiling, Pinkie Pie exuberantly told Mecha, “Oh, him! He works in a clock shop down the road.  In fact, I have a delivery I need to make to him, but if you're going to visit, could you make it for me?”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Sure Pinkie! I'd be glad to help a friend! Just uh, after the rain clears up, okay?”

Jumping into the kitchen, Pinkie said, “Sure! Otherwise his muffins would get all wet and soggy!”

LINEBREAKER

Walking into the shop, Mecha took a look around.  This would definitely be a place Doctor Whooves would work at.  Clocks lined the walls, ranging from simple wall clocks to grand father clocks, from simple to elegant, they were all there.  Walking up to the counter, Mecha placed the basket of muffins on the counter, and looked into the display case of pocket watches.  So caught up in staring at the high quality watches on display, he was caught completely off guard when Doctor Whooves came in and said, “May I help you?”

Jumping into the air, Mecha turned around, and said, “Dear Luna!* Do you have to do that every time we meet?!?”

Taking in a moment to realize who he was talking to, Doctor Whooves said, “Why yes, yes I must! Although, I must say I didn't expect to do it to you again after you had upped and disappeared my fine friend!”

Relaxing his rapidly beating heart, Mecha chuckled a little, and said, “I've been getting that last one a lot lately.  Any ways, I've got a couple of things for you.”

Turning his head sideways in a way similar to what Pinkie Pie had done earlier, Doctor Whooves merely asked, “What do you have?”

Smiling, Mecha said, “First off, the muffins you ordered from Sugarcube Corner.” At this point, Doctor Whooves eyes lit up, looking around Mecha to see the basket, causing him to lick his lips. “And as for the second gift, well, you still got your eyes on that one pony?”

Hearing his crush being brought, up, Doctor Whooves blushed, and said, “Yes I do, why?”

Grin still on face, Mecha handed him the two extra tickets to the gala the he had.  Seeing what he was being handed, Doctor Whooves's eyes went wide, and asked, “Are you sure you want to give these to me? I mean, these must be worth a lot, not to mention if she says yes she is likely to create quite the stir...”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “If Celestia is planing what I think she's planing, you should have nothing to worry about. Besides, I already have a ticket, and I know several others who are going, so it's not a problem.”

Taking another look at the tickets, Doctor Whooves sighed before putting them away in the back.  Coming back out, he said, “While you're here, might I convince you in buying a watch?”

*Since Mecha is friends with princess Luna, he uses her name instead of Celestia when expressing shock, excitement, etc.
> Home's Done
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was standing on the edge of Ponyville, next to an empty lot... kinda.  The lot itself held several piles construction materials on it, but no structure, and, more importantly for Mecha, no construction crew.  In fact, at this point, he was tapping his metal hoof in impatience, since the construction crew was over an hour late.  Looking out towards town, Mecha finally spotted the construction crew coming, and sighed in relief.  When they got to him, he said, “I'm not even going to ask why you were so late, here's the plans, I've got work to do,” and handed them the blueprints for his new home.

Not even giving the forepony a chance to ask questions, Mecha went into town, looking for anything he might need for his planned shop.  Walking up to look at an empty building, Mecha heard s rumbling sound.  Looking in the direction of the sound, Mecha blinked.  A herd of cows, running full speed towards him.  Well, towards Ponyville in general, but considering that Mecha was standing at the end of the only bridge to get into Ponyville, it might as well been towards him.  “By Lust's panties!*” he swore, standing still as it would be impossible to avoid the herd at this point.  Hearing somepony yell “STAMPEDE!” Mecha closed his eyes, resigned to a world of pain.  At least, until he heard Applejack hollering.  At that point, he opened his eyes to see said pony rounding up the herd, preventing them from hurting anypony.

After seeing her run off in the distance, Mecha noticed his aunt was talking to a crowd.  Deciding to see what was up, he walked over.  “So it's decided then!” she started, “We will throw Applejack a thank you for saving the town party!”

Finally getting close enough to be heard, Mecha stated, “Sounds like a good idea. So what's the plan?”

Startled by her nephew's sudden appearance, Mayor Mare said, “Why, the same plan we always have for a town wide party.”

Looking around, Mecha realized that he was the only pony out of the loop, and said, “Which is...?”

Smiling, Mayor Mare said, “Let Pinkie Pie plan it!”

With a loud smack of a face hoof, Mecha merely muttered to himself, and walked off.

LINEBREAKER

The decorations were in place, the podium up, and everypony was gathered.  Standing next to his aunt, Mecha looked around, bored.  “I swear,” he said, “between the construction crew this morning and the preparations now, I've spent at least half the day waiting for other ponies.”

Blinking, his aunt turned around and asked, “Is you house already being built?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “At this point, I'd be surprised if the basement has been cleared.  But yeah, it's being built.”

Smiling, Mayor Mare said, “Then you've been paid for your service. That's good to hear.”

Smiling as well, Mecha said, “Yeah, they finally paid me.  Granted, I would've gotten it sooner if it wasn't for those bureaucrats dragging their hooves! Not to mention, they threw in a bonus for the reports I managed to save and bring back.”

Looking around, and seeing that things were almost done, Mayor Mare asked on last question, “What do you plan on doing now?”

Looking up at an imaginary plan, Mecha said, “I've been looking around at empty lots and buildings, and I think I've found were I want to put my shop.  So, that means I need to buy the materials for the shop, as well as furniture for my place.  Not to mention, I've got to get some merchandise to sell, which means I need to get tools as well.  Furthermore, there isn't a single blacksmith in town, so I've got to find or make a forge to use.  Ugh, I'll be lucky if I have a single bit left after this!”

Chuckling at her nephew's plight, Mayor Mare walked up to the podium, where Twilight Sparkle was trying to give a speech.  Ignoring it all to take another look at the trophy Applejack was getting, Mecha didn't notice all the hub-bub going around him until Applejack came up to get her trophy.  Seeing how tired she was, Mecha said, “Allow me.” And put the trophy on his back, signaling Applejack to lead the way back to Sweet Apple Acres.

“Now, ya don't have ta do that,” Applejack said, “Ah can take care of it mahself!”

With a chuckle, Mecha said, “I've no doubt of that, but it's the gentlecolt thing to do.  Not to mention, I haven't seen Big Macintosh since he was hurt.  I'd like to see how he's doing, not to mention getting his opinion on a few things.”

Seeing that she wasn't going to convince him otherwise, and that she was wasting time she could be using to buck apples, Applejack said, “Okay.”

LINEBREAKER

Having brought the trophy into the house, Mecha looked around for Big Macintosh after Applejack left.  Seeing him in the kitchen, Mecha walked over, asking, “How you holding up?”

Looking up to see his friend, Big Macintosh said, “Good.  You?”

Sitting down at the table, Mecha replied, “Okay.  Listen, I need your opinion on a couple things.  You okay with that?”

Happy to be able to help somepony in his condition, Big Macintosh said, “Eeyup.”

“Kay, you see it's like this...” Mecha started.

LINEBREAKER

After several hours of conversation, Mecha finally knew what he needed.  Walking into town once more, he heard a sound, and looked up.  Sure enough, there was the source of the sound, flying over his head, and into the library.  Sighing, he walked over to ensure that nopony was hurt.  He caught the last snippet of the conversation, “Applejack?” “Yep.”

Looking up, he saw it was Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash talking, and judging by the state Rainbow Dash was in, she was the one who had been flying moments ago.

Sighing, Twilight Sparkle said, “I'll take you to the hospital, then I'll go talk with Applejack.”

Deciding, that it would probably be better if Applejack got help sooner, Mecha spoke up, “I can take her to the hospital.  It's on my way anyways, and it sounds like the sooner that talk happens, the better.”

Caught off guard, Twilight Sparkle looked down from her balcony, and seeing that it was Mecha, said, “That would be great.  I'll just levitate Rainbow Dash down, and you two can be on your way there.”

And with a glow of her horn and around Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash was on the ground, leaning against Mecha due to still being woozy from her crash, and they walked off.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up and said, “Sooooo... how's it going?”

Mecha blinked, having not expected her to speak to him, and said, “Good.  I've finally gotten things straightened out, so I can't complain.”

Rainbow Dash, having not really talked to Mecha, was confused and asked, “Straightened what out?”

Sighing, Mecha told her, “The crap with my pay. Due to having gone missing for nearly two years, the bureaucrats wanted me labeled as a deserter.”

Shocked, Rainbow Dash said, “But it wasn't your fault! After all, you couldn't very well send a message saying you got stuck in Hell, could you!”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Yeah, but they didn't see it that way.  After all, I am but a mere scout whilst they are the all-knowing all-powerful bureaucrats.  Furthermore, I clearly have been dipping into funds for the un-planned un-approved expedition of Hell, and thus shouldn't be paid for my time spent there.”  Seeing the shocked look on Rainbow Dash's face, Mecha said, “Yeah, they really tried to pull that.  Not to mention, the supplies used were meant for six months at most, not two years, and thus I must have been able to pull it from the castle.  I tell you, I absolutely despise those idiots.  Only reason I got paid at all was because the sisters flat out told them to pay me or lose their jobs.”

Laughing, Rainbow Dash said, “They can't have been happy with that!”

Grinning at the memory, Mecha said, “It gets better.”

Quirking her head, Rainbow Dash asked, “How?”

Mecha told her, “Because they delayed the payment for so long, Celestia decided that I should get a bonus for managing to keep all the documentation in one piece.”  Seeing the grin on Rainbow Dash's face, Mecha continued, “And then Luna decided that it should come out of their paychecks.”

Roaring with laughter, Rainbow Dash, held her sides, imagining the faces of the unlucky ponies who pissed off the royal sisters.

When she looked up, she saw that they were at the hospital, and said, “Thanks for helping me get here, as well as for the stories. We should hang out some time!”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “I might take you up on that offer sometime.  However, at the moment, I need to get some things done.  Have a nice day though!” And with a wave, Mecha walked away.

LINEBREAKER

Having gotten a lot of chores done, Mecha was relaxing in Ponyville square, when he heard “STAMPEDE!”

Bolting upright, Mecha yelled, “By Sloth's hundred pounds of fat!* How many stampedes does this town have?!?”

Looking out to see how much time he had, he stopped.  It wasn't another stamped of cows like he thought, but rather, a stampede of bunnies, heading straight towards town.

“Why in Greed's treasure chest* are bunnies of all things stampeding!” he yelled, confused.  Seeing no real answer, and noticing that no real damage was being down, Mecha shrugged, and walked into his final stop for the day, the residence of one Filthy Rich.  Looking around, he saw lots of shiny and useless trinkets, all ridiculously expensive no doubt.

“AH! Mecha was it? I've been waiting for you all day!” said Filthy Rich, coming out of nowhere.

Blinking, Mecha said, “You have?”

“But of course!” Filthy Rich said, “With you being new in town, it was inevitable that you come to me at some point to buy a house!”

Staring at Filthy Rich for a second, Mecha burst out in laughter, confusing the other pony until he said, “I'm sorry, but I already have a house being built.  But I am here to buy an old building off your hooves.”

Blinking, Filthy Rich just nodded and listened to Mecha speak.

LINEBREAKER

Walking up to the construction site where his home was being built, Mecha's jaw dropped.  The building was almost done, missing only the roof and siding.  Looking around, he spotted the forepony and asked, “How in Luna's name did you guys get so much done!”

Jumping a little, the forepony turned around and said, “With unicorn magic.  You'd be surprised at just how fast excavation and cement pouring goes with it, as well as other stuff.”

Blinking, Mecha just nodded his head, surprised that his house was all but built in a week.  Turning around, he walked back into town to start buying the furniture, when he ran into Big Macintosh again.

“Hey there,” he said, “do you need something?”

Looking over at Mecha, Big Macintosh said, “Eeyup.  Applejack is finally willing to get help with the bumper crop, and ah was wondering if ya could help.”

Thinking back to the size of the orchard from the last time he was there, Mecha knew that they could use all the help they could get.  So, nodding his head, he followed Big Macintosh to Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack and her friends were still getting sorted.  Hollering out, Mecha said, “Got room for another hoof?”

Startled, the six ponies looked over at him, with Applejack getting a relieved face.  “Sure, go ahead and get started with the east fields then.”

Nodding his head, he went over, ignoring the looks from the other ponies as he quickly set up and bucked the first tree.

LINEBREAKER

At the end of the day, all the ponies had gathered round a table, drinking apple juice.  “So Mecha,” Twilight Sparkle started, “Why'd you come over and help?”

Putting down his juice, Mecha replied with, “Big Macintosh asked me to.  Probably because I'd work for him earlier this year.”

Getting a resounding ahhhh from the group, Pinkie Pie remembered something from the last time the two talked and asked Mecha, “Didn't you say something about mentioning your brother to Dashie here?”

Blinking, Mecha said, “That's right! Totally forgot about that.  Should've mentioned it to her earlier, but you know what they say about hindsight.”

Confused at this point, Rainbow Dash asked, “What does she mean about mentioning your brother to me? Cause, I'll have you know that I'm not looking for a date or anything right now.”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Oh no, nothing about that.  In fact, he already has a marefriend.  No, you see, my brother is one of the seven talent scouts for the Wonderbolts.  Heck, he was the one who found Soarin' for them.”

Eyes going wide, Rainbow Dash jumped up and tackled Mecha, shouting, “You have to bring him here!  He can help me finally get into the Wonderbolts!”

Pulling Rainbow Dash off Mecha with her magic, Twilight Sparkle said, “Hold on a minute Rainbow.  We don't even know Mecha all that well, why should he ask his brother, who is probably a very busy pony, to come all the way out to Ponyville for you?”

Dusting himself off, Mecha said, “Don't worry about it. You all are going to the Grand Galaping Gala, right?”

Blinking, Twilight Sparkle turned and asked, “How did you know that?  As far as I was aware, only us and Princess Celestia knew all of us were coming.”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “With how close you six are, it wasn't that hard to guess that you'd mention to the princess that it'd be an all or nothing for you guys, and that she'd say yes.  Anyways, my bro goes every year with the Wonderbolts, so you can meet him there.  Furthermore, he sent me a letter recently that he wanted to visit afterwords, so you can show your stuff then.  Now then, it's getting late, and I've got a building to clean out, so I'll see all of you around.” And with that, Mecha walked off.
> Poker Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stared at the sight in front of him.  What he saw was truly astounding, for it was his house.  After just over a week, it was done.  They had even thrown in the forge and smelter he needed for his workshop! Shaking his head, Mecha turned around.  Thoughts of work could be put off until later, for today he had a tradition to continue from his father, and it wasn't giving all colts in the family the same middle name!

So, walking into town, he came across Pinkie Pie hopping down the street.  Seeing him, Pinkie Pie rushed up to him and asked, “Hey, have you seen Dashie?”

Blinking, it took Mecha a moment to realize that she meant Rainbow Dash, and said, “Sorry, I haven't.  Why?”

Sighing, Pinkie Pie said, “I want to go pranking with her! Oh, by the way, when do you want your 'My House Is Done' party?”

Stunned at the fact that Pinkie Pie actually knew that is was done, Mecha replied with, “Never.  I've got my own way of breaking in my house, and it's not a party.  And before you say anything, yes, it involves other ponies.”

Slightly upset that she wouldn't get to throw a party, but respecting Mecha's wishes, Pinkie Pie asked, “What are you doing?”

Shrugging, Mecha told her, “I'm going to continue a family tradition.”

Blinking, Pinkie Pie quirked her head, and said, “Which is?”

Realizing that no-pony in Ponyville knew his family, and thus the famous family tradition, Mecha just sighed and answered, “Poker Night.”  And then, seeing that she was happy with the answer, asked, “Do you know where Spike is? I need him to send a letter to someone in Canterlot.

Rapidly nodding her head, Pinkie Pie told him the location, and hopped off, in search of Rainbow Dash.

LINEBREAKER

Having given Spike his letter, Mecha walked into the market square, looking for his next target.  Spotting him, Mecha walked up to the Sweet Apple Acres apple stand, and looked at the goods, while asking, “Lovely day, isn't it?”

Looking at his friend, Big Macintosh merely said, “Eeyup.”

Picking one apple up, Mecha inspected it while saying, “You got anything you need to do tonight?”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied with, “Eenope.”

Putting the apple in his hoof down, Mecha finally face the red stallion, and finally got to the question he had been planning on asking all along, “Up for a poker night at my place?”

Thinking for a moment, Big Macintosh nodded his head, and  told his friend, “Eeyup.”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Then show up around 7ish, and bring the hard cider! None of that stuff you sell to the general public.”  And with a wave of his mechanical hoof, Mecha walked away, on his way to ask the last pony on his list.

LINEBREAKER

Walking down the street, Mecha noticed a trip wire in the street.  Chuckling to himself, Mecha walked forward, purposely triggering the obvious (to him at least) trap, before immediately leaning left, causing a lemon meringue pie to fly past him, into the bush behind him, and onto Pinkie Pie's face.

“Ah man!” came Rainbow Dash's voice from next to her. “I thought we had him!”

Openly laughing to himself, Mecha continued to walk, while saying to the two ponies, “Mecha one, pranksters zero.”

LINEBREAKER

It was around six thirty, and Mecha was standing by the gates to Ponyville, waiting for his guest from Canterlot to arrive.  So when the flash of a teleportation spell appeared, he wasn't startled.  He was, however, when there were two ponies, instead of the one he was expecting.

His expected guest Shining Armor was there, and standing next to him was a stallion that Mecha had never seen before.  He was a unicorn with crimson fur, while his mane was pitch black.  His cutie mark was a rising sun, and his slitted eyes were black, with tints of red.

Blinking, Mecha heard Shining Armor tell the pony next to him, “I told you that a series of teleports would work.”

Staring at the other pony, Mecha asked, “So, whose your friend here Armor?”

Seeing that Mecha had no clue as to who he was, the unknown pony stepped forward, raising his hoof in greeting, and said, “Name's Solaris*.”

Shaking his hoof in return, Mecha asked, “Not that it's not nice to meet new ponies, but why are you here?”

Stepping back, Solaris pulled out a letter from the bag between him and Shining Armor that Mecha didn't notice until now, he pulled out a black letter with a blue seal.

Recognizing a letter from Luna, Mecha took it from Solaris and quickly read it, looking between it and Solaris several times.  Finally, he asked, “Aren't you a little old to have been...”

Cutting him off, Solaris said, “Yes, yes, I know.  You'd be surprised how often that comes up.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha led the two ponies towards his house.

LINEBREAKER

The inside of Mecha's house could all but be summed up with one word: empty.  To be exact, the only thing currently in the house was the poker table in the center of the living room, with a couple of chairs around it, a cooler that Big Macintosh brought, and the five ponies here for poker night.

Sitting, down at the table, Mecha started shuffling the cards, saying, “Okay gentlecolts, here's the way things are.  This guy,” he said, pointing at the only pony that the others didn't know, and continued, “is Solaris. He will be joining us.  Buy in is the established 50 bits, and the game is Equestria Hold 'em.  Any questions?”

Sitting down, no one had any questions besides Doctor Whooves, who asked, “What's to eat?”

Shaking his head, Mecha just started to deal, hoping that the delivery pony got there soon with his order.

LINEBREAKER

“So, at that point, I thought that the date couldn't get any worse,” Mecha said, laughing with his friends, while taking another chug from the drink that Big Macintosh brought.  “But it turns out that it could.  She turned to the waiter, and asked for a toothpick.  It's at that point we learn that the restaurant didn't carry any due to a lawsuit.  So what does she do? She starts yelling at me, as if I was the pony that sued them!”

At this point, the whole table burst into laughter, before calming down. “Somehow,” Doctor Whooves started, “I can see it happening like that.”

“It gets better,” Mecha said.  “It turns out that the guy who had sued was sitting in the both behind us.  When he heard her, he started to try and sneak out, only to be caught by my date.  Being the lovely lady that she was, she swung at him.  I ended up getting caught between the two, and went home with a black eye, a concussion, and one less restaurant to eat at.”

Amongst the laughter of the ponies laughing at his then misery, the sound of knocking was almost missed.  “I'll get it!” Doctor Whooves said, rushing to the door.

Laughing, Shining Armor said, “He really loves food, doesn't he?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Yeah, he does.” 

At this point they heard the door open, and a voice say, “Okay... that'll be 35 bits.”

Recognizing the voice, Mecha chuckled when he heard the Doctor say, “Oh uh... here you go... uh... have a nice night...” before the door closed, and he walked into the room with the food, red faced and wide eyed.

Laughing, Solaris asked, “Was that the mare you were telling us about earlier?”

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves just stared as he sat down.

Chuckling, Mecha said, “It's actually kinda sad.  He's been pining after her for like, 3 years!”

At this point Big Macintosh spoke up, asking, “Did you even ask her to the Grand Galloping Gala yet?”

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves said, “Not yet. I just get so nervous!”

“You, nervous?” Mecha shouted.  “The stallion that can dis-arm a stink bomb that's been converted to a normal bomb with less than 3 seconds on the timer without blinking, nervous?”

“Eeyup.” Doctor Whooves replied with Big Macintosh's normal line.

“Wait a minute,” Solaris spoke up, “you guys are going to the Gala too?”

Surprised that Solaris was going, Mecha let Big Macintosh reply for them with “Eeyup.”

Looking at him, Mecha asked, “Why are you going?”

Shining Armor answered for him, “Because I'm taking the day off then to go for myself, and a least one Royal Guard captain has to be present. He then drew the short straw.”

Groaning, Solaris just bashed his head on the table, muttering something about “Brown nosing nobles who couldn't last a day in boot camp.”

Laughing at Solaris's decision to hurt himself, Mecha started dealing the next hand, saying, “You know, we really should help the Doctor with his nerve problem.”

Looking at the two cards he was dealt, Shining Armor said, “Only way I know of to deal with nerves is to down several mugs of the hard stuff.  And I don't see how that's going to help him in this case.”

Throwing in a couple of chips, Mecha said, “Actually, that could work.  All we have to do is go to this party that Pinkie Pie is throwing for some griffin chick while the Doc here is drunk.  What do you say Doc?”

Flipping his cards over, revealing a winning set, Doctor Whooves replied, “On one condition.  You guys have to come with me, just as drunk.”

Looking around, they all agreed, much to Doctor Whooves chagrin, hoping that they wouldn't agree to what would be certain humiliation.

At this point, Big Macintosh got up, and walked out, returning with a few more coolers filled with hard cider.

LINEBREAKER

The five ponies staggered into the Sugarcube Corner, clearly drunk beyond anypony's expectations.  Granted, most pony's expectations is nothing more than buzzed.  Anyways, the five walked in, and split up.  Mecha walked up to a pile of presents, and started flirting with them, mistaking their colorful wrappers as the fur of some of ponies in town.

Shining Armor wasn't fairing much better, saluting to a potted plant, clearly waiting for the at ease command that would never come, swaying from side to side, all while giving a detailed report on the training of the new recruits... of bunnies.

Solaris was apparently an angry drunk, having walked up to Rainbow Dash, yelling random words, such as “Sasquatch, mulch, ice cream, flaming balls of steel,” and other such nonsenses.  Not quite sure as to what was going on, she just stood there, taking the rant with confusion.

Big Macintosh, having wandered to the dance floor, was dancing like a maniac.  And not in the sense of him dancing rapidly and well, no, he was dancing like he was an actual maniac. The crowd of previously dancing ponies were slowly walking away from him, scared that the powerful drunken stallion might accidentally hurt them, whilst Applejack ran up to try and stop him.

At this point, people turned to see Doctor Whooves walk up to a mare, with a bottle of hard cider still in his hooves.  When he got up to her, he looked at the bottle, downed it in one last gulp, threw the bottle randomly, and then pulled out his tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.  Looking straight at her, he said, “I've wanted to ask you out... *hic* for a while now... and I happen to have these nice... shiny... oh so shiny... what was I doing again?  Oh yeah... I have these tickets to the Galloping Grand Gala... or was is Gala Grand Galloping?  Whatever, I have these tickets to this grand e-*hic*-vent and was wondering if you, miss Do, would go with me?”

Blinking, Ditzy Do merely smiled, her eyes crossed, and said, “Okay!”

Smiling, Doctor Whooves merely handed her the ticket, before promptly passing out due to the sheer amount of alcohol in his system.

Solaris had been knocked out by the bottle he through, leaving a still confused Rainbow Dash to wonder why he was ranting at her of all ponies.

Mecha, at this point, was frustrated at the presents on the table for not responding to his flirting, and was waving his hooves up in the air, not realizing that he was falling backwards, causing him to hit his head on Shining Armor, who was then forcibly cut off from continuing his report on why chinchillas would make better soldiers than bunnies to the plants, by virtue of an embarrassed Twilight Sparkle knocking him out.

Applejack, having given up on stopping her brother from dancing, took a heavy plant and knocked him unconscious with it.

Looking around, Pinkie Pie said, “Okay, that was not in the party plans!”

LINEBREAKER

Waking up, Mecha looked around, seeing that the other ponies were up as well.  Groaning, he held his head in his hooves, and asked, “Anypony remember what happened?”

*Solaris is owned by Matrix7o6
> Two Terrible Beasts In One Bad Week
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was in his back yard, working at his forge.  Pulling a sword out of a bucket of water, Mecha inspected before grinning.  Perfect.  Sitting down to sharpen it, Mecha took a glance at the time.  Seeing that it was close to seven, Mecha sighed.  After sharpening his sword, he'd have to go to the library to get his punishment from Twilight Sparkle for causing a mess at Pinkie Pie's party.  To be fair though, all five of them were being punished.  Solaris and Shining Armor were both stuck escorting the nobles of Canterlot for a week, a punishment that was more than cruel in Mecha's opinion.  Big Macintosh was stuck with all the chores on Sweet Apple Acres for the week, and Doctor Whooves... actually, he didn't know what his punishment was.  All he knew was that if he wasn't at the library in time he'd have a ticked Twilight Sparkle to deal with.  Sighing, he put his completed sword in it's sheath, slung it on his back, and started walking.  He'd put it into his shop latter, most likely after lunch.

He'd not taken more than three steps onto the street when he heard somepony shout, “MANTICORE!”

Blinking, Mecha swore, “Lust's panties locked in Greed's treasure chest!*” before running down the street, quickly spotting the manticore.  Thankfully, nopony had been hurt, and it was a fairly small manticore, but there was one major issue that Mecha saw right off the bat.  The manticore's mouth had foam coming out of it, showing why it had decided to attack Ponyville.

“Of course,” Mecha said out loud, standing on his hind hooves while drawing the sword on his back.  “It had to be rabid.  By Sloth's hammock, couldn't it just be cranky or something! At least I get to try and see if my upgrades work...” Mecha muttered out that last piece, whilst sticking out his mechanical leg straight in front of him.  At this point, the leg split open, allowing a sword, smaller than the one in his other hoof, to swing out, before his leg fused back together.  

Nodding his head, Mecha was about to charge in when he head, “STOP! What are you doing?!?”  Turning his head, he saw Fluttershy running over.

Knowing about her love of animals, Mecha realized she wouldn't let him do what needed to be done unless she knew what was going on, so he quickly briefed her by saying, “It's rabid.”

Stopping short, Fluttershy's eyes went wide, tears slowly building up.  Looking over at the manticore, she saw what Mecha had seen, and then looked back at Mecha.  Having seen for herself that the manticore was rabid, she nodded her head at Mecha, tears beginning to fall. Knowing that she'd need counciling later, Mecha turned back towards the manticore, and charged forward.

Seeing the pony charging at it, the manticore turned around, roaring, before swiping at the pest that would dare charge it.  Leaping over the swipe, Mecha lashed out, barely reaching above the right eye with his longer sword, while leaving a minor gash up the arm that swung at him.  Howling in pain, the manticore tried to bite Mecha, only to be stopped by Mecha's crossed swords.  With the beast's massive head in front of him, and his efforts to make sure that none of the foam landed anywhere where it could infect him, Mecha almost missed seeing the beast's tail lunging towards him.

Twirling out of the way, Mecha felt the tail brush his cheek, before he slashed his swords in an X manner, cutting through the tail.  Maddened with pain, the manticore lashed out faster than Mecha could react, slashing him across the chest, throwing him back due to the force.

Groaning, Mecha stood back up, and stumbled a bit before getting settled.  At this point, Mecha noticed he'd gathered a crowd that was watching him fight, and running towards him was Big Macintosh, his giant sword with him.

“Hehe, good to see ya,” Mecha told him.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, quickly getting on his hind legs while drawing his sword.

“Be careful, it's rabid,” Mecha warned, before running back into the fray.

At this point, the wound above the manticore's eye had bleed to the point that it had blood running into the eye, forcing it shut.

Seeing this, and knowing that Mecha was injured, Big Macintosh took its good side, swinging his massive sword, only to swing at air when the manticore leaped to the side, right into Mecha's swinging blades, causing several more lacerations across the rabid creature's front legs.  Growling, the manticore tried to swing at Mecha again, only to stop when Big Macintosh distracted it by cutting off one of it's wings, leading to blood bursting out the stump were the wing was once attached.

Roaring wildly, the beast started to thrash in a wild manner, forcing the two fighters to step back.  Unfortunately, Mecha didn't move fast enough, and got caught by the remaining wing, throwing him back.  However, in mid flight, Mecha started to spin, before releasing the sword that he finished that morning at the beast, which managed to land in its chest.  Stopping, the beast merely looked at the piece of metal lodged in its chest, never even seeing Big Macintosh, who swung with the entirety of his might, cutting off the creature's head, ending its misery and madness.

A cheer rose from the crowd, that was quickly cut off when people noticed Mecha wasn't getting up.  Running over, Doctor Whooves was the first to arrive, and quickly looked him over.  Seeing a scratch on his cheek, he instantly knew what was wrong.  “Quickly!” He ordered, “Get a doctor and some anti-venom!”

LINEBREAKER

Opening his eyes, Mecha was blinded by a bright light.  Blinking, he looked around the room he was in, taking in the white ceiling tiles, the smell of cleaners, and his aunt by his bed.  “Oh thank goodness!” She hollered, quickly moving forward, taking him in a tight hug.

Mecha's response was short, and to the point, “OW!!!!!!!!!!”

Quickly releasing him, Mayor Mare blushed, saying “Sorry, forgot about your ribs.”

Looking down, Mecha realized two things.  One, his chest was bandaged, and two, his metal leg wasn't attached.  Looking around, he saw it on the floor, laying next to his bed, the sword still out.  Sighing, Mecha was about to ask questions when Doctor  Stable walked in.  “Ah, good,” he said, walking over, and taking the charts from the foot of Mecha's bed.  “You're awake.  Let's see here... the manticore venom has been treated, your blood showed no sign of rabies, so the only issues you currently have are your three broken and eleven cracked ribs.  Ouch.  But, on the bright side, you can leave.”  Nodding his head at his own analysis, the pony left, leaving Mecha and Mayor Mare.

“So auntie,” Mecha started, “I take it Big Macintosh took care of the manticore after I was KO'ed?”

Nodding her head, Mayor Mare told him, “Just after you were knocked unconscious.  By the way, the sword you threw has been put in your house, and Twilight told me that you don't have to do the last of your punishment.  Do I want to know what you did to earn it?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “No, you don't.  But I managed to hit the blasted thing? Wasn't expecting that. Anyways, how long have I been out?”

Looking at the clock on the wall, his aunt said, “About a day and a half.”

Blinking, Mecha laughed, and said, “Longest I've been asleep in over two years.”

LINEBREAKER

Having checked himself out after re-attaching his mechanical leg, Mecha walked down the streets of Ponyville, only to stop when he saw a crowd.  Blinking, he walked up, and heard someone screech, “Such an awful, awful color!” followed by what sounded like crying. Finally reaching the crowd, he was about to ask what was going on, only for Twilight Sparkle to run past him.  Staring for a second, he turned around to try and get answers, only for the crowd to disperse.  Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha walked down the street, heading home.

LINEBREAKER

Looking at the sword on his newly purchased table, Mecha's left eye started to twitch.  “Why didn't they clean it off first?” he muttered to himself. “Don't they know how hard it is to get blood off a sword without cutting yourself is once it dries! Not to mention the blood is all over my table now!” Sighing, he grabbed a rag, and started cleaning his table.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was in his shop, working on cleaning off the blood from the sword normally sealed in his mechanical leg.  Hearing the bell ring, Mecha put the rag in the bucket he kept nearby, and sealed the sword.  Smiling, Mecha said, “Welcome to my... why are you two looking at me so closely?”

Staring even closer, Snail asked Snips, “Are you sure?”

Looking Mecha over, Snips said, “Psh, of course I'm sure!”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Can I help you two?”

Still leaning close to Mecha, Snips asked, “Is it true that you used to be a scout?”

Blinking at the unexpected question, Mecha merely nodded his head.

“Oh goodie!” Snail said, jumping a little.  “Then he can help us, eh?”

“Most certainly!” Snips said.  “Good sir, could you by chance tell us where to find an Ursa Major?”

Surprised, Mecha gave a stern look, and asked, “And why do you want to find an Ursa Major?”

Snail started to say something, only for Snips to cut him off, saying, “To see how big one is!”

Blinking, Mecha gave them another hard look, before relaxing and scratching his head, saying, “Well, I don't know of any  dens nearby... No wait, I might be able to help you.” Going into the back room, Mecha looked around, and pulled a map, before walking out.  Spreading it out, he looked it over before pointing at a cave marked on the map.  “This here used to be an Ursa Major den.  It's unlikely that anything is still there, so it's perfectly safe.  Just walk in, and take a look at the size of the cave, and you should give you a good idea of their size.  Will that work?” Looking up, Mecha was greeted with silence, as the two had already left.  Sighing, he put the map back, and got back to cleaning his swords.

LINEBREAKER

It was several hours later, and Mecha had just finished getting the blood off his swords.  He put the one not attached to him up in the display case, when the door opened for the second time that day.  Looking over, he saw Spike, and walked over to him.  “Can I help you?”  he asked, hoping that he was actually going to buy something.

Spike disappointed him when he asked, “Yeah, can we talk?”

Sighing, Mecha pulled out two chairs, and sat in one asking, “What's the issue?”

Spike sighed, and explained the situation to Mecha, before finally asking, “What should I do?”

Taking in a deep breath, Mecha told him, “You let her stick to her decision.  If she's not comfortable with using her magic in front of her friends, then she has to be the one to work it out for herself.  However, if it makes you feel better, I'll talk to her myself.  That okay?”

Sighing Spike just nodded his head before walking out the door.  Looking at the clock on his wall, Mecha sighed, changing the open sign to closed, and locked up, mumbling to himself, “I need to put up a sign or something, saying no entry without purchase or something.”

Giving a final sigh, Mecha started to walk home, hoping to get started on forging the next piece to sell at his shop.  Maybe some armor or something would attract some costumers, or better yet, maybe...

His thoughts were cut off when he heard a loud roar, causing him to turn around.  Looking up, he saw a giant blue bear whose fur looked like it was made of stars rampaging through town.  Blinking, Mecha just said, “Okay, I'm not dealing with that!”

LINEBREAKER

Thankfully, he didn't have to deal with it, as Twilight Sparkle did so.  Walking up, he wondered why Snips and Snails were looking so bashful, when he heard Twilight say, “For starters, you can clean up this mess.”

Startled, Mecha asked, “These two caused the Ursa Minor to rampage?”

Looking over at Mecha, Twilight said, “Yes, all so they could see someone vanquish it.”

Going wide-eyed, Mecha turned to the two, and yelled, “YOU TWO LIED TO ME!!!”

Shrinking into themselves, they stared at him with fear in their eyes.

Surprised, Twilight asked, “What do you mean?”

Still glaring, Mecha told her of their visit to him earlier.  “Had I realized their true intentions,” he said, “I wouldn't have told them about the apparently not so abandoned Ursa den.”

Looking over the two, Twilight told Mecha, “Then I think it's only fair that you pick last bit of their punishment.”

Still glaring, Mecha told them in a short tone, “You two are working in my shop to pay for the damages you caused with this stunt.  Got it?”

“Got it,” the two said.

“Wait a minute,” Twilight interrupted, “your shop is open?”

Blinking, Mecha said, “Yeah, why?”

The crowd around them muttered, since this was apparently news to them.  “Because I never got the news about it,” Twilight said, speaking for the crowd.  “What exactly is it?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Mecha's Metalworks, were you can find anything made from metal, or I'll make it myself.  In fact, the sword I used on the manticore is up for sale their.  Now, if you don't mind, I've got to get home to start on my next project for the store.” Turning Mecha started to walk home, having finally gotten an explanation to his lack of customers, only to be stopped by Fluttershy in the street halfway there.

“Um... excuse me...” she started, living up to her name.  “But I was kinda.... wondering how much... the uh... sword...” here she stopped for a minute, obviously struggling with the request, “that you used cost?”

Caught totally off guard, Mecha said, “It costs 450 bits**.  If you don't mind me asking, why do you want it?”

Gulping, Fluttershy told him, “To remind me... that sometimes... even kindness can't save everypony.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Walk with me, and I'll get it from the store for ya.  You can pay me tomorrow.”

Nodding, Fluttershy walked with him, completely silent.

*Compound cursing: A popular way in Hell to swear when highly distressed.  These curses are considered even worse than singular curses, and the worst one can do is chain the 7 deadly sins together with the overall ruler of Hell.
**Using the earlier bit value I mention, this would be $472.50
> Dragon's Hoard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha opened his eyes, and yawned.  Blinking, he looked over towards his clock, reading 3:23 am.  Sighing, he got out of is seldom used bed, and walked towards his bathroom.  “Another one hour sleep...” he said, staring at himself in the mirror.  Giving another sigh, he muttered, “Par for the course.”

After cleaning himself up, he walked out to his forge, and quickly lighting it up.  While waiting for it to heat up to the point he could use it, Mecha looked at his most recent project, a suit of armor that would fit on any pony.  Well, almost any pony, Big Macintosh would probably get stuck in it if he tried to put it on.  Chuckling at the image, Mecha got to work, putting some metal into the furnace, allowing it to heat up while he pulled out his tools.  When it was glowing red, he put another piece of metal in, while using tongs to pull out the red hot metal out, and started hammering it, slowly losing himself to the rhythmic clang... clang... clang...

LINEBREAKER

Two hours later, Mecha was in front of his store, tapping his hoof while he waited for Snips and Snails.  Normally, he wouldn't open for another couple hours, but due the fact that Snips and Snails were both in school, he needed them to come in so that he could train them in running the shop so that they could get right to work after school got out for the day, and he could take the time to finish the armor. Taking another glance around, Mecha spotted them walking up the street, their parents walking up with them.  Taking a glance at how tired the parents were, he told them, “I'll take them to school when it's time to, go ahead and get back to sleep.”

Just nodding, the parents just said something along the lines of, “Behave, okay?” to the two colts, before turning around and walking home.

Glancing at the two trouble makers, Mecha told them, “Listen up. Normally, I open shop at seven, and close at five.  Today is unusual, in that we're starting now instead, so you two can learn what you need to do.  Got it so far?”  Seeing the two nod their heads, Mecha continued while unlocking the door and walking in, “Good.  Now, on school days, you two are going to show up at three, and work until five.  On the weekends, you'll be working from eleven to three, but you'll have from twelve to twelve thirty off.  So, what you'll be doing is...”

LINEBREAKER

It was approaching seven, and Mecha was walking towards the school with Snips and Snails walking behind him, when he heard Twilight Sparkle say, “It's coming from a dragon.”  Confused as to what she meant, Mecha looked around, until he saw everypony looking up, leading him to see what had put everypony in a panic.  Smoke, coming from a mountain, and covering the sky.  Looking back at Twilight, Mecha saw that she was gathering her friends, most likely to deal with the dragon.  “Huh,” Mecha said, “A dragon.  Oh well, not my problem.”  Turning to the young foals behind him, both looking at the sky, and said, “Keep moving, unless you want to be late,” and kept walking.

LINEBREAKER

Approaching the school, Mecha saw Cheerilee, and after making sure that Snips and Snails were inside, walked over to talk to her, asking, “How's your day going?”

Slightly startled, she looked away from the students running into the building, replying, “Alright all things considered.  How about you?”

Shrugging, Mecha told her, “Alright.  I mean, I've gotten some work on my next project done, and Snips and Snails know what to do now for when they get to work.  What's the lesson plan for today?”

Turning back to view the last of the colts and fillies entering her class, she said, “Not much, just going over the military of Equestria.”  Suddenly, her eyes brightened up, and she turned towards Mecha.

Slightly uncomfortable with the stare, Mecha asked, “Um... why are you staring at me?”

With a widening smile, Cheerilee said, “Because you can give the lesson! You were in the military, so you're better suited to give this lesson! I've always dreaded giving this lesson, since I don't know much about it, so this is perfect!”

Seeing the look on her face, Mecha knew one thing, and that was this.  Mares were evil when they gave you what he then dubbed, The Look.

LINEBREAKER

“Okay class,” Cheerilee said, having gone through attendance.  “As you know, today we'll be going over the military of Equestria.  What you don't know is that in addition to that, we also are having a guest speaker about it.  So be on your best behavior for our guest, former Corporal Mecha!”

Here, the students applauded, while Mecha walked into the room, stopping in the middle of the front of the classroom.  Turning to face the students, Mecha took a quick glance, recognizing a few of them.  Taking a deep breath, Mecha started, “Hello there.  As you know, my name is Mecha.  I used to be a Corporal in the army.  And right now, I know what almost all of you are thinking.”  Taking another look around, he continued, “And that is, why does Equestria have an army? After all, we've had peace for over a thousand years, right?”  At this point, most of the students nodded their heads, showing that was in fact what they were thinking.

Speaking a little louder in order to get their attention back, Mecha said, “And that is a valid question.  After all, an army is expensive to maintain, and if it has no use, why waste the bits? The answer is, that while we're at peace, the world outside our borders aren't.”

This shocked the class, as none of them were aware of that.  Seeing the rapt attention the class was giving, Mecha took another deep breath, and continued, “Furthermore, those wars happen to be in countries along our borders.  Our army is meant to be a preventive measure, something to ensure that none of their conflict crosses over to our borders. But, that is not all the army does, for if it was, our army would only need to be half the size it currently is.  The other duty of the army is to enforce the law in larger towns, as well as dealing with internal threats such as bandit camps or diamond dog camps.”

Seeing a hoof in the air, Mecha said, “Questions at the end please.”  The filly that had her hoof in the put it down, and Mecha continued, “Now, there are three general branches, each with their own special divisions.  First, you have the air force, made up of mostly pegasi, which makes sense, while any unicorn or earth pony that joins work on blimps or hot air balloons.  Next, you have the army, made up of a fairly even mix of earth ponies and unicorns, and a small amount of pegasi.  Finally, you have the navy, with an even split of the three.”

Seeing that the class was slowly succumbing to boredom, Mecha started on the specialized branches, “Each branch has various sub-branches, but I'll only cover the more interesting ones.  In the air force, you have the weather-warriors.  Basically, pegasi who've been trained to completely alter the weather in seconds.  Enemy got a clear line of sight? Roll in a fog.  Foes charging in the rain? Clear the clouds and vision.  Sieging a town? Series of thunderstorms to wear out morale.  And everything I listed? Completed in under a minute, each and every time.”

This held the class's attention, as after all, chaotic weather was interesting.  Chuckling, Mecha told them, “It's more scary to watch than anything else.  But anyways, the navy has what's known as sea-ponies to most of us, submariners to them.  What they do is simple, with a unicorn spell, they travel underwater and spot enemy formations, hidden traps, and other nasty surprises.  They also use the fact that they're hidden to sink enemy ships before they get to close.”

Taking a sip of water from a bottle that Cheerilee had given him, Mecha continued with, “Finally, the army.  The army actually has two interesting branches in it, the first being battle mages.  To sum them up, imagine giant fire balls, furious tsunamis, and mountains shifting towards you.”  Seeing a slight paling of their faces, Mecha chuckled, and said, “Intimidating, right?  Well, that's their purpose.  To wrap up this lecture, we have the division I was in.  The scouting division, responsible for gather intel, and considered one of the more dangerous divisions.  This is because while most of the time you have a team to work with, there are times when you have to work alone, and those times are the most dangerous.  For example, imagine having to sneak into a palace guarded 24/7 in a hostile nation, with no back-up.  Yeah, that's in the job description.  So, any questions?”

Looking around, he saw several hooves up in the air, causing him to sigh.  Picking one at random, Mecha started to answer their questions.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was at the counter, relaxing as he had just dealt with what would likely be his last customer of the day.  Spying a couple pegasi clearing out the last of the smoke, Mecha smiled, having had a good day of sales.  Taking a glance at the door upon hearing the bell go off, Mecha saw Twilight Sparkle walk in.

“Hey there!” he hollered, catching her attention. “Can I help you with anything?”

Glancing at the various metal items around the room, Twilight said, “Actually, yes.  Do you happen to have anything I can use to hold my chemistry equipment?”

Quirking his head to think, Mecha responded, “No, I don't think so.  But if you give me a design of what you want, I can make it for you.”

Taking another glance at the room, Twilight walked up and said, “Sure, give me a minute to draw them out.” At which point she used her magic to take out a piece of paper and a quill, which she used to draw out what she wanted.

Mecha watched for a minute in silence, breaking it to ask, “So what did you do to get the dragon to leave?”

Still drawing out what she wanted, Twilight explained to him about each of her friends attempts at getting the dragon to leave, ending with Fluttershy's stern lecture that she gave to the dragon.  Finishing her story at the same time she finished drawing, she saw Mecha's face, jaw dropped.  “Um... are you okay?”

Nodding his head, Mecha asked, “And he just left like that?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “But enough of that.  Can you make this for me?”

Taking a glance at her drawing, Mecha said, “Sure. Is that all?”

Taking another glance at the items he had on display, Twilight said, “Yeah, that'll be it.”

Putting the drawing into a folder with the rest of the custom orders he'd gotten, Mecha told her, “It should be ready in two days, come back then and I'll giving you the price.”

Nodding her head, Twilight left the shop, right as Snips and Snails walked in.  “Heya boss!” Snails said, waving his hoof.

“Ready to work!” Snips said, saluting him.

Mecha just stared at the two, wondering why they were so energetic, before shrugging it off.  “Good timing you two,” he said, walking past them.  “I trust you both remember what I told you this morning?”

Nodding their heads, Snips said, “Yes sir! We remember everything you told us sir!”

Smiling, Mecha told them, “Then you two should get to work, I've got places to be.”

LINEBREAKER

“...which means he left his hoard behind, for us to take,” Mecha said to Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves.  “All we'd need is three carts, and we'd be set to go.”

Looking at each other, Doctor Whooves voiced his concerns, “What if he returns while we're there?”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Not going to happen.  The hoard there was a hibernation hoard, meant to last only long enough to get him through the nap.  That means that relatively speaking, it's small.  Why go back and risk the ire of Fluttershy for something he doesn't even need?”

Taking another glance at each, Doctor Whooves said, “Alright, I'm in.”

Grinning, Mecha turned to Big Macintosh, and asked, “And you?”

Sighing, Big Macintosh merely said, “Eeyup.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha, Doctor Whooves, and Big Macintosh stared at what was in front of them.  “Whoa,” Mecha said.  “That is a lot of gold.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, staring at the hoard in front of them.

“That dragon must've been huge,” Doctor Whooves said.

“Considering the smoke we saw,” Mecha started, “I'd say you're right Doc.”

After standing for a minute in awe, the three got working one transferring one of the smaller piles into the carts they brought with them.  After a couple minutes of silence, Mecha finally got tired of it and asked, “So what are you guys planning on doing with your cart?”

Stopping for a minute of thought, Doctor Whooves said, “I'm going to use it to make sure Ditzy and I have the best possible time at the gala.  You know, perfect dress for her, nice suit for me, possibly a carriage ride there.  You?”

Mecha smiled at his thoughts, voicing them, “I'm melting down most of the gold to work with.  Maybe make some ceremonial armor with it and some of the gems.  Would definitely be a great showpiece for the shop.  What about you Big M?”

Still shoveling, Big Macintosh said, “New hip for Granny Smith.  Maybe renovate the barn.  Anything left after that? A new plow.”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Still got your priorities straight. Nice.”

LINEBREAKER

The trio were almost back to Ponyville, when Doctor Whooves stopped them, saying, “I just realized something.  How do we explain all this to everypony?”

Blinking, Mecha shouted, “Wrath's dagger! You're right. Um... let's think her for a minute...”

Looking at both his panicking friends, Big Macintosh said, “Tax returns.”

Stunned, Mecha and Doctor Whooves looked at each other, then Big Macintosh, and then each other again.  Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha said, “If they ever got around to actually giving us our tax returns, it would be about the same amount.”

Doctor Whooves replied, “Not to mention, we'd be able to finally stop bugging the bureaucrats with our request for it.”

So, having come to an accord on the plan, the three ponies walked into town, each going to their own home.
> Windy Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“I can't believe they screwed up my order...” Mecha mumbled to himself, walking towards Ponyville.  “I mean, how hard is it to make a giant block of metal!”  The source of his discontent was being half dragged behind, attached to him via rope.  “At least it's the right amount...” for the item was a giant eleven foot by eight and a half foot sheet of metal, about a sixteenth of an inch thick.

A rumbling in the distance made Mecha look up into the sky, to see dark clouds charged with lightning.  “And now I walk into the storm, could this day get any worse!”

As if to answer his question, an extremely strong gust of wind caught the metal sheet, lifting them into the air, leading to Mecha screaming out, “I hate you fate!”

The wind blew Mecha into Ponyville... and into the upper branches of Twilight Sparkle's library/house, before slowing down.

“And now I'm tangled in a tree... great.” Sighing, Mecha was about to release his sword from his mechanical hoof when the wind picked up again, ramming him against another large branch, lodging it into a fork, as well as jamming it with smaller branches.  “Wrath's dagger in Greed's treasure chest under Sloth's hammock reflected in Pride's mirror under Envy's gaze!” he swore, as the wind shifted directions, causing him great pain as it tried to pull him away from the branch his leg was stuck in.

When the wind lightened up a little, Mecha made a quick decision, and unattached his mechanical leg.  “Well,” Mecha said, “that could of gone better.”

It was then that fate decided to try and throw him a bone, and let the wind swing him towards a near by window.  Grabbing onto the ledge with his remaining front hoof, Mecha tried knocking on it with his head, hollering out, “Twilight! Help me! Please, the rope is starting to dig into my ribs!”

Unfortunately, it appeared that the bone that fate threw Mecha missed, as Twilight couldn't hear him, and at the same time the wind picked up, forcing him to let go of the ledge due to the force behind it, swinging him around the tree, and into it.  “Ow... gonna feel that latter...” Mecha moaned.

LINEBREAKER

Half an hour later, and many injuries later, Mecha was once again near the window.  Grabbing onto the ledge once more, Mecha was about to try shouting again, but stopped when he saw Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle all inside, and making s'mores.  “S'mores? They're making s'mores and relaxing while I'm stuck out here!?! What the...”

Cut off mid-rant by the wind once more, Mecha began swinging in the wind, hitting his head on almost all of the branches.

LINEBREAKER

After several hours of swinging in the wind, and numerous head injuries, Mecha found that he didn't really mind being stuck in the tree, being swung around in the wind.  “Wheeeeeee! So much fun! Why haven't I done this before?!” ...granted, he wouldn't really mind much of anything at this point.  “Oh... shiny! Come here shiny!” he said, as he swung towards the window.  At this point, the rope, which had held up fairly well until this point, snapped, sending him through the window.

“Wohoo!” he yelled, as he went through the window.  “Do it again!”

At this point, the mares ran into the room to see Mecha laying on the floor, legs up in the air, small cuts all over him due to the glass.

“Are you okay partner?” Applejack asked, running up to him.

Giggling, Mecha said, “Purty ladies...”

Blinking, Applejack looked over to Twilight Sparkle and asked, “Uh, is he okay?”

Getting closer, Twilight Sparkle looked over Mecha, and asked, “What happened to you?”

Still giggling, Mecha replied, “I was swinging outside, and then I was here!”

Stunned by his apparent lack of concern for his condition, Rarity took a look at him, voicing her observations, “I think the poor fellow hit his head one to many times...”

Running a quick diagnostics spell on Mecha, Twilight Sparkle said, “That would explain the bruises on his head, as well as the concussion I'm picking up.  Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have any major damage, as I don't have any medical spells besides the diagnostic spell.”

Ignoring the chatter around him, Mecha started to sing. “Oh I know a place, where no one gets hurt...” unfortunately, his recent head trauma lead him to decide that singing off-key was fun.

“Ugh,” Rarity said, “I don't think I can take much of this...”

“Well,” Applejack started, looking outside, “Ah don't think we'll have ta, as the storm's clearin' up.  Should probably take 'im to the hospital.”

Glancing out the broken window, the other two agreed, with Twilight using her magic to safely move Mecha.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha opened his eyes, groaning.  “What in Luna's name hit me?”

“A tree,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“And some branches,” Rarity added.

“And a window,” Applejack finished.

“Ugh... my head...” Mecha moaned, laying on the bed, trying not to move.

After a few moments of silence, Twilight Sparkle decided to break the silence by asking, “Um, Mecha? How'd you end up swinging into my home?”

Opening his eyes, Mecha looked at her and said, “I had the equivalent of a metal kite roped to me, caught the biggest gust of the storm, and flew into some branches.  Branches jammed the mechanism to release my sword, and forced me to detach the leg.  From there... well, you can guess.”

At this point, Doctor Stable walked in, saying, “Weren't you here the other day to get the all clear for your ribs?”

Sighing, Mecha just nodded.

“Well, it didn't take long to reverse that,” Doctor Stable told him.  “You re-broke all the ribs that you broke in your fight with the manticore, in addition to another three ribs.  You cracked the rest, and fractured your left hind leg, in addition to the small lacerations along your body from the glass.  Finally, the head trauma you received left you with a concussion, which is going to keep you here for a least a week.”

Blanching at that last remark, Mecha yelled, “A WEEK!”

Ears ringing, Doctor Stable said, “Yes, a week. And please keep it down, we have other patients who need their rest.  Any ways, do you have any questions about your current state?” At this, Mecha shook his head, to which Doctor Stable replied with, “Then I'll be on my way,” before leaving the room.

Sighing, Mecha looked at the mares in the room, before saying, “I suppose I have you three to thank for getting me here?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said.

“Then thank you,” Mecha told them.  “I do have a request though, if you three don't mind.”

Twilight answered for them, saying, “Not at all Mecha!”

Smiling lightly, Mecha said, Since I'm going to be stuck here for the week, I need a couple things done.  First, would one of you tell Snips and Snails they have the week off?”

Nodding her head, Applejack said, “Ah'll go and do it now!” before leaving the room.

Smiling a bit more, Mecha then spoke once more, and said, “I'm also going to need my leg from the tree, in addition to some tools to fix any damage it might have taken.”

Twilight spoke, saying, “I can take care of that,” before walking off to do so.

Turning to face Rarity, Mecha asked, “And could you grab something for me to do while I'm here? After all, I've got nothing but time while I'm here.”

“But of course darling!” Rarity replied, trotting out of the room.

Sighing, Mecha said to himself, “It's going to be a long week.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was sitting in his hospital bed, reattaching his mechanical leg when his door opened.  Looking up, Mecha was surprised to see Snips and Snails walk in, and asked, “What are you two doing here?”

Snips answer with, “We came to see how you're doing boss!”

Snails nodded his head, saying, “Yeah, after Applejack told you were hurt, we just had ta see how you were doin'!”

Smiling, Mecha told them, “Thanks.  It means a lot to have someone other than my aunt come to see me.”

Smiling as well, Snails said, “We uh... also had something we kinda wanted to ask...”

Blinking, Mecha said, “Oh? And what's that?”

Snips spoke this time, saying, “We were kinda wondering if you'd be willing to let us keep working after we finish paying for the Ursa Minor incident?”

This stunned Mecha, as he'd never thought that they'd actually want to work for him, forcing him to ask, “Why?”

“We enjoy working,” Snails said.

“We get to meet ponies that we normally wouldn't even consider talking to! Not to mention, it feels great to work at something!” Snips said, adding his two bits.

Mecha gained a contemplating look on his face.  While it would be interesting to keep the two working for him, there were a few things to consider, such as pay and whether or not it would be legal for them to work.  Suddenly, an idea popped into his head, which he knew was the easiest option.  “I'll allow you two to keep working,” he said, to cheers from the two, “but there is a condition.” At this point, he had their rapt attention.  “In order for you two to keep legally working for me, you'd have to become apprentices in metalwork.  The only reason you can currently work for me is my aunt gave you two under-age work passes for the duration of your punishment.  Is that okay for you two?”

Glancing at each other, they both simultaneously said, “Yes sir, boss!”

Enjoying their enthusiasm, Mecha told them, “Then let's cover some ground rules.  Rule one, this is not going to interfere with your school work, got it?” Nodding their heads, Mecha took this cue to continue, “Rule number two, when at the forge, you listen to every order I give, period.  It is a dangerous place to work if you don't know what you're doing, and I don't want you two to get hurt.  And rule three, NO SLACKING! You two asked for this, so I expect the best you two can give! Got it?”

Nodding their heads rapidly, the two colts saluted him, saying, “Understood boss!”

Making plans and throwing them out in his head, Mecha told them, “Could you guys go and get Cheerilee then? I going to need to inform her of this arrangement.”

Giving a quick affirmative, the two left as Mayor Mare walked in.  Quirking her head, she asked, “What's up with those two?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Not much.  By the way, I'm going to need two sets of apprenticeship forms.”

Not expecting that request, Mayor Mare looked at him, then at the door were the two foals just walked through, then back at Mecha, saying, “Those two?”

Nodding, Mecha said, “They enjoyed working at the shop, and wanted to continue.  It was the only thing I could think of that would let them.  Not to mention, it'd be nice to teach somepony how to forge as well.” Seeing his aunt's look, he added, “They have to keep up their school work though, and I'll make sure that it's as safe as possible.  That work for you?”

Thinking for a moment, Mayor Mare nodded her head, telling him, “I'll get the paperwork then, so that you can get it down while you have nothing else to do.”

She then walked out, leaving Mecha to finish fixing up his leg, when Cheerilee walked in.  “Oh!” she said, seeing him trying to re-attach his leg to his shoulder.  “Do you need any help with that?”

Looking up to see her standing next to his bed, Mecha said, “Thanks, but I'm good.  I just have to do one last thing...” after which, he quickly finished, flexing the leg to make sure it was working properly.

After watching Mecha flex his leg for a minute, Cheerilee spoke up, saying, “Snips and Snails said you wanted to talk to me?”

Blinking, Mecha looked away from his leg and towards Cheerilee, and replied, “Yeah, I did.  You see, those two have agreed to sign up as my apprentices, and I agreed on the condition that their school work didn't suffer from it.  I figured that I'd let you know, so that in case their work does, you can inform me.”

Surprised at this information, Cheerilee said, “That explains why they seemed so happy when they talked to me!”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “That sounds like them alright.  So, you understand what's going on then?”

Cheerilee nodded, saying, “Oh yes.  And who knows? Maybe they'll take their work more seriously now.”
> Vacation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was in Canterlot, on vacation.  Granted, that vacation was mandated by Luna after she found out that he was once again injured.  It also didn't help his case when shortly after being released from the hospital he went just a little bit crazy.  Only a little bit.  Okay, attacking a tree while calling it a “Vile creature that Hell would spit out,” was probably a bit much.

Anyways, it wasn't a pure vacation.  Mecha had brought with him the ceremonial armor and sword he made, realizing that a solid gold set of armor with a silver sword was probably a bit much in Ponyville.  Canterlot on the other hand, ate that stuff up.  Furthermore, he could jack up the price and the nobles wouldn't know the difference! Heck, they'd probably want the set even more!

At this point, Mecha broke out into maniacal  laughter, causing the royal guards escorting him to the palace to step away from him.  Glancing at their behavior, Mecha suddenly realized what he did, and sighed.  Maybe he did need this vacation after all.

Walking in silence for a few more minutes, they approached the palace, where both princesses were waiting for them.  The guards quickly bowed, while Mecha just looked at them both.  The guards were about to tell him to bow, when he suddenly spoke up and said, “How's it going?”

Stunned at the blatant disrespect to the princesses, the guard were moving to punish Mecha, when princess Celestia said, “It is going well.  Twilight Sparkle told me about the recent events in Ponyville, and I must say, you are quite the brave pony.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “Don't worry about, I just did what needed to be done.  And don't sell Big Macintosh short either, he helped too!”

Smiling, Celestia said, “Yes, yes he did.  I've also heard of some more... interesting things as well.  Should I tell the guards to protect the trees while you're here.”

Blushing profusely, Mecha coughed a little, muttering, “One time, one tree.  And I didn't even hurt it too much.”

Chuckling at his embarrassment, Celestia walked off, saying, “Enjoy your stay here!”

Sighing, Mecha turned to princess Luna, and said, “So, shall we walk?”

Smiling at her friend, Luna said, “I think thou hast a good idea.  Were shalt we go?”

Turning towards the market district, Mecha said, “I've got something set up in the market district for later, why don't we see if it's ready?”

Nodding her head, Luna replied with, “That sounds like a grand idea.”

LINEBREAKER

There was a crowd gathered by a stand in the market, causing a grin on Mecha's face.  “It appears,” he started, “that not only is it set up, but it is also is quite popular.”

Hearing his statement, a pony from the crowd turned to face him, and asked, “Is that fine set of armor yours?”

Grinning even wider, Mecha replied, “Yes, it is.  Forged it myself, and it came out marvelously, don't you think?”

Having used her greater height to see the armor in question, Luna replied, “Most definitely.  That armor in fact reminds me of the old ceremonial armor that Celestia and I used to wear.”

Hearing the princess praise the armor caused the crowd to murmur amongst itself.  After all, if the princess praised it, then it must be top quality! Furthermore, it was similar to something both of them used to wear, making the history buffs in the crowd freak out.

“I must ask,” the pony from before started, “how much is it for the set! I just must have it!”

Chuckling, Mecha told the pony, “It goes up for auction today at four.  I want to make sure that everypony has a chance to own it, and should it go high enough, I might consider making another set in silver and copper.”

Having seen what they came to see, the princess and the forger walked off to get lunch.

LINEBREAKER

“I have heard only the highest of praises for this establishment,” Luna told Mecha.  “The food ist said to be divine, the decoration classy.”

“It sounds great,” Mecha said, following her lead.  “What's the place called?”

“I believe that the establishment ist called A Salt & Battery*,” Luna replied.

Mecha stopped short, asking, “Did you say A Salt & Battery?”

Blinking at his sudden change in demeanor, Luna asked, “That I did.  Why, does thou have a problem with the establishment?”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “It's not that I have a problem with it, rather, it has a problem with me.  Or, to be clearer, the owner does.”

Quirking her head, Luna asked, “Thou must explain what thou means.”

Sighing, Mecha told her, “I may have assaulted and battered the owner at some point.”  Seeing the look on Luna's face, he quickly said, “He started it! All I did was complain that almost all nobles seem to be stuck up jerks with no personalty and use! He was the one who got offended and swung at me! Either way, after I kicked his flank, he told me I was banned from his restaurant.”  Mecha blinked, and then said, “I just realized something.”

Curious, Luna asked, “And what ist that?”

“I got banned from A Salt & Battery for assault and battery,” Mecha said, still dumbfounded at the circumstances.

LINEBREAKER

After trying four more restaurants that Mecha was banned from, they finally decided to try the place Spike had recommended to Mecha before he left: Doughnut Joe's.  “I still cannot believe thou ist banned from so many eating establishments,” Luna told Mecha.  “It is almost as if thou ist trying to get banned from all of the eating establishments in Canterlot!”

“Not all of them,” Mecha replied.  “Just the ones owned by nobles or classy enough to take mares to for dates.”

Blinking, Luna replied, “Thou realizes that thou just listed every establishment besides this one, right?”

Mecha quirked his head, and replied, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Laughing, Luna asked Mecha, “I must admit, I am curious as to where thou managed obtain the material for the armor in the square? The gold appeared to be pure, the silver unblemished.”

Mecha looked at her, and asked, “Do you want the official story, or the truth?”

Luna thought for a moment, and then said, “I think I would like to hear both.”

Smiling, Mecha chuckled to himself, saying, “The truth is that it's from an abandoned dragon hoard, but don't spread that around, as I don't want everypony and their dog pestering me for it's location.”

Eyebrows raising, Luna said, “An abandoned dragon hoard! Thou must realize that thou ist playing a dangerous game there.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Which is why the official story is that it's from tax returns.”

Blinking, Luna said, “Tax returns?”

Smiling, Mecha replied, “Tax returns.”

Luna just stared at him, processing what he said in her head.  After several minutes of silence, she finally broke down in laughter, saying, “Tax returns!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Luna were back in the market district, waiting to see how the auction went.  However, when the auctioneer got there, he walked up to Mecha instead of up to the podium.  “I need to ask a couple questions before we start,” he told Mecha.

“Go ahead,” Mecha responded.

“First,” the auctioneer started, “This is purely ceremonial, correct?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha responded.  “Armor is made out of some of the purest gold I could find, and the same of the swords silver.  Heck, a foal could bend them!”

Nodding his head, the auctioneer then asked, “And I've heard rumors of a silver and copper set.  Would you be willing to explain that to me?”

Sighing Mecha said, “I'm undecided on that front.  Currently, no such set exists.  However, should this set sell for enough, I might decide to make said sets.  Granted, that is not a guarantee, however, should I receive an order for custom armor via my store, I'll make it.  Just not out of gold, as it was hard to obtain the material for this set.”

“Oh really?” the auctioneer asked.  “That might help sell it.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “The official story is that it's tax returns from an abandoned dragon's hoard.”

“Official story?”  inquired the auctioneer.

“Yes, and I'm sticking to it,” Mecha said, putting his hoof down.

“Very well,” the auctioneer replied, walking up to the stand.

“I thought the official story was just tax returns?” Luna asked.

“Dragon hoard gold adds value,” was Mecha's response, watching the bidding going on.

“500 bits!” hollered one pony.

“700 bits!” shouted another.

“1000 bits!”  “1200 bits!” “2400 bits!” “5000 bits!”  “10,000 bits!” the auction raged, as more and more of the richer ponies tried to out bid each other.

Mecha smiled, the value having exceeded the value of the gold already**.

After another minute of bidding, the last bid was cast, and the auctioneer yelled, “SOLD! To the gentlecolt in the hood, for 15,500 bits!”

Mecha was truly happy, for that alone just paid for the materials he'd need to train Snips and Snails.  Furthermore, there would be plenty left over for his next project.  He was curious at the grin that Luna was giving to the purchaser of the armor, and inquired, “Do you know him?”

Shaking her head, Luna told Mecha, “Only that he ist the one Celestia hired to buy decorations for the palace.”

Elated at that bit of news, Mecha and Luna started walking back towards the palace.

LINEBREAKER

Luna and Mecha were standing at the gates to the palace, exchanging farewells.  “It has been a most enjoyable day,” princess Luna told him.  “I look forward to the next time we meet.”

“It was indeed enjoyable,” Mecha said, “And the next time will most likely be at the Gala. So, until then, farewell!”

And with a final wave, Mecha turned to leave, only to walk straight into Celestia.  Granted, Mecha didn't know that, seeing as he hadn't stepped back yet.  He did have his suspicions, and said, “I've walked right into princess Celestia, haven't I?”

The guards on duty merely stared, one replying, “Yep.”

“Gluttony's buffet!” Mecha cursed.

Chuckling to herself, Celestia stepped back so that Mecha could actually see, and asked, “Should I be offended by that?”

“Do you know what it means?” Mecha asked.

“No,” Celestia replied.

“Then no,” Mecha said back.  “However, I wouldn't recommend saying it if you ever visit Hell.”

Laughing, Celestia said, “I'll keep that in mind.  So where are you off to at this time of night?”

Thinking for a moment, Mecha said, “Probably walk around town until my ride back home shows up.  Why?”

Smiling, Celestia said, “My sister talks about how much she enjoyed her walk with you, not to mention the look on her face when she got back made it clear that she enjoyed this one as well, so I was thinking that I might have fun walking with you as well.”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Don't you need to sleep though?”

Celestia chuckled, saying, “While it is true that I sleep most nights, it is not actually a necessity.  I just enjoy a good nights sleep, as it is quite relaxing.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha merely nodded his head, walking back into town, this time with Celestia keeping him company.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was standing at the train station, saying goodbye to the princesses.  “Thanks for the vacation you two,” he said, watching the station workers carry his luggage onto the train.  “I may not have wanted it at first, but I definitely needed it, and I did enjoy myself.”

Smiling, Celestia said, “It was fun to have you around.  I haven't seen the guards that tense sense Luna and I had our last prank war.”

Chuckling, Luna said, “I merely wish thou could stay longer.”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Yeah, well, the shop won't run itself, and I don't trust Snips and Snails to run it for more than a couple days.”

Giving a final round of farewells, Mecha got onto the train, preparing himself for the day long trip.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was back in Ponyville, walking home when he caught sight of somepony familiar walking out of the spa.  Laughing to himself, he hollered out, “Hey Zecora!”  before walking by, surprised that he ran into a family friend on his way back from vacation.

*I hold no affiliation with the real restaurant A Salt & Battery.  I just figured it would work for this scene.
**Using my best estimates on the amount of material in the armor, this value would be approximately 6000 bits.
> Poker Night- Take Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stared at what remained of his inventory, after an infestation of parasprites had devoured almost all of it.  Mecha figured he should be baffled at why they ate his inventory made up entirely of metal when Sweet Apple Acres was nearby, but he was way too upset to think about it.  “They ate... everything...” he said, clearly in shock.

“Not everything boss!” Snips said.

“Yeah, we managed to save your tools!” Snails added.

Blinking, Mecha replied, “They ate over 10,000 bits worth of merchandise... I JUST EARNED THAT GREED FORSAKEN MONEY!!!”

Eye twitching, Mecha walked out of the store.  He needed to relax, and a vacation so soon after the last one was out of the question, so... poker night it was.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked into the library, intending to ask Spike to send a letter, when he heard Pinkie Pie talking to Twilight.  “Come on,” Pinkie Pie begged, “it'll be fun!”

Twilight Sparkle sighed, and asked, “Do you even know how it works!”

Pinkie Pie hesitantly responded, “Well, no... but I can always ask Mecha! After all, it's a family tradition for him?”

At this point, Mecha froze.  His family had a multitude of traditions that they famous for.  At least, on the stallion side.  On the mare side, they weren't that famous.  Mostly because any property damage was carefully hidden from view, as compared to the stallions public displays.  Pinkie Pie could've found out about any of them, and with her unlimited energy... Mecha shuddered to think of the consequences.

So, he tried to slowly leave the library, only to be spotted by Pinkie Pie, who ran up to him and said, “Mecha! Just the pony I needed to see! I have a question for you.”

Mecha tried not to look nervous, and responded, “Oh really now? Well uh... you see...”

Pinkie Pie cut him off, asking, “How does poker night work?”

Blinking, Mecha let out a huge sigh.  Poker night, he could give her.  Had she asked about target practice... he shuddered.  “Well,” Mecha started, “it's simple.  The one hosting invites guests, no duh there, and provides the poker table and deck of cards.  From there, it's a simple game of Equestria hold 'em, five card draw, or whatever poker game you prefer.  During which, everypony has a couple drinks, while the bits exchange hooves.  Overall, simple, and to the point.”

Smiling, Pinkie Pie turned to Twilight and said, “See! Nothing to it!  So...?”

Twilight sighed, and told her, “Okay, we'll have a poker night.  Let's just have it here since it has the most room, okay?”

Pinkie replied with, “Okie dokie loki!” before bouncing out the building.

Chuckling, Mecha turned to Twilight and said, “Lively one, isn't she?”

Sighing, Twilight responded with, “Yeah, she is.  But enough of that, did you need something?”

Mecha replied with, “Need Spike to send a letter to Shining Armor and Solaris.  Poker night has come again, as funny as it is time wise.”  Mecha stopped, and thought for a minute, before adding, “Although, there is something you could do for me.”

Twilight's curiosity was peaked at this, causing her to say, “Oh really now?”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Yeah.  You see, I've taken on Snips and Snails as my apprentices, and I figured you'd be the best to tutor them in magic so that they can lift objects in a precise manner, as well as being able to heat metal to the proper temperature.  You will, of course, be paid for this, so what do you think?”

Twilight Sparkle blinked, stunned at the request.  “Um... sure...” she finally replied.  “But you don't need to pay me.  And Spike should be at back any moment so...”

Mecha shook his head, saying, “I insist you be compensated for your time.”  Looking back at his last sentence, Mecha said, “I've been spending way to much time with Luna.”

Here, Spike walked in, cutting off Twilight's reply, as Mecha made sure to quickly go about his business so that he could get a hold of Doctor Whooves and Big Macintosh.

LINEBREAKER

Big Macintosh was pulling a cooler out of the cellar to bring with him for poker night, when Applejack approached him, asking, “Do yah think ah could take one o' them coolers for poker night with the gals?”

Big Macintosh stopped and blinked, before replying, “Poker night with the gals? Interesting timing.”

Applejack shrugged her shoulders, and said, “Ah think Pinkie just wanted to have fun, and copied Mecha.”

Big Macintosh merely nodded his head, not really caring either way, before saying, “Go ahead and take this cooler then.”

Applejack was caught off guard, asking, “Isn't that for your poker night?”

Big Macintosh just laughed, saying, “It was the 'in case of extra guests' cooler.  Ah got five more in the cart that ah'm takin' with me.”

Applejack stood there, stunned at what her brother just said, while said brother chuckled while walking off to poker night.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took a look around the table, noticing that everypony was present.  “Okay,” he spoke, hoping to get this out of the way as quickly as possible, “Does anypony have a long time crush that they want to deal with tonight, or can we just play poker this time?”  Seeing nopony that needed to deal with that particular issue, Mecha dealt out the cards saying, “Good!”

After a couple of hours of drinking and card playing, the stories being told were getting stranger and more interesting.  “And I kid you not,” Doctor Whooves said, “they bought the whole story! I mean, I was sure they'd get suspicious when I said I was the muffin inspector, but it turns out such a position existed!”

This lead to a roar of laughter from the rest of the group, as the game lay forgotten for a moment.  “It turns out they were expecting the actual inspector to show up, and I had to bluff my way through the whole thing! After an hour of it, I was about to get away when the real muffin inspector showed up, and had me arrested for 'impersonating a confectionery officer of the law,' at which point I just broke down in laughter.”

The friends at the table didn't have to imagine it, as they were doing it right then and there.  “What happened afterwords?” Solaris asked, after calming down from his laughing fit.

“Well,” Doctor Whooves said, “I was taken into court, and found guilty.  The decided the only punishment that would fit my crimes would be to eat muffins from somepony who had failed to pass an inspection, to show me what could happen if just anyone could bake muffins.  I have to say, they were some of the best muffins I've ever had.”

After another round of laughter, Mecha asked, “Where was this again?”

Quirking his head, Doctor Whooves said, “I don't quite recall. All I know is that I've never been happier to have an experiment blow up in my face.”

LINEBREAKER

After another hour of hands and storied, every bit was in the hooves of Solaris. Looking at each other, Shining Armor asked, “What now?”

Blinking, Mecha shrugged and said, “Dunno.  Never in the history of poker night has somepony won everything.”

Taking a look at the table, Big Macintosh said, “Well...” which got the attention of the other ponies in the room.  “After your opening statement, ah gave it some thought, and there is a pony ah'd like to ask out...”

Mecha groaned, laying his head in his hooves, and said, “We're going to have a repeat of last poker night, aren't we?”

Big Macintosh took out another bottle of hard cider, downed half of it in one swig, and replied, “Eeyup.”

LINEBREAKER

Although it was quite late at  night, there were sill several ponies out and about on the main street, all of whom were startled when the five stallions stumbled onto the street, singing loudly;

“What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
Early in the morning?”

Having finished their song, each of the five took another bottle from the cooler being dragged along with them, each downing at least half of their bottles, before singing another song;

“Well, a Scotsman clad in kilt once left a bar one evening fair,
And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share.
He fumbled  'round until he could no longer keep his feet.
Then he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the Street.”

LINEBREAKER

Twilight Sparkle was actually having a fun time at poker night.  Granted, that might have something to do with the large pile of bits in front of her.  Having drank the least out of all her friends, she was able to keep wining hand after hand.  Furthermore, her friends were funny drunks.

It was at that point, she heard some terrible singing, something along the lines of, “Oh! lad I don't know where you've been but I see you won first prize!” before her door was knocked in.  Looking over, she saw her brother and his friends, all drunk as the last time they crashed a party.

Mecha was the first to act, getting onto his hooves, and lifted Big Macintosh up, saying, “Now ask her so I can pass out in peace!” before finishing off yet another bottle of hard cider.

Big Macintosh looked over the six mares staring at him, before deciding that he needed to have another drink before doing what he set out to do.

While this was going on, Doctor Whooves and Shining Armor started to wrestle, not noticing that it wasn't each other that they were wrestling with, but rather a couple of potted plants.

Solaris one the other hoof was trying to run towards Rainbow Dash... while on his back.  This of course made him think that instead of him going nowhere, she was running away.  “Come back here you coward!” he shouted, trying to run even faster.

Now, the mares in the room were also pretty drunk, or at least, drunk enough to have similar reactions to the stallions actions.  Rarity just took out a make up kit, trying to make herself more presentable, only to succeed in making a mess out of her face.

Pinkie Pie just took a look around, and started to do what she did best, hop in random directions, breaking the laws of physics, and swinging from everything.

Rainbow Dash, having seen Solaris “run” towards her, and remembering the last time she saw him, stumbled towards him, before yelling indecipherable words at him.

Applejack took in the scene in front of her, as well as the bottle in her hooves.  Deciding that if you can't beat 'em, join 'em applied here, she downed the last of the bottle before joining in the wrestling match currently going on on the floor.

Fluttershy, cheeks flushed red from the alcohol in her system, just continued to drink the cider that Applejack brought, watching everything that was going on.

And Twilight Sparkle, possibly the only sober pony in the room, just stared in shock, as the ponies in the room made a bigger and bigger mess of the place.

Big Macintosh, having downed three bottles in quick succession, stumbled over towards Fluttershy, and started to speak, “Excuse me miss, but ah was wondering...”

At this point, Fluttershy put her hoof up to his mouth, silencing him, before downing a complete bottle in one go.  Putting it down she signaled for him to continue.

“As ah was saying, ah was hoping ah could, ah dunno, take you out for a dinner or something?” Big Macintosh asked.

Looking between Big Macintosh and the last bottle of hard cider left, Fluttershy took the last bottle, drank half of it, and replied, “Sure,” and then passed out at the same time as Big Macintosh.

Mecha looked at the two passed out ponies, before shouting, “Finally!” and finished off his bottle, throwing it up into the so that it would land on his head to knock him out, so that he wouldn't embarrass himself further.

Shining Armor, Doctor Whooves, and Applejack were still wrestling on the floor, before they all lost to their opponents, the potted plants.

Rarity took a moment to look at herself in a mirror, to see just how much she had 'improved' her looks, only to see how much of a mess she had made, leading to her to screaming, and passing out.

Solaris and Rainbow Dash at this point were both blue in the face, as neither would let up in their screaming at each other.  They did eventually stop, but this was because Pinkie Pie had flown through the air and landed on the two, sending all three into slumber land. 

Twilight stared at the collection of unconscious ponies on the floor of her house, pondering as to why this happened.  Shrugging her shoulders, she decided that she'd deal with them in the morning, and went up to her room to sleep off the craziness that just occurred.

LINEBREAKER

When morning came, Spike walked down the stairs, rubbing his eyes, yawning.  When he finished descending, he took a look at the pile of ponies, before saying, “I'm gonna need more sleep,” and walked back upstairs.
> First Spring Activities
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha walked towards his store, happy that spring was on time.  After the whole series of disasters, he was sure he'd be stuck cleaning up the fields for three days straight.  However, that didn't happen, so he was happy.

Unlocking the door, Mecha took a look around, and sighed, losing a good deal of his joy.  His inventory was still at a bare minimum to stay open, not to due laziness, but rather lack of materials.  Thankfully, he was able to order some more materials that should arrive today, as well as the fact that a lot of ponies needed their heaters fixed over winter.  Walking up to the counter, Mecha sat down, and pulled out a rag to start polishing his leg, when the door opened.

Mecha was slightly stunned that somepony was here so early, but it was explained when he saw that it was Twilight Sparkle.  “How's it going?” he asked her, getting back to polishing his leg.

“It's going well,” she replied, stopping to look at one of the remaining items.

“That's good to hear,” Mecha said, getting into a rhythm, “How are Snips and Snails doing with their magic?”

Changing her focus from the object to Mecha, Twilight responded with, “Great.  Actually, that's why I'm here.  They've gotten to the point in the two spells that I don't need to teach them anymore, they just need to practice.  Although, that globe looks interesting...”

Mecha regained most of the joy he'd had that morning, and it showed with the grin on his face.  “Then here's your payment,” he said, pulling out a bag of bits, and tossing them to Twilight.

“Thanks,” she said, “but you really didn't need to pay.  I would've done it either way.”

“Yes,” Mecha said, “but that would be taking advantage of a friend.  And I don't do that.”

Twilight nodded her head, before asking, “How much for this globe?”

Taking a glance at it, Mecha told her, “45 bits.”

Inspecting the globe one last time, Twilight nodded to herself, before pulling the bits out of the bag that Mecha had just tossed her, saying, “Well worth it for such a high quality globe.  What metal is this made out of, iron?”

Double checking that she'd handed him the right amount, Mecha replied, “Yeah, it is.  Figured it would be interesting for all the little cracks to fill with a little rust, give it a more earth like feel.  Coated it with an anti-rust agent afterwords so that it didn't spread beyond it's intended area.  Oceans are coated  with an oxidized titanium to get that blue look.  Took a while to figure out how to do it, but was definitely worth it.”

“What,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted, “you're saying that's not painted blue?”

“No,” Mecha said, shaking his head.  “It's been oxidized it a specific manner, in order to get that color.  Scratch it though, and it'll get back to the titanium, and be silvery.”

Twilight's eyes went wide, thoughts rushing through her head.  Finally, she stopped on one, and asked, “Would it be possible to make a full suit of armor in blue then?”

Mecha blinked, confused as to why she'd ask that, but replied, “I suppose so... but it'd take forever and would cost a small fortune... why?”

Twilight thought things over once more, before deciding that she wanted to commit to her decision, saying, “Shining Armor's birthday is coming up, and I wanted to get him something he'd love.  This sounds like something he'd absolutely enjoy.  So, how much and how long for it?”

It was Mecha's turn to think over details.  After a minute, he pulled out an abacus, muttering, “Really need to spend less time with Luna,” before using it to quickly calculate everything in his head.  After two minutes of calculations, Mecha nodded, and said, “The cost comes to 7000 bits and time two months.  However, since you're a friend, and this is a gift to another friend, I'll only charge you 6000 bits, and work on it whenever I can, which should get it done in a month and a half.  That work for you?”

The pupils in Twilight's eyes shrank, as she listened to the numbers being spoken.  Even with him reducing cost by 1000 bits, that was still a lot of money.  Doing mental math, Twilight came to one conclusion: she'd need to do some extra work if she'd wanted to get this for her brother.  Fortunately, after Snips and Snails had done so well with their tutoring in magic, she'd gotten several other offers for tutoring jobs.  So, course set, Twilight replied, “Yes.  However, can we space out the payments? I don't exactly have 6000 bits on me at the moment.”

Mecha chuckled, saying, “Of course! I also offer payment plans on anything over 1000 bits, so it's not a problem.  How does a weekly payment of 500 bits minimum sound to you?”

Thinking over the offer, Twilight compared it to her current pay as librarian, and then added in tutoring income should she pursue it.  Her conclusion was that at that rate, she'd easily be able to pay for the gift, and maintain her current life style debt free. “Deal,” she responded, as Shining Armor's birthday was little over two month's from now, meaning she'd have the gift in time.

Nodding his head, Mecha pulled out the paperwork that comes with this kind of transaction, quickly filling it out, before turning it over to Twilight to sign, who read over it before doing so.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was in his backyard, standing next to his inactive forge.  Standing in front of him was Snips and Snails, both paying attention to what he was doing.  Mecha gave each a firm look, before starting, “This, is my forge, and this, is where we'll be working from until you either get your own forges, or finish your apprenticeship.  The rules are simple, if you don't know what something is or does, don't touch it.  If the smelter is on, don't go near it unless I give you the okay.  And finally, listen to what I say, and follow it exactly. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir boss!” the two replied, saluting.

“Good,” Mecha said, turning to walk into the forge.  “One day, those rules will not apply to you two. However, that is a long ways off, and until then, follow them as if your life depends on it.  Anyways, you two are probably wondering why I'd had you take lessons from Twilight Sparkle, correct?”  Seeing them nod their heads, Mecha pulled out two hammers, and two thick bars of iron.  “The reason,” he said, “is because you're going to need that particular set of magic to work with the materials here.  I want you two to try and pick up a hammer without magic real quick.”

Giving each other a funny look, the two shrugged before trying to lift the hammers.  They failed.  Miserably.  In fact, the only thing they managed to do was slide them across the floors.

“Okay, stop,” Mecha said, having made his point clear.  “As you can see, you currently can't lift the hammers, which happen to be the most crucial part of forging and metal craft.  Now try again with magic.”

At this, the horns on the pair of friends lit up, a pale blue glow around Snips and a bright yellow around Snails.  After a moment, the glows were also radiating off the hammers in front of them, before the lifted up. Mecha then noticed that while both were doing this the the same amount of effort, Snails' hammer was moving slower than Snips' hammer.  After seeing them hold the hammers in place for three minutes without any sign of stress, Mecha went ahead and let them lower the hammers.  “So, does that make more sense as to why I had Twilight teach you that?”

Nodding their head, the two didn't say a thing, for they wanted to make sure they could hear everything Mecha had to say, as this was extremely important to them.  “Now, the other spell I had her teach you is crucial, in it will make things much easy for you two should you choose to make this a career.  After all, if you can heat up metal without a furnace, and keep it heated, you save a ridiculous amount of time, and time is money.  So, I want you two to heat up these iron bars until they're white hot, and keep it there until I say stop.  Understood?”

Nodding their heads again, their horns glowed once more, as well as the iron bars.  Mecha stood next to the buckets of water in case something happened and observed the metal.  Right off the bat, he noticed that once again, Snips was faster in doing the set task, but in this case, he did it a little to fast.  Metal could only take so much stress from rapid heating before it shatters, after all.  Snails on the other hoof, was able to heat it at the perfect rate, as in literally perfect! At this point, the two had gotten the metal to the temperature that Mecha had told them to, and were trying to hold it there.  Snips appeared to have a hard time, the color of the metal juggling  between white and red hot, whilst Snails seemed to have no trouble with holding the temperature at the right point.

“Okay, I've seen enough,” Mecha said after watching the two for five minutes.  Taking a pair of tongs, Mecha put the iron into the barrels of water, before turning to the two.  “You've both made an incredible amount of progress with your magic, if I understand what Twilight said correctly.  That means that we can move onto the next phase, but first, let me tell you your positions in the forge.  Snail, your magic appears to move at a slower rate than most unicorns, which means that you'd have a hard time striking the metal whiles it's still at the right temperature.  However, on the plus side, this means you have near perfect control, letting you keep the metal at that temperature longer.  Snips, you seem to have the reverse of Snails situation,  your magic moves faster.  This means you get more hits in, but have to constantly re-heat the metal.  Together though, you two make a perfect combination, Snails keeping the metal at the right temperature, Snips hammering it into shape.  Make sense?”

Snips' and Snails' eyes went wide as they heard the news.  Perfect combination at forging?  This was great!  They were best friends already, this just strengthened it.

“So here's the plan,” Mecha told them, “ You two are going to maintain your current work hours at the shop.  On Mondays and Wednesdays though, you're going to report to Big Macintosh at Sweet Apple Acres after work, where he is going to work on your strength, so that you can get to the point where you can lift those hammers without magic.  Don't worry, I've already cleared it with him and your parents.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, you two will come here for your lessons in forging.  On Fridays, you get the days off, and Saturdays and Sundays you'll stay at/come to the store, for lessons in blueprint designs.  Got all that?”

Snips and Snails saluted once more, saying, “Aye aye boss!”

Mecha smiled, and replied, “You two are dismissed then.  I've got a friend to spy... I mean, observe today.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was currently hiding in a bush, with a pair of binoculars up to his eyes, watching Big Macintosh wait at the local cafe.  After another two minutes, Fluttershy ran up, quickly saying what appeared to be an apology if Mecha's lip reading skills were still any good.  Furthermore, it appeared she'd had trouble with something involving an angel and a bunny... oh! That's right, she had a pet bunny named Angel.

After a quick discussion about how it was alright, the two walked into the cafe.  Mecha was happy he brought along his experimental binoculars with him, as he quickly adjusted the settings when he was startled by Pinkie Pie suddenly showing up next to him, asking, “Whatcha' doooin'?”

Mecha responded by leaping at least ten feet into the air, yelling, before landing back where he started.  Putting his hoof to Pinkie's mouth, he said, “Shush! Do you want to give my location away?” while looking around to see if he was spotted.  Thankfully, no one had acknowledged what had happened, as it was normal Pinkie Pie behavior.

“Oh oh! Are you playing hide and seek?!  I love hide and seek!  Who's seeking? And who else is hiding? Oh I just love hide and seek, can I join in?!? CanIcanIcanIcanIcanI?!?” Pinkie asked/rambled.

Sighing, Mecha readjusted his binoculars, before replying, “I'm not playing hide and seek, I'm... observing Big Macintosh on his date with Fluttershy.”

Pinkie settled down, eyes widening, while mouthing, “Ohhhhh...” before she looked over at Mecha and asked, “Can I join you? Huh, canIcanIcanIcanIcanI?!?”

Once again sighing, Mecha pulled out a second set of experimental binoculars and handed them to Pinky Pie, intent of focusing on his friend, before asking, “Why do you want to watch them?”

Pinkie brought her binoculars up to her eyes before saying, “Well, cause Fluttershy is my friend!  And, this is her first date, and with a stallion like Big Mac, I want to make sure nothing bad happens!”

Mecha twitched a little, before saying, “Two things.  One, please don't call Big Macintosh Big Mac again, and two, what in Luna's name do you mean by a stallion like Big Macintosh?  After all, he is a complete gentlecolt, and wouldn't dare harm anypony.”

Pinkie shook her head slightly, saying, “Nononono! What I mean is a big muscular handsome stallion! You know how shy Fluttershy is, and Big Macintosh's good looks only make that harder for her! After all, he is the most coveted stallion in all of Ponyville. And why don't you want me calling him Big Mac?”

Mecha relaxed a little, having been upset at the implied insults towards his friend, and responded, “Big Mac is my dad's name.  And what you said makes sense to me for once... hold on, what's going on?”

Mecha was referring to inside the cafe, where thanks to his x-ray (genuine, not only clothes and walls) setting, he could see what he assumed to be Big Macintosh arguing with the waiter.  Pinkie Pie focused in on the activity too, hoping that her friends big date didn't turn out a disaster. After another five minutes of arguing, the waiter walked out, before returning... with a replacement for Fluttershy's meal.

“Okay... it seems that the waiter merely screwed up Fluttershy's order or something was wrong with it and Big Macintosh decided to deal with it,” Mecha said.

“That makes sense,” said Rainbow Dash, who'd suddenly appeared out of no-where.

“Yeah, after all, Fluttershy is very passive,” replied Pinkie, not even caring that her friend had found them.

Mecha merely glanced at Rainbow Dash, before telling her, “You'll have to share with Pinkie Pie, I only brought the two pair with x-ray vision.”

Nodding her head, Rainbow sat next to Pinkie, before pulling the binoculars over so she could see through one of the lens.”

LINEBREAKER

It was about an hour latter, and Big Macintosh and Fluttershy were taking a walk through the park, oblivious to their increasing amount of followers.  After they'd left the restaurant, Applejack had come across the three and had joined them, when they came across Rarity in another bush.  Spike had seen Rarity, and had decided to follow along to, bringing the number up to six.

“Anypony have an idea of what the two are saying?” Applejack asked.

“I think...” Mecha said, “that their talking about the various animals on your farm.  Oh wait, they're changing subjects to... ah, Lust's panties dipped in Gluttony's deep fryer.  They know we're her.”

Hearing this, everypony bolted, running in their own direction, before the couple could get to their hiding spot.  Mecha just sighed, put his equipment away, and stood up.  “Have a nice rest of your date,” he said to the scowling Big Macintosh and blushing Fluttershy.  “I'm going to start hiding from Twilight's inevitable rage now, so when you find my body you'll know that I didn't hide well enough,” he added, before walking away.
> Meet The Crusaders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sighed, before walking up to the school building.  His punishment for spying on Big Macintosh and Fluttershy was to help out at the school for a month, on and off of course, as he didn't have anypony to watch the shop during the hours he'd be spending at the school.  Entering through the door, Mecha walked up to Cheerilee, and said, “Mecha reporting for duty ma'am.”

Cheerilee turned to face Mecha, and said, “Oh, you're here! Twilight Sparkle told me you'd be helping for a while, I just didn't expect you to start so soon.”

Mecha chuckled, having expected Twilight to leave out the fact that this was a punishment when letting Cheerilee know he'd be helping.  “Well,” he said, “I'm here, so what's the plan for today?”

Cheerilee smiled, before double checking her planner, saying, “I believe Cutie Marks* are being covered today... yep, here they are on the schedule.”

Mecha thought for a moment about Cutie Marks.  Given to everypony, unique talent, and... Mecha blinked, before voicing the last fact he remembered to Cheerilee, “You know, I've actually seen a pony's Cutie Mark change once.”

Cheerilee was speechless when she heard this.  A Cutie Mark? Change? It wasn't supposed to be possible, yet here Mecha was, claiming to have seen it happen! “Care to explain it?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“Well,”  Mecha said, “I could, but wouldn't it be easier to explain it to you, and the waiting class?”

Caught off guard, Cheerilee wondered what he meant by waiting class, until she noticed that class should've started five minutes ago.  “Yes,” she replied, “that would be a good idea.  I'll go ahead and give the normal lecture first, and then you can cover the changing Cutie Mark.”

Mecha shrugged, and sat down to wait.

LINEBREAKER

“And finally class, there has been a recent phenomenon involving somepony's Cutie Mark changing,” Cheerilee finished.  “And here to talk about it is Mecha, who observed the change!”

The class clapped politely, heavily confused about the situation.  Well, the part of the class that wasn't either Snips or Snails, who were clapping rapidly for their boss.  The rest were just wondering what his claim was, as it went against almost everything they'd been taught about Cutie Marks.

Stepping up to the front of the classroom, Mecha started with, “Thank you for the applause, it's good to be speaking to you fine colts and fillies once more.  To start of with, I should explain that the fellow whose Cutie Mark changed didn't quite change, but rather... expanded.  No, even that doesn't give it justice... evolved, there we go.  His Cutie Mark evolved, and it was quite a sight to behold.  To start with, let's give you an idea of this guy.”

Glancing around, Mecha saw he held total attention, and smiled before continuing, “He was an Earth Pony in the scouting division, with a Cutie Mark of a shield on his flank.  When I talked to him, I got the feeling that he'd do anything to protect his friends and family, most likely the reason behind his shield.  However, that didn't mean that he couldn't pick up a sword and fight like the rest of us, he just preferred not to.”

The entire class got a dream like look to them, obviously trying to imagine the pony Mecha was describing.  Mecha chuckled a little, getting their attention back, before saying, “At this point, we'd been in a combat zone for a couple of weeks.”  Mecha was clearly trying to down play his time in Hell as these were young foals after all, before continuing, “And he'd been complaining about an eerie feeling he'd been having for the past couple of days.  We brushed it of, claiming it was just stress from where we were at the time, but he maintained it wasn't.”

Here, it was Mecha's turn to get a dreamy look about him, before breaking out of it in a shiver.  “Well,” Mecha started, “we were attacked the next day, and I ended up fighting next to him.  As we fought, his best friend fell, and was about to be impaled, when he shouted “NO!” and charged the foe about to strike his friend down.  At this point, I turned to face him, and noticed his Cutie Mark shining.  His Cutie Mark went from just a shield, to a shield blocking a sword, whilst another sword struck from behind it.”

The class mumbled, intrigued by the story.  “We later figured,” Mecha said, “that it was meant to show that not only would he defend his friends, but would also attack those who'd wish to harm them.  Our doc took a look at his Cutie Mark while we were talking, and had confirmed that it was in fact a permanent change.  So, any questions?”

The class mostly mumbled to itself, until Diamond Tiara spoke up, saying, “Yeah, where's your proof that you aren't making this up!”

Cheerilee was about to scold her for being rude, when Mecha put his mechanical leg onto Cheerilee's desk.  Opening a compartment, Mecha pulled out two pictures, and put them onto Diamond Tiara's desk.  “The first picture,” Mecha said, “has me on the left, my friend with the changing Cutie Mark on the right, and his best friend in the middle.”

The whole class huddled around the photo, getting glances of the three Earth Ponies in the picture, several surprised to see Mecha with four genuine legs, as opposed to the three and  mechanical leg he had now.  They also saw the shield Cutie Mark on the pony on the right, as well as a unique jagged scar along his chest.

“The second picture,” Mecha stated, “was taken after the battle, same general order.”  Here, the class's attention moved to the other picture, causing several of the students to gasp.  In this picture, Mecha was leaning against the middle pony, missing the leg that was now mechanical**, and the pony on the right, with the identifying scar, did in fact have a different Cutie Mark than in the last picture.

After giving the class a few more minutes to look at the photos, Mecha took them back, and put them back into there storage space.  “Any more questions?” he asked, turning to see a room full of hooves in the air.  Sighing, he amended his statement to, “Any more questions relating to the changing Cutie Mark?”

At this point, all the hooves went back down, leading Mecha to sigh, and let them ask any questions in general after getting the okay from Cheerilee.  “You there, red mane and white fur.”

“Twist sir,” she said, introducing herself before asking, “How'd you get that leg?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “I made it.  Took forever to get it to work, but I needed it to.  Apple Bloom, right? You're next.”

“Ah was wondering,” she started, “where exactly where you guys at the time.”

Blinking, Mecha shot a glance at Cheerilee, who was frantically shaking her head in a sign not to reveal it.  “Classified, level Zero,” Mecha replied.  “Snips, you're next.”

“What's classified level Zero mean?”  he asked.

“It means that as ex-military, I'm not allowed to reveal it, and you'd need to ask an adult who is in the know about it.  I'd recommend your parents or guardians.  Last question... you, bow and arrow Cutie Mark.”

“Archer,” she said, before continuing with, “I only hear about swords when you mention the army, are there no archers?”

“No,” Mecha replied, “it's merely the fact that they trained separately than sword users, and at the point in the story, we'd run out of ammo for them.  In fact, the middle pony was an archer himself.”  Glancing around the room, and seeing that many of them had more questions, he sighed and said, “If you still have questions, stick around after school and I'll answer them then.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he sat behind the register.  After answering all the questions from the students, he wanted a nice quiet hour or so to himself.  Most of the questions had brought up memories from his time in Hell, which were not good memories at all.  In fact, one question had caused him to freeze up, flashes of a battle scene going before his eyes.

Anyways, a relaxing hour should be easily obtained, as he gave Snips and Snails the day off as a reword for their progress, when the bell rang.  Looking up to see his friend Doctor Whooves, Mecha asked, “Whatcha need, Doc?”

“A place to hide,” he replied, looking around nervously.  “Apple Bloom is on a crusade for her Cutie Mark, and I can't walk near the market place without her getting me to buy at least three more apples!”

“You realize,” Mecha started, “That the easy answer is to avoid market square, right?”

Doctor Whooves stopped, blinked, then face hoofed.  “No, I didn't,” he replied.

Mecha laughed at his misery, before saying, “Well, you wanna buy anything while you're here?”

Taking a glance around the store, Doctor Whooves was about to reply, when a thought struck him.  Taking a secondary glance around the room, his gaze stopped at what amounted to a giant metal box.  “What is this?” he asked, walking up to it.

Looking at what caught his friend's interest, Mecha groaned, saying, “Skill demonstration piece.  Wished the parasprites had eaten that, but noooooo, they had to eat the display armor! Anyways, just a box of metal based of a phone booth I once saw.  The piece was meant to demonstrate my ability to make any piece any color, as there isn't any naturally blue metal, but nopony cared.  None.  One glance at it, and then they ask if I can fix their heater, or sink or fridge.  Thing is a giant waste of store space.  Why? You interested?”

Nodding his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “Yeah, I am.  It would be perfect for a project of mine.  How much you want for it?”

Glancing at the item he'd had in his shop for almost as long as he'd had a shop, Mecha said, “You can have it for 20 bits if you take it out yourself.  I want that thing out as quick as possible.”

Smiling at the deal he was getting, Doctor Whooves took out the bits and tossed them at Mecha saying, “Deal! I'll come back later to pick it up.”

Nodding his head, Mecha took out a SOLD sign while Doctor Whooves walked out, and hung it on the giant metal box, when the door opened and rang the bell.  Looking over, Mecha immediately said, “I'm not buying any apples right now!” as Apple Bloom walked in.

“Ah not here to sell ya any apples,” she told him.

Letting out a sigh, Mecha relaxed a bit, walking back behind the counter.  “Then what can I do for ya?” he asked.

“Ah was wondering,” she started, “If you'd have anything I could do ta try and earn my Cutie Mark?”

Hearing this, Mecha chuckled, saying, “Doc was right, you are on a crusade.  Anyways, I've got nothing safe enough for you to try. But tell you what, if you're still looking for it later, come back and I'll explain why I think you should consider yourself blessed for not having a Cutie Mark.  Deal?”

Sighing, Apple Bloom responded, “Deal,” before she walked out the door.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was relaxing behind the counter, having had a calm day since most ponies where at some party with their foals.  Suddenly, the door opened, and Mecha looked up to see Apple Bloom with two of what he assumed where her friends.  “What can I do ya for?”  he asked, not moving from his lounging position. “And who are you're friends?”

“I'm Sweetie Bell,” the one on the left said.

“And I'm Scootaloo!” the one on the right said.

“And we're...” Apple Bloom started.

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!” they all shouted at once, nearly knocking Mecha off balance with the sheer volume of their shout.

“Crusaders, eh?” Mecha asked, after regaining his balance.

“Yeah! Ah got the idea for the name based on what you said ta me earlier,” Apple Bloom enthusiastically replied.  “And we came here 'cause we wanted ta here why you think we're blessed.

Blinking, Mecha reviewed his memory and recalled that he did in fact promise that.  “Okay,” he said, “but give me a minute to get a couple of visuals.”  After which he walked into the back, and came back with a tray that had several glasses and two pitchers on it after a few minutes.  Setting down the tray, the fillies noticed that the first two glasses were empty, the third had water, the fourth had juice in it, and the fifth had what appeared to be sludge in it.  The pitcher on the left had water in it, and the one on the right had a different kind of juice in it.

“Okay,” Mecha started, “let's say that each glass represents a pony, and being filled,” at this point he picked up the pitcher of water, “means that they have their Cutie Mark,” here, he poured water into one of the empty cups, to symbolize the acquisition of a Cutie Mark.  “Are you following me so far?”

The three little ponies nodded there heads, signaling him to continue.  “Now, each pony is unique, symbolized by the different liquid in each cup.  For instance, let's say that water is a talent in sales, the juice a talent in forging, and the sludge a talent in garbage work.  Now, looking at these cups, the empty cup would most likely be jealous of the cup filled with juice, but would hate to be the cup filled with sludge, right?”

The newly named Cutie Mark Crusaders nodded their heads, confused as to where this was going.  “Go ahead and try the cup of juice,” Mecha said, pushing it forward.

Each of the three fillies tried it, with Apple Bloom saying, “Is that... orange juice?”

“Indeed it is,” Mecha said.  “Tastes odd to you, doesn't it?”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said.  “I've never had anything other than apple juice before.”

“That's true of most ponies in Ponyville,” Mecha said.  “But that's getting off topic.  Now try the juice in the pitcher.”

Here, the trio moved quickly, each getting a quick sip, before their faces brightened up.  “This is what ah'm talking about!” Apple Bloom said. 

“I have to agree,” Sweetie Bell said, nodding her head.  “Certainly much better than the orange juice.”

“And that represents your future talent,” Mecha said.  “One day, you will have your cup filled with apple juice, not orange juice, not water, nor sludge, but apple juice.  Doesn't it fell good to know that while the other cups are filled with what those people like, your will be filled with what you like best? Isn't it better to wait for the best, rather than get something sub-par immediately?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said.  “Who cares if they have orange juice! We're getting apple juice!”

At this point, the other two were just as psyched as her, and all three shouted out, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER APPLE JUICE DRINKERS!” before rushing out the store.

Blinking, Mecha spoke out loud to himself, “I think they missed the point.  Oh well, more drinks for me,” before taking a drink from the sludge like filled cup.  “Mmmm, good smoothie.  Glad I had that food coloring in the back.”

*I assume that something as important as a Cutie Mark to ponies would be capitalized, so I started doing so here.
**While he was the left most pony in the picture, keep in mind the mirroring effect of photos.
> Iron Lungs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was sitting in the stands, cheering on as Rainbow Dash and Applejack competed.  Sitting on his left was Doctor Whooves, and to his right, Big Macintosh.  “Who do you think is going to win?” he asked his friends.

“My money is on Applejack,” Doctor Whooves said.  “Rainbow Dash is good, but she can't match Applejack's endurance.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, supporting his sister in this contest.

Chuckling, Mecha told them, “Provided Rainbow Dash doesn't use her wings.”

Both of his friends stopped, and looked at each other.  “You don't think...” Doctor Whooves started, when Rainbow Dash lifted off the ground.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, shaking his head.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking into town, talking to his two friends.  “You know, they might've been even if Rainbow hadn't used her wings.”

“Yeah,” Doctor Whooves said.  “Too bad we'll never know since she did use her wings.”

Big Macintosh merely grumbled under his breath, upset over his sister's loss.

“Relax Big M,” Mecha said, patting him on the back.  “She may have loss, but she's got the Running of the Leaves to look forward to.  Granted, I still don't understand why we have two cycles of spring, summer, fall, before winter*, but I digress.”

Sighing, Big Macintosh said, “Alright, but ah'm still not happy.”

Smiling, Doctor Whooves said, “You don't have to be.  We have all of lunch to fix it though!”  At which point, he ran through the doors into the cafe.

It was Mecha's turn to sigh, as he said, “Still obsessed with food.  I mean, he eats his weight in food daily, and yet he still looks the same! How does he do it...?” before walking in as well, with Big Macintosh following right behind him.

LINEBREAKER

“You know,” Doctor Whooves said, as they waited for the check.  “This whole Iron Pony thing got me thinking.”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, looking interested in one of Doctor Whooves famous ideas.  After all, the last one ended up with them sneaking into the Canterlot Royal Museum and rearranging all the fancy 'donated by the noble family of BLAH' signs into words that spelled out, “All nobles su,” before they were caught, and had to flee.

“Well, a little friendly competition now and then is good fun, right?” Doctor Whooves said, leaning forward.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, leaning forward as well.

“So why not have a little competition between us?” Doctor Whooves asked.  “Something all three of us can do evenly, and make a show out of it?”

Mecha joined his friends in leaning forward, when the check was brought out.  Ignoring it for the moment, he said, “That's all fine and dandy, but what are we all good at? And who'd judge?”

Glancing at the check Mecha ignored long enough to pay it, Doctor Whooves got up and said, “Well, how about singing?”

Getting up at the same time as Big Macintosh, Mecha replied, “Really, singing? Couldn't you come up with something more... I dunno, original?”

“Well... no,” Doctor Whooves replied.

“Ah think,” Big Macintosh interrupted, “that it'd be a fun thing ta do.  After all, who doesn't like a good song?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “That still doesn't answer about judges though.”

Doctor Whooves stopped, thinking.  After a moment, he said, “Twilight Sparkle would probably be a good bet, since she does everything by the book, she'd be impartial.”

Mecha nodded his head, when Big Macintosh added his two bits, saying, “And Miss Cheerilee judges the talent show each year.”

Glancing at Doctor Whooves in order to see if he agreed, Mecha sighed, and said, “And I can probably find somepony to judge after Running of the Leaves.  Sound good?”

His friends nodded their heads, leaving Mecha room to say, “Then we're going to need to plan where, since I think it'd be nice to give the ponies watch the race a show to go with it afterwords, right?”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh responded.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha chuckled, as he listened to Celestia and Twilight lecture Rainbow Dash and Applejack about sportsmanship and fair play, when an idea hit him.  Walking up to the two, Mecha spoke up, asking, “Princess Celestia, I have a request for you. My friends and I are holding a little singing contest in a few minutes, but we need a third judge.  Twilight here is already one, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to fill the empty slot?”

Celestia blinked, caught off guard with the request.  Doing a quick mental check, she came to the conclusion that she had nothing else to do, and nodded her head.

“Great!” Mecha said, clapping his front hooves together in joy.  “In that case, follow me to town square, and we can get started.”

LINEBREAKER

Town square, normally an empty square that ponies gather at to hang out, had been transformed.  A giant stage was at the north end, taking up a quarter of the square, while on the south side bleachers had been set, taking up half the square, and were quickly being filled up with excited ponies.  Halfway between the bleachers and the stage was a small table with three seats for the judges.

Glancing at the almost full bleachers, Mecha told Spike, “Go ahead and do your thing.”

Smiling, Spike ran out onto the stage, to massive applause from the audience.  Approaching the mic near the front, he slowed down before picking it up, saying, “Helloooooooo Ponyville! And welcome, to EQUESTRIA IDOL!”  Here, the audience burst into even more vigorous applause, leading Spike to continue, “I'm your host, Spike! And before we begin, let me explain the rules.  We have three singers here today, who can sing anything from rock, to hip hop, to rap, or even country!  During which, their performances will be rated by our three judges.  For those of you who don't know them, let me introduce them! First, we have the lovely school teacher, the ever practical, and much beloved, Cheerilee!”

Here, Cheerilee stood from her seat, and waved to the applause of mostly the younger ponies.  Sitting back down, she gave a signal to Spike to continue, who said, “Up next, the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria, she lulled an Ursa Minor right into a sleep while sending it back to it's cave, the local librarian and student of the princess herself, Twilight Sparkle!”

It was Twilight's turn to stand, which she did so whilst blushing profusely.  After a quick wave and another round of applause, Spike finished the introductions with, “And finally, we have the princess herself! She rises the sun every morning, and runs the nation with her sister, the ever loved, Celestia!”

Princess Celestia took her cue, and rose to the biggest applause yet, smiling as she waved.  After a few minutes, she sat down, allowing Spike to get the show on the road.  “Now, ladies and gentlecolts, I give you the first of the three performers of the evening.  He runs the clock shop, and has nerves of steel!  You may know of his misadventures from Mecha's now famous poker nights, let's give it up for the master of time, the fixer of messes, the wrestler of potted plants, DOCTOR WHOOVES!!!”

Massive applause rang out as Doctor Whooves took the stage, walking up to the mic.  He stood there waving for several minutes.  When nothing happened, he frowned, and looked off stage, saying, “Where's the music?!?”

“Sorry! The player has been on the fritz lately, just give me a second to fix it!” came a voice from near the stage that nopony could see.

Tapping his hoof, Doctor Whooves looked back at the audience with a nervous smile, when the speakers came on and started playing... the chicken dance.  Looking back at the pony off-stage, Doctor Whooves hissed, “Track 8, track 8!”

After a quick “Sorry,” from the pony, a different kind of music started to play, leading to Doctor Whooves to relax, turning to face the audience with a proper smile this time, and started to sing:

“Take seat youngin'; Stay around for spell
I got a little story that I wanted to tell
Would ya
Please stick around, take a listen and see
Cause back in my day, things were always grand as can be

Now all the
Streets were paved gold and gems; Glimmerin'
Lightin' up the skies at noon; This town is shimmerin'
Waitin' on nobody cause we got stuff to do
Cause we through with the new
We're talking old school, kids, that's just what we do!

Back in the day, it was the prime of the time
Imagine all the greats singing together in rhymes
and listening together on old Gramaphones
and old Radios it was a hell of a time

Let me tell ya youngin', man the old days were grand
You could walk down to the beach and plant your hooves in the sand
You didn't have no worries
All was grand as can be
So everybody take a listen
Open your eyes and see

So trot with me through the autumn leaves
And keep close to stay warm
Soon you'll see how much you mean to me
Feelings I've never felt before

Skippi-do-bop was the name of the game
Swinging like crazy everyone goes insane
It's like a game except everyone wins
Why isn't music like that, anymore?

My god everything is such a bore now
Everything's the same thing over again
With all that hippin' and the hoppin'
and the bippen' and the boppen'
They dunno what the jazz is all about, you see

You'll look back at your days
I'm sure you'll experience it sometime
cause when you grow old
everything seems cold
and new generation will arrive 

So trot with me through the autumn leaves
And keep close to stay warm
Soon you'll see how much you mean to me
Feelings I've never felt before

So trot with me through the autumn leaves
And keep close to stay warm
Soon you'll see how much you mean to me
Feelings I've never felt before.**”

Finishing his song, Doctor Whooves took a bow to the audience, all of whom were applauding with great cheer, while Spike took the stage again, saying, “Wow, what a performance! That is going to be a tough one to follow for this next competitor! He's tall, he's strong, and he's dating local sweetheart Fluttershy! Working all day at Sweet Apple Acres, he's come down to sing for us, give it up for BIG MACINTOSH!”

Hearing his name, Big Macintosh walked onto stage to receive a warm welcome.  Waving his hoof to the crowd, he momentarily turned to face off stage, and said, “Track 21 please,” before refacing the audience.  After a moment, the sound of a guitar rang out, before he started to sing:

“Why don't you come on down
To Sweet Apple Acres
Got a whole family full
Of Tasty Treat Makers

And to top it all off,
We're Apple Pie Bakers,
Don't be fooled by
The Flim Flam Fakers

We'll whet your whistle
With sweet Apple Cider
We wanna be your number one
Apple provider

We got everything you could
Ever ask for
And I bet we even got
A little bit more than

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 

It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day...
It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day,
It's a beautiful day, to keep the doctor away...

It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day,
It's a beautiful day, to keep the doctor away...

So I'm guessing by now,
You know our name,
And you know we ain't green
To this apple-bucking game,

We're well deserving
Of this apple fame,
Everypony who visited
Smiled after they came

So whatcha waiting for?
Ain't you feelin' hungry yet?
There's no reason
For you not to get

The very best apples
At our happy little farm
So, why don't you visit
And sample our charms with... 

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And mooooooore!

It's a beautiful day, it's a beautiful day...
It's such a beautiful day,
It's a beautiful day, to keep the doctor away...

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more mo mo more mo mo mooore moooooore!

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (comeon, sing it with us)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 

ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT (at Sweet Apple Acres)
ALL THE APPLES
YOU COULD EVER WANT
And more.... 
More more more more MORE!
So much more...
We got all the apples...***”

Once more applause rained from the audience, cheering for Big Macintosh's performance, self advertising that it may be.  Spike rushed onto stage as the noise died down, saying, “Well well! It appears that Fluttershy has a singer as well as a work horse! Following up last, but not least, is the mechanical hero, the manticore slayer, the town forger, and bringer of poker night, MECHA!”

Making his way on stage, Mecha gave a wave to to crowd, before grabbing the mic from Spike.  With a glance to the technical pony off stage, he made sure that he said, “Track 13, got it,” before getting ready to sing:

“Yeah, I own this beat!

You can call me the king or the ruler
Felon on bass getting hoarse at the mic
We're getting 20% cooler!

We had a great day out
Calling my name like Ferris Bueller
It's time to wrap this up
We're getting 20% cooler!

Here we go, here we go
Yo it's Lulz, with the rhymes and flow
Yeah, breaking the doors down
Clearing the floors now
No Phone, just the flyin' pone
Mikin' the mic, going solo,-dash through the sky and Rainboom
I'm in the zone
Mackin' on the mares
Drawing all the hatin' stares from stallions
Hah, keep makin your excuses losers 

We're gettin' 20% cooler!

Whiplash, manes sway side to side, back to back
Sack to valley, docking rapidly
Missing out? Yo, don't get mad at me
I'm causin' casualties casually annually
Actually, If I were the dean of the university,
Straight up I'd be freakin' the faculty
Rocking the girls, swag, ice and moolah, brah.

7 colors in your hair
Get your boots on dear
'cause we're going out there
Don't care about the dress code
Put it on, let's go
Girls goin' wild cause we're going al fresco, HA!

No need to perform
Hands on our bodies gonna keep our skills warm
We need social reform 'cause we're just so criminal
Linguist subliminal damages minimal
Top percentile largest fraction
Massive attraction girl-on-girl action
Stop that, I'm gonna need a redaction
Drop that, you already got your reaction
Me? I'm gonna keep on smiling
You? You're gonna need restyling

I got the quote back
From the jeweler
You're getting 20% cooler!

We're gettin' 20% cooler!
We're gettin' 20% cooler!
We're gettin' 20% cooler!
We're gettin'....

You can call me the king or the ruler
Felon on bass getting hoarse at the mic
We're getting 20% cooler!

We had a great day out
Calling my name like Ferris Bueller
It's time to wrap this up
We're getting 20% cooler!

Wrap her up, wrap her up
Penetrate and tangle her
Wrangle her, strangle her, tentacle action
You're probably thinking
"Lulz, you're kinky"
I'm just so spiked by Berry Punch 
She gets me hot, It's like I'm Entei
Slug gets it flamin'
Time to pull it back before we get X-rated
Baby, I like to call it filly makin fools,
We're getting 20% cooler!

Reduce that treble
There's an 8 or 9 who think they're on my level
Like a rebel in a bunker getting shelled with a mortar
Bump up and down cause I think you ought'a

Put your hand on my thigh,
Don't be coy I can here you sigh,
Grinding your hips I'll be flashing my pink
And in 10 seconds flat you'll be back with a drink
WHOA!
Bring out the Bacardi!
Twilight Sparkle up in the party,
Tap that, like a phone in the cold war
Room on the third floor, knocking at my front door
Me? I'm kind of a rarity
You? Work that dexterity
Lean back now, here's what I meant,
Getting cooler by 20%!

You can call me the king or the ruler
Felon on bass getting hoarse at the mic
We're getting 20% cooler!

We had a great day out
Calling my name like Ferris Bueller
It's time to wrap this up
We're getting 20% cooler!

We're getting 20% cooler!
We're getting 20% cooler!****”

And finished to the applause of the crowd, and the blushing of the judges due to the nature of his song.  Walking to the center, Spike said, “That's it folks! Now, we wait for the judges to give their results of their ratings for these three performances!”

At this point, the judges had collaborated together to come up with a victor, before sealing the victor's name in an envelope, and floating it up to Spike via magic.  “And the winner is...” Spike said, opening the envelope...

*How else do you explain going so quickly from winter to fall without going to the Grand Galloping Gala?
**Good ol' days, by The Living Tombstone, Mic The Microphone, and Jackle App
***Sweet Apple Acres, by MandoPony
****20% Cooler (remix?) by Alex S. and Lulz
> Taxes and Fashion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was sitting behind his counter, sighing.  After Doctor Whooves won the contest by half a point, Celestia had come up to the three, and had requested that Equestria Idol be used on a more national scale.  Having come up with it as just a way to compete, and considering Spike named it, the three quickly agreed to it, and were each paid 3,000 bits for the idea.  Unfortunately, the bits came with the tax forms, which were currently frustrating Mecha, due to the fact that he'd done his taxes three times already, correctly, and come out with three different answers.  Finishing of the last of the forms, he looked at the number, and promptly banged his head on the counter.  “Greed's treasure chest,” he muttered to himself.  “Another totally different, legally correct answer!”

At this point, the bell above the door rang, and Doctor Whooves walked in to see his friend banging his head on the counter.  “Um...” Doctor Whooves began, “is this a bad time?”

Mecha stopped banging his head on the counter, leaving it laying there as he responded, “No.  In fact, this is probably a good thing.  If you hadn't shown up, I'd have ended up doing the same forms over a hundred more times, and possibly be driven insane.”

Quirking his eyebrow, Doctor Whooves merely shrugged before saying, “Well, it's good to hear that you're not insane yet.  Anyways, I'm here to give you back a ticket,” before he reached into the saddlebag he'd been wearing, and handed it to Mecha.

Raising his head to see that the ticket was in fact one of the tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala that he'd handed to Doctor Whooves way back when, Mecha asked, “Did Ditzy Do decide to ditch you and the gala?”

Shaking his head, his friend replied, “No.  In fact, she got her own ticket for reasons that still befuddle me.  In fact, she gets a ticket every year, and just doesn't go.  However, this year, since she has a date, aka me, to go with, she accepted her ticket.  So, you get your ticket back! Maybe you can use it to get your own date for the gala.”

Staring at the ticket in front of him, Mecha snorted, saying, “Yeah right.  What mare would go out with me? I get an hour of sleep every three days if I'm lucky, can't eat even a daisy sandwich without feeling nauseous due to my small stomach, and I reek of smoke and metal due to my work.”

Doctor Whooves blinked, before asking, “Small stomach? That's new.”

Mecha sighed, before pulling out a couple of tiny pills looking things from a compartment in his leg.  Seeing the confused look at the pills, he rolled his eyes saying, “Emergency rations for the military.  Sixteen of these things and you have the equivalent of a 2500 calorie day diet.  I lived off these things for nearly two years, do you really think my stomach didn't shrink?”

Getting a closer look at the pills, Doctor Whooves said, “I have to admit, these do not look filling at all.  But that's irrelevant, as no one really eats at the gala, do they? Furthermore, I doubt they'd notice your sleep cycle unless they were an obsessed stalker, and if so, you've got bigger problems than putting them off with your sleeping patterns.  Finally, nopony would really care about the smell, as you'd have to be right next to your mane or coat to even smell it.  So toughen up and ask a mare.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “I'll consider it, okay Doc? I just don't think it'll end well.”

Looking up from the pills, Doctor Whooves smiled, and said, “That's all I'm looking for.”  Glancing at the tax forms on the counter, he added, “And you forgot to do anything with the damages and insurance claims section,” before walking out.

Blinking, Mecha looked at said section, before screaming, “LUST'S PANTIES DIPPED IN GLUTTONY'S DEEP FRYER LOCKED IN GREED'S TREASURE CHEST STORED UNDER SLOTH'S HAMMOCK WITH ENVY'S GAZE UPON IT RELFECTED BY PRIDE'S MIRROR BEING SMASHED BY WRATH'S WARHAMMER NEXT TO LUCIFER'S BED!!!!!!!*”

“Excuse me!” said Rarity, having walked in during Mecha's cursing, “But that is no kind of language to use around a lady!”

Blinking, Mecha responded, “Did you even understand what I said?”

Blushing, Rarity said, “Well... no, but your tone spoke for you!”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Yeah, well, I hate taxes.  But enough about my problems, what do ya need?”

Taking a glance around the shop, Rarity said, “Well, I need a little metal work done for a dress I'm designing, as well as a couple of metal shoes to go with a few others, and Twilight sang praises about your work with the gift she sent for Shining Armor...”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “Then come on up and tell me what needs to be done.  With any luck, I get the order started as soon as Snips and Snails show up, and possibly done as well.”

Walking up towards the counter while smiling, Rarity responded, “That would simply be marvelous darling! I have taken the liberty of drawing up what I need, as well as what I think would be the best metal for the look, but that is not my forte, so feel free to correct me if the metal can not be used.”

Glancing at the designs that Rarity had levitated onto his counter, Mecha replied, “No no, I don't see a problem.  In fact, I should be done around seven, seven-thirtyish if you want me to just take them straight to your store.

“That would be excellent!” was Rarity's reply, radiating happiness.

“And 40 bits,” Mecha told her.

Nodding her head, Rarity said, “But of course! After all, if your craftsmanship is even a fraction of what Twilight says, then it is surely worth it.  But I feel as if you are under charging me... I know! After I finish up with my friends' dresses, I can make you a suit to make it up to you! Yes, a nice, elegant suit, something that lives up to the shine that your leg produces...” she muttered, before glancing at the paper work on the counter.  “Oh! You missed the utilities page,” she told him, before walking out, designing new outfits in her mind with each step she took.

Glancing at the page that Rarity pointed out, Mecha repeated his earlier curse with such volume, that five minutes later Twilight Sparkle came in with a joint letter from the princesses saying to watch his language.

LINEBREAKER

“So Doc, did you ever figure out why Ditzy gets her own ticket to the gala every year?” Mecha asked his friend at their weekly lunch with Big Macintosh.

“Well, yeah.  Have to admit, it caught me off guard, but makes so much sense,” Doctor Whooves replied.

“Well?” Mecha asked, leaning forward.

Chuckling to himself, Doctor Whooves replied, “Turns out, she writes the Daring Do series,** and as the author of the best selling series currently in Equestria, she gets an invite every year.”

Mecha's and Big Macintosh's jaws dropped, eyes going wide at this news.  “Really?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Yeah,” Doctor Whooves said.  “Turns out she writes under an alias so she won't get mobbed by fans whenever she goes out for a walk.  Furthermore, the stories are based on the tales that her grandpa used to tell her about her families old business.”

“Her family used to be treasure hunters?” Mecha asked.

“Nah, archeologists.  Although, they knew several treasure hunters, several of whom show up in the stories, as well as the legends that are the basis for all the treasures,” Doctor Whooves told them.  “Now, it's Big Macintosh's turn to pay the bill, right?”

“Eeyup.  By the way Mecha, ah think Rarity is lookin' for ya,” responded the large stallion.

Turning around, Mecha said, “That she is.  Well, nice talking to you gents, but it appears I have business to attend to.”  Getting up, he walked up to Rarity, noticing her disheveled look, which slightly disturbed him, knowing how much she cherished her looks.  “Um... do you need me for something?”

“Ah, Mecha! Just the pony I was looking for,” she said, eye twitching.  “You did such a wonderful job with my last order, that I figured I should come to you for this one as well.  Unfortunately, you weren't at the shop, and your apprentices said that they could not give me a price for my order, and thus could not accept it without your approval.”

“Ah, yes, that's actually their next lesson,” Mecha replied, before adding, “Are you, uh, okay?”

“Okay? Why yes, I am most certainly okay! In fact, I feel simply marvelous, divine in fact!  But onto business.  How much for this order?” she responded, pulling out a couple of papers with magic, levitating them in front of Mecha.

Glancing at the designs on the pages in front of him, Mecha quirked his head at them.  They were vastly different from what she asked from before... and the eye twitch clearly meant something, but he just didn't have a clue as to what.  Sighing, he finally gave her an answer of, “It'll cost 55 bits,” and took the designs with him as he walked away, barely hearing Rarity's cries of thanks.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking towards the fashion show that Rarity was hosting, while talking to Spike.  “So,” Mecha started, “who'd you book for the music part of the show?”

Spike responded with, “I managed to find somepony that goes by DJ-PON3.  She's suppose to be amongst the best there is, and happens to be passing through town on her way to another gig.”

“Hmm...” Mecha mumbled to himself.  “DJ-PON3... where have I heard that name before...”

“YOU!” was the only clue he needed to put the pieces together.  Pointing at him angerly with her leg was Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ-PON3.

“Uh... hey there!” Mecha greeted, clearly trying to diffuse the situation.  “It's been a while, huh?”

Eye twitching, Vinyl slowly walked forward, with Mecha taking a step back for each of her steps forward.  “Do you know that I still can't enter A Salt & Battery?!? Because of you, I can't eat at my favorite restaurant! I can't even order take out from the place!”

“Now, surely you're over reacting!” Mecha tried to bargain his way out of the angry mare's fury.  “After all, I was the one who fought the owner, not you! Surely the recognize this and will let you in?!”

Getting even madder than before, she replied, “Exactly! Except, they won't let me in since I was on a date with you at that time, so...”

Gulping, Mecha realized he'd backed himself into a wall, literally.  Trying on lass try to reason with Vinyl, he said, “You'll let me go as a gesture of good will?”

Shaking her head, Vinyl punched her hoof into the other, and said, “Oh no... I'm going to make you suffer as much as I have... which means you get to face, MAH BASS CANNON!!!” Before pulling out a giant speaker, that separated into a cannon, that blasted Mecha into the wall behind him with a large blue beam, knocking him unconscious as he hit the ground.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was once more laying in a bed in the hospital, opening his eyes.  “Ugh...” he muttered to himself.  “Mental note, avoid all ex's and failed first dates...” Taking a moment to look around, he noticed that one of the nurses apparently decided to put a plaque that said Mecha's Bed above the bed he was currently residing in.

At this point, Doctor Stable walked in, eye twitching.  “Mister Mecha,” he started, “if I didn't know any better, I'd say you enjoyed breaking your ribs!”

Sighing, Mecha told him, “It's not that I enjoy breaking my ribs, it's the universe that enjoys it.”

Eye twitching even more, Doctor Stable said, “Either way, if you come back one more time with broken ribs, I will personally see to it that you be encased in an iron suit, and will weld it around you if I have to! Understood?”

Eyes wide at the threat, Mecha nodded his head, stunned at the doctor's behavior.

Suddenly shifting into a smiling doctor instead of a scary one, Doctor Stable said, “Good.  You can check out anytime then,” before trotting out the door.

Still shocked from earlier, it took Mecha 25 minutes to realize what he had said, before bolting out of the room and out of the hospital.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked into Rarity's shop, having gotten a message that the suit she said she'd make him was complete.  Taking a look around the shop, Mecha saw her in the back, looking loads better than the last time he'd seen her, and quickly approached her, saying, “You sent for me?”

“Ah, Mecha, darling!” she said.  “Great timing! I had just pulled your suit from the line! Go ahead, take a good look!”

The suit in question was currently clothing a manikin, and a burnt orange color.  The sleeves appeared to slowly warp into a metallic orange, and the ends even appeared to have an edge to them.  The collar of the suit covered part of the sharp, silvery tie which Mecha thought would likely draw attention away from his leg.***

“Not bad, not bad at all,” Mecha told her.

“Of course not darling!” Rarity said.  “After all, I only make the best, especially for those who supply me with the materials to make my outfits.”

“One question though, are there pockets on the inside?” Mecha asked.

“I thought you'd ask that,” Rarity replied, “And went ahead and included several in the design.”

Smiling, Mecha looked over the suit one last time, saying, “I'm going to look awesome in this... like a walking, flaming weapon!”

“That, my dear,” Rarity said, “Was the intention.”

*As mentioned before, the worst curse in Hell
**Daring Do? Ditzy Do? Doesn't it seem like a good connection, or am I just crazy.
***I honestly suck at clothes descriptions... the idea was conveyed through Mecha's line later

AN: I personally hate doing these, but I need to get this out.  First, I'm looking for a beta reader.  Looked over some earlier chapters, noticed some errors grammatically speaking, and a beta would've most likely caught them.  And secondly/finally, I want to know if you guys want me to write a prequel of sorts of Mecha's time in Hell, so I set up a poll online, which you vote via texts.  So, to vote, text 34458 (Message, preferably your vote) to 22333.  Note, this only works for American numbers. Other option is to go to http :// pollev . Com, and in the message box put 34458 first, then your message/vote.
> Poker Night, Mecha's Turn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was in his forge, looking at a letter he'd recently received from Canterlot.  Reading it once more, he glanced between it and a nearly complete set of silver armor.  “Well,” he said, “that's convenient.”

“What's convenient boss?” asked Snips, taking a glance away from his work.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Mecha replied, putting the letter away when he suddenly stopped.  “Actually,” he started, taking another glance at the letter, “this couldn't have come at a better time.  Go ahead and stop for the day, and clean up your stations, I'll be right back!”

Running into his house, Mecha looked around before finding what he was looking for.  Grabbing the papers, he walked back outside to see Snips and Snails putting the last of the tools away.  Giving them a moment to wrap up, Mecha spoke when they finished, saying, “You two have come a long way from when you started, and are almost ready to forge your own basic works for the shop.”

Snips and Snails looked at each other, before cheering and doing little dances.  Chuckling, Mecha got their attention, continuing with, “However, that is still a test away.”

Both colts eyes went wide, and Snails asked, “What kinda test?”

Smiling, Mecha said, “A simple test.  You see these blueprints?” Mecha then gestured to the blueprints he'd gotten from his house.

“Yeah... aren't these the ones you used on that armor you sold in Canterlot?” Snails asked.

“Yep,” Mecha replied.  “In fact, the armor was sold to the client of the job I just received, for a silver and copper version with copper and tin swords.”

“Was that the letter you just got boss?” Snips inquired.

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Very observant of you.  Yes, it is.  Now, as you can see, I already have most of the silver set done, and I have a copper sword that fits the requirements in the shop's back.  Your test, is to make the copper set and tin sword, without my guidance.  You have today and tomorrow to look over and learn the design, and then a month to make both, so don't rush it.  If you manage to make the order to my standard, you'll get ten percent of the order in pay, and I'll allow you to free forge some basic items to sell at the shop.  Got it?”

“Sir yes sir!” the two replied, before grabbing the plans.  Just as they were about to rush off, Snips stopped, before turning and asking, “Who is the client, anyways?”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Don't worry about it.  After all, if I thought it was too important, would I really give it to you as a test?” and then shooed the two out of his yard.  Chuckling to himself, Mecha pulled his tools out and started to work on finishing his part of the order, smiling over the reactions he imagined the client would give if it was known that his apprentices were working on the order.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he looked at the extra ticket to the gala he had.  Everypony that he knew well enough to call friend already had a ticket, and that left only the date option, since he didn't want to go through the hassle of selling it this close to the gala.  Furthermore, it was poker night, which meant if he hadn't asked anypony by then, he'd end up doing so drunk with the first mare he saw, which was likely to end up with either a slap, a night in jail, or some other equally embarrassing result.

Letting out another sigh, Mecha looked around town square, trying to see if he recognized anypony.  Seeing no familiar faces, he just shook his head in exasperation, before thinking to himself, 'I'll just go through a list of mares I know and see if any of them would be willing to go with me, screw it if they already have a ticket.  Twilight? Nah, she plans on chatting up princess Celestia.  Rarity? No, hopes to hook up with Blueblood while there.  Wonder if I should tell her that he's a total jerk and snob? Fluttershy is going with Big Macintosh, and Solaris would kill me if I went with Rainbow Dash.  Pinkie Pie?  No no no! Ugh, that'd be asking for trouble... Big M wouldn't let me go with Applejack, and she'd be to busy trying to sell apples anyways.  Ditzy Do is going with Doc, and I'd sooner visit Hell again than go with my aunt... Which means...'

Sighing one last time, Mecha said to himself, “Well, she's nice and caring, I just hope this doesn't end up like any other first date... or like the last time I asked out a mare.  That was just embarrassing...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking through market square, looking for his intended date, when he heard something he didn't want to hear, “YOU!”

Stopping in mid track, he muttered a quick prayer that it wasn't who he thought it was, before turning around.  Seeing that his prayer went un-answered, he swore, saying, “Wrath's dagger thrown into Gluttony's deep fryer.  Um, hey Nova, how's it going?”

Nova, a yellow unicorn with a purple mane and a supernova for a Cutie Mark, replied, “Well, since you GOT ME BANNED FROM MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!”

Flinching, Mecha said, “To be fair, you did swing at that stallion first.”

Eye twitching, Nova said, “I don't think you get it.  It's the principle of the matter.  First date rule, if something goes wrong, it's the stallions fault.  Now then, would you like to be pummeled, or would you prefer to explode?”

Resigned to his fate, Mecha told her, “Which ever choice is least likely to break my ribs.  The doc at the hospital has been all up in my case after breaking them three times already.”

Nodding her head, Nova said, “Death beam it is then,” before her horn gave off a glow, an orb of energy building up at the tip.  After a moment, the orb transformed into a laser, ramming into Mecha, while leaving a trench in the road.

“I regret nothing!” Mecha yelled out, until he hit a tree and was knocked unconscious.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was standing next to a giant... thing, which was covered by an even larger cloth, grinning to himself, when Pinkie Pie suddenly showed up and asked, “Whatcha' doooin?”

Not even reacting to Pinkie Pie, having gotten used to her antics, Mecha said, “I plan on using a giant billboard to ask out the mare I hope to bring to with me to the Gala.”

Pinkie Pie merely sat down, going, “Ooooooh.  But uh, why don't you try asking her in person?”

Eye twitching, Mecha replied, “Because when I tried to do that earlier, I ended up running into failed first date number 24, aka Nova.  She blasted me across town, and left a trench at least five feet deep in the town.  I'm worried that if I tried that approach again, that I'll come across another mare who I've had a failed first date with, or worse, one of my ex's, especially since Nova was one of the... tamer mares I've tried to date.”

Pinkie Pie blinked saying, “That's were the trench came from! And that was a tame mare? I sure wouldn't want to meet one of the wilder ones then!”  Suddenly, her tail started twitching, causing her to panic, before ducking under a nearby bench.

“Yeah, that you wouldn't... or at least, not while I'm around,” Mecha said.  Getting no reply, he looked for her, before hearing a whoosh sound.  Looking up in the sky, he saw a meteor the size of a soccer ball rushing towards his still covered billboard.  Sighing, Mecha muttered, “Does the universe not want me to ask her out or something?” as the meteor collided with the billboard, demolishing it beyond recognition.

“No silly!” Pinkie Pie said, back to standing next to Mecha.  “It's just the fact that the author realized that he made a thing out of you and your friends getting drunk every poker night and then asking out your dates, and since he doesn't know if the author who owns Solaris even wants him to be paired with anypony and wants to do Shining Armor's date asking scene later, meaning it's your turn!”

Caught totally off guard, Mecha turned to face Pinkie and asked, “What did you say?”

“I said,” Pinkie Pie started, “that it would appear so!”

Blinking, Mecha said, “That sounds about right,” before walking off, trying to come up with one more way to try and score his date before poker night.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha glanced around, and saw the mare he was looking for.  Fiddling with the megaphone in front of him, Mecha picked it up, working up his courage.  Shining Armor and Solaris would be here any minute, meaning the was his last chance before succumbing to the curse of drunken humility that seemed to follow poker night.  Taking in a deep breath, he was about to turn on the megaphone when a flash of light occurred above him, dropping his two friends on top of him, as well as breaking his megaphone.  Groaning, Mecha heard Solaris say, “I told you I could do the teleportation route with my eyes closed!”

Shining Armor stood up, shaking, and replied, “Yes, and I said I believed you. You didn't have to actually do it with your eyes closed! You ended up reporting us next to a rampaging hydra halfway here, and then landed us under a sleeping Ursa Major!”

Chuckling a little while blushing, Solaris replied, “Um... oops?”

Sighing, Shining Armor said, “Don't worry about it, but I'm teleporting us home, got it?” Looking around, he noticed Mecha twitching on the ground, and asked, “Uh, are you okay?”

Still twitching, Mecha got up and said, “Fine, just fine.  I'll explain after I've gotten a drink or two in me, okay?” and started walking towards his home.

LINEBREAKER

“So, at this point,” Mecha said, telling another one of his many failed attempts at romance, “I turn to her and ask, in front of the whole school, if she'd go to prom with me.”

“This doesn't sound to bad,” Doctor Whooves said, taking a sip from his hard cider.

“Yeah, I mean, what's the worst she could do, turn you down in front of the school?” Solaris added.

“Well, she did that,” Mecha said, “and then said she was a lesbian.  In fact, she said the whole school knew she was a lesbian, and apparently I was being a bigoted jerk by asking her out in front of the school, at which point she began to unleash her years of karate training on me, with the school staff supporting her actions with me being the bigot that I was.”

Laughing at their friends misery, Shining Armor asked, “So what was up with the twitching earlier?”

Sighing, Mecha took a swig from his drink, saying, “Well, Doctor Whooves ended up with an extra ticket, and so gave it to me since I gave it to him in the first place.  Now, at this point, I realized that my only option is to use it to get a date for the gala, as it takes months to legally and safely sell a ticket due to its value, and remembered that tonight is poker night, meaning that I'd end up drunk and asking a random mare.  To avoid it, I've been trying to ask out my hopeful date all day, to no success, which means that we'll be getting piss drunk later and I'll end up asking then.”

Looking at his pile of chips, Shining Armor asked, “Can we get piss drunk later? I'm actually winning for a change.”

Mecha shrugged, saying, “Sure.”

LINEBREAKER

Big Macintosh was recounting his first date with Fluttershy to his friends, and was wrapping up with, “And that was when we noticed that we were bein' followed.”

“Really?” Solaris asked.  “By who?”

Thinking back, Big Macintosh said, “Ah believe ah saw my sister and her friends, minus miss Sparkle, as well as Spike and this big lug,” pointing at Mecha for the last part.

Roaring with laughter, Shining Armor said, “You really followed Big Macintosh one his first date Mecha?”

Blushing, Mecha said, “Yeah, well, I had nothing better to do...”

Chuckling, Shining Armor replied, “Sure sure... oh! Before I forget, nice job with that suit of armor! How'd you get it that shade of blue?”

Thinking hard, Mecha said, “I... don't recall at the moment.  Too drunk.”

“Blasphemy!” Solaris shouted.  “It's poker night! How can you be too drunk?!”

Mecha blinked, and said, “You don't understand, I'm too drunk to remember anything right now, not to drunk for poker night.  Although, at this point, I'd say we're drunk enough for our somehow established tradition of drunken tomfoolery.”

Glancing around at the table, and seeing the piles of bottles laying nearby, Big Macintosh said, “Eeyup.”

Chuckling, Solaris spoke as they got up, saying, “You almost always say that dude, don't you get tired of it?”

Thinking while dragging the cooler with the remaining hard cider behind him, Big Macintosh responded with “Eenope.”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Does it really matter?” a he walked out the front door, stumbling a little.  Looking around, he noticed a crowd had formed in front of his house.  “Umm.... what are all of you doing here?”

“It's poker night,” responded somepony in the crowd.

“I know,” Mecha replied.  “I host it.  So why are you here?”

The crowd mumbled a bit, before the same pony shouted out, “You guys are fun to watch once you leave the house.”

Blinking, Mecha looked at his friends, all of whom shrugged their shoulders, before turning back to the crowd and asked, “Do any of you know where I can find...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and his friends stumbled into Sugarcube Corner, where the mare Mecha had been trying to ask out all day was waiting for her order, the last one of the day.  Turning to see him, she responded, “Mecha! What a surprise.  What are you... are you drunk?”

Swaying a little, Mecha replied, “Eeyup.  It's the poker night curse, tradition, or whatever you want to call it.  Tried to avoid it, but after Nova hit me with her death ray, a meteor hit my plan B, and then those two,” he waved towards Shining Armor and Solaris, “Crashed on top of me, ruining plan C.”

“Okay... what where you trying to do?”

“This,” Mecha said, before clearing his throat, “Cheerilee, I happen to have an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala,” here, Mecha stopped, blinking, before turning to Doctor Whooves and yelling, “I told you I could still keep it straight while drunk!”

To which Doctor Whooves replied with, “Go suck an egg!”

Chuckling, Mecha turned back to face Cheerilee, saying, “Where was I... oh yeah! I have an extra ticket, and was wondering if you'd be willing to go with me?”

Caught off guard, Cheerilee asked, “Asking out mares while drunk is a tradition of poker night?”

Mecha nodded his head, saying, “I know, right? I mean, what's going to happen when all five of us have marefriends?”

Blinking, Cheerilee said, “And it works?”

Nodding his head even more vigorously than before, Mecha said, “Stuns me as well.  After all, most of the time asking out a mare while drunk is a good way to get slapped.”

Quirking her head in thought, Cheerilee asked, “What do you suppose would happen if I told you to ask me again when you're sober?”

Mecha shrugged, saying, “I dunno.  Most likely case is that every time I try, I'll be thwarted like I was today, possibly in increasingly violent ways, until next poker night and we end up in this situation again.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee said, “That's an awfully detailed analysis for a drunk pony.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied with, “I wrote it down on my leg before I started drinking.”

Leaning in to see the writing on his metallic leg, Cheerilee said, “Well, I don't want you to end up getting hurt trying to ask me out again, and if you're right, and we'd just end up in this situation, I might as well give you the answer I'd give you if you were sober.  Sure, I'll go.”

Grinning like a mad pony, Mecha turned to face the guys, and said, “She said yes guys!”

With a hur-rah, they grabbed him and started to walk out, with Mecha shouting, “I'll talk it over with you more tomorrow, this is the first time we haven't all passed out shortly after getting a yes!”

Blinking, Cheerilee grabbed her order, before following the drunk friends and the mob following them to the town square, where the five all gathered around a cooler, and started to sing:

“I'm not a fan of puppeteers but I've a nagging fear
someone else is pulling at the strings
Something terrible is going down through the entire town
wrecking anarchy and all it brings...*”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha woke up, and looked around.  Big Macintosh was still passed out on a bench, with Doctor Whooves sleeping underneath it.  Solaris was up against a nearby fountain, while Shining Armor was sleeping in a tree.  Blinking, Mecha rubbed his eyes in an attempt to make himself more alert, when he noticed a hat laying next to the tipped cooler, filled with about ten bits.  “Cool,” he said to himself, “we managed to make some money embarrassing ourselves this time.”

*Beginning of Discord, by EuroChaos? (As far as I can tell, that is who originally came up with it)
> Too Many Heads
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sighed as he sat down, having finished his punishment for disturbing the town with his drunken antics... again.  Thankfully, all he had to do was help clean up the library once this time, as he and his friends didn't really do much this time.  He ignored whatever Twilight was saying, as he looked out the window to see a speck getting closer and closer... was that Rainbow Dash?

BOOM!

Based on the fact that she was now sitting on his chest, he'd say yes.  Taking a glance around, Mecha said, “Okay, I'm not cleaning this up! I've got an appointment in ten minutes, you're on your own for this one!” before pushing Rainbow Dash off of him, and walked out the door.

After walking in a random direction for a minute or so to cool off, Mecha pulled out the sheet with his jobs for the day, and looked at the slot that matched the current time.  “Let's see... I need to fix an AC unit at... the school,” he said out loud, before looking up to see that his wandering had taken him to the front of the school.  “Huh.  That's convenient,” he muttered, before walking in, seeing as it was lunch time for the colts and fillies.

“Mecha the mechanic, reporting in!” he hollered into the building, looking around for Cheerilee.  He spotted her at her desk, grading some homework.

Looking up, she smiled and said, “Ah Mecha, right on time!” as she put down the work she was grading.  Getting up, she walked over to a window, motioning for him to come over.  “As you know, the school's air conditioning is out, and with the heat wave the pegasi need to speed up the evaporation of the excess rain from the last storm coming up, I wanted to make sure that it was fixed before things got to uncomfortable in here.”

Nodding his head, Mecha took a look over the unit, saying, “It seems to be a simple mechanical error, I can have it fixed before lunch is over.”

Getting an even larger smile on her face, Cheerilee said, “That'd be great! If you need anything, let me know, otherwise I'm going to get back to work.”

Giving her a nod to let her know that he heard her, Mecha took off the cover of the unit before having his mechanical leg shift until he had a screwdriver instead of a hoof, and quickly got to work.

After twenty minutes of work, Mecha put the cover back on, before turning the unit on to test it.  When it started to run, he smiled, before turning to Cheerilee and saying, “Works all done.”

Getting up, Cheerilee grinned and said, “That's great!” as she walked over to see it working for herself.  However, the moment she got to the AC unit, it started to splutter, and shut down.  “Uh,” she started, “I don't think you completely fixed it.”

Frowning, Mecha looked at the unit sternly, before giving it a whack.  At that point, the machine started working again, causing him to smile.  “Nope,” he said, “just needed to give it a minute to boot up.  That'll be twenty bits,” he said, walking with her towards her desk.

Opening a drawer, Cheerilee handed him a bag with the bits in it, and asked, “Are we still up for dinner at the cafe to talk about the gala?”

Giving the bag a quick weigh in to make sure she didn't overpay him, Mecha nodded his head, saying, “Unless something puts me in the hospital again, we should be fine.” Turning to leave, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, causing all the foals to run in, including Snips and Snails.

Upon seeing their boss, the two ran up to him, with Snips asking, “What are you doing here boss?”

Chuckling upon seeing their enthusiastic faces, Mecha replied, “Just fixing up the AC here and chatting up you teacher.”

Snails blinked, before saying, “Really? That's cool.  Will you be teaching us how to do that kinda stuff later?”

Thinking for a moment, Mecha responded with, “Fixing machines and utilities? Yeah, I'll be teaching that to you two in the next month or so.  Chatting up mares? That you'll have to ask you dads about.”  Seeing their flustered faces, Mecha merely laughed, before walking out the door.  Right as he was about to exit, he turned his head and said, “The armor and sword you two made have just been shipped, along with mine.  I should get a letter in a day or two, and I'll let you know if you pass the test then.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking towards his home, having taken the day off for house calls, or in the case of the last one, school calls, and had finished for the day.  His plan was to head back to the forge, and start working on some personal projects instead of the usual store items.  After all, he'd need to make room for Snips and Snails works, as he knew that they'd pass the test he'd given them.  After all, they'd manage to make a near perfect replica of the armor he'd made and sold in Canterlot.

Smiling at the thought of what those two might make, Mecha started to hum to himself, when her heard a loud, echoing crash.  Stopping in the middle of his tracks, Mecha turned towards the sound, and said, “Wrath's dagger.  A hydra. A wrath forsaken hydra.  And some idiot managed to keep cutting its heads until it had several hundred.  Just what I needed.”

Rushing into his house, he quickly grabbed his gear before rushing out towards the library.  Thankfully, the hydra was still a couple of minutes away from Ponyville, moving slowly due to the amount of heads it had.  Breaking through the door, Mecha spotted Spike, who was rushing towards the door.  Spotting Mecha, he asked, “What's going on out there?”

Grabbing a quill and piece of paper that were laying around, Mecha wrote out a quick note whilst saying, “There's a hydra with waaaaaaay to many heads on its way here.  I need you to send this to Canterlot NOW so that Solaris can get here, since he's the only unicorn I know that's good with fire magic.  After that, I'm going to need you to come with me so you can heat my blades to the point where I can chop heads without spawning more.  Got that?”

Wide eyed, Spike lightly nodded his head, before taking the note from Mecha and sending it to princess Celestia via dragon fire. Having done that, he ran out the door, on Mecha's heels.

Running towards the hydra, Mecha pulled out the two swords on his back, while standing up and turning to face Spike, saying, “Heat these up as much as you can, they need to be at least white hot!”

Acting quickly, Spike took a deep breath before releasing the hottest flames he could, straight onto the swords.  Nodding his head, Mecha took off the moment Spike stopped, not wanting to waste a second while the blades began to cool.  Rushing up to the creature, Mecha quickly started to twist and turn when seven heads started to charge him.  Jumping up onto one of the heads, Mecha used it as a spring board, getting even higher before chopping off one of the heads.  Seeing that the neck wound was cauterized, and thus wouldn't spawn two more heads, he acted quickly, cutting off another head.

Howling in rage, most of the heads charged at Mecha's location, spiraling around each other, trying to hit him.  Twisting himself in circles, he did his best to fend off the heads whilst cutting off more.  Landing, he noticed that the last three heads he cut off didn't completely cauterize, causing six heads to form.  Leaping back, he yelled, “Spike, flame me! And where in Sloth's hammock is Solaris?!?”

As if to answer his question, a flash of light appeared right next to him, Solaris forming next to him.  “You called?” he asked, pulling his sword out while shifting to an upright stance.

“Yeah,” Mecha said, “think you can maintain heat on both our weapons?”

“Yep,” Solaris responded, as a blackish red glow surrounded his horn and his sword, which quickly turned into a scythe, before surrounding it and Mecha's swords, leading to them becoming so hot that heat was visibly pouring off them.  “Where's Big Macintosh? Figured he'd be here to help,” he asked as he ran up to the hydra, spinning the scythe above him, chopping off several heads in one go.

Rushing to aid Solaris, Mecha ran up one of the many necks, saying, “Helping with the evacuations.  He knew, as well as I did, that his fighting style was useless against this thing.  Too slow.”  all the while chopping off any head that approached him, before cutting the neck he was running on, twisting to avoid a collision with another head.

“Makes sense,” Solaris replied, hopping from head to head, cutting them down as a farmer would cut wheat.  “After all, he is a big powerhouse.”

Snorting, Mecha blocked a head's attempt to swallow him, before slicing it off, saying, “He also happens to be one of the ponies that people look to for guidance when Twilight isn't here.  Better that he use this to help- gah!” interrupted by one of the heads managing to sneak into his guard and bite his left side, Mecha quickly retaliated by chopping it off while leaping down.  Solaris joined him by leaping off the highest head, twisting and turning to slice off as many heads during his descent as possible, before leaping to stand next to Mecha.

“You okay?” Solaris asked, the two combatants panting slightly.

Glancing at the wound, Mecha pressed the side of one of his blades to the wound, causing it to hiss as the heat burned to wound shut, causing Mecha to clench his teeth in pain.  “I'll be fine, we still have at least fifty heads to deal with.  I really wish I could find the idiot that caused this mess, and shove all these heads up where the sun don't shine.”

Wincing slightly at the thought, Solaris merely charged back into the fray, followed closely by Mecha, both swinging like maniacs due to the increased speed of the heads caused by the lack of interference from the now removed heads.

Spinning in a circle to chop off three more heads, Mecha asked, “Why a scythe? I mean, I get versatility of it, but isn't it suppose to be ridiculously hard to master?”

Grunting as he cut through two heads in one slash, Solaris replied, “Showed promise with it early on, so my family made me train with it often.  To this day, I don't regret the effort,” before cutting off one last head, leading to both he and Mecha landing, quickly hopping back.

With only seven heads left, the hydra looked extremely worried, and had began to back away from the two.  Nodding to Solaris, Mecha turned to it and said, “If you leave now and never return, we'll let you live.  However, if I even hear rumors you coming back, I'll hunt you down with this guy, and put you down so hard that they'll feel it all the way in reindeer lands, got it?”

Nodding its seven heads, the hydra quickly turned around and ran as fast as it could into the forest.  Taking a glance around at the mess they'd made, Solaris turned to Mecha, sheathing his once again sword, and asked, “Sooooo... whatcha' plan on doing with all these heads?”

Getting back on all fours, Mecha walked up to one of them, before kicking it.  Hearing a dull thud, he shrugged and said, “Probably use the scales and teeth for decorations and such.  Maybe start a whole line of creature based decorations, as I still have the fangs and claws from the manticore way back when.  Who knows, Zecora might have picked up some random creature talons and horns in the forest.”

Nodding his head, Solaris took one last glance at the field, before saying, “I'm going to go ahead and report back to Canterlot then.  Did you get the sister's last letter yet?”

Thinking back to the letter he'd received while cleaning up Twilight's library, Mecha said, “Yeah.  Talked it over with Big M, and we both agreed to do it.  You and Shining Armor up for it?”

Grinning, Solaris said, “Oh yeah, we're up for it.  Well, I'll see you next poker night, although you might want to get that wound checked out.”  And with a flash of light, he was off.

Glancing at the wound, Mecha winced before trotting off to the hospital.  He'd come back with Snips and Snails latter.   Heck, he could make it a lesson on material retrieval!

LINEBREAKER

Mecha winced as he sat down at the cafe.  Having been to the hospital, he'd been given some burn cream, and a bottle of antibiotics to deal with any bacteria that might've been on the hydra's teeth.  Looking around, Mecha waved to Cheerilee when he saw her, waving her over.

“Are you okay? I heard what happened with the hydra,” she asked, looking worried while she sat down across from him.

“Bah, tis but a flesh wound!” he replied, plastering a grin on his face.  “Besides, this has given plenty of material to use in the shop.”

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Cheerilee said, “I assume that's where Snips and Snails ran off to so eagerly when we got back from the evacuation?” while thinking about how the grinning best friends had ran off the moment they got back.

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied.  “But enough about that, we're here to talk about the gala, not some dead hydra heads!”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee took a sip from the water the waiter had brought to their table.  Thinking for a moment, she asked, “Do you know how we're even going to get there?”

Nodding his head, Mecha quickly gave the waiter their order before replying, “Yeah.  Princess Luna owes me a favor for not mentioning something embarrassing to her sister, so she agreed to send a chariot for us.  Do you have a dress picked out already?”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee said, “I don't own anything that would be fitting for something like the gala.”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “That actually works in our favor.  I'll talk to Rarity when she get's back, and she can make you a dress that is both formal, and manages to work with mine making me look like a living weapon.”

Taking a bite from the recently delivered salad, she asked, “What about once we arrive at the gala? After all, you have several friends going along as well, are we doing anything with them?”

Shaking his head, Mecha swallowed his bite of dandelion sandwich before responding with, “Only thing set in stone is a live demonstration of combat that I've agreed to do with Solaris, Shining Armor, and Big Macintosh.  After that, Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Do plan on spending the night with each other, Solaris will have to go back on duty, Big Macintosh plans on helping Fluttershy with her thing in the gardens, and I have no clue what Shining Armor will be up to.  Although, princess Luna will probably stop to chat with us for a while, I don't think there's anypony else I know that's going to be at the gala... oh wait.  Would you like to meet the Wonderbolts?”

Thinking it over the last of her salad, Cheerilee finally replied with, “It sounds interesting, but why would they be willing to meet us?”

Smirking, Mecha said, “Besides the fact that my brother is one of their talent scouts, and arguably the best one at that? No reason.”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee told him, “You're going to have to tell me more about your family later, they sound interesting.”

Chuckling, Mecha paid the bill as they walked out, before suddenly stopping in the middle of the street, paling.  Quickly running over, Cheerilee put a hoof to his forehead to see if he had a fever or something while asking, “What's wrong?”

Holding stock still, Mecha replied, “I just realized something.  Fluttershy is going to kill me when she hears what I did to the hydra.”
> Training For the Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was standing in the middle of the road, stunned with recent events.  Well, recent event would be more accurate, as it was a singular event that caused the paralysis he was suffering from.  He was right when he said that Fluttershy was going to kill him, he just figured it'd be in a violent manner of rage that she'd recover from before trying to heal him, not stunning his heart into stopping.  For what happened was Fluttershy had cornered him, and raised her voice at him.  And not just to barely above a whisper either, no, she'd actually raised her voice to a volume that matched other ponies raised voices.

This was the state that Twilight Sparkle found him in, nearly an hour after Fluttershy had raised her voice at him.  Walking up to him in concern, she waved her hoof in front of him, asking, “Are you okay Mecha? Do you need me to take you to the hospital or something?”

Jumping a bit, Mecha shook his head, saying, “Oh no, I'm fine, just stunned that Fluttershy's voice could actually get as loud as it did, let alone having it directed at me.”

Quirking an eyebrow, Twilight asked, “Why'd she do that?” before thinking for a moment, and said, “No wait, I think I know.  She was upset that you hurt that hydra that came by while we were in Cloudsdale so much, wasn't she?”

Nodding his head, Mecha started to walk towards his house, Twilight walking with him, as he said, “I kinda blanked out after the initial barrage, but yeah, that was the gist of it.”  Opening his mailbox, Mecha pulled out the only letter, looking at the sender, before saying, “And now I need to pick up a package at the post office... which is going to have me pass the spa where Fluttershy is, and considering the time, she's about to leave.... oh joy.”

Chuckling, Twilight said, “I don't think you've got anything to worry about.  In fact, I think if you run into Fluttershy, she'll actually apologize for raising her voice.”

Raising his eyebrow, Mecha replied, “I hope you're right.”

LINEBREAKER

Fortunately for Mecha, he didn't find out as he didn't run into Fluttershy while walking to the post office.  Walking in, the bell rang as he walked towards the desk.  After waiting for a minute, a pegasus walked up to the desk and said, “Welcome to the post office.  How can I help you today?”

Smiling at the quick service, Mecha told him, “You have a package I need to pick up.”

Nodding his head, the pegasus pulled out a clipboard, and asked, “Are you Mecha?”  Seeing Mecha nod his head, he put the clipboard on the desk, and said, “Sign here then please, and I'll go get your delivery.”

Watching the pegasus walk into the back, Mecha picked up a nearby pen, and quickly signed his name where the pony had pointed to on the clipboard, before putting it down and waiting for the pony to come back.  He didn't have to wait long, as the postal worker returned after a few seconds, handing him a bag and wishing him a good day.  Wishing one back to the pegasus, Mecha quickly left the building.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood in his backyard, leaning against the forge.  Holding the still unopened letter in his hooves, he stared at his two apprentices in front of him.  Both were very nervous, as he had told them that the letter he was holding was from the client they had made the armor and sword for.  In fact, nervous didn't come close to how the two were feeling, they were that uncomfortable.  Legs quivering, brows sweating, they waited for their boss to open the letter.

Showing no emotion on his face, Mecha held the envelope with his left hoof, as his right was opening up to pop out a small knife.  Using it to open the envelope, he was about to reach in and take out the letter, when he suddenly head somepony call out, “Mecha, are you here?”

Turning to see Rarity approaching, he set down the letter, before saying, “Yeah, over here! You need something Rarity?”

Coming to a halt near his quaking apprentices, she barely gave them a glance before replying, “Yes darling.  Do you have any more of that special gold you sold me earlier?”

Blinking, Mecha thought back to her order and asked, “You mean the kind that melts with barely any heat, and is readily absorbed by fabrics?”

Nodding her head, Rarity said, “Yes dear! I need some more of it, and fast!”

Seeing her rush, Mecha walked into the forge, returning with a small bag filled with the gold, and said, “This is all I have left, will it be enough?”

Looking at the bag, Rarity visibly relaxed, saying, “More than enough!”

Tossing her the bag, Mecha said, “Then take it, I've no use for it.”

Eyes going wide, Rarity grabbed the bag while replying, “But I simply must pay for it! After all, this is such high quality material, and must be extremely hard to acquire.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “I got it off the side of a road.  In fact, the only reason I know that it's a form of gold is because I had Twilight Sparkle identify it, so take it.”

Stamping her hoof on the ground, Rarity said, “I insist I pay, or do I have to make you another suit?”

Opening his mouth, Mecha was about to reply when he stopped to think for a moment.  Coming to a final conclusion, he told her, “That actually sounds like something I could work with.  How about instead of making me another suit though, you make a dress for Cheerilee? Something that would work well with my suit.”

Blinking at  the sudden turn around, Rarity asked, “Are the two of you going to the Gala together?” to which Mecha merely nodded in response.  “In that case, I'll make her a dress so wonderful, and matches up with your suit so well, that the only ponies who will be able to match shall be the princesses themselves, as well as myself and Blueblood of course,” she told him, before running off to get back to work.

Turning to face Snips and Snails again, Mecha saw that they'd gone from nervous to curious.  Raising an eyebrow at their stares, he waited until Snips asked, “Are you really going to the Grand Galloping Gala with miss Cheerilee boss?”

Chuckling to himself, Mecha replied, “Yes, yes I am.  Why do you ask?”

Snails responded for him, saying, “No real reason.  It's just odd to see our two favorite teachers going out.”

Laughing Mecha said, “Aren't we your only teachers?”

Turning his head to the side, Snails thought for a moment before saying, “No.  Twilight Sparkle taught us the magic we use here.”

“And you could argue that Trixie taught us that not everypony is who they say they are!” Snips added.

Smiling, Mecha shook his head before pulling the nearly forgotten letter out of its envelope.  Unfolding the letter, he read through it quickly with one eyebrow quirked the whole time.  Glancing up, he saw that the two young ponies had returned to being nervous, before saying, “Well I've got good news.  It appears that Celestia and Luna liked what you two made.  Luna in fact enjoyed watching Celestia as she tried to find the Cutie marks you two put on the armor as your signature.”

Sighing, the two relaxed, before Snips wide eyed and asked, “Did you say Celestia and Luna? As in the princesses of Equestria.”

Grinning to himself, Mecha replied, “Eeyup,” before blinking, muttering, “And now I spend to much time with Big M.  I've got to watch how much time I spend with each of my friends...”

Snails was still processing what Mecha said earlier, and was speaking out loud, “We filled our first order... for the princesses... our first order... princesses...”

Chuckling at their reactions, Mecha went into the forge, before returning with two bags, which he tossed in front of the two.  “That,” he started, “is your cut of the profit from the order.”

With Snails still trying to process the fact that their first order was given to the princesses of their country, Snips opened his bag, before looking at Mecha, and then back at the bag.  “This is too much!” he told Mecha.

“Really now,” Mecha said.  “How much do you think is in there?”

Snails, having given up at trying to process his thoughts, picked up the bag.  Shifting it around a little, he estimated, “Around a thousand bits based on the weight.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “Exactly a thousand bits... how'd you figure that out?”  Getting a shrug for an answer, Mecha sighed and said, “To be exact, that's ten percent of the total order, a piece.  You two earned it after all the work you put into the armor, as well as the sword.  Oh, and it took Celestia three hours twenty two minutes to find the Cutie Marks stamped into the inside of the helmet.”

Caught off guard by the sheer amount of money they'd been given, the two looked between each other and the bags of cash.  Finally looking back at Mecha, Snips asked, “What are we suppose to do with this much money?”

Mecha shrugged his shoulders, saying, “I dunno.  I'd recommend taking it to your parents and having them hold onto it.  Furthermore, you two will be getting thirty percent each of what ever you make and sell in the shop for your selves.  That being said, I'm giving you two the day off to process everything.”

Just nodding their heads, the two picked up the bags with their magic (with this being second nature to them after working with the forge's hammers so much) and walked home.

Turning around, Mecha faced the training area of his back yard, a giant empty field with targets lined up along the border of his property.  Sighing, he said to himself, “If I want to stand a chance in the live demonstration, I better get back into top shape.” before trotting over to the field and getting to work.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was spinning in place, swinging his swords while going through the forms while his eyes were closed.  Suddenly, they snapped open, and he tossed the two swords into the air, before twisting and turning in ways that shouldn't be possible without snapping his back or tearing several muscles, before suddenly stopping, lashing his fore legs out to catch his falling swords before rapidly throwing them at two distant targets, missing the bulls-eye on each by a margin of less than an inch.

Turning around, he saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing near the entrance to his backyard, jaws on the ground, staring at him.  Smirking, Mecha got back on all fours and trotted to the targets to retrieve his swords, asking, “Is there something I can help you with?”

Being the first of the group to recover from the impressive display, Scootaloo shouted out, “That was awesome!”

Nodding her head in agreement, Apple Bloom said, “Totally! How'd you do all that fancy footwork?”

Sweetie Bell was next saying, “And how did you manage to hit those targets from that far far away?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “With lots of practice.  And thank you, it's nice to hear that I can still be awesome.  But you haven't answered my question.”

Blinking, Apple Bloom said, “We were wondering if you had some work for us so we can try and earn our Cutie Marks!”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Sorry, I don't.  Although, I'm about to start my knife throwing practice, if you'd like to try?”

Eyes glimmering, the three all smiled before shouting, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS KNIFE THROWERS!”

Chuckling, Mecha put the two swords away as he walked into his house, coming back out with what appeared to be hundreds of knives.  Pulling one out, he started to explain, “I'll be having you start with dull knives so that no pony gets hurt.  Now, to throw them accurately, you have to...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha gulped as Apple Bloom threw her last knife.  Just as the last ten or so she threw, as well as the twenty that Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell had thrown, it went way off target and bounced off a rock, before flying back and barely missing Mecha, right underneath a part of him that he'd have missed dearly.  Eyes widening, he said, “I think that's enough for today.”

Frowning, Scootaloo said, “But we haven't gotten our Cutie Marks yet! And I'm sure I can hit the target if you give me another chance!”

Walking away from the wall that now had an outline of Mecha made from knives, he said, “No no, that's enough.  If I let you keep throwing, I wouldn't have any left for me to use for practice!”

Their moods quickly picked up, before rushing up to him and begging, “Can we stay and watch? Please?”

Looking at their faces, Mecha's response died in his throat as he got a full blast of three fillies giving him puppy dog eyes.  Trying to be strong, Mecha began to say no, only to actually say, “Sure.  Just stand back, okay?”

Getting an affirmative from them, Mecha walked over to the table where he'd left the knives, and put on several sashes before walking into a ring of targets.  Taking a deep breath, Mecha stood on his rear legs before pulling a knife into each hoof, while closing his eyes.  After a moment, they snapped open and Mecha whirled into action.

Becoming a blur to the untrained eyes of the three fillies, Mecha started to rapidly throw knives at the targets, spinning to keep momentum as well as gain a little extra speed, twisting suddenly, as well as jumping and flipping to make trick shots.  Sometimes, he'd throw a knife high into the air, before throwing another one at it, making both hit targets on opposite sides of the ring.

Finally, after three solid minutes of knife throwing, Mecha stopped, panting a little. Rushing up to see how he did, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all looked in awe at the targets surrounding him.  Each target had no less than ten knives lodged in them, and with twenty targets, that meant he'd thrown over two hundred knives in that short time frame!  Not to mention, none of the knives were less than two inches from the center, which said a lot about Mecha's aim since he would've had less than a second each to aim.

Glancing at the targets, Mecha muttered to himself, “Still not good enough.”

Eyes popping, the three young ponies turned towards him.  “What do you mean not good enough?” Sweetie Bell asked.

“I used to be better, and getting back to that level is my goal,” Mecha said.

Jaw dropping, Apple Bloom said, “You used to be better than this? Ah don't believe it!”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “I used to be able to throw the same amount of knives in two minutes, as well as throwing them more accurately as well.”

Looking back at the targets, Scootaloo asked, “How much more accurate could you get?! After all, none of these are that far from the center!”

Glancing at the targets she was looking at, Mecha said, “About twenty percent more accurate.  Unfortunately, I've let myself slip in my training, so I'm going to have to work hard if I want to do remotely well in the demonstration.”

Quirking their heads, the three asked at once, “Demonstration?”

Chuckling, Mecha told them, “Ask Big Macintosh about it, I need to get back to practice,” before shooing them out of his back yard.  Walking back to the ring, he sighed and said, “I need a better way to do this,” as he pulled the knives out of the targets in order to practice more. 
> Judge For a Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was in his backyard, looking over his two apprentices, processing the request they had just given him.  Overall, it wasn't that big a request, he was just trying to decide if it was in their abilities to follow through with it.  “Just to be clear,” Mecha started, “you two plan on rapidly forging something for the school's talent show, and want to use the metals I have stored here?”

Nodding their heads, Snips spoke up, saying, “It's perfect! A talent that requires precision, magic, and speed!”

Snails added his two bits, saying, “Not to mention the fact that we get to show our parents what we've learned from you!”

Thinking deeply, Mecha went over the facts to himself.  The two had gotten extremely good at forging whatever he threw at them, but those projects tended to have blueprints to go with them.  However, that meant that this would be a great learning experience for them, provided they didn't hurt themselves in the process that is.  Besides, they'd most likely forge two or three swords real quick, and be done, so what harm could they do?

So, nodding his head, Mecha gave them the all clear, saying, “The materials will be coming out of your paychecks, so just write down what you use and I'll work it out later, okay?”

Nodding their heads rapidly, the two ran off to plan out what they wanted to forge, leaving Mecha alone in the backyard.  Shaking his head, Mecha was about to start forging some equipment for the Gala demonstration, when Cheerilee walked up and asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute Mecha?”

Mecha's eyes went wide at this request, as previous experience had taught him that this usually came before bad news.  Trying to act calmly, he replied, “Sure, what do you need?”

Quirking an eye at the not so hidden nervousness that Mecha had, Cheerilee told him, “I need a favor from you.”

Relaxing near instantly, as a favor wasn't that big a deal, Mecha replied, “Sure, whatcha need?”

Confused at his shift from nervous to calm, Cheerilee just responded with, “I need a third judge for the school's talent show, Colgate came down with something, and so we're short hoofed.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “No problem, after all, you did judge Equestrian Idol for me and my friends.  I'm curious though, who's the other judge?”

Relieved that he was willing to do her this favor, Cheerilee said, “Doctor Whooves said he'd be willing to judge as well.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “That makes sense.  After all, he did always find talent shows and the like fascinating.  So, did you need anything else?”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee replied, “No.  I actually have to get going, Rarity is taking my measurements to start designing my dress.  How did you manage to get her do design me one anyways, she seems too busy to just do it as a request.”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “If you're generous to her, she ends up being generous to you, especially if you help her with a major work load like I did.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee said, “That makes sense,” before walking away, heading towards Rarity's shop.

Mecha merely smiled, before walking into the forge, which he'd prepped before Snips and Snails arrived, and picked up his hammer.  Reaching into the forge with his mechanical hoof, he pulled out a bar of white hot metal, and slammed the hammer onto it, all whilst humming.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha put the last of his pieces for the day into a barrel of water, leaving his mechanical leg in as well to cool it off.  “Mental note,” he said to himself, “next time, go back for the tongs, forging for more than ten minutes leads to the whole leg getting hot enough to burn shoulder.”  At this point, he heard rustling behind him, leading to him pulling his leg out of the barrel with one of the knives he'd forged, throwing it directly above... Apple Bloom's head.

Seeing their suddenly stilled forms and wide eyes, Mecha rubbed his head with his hoof, saying, “Oops...?”

After five minutes of holding still, Mecha got a little fed up and asked, “Would one of you explain what you're doing in my forge please?”

Scootaloo snapped out of her trance, and told him, “We came here to see if we could borrow a hammer and some nails.”

Nodding his head, Mecha looked around, before grabbing a box of a random shelf, and tossed it at them, before walking out and saying, “The kind of hammer you three need is inside my house, so if you'd wait here for a moment.”

This knocked Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom out of their shock, with Apple Bloom looking up at the knife that missed her head.  “Do you reckon that we shoulda knocked?”

Sweetie Bell looked at the knife lodged in the wall and said, “Probably.”

Mecha returned at this moment, throwing a hammer onto the box that he'd thrown at them earlier.  “There you go,” he said.  “Although, I must ask, why do you need nails and a hammer?”

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up, as she said, “So we can make a background for our performance in the school talent show!”

“And then we can earn our Cutie Marks!” Sweetie Bell exclaimed.

Blinking, Mecha just shook his head, watching as Sweetie Bell and Apple Bloom got into a wagon that Scootaloo pulled with her scooter.  “I wonder when they'll realize that their talents are right in front of them.  Oh well, maybe they'll get it while working on this performance, should be fun to watch the final product either way.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sat down at his seat in the cafe, relaxing as he waited for Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves. He didn't have to wait long, as the two showed up within a two minute interval, and sat down.  Seeing how loosely Mecha sat in his chair, Doctor Whooves asked, “Long day?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Very.  Snips and Snails stopped by early to get permission to use some of my metal for their show in the talent show.  By the way, they keeping up with their exercises Big M?”

Nodding his head, Big Macintosh said, “Eeyup.”

Continuing where he left off, Mecha said, “After they left, Cheerilee came to ask me a favor.  So, I agreed to it, and am now judging the talent show with you Doc.  After that, I started to forge without tongs, so I ended up burning my shoulder, before the Cutie Mark Crusaders came by.  Gave them a scare before giving them what they need for their show, and came here.  How did your guys day go?”

Looking at each other, Doctor Whooves signaled for Big Macintosh to sighed before saying, “Spent most of the morning bucking apples, then looked over the finances.  Had lunch with Fluttershy, before getting back to work.”

Blinking, Doctor Whooves said, “Well, that's uh... interesting.  I spent the morning fixing the clocks and watches in the back of the shop when Ditzy came in... and promptly broke all that I'd just fixed.  After that, we went out for a muffin break, before I went home to work on my pet project, which once more blew up in my face.  In fact, am I missing an eyebrow?” he asked.

Looking him over, Mecha said, “You're good Doc.  Although, they are a bit singed,” before biting into grilled leeks.

Sighing, he said, “Well, at least this explosion didn't launch me out of town again.”

Laughing, Mecha asked, “What are you even trying to do? I mean, between all these explosions, I'm surprised your still in one piece!”

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves told him, “It's a secret.  If I can get it to work though, I'll go down in history!”

“Provided you don't explode yourself first,” Big Macintosh said.

Blinking, Mecha turned towards Big Macintosh, and said, “Doc, I think I'm hearing things.  Did Big M just make a scathing remark?”

Nodding his head, wide-eyed, Doctor Whooves said, “Yep.”

Glancing at his leeks, Mecha pushed them away from him, saying, “I think I'll be going then,” putting a bag of bits on the table, as it was his turn to pay.

Looking between his meal and Big Macintosh, Doctor Whooves pushed his meal forward as well, and said, “I think I should get back to work as well.”

Watching his two friends walk a way, Big Macintosh simply shrugged and said to himself, “More for me then.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he sat down at the judge's table.  Having arrived a half hour early to supervise the set-up, it turned out that everything had been taken care of by Twilight Sparkle, who'd been elated at the chance to practice some construction magic she'd recently looked up.  Looking around, Mecha saw that he wasn't needed anywhere, and so pulled out a rolled up manuscript out of his mechanical leg, as well as a pencil. Opening it up to a half blank page, he quickly re-read the page before nodding his head, and started writing.

After around ten minutes, Cheerilee walked up, curious as to what he was doing.  When she saw that he was writing, she said, “I didn't know you where an author.”

“I'm not,” Mecha said.  “At least, not yet.  I'm still working on the first draft of this thing, and it's taking forever in between work and getting back into fighting form.”

“Still, it is interesting that your writing a book,” she told him.  “Might I ask what it's about?”

Shrugging, Mecha put his pencil down, before saying, “It's about the seven lords of sin and their effect on the world, most notably the creatures they created and left here before being banished to Hell.”

Quirking her head, Cheerilee asked, “How do you know what creatures they made?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “For the most part, it's based on the sin that each creature seems to embody.  But, while stuck in Hell, I ended up going through each lord's home at least once, and they always had a banner with their creations on it.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee asked, “Could you give me an example? It would clear up what you're trying to convey a bit more.”

Smiling at the fact that somepony was interested in his book, Mecha replied, “Sure.  The easiest example would be Greed's creation of dragons.  After all, they are creatures that can grow rapidly if their greed is filled rapidly.  A less obvious example would be Lust's creations, the changelings.”

Caught off guard, Cheerilee said, “That doesn't make sense though, since changelings live off  the love for the person they replace.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “That's true, and that is why they're lust.  They lust for the feeling of euphoria that comes from feeling love.  In fact, they don't actually feed of love, just the euphoria it creates, if that makes sense?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee replied, “It does actually.  How'd you figure that out though?”

Putting the manuscript and pencil away, Mecha said, “I took a look at the meaning of lust.  Basically, to indulge in lust is to indulge in an activity that produces pleasure, aka euphoria.  Thus, it makes sense that changelings, who thrive by feasting on the euphoria that being in love produce, would have been created by Lust.  Now, the one I found the most fascinating was Sloth's creation.”

Blinking, Cheerilee said, “Actually, that would be interesting.  After all, how could you make a creature that embodies the sin of sloth and make it so that it survives.”

“By making it so that it's actions are slothful, but rewarding,” Mecha told her.  “For example, staying in one place, guarding a commonly traveled route.”

Thinking for a moment, taking the clues that Mecha had given her in his last sentence, Cheerilee's face brightened up and asked, “Would you happen to be talking about sphinxes?”

“That I am,” Mecha replied.  “While they don't truly embody the sin, Sloth was indulging himself in his namesake when he came up with them, and they are one of two creatures he directly made.  He decided that since a creature that truly embodied his realm would likely be killed off quickly, he'd give them a trait of his realm, and picked being to lazy to move, and thus prone to blocking paths and eating travelers.”

“Fascinating,” Cheerilee said.

“Quite,” said Doctor Whooves, who'd walked up to the judge's station without the two noticing.  “Unfortunately, you'll have to continue this discussion later, the show is about to start.”

Eyes going wide, Cheerilee said, “Thank you, now if you'd excuse me,” before running to the stage in order to open it on time.

Sighing, Mecha got ready to start judging, pulling out a clipboard and pen from under his seat.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was slightly bored, waiting for the next act.  Yes, a lot of these young ponies were talented, just not in anything exciting.  Watching Cheerilee walk onto the stage, she complimented the last act, before saying, “And up next, we have Snips and Snails with their talent, rapid forging!”

This perked Mecha up, as he was finally going to see his apprentices' act.  Watching the curtains get pulled back, he saw the two standing in the middle of the stage, an anvil in front of them, with two giant piles of iron bars between them.  “That... is more iron than what's needed to make two or three swords,” Mecha said.

Blinking, Doctor Whooves turned to Mecha, and asked, “You mean you don't know what they're making?”

Shaking his head, Mecha told Doctor Whooves as Cheerilee sat down, “I thought they'd be making a couple of swords quickly, so I didn't ask.”

Turning back to the stage, Doctor Whooves said, “Then this will be quite interesting.”

At this point, Snips and Snails had finished psyching themselves up, and sprung into action.  Horns glowing, Snails took three bars of iron from a nearby stack, and rapidly brought them to white hot temperatures.  Snips on the other hand, grabbed several hammers with his magic, which he brought rapidly down onto the metal, quickly flattening the bars.  After around five seconds, the iron bars had been beaten into paper thing sheets, which allowed Snail to focus less on keeping them at such high temperatures, so that he lift them off the anvil and allow Snips to shape them into one piece.  After an additional ten seconds, the two had forged a good looking breastplate, which Snails dipped into a barrel of water before putting it onto a display, before grabbing several more iron bars, heating them.

The crowd was watching with rapt attention, curious as to what they'd make next, already impressed with the 15 second breastplate.  As they watched, the two morphed the iron bars into a decent looking helmet, complete with visor, in 23 seconds, before moving on to make a simple longsword in 7 seconds.  The crowd barely breathed as they finished the armor set in another 34 seconds, and then moved onto the grand finale.

Focusing hard, Snails used his magic to grab and heat the remaining iron bars, while Snips focused on lifting the extra hammers on his side.  With sweat dripping down their foreheads, the two got to work, Snails holding the metal up in the air whilst Snips hammered the pieces into shape.  After nine seconds, the pieces began to make a vague pony shape in the air, as the two pushed their magic to the limits.  With intense focus on his work, Snips finished shaping the metal with the hammers, setting them aside as Snails quickly put to the pieces into place, making a large sculpture of an Earth Pony, while Snips used his magic to lift up several riveters, which moved rapidly into place, quickly connecting the pieces together.  With everything in place, Snips levitated a barrel of water from off stage, which he poured over the sculpture, cooling it enough that Snails could put it down on the stage without risk of setting it on fire.

Turning to the crowd, the two exhausted colts gave them a bow, to which the audience responded with roaring applause.  “That,” Mecha said, “just earned them free time in the forge whenever they need it.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha chuckled to himself after the show was over, remembering the Cutie Mark Crusaders performance.  While he highly doubted that the trio had meant for it to be a comedy act, he had sure enjoyed it as such.  Walking up to Snips and Snails, he watched as they talked with their parents, who were extremely proud of their performance.  Clearing his throat, Mecha said, “While it was quite the performance, I must ask, what do you intend to do with the items you've created?”

Blinking, the two looked between him and the armor set, sword, and sculpture.  After five minutes of this, they turned to him and said, “Dunno.”
> All Because of Diamond Dogs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was walking back to his shop after having a quick lunch, when he saw Spike running through town.  Curious, Mecha stopped to ask what was wrong, only for Spike to keep running past him, screaming, “Woods, Rarity, Diamond Dogs!”

At the last word, Mecha's eyes went wide, flashing back to his last and only mission as a scout.  Seeing the gates of Hell, the first battle, everything.  He recalled his friends, and their fallen forms on the battle field.  Visions of the demon that cut off his leg floated in his vision, as he shuddered violently.  The cold glazed look in Harbuu's eyes, as she laid before him, having taken a lethal strike in his stead.  All because the disappearances were thought to have been from Diamond Dogs in the area.  As a memory of his comrades violently convulsing on the ground went through his sight, he collapsed, blacking out.

LINEBREAKER

Opening his eyes, Mecha noticed that he was once more in his bed at the hospital.  Standing near his bed was Snips, Snails, his aunt, and Cheerilee.  “What happened?” he asked, sitting up.

“Snips and Snails found you passed out in the middle of the street when they got worried when you didn't show up after a half-hour after you normally do,” Cheerilee told him.  “They found me shortly afterwords, and we took you straight here.”

“You've been out of it for almost three hours,” his aunt told him.

Groaning, Mecha recalled having lunch, walking through town, and Spike running, mentioning...

Seeing Mecha start to shake, Cheerilee grabbed him, and said, “Mecha! Calm down!”

Taking in several deep breathes, Mecha slowly stopped shaking, saying, “Thanks for that.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee handed him a glass of water, asking, “Are you going to be okay?”

Taking a long drink from the glass, Mecha put it down while sighing, saying, “I should be.  It's just... When I heard screaming about Diamond Dogs earlier,” he quivered a bit, the flash of memories less violent this time, “I was overcome with visions of my last mission.”

Eyes going wide, Mayor Mare asked her nephew, “Do you want me to get you a professional?”

Knowing that she was talking about a therapist, Mecha replied, “No, no need to go that far.  As is, I think it's just the fact that I haven't thought about it much that caused such a violent reaction.”

Snips and Snails looked deeply concerned for their boss, but weren't sure what to do.  Glancing at each other, they both brightened up as an idea struck them.  Turning to Mecha, Snips said, “We'll be right back boss!” before quickly running out of the room.

Chuckling at their behavior, Mecha said, “Gotta hand it to those two, they know how to cheer a guy up.”

Smiling at her students, Cheerilee added, “That they do.  I don't even think they realize it.”

Shaking her head at the young colts' actions, Mayor Mare told the two, “I should go ahead and let your parents know you're okay.  They've been worried sick!” as she walked towards the door.

Blinking, Mecha said, “My parents are here?”

Nodding her head, Mayor Mare replied, “Yeah, Big Mac and Whisked Mix arrived at my house about an hour ago, right when the message that you were in the hospital arrived.  I'll go ahead and send them in, okay?”

Giving a general grunt of consent, Mecha settled back into his bed, relaxing.  After a minute or two of silence, the door to his room opened and two ponies walked in.  The first was a large dark blue stallion pegasus, with blue eyes, a green and red mane, and a target for a Cutie Mark.  The other pony was a dark purple unicorn with dark green mane, brown eyes, and a whisk in a bowl for her Cutie Mark.

“Hey mom, hey dad,” Mecha said, giving them a wave.

“Hey there Mecha,” said the stallion, most likely Big Mac if Cheerilee had to guess.

“Are you okay?” inquired the mare, Whisked Mix if Cheerilee recalled what Mayor Mare said.

“I'm fine,” Mecha said.  “Just a little shaken up from flashbacks.”

Nodding his head, Big Mac said, “I warned you about the possibilities of that before you joined the military.  In fact, I believe it was a three hour conversation about them.”

“Yes, you did,” Mecha agreed, before continuing with, “Although you left out the part about entering Hell.”

Raising her eyebrow, Whisked Mix said, “No, I heard him mention that combat life was hell multiple times.”

Chuckling to himself, Mecha said, “No, I mean literally entering Hell.  Didn't you get the debrief?”

Eyes going wide, Big Mac said, “You mean they were serious about that?”

Nodding his head, Mecha told him, “Yeah, they were.  Anyways, enough about that.  Guys, I'd like you to meet my date for the Grand Galloping Gala, Cheerilee.  Cheerilee, these are my parents.”

“Nice to meetcha!” Big Mac said, turning to shake her hoof.

“Likewise,” Cheerilee replied, smiling politely.

At this point, Whisked Mix, who'd been eying Cheerilee asked, “What do you do for a living?”

Caught off guard that that was her first question, Cheerilee said, “I teach all the fillies and colts at the school here.”

Nodding her head, Whisked Mix walked up to her to shake her hoof, and said, “Then if my son screws up the date like he normally does, I won't have to worry about him being blasted to Manehatten again, or having his bed explode from under him!”

Blinking, Cheerilee heard Mecha groan, as his said, “Of course you would mention those two!  It's not my fault Nova's friend decided that explosives would be the best way to avenge her after I got between her and the stallion she was fighting! And, Vinyl Scratch didn't know her bass cannon went that far, she only meant to knock me out of the city!”

Cheerilee was caught off guard by what she heard, and asked the first thing that came to mind, “What city where you in at the time?”

Startled at the question, Mecha replied, “Canterlot.”

Cheerilee did some quick calculations, before her eyes widened and said, “She shot you over 300 miles with a bass cannon!”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “314 miles to be exact.  Needless to say, that was one trip I won't be repeating.”

Looking between the two, Big Mac asked, “So how'd this lug ask you out? Knowing him, it probably involved either a giant billboard, a megaphone, or him doing a mock attempt to ask you out with you standing behind him.”

Thinking back to the night, Cheerilee laughed, while saying, “None of the above.  He got drunk during poker night, and asked me out then.  Although, apparently he'd tried to use the billboard and megaphone options before in order to try and avoid the poker night tradition.”

Quirking his eyebrow, Big Mac turned to Mecha and asked, “You started poker night here? And made it a tradition to get drunk and ask out mares?”

Nodding his head, Mecha responded with, “The second part came about by accident.  First time we did poker night, I helped Doctor Whooves get over his nerves to ask out his crush.”

Interrupting, Whisked Mix asked, “Doctor Whooves? The little brown Earth Pony with the fascination with time?”

Nodding his head, Mecha continued, “After he got a yes, the next night was supposed to be just poker, but it ended early when Solaris won all the bits.”

Big Mac's eyes widened at this, saying, “That is not a good omen.”

Chuckling, Mecha told his dad, “That it was.  Turns out that Big Macintosh, and yes mom, the same one that I went to the fairs with, had been considering asking out a friend of his sister's for a while, and decided to emulate Doc.  Finally, on our third poker night, I asked Cheerilee out.  My concern is what happens after Solaris and Shining Armor have their nights, as we'd have run out of single stallions at that time.”

Rubbing his chin, Big Mac told his son, “Don't worry about it.  I had something similar when I started poker night with your two uncles and my two friends.  Basically, each time we had poker night, one of us would randomly get the urge to do something along the lines of cliff jumping.  After all five of us had done so, and each broken something in the process, we stopped.  I think it's just a side effect of poker night.  Although, now I'm looking forward to see if you go through the other traditions we had during poker night.”

Paling at the thought, Whisked Mix said, “Oh no, he is not doing target practice!”

Confused at the looks that were given at the last statement, Cheerilee asked, “What is the target practice tradition?”

Shuddering, Mecha said, “Something horrible, and that's all I'm saying about it.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was in market square, looking at the various stalls.  He'd been released earlier that, and his parents had already left to go home.  Inspecting a bushel of asparagus, he heard a lot of gasping, causing him to turn to see what the commotion was about.  His jaw dropped as he saw Rarity and her friends walk in, each with a cart absolutely filled with gems being pulled behind them.  Staring, Mecha could only think one thing as he watched them go by: 'I've got to step up my game!'

LINEBREAKER

“Why'd you need me again?” Spike asked, as he and Mecha walked towards a mountain near Ponyville.

“So I could use your nose to locate raw ore,” Mecha said, pulling a large cart filled with a pickaxe, hammer, and minor explosives.

“And you think I can smell metals why...?” Spike replied.

“Cause you're a dragon,” Mecha told Spike.  Stopping at the base of the mountain, Mecha pulled out a scrap of metal from the saddlebags he was wearing, and handed it to Spike.  “That,” he started, “is an alloy of gold, silver, copper, and iron.  Should you smell anything from this mountain that smells similar to that scrap, point it out please.”

Sighing, Spike said, “I still don't think this is going to work,” before taking a long whiff of the alloy that Mecha had handed to him.  Suddenly, his eyes went wide, and he said, “I stand corrected.  There's several scents that smell similar to this.”

Grinning, Mecha unhitched the cart before grabbing his gear.  “Point to the spot,” he told Spike, quickly digging into the part of the mountain that Spike had pointed at, to reveal a nice sized deposit of iron ore.  After around five minutes, Mecha threw the haul into the cart, saying, “Next spot please.”

LINEBREAKER

Okay, maybe Mecha shouldn't have gathered up so much ore.  But Rarity had come through town with her carts of gems, and he couldn't just be up-showed like that! Granted, he'd gone overboard when he filled a cart over ten feet high with ore, but still.

Sighing, he fired up the smelter, and threw the gold ore in first.  Gold always was easier for him to smelt, just throw it in and wait.  Sitting down, Mecha watched as it slowly heated up, separating into different materials in the specially designed smelter, when Twilight Sparkle walked in.  “Hey there,” he said, throwing in more gold ore.

“Hey Mecha.  I heard you collapsed earlier, so I came by to see how you were doing.  Although, now I'm curious as to why you have so much raw ore here,” Twilight said.

Pitching the last of the gold ore into the smelter, Mecha replied, “I'm fine.  As for the ore, I felt like I needed to try and up-show Rarity's display with the gems.  I know she uses them in a lot of her dresses, but did she really need to show off her supply like that!”

Caught off guard by Mecha's statement, Twilight asked, “You know that almost every last one of those gems were used on one order right?”

Blinking, Mecha took a moment to process that, before face-hoofing.  “That,” he started, “Explains a lot.  However, that doesn't help me, as I now have a lot of extra material.”

Glancing at the pile of ore, Twilight Sparkle inquired, “Did  you think of just selling it as scrap?”

Sighing, Mecha pulled out the molten gold, before replacing the container it was in, and started to shovel the copper ore into the smelter.  After a few shovel fulls, he stopped, and said, “I can't. I happen to be the only buyer in this town, and I don't plan to send out order forms to sell excess materials if I'm only going to do it once.”

Thinking for a minutes, Twilight said, “Why don't you do a live demonstration with Snips and Snails then? After all, Ponyville loved it when those two did it for the talent show.”

Shoveling some more copper into the smelter, Mecha thought it over.  A live demonstration wouldn't be that bad an idea actually. Could possibly drum up more business as well if he did it right.  “That,” he finally said, “may just work.  I might even make it into a regular event if things go well enough.”

Smiling, Twilight Sparkle said, “That's the spirit!”

Nodding his head, Mecha shoveled more ore into the smelter, planning the event while Twilight Sparkle walked away.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took a deep breath, before releasing it.  Looking at the gathered crowd, he asked, “You two ready?”

Nodding their heads, Snips spoke up saying, “Aye aye boss!”

“Yeah,” Snails added, “this is nothing compared to the talent show!”

Smirking at their response, Mecha grabbed a hammer, saying, “Let's get started then.”  Looking over the crowd, his smirk deepened, before hollering, “Ladies and gentlecolts, are you ready!?”

With their roar of excitement, Mecha signaled to his apprentices to start their jobs.  Snips started by levitating a couple of iron bars in front of Snails, who heated them up when Snips dropped them so that he could concentrate on the hammer next to him.  When Snails brought them up to the right temperature, Snips and Mecha started hammering them into shape, being quick and precise.  The crowd watch in awe as the trio worked the metal into a helmet shape, not nearly as fast as when Snips and Snails did their demonstration, but certainly much better looking.  Nearing completion, Snips surprised the crowd when he levitated a copper bar onto the anvil, and started to work on that while Mecha finished with the hammer.  After two minutes though, it was revealed that Snips had turned the copper bar into a flat griffin, which he moved to the top of the helmet, where it was quickly worked in.

Having finished the helmet, Mecha used his mechanical leg to pick it up and drop it into the barrel of water, before turning back to the anvil to start on the next piece.  After four hours of doing this, the trio had completed an iron breastplate with a silver unicorn on the front, a golden sword with iron vines decorating it, and the grand show piece, a shield with the royal sister's coat of arms engraved into it.  Wiping the sweat from his brow, Mecha looked at the amazed crowd, and smiled.  After making sure that Snips and Snails would be able to keep their magic up for this next part, he turned to the crowd and asked, “Do you guys have any requests?”

The crowd went silent, as they considered this.  Many of them were impressed with what the trio had accomplished, and none wanted to waste their talent on something trivial like a pair of pliers or something like that.  Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd, coming from a hooded pony, saying, “How about a statue of the royal sisters to go with the shield?”

Grinning at the request, Mecha turned to the remaining material, and did some quick mental math.  Turning back to the figure, he asked, “Any pose in particular?”

Thinking for a moment, the figure replied, “Standing side by side.”

Nodding his head, Mecha turned towards Snips and Snails, and said, “Let's get to work!” before bringing his hammer down on the gold bar that the two had already prepped.  Moving faster than before, but no less precise, the trio swiftly began pounding out silver and gold sheets, forming them into the general shapes of Celestia and Luna.  After forty minutes, they finished the general work, and started the precision work.  The crowd oh'ed and aw'ed as they used small hammers to pound out the detail work, especially when Mecha pulled out a chisel to get the extremely fine details that most metal workers skipped due to the time it took to do.  While he was doing that, Snails started to assemble the statues, starting with the silver statue of Luna.

After another hour of mostly detail work, the trio was finished, standing next to a near life like replica of Celestia and Luna, with Celestia's statue being made out of gold that reflected the sun so much that some swore it was made from the sun instead of metal, while Luna's statue was a silver so pure that it appeared to look like the moon that she ruled over.  Turning the the hooded pony, Mecha asked, “Is that good enough for the palace?”

Smiling, the pony merely nodded his head, before saying, “I believe so.  In fact, this almost puts your other works to shame if I do say so myself.  Will 30,000 bits suffice for such a marvelous sculpture?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “That sounds good to me.  Send it to me when you get back to Canterlot, as two bags of 4500 and one bag of 2100.”

The crowd was in shock at the conversation the two were holding, as it wasn't everyday that you saw a masterpiece made in front of you, let alone one that sold for that much to be brought to the palace.

Thinking for a moment, the hooded pony said, “That can be arranged.  I'll arrange for this piece to be brought to Canterlot then.  By the way, did you know that you've gained your own wing in the gallery?”

Blinking, Mecha said, “No, I did not.”
> Poker Night, Meet Wolfgang
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sighed, as he prepared his last experiment.  He'd been trying to work with the hydra scales for a while now, and was going to be late for his lunch with Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves.  Sighing, he glanced at the dust he had in the container, all that remained of a scale after soaking it in acid for an hour and letting it dry.  Looking back at his smelter, he shrugged before pushing it it, not sure what to expect.

BOOM!

But it wasn't the explosion that occurred.  Nor did he expect to fly through the air.  Sighing, he relaxed his muscles as he flew, thinking that it was just the tiniest bit overrated.  After twenty seconds of flight, he hit the ground, causing him to flip over himself, going over a fence, and into his normal seat at the cafe.  Blinking, he looked at Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves, both of whom were holding signs, with Doctor Whooves holding a 9.4 and Big Macintosh holding a 9.7.

Shaking his head, he noticed the two were staring at his head, and asked, “What?”

Pointing at his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “Your mane is on fire.”

Blinking, Mecha reached up and flattened his mane with his mechanical hoof.  After a few moments, he took it off, and asked, “Did I get it?”

Nodding his head, Big Macintosh said, “Eeyup.”

Curiosity visible on his face, Doctor Whooves asked, “So what did you do, since I thought I was the only pony that did experiments that potentiality explode?”

Mecha shook his head and said, “Heated up some hydra scale powder.  Apparently, it's highly flammable and explosive.”

Nodding his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “That makes sense, most of my explosions start with a powder of some sort as well.  How much did you use?”

Thinking back, Mecha said, “Maybe thirty grams worth.”

“What were ya trying to do?” Big Macintosh asked.

“Make it workable,” Mecha replied.  “Thought I may have a process to convert the scale into something workable, but apparently I didn't.  And I think that I may have to build a new forge,” he added, looking in the general direction of his home.

“This isn't going to effect poker night, is it?”  Doctor Whooves asked.

“It shouldn't,” Mecha told him.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stared at what remained of his forge, an anvil.  Well, the only thing that remained and was in the same place as before.  Eye twitching, he did some mental math, and concluded that re-building it would cost around 20,000 bits, almost the entirety of the profit from the statues that he'd made for the palace.  Deciding that he'd need to vent some steam, he went into his house and grabbed his swords, before walking to the Everfree Forest.  Stopping in a clearing not to far in, Mecha picked a tree and walked up to it.  Pulling out his blades, he took a deep breath, before letting out a psychotic scream, and started to slash and hack it.  Maybe he hadn't recovered as completely as he thought mentally from his experience of being abused in a storm by a tree...

LINEBREAKER

Taking in a very deep breath, Mecha looked at the tree he'd spent the last hour or so hacking at.  Well, pile of firewood would be a better description, considering that nothing remained of the original tree, besides the stump.  Despite this, Mecha was in a much better mood, and so sat down on the stump while putting his blades away, saying to himself, “That was highly therapeutic.  I should do that more often!”

Smiling to himself, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a whimper coming from a nearby bush.  Pulling out one of his swords for safety, he pulled the bush aside to see an injured timberwolf cub licking what seemed to be the corpse of its mother.  Caught off guard, Mecha stared at the sight before him, not quite grasping the situation.

After a minute, the cub stopped licking its dead mother, and turned to Mecha.  Whimpering, it nuzzled its mother again, before walking up to Mecha, and looking up to face him.  “What?” he asked the cub, unsure as to what it wanted.

He got his answer when the cub nuzzled his leg, looking back at him.  Eyes widening, Mecha said, “Oh no! No no no! Not going to happen, try again later, nein!”

Letting out a heart shattering whimper, the cub sat on its hind legs, giving him a sad look, eyes widening.  Mecha began to break, saying, “How would I... that is to say... but I... Oh by Sloth's hammock, alright all ready, I give up! Just please, stop staring at me with those Envy forsaken eyes okay!”

The cub brightened immediately, jumping up and yipping with joy.  Realizing that he'd been duped, Mecha's eye twitched as he walked home, cub on his tail, muttering, “How do I end up in these situations?”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sat on his couch, watching the pup walk around the room, sniffing everything, occasionally licking the wooden items in his house, baffling Mecha as to why he'd do that.  He got his answer when the cub bit into the grandfather clock that Doctor Whooves had given to him as a sorry your forge blew up gift.  “Hey!” Mecha shouted to the cub, “That's not food!”  Seeing the hurt expression on the cubs face, he felt guilty for yelling at the cub.  “Look,” he started, “I'm sorry for yelling, but that was a gift.  If you're hungry, I have some extra... wood... laying around... I'm sorry, but you actually eat wood?”

Nodding its head, the cub barked excitedly.  Sighing, Mecha walked over to his unused fireplace, and grabbed a couple of logs, before tossing them next to the cub, saying, “Help yourself buddy.”  Yipping in joy, the cub dug right in, ripping the bark off and swallowing it in seconds, moving onto the core of the logs.

Sitting back down on the couch, Mecha looked at the timberwolf cub that was now his charge, and said, “You need a name.”  The cub looked up from its meal for a moment, and gave Mecha a 'no duh,' look.  “It's frightening that you can understand me as well as you do.  Back to the name thing though...  Um.... I got nothing.”

Taking one last bite out of the log, the little cub walked up to the couch, and jumped on top of it, before laying down next to Mecha.  Staring straight into his eyes, he all but told Mecha to hurry up and name him.  Sighing, Mecha thought long and hard, before finally suggesting, “Wolfgang?”

Giving him a look that said, 'really man?' the cub quirked an eye.  Shrugging, Mecha said, “It's that or I just call you dog.  I figured you'd prefer Wolfgang.”  The cub turned its head, as if debating the choice.  After a minute, the cub yipped, agreeing to the name.

“Great,” Mecha said to the newly named Wolfgang.  “Now, I just need to take you to Fluttershy to make sure you're in good health!  ...After poker night that is.”

Yipping in laughter, Wolfgang got up and started to run around the house.

LINEBREAKER

Opening his door after hearing some knocking, Mecha was greeted by Shining Armor saying, “Mecha! Good to see you again!”

Chuckling, Mecha let him and Solaris in, whilst Solaris said, “It's good to see ya under less taxing conditions!”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “That it is my friend, that it is.”

Stepping into the poker room, Shining Armor said, “We should due something like this more... is that a timberwolf cub?”

Glancing at where he was pointing, Mecha watched as Wolfgang ran around the legs of the table, chairs, Big Macintosh, and Doctor Whooves.

“Yeah,” Mecha replied. “His name is Wolfgang.  As long as you're not made of wood, he doesn't bite.”

“Is that what happened to the clock I gave you?” Doctor Whooves asked, as the five friends sat down to play.

“Yep.  And my bed.  And my pantry door.  And my favorite chair.  Little guy doesn't realize that he can just eat the wood next to my fireplace,” Mecha said.

Glancing at smirking Wolfgang, Solaris said, “That, or he enjoys tormenting you.”

“Yeah, that's also a possibility,” Mecha replied.

LINEBREAKER

“Sooo.... Big M.... how's it feel to be dating a model?” Mecha asked a couple hours later.

“Terrible!” Big Macintosh replied.  “While she hasn't changed due ta fame, that rotten apple Photo Finish won't let me and her spend time together!”

“Whoa!” Solaris interrupted, “Big Macintosh is trash taking someone, and a mare at that!?! How much have you had to drink?”

Looking at his pile of bottles, Big Macintosh replied, “Not enough.  Ah just want to forget about the modeling thing and play poker! …and maybe get drunk enough to help either you or Shining Armor with girl problems.”

Looking between the two mentioned ponies, Doctor Whooves said, “Yeah, which one of you two is it going to be?”

“I've only just met the only mare I'd consider asking,” Shining Armor responded, “So it's Solaris's turn.”

Blinking, Solaris looked at his pile of bottles and said, “Yeah... no go on that at the moment.  I haven't drank enough yet...”

Shrugging, Mecha dealt the next hand and replied, “We have all night, or at least, until we run out of drinks...”

LINEBREAKER

Stumbling out of the house, the friends started walking in a random direction, chatting about nothing, literally.  Upon arriving in town square, Mecha turned to Solaris, and said, “So who is the lucky mare...? After all, we need to know where to stumble!”

Nodding his head, Solaris replied, “Well, she doesn't live in Ponyville, so you wouldn't know her.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “If she doesn't live here, then what are we doing here!”

Quirking his head, Solaris said, “I don't know?”

Doctor Whooves spoke up, saying, “Just teleport us to her already!”

“Would that even be safe?” Big Macintosh asked, leaning on Shining Armor for support.

“I dunno,” Shining Armor replied.  “No unicorn has tried to teleport drunk... you up for it Solaris?”

Getting a cross eyed look, Solaris thought hard before smiling and saying, “Yep!” and cast the spell, enveloping the five in a flash of light.

When they could see again, they looked around, with Mecha saying, “Dude, are you planning on asking out Zecora?”

Blinking, Solaris yelled out, “No! Dude, why would you even put that thought in my head?! She's nice and all from the sounds of it, but I've never met her!”

Big Macintosh replied for Mecha, saying, “Cause you put us on top of her hut.”

Caught off guard, Solaris looked down to see that they were in fact standing on top of Zecora's hut.  “That,” he said, “is not my fault.”  And with another flash, they teleported once more, this time to an open filed with bleachers lined up next to it.

Frowning, Mecha said, “This looks familiar.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Solaris said, “It's the only place I know she'd be near at this time.”

Shaking off the feeling of familiarity that he had, Mecha signaled Solaris to lead the way.

Glancing at the tents that everypony else had missed, Solaris started to walk towards what appeared to be the only tent lit up.  Following him, Mecha had to drag Big Macintosh with him, while Shining Armor and Doctor Whooves followed while holding two entirely different conversations with each other.

Upon entering the tent, Mecha realized why everything looked familiar when he spotted one figure.  “Shine Sight! Bro, how you doin'?”

Startled by his brothers sudden appearance, Shine Sight began to walk over.  Standing just under Mecha's height, Shine Sight was a white unicorn, with a purple mane, white eyes that made it so that his pupils were the only visible color in them, and his Cutie Mark was that of a monocle.  Walking up to Mecha, he said, “Mecha, what a surprise! What are you here for?”

Swaying, Mecha pointed to Solaris, saying, “This lug brought me here cause he wanted to ask some mare out...”

Turning to watch Solaris, the two brothers ignores the still chattering Doctor Whooves and Shining Armor, as well as the now spinning Big Macintosh.  Solaris stumbled as he walked up to the only mare currently in the room, before giving her a tap on the shoulder.  The mare turned, and expressed shock, and familiarity with Solaris.  “Apparently,” Shine Sight said, “he knows Spitfire.”

“Is that who he's asking out?” Mecha asked, getting his answer from the mare shouting out, “YES! You finally asked!” before she tackled Solaris with a hug, knocking him out.

Blinking, Mecha turned to his brother, and said, “That's my cue to pass out,” before he turned and took two steps before doing so.

Shine Sight sighed, before turning to the three... make that two, as Big Macintosh finally succumbed to the excessive spinning and collapsed onto the ground, remaining drunks.

“The main issue,” Doctor Whooves said to Shining Armor, ignoring the fact that he wasn't paying attention to him, “is that people think time is linear.  It's not! It's more of a wibbly wobbly thing.”  As if to demonstrate his point, he stood on his hind legs while waving his forelegs in the air. While he did this, he didn't realize that he was slowly tipping back words, until he flat out fell and hit his head on a nearby bench.

Shining Armor, having slowly shifting his focus until he stopped on Shine Sight, was still talking about the same thing he was talking to Doctor Whooves about, “So the bunnies would work as artillery, and the gold fish as arrows! We'd save a fortune and-” only to be cut off when Shine Sight hit him on the head with a potted plant.

Shaking his head, Shine Sight turned back to talk with Soarin', muttering, “He had to start up poker night, didn't he?”
> Greatly Exaggerated
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was sitting on a bench, in Manehatten, relaxing after a long day of haggling.  He'd came to the city to deliver an order initially, but had stuck around when he noticed some top quality material for sale.  This, of course, lead to him spotting the cloaks in a nearby store and... it all kinda blurred from there.  Chuckling to himself, Mecha got up to walk to his hotel, when he heard screaming and shouting in the distance.  Instantly going alert, Mecha ran towards the source of the screaming.

Upon arrival, he went rigid, and swore, “Lust's panties dipped in Gluttony's chocolate sauce! What in the royal sisters' names is an aboleth* doing in Equestria!” Taking stock of the situation, he grimaced as he saw the town guard getting thrown around by the tentacled creature.  He could only watch as the blue-green fish thing roared, scattering the valiant defenders who stood no chance against the behemoth.  Looking at the fight once more, Mecha knew he'd stand no chance against the aboleth, at least, not with out some heavy fire power.

So sparing the fighters one more glance, he bolted towards the hotel, and rushed up the stairs to his room.  Pulling out the drawers of the room's dresser, he threw everything and anything that wasn't what he needed across the room, until he finally came across what he was looking for.  Two sashes, much like what he wore when he was practicing with his throwing knives, with one major difference: they had what appeared to be various sized balls with caps on them instead of knives.  Sighing, Mecha threw the sashes on as he bolted out of the building, saying, “I brought these to test on the way back to Ponyville, not to use in live combat...”

The objects he was referring to were the balls filled with powdered hydra scales, each containing a different mix of powder and air, powder and gunpowder, and other such things.  Reaching the fight scene once more, he took in the changes to the situation.  The guards were retreating, apparently haven been given the all clear to evacuate themselves, as the civilian populace had already left the city.  Nodding his head to himself, Mecha waited for the majority of the guard to leave, before charging in.  Ignoring the shouts from the retreating ponies, he waited until he was around fifty feet from the beast, before pulling a medium sized grenade from his sash, causing the cap to be removed, lighting the fuse that was previously hidden.  Lobbing it, Mecha watched as it came into contact with the aboleth's side and blew up in a small (comparatively) explosion.

Having not noticed the explosion, the foul creature looked at Mecha, before letting out another roar, and tried to strike him with one of its four tentacles, each coming from a different direction.  Swearing, Mecha leaped over the first two, ducked under the third, and dived away from the last.  Getting back up, Mecha started to run back, only for a tentacle to block his way.

Stopping in mid tracks, Mecha twisted in place to prevent himself from running into the wall of flesh, and grabbed two of the bigger explosives.  Taking careful aim, he pulled the two from their spots on his sashes, and threw them at the creatures gaping maw.  Seeing the beast swallow them, Mecha smirked until he heard a faint boom, after which the creature belched smoke.  Giving himself a facehoof, Mecha quickly paid for his lack of attention with a tentacle strike to his side.  Flying to the side, he twisted mid-air and landed on all fours, trying to form a plan.

His largest explosions didn't do squat, and he could only throw two at a time.  That meant that he either started throwing as fast as he could, hoping to hit something important, or he could go with the extremely dangerous and highly untested plan Z...

The aboleth answered for him, roaring as in swiped at him with its whip like tentacles.  Flipping and twisting his way around them, Mecha quickly ran up one of them on only his hind legs, using the forelegs to peel back the velcro on the top of the sashes, revealing two rings.  Grabbing the rings, Mecha pulled hard on them, releasing all the grenades on each sash at the same time, as he lept as high as he could at the same time.  Having timed it just right, Mecha was at the peak of his jump when they detonated, creating a giant explosion that rocketed the area, each individual explosion having fed the other to form it.  So large, that even near a forty feet above it, Mecha was still affected by it.  To be exact, the concussive force from the explosion launched him high into the air, throwing him away from the town.

Looking down, Mecha briefly saw that the aboleth was nothing but a gel, and sighed.  Letting go of the tension he had, he thought to himself, 'At least that took care of the Wrath forsaken beast.  Although, I could do without flying once more, since I have yet to have a soft landing. Ah, speaking of landings, I can see mine now...'

And indeed, Mecha's flight was coming to an end, as twisted himself to get a better view of his soon to be impact sight.  If he was lucky, he'd hit some trees and not die upon impact, but since the only forest between Manehatten and Ponyville, which if his sense of direction was right meant he was flying in that direction, was the Everfree forest, he didn't expect to be so lucky.

Instead, he got just a bit luckier, and landed in fairly deep lake, with the water taking most of the force from his impact.  However, this luck was short lived when he noticed that he was caught in the mud near the bottom of the lake bed, and didn't get that much air before his splash down.  Struggling, he quickly got his forelegs out, before trying to twist his way out of the mud.  All this accomplished, however, was a gasp that let out some of his much needed air, and a twisted ankle.  Ignoring the black encroaching upon his vision, he spotted a solid rock near him, and pushed on it.  After a few more seconds than he was comfortable with, Mecha finally pushed himself lose, and quickly swam for the surface, most of his sight gone due to lack of oxygen.

Pushing himself as hard as he could, Mecha knew he was close, as the water was lightening up.  Ten feet, his vision had all but deserted him.  Five feet, he could barely move his muscles.  Three feet left, he felt light headed.  Two feet, and his vision was gone.  One foot to go, and his lungs burned.  Six inches, and Mecha could feel his conscious leaving him...

And with a splash, he broke the surface, taking in a deep breath of air, before coughing out water.  Treading water, Mecha realized just how close to drowning he came.  Shuddering, he slowly made his way to shore, where he assessed his situation.  His mechanical leg was slowly jamming on him, and would be completely stiff in an hour or so.  His left hind leg was the one that he'd twisted, and he couldn't put much wait on it without extreme pain.  And based on the sign near the road he was on, it'd take three days for him to reach the nearest town in his condition... Ponyville.  Well, that was some good news to this otherwise dreadful day.  So, without any further thought, Mecha started to hobble his way to Ponyville, pain visible on his face with every step of his injured leg.

LINEBREAKER

Despite walking both day and night, it had actually taken Mecha four days to get to Ponyville, instead of the three he'd predicted.  Sighing, Mecha walked towards the town, starving and wanting to lay down in his bed.  However, he forgot about this when he noticed that everypony had gathered in town square, all with sad somber looks upon their faces.  Curious, he limped over to try and find out what had the normally cheerful town so glum.

He got his answer when he reached the edge of the crowd, and heard his aunt finish her speech with, “...however, his death was not in vain, as Mecha was able to use the explosion to kill the creature that threatened not only the citizens of Manehatten, but potentially all of Equestria.”

Ah, so they thought he had died in the explosion.  Well, that makes sense, as he hadn't come across anypony on his way here... and in an explosion that large, the chances of finding a body afterwords would be slim to none.  Deciding that he preferred a happy Ponyville over this sad one, Mecha cleared his throat as loud as he could, catching the attention of all the ponies in the crowd.

Seeing their shocked looks, Mecha couldn't resist the opportunity, and said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated,” before turning and limping home, leaving the crowd stunned silent.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed, relaxing on his couch.  After an hour of sleep, and a nice fresh daisy sandwich to eat, he felt much better.  Watching Wolfgang eat another log on the floor, Mecha chuckled, remembering the looks of everypony in town when he announced that he wasn't dead.  Granted, he was probably going to be yelled at by all his friends and family for making them worry, but hey, he just got back into town!

Knocking at his door interrupted his thoughts, as he groaned while getting up.  Walking slowly to the door, Mecha hollered out, “I'm coming, I'm coming!”

He opened the door to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing on his doormat, looking at him with teary eyes.  Leaping onto him, they all started to shout about how they were so sad when they heard he died, and how they couldn't stand the thought that somepony as nice as him could die at all.

Now, normally, Mecha would be touched that three little fillies he barely knew would be so upset at his death, but this was different, due to the fact that the three were all hugging him around his chest, which happened to contain several bruised ribs.

“Girls,” he groaned, “please get off of me.”

“Never!” the three shouted, with Apple Bloom adding, “We ain't lettin' ya go!”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “if we did, you'd just go off and do some other stupid life threatening heroic act!”

“And then we would be sad again!” Sweetie Bell finished.

“As touching as that is,” Mecha told them, “I mostly asked because your squeezing on my bruised ribs.”

Eyes widening, the three fillies quickly hopped off of him, stammering out apologies as fast as they could.  “Hey now,” Mecha said, holding up a hoof, “you didn't know.  Now then, I don't plan on leaving town unless it's for a vacation, and I don't have one of those planned anytime soon, so unless another rabid manticore or hydra shows up, I don't think I'll be getting involved in any more, what did you call them? Stupid life threatening heroic acts?”

Blushing, the three looked down and poked at the ground with their hooves.  Chuckling, Mecha said, “Now, get outta here you three, I need to replace this leg before it starts to rust!” and shooed them from his front door.  Turning, Mecha stopped when he noticed that Wolfgang had gone and brought him one of his mechanical legs whilst he was talking to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “You continue to impress me.  Tell you what, after I visit the hospital for my check-up, and inevitable visit to Doctor Stable, we'll go and get you some treats from Fluttershy, okay?”

Getting several yips of joy from the young timberwolf cub, Mecha sat down and got to work on changing out his leg.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking a lot better now that he'd swapped out legs and gotten his ankle looked at by Doctor Stable.  He was currently waring a brace thing around it, which let him put some weight on it without having pain shoot up his leg.  Heading towards Fluttershy's cottage, he chuckled at the enthusiasm that Wolfgang was emitting from on top his head.  “You realize,” Mecha told him, “that eventually you'll be too big to do this, right?”

Nodding his head, Wolfgang all but said to him, 'which is why I must enjoy it while I can!'

Shaking his head lightly so as not to shake Wolfgang off his head, Mecha approached Fluttershy's cottage, and knocked on the door.  After a few seconds, Fluttershy opened the door, meekly saying, “Hello...?”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Hello Fluttershy.  I was wondering if you had something that would be a treat for Wolfgang here?”

Looking up to see the cub on Mecha's head, Fluttershy's eyes widened, before stuttering out, “I m-m-might h-h-have s-s-something...” before quickly disappearing for a few minutes, and coming back with a bag of wood chips.  Passing them to Mecha, she told him, “T-those are  some wood chips f-from a zap apple tree.  The m-magic in them should b-be a treat for him,” while still eying Wolfgang.

Pulling one out, Mecha held it in front of the cub, who quickly gobbled it up, yipping in joy.  Leaping onto Fluttershy, he quickly started to lick her.

Sighing, Mecha stepped inside the cottage and pulled Wolfgang of Fluttershy's face, saying, “Sorry about that, he's a bit affectionate when somepony feeds him something he likes.” Glancing around the room, he noticed the suitcases laying near the door.  “Going on a trip?” he asked her.

Getting up, she replied, “Um... yes, I am. I'm going with Applejack to deliver a tree to a new town,” stutter gone, having gotten used to Wolfgang's presence.

“Oh, you mean Bloomberg!” Mecha explained.

Blinking, Fluttershy asked, “How do you know Bloomberg? Um, if you don't mind me asking that is...”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Big M had me help pull him from the ground.  But if you're going to Applelossa you should probably hurry, the train leaves soon.”

Glancing at the clock on her wall, Fluttershy let out an, “Eep!” before rushing past him, heading towards the train station.

*Aboleth- Basically a giant amphibious fish thing that wishes to destroy any creature that isn't an aboleth.  For more information, look it up via google.
> History Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha walked up to Sugarcube Corner, excited to attend the party that was being thrown for princess Celestia's visit.  Walking up to the steps, the two pegasi guards forcefully cut him off, wings making a shink sound he normally associated with him drawing his swords.  “Halt!” they said, “Who goes there?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Come on you two, you know me! After all, how many times have you two come and picked up a package for the palace that I made?”  Seeing their lack of reaction, Mecha sighed once more, before dead panning, “Mecha, guest of princess Celestia.”

Nodding their heads, the two lowered their wings and allowed him to pass through.  Upon stepping inside, Mecha noticed that despite it being a 'casual' party, everypony was stressed beyond belief... except for Pinkie Pie.  Well, that needed to change, and Mecha knew just how to do that... or how to get himself thrown in jail, but still.  So, walking foreword, Mecha all but shouted out, “Celestia, how nice of you to drop by!”  Everypony gasped, eyes widening at the display he was giving.

Walking foreword, Mecha threw a leg around Celestia and asked, “So where's Luna? She's been telling me all about how she'd like to visit Ponyville again.”

Nodding her head, Celestia ignored the stares and replied, “She actually volunteered to fill in for the day so that I could have it off, since the last day I had off was around a thousand years ago.”

Laughing at the looks he was getting from everypony, Mecha removed his leg from around Celestia, and grabbed a cupcake from in front of her, asking, “You gonna eat this?”  before eating it anyways.

Chuckling at his antics, Celestia told him, “You're behaving differently than before.  Might I inquire as to why?”

Swallowing the last bit of the cupcake, Mecha took a swig from a nearby cup of tea, Celestia's most likely by the looks he was getting, and said, “This is a casual party right? So that means you aren't on the clock as a princess, meaning you don't have an image you have to project, and I don't have to help project it.  Not to mention, the looks I'm getting for doing all this are hilarious! By the way, was this your tea? A cupcake is one thing, but your drink is another.”

Nodding her head, Celestia replied, “It is, although it was probably my twentieth cup, so don't worry.  Although since you're here, might I ask what happened down in Manehatten? I got a report in a while ago mentioning that it had been attacked by some creature, and the only real detail that it mentioned was that you dealt with it, dieing in the process.  Obviously, there are some missing and wrong details in their, such as what the creature was, and the fact that you live.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “It was a Wrath forsaken,” gasps as the crowd reacted to his cursing in front of a princess, “aboleth.  Ended up using a ridiculous amount of explosives and wound up launching myself close to two hundred miles into a lake.”

Raising an eyebrow, Celestia said, “An aboleth? Are you certain?”

Snorting, Mecha told her, “I got smacked around by the blasted thing's tentacles! Yeah, it was an aboleth!”

Stunned at the tone Mecha took with the princess, Twilight Sparkle quickly spoke up, asking, “Um, princess Celestia? What is an aboleth?”

Sighing, Celestia replied, “A terrible creature that shouldn't be anywhere near Equestria. That's all you really need to know, but if you wish, more information should be in that book I gave you for your birthday last year.”

Nodding her head, Twilight walked off, and Mecha said, “Please tell me you'll have somepony look into it? It's unsettling that one is so far away from their native home, let alone got so close to a major town without anypony noticing.”

Replying with a mere nod of her head, Celestia settled down to enjoy the party.  Seeing that his job here was done, Mecha walked over to the buffet table to get something to eat, when Cheerilee walked up to him and said, “You really shouldn't talk to the princess like that.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “As I told Celestia, it's a casual party! Besides, if Luna was here, things would've been much worse.”

Quirking her head to the side for a minute, Cheerilee said, “Is that so?”

“Yeah,” Mecha told her, “I'd have pulled out a couple of bottles of moonshine and challenged her to a drinking contest.”

Laughing at the mental image, she asked him, “Should I be worried that you have a drinking problem?”

“I don't,” Mecha told her, “Unless it's poker night or to break a stiff atmosphere.  Otherwise I generally don't touch the stuff.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee suddenly asked, “Can I ask you a favor Mecha?”

“Sure!” he responded, grabbing an apple fritter from the table, taking a bite out of it.

“Would you mind filling in for me for a week so I can attend a conference in Fillydelphia?” she asked.

Thinking over his schedule for the next week or so, Mecha said, “Sure, I don't have a problem.”

Smiling, Cheerilee replied, “Thank you! I'd normally ask someone like Twilight Sparkle to fill in, but the last time I did, well... the class feel asleep in the first hour if I remember correctly.”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “That sounds about right.  Filled with knowledge she may be, but boring as well when she tries to teach.  By the way, I've finished my book, if you'd like to read it during your trip?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee said, “That'd be wonderful!”

LIINEBREAKER

Mecha walked into the school, around ten minutes before class started.  Walking up to the desk, he laughed lightly to himself, recalling the events of the previous day after he'd left the party.  Apparently, Fluttershy had bird-napped the princess's pet phoenix, not realizing what Philomena was.  Furthermore, she tried to help his get over his illness, and had gotten Twilight Sparkle involved somehow.  Overall, it was hilarious to watch, although Big Macintosh biting his hooves in nervousness for his mare friend was funny to watch as well.

Glancing up, Mecha notice that it was time to start class, and every colt and filly had their eyes on him.  Clearing his throat, Mecha addressed the class, saying, “Hello again their young foals.  As you know, my name is Mecha, and I'll be filling in for Cheerilee for the weekend.”  Spotting Apple Bloom with her hoof in the air, Mecha nodded at her.

Taking her cue, she asked, “Where is miss Cheerilee?”

Nodding his head, Mecha answered, “She is currently at a conference in Fillydelphia, and will be there all week.  Now, give me a second to find where you left off... ah.  It appears that you are in between subjects, so I get the week to teach you whatever I feel is relevant! So, the question is, what should I teach your young, impressionable minds?”

“Um, maybe what impressionable means?” replied Scootaloo.

Laughing Mecha said, “Don't worry about that.  That was just me being melodramatic.  Anyways, since we have a full week, I think I know what I should teach you!” Seeing that he held the full attention of the class, Mecha grinned, and asked, “Have any of you heard of the legend of Star-Swirled the Bearded and the Trojan Horse?”

Seeing the entire class shake their heads, Mecha's grin got wider, and continued, “The Trojan Horse is a creature that lures you into a false sense of security before springing its trap and...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was in his back yard, working in his newly re-built forge while Snips and Snails managed the shop.  Pulling out some blanks, Mecha got to work forming them into molds.  Talking to the class about the tales of ancient and powerful figures and their clashes with large and terrifying creatures inspired him for his next project; statues and figurines of every major figure in history, as well as most of the dangerous creatures in existence!

Humming while he worked, Mecha contemplated what he'd do for tomorrow.  After all, today was a big success, but he couldn't just tell them stories all week!  Maybe he should re-enact some of the stories, get the kids involved? No, chances were to high that they'd hurt themselves by accident... all though a game day at the end of the week wouldn't be a bad idea... maybe even through in a trivia contest to see who payed the most attention! Yeah, he'd do that Friday, but what until then?

Looking at the mold in his hooves, Mecha chuckled when he noticed just how much Hercules the Silent looked like Big Macintosh.  Eyes widening, he grinned widely, plan in place for tomorrow, provided that Big Macintosh could help of course.

LINEBREAKER

A clash rang out through the courtyard, two swords locked in combat, as the young audience watched in awe.  Jumping back, Mecha said, “This ends today Hercules! You may have beaten my father Antaeus*, but I am stronger than he, and have not his weakness!”

Staring intensely, Big Macintosh said nothing, and settled into a firm stance, waiting for Mecha to charge.  He didn't wait long, as seconds after finishing his speech, Mecha charged, swinging his sword over head, clashing with Big Macintosh's sword, before swinging it again, only to once more be blocked.  Gaining a look of fury, he started to swing faster and faster, until he finally broke off, panting.  Catching his breath, Mecha yelled out, “Why do you not strike back?! Are you not Hercules the Powerful? Hercules the fierce? Hercules, the slayer of my father? Or are you merely a coward, an imposter?!”

A look of fury flashed across Big Macintosh's face, before he spoke slowly, “I did not strike because I had no quarrel with you.  However, to insult my courage is to invoke my wrath, so you shall have your wish.”

And so, the two charged at each other, strikes flying from both, sparks in the air.  The class watched with baited breath as the two re-enacted the battle from history, each dressed in armor similar to what the historic characters were said to have worn.  With each clash, they gasped, each swing holding their attention, and every step carefully observed.  Finally, after another two minutes of intense combat, they all gave a final gasp, as Mecha was 'impaled' by Big Macintosh's blade.  Coughing, Mecha glared at Big Macintosh, and said, “I curse you to the deepest level of Tartarus,” as he collapsed.

When the class started clapping, he got off the ground and handed Big Macintosh the trick sword, before both of them turned to face the audience and bowed.  After a few more minutes of applause, he spoke up, saying, “It was shortly after this that Hercules ended up going after the golden fleece, but that is a lesson for another day.  Give it up once more for Big Macintosh here, who was kind enough to donate his time!”

As the class gave another thunderous round of applause, Big Macintosh started to walk away, heading to Sweet Apple Acres to get back to work.  Smiling at his friends kindness, Mecha went pale when he realized that he'd have to top this tomorrow.  Maybe Doctor Whooves could help, he did always have a flair for the dramatic...

LINEBREAKER

“Foolish mortal!” Rainbow Dash yelled, dressed in a loose fitting robe.  “Did you honestly think you could best me, the immortal Gralkon?** I hold powers you could only dream of!” here, she stood on her hind legs before 'forming' a lightning bolt in her left hoof, throwing it towards Mecha.

Leaping out of the way, the electric bolt flew by him and caused a small explosion where he originally stood.  “Powers you may have, and immortal you may be, but immortal doesn't mean unbeatable!” Mecha hollered, rushing at Rainbow Dash, only to stop when a ring of fire flared up in the way.

Maniacally laughing, Rainbow Dash said, “How do you intend to even attempt this foolish folly when you can't even approach me?”

Grimacing, Mecha hoped back before throwing his only weapon, a spear, at her, only for it to be blown away by a massive gust of wind.  Laughing even louder now, Rainbow Dash started throwing lightning bolts at Mecha as if they were going out of style, causing him to dance around the explosive projectiles, forcing him to think fast.

Making a final leap, he ended up next to a previously discarded bag and yanked out an item, looking away from it as he did so.  Laughing, Rainbow Dash said, “What do you hope to accomplish...” before looking at, eyes widening.  “NO!” she yelled, horror etched upon her face.  “The face of a gorgon!” she continued, slowly turning to stone.  “How did you acquire such a thing?!” was the last the last comment made by her, the stone having crept up her entire body.

Putting the head back into the bag after a couple of moments, Mecha let out a sigh of relief.  Starting at the statue, he said, “As I told you, immortal doesn't mean unbeatable.”

A roar of approval came from the crowd, as the class and their parents, who'd decided to come watch the lesson after hearing about yesterday's performance, showed their appreciation for the good show and history lesson.  Walking up to the front of the hastily set up stands, Mecha waited for Doctor Whooves and the un-stoned Rainbow Dash to join him before they all bowed.  “I'd like to thank Rainbow Dash for giving up her time to perform for us today, as well as Doctor Whooves for his special effects! Parents, please go about your day, and students, come on inside for the rest of today's lesson!”

With a sound of approval, the audience started to split up, parents going into town while the students walked inside.  While watching the crowd move about, Mecha was approached by Rarity, who said, “That was a simply marvelous performance Mecha! I am so glad that Sweetie Bell convinced me to come along today.  But now I must ask, what do you plan to do for tomorrow?”

Blinking, Mecha went stiff with a smile on his face.  Startled, Rarity waved a hoof in front of him, before poking him, knocking him over and causing him to clatter against the ground.

LINEBREAKER

Almost the entire town was present in the stands, waiting for Mecha to start his history lesson.  After the previous performances, and the increased quality between them, the question everypony had on their mind was, 'how is he going to top yesterday's lesson?'  The members of the audience whispered amongst themselves, each making bets on how he'd improve the lesson.  The favorite bet was that he'd bring in a live creature and do mock combat with it, most likely his timberwolf cub.  The other preferred choice was that he'd call in a favor with one of the princesses, and brought in two small armies.  Other thoughts were wide and varied, with only one thing in common, it'd be big.  After all, why else would he have pointed the bleachers towards a massive empty field when the school yard had previously been large enough for these lessons/performances.

What none of them had expected was that Mecha had gone to Twilight Sparkle and asked for her to help with this performance, by using some extremely powerful illusion based magic.  All to happy to help, and excited to try out such interesting magic, she started to cast the spell.  A hush came over the crowd, as it suddenly became dark out, despite the fact that it was a cloudless sunny day.  A fog rolled in over the field, and a hooded pony rose from the field, walking towards the audience.  Stopping fifty feet from the bleachers, the figure spoke, in a deep, ominous voice, “There is a tale, of an ancient pony king.  One whose bravery knew no bounds, and whose power was unmatched.  A king who knew his limits, and...”

LINEBREAKER

The crowd gasped, as the king fell, having been abandoned by his followers.  The watched, as his only truly loyal soldier fought back against the dragon that had slain his king, finishing what his king had not. Not a single soul dared to breath, as the fallen hero spoke his last words to his follower, before passing on.  The scene slowly vanished, as the pony from the beginning appeared once more, saying, “And so passed Beowulf, the most noble king in history,” before turning away from the crowd, and walking away.

After the illusion had been lifted, everypony roared with excitement, having been treated to an extremely well played piece of history.  Walking out with Twilight Sparkle, the two gave a bow.  Waiting for the excitement to die down, Mecha stood until the crowd was silent.  Smiling, he told the crowd, “Thank you all for attending, I must say I was surprised when so many ponies showed up for a history lesson.”  After a round of laughter from the audience, Mecha continued, “I'd like to say thanks to Twilight Sparkle here, who was able to provide the illusion used today, and to remind the students that tomorrow there will be a game day here at school, with each of the games having something to do with the lessons I've given over the past week.  Furthermore, at the end of the day there will be a trivia contest to see just how much you retained! Parents are invited as well, so I hope to see you here!”

And with that, he went to round up volunteers to help with the planned activities.

*In true mythology, there was no son of Antaeus
**Gralkon the Elemental- a figure from a role playing game, I pulled the name only, no other connection.
> Arrested Development
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“I must say,” Cheerilee told Mecha, as they both sat down for lunch, “ I did not expect you to go so far as to get Twilight Sparkle to cast an illusion to teach a history lesson, let alone have the whole town show up to watch it.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “I didn't expect it to get that far either.  All I knew was that telling stories about history, as exciting as some of them may be, can get boring quick.  And once I stepped up my game the first time, they probably expected it to be stepped up again.”

Smiling, Cheerilee said, “Well, thanks once again for filling in.  I had a fun time at the conference, and learned a lot of different ideas to try and use in class!”

Returning her smile, Mecha bit into his apple salad, before saying, “It wasn't a problem, and I enjoyed myself.  That is, when I wasn't stressing about the plans for the next day!”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee replied, “It can be stressful at times, but worth it.  Oh, by the way, your book was a good read, and informative.”

Grinning, Mecha said, “Good to hear, since I just sent a copy to a publishing company.”

“Good for you!” Cheerilee told him, before taking a drink from her tea.

After taking a drink from his own cup, Mecha said, “Yeah, it'll be nice to have a little revenue from the sales, seeing as something happens every time I get a major payday and lose all of it...”

Laughing, Cheerilee told him, “It's probably just the universe keeping you from getting  a swelled ego.”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Whatever the cause, I just hope it doesn't strike me while I'm out camping.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee asked, “You're going camping?” before taking a bite out of her apple pie slice.

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “For about a week.  Figured I'd hike through a forest or two, go swimming in a lake, possibly climb a mountain.  One things for sure, I need this vacation.”

LINEBREAKER

Light fluttered down through the top of the trees, as Mecha walked along a seldom used path towards... well, he wasn't quite sure.  And judging by the looks on the deer that were just ahead of him, neither did they.  “Excuse me,” he called out, “Are you lost?”

Turning to face him, the largest of the deer, dressed in what looked like captain's armor, replied, “Thank Astrum! We've been trying to get to Ponyville for days, would you happen to know the way sir?”

Blinking, Mecha looked over the deer in front of him, and raised an eyebrow.  All five of them were wearing simple armor, with exception of the captain of course, and had swords strapped to their backs.  Looking back to the leader, he asked, “Why do you need to go to Ponyville?”

Looking back at his soldiers, the leader turned back and said, “Yeah, I can see why you're suspicious.  Don't worry, we're not here to pillage it or anything, we're just looking for an Earth Pony named Mecha.”

Caught off guard, Mecha replied, “I can save you the time of going to Ponyville.  I'm Mecha, what do you need?”

Blinking, the captain stared at Mecha and said, “You're Mecha?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Unless someone changed the name on my birth certificate.  May I ask who you are, and why you're looking for me?”

Shifting to stand straight, the deer replied, “Captain Tutela, and you're under arrest for the murder of king Astrum's pet!”

Stunned, Mecha said nothing as the other four deer surrounded him, pulling out their swords.  He snapped out of it when one of the guards poked him, and he said, “Say what now?”

Pulling out a pair of hoof cuffs, Tutela snapped them in place, replying, “You are under arrest for murdering king Astrum's pet aboleth.”

Eyes widening, Mecha said, “I don't suppose the fact that it was trying to destroy a city and kill several thousand ponies wouldn't change anything?”

Shaking his head, Tutela told him, “Nope.  The king was quite found of Fluffy, and demanded your arrest.”

“Fluffy?” Mecha asked.  “He named that Wrath forsaken thing Fluffy?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Tutela turned around, saying, “He received Fluffy as a birthday gift when he turned three,” and started to walk, with the other deer following him, forcing Mecha to follow along.

Sighing, Mecha said, “Of course he would, everypony names their first pet Fluffy.  Don't suppose you'd tell me what's likely in store for me?”

Turning his head to face Mecha, Tutela shrugged again, saying, “I don't suppose it could hurt.  After all, you seem nice enough for a pony.  Basically, you stand at even odds of either being thrown in jail for eternity, and being forced to fight in the colosseum.  My money is on you being forced to fight, as the king is likely going to want to watch you die in combat like his pet.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “Then I probably shouldn't tell him that I killed Fluffy via one giant explosion then?”

Snorting, Tutela said, “Unless you want to be strapped to a giant bomb or something, no.  However, the good news is if he choses the colosseum route, you could choose to take the gauntlet and earn your freedom, provided you survive it that is.”

Quirking his head, Mecha asked, “The gauntlet?”

Nodding his head, Tutela replied, “Three days and nights of none stop fighting, and a crowd favorite.  Basically, it's you vs anything the king has caught and wishes to throw at you, whether it be a manticore, sphinx, mimic, or harpy, he'll send it out.  Last time somedeer tried, he made it to the second day when Astrum sent in a siren and an agas*.”

Pupil shrinking, Mecha asked, “A siren and an agas? What did the poor lad do?”

Thinking hard for a minute, Tutela replied, “I think he broke a vase.”

Stopping for a minute, Mecha had to be prodded into movement, saying, “A vase? He broke a vase?!? What in Greed's name is he going to do to me for killing his pet!”

Quirking an eyebrow, which Mecha couldn't see, Tutela said, “Are you already considering planning to take on the gauntlet?”

Calming down to respond, Mecha told him, “Yeah, I do.  Although, I have an advantage that the other challengers don't.”

Taking a left turn at a fork in the road, Tutela asked, “And what advantage would that be? Because a metal leg doesn't seem to helpful to me.”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “It's actually more helpful than you'd think, but that's not it.  I can go three days and nights without sleep, provided I get an hour before it.”

Joining Mecha in laughter, Tutela said, “That would help indeed.”

LINEBREAKER

It had taken two days to get to Cervidaeia, the land of deer, and just as Tutela predicted, Mecha had been sentenced to the colosseum for life, or until completion of the gauntlet, which ever came first, which meant that he went for the gauntlet off the bat.

So here he was now, standing in front of a gate, waiting to be allowed into the arena, talking to himself, saying, “Things to talk to Luna and Celestia about when I survive this.  One, set up treaties that require foreign authorities to check in with them before arresting citizens.  Two, require that all nations give trials to all criminals.  And three, get them to send me an all day pass to the spa, I ain't leaving Ponyville until the gala after this, and I want' to relax for Luna's sake! Well, minus anything happening during poker night, I'm not leaving Ponyville.”

Suddenly, the door in front of him lifted, and he walked through, the sword he'd been given slung across his back.  Ignoring the cheering from the crowd, and the announcer’s speech, he walked into the center of the arena where he got onto his hind hooves, pulling the sword out of its sheath.  Extending his mechanical leg foreword, the crowd marveled as it split and let out a sword before resealing.  Swinging both in lazy circles, he settled into a semi-serious stance, waiting for the creatures he was to fight to be released.  After all, at his peak he could fight against a horde of demons for three days and nights, and he'd be training to get back to his peak, so how hard could it be to fight a couple of mindless beasts?

When the other doors to the arena opened, he got his answer in a pack of manticores.  “Wrath's dagger deep fried in Gluttony's fryer wrapped in Lust's panties!” Mecha swore, before sighing and adding, “At least they aren't rabid.”

At this point, two of the manticores jumped at him, to which Mecha reacted by side-stepping the larger one while ducking under the smaller one, slicing into its stomach at the same time, before twisting around to stab the other in its side.  Roaring, the beast leapt back, allowing two more to take its place, charging at Mecha.  Waiting for them to swipe at him, he hopped on top of the closer one, ran up its back, slicing off its wings, before doing the same to its tail and leaping off, only to twist as another tail nearly impaled him.

Mecha would've then sliced off that tail, if the manticore above him wasn't about to crush him.  Rolling out of the way, Mecha jumped out of the roll, and jumped off the wall he'd been slowly fighting towards, and landed on the large manticore he'd wounded earlier.  Roaring the beast tried to throw him off, failing when Mecha lodged his swords into its back, using them as handles.  Growling, the beast attempted to kill him with its tail, only for Mecha to leap off, causing the tail to impale its head instead of his.  Turning, Mecha eyed the three remaining manticores, and smirked.  Charging forward, he sliced his way past the smallest one, before leaping over an swiping claw, and impaled one of his swords in the skull of the wingless manticore.  Removing the sword, he twisted around a tail sent to impale his heart, and ran around the manticore that had trapped its tail in the dirt floor.

Spotting his target, Mecha bum rushed the creature, which attempted to use its wings as a shield.  Crossing his swords, Mecha cut into the wings, and ignored the blood as he made his way into the shocked manticore's guard, cutting off its head before it could recover.  Stepping back, he turned to see the last of the pack still stuck, giving him a chance to breath.  Rolling his shoulders, he got closer, before throwing the sword he'd been given into its chest.  Roaring in pain, the creature struggled for a minute, before finally dying, allowing Mecha to approach it and retrieve his sword.  Walking back to the center of the arena, he smirked, giving the watching king Astrum a 'is that all you got?' look.

LINEBREAKER

It was the first night of the gauntlet, and Mecha had yet to brake a sweat.  Yeah, the flock of harpies had been challenging, but considering the fact that he could easily turn to block attacks from behind, they weren't as deadly as they could've been.  However, he wasn't prepared for what came next, as he wasn't aware that wryms even still existed.

The wrym used this shock to its advantage, gliding towards him, before tucking its wings in to get the most speed out of its charge.  Mecha managed to snap out of his shock long enough to twist upon impact, significantly reducing the damage he took.  Tightening his grasp on his sword, Mecha waited for the wrym to charge him again, only this time he span completely out of the way, and took the chance to slice into the side of the legless creature, causing it to hiss at him.

Flying away from him, the oversized blue lizard took in a deep breath.  Eyes widening, Mecha charged forward with the entirety of his speed, leapt, and backflipped into a kick that shut the wryms mouth, before landing and throwing his sword into the jaw, forcing the jaws to stay closed, leading to a build up of frost in it's throat.  Panicking, the creature tried to force the sword out by ramming the top of its head against the wall, but unfortunately, it couldn't dislodge it in time, for it's neck burst in an explosion of snowy death.

Waiting a minute to make sure that the sword wouldn't freeze to his hoof, Mecha walked up to his sword and picked it up, chuckling.  At this rate, he'll throw this sword more often than he throws his knives back home!

LINEBREAKER

Beginning of day two, and Mecha was still going strong, despite the efforts of Astrum to throw him off with a succubus.  He'd actually laughed at that, as he'd come face to face with Lust herself once, and that was way worse than what a succubus could do.

Giving his neck a crack, Mecha took a look at the audience while he waited for his next challenge.  They were all moving about, either cheering for him or booing him, he couldn't tell as the barrier that protected them from the fight in the arena also kept sound from getting in.  And judging by the sound of hissing behind him, it also protected them from the basilisk's stare that was about to try and swallow him whole.

Closing his eyes, Mecha leapt forward, managing to avoid getting eaten, before turning around, crouching.  Ears twitching, Mecha listened as the giant snake slid across the arena's floor, trying to get behind him.  Slowly turning, Mecha faced the basilisk again, this time walking backwards, until he hit a wall.  Hissing at Mecha, the creature charged forward, moving at a pace most would struggle to keep up with.  Mecha, however, wasn't using his eyes, but rather his ears, and knew when to jump when he heard the snake getting close, landing on its head.  Using the brief moment of safety, Mecha opened his eyes and found an off color scale.  Using that as a mark, he started hacking at the scales near it, barely damaging them before he was forced to close his eyes as he was thrown off.

Landing on his rear hoofs, Mecha charged towards the snake, leaping over the sound of rushing wind, which turned out to be its tail.  Landing, Mecha turned towards the hissing sound, leaping onto the head once more, and locating the off color scale, quickly picked up where he left off, before he was once more thrown off its head.

LINEBREAKER

It had taken him the rest of the day to hack his way though the scales so that he could get to the brain, especially since the jerk king kept sending in more creatures every ten minutes or so.  At this point, Mecha had broken out in sweat, but it wasn't to bad, and his breathing was still even.  Walking into the center of the arena, Mecha waited, knowing that Astrum had to have been getting angry, and likely to send in the big guns now.

Spinning the blade in his hoof, he turned to face the lifting doors, and said to himself, “If Wolfgang ever finds out about this, he'd kill me,” for standing before him was at least three, if not four, packs of timberwolves in front of him.  Sighing, he got into a stiff stance as they charged towards him.  Side-stepping each attempt to knock him over, Mecha responded by sticking a blade in the side of each timberwolf that flew by, until they finally realized that the current method of attack wouldn't work.  Growling, they surrounded him, stepping around the corpses of their pack mates without care, hate in their eyes aimed at the killer.

Face hardening, Mecha waited for the first to strike, coming from the side to which he twisted around, stabbing it before ducking under a leap from behind, finally jumping over a low strike from his front.  Blurring for a moment, Mecha rushed towards the circle, slicing off the heads of the timberwolves he passed before stopping in front of a wall, turning.

Haven broken the advantage of being surrounded, the packs of timberwolves gave up strategy and attempted to use their numbers to overwhelm him by charging all at once.  Fortunately for Mecha, they'd never worked together before, and most of them ended up fighting and killing each other, with only a small amount reaching him.  Spinning and twisting around their attacks, Mecha struck back with flashes of steel, causing them to collapse in bloody heaps.

LINEBREAKER

He had one hour left until Astrum had no choice but to let him go, and Mecha was exhausted.  Sweat was pouring off him, his breathing labored, and blood leaking from a nasty gash across his chest.  Mecha was favoring his right rear leg, having taken a glancing blow from a boulder tossed by a hippogriff.  The two swords were covered with blood, the one he'd been given was bent and chipped, while the one he'd built into his leg merely had small chips in it.

With a hate filled glare towards Astrum, Mecha turned to the opening doors and stared at what would likely be his final opponent, and cursed loudly, “Wrath's bow stung with Lust's panties stored in Greed's treasure chest next to Pride's mirror! A wendigo**!”

For walking into the arena was a giant, bipedal mass of fur, claws, and teeth.  Glancing at Mecha, the creature let out a massive roar, before charging towards the tired pony.

Clenching his teeth, Mecha psyched himself for the battle, rushing forward to meet the creature in combat.  Swiping with his swords, they were caught by the creature's left arm, before it swung with it's right arm, causing Mecha to duck.  Pulling back, he tried to slice at its stomach with a blade, only for it to step back.  Having dodged the attack, the wendigo stepped forward, slashing at Mecha, who blocked with his swords, a loud clang ranging out.

The crowd watched in glee, as the two clashed in an epic battle of skills.  A swipe blocked by claws, an attack dodged by a side-step, neither gaining an advantage.  They watched as Mecha concentrated hard upon his battle, ignoring all his previous injuries.  A glow began to form around the two, as the blows grew harder, the strikes faster, and the intensity higher.  Slowly, an image of the two rose to the sky, growing larger and larger as soon the entire city could see them fighting.  But neither of the combatants noticed this, too focused on each other to care, sending strikes at each other non-stop.

Mecha finally leapt back, and span, a glow different from the one that engulfed them earlier emitting from the sword, before flying off it and towards the beast that he had been fighting for close to an hour for.  Slicing through the air, the wave cut through the arm that the wendigo tried to use to block, leaving the being roaring with pain.  Using the distraction, Mecha charged in, and forced both of his blades into the heart of the beast, ending the battle, and the gauntlet.

Pulling out his blade, he stored it in his leg, before turning to king Astrum.  Grinning, he said in a cocky tone, “I've won, you've lost.  Whatcha' gonna do about it?”

Astrum glared hatefully at Mecha, before grinning evilly.  “Why, simple.  I'm going to let you go.  I am a deer of my word after all.  Although, I suppose the several thousand bit bounty on your head might make freedom a little less enjoyable.”

Eyes widening, Mecha noticed that the audience, which had been cheering him on earlier, had suddenly started to rush to an armory to claim the bounty the king had just laid on his head.  Facing Astrum, Mecha told him, “I hate you,” before running out of the arena.

LINEBREAKER

It had taken Mecha two days of dodging bounty hunters and soldiers to get back to Ponyville, during which he'd been lucky enough to avoid fighting anypony in his condition.  Limping into town, he walked past a hoping Twilight, who'd been shouting out “YESYESYESYESYES!”

Coming across Cheerilee, she looked at him and smiled, asking, “Did you enjoy camping?”

Staring at her for a minute, Mecha said nothing before walking home.  Quirking her head, Cheerilee asked herself, “Was it something I said?”

*Agas- basically a succubus with larger wings that have eyes in them, and is a master of illusions involving eye-contact.
**Wendigo, a large cannibalistic beast, not to be mistaken for the windigo, which is a frozen horse like creature that lives off the hate which comes from arguing.
> Persistent Pursuers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stood in his forge, hammering away at a hot piece of iron, unsure as to what he wanted to make it into.  Maybe a replacement for the sword he chipped during the gauntlet, or something decorative for the shop? Maybe even start on the loose armor he'd wanted...

He was broken out of his thoughts when Twilight Sparkle wandered into his forge, her newly acquired pet owl resting on her back.  Spotting him, she smiled and said, “There you are Mecha! There are people looking for you all over town.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha put the iron back into the smelter before turning and asking, “Really now? What do they want?”

Lightly shrugging her shoulders, Twilight replied, “They didn't really say, but they mentioned being fans of yours from something called the gauntlet.”

Paling, Mecha rushed forward and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders, saying, “Were they deer?!”

Caught off guard by his reaction, she said, “Yeah, why?”

Eyes widening, Mecha looked past her, before running back into the backroom.  Gathering up his gear, he cursed when he heard Twilight tell him, “Hey, here comes some now!”

Running out, Mecha grabbed the white-hot piece of iron before bolting out of the forge.  When he saw the deer, he noticed that they'd pulled out their weapons, and were waiting for his approach.  Swearing once more, he threw the glowing metal in their general direction, running through the opening it created.

Plan in mind, Mecha ran towards the train station, until he was stopped half-way by twenty bounty hunters, all wielding swords of varying length.  Coming to a stop, Mecha quickly armed himself and stood on his rear legs, saying, “Do you really want to try this?”

Smirking, the deer responded all responded by charging Mecha, ignoring the crowd that had gathered to watch the battle.  Taking a deep breath, Mecha stepped forward and swung his blades, knocking away several attempts to skewer him, all in lethal places.  Apparently, the bounty was good dead or alive, and they planned on taking him in dead.

Twisting around another strike, Mecha brought the side of one of his blades on his attacker's wrist, knocking the blade onto the ground, before he twisted around his opponent, leaving a light gash in his side, before trying to run from the fight.  He made it all of five feet before two deer jumped from the alleyways, attempting to ambush him.  However, Mecha had expected this, and slid underneath their attempt to clothesline him on his knees, swords outstretched and cutting the tendons in their legs, causing them to collapse.

Leaping back up, Mecha continued his flight, reaching the train station where he threw a bag of bits at the ticket booth, before he jumped onto the train's roof.  Turning, he watched as his pursuers rushed past every other pony, and also leaped onto the leaving train, facing him.  Grimacing, Mecha got into a loose stance, preparing for the attack to come.  He didn't wait long, for shortly after the train reached full speed, the deer charged, surrounding him in a circle before swinging at him.

Bending down to avoid the first swipe made at him, Mecha lashed out with his blades, tasting flesh with his steel as he cut into the chest of his closest attacker, before jumping over a low swinging blade.  Turning to face the source of the most recent strike, Mecha swung at the deer, who caught his blades with his antlers, before getting kicked in the face by Mecha, freeing his blades and knocking his opponent of the roof.  Suddenly, everything went dark as the train entered a tunnel, halting combat as everydeer and Mecha waited to regain their sight, wind to loud to fight by hearing alone.

When the train exited the tunnel two minutes later, the fight resumed with Mecha punching the deer he wounded earlier in the chest, knocking him off balance, and losing his weapons off the side of the train.  Moving quick, two deer on opposite sides of Mecha swiped at him at the same time, weapons bouncing off his as he blocked with two swings of his own weapons, settling back into his original stance.

Taking a deep breath, Mecha started to swing his swords around him, building up speed before swinging out at the deer closest to the edge, who blocked at the cost of being knocked him off balance, at which point Mecha gave him a sweeping kick to knock him off the train, before he turned and crossed his swords so he could catch the three blades heading towards his head, and pushed forward  forcing the deer back.  Rolling his shoulders, Mecha side-stepped a downward slash before he lashed out with both blades, cutting into the sides of the deer, all of whom started to step back, trying to regroup.

Feeling a surge of power in him, Mecha stepped forward and spun, his blades releasing a wave of power that cut through the deer's swords, and lightly into their chests.  Looking between him, their broken blades, and their bleeding chests, the deer quickly came to a decision and jumped off the roof of the train.  Waiting a few minutes to make sure that there wasn't any bounty hunters left on the train, Mecha hopped into a passenger car, saying to himself, “I've got to learn how I do that wave thing!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood in Canterlot, slowly making his way towards the palace.  After all, it's not like any bounty hunters would be here, was there?

He got his answer halfway to the palace in the form of four deer walking towards him.  Cursing at his luck, Mecha ran towards them, stunning them when he jumped up and ran along a wall past them, before landing and charging towards his only hope at this point.  Glancing back, he noticed that the four were charging after him, slowly catching up due to their longer legs.

Looking forward once more, Mecha saw a blockade of seven deer in his way, and had no side streets to run down to avoid them.  Fortunately for him, somepony had left some crates in the street, which he leaped onto, using them as a stepping stone to access the roofs and a clear path to the palace.  Well, a clear path until some nearby deer noticed him, and climbed onto the roofs as well.

Swearing, Mecha took a chance and jumped across the street, barely making it, before putting on as much speed as he could.  Nearing the palace, Mecha noticed that he was cut off from the gate due to all the deer in the way.  “Wrath's throwing knives, where did all these deer come from?!” he cursed, turning towards the upcoming palace walls.  Taking a quick estimate of the height, he sighed to himself, saying, “This is why I didn't want to leave Ponyville,” before he took a flying leap, his stomach brushing against the top of the wall.

Coming to a halt, Mecha cheered in joy, as he felt certain that the deer wouldn't risk following him into the palace grounds.  Turning to the doors, he made his way over, whistling, until an arrow whizzed by his head.  Turning around, he saw dozens of deer charging towards him from the gates, the guards letting them pass through unhindered.

“Oh come on!” Mecha yelled, running once more.  “How big a bounty did Astrum put on my head that everydeer would be willing to cause an international incident over it!”

“It was at 150,000 bits last time I checked!” replied the deer at the front of the herd, having heard his question.

Blinking Mecha idly wondered if he could turn himself in for the money, before shaking his head.  Turning down a random hallway, he entered the first door he could find before anydeer behind him turned the corner.

Slamming the door shut, Mecha was breathing heavily, before he looked up to see Shining Armor behind his desk, staring at Mecha.  “Can I help you?” he asked, curious as to his friend's presence.

Jumping behind the desk, Mecha hid underneath it, saying, “If anydeer asks, I'm not here, got it?”

Before Shining Armor could reply, a deer burst into his office saying, “Did an Earth Pony with a mechanical leg come through here?”

Raising an eyebrow, Shining Armor replied, “Er... no...?”

Nodding his head, the deer said, “Thanks!” before running out into the hallway.

After hearing what sounded like forty deer run past his office, Shining Armor pulled Mecha out from under his desk, asking, “What the heck is going on!”

Shaking with adrenaline, Mecha quickly told Shining Armor about his week away from Ponyville, and the bounty on his head, before concluding with, “...so I came here in hopes that I could get Celestia or Luna to deal with the bounty on my head!”

Stunned at the information he'd just received, Shining Armor grabbed his gear and suited up, saying, “We need to grab Solaris and head towards the center of town, the princesses are their giving a speech about the upcoming gala.”

Nodding his head, Mecha waited for Shining Armor before they ran out of his office, and asked, “What's up with the security around here? I mean, I jumped over a wall, and there's forty deer running around, and yet you're the first guard I've seen besides the two up front!”

Sighing, Shining Armor said, “Most of the palace guard are out in town with the princesses, and the two in front aren't actually real.  We just put two statues in place to make it look like we're guarded constantly.”

Blinking, Mecha said, “That's just sad dude,” before they rushed into Solaris's office.

Looking up, Solaris saw the serious looks on Shining Armor's and Mecha's face, before saying, “Give me a sec to gear up,” and started gathering his gear.  Rushing out the door with his two friends, Solaris asked, “What's the situation?”

Running out the doors, Shining Armor filled him in, before glancing behind him, saying, “Drats, they've spotted us,” pointing out the herd of deer following them.

“Ignore them,” Mecha said, “If we can get to Celestia and Luna, it won't matter.”

Unfortunately, the deer in front of them made it so that it did matter.  Surrounded, the three got up on their hind legs, standing back to back.  “Got any plans?” Solaris asked, turning his sword into a scythe.

“Just one,” Shining Armor told him, shifting his sword into a spear.

“And that is?” Mecha asked, drawing his two swords.

“Make enough noise to attract the rest of the guards while not dieing,” Shining Armor said.

And with that, the three leapt into action, Solaris rapidly swinging his scythe above his head, before cutting into the chests of the deer in front of him, while Shining Armor used the length of his spear to his advantage by cutting each deer near him lightly without getting into his opponents' range, and Mecha was fighting in his usual way of dodging and quick strikes.  Leaping back, Mecha rolled over Shining Armor's back and quickly struck at the deer about to slice into Solaris's side, whose horn glowed before a fireball formed at its tip, and was launched at a nearby deer, exploding and knocking him away.

Taking his cue from Solaris, Shining Armor used his magic to form a suit of armor around him, allowing him to get close to his opponents without risking harm, whilst he dealt more powerful strikes due to having less distance to cover.  Mecha, lacking magic that he could actively use, reached into the pockets on the hood he'd worn since he left his forge in an, unsuccessful, attempt to hide his identity, and pulled out an extremely small grenade.  Raising it to his mouth, he bit the cap before yanking it, lighting the grenade which he quickly threw behind him, knocking out the deer approaching him from behind him.

This battle of blades, magic, and explosions continued until Mecha felt something familiar... and grinned, before spinning and releasing a now familiar wave of black energy from his swords.  However, the deer in front of him had seen him fight the wendigo, jumped to the side as it sped by, digging into the wall behind them.

“Neat trick!” Solaris told him, before using a concentrated burst of magic fire to get some distance between him and the deer.  “How'd you learn to do it?”

Tightening his muscles, Mecha focused on the energy inside him, focusing it into his blades, causing them to gain a pitch black glow around them.  Swinging at his next target, he said, “Still learning how! Far as I can tell, it's battle stress!” as he cut through one of the blades wielded by the deer.

“Useful though,” Shining Armor replied, stepping back as he swung with his spear, using his magic to extend its tip.

“Considering the fact that it can cut through a wendigo's arm, I'd say so,” Mecha said, the glow around his swords slowly flickering out of existence due to his lack of ability to hold it.

Blinking, Solaris used his magic to bring out another blade at the other end of his scythe, before asking, “You fought a wendigo? Dang, that must've sucked!” before slicing off several deer's horns.”

Snorting, Shining Armor said, “That's putting it lightly, I'm surprised Mecha is still alive!”

Laughing, Mecha said, “You and me both!” as the glow finally flickered out, leaving him with two normal blades to fight with, although they were still quite effective.

They fought in silence for anther five minutes, the metal of their blades flashing whenever they caught the sun, cutting through the air.  They were standing back to back to back once more, still surrounded by the bounty hunters, when suddenly a voice rang out, yelling, “What is going on here!”

Everypony and deer turned to face the source of the voice, one princess Celestia.  Looking around, Mecha pointed towards the bounty hunters and said, “They started it!”

Eye twitching, Celestia walked towards him, and asked, “And what,exactly, is it?”

Realizing that it wasn't the time for jokes, Mecha gulped and said, “Trying to collect the bounty Astrum placed on my head.”

It was here that Luna made herself known, saying, “And why doth thou have a bounty on thine head?”

Licking his lips, Mecha told his royal friend, “Because I killed his pet aboleth Fluffy, and then survived the gauntlet.”

Looking between him, the two captains, and the deer surrounding them, Celestia took in a deep breath, before saying, “All you deer, leave know before I send you flying home myself.  And furthermore, should even one of you return and try to hurt one of my citizens again, I'll make sure you'll regret it.”

This had its intended effects, as everydeer scrambled over each other, trying to avoid her wrath.  After five minutes, there wasn't a single trace of them anywhere, allowing everypony to relax.  Turning to face the three stallions, Celestia said, “Explain everything from the beginning please.”
> Poker Night Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stood in his back yard with his blades out, concentrating.  Having dealt with the whole bounty issue, he was much more relaxed, and much more willing to try and figure out exactly what happened in both the arena and Canterlot.  After all, if he could figure out how to do that technique on demand, as well as the sword glow thing, he'd be a much more formidable opponent come the gala.

Focusing hard, Mecha thought back to the feeling of power he felt, and looked inward, hoping to find it.  After several minutes, he gave up, before trying a different idea, shifting his stance. Swinging his sword lightly, Mecha slowly went through various forms, recalling the events that led up to his use of his wave attack, the desperation, the rush of combat, the... power that he slowly felt building in him.  Concentrating on that power, Mecha slowly stopped, focusing on the diminishing power, feeling its flow from his... heart.

Snorting, Mecha thought how cliché that was, before shrugging.  It may be cliché, but who was he to judge when it was powerful enough to cut off a wendigo's arm?  Sitting down, Mecha tried once more to call on the power, focusing on his heart whilst he did so.  Finding it, he slowly dragged it up, wondering what to do with it now that he had it.  Looking around, he saw Wolfgang staring at him, gnawing on a piece of ironwood that Mecha had brought back with him from Canterlot.  Staring at his pet, Mecha decided that if nothing else, he could try channeling the energy to his eyes, and see if they improved.

Doing so, he wasn't quite surprised when things did in fact get clearer.  He was surprised though, when he saw a brownish-green aura around Wolfgang, who merely continued gnawing on his treat.  Blinking, Mecha slowly pulled the power away from his eyes, the glow around the cub vanishing as he did so.  Pushing it back into his eyes, the glow returned.  “Okay...” Mecha said, slightly shocked at this turn of events.  “I think... that I'm going to have to talk to Twilight about this,” before he started to walk away, forgetting to remove the strange power from his eyes.

He only realized this when he walked into town, and saw each and everypony glowing.  Unlike Wolfgang though, the glows where concentrated in various locations for each pony, instead of completely surrounding them.  In fact, it seemed that fellow Earth Ponies had their glows centered in their chests, around their hearts if Mecha were to guess.  Pegasi had glows emitting from both of their wings, and their hooves, baffling Mecha, trying to figure out what was causing the glow.  His thoughts were interrupted when he ran into Twilight Sparkle, and noticed that like other unicorns, the glow was centered around her head and horn.

“Oh! Sorry about that Mecha, I was just on my way to...” she said, trailing off as she stared at Mecha.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “Is something wrong?”

Eyes widening, Twilight replied with a remarkable imitation of Fluttershy, saying, “N-n-no! At least, n-n-nothing appears to be wrong, i-i-it's just...”

“Just what?” Mecha said, getting a little impatient with her.

“It's just... the whites of your eyes are completely black!” she told him, waving her hooves in the air.

Blinking, Mecha replied, “Really?” to which Twilight nodded her head.  Looking around, Mecha spotted a nearby fountain, which he trotted over to in order to see his reflection.  Stopping, he looked into the water, and found himself speechless.  The whites of his eyes did in fact turn black, but that wasn't it.  It was the fact that they were glowing, much like the rest of the ponies he'd seen, only in the same black color of the energy wave he'd let out earlier.

Getting over her shock, Twilight used her magic to pull out a quill and pad, turning to Mecha and asking, “Do you feel sick, euphoric, anything different at all? Did you come into contact with a strange plant, get bitten by a weird animal, or go somewhere unusual? Are your eyes the only thing effected?”

Still getting over the shock from seeing his eyes, Mecha turned to face her, before stopping, and blinking, rubbing his eyes all the while.  When he finished, he laughed before saying, “It appears that Earth Pony magic is more active than I thought.”

Quirking her head, Twilight asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Shaking his head, Mecha looked into his reflection once more, while withdrawing the power from his eyes.  Just as he thought, his eyes slowly turned back to normal, color draining away with the power.  Turning back to Twilight, she gasped before writing down her observations on the notepad.

Chuckling, Mecha asked her, “Has Celestia briefed you on what happened in Canterlot recently?”  Nodding her head, Twilight didn't respond as she kept writing.  “Well, if my hunch is correct, then the black wave I used as well as the glow around my swords was magic.  To be more exact, my magic.”

Looking up, Twilight Sparkle looked startled while saying, “But that should be impossible! Unicorns are the only known users of active magic, while Earth Ponies hold passive magic!”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Try channeling a little magic into your eyes, instead of your horn and take a look around.”

Looking at Mecha with an exasperated look, Twilight closed her eyes, doing as she was told.  Opening them, she gasped, as she looked around with the white of her eyes taking up the magenta color of her magic, confirming Mecha's thoughts.  Turning back to Mecha, she asked, “Is this glow everypony have their magic?”

Channeling his own magic into his eyes once more, Mecha got yet another gasp from Twilight, noticing that her eyes held a concentrated glow compared to earlier, saying, “Yeah.  And I'm guessing I have a line of magic connected to my eyes, similar to the line of magic I saw connecting your horn to the objects you levatated earlier.”

Getting a nod in response, Mecha stopped channeling the now confirmed magic to his eyes, before turning around, saying, “Thanks for the help!” as he started to trot towards Sweet Apple Acres.

LINEBREAKER

Upon arrival, he noticed that Big Macintosh was plowing the fields with the old plow.  Walking up, Mecha frowned, and asked, “Didn't you replace that thing with your cut of the dragon's hoard?”

Sparing a glance, Big Macintosh struggled as he pulled the ancient dull thing, saying, “Eenope.  Ran out of money after Granny Smith's surgery.”

Frown deepening, Mecha channeled magic into his eyes for the fourth time that day, Mecha looked over his friend, noticing that his friend's magical center was proportional to his body.  Nodding to himself, Mecha said, “Okay, just stop for a minute.  This may sound crazy, but I should have a better method for you to pull this thing.”

Stopping, Big Macintosh turned to face Mecha, staring at his black eyes.  “Yeah yeah, they're weird, I know, but just listen okay? I need you to stop and concentrate on your heart, while trying to find what feels like a flow of power.  When you find that, channel it into your eyes and I'll explain then.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Big Macintosh closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated.  Mecha watched, as the core of magic slowly calmed in Big Macintosh, before a strand broke off and made its way towards his eyes, forming into a small sphere in each of them.  Opening his eyes, Big Macintosh widened them rapidly when he looked around, saying, “Whoa...”

Nodding his head, Mecha got Big Macintosh's attention, saying, “Yeah, neat isn't it? What you just did was tap into your magic actively, instead of subconsciously like most Earth Ponies.  For the record, your magic is a couple shades lighter red than your coat, and so are the whites of your eyes right now.”

Blinking, Big Macintosh nodded his head, having no reflective surface to look into to confirm what Mecha said.  “Now then,” Mecha continued, “I want you to try and channel that magic into your legs, before trying to pull that plow again.”

Nodding his head, the work horse cut the flow to his eyes, focusing all of it into his legs, before walking forward.  To his surprise, he barely felt the strain on his muscles that pulling the plow normally did.

Chuckling at his friend's look, Mecha cut the flow of magic to his eyes as well, noting that their was no sign of the magic in Big Macintosh's legs, unless you counted his sudden ease at pulling the plow.  “See ya tonight Big M!” Mecha hollered, leaving the suddenly beaming farmer to his work.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was laying against a tree he'd planted in his front yard, munching on an apple while he waited for his friends to show up for poker night.  He didn't have to wait long, as Big Macintosh showed up first as always.  Only, unlike other times, this time he had a displeased look on his face as he dragged the alcohol filled coolers behind him.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “What's wrong Big M? You look like somepony just told you your dog died.”

Snorting, Big Macintosh told him, “Was ambushed by a bunch of ponies wanting to buy mah hard cider.”

Curious, Mecha asked, “So why didn't you?”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied, “Ah don't have a liquor license.”

“Ahh...” Mecha said, understanding his predicament immediately.  Thinking for a minute, he grinned before saying, “I could help you get one easily.”

It was Big Macintosh's turn to raise an eyebrow, asking, “How?”

Smiling Mecha said, “By opening up a small bar with you and getting the license for the place.  That way you can sell it their as you aren't actually selling it to the place, but making it yourself for sale there!”

“Sounds like an interesting idea,” Doctor Whooves said, interrupting the conversation while being followed by Solaris and Shining Armor.

“Indeed it does,” Shining Armor added, gaining a thoughtful look.

“In fact, why don't all five of us chip in for it?” Solaris said grinning.  “After all, what could be more interesting than owning a bar?”

Blinking, Mecha said, “Owning a bar in reindeer lands?”

Laughing, the five friends walked into Mecha's house to play poker, discussing the possibilities of opening the bar whilst grabbing drinks from their coolers.

LINEBREAKER

Poker night was in full swing, the five roaring with laughter after Shining Armor finished with his story from boot camp.  “You know what?” Solaris suddenly said.

“What?” Doctor Whooves asked, still grasping his side from his laughter.

“I just realized that we have yet to hear from Shining Armor about the mare that's caught his eye!”

Chuckling, Mecha asked, “Do we even know if this mare is real? Or if she's even a mare?”

Laughing, Doctor Whooves said, “He has a point Shining Armor! After all, we know nothing about this mare, should she be a mare!”

Choosing to laugh off his friends comments instead of taking offense, Shining Armor replied, “She's a mare, and she exists.  In fact, why don't we go ahead and get tonight's drunken affair out of the way, and go visit her?!”

Happy with their friend's sense of humor, the five got up, stumbling out of the door, only to meet Rarity.  Quirking his head, Mecha asked, “What are you doing here?”

Looking over the drunken bunch, she replied, “Twilight asked me to keep an eye on you gents, in hopes that I could keep you out of trouble.”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “It's poker night! You could be Celestia herself and you wouldn't be able to stop the trouble!” before blinking and turning towards Shining Armor, saying, “It isn't Celestia is it? Cause no offense, but she's waaaaaaay out of your league!”

Shaking his head, Shining Armor told him, “Nah, but she lives in the same building.  Can we get going though, I don't want to have to wake her up to ask her out.”

Nodding his head, Mecha swayed in place as a flash of light overtook the drunk friends, leaving Rarity behind as they teleported their way towards Canterlot in a zig-zag pattern, occasionally missing their target by four feet... in the air.  Fortunately, they wound up in Canterlot in one piece, as well as with a cooler full of hard cider!

Laughing rambunctiously, the five ignored the stares they received from the ponies watching them in the streets.  Approaching the castle, Mecha stopped them, turning to Solaris and asking, “Was Shining Armor telling the truth when he said these two guys are actual statues?”

Nodding his head, Solaris said, “Yeah, they were put their by Celestia herself when the complaints from the guards finally got to her.  That was also the day that she snapped and threw pies everywhere, with Luna laughing manically whilst handing her the pies.”

Blinking, Mecha tried to make a mental note of that, before turning to the statues.  Grinning evilly, he pulled out a marker before he started drawing all over them, whilst his friends laughed and downed another round of drinks.  Putting the cap back on the marker, Mecha threw it over his shoulder, saying, “Lead the way Shining!”

Swaying a little, Shining Armor took the lead and walked into the palace, guiding them through several hallways until they stopped in front of a door.  Walking up to knock on it, he stopped before turning towards them and saying, “I just realized that walking up to a princess and asking her out drunk is probably not the best idea if I want to keep my job.”

Snickering, Mecha said, “Bah! What's the worse that could happen?”

Laughing, Big Macintosh said, “He trips and gropes her?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Nah, she says no and then he trips!”

Rolling on his back, Solaris said, “No no no, she says no, he trips and gropes her, then she shrieks, slaps him, kicks him out, fires him, and then Celestia banishes him to the sun!”

Paling, Shining Armor asked, “What are the actual odds of that happening?”

Doctor Whooves replied, saying, “One point seven three percent.”

Blinking, everypony stared at him, before Big Macintosh asked, “And the odds of mah case?”

Thinking for a moment, Doctor Whooves replied with, “An even three percent.”

“And for a positive case?” Solaris asked, shocked at the odds calculated so far.

Lifting up a hoof to write out imaginary numbers, Doctor Whooves nodded his head after a few minutes and said, “I'd give around a seventy seven point eight three percent.”

Whistling, Mecha asked, “Where'd you get those numbers Doc?”

Still nodding his head, Doctor Whooves said, “Made 'em up.”

Shrugging, Shining Armor said, “Works for me!” as he turned and knocked on the door.  It opened almost immediately, revealing a stunning pink alicorn.  Clearing his throat, Shining Armor asked, “Princess Cadance, would you please giving the honor of attending the gala with you?”

Blushing lightly, Cadance nodded her head, saying, “Of course! It's the least I can do, considering the fact that I accidentally hit you with a wayward spell so long ago!”

Smiling Shining Armor jumped for joy, happy that she'd said yes, and hit his head on the top of the doorway, knocking him out.

Laughing at his friend, Mecha suddenly stopped, before turning to the princess, and asked, “What spell did you hit him with?”

Blushing deeply, she replied, “With one meant to get ponies to start thinking about acting upon their crushes.”

Blinking, Mecha stood up and pointed at her, shouting out, “YOU! You are the source of the curse of poker night! I should be thanking you, but-” and was promptly cut off via potted plant to the head, courtesy of Solaris.

“That was getting a bit annoying, wasn't it prin-” Solaris said, before having the favor repaid by Big Macintosh.

Grinning, he bowed to the princess, saying, “Ah figured that such-” and had his head bashed by a potted plant held by Doctor Whooves.

Smiling, he grabbed another plant, handing it to Cadance, saying, “If you'd do the honors?”

Tentatively grasping the potted plant with her magic, she gave him a glance before shrugging her shoulders and hitting him in the head with it.  Having completed the task asked of her, she looked over the five unconscious ponies, saying, “That was interesting.”

“That it was indeed niece,” Celestia said, walking around the near by corner.  “Although I wish I knew why everypony thought that I'd just up and banish them! Really, you do that once, just once, and suddenly everypony thinks it's a common punishment.”

Luna walked out of her room next to  Cadance's, levitating an abacus with her, saying, “My banishment was quite famous.  Although, what intrigues me most ist the fact that the percents given where close to the actual figures.”

Blinking, the other two princesses walked up to Luna, asking, “Really?” hoping to see the actual figures.
> At the Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha, dressed up in his suit, stood by the chariot Luna had provided for transport, waiting for Cheerilee.  Laying next to him on the ground was a duffel bag, filled with his equipment for the live demonstration, zipped shut so as to not reveal anything.  Tapping his hoof, Mecha checked the time on a nearby clock, nervously.  He still had five minutes to wait, and it was grating on his nerves.

Looking around, he noticed Twilight Sparkle and her friends all hopping into an apple carriage, being pulled by two of Rarity's neighbors.  Nearby, Big Macintosh stood at the train station, waiting for the all aboard to get on.  Finally, he looked over at Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Do, both dressed to the nines and waiting for... was that a stretched carriage?  Yeah, it was, and there was Doctor Whooves, opening the door for Ditzy Do.  He wasn't kidding when he said he was going all out on this.

Taking a deep breath, Mecha tried to calm down.  After all, unlike his other first dates, he wasn't going to a restaurant.  No, instead he was going to the Grand Galloping Gala, the biggest event of the year, filled with rich, snooty nobles, ninety-five percent of which he'd manage to get into fights with.  Yeah, this didn't have disaster written all over it.  At least he didn't have to worry about bounty hunters showing up though!

He was pulled from his thoughts when Cheerilee finally made her appearance, wearing a flowing dress that complemented her colors, while also reminding Mecha vaguely of the warrior princesses he'd read about in history.  Shaking his head, he kicked his gear into the chariot, before walking up to Cheerilee, offering his non-mechanical foreleg, and asked, “Are we ready to go my lady?”

Giggling a little while blushing, Cheerilee accepted his offer, replying, “Yes we are,” before the two stepped onto the vehicle, giving the two pegasi the signal to start flying.  Looking down, Cheerilee sighed and said, “It's beautiful, isn't it?”

Looking at the ground, Mecha grimaced saying, “Ah huh...”

Hearing his discomfort, Cheerilee turned and asked, “Are you okay?”

Gulping, Mecha nodded, replying, “First time flying voluntarily.  Normally, I'm flying due to an explosion or death beam from an ex.  Not the best of experiences I tell you.”

“Oh...” Cheerilee said, recalling the stories he'd told her about said situations.  “I suppose that would put you off from flying.”

Trying to smile, Mecha replied, “Yeah, well thankfully this is a short flight.”

Nodding, Cheerilee looked back down, taking in the view.

LINEBREAKER

The chariot pulled up to the ground, settling in front of the palace.  Stepping off, Mecha through the duffel bag over his shoulder, before stepping of, asking, “Do you mind if I drop this off real quick?”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee looked around the entrance, saying, “Not at all.  In fact, that'll give me some time to take this all in.  I mean, I'm actually at the Grand Galloping Gala...”

Smiling at his dates joy, Mecha walked over to the outdoor arena, specifically set up for the live demonstration this year, and found the locker rooms.  Walking in, he carefully put the duffel bag done, near a locker with his name on it.  Walking out, he made his way back to Cheerilee, who was staring at the stretched carriage that had just pulled up.  Standing next to her, Mecha said, “It appears that Doc has arrived with Ditzy.”

Eyes widening, she watched as the two ponies walked out of the door, before spotting them and walking towards them.  “Where'd Doctor Whooves get the money for that?” Cheerilee idly asked.

Snickering, Mecha said, “Same place I got the gold for my armor set, as well as where Big M got the cash for Granny Smith's surgery.”

At this point, Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Do had reached them, both smiling as Doctor Whooves spoke, “Ah Mecha! Great to see you made it in one piece.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Only way I'd be able to make it here in two pieces is if I had brought my leg back from Hell with me.  Is Big M here yet?”

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “His train was pulling in when we passed the station, so I'd say to give him a couple minutes.”

Ditzy Do spoke up at this point saying, “Do you know if they have any muffins here?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “If what my brother has told me about is to go by, there probably aren't any.  Although, Applejack may be selling some.”

“Speaking of your brother,” Cheerilee started, “Where is he? I'm just dying to meet him, especially if he's anything like the rest of your family.”

Looking around, Mecha said, “I can't seem to find him, although it's hard to tell as most ponies here are the same color as him.”

Chuckling, Doctor Whooves said, “We'll see you two later, for now I think we're going to try and find either the buffet or Applejack's stand.”

Waving his friend off, Mecha turned to Cheerilee, saying, “Shall we head inside?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee followed closely behind Mecha, both walking into the castle.  They wandered around a little, until they ran into Luna in the ballroom, who greeted the two with, “Mecha! I am pleased to see thou once more! And this mare must be the one called Cheerilee, whom thou hast told me much about. It is a pleasant treat to meet thou!”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee said nothing, stunned that she was talking to the princess of the night herself.  Noticing his date's state, Mecha chuckled, saying, “Good to see ya too Luna.  Tell me, how long did it take to sort things out with king Astrum?”

Shaking her head, Luna replied, “Far too long.  In fact, I should tell thou that he is present at tonight's festivities.”

Paling, Mecha said, “Really? After nearly causing a war between the two nations, he shows up here?”

Sighing, Luna nodded her head, saying, “It twas the only way to get him to lift his bounty on thine head.”

This caught Cheerilee's attention, turning to Mecha and asking, “What bounty?”

“The one I got for saving Manehatten.  You'd be surprised at how much he hates me for that,” Mecha told her.

Quirking an eyebrow, Cheerilee turned to Luna, asking, “Could you clarify for me?”

Nodding, Luna said, “He killed Astrum's pet aboleth Fluffy, which was wrecking havoc and would most likely have destroyed every establishment in the fine city.”

Blinking, Cheerilee turned to Mecha saying, “Was that when everypony thought you were dead?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “Yeah.  And then there was the camping trip... ugh.” Seeing the look that Cheerilee was sending him, he told her, “I'll tell you on the way to the arena.  It's almost time to for the demonstration, and I need to get suited up.”

Looking at a nearby clock, Cheerilee sighed, before the trio started making their way outside.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was leaning against a wall inside the locker room, waiting with the other combatants to be called out for their battle.  Mecha took stock of the gear each pony had brought with them, he himself covered by a large cloak, giving nothing away.  Shining Armor was covered in light chain mail, as he could easily reenforce it with his magic should he need to, lightly spinning his spear.  Solaris was wearing a cloak much like Mecha, only it was meant for looks only, as combined with his scythe he looked like the Grim Pony, probably going for a bit of a psychological effect.  Big Macintosh was the only one wearing plate armor, of which he wore on both forelegs, and from his hips down, leaving his torso uncovered.

Each combatant was eying the other, sizing up the competition.  Mecha broke the silence, asking, “How are we doing this? Free for all or teams?”

Communicating with looks instead of words, Shining Armor broke the silence, saying, “Free for all would end to quickly, with teams only lasting a little longer.  Considering that Celestia requested that we find a way to drag this out so she can talk to Twilight Sparkle instead of greeting nobles, I suggest we go for teams until it's down to two, and then have those two face off, same team or not.”

Nodding their heads, the four friends waited once more in silence, before a familiar brown Earth Pony walked into the room.  Blinking, Mecha turned and said, “Hayek! What are you doing here?”

Caught off guard, Hayek turned towards Mecha, staring at him for a bit, before getting a look of recognition in his face, saying, “Quicksilver? By Celestia it is you!” Turning he spotted Bit Macintosh, and said, “And juggernaut as well! When they told me that they got some experienced fighters for this, they didn't tell me that it was you two and two captains! If I'd known that, I would've signed up straight away!”  Excitement visible in his face, Hayek chattered on a bit, before calming down.  Clearing his throat, he stated in a calmer voice, “I'm here to get the rules from you for the referees, aka me and Keynes, to insure that all fouls are accounted for.”

Raising his eyebrow, Mecha looked around and asked, “Normal combat rules?”

Laughing, Solaris said, “No duh.”

Turning to the confused Hayek, Mecha told him, “We'll be fighting under normal combat rules, also known as everything goes.”

Eyes going wide, Hayek squealed with joy, before running out while muttering, “Everything goes, no limits, the crowd will eat this up!”

Chuckling, Mecha dropped down onto all fours, and walked out of the locker room, his friends following him.  They approached the gate, where Keynes met up with them, looking them over.  “By Celestia, Hayek was right, this will be exciting!  Anyways, here's how things are going to go down.  Hayek and I are going to introduce you one at a time.  First will be Mecha, as we both want to piss off that Astrum fellow, then Solaris, followed by Big Macintosh, finishing with Shining Armor.  When you hear first, next, following, or finally, that's your cue to start walking towards the center.  After we finish, go ahead and get into position, and we'll start the fight.  Everypony got that?”

Nodding their heads, the anxious fighters waited as Keynes walked onto the field.  Looking at his friends, Mecha asked, “Me and Big M against you two fair?”

Nodding their heads, Solaris and Shining Armor began to relax, having worked together before.  Suddenly, they heard Hayek's voice, saying, “Ladies and gentlecolts, esteemed guests from all over, it is my pleasure to give you the first ever Grand Galloping Gala live combat presentation! I am Lord Hayek, and joining me today is my esteemed colleague Lord Keynes!”

Blinking, Mecha looked over at his friends mouthing, 'they're lords?'  Getting shrugs for an answer, Mecha turned back to the field, as Keynes voice rang out this time, saying, “Thanks for the introduction Hayek, and might I say, we have some lovely conditions for this fight, don't we?”

“That we do, and I'm sure the combatants will love it! Speaking of which, why don't we introduce them?” Hayek replied.

“Marvelous idea!” Keynes said. “First,” Mecha started walking onto the  massive field, cloak flaring lightly as he walked, “we have Mecha! His skill with his two blades have yet to be matched, and is quite the inventor as well! Responsible for saving Manehatten from a rampaging aboleth, this young stallion is also one of the few survivors of the Gauntlet.  For those of you unfamiliar with the Gauntlet, it is three days and nights of constant combat, involving creatures such as harpies, basilisks, and manticores! To wrap up his accomplishments, the fighting world has dubbed him quicksilver!”

Hayek took over, saying, “Next,” causing Solaris to walk out, a fearsome sight due to his outfit, “We have Solaris! One of the captains of the royal guard, he is known for his deadly skills with both his scythe and magic, able to burn anything to a crisp! Hoof chosen by Luna herself, he serves as her personal guard when dealing with foreign dignitaries, and has single hoofidly put down a full grown rabid chimera! Ponies everywhere have taken to calling him the Grim Pony!”

“A true challenge I'd say,” Keynes said, before continuing with, “although the pony following,” Big Macintosh started to walk out, “Is also a challenge.  Standing tall above everypony else, we have Big Macintosh! This large stallion works from sun up to sun down at Sweet Apple Acres, constantly working his muscles! Capable of slicing a manticore's head clean off in one strike, he is not to be taken lightly! Wielding a zweihoofer* blade, he is perhaps the only pony capable of using it to its full potential! And just like Mecha, he also holds a moniker in the fighting world, as the juggernaut!”

Laughing, Hayek continued, saying, “These three alone would make for an interesting fight, but we have one more joining us tonight! I finally,” Shining Armor walked out, “give you, Shining Armor! Like Solaris, Shining Armor is a captain of the royal guard, only for everything that Solaris does for Luna, he does for Celestia! Master of the spear, Shining Armor lives up to his name by using his magic to either conjure up a set of armor or by making whatever he's wearing stronger! His defensive magic is so powerful in fact, that he once contained a raging kraken for hours on end! So let's give it up once more for Shining 'Unbreakable' Armor!”

The crowd roared, excitement rising as the four legends in the making taking up their positions, Solaris facing Mecha, Big Macintosh facing Shining Armor.  All four rose up onto their hind legs, hooves hovering over their weapons.

Keynes spoke up, saying, “The rules for this match are simple: there are none! That's right folks, there are no limitations in this battle, meaning that they'll be fighting at their best! So without further ado, Princess Celestia, if you'd do the honors?”

Stepping forward, Celestia smiled as her horn glowed, before a barrier formed over the arena.  Shortly after that, a wave of magic flowed around the combatants, signaling the successful casting of the combat spell.  The fighters tensed, each waiting for the signal from Hayek.  Suddenly, a loud bang went off, and they all blurred into motion.

Mecha threw his cloak off to reveal two sashes of knives and one of grenades as he stared at Solaris, whose scythe had just cut threw the air where he'd been standing moments before.  Grabbing two knives, he flicked his wrist launching them at Solaris, who span his scythe, knocking them out of the way, before charging with his horn glowing.

Channeling his magic into his eyes, Mecha saw the buildup of magic in front of him, allowing him to side-step the explosion before it occurred.  Ducking under a swipe from Solaris, Mecha grabbed several small spheres before throwing them down, creating a yellow smokescreen.  Back flipping out, Mecha started throwing them across the arena, coating everything with a yellow dust, before the initial bust settled down.  Seeing Solaris's build up of magic, Mecha held up his hoof, saying, “I wouldn't cast any flames if I were you.  That was powdered hydra scales, so unless you wish to blow all of us up, I'd stop now.”

Eyes widening, Solaris noticed the powder everywhere, before snarling and stopped channeling his magic.  Smirking, Mecha began hopping back, throwing more and more knives towards Solaris as he charged forward, knocking them out of the way. When he finally reached the wall, he jumped up and off it, narrowly avoiding a slash from Solaris.  Landing, Mecha pulled out the last of his blades, while grabbing two small grenades, throwing them at Solaris.

Eyes widening, Solaris stepped to the side before knocking the two grenades up into the, just as Mecha expected, having used this chance to close the gap between them, slashing at Solaris.  Solaris was quicker than Mecha expected though, and brought his scythe down to block the attack.  At this point, the two lumps of metal that Mecha had thrown fell onto Solaris's head, having been fakes in order to move him into place, and causing Solaris to be momentarily stunned.  Taking this chance, Mecha hopped back, spinning, as he channeled his magic into his blades, unleashing a wave of black energy.

Solaris's eyes went wide, as he bent backwards to avoid the wave which came nanometers from hitting him.  Bending back into position, he frowned before twisting his scythe, causing another blade to be released from the other end of his scythe.  Spinning it above his head, he lashed out at Mecha, who stepped back, only to receive a light gash on his chest when the second end of the scythe sung by.  Frowning, Mecha knew he had to end this quick if he wanted a chance to win, Solaris adapting faster to a non-magic style than he'd expected.  Ducking under another attempt at decapitating him, Mecha lept forward, slashing at Solaris.  As expected, Solaris blocked with his scythe, only to be shocked when it was cut into three pieces by Mecha's now glowing swords.  Using this to his advantage, Mecha kicked him straight in the jaw, knocking him out cold.

Turning, Mecha took a couple deep breaths, watching Shining Armor and Big Macintosh fight, Shining Armor's armor shining, as well as Big Macintosh's blade, as they clashed repeatedly, each trying to gain the upper hoof.  Mecha watched as Shining Armor tried to stab Big Macintosh in the heart, only for the blade of the spear to bounce of his chest.

Eyebrow raising, Mecha channeled a little magic into his eyes before seeing the answer to his unspoken question.  Big Macintosh was channeling magic into his torso, preventing any harm to it.  Chuckling at his friends resourcefulness, Mecha charged in to help his teammate.

Running up Big Macintosh's back, Mecha flipped over Shining Armor, before pushing his magic into his blades once more, swiping at Shining Armor.  Being attacked by two ponies at once, Shining Armor frowned, before channeling magic into his spear in order to lengthen in, spinning it around him in order to get some distance between him and the two Earth Ponies.  Keeping the dome of death going, he backed up until he approached a wall, where he stopped.  Holding his spear steady, Shining Armor cast another spell, duplicating his spear.  Wielding both, he beckoned the two fighters to approach.

Taking his invitation, Mecha charged in, ducked under the spear sent his way, and sliced at Shining Armor's legs, attempting to hamstring him.  Unfortunately, Shining Armor had seen this coming, and reenforced the area, before kicking Mecha away while trying to skewer Big Macintosh, failing once more due to the magic running in his torso.

Charging forward once more, Mecha started striking wildly, forcing Shining Armor to focus on him, allowing Big Macintosh the chance to get in a swing, not at Shining Armor himself, but rather his spears, breaking both.  Unlike Solaris who'd never had his weapon broken in combat before, Shining Armor had seen this coming and had a plan in place.  Unfortunately, he didn't get to use this plan as immediately after his spears broke Mecha continued his swings, chopping into his neck.

With Shining Armor down for the count, the two Earth Ponies walked back into the center, and bowed to each other, before rushing back into combat, neither having enough magic left to use their tricks.  Flashes of steel filled their vision, as Mecha tried to speed past Big Macintosh's guard, while Big Macintosh tried to swing past Mecha's blade.  Neither pony held the advantage, and Mecha knew that if this kept up, then he'd collapse before Big Macintosh.  Grimacing, he slowly directed the fight towards Solaris's fallen form, a plan in mind.  Big Macintosh, knowing that Mecha would only move the fight if he had a plan, started to swing harder, pushing himself to his limits.  After five minutes of constant clashing, Mecha had finally gotten into position, and stomped down, causing part of Solaris's broken scythe to fly up.  Spinning, Mecha kicked it at Big Macintosh, who was forced to use his blade to block it, and thus couldn't use it to block Mecha's blades from his chest.  Looking at the blades in his chest, Big Macintosh blinked before collapsing.

Suddenly, the magic in place ended, Showing all four ponies unharmed, breathing heavily where they laid, or stood in Mecha's case, gear scratched but not broken.  At this point, the barrier fell, allowing the combatants to hear the roar of the crowd, the deafening applause, and vaguely their marefriends yelling at them for such a realistic performance of danger and death.

Chuckling, the four friends made their way to the locker room, chatting about the battle.

“I have to admit,” Solaris said, “I didn't expect you to use the hydra powder to prevent me from using my magic.”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “You mean the lemon powder?”

Blinking, Solaris grabbed a bit of his cloak, bringing it to his nose, before sniffing it. Blinking, he let go of it, before laughing himself and saying, “You sly dog! Did you even bring hydra powder with you?”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “And risk blowing something up?! Heck no!”

“Ah just can't believe you used a broken weapon to get me,” Big Macintosh said.

“Considering the fact that he knew you'd outlast him, he had to try something,” Shining Armor said.

“Yeah, well, next time don't use my scythe!” Solaris said.

“Don't worry,” Mecha told him, “I plan on making you a metal one for your birthday, so it shouldn't happen again,” before walking out, and into Cheerilee.  Smiling, he asked, “What did you think?”

Frowning, she hit him over the head, before saying, “That's for making me think you were in a life or death situation.”  She then smiled, and said, “Although it was interesting to see you win.  What was that wave of energy you used?”

Laughing, he started to walk with her, saying, “You wouldn't believe me if I told you.  Besides, I believe I owe you-” he was cut off when Solaris started to yell something he couldn't make out.  Turning, he noticed that Solaris had run into Rainbow Dash, before sighing and continued walking.

Turning her head to the side, Cheerilee walked with him, asking, “Do you know what's going on?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “I believe Solaris is yelling at Rainbow Dash since he thinks that her first sonic rainboom started the fire that killed his parents.”

Eyes widening, Cheerilee said, “She caused a fire that killed his parents?”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “No, he thinks she did.  As far as I know, it hasn't been confirmed or denied, and so Luna hired a team to look into it.”

Confused, Cheerilee was about to ask him what he meant when suddenly Shine Sight walked up, saying, “Mecha! Good to see you sober!”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Good to be sober! Did you catch the match?”

Nodding his head, Shine Sight replied, “That I did.  Must say I wasn't expecting you to pull off what you did, but it was brilliant none the less.  And I assume this fair mare is Cheerilee?”

“I am,” she replied, shaking hooves with Mecha's brother. “And I must say it's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Please, the pleasure is all mine!” Shine Sight said.  Looking past the two, he noticed Solaris's yelling, before saying, “But you must excuse me, as that is my captain's stallionfriend making a scene, and she isn't helping any,” and trotted off.

Shaking his head, Mecha asked Cheerilee, “Wanna dance?”

Smiling, she walked towards the ballroom, saying, “I thought you'd never ask!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee were both sitting at a small table, eating a couple snacks after dancing for a while.  “This is nice,” Cheerilee told Mecha.

“Indeed,” Mecha replied.  “I'm just glad none of the nobles recognize me in this suit! I was sure Astrum was going to charge me when he saw me.”

Laughing, Cheerilee said, “It didn't help that you kept complementing your performance in that battle.”

Snickering, Mecha said, “I couldn't help it! I mean, the guy is a total jerk, it was only fitting that I give him a little payback!”

Chuckling, Cheerilee told him, “That doesn't change that fact that you didn't need to mock him until he passed out due to rage!”

Before he could reply, a series of bizarre events involving Twilight Sparkle and all her friends occurred, generating so much chaos that Mecha was certain even Discord wouldn't be able to top, before they fled from the palace.  Turning to Cheerilee, Mecha's statement was prevented when Ditzy Do and Doctor Whooves walked it, Ditzy Do saying, “Did we miss something?”

Turning towards her, then back to Cheerilee, then at the room, Mecha sighed, before turning to Cheerilee, and asked, “Want to grab some doughnuts?”

*Zweihoofer- pony version of the German Zweihander sword, jokenly called the Dreihander sword due to its size, with zwei being German for two, and drei three.
> From Discord to Date
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stumbled through Everfree Forest, bleeding from a gash across his chest and his right shoulder, where his mechanical leg would normally be attached.  He'd been forced to leave it behind when it he passed by the giant magnet that used to be Doctor Whooves's store, which had ripped it off him.  Thankfully, it had also pulled all the swords that were attacking him after Discord, the Wrath and Pride forsaken monster, had decided that it would be ironic to watch a forger fight his own creations.

It was shortly after that when Mecha fled into the forest, having yet to have been affected by Discord's magic, which made it the safest place close to Ponyville.  Go figure.  Coming to a halt, Mecha looked around, before he heard a sound of yipping coming from behind him.  Turning as best he could with three legs, he spotted Wolfgang running towards him.  Relaxing a little, he turned forward before attempting to hobble his way towards Zecora's hut, when Wolfgang started pushing him in another direction.  Staring slightly at his pet, Mecha shrugged before following him.

It took a while, but Mecha finally reached Wolfgang's destination; a clearing filled with colts and fillies, with Cheerilee watching over them.  Upon seeing Mecha, her eyes widened, rushing over, asking, “Are you okay? What happened? Do you need help?”

Snorting, Mecha limped to a nearby tree, before sitting down.  Turning to face Cheerilee, he replied, “I'm fine.  Well, I'm fine in the I've been better but I've also been worse kinda manner.  As for what happened... take a guess, as it's probably pretty close.  And I shouldn't need help, but if you can get a message to Zecora, she'd be able to patch me up right as rain in no time.”

Sighing, Cheerilee visibly relaxed, nodding her head.  Looking around, she noticed several of her students approaching, curious as to why she'd rushed over to Mecha.  Upon seeing him, most gasped, with Snips and Snails both shouting, “Boss!” and rushing up to him.

Chuckling, Mecha lifted up his foreleg, signaling for the two to stop.  “I'm okay,” he told them, “although it stings a bit.”

Wolfgang barked, pulling attention away from Mecha, as well as causing most of the foals to scream.  Sighing, Mecha took a nearby branch, before whacking his pet on the nose with it.  “Bad timberwolf, bad!” he scolded.  “You know better than to scare ponies Wolfgang!”

Wolfgang lowered his head and covered his nose, whimpering.  Giving him one more hard look, Mecha sighed, before throwing the branch in front of Wolfgang, saying, “I forgive you.  Just next time, let me introduce you, okay?”

Instantly cheering up, the cub barked out something akin to thanks, before eating the branch in front of him.  Still staring at the cub, Cheerilee looked at Mecha questioningly, eyebrow raised.  Sighing once more, Mecha said, “Meet Wolfgang, my pet.  I think.  He may actually be a mooching tenet with how intelligent he seems to be.”

Blinking, Cheerilee looked between him and Wolfgang, saying, “I can believe that.  After all, compared to some of the stories I've heard around town, this seems to be rather low key.”

Snorting, Mecha told her, “Trust me, his appearance was very low key at the time, especially since everypony though I was dead.”

Chuckling, Cheerilee told him, “Yeah, that would override everything else.”

At this point, most of the young ponies had gotten used to Wolfgang's presence, and were starting to get bored.  Looking around, they found nothing to do, and so came up to the couple, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders getting the closest.

“Ah beg your pardon,” Apple Bloom said, interrupting the discussion the two were having, “but would you two happen to have somethin' we could do?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo added, “There's nothing to do here but stare at the trees and leaves!”

Looking around, Mecha looked at the young foals, each holding a look of hope in their eyes.  Sighing, Mecha asked, “Do you all feel this way?”

Sweetie Bell spoke for the group, saying, “Yes we do.”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Well then, why don't you gather 'round, and I can attempt to entertain you with some of my... let's just call them epic fails.”  Taking a glance, Mecha chuckled as each and everypony in the clearing gathered up in a close circle around him, smiling in glee at the prospect of one of Mecha's great stories.

Laughing to himself, Mecha started, “It was the middle of summer, and I was but a young colt, wandering in a forest near my house.  With me was my younger brother, and a good friend of ours, all filled with energy and excitement.  It had rained earlier that day, and we were all covered in mud by the time we'd stop to just chat.  Of course, being the young colts that we were, we decided to pick the muddiest field in the area to chat in, as well as the deepest area.  In fact, the place was knee deep in mud, which we found out by sinking into the mud.”

The young children all gained looks of mirth on their faces, imagining Mecha and two others stuck.  “It gets better,” Mecha said, regaining their attention.  “as I was the first one to get out, I had to go and get help, aka my parents.  So I ran to my house, and knocked on the door.  When my mom opened it, she stared at me, before asking, “Where's your brother?”  So I smiled, and told her, “He's knee deep in mud in the forest.”  She stared at me for a few seconds, before she turned and yelled at my dad to get the shovel, and started running.”

Everypony was laughing at this point, some rolling on the ground.  Smiling, Mecha chuckled, saying, “Yeah, we were in major trouble after that, although we both agree that it was worth it.  Although, that was nothing compared to the time I blew up the chemistry lab in school...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha watched as Snips and Snails finished putting everything in place in the shop.  They'd both jumped into work after Discord had been defeated, hoping to keep Mecha from working as he recovered from the attack upon his person by his creations.  Keeping a watch on the two, he glanced over at the door when the bell above it rang, raising an eyebrow when Big Macintosh walked in.

Walking up to Mecha, the large stallion watched Snips and Snails work for a couple of seconds before saying, “Ah wanted to thank ya for watching over mah sister.”

Shrugging, Mecha said, “Wasn't a big deal.  After all, all I did was tell stories at my expense.”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied, “Nonetheless, you kept an eye on her.”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “More like she kept her eyes on me.”

Big Macintosh smiled, before the two settled into a comfortable silence, watching as Mecha's apprentices cleaned up the shop. Glancing at the clock on the wall, Mecha told the two, “Go ahead and stop for the day.  I'll see the two of you tomorrow, and we can finish this then.”  Nodding, the two saluted Mecha, to the humor of Big Macintosh, before they left the building.  Walking over to a set of chairs, Mecha sat down, asking, “Was there anything else you wanted to ask Big M?”

Nodding his head, Big Macintosh sat down on the other chair, saying, “Fluttershy and Ah are going to Canterlot for dinner and a visit to a museum, and were wonderin' if you and miss Cheerilee would like to come with?”

Blinking, Mecha laughed a little, before replying, “Sure.”

Raising an eyebrow, Big Macintosh asked, “What was so dang funny?”

Shaking his head, Mecha told him, “The last time I went on a double date, it was a blind date set-up by a lesbian couple for one of their gay brothers.”

Stunned, Big Macintosh stared at Mecha for a few minutes, before saying, “That's... interesting.”

Chuckling to himself, Mecha replied, “Not as interesting as when we ran into the guy's ex...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee were sitting next to each other, opposite of Big Macintosh and Fluttershy.  The restaurant they were eating in was a new one, and thus one that Mecha wasn't banned from.  They were all sitting and chatting, enjoying the company of their friends, when Mecha heard a familiar voice, and groaned, saying, “Please don't let him see me! Please don't let him see me! Oh for the love of Luna don't let him see me!”

Raising an eyebrow at his behavior, Cheerilee asked, “Please don't let who see you?”

Pointing to the entrance, Mecha said, “Lord Fancy Smancy.  I've gotten into more fights with that guy then there are stars in Luna's sky.  I should know, I've asked her the number.”

Blinking, the three who didn't know the lord looked between him and Mecha, trying to picture the two fighting.  Still comparing the two, Fluttershy meekly asked, “Um... why do you fight with him? That is, if you don't mind me asking.”

Shaking his head, Mecha watched as Fancy Smancy walked over, having spot him, and replied, “You'll see in a few seconds.”

And indeed they would, when the smug looking Unicorn walked up to the table and said, “Mecha, such a surprise to see that they let an uneducated brute in here.  After all, this is a restaurant, not a mud pit like you normally eat at.”

Snorting, Mecha said, “I'd be surprised if you knew what a mud pit was you useless sheltered wimp.  After all, you've never left the city, and refuse to do any kind of work.”

Rage visible in the lord's eyes, he spat back, “I work plenty! Just today I helped with the legislation involving regulation thickness of book covers!”

Letting out an exaggerated yawn, Mecha replied, “Something that publishers already do themselves perfectly fine, thank you very much! In fact, everything you try to pass of as work is already down by the people, you're just too stupid to realize that!”

Stomping his hoof, Fancy Smancy yelled, “I am not stupid! It is the workers who are too stupid to recognize that they need a system to oversee everything so that we can have order!”

Standing up, Mecha got into his face, shouting, “We workers aren't the ones lacking intelligence, its the nobles! After all, we don't try to force needless rules onto each other, while the nobles get into petty fights that end up hurting everypony else!”

Furious, Fancy Smancy didn't reply.  With words that is.  Instead, he threw a hoof at Mecha's face, who ducked underneath it, before throwing one of his own, landing a solid strike to the lord's face.  Snarling, Fancy Smancy tackled Mecha to the floor, the two exchanging blows and raising up a dust cloud.  Stunned, Big Macintosh, Fluttershy, and Cheerilee couldn't do anything but stare, until finally two Earth Ponies came up and separated them, one of which was shouting, “Enough all ready! It was interesting to watch you to argue, but this is a restaurant. Not a wrestling pit!”

Anger still visible in his eyes, lord Fancy Smancy pointed at Mecha and said, “I demand you ban this barbarian from here and kick him out at once!”

The pony holding Mecha back stared at Fancy Smancy as if he was insane, saying, “Are you kidding me?! I saw what happened, you were the one that started it! In fact, I think I'll ban you from here!”

Eyes widening, the lord turned to the pony, who appeared to be the owner from that last statement, and said, “But I'm a lord, and he is naught but a commoner!”

Snorting, the owner picked him up, before tossing him out the door, shouting, “As well as me!”  Turning to Mecha, he said, “I'm sorry about that, your meal is on the house today.  Please, come back again!” before walking away.

Blinking, Mecha sat down, and said, “That's a first.”

Raising an eyebrow, Big Macintosh asked, “Not getting banned or receiving a free meal?”

Still blinking, Mecha said, “Both.”

LINEBREAKER

The four friends were all laughing, walking toward the museum.  “And I swear,” Cheerilee told the group, “She looked at me with the most innocent look in her eyes, as if I hadn't just tried to switch papers in front of me!”

Chuckling, Mecha walked up to the ticket both, and knocked on the glass to get the ponies attention.  Startling the pegasus from her reading, she turned and said, “How may I...” before stopping, staring at Mecha.

Looking over himself, Mecha quirked his head, and asked, “Do I have something on my coat?”

Shaking her head, the teller replied, “Oh no sir! I was just wondering, would you happen to be Mecha?”

Blinking in surprise, Mecha said, “Yeah... why? Fancy Smancy didn't come here and have you ban me from the museum, did he?”

Rapidly shaking her head, the pegasus said, “No no no! In fact, it's almost the exact opposite! I've been told to give you and any of your guests free entrance!”

Shocked, Mecha looked over at his date and friends, who shrugged their shoulders, just as curios as he was.  “Okay then...” Mecha replied, turning back to the teller.  “If that's it, then I think we'll go inside.”

“Wait a second please!” the mare said, digging around underneath the table.  Pulling out a book, she turned to a blank page, before pushing in towards him, holding out a quill, and asked, “Could you sign this for me?”

Looking down at the book, Mecha shrugged before grabbing the quill and writing his name.  Leaving the quill on top the book, he walked into the building, asking his companions, “What do you think that was all about?”

Walking through the doors, Big Macintosh took a quick look around, before pointing at a sign, and said, “Probably about that.”

Turning, Mecha looked at the sign Big Macintosh had pointed at, and stood stock still in shock.  The sign read, “Metalwork by Mecha”.  Blinking, Mecha said nothing, as Cheerilee dragged him with her into the display.  Looking around, Mecha spotted the armor he'd made and sold to the palace, with signs mentioning that they were on loan for the next month.  Regaining control of himself, he walked up to the blue armor he'd made upon Twilight's request, listening as those standing nearby talked about how lucky Shining Armor was to have such a piece, and how they wondered  how he'd gotten the metal such a blue color without paint.

Still as silent as a grave, Mecha walked with Cheerilee up to the center piece of the display, the gold and silver statues of Celestia and Luna he'd made during his live presentation.  Seeing all of this work he'd done up for display in a museum was overwhelming Mecha, forcing him to sit down on a nearby bench.  Cheerilee joined him shortly, saying, “Based on the look of your face, you didn't know about this, did you?”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “I was aware of a wing in the palace, but not about this! I mean, I've found several pieces that were commissioned months ago, including the globe I'd sold to Twilight Sparkle! You'd have figured that she'd have told me about this, or that they'd send me a letter!”

Chuckling, Cheerilee replied, “Well, either way this is quite the display.  However, I can always visit your shop if I want to see some of your work, so let's go see the rest of this place.”

Nodding once more, Mecha got up and walked with her, heading to the painting portion of the museum.
> From Sky High to Crater Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was in his forge, attempting another experiment with the powdered hydra scales, having acquired new tools to use.  So it was with rapt attention that he watched the hydra powder in the smelter, insuring that none of the flames reached it while they heated up.  He watched, as the powder slowly liquified, a grin upon his face, when a wave of magic suddenly washed over the forge.  Eyes widening, Mecha looked around, before he turned back to the molten hydra scale, bubbling violently after absorbing the magic that had just gone by.

Reacting quickly, Mecha dropped the pot into the furnace, before wrapping himself in a fireproof blanket, reinforcing it with his magic, and not a moment to soon as the liquid scale blew up in an explosion so violent, that the only reason Mecha was in one piece, let alone alive, was due to the sheer amount of magic he'd poured into the blanket.  Removing said blanket, Mecha watched, as he got farther and farther from the ground, blinking as his ascent continued at a rapid pace.

“This,” Mecha said to himself, “won't end well.”  And it was getting worse by the second, as Mecha continued to fly higher and higher, passing clouds and curious birds.  By the time he stopped flying up, it was getting hard to breath, and he doubted that anypony had ever been this high, except for Luna while she was on the moon.  Sighing in his momentary halt, he reached for the bag of hydra scales he'd grabbed before the explosion, in hopes of preventing it from catching fire and blowing up as well.

Falling, Mecha worked quickly, knowing he'd need to time this right.  Pulling fuse that he'd stored earlier to test if processed hydra scale was just as explosive as powdered hydra scale, he bit off an extremely long length, forcing one end into the bag.  Then, he looked down, before angling himself away from Ponyville, so that his attempt to land... not safely, but alive, wouldn't harm anypony around.  Then, when he was halfway to the ground, he lit the fuse before spinning as rapidly as he could, before tossing the bag towards the ground.

Spreading his legs out, Mecha pushed as mush magic into his body as he could, thankful that Big Macintosh had shown him how to make his magic act like armor after Mecha had shown him how to strengthen his muscles.  Staring at the falling bag, Mecha knew that he was pushing his luck with this.  If he'd cut the fuse too short, the concussive force from the explosion wouldn't be strong enough when it got to him to prevent him from dieing upon impact with the ground.  Too long, and he'd be killed in the explosion.

So, it was with a rapidly beating heart that Mecha watched as the bag reached the tree line of the Everfree Forest, and the beginning of the 'safe' zone time wise.  At this point, he had another second, maybe two, before he'd pass into the 'dead' zone, and...

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!

Mecha didn't have to contemplate the second half of his last thoughts, as he suddenly stopped in midair, the force of the explosion completely counteracting his fall, although it was quite painful.  After his temporary stop, Mecha began to fall once more, his magic drained from his limbs due to the impact with the concussive force, and impacted upon the ground.

Groaning, Mecha tried to get up, only to fail miserably due to the fact that he'd broken his legs.  All of them.  In one go.  That had to be a record or something, especially since he was certain that he'd broken most of his ribs as well.

So, moaning in pain, Mecha waited for somepony to investigate the explosion he'd used to save his life, while staring at the crater caused by said explosion.  Judging from his position on the forest floor, it had to be at least a quarter mile long, and just as deep.  Attempting to chuckle, Mecha stopped due to the pain, before coughing blood.

He waited another ten minutes before he heard familiar voices, each speculating as to the source of the explosion.  Another minute passed before the voices revealed themselves in the form of the bearers of the elements of harmony, all looking in stunned horror at Mecha's prone form.  Raising an eyebrow, Mecha glanced at his legs, noting bone jutting out of one of them.  Turning to face his rescuers, he said, “It could be worse,” before passing out.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha let out a groan as he woke up, in the now scarily familiar hospital bed.  Blinking, Mecha tried to sit up, only to notice that he couldn't move at all, seeing as he was in an almost full body cast.  In fact, the only part of him not in a cast was his head, neck, and mechanical leg, which was in mostly working order.  Looking around, Mecha spotted Cheerilee talking to his aunt, before they noticed he was awake.  Walking up to him, Cheerilee asked, “Are you okay?”

Mecha looked himself over again, before saying, “All things considered, I'd say so.  After all, it's not everyday that you fall from the edge of the atmosphere and live.”

Eyes widening, Cheerilee asked, “What happened?”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Found a way to melt hydra scales, and learned that as explosive as powdered scales are when exposed to fire, it's nothing compared to how explosive molten scales are when exposed to magic.  However, I don't think I'll be making a grenade version of that though.

“Probably a good idea,” Mayor Mare replied, before adding, “especially since you broke near every bone in your body.”

Blinking, Mecha turned to face her, replying, “Really? I figured it was just legs and ribs, nothing else.  Any clue how long I'll be here?”

Shaking her head, his aunt replied, “Close to a month from what the doctor said, maybe less depending on how well your body takes to the healing magic.”

Sighing, Mecha faced Cheerilee, before saying, “Looks like date night is canceled then.”

Frowning, Cheerilee replied, “Dang, I was looking forward to that picnic.”

Chuckling, Mayor Mare asked, “Why don't you just have it here?” before walking out of the room.

Looking between the door and each other, the couple spoke at the same time, “That could work.”

LINEBREAKER

Three weeks later, Mecha was out and about, stretching his legs after a near month on non-use.  Trotting through Everfree Forest, he quickly came across the location of his impact, and looked over the crater he'd made with his explosion.  After all, it's not everyday that you create an explosion that large, and he needed to know just how large it was for bragging rights come poker night.  Walking around the edge of the crater, Mecha stopped when he heard the bushes behind him rustling.  Turning slowly, Mecha pulled them aside, only to stop dead in motion.

Standing before him was a small peachy-orange Earth Pony filly, with light red, borderline pink mane, and big, watery green eyes, staring straight into his soul.  Blinking, Mecha stared at the filly for a minute, before asking, “Are you okay?”

He got his answer when she collapsed, causing Mecha to panic and pick her up, rushing to the hospital.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha waited outside the room of the filly he'd found, waiting for Doctor Stable to let him know how she was doing.  The door opened, causing Mecha to jump up and face Doctor Stable, asking, “Is she going to be okay?”

Looking up from his clipboard, Doctor Stable nodded his head, saying, “She'll be fine.  She was just exhausted and hungry from wondering around for so long, nothing more.”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “That's a relief.  But what was she doing in the Everfree Forest?”

Letting out a depressed sigh of his own, Doctor Stable told Mecha, “She was trying to find her way to town.  Apparently, her parents were merchants on their way here, when they were attacked by a manticore.  She managed to escape when her dad distracted the beast, but the last thing she heard was them screaming...”

Mecha looked down at the floor, upset at the though of anypony, let alone a young foal, losing their parents like that.  Looking back up, Mecha asked, “Is it okay to see her?”

Nodding his head, Doctor Stable replied, “She doesn't seem to be too tired, and seeing the face of her rescuer might help her.  Just be careful not to bring up her parents, and you should be fine.”

Giving a nod of his head, Mecha walked into the room, causing the filly to look up, a small smile gracing her face upon seeing Mecha.  “Hi there,” Mecha started, being as quiet as Fluttershy in order to keep from startling her.  “My name's Mecha, what's yours?”

Small smile still on her face, the filly softly replied, “It's Sugary Spice, sir.  And I'd like to say thanks for helping me.”

Smiling at her, Mecha nodded his head, saying, “It wasn't a problem, although I wasn't expecting to run into such a cute filly while I was out walking.”

Giggling, Sugary Spice asked, “Am I really cute?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Darn right! Cutest thing I've ever seen, and I've meet both princesses!”

Laughing, Sugary Spice hugged Mecha from her bed, saying, “Thank you sir!”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “None of this sir stuff! I got enough of it from the few lower ranking soldiers during my time in the military! Just call me Mecha.”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice let go, laying back in bad.  A sad look slowly came over her, before asking, “Mommy and daddy are gone, aren't they?”

Sighing, Mecha looked her straight and the eyes, and nodded his head.  Tears slowly filled her eyes, as she looked into her lap. After a minute or two, she let the tears fall, saying, “Mommy... Daddy...”

Mecha watch her cry, wanting to cheer her up.  Leaning forward, he wrapped his forelegs around her, patting her back, saying, “I'm here for you little one.  I may have just met you, but I'm here.”

Wrapping her legs around Mecha, Sugary Spice cried into his chest, letting all her sorrow out.  Finally, after twenty minutes, she finally stopped, letting go of Mecha.  Laying back on her bed, she turned to Mecha, and asked, “What do I do now?”

Sighing, Mecha let go of her, and sat down on a nearby stool, thinking.  There wasn't an orphanage in Ponyville, as there was never a need for one.  In fact, the only town that had one was Manehatten, and even then it wasn't that large, filled to the brim with the  four foals they had already.  Looking back at her, Mecha thought long and hard about what he was about to suggest, as he knew it would be a bit awkward to suggest it so soon after meeting her.  Giving her another glance, Mecha sighed once more, having no choice.  “As weird as it is to suggest this after meeting you so soon, you could stay with me,” he told her.

Hope filled her face, as she looked into his eyes with her soul piercing gaze, saying, “Really?”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “So long as you don't mind my pet timberwolf cub Wolfgang, my odd sleeping habits, and the occasional explosion from my forging experiments.”

Nodding her head rapidly, Sugary Spice asked, “Can we go now?”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “You need to stay here a little longer so Doctor Stable can make sure you didn't catch something while you were in the forest, and I need to clear the paper work with my aunt... I mean the mayor.”

Frowning, Sugary Sweet replied, “Alright...”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Don't worry, it shouldn't take longer than two or three hours.  In fact, why don't you take a nap while I take care of everything?”

Thinking for a moment, she nodded her head, saying, “Okay!” before snuggling into her bed, closing her eyes.

Chuckling once more, Mecha walked out of the room, heading to his aunt's house to get everything he need to get done done.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking towards Ponyville's school, with Sugary Sweet riding on his back, looking at everything they passed as they went to sign her up for class.  Smiling at Sugary Sweet's enthusiasm, Mecha asked her, “How do you like Ponyville so far?”

Sugary Sweet gave a large smile, not that Mecha could see it, and replied, “It's great! Everypony is so friendly, and everything looks so pretty!”

Chuckling, Mecha walked up next to the school door, stopping when the bell rang to let everypony know that school was over.  Stepping to the side, Mecha waited as all the fillies and colts ran past him, not a single one noticing his presence.  After a minute of waiting, the rush was over, allowing Mecha to walk into the building.

Seeing that Cheerilee hadn't noticed him yet, Mecha turned to face Sugary Spice, putting a hoof up to his lips, telling her to stay silent.  Giggling, she gave him the okay sign, before he slowly walked up next to Cheerilee.  Leaning forward, Mecha whispered into her ear, “Boo.”

Cheerilee screamed, jumping high in her excitement.  Turning, she saw Mecha and Sugary Spice rolling around on the floor, laughing.  “Priceless!” Mecha hollered in between laughs.

“She almost jumped through the roof!” Sugary Spice added, holding onto her sides.

Seeing that she had just been pranked, and wasn't in danger, Cheerilee merely chuckled, and said, “Okay, you got me.  So what are you doing here Mecha? And who is this adorable little filly with you?”

Finished laughing, Mecha slowly got up, saying, “This is Sugary Spice, and she is currently my charge.  And the reason we're her is to get her registered for class.”

Blinking, Cheerilee replied, “Okay... well, I've got the paperwork right here.”  Turning to face Sugary Sweet, Cheerilee asked her, “Why don't you go out and see if you can make any friends?”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice glanced Mecha, who gave a nod of approval, before she squealed in joy and ran outside.  Turning to face his marefriend, Mecha saw her questioning look.  Sighing, he told her, “I found her out in the Everfree Forest.  Apparently, she'd been wondering for two or three days after her parents died in a manticore attack.”

Blinking, Cheerilee asked, “Isn't that similar to how you found Wolfgang?”

Eyes widening, Mecha replied, “Yeah it is, isn't it?”  Getting a nod from Cheerilee, Mecha continued, “I hope this doesn't become a pattern, there's only so much room in my house!”
> Nightmare Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sugary Spice was out playing on the front lawn, waiting for Mecha to finish his project for Nightmare Night before they went to pick up their costumes.  So it came as a surprise to her when a large figure walked up to her, and asked, “Pardon me, but could thou tell me where Mecha is?”

Blinking, Sugary Spice nodded her head, saying, “Sure I can! But I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, so I won't!”

Caught off guard, the figure replied, “But if I should introduce mineself to thou, you would then tell me?”

Quirking her head, Sugary Spice thought for a second, before saying, “That should work... although it would be rude of me to ask for your name without giving mine first! So, I'll start! My name is Sugary Spice!”

“It is a pleasure to meet thou, my name isth Luna,” the princess replied, giving the young filly a smile.

“Luna? As in princess Luna?” Sugary Spice asked, eyes widening.  Seeing Luna nod her head, Sugary Spice jumped up, and rushed forward, staring her straight into her eyes.  After a few seconds, she nodded her head, before stepping back and saying, “It is a pleasure to meet you! Mecha has told me so much about you!”

Chuckling at Sugary Sweet's enthusiasm, Luna said, “All good things I hope.  However, I must ask again, could thou tell me where Mecha isth?”

Rapidly nodding her head, Sugary Spice replied, “He's in that building over there, working on it.  He mentioned something about genuinely scaring somepony named Pinky... something.”

At that moment, a loud maniacal laugh rang out, coming from Mecha as he trotted out from the building, eyes widen open and rolling.  “I've done it!” he yelled out, mad look still upon his face.

Smiling, Sugary Spice ran up to him, saying, “And you only went a little mad doing it!”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Oh no, I went quite mad.  I've just regained most of my mind on the trip down.  Now though, I must test it!”

Looking over her friend, Luna asked, “Art thou sure thou isth okay? After all, thou did walk out with an evil laugh.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “Tis but a flesh wound upon my psyche! It'll be over by the time the test is done! For now though, we need her, so...” looking around, Mecha walked over to an object covered with a giant cloth.  Grabbing it, Mecha pulled it off, while shouting, “Pinkie!!! I have cake for you!!!”

Upon the complete removal of the cloth, a giant strawberry cake, complete with pink butter cream frosting and sliced strawberries was reveled.  Luna opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it when Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared, jumping up and down in place, saying, “OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH! Cake! Thank you Mecha!”

She then leaped towards the cake, mouth wide open, before Mecha grabbed her and said, “Not yet Pinkie!” causing her to groan, before turning to Mecha with the dreaded puppy dog eyes.  Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “You can have your cake, after you test the haunted house I made.  And I want your genuine reaction, none of your fun fear, got it?”

Nodding her head, Pinkie Pie ran up to the door, before turning to Mecha.  Seeing him nod his head, Pinkie Pie opened the door, and walked in.  “Well, we've got about ten minutes,” Mecha said, before turning to face Luna, “What's up? Actually, before you answer, where's Solaris? Figured he'd be with you today.”

Shaking her head, Luna replied, “Solaris was called for a meeting with his clan.”

Eyes widening, Mecha yelled out, “ARE YOU NUTS!!! You let Solaris go to a meeting with that clan of maniacs!”

Raising her eyebrow, Sugary Sweet tugged on Mecha's leg, asking, “Dad, what are you two talking about?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “First, what did I say about calling me dad?”

“Not to do so until the Pride forsaken bureaucrats finish with the paperwork?” Sugary Spice said.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Yep.  Anyways, what we're talking about is my friend Solaris's clan.” Seeing the questioning look upon her face, Mecha sighed, before adding, “Extended family.  Basically, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-uncle,s twice removed cousin, any family relation all living together.  And Solaris's clan is completely bonkers.”

Raising an eyebrow, Luna asked, “Doth thou realize that thou isth also claiming Solaris bonkers?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Nah, you straightened him out.  His only problem now would be his choice of friends, and they share his problem in insanity there.”

Sugary Spice raised an eyebrow, saying, “Did you just call yourself insane?”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Yeah, I did.  Although, considering the fact that I adopted a timberwolf cub for a pet, I'd say it was fairly obvious before.”

At this point, Pinkie Pie exited the haunted house, smiling.  While covered with fake blood.  And fake intestines.  Not to mention she had fake brain stuck to her back left hoof.  “Not bad Mecha!” Pinkie told him in her sing song voice, not noticing his shock at her happy disposition.  “Although you might want to cut back on the fake blood spray, it was a tad excessive and was more ridiculous than scary.  Can I have my cake now?”

Nodding his head, Mecha just stared as Pinkie Pie leapt into the cake, scarfing it down at rates physically impossible.  Blinking, Mecha threw his hooves up into the air, saying, “I give up! Pinkie wins, screw making her scream in real fright!” before he turned and walked towards the front gate.  “Let's go get our costumes SS, I want to forget this ever happened!”

Laughing, Sugary Spice ran up to Mecha before jumping onto his back.  Whistling, she waited for a second before Wolfgang ran out, jumping onto Mecha's head.  Giggling, Sugary Spice scratched the young pup behind his ears, as princess Luna stared at the trio.  Blinking, she spoke her thoughts, saying, “That isth the most interesting family I've ever seen...”

“They aren't a family yet!” Pinkie Pie said from her pile of cake.  “The adoption paperwork shouldn't be finished for another week!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha, Sugary Sweet, and Wolfgang all walked down the street, enjoying themselves as they made their way towards the group of foals that were all trick or treating that night.  Dressed as timberwolves, Mecha and Sugary Sweet were enjoying scaring everypony they passed with random howls and growls, with Wolfgang joining in for his own amusement.

Approaching the group, Mecha was chuckling, before he said to Sugary Sweet, “Go ahead and join them, I'm going to talk to Twilight Sparkle real quick.”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice ran up to the group of colts and fillies, laughing as they jumped when they saw her costume.  Shaking his head, Mecha walked towards Twilight Sparkle, looking her over, before asking, “Bellstrum the Bell Ringer or Star Swirl the Bearded?”

Sighing, Twilight Sparkle replied, “Star Swirl the Bearded.  I don't even know who that first one was!”

Laughing Mecha told her, “A random pony I met in Manehatten.  In fact, I doubt you've met him, so I really should've figured your costume out before that.”

Shaking her head, Twilight told him, “I'm just happy that you got Star Swirl the Bearded at all, as you're the first to do so.  Although, I have to admit that your timberwolf costume is well done, and it was interesting to watch you three walk down the street.”

“Yeah, had Rarity do the heavy detail work.  You plan on visiting my haunted house?” Mecha asked.

“I don't plan on it,” Twilight replied.  “In fact, I think I'll just watch over these young ones.”

Smiling, Mecha said, “I'd be thankful if you did.  Anyways, I have to go and make sure nopony sneaks into the house, keep an eye out for princess Luna would you? She vanished after I left to pick up costumes.”

Nodding her head, Twilight watched as Mecha walked off, before making her way to the stage set up for the festival.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood in front of his haunted house, smirking.  He looked at the crowd in front of him, not a single one frightened at what might be inside.  That, Mecha thought, would change soon.  After all, once the first group came out, they'd change their tune.  And low and behold, here came the first group, screaming as they ran out, running so fast that most couldn't see their pale faces, or their fake blood covered costumes. 

The crowd started to whisper amongst itself, wondering what could've earned such a reaction from the ponies.  Still smirking, Mecha walked up to the door, opening it, and said, “Next group please, should you still wish to enter.”

Gulping, a group of stallions in costumes stepped forward, eying what was most likely their marefriends.  Stepping inside, they jumped when Mecha slammed the door shut on them, before turning to face the line in front of him.  “They should be ten minutes, unless they start running through the place,” Mecha told the next group, before grabbing a piece of candy from a nearby bowl.  After all, a crowd this large was sure to attract the young foals out looking for candy.  Or Pinkie Pie.  Either way, it paid to keep some candy on hoof.

Around eight minutes later, the exit door burst open as the stallions ran out, screaming much like the group before.  Rushing to their marefriends, they grabbed them, before cuddling with them, shaking.  At this point, the ponies in line saw their appearance, most paling at the sight.  “It's all fake!” Mecha hollered, hoping to prevent a mass of panic attacks.  “Corn syrup and food coloring!”

This managed to calm the more jittery ponies, but they were all still shaken.  Regaining his smirk, Mecha opened the entrance door once more, and said, “Although, I can't vouch for everything you'll see in their being fake...”

LINEBREAKER

Around two hours later, and many scared ponies, Mecha found himself slightly bored.  After all, watching the same scared reaction from different ponies got dull after so long.  Not to mention the ones that threw up afterwords, or the ones that pissed themselves.  Thankfully, he hadn't had to clean up anything in the house itself, and so he was able to keep the line moving.

Suddenly, the crowd split, as princess Luna and Twilight Sparkle walked forward.  Approaching the entrance, Twilight flinched when the last group ran screaming out the exit door, while Luna looked unphased.  “I've been told being scared is fun,” she said, “And was wondering if you'd be willing to let me enter your haunted house to see if it's true?”

Raising an eyebrow at her sudden change in speech patterns, Mecha shrugged his shoulders, opening the door, saying, “So long as the ponies in line don't mind you skipping ahead.”

Turning to face said ponies, Luna asked, “Do you mind if I go ahead?”

Shaking their heads, everypony watched as Luna walked through the door, before it slammed shut behind her.  Mecha then turned to Twilight, and asked, “What happened?”

Sighing, Twilight replied, “She tried to get everypony to love her and change the holiday.”

Laughing, Mecha asked, “Who was it that finally explained to her that we enjoyed being scared on this night?”

“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight told him.

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Of course it was her.  You know, she's the only pony who's made it through unscared?”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight said, “Really? This seems like the kind of thing she'd go to in order to be scared silly.”

“I told her to go through without being scared for fun,” Mecha replied.  “So of course she comes out smiling, and tells me I used to much fake blood.  Granted, I figured that nopony would realize that there isn't that much blood in the body, but I cut back anyways.”

Looking at the fake-blood covered ponies who'd already been in the house, Twilight asked, “How much were you using earlier?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha said, “Around a gallon per pony.  You do not want to know how much it cost me to get so much fake blood.”

At this point, the exit door opened, and Luna walked out, shaking and quivering, as pale as Celestia.  Turning to Mecha, she  stared at him with wide eyes, saying, “I think you need to see a psychiatrist.”

Mecha didn't reply until after he'd let the next group through.  Turning to face Luna, he asked, “What part made you think that?”

Still trying to calm her nerves, Luna replied, “The whole house, although the live autopsy of the pegasus really sealed the deal.”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Would you believe me if I told you I got the idea from eating cupcakes?”

LINEBREAKER

It was the morning after Nightmare Night, and Mecha was taking down the haunted house.  Throwing the fake pegasus body into the garbage, he took a bite out of the cupcake he'd been snacking on while working.  Frowning, he stared at it before grabbing a jug of fake blood, and dipped it in the blood.  Taking another bite, he smiled before knocking down another wall.

Turning to push the dumpster he'd rented to the front of his property, Mecha spotted a hooded figure walking towards him.  Raising an eyebrow, Mecha finished of his cupcake before asking, “What's the palace's order this time?”

Chuckling, the royal worker asked, “What makes you think this is for the palace? Couldn't I have come for my own order?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “You wouldn't have worn your hood then. Although I totally understand the hood, don't want everypony trying to sell you their work for the palace now, would we?”

Laughing, the hooded pony said, “True true.  Although I get the feeling you'd know it was me even without this hood.  But I digress, you're right and the palace wants a sculpture.”

Sighing, Mecha pulled out a pad and pen from his mechanical leg, saying, “What material?”

Quirking his head, the messenger said, “Some kind of iron, pitch black...”

“Nightmare metal?” Mecha asked.

“Yeah,” was the response from the hooded pony.  “As well as that dark blue metal you used for Captain Shining Armor's armor.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “You realize that the treated titanium is going to cost you a small fortune, let alone the Nightmare metal.”

“I've been told there is no limit on price for this,” was the pony's reply.

“In that case, carry on!” Mecha said, scribbling something down.

Chuckling at Mecha's new found enthusiasm, the pony said, “What was requested was a scene from last night... something about a young foal made of silver leaving candy in front of a statue of Nightmare Moon, made out of the Nightmare metal, whilst Luna hides behind it, made of the blue metal, laughing.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Got it.  Anything else?”

“Not for the statue,” was the hooded pony's reply.  “Although, you could tell me if it's true that princess Luna got scared so bad she quivered and shook.”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Not only is that true, but I built the haunted house that did it!”

“Really now?” the pony asked.  “Would you happen to have the blueprints for it? Celestia was interested in acquiring whatever scared her sister.  Something about either filling her room with it or a doorway portal...”

Shaking his head, Mecha went inside and grabbed the design off his table, before walking back out and handing it to the pony.  “Here you go,” Mecha told him, “One design to scare Luna! That will be... your name.”

Laughing, the hooded pony said, “Very well, I have the feeling that we'll be doing more and more business as time goes on anyways, so what harm could it be? My name is Dissonant Babel.”

“Well, good to finally have a name to go with the hood!” Mecha replied.  “Now, come back in two months, and I might have it done.  No promises though, do you know how hard it is to get Nightmare metal?”
> Date Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha groaned, as he sat up and looked around his house, trying to recall what happened.  Failing that, he settled for watching his friends wake up, groaning as much as Mecha.  Solaris and Shining Armor were both rubbing their foreheads, both heavily bruised for some, probably funny, reason.  Doctor Whooves was attempting to dislodge himself from the ceiling, which Mecha would need to fix, as well as the wall Big Macintosh was resting in.

Blinking, Mecha said, “Glad Sugary Spice had that sleep over.”

LINEBREAKER

Smiling, Mecha stood back and took a good look at his work, the hole in the wall completely un-noticeable.  Turning, Mecha's ears twitched, as he heard a faint sound outside his door.  Walking up to it, he opened the door just as Sweetie Bell was about to knock.  Blinking, Mecha asked, “Can I help you?”

Nodding her head, Sweetie Bell asked, “Is Sugary Spice here? I wanted to talk to her for a bit.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “She left about a half-hour ago for some tutoring with Twilight Sparkle.  Besides, didn't you just have that sleepover with her and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

Sighing, the young filly replied, “I did, but something just came up, and I wanted to get her opinion on it before going to Apple Bloom with it.”

“Well, sorry about that, but Sugary Spice really needs this English tutoring, and won't be back for another hour,” Mecha said.

Shaking her head, Sweetie Bell said, “Sorry for bothering you then,” before walking off.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha shrugged his shoulders before walking back to put his tools away, only to spot Wolfgang stuck inside the paint bucket.  Eye twitching, Mecha said, “And now I need to give you a bath...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking through town, trying to figure out a way to kill time until his date with Cheerilee.  Maybe he could talk to Big Macintosh about... no, he was helping out with the sisterhoof social.  Doctor Whooves could probably use some help with... no, he was out of town with Ditzy Do and her daughter Dinky Do for some muffin festival.  Shining Armor and Solaris were out as well, seeing as Mecha didn't want to catch a train to Canterlot and back.  Maybe he should just forge something until it was time to go?

Except that he'd  given Snips and Snails the forge for the day, with the promise to let them work unhindered.  Sighing, Mecha sat down on a bench in a park, trying to come up with something, when he suddenly heard singing.  Lovely, harmonious, singing.  Familiar too, if he heard the words right.  Chuckling, Mecha made his way towards the local pond, taking in the scene in front of him.

There, resting on the shore, was a siren, the source of the singing.  Surrounding her was a crowd of awestruck stallions, eyes wide and blank, caught in the trance cast by her song.  Mecha merely shook his head, as he watched their marefriends try and snap them out of their trances, to no avail.  Taking a seat under a nearby tree, Mecha waited for Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy to show up, as they were possibly the only two ponies in town who'd know what to do- besides Mecha that is.

And lo and behold, here came Twilight Sparkle running up to the pond, Spike on her trail.  Mecha laughed, as Spike's eyes went wide and blank the moment he heard the Siren's song, slowly coming to a halt in front of her.  Twilight Sparkle noticed this, and tried to snap him out of it, failing much like the other mares their.

Eventually, Twilight Sparkle gave up, turning to the siren, trying to talk to her.  Unfortunately, the Siren didn't seem to hear her, and continued her song.  Getting frustrated, Twilight Sparkle began to build up her magic, at which point Mecha stepped in, saying, “I wouldn't do that if I were you! Unicorn magic isn't the most stable thing to mix with a siren's song.”

Startled, Twilight Sparkle's concentration broke, as she turned to face Mecha, and asked, “Mecha? What are you doing here? And why aren't you being effected by the siren?”

“Was bored and heard the siren,” Mecha told her.  “And as for the song, you'd be surprised how much it pales in comparison to Lust's singing, and I broke out of that trance.  Granted, that was only because of an... outside source, but still.”

Sighing Twilight Sparkle  looked between the entranced ponies and Mecha, asking, “What would you suggest then? If magic doesn't work, the only other solution I know of is...”

Eyes widening, Mecha waved his hooves in front of him, saying, “Nonononononono! We don't have to go that far, she doesn't plan on eating them or anything!”

Blinking, Twilight turned to Mecha, and asked, “How the hay do you know that?”

Shrugging, Mecha pointed at the siren, and said, “She's asking for some directions.”

Stunned, Twilight said, “Once again, how the hay do you know that?”

Deciding to demonstrate how, Mecha cleared his throat, while turning to the siren.  Cracking his neck, he sang out in the language of the siren, “Madam, if you'd be so kind as to be silent for the moment, so that we may remove those effected by your song.”

Blinking, the siren turned to face Mecha, before replying, “Of course! I'm sorry about that, I didn't realize they were under my spell.”

Nodding his head, Mecha waited a moment for the stallions and Spike to snap out of their trance, before having them pulled away.  At this point, only he and Twilight Sparkle remained, so he started singing again, saying, “Thank you.  Now, if you don't mind me asking, where are you trying to get to? After all, it's not everyday that a siren winds up in your town's pond.”

Nodding back, the siren said, “I'm looking for a town named Ponyville.  It's suppose to be quite nice, as well as understanding of unique situations.”

Quirking his eyebrow, Mecha told her, “This is Ponyville.  Although, you've peaked my interest when you said unique situation.  Might I inquire as to yours?”

Smiling, the siren told him, “You may.  My name is Synge, and I'm a vegetarian.”

Eyes widening, Mecha replied with, “That certainly is unique. No offense, but I wasn't aware that it was possible to survive as a vegetarian siren.”

Shaking her head, Synge said, “It's possible, but difficult.  I just couldn't bring myself to eat anything with a face, and since the common diet includes ponies... well, you can see why I left... I'm sorry, but I don't know your name.”

Giving himself a face hoof, Mecha replied, “That would be my fault.  My name is Mecha, local handypony and metal worker.  It's a pleasure to meet you, although I must ask if you intend to live in the pond?”

Nodding her head, Synge told him, “So long as the town will let me.  Although, I should probably learn how not to put every male into a trance whenever I speak.”

Chuckling, Mecha told his new friend, “Don't worry about it, I can pull a few strings with my aunt to allow you to stay.  As for the trance thing, my friend here would probably love to teach you Equestrian in exchange for you teaching her Siren Speak.”

Smiling, Synge clapped her hands while replying, “Oh thank you! I'd love it if you could arrange that, and I'd be more than willing to teach your friend!”

Shaking his head, Mecha turned to Twilight Sparkle, who was staring at him in shock.  Lightly slapping her face, Mecha asked, “Are you okay?”

Giving her head a shake, Twilight asked, “What's going on?”

Laughing, Mecha told her, “Meet Synge, a vegetarian siren who just moved into town.”

Blinking, Twilight Sparkle looked Mecha dead in the eyes, and said, “Vegetarian siren?”

Nodding, Mecha continued, “She wants to know if you'd be willing to teach her Equestrian in exchange for her teaching you Siren Speak.”

Looking between the hopeful looking siren and Mecha, Twilight Sparkle asked, “Is that what you two were chatting in?” Getting a nod in response, Twilight Sparkle sat down to think.  After a couple of minutes, she finally sighed, before saying, “Okay.”

Smiling, Mecha turned to Synge, and gave her a nod.  Squealing with joy, Synge leaned forward and gave both ponies a hug.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha did one last run of his checklist for his date.  Picnic basket? Check.  Sugary Spice dropped of at Fluttershy's? Check.  Food in basket? Check.  Wolfgang fed? Check.  Flower carefully placed to surprise Cheerilee with? Check.

Everything seemed to be in place, so Mecha waited by the road out of Ponyville for Cheerilee.  He didn't have to wait long, as he spotted Cheerilee walking down the street, giving him a wave.  Smiling, Mecha picked up the basket, and began to trot down the street with his marefriend.

Coming to a stop shortly after a turn, Mecha gestured to the field, saying, “A lovely field for a lovely lady.”

Giggling at Mecha's antics, Cheerilee spread out the blanket she'd brought, upon which Mecha placed his basket.  Sitting down, Cheerilee asked him, “How was your day?”

Chuckling, Mecha pulled out a daisy sandwich, while saying, “Interesting.  Had to help Twilight Sparkle deal with our newest resident.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee opened the basket, gasping lightly at the rose.  “You shouldn't have!” she told him, putting the thorn free flower behind her ear.  “Although, you have me intrigued about this new resident.”

Swallowing a bite of his sandwich, Mecha said, “Her name's Synge, and I had to help with the language barrier.”

Pulling out a sandwich of her own, Cheerilee asked, “Language barrier? Where was she from, Camelidaeia*?  Or Bovidaeia*? No, with a name like Synge, she's probably from Cervinaeia.*”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “Nah, she's from the coast.”

“Really? Then why was there a language barrier?” Cheerilee asked.

“Because Synge is a siren,” Mecha replied, finishing his sandwich before reaching into the basket for another.

“A siren? As in the sing an enchanting song, eat the entranced sailors kind of siren?” Cheerilee said, looking at Mecha dumbfounded.

“Nah,” Mecha said, “The, asking for directions to the town she's in, not realizing she's enchanting all the guys in town, while hoping for a veggie burger kind of siren.”

“She's a vegetarian?” Cheerilee asked, grabbing a slice of apple pie from the basket.

“Yeah, and is now living in the town pond,” Mecha told her.

“So you know Siren Speak?” Cheerilee asked, quirking her head to the side.

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Learned it from my old man.  You'd be surprised how useful it is, although I wouldn't recommend using it as a talent show entry.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee put her cleared dish back into the basket, while asking, “Why not?”

Helping Cheerilee clean up, Mecha told her, “Because the enchanting effect only works on stallions and lesbians.  I ended up running out of the auditorium while being chased by by a horde of stallions who wanted to... ugh, thinking about it makes me shudder.”

Chuckling, Cheerilee's response was interrupted when an arrow flew by Mecha's face, leaving a small cut on the tip of his nose.  Blinking, Mecha looked at the arrow lodged in the tree, before his eyes widened.  Turning towards the forest where it came from, Mecha yelled to Cheerilee, “Run!” before he opened his Mechanical leg to reveal two swords, grabbing one with his other foreleg, shifting into a battle stance.

Eyes widening at the tone Mecha used, Cheerilee turned towards town, running as fast as she could.  When she was out of sight, Mecha spoke up, saying, “What does the Nightmare clan want with me?”

His question was met with silence, as he stood, waiting.  Finally, several ponies in extremely dark blue, borderline black, cloaks walked out.  The largest one, most likely the leader, spoke up, saying, “How did you know we hailed from the Nightmare clan? Not that it matters, you'll be dead soon enough, but I'm curious.”

Snorting, Mecha motioned to the arrow lodged in the tree, saying, “Only the Nightmare clan would be willing to use a metal as expensive as Nightmare metal for arrow tips.  But I digress, what do you want with me?”

Chuckling, the leader replied, “Your death.  After all, you are in the way of returning our princess to her true form, and we can't have that!” and he drew his sword, made from Nightmare metal just like the arrow head, signaling for the other three to do the same, revealing a crossbow user as well as two ax wielders.

Frowning, Mecha charged forward, spinning pass a strike from the leader, and continued moving towards his target.  Getting close to the ax users, he dove under the top blade and above the lower one, leaping out of it towards the figure with the crossbow.  Startled, the figure tried to back away, firing a shot off in an attempt to keep Mecha away.

Instead of stepping away though, Mecha knocked it away with one of his blades, before lunging forward with his other blade, glowing black with the magic he was channeling into it.  Closing his eyes, the figure was startled when, instead of decapitating him like he thought Mecha was going to do, his blade shattered the ebony crossbow held in his hooves.  So shocked in fact, that he failed to notice Mecha's kick that threw him straight back into a tree, knocking him out.

Turning, Mecha's eyes went wide as he suddenly bent backwards, a pitch black ax chopping through the air where his neck used to be.  Snapping forward, Mecha lashed out with his blades, trying to slice the ax in half, only for them to be caught by the leader's sword.  Growling, Mecha started to swing rapidly, only for his opponent to match him blow for blow.

Suddenly, the leader ducked down as an ax strike came from behind him, catching Mecha off guard.  Thankfully, the ax didn't have that long a reach, leaving a light gash running across his chest.  After the ax finished its swing, the leader leapt up with an uppercut, which Mecha barely caught with his swords, before he had to duck under another ax attack.

Turning, Mecha noticed that he'd been surrounded by the three figures, causing him to tense up.  Taking in a deep breath, he channeled his magic into his limbs, before moving in a rapid blur, striking the cultists as fast as he could, attempting to break the circle surrounding him.

Unfortunately, they were all well trained, and were able to either block or dodge each of his strikes, causing Mecha to growl.  Building up as much magic as his swords could hold, before releasing it in a circle around him.  Caught off guard, the two ax wielders took the full blast, weapons braking as they flew through the air, unconscious.  The leader, however, was able to leap back in time to avoid the initial burst, and thus leap over the remaining magic as it approached him.  “Impressive,” he told Mecha, gesturing to the damage he'd done.  “You'd make for a fine addition if you'd join us, possibly head of your own unit. What do you say, live and join, or say no and die?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “Thanks but no thanks, I like princess Luna the way she is.”

Sighing, the remaining attacker said, “Very well,” before charging forward with a diagonal slash.  Blocking that by crossing his blades, Mecha threw the attack back before slashing at the leader's stomach, missing when he took a step back.  Grasping his sword with both hooves, the assailant lunged forward in an attempt to stab Mecha in the chest, which Mecha span around, swinging his blades at the cloaked figure's neck, who'd foreseen the attack and ducked down.

Turning around, the figured stared down Mecha, as both ignored the glows surrounding them, similar to the time Mecha had fought the wendigo.  The glows slowly lifted into the air, creating a giant light version of the two, as they charged forward, swinging their weapons.

Overhead slash with horizontal strike, sidestepped and ducked under.  Lunge to the chest, knocked away with a counter thrust.  Twisted around while swinging sword at side.  Leapt over while twisting mid-air.  This continued on, neither fighter giving an inch, sweat dripping down their faces.

They were so focused on this fight that both missed the appearance of Celestia herself, followed by Twilight Sparkle and her friends, as well as Cheerilee.  Neither noticed as Celestia looked up into the sky, eyes widening at the sight of their fight being projected into the air.  Although Cheerilee noticed her look, and asked, “What's going on princess?”

Eyes locked onto the images fighting in the sky, Celestia replied, “They've locked themselves in magical combat, meaning we can't interfere.”

Eyes widening, Twilight Sparkle flinched as Mecha managed to leave a cut in the figure's arm at the price of a gash under his earlier wound, saying, “You're the most powerful pony in Equestria! Surely you can do something?!”

Shaking her head, Celestia told her most faithful student, “Magic itself is involved in this fight.  The only way anypony could do something would be for a third combatant to join, which would only make things worse.  No, the only thing we can do is wait for this to end.”

Neither of the two fighters had heard this of course, and continued their bout.  Ducking under a swing from the hooded figure, before releasing another wave of magic at him.  The attacker responded by ducking underneath it and lunging forward, lodging his blade in Mecha's stomach.  Grunting, Mecha released the blade in his non-mechanical hoof, using it to grab the blade.

Caught off guard by this, the assailant attempted to pull the blade out, only to stop when Mecha stabbed him, before pushing him off his blade.  Landing on the ground, the figure looked up as Mecha walked towards him, blood dripping from his mouth.  Laughing, the figure said, “Finish me!”

Raising his blade, Mecha stared him straight in the eyes, before saying, “No,” and knocked him out with the flat of his blade.  Pulling the blade out of his chest, Mecha threw it onto the ground, before facing the group of ponies staring at him.  Smiling, Mecha said, “Would one of you take the Nightmare metal weapons to my forge please?” before collapsing onto the ground.

*Homelands for camels, goats, and red deer respectively.  Note: red deer lands are independent of the rest of the deer lands.
> Drawing Attention
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha groaned, while slowly opening his eyes.  Blinking, he slowly cleared the dots from his vision caused by the bright lights above him.  A quick glance around the room told him that he was probably the most popular guest at the hospital at the moment.  Strike that, he had the most visitors  in hospital history, as he just spotted the young foals standing next to Cheerilee.

“I didn't realize that I was so popular,” Mecha told them, holding still to avoid aggravating his injuries.

Everypony rushed up to his bedside, each asking him how he was doing, if he was okay, or what had happened.  Holding up his mechanical hoof, Mecha told them, “One at a time, one at a time,” silencing the crowd, allowing Mecha to see who'd come to visit him.  Everypony that had caught the end of his fight was here, as well as his aunt to no surprise.  Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves were present as well, with Sugary Spice standing in between them, Snips and Snails barely visible behind them.

Sighing, Mecha said, “All right, let's start with the most important one here...” and as Celestia stepped forward, he continued, “Cheerilee, go ahead.”

Everypony laughed a bit, as Celestia stepped back, giving Cheerilee room to step forward and say, “You've all but answer it, are you okay?”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “Yeah, although I wish I didn't have as many holes in my body.”

Chuckling, Cheerilee leaned forward and nuzzled him gently, before stepping back.  Getting a nod from Mecha, Celestia stepped forward, asking, “What happened?”

Sighing, Mecha told her, “The Nightmare clan decided that I was in the way of their goals, and thus needed to send a hit squad after me.  Speaking of which, where in Luna's name is Solaris! I mean, this is his clan, and thus his problem!”

Sighing, Celestia replied, “He's on his way now, but do you need anything else in the mean time?”

“Nah,” Mecha said, “I should be good to go.  Although, I'm probably going to need an extension on your order.”

Shaking her head, Celestia said, “That's not a...”

When the door was forced open by Solaris, who looked at Mecha, before visibly relaxing, sliding  down the doorway, saying, “Thank Luna you're alright, I was worried you'd been majorly hurt by uncle Rosebud...”

Blinking at the odd name for a cult leader, Mecha asked, “Yeah, about that... why didn't you warn me that the Wrath forsaken Nightmare clan put a hit on me!!!”

Blushing, Solaris rubbed the back of his head, saying, “Yeah... I was going to tell you today.” Seeing the deadpan look Mecha was shooting at him, he held up his forehooves and continued, “I didn't realize they'd assemble a hit squad so quickly!”

Sighing, Mecha's reply was cut off when Solaris was knocked over by Shining Armor rushing in.  Looking around, he sighed when he saw that Twilight Sparkle was okay, saying, “Thank Celestia your okay Twiley!”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked Shining Armor, “Is it a good idea to invoke the name of Celestia while she's in the room?”

Blinking, Shining Armor turned to the grinning Celestia, before facing Mecha, replying, “Probably not, although it seems like she doesn't care.”

“Luna doesn't care when I invoke her name in front of her either,” Solaris added.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha asked, “Is there any thing else you should tell me while you're here? Or am I going to have to wait for the bounty hunters to show up to learn that Astrum replaced the bounty on my head?”

Eyes widening, Shining Armor asked, “How'd you hear that so soon?”

Shocked, Mecha replied, “He actually did that?”

Nodding his head, Shining Armor told him, “We got the report in this morning.”

“That Pride forsaken bastard!” Mecha yelled, before wincing in pain, placing his forelegs over his wounds.

He was shaken out of his trance when Sugary Spice tugged on him, asking, “What's a bastard?”

Pupils shrinking once he realized what he said, Mecha shook his head, patting her on the head while saying, “A really bad word I shouldn't have said.”  Glancing at the looks every mare in the room was shooting him, he shuddered and added, “And one you should never, ever, ever say, okay?”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice walked back to where she was originally standing, before taking a seat on the floor.  During this time, Mecha idly noticed that Snips and Snails were both watching her, large blushes visible on their faces.  Eye twitching, Mecha thought it could be worse.  After all, if either of them did something he didn't approve of towards his, recently bureaucrat approved, daughter, he could always work them to near death in the forge.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was leaning against a tree in the town's park, reading a book on deer fighting styles.  After all, the bounty hunters would show up any day now, and he wanted to be ready for anything they'd throw at him.  Furthermore, he could add some of the moves to his skill set against the Nightmare clan when they threw the next hit squad at him.

But for now, Mecha merely relaxed, as Synge sang a relaxing, non-enchanting melody to the delight of passing couple.  Glancing at the sun's position, Mecha marked his place in his book, gingerly making his way to his hooves so he didn't re-open his bandaged wounds.  Walking out of the park, Mecha gave a wave to Pinkie Pie as she passed him, before walking into the town's cafe for lunch with Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves.

Taking his seat, Mecha said, “Is it just me, or has this been a long week?”

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “Its just you, it flew by for me.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh added, nodding his head.

Sighing, Mecha said, “Well, I'm just glad it's over.  Hopefully this next week won't be near as bad.”

Laughing, Doctor Whooves told him, “Look on the bright side, you haven't been blown up yet!”

“Or been attacked by a dangerous creature that's afflicted with somethin' that makes it ten times more dangerous,” Big Macintosh pointed out.

“Yeah, well that probably jinxed me,” Mecha told them, taking a bite from his usual order.

“Nah,” Doctor Whooves replied, “To jinx it we'd have to have said it could've been worse before listing our scenarios,” as he started to scarf down the feast in front of him.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha said, “Does it matter that you just said it?”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh said, “Eenope.  Jinxing is a weird thing like that.  Although, it's now possible that you'd be struck with somethin' totally different.”

“MECHA! We know you're here, show yourself!” came a voice from behind the chatting friends.

Turning around, Mecha spotted several deer, armed to the horns with weapons, and hollered out, “Do you mind!?! I'm having lunch with my friends!”

Blinking, the deer turned to him, before the leader said, “Dreadfully sorry about that, we can wait here for you to finish.”

Caught off guard by the deer's attitude, Mecha asked, “Aren't you supposed to yell out something about not caring about my opinion before you try and cut me down for  my bounty?”

“Oh no,” came the bounty hunter's response, shaking his head.  “It would be terribly rude of us to do so, especially since we've already had to yell to get your attention.  Please, finish up and then we can do combat, so long as you have a location away from the civilians who may get hurt in the crossfire.”

Doctor Whooves started to laugh at this point, saying, “I like these guys! They're way politer than the last batch of deer who tried to claim your bounty.”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Yeah, they are.  Hey, how much is my bounty this time?”

Quirking his head, the leader of the deer said, “I believe it was around a quarter of a million bits when I last checked...”

Blinking, Big Macintosh turned to Mecha and said, “Ah don't suppose you'd let me turn you in?”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Nah, wouldn't want to get an even larger bounty on my head after I escaped.”

Thinking over what Mecha just said, Big Macintosh replied, “Probably a good call, ah wouldn't want even more bounty hunters on you're tail.”

Shaking his head, Mecha finished his meal, before turning to the waiting bounty hunters, saying, “Follow me, we'll use the Iron Pony field for our fight.  Actually, would you guys mind if we sold tickets for ponies to watch in the bleachers that look over the field?”

Mumbling to themselves, the bounty hunters talked it over, before the leader replied, “We don't mind.  In fact, it might add to the joy of the fight! Although, would it be wise to allow them to witness such a bloody event?”

“Not if we have Twilight Sparkle cast the arena spell,” Mecha told them.

“Then we accept on the condition we get ten percent of the profits,” the deer told him, “as it is unlikely that we'll best you in combat.”

“Well, I am injured,” Mecha pointed out.

Eyes widening, the leader replied, “Then we must postpone this until you recover! I am most sorry, I figured that you wore those bandages as a statement of your training, as most senior gladiators do back home.”

Shaking his head, Mecha told him, “Not a problem, I'll just work around them.  Although, fair warning, if things go as I think they will, the princesses will probably have the bounty on my head removed before you'd be able to cash it in should you win.”

Shrugging their shoulders, the head of the herd told him, “If this pays well enough, we might just stay here instead and set up an arena instead of remaining bounty hunters.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Good call.  In fact, I'd enjoy having new sparring partners from time to time if you'd did, there's only so much you can do against the same opponent.”

“Yes, that is quite true,” the deer replied, as they reached the iron pony grounds.

Looking around, Mecha nodded as he noticed that the grounds had held together fairly well.  Turning the his soon to be opponents, Mecha told them, “I'm going to go ahead and get the ticket booth set up, as well as try and find Twilight Sparkle. You guys go ahead and streach or whatever it is you do, and I should be back in about an hour.  That work?”

Getting a nod in response, the deer trotted over to join his men, as they prepped for the fight.

LINEBREAKER

Two hours later, and the combatants took to the field, to the roaring cheer of the audience.  Mecha stood at one end of the field, while the five deer stood at the other end.  Giving a signal to Twilight Sparkle, her horn glowed as she cast the arena spell, a wave of magic rushing over the fighters.  Turning to his enemies for the moment, Mecha asked, “Do you mind if I use some of my more... unique weapons to fight?”

Shaking his head, the leader replied, “Not at all my fine opponent! After all, this is combat, so use whatever tricks you must to pull ahead!”

Smiling at the deer's understanding of true combat, Mecha decided to ask, “What's your name? After all, you've been so polite all day, I must know who I'm about to fight!”

Laughing, the leader told him, “Something too long to say.  Instead, just call me what everydeer calls me, Limbs!”

Chuckling, Mecha nodded his head as he stood upon his rear legs, waiting for the signal to start.  After all, Spike had to warm the crowd up with his speech.  Tensing his muscles, Mecha threw his cloak off revealing the grenade laden sash he'd grabbed while searching for Twilight.  Seeing Spike begin to wrap up his speech, Mecha opened his mechanical leg and armed himself, watching Spike's arm, as he raised it into the air.  After three tense seconds, it dropped, signifying the start of the battle.

Knowing he'd only have the one chance to use the grenades due to his injuries, Mecha started to grab and chuck them at the charging deer, taking no time to actually aim.  The deer tried to charge through them, not knowing what they were, only to change direction after the first went off and threw one of them sky high, and knocked another off his legs, side singed

Mecha knew he'd been lucky to take one of them out while injuring another as he tossed the last one, and tightened his grip on his swords.  All he needed to do now was survive the oncoming attack, and he'd be good.

The first deer to reach him was Limbs, who tried to run his sharpened horns through Mecha, only to hit air as Mecha span around him, before hissing slightly as he nearly re-opened his wounds.  He didn't have long to focus on the pain though, as he was forced to duck under a sword strike from behind, to which he responded to by stabbing behind him, blades meeting flesh.

Pulling the blades out, Mecha didn't even look at the deer he'd just 'slain,' for Limbs had returned with another charge, which Mecha had to once more spin around, actually opening a wound this time, causing blood to slowly seep into the bandages he wore.

This caused the crowd to gasp, as they though Limbs had landed a blow on Mecha, most unaware of his previous fight with the Nightmare clan.

Limbs, however, didn't notice this as he turned to face Mecha, before pulling out his weapon, a large steel hammer, covered with pictures of various deer fighting.  Snorting, Limbs pounded the ground with it, leaving a small crater where it impacted, causing Mecha to groan.  Of course the one time he couldn't use his agility to full effect was the one time he truly needed it.

Sighing, Mecha waited for one of the three remaining opponents to charge, lacking a plan to deal with the three.

The deer he'd injured with a grenade earlier was the first to move, attempting to crush Mecha's head with a mace, only for Mecha to sidestep the attack and ram his mechanical knee into his burnt side, causing him to gasp and drop his weapon.  Mecha then ducked under a sword slice, rolled underneath the deer he'd just injured, before pushing him into the attack meant to finish him.  This stunned the attacking deer, who stared at his sword lodged in his friend, allowing Mecha a cheap strike at his chest, before he was forced to step around a hammer strike from Limbs.

Turning to face the last standing deer, Mecha panted heavily, blood dripping from all of his now re-opened wounds, saying, “I really hate that thing.”

Smiling, Limbs replied, “I did offer to fight you when you recovered.”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Which I turned down... and to think, I ran from Pride's army before, and yet allowed pride to tell me to fight.”

Chuckling, Limbs didn't respond, eying Mecha's wounds.  Realizing that he had no other choice, Mecha charged forward, hoping to land a quick strike to end the battle.  Crossing his blades, Mecha lashed out, sending out as many slashes and thrusts as he could, only to land minor cuts as Limbs either blocked or dodged his attacks.  Finally, Mecha resorted to channeling magic into his blades, before unleashing a wave of magic, passing out as he did so.

LINEBREAKER

Opening his eyes, Mecha blinked as he gathered his wits.  He was laying on the ground, facing the sky, with Solaris standing over him.  “You all right?” he asked, worried.

“Yeah,” Mecha told him, not bothering to move.  “What happened?”

“You passed out after sending that wave thing at me, which knocked me out as well,” came Limbs reply.  “Followed by the spell lifting and everydeer regaining consciousness while your friend her came to tell us that the bounty was gone.  Which means we'll be sticking around to run the arena.”

Blinking, Mecha replied with, “Okay,” before closing his eyes to take a nap.
> Explosively Good Times
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was walking through town, Sugary Spice next to him, chatting about her day.  “And then Apple Bloom tripped over the board, causing the pie to fly straight into Diamond Tiara!” she told him, laughing as she recalled the spoiled brat's face.

Chuckling, Mecha came to a stop at the entrance to the town, saying, “Serves her right for trying to steal it earlier!”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice asked, “What are we doing here?”

“Waiting for your uncle Shine Sight to show up,” he told her, taking a look around.  “He should be here any second now...”

A flash of light right in front of Mecha signaled his brother's arrival, while blinding Mecha at the same time.  “MY EYES!” he hollered, running around wildly.  “MY EYES!”

Blinking, Shine Sight watched as his brother ran around like a manic, before looking down at the filly pulling his leg.  “Hello there young one,” he spoke, smiling at her.  “What's your name?”

Smiling, Sugary Spice replied, “I'm Sugary Spice! Would you happen to be uncle Shine Sight?”

Caught off guard, Shine Sight raised an eyebrow, before grabbing his panicking brother by the neck, forcing him to stop.  Giving him two quick slaps across the face, Shine Sight asked, “Better?”

Blinking twice, Mecha  relaxed, saying, “Much.”

“Good then,” Shine Sight said, giving his brother an eerie smile.  "THEN YOU CAN TELL ME WHEN IN CELESTIA'S NAME YOU HAD A KID!!!”

Shaking his head in an attempt to regain his hearing, Mecha replied, “Never.  Adopted SS here after I found her.”

Blushing, Shine Sight shrunk into himself, saying, “Oh.”

LINEBREAKER

The two brothers were all sitting in the park, listening to Synge as she entertained the young fillies and colts in the park.  “Sorry about earlier,” Shine Sight said to Mecha, “It's just that I've had a stressful week, and you suddenly having a kid with you pushed me over the edge.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Not a problem.  Had a rough week myself, between attacks from the Nightmare Clan and Astrum putting that bounty back up...”

Eyebrow raised, Shine Sight asked, “You're the pony he put the bounty up on? Dang, no wonder he hated me.”

It was now Mecha's turn to be confused, as he looked at his brother and asked, “When did you meet him?”

“When he was invited to the military display,” Shine Sight replied.  “I had to go to check if any of the air force was retiring or quitting, and if so I had to see if any of them were Wonderbolt material.  I ran into Astrum before the event, and as you said, he was a jerk.  Although, he seemed a lot more timid after the battle mage demonstration...”

Much to Shine Sight's confusion, Mecha burst into laughter.  Seeing his brother's confused looks after five minutes of laughter, Mecha explained to him, “I was wondering how Celestia and Luna convinced Astrum to drop the bounty, and now I have my answer.  Who knew they were capable of such a bold display of force?”

Shine Sight stared at Mecha, before shaking his head, saying, “Of course they did this for you... granted, they'd probably done it for anypony, but still.  So what was that about the Nightmare clan?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “They've put a hit out on my head.  Currently, they're trying to kill me themselves, but I've got the feeling that they'll try Astrum's route soon.  Thankfully we've got Solaris working with us, and with luck they'll manage to catch all of them at the next meeting.”

Shine Sight let out a long whistle, before saying, “Make sure mom doesn't here about this, she'd have you in lock-down in thirteen seconds flat.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “That's if she finds out while the hit is out.  I don't plan to tell her any of this until it's all taken care of.  Or at least Hearth's Warming Eve the year that it's taken care of, good spirit and all that.

Shaking his head, Shine Sight asked Mecha, “So where's Rainbow Dash? I've been waiting for this visit so I could finally get her to stop sending me mail about how cool she is and why she should be in the Wonderbolts.”

Laughing at Rainbow Dash's antics involving his brother, Mecha told him, “She told me that she'd meet you around fiveish at the library.  She's doing something involving a pet until then, which is odd since she doesn't have one.”

“Maybe she's looking for one?” Shine Sight suggested.

“Would make sense,” Mecha replied.  “Probably a hawk or eagle.”

“From the sounds of it, that would fit her perfectly,” Shine Sight said.  “Although, considering the fact that you have Wolfgang, I'd say that there's an even chance she ends up with something like an imp or Caladrius.*”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Yeah, that is totally possible.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha found himself staring as Rainbow Dash performed for his brother.  At her new pet.  Her new pet Tank.  Her new pet Tank the turtle-

“Tortoise,” Fluttershy interrupted, somehow knowing his thoughts.  But still, Rainbow Dash's new pet Tank the tortoise.  He did not see that coming.

A loud boom knocked Mecha out of his thoughts, turning to see Rainbow Dash flying towards the ground with a rainbow behind her.  Turning to his brother, Mecha smirked when he saw a glint in Shine Sight's eyes.  Saying nothing, he watched as Rainbow Dash landed in front of them, panting lightly.  “Well?” she asked, nodding towards Shine Sight, “Is that good enough for the Wonderbolts?”

“It was downright amazing!” Shine Sight told her, smiling wide.  “I haven't seen such talent since Spitfire! You have my approval Rainbow Dash!”

Smiling, Rainbow Dash jumped up, and started to dance, singing, “I'm in the Wonderbolts! I'm in the Wonderbolts! Happy day, happy day! First I get a great pet, and now I'm in the Wonderbolts!”

Laughing, Shine Sight said, “You're not in yet, but you're one step closer.”

Coming to a complete stop, Rainbow Dash replied with, “Say what now?”

Shaking his head, Shine Sight told her, “You've got my approval, which may carry a lot of weight in the long run, but means squat right now.”

Jaw dropping, Rainbow Dash asked, “What do you mean it means squat right now?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Shine Sight told her, “Just that.  As of right now, it means nothing.  However, once I file the paperwork to get you a folder in the possibilities pile, it will mean quite a bit, as the other scouts trust my judgment, meaning that they'll be coming from all over to meet you.  Once you get five out of seven approvals, you're in.”

“Five out of seven?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“My bro here is one of seven of the Wonderbolts talent scouts,” Mecha said, finally entering the conversation.  “You have to audition in front of all seven, even if you get an approved from the first five.  Furthermore, you have to give an audition in front of the team, and then they'll decide in a meeting after that.”

“Really?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking downtrodden.  “I have to go through all of that to get into the Wonderbolts?”

Sighing, Shine Sight said, “Yeah, you do.  It may seem like a long process, but it shouldn't take you too long.  As I said, my approval holds great weight in the process, so at most it should take a year.  You should consider yourself blessed, as the last applicant took four years to get in.”

Rainbow Dash's reply was cut off when an explosion rang out through town, followed by, “It wasn't my fault this time!” from Doctor Whooves.  Eye twitching, Mecha asked, “It was my house, wasn't it?”

Flying up to get a better look at the town, Rainbow Dash nodded her head.  “Blue flames,” she told him, confused due to the color of the flames.

“At least Sugary Spice was out with Wolfgang and the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Mecha said, eye twitch getting worse.  “Especially since they're not here...”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight Sparkle asked, “And why is that?”

“Because,” Mecha started, “I don't want to explain what I'm about to say to them.”  Everypony was confused as Mecha stood there, taking deep breaths, eye twitching so fast and hard that it had to hurt.  Finally he snapped, and yelled out, “DAMN THOSE WRATH FORSAKEN NIGHTMARE CLAN BASTARDS TO THE DEEPEST CORNERS OF HELL!!!” before taking in several more deep breaths.  Walking towards the smoking remains of his home, he asked, “Fluttershy, could you take care of Sugary Spice and Wolfgang for a while?”

Caught off guard, Fluttershy replied, “Um... uh... sure I can... that is, if they don't mind...”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “I need you to send a letter to the princesses Twilight, something along the lines of me hunting down the nightmare clan, and the further delay of the statue they ordered.”

Blinking, Twilight Sparkle said, “Okay... but what are you planning?”

Stopping in his tracks, Mecha turned to face the ponies, and told them, “I'm going to hunt down every last one of those Wrath forsaken maniacs and beat them with their Sloth forsaken doors until their Pride forsaken reflections wince in pain as their Lust forsaken bodies are laying unconscious on their LUCIFER FORSAKEN FLOOR!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha slowly made his way towards the window of the complex currently housing the leaders of the Nightmare clan. Reaching the window, he opened it just enough to listen in, just as the meeting started.

“All right,” spoke a deep voice, “it is time to begin.  First order of business, did that bomb kill our target?”

A high voice replied, saying, “No.  In our attempt to avoid killing the filly living with our target, he was able to avoid the bomb.”

“Bah!” came an angry, scratchy voice.  “Who cares if we kill that filly? After all, if we manage to kill our only obstacle, isn't it worth it?”

A sigh came from the deep voice, as the high voice replied, “It's not worth it if we cause an investigation into our actions! While Mecha may be our only obstacle, it means nothing if we're found and arrested before we can initiate the plan!”

There was no response to this at first, until the scratchy voice said, “Wouldn't a bomb start an investigation anyways?”

“Not if it looked like an accident involving that hydra powder he uses,” came the deep voice.  “But we're getting off topic, with the failure of the bomb, we'll have to resort to assassins.  Yes, I realize it goes against our ways, but due to the fact that he's already survived one attack, we must make sure that he doesn't hunt us down.”

Sighing, the high voice said, “That's all well and good, but what about our leak? Somepony is handing out intel, and we need to stop it before it's too late!”

“I still say it's that Solaris fellow,” the scratchy voice bellowed.  “Never trusted him, too... shifty eyed.”

“Yes yes, you've made yourself clear,” came the deep voice, “but you know the rules.  Spies are to be accused and tried in front of the whole clan.  We'll bring this up next week at the full clan meeting, but until then you are to leave Solaris alone, got it?”

Sighing, the scratchy voice replied, “I've got it...”

“Good,” the deep voice replied.  “Then we'll meet up at the clan meeting in the normal place.”

“The warehouse by the docks?” asked the high voice.

“The orange one right?” asked the scratchy voice.

Sighing, the deep voice replied, “Yes, that one.  By Nightmare Moon how you two became head councilors I'll never know...”

Mecha smirked as he slowly backed away from the window.  After all, he knew the time and place of the next meeting, and a week was all he needed to prep for it, as well as for the royal palace guards to arrive.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood in the shadows of the large orange warehouse, waiting for the royal guards to arrive.  Tapping his foot impatiently, Mecha looked around, trying to spot them, relaxing when he spotted Shining Armor and Solaris.  Signaling for them to meet up with him, Mecha asked, “Where have you been? Actually, forget that, here's the plan.  I've rigged up several grenades to our entry points, all connected to this ridiculously quick fuse.”

Blinking, Shining Armor asked, “Isn't that illegal after somepony blew up a fireworks factory with it?”

Coughing and blushing, Mecha replied, “Doesn't matter, we're using it anyways to get a near simultaneous entrance.  At that point, everypony charges in and starts arresting or fighting the Nightmare clan.  Oh, and Solaris, they're onto you.”

Sighing, Solaris said, “Which mean that this was meant to be a meeting to judge me... great, just great.  On the bright side, I can finally put my insane clan in jail.”

Shaking his head, Mecha held up the ridiculously quick fuse end up in his mechanical hoof, before lighting it, causing it to near instantly disappear.  Half a second later, there was a series of explosions, prompting everypony to charge into the warehouse, catching the stunned clan off guard.

The only way things could've been better would've been if the three figures on stage weren't running towards Mecha, Shining Armor, and Solaris with their weapons drawn.

Pulling out his swords, Mecha blocked the middle figure's mace, whilst the figure on the right yelled out in a scratchy voice, “I knew you were a spy!” as he tried to decapitate him with an ax.

“You're kinda cute...” came a high voice to his left, as the pony fought Shining Armor.

Grimacing, Shining Armor replied, “I have a marefriend,” as he ducked under a strike from her whip.

Mecha looked towards his own opponent, and sighed.  “Don't suppose you'd be willing to come in peacefully?” he asked, side-stepping a blow meant for his head.

“No way in Hell!” spoke the figure in his deep voice, raising his mace to stop one of Mecha's blades.

“Funny,” Mecha replied, “I've been there.  Not something you should take lightly.” Bending back to avoid the swinging ball of metal, Mecha lashed out with a cross strike, nicking his opponent's chest.  Growling in fury, the figure pressed a button on his mace, causing the head to pop off with a chain connecting it to the handle.

“Wrath's bow strung with Lust's panties,” Mecha yelled, ducking under a wild swing.  “A flail?! Do you even know how to use that thing?” before he jumped back to dodge another attack.  “You know what, screw it!” Mecha yelled, channeling his magic into his blades, before he started to swing rapidly, launching dozens of magical waves at his opponent.

Had Mecha been able to see his target's eyes, he'd have noticed them widening in shock, before he danced around the deadly waves of magic, slowly making his way closer.  His advance was brought to a halt though, as one of the waves caught him in the side, leaving a giant bloody gash.  After that, his flail caught a wave, causing him to spin and throw the weapon, before collapsing due to blood loss.

Mecha, having not seen the flail fly from the figure's hands, stopped sending wave after wave of magic, right in time for the pointed flail to smack him right in the chest, breaking several ribs from the sounds of it.  On the bright side, he was alive, and the battle won from the looks of it.  Shining Armor had his opponent wrapped in her own whip, eye twitching as she continued to flirt with him, and Solaris was simply staring at the wall his opponent was lodged in, apparently having run into it in a fit of rage.

Coughing up a bit of blood, Mecha asked, “Are all of them here?”

Blinking, Solaris stared at Mecha, before replying, “Yeah, they are.  ...do you need to visit the hospital?”

Shaking his head, Mecha stared straight at the ceiling, before saying, “Nah, I should be fine.  Or at least good enough to make it back to Ponyville.

* Caladrius- a mythical bird that is suppose to take any illness or injury from a hospital patient, before flying off and healing itself, resulting in the treatment of both patient and bird.
> Returning... Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha slowly walked into Ponyville, staring at the remains of his house.  Basically, all that was left was the basement.  “Well,” he said to himself, coming to a stop at the entrance to his property.  “At least I don't have to remodel a room for Sugary Spice any more... And my forge is intact!”

“DADDY!” shouted Sugary Spice from behind, causing Mecha to turn to face her... and to be knocked over by her flying tackle hug.  “I missed you so much! Please tell me you're going to stay!”

Grunting, Mecha replied, “Yeah, I'm staying... although it might be in the hospital if you stay on my ribs.”

Blinking, Sugary Spice looked down to see Mecha's bandaged chest, before widening her eyes and jumping off.  “Sorry,” she told him, looking down and blushing.  “I was just so happy to see you again.”

Shaking his head, Mecha got back up and said, “It's all right.  So how was it at Fluttershy's while I was gone?”

Smiling, the young filly said, “It was great! I got to learn all about the animals she takes care of, as well as watch as she dressed up and acted as Mare-Do-Well!”

Eyebrow raised, Mecha wondered what his daughter meant by Mare-Do-Well, before shaking his head.  He'd probably find out later, from either Doctor Whooves or Big Macintosh.  Turning back to the remains of his house, he sighed.  “Would you be up for staying at Sweet Apple Acres while our home is rebuilt?” he asked.

Jumping up and down in excitement, Sugary Spice replied, “Oh would I! An extended sleepover with Apple Bloom, I can't wait!”

Chuckling, Mecha told her, “Wait until we get the okay to stay.  Who knows, they may not have room for us.”

LINEBREAKER

Turned out that the Apple family had one room available... for Sugary Spice.  Meaning that Mecha had to sleep in a pile of hay in the barn with Wolfgang, when he had to sleep that is.  However, that didn't matter at the moment, as Mecha stood next to his forge, Snips and Snails looking at him.

Giving them a glance, Mecha turned to look at the pile of Nightmare metal weapons that were confiscated after the raid on the Nightmare clan.  They'd been given to him as a 'Thank you for helping capture the cult' gift, and he intended to use the metal for his commissioned project, minus the mace/flail which was to be hung over his fireplace... when he had one again.

Turning to face his apprentices, Mecha gave them a good look over.  No longer were they lanky or pudgy, but rather lean and built with light muscles, the workouts at Sweet Apple Acres having clearly paid off.  And not a moment to soon, as this would put their training to the test, as Nightmare metal was ridiculously hard to work with, as he would explain to them.

“I'll start with this,” Mecha said, looking both young colts in the eyes.  “I'm proud to call you two my apprentices.  You've come far in a very short time, and if it wasn't for the fact that I can see your Cutie Marks from here, I'd say that your talents laid in forging.  But this will be on an entirely different level- beyond what I should be letting you do.  To start with, try and cast some magic on a piece of Nightmare metal, anything will do.”

Raising an eyebrow each at  Mecha's directions, the two friends shrugged their shoulders, before their horns glowed.  Concentrating, they both began to sweet as they tried to do something, anything with their magic to the metal.  After about two minutes, Mecha held up his hoof to have them stop, before saying, “That's one of the issues.  Direct magic is absorbed by the metal, meaning we'll have to do this by hoof.  I was fortunate when fighting to catch the titanium handle, although I don't think getting hit with it afterwords would be considered terribly lucky.”

Walking over to the pile of weapons, Mecha started to remove any and all non-Nightmare metal components from the weapons, throwing them into a small stack next to him.  Signaling for Snips and Snails to do the same, he continued, “Another unique property of Nightmare metal is that working with it for excessive amounts of time causes, well... nightmares.  So I'm going to give you a choice, do you wish to help me with the main portion of the statue, or just work on the silver and titanium part.”

Snips and Snails looked into each other's eyes, holding a silent conversation whilst continuing to work on separating the weapons into pieces.  After three or four minutes, they nodded their heads, before Snips said, “We'll help with the Nightmare metal part boss!”

“Yeah,” Snails added, nodding his head, “Although we'd like to know more about those nightmares...”

Nodding his head, Mecha took the first of the pieces of metal and threw them into the smelter, before saying, “At best, they'll be minor annoyances that will wake you up once, maybe twice a week.  You'd be a bit tired, but nothing to bad.  At worse, you end up like me, only to a lesser degree due to less exposure.  I'll talk to Cheerilee about it, so don't worry to much about your grades.”

Getting a nod from both in response, Mecha grabbed his hammer, and got to work.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was in the town park, talking with Synge while he waited for Cheerilee.  After all, Synge needed practice with her Equestrian, and he had nothing better to do.  “So this Limbs fellow is still here?” she asked him, having been brought up to date on recent events.

“Yeah, and he's pretty nice for a deer,” Mecha replied.

Raising an eyebrow, Synge asked, “For a deer? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were racist against deer.”

Snorting, Mecha said, “Look at it from my point of view- The first deer I met arrested me for saving a town, although he was only acting upon orders.  Then, I meet the king, who threw me into an arena to fight until I died, for the entertainment of his people, most of whom wanted to see me get ripped to pieces.  Then, they cheer for my survival, only to try and kill me for a bounty placed on my head by the king himself.  Finally, the king removes the bounty, only to be replaced after he got tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, meaning he broke his word.  Yeah, not a very good impression of the deer people, is it?”

Shaking her head, Synge replied, “No, it is not.  Although, this sounds nothing like the deer people I met from along the coast.”

“You probably meet some red deer then,” Mecha told her.  “Much more polite and less brutal about everything.”

“Not to mention, red deer are possibly the only deer whose culture would allow them to learn Siren Speech,” came a voice from behind Mecha.

Smiling, Mecha said, “Synge, I'd like you to meet my marefriend Cheerilee.  Cheerilee, this is Synge,” as he turned to embrace Cheerilee.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Synge said to Cheerilee, after Mecha ended their embrace.

“And you as well,” Cheerilee replied, nodding her head.  Turning to Mecha, she said, “You wanted to speak to me?”

Nodding his head, Mecha gave a wave to Synge as she swam away to give them some privacy, before replying, “Yeah, it's about Snips and Snails.  The two of them are going to be working with me with Nightmare metal, so...”

“You wanted to give me a heads up in case it effects their work, right?” Cheerilee finished for him.

“Yeah,” Mecha said.  “Hopefully, it won't escalate to that point, but you never know with this kind of thing.”

Sighing, Cheerilee gave Mecha a sad look, and said, “Just please try to keep contact to a minimum.  For you and them, you barley sleep as it is!”

Letting out a sigh of his own, Mecha told her, “I'll try, but I need this statue down quickly if I want to afford to rebuild my home.  Not to mention, this could be the best chance I get to test if Snips and Snails are done with their training.”

Eyes widening, Cheerilee asked, “Have they really progressed that far?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “It's shocking how quickly they picked it up.  Who knows, maybe we'll have another evolving Cutie Mark or two?”

LINEBREAKER

It was close to midnight, and Mecha was working on the next piece of Nightmare metal, when the door to his forge suddenly opened.  Turning quickly, Mecha had readied to throw his hammer, until he saw that it was Snips and Snails who'd walked in, both looking tired yet alert.  “Nightmares starting to hit?” he asked them.

“Yeah,” they replied, nodding their heads.

“Parents know you're here?” he asked, turning to get back to work.

“Left them a note for when they wake up,” Snips said.

“Alright then,” Mecha said, hammering out the metal into shape.  “If you want to work, use the silver for now.”

Nodding their heads, the two tired foals grabbed their hammers with magic, as well as several silver bars, and got to work.

Clang.... Clang... Clang... this was the sound of them working under Luna's moon, each slowly making progress with the commissioned piece.  When morning finally came, the trio kept working, with Snips and Snails wrapping up their silver work to help Mecha with the Nightmare metal, when sounds of panic started to come from Ponyville.

Seeing his apprentices look towards the town, Mecha said, “Don't stop unless it's for breakfast, this is one of the few days you have off from school!” as he hammered the metal a little louder to get their attention.

Shaking their heads, they got back to work, as Mecha listened to the cries coming from Ponyville.  Something involving a giant... wolf? Although he wasn't eating anypony, and was on his way...

“Lust's panties dipped in Gluttony's deep fryer,” Mecha said/sighed, putting down his tools.  Seeing the look on Snips and Snails faces, he explained, “I know what's causing the ruckus, as well as where he's going.  Just stay here while I talk to the overgrown puppy.”

Getting nods in response, Mecha turned towards his gate, whistling for Wolfgang.  The timberwolf cub ran straight to Mecha from the other side of the gate, and hopped onto Mecha's head.  Shaking his head lightly, Mecha made his way towards the streets, where he hollered out, “Get over here Sköll!*”

After waiting for a few seconds, Mecha saw a giant white wolf walk towards him, wide grin upon his face.  Although, that might be him snarling at Mecha... he couldn't really tell with  Sköll.  “What do you need you giant fleabag?” Mecha asked, staring him straight into the eyes.

“Aw... can't a fellow visit the pony responsible for his escape?” Sköll replied, putting a paw over his heart.

“Not when you were imprisoned for trying to eat Celestia.  And where's Hati?* Trying to eat Luna?” Mecha asked.

Shaking his head, Sköll said, “My brother is currently asleep in a nearby cave.  We figured you'd be the best pony to talk to in order to explain our situation.”

“You mean I'm the best pony to kidnap in order to get the princesses's attention, don't you?” Mecha said.

“No, I mean you're the best one to talk to,” Sköll said.  “We want to leave the country so Celestia doesn't try and send the two of us back to Tartarus.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha said, “Fair punishment for trying to eat her and her sister.”

“Would you get off that already!” Sköll yelled, throwing his front paws up into the air.  “We just want to leave, got it! No tricks, no traps, and we won't eat anything until we get out of here, okay?!”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Sure.  After all, once I pulled that lever, you two became my responsibility.  Although I still question why Sloth had that lever...”

Shrugging, Sköll said, “Pops wasn't quite sure about that either, although he did mention something about a bet.”

“Ah...” Mecha said, sagely nodding his head, “A bet answers everything.  Anyways, head west for around a hundred miles, you should come across a country of deer.  The kind is a jerk, so go ahead and scare him, but ask a guard named Tutela for directions, tell him I sent you to reclaim a favor he owes me.”

Nodding his head, Sköll said, “Thank you Mecha.  I realize that my and my brother's escape was not your intentions when you released us, but we are thankful nonetheless.  To show you our thanks, I'll bless the cub that is resting on your head.”

Stunned, Mecha did nothing as Sköll reached forward, and tapped Wolfgang on the forehead.  Rubbing the spot where he was tapped, Wolfgang said, “What in Fenrir's** name was that for!”

Mecha blinked.  Did he hear that right? Did Wolfgang actually speak?  “I mean, why would you just poke my forehead? Didn't your Fenrir forsaken parents teach you any manners?” Wolf gang continued, confirming what Mecha heard.

Sköll just let out a large grin, or snarl, and replied, “Considering that Fenrir is one of my parents... no.”

Blinking, Wolfgang looked at Mecha, then Sköll, then back at Mecha, before saying, “How is it that you manage to befriend so much royalty?”

Sighing, Mecha turned back to his forge, deciding to just accept the fact that Wolfgang could speak now.  “I'm just in the right place at the right time.  Or wrong place in the wrong time when it came to Astrum.  In fact, both these friendships have something to do with Hell... what are the odds?”

Wolfgang blinked, before hopping in front of Mecha, turning to face him and point a paw in his direction, saying, “Hah! You can understand me! Why have you been ignoring what I've been saying?”

Eye twitching, Mecha walked past him to enter his forge, saying, “Cause you've only started to speak a language I know, since Sköll apparently likes us,” before he picked up his hammer, and got to work on the Nightmare metal, ignoring the looks Snips and Snails shoot him when he'd walked in with a talking Wolfgang.

“Oh...” Wolfgang replied, sagging a little.  “That makes sense...”

*Sköll and Hati- Sons of Fenrir, Sköll is said to chase the sun in an attempt to eat it, as well as Hati for the moon, both will succeed come Ragnarok
**Of course wolves would swear by Fenrir
> Vacation Done Kinda Right
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha smiled, looking over his two weary apprentices.  Both had circles around their eyes, showing how little sleep they'd gotten over the last couple of days, although their smiles showed that they didn't care.  After all, they'd just completed the biggest order of their, admittedly short, careers!

“I can't express how proud of you two I am,” Mecha said, as he looked over the finished project.  “After all, Nightmare metal is ludicrously hard to work with, and yet both of you did marvelous with it.  So, with that said, you two are now journypony forgers, congratulations.”

Snips and Snails stood in stunned silence as they processed what they'd just heard.  After thirty seconds, they started to hop around and yell in joy, swinging each other around in circles.  “Yes yes, you have much to be happy about,” Mecha told them, chuckling at their antics.  “Anyways, at this point you two can use my forge whenever you want, free of charge.  Although, the material isn't free, so thirty percent of what you make and sell goes to me.”

Snips and Snails calmed down a little, nodding their heads.  “Um... how are we delivering this boss?”  Snips asked, looking over the large statue.

“I'm taking it with me to Canterlot,” Mecha replied.  “I need a vacation, and I figured I'd go and deliver it with Sugary Spice while we're out of town.”

Snips and Snails blushed lightly at the mention of Mecha's daughter, causing him to sigh.  Trotting over to the statue, Mecha grabbed the handle of the wagon it was loaded on, before yelling out, “Sugary Spice, Wolfgang, it's time to go!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took in a deep breath as he stepped on the train, watching as a team of ponies tried to move the statue he'd brought.  Laughing, he walked out of the station, Wolfgang and Sugary Spice jumping onto their normal spots.  “What are we doing in Canterlot dad? Are we going to visit Luna? Oh, can we please visit Luna, please please please?” Sugary Spice inquired, hugging Mecha's neck tightly.

“Yes, we're going to visit Luna,” Mecha replied, “So you can stop asking please repeatedly.”

“Yay!” Sugary Spice exclaimed, settling back down on Mecha's back.

“Are you going to mention Sköll and Hati to her?” Wolfgang asked, ignoring the stares he was getting.

“I probably should, but I don't think she needs the added stress,” Mecha replied.  “Especially if she found out about the fact that I released them... Seriously, why did Sloth have that lever?!”

“Perhaps this Sloth fellow had a Pinkie Pie moment and acquired the lever during then,” came Rarity's voice from behind them.

Turning around, Mecha asked, “What are you doing here Rarity?”

“I decided that Ponyville was not providing me the... inspiration it normally does, and so I have come to Canterlot for a new, fresh perspective!” she replied.  “Not to mention, Twilight managed to provide me with a suite from Celestia herself! But what are you doing here dearie? After all, it isn't like you to just up and travel to Canterlot, especially if even a quarter of those stories you tell are true.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha said, “I needed a vacation while my house was being built, and Luna offered to house us until they were complete.  Furthermore, I have a statue I needed to deliver, so I decided to do it myself.”

“What in Celestia's name are you doing here!” screeched a voice from across the street.

Eye twitching, Mecha responded with, “Good to see you too, Fancy Smancy.  And to answer your question, I'm here to deliver a statue to the princesses themselves.”

“Preposterous!” snapped Fancy Smancy, trotting over to Mecha.  “What would two highly refined ponies such as Celestia and Luna want from a lowly dredge like you?”

“How about that statue behind him?” replied Celestia, as she walked down the street.

“P-p-princess!” stammered out Fancy Smancy, dipping into a bow.  “I didn't know that you were here!”

“Yes, I could tell,” Celestia said, a frown gracing her face.

“I must say Mecha, this is by far your best work yet!” came Luna's voice from behind the statue.  “The details are excellent, not to mention the lack of a visible seam...”

Mecha merely smiled, watching as Fancy Smancy's face slowly lost color.  “Thank you,” he finally said, having enjoyed watching his mortal enemy's suffering.  “Although I had help from Snips and Snails... don't give me those looks! I warned them completely about the effects, and they chose to help still!”

Sighing, Celestia replied, “If they chose to help, so be it.  Either way, we should be going Rarity.  You need to get settled in, and I need to deal with the noon court.”

“Right away princess!” came Rarity's reply, as she trotted towards the palace.

Looking over the statue once more, Luna turned to Mecha and said, “We should get going as well.  After all, we only have so much time before I need to work, and I wanted to talk to you about this bar thing I heard about from Shining Armor...”

“Sure,” Mecha said, giving his shoulders a shrug.  Smiling at the now unconscious Fancy Smancy, he turned towards the palace, saying, “It was mostly meant as a joke, but with the crowds crying out for it...”

LINEBREAKER

“Who's this?” Sugary Spice asked, pointing at a statue in the royal gardens, Mecha having decided to show her the historic statues as Wolfgang went off to scare the nobles.

“That, my young filly, is Discord,” came a voice from behind.

Turning around, Mecha saw dark brown Earth Pony, with a blue eye and a green eye, white mane, and the Cutie Mark of what looked like... a cotton candy cloud with chocolate rain?  Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Good to see you Dissonant Babel! And whose that filly behind you?”

Poking her head from behind Dissonant Babel was a small pink filly, with a purple and white mane, swirling purple eyes, and a screw next to a baseball for a Cutie Mark.  Looking up at Mecha, she smiled and said, “My name is Screwball!”

“Nice to meet you Screwball,” Mecha replied, before stepping aside so Sugary Spice could be seen.  “This is my daughter Sugary Spice.  Why don't you two run off and play for a bit?”

Sugary Spice and Screwball looked over each other for a minute, before both started to smile widely and say, “Okay!” before running towards the fountain in the center of the garden.

Smiling, Mecha watched the two play for a bit, before saying, “You seem to have a lot more control of yourself right now.  What happened?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Dissonant Babel replied, “I believe it's the form.  You know, one mind, no extra limbs, and no excessive energy.”

Nodding his head, Mecha asked, “Do Celestia and Luna know?”

“Probably,” Dissonant Babel to Mecha.  “After all, I've worked for Celestia for a couple hundred years in this form, and Luna probably asked.”

“Good to know,” Mecha said, before the two settled into silence for a couple of minutes.  Mecha finally broke the silence, asking, “Where's Screwball from?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Dissonant Babel said, “I don't know.  I mean, she's my daughter, but I don't recall doing anything to have her...”

Blinking, Mecha looked towards Dissonant Babel, and said, “You mean she just showed up one day, your daughter yet not?”

Nodding his head, Dissonant replied, “Probably did something when I was released that lead to her.  Besides, I love her, and wouldn't trade her for the world.”

Looking at Sugary Spice, Mecha nodded, saying, “I know what you mean.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was currently in front the restaurant that he'd gone to for the double date on, arguing with the host.  “I'm telling you, he won't harm anypony, just let him in!” Mecha all but yelled, pointing at Wolfgang.

“And I'm telling you sir, that we have a strict no pets allowed policy!” came the host's rebuttal.

At this point, the owner of the joint walked up, asking, “What in Celestia's name is going on?”

Wolfgang decided to speak up, saying, “This Fenrir forsaken host of yours seems to insist that I am Mecha's pet here, and thus not allowed to enter your restaurant.”

Blinking, the owner looked between Mecha and Wolfgang, before settling on staring at Mecha, saying, “Did that timberwolf cub just talk?”

“As much fun as it'd be to say no and watch you freak out, he really did,” Mecha replied.  “So can we go ahead and enter?”

Still shocked over the fact that Wolfgang just spoke, the owner continued to blink, before asking, “So long as you tell me what to get for him to eat.”

Sighing, Wolfgang told him, “Wood.  Preferably maple, although I'll take ironwood if you have some.”

Lightly nodding his way, the owner said, “Right this way,” before guiding them to their table.

Sitting down, Mecha asked, “How's Canterlot been for you two?”

Sugary Spice smiled brightly, before saying, “It's been great! The gardens were sooooo pretty, and I had fun playing with Screwball! Not to mention that Celestia and Luna are so very nice!”

Chuckling, Mecha turned to Wolfgang, and asked, “How about you?”

Grunting, Wolfgang put his paws on the table in order to see Mecha, while saying, “It's okay.  I mean, it's fun scaring the crap out of the nobles, but that gets dull after the eightieth or so noble.  Not to mention, everypony seems to think I'm your pet!”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha replied, “By the technical definition of a pet, you are.”

Waving a paw in Mecha's direction, Wolfgang said, “Semantics!”

Sugary Spice turned to Wolfgang, before saying, “If you're not a pet, then why do you let me scratch you behind the ears so much?”

Caught off guard, Wolfgang started spluttering, “Er... um... that is to say...”

“Or let me rub your belly? Or tickle your sides? Or walk you on a leash?” Sugary Spice continued.

Grumbling, Wolfgang lowered his head, saying lightly, “Okay, okay, I get it.”

Mecha just laughed, as the waiter came to take their orders.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking through town with Dissonant Babel, looking at several buildings.  Apparently, in addition to buying decorations for the palace, Dissonant Babel was also a real estate agent.  Currently, the two were looking for a location for the first bar that Mecha and his friends would own, as they decided to test the waters in Canterlot before moving to a small town like Ponyville. While they were out looking, Sugary Spice and Screwball were being foalsat by the princesses, a thought that still made Mecha giggle.

Looking up at the last of the buildings, Mecha nodded his head, saying, “It's perfect.”

Smiling, Dissonant Babel said, “Great! Now then, would you like to get a drink or bite to eat at the town's only other tavern?”

Shrugging, Mecha followed his friend to rough looking place at the edge of town, walking in without a care in the world.  Big mistake, as all of the current patrons turned to face him, deadly looks in their eyes.  Rasing an eyebrow, Mecha turned towards Dissonant Babel, who'd put his hood on before entering.  “This is the only tavern in town? A tavern filled with criminals?”

Nodding his head, Dissonant replied, “Yep.  Seeing as they're the only ones who'd drink the low quality beer here...”

Sighing, Mecha walked up to the bar, taking a seat and causing the room to gasp.  Looking around, Mecha shrugged his shoulders, before turning towards the bar keeper.  Giving the bottles behind him a glance, Mecha was about to order when a hoof landed on his shoulder.  Turning, Mecha saw that it was attached to a spotted black and white goat, flanked by two others.  “That, my foolish new comer, is my seat.”

Pushing the hoof off his shoulder, Mecha ignored the growing tension, saying, “What of it?”

Snorting a little, the goat replied, “That is my seat.  I sit there every time I visit this joint, and you're in it.”

Giving his own snort, Mecha stared the goat in the eyes, and said, “Then find a new one for tonight.”

Gasps littered the room, as the stare off continued.  “Do you know who I am?” the goat replied.

Rolling his eyes, Mecha said, “Obviously not, since I don't care.”

“I'm Capo! And I hold more power in my hooves than you realize,” said the now named Capo, anger in his eyes.

“You could be Celestia herself and I still wouldn't care!” Mecha replied, standing up.  “Now get out of my face!” he said, punching Capo straight in the stomach, causing him to collapse.  The two goats that were standing next to him went wide eyed, before pulling out a couple of switch blades, and attempting to stab Mecha.

Ducking under the slow blades, Mecha took a step foreword, turned around, and grabbed the two goats heads, slamming them together.  They then joined their boss on the floor, and the tavern went silent.  Looking around, Mecha shrugged before using the three unconscious goats as his chair, saying, “Can I order now?”

Laughter broke out from Dissonant Babel, who was now sitting in Capo's chair.  “I like your style Mecha,” he said, giving the bar keeper his order.  “Although you realize that you've just brought down the wrath of the mafia, right?”

Eye twitching, Mecha said, “No, I didn't.  That means that the goat I'm using as a chair is from high up in the chain of command then.”

“Yep!” Dissonant replied.  “The son of the founder to be exact.  I must say, you're so much fun to be around, so... chaotic.”

Turning to face Dissonant, Mecha said, “Shut up Discord.”

Letting out another chuckle, Mecha's friend shook his head, grabbing his drink.

LINEBREAKER

“So everything went well then?” Luna asked, as she greeted Mecha at the palace doors.

“For the most part,” Mecha replied, trying to forget that he'd beaten the head of the mafia's son into the ground.

“Excellent!” Luna said, smiling.  “Then I look forward to the grand opening!”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “Princess or not, you will be restricted to no more than three bottles of moonshine a night!”

Pupils shrinking, Luna stammered out, “B-b-but I must have my moonshine!”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “No means no! We can't have you trying and re-arrange the stars into strippers and hookers again! I mean seriously, do you know how long it took to explain that to the foals? There are some that still won't go near poles!”

Looking down, Luna blushed while saying, “I said I was sorry...”

Eye twitch, Mecha said, “And ran off when the mob of angry parents showed up.”

“Daddy? What's moonshine? And what are strippers and hookers?” Sugary Spice asked from beside him.

Eyes shrinking, Mecha patted her on the head, saying, “Moonshine is something I'll explain when you can legally have it, and as for strippers and hookers? Something you'll never be.  Ever.  In fact, forget you ever heard those two words, okay?”

Smiling, Sugary Spice nodded her head before heading over to say goodbye to Screwball.  Turning to face Luna, Mecha's eye twitch had returned, as he said, “If she ever asks me again, I'm having you explain it, got that?”

Flinching, Luna nodded her head.  “Good!” Mecha replied, suddenly smiling eerily.  “Now then, I've got one last question before we go.”

Nodding her head, Luna said, “Go ahead and ask.”

Making sure that Sugary Spice and Screwball were far enough away so as not to overhear him, Mecha asked, “Why'd you pick strippers and hookers?”
> Date Night Mafia Style
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha slowly came to, swaying side to side.  Opening his eyes, he noticed that he was hanging from a tree by his hoof.  Blinking, he took a look around, trying to recall what in Luna's name had happened.  Spotting Big Macintosh, he tried to recall why he was sleeping in a bush, only to draw a blank. He then looked over at Doctor Whooves, on his back, holding a... screwdriver? And then he turned to find Solaris and Shining Armor, both asleep on top of a pile of bound and unconscious goats.  Mafia goats, if their outfits were anything to go by.

“Well, this is an interesting way to start the day,” Mecha said to himself, still swaying in the light morning breeze.

“Especially after such an interesting night,” came Sygne's voice from the pond.

Ah, so they were in the park... and he still remembered nothing.  “Would be more so if I recalled any of it,” Mecha told the siren.

Chuckling, Synge replied, “Ask one of the goats, I wouldn't be able to tell you with a straight face,” before she dived into the pond.

Eye twitching, Mecha stared at the empty water, before muttering, “I need to drink less on poker night...”

LINEBREAKER

“So how exactly did you piss off the Mafia again?” Doctor Whooves asked, as Mecha rang up the total for his order.

“I beat the snot out of the Pride forsaken son of the boss.  Discord found it hilarious,” Mecha replied.

Shaking his head, Doctor Whooves replied, “I just don't believe it.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “That I fought the boss's son, or that Discord has a pony form, and that I befriended him?”

Snorting, Doctor Whooves said, “That Discord hasn't tried to bring chaos eternal.  After all, the other two options are par for the course for you.  I mean, first you piss of king Astrum, then the Nightmare clan, and now the Mafia.  Not to mention your friendships with the princesses and the two wolves that tried to eat them.”

“For the record, I only freed them, not befriend them,” Mecha said.  “Furthermore, without all his chaotic energy flowing threw his form, Discord is a lot more... stable.  Still enjoys chaos, but doesn't go out of his way to cause it.  His daughter on the other hand...”

Doctor Whooves held up his hoof, saying, “Save it.  Knowing that Discord walks among us is one thing, but knowing he has a daughter? I don't suppose he works for Celestia as well, does he?” Seeing Mecha's smile, Doctor Whooves groaned, before saying, “He does, doesn't he! For Celestia's sake, what next! Twilight Sparkle secretly apprenticing under Luna? Pinkie Pie planning to murder us all? No wait, better yet, Celestia and Luna both coming forth and announcing that they're pregnant!”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Nothing like that my good friend.  No, what I actually have is a couple of tickets for the last round of Equestrian Idol.  Apparently, we're to be the guest stars as the founders of the show, as well as Spike, Twilight Sparkle, and our dates.”

Sighing, Doctor Whooves shook his head, saying, “I really should've seen that coming...”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Although, Luna has been writing to me about some morning sickness she and Celestia have been suffering from...”

Eyes widening, Doctor Whooves stared straight at Mecha, before laughing.  “I deserved that.  So when do we need to go?”

“This weekend,” Mecha told him.

Doctor Whooves frowned, before saying, “That's date night with Ditzy...”

Nodding his head, Mecha told him, “Same for me and Cheerilee.  And probably true for Big M and Fluttershy as well, knowing those two.  Tell you what, how about we all see about a triple date for the weekend?”

Thinking for a while, Doctor Whooves gave him a nod, saying, “Sounds fun.  Who knows, maybe we'll end up running into the goat you beat up.  That would be fun to watch.”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Knowing my luck, it'll be his dad and every last one of their goons.  Speaking of which, any clue as to why you had a screwdriver when we were attacked by the goats?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Doctor Whooves said, “Not a clue.  Don't remember anything past the story of the time you blew up a chemistry lab.”

Frowning, Mecha asked, “Was it the first or second time I blew it up?”

“I think it was... the third time actually,” his friend replied.

Eyes widening, Mecha groaned, letting his head hit the counter.  “Of course I told you that one... after all, that one is the most humiliating...”

Laughing, Doctor Whooves turned, saying, “I'll see you at the station this Saturday then.”

Still groaning, Mecha gave him a half-hearted wave goodbye.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha, Cheerilee, Big Macintosh, Fluttershy, Doctor Whooves, and Ditzy Doo all walked out of the stadium where the finals had been held.  “That wasn't too bad,” Mecha said, as they headed towards the restaurant that they'd chosen for dinner.

“Yes, well the seats could've been better,” Doctor Whooves replied.

“Um... they weren't all that bad...” Fluttershy said.

Raising an eyebrow, Doctor Whooves snorted, saying, “Where were you sitting? They were by far the most uncomfortable chairs I've sat in, and I once sat in an iron maiden!”

“Ohh! When did that happen?” Ditzy asked, turning towards her date.

Doctor Whooves was about to answer, when a goat jumped out in an attempt to stab Mecha in the chest, only for him to twist around him while striking the back of his neck.  Continuing to walk forward, he noticed the stares he was getting.  “Want to explain what happened?” Big Macintosh asked, obviously not recalling the pile of goats from poker night.

“Mafia is trying to kill me,” Mecha replied shrugging.  “After the Nightmare clan, they're small fries.  Speaking of which, are we including those in the bar?”

Shaking their heads, Doctor Whooves replied, “Can't.  We only have a liquor license, no food license.”

“Um, guys?” Cheerilee asked, getting the group's attention.  “Could you explain what you you're talking about?”

Seeing that Fluttershy and Ditzy Doo were confused as well, the three stallions nodded their heads.  “Big M here was getting tired of ponies badgering him for his hard cider, and I joked about opening a bar to get them to shut up.”

Doctor Whooves picked up here, saying, “Shining Armor, Solaris, and I overheard them, and thought it'd be a fun idea.  Luna heard about it from Solaris, and she paid for everything so we could open it.”

“Which means ah get some peace back home,” Big Macintosh finished.

Mecha then stopped, allowing the dagger that would've impaled his head had he continued walking to fly past him, before moving on, saying, “Should it prove successful, we might set up a couple more in other cities.”

Blinking as Mecha grabbed a cloaked goat by the throat, Cheerilee sighed, saying, “This is a normal day for you, isn't it?”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha shrugged, before tossing the goat into another assassin.  “You get used to it after a while,” he said, before the group came to a complete halt, for in front of them, filling up the entire street, was a mob of goats wielding knives, bats, and other sorts of normally useless weapons.

Whistling, Big Macintosh asked, “What in Celestia's name did you do to piss off the mafia?”

“I just sat in the boss's son's chair!” Mecha yelled.  Seeing the glare he was getting from Cheerilee, he added, “And I might've beaten up the guy... but he started it!”

Silence fell upon the mob, as suddenly every goat stepped away from the two best dressed goats present, one of which Mecha recognized.  “Is this true?” the older looking one asked.  “Did you put a hit out on this guy because he sat in your chair!”

Shaking his head angrily, the son replied, “NO! I did it because he humiliated me!”

“By sitting in a seat you'd claimed... for no reason other than to claim it,” replied the father.  “I know about the seat you're talking about, the one that you hate.  You claimed it, only to be able to cause fear in new-comers who sat their.  Then, when one finally does, he beats you, and you decide to take him out.  Do you even know who that is? Do you?!”

Flinching, the son shook his head, stuttering out, “N-n-no f-father.”

“HE IS THE PRINCESSES' FORGER! Whenever they want a new statue, or need something fixed, they call him!” the elder goat yelled, pointing at Mecha.  “Imagine what would've happened if he'd been killed for your pettiness!”

“B-b-but father!” the young goat tried.

“Don't you but father me!” the elder cut off.  “You've been nothing but spoiled your whole life! Golden watches, silk suits, and endless cash! But that ends now, I'm cutting you off!”

Eyes widening, Capo stammered out, “C-cut off?!”

“Yes!” his father hollered, spit flying from his mouth in fury.  “From now on, you earn your own money, your own watches, your own food!  Boys, take 'em away!”

And suddenly, the mob of goats all leaped forward, yanking him away from the street in a painful manner.  Apparently Capo wasn't well liked, and they now had the chance to vent their anger.  After all but five of the goats disappeared, the elder goat walked up to Mecha, and said, “I'm terribly sorry about my son Capo.  He's a bit... well, you know.  My name is Padre, and I would like to extend my sincerest apologies to you for trying to kill you.”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Apologies excepted,” much to the shock of his friends.  “After all, you aren't the first to try.”

“Really?” Padre inquired, raising an eyebrow.  “You've peaked my interest now, who else has tried.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “King Astrum of the deer... his pet aboleth Fluffy... oh, the Nightmare clan as well.”

Blinking, Padre shook his head, saying, “We stood no chance, did we?”

“Eenope,” said Big Macintosh, recalling all that Mecha had done walking up the street.

“Not a chance,” added Doctor Whooves, walking over to an unconscious goat, lightly poking him in the side.

Looking around, Cheerilee asked, “Are we the only sane ponies here?”

“Uh... I don't think so...” Fluttershy said lightly, trying to hide from Padre.

“Considering our dates, I don't think we can call ourselves sane,” Ditzy Do replied.

Thinking over that last statement, Cheerilee sighed, and said, “Sanity is over rated anyways.”

“So what brings you out this fine evening?” Padre asked, drawing attention back to the lavishly dressed goat.

“Date night,” Mecha replied, walking over and grabbing Cheerilee.  “We were on our way to some restaurant named Bitz 'n' Pizza*.”

Laughing, Padre said, “I own that joint! Tell you what, how about we stop by my place, pick up my wife, and head on over together! My treat!”

Smiling, Mecha said, “Sure, I have no problem.  What about you guys?”

Looking around, the group muttered general consent, with exception of Cheerilee.  “You want us to have dinner with the head of the mafia? They mafia that just tried to kill you?”  she asked, looking him straight in the eyes.  Nodding his head, Mecha watched as she sighed, before saying, “Why not?! After all, it makes waaaaay more sense than most of the things you've told me!”

With a silly grin, Mecha gave her a peck on the check before saying, “Great! Onwards to Padre's house!”

LINEBREAKER

They eight newly minted friends were all sitting at a large table in Bitz 'n' Pizza, laughing as stories were told.  Settling down, Madre, Padre's wife, asked, “So why did king Astrum and his pet tried to kill you? You seem like such a nice guy.”

“Oh, well Fluffy was going on a rampage in Manehatten, trying to kill everypony, so that one might not actually count,” Mecha started.

Snorting, Cheerilee interrupted him, saying, “Everypony thought you were dead, it counts.”

Shrugging, Mecha continued, saying, “I blew it up in a giant explosion, causing Astrum to hate my guts for killing his beloved pet.  So, he sent some guards, captured me, and sentenced me to the arena to fight until I die.  Fortunately for me, there was an out known as the gauntlet, which I passed, and what do you know, Astrum is pissed that I 'escaped' justice.”

Shaking his head, Padre said, “You live one hell of an interesting life kid.”

Chuckling, Doctor Whooves said, “He's been to Hell, it doesn't compare.”

Eyes widening, Madre asked, “Have you really been to Hell? Would you by chance happen to be the author of The Seven Lords of Sin: Their Effects on You and Me?”

Smiling, Mecha nodded, saying, “You'd be surprised how much you learn about them when you travel through their homes.  Lust especially had some more... interesting choices in art.”

“Really now?” Doctor Whooves asked.  “What kind?”

Blushing, Mecha answered, “The kind one should never admit to having,” causing everyone at the table to blush as they thought about what that meant.

Looking at the time, Fluttershy gasped in shock before saying, “We need to go! I have a party to attend early tomorrow, and the last train for home leaves in ten minutes!”

Glancing at the time himself, Mecha swore, “Wrath's bow strung with Lust's panties! Sorry about rushing out on you two, but we do have to go!”

Smiling, the two goats waved them off, saying “Goodbye!” as the six friends ran towards the station.

“Such a lovely group of ponies,” Madre said, turning to her husband.

“Most definitely,” Padre replied, nodding his head.  “Meeting them almost makes up for what Capo did.”

“You realize that our son will try and kill Mecha himself still, right?” Madre asked.

“Oh, I know.  Although, after the Nightmare clan, anything Capo throws at him will be as harmless as an unaltered fly,” Padre said.

Sighing, Madre asked, “Where'd you even get that saying?”

“From Mecha, on the way to pick you up,” Padre replied.  “Apparently he once fought a giant, acid spitting, fire-breathing fly.”

Turning back to where their new friends left, Madre said, “We owe him a ton of favors now, don't we?”

“Only several hundred,” Padre said.  “And I intend to pay them all back.”

*Bitz 'n' Pizza- Just like A Salt and Battery, I hold no relations with the actual restaurant of this name.
> Hearth's Warming Feast
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha's eye twitched as he walked into the palace dinning room, annoyed at the laughing palace guard.  “I hate them...” Mecha said, taking a seat at the table.

Smiling, Cheerilee said, “Now now, there is no reason to say that.  After all, even you must admit that it's quite funny.”

“Yeah dad!” Sugary Spice added, grinning at her father's misfortune.  “After all, it's not every day that you see a pony walk in covered in neon pink paint.”

“That,” Mecha started, “I could live with.  Them assuming that I was Pinkie Pie, I couldn't.”

Snorting, Cheerilee said, “It could be worse.”

“Oh?” Mecha inquired, “How so?”

At this moment, Luna walked in, and blinked at the scene in front of her.  “Oh, Pinkie Pie!” she said, looking straight at Mecha.  “I didn't know that you'd be joining us for dinner.  Tell me, have you seen Mecha?”

Laughing, Cheerilee told Mecha, “My point exactly.”

Ignoring his marefriend, Mecha said, “I don't suppose you have paint remover Luna?”

Blinking, Luna gave Mecha a closer look, before her eyes widened, and she started to snort.  “Mecha?” she asked, “Is that you?”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Don't ask, I'll explain later.”

At this moment, the rest of the dinner party arrived, consisting of Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor, Candace, Solaris, Spitfire, Dissonant Babel, and Screwball.  Upon seeing Mecha, Twilight raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Pinkie? What are you doing here?”

Throwing his hooves up into the air, Mecha said, “That's it! I can't stand it anymore! I'm heading back to my room!” before standing up and turning to go.

Grabbing his shoulder, Cheerilee said, “Please don't go! You have to admit that you look a lot like Pinkie Pie with you coat covered in pink paint.”

“Yeah man,” Solaris added, trying to hold his laughter in.  “I mean, I've only barely met her, and I still think you look a lot like her.  What happened?”

Eye still twitching, Mecha sighed before sitting down.  “A Hearth's Warming Eve family tradition gone awry,” he told them, shaking his head.  “Every year my family picks a random house in Minot, and paint it a neon color.  This year, I was to paint the roof when the ladder broke, causing me to fall and spill paint all over myself.”

“So you got paint all over yourself while vandalizing a house?” Twilight asked.  Mecha nodded his head, causing Twilight to say, “Serves you right.”

Eye twitching, Mecha replied, “If it were any other color, maybe.  But pink? That's just creul.”

“I dunno,” Luna said, looking Mecha over.  “I kinda like the look.  Makes you seem so... cheerful.”

Mecha started a rebuttal, but was prevented by a window being broken by a crashing orange pegasus, whose mane and tail were a light black, much like the tip of his wings, with brown eyes, and who's Cutie Mark was a feather with a lightning bolt behind him.  “Ugh... note to self, never try and mix speed with tight turns...”

Mecha blinked, recognizing the pony in front of him.  “Nimbus?* Is that you?”

Rubbing his head, the stallion got up, saying, “Yeah, that's my name, who's asking?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “It's me, Mecha! We went to high-school together, remember?”

Blinking, Nimbus said, “Mecha? What are you...” as he turned to face Mecha, only to stop upon seeing him.  Staring, Nimbus took in the painted pony, before trying to contain his laughter, getting out, “doing... here... BWAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE PINK! WHAT HAPPENED!?!”

Eye twitch returning with a vengeance, Mecha said, “That's it! I didn't want to resort to this, but I've had enough!” before reaching behind him and pulling a violin out from no where.  “Catch!” he yelled out, throwing the instrument to Dissonant Babel.

Grabbing it out of mid-air, Dissonant Babel looked between it and Mecha, asking, “What?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Play it.  Use the innate magic of music to make them dance something humiliating.”

Glancing at the violin again, Dissonant Babel replied, “Or I could play something of my choice,” before starting up a waltz.

Mecha was about to yell at his friend, only to realize that he was now waltzing with Cheerilee.  “I probably should've thought about this before tossing the instrument to him, shouldn’t have I?” he asked.

“Well,” Cheerilee started, “It would've defiantly helped,” as the two began to twirl around the room.

“Although, this is quite pleasant,” Mecha said, smiling as he pulled her in close after a spin.

“Quite,” Cheerilee replied, smiling herself.

At this point, Mecha took a look at the room around him.  Unsurprisingly, Solaris was waltzing with Spitfire, the two enjoying themselves, and Sugary Spice was waltzing with the only other pony close to her size, Screwball.  Shining Armor and Candace both had bright grins on their faces, while Luna appeared to be dancing with Nimbus, and... Mecha laughed, as he watched Twilight Sparkle and Celestia waltz, with Twilight leading!

“Okay, this actually turned out better than expected,” Mecha said.

Getting a glance of Celestia and Twilight dancing together, Cheerilee giggled, before saying, “You'd have thought that Celestia would be the one in the lead position.”

Smirking, Mecha replied, “She's been waltzing for years with stallions at formal occasions... I don't think she could lead if she tried!”

Laughing a bit, the song came to an end... only for another one to pick up right afterwords.  “I must admit, I didn't expect Dissonant Babel to be able to play the violin so well!” Cheerilee said.

Shrugging his shoulders the best he could whilst dancing, Mecha replied, “Discord's got a lot of tricks up his sleeves.  I wouldn't be surprised if he was a lawyer as well!”

Blinking, Cheerilee asked, “Did you say Discord?”

Eyes widening, Mecha replied, “Uh... oh hey! Celestia and Luna swapped places! And... Twilight's still leading!”

Glancing over, Cheerilee chuckled lightly, saying, “I have to admit, that is funny.  But back to the point, Discord?”

Sighing, Mecha told her, “Yeah, Dissonant Babel is Discord in pony form.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee asked, “And you're okay with it?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “He's actually a pretty cool guy once you get to know him.  After all, he isn't out of control since he lacks his full power, and he'll behave himself so he can avoid having Screwball taken from him via foal services.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Cheerilee said, “Okay,” as they finished their dance.

Giving a quick turn, everypony faced Dissonant Babel, before giving him a round of applause.  Bowing, Dissonant Babel replied, “Thank you, you're all too kind! I'd like to thank Mecha fro providing me with this opportunity, as well as for Celestia and Luna for not stopping it!”

Laughing, the crowd all sat down to the long awaited dinner, polite conversation popping up along the table.  “Twilight, were did you learn how to waltz like that?” Celestia asked her student.

“Yes, you must tell us! After all, most mares only know how to follow in the waltz, never how to lead,” Luna added.

Blushing, Twilight Sparkle replied, “Well, I signed up for dance lessons while I was studying here, seeing only the words lessons, and not the part that said dance... and when I showed up, there were more mares than stallions, so I volunteered to learn the lead.  In fact, that's the only formal dance I know!”

“The lead for the waltz?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah!” Twilight replied, shaking her head.  “Who would've thought I'd ever need it?”

Back at the other end of the table, Mecha was catching up with Nimbus.  “So at this point the yelling starts, and most of us are getting into position,” Nimbus told Mecha.  “But two of the recruits are refusing to get of the blimp, and went straight home!”

Roaring with laughter, Mecha asked, “Didn't they know what they were getting themselves into?”

Snorting, Nimbus replied, “I don't think any of them realized that the academy was serious about the expectations.  In fact, we lost another forty during basic training!”

Eyes widening, Mecha asked, “Did none of them realize they'd need to be in shape to be an officer?”

Shaking his head, Nimbus replied, “I don't think so.  Then again, most of them were the sons and daughters of nobles, so...”

“They thought it was a free position,” Mecha finished, nodding his head.

“So what about you man? You just fell off the face of Equestria for two years, and then the first thing I hear about you is your new book!” Nimbus inquired.

“Well, it all started on my first mission,” Mecha started, telling his tale to his high-school friend.

Sitting next to them, Cheerilee was holding a conversation with Spitfire and Solaris.  “I'm telling you two, you should come to class and give a presentation! After all, most, if not all the children have heard of the Wonderbolts, having one of their captains show up would be a real treat!” Cheerilee said, trying to convince them to visit her classroom.  “And after the stories they've heard from Mecha involving you and Shining Armor, I'm sure they'd love to meet a captain of the Royal Guards!”

Spitfire and Solaris looked between each other, giving each other iffy looks.  “I dunno,” Solaris told Cheerilee.  “Most of what I deal with isn't the... glamor that I'm sure Mecha's portrayed it as.”

“And I'm going to be busy with the training of this year's new recruits...” Spitfire added.

“Don't worry about it! After all, Mecha has visited the hospital several times involving the less 'glamorous' parts of life that you're referring to, and most in not all of Ponyville knows about that.  Still don't understand why the Nightmare Clan or the mafia went after him though...” Cheerilee replied.  “And Spitfire, train the recruits at Ponyville! We've got a place called Ghastly Gorge near the town, perfect for stunt flying practice!” Cheerilee said, trying her best to convince the couple to visit.

Giving each other a look, the couple started whispering between each other while Sugary Spice and Screwball were scheming right next to them.  “At that point,” Screwball started, “the bag of flour bursts over head, causing Luna to look like a ghost...”

“Scaring off the cook!” Sugary Spice finished.  “At which point she'll try to apologize, stepping forward to trigger...”

“The bags of sugar!” Screwball said.  “At which point her mane will be colored like Celestia's and in her moment of confusion...”

“The final trap will trigger, covering her Cutie Mark with Celestia's!” Sugary Spice said, laughing.  “Which is when Celestia will walk in, victim of our other pranks...”

“Looking like Luna!” Screwball finished.  “It's perfect!”

Chuckling at his daughter's and her friend's mischief, Dissonant Babel asked Shining Armor and Candace, “So cute when they don't think anypony is listening to their schemes, aren't they?”

Both nodded their heads, with Candace asking, “Shouldn't we stop them though? After all, we don't want them to get into any trouble...”

Shining Armor laughed, before replying, “They won't get into any trouble.  The princesses love a good prank or two, especially if the pranks are pulled off on them without them knowing ahead of time.”

Nodding his head, Dissonant Babel added, “They even keep track of every successful prank pulled on them, as well as who pulled them.  If those two manage to pull this off, they'll be the youngest entrants into the book, as well as the third to prank both at the same time.”

Blinking, Candace asked, “Really? What were the other two pranks?”

Snickering, Shining Armor replied, “The second one was when Star Swirl the Bearded placed a portal from their rooms into the others.  Neither realized what was going on until he broke down in laughter watching them try and enter their rooms.”

Eyes widening, Candace asked, “Star Swirl the bearded pranked them?”

Laughing, Dissonant Babel replied, “Oh yeah! Man was he a trickster, illusions every other week, portals to the garden every third door, and false doors that insulted you if you didn't talk to them nicely! But the real prankster was the first pony to prank the two together, as well as the first to prank them at all.”

“And that was...” Candace asked, waving her hoof in a 'please continue' manner.

“Discord, back when he was completely sane,” Shining Armor told her.  “He actually pranked them in a manner that made them think the other did it, causing a huge prank war!”

“...say again?” Candace asked.

“You know the giant prank war that occurred at the founding of Celestia's and Luna's reign?” Dissonant Babel asked.

“Yeah, their attempts to lighten up the mood of the citizens after such a long period of darkness,” Candace replied.

“It was a cover up to make sure no-pony realized that Celestia and Luna had ben tricked into pranking each other,” Shining Armor replied.

Blinking, Candace asked, “Is there anymore history that you'd like to destroy for me?”

Stroking his chin, Dissonant Babel started, “Well... I could tell you about the true cause of the sugar famine 900 years ago...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he sat down in his room provided for the night by the princesses.  “That,” he started, “Was a good meal.”

Chuckling at her stallionfriend's demeanor, Cheerilee replied, “That it was.  It was nice of them to invite us to their post  Hearth's Warming day feast.”

Nodding is head, Mecha said, “That it was.  Although, I certainly didn't expect Nimbus to crash the party... literally.”

Chuckling, Cheerilee replied, “It was fun to see you catch up with a high-school friend of yours.”

“Especially since we got to trade stories,” Mecha added, stretching himself out a bit, popping his back.  “Who'd have thought that the officer training academy would've held so many interesting stories...”

Cheerilee shook her head, before saying, “Well, I'm going to bed, see you in the morning?”

Nodding his head, Mecha pulled out a manuscript and pen, before getting to work on his next book whilst his marefriend slept.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was standing amongst the group heading back to Ponyville, waiting for the princesses to show up in order to say good bye.  Tapping his hoof, he glanced at a nearby clock, before the crowd started to snicker.  Turning, Mecha came face to face with the princesses, and had to stop himself from bursting with laughter.  “So...” he started, holding a hoof up to his mouth to keep himself from bursting, “Should I call you two Celena and Lutia?”

For standing before him, covered in various cooking ingredients, were Celestia and Luna, made to look like the other.”

Taking the prank with grace, Celestia replied, “That won't be necessary.  Although, that will most likely be the name that this goes under in our book...”

Nodding her head, Luna added, “All we really need is for Sugary Spice to come and take a picture with us and Screwball for the book.”

“Aw... how'd you know it was us?” Sugary Spice asked.

“Shining Armor told us after overhearing your scheming with Screwball,” Celestia said.

Blinking, Sugary Spice said, “I knew somepony was listening to us...”

*Nimbus belongs to my friend Fyn16, who will soon be using Mecha in his story In Pursuit Of..., with my permission.  Go check it out, it should be good based on the talks we've been having.
> Devil's in the House of the Rising Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sat on a stool in his office, tuning his fiddle.  After the whole fiasco involving the violin during the Hearth's Warming Feast, he decided to start practicing again.  After all, he couldn't count on Dissonant Babel to play what he needed to, and the saying goes, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

Picking up the bow, Mecha was about to start when Rainbow Dash walked in.  “Oh!” she said, stopping when she saw Mecha about to start.  “Am I interrupting?”

Shaking his head, Mecha put down the instrument, saying, “Not at all.  In fact, I normally don't play at all anymore, but still.”

Looking at the instrument that Mecha had put down, Rainbow Dash said, “Never figured you for a violin player.  Just doesn't seem... I dunno, dangerous.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “One, it's a fiddle, and two, its more dangerous than you'd think.  After all, you're required to learn how to play it in the scouting division.”

Raising an eyebrow, Rainbow Dash said, “Really? Doesn't seem that useful.  I mean, how often would you use it?”

Letting out a full blown laugh, Mecha replied, “More often then you'd think.  Although, the reason I used it is different from the norm.  Usually, it's for a cover as a bard or something, but nevertheless, it's a useful skill.  But we're off topic, whatcha need?”

At this point, Rainbow Dash started to stutter, before lightly kicking the floor, refusing to look Mecha in the eyes.  “W-w-well, you see... um, that is t-to say...”

Getting slightly irritated, Mecha said, “Just spit it out! It can't be that bad, can it?”

Blushing, Rainbow Dash replied, “I... kinda came here for some advice...”

Eyebrow raised, Mecha waved his hoof, saying “About...?”

“Asking somepony out on a date...” Rainbow Dash muttered.

Mecha blinked, not quite sure as to what he heard.  “Come again?” he said, stunned.  “Cause it sounded like you asked for dating advice.”

Looking around, Rainbow Dash replied, “Look, I'm serious, okay? Just please don't tell anypony, it's embarrassing!”

Sighing, Mecha went up to the window and changed his OPEN sign to CLOSED.  “You're in luck,” he told her, walking back to his stool.  “Snips and Snails are out for the day, so we have the shop to ourselves.  Now, why don't you...” he started, before being cut off by Big Macintosh knocking on the door with Applejack standing near him.  “What do you need?” Mecha hollered towards them.

“Need ta borrow your back room for a private chat!” Big Macintosh replied.

Shaking his head, Mecha took a glance at Rainbow Dash, who suddenly regained her nervous look.  “Don't worry,” Mecha told her, walking up to the door to let Big Macintosh and Applejack into the building.  “The backroom is completely sealed off from the main room, sound wise at least.”

“Thanks,” Big Macintosh said to Mecha, as he and his sister walked into Mecha's backroom.  At this point, Mecha noticed that Applejack was just as nervous as Rainbow Dash... and both seemed to be eying the other when they thought the other wasn't looking.

“So,” Mecha started once the door closed, “You wanna know how to ask Applejack out?”

“W-wha... h-h-how... I-I-I mean...” Rainbow Dash started.

“Yeah,” Mecha started, “That is not my area of expertise.  In fact, the only experience I have with lesbians involve either being beaten up by one for asking her out in a manner that made me seem like a bigoted jerk, or on a blind double date with a gay brother from one of the couples.”

At this moment, Big Macintosh stuck his head out the door, and said, “Mecha, can ah speak with ya for a sec?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Sure, have Applejack come out and we can talk.”

And so Mecha and Applejack swapped places, with Mecha shutting the door so Big Macintosh could speak, saying, “Ah need your help.”

“Applejack ask you for advice to ask out Rainbow Dash?” Mecha asked.

Blinking, Big Macintosh merely nodded his head, saying, “Eeyup.”

Rubbing his forehead with his hoof, Mecha told him, “Okay, cause Rainbow asked me for advice to ask Applejack out.  So, first things first, you have any reason for the two not to date?”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied, “Eenope.  Might be good for the two, get AJ to relax a little and get Rainbow Dash ta take work more serious.”

Nodding his head, Mecha asked, “Wanna just send them on a date in Canterlot?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Big Macintosh said, “Why not? Be easier than trying to give them advice.”

So, turning around, the two friends stepped through the doors, before grabbing Rainbow Dash and Applejack and started walking towards the train station.

“Hey! What's the big idea!” Rainbow Dash hollered, trying to get loose from Mecha's grip.

“We're saving you both a lot of trouble,” Mecha told her, ignoring the stares they were getting from the ponies they passed.  “You two are going to Canterlot,” he continued, buying the tickets from the booth, “And having dinner at... hey, Big M, the bar open yet?”

“Eeyup,” came Big Macintosh, pushing his sister onto the train.

“Right, you're having dinner at Poker Night Potshot,” Mecha told them, handing them a bag of bits, “And you'll mention that we sent you.  When they ask for proof, tell them the phrase, 'the drunks did it again,' and they'll believe you.  Then, go catch a movie or something, I don't care!”  At this point, any response the two could've made was cut off by the whistle blowing, signaling the train leaving the station.  “Enjoy your date you two!” Mecha yelled, waving towards the leaving train.

Turning to Big Macintosh, Mecha asked, “Think we were to forceful?”

Big Macintosh brought his hoof up to his chin and rubbed it, before replying, “Eenope.”

Normally, Mecha would've nodded his head and been off on his merry way.  This time, however, Twilight Sparkle showed up, a blue letter being pulled along with magic, huffing and puffing.

“Mecha... emergency... Celestia told me... to get this... to you...” she puffed out, handing the message to Mecha.

Grabbing it out of the air, Mecha opened the letter, before groaning.  “Of course... they just had to have me in Canterlot the moment the train leaves the station...”

Glancing at the letter, Big Macintosh's eyes went wide before looking back at his friend, and asked, “How do ya plan on gettin' there?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “By the one way that's fast enough... by cannon.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was packing powdered hydra scale into the cannon he'd built next to his home, while Twilight Sparkle and Big Macintosh watched.  Seeing Mecha grab a circular metal plate, Twilight Sparkle felt compelled to ask, “Why do you have a cannon?”

Pushing the plate down the cannon, Mecha grabbed a saddlebag and placed his fiddle in it, saying, “Was meant to be a faster way to deliver packages.  Unfortunately, I never quite figured out a way around landing difficulties of the delivery, so the project was scrapped.  In fact, I was planning on melting this thing down later this week.”

Watching Mecha grab two bags with fuses coming out from the top, Twilight asked, “And what is preventing you from facing the same difficulties?”

“Simple,” Mecha replied.  “I'm going to bring bombs with me.”

Twilight Sparkle blinked, before saying, “Wouldn't that make things worse?”

Shaking his head, Mecha primed the cannon, saying, “Nah, they'll be in the main compartment with me.  So, one of you wanna light this thing,” as he hopped into the cannon.

Looking over the cannon once more, Big Macintosh sighed before grabbing a torch and lighting the cannon.  Two seconds later and a loud BOOM could be heard across Ponyville.  Twilight Sparkle stared wide-eyed at Big Macintosh, who shrugged his shoulders and said, “What? He's been through worse.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha grimaced as he flew through air... again.  He really wished he could keep his hooves on the ground, but nooooo.  Luna and Celestia just had to have an emergency that required him in Canterlot moments after the train left the station.  Oh well... here comes his stop.

Grabbing one bag, Mecha lit the fuse before tossing it in front of him, timing it so that the bag of powdered hydra scale blew up right in time to negate his forward force... causing him to free fall towards Canterlot.  Grabbing the second bag, he lit it and tossed it towards the ground, with the proper timing to allow him a safe landing.

Landing softly on his hooves, Mecha took a quick glance over himself.  Fur? Singed, but still attached.  Mane? Still red, although a hint of soot in it.  Limbs? Intact.  He survived being shot out of a cannon.

Smiling, Mecha hopped onto his hind legs, cheering and dancing.  “Um, sir?” came one of the Canterlot guards.  “You're tail-” only to be cut off when Mecha grabbed him and started swinging him around.

“I survived! I survived! And completely unharmed! Take that flight!” Mecha shouted, pointing at the sky for the last part.  Settling down, he coughed a bit before turning towards the guard, and said, “Er, sorry about that.  I'll... be on my way,” before he trotted into the town.

Blinking, the guard watched Mecha head towards the palace, before shrugging his shoulders, and saying, “He'll figure it out soon enough.”

LINEBREAKER

Having made his way to the palace, Mecha stared at the spectacle in front of him.  There, on the newly built stage in front of the palace, was a fiddle of gold.  Standing next to it, was a tiny little imp looking thing, shouting, “Come one, come all! See if you can beat the great and talented Diable in a fiddle contest! The prize should you win is this grand golden fiddle!”

At this, the crowd began whispering amongst themselves, for a golden fiddle was indeed a prize worth trying for.  “Don't listen to the little devil,” Mecha hollered.  “Diable here is forgetting to tell you what happens when you lose.  I'm willing to bet if you'd heard the cost of a loss you'd not be see quick to jump to the challenge.”

Grinding his teeth, Diable said, “You just had to be the one those Lust-forsaken goody-four-shoes princesses sent for, didn't you?”

“Considering the fact that I'm the only pony to come out of a fiddle contest against a devil with my soul, I'd say so,” Mecha replied, smirking.  At this point, the ponies in the crowd widened their eyes.  They'd almost lost their souls to this devil? No wonder the little thing hadn't mentioned the possible cost, no-pony would've taken him up on the challenge had they known that!

“And the fact that the devil I'd beaten was you, and the choice was obvious,” Mecha continued, walking up the stairs to the stage.

Growling, Diable grabbed his fiddle from next to him, and said, “You realize that this time I'll be much more serious.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Of course.  After all, you devils take your fiddle playing way too serious.  I mean, wagering your own soul on the re-match? You must be crazy,” as he pulled his own fiddle out.

An evil smirk graced Diabe's face, looking out of place on the small being.  “Except this time, we're playing battle music.”

Frowning, Mecha channeled a little magic into his eyes in order to see what the devil was up to, only for them to widen when he saw the Pride-forsaken imp channel magic into the fiddle, causing sickly purple notes of magic to appear and head towards Mecha upon playing them.  Caught off guard, Mecha was lightly cut by the notes, causing Diable to smirk.  “Not so high and mighty now, are you?” he taunted, laughing evilly.  “After all, it's a well known fact that Earth Ponies can't use magic!”

At this point, it was Mecha's turn to laugh.  “Actually, we just need some training to do so,” he replied, before imitating Diable and sending a few black notes towards him.  Eyes widening, Diable span around two of them, before taking a gash in his side.

Growling, Diable put the bow back to the fiddle, and started to play as fast as a professional fiddler, sending hundreds of notes towards Mecha, who responded in a similar manner, with his notes canceling out most of Diable's each getting two or three through that the other had to dodge.

The crowd gathered in front of them watched with wide eyes, as the two did deadly combat with music.  They'd known before hand how powerful music could be in Equestria, but this was ridiculous!  After all, these two were bleeding from it, and yet they still continued to send hundreds of notes at the other!

Diable's pupils were shrinking as the fought raged on, this was not how it was suppose to go! Growling, he picked up the pace, nearly doubling his note output.  There should be no way Mecha could keep up with him now!

Mecha, however, still had a few tricks up his sleeve.  Showing just why the fighting circles of Equestria called him quicksilver, Mecha matched the increase speed, and in fact increased it some more.

At this point, both fiddlers were heavily injured, and it wouldn't take much more for at least one of them to fall.  They both narrowed their eyes, as they fiddled faster and faster, stepping closer and closer towards the other.  The cloud of notes in front of them was a solid black and purple, bursts of gray smoke occurring where they collided.  The crowd watched with baited breath as the two got within inches of each other, before the two picked up the pace again, causing a giant explosion of notes, obscuring their vision, and causing a ringing in their ears.

When the ringing stopped, no-pony could hear any music, showing that the battle was over.  Now, they waited for the smoke to clear, revealing...

Mecha, standing over the unconscious Diable, looking as if he'd just been through a hurricane. His singed fur was matted with blood from the numerous cuts all over him, and he was wobbling  on his hind legs.  Looking down, he sat down and laughed, before stopping and holding his bruised ribs.  Suddenly, a voice rang out from the crowd, saying, “Mecha? How the hay did you get here before us?”

Turning to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack standing in the crowd, Mecha gave another chuckle before saying, “I shot myself out of a cannon.”

Blinking, Applejack stared at him, before asking, “Is that why your tail is on fire?”

Turning to face his tail, Mecha blinked, before saying, “I was wondering why my flanks were getting warm.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was back in Ponyville, walking towards his home.  He needed to drop off his fiddle, the fiddle of gold, and the still out cold Diable after all.  However, this plan was cut short when Sugary Spice ran up to him and said, “Dad! You're almost late! Family Appreciation Day starts in five minutes!”

Blinking, Mecha tried to make sense of what his daughter said.  Family Appreciation Day... Oh buck! Was that today?!  Sighing, Mecha said, “Don't worry, I'm sure Cheerilee will understand why I was late when we get there, before trotting off with her into the the school.

Stepping up to the front of the classroom after Cheerilee introduced, Mecha stared at the class.  The class stared back.  After all, how often does a cut-up, singed pony with a burning tail come to speak in front of the class room?

Sighing, Mecha turned to Cheerilee, and asked, “Can I get a glass of water?”

Nodding, Cheerilee handed one to Mecha, who used it to finally put his tail out.  Turning back to the class, Mecha started to say, “You all know who I am...” when Diable started to come to, and stumbled out of the saddlebag.

“Where am I?” the devil mumbled, looking around the room.

Grabbing his newly won golden fiddle from the saddlebag, Mecha quickly hit him upside the head, sending him back into dreamland.

“And this is the kind of crap I deal with on a near daily basis.  Any questions?”
> Run Mecha, Run!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was slowly making his way towards the northern border of Equestria, talking to Padre.  “So, how are things with you and Cheerilee?” Padre asked, the old goat keeping pace with Mecha.

Wincing, Mecha replied, “Not to good... She's just a tad pissed at me for disrupting her classroom.”

Raising an eyebrow, Padre inquired, “What exactly did you do?”

Sighing, Mecha told him, “I may have gone the tiniest bit crazy... and chased a devil around the classroom with a golden fiddle in hoof trying to knock it unconscious again.”

Blinking, Padre stopped and asked, “Was this after you beat that little imp in a fiddle contest?”

Nodding his head, Mecha continued, “Yeah, it was family appreciation day back in Ponyville, and it was Sugary Spice's turn, so... yeah.  Everything started out alright, but after Diable woke up the third time... things got out of hoof.”

Shaking his head, Padre asked, “So what are you doing at the northern border anyways?”

Stepping forward to get pat down from customs, Mecha replied, “Nothing I can discuss... would you mind if I ran back with your initiates?”

Blinking, the old goat stared at Mecha, before replying, “Sure... although, you realize that we won't stop until we're back in Canterlot, right?”

Nodding his head, Mecha stepped across the border, shouting back, “It's not far enough!”

Shaking his head at his new friend's peculiar behavior, Padre muttered to himself, “Whatever he's about to do is likely to make my whole organization look like a bunch of green thugs...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed, tapping his hoof.  He didn't have time to wait for his contact... There was a life on the line!

Suddenly, the saddlebag he'd brought with him started to wiggle, before Diable squirmed out, bound with rope.  “You realize that you didn't need to tie me up, right?” the devil asked, staring Mecha straight in the eyes.

“You realize you should've remained unconscious while we were in that school, right?” Mecha shot back.

“Hey, it's not my fault!” Diable yelled.  “You're the one who just took me and stuffed me into a saddlebag!”

“What was I suppose to do!” Mecha hollered back.  “Leave you on that stage to escape?”

“I can't be more than a mile from you without your permission!” Diable replied.  “Don't you know anything about soul ownership?”

“You own that devil's soul?” came a third voice, “That, is mighty impressive.”  Mecha and Diable turned to face Mecha's contact, Mecha saying, “Hade, good to see you!”

Blinking, Diable said, “You're kidding me, right? That's it, you're pulling one over on me! There is no way you've got a Lust-Blessed changeling working for you!”

For indeed, Hade was a changeling, standing at Mecha's height, and out of any disguise.  “Eenope.  Hade here has been working for the Scouting Division for a couple years now... and you're about to get quite familiar with him.”

“Huh?” was all Diable could say, before Hade grabbed him, and started to make-out with him.  “EMEREWLR!” Diable tried to scream, only to succeed in wiggling himself deeper into Hade's embrace, unable to do anything bound as he was.

After around a minute or two, Hade finally let go of Diable, saying, “That was indeed something else Mecha.  Tell me, how'd you know I'd enjoy it so much?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “Changelings are creatures created by Lust, so one would think they'd get the most out of other creatures from Hell.  Either way, it's time for you to fill your part of this bargain,” taking out a glass vial from his mechanical leg.

Sighing, Hade replied, “Always so serious... I mean, couldn't you take the time and have dinner with me?” as he lifted his leg and cut it, allowing some of his blood to fall into the vial Mecha was holding.

“You know I have a marefriend,” Mecha replied, eye twitching a little.

Closing the wound on his leg with a little magic, Hade said, “To bad... you look like you'd be delicious...” before walking off.

Shivering, Mecha capped the vial and stored it in his leg, saying, “I know what he meant, and it still sounds creepy...”

Diable nodded his head, saying, “Gay changelings always creeped me out... just something shifty in their eyes...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stared at the custom's officer in front of him, waiting for Padre's mafia initiates to start their run before attempting to cross the border.  “You realize,” the guard said, staring straight at Mecha, “That despite the reasons you've told me, I still can't let you through with that vial.”

“And you realize,” Mecha replied, staring right back at the guard, “That I have no choice to do what I must.”

Nodding his head, the guard said, “And it is a noble cause.  Which is why I'll walk back to report you to my superiors after running after you for as long as I can.”

Snorting, Mecha said, “Which won't be to long- no offense.  However, I doubt you'll be able to keep track of me for too long.”

Shaking his head, the guard replied, “None taken.  I've heard of you in the fighting circles, and I'm willing to bet I'll lose you in the first mile.”

At this point, Padre's initiates all got into formation, and prepped to run.  “That's my cue,” Mecha said, doing a quick stretch before getting ready to bolt.

As the goats all started to run in place, the guard also got ready to run, before saying, “May Celestia keep the ways clear for you.”

“And may Luna keep nothing in the shadows for you,” Mecha replied, before the goats took off, with Mecha joining them by running through the checkpoint and past the bewildered guards, before heading towards the center off the herd.

“Seize him!” the guard he'd been talking to hollered.  “He has a vial of changeling blood on him!”

At this point, several other guards started to chase after the herd, but quickly fell behind, the sturdy goat legs able to handle the rocky terrain of the north much better than their lanky legs.

LINEBREAKER

It was about a half-day later, and the herd was almost to Canterlot.  “I'm surprised you've made it this far,” Padre told Mecha, running next to him in the center of the herd.

Snorting, Mecha replied, “Canterlot isn't that far from the northern border... In fact, by myself I could've made this trip in half the time.  This herd provides some nice cover from those hunting me, however, so...”

“You're willing to lose a quarter of the day so that you can get further in with less trouble,” Padre finished.  “Not a bad idea,” he said, nodding his head, “Although I'm still curious as to why you're carrying an illegal narcotic/hallucinogenic/alcoholic drink in you're leg.”

“You forgot anesthesia,” Mecha added, concentrating on the road in front of him.

Chuckling, Padre replied, “Yes, but honestly, how many Zebras are in Equestria? It is much more likely that the vial of blood you're carrying will end up in either a pony's, goat's, or donkey's hooves.”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Except I'm handing it straight to the user.”

Blinking, Padre asked, “What reason do they need an anesthesia that strong for?”

Glancing at the upcoming fork in the road, Mecha told him, “For something that I'll explain later, this is where we part ways.”

Looking ahead, Padre chuckled, before saying, “That it is. Good luck my friend, and may your mission be as successful as the day is long!” before Mecha bolted straight ahead, while the herd turned.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha had just passed Canterlot, when suddenly a large wall of flames blocked his way.  Frowning, Mecha forced some magic through his body, before running straight through the wall of fire, being joined by a galloping Solaris and Shining Armor on the other side, Nimbus flying above him.

“Mecha, what the hay are you doing?!?” Shining Armor shouted, matching Mecha's speed with some difficulty.

Diable answered by popping his head out the saddle bag, looking quite green.  “He's saving a life... and making me sick at the same time...”

Blinking, Solaris asked, “Zebra?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Open heart.”

Shaking his head, Nimbus inquired, “How do you want to do this?”

Grinning, Mecha replied, “Simple.  We enter Ponyville, you guys fall into the trap prepared just for you, and then you explain you fell for it while trying to talk me out of committing a crime.”

Blinking, Solaris asked, “You prepared a trap for us?”

Grinning as the four ran (or flew in Nimbus's case) into Ponyville, Mecha said, “But of course.  In fact, her she is now!” and then promptly ran through Ponyville park, where Synge was singing, causing the three pursers to come to a halt, and face her, entranced by her voice.

Mecha chuckled as he continued to run, saying, “Really glad I took Siren Speak in high school...” when Limbs and his deer comrades ran up to him, running alongside him.

“How goes it my fine friendly foe?” Limbs asked, as if Mecha wasn't currently committing a felony.

“Well enough,” Mecha replied, spotting a flash of light in the distance.  It appeared that Celestia had sent a letter to Twilight Sparkle to request that she stop him.  “Although it appears that things are about to get tricky.”

Smiling, Limbs replied, “Don't worry about that Mecha... after all, us deer to have quite the week, skinny legs...”

Getting a small grin on his face, Mecha leapt over Fluttershy, who'd ducked down the moment she saw him coming towards her, and continued to run, whilst the deer “accidentally” collided with Twilight Sparkle and her friends... minus the flying Rainbow Dash it appeared.

Flying up next to him, Rainbow asked, “What in Celestia's name are you doing Mecha! It's not like you to suddenly up and break the law!”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “I'm doing good Rainbow Dash, thanks for asking.”  Seeing the pissed look on her face, Mecha replied, “I don't really have time to explain, just ask Twilight to look up the effects of Changeling blood on Zebras when this is over, okay?”

Giving Mecha a stern look, Rainbow Dash sighed, before replying, “Okay, I'll trust you on this.  Just try not to get hurt okay? I owe you, and you're pretty awesome guy.”

Laughing, Mecha said, “Thanks, nice to hear that.  So how'd things go with you and Applejack?”

Blushing, Rainbow Dash said, “Um... I should let you get back to you're running! Haveanicedaybye!” she rushed out, quickly turning around and heading back towards Ponyville.

Mecha chuckled to himself, thinking about Rainbow Dash's reaction.  After all, she may be willing to brag about her feats with flying, but ask her anything “mushy” and she clams up and blushes like a tomato.

LINEBREAKER

Two days later, and Mecha was still running.  He hadn't really been bothered after escaping Rainbow Dash, other than the occasional town guard he came across, which worried him.  Downing a bottle of some concoction Zecora had given him before making this run, Mecha felt as refreshed as when he began this run.  Which meant, of course, that the moment he stopped running and taking the drink, he'd be deader than a sack of doornails, but this was too important to risk stopping and resting for.

Thankfully, the southern border of Equestria was just through the valley after this hill... and was filled with the majority of the Equestrian military.  “Great,” Mecha said to himself, “they sent the whole wrath-forsaken military... Why in Luna's name did they do that!”

Shaking his head, Mecha continued his charge forward, weaving around the ponies trying to stop him, leaping over swords trying to slice him, and jumping around blasts of magic trying to bludgeon him.  Smiling, Mecha managed to get through the giant roadblock with no problem, due to the lack of organization caused by Solaris's and Shining Armor's lack of presence.

Reaching the southern border, Mecha did a repeat of what he did at the northern border, before coming to a complete stop.  Breathing hard, Mecha was approached by an ancient Zebra, who asked, “Do you have the vial?”

Nodding his head, Mecha opened his mechanical leg, before removing the vial of changeling blood, and handing it to the wizened elder, who held it up to the sunlight.  After a few seconds, he nodded his head, saying, “This will work.  You have my gratitude, and the gratitude of the Zebra herds.  Is there any way we can thank you.”

Shaking his head, Mecha started to say, “I don't need...” before he started to think.  Changing his mind, Mecha said, “Actually, there is something.  I'm in a bit of trouble with my marefriend, and I believe you have two flowers that I can use to try and make it up to her with.  Do you think you could get a couple of samples of the Radiant Day and Calming Night flowers up to me in Ponyville?”

Nodding his head, the elder asked, “Are you sure that is all you want in return? After all, it was a noble thing you've done for us this day, risking being arrested for someone not of your country.”

“To let her die would make me as bad as the demons I fought in Hell,” Mecha replied, before turning around to walk back into Equestria.  Stopping a step from the border, Mecha said, “Although, I have two things to say.  One, when I pass out after crossing the border, get somezebra to explain the situation to the princesses, and two, why aren't you rhyming like every other Zebra I know?”

Not waiting to get an answer, Mecha stepped across the border and allowed himself to collapse, unable to support himself with sheer will power as he'd been doing until then, allowing the military to rush up and arrest him.

Sighing to himself, the old Zebra made his way towards the nearby town, saying, “He saves our princess, and is arrested for it.  Surely he deals with a lot of crap in his life...”

LINEBREAKER

When Mecha came to, he was in a courtroom, in shackles.  Blinking, his vision slowly came into focus, and he looked to see who they'd assign as his lawyer.  Imagine his surprise when he noticed it was Dolosus, the famous Weasel lawyer.  “How'd I get you...?” Mecha slurred out, still trying to wake up.  Man those potions screwed with you!

Looking over at Mecha, Dolosus grinned, before saying, “Ah, you're awake! As for how I ended up working for you... well, Koning was so happy that you saved his daughter's life, that he requested that I help you with this case.  And I just can't say no to the Zebra king, now can I?”

Mecha blinked a little, trying to process what he'd heard.  When Zecora had brought this matter to his attention, she'd only mentioned that it was her niece that needed the Changeling blood* for the surgery.  That meant...  “By Luna's secret diary!” Mecha yelled out, getting the court's attention, “Zecora is the sister to the Zebra king!”

*To clarify, for Zebras, Changeling blood is a strong anesthesia- the strongest for them in fact.  It also happens to be the only anesthesia that is strong enough for the normally chemical resistant race to be put under deep-enough for an open heart surgery, such as what Zecora's niece needed.
> Pretty Vengeance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sat at his work bench, channeling some of his magic into the potted plant in front of him.  Frowning for a moment at the lack of response, he smiled when a small green stem broke the surface, before cutting off his magic and turning back to his latest mechanical project while the plant quickly grew.

“So let me get this straight,” Doctor Whooves started, watching his friend work.  “You ran a vial of Changeling blood, an illegal narcotic, across the country, literally, while evading arrest and causing general havoc, only to be released free of charges.”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, screwing a part in place.

“Am I to guess that has something to do with the Weasel currently filing paperwork in the corner?”  Doctor Whooves asked, looking at Dolosus, who was working in the corner.

“Eenope,” Mecha said, putting down his tools and moving to sit in front of the now full grown plant, blooming a vibrant... purple.  “I got off due to the fact that I broke the law to save a life,” seeing his friends look, Mecha explained, “a Zebra needed it for... you know what, I'll just get you a copy of the paper with the story in it.  Anyways, since I did that, as well as avoiding harming anypony, I got off scot free because of the Star Swirl the Bearded Coffee Law.”

Blinking, Doctor Whooves said, “The what now?”

Sighing, Mecha pulled the flower out, tossed it in the trash, and marked something on a nearby journal before saying, “The Star Swirl the Bearded Coffee Law.  Basically, he drank waaaaaaay to much coffee and proposed the law, which was accepted.  Not it recalling after crashing from his caffeine high, he wrote Coffee Law on the name of the bill when it came time to name the thing.”

Shocked into silence, Doctor Whooves allowed Big Macintosh to ask, “Then why is the lawyer here?”

Dolosus spoke up, saying, “Because king Koning hired me for what he thought would be the duration of the trial, a full month, but due to the open and shut case, we were done in ten minutes.  That means that for the next month, I work for Mecha, mostly with these pending patents he's let build up.”

“I didn't let them build up!” Mecha hollered back, another plant growing as he worked on his project once more.  “That implies I'd even considered starting them.”

Shrugging, Dolosus replied, “Yes, and apparently you don't care if anypony steals your ideas.”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “That suggests that anypony could re-create them.  Far as I'm aware, I'm the only pony crazy enough to try any of that crap!”

“Hey!” Doctor Whooves yelled out, “Are you implying that I'm not as crazy as you?”

Mecha stopped working for a moment, before laughing.  “You're right,” he stated, before turning to Dolosus, and said, “The only pony who'd be crazy enough to recreate my inventions wouldn't even dream of doing so!”

At this point, the door to the workshop opened, and Diable walked in, much to the laughter of the current occupants.  Eye twitching, the devil walked in, dressed up in a French Maid's outfit, carrying a tray of drinks.  “You're drinks... sir...” Diable spat out, setting the tray on the table.  “Anything else I can do for you... sir...?”

Mecha grinned as he took a gulp from his lemonade, before setting it down and asking, “Any suggestions my friends?”

His friends put their hooves up to their chins in thought, before an evil grin came across Big Macintosh's face.  “Why don't you have 'im pick up the girls from school?” he suggested, causing grins to spread to the rest of the occupants in the room.

Turning to Diable, Mecha said, “You heard him... and no changing out of your outfit!”

Eyes widening, Diable started muttering curses under his breath, before making his way out of the house to do as commanded.  Turning back to the plant, Mecha blinked, staring at the soothing blue color that greeted him.  “Hello...” he murmured, looking over the plant.  “What do we have here...?”

Watching Mecha write in his journal, Doctor Whooves asked, “What's up?”

Grinning, Mecha replied, “I'll tell you in a sec... turn off the lights for a second, will ya?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Big Macintosh did as Mecha asked, and turned off the lights, causing a darkness to descend upon the room.  Nopony (or noweasel in Dolosus's case) could see anything for a minute, before a vibrant red glow started to emit from the flower in front of Mecha.  “Praise Luna!” Mecha hollered out, as Big Macintosh turned the lights on, the flower shifting from red back to the blue it was earlier.

Sighing, Dolosus said, “And that's another patent to add to my workload...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked down Ponyville's main street, a small bouquet of the recently crossbred flowers in hoof.  Looking around, he spotted his mark, and smiled before shouting, “Cheerilee!”

Cheerilee stopped in her tracks, turning to see Mecha.  Frowning initially, she noticed the flowers he had with him, before shaking her head and smiling.  Nodding him over, she quickly sat on a nearby bench.

Mecha happily made his way to join her... only to be cut off by two unicorns.  Mecha tried to step around them, only for them to step back into his way.  “Um... can I help you?” Mecha asked, trying once again to step around them.

The one on the left nodded her head, asking, “Are you Mecha?”

Eye twitching, he replied, “Yes, but if you don't mind, I'm a bit busy right now...” before trying to fake them out, only to fail.

The one on the right said, “That is irrelevant, you're coming with us now,” as she stepped to block Mecha once more.

Stopping, Mecha glared at the two, and replied, “No bucking way.  I've been in trouble with my marefriend for the last few days, and I finally have a chance to make it up to her.  Now then, GET OUT OF MY PRIDE FORSAKEN WAY!”

The two merely blinked as he yelled at them, before they replied, “Negative,” and channeled magic into their horns.

Growling, Mecha sent some magic into his eyes, which widened when he saw their magic surrounding him.  Glaring, he turned to Cheerilee who was making her way towards the trio.  “I'll explain when I escape from these two!” Mecha hollered to her, tossing the bouquet of flowers towards her before he disappeared in a flash of light.

Blinking, Cheerilee caught the flowers while staring at where the three ponies had just been.  “That,” she stated, “could've gone a lot better.”  Taking a sniff of the flowers, she sighed, before making her way home.  “All he needed to do was apologize... no need to get me these lovely flowers...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha instantly released his sword from his mechanical leg and held it to the throat of one of the unicorns, saying, “Explain to me why you kidnapped me, and do it quick!”

Staring Mecha down, the unicorn replied, “You were on the list of this year's Miss Equestria Beauty Pageant entrants, and all entrants must be present at least an hour before it starts.”

Eye twitching, Mecha put his sword away, asking, “How in Lucifer's frozen lake did I get entered into this pageant? After all, I'm a mister, not a miss.”

Sighing, the unicorn on his right replied, “Around 22 years ago we got sued for denying a stallion entrance, and we are now required to allow both mares and stallions into the contest.  And as for your entrance... I believe the princesses signed you up.”

Eye twitching at a rapid pace, Mecha said, “Sure they did.  Probably laughed while doing so too.”

Nodding her head, the unicorn on his right said, “They also mentioned something about payback, paperwork, and drugs while doing so.”

Sighing, Mecha asked, “So what now?”

Both unicorns glanced at each other, before nodding their heads and saying, “Doctor.”

LINEBREAKER

“So doc, what'cha need?” Mecha asked, sitting down as the doctor poked and prodded him.

Writing stuff down, the doctor said, “Nothing much.  Just some basic questions to make sure you're healthy and legal to participate.”

Mecha perked up, asking, “Can we start with those? I'd like to avoid participating if I could.”

Nodding his head, the doctor asked, “In that case, have you ever had plastic surgery?”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Does attaching a metal leg to myself after losing my real leg count?”

Shaking his head, the doctor replied, “Nope.  Any physical illnesses?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Besides missing a leg... my stomach is about half the size of anypony else's.”

Eyebrow raised, the doctor asked, “Are you anorexic?”

It was Mecha's turn to shake his head, saying, “Eenope.  Spent 666 days in Hell eating nothing but ration pills.  Used to be my stomach wasn't even a quarter of normal size... but hey, I've been eating more.”

Nodding his head, the doctor continued with, “Finally, mental disorders?”

Grinning, Mecha replied, “Finally, something I can work with! I have PTSD.”

Looking Mecha straight into the eyes, the doctor asked, “Trigger?”

Caught off guard, Mecha stuttered out, “Er... Diamond Dogs...?”

The doctor wrote that down, before saying, “You're clear to go- nothing here is going to trigger your PTSD.”

Groaning, Mecha asked, “I don't suppose you'd just mark me unfit to enter so I don't have to do this, would ya?”

Shaking his head, the doctor said, “That would require you to submit yourself to a couple years therapy.  I figured you'd want to avoid that.”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Yeah, I'd like that.  Granted, I'll probably end up in therapy after this anyways... so... yeah.  Thanks anyways doc!” as he walked out the room.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he stood on stage, looking bored.  It was time for the intro and formal attire portion of the pageant, and he was bored out of his mind.  Apparently somepony had gone back for his suit from the Grand Galloping Gala, as that was what he was currently wearing, waiting for his turn.  “...and finally, the only stallion competing this year, Mecha!”

Giving out another sigh, Mecha walked up the catwalk, stood disinterested for three seconds, and turned around before walking back.  When he got back to his spot, he turned around to something that astonished him... the crowd cheering!  Leaning over, he asked the contestant next to him, “Why are they cheering?”

Still smiling at the crowd, he voice betrayed the mare as she harshly whispered, “You matched you outfit with your personality there you dolt! The crowd eats that up!”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha sighed as he walked off stage, grabbing his gear for the talent portion.  As the last to be introduced, he was the first to present his talent.  Walking back onto stage, Mecha sighed as he faced the, to him, invisible judges.

“So...” came a female sounding voice, “what do you plan on showing us today?”

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Mecha replied, “Combat skills.”

Hearing a light mumble from the crowd, a male voice spoke up saying, “Care to elaborate?”

Shrugging, Mecha said, “No.”

The mumbling was replaced with laughter, as a sigh came from the male voice.  “Very well then,” it said, “You may start.”

Mecha gave a quick shrug, as somepony rolled out a trolly with fruit on it.  Pulling out his swords, Mecha got onto his rear hooves before stomping onto the trolly, causing the fruit to fly into the air.  When they reached their peaks, Mecha sliced them all so fast that everypony saw only a blur.  When he finished, the fruit all fell into a bowl perfectly sliced as Mecha started to pull knives from his sash and flung them into a piece of wood across the stage, slowly making an image of him, Sugary Spice, Wolfgang, and Cheerilee.  Awed at this, nopony noticed when he pulled his swords out again, but where shocked when a black wave came through and cut off the excess wood before seeing where it came from.  Staring at Mecha, the crowd burst into applause, cheering for his skill.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha walked off, grabbing the fruit bowl and taking a bite out of a piece of mango.

LINEBREAKER

“Okay people, it's time for the swimsuit portion!” a pony shouted backstage.

Mecha blinked, looking around.  Every mare had already gotten into their swimsuits, and were rushing to the edge of the stage.  Looking onto the rack to see what he was expected to wear, Mecha shook his head, saying, “No way, not gonna happen,” as he sat on the floor, crossing his forelegs across his chest.

The first of the mares began to make her way across the catwalk, as one of the managers walked up to him and said, “Oh yes it is, even if we have to stuff you in it and throw you onto the stage!”

Standing up, Mecha shot an evil glare at the manager, and replied, “Try it, I dare you.  After all, if you try, I can cry foul and get out of this Lust- and Pride- forsaken contest!”

It was the manager's turn for an evil look, a grin breaking out on his face.  “On the contrary,” he started, “You're entered in this contest, meaning we can do whatever it takes to make you compete.”

Eyes widening, Mecha said, “You wouldn't...”

The manager just grinned in response.

LINEBREAKER

“And finally, gracing the stage is... Mecha!” the announcer shouted, pointing towards the curtain.  At first, nothing happened, until Mecha suddenly was launched from the curtains, flailing his arms about.  “And wouldn't you know it folks,” the announcer said, pointing at Mecha, “He chose to swim out for us!”

For indeed, Mecha's random flailing was similar to that of a popular swimming stroke, as he landed roughly onto the catwalk.  Standing up, he brushed himself off, ignoring the cheering crowd, before marching behind the stage to pummel the manager for putting him into a speedo, again ignoring the crowd, although this time they were whistling and cat calling.

LINEBREAKER

After removing the speedo, and finding out that no, he couldn't beat the manager into an inch of his Lucifer forsaken life, but he could make death threats, he was called out for the personality portion of the contest.

“Now then,” the announcer started, “This will have no effect on your score from the judges, but will effect if the audience vote will help or hinder you.”

“Oh joy, oh rapture,” Mecha droned out, bored out of his mind.  “I get to talk about myself, may I mention the fact that Luna and Celestia entered me in order to get back for causing them paperwork?”

“Well, normally no,” the announcer replied, “but considering that your mike is already on, I guess you just did.”

Snorting, Mecha continued, “And the fact that I was trying to apologize to my marefriend with a bouquet of flowers when you're cronies kidnapped me wouldn't be something I should mention either?”

“Uh... that's right,” the announcer said, beginning to sweat a little.  “In fact, you're suppose to let me ask you a few questions to get a feel of your personality.”

Mecha let out a chuckle, and said, “Wouldn't that make this the Q&A section? And besides, how many ponies here really care about my personality?”  The crowd started to whisper amongst themselves, interested in what Mecha had to say.  “I mean, how many of them are going to care about me once this is over? I just want to go home, make up with Cheerilee, play with my daughter, mock Wolfgang, and scare my two apprentices away from Sugary Spice for a year or two.  Maybe even work a little on my forging.  But no... I can't do any of that right now because you Pride-forsaken pageant folk won't let me!”

The crowd burst into applause, roaring with approval of his speech.  Eye twitching, Mecha continued, “And of course, there is the issue of me somehow being the crowd favorite... I'm not even trying to win folks! Just doing what I'm required to do so I can go home!”  The crowd's applause grew, as Mecha sighed, before facing the host.  “Can I go now?”

The announcer gulped, before nodding his head.  As Mecha walked off stage, he thought to himself, 'This will either be the best interview of my career, or the one that kills it.  Either way, please don't let me end up being the one to question him for the next segment.'

LINEBREAKER

Unfortunately for the announcer, his wish didn't come true.  Standing back on stage, looking completely bored, was Mecha, and it was his turn to give the questions to the contestants.  Swallowing his nerves, he stepped onto the stage, and said, “Good to see you again Mecha! You ready to start?”

Mecha gave him a dead look, before saying, “If I say no, can I skip this ridiculous farce of a contest?”

Shaking his head, the announcer replied, “Sorry, but no.  Trust me, I'd love nothing more than to go home to my wife, but unfortunately we have the princesses in the audience tonight, and need to present the best show possible.”

Mecha blinked, before asking, “The princesses are in the audience?”

Nodding his head, the announcer asked, “Yes they are, would you like to say something to them?”

An evil grin broke across his face, as Mecha turned to face the audience.  Or, face them the best he could when the lights wouldn't let him see them.  Taking in a deep breath, Mecha shouted out, “I'll get you two for this! I have Dolosus going through every bit of legislation ever passed, and he will find a way for me to legally get back at you!”  Huffing, Mecha took a seat in the chair offered to him, before grabbing a microphone, and added, “And Luna? I happen to know where your diary is.”

Laughter raced through the audience, as Mecha groaned and faced the announcer.  “They don't think I'm serious, do they?” he asked.

Shaking his head, the announcer replied, “No, they don't.  Do you really know where Luna keeps her diary?”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Eeyup.  But I think we should stop wasting time and get to the questions.  Sooner we're done, the sooner I can go home.”

Nodding along with Mecha, the announcer said, “I see where you're coming from.  Anyways, have you ever read a book called, The Seven Lords of Sin: Their Effect on You and Me?”

Mecha snorted, before a grin broke out on his face.  Trying to resist laughing, he giggled a bit before finally bursting out into laughter.  Seeing the confused look on the announcer's face, he said, “Check... check the author... and you'll know why I'm laughing!” as he continued to roll around on the floor.

Blinking, the announcer shrugged before grabbing a copy of the book from the ground.  Looking at the name of the author, and then at Mecha, he sighed as he facehoofed.  Grabbing a pen, he pushed the two together, and said, “Since you're here, would you sign the book?”

Pulling himself together, Mecha chuckled, saying “Sure... I'll even send you a copy of my next book when it comes out,” while signing the book.  Finishing with a flourish, he handed it back to the announcer, before saying, “And that makes five of your seven questions.”

It was the announcer's turn to eye twitch, saying, “You've counted every possible question as a question for the Q&A, haven't you?”

Grinning, Mecha replied with one word, “Six.”

Sighing, the announcer said, “Since you'd just answer the normal question with a witty remark without actually answering it...”

Mecha interrupted him, saying, “Now now, I'll take this last question seriously.”

Perking up, the announcer asked, “Really?”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Eeyup.  Especially since you just asked it.”

Blinking, the announcer thought over what he just said, before finally laughing.  “You know what?” he said, shaking his head.  “I walked right into that one.”

Laughing, Mecha walked off-stage, saying, “Yes you did.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was thrilled, he could almost go home! After all, once they presented the first place prize, he'd be out faster than Rainbow Dash could fly!

...Although, he was slightly suspicious about what was going on.  After all, the audience loved him, despite his best efforts, and yet he hadn't come in second or third.  With how much the audience usual rated in these kinds of things, he was certain he'd take third, possibly second.  That meant either the audience actually held vary little sway, or... oh no.

“And finally,” the host started.

'Please oh please tell me they didn't...' Mecha thought to himself.

\	“In first place,” the host continued.

'If they did, I swear I'm blowing up the princesses beds!' Mecha continued to think.

“Mecha!” the host yelled.

Mecha groaned, as the audience cheered while the managers of the events came forward and put a tiara- a Pride forsaken, diamond-encrusted, golden tiara- upon his head.  Eye twitching, he took the bouquet of flowers they handed to him, before being ushered up to the microphone.

“Mecha, how does it feel to be the first stallion in history to be named Miss Equestria?” the host asked, turning to face Mecha.

Mecha blinked, before replying, “Stupid.  I didn't enter myself, the princesses did.  Furthermore, I did nothing to try and win, merely acted like a jerk since I was stuck competing, and did everything as fast as possible to get out of here.  Now then, can I please go home so I can apologize to my marefriend for everything I was going to apologize for in addition to disappearing on short notice?”

Shocked, the host asked, “Don't you want your prize?”

Eye twitching faster than Pinkie Pie on an energy drink, Mecha replied, “Just send it to my home.  Celestia and Luna are bound to have my address, and in a worse case scenario, have somepony follow the pony in a cloak heading towards Ponyville.  Chances are they send him to get a statue of this.”

Suddenly, Celestia's voice rang out from the crowd, saying, “I'd like it done to scale, in a nice pretty pink metal!”

Mecha started to walk off stage, shouting, “That'll cost 100,000 bits- Rose gold is expensive!”

Laughter rang out, before Luna hollered, “And a statue done in green about what lead to this situation!”

Mecha, who'd just walked off stage, stuck his head out, and shouted, “Copper Oxidized statue series, 20,000 bits!”  before forcibly grabbing one of the unicorns that had brought him there, and made her teleport him back to Ponyville.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha's eye twitched as he walked through Ponyville, heading towards Cheerilee's home.  He should've been more specific when he asked for a teleportation, as he had to walk across the entire town of Ponyville with a tiara on his head, a bouquet of flowers in his hooves, and a sash that said Miss Equestria on it slung across his chest.  The fact that everypony he knew had been at the train station seeing Applejack off when he was... deposited there.  Needless to say, it was not one of his finer moments.

Anyways, it turned out that the only pony NOT seeing Applejack off was Cheerilee, who was working on her lesson plan for the week.  Walking up to her door, Mecha knocked on it, waiting for Cheerilee.  Hearing her hoofsteps, Mecha tried to make himself seem less... something, when the door opened.

“Can I... help... you...?” Cheerilee asked, staring at Mecha.  Getting a good look at the tiara and sash, she started to giggle, before coughing and regaining her composure.  “Would you like to come in?” she asked, completely opening the door and stepping aside to let him in.

“I'd love to,” he stated, stepping through.  “And I don't suppose you'd like another bouquet of flowers and a tiara? I'd offer the sash and title as well, but the sash is spelled on for another day, and the title is stuck with me until next year.”
> Date Night Escape
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sighed, as he waited in line, fiddling with his latest design.  Normally, this would be the last thing he'd be doing while waiting in line, but considering that cider season didn't open for another four hours... yeah, he was stuck fiddling around with his creation.  Normally, waiting all night in a line would be his cup of tea, but ever since he started to only get one hour of sleep every three days, he'd found them a lot less enjoyable.

In fact, this was possibly the most boring thing he's done since he ended up on watching paint dry as a job.  Although, it did pay 15 bits an hour... but still, that didn't change the present.  Here he was, awake at four in the morning, with nothing to do.  Cheerilee wouldn't be up for another three hours... and Snips and Snails were way down in the line, so he couldn't talk with anypony.  Although...

LINEBREAKER

Mecha giggled as he put the finishing touches of his masterpiece.  With an evil grin, he took out a camera and snapped a quick picture before sneaking out of Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Do's tent, sitting back down next to his cooler.  Spotting a yawning Cheerilee, Mecha chuckled before opening his cooler and grabbing a soda.  Passing it to her, he asked, “Sleep well?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee opened the caffeinated drink, before downing it in one go.  Letting a shiver run down her spine, she said, “Quite well.  How'd you pass the time?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “Spent most of it fiddling around with my latest device, before getting bored and pranking the timeless couple in front of us.”

Eyebrow raised, Cheerilee asked, “What did you do to them?”

Chuckling, Mecha handed her the photo he'd just taken, and said, “Put them into one sleeping bag, covered Doc in clown make-up, painted over Ditzy's eyelids to make it look like she's always got her eyes opened, and superglued the two together at the flanks.”

Cheerilee shook her head at her stallionfriend's behavior, before saying, “Anything else?”

Turning his head to the side, Mecha replied, “Eenope.”

Giggling a little, Cheerilee said, “Isn't that Big Macintosh's line?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “I'm an honorary Apple family member.  Therefore, I get to use all lines the family uses.”  At the look his marefriend was shooting him, Mecha sighed before pulling out a sheet of paper, and handed it to her.

Looking over the paper, Cheerilee asked, “Is this really...?”

Grinning, Mecha said, “Eeyup.  An honorary birth certificate, stating me as a member of the Apple family.”

Giving the paper another glance, Cheerilee had to ask, “What did you do to earn this?”

Laughing, Mecha took the paper back from her, and replied, “I played my fiddle at a family re-union.  We still good for dinner this weekend?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee muttered under her breath, “Played the fiddle?”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha let out a long breath as he stretched, making sure he was limber and loose before the contest started.  Glancing over at Sugary Sweet's and Wolfgang's preparation, Mecha smirked.  By themselves, the Apple family had no hope of matching the Flim Flam brother's machine.  But with him and his family? They might stand a chance.  Granted, they'll win for sure when Applejack's friends got involved, as they were bound to do.  He wasn't the only honorary Apple family member here after all!

Getting into place, Mecha kept an eye on Doctor Whooves, listening to the count down.  Tensing himself up, he focused on his target, taking deep, long breaths.  When he heard his aunt say “GO!” he sprang straight into action, flying through the air, and impacting the tree in front of him with a resounding THUD, apples falling into the basket left there by Wolfgang, to be picked up by Sugary Spice.

But Mecha didn't stop there, he kicked himself off from the tree, flying towards the next, as he flipped around in order to hit it with his hind-legs.  Feeling the wood on his hooves, Mecha took off again, heading for the next tree in the line...

LINEBREAKER

When his aunt called time, Mecha collapsed.  He hadn't had to do that much consecutive leaping since Sloth's palace collapsed while he was in it! While he was recovering, he listened to the final count... and was upset that they'd lost by five barrels.  Shaking his head, he watched sadly as Big Macintosh tried to comfort his family, only to witness the expression “One bad apple ruins the batch” in action, as Flim and Flam had allowed Quality Control to slip in order to match production.

Grinning, Mecha cheered, especially when Cheerilee rushed up to him and gave him a big hug.  “You were brilliant!” she said, as she held him close.  A second later, she pushed him away, adding, “But you need a shower...”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “The moment I have feeling in my legs again.”

LINEBREAKER

A couple hours, and one shower, later, and Mecha was waiting for Cheerilee to show up for their date, when Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked up.  “Hey Mecha, you got a moment?” Applejack asked, flagging him down.

“Kinda,” he replied, eying a nearby clock.  “I'm supposed to meet up with Cheerilee for our date soon...”

“That's actually what we're here for,” Rainbow Dash said.  “You see, we both really wanted to thank you for your help earlier...”

“And ah know that you two don't have anything special planned for tonight since ah asked Big Macintosh,” Applejack added.

“So we were wondering if you two would like to join us at this fancy restaurant that gave me a free dinner for four,” Rainbow Dash finished.

Eyebrow raised, Mecha looked at them, before asking, “Why'd they give you free dinner?”

Startled, Rainbow replied, “I entered in a contest for a day with the Wonderbolts, got the consolation prize.  Why?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “You'd be surprised at how often a free meal ends up as a trap for you and your closest friends.  So, if Cheerilee doesn't mind, then sure, we'll tag along!”

“If I don't mind what?” Cheerilee asked, walking up to the group.

“Basically a double date at restaurant Rainbow here won free dinner at,” Mecha said, filling her in.

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee looked between the couple and her stallionfriend, before chuckling a little, and saying, “Not a problem for me, especially since Applejack isn't trying to have you go with Big Macintosh.”

Mecha's eye twitch while Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked confused.  “You just had to bring that up, didn't you?” he asked, shaking his head.

“Had to bring what up?” Rainbow Dash asked, as they started walking towards the train station.

“One of the more embarrassing moments of my life...” Mecha replied.

“More embarrassing then the third time ya blew up your chem lab?” Applejack asked.

Facehoofing loudly, Mecha said, “Big M just had to tell you that story, didn't he?”

Applejack grinned, before replying, “Eeyup.”

LINEBREAKER

The couples had arrived at the restaurant, and were on there way inside, when Mecha spotted the name.  Grinning, Mecha said, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Raising an eyebrow, Cheerilee asked, “In what way?”

“This,” Mecha said, waving his hoof at the restaurant, “Is owned by Fancy Smancy.  My arch-rival is about to give us a free meal.”

Cheerilee laughed lightly, as the host asked, “Name?”

“Rainbow Dash, party of four,” Rainbow told him.

“Ah, madam Dash, do you happen to have your prize on you?” the host said.

Nodding her head, Rainbow Dash handed him a card, which he quickly went over.  Nodding his head, the host asked, “Do you mind waiting for a minute? The owner has requested to see you.”

Shooting Mecha a glance, he nodded his head, signaling that he was okay with it.  So, with a shrug, Rainbow Dash replied, “Not at all.”  With a quick nod of his head, the host was on the way, and Rainbow quickly turned and asked, “What's up Mecha? I thought you hated this guy.”

Mecha gave an evil grin, before saying, “I'm pretty sure I can abuse the situation.  After all, I've got ten bits that the first thing he says is 'I won't allow him to eat here!' while pointing at me.”

Raising an eyebrow, Applejack asked, “Ah'm not trying to pry or anything, but uh... isn't that a bad thing?”

Here question went unanswered, as Fancy Smancy showed up, and confirmed Mecha's thoughts when he shouted, “I won't allow him to eat here!”

Mecha instantly snapped to attention, a look of indignant outrage on his face.  “Oh, that's the thanks I get huh?”

At this point, the three mares with him were confused, and watched without saying anything.

“I go out and risk my life and limb, and lose the latter, and this is what happens!” Mecha shouted, throwing his forelegs up into the air.  “Not only do I get strange looks for my replacement leg, now I can't even eat at in a public place!”

The evil stares being shot at Fancy Smancy showed what Mecha was playing at.  After all, Fancy Smancy never said why he wouldn't serve Mecha, and now he couldn't without losing a lot of business for looking like he was a bigoted jerk.

Of course, Mecha wanted to play it up a bit.  “Is it not enough that I served in our military for two years? Or the fact that I lost my leg during that time? Yes, I understand that it is unusual for me to have a metal leg, so I don't mind the stares, but really? To be discriminated against because of it!”

The stares really started to heat up, and some ponies started to get up to leave.  Seeing that he was going to lose his business if he didn't do something quick, Fancy Smancy held up his hooves and said, “Wait! I'm sorry sir, but I hadn't even noticed your leg,” grinding his teeth as he held up a fake smile.  “I merely mistook you for somepony who has a tendency to attack me and my image in public.  You do share a striking resemblance.  Tell you what, not only is the meal on the house, but so is whatever wine you drink, no limit!”

Smiling, Mecha replied, “Thank you sir, and I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions.  It's just that everypony seems to be staring at my leg... it just got to me.”

“I understand perfectly,” Fancy Smancy said, teeth beginning to crack.  “But now, allow me to set you fine folk,” he added, quickly moving towards an empty table.

Sitting down, the four waited until he left, before breaking down in laughter.  “That,” Rainbow Dash started, “That was freakin' awesome! Dude, how did you keep such a straight face!”

Wiping a tear from his eye, Mecha replied, “Through lots and lots of practice.  Most of which involved either tricking nobles out of their bits or making the public despise them unless they did what I suggested.  For the most part, real good party trick.”

Shaking her head, Applejack said, “Ah'm normally not one for trickery, but from what ah've heard of this guy, he deserved it.”

“Oh, he deserved it,” Cheerilee replied.  “That foal tried to ruin our date once...”

“Bah,” Mecha interrupted, “Deserved it or not, I did it.  Beside, now I can pilfer his wine stock for free! Do you know how much expensive wine he must carry?”

Any response was cut off when a wall blew out, revealing a bunch of dark blue ponies, all unicorns, standing in the hole.  “Alright everypony, get down!” the lead unicorn shouted.  “You are now all prisoners of the Nightmare Clan!”

“By Lucifer's lake!” Mecha swore, before standing up.  “What in the hay are you nut-jobs doing out of prison!”

The members of the Nightmare Clan flinched, before turning to face Mecha.  Most of the guests took this moment to flee, as the leader said, “No cell can keep us contained! And now, we shall have our revenge against you!”

At this point, another wall blew up, as most of the royal guard showed up, surrounding the clan.  “By Nightmare Moon's horn!” the leader swore, as the clan kicked up tables to defend themselves with.  “Don't let them take you my comrades!” he shouted, before launching a blast of magic towards Mecha.

Acting quick, Mecha kicked the table up so that it took the blast, as he and the mares took cover under it.  “Right,” Mecha said, as his leg started to shift, “no time like the present to test a highly dangerous tool.  Rainbow Dash, go and find the princesses, they'll easily be a big help for this.  Cheerilee, Applejack... just stay under cover.  Rainbow is fast enough to avoid their blasts, you're not.”

Getting a nod from Rainbow, she bolted off as Cheerilee asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Me?” Mecha snorted, as his leg solidified into a... tube looking thing.  “I'm going to try and drop that chandelier on them,” he said, pointing at the giant crystalline structure above the Nightmare Clan.  Pointing the end of his mechanical leg at the chain connecting the chandelier, he pulled a trigger on his leg, causing a loud “BOOM!” to erupt in the dinning room.

Mecha swore as the steel bullet he'd shot missed his target, before ricocheting off the wall and hitting a chain... of the chandelier above him.  The small chandelier fell, trapping Mecha under it.  “Lust's panties dipped in Gluttony's deep fryer served wrapped in Sloth's hammock!” He curse, as he reloaded his leg.  It was upon finishing the reload that he realized his problem.  “By Luna's diary, I can't aim!” he shouted, as he realized he was totally pinned down.

Glancing between Mecha and the chandelier hanging above the Nightmare Clan, Applejack said, “Screw it!” and grabbed Mecha's leg... and pulled it right off.  Ignoring the bolts of magic flying past her, she began to aim.

“What in Luna's name was that for!” Mecha yelled at her, flailing under the weight of the chandelier.

“You can't aim under that thing, so ah took matters into my own hoof!” Applejack replied, closing one eye to try and focus better.

“I have a button to dis-attach my leg, you didn't have to rip it off!” Mecha said, still yelling.

Ignoring his yells, Applejack pulled the trigger, before being blasted backwards from the recoil.  Looking up, she spotted the window she'd broken, before yelling, “Con sarn it! Ah missed! How do you reload this blasted thing?!?”

Sighing, Mecha resigned himself to be ignored over the injustice of having his leg ripped off, and said, “Pull back the lever...” and watched as Applejack flipped his leg over, reaching for a piece of metal that was outstretched.  “NO! That's the cartridge switch! I said the lever!”

“Well how was ah suppose to know that!” Applejack yelled back.  “None of these blasted things are labeled!”

“Just... just... just hand it to me! I'll reload it!” Mecha hollered.

“How in tarnation do you plan on doing that! You've only got one leg!” Applejack replied.

“...I only use one leg to reload it in the first place...” Mecha deadpanned.

Blinking, Applejack handed the leg back to Mecha, while rubbing the back of her head, saying, “Oh yeah...”

Sighing, Mecha quickly reloaded the weapon, before passing it back to Applejack.  “Remind me to add slow re-action time to the reasons for revenge against the princesses later,” Mecha said.

“Will do,” Cheerilee replied, as Applejack took aim once more.  “By the way, what is that thing?”

“That?” Mecha snorted, as Applejack began to pull the trigger.  “Just a gun... basically, ball of steel propelled by an explosion caused by powdered hydra scale.  All in all, should be more effective than a bow an arrow... but the aim is terrible!”

Another bang filled the restaurant, followed by a crashing sound.  “WAHOO! Ah finally hit that blasted thing!” Applejack cheered, as the members of the Nightmare Clan groaned under the chandelier's weight.

“And just in time,” Mecha replied, “The princesses have arrived.”

LINEBREAKER

After an hour of arrests, retelling of the experience, and lifting a chandelier off Mecha, and everything was back to normal.  Or as normal as you can get for Mecha.  “So...” Mecha started, staring at the two princesses.  “Do you mind if we raid you kitchens for dinner? Ours was kinda interrupted.”

Chuckling, Luna replied, “Go ahead.  Just don't touch my moon shine... or moon pies.”

“Or my cake,” Celestia added.

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Wouldn't think about it...” as he walked towards the palace, aided by Cheerilee since his leg couldn't be re-attached yet.

LINEBREAKER

“I told you I could get you out,” said a cloaked figure, as he watched Mecha walk away.

“I never doubted you,” replied a second figure.  “Although, I was concerned about my presence being missed when they took in my brothers and sisters...”

The first figure snorted, before saying, “Faked the records.  As far as the wardens know, you never existed.”

The second figure nodded his head, before saying, “And I thank you for that.  But now I must ask, are the items I requested ready?”

“They are,” the cloaked figure replied.  “Although what you need all those things for is beyond me.”

The second figure chuckled, before saying, “All in due Capo... all in due time...”
> A Day in the Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stared, very carefully, as the hydra scale melted in front of his eyes.  Eying the molten mixture, Mecha took a few steps back, the massive amount of armor he was wearing clicking and clanking against each other.  Hey, it didn't hurt to wear several hundred pounds of iron when dealing with something so explosive it can blow up your house, did it?

Waiting a few minutes to allow the volatile substance to fully melt, Mecha walked back forward and grabbed the container full molten scales, before poring it into a sword mold.  Turns out he'd had some laying around, gathering dust since he never used them, so it wouldn't matter if he ended up blowing them up if he accidentally set off the hydra scale!

So, without any true ceremony, Mecha dumped the molten mess, and quickly shoved the mold into a magic-proof container, before running away as fast as he could.  Just because Twilight Sparkle claimed it was magic proof didn't mean he wanted to stick around and find out, especially since he wasn't sure if magic-proof meant magic-repelling.

So, after running for about five minutes, Mecha stood huffing and puffing outside his home, armor strewn about the path he'd just ran.  Glancing behind him, Mecha allowed a smile to grace his face when he saw that there was no giant explosion.  Grin still on his face, he started walking down the street, before suddenly stopping.  While he was happy that he didn't end up exploding, Mecha hadn't actually planned on it not occurring, and thus had nothing else planned for the day.  With a frown, Mecha sat down before trying to think about what to do.

His answer came in the form of his daughter, running up to him and asking, “Are you done working dad?”

Glancing at his daughter, Mecha's grin returned, before saying, “I am for now,” much to his daughter's glee.  “And I think this is the perfect time for a conversation I've been meaning to have with you for a while.  Follow me!” he said, walking into their home.

Staring at her father for a minute, Sugary Spice shrugged before following him in.

LINEBREAKER

“And that's all there is to it,” Mecha said, collapsing the pointer he'd been using.  “Any questions?”

Sugary Spice stared at the board numbly, before asking, “Yeah, what's panties?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “I dunno.  Just something the demons said when referring to Lust.  Anyways, you ready for your 'exam'?”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice replied, “Yes sir pops!”

Chuckling, Mecha asked, “Okay, let's start with something simple... a siren steals your stallion friend?”

“That lust-forsaken hussy!” Sugary Spice replied happily.

“Good good,” Mecha mumbled,writing something down.  “Wolfgang got stabbed by a falling knife.”

“Wrath's dagger!” Sugary Spice exclaimed.

“Bureaucrats take to long to approve your clearance to visit the palace,” Mecha stated.

“Those Pride-forsaken jerks!” Sugary Spice replied.

“I got trapped in jail for something I didn't do, and am thus missing your birthday party, with a bleeding wound,” Mecha recited, reading off a list he'd made before hand.

“Pride's mirror reflecting Envy's gaze cast onto Wrath's bow!” Sugary Spice sang, literally, as Mecha gave one final nod.

“Okay, that about wraps us up... one last test,” Mecha said.  Seeing Sugary Spice's enthusiasm, Mecha asked, “What would the proper swear be if Changelings took over Equestria and impose a tax structure that required you to fill out taxes?”

Sugary Spice frowned in concentration, before replying, “The complete seven lords of hell and Lucifer curse?”

Nodding his head, Mecha asked, “And if I'm present?”

Smiling, Sugary Spice shouted out, “No more than four of them!”

Laughing, Mecha rubbed her head, saying, “That's my girl!”

“Did you really just spend the last two hours teaching Sugary Spice how to swear?” Wolfgang asked, having walked in half-way through the lesson.

“Eeyup!” Mecha replied, walking towards the door.  “She was bound to pick it up from me sooner or later, best she understand exactly what she's saying and doing it right!” he added, before leaving the building.

Wolfgang just watched Mecha leaved, before facing Sugary Spice, and saying, “Your dad's real messed up.”

Sugary Spice faced Wolfgang, and replied, “Oh, just shut your Sloth-forsaken mouth,” before giggling and skipping off.

Stunned at what just happened, Wolfgang spoke out loud, saying to himself, “She's either giddy with the initial joy of swearing, or Mecha's created a monster.”

“I'm hoping for the latter,” Diable said, walking out from the shadows where he'd been hiding.  “After all, I'd love to see how the town reacts to Sugary Spice swearing all the time.”

Raising an eyebrow, Wolfgang asked, “You just want to see Mecha beaten up in a town mob, don't you?”

Grinning, Diable replied with, “Eeyup,” before blinking, and adding, “Gluttony's buffet! He has me doing it now!”

Wolfgang stared at Diable, before saying, “I think we'll get along,” before laying his head down to take a nap.

LINEBREAKER

Having killed an hour teaching his daughter how to swear, Mecha was now bored walking through town.  He'd considered sparring with Limbs for a while, but killed that idea when he recalled that the deer and his friends were out on vacation.  Walking through the park, he gave Synge a wave as he passed, trying not to interrupt Twilight's Siren Speak lesson.  Although, from the sounds of it, she almost had it down.

Sitting down on the town's fountain, Mecha thought over his options.  Cheerilee was out for the day on a field trip, and his aunt was busy with work.  Snips and Snails were both watching the shop, leaving Mecha with two options.  Hang out with Big Macintosh or hand out with Doctor Whooves.  Sighing, Mecha pulled out a coin, and flipped it.  Seeing the result, Mecha said to himself, “Doctor Whooves it is then,” before getting up and walking away.

LINEBREAKER

Turned out that Mecha didn't need to flip a coin, as both Doctor Whooves and Big Macintosh were in the same place.  Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “What in Luna's name are you two doing?”

Looking up from the papers scattered over the table, he replied, “We're going over the math behind my project... I just can't figure out why it's not working!”

Blinking, Mecha grabbed some papers and asked, “Mind if I help?”

Snorting, Doctor Whooves replied, “Do you understand Calculus?”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha replied, “Dude, you're the one who helped me ace that class, remember?”

Blinking, Doctor Whooves rubbed the back of his head, before replying, “Oops...?”

“Would the two of ya please quiet down?” Big Macintosh asked.  “You almost made me do a derivation instead of an integration!”

Chuckling, the two quickly apologized, before getting to work.

After several hours of number crunching, the trio of friends had gotten nowhere.  “I just don't get it...” Doctor Whooves said, slamming his head on the table.  “We've tried everything! But none of these answers make sense... I've even gotten a result that states that I'm a mare!”

Big Macintosh blinked, before asking, “Ah've got to see that one... what did ya do wrong there?”

Groaning, Doctor Whooves replied, “I asked a magic eight ball...”

Mecha ignored all this, however, as he stared at his most recent equation.  Having given up all hopes of attempting any of this with numbers, he'd subbed in several variables, and had been making some slow progress.  Taking another glance at his work so far, he grinned as he slowly started to work, picking up the pace.  Divide by A-B here... move 8*D to this side... take the square root of that... and divide by the result given by dividing by A-B before plugging it into the equation! “I've got it!” Mecha hollered, throwing his hooves up into the air.

Blinking, Doctor Whooves looked over Mecha's equation, before grabbing a calculator and plugging in the numbers.  While he was doing that, Big Macintosh  was looking over the work done, and was about to say something when Doctor Whooves broke out in cheers, stating, “It works! It actually works! The numbers given fit the parameters set!” before he ran over to a box he'd brought with him, and turning some knobs on it, as well as altering some of the wires.

“It worked?” Big Macintosh mumbled, before looking over the work Doctor Whooves had just done.  “But that should be impossible...”

Any further statements were held silent, as Doctor Whooves shouted with glee as the box disappeared in front of their eyes, before reappearing thirty seconds later.

Blinking, Big Macintosh replied, “If ah hadn't had seen it, ah wouldn't have believed it...”

Grinning ear to ear, Doctor Whooves replied, “Yes, quite astounding, isn't it?”

Shaking his head, Big Macintosh replied, “Not that.  Ah'm talkin' about the fact the dividing by zero works.”

Stunned, Doctor Whooves and Mecha rushed over to Big Macintosh's side, where he showed them what he meant.  “If ya look here,” he said, pointing to the middle of the page, “You'll find that A-B equals zero, and since you divide by it here...”

“I divided by zero...” Mecha stated, looking at the paper numbly.

“But... but... how did it work then?!?” Doctor Whooves exclaimed.

Frowning, Big Macintosh continued to go over Mecha's work, before pointing at another part of the page, and said, “Right there.  Mecha fixes dividing by Zero by dividing by Infinity.”*

The trio continued to stare at the page, jaws dropped.  “I not only divided by Zero... but also by Infinity...” Mecha stated.  The three gathered themselves, before sharing a look.  “We tell none of this to Twilight, got it? She'd go nuts.”

Getting a nod of approval from his friends, the three went their separate ways, content with braking only one mathematical law.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking towards Sugarcube Corner, having gotten an emergency call from them... involving a toaster.  Normally when Snips or Snails inform him about an emergency call, it involved a heater in the middle of winter or an air condition in the middle of summer, so this would be a first for him.  Stepping inside the building, Mecha immediately saw why they requested he be armed when he showed up.

“Back foul demon, back I say!” Mecha hollered, before swiping at the vile creation before him with a hammer, forcing it to fall back.  “What in Luna's name-,” he started, before dodging a swipe of the former toaster's cord, “happened here?” as he slammed his hammer down on it's foot.

“I dunno!” Mrs. Cake replied, cowering in fear behind her husband, the twins cuddling into her while Pinkie shook behind her.  “All I can recall was that the toaster stopped working, and Pinkie Pie insisting that she could fix it!”

Stepping around the burst of flames the toaster shot at him, Mecha yelled out, “PINKIE! WHAT DID YOU DO!” before swinging his hammer like a bat, causing the enlarged monstrosity of technology to stumble, a dent clearly visible where Mecha had hit.

“I... I... I just tried to fix it!” Pinkie cried out, falling to the floor with tears flooding down her face.  “I didn't mean to summon a demon to posses and modify it!”

Eye twitching, Mecha replied, “It's okay...” as he brought out a second hammer, and started repeatedly swinging them upon the creature's... face?  “Who here hasn't accidentally summoned a toaster possessing demon?”

In response to the question, the two Cake twins raised their hooves, causing Pinkie to sniffle, and ask, “So you're not mad?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “Pinkie, this is possibly the weakest demon I've ever fought... and that includes the demon that accidentally possessed our toilet paper!” before smashing down upon the toaster one last time, the demon's soul flying out and back into Hell.  Letting out a sigh, Mecha turned to face the Cake family, and said, “Well, that takes care of that.”

Walking slowly over to the wreckage of the formerly possessed toaster, Mr. Cake kicked it, before asking, “So, uh... what do we do with this?”

Trotting over to the toaster himself, Mecha grabbed a chunk of metal, inspecting it closely.  Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “I'll just take this metal and give you a new toaster in exchange.  Sound fair?”  receiving several nods in response, Mecha quickly packed up the metal, before turning to leave.  Stopping at the door, Mecha turned to face Pinkie, and said, “And Pinkie Pie? If I were you, I'd avoid any instructions written in Latin from now on.  Better safe then sorry, eh?”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he went through a mental list of the day's activities.  Melted down hydra scales? Done, and with no explosions! In fact, he'd have to check and see how cool the solidified scales were now that the day was over.  Either way, back to the list.  Taught his daughter to swear... and maybe brought the wrath of both Twilight Sparkle and Cheerilee down on himself should they ever find out, which given the fact that both Diable and Wolfgang enjoyed his misery, was entirely plausible.  Then, he violated the laws of math in order to help Doctor Whooves violate the laws of time and space before fighting a demonic toaster.  All in all, a normal day in the life for Mecha, minus explosions!

So, with a grin, Mecha walked into his forge, spotting Snips and Snails investigating the anti-magic box he'd left laying around in the open.  “Please don't touch that,” Mecha requested, walking forward.  Spotting their looks of confusion, Mecha chuckled as he put on the armor from earlier, and added, “There's treated hydra scale in there.”

The two journeypony forgers immediately leaped back and hid behind two walls of iron, put in speciffically to protect them from the explosions their crazy boss caused.  Opening up the box, Mecha was happy to note that the hydra scale had in fact solidified, and pulled it out with his mechanical leg.  “Nice!” he exclaimed, giving it a few practice swings.

Seeing that there was no immediate concern, Snips and Snails walked out, Snails asking, “Are you sure it's safe boss?”

“Yeah, after all, who knows what could set that off?” Snails added.

Nodding his head, Mecha reached down and snapped off a light piece with his hoof, before throwing it at a barrel of water, screaming, “HOT!”

It turns out that treated hydra scale plus water does not mix.  Upon contact with the water, the hydra scale exploded violently, causing Snips and Snails to leap behind their iron walls just in time, for the water displaced by the explosion came in contact with the treated hydra scale sword... still being held by Mecha.

BOOM!

Mecha was thrown from the forge, and slid on his back around ten feet.  Staring straight at the sky, Mecha didn't move or blink until Snips and Snails walked up to him and asked, “You okay boss?”

Blinking, Mecha let out a cough, creating a puff of smoke, before saying, “Just fine.”  Getting up on his hooves, Mecha started to remove the armor, before poking around his chest.  Wincing a little, he replied, “Might have cracked a rib or two though...”

“Should we take you to the hospital?” Snips asked.

“Nah,” Mecha replied, “I'll be fine.”  Seeing the concerned looks on their faces, Mecha rolled his eyes and said, “Let me test out my gun first, then I'll go.”  Smiling, the two unicorn colts followed Mecha to a target range, where his leg shifted pieces, before settling on a form similar to the one he'd had during his double date.  Pointing the opening at a target, Mecha said, “If I'm right, I should be able to hit near the bulls-eye ever time now...” before pulling the trigger...

BOOM!!!

For the second time that day, something blew up in close proximity.  But unlike last time, when Mecha had armor to protect himself from the explosion and wood fragments, he had no such protection from the fragments of his leg that were now lodged snugly inside his chest.  Letting out a bloody cough, Mecha said, “Snips, Snails, I think now would be a good time for you to levitate me to the hospital.”

Raising an eyebrow, Snails asked, “Why levitate?”

“Because,” Mecha started, “I'm pretty sure any sudden movement on my part will cause the piece of metal lodged next to my heart to pierce it.”

Wincing, Snips and Snails nodded their heads before levitating Mecha slowly, and made their way to the hospital.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sighed as he lay in his bed at the hospital.  Not only did it still have a plaque, but the nurses had started to decorate it with images of his various... mis-adventures that had landed him in that very bed.  Any more visits to the hospital and they'd have to start painting the walls!

A door suddenly opening caught his attention, and Mecha turned to face Rainbow Dash walking in, with a book of all things!  “Hey there,” Rainbow Dash said, taking a seat next to Mecha's bed.  “Heard that you wound up in here again, and figured you'd probably like a book or something to keep your sanity,” she said, setting the book next to him.

Mecha glanced at the title, before snickering.  There, in golden letters, was the title of the book, “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone.”

“Hey, what's so funny!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking offense at Mecha's laughter.  “That's one of the few books I'll read!”

“It's nothing personal Rainbow,” Mecha replied, “It's just that...”

At that point, Ditzy Do walked in, and said, “Hey Mecha! Heard you blew yourself up again, so I thought I'd bring you a get well soon gift!” before tossing a book straight into Mecha's chest.

Wincing in pain, Mecha glanced at the title, before laughing once more.  “Really? You're giving me a copy of this before it's even published?”

“Eeyup!” Ditzy replied, before turning to leave the room.  “I even signed it!”

Confused at Ditzy's behavior and Mecha's laughter, Rainbow Dash looked at the book in Mecha's hooves, before her eyes went wide, and rushed out the door.  “Ditzy, wait up!” she shouted, leaving Mecha alone in the room with the book Ditzy had tossed him, “Daring Do and the Legendary Blacksmith's Hammer.”

*There actually is a program out there that divides by zero and later by infinity.  It's known as the goggle search engine algorithm.  And as 99.9% of internet users will tell you, it works.  Provided they're still using it of course.
> This Day is Going to be Perfect
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha and Sugary Spice were walking towards the school, each with a saddle pack over there backs.  They approached the door, hearing Sweetie Bell say, “I'm sure it's nothing compared to the gifts you've gotten from your very special somepony!”

Chuckling to himself, Mecha opened the door and walked in, saying, “Condsidering that I'm giving her a whole day as a gift...” before spotting the giant card the Cutie Mark Crusaders had made for Cheerilee.  Jaw dropping, Mecha didn't notice Sugary Spice walk in and imitate his look, before both said at the same time, “Pride's mirror! Use enough glitter?”

Chuckling at her stallionfriend's reaction, Cheerilee said, “I think it's sweet.  But you were saying something Mecha?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Yeah, I've got a full day planned for us- including a concert from your favorite cellist.”

Eyes widening, Cheerilee squealed and asked, “You got tickets to Octavia's concert? How'd you pull that off?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “From my brother.  Apparently somepony decided they owed my a favor and sent the tickets to him for me.”

Grabbing Mecha around the neck, Cheerilee gave him a squeeze, saying, “Oh, this day is going to be perfect!”

LINEBREAKER

“This day is going to be perfect...” Capo said, staring at the Nightmare Clan member's creation.

“Yes, it shall...” came said member's reply.

“How long until it's ready?” Capo asked, eyes still focused on the product of their joint effort.

“It'll be ready at the end of the day,” the dark unicorn replied, turning towards a table.  “All we need to do is train it...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee where on the train to Canterlot, dressed up in their outfits from the Grand Galloping Gala for the concert.  The two were currently chatting and laughing, with Mecha asking, “You realize that Sweetie Bell, Scootaloo, and Applebloom are following us, right?”

Chuckling, Cheerilee replied, “Eeyup.  And Sugary Spice is with them.”

Shaking his head, Mecha asked, “How do you think they'll break into the concert hall?”

Rubbing her chin, Cheerilee said, “Hm... I'd guess the backdoor.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Probably.  Either that or the air ducts.”

At this point, the train pulled into the station, and the two got off.  Looking around, Mecha raised an eyebrow when he saw a pony holding up a sign that said Mecha and date.

Glancing at Cheerilee, he shrugged before walking up to the stallion.  “Would you happen to be Mecha sir?” he asked.

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “And this is my date, Cheerilee.”

Smiling, the stallion said, “Very well then sir.  If you'll follow me, Miss Octavia is waiting for you two.”

Stunned, the couple stared at each other for a moment, before quickly following the stallion into a nearby building.  Knocking on a door, he said, “Your guests are here ma'am.”

“Let them in!” replied a voice from behind the door.

Nodding his head, the stallion opened the door and said, “Have a good day.”

Walking through the door, Mecha stood stock still, staring at Octavia.  Blinking, he was broken out of his shock when Cheerilee squealed lightly before running up and shaking Octavia's hoof, stammering out, “Oh miss Octavia, it is a pleasure to meet you! I'm one of your biggest fans, and I simply loved your performance at the Grand Galloping Gala!”

Chuckling, Octavia replied, “Yes, thank you very much.  It's a pleasure to meet you miss...?”

Blushing, Cheerilee rubbed the back of her head, before saying, “Oh, yes, sorry about that... my name is Cheerilee, and this is...”

“Mecha,” Octavia interrupted, nodding her head.  “Yes, I know him from high school.  Although, back then everypony knew me by...”

“Octy... Vinyl always insited that was your name...” Mecha supplied, shaking his head.  “How in Sloth's hammock did I not realize that before?”

“Probably because you tried to block out our one major interaction from you memory,” Octavia suggested, chuckling lightly.

Cheerilee looked between the two, and asked, “What interaction was that?”

Groaning, Mecha said, “She set me up on a blind date...”

“With my date's brother,” Octavia said.  Seeing the stare Cheerilee was sending her, she held her hooves up defensively and said, “I actually thought he was gay! Over half the school thought so to, which is why everypony was shocked when he went out with Nova!”

Grumbling to himself, Mecha said, “Nova was the first mare from our school... and that was a BIG mistake...”

Chuckling, Octavia replied, “Oh yeah, they're still filling in the trench she made...”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “So, Octy, not that it isn't nice to see you again and all that, but why'd you want to see us?”

Nodding her head, Octavia replied, “A valid question.  Basically, I wanted to make up for setting you up on a blind date with mine date's brother.  That's also why I had Shine Sight send you those tickets.”

Mecha's reply was cut short when the door opened and Vinyl Scratch walked in, shouting, “Hey Octy, where's the...” before she spotted Mecha.  “Um... Octy, why is my ex-stallion friend in the room?”

Octavia blinked, before staring at Mecha, and then Vinyl.  Blinking, she asked, “You dated Mecha once?”

“Yeah, right before the dude enlisted... ended up getting me banned from my favorite restaurant,” Vinyl said.

Mecha was slowly making his way behind the furniture, watching as the two talked.  “You mean the one I had to blackmail to let you back in again?”

“Yeah,” Vinyl replied.  “So I ask once more, what's up?”

“She's paying me back for a favor apparently,” Mecha said, sticking his head above the couch.  “And you're not going to blast me with your Bass Cannon?”

“Nope,” Vinyl said.  “I assume Octy would be upset if I blasted her guest and destroyed half her place in the process.”

Sighing with relief, Mecha said, “Whew... in that case, can I ask what you're doing here?”

Nodding her head, Vinyl started walking over to Octavia and said, “It's quite simple... I'm here to wish my marefriend good luck before her concert!” as she gave Octavia a quick kiss.  “Knock 'em dead!”

Blinking, Mecha and Cheerilee gave each other a glance before shrugging.  Stranger things then this had happened before after all, so why not just take it in stride?

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee where both in the front row of the concert, listening to Octavia play her cello, nodding their heads to the rhythm.  Up above, in the air vents, four fillies where listening along, while watching the couple.  “They look so happy...” Sweetie Bell said, eyes watering a little at the romantic scene.

Rolling her eyes, Scootaloo said, “Yeah, well at least they aren't too mushy or anything...”

“And what's wrong with mushy?” Sugary Spice asked.  “Isn't it just great that they get along so well?”

“Ah agree with SS,” Applebloom added.  “As long as they're happy, ah'm happy!”

Scootaloo's reply was cut off when Sweetie Bell shushed them, saying, “Something's going on down there!”

And indeed, after finishing her last song, a crew came in and started moving her cello off stage, while bringing a bunch of sheet covered gear out, with Octavia stepping up to the mic.  “Your attention please!” she said, before continuing, “I happen to have an old high school friend here today, and he requested to be able to preform something for his marefriend while he was here.  Now, at first I was a bit skeptical, as he had no musical talent in high school, but when he played a sample for me, I was amazed.  So, without further ado, Mecha's Musical Mallets!”

Blinking, Cheerilee looked to the seat where Mecha was before, only to realize that he wasn't there.  Looking onto the stage, she shook her head and smiled as he stepped onto the stage, throwing off the sheets to reveal sheveral sheets of metal, and pulled out a set of hammers.  Bowing to the crowd, he winked at Cheerilee.

Up in the air ducts, Sugary Spice giggled, before saying, “Of course he's doing that...”

Staring at their friend, the Cutie Mark Crusaders asked, “Doing what?”

Shaking her head, Sugary Spice said, “He's using his talent in forging as music...”  seeing their blank looks, she said, “Just watch and listen.”

Back on stage, Mecha picked up his first hammer, and slammed it against one of the sheets of metal, letting out a long ringing gong sound throughout the room.  Picking up a second hammer, he hit the first sheet again before hitting another.  Nodding his head, Mecha started to hit several other sheets, each letting out a different pitch, creating a unique melody.

Smirking, Mecha started to pick up the pace, hammering out a tone several recognized as being vaguely similar to a lullaby they heard as colts and fillies.  The smirk on Mecha's face turned into a grin, as he slowly changed melodies, and suddenly threw one of his hammers across the stage while picking up a third hammer.  When the hammer he threw impacted the metal, Mecha threw another in a different direction, before catching the other hammer on the rebound.

At this point, the audience leaned forward, intent on catching every movement Mecha made, juggling the three hammers as their impacts played the Equestrian national anthem.  When he finished that, he added a fourth hammer into the mix, slowly moving towards the center of the stage, no swinging the hammers at the metal, but instead merely throwing the hammers at each metal sheet with enough force to bounce them back to him as he played a slow waltz.

Once in the center, Mecha slammed a hoof down, causing two more hammers to fly into the air, which he quickly integrated into the mix, speeding up the pace of the music.  The audience was entrapped, as the tones the vibrating metal made slowly created an image in their heads of a peaceful field...

LINEBREAKER

After around twenty minutes and thirteen hammers later, Mecha had finished his performance, and was taking a bow.  The music was nothing compared to what Octavia could produce, but the way he presented it made it so that he received just as much applause for it.  Talking into the mic, Mecha said, “Thank you all! I'd like to thank Octavia for allowing me to do this, as well as saying happy Hearts and Hooves day to you all! Finally, could you give a round of applause to my marefriend, whom without which I'd be... well, not nothing, but close to it!”

The audience did as he asked, allowing him to step down to be greeted by a large hug from Cheerilee, who asked, “When did you learn how to do that?”

Laughing, Mecha returned her hug, before saying, “You'd be surprised what you can come up with when you're bored and have nothing to do at three in the morning.”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee gave him a quick kiss, before asking, “What's next?”

Smirking, Mecha replied, “A surprise.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha had walked Cheerilee out a short distance from Canterlot, before removing the blindfold from her eyes.  Blinking, her eyes adjusted to the light, before she asked, “Mecha, is that the Daring Do movie being filmed?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha said.  “Ditzy pulled a few strings and got us in as extras.  How would you like to have dinner and be filmed for what is likely to be the biggest movie released?”

Blinking, Cheerilee asked, “Depends.  What's for dinner?”

“Whatever you order, duh!” came Ditzy's voice, as she walked over to the couple, smiling.  “After all, it wouldn't be very convincing if everypony was eating the same thing in the background!”

Doctor Whooves laughed as he walked up behind her, saying, “No it wouldn't.  So, you two ready for this?”

Mecha's and Cheerilee's smiles gave their answers.

LINEBREAKER

Capo grinned, watching as the instrument of his revenge made its way towards Mecha. Without turning his gaze, Capo asked, “How can we make sure it does its job?”

Nodding his head, the unicorn replied, “A valid question.  To answer it, let us return to the lab, where I happen to have a scrying orb to watch from.”

An evil grin crossed Capo's face.  After all, he could now watch the pony that ruined his life get killed!

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee were waiting for their order, chuckling lightly at the failed attempts of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to blend in.  “Seriously, standing on top each other in a trench coat? Don't they realize how obvious they look?” Mecha asked.

“Oh shush you,” Cheerilee replied, swatting him lightly.  “I think it's cute that they want to spy on us.”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Either way, I'm surprised no ones pointed them out.”

Chuckling, Cheerilee said, “Probably because they're not causing any harm.”

Nodding his head, Mecha opened a compartment on his mechanical leg, before pulling out a small box.  Setting it on the table, he said, “While we're waiting for our food, why don't you open your gift?”

Smiling, Cheerilee nodded her head before passing him a gift as well, saying, “Only if you open yours as well.”

With a nod of his head, Mecha reached over and grabbed the gift, and quickly unwrapped.  Looking at the case, he opened it to reveal a small silver chain necklace, with a hammer charm hanging off it.  Chuckling lightly, Mecha said, “Great minds think a-like,” as he put it on, before helping Cheerilee put his gift, a silver necklace with a flower similar to that of Cheerilee's Cutie Mark hanging off it, around her neck.

“Happy-,” Cheerilee was cut off when somepony yelled out, “CHIMERA!”

Turning to face the voice, Mecha's eyes widened, before he yelled out, “LUST'S PANTIES DIPPED IN GLUTTONY'S DEEP FRYER LOCKED IN GREED'S TREASURE CHEST STORED UNDER SLOTH'S HAMMOCK WITH ENVY'S GAZE UPON IT RELFECTED BY PRIDE'S MIRROR BEING SMASHED BY WRATH'S WARHAMMER NEXT TO LUCIFER'S BED! Who in their right mind made an aberrational chimera!”*

For there on the hillside was a chimera, but not the traditional lion-goat-snake, no, this was a chimera with more than three heads.  Granted, of the 9 heads present, 7 were hydra heads, with the other two being a cockatrice head and a platypus head.  On its back was a set of dragon wings, with an enlarged manticore's tail hovering between them.  The creature let out a roar, before releasing a burst of some purple toxin, before spitting out a flash of fire, igniting the cloud and causing a small explosion.

Leaping up, Mecha grabbed a sword from his saddle pack, before telling Cheerilee, “Run! I'll take care of this,” and rushing towards the chimera.

Halfway there, a flash of light revealed Solaris, fully equipped with his scythe and cloak.  “What is it with you and dangerous creatures?” he asked, as they leapt apart to avoid the giant flame cloud approaching them.

“How should I know!” Mecha yelled, spinning around a hydra head's attempt to bite him.  “I'm a scout, I shouldn't have to deal with heavy combat!”

“And yet here you are, fighting an aberrational chimera,” Solaris retorted, slicing into one of the creature's wings.

“Hey, only reason I'm doing so is cause this thing's targeting me!” Mecha replied, dodging a blow from the tail.

“Oh really, how do you figure that?” Solaris asked, slicing off the tail that had just missed Mecha.

Mecha leapt back from the platypus head's attempt to bite him, before saying, “Besides the fact that the Wrath forsaken thing is focusing on killing me while merely fending you off? Nothing.  Anyways, where's Shining Armor?”

“Out of the country with- gah!” Solaris let out, the cockatrice head catching his gaze for a moment, petrifying one of his rear legs.  With a flash, he teleported away, saying, “Luna's moonshine stash! Sorry Mecha, but I can't help to much with my leg stoned!”

Slipping past the creature's defenses, Mecha was able to chop of the cockatrice head in order to prevent it from further petrifying his friend, at the cost of being bitten by a hydra head.  “It's alright,” Mecha grunted, leaping back.  “Just go back to the film set and keep them protected, okay?”

Nodding his head, Solaris shot a fireball at the chimera, before teleporting away.  Grimacing, Mecha winced when a flash of pain went down his leg where he was bitten.  Turns out that whoever made this Lucifer forsaken thing had converted the platypus's venom into something the whole chimera could use.  That would be... problematic, as he felt another wave of pain run down his leg, causing it to shake.

Shaking his head, Mecha stared at the creature before him, before an evil grin covered his face.  Rushing forward, Mecha ran up a hydra's head as it tried to bite him, before leaping up and and swinging his swords, unleashing a wave of magic that removed the Chimera's tail.  Unfortunately, the venom in his system had acted up, causing his foreleg to shake, creating a secondary wave that chopped off three of the hydra heads, causing six more to grow back.

Wincing upon landing Mecha quickly rolled away from the cloud of poison heading in his direction before leaping back, avoiding the explosion that the platypus head caused by breathing out a little fire.  Breathing hard, Mecha charged forward, jumping from hydra head to hydra head, before diving between them, impaling his sword into the platypus head.  One of the hydra heads, however, hadn't tried to attack him during his climb and took this time to bite him and ripped him away, tossing him towards a tree.

With a resounding thud, Mecha came to a halt, and started to stand shakily.  Pain coursed through his body as the venom did its job, and his vision was beginning to blur due to blood loss.  This had to end soon, or else he'll be ended.

Licking his lips, Mecha tasted blood, as he tried to think of a plan while the massive creature made its way towards him.  It wouldn't be possible to just cut off its heads, as he lacked any fire to seal the wound... which meant he probably should've had Solaris stick around for back up.  Either way, he still had to deal with ten hydra heads, two mostly unharmed dragon wings, and fire and poison breath all at the same time.  His only hope would be to pierce this things heart... which meant the heads had to go, even if only for a few seconds.

Letting out a sigh, Mecha asked, “Why me?” before he began to build up his magic in his sword.  The creature charged forward, all ten heads spewing out a cloud of poison.  Taking in a deep breath, Mecha charged into the cloud, letting out a wide-spread swing with his sword, releasing a giant wave of magic that cut through all ten heads before dissipating.

“One...” Mecha said, as the bloody necks started to bulge.  “Two...” flesh started to come from the wounds, as Mecha leapt forward.  “THREE!” The flesh split into twenty heads, all roaring as Mecha shoved his blade into the creature's chest.  Silence was king, as nothing moved or made a sound, until the creature fell to its side, dead.  Pulling his sword out, Mecha gave a weak grin, before limping back to the film site.

He was immediately greeted by Cheerilee and Sugary Spice, both rushing towards him, shouting something he couldn't make out.  Stopping right in front of them, he noticed the worry in their eyes, before he chuckled, and said “You both know I love you, right?” before he collapsed, blackness claiming his vision.

LINEBREAKER

A bright light greeted Mecha, as he woke up.  Blinking, he noticed Cheerilee by his side, face tear-stained, Sugary Spice sitting next to her, face looking similar to Cheerilee's.  Blinking, the two mares smiled when they saw him awake, and grabbed him in a giant hug, shouting with glee while crying tears of joy.

Wincing lightly, Mecha asked, “What happened?”

Sniffing, Cheerilee said, “You died!”

Caught off guard, Mecha said, “Say what?”

Nodding her head, Sugary Spice said, “The poison got to your heart and stopped it.  You were dead for thirty seconds before Ditzy's pet thundercloud Sparky revived you!”

Blinking, Mecha stared at the two, and said, “I... died?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee gave him another tight squeeze, as he patted her back.  “I thought we'd lost you!” she cried, tightening her squeeze.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, Mecha started to rub her back, whispering, “Don't worry... I'm still here...”

At that moment, the door opened to reveal Ditzy Do, Doctor Whooves, the now 100 percent flesh Solaris, Celestia and Luna, with a thundercloud following them.  Staring at the group, Mecha asked, “Um... guys... why is there a thunder elemental following you?”

The group stared at him, before turning to the elemental.  “Aw... did you have to reveal me?” the elemental said, before transforming from a thundercloud into what looked like an electrical version of Diable.

Ditzy Do stared at the elemental, before saying, “You're an elemental... why didn't you say anything Sparky?”

Sparky shrugged, before saying, “I liked how you treated me as a thundercloud.”

Eye twitching, Mecha said, “I'm fairly certain psychological stress isn't the best idea for a hospitalized patient...”

Chuckling, Sparky replied, “You're probably right... how you holding up?”

Shrugging, Mecha said, “Pretty well.  I have you to thank for that I believe?”

Replying with a shrug of his own, Sparky said, “Least I could do for a friend of Ditzy here.  Especially after your heroic act.”

Blinking, Mecha groaned, saying, “Great... another stupidly suicidal heroic act... are they already painting the walls back in Ponyville's hospital?”

“Already finished it,” Solaris told him, grinning lightly.  “Although they seemed quite pissed at you...”

“Yeah, told them I'd try and avoid these kinds of situation.  I obviously failed,” Mecha said.

Raising an eyebrow, Doctor Whooves said, “That doesn't explain why they cursed you out.”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “That's because I promised them yesterday, after they released me after recovering from having my leg explode.”

“Your leg... exploded?” Luna asked, staring at her friend.

“Eeyup...” Mecha replied.  “Turns out I'd shrunk the barrel's diameter to slightly smaller than the bullet at the end of it.  Clogged the thing, causing an explosion.”

“That's... interesting...” Celestia said.  “Either way, I think you'll be happy to hear that we've found the lab where that chimera was made... unfortunately, whoever made that vile thing has skipped town already.”

“Figures,” Mecha said, relaxing back into his bed.

“However, I do have some good news,” Celestia said.

“Oh?” Mecha replied, raising an eyebrow.

“Yep.  For courageously fighting and slaying such a vile creature, you have been awarded the Equestrian Medal of Honor, as well as the title of Baron!” Celestia told him.

Mecha blinked, before saying, “Did you say Baron?”  causing Celestia to nod.  “Yeah... no.  I'll pass on the title part.”

Everyone stared at him in shock.  “What?” Mecha asked, raising his hooves in a questioning manner.  “That would make me a noble, and you know how much I hate those Pride forsaken jerks.”

“Yes,” Cheerilee replied, “But why'd you say that to Celestia's face?”

“And Luna's!” Sugary Spice added.

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Because they don't really care.”

“He's right,” Luna said, before adding, “I must admit, the two of us happen to dislike most of the nobles as well.”

Blinking, everyone shook their heads, before they began to leave the room to allow Sugary Spice, Cheerilee, and Mecha some time alone.  Outside the door, Celestia asked Luna, “When do you plan on telling him that the title is granted immediately, and thus can't be turned down?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Luna replied, “Probably the next time I'm required to have a noble for a bodyguard.”

LINEBREAKER

“By Discord's beard!” Capo cursed, smashing a vase.  “Why didn't that kill him!”

His ally was reviewing the footage they'd gotten from the fight, stating, “Because we under-estimated his magical capabilities.  A mistake we shall not make twice...”

Turning to fact the unicorn, Capo asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“Simple...” the cultist replied.  “We shall deal with him personally this time...”

Snorting, Capo said, “And what, get our flanks kicked? In case you haven't noticed, neither of us have the power to defeat him!”

“Not yet...” was the unicorn's reply.  “But soon... we will,” he said, as he mixed some potions.

LINEBREAKER

After getting over his near death, and having talked with Cheerilee and Sugary Spice for couple hours, Mecha was resting in the bed, having to stay the night before they'd release him.  As he closed his eyes, he could've sworn he heard the howls of wolves, but shook it off as nonesense, allowing sleep to take him.

*Aberrational Chimera- as you might've inferred, an aberrational chimera is a chimera made in a lab using dark magic and vile chemicals, trained to hunt down a specific target.  Upon killing its target, an aberrational chimera loses all focus, and starts upon a random violent rampage, killing everything in its path.
> Not all Hounds Howl at the Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha limped through his front door to an interesting sight.  Diable was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses, while packing his bags.  Grabbing a pair of pants, he threw it in a suitcase while humming to himself.  Slamming it shut, he picked up the suitcases before turning around, and walking straight into Mecha.  Blinking, he took off his sunglasses, before staring straight into Mecha's eyes, before groaning out, “You're suppose to be dead!”

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha replied, “I was.  For an entire 13.7 seconds. Then a lightning elemental brought me back to life.” At this point Mecha heard the sound of wolves howling, causing him to frown.  “Hey, has Wolfgang been howling lately?”

Caught off guard, Diable replied, “That Sloth blessed timberwolf? Nah.  Why you ask?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “I've been hearing this howling lately... been driving me crazy.”

“Oh?” Diable inquired, raising an eyebrow.  “Howling you say? How long have you been hearing these howls?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “Since I woke up after dieing.  Why, you know something about it?”

Shaking his head, Diable replied, “Can't say I do.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Well then, I better get to work,” as he walked out back.

An evil grin broke out on Diable's face, calling out, “Hey Wolfgang, you wanna watch Mecha get ambushed?”

Wolfgang walked out from behind the couch, and asked, “So you actually know what's going on?”

“Oh yeah,” Diable replied. “It's the demons who can't lie.  I'm a devil, so...”

“You can lie to his face,” Wolfgang finished, a smirk spreading across his face.  “You Fenrir forsaken devil you... whats going to happen?”

Chuckling, Diable replied, “Get some popcorn and I'll explain on the way...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha frowned as he inspected the puzzle he'd made out of a lack of anything better to do.  It wasn't the puzzle that was causing him to frown though- it was the fact that the howling was getting closer.  Setting the puzzle down, Mecha looked out and saw something that made him pause.  There, right in the entrance to his yard, was a dog.  But not just any dog, this one was quite different.  It lacked any fur, showing it's smooth red flesh, taut lean muscles clearly visible.  Its four legs split halfway down to form eight paws, with two deadly claws jutting out from them.  Its muzzle contained a mouth with deadly teeth, while it's crimson eyes glowed underneath the two horns that pointed back.  A long strip of fire went from the back of its neck, down its spine, and ended as its tail.

Mecha slowly made his way to the sword rack, never taking his eyes off the creature as it stared straight into his soul, as if it was judging him.  Grabbing a sword, Mecha got up on his hind legs as his mechanical leg shifted into another sword.  Tensing up, Mecha kept his eyes firmly focused on the creature in front of him, preparing for any sudden movement.

Which was why he knew to step aside as another one of the creatures tried to maul him from behind, before he ducked as a third leapt from the side.  Taking a look around him, Mecha grimaced as he counted at least ten of these hounds, with several more coming in from what he could see.  “Great... couldn't they have waited for the platypus poison to flush from my system?”

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee was walking through town when she spotted Mecha.  A smile grace her face, before she noticed that he had his swords drawn... and was swinging at empty air.  Walking closer, she noticed several ponies had also gathered round, and were all watching as Mecha ducked, weaved, and danced around invisible foes, a look of insanity in his eyes.  “Mecha...” Cheerilee tried to speak, before he flipped above her, using the tree behind her as a springboard in an attempt to skewer... something.

At this point, she heard Diable and Wolfgang laughing, each snacking on a bucket of popcorn.  “I can't believe this!” Wolfgang snickered, before continuing, “they're not even trying to help him!”

“Yeah!” Diable replied, shoveling down more popcorn.  “I thought they were all about working together, friendship, and all that other Lust forsaken crap!”

Cheerilee was intrigued, and so she went up and asked, “What are you two talking about?”

“The fact that no-pony is helping Mecha deal with those hellhounds!” Diable replied, laughing as Mecha contorted himself into an uncomfortable position, pain visible as the small amount of poison still in his system acted up.

“Hellhounds?” Cheerilee inquired, eyebrow raised.  “You mean there's something there, and he hasn't snapped and gone crazy?”

Diable and Wolfgang gave each other a look, before they fell down laughing, holding their sides.  “You... you have to be kidding me!” Diable hollered.  “They can't see them!”

“Fenrir's fangs!” Wolfgang replied, “No wonder they aren't helping him!”

Frowning, Cheerilee heard the crowd gasp as a small gash appeared on Mecha's chest, before he swung one of his blades, and caused the... air... to bleed.  Licking her lips, Cheerilee tried to recall the brief lesson that Mecha had given her about channeling her innate magic, before focusing it into her eyes.  With the white of her eyes turning a faint purple, she let out a gasp.

The townsfolk turned to see Cheerilee with her purple eyes, before she turned around, shouting, “Somepony find Twilight Sparkle!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was beginning to sweat, as he dodged yet another attempt to rip his head off from a hellhound.  With a quick snap, one of his blades sliced into one of the hellhounds, slicing one of it's legs clean off, causing the crowd around him to gasp when it suddenly became visible to them.  “Wrath's dagger...” Mecha muttered to himself, twisting himself and cutting into another hellhound.  “How come they can't see anything until AFTER the blasted things are injured...”

Bending backwards, Mecha flinched as a wave of pain shot up his leg.  He'd probably would've finished these Sloth forsaken things off already if it wasn't for his leg.  As it was, he was having trouble pulling off some of his more agile moves due to the pain it caused him.  At this point, Cheerilee showed up with Twilight, both of their eyes glowing with magic.  A smirk grew on Mecha's face, as he continued to weave in and out of the hounds, before a bolt of magic from Twilight blasted one into another.

Taking advantage of this, Mecha leapt forward and slashed their heads off, before being force to twist out of the way again, avoiding a fatal hit at the cost of a gash along his side.  Smirk growing, Mecha slowly began to dispatch the rest of them with Twilight's aid, up until...

“Gah!” Mecha grunted, as one of the hounds managed to get past his guard and slash his right eye.  Lodging his blade into it's chest, he flung the newly minted corpse at another, sending it into a blast of magic sent by Twilight.  Turning around, Mecha spotted the last hellhound, tail between it's leg, before it turned around and ran.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Mecha collapsed unto the ground, dropping his sword while his leg shifted back into its normal form.  The ponies that had gathered round rushed forward, all trying to make sure he was alright.  They where pushed to the side by Cheerilee, who pulled him into a hug, and asked, “Are you okay?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “I'll let the doc be the judge of that.”

“Good call,” said Doctor Stable from nearby.  “If you'd let me take a quick glance...?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “All I've got is a couple of gashes.  How's the eye doc?”

Walking forward, Doctor Stable winced, before replying, “Not good.  Won't be able to salvage it...”

Sighing, Mecha got up and walked up to the corpse of the hellhound that had taken his eye, before kicking it.  Blasted thing had taken his eye, and he couldn't do the same to it now that it was dead... or could he? Frowning in concentration, Mecha leaned over the corpse for a minute or two, before walking back over to Doctor Stable.  Handing him the eye he'd removed from the corpse, Mecha asked, “Would it be possible to use this as a transplant?”

Doctor Stable looked at the eye in Mecha's hoof, before replying, “It'd be possible, but...”

“But nothing,” Mecha cut him off.  “That Envy forsaken thing took my eye, now I'm taking its eye for payment.”

Glancing between the eye and Mecha, Doctor Stable sighed, before saying, “Fine.  Bring it with you and we'll see to getting that thing transplanted into your socket.”

LINEBREAKER

A few hours later, and Mecha was sitting in his bed with some bandages over his eye.  Standing next his bed was Cheerilee and Sugary Spice, his aunt busy with dealing with the hellhound corpses he'd left laying around in town square.

“So... you were fighting these Wrath forsaken hellhounds... and no-pony was helping you?” Sugary Spice asked.

“Eeyup.  Couldn't see them, so how could they help?” Mecha replied.

“But Twilight helped you! Why didn't they do what she did and helped you?” Sugary Spice rebutted.

“Because Mecha here has only taught Twilight, Big Macintosh, and myself how to do so,” Cheerilee said, making her eyes flash a light purple to prove her point.

“Oh...” Sugary Spice said, staring off in the distance.  “Can I learn how to do that!”

Chuckling, Mecha replied with, “Sure, how about this weekend!”

“Yay!” Sugary Spice squealed, as Doctor Stable walked in.

Wincing lightly, Doctor Stable set some paint next to the currently unfinished mural, muttering to himself, “We'll end up painting the whole hospital at this rate...” before turning to face Mecha.  “Right then, please feel free to take off those bandages.”

With a nod, Mecha did so, revealing... that not much had changed besides the fact that his new eye was a shade of red off from his old one.  “Works great!” Mecha replied, looking around the room slowly.

“Uh-huh...” Doctor Stable replied, writing down on his clipboard.  “Now, I understand you normally channel magic into your eyes at some point during the week, would you please do so now?”

Shrugging, Mecha did so, causing Cheerilee and Sugary Spice to gasp.  Doctor Stable merely nodded his head, before writing something down.  “That would be the hellhound magic reacting with yours... going to do that from now on.”

“Do what?” Mecha asked, as he looked towards Cheerilee.

“Um... Mecha... it looks like your eye is on fire...” Cheerilee said.

“Really? That's...” Mecha stopped as he spotted something in the corner. 

Glancing at the corner Mecha was staring at, Cheerilee saw nothing, causing her to frown.  Channeling some magic into eyes again, Cheerilee still saw nothing, and asked, “Mecha, what are you staring at?”

Mecha shook his head, and stopped the magical flow to his eyes.  “Nothing... just surprised at how a hellhound sees things...”

Frowning lightly, Cheerilee replied, “Okay...”

Snorting, Doctor Stable interrupted, saying, “I have one final piece of news before you leave Mecha.  Due to the procedure we had to use to get the transplant to stick, it will be what is re-grown instead of your normal eye should you use the re-growth procedure.”

This bit of news caused Mecha to blink, before asking, “Re-growth procedure?”  Seeing Doctor Stable nod his head, Mecha face-hoofed, saying, “I could've had my eye re-grown...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked into an empty room with no windows, and locked the door behind him.  Walking to the opposite wall, he leaned against it, and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor.  Channeling magic into his eyes, a ghostly fire appeared over his left eye as he looked at the two figures in front of him.

The mare on the right had a golden fur coat and a yellow mane and tail, with her Cutie Mark of a golden delicious apple on her flank.  The stallion on the left had a light green coat, a reddish mane and tail, and a Cutie Mark of an apple tree on his flank.  These two were Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp- or as Mecha knew them, Big Macintosh's parent.

Taking a deep breath, Mecha said, “I never expected to see you two again.”

Honey Crisp smiled, before saying, “Ah reckon we didn't expect to be seen again either.”

“Yeah... especially sense you two are dead,” Mecha added, trying not to shake.

“Yet here we are,” Golden Delicious said, waving her hoof around the room, “Us talking and you listening...”

“Is there... any particular reason you've stuck around?” Mecha asked, voice slightly shaking.  After all, the last time he'd seen these two, they were cold bodies being buried.

Shrugging, Honey Crisp replied, “Not really... we have no regrets, no unfinished business... none of the usual motives for spirits sticking around...”

“Unless you count wanting to watch our children growing up in person a reason,” Golden cut in.

“Yeah... I could see that...” Mecha said, beginning to steady his nerves.  “So that's all you two are doing? Watching Applebloom grow up?”

“With the occasional peak into Big Macintosh's and Applejack's lives, yeah,”  Honey Crisp replied.  “Have to admit, we were suprized when the two went and got marefriends...”

“Yeah, we honestly figured they'd never leave the farm!” Golden tacked on.

Blinking, Mecha shook his head, muttering to himself, “Need to add cooler to the panic room... Need the alcohol on hoof next time I use this room,” before speaking up and saying, “I take it I shouldn't mention this to them?”

“Please don't,” Golden said, emotion flickering through her eyes.  “They've gotten over our deaths... we don't want them to go through that again.”

“But there is something you could do for us...” Honey Crisp said, before whispering something into Mecha's ear.

Eyes widening, Mecha nodded his head, before cutting of the flow of magic to his eyes.  The ethereal flame around his left eye went out, as the couple faded from Mecha's view.  Unlocking the door to his panic room, Mecha stepped out side, and made his way to the Everfree forest.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha followed the directions that Honey Crisp had given him, and came across the trap door he'd been told about.  Propping it open, Mecha leapt down into the dark room, before switching on the lights.  Just as he'd been told, there was a moonshine facility down here, all illegal.  Shaking his head, Mecha started to walk through the facility, thinking to himself.  Normally the Apple family would have nothing to do with anything illegal, but then again, the moonshine that the Apple family produced wasn't always illegal.  It was just shortly after he and Big Macintosh were born that it was declared a banned substance, but the Apple family couldn't bare to destroy it's facility- too much family tradition locked up in here.

Finding what he came here for, Mecha picked up the recipe for the illegal brew, reading it over.  With a nod of his head, he put the recipe into his leg, before making his way out.  He knew that Big Macintosh would never approve using an illegal recipe, but that doesn't mean he couldn't convince him to brew it once to have Luna make it legal again, right?

LINEBREAKER

“No.”  Apparently not.  “Ah won't have anything to do with anything illegal,” Big Macintosh said.

Sighing, Mecha asked, “Even if it was to try and legalize said action?”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, nodding his head.  “And either way, we couldn't do it.  Granny Smith doesn't remember the recipe, and mah parents were the last to know where it was kept.  So unless you have a way to speak with the dead, it isn't possible.”

Mecha flinched when Big Macintosh mentioned speaking to the dead, before deciding a small lie couldn't hurt here.  “Not needed,” Mecha replied, “Since I found the location.”

“Really now?” Big Macintosh asked, skeptism dripping from his tone.  “You found the top secret, impossibly hidden, Apple family moonshine facility? The one ah looked for for months after my ma and pa died?”

Mecha flinched again, before nodding his head.  “Went to blow up some trees in the Everfree forest,” he started, “and kicked a metal hatch on my way out.  Opened the thing up, and had a look inside.  The recipe was in there.”

Big Macintosh gave Mecha a stern look, and said, “You're keeping something from me.”

Looking Big Macintosh in the eyes, Mecha let out a sigh, and replied, “Yes, I am.  But only because I was asked not to tell you.  And honestly? I don't want to think about how you'd react to it.”

Big Macintosh continued to glare at Mecha, before letting out a sigh and sagging to the ground.  Watching as Mecha sat down as well, he said, “Ah still say no.  Until it's legal to do so, ah won't brew the Apple family moonshine.”

Nodding his head, Mecha took out a blank sheet of paper and a pen, and started to write a letter to Luna.  If anypony could be convince to legalize this stuff, it'd be her.  After all, she drinks the weaker stuff by that gallon!

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood with a letter to Big Macintosh in his hooves, passing it to Applejack.  “Why is mah brother gettin' mail from princess Luna?” Applejack asked.

“Because it's an answer to a request of his,” Mecha said.

“What in tar nation did he request?” Applejack asked.

Mecha shrugged, before replying, “Ask him.”

Eying Mecha, Applejack said, “You're keeping something from me...”

Laughing, Mecha retaliated with, “And while you're asking Big M about that letter, tell him he owes me three bits!”

LINEBREAKER

“So?” Mecha asked, when Big Macintosh approached him at his shop later that day.

“Ah've got permission to brew a test sample,” Big Macintosh replied, “Which ah don't recall asking for.”

Mecha smirked, before turning his OPEN sign to CLOSED, and said, “Well, does it matter? You have permission to make a legal batch of your family's moonshine.  You up for it?”

Taking in a deep breath, Big Macintosh said, “Ah should be pissed off about you going behind mah back about this.  Ah should be yellin' and screamin' at ya for this.  Yet I'll calm.  Ah have to ask this, why?”

Guiding his friend to the facility in the Everfree Forest, Mecha replied, “Because it's part of your family's history, and a part you might get back.  Now then, let's get to work!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Big Macintosh were both covered in grime, sweat, and soot as they stood next to a barrel of moonshine they'd spent the night working on.  The whole town had gathered up in town square, hoping to catch sight of the princesses, who had announced their unexpected visit for today.  Many of them gave Mecha and Big Macintosh inquiring looks, which they just ignored.  Standing next to them was a smiling Granny Smith and curious Applebloom, while Applejack was explaining what was in the barrel to her friends.

All went silent as the princesses arrived, their chariots landing and coming to a halt near Mecha and Big Macintosh.  Stepping forewords, the princesses looked the two directly in the eyes, before they offered quick, yet courteous, bows.  “It's not every day that somepony tries and challenges a law,” Celestia said, “Let alone one as young as the one you're challenging today.”

“That is because there is almost never a law designed to harm a family that gets passed,” Mecha replied.

“You claim that this law harms only a single family?” Luna inquired.

“Yes,” Mecha said, “For it only effects the Apple family.”

“Explain,” Celestia ordered, no mirth visible in her eyes.

“If you'll notice, the law went into effect several years ago, about the time when Dandelion Wine and Co set up shop,” Mecha started, presenting a copy of the law.  “This company produced two things- a simple wine from dandelions, and a terrible tasting beer.  Their wine sold well enough, but they couldn't make any money off their beer because everypony was buying Apple family moonshine instead.  Infuriated, the company's owner, a noble by the name of Fancy Smancy,” Mecha spat out the name, “Decided to do something about it.  Doing a little research, they found out that Apple family moonshine was about ten times stronger than their drinks alcohol wise, and concocted a plan.  They developed some false data, which I can prove,” Mecha said, handing out several statistic sheets used in the laws proposal, each highlighted with various discrepancies.  Giving them a moment to look through it, Mecha continued, “Which stated that the levels of alcohol exceeding their brews caused extreme cases of drunken behavior, which created a rise in crime.”

“This convinced the rest of the nobles to pass the law, forcing the Apple family to stop making their brew, cutting off an important source of income.  As it is now, the only reason the Apple family can stay afloat is Cider season, a season that is highly irregular, and is heavily dependent on being able to work near-continuously during its time,” Mecha finished.

Glancing through the papers Mecha had presented, Celestia said, “Very well.  We shall see about getting this fixed when we get back home.  But until then, would you like to explain why you brought us out here?”

“Simple,” Mecha said, before popping the lid of the barrel off, “I figured you like to taste some of the finest moonshine available to Equestria, as well as the first legal batch in years.”

“Don't mind if I do!” Luna quickly replied, rushing forward and sticking her head in the barrel, downing most of it in one go.  Pulling her head out, she sat down and sighed, saying, “That... that is some good... good... what was I saying?”

Everypony laughed, as Mecha rolled out several more barrels, saying, “Don't be shy, drink up everypony!”

While everypony lined up to get a sample, Granny Smith smiled and said, “You told him where to find the recipe, didn't you son?”

And behind her, Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp smiled.
> Boot Camp
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

		Mecha was sitting down at a table with Dolosus, talking over the legality of a couple of things.  “Are you sure that's legal?” he asked, looking disheartened.

“Sorry, but it is,” Dolosus replied.  “When they granted you the title of baron, it was immediate.  You had no chance to turn it down.”

“Pride's mirror...” Mecha groaned out, leaning back in his chair, “I'm a noble... I hate nobles!”

Chuckling, Dolosus said, “It does offer you a unique avenue for revenge though.”

Blinking, Mecha looked up, and asked, “It does?”

With a grin, Dolosus passed a page over to Mecha, who looked it over, before grinning himself.  “Oh, now that I can work with...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was at the market square, gathering up the last of the groceries he'd be leaving Sugary Spice while he was dealing with his revenge.  Looking over, he spotted Fluttershy, and frowned when he heard the stall owner trying to rip her off.  Walking over, Mecha got up on his rear legs, converting his mechanical leg into a sword, before slamming it down on the stall's shelf, causing Fluttershy to eep.  Staring straight into the owner's eyes, Mecha asked, “Now, you aren't really asking for ten bits for that small, insignificant cheery, are you?”

The stall owner gulped, before shaking his head.  “No, you weren't,” Mecha continued.  “After all, it's been such a long day, and nopony else has wanted it yet... in fact you should feel honored that Fluttershy here decided to even grace you with her presence at this simple, shoddy stall, let alone buy that cheery off you! I know you'd actually meant to give her this cheery for free sense you'll be unable to sell it to anypony, but she's so kind-hearted that she's giving you a bit for this otherwise worthless cheery... so what do you say...?”

The stall owner gulped, before turning to Fluttershy and saying, “T-t-thank you m-m-ma'am for gracing my humble stall w-w-with your p-p-presence...”

Smiling, Mecha dislodged his sword and put it away, before walking away with Fluttershy.  “Yes... well... that's another way to assert yourself...” Rarity said.

“Are you kidding me! That was a super-scary way to assert yourself!” Pinkie Pie said, “I thought he was going to kill that pony!”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Comes from haggling with demons over water... only thing they'd respond to is force.”

Shaking her head, Rarity replied, “That makes sense... they are nothing more than a bunch of brutes.”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “That's giving them too much credit.”  Looking over at Fluttershy, Mecha told her, “Look, if you want some assertiveness or confidence coaching, talk to me, got it? I happen to know a few methods that really help,” before making his way home.

Approaching his house, Mecha blinked, not believing what he saw.  Standing on his front door, knocking on it, was his old Drill Sargent!  Smiling, Mecha called out, saying, “Iron Will, you old bull you! What are you doing here!”

The big Minotaur turned around, before roaring out, “Mecha! It is so good to see a student of Iron Will's that survived!”

Laughing, Mecha unlocked his door, and ushered Iron Will in.  “So what brings the strictest Drill Sargent in Equestria to my door?” Mecha asked, putting his food away.

“Iron Will is not a Drill Sargent anymore,” Iron Will replied.  “Iron Will is now a motivational speaker for ponies, and was wondering if you'd be willing to join Iron Will in his next presentation?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “I'd normally say yes in a heart beat, but I've got plans for the next couple of weeks.  But since you're here... would you mind if I borrowed your training fields in Canterlot?”

With a confused look on his face, Iron will replied, “Iron Will agrees to this, but wishes to know why.”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Simple... I plan on completing your dream of having the princesses get in shape via the gauntlets from hell...”

Eyes widening, Iron Will grinned, before asking, “Iron Will has changed his mind, he'll give a motivational speech later.  Instead, Iron Will wishes to watch you whip those lazy flanks into shape!”

Laughing, Mecha heard a knocking at his door, before going over and opening it.  Fluttershy was standing there, shaking lightly.  “Yes? Can I help you?” Mecha asked.

“Um... yes...” Fluttershy mumbled.  “I... would like to accept your offer... that is... if it's still available...”

Nodding his head, Mecha told her, “Pack what you need for a two week trip, and meet me at the train station in an hour.”

Seeing her nod in affirmation, Mecha walked back into his kitchen, and said to Iron Will, “I'm assuming you're ready to go, so let me just make sure Cheerilee is alright with watching Sugary Spice for a couple of weeks and grab the last victi- I mean trainee, and I'll see you at the station.”

Walking out the door, Mecha made his way  to the one place he'd know his target would be at- the library.  Kicking down the door, Mecha watched as Twilight ran down the stairs.  “Mecha, what the hay was that for!”

“I'm evoking Equestrian law PFT section NT subsection SI, pack your bags for two weeks and meet me at the train station in an hour,” Mecha told her.

Blinking, Twilight’s eyes went wide, as she stuttered out, “Law PFT-NT-SI?  Are you serious?”

“As Wrath,” Mecha replied, giving her a hard stare.  “Which means, if you're not there, I will drag you along.”

Gulping, Twilight yelled out, “SPIKE!” as she rushed to get packed.  Smirking, Mecha made his way back home, to pack the last of his tools before he headed towards Cheerilee’s house.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was heading towards the palace, a nervous Twilight, confused Fluttershy, and amused Iron Will following him.  Stopping at the gates, he took a moment to look at the gate guards, and sure enough, they were still fakes.  With an evil grin on his face, he whipped out a marker and doodled all over their faces, before continuing into the palace, ignoring Twilight's look of horror.  “What, they're fake!” Mecha said, kicking the palace doors open.

Walking forward, Mecha brushed past everypony, and made his way into the dinning room, where he spotted Celestia and Luna, both enjoying their dinner.  “Ah, Mecha, what a pleasant surprise!” Luna said, taking a sip from a bottle of moonshine, “What are you doing here?”

Stepping forward, Mecha suddenly brought out a hammer, and brought it down on the cake Celestia was eating.  “I'm invoking law PFT-NT,” he said, before his mechanical leg shifted into it's gun form, and a loud BANG rang out, the bottle of moonshine in Luna's grasp breaking as he shot it.  “On both of you.”

Celestia’s eyes went wide, as she suddenly turned and leapt out the window, shattering the glass.  “Oh, it's going to be like that eh?” Mecha said, running towards the broken window.  “I LOVE IT WHEN THEY RUN!”

Luna watched her friend run out the broken window, before turning to Twilight, and let out a sigh, saying, “He invoked subsection SI as well, didn't he?”

Twilight nodded her head sullenly, much to Fluttershy's confusion.  “Um... not to be a bother, but what are you talking about?”

Sighing, Twilight replied with, “A law that only Mecha would be willing to use now...”

LINEBREAKER

Celestia was flying low and fast, making her way towards the Mecha bunker.  There was no way she'd submit herself PFT again- last time she was denied cake for a month!  Making a sharp turn, she had to turn straight upwards when an explosion occurred right were she was flying to.

Mecha grinned, watching Celestia fly up.  She probably thought that she could escape him by flying high... but he was prepared for that.  Leaping forward, Mecha threw a concussion grenade below him, explosion lifting him high enough for him to through several of his newest creations towards Celestia, before he landed in mid-run.  The newest grenades went off, sending a goo towards Celestia, which she made a sharp dive to avoid.  Licking his lips, Mecha surged forward, before tossing more grenades in front of Celestia, causing her to turn around and stay inside the town's limits.

Below, all the citizens in Canterlot were watching in awe as Celestia and Mecha did mock-combat... or at least that's what they thought as Mecha released a black wave that forced Celestia closer to the rooftops.  Eyes widening, crowds formed as they ran though town, attempting to follow their princess and the crazy blacksmith.

Mecha grinned when he finally brought Celestia down to rooftop height, forcing her to fly around various chimneys and rooftop decorations, all of which he was using to increase his speed by leaping off them.  Closing the distance, Mecha reached into his saddlebags for another goo grenade, only to frown when he realized that he was out.  Grabbing the rope in his pack, Mecha decided it was time to put all those lasso lessons that Honey Crisp had put him and Big Macintosh through to good use.

Pulling out the rope, Mecha quickly formed a lasso, and repeated the action before swinging the two at his side, eyes never leaving Celestia's form.

Celestia, realizing that the explosions had stopped, took a look behind her, before her eyes widened, and she looked back in front of her, about to try and fly faster... only for Mecha to swing his legs, causing the lassos to move forward and latch onto her rear legs.  Jerking at the sudden pull, Celestia tried to shake him off by turning, but Mecha just leapt off the side of a chimney, before pulling out another rope.

Celestia continued to try and throw Mecha off with various acrobatic moves, only to fail as more and more lassos attached themselves to her, with the impromptu chase coming to an end when Mecha finally got one around one of her wings, causing her to crash.  The crowd on the ground cheered when the “show” came to an end, ignoring Mecha as he hogtied Celestia, and started dragging her back towards the palace.

“You know, that's some of the most fun I've had in a while,” Mecha said, as they went through the gates.  “Unfortunately for you, it confirmed the need for the PFT.  After all, that barely lasted ten minutes and you're sweating like a pig in the sun!”

Eye twitching, Celestia's response was cut off when they entered the dinning room, and Mecha threw her next to Luna.  “Now before you get any ideas about running again,” Mecha said, “Or recall that you're an alicorn and thus have magic as well as flight, I'd like you to see this.”  Reaching into his saddlebag, he pulled out tow books, one an extremely dark blue, the other a bright white, with a hint of pink.

Eyes widening, Luna yelled out, “How did you get our diaries!”

Chuckling evilly, Mecha replied, “Quite simply actually.  I can spend up to three days on one heist... and no guard patrol can catch somepony who is willing to wait hours to move through each checkpoint.”

Celestia's face fell, before she said, “We really need to Mecha proof the palace...”

Snorting, Mecha put the diaries away, before turning around and dragging Celestia behind him.  “Follow me, and let's get started.  Unlike you three, Fluttershy actually wants to be here.”

LINEBREAKER

Twilight's, Luna's, and Celestia's hearts all dropped as they stared at the obstacle course in front of them.  Fluttershy was hiding behind them, shaking in fear at the course, while Iron Will was laughing at them.

The course started of easily enough, standard wall climb... with the wall close to a hundred feet high.  After that was a tire field... with mines laid in various tires, and bear traps in others.  Next was a river filled with piranhas, sharks, and sting rays with small wooden steps about five feet apart breaking the surface.  Finally came an open stretch of land...  that had several ballistas pointing towards it, all prepped to shoot at a moment's notice.

“Welcome to the boot camp from hell's obstacle course...” Mecha said, smiling, “Level one.”

Paling, Luna asked, “Level one?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, nodding.  “Level one.  Basic soldiers need to pass level one before they're fit for duty... specialty troops need to pass level two... and scouts, due to the nature of our duty, need to pass level three.”

Gulping, Twilight asked, “Do we have to pass all three?”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “Goodness no! Quite frankly, I'd be impressed if you actually passed level one.  No, you just need to complete levels one and two.  Celestia and Luna, on the other hoof, need to pass level one.  And Fluttershy? You only need to complete level one.  After all, after you complete that, you'll find most other obstacles in life much... much... less intimidating.”

Nodding her head, Fluttershy made her way towards the barracks where they'd be staying until they completed boot camp.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was laying back in a chair, reading in Luna's diary.  Hey, he had it, why not?  As it was, his four vict- trainees, were trying to overcome the wall.  “Come on ladies, I had to do this in under three minutes!” he shouted out, turning a page.  Skimming through it, Mecha blinked, before dog-earring the page.  This... could be highly useful for later.  Setting the diary down, Mecha looked over the mares who were trying... and failing... to get over the wall.  In fact...

THUD!

There they went, collapsing and getting sweat all over his dirt.  Sighing, Mecha said, “Okay... so you can't even get past the wall... that means we'll have to double tomorrow's work out in hopes of getting you in shape.  Go ahead and hit the showers!”

Nodding their heads, the four mares dragged themselves to the showers, leaving Iron Will and Mecha alone.  “Iron Will must say... that performance was pathetic,” the former Drill Sargent said.

“I know... and to think, I get to repeat this until they finish!” Mecha replied, an evil grin upon his face.  “Just think... by the end of this, I'll either be stripped of my title of baron or have gotten to have tortured them for a month or two!”

Iron Will stared at Mecha, before asking, “You really don't want to be a noble, do you?”

Crazed look in his eye, Mecha replied with, “No, no I don't.”

LINEBREAKER

The next morning, at dawn, saw the four mares lined up in front of Mecha, who was eying each of them.  “Yesterday's performance... was pathetic,” he started, causing the mares to flinch.  “I can pass level three in the time it took you to fail the first obstacle! So here's what we're going to do.  We're going to whip you into shape the old fashioned way! From now on, you'll start off your day with 100 push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups, before moving onto a ten mile run, which you'll finish with a one mile swim.  Any questions?”

Luna looked around, before gulping and raising her hoof.  Mecha signaled her to speak, and she asked, “What if we don't know how to swim?”

Mecha blinked, before asking, “You're kidding, right?”  Seeing Luna shake her head, Mecha's jaw dropped.  “You... don't know how to swim.  One of THE most basic and important skills in life... and you don't know it.  Lucifer's lake bed! What else, does Celestia not know how to read a map!?!”

Seeing Celestia's blushing face, Mecha blinked, before face-hoofing.  “Okay then... Luna, you'll just have to add on an extra five miles to the run then... Now get to work!”

As the four mares started their workout, Mecha sat down on his chair from earlier, shaking his head into his hooves.  “Doesn't know how to swim... And how can Celestia rule for a thousand years without learning how to read a map!” he muttered to himself.

Sighing, Mecha allowed Iron Will to watch over the mares, before picking up Celestia's diary, and randomly opening it.  Reading from the top, Mecha got about halfway through the page before his eyes went wide.  Picking up Luna's diary, Mecha compared the ear-marked page in Luna's diary to the page he was reading from Celestia's.  After about three minutes of making sure he wasn't seeing things, Mecha called Iron Will over.  “Take a look at this,” he said, pushing the diary's towards the minotaur.  “And tell me I'm seeing things.”

Iron Will raised an eyebrow as he walked over, and read the two pages.  Snorting, Iron Will said, “Iron Will won't lie... he's seeing things too.”

Blinking, Mecha looked between the diaries and the two princesses, saying, “Who'd have thought they'd both be interested in the same pony...?”

“Not Iron Will,” Iron Will replied.  “Especially not that pony...”

THUMP!

Their attention was drawn when the mares collapsed... about halfway through their sit-ups.  Blinking, Mecha mumbled, “We've got a long way to go...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha had gathered the mares up at dawn once more, as well as several other ponies, much to their surprise.  And Mecha's as well.  Walking up to one, Mecha asked, “What are you doing here?”

The pony snapped to attention, saluting Mecha, before replying, “Captain Solaris sent me here for proper training sir! He said that you'd know the proper training required for a member of the night guard sir!”

Nodding his head, Mecha pointed at the next pony in line, and asked, “What about you? You're in a different uniform, so why are you here?”

Repeating the actions of the previous pony, this one replied, “Captain Shining Armor wished to have one of his men observe the training in case it could be implemented into the day guards training, and I figured it would be best to observe by participation sir!”

Mecha sighed, before allowing the two guards to relax.  Turning to the small group next to them, Mecha raised an eyebrow, before asking, “And what are you doing here? I know for a fact you aren't in either of the guards.”

An Earth Pony stepped forward, and told him, “We wished to join in the training in order to get into better shape.  After all, if our princesses our willing to subject themselves to this, than we should be willing to as well!”

Mecha blinked, before trotting over to Iron Will.  “What do you think?”

Iron Will grunted, before looking over the ponies gathered, and replied, “Iron Will thinks... that you should let them join.  Might even motivate our current trainees.”

Nodding his head, Mecha walked back over to the new trainees, when the stadium seating nearby caught his eye.  Well, to be more exact, the crowd filled, newly built stadium seating.  Blinking, Mecha shook his head.  Of course there was going to be ponies who wanted to watch their princesses train.  Turning back to face the willing trainees, Mecha said to them, “Alright, listen up! You're allowed to join in, but no complaining is allowed! If I say climb, you climb, no flying, no teleporting, only climbing!  If I say swim, you ask which river! Finally, once you start, you can't stop until you complete level one of the course! Understood!”

“Sir yes sir!” replied the group, all saluting to him.

Nodding his head, he directed them to Iron Will for their warm-ups, while he walked over to the stadium seating.  Looking around, he pointed at a random pegasus, and said, “You, I need a favor.  Could you run this to the editor of Canterlot Confidential?” as he held out a letter.

With a quick nod, the pegasus took the letter and flew off.  Turning back to the group of ponies he was responsible for whipping into shape, Mecha took a deep breath, before yelling out, “ENOUGH OF THE EASY STUFF! TIME FOR LEVEL ONE!”

LINEBREAKER

It was dawn once more, and the group to be trained had grown once more.  Shaking his head, Mecha walked towards them, only to be stopped when a unicorn teleported onto the field and handed him a letter, before teleporting away.  Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha opened up the letter and read it, before his eyes went wide.  “Iron Will! Get your Wrath forsaken flank over here!” he yelled out, shaking slightly.

Iron Will rushed over, asking, “What do you need Iron Will for?”

Handing him the letter, Mecha said, “The situation has changed... you know what this calls for...”

Reading the letter, Iron Will's eyes went wide, before asking, “You don't mean...”

“Yeah,” Mecha replied.  “I do.”  Walking towards the group, Mecha yelled out, “Ten-hut!” causing the ponies to all hustle into formation.  “Listen up and listen well,” Mecha started, pacing in front of his original trainees.  “The situation has changed.  Originally, this training was planned to take a month and a half to two months...” he said, stopping in front of Celestia and Luna, “But your royal duties require that we finish in two weeks.”  This caused gasps and mummers to spread from not just the trainees, but the ponies watching as well.  “Now then, I can't allow you to just up and go do your duties without completing you training, so we're going to step it up.”

Gulping nervously, Celestia asked, “How are we going to be doing that exactly?”

An evil grin made its way onto Mecha's face, who said, “By using the only training method that can compress two months of training into two weeks.  Music montage training.”

Everyponies' eyes went wide, and before anypony could say a thing, Iron Will set down a speaker, and hit play.  The moment the music started, everypony snapped to attention, facing Mecha, who was lightly nodding his head, before he started to sing;

“Let's get down to business
To achieve our goals.
Did they send me fillies
When I asked for mares?”

At this point, the trainees realized what was happening as they started training... with no control over their actual actions.  Sighing, they resigned themselves to the montage, and continued on.

“You're the saddest bunch I ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Princess, I'll make a mare
Out of you.”

“Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within.
Once you find your center
You are sure to win.”

Here the trainees realized why this was the most effective method to train with... as they couldn't stop.  Their muscles burned, their breath short, and heartbeat at an unhealthy high rate, yet they didn't stop.

“You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot
And you haven't got a clue.
Somehow I'll make a mare
Out of you.”

Luna: I'm never gonna catch my breath
Celestia: Say goodbye to those who knew me
Fluttershy: Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym
Iron Will: This guy's got them scared to death
Twilight: Hope she doesn't see right through me
Luna: Now I really wish that I knew how to swim

The trainees began to see the results of the montage, as the tasks that had seemed impossible on the first day were being cleared with moderate effort, the courses less daunting.

[mares] BE A MARE
We must be swift as a coursing river
[mares] BE A MARE
With all the force of a great typhoon
[mares] BE A MARE
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

“Time is racing toward us
Till the end arrives.
Heed my every order
And you might succeed.”

“You're unfit for this power of yours
So pack up, go home you're through
How could I make a mare
Out of you?”

The trainees were almost finished, with all but the weakest clearing half of Level one with ease.

[mares] BE A MARE
We must be swift as a coursing river
[mares] BE A MARE
With all the force of a great typhoon
[mares] BE A MARE
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

[everyone]BE A MARE
We must be swift as a coursing river
BE A MARE
With all the force of a great typhoon
BE A MARE
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon
Hoo-ah!*

Mecha stood to the side of the finish line, timer in hoof.  Glancing down, he counted down the time remaining until Celestia failed.  Ten seconds left, and she could be seen sprinting down the path, ballistas shooting at her rapidly.  Halfway through... and four seconds left.  Dodging projectiles, Celestia leapt past the finish line, causing Mecha to stop the timer.  Everypony held their breath as Mecha looked at the watch, before facing Celestia.  “You are one-tenth of a second... under.  Congrats princess, you've passed Level One.”  Everypony cheered, before rushing forward to congratulate Celestia.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked up to Twilight Sparkle, the first to finish packing besides Mecha after the training montage.  Sitting down, Mecha chuckled while she glared at him.  Smiling, Mecha asked, “So... who don't you want to see right through you? And what exactly is there to see through?”

Twilight stopped glaring as her eyes went wide, before stuttering out, “I-I-I don't know what you're talking about.”

Chuckling once more, Mecha replied, “Ah, so it's like that eh? Well, to start with, you said she during the song... and based on that tone, this she is somepony you're trying to impress... so I ask again, who don't you want to see right through you and what I assume is your attempts to impress her?”

Twilight shook, before yelling out, “THE PRINCESS!” and collapsing to the ground, legs covering her head.

Mecha blinked, before asking, “Really?”  Seeing Twilight nod her head, Mecha blinked once more, before saying, “I figured it was somepony from the audience... but wow... which one...?”

Twilight mumbled something incoherent under her breath, causing Mecha to say, “Speak up please.”

“I said yes!” she yelled, blushing brightly.

“Yes... you mean both of them?” Mecha asked, staring her straight in the eyes.

“Yes... no... I mean... I don't know, alright!” Twilight replied, as she started to pace.  “I mean... I just can't decide which one I like more... and then there was that article in the paper with the excerpts from their diaries about that pony each one is crushing on...” she stopped here, before turning to face Mecha and ask, “You had something to do with that, didn't you?”

Mecha blinked, before replying, “You want to know who they're crushing on, don't you?”

“Either tell me or I tell them you put their diaries in the newspaper,” Twilight said, shooting a stern glare at Mecha.

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “Hey, I've got no problem telling you that the pony who's name and description I censored out of the paper was you. And for the record, if they hadn't made me a noble or entered me in the Miss Equestria beauty pageant I wouldn't have published the pages.”

Twilight blinked, before asking, “Me?”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “Yeah.  Which means that not only do you have to decide whether you like Luna or Celestia more, you have to figure out how to break it to the other one as well.  Tough luck there...”

Twilight just stared blankly at Mecha, still trying to process what she just heard.  Waving a hoof in front of her, Mecha shrugged, before heading off to grab his stuff.  “Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and they'll agree to share you!” he hollered, chuckling to himself.  Odds were that this whole situation would go unresolved for months, and he'd enjoy watching every moment of it.

Walking out, Mecha was stopped by both Celestia and Luna.  Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “Can I help you?”

Smirking, Celestia replied, “Yes, you can Baron Mecha... or should I say Viscount Mecha?”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Viscount...? You're upping my level of nobility!?!”

“Of course we are,” Luna replied, a grin on her face.  “After all, you did get us into shape in time to meet our royal guest... whom you'll be greeting with us as our noble bodyguard.”

Eye twitching, Mecha mumbled something under his breath, before replying, “Fine, let's go.  I suddenly regret not publishing more of your diaries...”

“Ah yes, speaking of that,” Luna said, throwing a copy of the paper that had the excerpts from their diaries in it in front of Mecha.  “We'd like to thank you for showing how similar we are to other ponies...”

“By showing that we too have feelings and secrets, which has allowed us to connect with our subjects better,” Celestia finished.  “Which means we have no choice but to name you...”

“Earl Mecha...” Mecha groaned, face-hoofing.  “Great... just what I always wanted.  Now if only I had an arrogant attitude and no respect for non-nobility!”

Chuckling at Mecha's sarcastic remarks, the three ponies made their way towards the palace to greet their guest.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood next to Luna as she, Celestia, and Twilight waited for their guest to arrive.  Bored, Mecha started to hum a tune while looking around the chambers.  Seeing nothing of interest, Mecha decided to mess with the guard in front of him by channeling magic into his eyes slowly.  The guard began to sweat, slightly disturbed by the slowly blackening eyes, as well as the ethereal flame that was beginning to build around his left eye.  Mecha's mouth slowly formed into an evil grin, when the guard at the door yelled out, “Presenting the royal guest, Bright Dusk!”

Mecha turned around, and his jaw dropped at what he saw.  There, standing in the entrance, was the oddest alicorn he'd ever seen.  Granted, he'd only seen three before, but still...

Bright Dusk's oddity started with a bright peachy colored coat and horn that clashed with the dark blue mane and wings.  Bright Dusk's eyes were a mismatched set with a brown eye for the left eye and a dark green for the right.  The Cutie Mark's on Bright Dusk's flanks didn't match either, as one side was a rising sun, while the other was a setting sun.

But what stood out the most... was the conflicting magic present in Bright Dusk's body.

“We... are quite happy to meet you princess Celestia, princess Luna,” Bright Dusk said, dipping into a bow.

Blinking, Luna leaned over to Celestia, and said, “I thought you said nopony used the royal we anymore...”

“They don't Luna... which is why I'm as confused as you are,” Celestia replied.

“We see that you're confused,” Bright Dusk stated, getting up from the bow.  “Allow us to explain...”

It was then that everything clicked for Mecha.  The odd appearance, the conflicting magic, and the use of we and us instead of I and me.  “You're two ponies in one body,” he stated, and took a better look with his left eye.  Sure enough, if he looked close enough, he could spot two souls residing in the body.  “One a unicorn, the other a pegasus... you were conjoined twins when you were born I'd bet.”

Everypony stared at Mecha, eyes wide and jaws dropped, with the exception of Bright Dusk, who replied, “You'd be right sir.  To be honest, we are actually Bright Dawn and Dark Dusk, a unicorn and a pegasus respectably.  When we were born, I or my sister, depending on how you view us, had her or my unicorn magic react violently with my or his pegasus magic, causing our bodies to merge...”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Yeah, that sounds right.  Which means that you're here to see if they can help you separate back into yourselves... and thus I'm not needed.”  Picking up his stuff from behind the throne, Mecha made his way towards the exit, and yelled back, “I'm off! If you need me... tough luck! You made me an Earl, and I won't help!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stepped off the train, and took in a deep breath of fresh air.  Letting it out, he smiled.  It'd been about a month since he'd left Ponyville, and he had to say it was a resounding success.  He'd whipped Luna and Celestia into shape and published their diaries, helped Fluttershy with her confidence... he hoped, and found out about Twilight's crush on both the princesses.  Walking home, he watched as Sugary Spice ran past him with a dark blue-purple pegasus filly, with purple eyes, a dark green mane, and no Cutie Mark on her flanks.  Blinking, Mecha watched as they ducked into Sugarcube Corner.

“Interesting sight isn't it?” Cheerilee said, walking up to Mecha.  “Lively Spirit showed up shortly after you left to run that boot camp of yours.”

Eyebrow raised, Mecha asked, “Lively Spirit?”

“Yeah... she's my adopted daughter,” Cheerilee replied.  “Paperwork came in yesterday.”

Mecha stopped, and stared at Cheerilee.  Blinking, he asked, “What all did I miss?”

Sighing, Cheerilee said, “I'll tell ya later...** let's just get dinner all right?”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “That... sounds good.”

And so they walked towards the local cafe, leaving Mecha's suitcases in the middle of the street.

*Be a Mare- Parody of Be a Man by myself.  Yeah... not the best, but hey, it's my first parody.
**Be on the look-out for Ghosts of the Past- the story behind Lively Spirit and what happened while Mecha was away.
> It's About Time!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stared at his newest creation.  If it worked... he just got 40% deadlier... removing his current mechanical leg, he replaced it with the one he just finished, before walking towards the testing range.  Shifting his leg into his newest creation, Mecha was about to begin until he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, the time.  Eyes widening, he shifted his creation back into a leg, before running off, yelling, “LUCIFER'S LAKEBED! I'M LATE!”

As he ran, he didn't notice Sugary Spice or Lively Spirit, both giggling.  “I told you he'd fall for it,” Sugary Spice told her friend.

“I know... but why didn't he realize that we'd tampered with the clock?” Lively Spirit asked, “You told me that he was almost impossible to prank.”

Sugary Spice grinned as she walked up to the clock and said, “Normally he is, but when you get Cheerilee involved...” she trailed off, fixing the clock, “He gets screwier than Gluttony at a buffet.”

Blinking, Lively Spirit shrugged, before beginning to converse about random topics.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was halfway to Cheerilee's house when he realized that he wasn't late... and still covered in soot.  Sighing, he walked over to Synge's pond, took off his mechanical leg, and jumped in.  After a few seconds he popped back up, before leaning against a rock.  Synge then swam up and stared at him, before asking, “Something bothering you?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “Not really... just have this feeling that something's... off.”

Nodding her head, Synge said, “I know that feeling... sucks doesn't it?”

Laughing, Mecha retorted, “Not as much as dieing...”

Synge burst into laughter, saying, “No, I guess it wouldn't feel that bad...”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Yeah, that's something I wouldn't recommend... by the way, your Equestrian is pretty good.”

“Why thank you!” Synge replied, smiling.  “I've practicing with Twilight... such a nice mare.”

“Really now?” came a familiar voice... to Mecha at least.  “Twily's been teaching you Equestrian?”

Synge turned to face Shining Armor, before blushing and replying, “Yeah... she's been a great help... do you know her?”

“I'd hope so,” Mecha said, “Seeing as she's his sister.”

“Really now?” Synge asked, before facing Shining.  “You do share a resemblance... but you're much more handsome.”

Shining Armor blinked, before replying with, “I have a marefriend... and plan to propose.”

Pouting, Synge said, “Oh poo,” before smiling and adding, “Good luck!” before diving down to the bottom of the pond.

Blinking, gave his head a shake before making his way out of the pond and shaking himself dry.  Grabbing his mechanical leg, he reattached it, before asking Shining Armor, “You're proposing?”

Nodding his head, Shining Armor used his magic to bring out a case and opened it, showing a simple ring.  “Planned on asking tonight... and I was wondering if you and Cheerilee would mind tagging along.”

Eyebrow raised, Mecha replied, “That sounds fine, but I have to ask.  Wouldn't you rather take Cadence out solo and then propose?  After all, that is much more... romantic I think.”

Shaking his head, Shining Armor replied, “That's just the kind of thing she'd expect for a proposal.  I want to surprise her, make it a bit more special.  A proposal on a double date is just on the right side of surprise- unexpected enough to make it memorable, while maintaining a friendly environment with friends.”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “That makes sense... more thought then I'd ever put into proposing.”

“You're kidding... right?” Shining Armor asked. “You, the pony who has a plan for everything, including for Celestia going rouge and raping every filly and colt in Equestria while pranking everypony she meets, which happens to includes custard, rope, and whipped cream, have not come up with a plan for proposing to Cheerilee?”

Nodding his head, Mecha replied, “Think about this from my point of view.  When I tried to ask her out in a planned manner, everything went wrong in ways that just shouldn't happen, until I went with asking her out drunk.  Then, almost every time I take her out on a planned date, even more impossible stuff happen, with me ending up in the hospital half the time.  Imagine me trying to propose! I'd either end up dead, or stuck in the hospital until the wedding.  No, I think I'll stick with my current plan.”

Eyebrow raised, Shining Armor asked, “Didn't you just say you didn't have a plan?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, “And that's my plan.  No plan at all, and then when fate hands me a ring perfect for proposal with Cheerilee there, propose.  Maybe.  Depends on the situation.”

Shining Armor just stared at Mecha, before shaking his head.  “Why did I expect anything else from you? Anyways, you okay with this plan?” he asked.

“Sure,” Mecha replied, “So long as you don't mind the possibility of somepony trying to kill me.”

Sighing, Shining Armor asked, “Do I even want to know?”

“Well...” Mecha started, “Statistically speaking... probably not.”

“Yeah,” Shining Armor said, turning to leave, “That's what I thought.”

LINEBREAKER

Capo watched as his cultist ally poured different chemicals into different vials... again.  Losing his patience, he shouted, “When are you going to finish those blasted potions!”

Giving a bored look to Capo, the unicorn replied, “In about... three seconds,” before pouring one last chemical into the vial he was holding with his magic.

Snorting, Capo said, “It's about time...”

“Excuse me for trying to ensure we win this upcoming battle,” the Nightmare Moon worshiper replied.

Rolling his eyes, Capo asked, “So what's the plan?”

“Quite simple...” the cultist started, as they walked to the planning room.

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee stared at Mecha, before asking, “We're really going on a double date with them just so Shining Armor can propose in an unexpected manor?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied nonchalantly.  “It was either this or playing Changeling Roulette with train tickets.  I figured you'd rather be there when Shining Armor proposed instead of on a train to Luna knows where.”

Staring at her stallionfriend, Cheerilee asked, “You really had planned on playing Changeling Roulette with train tickets for our date?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “I've found that the less planning I put into our dating, the less likely things are to go wrong or result in me in the hospital.  That was the most planning I was willing to risk putting into our date tonight.”

Still staring at Mecha, Cheerilee broke out of her trance by shaking her head, before saying, “If it wasn't for the fact that I know you're right, I'd swear you weren't taking our relationship serious.”

“Yeah, I mean let's face the facts,” Mecha said, as they began to walk towards the train station.  “The more detailed the plans I make for our dates, the more hazardous end up to my health.  Take Heart's and Hooves's day for example- I had the most detailed plan for our date possible, and then died for 13.7 seconds!”

Chuckling, Cheerilee replied, “True.  Granted, that was by far our best date... up until you died of course.”

Stepping onto the train, Mecha said, “Yeah... totally worth it though, but not something I'd like to repeat though.”

“Agreed,” Cheerilee said.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha, Cheerilee, Shining Armor, and Cadence were all enjoying a pleasant dinner while chatting about various things.  “So wait,” Mecha inquired, setting down his drink, “You're telling me that Celestia was heading towards a bunker designed specifically for if I go evil?”

“Yeah,” Cadence replied, laughing.  “It's suppose to be able to withstand an explosion large enough to level the mountain it's in... but she's decided that it's worthless if you can prevent her from getting to it.”

“So she's commissioned an anti-Mecha tunnel,” Shining Armor added, pushing a paper towards Mecha.  “Estimated cost? Several billion bits.”

Looking over the paper and shaking his head, Mecha said, “I'm not sure if I should be thrilled it costs that much to build an anti-me tunnel, or upset that I'm considered that big a threat.”

“Oh, you should be happy,” Cheerilee said.  “Especially since the funding for this should be pulled solely from nobles because of the Security Payment Act.”

“Really now?” Mecha asked, “Then why aren't I being taxed for it?”

“Probably because this is technically a classified plan against you,” Shining Armor said, before pulling the paper back.

“Then haven't you committed treason by showing him that?” Cheerilee asked.

“Since that was a level 1 classified document, probably not,” Cadence said.  “Especially when you factor in the fact that Mecha is one of the few ponies besides myself and my aunts to hold level 5 clearance.”

“I have level 5 clearance?” Mecha asked, wide-eyed.  “What in Luna's name did I do to warrant that?”

Shrugging her shoulders, Cadence replied, “Probably because of that tid-bit at the end of your report involving a lake bed and what you saw there, seeing as that was the only part to warrant a classification level of 5.”

Blinking, Cheerilee faced Mecha and asked, “Is she talking about the reason you don't really fear most creatures?”

“Yeah,” Mecha replied, nodding his head.  “Didn't realize that was classified though.”

“Oh yeah, that info!” Shining Armor said.  “Yeah, it was decided that what you found there shouldn't be made known to the public.  Everything else though... I think they're in the process of declassifying it.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Yeah, not looking forward to that. Last thing we need is everypony in the world flooding into Ponyville to ask me about it...”

Shaking his head at his friend's statement, Shining Armor glanced at the clock.  Nodding his head when he noticed the time, he turned to Cadence and asked, “Do you want to go for a quick walk?”

Nodding her head, Cadence smiled as she got up, saying, “That sounds lovely.”

Watching the two get up, Mecha shot Shining Armor a grin, before turning to chat with Cheerilee.  “You know,” he started, “This has been quite pleasant.”

“Yeah,” Cheerilee replied, “And nopony has tried to kill you tonight!”

At that point, a loud “YES!” was heard from the garden, followed by Shining Armor and Cadence walking in, a ring on Cadence's hoof.

“Congratulations!” Mecha and Cheerilee told them, as Mecha pulled a bottle of wine from under the table.  Popping the cork, Mecha poured each a glass, before lifting his up, saying, “To the happy couple, it's about time!”

Chuckling, everypony tapped their glasses together before taking a drink from them.

LINEBREAKER

Capo and his ally stood outside the restaurant, waiting for their target to walk out.  Capo held a crossbow in his hooves, staring at the door.  “Discord's mismatched horns, how long are they going to be!” he muttered.

“Patience my comrade...” the cultist replied.  “We'll be rid of our enemy soon...”

At this point the four friends walked out of the restaurant, laughing and joking.  With a grin, Capo took aim, putting Mecha in the cross-hairs.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha laughed at Shining Armor's story, when he heard a light twang sound, and turned his head to face the direction of the source.  Eyes widening, Mecha spotted the crossbow bolt heading for him, when he was suddenly on the ground, Cheerilee on top of him.

“Are you alright?” Cadence asked, running up to them.

“I think so...” Mecha started.  “How about you Cheer-...” he trailed off, staring at the bolt meant for him lodged in Cheerilee's side.

Shakily getting up, Cheerilee replied, “I-I-I should b-b-be fine...” before screaming out in pain and collapsing.

“That would be the poison seeping in...” came a voice from the shadows.

Turning to face the voice, Shining Armor frowned before saying, “Aren't you suppose to be in jail?”

“Yes, I suppose I should be,” the cultist replied, stepping out of the shadows.  “Granted, that bolt was also suppose to hit Mecha instead of his marefriend... oh well.”

Mecha was to busy trying to help Cheerilee to notice this conversation though, as he turned to Cadence, saying, “Get her to a hospital, quick!”

Gulping, Cadence said, “I can't... my levitation isn't steady enough to prevent myself from further injuring her...”

Turning to Shining Armor, Mecha yelled, “Then you need to teleport her there!”

“I wouldn't do that,” Capo said, stepping out and revealing himself.  “That poison was meant to both inflict pain and prevent you from using your magic... right?” he said, turning towards the cultist.

Sighing, the dark unicorn replied, “Yes, that's right.  Any attempt to use magic will just increase the amount of pain she's in.”

Growling, Mecha told Shining Armor and Cadence, “Go and get her some help.  I'll deal with these two.”

“Are you-” Shining Armor started, only to be cut off by Mecha.

“GO!” he yelled, causing Shining Armor and Cadence to lift Cheerilee up and put a leg over each shoulder, before walking off.  Seeing that she was safely away, Mecha turned to face his two foes for the night.  “You two... have seriously pissed me off.”

Chuckling, Capo replied, “Oh really, have we now?” as he started walking back and forth.  “Why's that? Because we harmed your precious marefriend? Don't worry about that, you'll be in for much worse,” he said, pulling a vial out.  “And who knows, maybe she'll join you after we're done?”

That was not the best thing to say, as Mecha... snapped for a lack of a better word.  He got up on his rear legs and shifted his right leg into his newest creation... a sword whose hilt worked as a gun.  Black wisps of magic started to circle around him, as his rage caused his body to generate an excessive amount of magic, slowly causing a black aura to build around him.  He looked up from the ground, revealing pitch black eyes, with his left eye generating a giant ethereal flame.  The aura around him slowly moved towards his left leg, causing the ethereal flame to die down as a sword made from magic solidified in his left hoof.

“You... are going to regret that,” Mecha replied, his tone dead flat.

Capo gulped, and flinched when another figure landed next to Mecha, covered in a dark cloak.  “Leave the cultist to me,” the figure said, pulling out a scythe with blades on both ends.  The hood fell back when he stood up on his rear legs, revealing Solaris.  “I've got the cultist...”

At this point, the rouge unicorn laughed evilly, before pulling out a vial of his own.  “Let's see how well you fair when my magic rivals that of Nightmare Moon's!” he yelled, before downing the vial.

The vial's effect was made clear as the cultist's body was covered in magic, a vile purple aura surrounding his body that slowly lifted him into the air, crackling with static.

Capo took this as his cue to drink his own vial, before dropping it and clutching his head in pain.  His body slowly began to morph, his muscles bulging out rapidly as he increased in size.

While this was happening, Mecha asked Solaris, “Legally speaking, what are my restrictions right now?”

Shaking his head, Solaris replied, “None.  They're both trying to kill you, have threatened to kill a civilian after they kill you, and have ingested some kind of steroid, so no restrictions.”

As Capo's form settled into a large behemoth close to the size of a house, Mecha smirked, and said, “Perfect,” before disappearing in a flash of black.

Capo's eyes went wide, before he twisted around and blocked Mecha's blades with one of his arms, receiving nothing but a light cut when Mecha kicked off.  “Bha! That the best you've got!” Capo taunted, “I've been cut worse by paper!”

“Oh, you've seen nothing yet,” Mecha replied, before vanishing in a black blur once more.

While Mecha was attempting to break Capo's guard, Solaris was dealing with magic wave after magic wave from the cultist.  Spinning his scythe overhead, he brought it down and cut a wave of magic clean in two, causing it to split and travel around him, impacting the building behind him.  Horn glowing with magic, Solaris launched three beach ball sized fireballs at his opponent, who used his magic to force the fireballs away from him.

“You ignorant foal! Do you truly expect to beat me you traitor!” The insane unicorn shouted, sending out several whips of magic towards Solaris.

“Of course I do!” Solaris shouted, leaping around the tendrils of vile magic, cutting them off when he had the chance.  “As I'm not the traitor, you are! And the punishment for betraying the throne is...”

A loud explosion cut them off, as Capo had tried to punch Mecha, only for him to have dodged, resulting in the crater in the road.  Mecha took this moment to run up Capo's extended limb, dragging his blades into Capo's flesh and leaving thing red lines, before leaping at Capo's head, blades swinging.  When Capo brought his other foreleg up to block the strike, a loud BANG could be heard as Mecha was pushed back from the force of his shot, while Capo started to scream. “What is this!” he yelled, gripping the hole in his foreleg.  “How can this hurt so much!”

“What, you've never had a piece of metal just over nine millimeters* in diameter forcibly pushed into your leg before?” Mecha said.

Growling, Capo yelled out, “I'm going to kill you!” as he lunged towards Mecha.

Leaping back, Mecha flicked his magical blade at Capo, releasing a wave of energy towards him that impacted his chest, leaving a somewhat deep gash which didn't slow him down.

Throwing a fast punch, Capo managed to catch the side of Mecha's mechanical leg, causing him to be thrown back in a spin.  Sliding to a stop, Mecha looked up to see Capo rushing him again.  Leaping to the side, Mecha watched as Capo ran straight into a wall, while behind him Solaris and the cultist continued to trade spells, with Solaris firing off giant fireballs every ten seconds or so that the cultist grabbed with his magic before flinging them back, fueled by his vile magic.

With quick slash, the fireballs were split in two and passed harmlessly around Solaris, bursting upon impact with the brick wall behind him.  Staring down his opponent, Solaris twisted the large battle scythe until it split at the center, ends collapsing into itself until he was left with two, smaller, hand scythes**.  “I've really got to thank Mecha for this,” he muttered to himself, rushing forward.

Stepping around the most recent wave of dark tendrils trying to kill him, Solaris began to lash out against the magic, cutting through it with his hand scythes as he prepared a spell of his own.  When he heard a loud BANG, he ignored it in order to launch his own spell- a dark bolt of magic that impacted with the cultist's magic, creating a BANG at the same time one came from behind him.  The magic seemed to stop moving... before rushing to the impact soon where it collapsed upon itself before violently exploding, throwing the cultist on the ground.

“What... what was that?!?” the cultist yelled out.

“Magical implosion,” Solaris stated, putting his scythes away.  “Very useful spell against rouge unicorns... dangerous to.  Had I hit you with that spell, you'd have been the center of that explosion.”

A third BANG rang out, causing Solaris to frown and turn, saying, “What in Luna's name is going on?!”

What he saw was Capo, shrunken down to his normal form after the potion he'd drunk had worn off, trying to crawl away from Mecha.  Granted, that was hard to do with three of his kneecaps blown out from Mecha's bullets... BANG Make that all four.  Mecha stared at Capo, his gun-blade smoking while the black blade of magic absorbed all light heading for it.  Unblinkingly, Mecha stepped forward, and pointed his blade at Capo's head, causing him to stutter and panic, screaming, “Please, have mercy! I'll never bother you again, just please, spar me!” tears flowing down the side of his face, begging Mecha not to finish him off.

Mecha didn't seem to care though, as a click sound was heard, the sound of a bullet being chambered.  “Stop it Mecha, it's over!” Solaris shouted, grabbing Mecha's shoulder.

“He poisoned Cheerilee,” Mecha started, keeping the gun-blade pointed straight at Capo's head.  “He threatened to kill her...” he added, refusing to blink.  “What do you expect me to do? Let him live after all that! What if that had been Spitfire!” he yelled, his rage surfacing.

“I'd want to do the same,” Solaris replied, calmly, “Which is why I'd hope you'd do the same thing for me as I'm about to do for you.”

“And what is that?” Mecha asked, shaking in barely controlled rage.

“Ask what would Cheerilee want you to do right now,” Solaris replied, giving his friend one last squeeze on his shoulder, before stepping back.

Mecha continued to shake for a bit, before calming down.  His muscles visibly relaxed, as the black blade began to dissipate, before the magic making it returned to Mecha.  He lowered his gun-blade, and turned to face Solaris, who noticed the ethereal fire that had burned around Mecha's left eye had finally dissipated.  “She'd want me to let him live,” Mecha finally said after a minute's thought.

Solaris was about to reply, when Mecha rapidly turned and fired, the BANG leaving everypony in deafening silence, no pony willing to say anything.

“I... can't believe it...” Solaris said, staring.  For while they'd been talking, the cultist had tried to cast one last spell, only for Mecha's shot to impact his horn, causing it to shatter.

“Yeah... who knew it was possible?” Mecha inquired, staring at the blubbering mess of a cultist.  “You know, this guy had a lot more composure earlier today.”

“Cut him some slack,” Solaris replied, “He's just had a large amount of his magic imploded in front of him followed by having his horn shattered... that's enough to get any unicorn to break down.”

“True,” Mecha replied, “And I have one thing to say while we talk about magic; never channel all your magic through your body at once.”

Blinking, Solaris asked, “Why not?”

“One, it causes you to feel numb, preventing you from realizing how injured you are,” Mecha started, “And two, I'm about to pass out from it,” he added, before falling forward as everything went black.

*Exact bullet- .357 magnum- approximately .003 inches larger in diameter than a 9 mm
**Hand Scythes- look up something called a Kama, that is what he shifted his battle scythe to
> Dancing Fever
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Mecha came to, he was in the hospital once more, only this time instead of being at his side, Cheerilee was in a bed of her own.  “You alright?” she asked, noticing he was up.

Grunting, Mecha sat up and replied, “Yeah, you?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee said, “Been much better since they flushed the poison from my system.”

Sighing, Mecha turned to face his guests- Celestia and Luna.  “Um... do you need something?”

Shaking her head, Celestia replied, “Just want to make sure you two are okay.”

Nodding his head, Mecha asked, “And what about Capo and the cultist?”

Luna spoke up this time, saying, “Capo is currently in a cell, while that... vile... cultist is being looked over to make sure that there aren't any side effects from losing his horn before being thrown in a maximum security cell.”

“Good,” Mecha replied, before laying back down.  “Anything else I should know?”

Luna and Celestia gave each other questioning looks, before Celestia shrugged, causing Luna to reply, “No, not really...  Unless you care that those two created that chimera that attacked you before.”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “Nah, I'm good.  What about you?” he added, glancing at Cheerilee.

“Hm... I'm good,” Cheerilee said.

“In that case,” Celestia said, as she and her sister began to make their way out of the room, “We'll leave you two to catch up.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Cheerilee were on their way back to Ponyville, when somepony called out, “Mecha, is that you?!”

Blinking, the couple turned around to see a purple pegasus with a darker purple mane running towards them, her Cutie Mark of two ballerina shoes visible as she approached.

“Fanciful Dancer? What are the odds!” Mecha exclaimed, giving her a quick hug.  “What are you doing so far from Minot?” he added, quickly ending the embrace.

“I'm here to teach a class,” Fanciful said, before glancing at Cheerilee, “And who is this? Did you finally find a marefriend that hasn't decided she hates your guts before trying to kill you?”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee spoke up, saying, “I'm Cheerilee, and how many ex-marefriends of his are trying to kill him?”

Shaking her head, Fanciful replied, “Last count was... four hundred twenty six I believe.”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “It's four hundred twenty five now- Vinyl Scratch isn't on the list anymore. And if we're to be honest, only about ten or so of them actually qualify as an ex-marefriend, single dates shouldn't count.”

After another round of laughter, Cheerilee asked, “So, how do you know each other?”

Mecha shook his head, and said, “Fanciful Dancer here is an old friend of Shine Sight's, although she hung out so much at our home that she essentially became part of the family.  In fact, do you still call my parents mom and dad?”

“Of course I do bro!” Fanciful Dancer replied, wide smile on her face.  “That's like asking if you still end up in the hospital every other week!”

Shaking her head, Cheerilee said, “He doesn't.”  Spotting the disbelieving look on Fanciful Dancer's face, she added, “It's every week now.”

It was Fanciful's turn to shake her head, saying, “Only you bro... but anyways, what's up? I haven't seen you in years!”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Well, it's a long story, but here it goes...”

LINEBREAKER

Fanciful Dancer stared at Mecha, blinking lightly.  “You mean to tell me... that all that happened... in the last couple of years?”

Nodding his head, Mecha lead the trio to the cafe where he normally had lunch with Doctor Whooves and Big Macintosh.  Taking a seat, he replied, “Yeah, bit much isn't it?”

Merely nodding, Fanciful didn't say anything until after they ordered, when she shook her head, saying, “That's... a lot to take in.  But it is good to see you bro...”

The three then began to eat in silence, before Fanciful started glancing at Cheerilee, an idea slowly forming in her head.  When they finished, she nodded her head, and asked Cheerilee, “You interested in self-defense lessons?”

Caught-off guard, Cheerilee replied, “Er, yeah, sorta.  Why are you asking?”

Smirking, Fanciful replied, “Because I had a feeling that you'd be interested with all the danger and stuff that happens around Mecha,” as she dug into her bag, pulling out a quill, ink, and a piece of paper.  Writing something down quickly, Fanciful gave it to Cheerilee, saying, “I've written down a time and place for a self-defense class that I think you'd enjoy... and don't worry about paying for it- I know the instructor, so you'll be able to get in for free!”

Blinking, Cheerilee said, “Thank you Fanciful... but are you sure this is alright? I'd be happy to pay for the classes myself!”

“Please,” Fanciful started, “it's my gift to you! Now, if you don't mind, I've got something I'd like to run by my brother here real quick before I head over to the inn.”

“Not at all,” Cheerilee replied, before giving Mecha a quick peck.  “I'll catch you later, okay?” she said.

“Absolutely!” Mecha said, Nodding his head.  Cheerilee quickly trotted off, and Mecha turned to face his pseudo-sister.  “Whatcha need?”

“A favor,” Fanciful replied, “something to make my next set of lessons more interesting...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was walking Cheerilee to the first of her self-defense classes, chatting lightly.  “Well, it looks like we're here,” Cheerilee said, stopping at the door.  “I'll see you after class?” she asked, facing Mecha.

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, giving her a large smile, before opening the door for her, “I shall be right here when you finish,” he added, before giving her a quick hug, allowing her to enter the room just as he heard Fanciful say, “My name if Fanciful Dancer, and I'm here to instruct you in the ways of Danza de la Meurte.”

Chuckling at the surprise that must be on Cheerilee's face, Mecha made his way towards his shop, recalling everything he knew on the self-defense style slash dance style that Fanciful was currently teaching.  It was actually something they'd thought up together, a mixture of grace and deadliness that somehow worked.  The concept was actually fairly simple- spinning yourself to spin a dress whose edges where made of sharpened metal instead of fabric.  Of course, there was more to it, such as the metal fans, but overall a simple and effective style... provided you were wearing the specialized dress or had the fans on you.  Either way though, it helped Mecha relax to know that his marefriend was learning to defend herself.

Stepping into his shop, he relieved Snips and Snails of their shift for their lunch breaks, before settling down behind the register.  Taking a look around the shop, he gave a smile.  No longer was it dominated by only his creations, but now it included a variety of Snips' and Snails' creations as well.

The bell rang, and Mecha looked towards the door to see Zecora walking in.  “Zecora, what a surprise! How's it going?” he asked.

“It is going well my friend, although I don't have much time to spend,” she replied with her normal rhyme.

Nodding his head, Mecha pulled out a pad of paper and a pen he kept under the counter for custom orders, replying, “Then waste no time, for that would be a crime!” before blinking, and adding, “And I blame you for that rhyme.”

Chuckling, Zecora said, “My niece, the one you saved, is getting married soon, and I'm to prepare for that boon! What I need isn't small, your help in preparing for it all.”

Frowning, Mecha asked, “Why aren't you asking Pinkie Pie to help for this?”

Shaking her head, Zecora replied, “While she throws a party without compare, her lack of control will give quite a scare.  Furthermore she knows not our traditions, unlike you, who knows the needed conditions.”

Sighing, Mecha knew she was right.  “Okay, I'll help.  When's she arriving?” he asked.

Smiling, Zecora replied, “The group she travels with are coming up the creek, I'd say they'll be here by the end of the week.”

Face-hoofing, Mecha mumbled, “Of course they are... Right then! Let's start planning!”

LINEBREAKER

Three days later, Mecha was waiting outside Cheerilee's classroom.  Watching as others walked out, he frowned when he didn't see Cheerilee.  After a few minutes, she walked out, frowning.

“Something wrong?” he inquired, throwing a leg around her shoulders.

“Not really,” Cheerilee started, still frowning.  “I just seem to be having trouble with my hoofwork...” she added, before she started to grin.  Turning to face Mecha, she said, “You're hoofwork is great though! You flow seamlessly between forms when you sword fight!”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “So?”

“You can help me with my hoofwork!” Cheerilee replied, all but leaping with joy.

Frowning, Mecha said, “I... don't think that's such a good idea.”

Caught off guard, Cheerilee asked, “Why not?”

“Because the only way I know how to teach proper hoofwork is the way Iron Will taught me... and that is not a pleasant method,” Mecha said, shivering lightly.

Pouting, Cheerilee said, “Pwease? I promise I won't complain!”

Sighing, Mecha changed directions, saying, “Alright, but if we're doing this, we're doing it right- meaning we'll need Twilight to help.”

“Yay!” Cheerilee replied, before stopping.  “Wait... why do we need Twilight?”

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee groaned as she laid flat on the ground, exhausted.  “That... was brutal,” she said, as the gashes covering her body vanished due to the arena spell wearing off.

“I must concur,” Limbs added from the sidelines.  “When you told me you wished to use the battlegrounds to help your marefriend with her hoofwork, I didn't expect this.”

'This' being Mecha attacking Cheerilee relentlessly while under the arena spell cast by Twilight.  “Hey, it's the fastest way to improve your hoofwork,” Mecha replied.  And it was true.  Cheerilee's hoofwork had increased by leaps and bounds in the hours they'd been working, for not getting slashed was a good motivator to learn.

“Besides...” Cheerilee started, slowly getting up, “I asked for his help...”

Shaking his head, Limbs added, “Nevertheless, one should not harm a lady in such a way!”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Even if it's to make sure she knows how to seriously defend herself in the case of being assaulted by unscrupulous stallions?”

Limbs shut his mouth with a snap, a focused look upon his face.  “That...” he started after a few minutes of thought, “Is acceptable,” he finished, before turning and walking off.

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “I think that's enough for today.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee walked over and nuzzled Mecha, before saying, “I'm going to head home... and I think Twilight wants to talk with you.”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “She probably does.  Go ahead and go, I'll catch you later.”

Giving Mecha a smile, Cheerilee walked off while Twilight walked towards Mecha, a frown upon her face.  Waiting until Cheerilee was out of hearing range, she faced Mecha before yelling, “Who do you think you are! You leave me alone with the princesses mere moments after I tell you I'm crushing on both of them and finding out they're crushing on me, avoid me when I get back, and then suddenly show up and demand that I help you help Cheerilee with her hoofwork! Give me just one good reason why I shouldn't blast you with my strongest spell right now!!!”

Gulping, Mecha replied, “Well... first of all, may I ask how things are between you and the princesses?”

Glaring at Mecha, Twilight suddenly let up and relaxed slightly, before saying, “I'm going on a date with Celestia this weekend and Luna sometime after that.  But that is not the point and you know it!”

Putting his forehooves up, Mecha replied, “I know, I know, I was just curious.  Luna seemed a bit happier in her last letter, and I just wanted to confirm my thoughts.”  It was then that what Twilight said registered in his head, causing him to ask, “Wait, Luna and Celestia? Lust's panties you've got quite the situation! Do they know about the other dating you?”

Snorting, Twilight replied, “Who do you think came up with the idea?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Mecha replied, “Honestly, I'd flip a coin between the two.  I mean, we've got Luna who's had a thousand years to come up with different crazy ideas and Celestia who sends her student two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala when she knows that she has five friends all dying to go.”

Twilight gave Mecha a deadpan look, before walking off.  Turning her head, she said, “For the record, we did manage to restore the twins back into their own forms!”

“So?” Mecha hollered back. “I had nothing to do with that situation, why would I care?”

LINEBREAKER

Fanciful Dancer looked over her class with a sense of joy.  Smiling, she said, “You've all come a long way in this week... especially you Cheerilee.  You've improved the most... and I think I know why.  Either way, you've all learned what you needed to in order to defend yourselves.  So, as a treat for our last class, I figured I'd show you a spar between myself and a swords pony!”

The class cheered, and quickly rushed towards the stage they'd been learning on where Fanciful Dancer was doing a few quick warm-ups while her opponent arrived.  They heard the back door open, and all turned to see Mecha walk in, Rarity by his side.  “Honestly darling, I do not see why Twilight would not be willing to do this for you,” she said.

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “It's a long story involving me leaving her with the princesses and a set of twins that fused themselves together...  Ah, Fanciful! We ready to start?”

Fanciful Dancer smiled as she stood on her hind hooves before whipping out her two metal fans, saying, “I'm ready when you are... and no holding back! I want to face your full bag of tricks!”

Blinking, Mecha allowed the arena spell cast by Rarity to wash over him, before saying, “You sure about that?”

Nodding her head, Fanciful replied, “I'm certain! I want my class to see a true battle between us!”

Shrugging, Mecha concentrated, before a black aura gathered around him, causing his left eye to generate its ethereal flame, before it started to condense in his left forehoof in the form of a sword.  Glancing at it, Mecha sighed, saying, “That still takes too long...” as his mechanical leg shifted into his gun-blade.  Facing Fanciful Dancer, Mecha nodded, signaling he was ready.

Fanciful nodded back, causing Rarity to start counting down, “Three... two... one... go!”

BANG!

Everypony stared at Fanciful's fallen form, laying still on the ground.  After a moment, the spell took over and returned her to her living state, a steel bullet laying on the ground next to her.  “What... what was that!?” she yelled, glancing between Mecha and the bullet on the ground.

“One of my... tricks I believe you called it,” Mecha replied, smirking.

Finally settling for staring at Mecha, Fanciful said, “I meant your fancy sword tricks, nothing else! For Celestia's sake I didn't know there was anything else!”

Laughing, Mecha retorted, “Well then, how's about a rematch- and I'll only use my blades, nothing else?”

“Sounds good,” Fanciful replied, getting back into position.

Rarity glanced at both fighters once more, before recasting the spell.  Counting down once more, she'd barely said, “Go!” before the two sprung into motion.

Fanciful moved forward while spinning, bringing the metal edge of her dress up, forcing Mecha to come to a halt lest he be sliced by the deadly dress.  When she stopped, Mecha used his left leg to take a step towards her while swinging his blades of metal and magic at her, which she contorted between, while snapping her fans open to slash at him.

Mecha, having helped Fanciful develop this style, had seen this coming, and was thus able to prevent any serious damage by raising his right leg and using his knee to hit the side of the fan, knocking it away from him.

At this point, Fanciful tried to spin again, only to stop when Mecha stabbed his magical blade into her dress, preventing it from rising.  Frowning, she snapped one fan closed and hit his head with it, causing him to flinch, giving her an opening to slice with the other fan.

However, Mecha had allowed her to hit his head and faked the flinch, so as to create an opening when she attacked to stab her with the metal blade.

Everypony was still once more, as they saw Fanciful Dancer with a sword in her chest... while her fan was lodged in Mecha's throat, having misjudged the speed she could gather with the small metal fan.

The two combatants slid off the weapons, the wounds vanishing as the arena spell lifted, revealing two smiling siblings.  “Not bad,” Mecha said, giving a quick bow to Fanciful.  “I'd forgotten just how swift you were with this style.”

Chuckling, Fanciful replied, “You weren't half bad yourself.  Maybe next time we can make it last longer than a couple minutes.”

Shaking his head, Mecha started walking away, shouting behind him, “I'll see ya in an hour or two!” before heading towards the town square for Zecora's niece's party.

LINEBREAKER

“Snips, Snails, take your places now!” Mecha shouted, directing his students into place.  The old stage that he'd sang upon way back was now being used for today's entertainment- a dance show.  Zecora had come up with the idea when she'd heard Fanciful Dancer was in town, and Mecha was quick in arranging the talent for it.

Seeing Snips and Snails in place, Mecha nodded his head before signaling for the first act to take its place behind the lowered curtains.  Stepping out front, he was met with a round of applause, causing him to grin.  Allowing the audience to settle down, Mecha spoke up, saying, “Good evening ladies and gentlecolts! We're gathered here to celebrate the marriage of the family member of one of our lovely residents! In honor of the occasion, we have gathered up a talented batch of residents for this dance show!”

Another round of applause swept the crowd, and Mecha gave them a few seconds before speaking once more.  “Our first group hails not from Equestria, but rather from Cervidaeia! Give it up for our deer friends and their river stomp dance!”

Mecha quickly moved off-stage as the curtain rose, allowing the audience to see Limbs and his fellow arena fighters as they began to dance.  “Right, is Fanciful ready for her performance after this?” he asked.

“Yeah, but we've got a problem boss!” Snips replied, running over.

“What is it?” Mecha asked, pulling a rope to lower the background for the next dance behind the back-most curtains.

“The salsa dancers canceled on us- apparently some noble offered them twice our rates to perform for them!” Snips said.

“Greed's treasure chest!” Mecha swore, as the audience cheered at the bowing deer.  “Give me a minute, then we'll figure this out,” he added, walking out to the stage.

“Not bad for lacking a river to stomp in,” Mecha said, getting a few laughs for his cheesy joke.  “Following them is my sister in all but blood, Fanciful Dancer! She'll be demonstrating a self-defense style that she developed known as Danza de la Meurte!”

A round of applause replied as Mecha walked off, curtains rising to reveal Fanciful Dancer, standing at the ready with her fans open, a cemetery as her backdrop.

“Right then, what are we going to do for Luna's sake!” Mecha yelled, thankful that the audience couldn't hear him.

“I dunno!” Snails replied, panic visible in his eyes.  “But if we don't figure it out soon we're toast!”

“Is everything alright back here?” came Cheerilee's voice as she walked up.

An idea stuck Mecha, who immediately replied, “It depends.  Do you know how to Salsa dance?”

Blinking, Cheerilee replied, “Yeah... Fanciful had us learn as the basics for Danza de la Meurte...”

Grabbing her, Mecha dragged her towards the changing area, saying, “Snips, Snails, stall long enough for us to change- we're dancing next!”

Snips and Snails ave each other a glance, before shrugging their shoulders.  If their boss said to stall, then by Celestia's supposedly secret cake stash they were going to stall!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took in a deep breath, before asking, “You ready for this?”

Cheerilee nodded, saying, “As I'll ever be.”

Giving the signal to Snips and Snails, the couple watched the curtains rise, and saw that all eyes were on them.  Taking one last breath, they literally spun into action once the music started playing.  Shaking from side to side while smoothly transitioning their moves, they never took their eyes off from each other if they could help it.  Faster and faster they moved, the music lost as they danced, lost in each others eyes.  They finally stopped, and took in the massive applause they were getting for their performance.  Blushing, they quickly took their bows before walking off stage.

LINEBREAKER

The performance was over, and Mecha and Cheerilee were relaxing by the stage.  “That was actually quite enjoyable,” Cheerilee said.  “Why don't we dance more often?”

“I dunno,” Mecha replied.

At this point, the bride to be trotted up, only to stop when she saw Mecha.  Eyes widening, she rushed forward, saying, “Oh great Forge Master, what an honor to meet you! Especially since, well since you helped saved my life! You will always have my thanks!*”

Here, she bowed before rushing off, causing Mecha to blink.  Turning to face Cheerilee, he asked, “Did she just call me a forge master?”

“That she did, oh rescuer of my kin,” came a new voice.  Turning, Mecha spotted an elderly Zebra, presumably the bride's father, king of the Zebra tribes, Baba.  “For it is a title that you have earned.  To give it elsewhere would be such a sin! For in forging, you are the one most learned.”

Mecha blinked.  This was news to him!

Baba wasn't finished though, saying, “To be Forge Master is to be the best! There can only be one and you are it. Do not take it lightly or take in jest, or else my people shall throw a big fit!”

“So wait...” Mecha started, trying to make sure he had this straight.  “I'm currently considered the best blacksmith back in your homelands?”

“It is quite the honor I assure you,” Baba replied, “For we are known to keep the best records.  To be granted this title makes it true, one that to ignore most can ill afford.  But it is time for me to take my leave, and I hope you realize what you've achieved!**”

At this point Baba walked off, while Cheerilee said, “That makes you Forge Master Viscount Mecha, doesn't it?”

“Eeyup... although I don't mind the Forge Master bit,” Mecha replied.

*Tanka- A Japanese form of poetry similar to haikus- only instead of 5-7-5 it is 5-7-5-7-7
**Baba speaks in the form of sonnets- not my best idea.
> Changing Situation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was pacing through town, eye twitching.  Ponies were stepping out of the way subconsciously, having gotten used to this behavior over the last few days.  The reason for this pacing? Dissonant Babel was visiting and Pinkie Pie got word of it... and was already planning the party.  Normally this wouldn't be so bad, but considering that Dissonant had access to some of his power still, and Pinkie loved more than half his tricks when he was at full power, meaning that together... well, that's why he was pacing.

Cheerilee walked up to him, worried.  “Mecha... are you alright?” she asked.

Eye still twitching, Mecha didn't reply, merely muttering, “Chocolate rain mixed in with real rain... soap side roads... Sugarcube corner made out of actual gingerbread!”

Concerned, Cheerilee asked, “When was the last time you got any sleep?”

Shaking his head, Mecha turned around, walking back the way he came, replying, “Sleep? Oh no, not while there's a chance to prevent this... I've had two weeks to figure this out and come up with nothing!”

Cheerilee blinked, before asking, “Two weeks? Mecha, you really need to sleep!”

Mecha didn't respond, continuing to pace across town square.  Sighing, Cheerilee knew exactly what to do.  Walking over to the nearby tool shop, she asked the owner, “Can I borrow that wrench?”

The shop owner nodded his head, and passed the tool over while saying, “Knock yourself out.”

Shaking her head, she replied, “Oh, not me,” before lobbing it and nailing Mecha straight in the head, knocking him out cold.  “It's for him,” she finished, walking out.  Giving the wrench to a passing pony, she told them, “Please give this back to the owner please, I've got to lug my stallionfriend back home and hope he hasn't built an immunity to head injuries.”

The pony stared at the wrench in her hooves, before asking, “Isn't it impossible to develop an immunity to head injuries?”

Cheerilee snorted as she started to drag Mecha, saying, “You'd think so, but we're talking about somepony who out drank Gluttony in a poisoned wine contest.”

The baffled pony blinked, before shrugging her shoulders and walking into the store to return the wrench.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha woke up about five hours later with a splitting headache.  Rubbing his head, he groaned out, “What hit me?”

“A wrench,” Sugary Spice told him, pulling out a cake from the oven.  “Cheerilee threw it at you to get you to finally sleep, and dropped you off here afterwords,” she added, setting the cake on the counter.

“And you didn't put me in my bed why...?” Mecha asked.

“You told me not to bake unless an adult was present,” Sugary Spice replied.  “You never said anything about their state of consciousness during the time.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Of course.  Any other loopholes in my instructions you've been abusing?”

“I've been claiming that I've got parental supervision for various things when I'm actually being watched over by either Diable or Wolfgang,” Sugary Spice added, as she started to clean up the kitchen.

“Oh, I've known about that for a while,” Mecha said, walking over to the fridge.  “But I figured since they both like you more than me, they'd make sure nothing would hurt you,” he added, pulling out an ice pack and laying it on top his head.

“In that case, nothing I'm willing to share with you,” Sugary Spice replied, sitting down at the table.  “So why'd Cheerilee have to knock you out?”

Sighing, Mecha said, “I may have over-reacted a bit about the possibility of Pinkie Pie figuring out Dissonant Babel being Discord's pony form...”

Snorting, Sugary Spice said, “Is that it?”  Seeing her dad nod, she asked, “How is it that he has a pony form anyways? Didn't he say he's worked for Celestia for a while before he was released?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “I think his consciousness just slipped out of the statue and formed into his pony state, and when he broke out, it slipped right back in and was immediately corrupted by his full power again... either way, I need to go and greet him soon.”

Glancing at the clock, Sugary Spice said, “More like right now...”

Sighing, Mecha got up and walked out the door, before saying, “Save some of that cake for me later, okay!”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stood at Ponyville's entrance, waiting for Dissonant Babel with a melted ice pack on his head.  Spotting his friend, he was curious as to why he was alone... and why he seemed drunk.  “Yo, Babel! I thought you were bringing Screwball with you!? And are you drunk?” Mecha asked.

“Well... it turns out that while Screwball is my daughter... she isn't... at least not yet,” Dissonant Babel started, leaning against Mecha.

Blinking, Mecha said, “Come again?”

“Well, I showed up a couple of hours ago to pick her up- and with me was two copies of Doctor Whooves and Ditzy Do,” Dissonant started.  “Apparently I'd just gotten home from my sixth honeymoon with my wife when we found out that she'd borrowed your friend's time machine in order to spend time with me and my wife- except she got the time frame wrong and ended up with me only.”

Groaning, Mecha replied, “Time travel... okay that makes sense... I think...”

Chuckling, Dissonant continued, “Oh, it gets better.  Not only did they take her back, but I found out something else...”

“What?” Mecha asked.

“Well I found out... hold on- I wrote it down,” Dissonant replied, before handing a note to Mecha.

Unfolding the note, Mecha read it over, before blinking.  “You're kidding me, right?”

“Eenope,” Dissonant said.  “That was handed to me by myself, since he, I, whatever, knew that you'd like to know that.  Granted, he also mentioned about avoiding a paradox, but I'd already had three bottles to drink at that point.”

Sighing, Mecha tore up the note before swallowing it.  Seeing Dissonant's disbelieving look, Mecha told him, “It said to destroy the note after reading it.  Given my lack of fire or explosives, that was the easiest option.”  Looking over his friend's drunken form, he let out a second sigh, before telling him, “Follow me.  We're going to hit the only bar in Ponyville,” as he turned and walked into town.

“Ponyville has a bar?” Dissonant Babel asked.

“Yeah, Poker Night Potshot,” Mecha said.  “Was a big enough hit in Canterlot to warrant an attempt in a small town... so we picked Ponyville.  It doesn't actually open for another week, but since I own the joint, we can go ahead and drink ourselves silly.”

Dissonant blinked, before saying, “Sounds good to me!”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Mecha replied, leading his inebriated friend towards the bar.

LINEBREAKER

“So then I find out that it wasn't a priceless artifact, but rather a replica of it!” Mecha said, mechanical leg slung around his fellow drunk's shoulders.  “So instead of having to pay several million bits that I didn't have, I only had to cover the cost of the replica- two bits!”

Dissonant Babel laughed, before downing another glass of Apple Family Whiskey, and said, “You have the strangest luck I've ever seen... and I met Foul Dice the Gambler!”

The two friend's discussion was broken when Pinkie Pie burst through the door, saying, “AHA! I knew I'd find you! Thought you could hide from not-so-old Pinkie Pie huh?”

Blinking, Mecha groaned, before saying, “We're late, aren't we?”

Nodding her head, Pinkie replied, “I've had this party planned for two weeks! And Dissonant here being drunk isn't going to change the fact that he's attending!”

“Wait, I'm suppose to attend a party?” Dissonant Babel asked.

“Yeah, didn't Mecha tell you?” Pinkie replied, quirking her head.

“He didn't have the chance,” Dissonant replied.  “But dang... If I'm going to attend your party, I need to sober up!” he added, before he started to glow.  Five seconds later, the glow vanished, and he smiled, no trace of the former drunken pony present.  “Lead the way!”

“Okie doki lokie!” Pinkie replied, turning around and bouncing out the door, before stopping and sticking her head back in.  “Oh, and Mecha, Twilight told me to tell you that Celestia told her that somepony named Hade was looking for you,” she added, before leaving once more.

Glancing at Mecha, Dissonant tapped his forehead, doing the same thing to Mecha as he did for himself mere moments ago.  “I figured you'd like to be sober for your meeting,” he said in response to Mecha's questioning look before leaving.

Sighing, Mecha put the last of the alcohol away, when an idle thought struck him.  “Screwball is from the future... has a similar mane and tail poofiness as Pinkie Pie... and her mane is a few shades darker than Pinkie's... No way, not going to finish that thought,” he muttered to himself.  “Bad enough that they're heading to a party together, I won't connect the dots without having at least three bottles of the hard stuff first!*”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was about a mile out from Ponyville when he spotted Hade... and two younger Changelings beside him.  Sighing, Mecha knew he wouldn't like the answer to the question he was about to ask, but asked anyways, “Whatcha need Hade?”

Rubbing the back of his head, he gestured to his two companions, and said, “Mecha, I'd like you to meet my nieces Ruby,” he said, pointing to the Changeling on his left with blue eyes, “and Sapphire,” he gestured once more, pointing at the other Changeling who had red eyes, “And I need you to watch over them for a couple of months.”

Closing his eyes, Mecha took a deep breath while rubbing his forehead.  “You need me to what?” he started, before shaking his head.  “Never mind, let's start with the simple question first.  Why do they have those names when it should be reversed?”

“What do you know Changelings when they're born?” Hade asked.

“Nothing,” Mecha replied.

“Right- long story short, when born a Changeling undergoes its first and only non-organic transformation, and whatever they transform into is they're name,” Hade explained, “with the Changeling reserving the right to change it to something he or she prefers when they're older.”

Nodding his head, Mecha eyed the two quiet younglings, before asking, “Why do you need me to watch over them?”

“Their parents asked me to find someone to watch over them while they're assigned to guard the queen,” Hade said, “and I figured sometime spent in a foreign country would be good for them.”

“So you picked me,” Mecha deadpanned, “The relatively foul mouthed blacksmith, who blows himself and his forge up on a near weekly basis.  You do know that I taught my own daughter how to swear? And that I've got a lazy Timberwolf cub scheming with a Devil on how to abuse me living with me? Not to mention my criminal record!”

Hade snorted, before replying, “That's exactly why I picked you! You won't shelter them from the true culture of Equestria- swearing and all! Granted, you don't use traditional cursing, and your criminal record is just a bunch of vandalism, drunken misbehavior, and false charges.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Sloth's hammock... they gave you the public version of my records, didn't they?”

Blinking, Hade asked, “There's non-public records for your crimes?”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “Yeah- probably because I requested they keep most of them hidden from my parents.”

Raising an eyebrow, Hade said, “Really now? And just why is that?”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Because I was just a colt at the time.”

Hade laughed, thinking Mecha was joking, before stopping when he saw his serious face.  “You're... not joking.  What the hay did you do?”

Sighing, Mecha asked, “You ever wonder why a pony who's talent has nothing to do with the military joined up?”  Seeing Hade shake his head, Mecha gave another sigh, before continuing, “Nopony does.  Granted, that means I don't really have to tell this story but still.  Anyways, when I was a colt, I got bored easily.”  Seeing Hade wince, Mecha chuckled, saying, “It wasn't that bad back then- I didn't have access to explosives.  Anyways, one day I got it in my head that it would be fun to steal a painting from a nearby museum.  So I did- easily in fact, while getting a thrill out of it.  So I stole another painting from a different museum, and then a small sculpture from a mansion.”

At this point, Hade's eyes went wide, before he asked, “You mean the Frozen Thief of the North was you?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Eeyup.  I found a great thrill in robbing the places and getting away scott free.  Only reason I got caught was I figured out my talent involving tools and machines while disabling a trap, earned my Cutie Mark, and started celebrating right then and there.”

Hade burst into laughter, Ruby and Sapphire chuckling next to him as well.  “Yeah yeah, laugh it up,” Mecha replied.  “Anyways, at that point I was given an option.  A couple years in Juvenal Hall, or sign up as a scout when I was of legal age.”

Shaking his head, Hade replied, “As interesting as that is, you still need to watch over them.”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Fine, follow me you two,” as he turned and walked away, giving a lazy wave to Hade.  “First things first, do you mind sharing a room with each other?”

Ruby and Sapphire gave each other quick glances before shaking their heads.  “Good,” Mecha said, “Then I won't need to build another room or blow my house up again...” seeing their alarmed looks, Mecha added, “Joking! Sorta... anyways, quick set of ground rules. You stay undisguised until after the town knows who you are, and when you are disguised, it must be the same disguise every time- and it can't be a pony that you've met or heard of.  While at home, you may practice disguising yourselves as anypony, but only in your rooms.  Other than that, be yourselves, got it?”

The sisters nodded their heads, prompting Mecha to ask, “Don't you ever speak?”

The sisters grinned evilly, before nodding their heads again.  Sighing, Mecha said, “You just want to torment me... great.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked into his backyard, flanked by the two Changeling sisters after giving them a quick tour of Ponyville, and found Sugary Spice, Lively Spirit, Snips, and Snails all laying in the grass, chatting and laughing.  Mecha grinned, noticing that he managed to scare his apprentice's crushes on his daughter away- although he might be just a smidgen over-protective...

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Listen up!” causing the children to look over at him.  “I'd like you to meet Ruby and Sapphire,” he said, as the two walked forward.  “They'll be staying with us for a while.”

“Nice to meet ya!” Snails said, walking up to Ruby.

“Yeah!” Snips added while walking towards Sapphire, “I've never met a Changeling before... let alone one as pretty as you!”

Sapphire blushed, replying, “Well, I've never met a pony until today either...”

“Really?” Lively Spirit asked.

“Yeah,” Ruby replied.  “Mecha here is the first one we've met... and he's easy and fun to torment!”

“Hey, don't torment my dad!” Sugary Spice said, causing Mecha to smile.  “At least, not without me!” ...and there went Mecha's smile.

“Fair enough,” Sapphire said, still eying Snips.

“But you have to let us know when you're tormenting him so we can join in,” Ruby added, enjoying the attention being given to her by Snails.

Mecha walked over to his house at this point, and started banging his head against the wall.  “First, Wolfgang decides to torment me while he isn't being lazy... then I adopt a daughter who lives to prank me... surely it should've stopped when I won the soul of a devil who'd love nothing more than for me to die... but no, now I have two Changelings living with me who plan on joining in on it!  Sweet Luna, why must I be tormented so? WHY!!!”

Seeing Mecha collapse on the ground, Ruby asked, “Um... is he normally like that?”

Shaking his head, Snips replied, “Only on Tuesdays...”

“And on Tax days as well,” Snails added.

“Don't forget his Date Nights with Cheerilee!” Sugary Spice supplied.

“And if the stories are anything to go buy, Poker nights,” Lively Spirit said.

Ruby and Sapphire shivered, both thinking to themselves, 'Just what have I agreed to?'

*To clarify, yes to your thoughts.  And yes, it is frightening.  On the bright side, at least Discord isn't crazy as Dissonant Babel and only has a fraction of his power... and I think Pinkie doesn't know who he truly is yet.  I think.  You never know with Pinkie.
> Shocking News
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha was eating lunch with Cheerilee at the normal cafe, chatting.  “So wait,” Mecha started, setting down his cup of tea, “You just left them alone to figure out a paper?”

“Well, it is a student run paper,” Cheerilee replied, taking a sip from her own cup.  “Besides, I'm leaving town today and figured that they should go ahead and start working on their own.  It's not as if they don't know how to use the printing press!”

Sighing, Mecha said, “Well, I suppose it could be worse,” as he grabbed a couple of bits to pay for the meal.  “Just how long are you going to be out of town anyways?”

“For two and a half weeks, give or take a couple days,” Cheerilee answered.  “My mother insisted I stick around after my cousin's wedding.”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “What are the odds that your cousin's wedding is so close to Shining Armor's wedding?”

Giving a quick chuckle as well, Cheerilee replied, “Fairly good apparently.  But I need to start packing, see you before I leave?”

“Most certainly,” Mecha told her, before giving her a quick kiss good-bye.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha had just seen Cheerilee off at the train station, and was walking home when he stopped when he saw Snips and Snails trying to walk down the street, covered in gum.  Sighing, he walked over, and told them, “If you wait here for about five minutes, I can take care of that gum.”

Smiling, Snips replied, “That'd be great boss!”

Shaking his head, Mecha quickly ran over to his store and grabbed some scissors, and walked back.  “Alright you two, hold still,” he said, as he began to trim the gum out of their coats.  “How did you even get gum in your coats?” he asked, throwing a glob of hair and gum into a nearby trash bin.

“It's... a long story,” Snails replied.  “I think it started with us showing Ruby and Sapphire around the school...”

“Stop right there,” Mecha replied, “I've suddenly lost interest.  Just know this, next time I'll resort to powdered hydra scale to get it out, got it?”

Gulping, Snips and Snails both replied, “G-got it!”

Smirking, Mecha didn't mention to the two that powdered hydra scale had a knack for absorbing moisture from substances and making them brittle.  Let them think he'd blow them up- after all it'll probably keep them from doing this again!

Cutting the last of the gum out, Mecha sent them back on their way before once more making his way home, only to be stopped again by his aunt, who held a panicked look, saying, “Mecha, come quick- it's an emergency!”

Shaking his head, Mecha quickly took off with his aunt, running out of town a short distance.  When they came to a stop, Mecha's eyes went wide, before he sighed.  “Yeah,” he started, “that's an emergency all right.”  For right in front of them, blocking the road was a large number of Sphinxes.  Turning to face his aunt, he told her, “Get Twilight Sparkle, and have her send a letter to Celestia.  As much as I hate to admit it, I'll probably need the help of a few court magistrates to clear out a Collective* this large.”

“Got it!” Mayor Mare replied, turning back and running back to town.

Walking up to the first Spinx, Mecha sighed, before asking himself, “Why is a Collective this large here?”

Hearing him, the Sphinx replied, “I am the beginning of the end, the end of time and space.  I am essential to creation, and I surround everyplace.  What am I?”

“The letter E,” Mecha said, shooting a deadpan look at the Sphinx.

“We're here for a family reunion,” the Sphinx said.

Blinking, Mecha said, “Did you really just ask me a riddle in order to get an answer to my question?”

“What always runs but never talks, often murmurs but doesn't talk, has a bed but doesn't sleep, has a mouth but never eats?” was the Sphinx's response.

“A river,” Mecha answered.

“Yes, as the rule of Sphinxes is that for any request we must supply a riddle to be answered first.  If solved correctly, then we grant the request, if incorrectly we feast,” said the Sphinx.

Sighing, Mecha asked, “What's your name?”

“I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet, I am the confidence of all, To live and breath on this terrestrial ball. What am I?” came the Sphinx's riddle.

“Tomorrow or the future, take your pick,” Mecha replied.

“We Sphinx's have no names, but if you wish to, you can call me Bob,” was the newly minted Bob's reply.  “And now if I may, what is your name?”

Staring Bob straight in the eyes, Mecha thought it over, before saying, “At night they come without be fetched.  By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?”

“The stars,” was Bob's answer.

“The name is Mecha,” Mecha said, taking a quick bow.  Straightening out, he asked, “Why did you pick this road for your family reunion?”

“What is in seasons, seconds, minutes, and centuries, but not in days, decades or years?” Bob said.

“The letter N,” Mecha replied.

“We're actually just gathering up here before heading up to the mountains.  Is that an issue?” Bob inquired.

“The person who makes it, sells it.  The person who buys it, never uses it.  The person who uses it, is never aware of it.  What is it?”  Mecha asked.

“A coffin,” Bob supplied.

“Yeah, because that's where a lot of ponies camp this time of year,” Mecha replied.  “I'm going to have to request that you pick another location to hold your reunion, preferably outside of Equestria.”

Bob nodded his head, before gathering up a few members of the Collective.  Stepping forward, he told Mecha, “Since we all lack the time to deal with you trading riddles with all of us, you shall only have to answer the riddles of our best riddlers.  Are you willing to do so?”

Quirking an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “The more you have of it, the less you see.  What is it?”

“Darkness,” Bob stated.

“Yeah, let's get this show on the road,” Mecha said, taking a seat on a nearby boulder.

The youngest of the group stepped forward, and said, “What's black when you get it, red when you use is, and white when you're done with it?”

“Charcoal,” Mecha said, “NEXT!”

An older Sphinx stepped forward, and said his riddle, “I am always hungry, I must always be fed, the finger I touch, will soon turn red.”

“Fire,” Mecha said, “and I have hooves, not fingers.”

The next Spinx approached, and asked, “Ripped from my mother's womb, Beaten and burned, I become a blood thirsty killer.  What am I?”

“Iron ore,” Mecha said, “And I'd work on the wording on that one.”

The eldest stepped forward, and spoke, “Sherlock Hooves was sitting by his fireplace when a snowball broke through his window.  Hooves got up and looked out the window in time to see three brothers run around the corner.  Their names where John Crimson, Mark Crimson, and Paul Crimson.  The next day, Hooves found a not on his door that read, '? Crimson, he broke your window.'  Which of the Crimson brothers should Hooves question about the incident.”

“Mark,” Mecha replied.

Bob smiled, before stepping forward.  “Not many can answer a Sphinx's riddle, let alone as many as we've asked you,” he started.

“Thank you,” Mecha replied, keeping his eyes on Bob.

“There's just one last riddle before we go,” Bob said, “And here it is.  Pronounced differently, but spelled the same, I have many meanings from obscure to mundane.  In a trip across water I get there before you.  In precipitation amazing, a marvel to awe you.  One naming of me means to acknowledge the praise, I move fastest in music as the violin maestro plays.  Taught to children of all ages, or trip up they would.  I was also much favored by a notorious Hood.  What am I?”

Laughing, Mecha answered, “Work on that children line, it's not consistent with most species in Equestria.  But the answer is...**”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha walked back into Ponyville, whistling.  After having dealt with the Sphinxes, he was in a happy mood, although he couldn't help but feel like he'd forgotten something...

“Right, so then the Sphinxes are down the main road?” came a familiar voice.

“Yes your majesty!” replied another familiar voice.  “I've already sent my nephew towards them, but with the sheer number of them...”

Blinking, Mecha face-hoofed.  He forget to tell his aunt not to send for the help!  “They decided that a council of their best would be the quickest way to deal with it,” he interrupted.  “They're already on their way to Dream Valley now.”

Luna, Mayor Mare, and the various ponies that had been brought in to deal with the Sphinxes turned and blinked, before Luna asked, “And you did this by yourself...?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, nodding his head.  “You'd be surprised at how cooperative Sphinxes can be when you're able to answer their riddles and get them thinking with your own.”

“You traded riddles... with a Sphinx?!?” Mayor Mare yelled, going wide eyed.  Seeing Mecha nod his head, she sighed, before saying, “Your parents never find out about this, got it?”

“Got it,” Mecha started, “it'll go right under my list of things they never know right under my criminal record.”

Raising an eyebrow, Mayor Mare asked, “Don't they already know about it?”

Laughing, Mecha replied, “As far as you know, yes.”

Chuckling, Luna said, “As much fun as this is, we should probably head back to Canterlot now...”

“Hey, no need to go so fast!” Mecha said.  “Why not come over and have a cup of tea? It's not like you have anything to do until dusk anyways, right?”

Stopping for a minute, Luna nodded her head, before turning to the magistrates she'd brought with her, saying, “Keynes, Hayek, you two make sure you guys get back safely and on time, got it?”

Saluting, the two replied, “Yes ma'am!” before facing Mecha and saying, “We'll see you at Shining Armor's wedding Mecha!” as they left.

Chuckling, Mecha started walking towards his home with Luna, asking, “This isn't going to make me a Duke, is it?”

Letting out a nervous chuckle, Luna rubbed the back of her head, saying, “Well, about that...”

LINEBREAKER

Eye twitching, Mecha dead-panned, “You're kidding right?”

Sitting around his table, cups of steaming tea in front of them, Luna had just broken some news to Mecha.  “I'm afraid not,” she started.  “According to Equestrian law, anypony granted a title from the Zebra are to immediately be brought up to the status of Duke, in order to avoid offending them.”

Groaning, Mecha buried his face in his hooves, groaning out, “Please tell me that's it...”

“Afraid not,” Luna said, causing Mecha to let out another groan.  “As the first pony to go from no noble status to Duke in under a year, the court decided that you must be honored completely, and it has been declared that you are to be The Lord Great Chamberlain...”

“And I can't turn this down, can I?” Mecha asked.

“Unfortunatly... no,” Luna replied.  “Had there been more than one pony that voted against you, maybe.”

“And... I'm guessing that Fancy Smancy was the one to vote against me,” Mecha said.

“To quote your friend... eeyup.” Luna said.

Sighing, Mecha replied, “That's just great.  You know, I bet I'm the only pony who HATES being a noble instead of loving it.”

“Actually, you'd be surprised,” Luna said, taking a sip from her cup.  “There's a few nobles who hate their colleges so much they wish they could quit.”

Snorting, Mecha said, “That's hating your colleges, not hating being a noble.  What I mean is that even if most nobles weren't complete and utter arrogant snobs I'd still hate being a noble.  Those fellows you listed wouldn't.”

Shrugging, Luna replied, “Either way, you're stuck with it, and Celestia and I had nothing to do with it.”

Waving his hoof in the air, Mecha said, “I get it, I get it.  No retaliation against you, only the nobles that gave me the highest form of nobility.  But Lucifer's lake bed I hate them!”

Glancing at the clock, Luna finished her tea, before saying, “As pleasant as this has been, I should start heading back to Canterlot,” and stood up.

Getting up as well, Mecha replied, “It's been good chatting with you.  I'll be seeing you at Shining Armor's wedding?” as he opened the door for her.

“That would be great,” Luna said, before taking off and flying towards Canterlot.

Walking back inside, Mecha started to clean up, and just missed spotting Featherweight and the Cutie Mark Crusaders running from his window.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was working in his forge, when he was startled by Twilight Sparkle yelling, “MECHA! YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!!”

Eyes widening, Mecha quickly shut down the forge before running out, trying to think of a reason why Twilight would be so pissed at him.  Leaping for the entrance into his panic room, he almost made it when he was grabbed by Twilight's magic and slammed against his home.

Gulping, Mecha looked into Twilight's eyes, glowing with rage and magic.  “I-I-I can explain!” he started, “as soon as you tell me what I did wrong!”

Still glaring, Twilight levitated a copy of the school's newspaper in front of him, the headline reading, “Mecha Cheating on Cheerilee?” with a pic of him and Luna drinking tea underneath.  “While I have complete faith in Luna, I'd still like to know what in Discord's bearded face is going on here!”

Blinking, Mecha quickly read the article, before scowling.  “I'm not cheating on Cheerilee!” he yelled, “We were just catching up over tea!”

Twilight continued to glare at Mecha, before sighing and dropping him to the ground.  “I'm sorry about that,” she started, staring at the ground.  “It's just... I finally have a special somepony, and when I saw the paper accusing you and Luna dating... I just... lost it.”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “I don't blame you one bit- after all, if I'd seen something like this in the paper I'd react in a similar manner... aw, Lucifer's lake-bed!” Mecha started to panic, pacing back and forth.

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight asked, “Okay, what's the issue?”

“Simple,” Mecha replied, still pacing, “If you, one of the more cool-headed ponies in town, believed in this paper, who else did?!?” standing up on his rear legs, he grabbed his head with his forelegs, screaming.  Facing Twilight, he asked, “How wide-spread is that paper now?”

Blinking, Twilight cocked her head, before replying, “Um... I think Canterlot started to receive shipments after the Celestia article...”

Eyes shrinking, Mecha cursed, saying, “Wrath's bow strung with Lust's panties dipped in Gluttony's chocolate fountain reflected in Pride's mirror under Envy's gaze in Greed's treasure chest under Sloth's hammock on Lucifer's lake-bed! I'm screwed!”

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight asked, “Why?”

Before he could answer, Mecha had to jump out of the way as a giant fireball impacted the ground where he was just standing, landing in a roll and leaping over a low-flying pegasus.  “It's not what it looks like!” he shouted, bending backwards to avoid  another fireball.

“Oh really?” came one of the assailant's voice, who walked around the corner to reveal himself to be Solaris.  “Because it looks like you were caught cheating on Cheerilee with my mother.”

“Yeah!” came the pegasus's voice, revealing himself to be Nimbus.  “And you know the rule about cheaters!”

“Beaten senseless until they learn the error of their ways, yeah I know,” Mecha replied, contorting in a way that shouldn't be physically possible for an Earth Pony in order to dodge Nimbus once more.  “But you don't understand-”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “Princess Luna is your mother?” she asked Solaris.  “How does that work?”

“Adopted,” Solaris replied nonchalantly, firing off another fire ball.

Frowning, Twilight asked, “Aren't you a bit old to have been adopted?”

Sighing, Solaris said, “Yes, yes I am.  Just... don't question it okay? It's a loooooong story... and right now I'm dealing with this cheater.”

“Oh, he didn't cheat on Cheerilee,” Twilight replied.  “And if he was, you'd have to do the same with Luna.”

Blinking, Solaris and Nimbus stopped, with Solaris asking, “Really? Why?”

Shrugging, Twilight replied, “Because she and I are dating.”

“Okay, that makes... wait, what?” Solaris started, “I thought you were dating Celestia?!”

“I am,” Twilight replied, “In fact, I'm meeting up with Luna for a spa day this Friday, before having dinner with her and Celestia, and then ending the night by watching a musical with Celestia.”

Shaking his head, Nimbus asked, “So wait, just to make sure I'm clear on this, you're dating both Celestia AND Luna at the same time?”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight said, “Yes, what's so hard to believe about that? I mean, the princesses themselves proposed the idea.”

Shaking his head, Solaris muttered under his breath, “I sooooo didn't need to know this much about my mother's love life...” before turning to face Mecha and asking, “So, how did Cheerilee react?”

Mecha was about to reply that Cheerilee was out of town, when he spotted the clock.  Eyes widening, he replied, “I don't know, and if I hurry, I won't have to find out!” before running towards the train station.

Staring at where Mecha had just stood, Nimbus asked, “Are we missing something?”

Glancing at the clock, Twilight replied, “Cheerilee's train arrived about five minutes ago, and the train station is a good twenty minute run from here.”

“Ah,” Solaris replied.  “Then he's going to try and prevent her from reading it before explaining things, right?”

“Most likely,” Twilight answered.

Turning around, Nimbus asked, “Why didn't he use his cannon then?”

Taking a look over her shoulder to see said cannon, Twilight said, “Most likely due to his distaste for flight.”

Nodding his head, Nimbus said, “Reasonable.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha ignored the looks of disgust and loathing from the ponies he ran past, knowing that he could explain things to the town later, he needed to make sure Cheerilee didn't read those lies about him in the paper first!

Rushing into the train station, he took a glance around, before he spotted Cheerilee... reading the paper.  Running towards her, he yelled out, “CHEERILEE! I CAN-”

He was cut off when Cheerilee threw down the paper and... THWACK! Slapped him across his face, bringing him to a halt, a red mark on his cheek throbbing as tears rolled down her face.

“How could you?” she whispered, her depression matched by the loathing in her eyes.  “I thought we had something meaningful between us...”

“Cheerilee, I-” Mecha tried to explain, before Cheerilee started to growl.

“Can explain?” she started.  “I think I can see it well enough from here,” her voice started to rise, “You've begun to let your titles get to your head, and felt that a common pony like me wasn't worth your time!” At this point Cheerilee was all but yelling at him.  “Obviously you felt like somepony of your status needed to have a marefriend of equal status, and the only pony that fit such a description was Luna!”

“Listen, it's not-” Mecha started, before Cheerilee cut him off again.

“It's not, is it?!” she yelled, ignoring the crowd surrounding them.  “How else do you explain what's in the paper?!? I bet you were just waiting for me to get back to tell me that your hooking up with Luna now!”  The tears that had been flowing down her face were falling at a near constant stream now.  “You know what Mecha?” she asked, suddenly calm.  “I don't want to ever see you again,” before grabbing the necklace he'd given her on Heart's and Hooves' day, and ripped it off, throwing it onto the ground, before walking off.

Mecha stood, stunned as Cheerilee walked past him, the crowd parting to let her through.  His head dropped, tears gracing his face, as the crowd went from staring at him with looks of disgust to looks of confusion.  After a few minutes, Mecha took a few deep breaths, before resolving himself.  Picking up the paper that had just destroyed the most precious thing in his life, he re-read the article, only for a different reason this time.

This time, he ignored the content itself, focusing instead upon how it was written, the structure of it, breaking it down.  The wording of this article was different than the usual Gabby Gums articles... a bit more... refined for a lack of a better term.  And instead of three distinct styles working together, it was easy for Mecha to see that this article had been written by a single pony, and a familiar one at that.

Mecha began to shake, his rage building up.  He knew who'd written this article, the writing style matching that from a few essays that he'd graded for Cheerilee.  Picking up the necklace that Cheerilee had thrown onto the ground, he put it away before turning towards town.  Stepping forwards, he began to pick up speed until he was flat out sprinting, and let out a ferocious yell, “I'M GOING TO DESTROY HER!”

And he ran, dodging ponies in the street as he made his way towards his goal:

Diamond Tiara's home.

LINEBREAKER

Diamond Tiara grinned as she looked around, taking in the result of her latest work.  Originally, she'd planned to run those blank flanks embarrassing stories when they'd refused to write for her, but she'd had a better plan when she saw that picture in the pile that Featherweight had left on her desk.

Of course, after their refusal to write, she couldn't trust the blank flanks to write this story, nor did she wish for them to do so.  She'd been meaning to get back at Sugary Spice and Lively Spirit for those pranks they'd pulled on her, and turning their adoptive parents against each other was the perfect way to do so.  And the best part of this? Nopony could trace this to her.  She had to hand it to those blank flanks, coming up with Gabby Gums was a true stroke of genius.  Completely anonymous, and with her only writing one of the articles, she could pin it on the blank flanks in a worse case scenario!

Yes, this was indeed one of her best plans.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha had just rounded a corner, when he spotted Diamond Tiara.  Slowly down, his rage caused his magic to flare, surrounding him in a black aura, his left eye emitting an ethereal flame as he stood on his rear legs, still walking towards her.

At this point, Diamond Tiara had noticed him, and quickly got up to escape, only for Mecha to take his non-mechanical foreleg and slice the air with it, releasing a wave of magic much like he did with his sword.  The difference, however, was clearly visible when instead of slicing Diamond Tiara, it merely knocked her down.

Walking up to her, Mecha grabbed her and shoved her against a nearby tree, shouting, “DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!?”

Gulping, Diamond Tiara stuttered, “I-I-I have n-no c-clue as to w-w-what you a-a-are t-talking about...”

“LIKE HELL YOU DON'T!!!” Mecha yelled, as he attracted a crowd of ponies to his actions.  “That article was written in YOUR style, using words that only YOU use when writing a paper!”

“H-h-how would y-you know?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“BECAUSE I'VE GRADED YOUR ESSAYS!” Mecha replied, his eyes gaining a hint of madness to them.  “YOU are the only pony who uses words such as inchoate and austerity in their writing, both of which showed up in the article! Furthermore, why in the nine layers of Hell would Sweetie Bell, Applebloom, and Scootaloo print such blatant lies!!!”

At this, the crowd started to murmur.  While they all had been guessing at who Gabby Gums was, Mecha had apparently pegged it down and held the knowledge to himself.

“I have no clue what you are talking about!” Diamond Tiara shouted while looking over the crowd.  Why hadn't any of them try and stop Mecha yet?

“STOP LIEING ALREADY!” Mecha continued to yell, spit beginning to fly from his mouth.  “You're the editor-in-chief! You have to know who Gabby Gums is in order to publish it! Not to mention, unlike all the previous articles, this article is based on a photo and speculation, instead of facts! The only story that comes close is the one about Celestia!”

The crowd began talking amongst themselves again, mostly nodding and pointing out the accuracy of Mecha's statements.

“So I'm going to give you one chance here,” Mecha said, his voice dropping to a whisper, leaning up to her ear.  “You tell these ponies the truth, and I'll leave you be.  You keep lieing, and well...” a crazy look graced his face, as he finished with, “I've never been quite stable mentally since Hell, so I think you can fill in the blanks...”

Diamond Tiara gulped, sweat pouring down her face.  She looked through the crowd, hoping that one of them would step forward and help her, but none did.  They all just stared and waited, wondering what she was going to do.  When Mecha began to apply more pressure to her, she snapped, shouting, “OKAY, I ADMIT IT! I MADE UP THE WHOLE ARTICLE! IT'S NOTHING BUT LIES! Now please, put me down!”

Glaring at her once more, Mecha dropped her flat onto her flanks, before trotting away.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha sat, staring into the stream flowing under the bridge he was standing on.  In his grasp was Cheerilee's necklace, his hoof being run over it in order to take in every detail.  Suddenly, Cheerilee walked up beside him, and stared into the stream with him, an uncomfortable silence filling the air between them.

After a while, Cheerilee broke the silence, saying, “Twilight explained everything to me...”

Letting out a grunt, Mecha asked softly, “Did she now?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee let a tear flow down her cheek, before saying, “At first, I didn't know what to think...” here, she, picked up a small stone before lightly throwing it into the creek, forming several ripples that spread out to distort their reflections.  “Then I thought, who would do such a thing?” A second tear made it's way down her face, another pebble mirroring its path into the creek below.  “And then I thought...” a third tear, and a third pebble.  “What have I done? Here you are, one of the kindest, most thoughtful stallions I know, and I believed what that article said without talking to you once...” another tear and pebble fell.

“You, the stallion that's treated my like a princess whenever given a chance,” she continued, closing her eyes as the tears started to fall at a faster rate.  “You, the stallion who fights like a madpony whenever I'm in danger... You, the stallion that... that I love...”

Mecha continued to stare in the river, before he took a deep breath and threw a pebble of his own into the creek.  “You know... when Twilight first showed me that article, I thought to myself, who would believe this?” Mecha told her, before letting out a chuckle, and throwing another pebble into the river.  “And then I realized, the only reason that I wasn't getting pulverized by Twilight for cheating was because she trusted Luna not to cheat on her-long story” he added, seeing Cheerilee's confused look.

“At that point, I realized... it was written as if she'd heard a conversation that never occurred,” he continued, throwing another pebble.  “She made it sound like she overheard me confessing my undying love or something.” A fourth pebble was thrown, joining the others in the creek.  “At that point I knew that I'd be the only one not to believe it, solely because I was there for it,” he stopped throwing pebbles as he looked straight up into the sky, tears un-shed in his eyes.  “And then I thought... Cheerilee, if she sees this, is going to feel betrayed, devastated, hurt...”

Turning to face her, Mecha looked into her eyes, and continued, “And that hurt me, and caused me to panic, for someone as perfect as you shouldn't be forced to feel a pain like that.”  Seeing Cheerilee about to object, Mecha cut her off, saying, “And don't claim you aren't perfect! You deal with me and my oddities on a daily basis, you're kind, loving, and gentle, not to mention that any foal who sits through one of your classes falls in love with you.”  Chuckling, Mecha said, “And while I might not be a foal, you can add my list to those who love you.”

At this point, the tears Mecha had been holding back burst, and rolled down his face as the two moved forward and grasped the other in a firm hug.

Letting each other go, they stepped apart.  Glancing back at the creek, Mecha chuckled, before saying, “You know, a while back, I told Shining Armor that I didn't really have a plan to propose to you, expected it to be a spur of the moment thing.  He was stunned, and asked why, so I told him about how whenever I planned something, something went terribly wrong proportional to the amount of planning I did.”

“You've told me this before,” Cheerilee said, leaning against him.

“I know,” Mecha replied. “But I recalled it this morning while I was working on something, but figured that it was worth the risk,” he continued, before opening a hatch on his leg and pulling out a small box.  “Who'd have thought that the thing that causes things to go terribly wrong would end up being an article written by one of your students?”

Gasping, Cheerilee watched as Mecha opened the box, revealing a silver ring that appeared to be made of several silver threads interwoven together, wrapping around a setting of a 2.78 carat black Melanite*** stone.  “Cheerilee, will you make me the happiest stallion in the world, and marry me?”

Shaking, Cheerilee couldn't respond at first, before shouting, “YES!” and leapt forward, wrapping her forelegs around Mecha.

*Seeing as I couldn't find a name for a group of Sphinxes, I came up with this one for it.
**Answer this riddle correctly and earn yourself a place at Shining Armor and Princess Cadence's wedding as a guest!
***Black Melanite- a rare, black garnet. As for the reason that the ring is silver instead of gold... well, I'll explain that in a later chapter.
> Mocking Death
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sun shining, wind blowing lightly, and not a cloud in the sky... a perfect day for breaking the laws of time and space! Or at least, that's what Mecha thought as he sat next to Cheerilee in the nearby field, waiting for Doctor Whooves and Ditzy to finish the preparations for his latest test.  And they weren't ponies watching, for Big Macintosh was sitting about fifty feet away, watching the Cutie Mark Crusades run around and play, while Twilight Sparkle and her friends were talking with Cheerilee.  Then, behind Mecha, was his aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Spike... just about everypony in town was present!

“Why darling, that ring is simply divine!” Rarity said, eyes sparkling as she took in Cheerilee's engagement ring.  “Where did you ever get such a lovely piece of jewelry?”

Cheerilee chuckled, before giving a wink a Mecha.  They hadn't told anypony yet about their engagement, mostly because they wanted to see how long it'd take anypony to notice Cheerilee's ring.  Turns out that the ponies in Ponyville aren't all that observant.

“Mecha gave it to me,” Cheerilee replied, smiling brightly.  “Forged it himself... and proposed with it.”

“Really? That is... wait, did you say propose?” Rarity asked, surprised at what she just heard.

“Eeyup,” Cheerilee said, nodding her head.  “It was right after the incident with the paper...”

Pinkie Pie squealed, before saying, “OHHH!!! This is so exciting! We're going to need a party for this, as well as cake!”  Jumping up and down, Pinkie started to ramble on about everything she'd need for the perfect You're Getting Married party.

Twilight examined the ring closer, before asking, “Is this silver?”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee replied, “Yeah, it is.  And before you ask, there's actually an explanation behind it.”

Raising her eyebrow, Twilight gestured for Cheerilee to continue, only for Cheerilee to point to Mecha.  Turning to face him, Twilight asked, “Well?”

Shaking his head and chuckled, before replying, “It's a family tradition... and symbolic.  Tell me, do you know why most pieces of jewelry are made of gold?”

“Because gold doesn't tarnish darling,” Rarity replied, being the most knowledgeable about the subject.

“Exactly,” Mecha started, “And thus requires no maintenance to keep looking good.  Which is why my family, or more specifically my to-many-greats-to-count grandfather, decided to propose using silver.”  Seeing their confused faces, he continued, “He thought that a ring that showed a status of marriage should show the status of marriage- by how tarnished it appears.  The thought being, a happy marriage would have the couple keeping their rings constantly polished, not a speck of tarnish on it, while troubled couples would allow them to tarnish unhindered.”

“But wouldn't a lady just polish it anyways?” Rarity asked.

“Ah, and that's where the second part comes in,” Mecha said.  “If you ever get the chance to look at the wedding and engagement rings of my family's past, you'll notice a common feature between them.  Them gemstones, while rare and beautiful, are never something as fashionable as say, diamonds, in order to avoid polishing the ring for pride's sake.”

“So you're saying that your entire family uses silver for their engagement and wedding rings?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, heavens no!” Mecha laughed, confusing them.  “That great ancestor I mention? His wife said she'd only marry him if the wedding ring was brass.  His response was only if she'd allow him to blow her brother up.”

“Pyromaniacs run in the family, don't it?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, they do,” Mecha replied.  “In fairness, the guy was a jerk.  But yeah, during their lifetime, spouses have silver engagement rings and any tarnish-able metal wedding rings, whereas in death, they get gold rings to symbolize their eternal love in death.”

At this point, Twilight Sparkle got a look of concentration on her face, before pulling out a book she'd brought with her.  Flipping open to a certain page, she skimmed it before saying, “I thought I recognized that story! Willmare the Conqueror had a brass wedding ring!”

Startled, all of Twilight's friends rushed up to the book, and lo and behold, there was a picture of a painting of Willmare, a brass wedding ring on her hoof.

“Shoot, does that me ya'll are related to her?” Applejack asked.

Mecha took a look at the picture, before laughing loudly, saying, “I'll be! The old man was right- we are related!”

Doctor Whooves walked over, shushing them, while saying, “Yes yes yes, this is all very interesting and all that, and I'm sure his family has other interesting and somehow historically significant tradition, but that's not what we're here for!”

Wiping a tear away from his eye, Mecha asked, “Really now? You mean the demonstration is ready?”

“Eeyup!” Doctor Whooves replied, turning to face the box set up in the middle of the field.  “The watch is in place, the remote functional, all that we need to do is press the big red button... If you would Ditzy?”

Smiling, Ditzy replied, “Will do!” Before pushing the button.

All eyes turned towards the blue box, watching as it faded from view with baited breath.  Thirty seconds later, it reappeared ten feet to the left.  “SUCCESS!” Doctor Whooves yelled, grabbing Ditzy in a hug.  “It works!”

Suddenly, the doors on the box opened, and a cloak-covered figure walked out, much to the audience's confusion.

Facing Doctor Whooves, the figure said, in a raspy voice, “Thanks for the ride...”  before facing Mecha.

Mecha sighed, before pulling out a silver case from his mechanical leg.  Opening it up, several cigars could be seen, as he offered it to the figure.  “So it's my turn eh?” he asked, as the figure looked over the cigars.

“Correct,” the cloaked pony replied, before asking, “Do you happen to have any deer-grown cigars?”

Shaking his head, Mecha said, “Sorry, they refuse to sell to me- something about not wanting to lose their license to the king.”

“Ah,” came the figure's reply, “Then what about some elk-grown cigars?”

“Those are going to be a wedding gift,” Mecha said, shrugging.  “Might I recommend the zebra-grown cigars?”

Nodding his head, the figure took out a cigar before offering a case of his own.  As Mecha looked through, Cheerilee leaned over, and asked, “Uh... Mecha... who is this?”

Picking a cigar out, Mecha gave it a quick sniff, before putting it away and replying, “His name is Thantos... although most ponies call him Death.”

“Death?” Twilight asked, a disbelieving tone in her voice.  “As in the entity Death?”

“Yeah,” Thantos replied, “By the way Twilight, your great-grandma takes back what she said on your sixth birthday.”

Blinking, Twilight simply blushed before replying, “Okay, I believe you.”

Mecha gave Thantos a look, and asked, “Do you happen to have any cigars from Heaven?”

Frowning, Thantos looked through his case, saying, “I should... but may I ask why? You're family has always seemed to prefer the ones from Hell...”

“So... you want to explain why Death is here and you two are trading cigars?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well, the trading cigars thing is kind of a tradition,” Mecha said, “Something my family- not the side that does the silver rings- has done for ages.”

“As for Thantos being here,” Mayor Mare started, surprising the group with her sudden appearance, “I would assume that Mecha here has blown through our allotted get out of death free cards.”

“Correct,” Thantos replied, pulling a cigar from his case, handing it to Mecha.  “Although, to be fair, he's come nowhere near close to the number of times your great-grandfather did.”

“Ah yes... Explosive Laughter did enjoy seeing how often he could beat you,” Mayor Mare said, a gleam in her eyes as she recalled the tales of her ancestors exploits.

“Get out of death free cards?” Rarity asked.  “What in the world is that?”

“Simple,” Mecha said, lighting the cigars.  “My family has a tendency to get ourselves nearly killed so often, that Thantos here, instead of showing up every-time it happened, decided to just get the challenges out of the way all at once.”

“So wait... you mean you store victories against death like I store cupcakes?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Eeyup...” Mecha replied.  “You'd be surprised at how successful we've been at it too.  I mean, how many times did Explosive Laughter beat you?”

“Around... six thousand times,” Thantos replied.  “Oh, and before I forget, you've got a couple messages as well...” he added, going through his robes.  “Um... Brick says congrats on the upcoming wedding, Sure Shot wants me to punch you and call you a lucky son of Lust, Somnium sends you a, and I quote, “Dream like smile- he'll understand”, and finally, Harbuu says... do you want me to read this out loud?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “Go ahead.”

“Harbuu says... I am happy now, You remember but don't grieve, be happy my love,*” Thantos told him.

Mecha closed his eyes and smiled, a tear falling from his eyes.  “Glad to hear...” he said, before straightening out and stared at Thantos.  Taking in a deep breath, Mecha asked, “We ready to go? Because I've got this list of things I want to beat you at, and it's a bit long.”

Shaking his head, Thantos replied, “Lead the way!”

As the two walked off, Cheerilee sighed, before asking, “Is anyone surprised at this?”

Nopony answered.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha and Thantos were both outside, surrounded by sheets of metal and hammers. A crowd had gathered, and Thantos looked over his shoulder, before asking, “Do I want to know?”

“Eenope,” Mecha replied, before making sure that everything was in place.  “You ready to go?”

Looking at the odd set up, Thantos sighed, before asking, “What is it we're doing here?”

“Musical mallets,” Mecha replied, a wide grin present on his face.  “Basically, we're going to make music with these!”

Eye twitching, Thantos sighed before walking up to his station, and picked up a few mallets.  Giving them a few test swings, he started his attempt at the music... only to make a loud mess.  Shaking his head, Thantos said, “Your turn.”

Chuckling, Mecha walked forward and picked up his mallets, and started.  The difference between him and death was immediately known, as he started a cheery melody.  Synge, who poked her head up from the pond, recognized the tune, and started to sing along.

“The seaweed is always greener
In somebody else's lake
You dream about going up there
But that is a big mistake
Just look at the world around you
Right here on the ocean floor
Such wonderful things surround you
What more is you lookin' for?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it's better
Down where it's wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore they work all day
Out in the sun they slave away
While we devotin'
Full time to floatin'
Under the sea

Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl
But fish in the bowl is lucky
They in for a worser fate
One day when the boss get hungry
Guess who's gon' be on the plate

Under the sea
Under the sea
Nobody beat us
Fry us and eat us
In fricassee
We what the land folks loves to cook
Under the sea we off the hook
We got no troubles
Life is the bubbles
Under the sea
Under the sea
Since life is sweet here
We got the beat here
Naturally
Even the sturgeon an' the ray
They get the urge 'n' start to play
We got the spirit
You got to hear it
Under the sea

The newt play the flute
The carp play the harp
The plaice play the bass
And they soundin' sharp
The bass play the brass
The chub play the tub
The fluke is the duke of soul
(Yeah)
The ray he can play
The lings on the strings
The trout rockin' out
The blackfish she sings
The smelt and the sprat
They know where it's at
An' oh that blowfish blow

Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me
What do they got? A lot of sand
We got a hot crustacean band
Each little clam here
know how to jam here
Under the sea
Each little slug here
Cuttin' a rug here
Under the sea
Each little snail here
Know how to wail here
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea**”

Everypony cheered loudly when Mecha and Synge finished.  Grinning, Mecha turned to face Thantos, and asked, “Think I win?”

Shaking his head, Thantos replied, “Yes, well, I've never head of musical mallets before so...”

“I'll take that as a yes,” Mecha said, walking towards the next station.  “And trust me when I say you'll love this next one!”

Sighing, Thantos muttered, “I somehow doubt that...”

“Because we'll be trying to make the biggest explosion!” Mecha continued, pulling out the stations.  “An hour to make you best explosive!”

Eye twitching, Thantos asked, “You've discovered some way to make a better explosive, haven't you?”

With a large grin, Mecha pointed  towards the Everfree Forest.  Raising an eyebrow, Thantos walked into the forest, before walking right out and yelling, “I'll save us both time and just concede this task to you!”

Chuckling, Mecha put his explosives away, before yelling back, “Then get yourself some back-up dancers, it's time to break dance!”

Upon hearing this, Snips and Snails rushed up to Mecha, asking, “Is it really that time boss?”

“Eeyup!” Mecha replied, pulling out a large piece of cardboard from nowhere.

The ponies in the crowd grew excited, knowing that Mecha would have to be extremely talented in this if he was willing to challenge Thantos in this.

Thantos smirked- dancing was something he could do.  Letting out a shrill whistle, two specters came up through the ground, before solidifying.  “Do you happen to have a DJ?” Thantos inquired.

Eyes widening, Mecha ducked under a bench, just in time to avoid a white blur that would've run him over.  Stopping in front of Thantos was Vinyl Scratch, a glimmer in her eye, as she asked, “Did you say you need a DJ?”

“Um... yeah...” Thantos replied, taking a step or two back.

Grinning, Vinyl vanished in a blur again before reappearing with all her gear, music already blasting from her speakers.  Leaning over, Thantos asked, “Does she... um.... always...?”

“Yes,” Mecha said, coming out from hiding.  “Nopony could figure out how exactly she does it, but she can locate somepony in need of a DJ in a hundred mile radius, appear, DJ the event, and be back to where she started at the end of it.”

Blinking, Thantos shrugged as the dancers took position.  Getting up on their rear legs, they stared off as the crowd of ponies cheered while the music raged.  Thantos was the first to move, walking forward before dropping down while spinning, his back-up dancers following right behind him.  Pushing himself up, he moon-walked back to his starting position, looking smug.

Mecha had an amused look on his face as he stepped forward, before he, Snips, and Snails all dropped onto their left fore legs and started to spin on them, swinging their bodies in an almost effortless motions.  They finally kicked off the ground into back-flips, landing back to back, Mecha giving Thantos his own smug grin.

Thantos growled slightly, before leaping forward in a front flip, landing on his fore-legs, before pushing up and spinning into a robotic like motion, finally coming to a halt in Mecha's face.  With a snort, he walked back, giving Mecha room for his response.  With a grin, Mecha and his apprentices took the stage, jerking and popping as they moved.  When they got their, they leapt forward, caught themselves on their forelegs, and set themselves on their heads.  Or horns in Snips and Snails case.  And then they started to spin themselves, faster and faster, until finally they stopped... all perfectly balanced.

The crowd roared with approval, eating up the incredible display of skill before them.

Thantos groaned, before allowing the two specters that had been his back-up to return to the after-life.  “Alright then...” he started, rubbing his forehead, “What's next?”

Looking towards Snips and Snails, he saw them nod their heads, so he replied, “Scouting test...”

LINEBREAKER

Thantos and Mecha had just spent the last half-hour observing a scene carefully crafted by the town for this very challenge.  An so, with their backs turned upon the scene, they were reciting what they'd spotted in great detail.

“...including a dying leaf on the uppermost branch, and six blue-jays.” Thantos finished.

Nodding her head, Twilight Sparkle wrote a few quick notes on her clipboard, before asking, “What did you spot Mecha?”

At this point, Mecha started listing off everything he spotted, while looking over the crowd.  Twilight's friends were all watching with rapt attention, Big Macintosh standing by them with Cheerilee, watching over Snips, Snails, Lively Spirit, Sugary Spice, and Ruby.  Wait a minute...

At this point, Mecha had been all but quoting Thantos, but knew the one thing Thantos had missed.  “...and five blue-jays, with a Changeling disguised as a sixth.”

This caught Thantos off guard, who turned around to see the sixth blue-jay morph into Sapphire.  Groaning, he face-hoofed, saying, “I forgot you were an intel scout...”

Chuckling, Mecha patted Thantos on the back, saying, “Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.  Besides, I've got one more challenge for ya today.”

Perking his head up, Thantos asked, “Really now? And what is that?”

“Hey, we aren't late to the party are we?” came a voice from the sky.

Thantos turned to face the Pegasus that had just spoken, revealing it to be Nimbus.

“Eenope, right on time!” Mecha replied, as Nimbus landed.  Following this was a few flashes of teleportation, revealing Solaris and Spit Fire, Shine Sight with Soarin, Hayek, and Keynes, Shining Armor accompanied by all three princesses and Iron Will, with Zecora walking towards them.  Grinning, Mecha turned towards Thantos, asking, “Ever hear of a game called soccer?”

LINEBREAKER

The warm ups were done, and the players where in position.  Mecha was a Striker with Iron Will, with Solaris playing left forward, Zecora mid forward, and Shining Armor right Forward.  Behind them was Keynes as left midfielder, Hayek the right.  Spit-fire, Nimbus, and Soarin made up the defensive line, playing left, mid, and right respectively, while Shine Sight was goalie.  Flying above them was Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, all acting as referees to ensure fair play.

On the other side of the field, Thantos had once more summoned a slew of specters to aid him, he himself taking the position of midfielder.  With a grin, Mecha signaled to Celestia that they where ready to start.  Flying down, she set the ball in front of Mecha, before flying back up, and blew he whistle.

Upon hearing its shrill sound, Mecha ran forward... while kicking the ball back towards Zecora.  This had the intended effect of confusing the opposing team, as they'd bolted after Mecha, only for him to lack the ball.  By the time they'd realized what had happened, Zecora had already kicked up in the air towards Iron Will, who did a front flip as he kicked the ball, sending it flying past Thantos' goalie.  “Point- team living!” Luna called out, as Ditzy Flew up to the score board and put a one up by Mecha's name.

Growling, Thantos waited as they reset the ball, and was shocked when the whistle blew that Mecha, Iron Will, and the forwards ran past his player without attempting to steal the ball, and thus didn't react to when Keynes slid into the ball, knocking it towards Hayek.  Hayek then took the ball to the half-line, before passing it towards Solaris, only for it to be intercepted by Thantos.

Thantos began to dribble down the field, narrowly dodging Shining Armor in his attempt to steal the ball.  Crossing the mid-field line, he shot the ball past the defenders to his striker...

Only for Cadence to blow her whistle, and call out, “Off-sides!”

Letting out another growl, Thantos watched as Nimbus stood behind the ball, before kicking it to Soarin.  Soarin then brought the ball forward, only to repeat Mecha's earlier stunt by passing it behind him back to Nimbus.  Nimbus then sent the ball to Spit Fire, who ran forward before snapping her wings open, the sudden force backwards bringing her kick up faster and with more momentum then it would normally have otherwise- allowing the ball to reach Mecha, who kicked it straight into the air, before twisting himself to get another kick in... straight into the goal.

“Point- team living!” Luna cried once more- and Ditzy flew up with a two in hoof.

Thantos shot Mecha a glare, to which Mecha just smiled at.

LINEBREAKER

Things weren't looking good for Thantos at the moment.  The score was 5-0, as his team could not get the ball past Shine Sight on the few occasions they could get the ball down field. Add in the fact that Nimbus and Soarin would do that same trick with the wings that Spitfire had done and the moment his team lost control of the ball down field it was back up field, where either Zecora would kick it up to Iron Will, or Solaris or Shining Armor would run circles around his defense until they could get it to Mecha.  Furthermore... it was maybe a half-hour into this ninety minute game.  Sighing, Thantos walked up to Mecha, un-summoning his specters, before saying, “I... give up.”

Blinking, Mecha replied with, “Aw... why? I mean, do you know how hard it is to get a good game of soccer going? Not many Ponies know how to balance on their rear-legs properly after all.”

Snorting, Thantos said, “If that was a good game then I'm married to the Bios.”

Chuckling, Mecha said, “Well, it has been fun...”

“For you maybe,” Thantos said, grabbing a bottle of water offered to him.  “But I've but getting the tar beaten out of me all day... and besides, I've got work up north,” he added.

Raising an eyebrow, Mecha asked, “Anypony I know?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Thantos replied, “No one you've met.  Anyways, I should be going...”

And with that said, he turned into a mass of black energy, before taking off north.  “What was that all about?” Cheerilee asked, walking up to Mecha.

“Eh... not real sure,” Mecha replied, “But I do know this.  My family- too many victories to count, Thantos- zero.”

*If you haven't taken a peak at the chapter preview for Past the Gates, Harbuu speaks in Haikus.
**Under the Sea- by Disney for “The Little Mermaid.”  A fun song that happens to use a steel drum in it... I think.
> Losses All Around
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha stood stock still as he was being measured by Rarity.

“Really darling, I just do not understand why you can not use your current suit for this wedding,” Rarity told him, writing down the small modifications to his measurements.  “I mean, it is a simply divine outfit, and still in fashion to boot!”

Snorting, Mecha replied, “I've told you already, I'm to be part of the honor guard, which means that I need a suit that also works as a uniform while still showcasing my weapons.”

“Yes yes, but still!” Rarity said, pulling out some fabric.  “If I were to do that correctly, you would end up with nothing more than a bandanna across your forehead! I mean, really, do you have to have so many weapons?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “Wait until you see Big M's requirements... it's about time he pulled his true weapons out!”

Raising an eyebrow, Rarity asked, “True weapons? Whatever do you mean? He uses a two hoofed sword right?”

Shaking his head, Mecha told her, “Only for tournaments when a bladed weapon is required.  His preferred weapon- back when I convinced him knowing how to wield one was a good idea- is something a bit more... unique.  Only reason he didn't use it back when that rabid manticore attacked would be because what he used as a colt wouldn't work now that he's gotten so large, as well as the fact that I hadn't gotten around to making him a new one yet.”

“Ohhh! You must tell me darling!” Rarity squealed, before getting back to her stitch work.  “After all, a pony of his size must be able to wield an extraordinary weapon!”

Mecha grinned, before asking, “Ever heard of a meteor hammer?”  Seeing Rarity shake her head, he continued, “It's a weapon from outside of Equestria, and very hard to use.  A basic one could be described as to large balls of metal connected by a several foot long chain.”

Eyes widening, Rarity said, “I see... and with Big Macintosh's strength, he could easily use a larger weight at the end...  I shudder to think at the damage that one of those could cause in his hooves!”

Smirking, Mecha replied, “Yes, and when you think about how fast he can get those things going...”

Rarity let out a small shudder, before telling Mecha, “You are free to go for now- I should have your suit ready by tomorrow afternoon.

With a quick smile, Mecha nodded and left Rarity to her work, passing Big Macintosh as he entered.  With a nod to him, Mecha gave a quick greeting of, “See ya at the bachelor party tonight!” before continuing towards the school house.

Getting there right as the bell rang, he took a step to the side as all the colts and fillies burst through the door, with Snips, Snails, Ruby, Sapphire, Sugary Spice, and Lively Spirit all stopping to say a quick hello to him, before running off.

Smiling, Mecha walked in and greeted Cheerilee with a quick kiss, before asking, “You ready for the bachelorette party tonight?”

With a small laugh, Cheerilee replied, “Sure am.  Granted, we probably won't have near the excitement that you guys will at the bachelor party, but that's probably a good thing.”

Mecha gave a small shudder, before saying, “Yeah... that probably is a good thing.  I still don't know how we ended up in Saddle Arabia last time... or why Doctor Whooves keeps flinching at pears...”

Smiling at her fiance’s rambling, Cheerilee said, “Either way, I loved that snow globe you picked up for me, and Ditzy loves to tease Doctor Whooves with a pear muffin every now and then.  Besides, it's not like that's the worse thing that's happened while you five were drunk.”

Mecha flinched, and replied, “I still don't see how Spitfire could blame me for getting Solaris arrested!”

“Not to mention the time that you invited Dissonant Babel over for poker night,” Cheerilee continued.  “They were cleaning Town hall for a month after that!”

“Yeah... auntie was pretty pissed at us for that one...” Mecha started, “As was that cabbage merchant.”

“To be fair,” Cheerilee countered, “That was the seventh time you've destroyed his stand.”

“It's not my fault!” Mecha replied.  “And I fixed it for him every time! Free of charge too!”

Chuckling lightly, Cheerilee gave him a quick peck on the cheek, before saying, “Enough of this- what's the plan for the rest of the day?”

Walking out of the school building, Mecha replied, “I figured a good old walk around town would be a nice before our parties tonight.”

Cheerilee simply smiled before leaning into Mecha, muttering, “That works for me...”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha burst through the doors to Poker Night Potshot, holding a few bottles of Apple Family moonshine, while shouting, “ALL RIGHT! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!”  Only to blink, and ask, “And what's Nimbus doing here?”

Trying to stifle his laughter, Shining Armor replied, “The paparazzi is going to be all over the bachelor and bachelorette parties, so I invited your friend Nimbus over so that we have a pegasus in the group and don't seem racist.”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Wouldn't we seem racist with our current ratio?”

“Not really,” Doctor Whooves replied, “Considering that half the population is made up of Earth Ponies, and the remaining half if split between Unicorns and Pegasi.  It's mere 'chance' that we happen to have more Unicorns than Pegasi.  After all, you can't divide 6 into for parts.*”

“Ah...” Mecha replied, nodding his head.  “That makes sense... except won't the bachelorette party seem racist with... an Alicorn, three Pegasi, and an Earth Pony?”

“Eenope,” Big Macintosh replied, “Seein' as they got together as friends as a result of our friendship.”

“Works for me!” Mecha said, before opening one of the bottles.

Right as he was about to take a drink from it, Shining Armor used his magic to remove it from his grasp, saying, “Sorry, but we need to get the head of the honor guard figured out first.”

Blinking, Mecha asked, “Say what?”

Chuckling, Nimbus flew over and said, “Head of the honor guard.  You know, that thing you're a part of?”

Eye twitching, Mecha asked, “You mean the position earned by fighting the rest of the honor guard?”

“Using only your actual weapons,” Solaris continued, “meaning no tricks, no mechanical legs, nothing.  Just pure, unaltered combat.”

Groaning, Mecha face-hoofed, asking, “This is pay back for the Grand Galloping Gala isn't it?”

“Maybe...” Solaris replied, a grin on his face.

“Let's get this over with...” Mecha muttered, walking back outside.

Chuckling, his friends walked out, Solaris tossing him a pair of short swords.  Grabbing them, Mecha got up and gave them a few test swings, before saying, “It's so odd... I haven't used two real swords in forever...”

Chuckling, Big Macintosh stood opposite of Mecha, saying, “How do ya think ah feel? Ah haven't been able to use these things in years!”  as he brought out his meteor hammers.

Sighing, Mecha nodded to Shining Armor, who cast the arena spell over the two, signaling the start of the battle.

Running forward, Mecha tried to end the battle quickly, only to have to jump to the left as one of the weights flew straight through were he just was, crashing and leaving a crater three feet wide and one foot deep where it hit.

Whistling, Mecha leapt over the other weight, before running forward again.

Big Macintosh pulled the chain, causing the weights to fly back towards him, before he started to spin them at his sides.  When Mecha reached him, he took a step back to avoid being sliced, bringing one of the weights crashing down on Mecha's swords, forcing him to let go as he stepped back to avoid the second weight.

Taking a leap back, Mecha scowled as he knew that he was all but done for.  Normally, he'd use one of his grenades to deal with this sorta situation, but since he was restricted to just his weapons...  Well, he had one shot at victory.

Eying the spinning metal balls of death, Mecha waited until they were both flying towards him before dashing forward.  Dodging the first weight, he winced when the second one caught his real right foreleg, shattering the bone in it.  He didn't let that deter him however, as he slid underneath Big Macintosh, while grabbing one of his swords with his metal leg.  Leaping up and turning around, his world went black when the weight that Big Macintosh had snapped back collided with his head.

Mecha came to with a groan a few minutes later, blinking and asking, “What happened?”

“Big M here beat you with a well timed shot,” Nimbus told him, “Before taking a loss to mister scythe over there.  Figured you'd like to sleep off a head injury before fighting again.”

Shooting a slight glare at his friend, Mecha sighed before asking, “Before we start, how's that scythe holding up?”

Pulling out said weapon, Solaris grinned, before giving it a spin and saying, “It's holding up great.  Haven't even needed to sharpen it yet- what is this thing made of?”

“Nightmare metal,” Mecha replied, ignoring the shocked looks on his friends faces.  “What? It's highly durable and magic absorbent, something he needs for his job.  Besides, it's coated with a thin layer of Celestial metal to counter act the nightmare properties, and the edge is an industrial diamond.  Hence why he hasn't needed to sharpen it before.”

“Right, I know what Nightmare metal is,” Nimbus started, “But what the hay is Celestial metal?”

Sighing, Mecha explained, “A pinkish red variety of tungsten that is similar to Nightmare metal in that it is a mystic metal- but is the opposite in almost every other way.  It blocks the nightmares that Nightmare metal causes while also being highly conductive of magic.”

Blinking, Doctor Whooves asked, “Where do you get this stuff from?!?”

Mecha gave a shrug, before replying, “You'd be surprised at what you can find when you get displaced by a large explosion.  Now then, are we going to do this thing and get drunk finally, or do I have to see if I've mastered the art of drunken combat?”

Shaking his head, Solaris replied, “Let's just get started.”

Taking in a deep breath, Mecha took a loose stance, ready to move the moment the arena spell took place.  While waiting for Shining Armor to cast it, he ran through several scenarios about how this fight would go through his head, and came to the same conclusion every time.  This was going to hurt.

Leaping to the left the moment the spell went up, Mecha swore as he barely dodged the two hand sickle's that had been attached to the chains in Solaris's hand.  He'd call foul if it wasn't a built in feature of the weapon he'd built into himself, and winced as he just barely got away from the second swipe of the deadly weapons.

Tired of being on the defensive, and knowing things would end quicker and with less pain, Mecha rushed forward, forcing Solaris to retract the chains.  Stepping around Mecha's swift strikes, he quickly snapped the two hand scythes back together before using the two bladed scythe to block Mecha's next blow.  With a wide grin, he pushed the blades up, before spinning his scythe and leaving hundreds of small cuts all over Mecha's chest.  “No fair,” Mecha complained, as he finally managed to nick Solaris, “I'm a scout!”

Laughing, Solaris left a deep gash in Mecha's real sword leg, forcing him to drop a sword, asking, “So? That hasn't stopped you in the past!”

“Yeah, but I was allowed to use my tricks and dirty tactics before!” Mecha replied, leaping back so that he only received a deep gash in his chest instead of being sliced in two.

“You're saying you can only win with tricks and fighting dirty?” Solaris asked, spinning around Mecha's attack and cutting his hamstring.  “Then how'd you tie against Shining Armor in that tournament?”

“You'd be surprised at how much fighting against demons in Hell helps to train you,” Mecha replied, before asking, “Could you just finish this? I'm getting tired of being cut up.”

Shrugging, Solaris stored one of the scythe's blades, before using the other to chop Mecha's head off.

LINEBREAKER

“Now you guys get why I never agree to fair fights,” Mecha told them, rubbing his neck while nursing a bottle of hard apple cider.

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied, taking a sip from his own drink, “Ya suck without any of your tricks.”

Snorting, Nimbus added, “That's an understatement,” before the final card was flipped, causing him to groan and ask, “And how is it I can't win a single hand in this game!”

“I don't know,” Shining Armor replied, “By all accounts, you should've won when all I had was a nine high.”

“An eight high! I had an eight high! The lowest possible hand in this game! The odds of that happening the same time you had a nine high... ugh!” Nimbus bemoaned, slamming his head against the table.

Their game was interrupted when Snips and Snails burst through the door, huffing and out of breath.  Spotting Mecha when everypony turned to look at them, they shouted, “Ruby, Sapphire, hospital!” before collapsing.

Blinking, Mecha's friends watched as he rushed out of the building towards the hospital.

LINEBREAKER

When Mecha arrived at the hospital, he was quickly directed to the two Changeling sisters room, where he quickly entered to hear their screams of pain.

Wincing, he turned to the doctor, and asked, “What happened!”

“We don't know!” was the doctor's response, “They apparently just collapsed and started screaming!”

Growling, Mecha pushed the doctor away before glancing at the two sisters again, magic pumping into his eyes in order to see if something magical was afflicting them.  What he saw caused him to frown.  They both appeared to have a tendril of magic that had... snapped, for a lack of a better word, receding from the... north! That was it! He might not know what that tendril of magic was, but chances were that Hade did!

Rushing back out the building, Mecha turned towards Equestria's northern border, before taking in a deep breath.  Focusing, he directed his magic towards his ankles, more specifically, the runes he'd drawn onto himself after the whole Capo experience.

They were a nifty trick he'd learned while in Hell, and never really had a use for them until now.  As it was, the ones he was releasing were weight runes that were meant to help with his speed training, and would show just how useful they were as they deactivated in a light flash of black magic.

Tensing his muscles, Mecha took off, running at full speed.  With a grin, he traveled through the country side at a speed that, while nowhere near breaking the sound barrier, would still give Rainbow Dash a run for her money in a straight race.

Allowing the country side to blur, Mecha focused on trying to stay on the path, knowing that once he crossed the border he'd be able to locate Hade quickly by asking around the locals.

However, that plan changed when he came to a sliding stop, passing by a bloody and broken Hade on the roadside.  Running back towards him, he asked, “What in Wrath's armory happened here!”

Hade turned to face, Mecha, before chuckling.  “I knew you'd be rushing here,” he started, before coughing up some blood.  “Ruby and Sapphire probably alerted you that something was wrong with their screaming.”

Grabbing his friend by his shoulders, Mecha asked once more, “What happened?!?”

“The queen is dead,” Hade replied, his voice weak.

“Wait... what do you mean dead?” Mecha asked, his eyes showing that his thoughts were running a mile a minute.

“Just that, dead,” Hade replied, coughing up even more blood.  “Some imposter claiming to be the true queen showed up, and demanded,” Hade was interrupted by a coughing fit, before continuing, “Demanded that she be given the throne or else she'd... she'd... she'd kill us all.”

“Wait... you mean...?” Mecha started.

“Yeah... they're dead too,” Hade replied.  “And... I'm joining them soon...”

Eyes widening, Mecha yelled, “Don't you die on me! I'm getting you to-”

“NO!” Hade started, “It's too late for me! You need-” once more, he was interrupted by a coughing fit, before finishing his sentence, “help my nieces.  They need to... to...”

Hade's eyes started to close, his body finally giving out.  “NEED TO WHAT!” Mecha hollered.

“Form their own... hive...” Hade finished, going limp.

“Hade...? Wake up man, this isn't funny!” Mecha tried, shaking his friend.  “Hade, wake up now! I can't bring to you to the hospital if you're dead!”

Tears started to fall from Mecha's eyes as he shook his friend's form violently.  “HADE! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! I'VE HAD TO MANY FRIENDS DIE ON ME ALREADY!!!”

Finally, after a few more minutes of shaking, Mecha stopped, tears flowing from his eyes.  Shaking, he got up, before shifting his mechanical leg into a lighter.  Bringing it down to his friend's body, he lit it, and, giving one last glance at his friend's form, lit the body.

Turning in Ponyville's direction, he closed his eyes, before wiping his tears away.  Taking in a deep breath, he started to walk, then run, back towards the hospital. Arriving in mere minutes, he made his way towards his charges' room, where he saw that they were still screaming in agony.

“Ruby, Sapphire!” he barked out, surprising everypony in the room with his relativly quick return, “You need to form a new hive! The old one is gone- you should know what to do!”

The two young changelings started to whimper, before their horns began to glow with magic.  After a few minutes of whimpering and magic use, the two finally relaxed, their horns no longer glowing.

“Amazing...” the closest doctor started, glancing over the two young girls.  “How did you know that would work?”

“A friend told me,” Mecha replied stiffly, before turning to leave.  “A friend told me...”

*Statistics based on season 1-2 pony list- and yes, I counted each and every pony, while recording their species, gender, and age.  It was an hour well sepnt.
> Wedding Disaster
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Mecha sat on the train to Canterlot, eyes closed as he listened to Twilight and her friends talking on the train.  “I can't believe that my old fillysitter is marring my brother!” Twilight exclaimed, squealing lightly with her friends.

“I can not believe that you knew a princess and did nothing to introduce us to her!” Rarity replied, a joking tone in her voice.

“Well, uh... you could've meet her at the... bachelorette party, had you, decided to, you know, not stay in Canterlot that extra three days...” Fluttershy remarked, hiding behind Big Macintosh after speaking up.

When Rarity made to respond, Mecha got up, startling the passengers, before making his way out of the compartment.  Stopping at the end of the train, he took a deep breath as Cheerilee, having followed him, walked over and leaned into him.  Neither spoke for a bit, the only sound coming from the train as it began to enter a tunnel, before Cheerilee finally asked, “You're still thinking over Hade's death, aren't you?”

Mecha nodded his head, keeping silent for a bit longer, before replying, “He was a great friend, and a good scout.  Yeah, his advances on me were a bit creepy all things considered, but still.”

Nodding her head, Cheerilee remarked, “He sounds like he was a great fellow.”

“He was...” Mecha said.  “I just hope that the imposter that killed him won't interrupt the wedding.”

Cheerilee didn't say anything, but rather nuzzled into Mecha's neck as a silent comfort.

LINEBREAKER

Stepping off the train, Mecha sighed as he looked around.  While he may be depressed about his friend's death, he had a job as a member of the honor guard to do.  Giving a quick kiss to Cheerilee, he told her, “I'll see ya at the castle later,” before taking off.  He didn't have to go far, as he stepped into the shadows of a nearby alleyway and pulled the goat hiding in them over.

“I need you to get a hold of Padre,” he told the startled goat, “and tell him I'm calling in some of the favors he owes me.”

Gulping, the goat nodded his head before running off.  A few minutes later, Padre walked calmly into the alley, and leaned next to the shadows Mecha had hid in.  “You called for me?” he whispered, making it seem like nothing was going on in the alleyway.

“Yeah,” Mecha started, “I'm collecting some of those favors you owe.”

“I assume this is about the wedding?” Padre asked.

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied.  “If what I think is going to happen happens, then I'm going to need your entire mob protecting the city.”

Letting out a long whistle, Padre asked, “Who has you this worried? I mean, we have Shining Armor's force field to protect the city, we shouldn't be necessary.”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “The enemy is either already inside or not coming at all... and I'd wager all the bits in the world that it's the former.  I can't confirm it yet however, so be ready in case I can't prevent it.”

Padre sighed, before saying, “Alright.  But just who are we up against?”

“You'll know the enemy when you see them,” Mecha told him.  “Until then, the less you know, the less stress you have to deal with.”

“Got it,” Padre said, before walking away.

Waiting a few minutes, Mecha also left, making his way towards Canterlot's branch of Poker Night Potshot.  Walking in, he nodded at a few of the customers before reaching the bar.  Taking a seat, he signaled for a bottle of hard cider, before turning to the pony sitting next to him.

“Shouldn't you be... I dunno, guarding Shining Armor?” Mecha asked Solaris, taking a sip from his drink.

“You and I both know that he doesn't need guarding,” Solaris replied, taking a swig from his own drink.  “And besides, this is one of the few breaks that I've been able to afford lately with that threat to the city and all...”

“All the more reason to be guarding Shining,” Mecha countered.  “But I guess a little time off couldn't hurt.  How are things going?”

Solaris sighed, before replying, “Well enough.  I mean, I'm overworked right now, which is probably the cause of all the headaches I've had recently, and I think Spitfire is letting the stress get to her as well... but other than that, well enough.”

Mecha took a sip from his bottle, before asking, “Spitfire's getting stressed out?”

“Yeah, she's been grumpier than normal,” Solaris said.  “Granted, she'd have to work harder to ensure that Cadence is protected at all times, so it's understandable.  Still, I can't wait until this is all said and done and she gets back to her normal self.”

Nodding, Mecha chugged the last of his drink, before saying, “Well then, enjoy the rest of your break!”

Getting a wave from Solaris, Mecha left, groaning at his next duty- greeting the first wave of the guests of honor at the train station.

Walking up to the station, he took a breath before plastering a fake smile on his face as three Earth Ponies walked towards him.  “Greetings!” he started, before glancing to the side to get their names from the sign next to him.  “I'm happy to meet you... Creed Miles... Champion... and... hold on, I can't quite read that name...” he started, stepping closer to the sign.  “Ah, Xaratos!”  Facing the group, he could tell they weren't really pleased by his lack of knowledge about them.  Sighing, he told them, “Look, I've got to ensure security is in top form for the wedding, and didn't get the chance to find out who I was greeting.  All I know is you've been granted rooms at the palace, and you get to find out by yourselves.  Until then, have a good time!” And he took off, not giving them a chance to speak to him.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha stopped at the stadium, watching as the Wonderbolts flew overhead.  Giving his head a quick shake, he stepped onto the field, before spotting his brother.  “Shine Sight!” he hollered, “How's it hanging?”

Turning, his brother grinned, before replying, “Mecha! Good to see ya bro,” and turned back to the field.

Walking up to Shine Sight, Mecha asked, “How are they doing?”

Sighing, Shine Sight replied, “They're fine... but something seems off about them.  Or, at least, off with Spitfire.”

Nodding his head, Mecha said, “That sounds similar to what Solaris said... but if you consider that she's Cadence's honor guard captain...”

“Then it might just be the added stress,” Shine Sight finished.  “I know, but still...” shaking his head, he asked, “Is that Rainbow Dash chick here? I managed to convince one of the other scouts to show up for this event and I figured she could show him her stuff while we're here.”

“Really now?” Mecha asked, raising an eyebrow.  “Who'd you get to show up?”

“Mecha? Is that you you old dog?!” a voice called out.

Blinking, Mecha turned around to spot a Pegasus with a light purple coat, a dark blue, ruffled, tail and mane with purple streaks, and blue eyes.  He was wearing a blood red bandana around his neck, while his Cutie Mark was a lone palm tree on an island.  “Kickstarter! How's it been man?!” Mecha asked, walking over and bumped hooves with him.

“Well, it's been good,” Kickstarter replied.  “Got back from a trip to Camelidaeia recently, was even able to pick up an Iklwa* while I was there.”

“Not a bad choice,” Mecha commented, “Although I don't quite like spears myself.  Anyways, I should get going, we can catch up later!” he added, before walking off.

Giving a quick snort, Kickstarter asked Shine, “What's his deal? He normally sticks around to listen to my trip details.”

Shaking his head, Shine Sight replied, “He's part of the honor guard for the groom, and considering one of his friends was just killed...”

“Ah,” Kickstarter said.  “That makes sense.”

LINEBREAKER

Mecha was checking the grand hall where the marriage was to take place, when Doctor Whooves trotted in with two Pegasi and a Unicorn with him.  “Ah, Mecha! Have you meet Azura, Ryu, or Lovers the Eighth yet?”

Shaking his head, Mecha responded with, “I have not, nor do I really have time to do so.”

“Very well,” Doctor Whooves replied.  “I trust that every thing is in order so far though?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha said.  “Although you should still keep your eyes peeled.”

Nodding, Doctor Whooves faced the three ponies that were following him, saying, “Not much further, we'll have you at your rooms in no time!”

Giving the room one more look over, Mecha turned to walk out, only to all but run into Twilight.  Blinking, he asked, “Can I help you?”

Frowning, she replied, “Maybe.  I've been trying to talk with Cadence lately, but she just seems to brush me off.  Furthermore, she's been acting rude and mean lately, and it's just... not her! Then, I found her using magic on my brother, and... and... and I don't know what to do! I've thought of asking my brother what's up, but...”

Nodding his head, Mecha told, “First relax.”  Twilight took a deep breath, before  signaling him to continue.  “Now, while you have every reason to be worried, don't over react.  Just let me handle this- it is my job after all,” he said, smiling at the end of it.  Seeing that she was still hesitating, Mecha added, “I'll come to you if I share your worries, but until then, why don't you go see Celestia or Luna? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you.”

Twilight gave one small frown before nodding.  “If you're sure you can handle this...”

“I'll be fine,” Mecha replied.  “Besides, worse case scenario, I make myself look like an overly paranoid jerk.”  With that, Twilight left, allowing Mecha to frown.  “Cadence too...? This can't be coincidence...” he muttered to himself before yawning.  “And why do I suddenly feel... so... tired...?” he said, before collapsing to the floor asleep.

A few seconds later, Cadence and Spitfire stepped out.  “Good, he's out cold,” 'Spitfire' said, walking up towards Mecha's prone form.  “Nopony would be able to tell if we dealt with him now...”

“Now now,” 'Cadence' scolded, “Let's not be so hasty.  He may have his uses yet...”

'Spitfire' nodded her head, before grinning.  “Shall I send him to the mines?” she asked.

'Cadence' grinned as well, before nodding her head and saying, “If you'd be so kind.”

'Spitfire's' grin widened, before a green glow surrounded her body and Mecha, before he slowly sank through the floor.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha let out a groan, before slowly opening his eyes to reveal Spitfire and Cadence hovering above him.  Sighing, he asked, “The two up on the surface are fakes?”

Nodding their heads, the two mares helped him up, before he continued, “Did I come in straight down?”

Seeing them nod their heads again, he let out another sigh before turning and counting out a few paces.  When he stopped, he popped his mechanical leg open before removing a small red pouch with a skull and crossbones on it. Opening it up, he picked out a few glowing... orbs, before turning to Spitfire and asking, “Could you please attach these up to the roof real quick?”

Shrugging, Spitfire replied, “Sure, but why?”

“Well, we need to stop that wedding quick,” Mecha started, as he handed her the orbs, “So I figured making an exit right next to the chapel should work.”

Cadence's eyes went wide, before she asked, “What do you need me to do?”

Grinning, Mecha walked back next to her, before saying, “Give those orbs a quick blast of magic if you would.”

Nodding her head, Cadence waited for Spitfire to get out of the way, before shooting a quick blast at the orbs.  When her magic collided with them...

BOOM!!!

A large explosion rocked the cave, as the roof collapsed, creating an opening into the sky above.  Nodding to the two, Mecha was picked up as they flew through the hole, about thirty feet from the chapel.  Walking forward, Mecha knew that a little rumble in the ground wouldn't stop the wedding, and before he got to the doors, he told Spitfire, “Go get the Wonderbolts ready, we're going to have a Hell of a fight on our hooves soon.”

Seeing her nod and take off, Mecha took in a deep breath before kicking the doors open.

Everypony in attendance was startled to see Mecha slowly walk in, Cadence walking behind him.  “You know, I'm not sure who I hate more...” he started, glaring at the fake Cadence.  “you, Wrath, or Pride...”

“Ah still don't understand,” Applejack started, “how can there be two of them?”

“Simple,” Cadence started, “She's a changeling!”

Laughing, the fake Cadence replied, “Very good, but this changes nothing!” At this point, a giant flash of green magic took place, revealing a large Changeling in her place.  “For I fail to see how you can deal with the QUEEN of the Changelings!”

At this point, Mecha let out a growl, before shifting his mechanical leg into his gunblade, and fired a shot into the ceiling, getting everypony's attention.  “Try again... only this time, don't trade one costume for another.”

Everypony in the room was confused at Mecha's statement... except for one.  Laughing, the imposter commented, “I always knew I'd have a hard time tricking you Mecha... tell me, what gave it away this time?”

Getting up on his rear legs, Mecha started to channel his magic while stating, “You're impersonating somepony who's dead.”

“Ah yes... the one that got away told you before he died, didn't he?” she replied, before chuckling.  “However, this means nothing...” before another wave of magic began to build up- only this time it was a wave of fire.  When it had reached the roof, it exploded in a burst of sparks and flames, miraculously managing to harm nopony or light anything aflame.  When the light show was over, everypony gasped at what they saw.

Where before an overly large Changeling had stood, was instead a frightening construct of blackened stone, with fiery eyes and molten lava visible in it's chest cavity.  With a long tail and sharp looking wings, the creature had everypony cowering except for Mecha and Princess Celestia.

“I don't know how you escaped Lust,” Mecha started, causing everypony to gasp, “But you aren't staying long!”

“He is right,” Celestia started stepping forward.  “I won't allow-”

“Oh shut up!” Lust snapped, flames bursting from her horn to restrain Celestia.  “I couldn't care less about you- Mecha is the true challenge!”

Snorting, Mecha formed a blade from his magic while releasing the runes on his body as the ponies ran past him screaming.  He knew that they'd still be in danger as the demons roamed the streets, especially since Lust had managed to incapacitate both Captains of the Guard, but they'd be safer out there than in here, where his battle with Lust was to take place.

LINEBREAKER

Padre sighed as he watched the battle in the street.  Madre stood next to him, silent as she took in the carnage.  Demons were laughing as they tore through the streets, ripping pieces from buildings and chasing down stray ponies.  They were not uncontested however.  Every now and then a goat would appear from the shadows and slice the throat of one open before vanishing again.

“You intend to join them,” Madre said.  It wasn't a question.

“I do,” Padre replied.  “I just wanted to tell you one last time that I love you.”

Nodding her head, Madre gave him a kiss, before saying, “Be careful.”

With a grim look on his face, Padre quickly made his way towards his old armory, intent on leading his goats to victory.

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee was all that stood between Apple Bloom, Sugary Spice, Scootaloo, Lively Spirit, and Sweetie Bell and a large demon.  Glaring at the beast from Hell, she stood on her rear legs and whipped out two fans, causing the demon to laugh.  “What are you going to do?” it taunted, “Cool me to death?”

“No,” Cheerilee replied, before quickly spinning and slashing her fan into the demon's chest as it leapt back, “I intend to slice you to death.”

Growling, the demon flexed his claws, before saying, “You really shouldn't have done that.”

LINEBREAKER

BOOM!  While other battles might've been quieter and more subtle, Big Macintosh's was anything but.  BOOM!  “It's been a while since I've had such a worthy foe...” the large demon in front of him commented, before throwing another fireball towards the large stallion.

Big Macintosh merely leapt to the side, before throwing one of his weighted balls towards the demon.  “Don't say much, do ya?” it added, turning to avoid being hit.  “Oh well, that makes it so much easier to focus!”

LINEBREAKER

“I must say,” Lust started, staring at Mecha.  “You've certainly picked up a few things since we last met... A metal leg... some unique weapon... and magic! I certainly didn't expect that!”

Mecha didn't respond, content to let the ethereal flame being emitted from his eye do all the talking.

“But then again, you did survive Hell,” Lust continued, pacing slightly in front of him.  “I suppose it's only fitting that you'd pick up something new...”  she stopped, before grinning.  “I'm going to enjoy breaking you...”

Suddenly, Lust appeared in front of Mecha, horn poised to stab his chest, only for him to knock it away with his gunblade as he made to stab her with his magical blade, which she countered by stepping back.  Frowning, she leapt back before attempting to launch a massive fire ball at Mecha.

Mecha responded by channeling more magic into his blade, before running forward and slashing at the fire ball, releasing a black wave of magic that sliced it in half, both halves splitting away from him.  Lust, however, had expected this, and had followed up the fireball with a charge of her own, her forelegs transformed into sharp blades which collided with Mecha's blades in a flash of sparks.

LINEBREAKER

Padre ran through town, ignoring the sweat on his brow, leaping from shadow to shadow while slashing the demon's throats with his horns.  While he knew Mecha wished for him to focus on repelling the demon's attacking the town, he also knew that while the demon's posed a major threat from outside, there was an equally great internal threat.

Slashing yet another demon's throat, Padre continued his rush towards Canterlot prison.

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee was beginning to breath a bit hard, having had to dance around all of the demon's aggressive attacks.  Her dress had been torn several times, but she herself had yet to suffer any true damage.  The demon she was fighting, however, was barely tired, although relatively scratched up.  “Forget killing you...” the demon snarled, “When I'm done with you, you'll wish you were dead!” as he charged forward.

Licking her lips, Cheerilee stayed focused, leaping up while contorting to avoid the demon's attack.  She knew she needed to finish this quick, but she needed an opening first!

LINEBREAKER

Big Macintosh was spinning both weights of his weapon, focusing on his opponent.  So far, both had managed to avoid being hit, but that was bound to change soon.  Swinging one end forward, Big Macintosh smirked when his opponent finally leapt into the air, allowing him to swing his second weight towards him.

His opponent, however, had known this was his intent, and so grabbed a sign to pull himself out of danger before flinging a large ball of fire at him.

Tightening his grip on his chain, Big Macintosh allowed his weapon's forward momentum to pull him out of danger, before sighing.  He knew, as well as his opponent, that if either one of them managed to land a strike against the other, that would be it.

It was all a matter of who got the strike in.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took a leap back, getting some distance between him and Lust.  Frowning, he knew that right now the two were equals in combat, and that the longer this continued, the more damage her minions dealt to the town.  Taking in a deep breath, he let go of his emotionless state and allowed his rage at Lust to build up, causing the magical aura he'd developed around him to flare.  Glaring at Lust, he knew he couldn't hold this state for long, or else he'd burn out.

So, rushing forward, his movements started to blur as he swung faster and faster, with Lust barely being able to keep up as she too started to blur.

LINEBREAKER

Padre had finally made it to the Canterlot prison, where, much like he'd suspected, a prison break was in progress.  What he hadn't expected was the Timberwolf fighting off the prisoners trying to escape.  “About time some Fenrir forsaken help arrived!” Wolfgang growled as he ripped through the throat of a Nightmare Cultist's throat.  “What took so long?!?”

“Had to travel through the shadows,” Padre told him, ducking under a bolt of magic before tossing a knife into his assailants chest.  “Took me a tad longer than running straight here.”

“Whatever,” Wolfgang replied, slashing a wing off as an escapee tried to take flight.  “I'm just glad you're here.”

Padre didn't respond, focusing on the fight at hoof, ignoring even the corpse of his son as he passed it.

LINEBREAKER

Cheerilee had no time to wipe the sweat from her brow, or stop for a breath, as she and the demon were locked in a constant dance of death, with one false move being the end of either one of them.

'Sweep, spin, slash, jump, spin, jump, slash...' Cheerilee thought, barely avoiding most of the demon's attacks as he continued his assault, rage clearly visible in his eyes.

The demon was not, however, as focused as Cheerilee was.  His rage was his driving force, his anger his power.  So it was a surprise to him when a knife was embedded into his skull when his opponent clearly lacked one, his confused look visible as he collapsed.

Cheerilee quickly followed suit, before turning to Sugary Spice, who'd been the one to throw the knife.  “What?” Sugary Spice asked, seeing the confused looks of those present.  “Do you really think my dad wouldn't teach me to defend myself?”

LINEBREAKER

After completely destroying several streets, Big Macintosh and his opponent were both trapped in a semi-narrow road, debris at both ends blocking their routes.  They stared at each other, before the demon took in a deep breath.  Seeing this, Big Macintosh started to rush forward, leaping up onto a box before leaping high when the Demon let loose a giant fireball from his throat.

However, it appeared he hadn't leapt high enough when the Demon saw him enter the fireball, causing him to smirk until a large weight struck the back of his head, shattering it.  Big Macintosh landed, panting from having to both leap over the giant fireball and swing both ends of his meteor hammer overhead.  He was truly lucky that Mecha had taught him that simple illusion, or else he might not have made it.

LINEBREAKER

The two blurs disengaged, both breathing heavy.  Each eyed the other, trying to figure out how to deal the finishing blow to the other.

Mecha was the first to react, channeling magic into both blades, before he started to rapidly slice the air in front of him, sending wave after wave of powerful magic at his opponent, who tried to dance around them, getting clipped here and there.

Mecha finally stopped and shot a bullet, straight into Lust's chest.

Lust stopped, before looking at her chest.  Lightly pawing the entrance wound, she laughed, before saying, “What was that? A pesky metal ball? Surely you don't think that'd stop me!”

Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “That was a bullet made out of treated hydra powder.  An interesting substance that happens to react quite violently when melted and in the presence of magic.”

Lust snorted, asking, “So? What's the point behind your chemistry lesson here?”

“Simple,” Mecha started.  “Your body is made from molten lava and obsidian and held together with magic.  The heat will melt the bullet, while the magic...”

Lust's eyes widened as she caught on, before grabbing her chest and trying to rip it open before the bullet went off.  However, Mecha's explanation had stalled her long enough that she couldn't reach the bullet, before it reacted, destroying her entire body.

The reaction outside was near instantaneous.  All the demons under her control grabbed their heads, before screaming as they burst into smoke, their forms flying south as a near unified mass.

Lust's form, however, acted a bit differently.  It took the form of a skull, screaming as it rose to the chapel, before screaming, “I CURSE YOU!” and flying through Mecha's body.

Mecha's heart stopped for a moment, as various images flashed through his mind, before he collapsed and blacked out.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha gasped as he bolted upright in a hospital bed, grabbing his chest.  Looking around, Mecha quickly grabbed Cheerilee by the shoulders, startling her awake, as he asked, “What have I missed?!”

Shaking her head, she replied, “Shining Armor and Cadence went ahead and got married yesterday since they weren't sure when you'd wake up... and that's about it.”

“Then there's still time...” Mecha murmured, before telling her, “Get Celestia and Luna- quick!”

Still slightly shocked at his recent awakening and behavior, it took Cheerilee a second to process his request before she ran out of the door.

When she returned with the princesses, they asked, “What's the matter?”

Before Mecha could reply, a soldier broke through the door, shouting, “An army of creatures approaches my princesses!”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “That.  That's the matter.”

*Iklwa- A short spear used by the Zulu tribe in Africa.
> An End for One is Another's Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Celestia blinked.  “What was that?”

Getting up, Mecha made his way out of the room, all three mares and the soldier following him.   “There's a giant Wrath forsaken army of soulless creatures approaching,” he started, “and, stop me if I'm wrong,” he said to the soldier, “but we should have good news and bad news.”

“Okay...” Cheerilee started, “how about you lighten this up with the good news?”

“The good news is,” Mecha replied, “they shouldn't be here for another three or four days.”  Hearing a sigh of relief from Luna, Mecha continued, “The bad news is, is that their pace is being set by the two aboleths with them.”

This caused the group to freeze, only to snap out of it when Mecha kicked a door open and shouted, “Get your Sloth forsaken butts out of here! We've got an emergency to deal with!”

At which point the classroom filled with students left, their teacher following shortly after.  Walking up to the chalkboard, Mecha grabbed a piece and started writing some calculations up on the board.  “All right,” Celestia started, shaking her head, “How the hey do you know all this?”

“Lust's curse must've backfired or something,” Mecha replied, never looking away from the board.  “Instead of doing any damage that I can tell, she instead left me an imprint of her last few day's worth of memories.  Me passing out was most likely from either the mental overload or the stress her 'death' had.”

Both princesses nodded their heads, before Luna asked, “Then what are we up against?”

“A giant menagerie of the deadliest creatures in the world,” Mecha replied.  “And to make it worse, they all lack souls, removing any sense of self preservation they should have.”

The soldier flinched lightly, but was still somehow caught by Mecha.  “Don't worry though, they still lack upper tier thought that most ponies have.”

“Most ponies?” Cheerilee asked.

“Yeah,” Mecha replied, continuing his work on the board.  “You'll find a distinct lack of it in 90% of the noble population.  Anyways, back to work- have Shining and Cadence left for their honeymoon yet?”

“No,” Celestia answered, “they were going to stick around another day or two in case you woke up.  Also gave them the chance to iron out the details.”

“Good,” Mecha said, nodding to himself.  “You-” he suddenly shouted, pointing at the soldier, “Go get Shining Armor and Solaris, tell them we have an invasion to counter and bring them here!”

“Sir yes sir!” was the soldier's reply, saluting Mecha before running out the room.

“Celestia, find Twilight and tell her that I need her to go grab Rainbow Dash, Nimbus, and another Pegasus named Kickback*, and if you or her see my brother at any time, send him this way as well!” Mecha continued, still writing on the board.

“Got it!” Celestia replied, quickly exiting.

“Cheerilee, you go find the girls and get them back to Ponyville, it won't be safe here once that army gets within three miles of the wall,” here, Mecha did stop for a moment, before shaking his head.

“Understood,” Cheerilee replied, before giving Mecha a quick peck on the cheek and leaving.

“And what about me?” Luna inquired.

“I need you to get me a giant room with hollow walls, and fill it with smelting equipment,” Mecha told her.

Blinking, Luna didn't ask about the odd specifications, deciding to trust Mecha as she left.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha took in a deep breath, before setting down the piece of chalk that he'd been using.  Turning, he saw that everypony he'd asked for had been brought to the room, before he nodded and started, “Who here hasn't been informed about what's happening?”

When nopony said anything, he continued, “Then let's cut to the chase.”  He took out some paper and a few quills, and started writing as he said, “Shining Armor, Solaris, you two and I will be staying here to plan out the actual defense force when we're done here, otherwise please wait until the end to say anything.”

Getting a grim nod from both, Mecha folded the two notes he'd written, before handing the first to Rainbow Dash, and said, “Get that to my aunt in Ponyville ASAP- I don't care how many windows you break going Sonic Rainboom to do so, just get this to her.”

Nodding her head, Rainbow took the letter and took off through the window, a soft boom being heard shortly after.  Turning to Nimbus, he handed him the other note, saying, “You have a bit further to go.  You remember those two fellows that owe me a favor out of country?”

“The ones staying with the Zebra family whose daughter you saved?” Nimbus asked.

“There very same,” Mecha replied.  “This letter goes to that family, and they'll get it to them.  I'd normally have you go to Ponyville and Rainbow take this letter, but...”

“She can't maintain her speeds over long distances,” Nimbus finished, “while I can.”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied, signaling his friend to go.  “Godspeed.”

Nodding, Nimbus took off through the same window Rainbow Dash had.

“Kickback, can you still learn any weapon in two days?” Mecha asked.

“If I put my mind to it, sure,” Kickback replied.  “Why though?”

“Because you're going to learn how to use a weapon I invented that should be quite effective against the hydras,” Mecha replied, as he turned to face his brother.  “My order of Discordant metal arrive?”

“Yeah,” Shine Sight replied.  “It's waiting at the warehouse for ya.”

“Good,” Mecha started, “I need you to-”

“Could you explain what the hey Discordant metal is?” Celestia asked, “And why it's in Canterlot?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “Because it's one of the Royal Metals, and I need it.”

Eyebrow quirked, Luna asked, “Royal Metals? I've never heard of those before.  Would you mind explaining?”

Taking in a deep breath, Mecha closed his eyes, before saying, “Royal Metals, named so after the fact that most of them come about due to the influence of some member of royalty, with few exceptions.  They are basically the magical metals of this world, that come about due to the influence that magically powerful creatures, such as yourselves and Discord, release.  Each metal takes on a property that seems to match up with they influencer- Nightmare metal causes nightmares, Celestial metal counters it, Lunar metal causes a relaxing drowsy feeling, and Discordant metal randomly changes colors.  Furthermore, each reacts with magic in various ways, from either absorbing it to channeling it.”

“Oh,” was Celestia's reply.

“Yes, oh,” Mecha shot back.  “Anyways, Discordant metal repels magic, which is why it'll be lining the walls of the forge room I had you prepare Luna.”

“Got it,” she replied, before walking with Shining Armor to grab the metal.

“Wait, why do you need a magic repelling room?” Twilight inquired.

“Because when Rainbow Dash gets back here with my Hydra scale, I don't want it reacting with anything while melting it down,” Mecha informed.  “And yes, I'll be melting a lot of it, so unless you want me to blow the town up for the army, you won't be entering that room until I say it's clear.”

Nodding her head, Twilight sat back down.  “Now that that's dealt with,” Mecha said, turning towards Solaris and Shining Armor, “Let's get down to the nitty gritty of our defenses.”

LINEBREAKER

Several hours later, Mecha was double checking the metal lined walls of his new workspace, before nodding his head.  “It'll do,” he said, as the last of the supplies he needed were dropped off.  “When the Hydra scale gets here, I'll be able to-”

“Delivery!” Rainbow Dash shouted, directing four ponies carrying two heavy chests towards Mecha. “Fresh from Ponyville.”

“Good! Bring them in and get out! I'm going to need every second possible if I want this done right!” Mecha hollered, pointing to where he wanted the chests placed.  When they were on the floor, Mecha all but pushed them out of the room, before shutting the door and sealing himself in.  Taking in a deep breath, Mecha got the furnace running, and started the tedious process of melting down the treated scales.

LINEBREAKER

Several hours later, Mecha was sitting down as the last of the first batch of scale melted, recalling his introduction of a gun to Kickback.  Grinning, he recalled the gleam in his friend's eyes when he showed him what it was and how it worked, before all but yanking it from his hooves.  Needless to say, Mecha was expecting some interesting results from his training before the final showdown.

Noticing that the scale had finished melting, Mecha got up, and started pouring the large amount of molten scale into the mold.  When he finished, he nodded to himself before rapidly turning himself around, him mechanical leg shifting into it's gunblade form, clicking as a bullet was chambered.

Normally, a pony locked in a room by himself would be considered insane for doing this.  Normally, that'd be true.  However, instead of pointing at nothing, Mecha was instead pointing at a glowing figure.

Said figure had clear, but feathered, wings, which it was slowly flapping to stay about an inch off the ground.  It's appearance was slightly startling, as it appeared to be of a female angelic... human, if Lyra's rantings about the subject were to be believed, Mecha figured.  Frowning, Mecha asked, “What are you doing here?”

Tilting her head slightly, the figure asked, “Come now, is this how you treat angels?”

Without moving a muscle, Mecha replied, “No, it's not.”

“Then why do you treat me this way?” she asked, he voice sounding like bells on a Sunday service.

“Because you're not an angel,” Mecha said.

Frowning, the figure replied, “You don't believe in angels? Even after fighting demons in Hell? Are you so cynical that you don't believe in Heaven?”

“What I believe means nothing,” Mecha started, “For you're not an angel.  You're a fey.”

Startled, the lady stared at Mecha, before she started to giggle, slowly shrinking in size until she could easily have hidden behind a tennis ball.  “How'd you know?” she asked, her voice now sounding more like a child's than the angelic melody it was earlier.

“An angel would shift to the form most comfortable visually to the guest- most often of their species.  A fey, however, would never stoop that 'low', but are willing to change their size,” Mecha replied.  “And I highly doubt a human- and I'm guessing here based on Lyra's rant- would be all that comforting to me.  So what are you doing here?”

Sighing, the fey replied, “Yeah, my form is similar to that of a human.  But I'm here to offer-”

“Not interested,” Mecha cut off, his frown deepening.  “So unless you want to be trapped in cold iron...”

“Don't you even want to hear my offer?” she asked, a panicked look on her face.

“Eenope.  Fey cause nothing but trouble,” Mecha replied.

Licking her lips, they little fey started to head back towards the wall, saying, “Very well.  But this won't be the last you hear from us...”

As she slipped through the wall, Mecha sighed before collapsing on the floor.  “No, it won't be,” he said to himself, before shivering.  “Demons, fey, and soulless creations... what's next, and actual angel coming through the roof?”

Letting out another sigh, Mecha stood back up.  “Well, if one does show up, he or she better have some experience with a smelter or else they're getting the boot!” he said, as he got back to work.

LINEBREAKER

It had taken him a total of two days to get his second mold poured, as well as for them both to cool.  With a final inspection, Mecha nodded his head before walking out, making his way towards the field where everypony was training.

Stopping only to glance at Kickback's training with his new weapon, Mecha smirked when he managed to hit a bull's eye from over 50 yards.  Deciding not to interrupt, he continued on, making his way towards Celestia and Luna, who were talking to a familiar figure...

Eyes widening, Mecha heard Celestia say, “I'd like to tha-”

“STOP!” Mecha shouted, a look of rage upon his face as he startled everypony nearby.  Turning to face him, Celestia was about to question him when he seemed to disappear, reappearing in front of the person she'd been talking to, sword extended and at her throat.  “I thought I told you we didn't want help from the fey.”

Gulping, the fey from earlier replied, “You'd only said you weren't interested... you never mentioned the rest of the army.”

“It was implied,” Mecha told her, pushing his blade against her, causing a slight hiss as the metal touched her skin.

Nodding her head, the fey slowly back away before disappearing in a flash of light.

Taking in a deep breath, Mecha turned to Celestia and said, “You're lucky I stopped you.  If you'd finished thanking her, she'd have had the chance to claim your soul as payment.”

Celestia went pale, before asking, “What do you mean?”

Sighing, Mecha replied, “The fey are a bunch of tricksters.  Neither moral or amoral, they only aid others for a heavy price.  And if you manage to negotiate the deal without a heavy price, you still need to be careful, for if you thank them it implies that you owe them, and the only thing they'll accept at that point is your soul.  Or, at least that's true of the fey that demons dealt with.  They may not be that bad as a whole, but better safe than sorry.”

“I... see,” Celestia said, nodding her head.  “Thank you for that then.”

Groaning, Mecha made his way towards Shining Armor and Solaris, muttering to himself, “Did she learn nothing...?”

“Mecha! Good timing, we were just about to start laying out the plans,” Shining Armor greeted.

“Yeah, that intel you gave us is definitely helping,” Solaris added, not looking away from the map on the table.

“Good to hear,” Mecha replied, before looking at the map as well.  “I've got the bombs for the aboleths taken care of, just need a delivery team to drop them down the beasties' throats.”

“Good, that'll take care of the biggest threats...” Shining Armor started, “what about the hydra's though? They can't deal as much damage as fast, but we only have so many fire specialists...”

“You forget though,” Solaris started, “a blow to the heart will kill them just as well.”

“Yes, but how do we get close enough to do so?” Shining Armor countered.

“We don't,” Mecha replied, before pointing over to Kickback.  “He'll be taking them out from outside their range.”

Nodding their heads, Shining Armor and Solaris turned back to the map, as the trio continued to plan.

LINEBREAKER

It was time.  The plans had been laid, the counters in place, and the back-ups ready.  Canterlot had been evacuated, the army was at attention, and everypony waited with baited breath for their commanders to show themselves to lead them to victory.

In the commander's tent, one last discussion was taking place.  “No,” Mecha said flatly.  “You two aren't participating in this fight.”

Luna of course was upset about this, and yelled, “Do you expect us not to join as our subjects go out their and die for us?!?”

“No,” Mecha replied, “But I do expect your presence to be a major morale boost than would quickly turn into a morale killer if you are harmed.  You are to stay here in the back, and if you absolutely must do something, try to snipe them with your magic.  Otherwise, stay back.”

Frowning, Luna was about to comment when Celestia cut her off, saying, “Sister, he's right.  Furthermore, how long has it been since we actually participated in combat ourselves?”

Luna's frown deepened for a bit, before she sighed, and replied, “You're right again sister.”

Turning to Mecha, Celestia said, “You have our word that we will stay back and out of danger.”

“Good,” Mecha replied, “But to be safe, I have a bodyguard for you.”

At this point, Diable walked in.  “Just to be clear,” he started, “if I do this, you'll allow me to roam without constraint, no suddenly falling unconscious whenever I end up a mile away from you, only restriction is I have to listen to your daughter's commands?”

“Eeyup,” Mecha replied.

“Good,” Diable nodded, before he brought his fists together, letting out a grunt of concentration.  A few moments later, his body started to bulge, muscles rippling as he grew, expanding until he was about the size of a manticore.  Grunting, he told the princesses in a deeper than normal voice, “You're safe with me.”

Blinking, the two sisters nodded their heads as Mecha chuckled before walking out. Taking a quick glance around, he found Wolfgang nearby, staring at a large pile of wood.  “You ready for this?” Mecha asked.

Sighing, Wolfgang replied, “As I'll ever be.  I'm worried though...”

“About what?” Mecha inquired.

“That the moment I take form, I'll forget who I am,” Wolfgang said.

Letting out a light chuckle, Mecha said, “Don't worry about that- you'll still be your same sarcastic self.”

Wolfgang didn't reply, before nodding his head.  “Do it.”

Without a word, Mecha turned around and bucked Wolfgang as hard as possible, shattering him.  After a few moments, a green glow from where Wolfgang originally stood began to expand, grabbing the nearby wood in its grasp, before it slowly began to assemble as a giant timberwolf.

Walking away, Mecha made his towards Shining Armor and Solaris, stopping only to grab his gear.  As he slung his sashes on, he asked, “Are we ready to go?”

Nodding their heads, the trio looked over the army as Mecha donned his cloak with a flourish, catching Solaris's eye.  Frowning, he asked, “Isn't that the cloak for the Order?”

Chuckling, Mecha replied, “It is.  They took me in shortly before my stint in Hell, was part of why I was assigned to a specialist squad.”

Shining Armor blinked, before asking, “Order? What are you guys talking about?”

“The Order is a secretive group that acts as the black ops of Equestria,” Solaris started.

“Basically, if there's a threat to the country that needs to be dealt with in an unfriendly manner, we deal with it,” Mecha continued.  “Mostly assassination of high class criminals that would likely kill their captors in a heartbeat.”

“Granted, neither Luna nor Celestia know they exist,” Solaris finished.  “In fact, the only way to identify them is their cloaks.”

“Cloaks that seem to repel light itself,” Mecha added, seeing the confusion on Shining Armor's face.  “These things actually repel everything but light,” he said, chuckling.  “Anyways, it's showtime.”

Nodding their heads, the two Captains turned to face the army before them, their enemy just visible from were they stood.  “Ponies of Equestria, we've gathered today to fight an enemy that seems to think we're nothing!”

At the army's cheer, Mecha chuckled, before sneaking away.  While this speech was sure to be great, he had to make sure his allies had arrived.  Walking behind a patch of trees, Mecha asked, “Sköll, Hati, you two here?”

The two giant wolves stepped out from behind the trees they were hiding behind, Sköll saying, “Yeah, we're here.  Now why'd you call for us?”

“I'm calling in what you owe me,” Mecha replied.  “There's an army of soulless creatures on their way here, and you two are going to help me.”

Hati frowned, and asked, “How do you know they're soulless?”

“Simple,” Mecha replied, “Lust had them created from the very fires of Hell.  There isn't a way for them to have a soul.”

Nodding their heads, the two wolves went back into the forest, Sköll saying, “We'll see you on the battle field.”

Nodding his own head, Mecha snuck back to the ongoing speech, arriving just in time to hear, “So let's prove these soulless beings wrong!”

A loud cheer rang out from the assembled, as they moved into place.  Mecha watched for another three seconds, before walking over to where his bombs had been set up, the eight Pegasi that were carrying them standing at the ready.  “Right then,” Mecha started, getting their attention as Shining Armor and Solaris started attaching the bombs to their harnesses.  “You lot have a crucial job.  You're the ones who are going to deal with those aboleths.  You're to fly in close, and the moment they open their mouths to roar, you deploy the bombs and bolt.  You'll be protected by our best squadron, so ignore everything else. Understood?”

“SIR YES SIR!” came their reply, all quickly saluting him.

Nodding his head, Mecha walked over towards the squadron he'd mentioned earlier, and asked, “You ready Nimbus?”

“As I'll ever be,” he said, adjusting his weapons, two retractable blades, on his leg.  “Should be a cakewalk.  Get in, protect them bombers, get out.”

“Don't get cocky,” Mecha said, before sighing, “and be safe.”

“You too,” Nimbus said, before turning to his squad.  “Ten hut! Into formation, we take off in three!”

Taking a deep breath, Mecha walked over towards Big Macintosh, asking, “Plan B ready?”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh replied.  “Primed and ready.”  The two stared at the other for a minute, before he added, “And if ah don't make it through this...”

“Big M, you'll make it,” Mecha replied.  “But if ya don't, I'll do my best.”

“That's all ah ask of ya,” the large stallion said, nodding his head.

At that point, the Pegasi took off, heading towards their targets.  Solaris and Shining Armor made their way over, Shining Armor asking, “Are you sure this will work?”

Eyes on the bombs, Mecha replied, “About eighty-five percent.  I used powdered hydra scale in the calculations, but since this is melted and solidified scale here, it should work.”

They watched in silence as the escort squadron started to take out the harpies and hippogriffs that had tried to intercept them. When the two aboleths opened their mouths to roar, they leaned forward, watching as the bombs fell.  The first one went down the aboleths throat, although the second was struck by the tentacle coming from the second.

“WRATH'S ARMORY!” Mecha swore, even as the first bomb went off, causing the aboleth that had swallowed it to explode.

Frowning, Shining Armor asked, “What now?”

“Now?” Mecha started, heading back towards Big Macintosh, “Now we use plan B.”

At this point he pulled the cloth off the project he'd hidden from them, revealing a cannon.  Stepping in, the two realized what he was planning, with Solaris yelling, “Are you crazy!”

“Eeyup,” came from inside the cannon, followed by, “Fire when ready!”

Shining Armor and Solaris turned to face Big Macintosh, and started to yell at him to stop, only for him to light the cannon and fire Mecha... straight into the aboleth's open mouth.  Seeing the two stare at him in shock, he shrugged and said, “If we don't get that thing taken care, we already lost.”

The assembled army all stared in shock as Mecha flew overhead, and straight into the aboleth's mouth.  Stunned, they shook themselves out of it, knowing that he could take care of himself, and got ready for the charge.

Inside the aboleth, Mecha started channeling magic into his eyes, allowing him to see in the pitch blackness that was the aboleth's throat, before he shifted his leg into a blade and created another blade out of magic, and stabbed into the creatures throat.  Ignoring the yell that passed him, he used his magical blade to cut a hole in the throat, before slipping through it and falling onto... it's lung if he were to guess.  Taking in a deep breath, he ran down it's length, before he slipped and began to fall.  Stabbing his sword into the organ, he slowed down before he let go and landed and the liver.  Giving a quick shudder as the creature he was trapped inside roared, he made his way over to the other side of the lung, before stabbing into it and making his way back up.

When he finished climbing the organ, he made his way back towards the center, finally able to see the being heart from there.  With another deep breath, he toke a running start before leaping onto it, slipping until he brought his blade into the pulsating muscle.  Frowning when that didn't kill the beast, he looked around until he found the aorta, and smirked.  Making his way over, he brought his sword down on it, only to frown when he barely cut into it.  Channeling his magic away from his eyes and to his sword, he ignored the fact that he couldn't see as he swung, smirking when he felt the vessel give way to his blade.

Grabbing the nearest vein, he started channeling magic to his eyes again as the aboleth started shaking in its death spasms.

Outside the beast, the army was beginning to worry.  They were missing one of their best fighters, and the beast he'd leapt into was still moving, roaring in pain every five minutes.  If he didn't finish this soon, they'd be in trouble.  When the beast finally collapsed, a cheer went up, especially when a pair of swords burst through the flesh of the creature's underbelly.

Mecha took a step out, his blades covered in blood, his cloak showing that it did repel most substances as the blood rolled off it.  Flicking his blades to clear the blades, he watched as all eyes were on him, enemy and ally alike.  With an expressionless face, he brought his hood up, the runes on his ankles glowing as he released them.

Suddenly, he disappeared with a crack, as he broke the sound barrier by pushing magic into his limbs while moving, reappearing above one of the manitcores, his magical blade lodged in its skull while his mechanical gunblade was pointing at another, smoke coming out of its end, the bullet he'd fired lodged in the second manticore's brain.

With another crack, he moved once more, another two soulless creatures dead.  Crack, dead. Crack, slain.  Crack, more corpses.  His speed and efficiency caused the army to roar once more, before charging, engaging the creatures that Mecha couldn't deal with by himself.

Big Macintosh was brutally striking the larger creatures in their chests, using the range of his meteor hammer to deliver powerful strikes without getting into their range, while Shining Armor used his magic to provide barriers from projectiles as he speared dive-bombing harpies and slung them back at the horde of creatures.

Solaris was also busy, as he moved through the hoard, a tornado of death as he spun his scythe and burned his opponents with magic, literally carving a path of death and destruction in his wake, while simultaneously preventing anyone of the creatures from getting close to Kickback, who was slowly picking off the hydras that were approaching the army.

Suddenly, a loud roar stopped all combat, as a giant timberwolf jumped from behind the Equestrian army, two smaller, but still large, wolves jumping with him, before they started mauling their enemies.  Startled, the army quickly started to renew its attack before their opponents did the same.

LINEBREAKER

After a few hours of fighting, Mecha had retreated back to the command line, breathing hard.  Normally, he'd be able to keep up his speed when either boosting his speed with magic or removing the runes for days on end, but doing both? His body was beginning to rip itself apart, especially since he was doing this in bursts instead of constantly.  Stumbling over to the medical station, he collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth.  The nurse's quickly ran over to him, as he began to black out, snapping out of it when he heard a scream.

Struggling to his feet, Mecha pushed the medics away as he ran back out, rushing to see what had caused the scream.  What he saw wasn't what he expected.  Solaris was laying on the ground, bleeding out from the giant wound from his chest.  Rushing forward, Mecha yelled, “What happened?!?”

Spitfire stood by Solaris, a glazed look upon her face.  “He... he pushed me out of the way.  That attack would've taken my head straight off...”

At this point, Luna ran up, before stopping at the sight.  Solaris, hearing her arrival, turned her head, before coughing, saying, “Hey mom... don't... worry about me...” as he grinned at her.  “I'll just... catch ya later...” he added, the light in his eyes fading.

Luna started to cry, muttering, “No... no... NO!” as she started to get hysterical.  “IT CAN'T BE TRUE! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!!! He can't be... he... can't...”

At this point, her tears started to dry up, as she said, “No... I won't let him die... I WON'T ALLOW IT!” as she started to glow, magic surrounding her and Solaris.

Eyes widening, Mecha yelled out, “By Lucifer's lake-bed! She's going Nightmare!” Grabbing Spitfire, he shook her out of her funk, yelling, “Get everypony outta here- if what I do doesn't work we've got bigger problems than the remnants of that attacking army!”

Nodding, Spitfire started to round up stray ponies standing nearby.

Coughing, he grimaced at the blood on his hooves, before sighing.  “It's not the best material for this, but it'll have to due.”

Using the blood on his hoof, Mecha started to draw with his blood... in midair.  He was using his magic to power the rune he was drawing in midair, suspending it in midair.  This was one of the lesser known runes in Hell, simply because they had almost no use for a purification rune.  As it was, he'd need to time this right, for if he used it early, the taint of Nightmare Moon wouldn't be completely present to be eradicated to be destroyed, but to late and it'd have too much of a hold on her mind.

Finishing the runes, Mecha 'grabbed' it with his real hoof, and slowly started to twist it, waiting... almost there... NOW!

With a blast of light, the Rune flashed, as a beam of pure light flashed and impacted Luna.  When everything cleared, Mecha let out a sigh when he saw that she was back to her normal self.  Solaris, on the other hoof, was not.  In fact, he was standing up, laughing... evilly.  His coat was now as black as his mane, his eyes a cold blue.  With a flash of magic, he brought his scythe into his hooves, before rushing forward, blasting his targets with blue flames, freezing his opponents instead of burning them.  Frowning, Mecha sighed, before muttering to himself, “Of course.  Hopefully his bloodlust will die down by the end of this battle...”

At this point, the stress of battle had caught up, and he collapsed.

LINEBREAKER

Mecha woke up a few hours latter, the battle finished.  Grunting, he sat up to find himself in a room with Cheerilee.  “I assume we won?” he inquired.

“Yeah, and you should be up and running soon,” Cheerilee stated, before letting silence fall for a bit.  “...you're planning on something,” Cheerilee said.

“Yeah... and you're not going to like it,” Mecha replied.

Letting out a sigh, Cheerilee asked, “Lust wasn't the only one to escape, was she?”

“...no.  The other six are loose as well,” Mecha explained.  “And I need to deal with them before they do too much damage.”

Cheerilee said nothing, opting to stare Mecha straight in the eyes instead.  “You're not doing this alone,” she told him.

“Didn't intend to,” Mecha said.  “I'm hoping Kickback would be willing to go- help with the language barrier in the countries I'll be traveling through.  Solaris is coming as well, willing or not.  He needs professional help after being killed and brought back.  Help that isn't available in Equestria.”

Nodding, Cheerilee asked, “How long?”

Shrugging, Mecha replied, “A year, maybe two.  Gluttony will be coming here for a rematch, and then Greed is in the next country over.  After that though, it'll be a long journey.”

Eyes closing, Cheerilee let out a single tear, before whispering, “Why?”

“Because I'm one of the few who knows their weaknesses,” Mecha replied.  “Simple things that add up, but obscure and unknown to most.  You know I don't want to leave you or the girls alone, but I don't see an alternative.”

Opening her eyes, Cheerilee walked over and embraced Mecha, whispering, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Mecha whispered back.

*So, I screwed up last chapter- his name isn't Kickstarter, it's Kickback, who is owned by Lt Mc. Muffin