So, I got transported to another dimension. One that I am VERY familiar of. But hey, at least I got four metal sentient arms attached to my spine to keep me company...
It's the same old story these days; Brony goes to a convention, wearing the costume of their favorite game or movie character, buys something and gets teleported to a world full of friendly ponies becoming said character, story becomes an adventure with comedy or romance. Maybe an evil villain once or twice...
Got all that? Good. Because I got sent to Equestria Girls as Alfred Molina's Doc Ock From Spider Man 2!!!
A figure perched on top of a grand building in Canterlot City; the bright blue eyes fully alert and searching as they looked around on the population below, who went about their day as normal, never looking up to see the four sinuous metal arms attached to his spine moving around him and looking as well.
The red lights looked creepy in the dark, but to the man, they looked comforting.
The man fully stood up, and the four actuators tensed, gently gripping the side of the building as he went down.
Crystal blue eyes opened with a snap, and Jon Whalen looked around his bedroom that was messy as all hell, I should clean up after I go to the Comic-Con today. He thought. Since his sister and mom were out at work and his dad is in North Dakota working for a trucking company, he was left alone for awhile a day; which was fine by him.
The 300lbs boy looked at the tall covered object in the corner of the room, excited to see his new gift work. He was going as Doc Ock From Spider Man 2, the one where Alfred Molina acted as. He always watched that movie when he was a kid and still does watch it every now and again.
He got up from his chair that he fell asleep in, and walked over to the covered object. He reached out his hand, grabbed the silky fabric, and pulled it off the object.
Jon grinned at the sight of the four mechanical actuators from Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. It was shipped to him in a crate with a note saying: “ The Power Of The Sun, In The Palm Of My Hand. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, Use This Wisely And For Good.” At first, he was confused and apprehensive at the familiar quote from his childhood movie.
But when he opened the giant crate left on his front door, he was elated and awed.
He never tried the actuators on yet, cause he didn’t want to break the inhibitor chip like it did in the movie and become the next Doc Ock, except there wouldn’t be a Spider Man to stop him if that happens.
Jon took a deep breath to calm his nerves down, and walked between the actuators on the platform, where the metal bracket that can connect to his waist to the actuators, took off his leather jacket that he slept in, then clicked the activate button on the panel that was attached to the platform.
As soon as the pain decreased in his spine from the needle injectors, he felt four minds connect to his, and the arms came out of their hold sockets of the platform, and rose in the air with a mental thought, looking around with their sinister blood red sensor lights.
Jon felt something, something that made him laugh; confusion and curiosity from the actuators. They can feel. He thought.
He then checked his watch, and seeing that it was time to go, he walked through his door, the actuators carefully avoiding the walls and door frames as she made his way outside.
The actuators hid beneath his leather jacket, that was somehow accustomed to the four tentacles so it wouldn’t rip if they move around.
The Convention wasn’t that far from his home actually. It was a couple miles away, but he thought that this was a great opportunity to test the actuators by grabbing and climbing random buildings, being careful and gentle to not break any of the structures and to not make any noise.
He felt thrilled, exhilarated, and awed at the power he was feeling in these four actuators holding him up as he scaled the buildings, looking at the scenery with a sense of peace and tranquility.
Pretty soon, they made it to the Comic-Con facility, which was town hall in Kuna, Idaho.
The Actuators hid beneath his jacket again, and Jon walked the rest of the journey to the Con.
Once inside, he looked around and saw all kinds of people dressed up, like a couple who were animatronics from the best game, Five Nights At Freddy’s, Metal Gear Solid, and Anime Like Attack On Titan and Parasyte. He looked on in wonder at the many booths that were set up.
He could feel the actuators’ minds light up in curiosity, and he reluctantly allowed them to snake out from beneath the jacket and roam into the air.
He knew that he was gaining attention, by seeing a kid point at him with an excited grin on their face, while adults looked at him in awe. He normally wasn’t used to the attention, but now with the actuators’ minds, he felt comforted, encouraged, and proud.
He squared his shoulders, and maneuvered through the crowd of people that gathered to stare at him, taking pictures and videos.
He could hear them saying things like, “ My God, isn’t that Alfred Molina’s actuators from Spider Man 2?”
Another, “ He looks really badass with those, it makes him look intimidating too.”
And Another, “ Looks like he became accustomed to them already.”
At the last one, he turned his head and looked at the old man who said it, staring at Jon with a smirk on his face.
The man tilted his head to a dingy booth that was set up next to him, and went inside.
Being curious about the strange man, Jon followed.
Once inside, he let the actuators look around the bigger on the inside booth, feeling their curiosity on the assortments of random things that were stored here.
The man sat on a armchair in the back of the room, saying, “ Welcome, my friend; to The Merchant’s Booth. A Place with rare items that no one can find in your regular store and is absolutely free. Just pick and choose what you want to buy and you can have it!”
Jon felt apprehensive, until he felt an actuator nudge against his mind, and he turned to the left, watching the top left actuator grab something from a pile of random things and snaked through the air back to him, holding the item between its sharp pincers.
Jon looked at the item and slightly widened his eyes at the recognition of it, it was a pair of sunglasses, yet he knew the pair that Alfred’s Doc Ock wore during the movie were one and the same.
Then another actuator, this time the bottom right, grab his attention by holding a large brown trench coat over its coils.
Jon recognized the coat, Alfred’s trench coat from the Spider Man 2 Movie.
He looked towards the man and said, “ How much are these?”
The old man smiled, “ It's free. Try it on, it might fit ya.”
Jon saw the four symmetrical holes in the back of the trench coat and made the arms slip through with ease, being careful to not rip the fabric, and kept his other jacket on since it was fall, so it was cold.
Then all he saw last, was a bright light surrounding him, and the gleeful smile on the Merchant’s face…
The next thing that Jon knew was waking up.
He got to his feet with the help of the two bottom actuators to keep his balance, otherwise, he would’ve fallen down again.
Jon looked around to see where he was, and saw that he was on top of an abandoned warehouse, across a school with a horse statue in front.
For some reason, it looked familiar to him. But he put it to the back of his mind for later.
He looked to see if the Merchant or whatever his name was, is around, but no sign.
Jon sighed, and looked to the top left actuator that rested its head pincers on his shoulder, giving a small squeak to communicate with him.
Since he and the actuators were connected without the inhibitor chip breaking to make him psychotic, he could understand the four easily in his head.
Jon replied to the actuator that spoke from his shoulder, “ I honestly don’t know where we are, but I have a feeling I DO know.”
Despite the slight confusion coming from his actuators, he looked towards the school and thought about his next move since waking up…
He shrugged, deciding that he should at least check out the high school across the street, maybe get a job there He thought. He only had a hundred bucks in his wallet, after all.
The actuators moved to his mental request since they were sentient as him, and he would feel bad if he ordered them around, not because they were dangerous if angered, but he was a good guy.
He scaled down the warehouse’s brick wall with the help of the arms with ease and made it to the pavement as he fell a few feet above the ground.
He looked around and saw that it was about noon due to the position of the sun in the sky, and he knew there would be people that would freak out at the sight of the arms, despite the awe-filled faces and smiles he got at the convention, cause they thought it was a good costume.
The actuators slunk behind him and tucked themselves tight against his back and under the trench coat, hidden from sight.
Jon sighed in slight relief as he felt the four of them hide under the coat.
He then took a slight breath of courage and walked across the street, making sure that there were no cars coming, otherwise it would’ve been painful.
He made it across the street and made his way up the concrete stairs and approached the front glass doors.
He hesitated for a second, contemplating whether going inside is a good idea with the four actuators just hiding under the coat.
Jon then shook his head, If this is all I’ve got to keep myself from asking for a job, then I need to man up and face the music if I get caught. He thought to himself and opened the door by pulling on the handle.
Then he went inside, the door shut behind him.
He was slightly thrown for a loop at the pastel colored people that were milling around the halls, some look young enough to be students and TA’s, others look old enough to be teachers and staff.
He went his way inside a small office that was next to the front doors and another office.
The only thing that caught his eye was a woman that looked about thirty years old with a slim, but fit body.
She was wearing dark jeans that fit her well and a light blue shirt with a crescent moon on the collars, she was also wearing silver high heels, which is a slight unique color choice.
She was sitting at a large oak wood desk doing paperwork with a bored look on her face, her blue eyes then darted up from her papers and caught the two blue orbs staring at her from the shadows in the admittedly dark office.
She jumped in her chair, a look of surprise on her face, which slightly made him chuckle in amusement.
She spoke, a red hue on her cheeks and a sheepish tone in her voice made Jon almost want to hug her for some reason, “ I am sorry, I didn’t hear anyone come in. My name is Luna, what can I do for you?”
Jon smiled, Eeyup I recognise this place alright. He thought in amusement to the four actuators hiding under the trench coat.
He said as he sat down on the comfortable chair in front of the desk, “ Well Ms. Luna. I am wondering if you have a job opening that’s available?”
The bell rang throughout the halls of Canterlot High School, and students started pouring into the hallways to get to their next classes.
Twilight Sparkle walked through the hall, being careful not to bump into anyone like she did at Crystal Prep.
She was a transfer student that went here after The Friendship Games and made friends with Sunset Shimmer, Rarity Belle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie after trying to absorb magic from another version of their world.
Spike, her loyal best friend and dog, accidentally jumped through a couple of holes in the universe that was connecting to both worlds and gained the ability to talk. It was a bonding experience ever since then.
She made her way into the suddenly new science class with a few other students, students she recognised, “ Hey Sunset!”
The Fire haired girl that was wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt with a sun symbol on it, and black tight jeans and red sneakers smiled at Twilight, closing the small gap between the two and gave her best friend a hug, “ Hey Twilight! Ready to learn new things?”
Twilight let go of Sunset and got out of the hug, an eyebrow raised, “ There’s a new subject for Canterlot High to learn? Really? Who’s the teacher?”
Sunset shrugged her shoulders, “ I don’t know, Twi. Apparently they arrived a week ago, asking for a job.”
She then smiled mischievously and teased, “ Let’s see if this teacher is good at the subject before we try and blow things up, ok? Don’t want another Chemistry lesson getting creative again like a month ago.”
Twilight blushed, “ Hey, that happened one time and it was an accident!” Sunset smiled, her mischievousness sated for a bit, “ I know, Twi, I know. I’m just teasing.” The students heard the bell ring and made their way to their seats.
Just in the nick of time too.
The door to the classroom opened, and in came a man wearing a white buttoned up shirt and a red bowtie with suspenders, a pair of black slacks that fit him, brown hiking boots, a belt, and a black vest and trench coat.
His blue eyes scanned over the students with a sharpness nobody has ever seen.
Then, the man smiled and said, “ Good afternoon everyone. Hope you are ready to delve into some learning experiences about fusion reaction and its properties.”
He walked in front of the white board and wrote the words Mr. Whalen on the side.
He turned back to the students and smiled at them, as if nostalgic of them, and continued his speech, “ My name is Mr. Whalen, I’ll be your new science teacher for you Seniors and Juniors. Now, before we get into complexities and whatnot, I am gonna be taking attendance just in case we’re missing anybody. Now, Aria Blaze?”
A light purple hand rose into the air, “Here.”
Mr. Whalen only smiled, “ Good, Dinky Hooves?”
The attendance went by pretty quickly, ending on Twilight, who raised her hand up and said, “ Here, Professor.”
Mr. Whalen then checked the box and eyed the names of anyone missing, only Sonata Dusk was absent, and apparently Adagio Dazzle and Aria Blaze were her older sisters, “ Ms. Blaze, Ms. Dazzle, where is Ms. Sonata Dusk right now?”
Adagio smiled, she liked this new teacher, as she answered, “ My sister is at the hospital, she broke her leg and is being there overnight. She’ll be back by tomorrow, sir.”
Mr. Whalen nodded, “ I wish your sister well.”
The way he said this, made Aria raise an eyebrow, Does he know something? She thought to her sister, who responded back to her clutch sister, I don’t know, there’s something about him that’s not right.
Adagio looked as if she was paying attention to Mr. Whalen’s lecture on fusion reaction, her mind was elsewhere, I hope Sonata gets back, if they catch her stealing their cash so we can keep getting food... She thought, a little panicked, but she didn’t show it.
Twilight took note that when Mr. Whalen’s back was turned, she saw a small red light peek from a tiny hole in the trench coat.
When she blinked, it was gone.
She made a mental memo to find out if she saw something that was real, or she was losing her mind again...
-------------------------------
Jon looked out the window of his empty classroom, a bottle of water in one hand, taking small sips periodically to quench his thirst, and not chug it down like an idiot.
His actuators are stretching out and moving around a little to get the aches and creeks in their mechanical joints.
The top left actuator was looking out with him, talking to him in a voice that he interprets as female, actually all four are female and call him Father.
It was a weird feeling for him, being called father, let alone being called it by four sentient mechanical arms that are attached to his spine.
He looked at the actuator that spoke to him, albeit sheepishly in possible fear of her father’s reaction, “ Someone almost spotted you? Who?”
At the answer, he chuckled and shook his head, “ Of course, Twilight Sparkle. You need to be more careful, I don’t want to cause mass panic at the sight of you four, not because your ugly, you’re beautiful, so stop looking at me like that. But because they sometimes don’t understand new things, they fear new things that they don’t understand, whether it is natural, man made, or alien-like.”
Then he put his hand against his face and sighed, I guess this is what it’s like to be a father. He thought as he finished, “ Just be more careful in the future, I don’t want to lose my four daughters that I just met.”
The four voiced their agreement with loud clicks and quiet screeches.
Jon was about to say something else, when the door suddenly opened up behind him, and he whirled around, the actuators quickly hiding under the trench coat as he did so quietly.
He turned and saw Vice Principal Luna, wearing the same outfit from last week, I don’t think they change outfits unless it’s a special occasion. He thought as he spoke, “ Hello, Ms. Luna, what can I do for you?”
Luna raised an eyebrow and then looked around the room in suspicion, Odd. Nothing seems out of place, But I heard Mr. Whalen talking to someone. Possibly someone on the phone? Don’t be ridiculous, he doesn’t have a phone from what I’ve seen. Maybe I’ll talk to Tia later tonight. She thought as she answered Mr. Whalen’s question, “ Hello, Mr. Whalen. I was coming to get you for the staff meeting that’s gonna start in ten minutes. We, my older sister Celestia and I, would like you to attend, If you’re willing?”
Jon smiled at Luna, then nodded his head, “ Of course. Lead the way.”
After the bell that signified that the school day was over, the students began walking out of the class with thoughts of either hanging out, partying, or just going home to vegetate and maybe work after school.
Some students do work after a day at school, right?
Jon walked out the front doors of the school and across the street, straight to the warehouse from which he first woke up on.
He kept looking over his shoulder, making sure that he wasn’t being followed, I must be paranoid. He thought as he walked to the warehouse door.
Once he got the door open with ease, he walked into a dusty room filled with shelves and large amounts of broken machinery.
A perfect base of operations in case his actuators get damaged.
He took off his trench coat and put it on a hanging rack next to him and let his actuators move him to an office which had a set of stairs.
He could’ve used them, but they were so rusty, they were nothing but dust as soon as he tried to go up once.
Never again.
He was moving through the air at a sedate pace as he went to the height where the more trusty platform that lead to the door was, and he lowered himself down to the metal grating.
His actuators looked around the warehouse in case they missed any details or that they might spot someone due to the height to which he was at gives him an advantage to see throughout the entire warehouse interior.
Once he made sure that no one was in the warehouse with him, he opened the office door and went inside, shutting it behind him.
He sighed and rolled his shoulders in relief, glad that the stiffness of being in a school full of students was gone.
Don’t get him wrong, he loved teaching people new things, but he just can’t stand the stupidity that some students have.
Was I like that a few years ago? He thought in consideration as he sat down on a brown leather sofa with scratches and a couple of discolored patches here and there, evidence of his sewing job after he first found it in an alley outside the building.
The actuators sprawled themselves around him in a sort of relaxed manner.
One of them was laying down across his lap, him running his hand over its sinuous body, making it hum in a sort of purr.
The other three were sprawled over the top of the couch and one on the ground.
It amusedly reminded him faintly of having four affectionate cats.
Then the one on the ground moved through the air and shrieked at something, alerting him and the others that there was an intruder in the room.
The actuator that shrieked shot towards and grabbed the person that was huddling in a dark corner.
The intruder, a girl, shrieked in surprise and fear at being grabbed by the metal arm and was being dragged towards Jon as he sat there with a eyebrow raised and was a stern look on his face.
Once the girl was in the light, he recognised her.
It was Sonata Dusk. The absent student.
Jon stared at the bruised and cut girl that was shivering through torn clothes, fortunately decent.
He then asked, his stern face that he had up and ready to demand what the previously unknown person was doing in the warehouse at this time, softened into concern that rarely was shown for anyone, “ Ms. Dusk? What happened to you? You look like you’ve been through the grinder in the past day.”
She didn’t answer, only shuddered suddenly and rolled her eyes up to the back of her head. Her body fell forward and went limp in his arms, unconscious.
Jon pressed to fingers against the girl’s wrist, and when he felt a strong pulse, he relaxed into relief.
He lifted the girl bridal style and took her to an adjacent room with a twin bed that was there for years. He made sure that there were no rats or bed bugs infesting the room and building first before he… moved in.
Jon set Sonata down on the recently washed mattress and tucked her in with a quilt he bought earlier today. He watched the young girl sleep, and was reminded of the bruises and cuts that was on her body.
His fists began clenching with boiling fury at someone harming another, and the actuators were shrieking quietly as they could so that they wouldn’t wake the girl at the acknowledgement of the girl’s injuries.
He wanted to hurt something, no, someONE.
Nobody gets away from hurting another person, not on his watch.
After making sure that Sonata was comfortable and asleep till midnight at least, he climbed to the roof using the window and his actuators’ help to scale the building with ease.
He was pissed, and he started scaling the gaps between buildings as he zoomed with the help of the actuators keeping him off the ground.
Suddenly, a scream shouted a couple of blocks away, if it wasn’t due to the actuators enhanced senses, he would’ve never even heard it.
Jon stopped away looked down into an alley, watching a couple of people fighting over a bag and another who was holding the other person, with a knife to her throat.
How he could tell was the figure, it was really obvious.
Then his blue eyes widened, he recognised her.
It was his boss, Principal Celestia!
Oh, now those punks are going down! He exclaimed in his mind, his vision seeing red at the sight of one of the people that helped him get settled into the teacher’s environment about to get hurt.
He shot out his top right actuator at the person holding the knife against Celestia’s throat, grabbing his arm and jerked it away from the woman’s trachea, before any of them knew what was happening.
Then he shot out his top left actuator at the man with a swing to the chest, making him fly to the other wall of the alley and hit it hard against his head, knocking him out.
The other punk dropped the large handbag and made a run for it. Leaving his friend behind.
Big mistake...
Celestia watched as a metal arm swung down from the roof above her and grabbed the man that was trying to mug her by the neck and lifted him up and over the edge of the rooftop.
The punk tried to free himself from whatever grabbed him from behind, but it was all of naught.
All he last saw was the shine of sunglasses and blue eyes glowing with fury.
Celestia looked down at the knocked out man in the alley. Then to the roof where whatever the metal arm grabbed the other punk was.
Upon seeing a silhouette of a man, she squinted to try and see whoever helped her.
But all she got was that the man was wearing a long trench coat and had four metal arms sticking out of his back, when he turned, not enough time to get a good look at his face.
Then the man disappeared, a small noise of metal clanking signifying his departure.
Celestia still looked for the man, but after a few moments of waiting, she sighed and picked up her purse from the ground.
She walked out of the alley that she was trying to go through so she could take a shortcut home, the she went the long way around, making a mental note to never trust an alley at night time again.
She wasn’t aware of the man watching from a tall building, and the metal arms with red eyes following her movements till she came to her house and went inside.
Jon nodded as he heard the telltale sound of a lock engaging, then looked down at the knocked punk that was being held by the bottom right actuator, grinning evilly at the thought of at least getting some revenge and maybe clean up the streets a little.
A vigilante is starting to sound great as a night time hobby. He thought as he tied up the two muggers with chicken wire and left them at the doorstep of a nearby police station and went back home.
After he made a call to the Dazzling sisters telling them he has Sonata at his place. Which made them slightly panic when they heard that he found bruises and cuts on their youngest sibling.
Adagio and Aria drove to where he was, Sonata in his arms and helped get her to the car and rode along with them to their apartment.
He made made a note to ask why Adagio was lying to him earlier, but he needed to help Sonata get at least a little better however he can.
His actuators were hidden underneath his coat that he donned again when he came back to the warehouse from his night time activity later that night.
He wasn’t worried about Sonata seeing the actuators, but she might tell her sisters. If she doesn’t, then that’s fortunate and luck smiling down on him, since they were Sirens from another world entirely, they’re bound to at least be told of what she saw and ask they kept it secret, since they have so many.
Maybe he was too positive on the situation.
Still, he was lucky that Celestia didn’t know that it was him who saved her in that alley.
After making sure Sonata was in the apartment and with her older sisters, who were disinfecting the cuts and bandaging her from a couple of broken ribs that they noticed, he made his way back to the warehouse to get some sleep.
He has a job to go to tomorrow...
Chapter 4: Welcome To Jurassi- I Mean, Camp Everfree!!!
The bus drove down the dirt road leading into the mountains and dense forest. The bus was full of Canterlot High students who were listening to the two Principals as the two siblings spoke of their time at the Camp.
Jon was sitting in the back, reading JAWS on a hardback cover that he brought from the library to read, while his bottom right actuator was hidden from sight as it went up the aisle so that he could hear and read at the same time, so he wouldn’t miss any information.
He was already accustomed to the Equestria Girls world pretty good to not make a fool of himself, yet it still felt weird.
Spike was lying under the seat of his owner and slightly jumped at the sight of a metal snake-like creature slithering quietly past him.
He didn’t make any noise because of his curiosity on where it came from.
He followed the sinuous metal body and widened his eyes at it sticking out from Mr. Whalen’s back, as if was a part of him!
Mr. Whalen then looked up from his book and met Spike’s green eyes with amusement, a smirk on his lips at the gaping purple and green dog. Then he winked at him, and returned to his book.
Spike blinked at the way the new teacher didn’t seem to think he cared about the metal snake thing coming from his back or the way that a dog was gaping at him.
The snake body slid back until its pincer like head was face to face with him, open and staring at him with a red LED light as if it was staring into his soul.
Then it’s pincers shut silently, and patted him on the head gently, before returning all the way to the trench coat and disappeared.
The bus rolled to a stop in front of a wooden archway that had the words carved “ Camp Everfree” etched on it.
Jon put his book into the inner pocket of his trench coat and got up from his secluded spot, he then followed the mass of students into the camp.
He then went to a tent that had the name teacher and staff written on a sign next to it. In regards to sleeping arrangements, there are about ten tents for teachers and staff with male and female pairs.
Jon knew that he was gonna get a roommate, in fact, he anticipated it. If not, then he can let his actuators out for a stretch since they’ve been hiding all day.
He opened the flap and went inside, looking around the quite spacious area of the tent filled with a couple of cots, and sleeping bags on both of them.
But that wasn’t what caught his eye.
Sitting on one of the cots was Vice-Principal Luna. She was sitting there, hands folded into her lap, shoulders slumped, and staring at nothing. It is as if she was in her own thoughts.
Jon walked over to her, and reluctantly put a hand on his boss’s shoulder, shaking her very lightly as to not startle her, “ Luna?”
The woman in question snapped out of her thoughts as she slightly jumped at the sound of his voice. I didn’t even hear or see anyone come in! She thought with a little embarrassment.
Jon raised an eyebrow at the small blush on Luna’s face and became concerned. “ Are you alright?”
Luna nodded her head tentatively, What is wrong with me? Why does he make me feel like a little sister, even more than Tia? She thought as she smiled, trying to convince her new colleague and new friend.
The only answer to that was another raised brow and facial expression that basically screamed, Yeah, I don’t believe that.
Jon then walked over to the cot and sat next to her, looking at her face, his blue eyes searching for something.
Then he smirked, “ You’re sad about something.”
Luna blinked in surprise, wow, he’s GOOD. She thought as he continued, “ You don’t like being alone for something you did a long time ago. Am I right to guess that you hate being feared and friendless for some reason? I won’t pry, but talking helps to lessen the pressure and the weight of the world off your shoulders.”
Luna thought about something as he talked, How does he know? We only met a week ago, either he’s a creepy stalker or is really good at reading people.
Jon snorted as he saw the slightly dazed look in Luna’s eyes, I bet she’s wondering how I know what she’s going through.
Before Luna or Jon could say anything else, the tent flap opened and in came Gloriosa Daisy, the caretaker of Camp Everfree.
She stopped at the sight of Jon and Luna sitting at one cot, and raised an eyebrow, “ Am I interrupting something?”
Jon blinked in slight bewilderment and Luna blushed at the words.
Then Jon chuckled and shook his head, amused at the way Luna was trying to splitter out a reply,
He answered for her, “ No, ma’am. You’re not interrupting at all. What do you need help with?”
Gloriosa seemed to deflate in relief, Probably had to deal with horny teens once in a while. He thought with amusement.
Gloriosa replied with a smile, “ I was just going to tell you welcome to Camp Everfree and that lights out are at 10:00. But since it’s 9:30 and we hadn’t eaten anything, I will let it go to 12:00 today. So, why don’t you two come out so we can get some grub in you?”
Jon and Luna smiled at the thought of food and followed Gloriosa out to a large area with a few rows of tables, and benches filled with students and staff who are eating different varieties of food.
They stayed with her older sister Celestia and Twilight Sparkle, who for some reason, is glancing at him every minute or so with a weird expression on her face.
After half an hour, dinner is done and it was lights out after a few campfire stories, but Jon didn’t join in because it reminded him of the time he and his family went camping, so he went to his tent and laid on his side so as to not hurt himself and his actuators, who were enjoying themselves of listening to the creepy camp stories.
He fell asleep in about 5 minutes, after listening to the light breeze going through the trees, and the crickets singing long into the beautiful night...
Jon woke up suddenly at the sound of the tent flap zipping up, and he turned his head so he could face the tent entrance, and then he saw a female silhouette going away from the tent.
He turned to look at the cot next to him.
It was empty of its occupant.
Jon shot out of the cot and onto his feet, looking at his watch and seeing it was 1AM at night, made him worry.
Luna was supposed to be in the tent. Where is she going at this time of night? He thought as he took off his coat, which he had been wearing to keep the cold of the mountain air out.
His actuators shot out and snaked around in the air, scanning their surroundings after he got out of the tent so the fabric won’t get caught.
His attention right now was to hear anything unusual around him, but there was nothing except for the sound of the actuators and the soft and even breathing of the people asleep around him.
He’s gonna have to go into the possibly wolf infested forest, isn’t he?
Jon sighed, at one hand, it would allow his actuators to stretch and move around more, on the other, he might get caught, but if Luna was in danger, he shuddered at what Celestia would think or do if she found out he could help her younger sister.
Hell, she would BLAME him for not helping Luna with the actuators.
With the decision made, he maneuvered through the campsite as quietly as he could, and then flew through the trees with an ease that makes one think that he was very flexible and badass if one were to see him.
After about ten minutes moving around trees and shrubbery, his attention was caught by his bottom left actuator which shrieked at him.
Jon stopped and closed his eyes.
He figured that he can see what the actuators see after a week ago while dozing off. It worked perfectly in case he becomes blind by something.
Through the blue and red haze of the actuator’s camera, he could see an red heat signature huddle up inside a crevice made of rocks and wood according to the sensors, and it was in a clearing about 100 meters away to his right.
He then noticed that there was another signature, but much larger.
A scenario popped into his head and his eyes shot open, his blue irises glowing with primal fury.
Luna and Celestia might not know it yet, but he sees them as his sisters, and he was the middle child if they were family. So he’s gonna do his damned best to protect them if either one of them were in danger. --------------------
*Elsewhere*
Luna stared with fear as she was backed up against a large rock wall, facing a giant bear claw trying to get to her, but it was blocked by a crevice of rocks and wood that nature created to make a perfect shelter for someone like her got lost in the woods at night.
She was just coming into the clearing earlier that night to think about things, and possibly ask the night sky about why she was forgiven after what she did.
But the Moon-damned bear interrupted her melancholy and thoughts, and jumped her, breaking her ribs in the process.
So she immediately squeezed herself into the crevice to escape immediate death, coming to a close call when one of its ginormous claw swiped at her, but missed a scant few inches.
She pressed herself more against the rock wall as much as she can to keep distance from the bear’s claw, but she was as far back as she could go.
Just as when she thought she was dead, the claw suddenly yanked out of the hole of the shelter and was roaring at something.
Something roared back, but it was more of a metallic screech than anything else.
Suddenly there were loud thuds and something clanking around for awhile, then sound of metal against metal was sudden, but not more than the sound of a bone chilling crunch echoing throughout the clearing.
Luna tried to keep her blurry vision from going dark, and the only thing she saw was the sight of a metal claw with a red light reaching towards her, and a silhouette appearing at the entrance of the shelter…
----------------------------------
When she woke up, she was back in the tent, on the cot.
Luna was confused, Was that a nightmare? Or was it real? She thought as she got up into a sitting position, hissing slightly in pain and surprise.
She then looked down and her heart dropped, No it was not. She thought in slight dismay.
Luna stared at her bandage covered torso, wrapped around the lower ribs where the bear’s claw hit her.
Her thoughts stopped as she saw that she was partially naked, her black lace bra covering her and her usual pants were the only things giving her slight decency.
Who-who took off my shirt?! Luna thought, flustered and slightly angry at the boldness of someone taking off her clothes without permission.
But on the other hand, they wrapped her up and numbed the pain a little. So there’s a slight chance that whoever did this didn’t do anything undesirable to her while she was unconscious.
If they did, his or her future generation would be at risk, and she was VERY good with a knife.
Luna slipped a clean blue shirt on to cover her bandaged torso and put on some sandals, then she grabbed the edge of the cot and heaved herself to her feet, ignoring the pain on the way up.
As soon as she was confident enough to keep her balance and walk normally, she made her way out of the tent and into the sunshine.
She looked around the campsite that was filled with students mingling or working on making the dock, which once was considered rundown earlier, even better.
She kept looking through the area and a scene caught her eye; It was Jon playing with a bunch of younger students, including the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
He was laughing, his blue eyes shining with a gleefulness. A stark contrast to his usual look of a man who was on the verge of a full mental breakdown. To be frank it scares her and the rest of the faculty.
If kids can do this to a man that usually doesn’t have a heart on his sleeve, what has Mr. Whalen gone through to be like this? Luna thought, while she went to the lodge where the teachers were congregating for morning coffee…
She also needed to talk to her older sister about what happened last night... --------------------
“ You were attacked by WHATNOW?!”
Luna covered her ears as Celestia voice echoed throughout the large clearing. She could accept that her sister was upset that she went off into the woods at night, alone.
Celestia is protective of her younger sister, ever since Luna got out of the mental hospital and out of rehab. She has taken precautions on stressful situations her sister can go through without physically attacking someone without even knowing what she was doing.
Ever since Mr. Whalen arrived at the school for the job, Luna has been more calm and less cold lately, so Celestia couldn’t blame her sister for wanting to make a new friend, even if said friend is an enigma.
I wonder what Mr. Whalen is hiding? The only way he shows true emotion is through me and Lulu. Yet he acts as if he has a positive and professional mask on to everyone else, or just doesn’t talk about his family life in general. What is that about? She thought.
“ We need to find out who saved me, Tia.” Luna said, putting her hands on the taller woman’s shoulders, staring into her magenta eyes, a look of pure determination swirling in her turquoise ones.
She was adamant on finding out what that metal snake thing was and finding out whoever was controlling it so she could thank them. Evidently they had saved her life.
Her answer wouldn’t come until the final day, when Gloriosa Daisy would use Gaia Everfree’s magic and trap them all in a wall of thorns…
The thorn vines were crawling fast across the buildings and forming a thick wall of plants and sharp thorns jutting out at them to prevent the people trapped inside the lodge to start cutting them.
Luna and Celestia were doing all they could to keep the small amount of students calm, while Jon was staring at the wall of thorns with a sort of resignation in his eyes.
Well, I hadn’t planned on revealing them yet, but if it’ll keep people safe...
I have no choice. He thought as he turned back to the huddled forms of students that were panicking and hyperventilating.
Celestia heard a sigh and turned around. She saw the look in her colleagues eye and was confused on why the man had a defeated and resigned look.
Her answer came in the form of him taking off his brown trench coat he'd never been seen without regardless of the weather as he turned to face the thorns.
All eyes widened as they took in the four metal snake-like arms whirring about the air around Jon, seemingly attached to his back as the surveyed their surroundings with their red gaze.
So that’s what he was hiding. He was hiding THEM. She thought, mentally making a note to talk to Mr. Whalen about him keeping secrets that could potentially be dangerous in the wrong hands.
Jon turned to the doorway and raised his hands in a sort of grabbing position, the actuators tensed and followed the movement, waiting to strike the thorny green wall in front of him.
He shot his arms forth and they obeyed the command to grab the wall with a force that could kill someone in their grappling pincers.
Jon began to pull as if he was grabbing an object, grunting with exertion and force that reminded him of the time Alfred pulled a vault door off through sheer will. He was thinking it could work the same with the wall in front of him.
He gave a mental shout to the arms that they could do it, then began feeling proud as the wall started to rip and tear at the corners where the pincers were grappling.
With one last strong pull, the wall broke free and he threw it to the side where no one would get hurt and jumped through the closing hole as fast as he could, a grim determination in his eyes.
After the wall closed, Celestia looked at Luna, and Luna looked at Celestia. Both of their thoughts were the same.
We need to talk to him if we survive… -------------------------------
Gloriosa, AKA Gaea Everfree Reincarnated, was suddenly surprised at the boldness of the man walking toward her with some metal arms attached to his back, Is he an enemy? Does he want to help me protect these people from the wolves in human skin? She thought as she locked eyes with the familiar man.
Jon stood a yard away from Gloriosa, staring at her with a weird gleam in his eye.
His actuators were staring at the woman in the green dress and vines with slight awe, feeling the power she had ripple outward for all to behold.
Jon tilted his head a little bit and closed his eyes for a second and saw the same as they could.
She’s immensely powerful. I don’t know if we can defeat her or not. But we have to try. He thought to them.
This was a new emotion for the actuators to feel; Doubt was something they never felt before, but the powerful feeling of determination slightly subdued it.
But still, they were unnerved at the feeling of their father doubting that he could save these people.
The top right actuator lowered it’s head and looked at him, its red camera lens gleaming at him, We will not fail, father. She spoke, a light yet slightly squeaky voice replied back. We can do this.
Jon stared at the speaking actuator for a second before his eyes lit up and nodded sharply.
The actuators tensed up once again and moved to attack position above and his head and the two lower actuators lifted him into the air.
Gloriosa then sneered out, “ Just who and what are you?”
The man immediately responded, the gleam in his eye brightening as his muscles tensed, ready for the fight, “ I am many things, miss. I have known a few names. Doctor Otto Octavius, Doc Ock, now Jon Whalen. But those names are unimportant at this time, for you now face Doc Ock.”
Jon said one sentence to Gloriosa, who was in a offensive and defensive position as she saw the metal arms begin tensing up and ready to launch at her.
“ Do You Wanna Have A Bad Time?” ------------- FIGHT!
As if a bell mentally rung out, both charged each other, arms and fisticuffs trying to land a hit.
Jon jumped using the bottom actuators for height and easy jumping and landed on top of the woman with his boot against her chest, trying to make her stay on the ground.
But it was not meant to be.
Gloriosa used a vine and struck him off her and he went flying across the campsite, landing into the forest.
She looked at the forest with frustration, angry to see that someone else who is opposing her help once again, “ WHY?! WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT I WANT TO HELP?! I WANT TO PROTECT THESE PEOPLE FROM THE BAD MAN! THE ONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE MY HOME AWAY!”
Her answer came in the form of a large flying tree coming at her from the dense forestry, making her dash to the side.
Jon came out of the forest and replied with, “ Because this is not the way to protect people, Gloriosa. This is madness! You’re hurting these people by trapping them!”
His top left actuator struck the ground next to Gloriosa, making her fly through the air and hitting the ground hard.
She shot up from the ground and ran at him, shooting a green blast at him from her hands, dead set on making him suffer for going against her.
The blasts were almost there at the speed of a bullet, but somehow he dodged with graceful ease, a snarl on his lips at how close they came to be able to hit him.
The fight continued a few minutes, both of them dodging each others attacks and trying to get a hit on each other, which they did, a couple of injured ribs on Jon, and a bruise in Gloriosa’s- well, Gaea Everfree’s side, which was hidden underneath their clothes.
Suddenly, his two top actuators shot out and grabbed Gloriosa, who was trying to charge at him to get closer so that he wouldn’t be able to dodge her blasts, and gotten caught with the two metal tentacles that wrapped around her torso.
He lifted her and brought her closer to him, with her struggling to get out of the hold, and stopped only a few inches away as he stared at her in the eyes with a sense of annoyance in his face.
“ Don’t you think that there is a better way than this? A better way to protect your home without hurting anybody and be accepted for who you are, not what you are?”
Gloriosa suddenly broke out of the grip and swung a thorned vine at Jon, making him dodge, narrowly missing an inch from where his left cheek had been.
The man sighed, resigned that he couldn’t get through to Gloriosa, and readied up to fight Gaea Everfree once again.
After a few well placed punches on both sides, they have bruises on their cheeks, arms, and torsos that were covered up, and Gaia was tiring quickly.
Jon threw Gaea Everfree across the campsite and she landed on the same viney pedestal she was standing on when he joined to fight.
He then saw a purple glow emanating from a large sphere of vines, and slightly smirked, an idea coming to mind.
He spoke to her, his voice heard clearly, “ Before you go on about protecting people in your forest, Why don’t you tell us the real reason that you wanna protect them, Hmm? Is it for power, is it for support so people don’t cut down the forest? Tell the truth!”
Gaea snarled at the man with the four metal arms for a moment, then slumped down a little, her energy completely gone to stay up.
She then whispered, her voice so quiet that no one was almost able to hear, “ I am so alone.”
Jon stopped and he listened, while the vines behind Gaea’s viney pedestal glowed a little brighter.
“ I have been here for centuries, forgetting the real reason of the need to protect these people. I honestly didn’t want to fight anyone, but if it’s to protect innocent people....”
Gaea then snapped her head up, her eyes glowing fiercely in determination, screaming as a energy gathered into her.
“I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO ACHIEVE MY GOALS, EVEN IF IT MEANS KILLING YOU TO DO SO!!!”
She then fired a large blast at Jon, who was only a few feet away from Gaea, and it impacted his chest, sending him flying across the small area of vines that gathered around them.
Jon hit the ground hard, and his actuators were sparking a little bit at the power surge behind the attack, twitching and unable to move.
He coughed as he felt the air in his lungs being whooshed out of him from the impact, and shakingly lifted his head up and spied Gaea cocooning herself in vines, the power of the seven gemstones that she wore on her necklace making her radiate with unfathomable power.
He slowly got into a kneeling position, and smirked as the familiar lavender teen, Twilight Sparkle flying with wings on her back, readied her magic behind Gaea’s vine pedestal and called out, “ By the way!”
Once he was sure he got her attention, he continued, “ I wasn’t trying to defeat you Miss Everfree, I was stalling you!”
Gaea Everfree cackled, the feeling of victory at hand, and replied with a sneer on her face, “ Stalling me for what?” Then something happened behind her, an explosion of magic.
Jon smiled with a tired look in his eyes, “For Them.”
Twilight and her new friends used their newfound magic to grab the gemstones from Gaea’s neck and a bright light engulfed the entire forest, destroying the vine dome that surrounded them. ----------------------------------------------
After the events of Camp Everfree and the cleanup were done and over with, Jon stopped the man known as Filthy Rich from talking to Gloriosa, who was back to normal but still has the power of Gaea Everfree, meditating to put a balance between the two split personalities.
His actuators, now that they were back in working order after the light show wiped away Gaea’s magic from the area, were hidden under the trench coat he put on after he got it back once again, so only the people in the camp knows about them.
They swore secrecy to not tell anyone outside of the school with a Pinkie Promise, made by the pink party bachelor herself. Who takes the Promise seriously and anyone who breaks said Promise, well, you might as well kiss life goodbye.
“Mr. Rich. I am sorry, but the camp is not for sale.” Jon said with a slight sadistic gleam in his eyes.
Filthy snorted, thinking that this kid is richer than him and buy a camp, “ Yeah, who said so?”
Jon smiled a sorta insane smile that made Filthy Rich unnerved, “ Me, of course. I’m the one who bought the Camp at a reasonable price.”
After hearing that, Filthy stomped back to his limousine and drove off. He didn’t want to see that type of expression directed at him ever again.
Jon chuckled, glad that worked and turned back to the campsite and smiling at the way everyone is helping each other to fix up the dock, and the Lodge.
He was interrupted by a throat clearing and turned to look at the two people beside him.
Celestia and Luna were looking at him with deadpan expressions and similar looks in their eyes that told him, ‘You have a lot to explain for.’
He gulped slightly at the upcoming discussion.
Might as well face the music. He thought as his actuators moved around the air, studying the two people that Father calls them not-siblings.
Then the day’s events caught up with him, and his ribs screamed at him in pain, making him groan.
Luna and Celestia moved closer to him, ready to catch him as he started swaying side to side. But was unnecessary as Jon’s actuators grappled the ground underneath their Master and Father, keeping him upright and steady.
Luna ran to the Lodge and grabbed a medical kit from it’s hooked up place on the wall near the main entrance.
Since there was no doctor around, it looks like it was up to the two of them to help Jon heal.
The actuators relaxed and let go of the ground as Celestia wrapped her arm around his shoulder and carefully carried him to a large empty tent with a lone cot sitting in it.
Once they got there, Celestia carefully and gently set Jon down, slightly at an angle to not hurt the man’s back or actuators.
Luna came back into the tent with the medical kit and got to work, carefully taking Jon’s coat off and setting it to the side. Then came the hard part.
Getting Jon’s shirt off, and taking a look to see if any ribs are broken.
Jon noticed and groggily took his white buttoned shirt off with the help of his actuators, gently moving through the four holes in the back made for them.
The two siblings watched, not even flustered at the fact that a man was practically taking his shirt off in front of them, and they think of him as a brother, even though they don’t admit it to anyone, so that helps.
Once the shirt was off, he looked down at himself, and grimaced at the painful looking bruises forming on his flabby torso, and started grunting in pain as Luna poke his left side to see if any of the ribs are broken.
“ Alright, no signs of any bones being broken, but it looks like your having trouble breathing. Ok Jon, take a deep breath. I’m gonna see if I can’t work it out.”
Jon did so, and braced himself for the pain, while his actuators are watching quietly, knowing that this was a delicate process.
Jon hissed in pain as Celestia and Luna felt his sides as gently as they could to feel if any of his ribs were actually broken, or dislocated and bruised.
As it turns out, they’re bruised. But Luna and Celestia didn’t wanna take any chances if they are broken since they were not experts on bone healing.
After wrapping Jon’s torso in gauze with some medicinal herb salve to numb the pain, the two sisters sat there in chairs next to his bed and stared at him with looks that said they are waiting for him to speak.
Jon raised an eyebrow, then spoke, “ What do you want me to say? Hi, I’m Jon Whalen and I’m looking for a job! Oh, let’s not forget the fact that I have four metallic sentient arms attached to my spine! Any positions open?”
For some reason, the two were smirking in amusement, and Jon turned around to look at his actuators that were staring at him with looks of intensity, that almost made him scared.
They were looks of playful hurt and slight amusement.
Father, One of the actuators said to his mind, a shy stuttering child’s voice emanating, Do you not like us anymore?
Jon recoiled back as if he was slapped in the face, “ Wha-No!, nononono! Of course I like you all, I was being sarcastic, sweetheart. It’s just…”
Then he heard guffaws, and he whirled around, glaring at Celestia and Luna who were laughing at him, “ It’s not funny! You try being a father of four!”
The two ignored him and continued laughing, holding their sides at the scene before them, eventually even Jon started chuckling in self amusement, not wanting to laugh because it hurt a little with each breath he takes, and the actuators looked on in a sense of content now that their Father was happy with his not-siblings.
Twilight Sparkle found herself in a bit of a predicament. One that she has been in ever since the camping trip to Everfree.
When they all got back to the school, Twilight took it upon herself to find out the mystery behind Mr. Whalen’s metal arms, or actuators that he calls them.
She was intrigued at the way they worked with a fluid grace as they fought Gaea Everfree, she knew they were responding to mental commands from Jon, but she noticed that the arms themselves have individual personality that differentiates between them.
Due to her observations in the science class where the Professor is openly showing the actuators and using them to help around the class, she can figure out which personality belonged to which arm. There was one on the bottom right that is shy and quiet, but not afraid to help its master with a readiness that Twilight never saw before.
There was the top left one that is cuddly to Professor Whalen, always hanging around his left shoulder and speaking to him mentally and in quiet shrieks, indicating conversation and suggestions on what to do with problems and give Mr. Whalen ideas for long term projects.
There was the one on the opposite shoulder which helps with a fierce passion, no matter how hard the problem it can figure out the equation to the solution and help show it’s answer, kinda reminiscent of herself, very studious and happy to help with hard equations that students or Jon couldn’t figure out.
Then there was the one on the bottom left, it was very… quiet, almost autistic and smart at the same time. Also ready to help when noticed and helps in a gentle manner that shows that it’s kind to others.
Twilight noticed that Mr. Whalen was highly autistic, but when he gets talking, it makes people kinda wonder whether he has Autism or not, or the actuators help him speak his mind without stuttering or taking awhile to speak.
After class, Twilight made her way to the teacher’s desk and asked,
“ How are you, Mr. Whalen? How are the... Actuators, are they called?”
Jon lifted his head up from his grading paper mode, and smiled tiredly, Twilight noticed the faint bags under Mr. Whalen’s eyes and was concerned that the man wasn’t getting enough sleep due to what happened recently.
Jon replied, “ I am fine, Ms. Sparkle, it’s just been a rough couple of days without getting time to rest. Grading papers can be a pain sometimes.”
Twilight nodded her head, remembering how she became a teacher’s pet at Crystal Prep and always made ahead in her classes.
Twilight asked, a little hesitant at the gleam in the man’s bright blue eyes tinged with tiredness, wondering whether or not she should leave so Mr. Whalen could get some well necessary rest.
" I was wondering on how your actuators work. Do they respond to your will? Do they have separate minds or are they one? Do they-”
She was interrupted by the bottom left actuator coming up to her face, studying her quietly with the red eye glowing, scanning her body with its sensor.
Mr. Whalen raised an eyebrow at the actuator, amused, and replied, “ Well, Ms. Sparkle… They do have female personalities that are mixed in with my own. They are loyal, friendly and ready to help, quiet and shy, studious and smart, the list goes on how much they are made AI wise.”
Twilight flinched slightly at the feeling of cold metal rubbing against her sheek, watching as the actuator that was studying her a few moments ago nuzzled her cheek with a gentle affection.
Jon snorted, smiling as he said, “ Junior here seems to like you. She said it reminds her of herself, and her siblings as well.”
He then got up from his chair, using the top two actuators to lift himself over the desk and sat himself down on the ground in front of his student.
The Professor then turned around and pointed at the back of his neck, Twilight noticed a blue light glowing attached to a metal spine that seemed to be connected to Mr. Whalen.
“ As you can see, I have an inhibitor chip that separates my mind from these four beautiful arms. I can communicate with them and request things to be done without fear of being turned against, and I can control them, instead of them controlling me.”
Twilight studied the actuator that was still nuzzling her closely, watching as its sinuous body moved through the air with a fluid grace that she’s only seen in snakes slithering around on the ground. The red eye and pincer-like head was wrapped around Twilight’s shoulders, resting its head and watching her reaction.
Twilight reached a hand out tentatively, knowing that Jon and the rest of the actuators were watching her carefully, knowing that this is a moment of trust for her to do the right thing.
When she set a hand gently against the cool yet warm metal, she felt awed at how something so mechanical can become so alive. She could practically feel the actuator purring on her shoulder as she stroked the metal coils that consisted of strong metallic material.
Jon looked on the scene with a smile, as the rest of the actuators slithered over to Twilight, analysing what the usually quiet actuator is experiencing to practically make it purr and hum loudly.
This… He thought.
This is what it’s like to have a family...
After a few hours talking between themselves about the advanced mechanics of Jon’s actuators, Twilight left the school and walked home with a smile on her face as she reminisced of the actuators becoming friendly and not a threat to the school or anyone for that matter.
They have a good father that is raising them after all, She thought as she made her way back home through the city of Canterlot.
* A Few Hours Later* Chapter 9: Welcome To The Family
Jon stared at the mansion that was located outside the city border with a sense of awe, his actuators scanning the building and marveling how humans like their father could build such structures.
So this is where Celestia and Luna live. He thought as he made his way to the metal giant double doors with the sun and moon symbols on both doors.
A few hours ago he got a text from his boss saying to come to their house so they could talk. Jon guessed that Celestia hadn’t forgotten about the incident.
So with great reluctance and reassuring from his daughters, Jon went through the city by maneuvering above the buildings with the help of his actuators, yet when he got to the edge of the city, he hesitated once again on how the meeting was gonna go.
Might as well face the music. Jon thought as he walked up to the door and knocked hard with his top right actuator hitting it, then he stepped back, waiting anxiously for his probable demise.
It was only a minute or so before the door with the moon symbol opened inwards and Luna peeked her head out to see who was there.
When she saw who was at the door, Luna smiled widely and wrapped her arms around Jon’s torso, and squeezing him so much he was slightly surprised at how strong the woman was.
Jon hugged back, more gentle than he used to before he came to this universe. He just didn’t want to hurt anyone with his surprising strength until he was forced to use it when fighting bad guys as the Metal Armed Vigilante the news was calling him nowadays.
The authorities or newspaper didn’t connect the dots just yet, and Jon wanted to keep it that way.
“How are you, Jon? Traffic rough when coming out here?”
He smiled at the older woman that he calls his sister, in all but blood, and answered,
“ I didn’t drive here, Luna. I climbed over the buildings with the help of my daughters.”
Luna was about to greet the actuators that clicked at her in greeting, before a new and younger voice came from behind her,
“ Auntie, who is at the door-?”
A pink skinned woman wearing a light purple suit jacket and a greyish skirt peeked over Luna’s shoulder and stared at Jon with surprise, her purple eyes taking in the actuators that stared back at her, before she spoke,
“Hello…”
Jon smiled at Dean Cadence and tipped his fedora that he bought a while ago and replied, “ Hello.”
Luna shook her head and sighed, stepping out of the way and saying,
“Why don’t you come in, Mr. Whalen. We were just about to have dinner. My sister is cooking tonight.”
Jon smirked, “ Well, if 2 beautiful ladies want me to stay over for dinner, how can I say no?”
Jon’s actuators slinked back under his coat with ease and hid in a large pocket that was attached to his vest that is a very strong material and can stretch a lot before ripping.
He took off his trench coat and hung it on a hook that was located just inside the doorway and looked around while he was at it.
The mainroom was huge, with white marble floors and tinted windows depicting events that reminded Jon of church. There was a set of stairs in the center leading up to a second floor with a couple of doors leading to presumably the rest of the mansion.
He nodded, lips pursed and went ‘hmm’. Jon was impressed.
Luna chuckled, “ It’s very large and empty, but it’s home.”
Jon followed Luna and Cadence to a door on the side of the mainroom and entered the dining room, taking a moment to admire the normal sized room with a mahogany table and about ten chairs with a candelabrum sitting in the middle of the table.
“ Hey Lulu, Cady! Who was at the door?!” A voice that Jon clearly recognised as Celestia’s emanated from the door off to the side.
Luna yelled back, answering her older sister, “ It’s Jon! He’s here with a smirk on his face as he is listening to us yell at each other! So why don’t you come on out and greet our guest?!”
Celestia walked through the door, wearing a white v-neck shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged her. She smiled and said, “ Hello Mr. Whalen, so glad you came to join us for dinner.”
Jon raised an eyebrow, slightly confused on whether his boss is dressing herself up to impress him, or that was just what she wore besides work clothes.
He then smiled, “ It’s good to be here, Celestia. Although I am a little confused on why I’m here.”
Cadence was the one that spoke for the both of the sisters, “ Well, we just wanted to get to know you better, since we practically know nothing on what you like or not like, what your hobbies are, etcetera. So, Luna came up with the idea to invite you over for dinner and talk as well.”
Jon thought it over for a bit, glad that his daughters were in sleep mode at the moment, and nodded, “ Sure, I needed to talk about what I like doing anyway, so I won’t be seen as a cold man who doesn’t feel anything.”
Luna smirked at Jon’s choice of words, “ We would be delighted to hear what you do, Jon.”
As dinner got set up on the table, with pots and a couple of hot pans on mits consisting of a hot meal, Jon sat down at the end of the rectangular table and relaxed his shoulders, the stress of having to deal with a class full of teenagers can get you worked up in no time flat.
“ So, I heard that you wanted to speak with me about why I hid the actuators from you?” Jon asked, filling his plate with some potatoes and steak.
Luna nodded, along with her older sister, who gave Jon an expression that practically said, ‘duh!’.
Jon sighed and took a bit of steak, and after swallowing it, which was VERY tasty by the way, and said,
“Where do I start?”
Cadence spoke, a soft calming lilt in it, “ Why not start from the beginning? You know, like how you came to be in the city or something?”
Jon nodded after thinking about it for a moment, “ You’re right, Cadence, the beginning…”
He spoke of how he got the actuators but left out the parts of how he was from a different dimension entirely.
No need to freak them out over that. Jon thought as he finished talking about waking up on a rooftop after being knocked out ‘mysteriously’ by a shady person.
He was taking a breather, when his top right actuator shot out of his back pouch and stared at Cadence, only a few inches from her face.
Luna and Celestia gasped at the way it was staring at their niece, the blood red light gleaming as it scanned her for some reason.
After a few moments, the actuator backed away and screeched quietly into Jon’s ear, the man tilting his head as he listened, a blank expression on his face.
After the metal arm said that, it went back into the pouch and went to sleep, joining the rest of its siblings.
Jon sighed as he processed the information, “ Well, that was unexpected-”
Celestia interrupted him by slightly asking, a threatening tone hidden underneath the confusion, “ What was that about, Mr. Whalen?”
The man lifted his head up and made eye contact with the older woman, his blue eyes piercing as he then glancing at Cadence, whose pink face began paling at a thought she had, “ Do you wanna tell them or should I?”
After a few moments, and getting an answer on how Cadence was going to explain something to her aunts, Jon made his way out of the dining room and woke up his daughter actuators, who looked around the massive room with awe, staring at the rose tinted window depicting events that happened a thousand of years ago.
His eye caught Luna’s as she exited the dining room with a large smile on her face, “ Did you know?”
Jon raised an eyebrow, indicating that she needed to be more specific than that.
At the expression, she elaborated, “ Did you know Cadence was pregnant? It makes sense since one of your metal arms came out and scanned her, after all.”
Jon sighed, rubbing his hand against his face as he thought up an answer,
“ No, I didn’t know she was pregnant. It was only after the scan did my daughter tell me of what she detected. She was the more paranoid and protective one of the four after all.”
He then chuckled at the memory of the actuator scanning the warehouse thoroughly 3 times to make sure that there was no one living in it already.
Jon shook the memories off as Celestia came out and hugged Jon suddenly. The man’s arms were hovering in the air as he froze.
“Uh… Tia?”
At the words, the woman pulled out of the hug and he saw that she had tears in those light purple eyes, making his caring side want to wipe them off.
Celestia said, her voice wavering, “ Thank you Jon. If you hadn’t found out that we were expecting a new member of the family, it would’ve been chaos at that point, even though it’s pretty peaceful out here.”
Jon pulled Celestia into another hug, being gentle with his arms since he knew he had strength of a bear if he puts his mind into it.
Jon smiled softly, “ It’s ok, Boss. It’s ok.” Celestia hugged him back, and they were joined by 2 more pairs of arms, indicating that Luna and Cadence were joining in on the group hug.
It was complete with Jon’s actuators gently wrapping around the group affectionately, their heads finding themselves on the shoulders of all four people.
This, this is what family is. Jon thought as they spent the rest of the evening talking about the future of the family and asking Cadence to bring home Shining Armor, Cadence’s husband of 6 months for a visit.
The conversation turned to Celestia asking something, “ Mr. Whalen, I want to offer you something.”
Jon sat up from his seat on the sofa edge as the rest were taken by Luna and Cadence, he was intrigued, and his daughters were urging him to ask, “ Sure, what is it?”
Luna and Cadence were caught in Celestia’s gaze and sat upright, with knowing smirks on their faces as they looked between the two.
After a few moments, Celestia drew a breath and asked, “ Would you like to be part of our family?”
At those words, Jon froze, his brain gears screeched to a halt burning with smoke and smelt like burning rubber.
He blinked, and asked one word, tilting his head a bit, “ Why?”
“Why do you think?”
The answer from Celestia made his brain go to work with the help of his daughters giving him clues and reasons on why he should join Celestia’s family tree.
Besides being protective of them and saving Luna and finding out that Cadence was pregnant, there doesn’t seem to be many reasons on why he should deserve to be a part of the family.
He spoke, severe confusion in his tone, “ Why do you think I deserve to be a part of this great family? Of all the people that you could’ve chosen, why me?”
Cadence and Luna looked at each other, caught off guard at the sad tone and slump of his shoulders, they were surprised that someone wasn’t jumping at this great opportunity to join an ancient family that has practically been there since the founding of Canterlot.
Celestia leaned forward, her expression serious, though inside, she felt slightly sad at the way Jon seems to think of himself sometimes.
The man hides behind a mask of a smile, an outgoing personality that seems so genuine, yet doesn’t express Jon himself. It’s heartbreaking.
“ I believe that you deserve far more, Mr. Whalen. I want you to join the family so you don’t have to be alone, to be afraid of being different to the world. I want you here, because I see you as someone who is like a brother to me, to me, to Luna, and a cousin to Niece Cadence here. We all see you as a part of the family, despite the secrets you keep.”
Jon thought it over for a few minutes, placing his head into his hands, and Cadence, Luna, and Celestia watched with bated breath, anxious to see what his answer would be.
After those few minutes, he lifted his head and smiled, a couple of tears streaking down his face as he answered,
“I accept.”
Celestia smiled back, getting up and giving Jon a gentle hug, ignoring the tears that was staining her shirt.
This is worth the tears, after all. … … … “Welcome to the Faust family, Mr. Whalen.”
Jon came home after everything that happened at Faust Manor, his mind a whirl of thoughts as he thought of Cadence’s pregnancy and the fact of Celestia welcoming him to her family tree.
In all honesty, he was flattered, and a bit happy that he has something worthy for being here after all since Jonathon knew he wouldn’t be able to get back to his home dimension, to his real family.
He maneuvered through the cluttered shelves of the area of the warehouse and up to his home, and went inside and took off his trench coat.
The actuators carried him to the couch as his body started becoming sluggish ever since he took care of that gang a few blocks back, turning them into the police station like all the rest of the trash. Jon knows being a vigilante means not following the justice system, but he doesn’t care, he is doing a good thing at least to help the world become a better place since he arrived.
He sat down and shut his eyes, eyelids heavy with the day’s events catching up to him, but it wasn’t so bad.
At least I’ve got family to look out for, and I guess I have to look forward to a long term stay instead of this warehouse. He thought to himself as he fell to the land of dreams.
What he didn’t know or the actuators see was that someone was already in the room with him, a pair of turquoise dragon slitted eyes staring at him with fear and weariness.
Then stepping out of the shadows came a woman, a woman with purple hair that flowed around the shoulders and wearing a body hugging silver armor that has seen better days.
Who is he? She thought, What are those metal contraptions coming out of his back?
The woman took a step forward and reached a hand out to take a look at the face of the man that came into her shelter, wanting to see who it was so that she may recognize him back in her world, but was stopped by one of the metal arms grabbing her hand suddenly.
The man’s eyes opened and she stared at the blue irises that looked like they were glowing in the light, she could even see her reflection in them.
The woman started panicking a little bit and started to try and pull her arm out of the three pronged metal hand, since she doesn't have enough strength to fight and wanted to run.
She stopped struggling as she saw the stern glare pointed at her as the man spoke
" Who are you, and what the hell are you doing in my home?" --------------------
