Chapter Fourteen
A/N: Some people have been PMing me about Kyle Drake. More specifically, his size in relation to the ponies and how big he is seeing of how much emphasis I've put on him being more of a tank kind of role.
I'd imagine Celestia being 6 feet tall. Kyle is 6 feet 5 inches. That being said, he is taller than Celestia if you don't include her horn. I'd imagine Celestia ranching just under his neck. Luna would reach to his upper chest and a normal pony would be at about his stomach. Next up, his size.
Think of him as more muscled than Mercer or Heller. With that, I've come to the finality of him being the size of a super soldier from [PROTOTYPE] 2.
Just figured I'd clear those things up before I began this chapter. As always, thank Guardian55 for working his magic on this story!
POV: Death
I could feel a slight pain in my body. Well, it wasn't really pain. More of an annoying ache. Still, the frustrating fact about this certain aching prodding at me was that it was all over my being, not in just one spot or two. It was in my everything; my body, my brain, my heart, my conscious, gah, enough!
To be honest for a moment, I wish I was like fabled Mercer. Yeah, you know what he did to himself to deal with annoying little aches like mine at the moment? When he was alive, through his skill in being a prototype, he could very well make the intelligent virus that was himself do whatever he wanted. That included him taking away all of the nerve endings in his viral body so that he never felt, well, pain.
Heh, lucky son of a bitch, right? Right. No matter what he ever took in battle, no matter the odds ever against him, despite whatever damage he received from whatever foe during his time, Mercer was a painless, fearless, even emotionless super being. What a set of abilities to have as a walking, breathing, menacing human virus, correct? I wouldn't mind getting them some time in the future. Not that I didn't have a few already but as for the not feeling pain and – alright, okay, you get the picture I believe.
Moving on, as my mental state went from being trapped with my mysterious, evil, hooded demon counterpart in nothing but whiteness, the sound of a flat-lining heartbeat monitor was what I heard first. Of course, with me half knowing I'd gotten done with the fight with the goliath in Canterlot's courtyard earlier, the beeping from the said monitor was more than likely mine. On a side note, I also knew I didn't need to have a beating heart. Or organs, or food too, or anything else that was vital to an otherwise mortal life. Being what I was, I had forever simply ate and worked out to try and feel like I was still human in the past.
Heh, truth be told, such acts of mine – of me trying to seem ordinary again before my days as a powerhouse virus – provided me with some nice feelings. It did or had indeed made me think back to before I became the virus known as Blacklight, before I'd gotten stuck in New York in the Yellow Zone or whatnot back in America.
Once more, moving on, the next sounds I heard apart for my heartbeat rate on the monitor were the sobs of multiple voices. And as for that, as for the weeping I could only hear but not see through my blurry vision, it was quite obvious to me who could be crying. Who other than the ponies that I had come to befriend? Who other than the ponies who had been threatened by the goliath? Who other than the innocent who had been shaken by the terrors of reality?
Gradually, maybe even with some effort on my weary part, my eyes opened. The sight that greeted me when I successfully or maybe half awoke, when I turned my head to look around at what were my surroundings, was of the group of ponies who had been there and had taken command of Canterlot's grounds when the goliath had attacked. Yes, I observed that there was Princess Twilight along with her friends, Celestia, Candy, and – oh, thank whatever greater powers – Luna.
All of the described ponies had their heads down and their eyes closed with a torrent of tears on each of their individual faces. Hah, wow. Even Celestia looked pretty, well, um, depressed over me. Nevertheless, no real shock to me at seeing her, none of them had been crying more than Luna had. To the fullest to honest truth, I could feel my heart break slightly at seeing the Princess of the Night sobbing so. And yet, the heartbreak I felt for her was short lived as I realized just how BAD I felt.
This aching in my heart… It was something unheard of for me. Perhaps not unheard of but alien, unfamiliar, something I thought lost for the longest time. Like since I'd become the monster I was, really. Truly, the only moment I'd felt anywhere near this bad – this emotional, saddened – had been when my parents had, ahem – bah, you know.
That being said, looking at the teary expressions around me, I was immensely surprised to discover this deep sense of depression that had embedded itself inside of me. After what felt like eternity, my eyes opened all the way at long last. With my eyesight a little blurry yet clear enough, I looked around me once more as well as looked at each individual crying pony. Not really able to resist because there might not be another good moment in the future to do so, my eyes landed longest on the snowy alicorn princess of the day.
As I'd described before, even Celestia was crying over me. Naturally, I knew then that I had forever held a special place in her heart. Despite our past conflicts, our former rivalries, our frequent arguments over how we should proceed in our partnership as royalty and royal guard, I'd known before now that I'd been a good friend to Celestia. And she'd been a good friend to me. Still, at this moment, it did me great honor to see her so worried for me. She truly cared for my well-being, always had. Thus, how many people, er, ponies, could say that they had seen her sob at their bedside for them?
With a held back grunt in my throat, not really wanting to call everypony to attention of me having awoken right yet, I looked across the room rather than say anything. Maybe I did so because I still didn't have a knack for… these dramatics? For being cried on? Being the center of attention for so much depression?
Almost instantly, my eyes shot onto knocked out Shining Armor nearby in his own bed with an IV in his foreleg and his heart rate monitor giving a beep at a slower-than-normal place. And at observing him, at noticing the Crystal Princess in such a state of disarray, I knew that that shook Candy. Her husband looking like a straight-up piece of crap, I mean. Seriously, if I had an unconscious loved one hooked up to medicine while also looking like they'd come out of the fight on the worse end, I figure I'd be pretty emotional too.
And therefore, with her husband looking like he was alive but in very much pain after having stood his ground against the goliath, I couldn't really blame Cadance for being one of the more emotional ponies in my presence. Especially since they were expecting their own little filly heir soon enough. Yeah, even if we'd never gotten along as best as possible in the past, I knew that the Crystal Empire's heir would need both his or her mother and father.
So, Shining Armor, Bitch Boy… get better soon, you dork. No excuses. Hurry up.
The final pony I set my tired eyes on was Luna, whom was still bawling her teal eyes out with her forelegs resting upon my legs. Her elegant head, her waving mane of starlight being tenderly stroked by her older sister all the while, was buried into the hospital blanket that covered the lower half of my numb body. Also, she was, unsurprisingly the loudest-crying pony in the room. As for her weeping, perhaps her frantic crying was because I was such a good friend to her? Maybe so, maybe not so? Funny as it was at the moment, even though a part of me wanted to be completely sure of the answer, I wasn't and couldn't be sure of her reason for desperately sobbing because, plainly, I wasn't her. I was me.
At long last, preparing myself for the dramatics to come, I felt like I ought to put the Princess of the Night's/my best friend's worries to rest. Thus, with a grimace at feeling a number of hurting aches strike through my frame, I slowly put my hand on top of the blue mare's head just behind her horn. In turn, she jumped slightly at this action. Her bleary eyes – still beautiful, although reddened, mind – shot open like lightning as her pupils came to rest on mine. As her gaze settled onto my face, I gave her a cheeky grin. Hah, I couldn't help myself. I just couldn't.
At seeing before everypony that I was grinning at her through my discomfort, Luna gave a surprised gasp that sounded like a choked hiccup. Then, before she could really get a hold of herself and realize I might still be in pain since I'd done in the goliath, the Princess of the Night practically pounced on me along with wrapped her forelegs around my neck. In turn, with me trying to keep my cool under her feather like weight, I could feel her warm breath and tears as she went on to bury her head into the crook of neck. In the meantime, with some careful nudges from my hand, she was cautious not to gorge me with her brilliant horn.
All in all, if they hadn't noticed me conscious beforehand, the rest of the ponies with me did now. When it occurred, I assume that they'd caught Luna's gasp among the sobs in the room because the next thing I knew, I had a large group of ponies around my bed looking at me in shock while the one that mattered most to me had latched herself onto my neck. And I don't believe that they could have been any more shocked by what they were seeing. Their mouths were agape and their eyes were large. Well, ha ha, larger than usual anyway.
How does anything have eyes bigger than these Equestrians? Seriously, that was a serious question. One that will not have an answer to present to me for quite some time, I'm sure.
"H…How are you alive," Twilight asked of me at long last, her shock and curiosity molding together in a tone of disbelief, "You were gone. Kyle, the heartbeat monitor says that you're dead!"
Ah, I was a dead man, was I? Wrong. I was not a man at all, Element of Magic. I was not anything of Equestria. I was a prototype of the strongest sorts. Thus, with me knowing the answers to why everypony looked so startled at me being alive, I held up a finger to silence Twilight. In turn, with the highest respect, I pointed at the bawling Luna who had quite practically glued herself to my neck and would not be, well, moved.
In understanding, Twilight Sparkle gave me a slow nod in response. She, like every other pony, would wait for me to begin explaining some things. In general, the group of us gathered together… we were going to have plenty to discuss. From me being possessed to Shining Armor's condition to the repairs being made to Canterlot, yes, we were going to be talking for a while in this medical room.
With me patting her in reassurance, as I did my best to seem as okay to her as I could, it took about five more minutes for Luna's serious crying to change into slow, controlled gasps along with sobs. By that time, she took the moment to slowly draw her face out of my drenched neck, look into my golden eyes, then smile an honestly relieved smile as best as she could manage. And me, not wanting to leave her hanging at all, I gave her a confident smirk back.
"Damn, Sunshine." I sighed to the lunar princess, half knowingly brushing a strand of her shimmering mane out of her wet expression in the meantime, "Thought I was gone, did you? Come on. Heh, I was more than willing to go to hell and back to keep that goliath off of us… And I believe that you know I did just that. I had to. Couldn't keep you hanging here forever, right?"
"Dolt. Yes, we knew full well that you'd be back. You merely took a bit longer than planned and… frightened us." Luna sniffled, shifting her wings at her sides in a nervous manner while her eyes twinkled with what seemed to be hard found bravery, "Truly, when the doctors came to retrieve us, we were sure you'd be fine, Kyle. Still, that had been over some hours ago with you being silent the entirety of the time. But now, we think the doctors were just scared then of telling all of us about the news. They didn't know how to tell us. Yet, when they did, I think I can speak for everypony here when we say that our heart sank for you. We were very much scared for your well-being."
Well, well. Even if they'd seen me become whatever that demon was to fend off the goliath back in Canterlot's courtyard several hours ago, everypony had been worried for me since I'd been brought to the medical wing of the castle, eh? When, I looked to all the ponies around me, they gave me a nod in answer to my unvoiced question. Indeed, they had been frightened over my weak health. Ah, how very kind of them. Still, they should have known that I wouldn't be killed off for forever. I would and had come back to them, to Equestria. Good job on my part.
"Hot damn. What a family I've gained since dropping into Equestria with a bang." I inwardly thought, feeling a comforted smile spreading across my expression, "Guess all of these ponies here really do like me. I suppose I can make an acceptation for some of them. Even for Pinkie Freak, Snobity, and so on and so forth. Good, good."
"I'm happy to hear that y'all don't want me dead." I next addressed everyone, also winking at Applejack when adopting a bit of her southern drawl into my words for humor, "Yet, moving forward from us being worried and all for me hours back, Twilight, what was your question again?"
"How," Twilight began, her eyes the size of dinner plates and her hooves not seeming to hold still from agitation maybe, "could you be living? Kyle, the heart monitor says that you're dead! It's blank. Yet, here you are talking with all of us as if you're ready to take on an autumn harvest of Sweet Apple Acres? How?! If you would be so kind, start explaining yourself please."
Upon her finishing her statement, I looked to the monitor that sat to the right of my bed and indeed observed the flat line that was supposed to be picking up my heartbeat. Next, I looked down to my hand, found the small device that was supposed to keep track of my heartbeat as well as grimly pulled it off. Finished with what I was doing, I held it up above myself along with looked to Twilight confusedly.
"For now, let me answer your question with a question of my own." I began politely, observing the device in my huge hand with amusement, "How in reality did you guys make something like this to fit my finger that fast?"
"We didn't make it." Twilight answered at once, looking to get her answers from me as soon as possible or she might very well explode from being kept in the dark, "We also use those for griffins too."
"Ah, I see. That explains a little. Either way," I tossed the device to the ground in a bored manner while focusing my attention from Luna lying in my lap onto intrigued Twilight, "to answer your question, Element of Magic, machines are hardly tricked. That is true. Thus, in this tricky case of mine, my monitor seems to be correct. To put it as best as I can without confusing everypony here, I don't, ahem… have a heartbeat to be monitored."
No matter my hardest try to not let them be shaken by my explanation of me "not having a heartbeat to be checked on", the ponies all around my bedside looked confused. Well, except for Celestia who, with a sigh of weariness, brought a hoof to her face and kept it there while she growled to herself in an undertone.
"By the sun. By all that is good in this kingdom of mine…" The solar princess finally said aloud to all of us giving her curious looks due to her sudden attitude of disbelief, "Hah, I don't know how I could have possibly forgotten about that quite vital fact, dear Kyle. It turns out that I, all of us gathered here, were depressed for nothing for the last few hours. Simply due to me being, bah, overwhelmed by the past frightening moments. Hmf."
Bah ha ha. In the thick of things, it had turned out that Celestia had forgotten about my rather dodgy virus skills, eh? Either way, in reply to her having not remembered for everypony that I wasn't normal at all, I simply looked at mare of the sun in an "Are you serious?" fashion. Seriously, considering our formal partnership of the past, how could she have forgotten about something as important as my "immortality" when it came to her personal bodyguard guard?
"Alas, I know, Kyle. Let everypony observe my fantastic yet empty headed status as princess of Equestria. Shut up." Celestia snapped at me, her wings assuming a kind of hostile shifting against her frame as we all observed her, "Forgive me, my subjects. Forgive me, Kyle. In the heat of things in the courtyard, your uniqueness simply slipped my mind. After all, if you recall correctly, me having come to know you and most of your secrets was a good six months ago."
"Right. It was six months ago when you invaded my mind, read my memory, and saw what I was without my permission. How could I forget that, hm? Oh, wait, I didn't." I stated with a joking tone, geeting the other ponies to chortle a bit before they realized they were laughing at their presently humbled ruler, "Regardless, it's all good between us, Celestia. I just figured – with you being all high and mighty and whatnot – you'd've remembered my critical traits and would have told everyone else about that fact of me being invulnerable. Luna here especially."
"Wait. Are we discussing how you don't have a… heart, Kyle?" Twilight wondered of me, her eyes almost ready to pop out of her skull when I nodded slowly, "No way! No! That's not at all possible and yet here you're still with us and – uh, um, but – then how are you living? How are you breathing? Every living thing in existence needs a heart!"
"That's just it, Twilight. I'm not living." I explained in a cool, collected, controlled tone so that I could get the Element of Magic to stop acting so frantic and have her somewhat relax in my presence to hear me better, "Simply put, I'm a virus. Hard to kill, easily adaptable. Always have been, always will be."
"You're a virus?" Pinkie Pie jabbered at me, her eyes growing even bigger than Twilight's – well done – in shock when I nodded to her in response, "Holy moly on a… I actually don't know where to go with this. How does a pony try to make fun about something not having a heart?"
"Like this." Rainbow Dash said expertly for the dead panned Element of Laughter before hovering over me with a smug smile, "So during our fighting with that monster thing in Canterlot's courtyard, Kyle, during all of the time we've ever seen you in Equestria… You've not been a human or monster or something else? You;ve been a walking, talking, breathing cold? Like the cold flu?"
"No, stop." I put in at once, seeing that the Element of Loyalty was looking to indeed make this rather serious situation something of a joke, "I'm not the cold flu or any other kind of illness, disease, or-"
"So now that it's out there, you're actually a virus then? Pft, I'll say." Applejack teased across me from the side, giving me a wide smile when I couldn't help but laugh at her remark and perhaps at the others that were sure to follow now, "Everywhere you go usually ends up in a mess. And if you've always been a, er, virus thingy or whatever then you and your running around wrecking stuff kind of makes a bit more sense to me."
"We keep saying he's a virus like that's no big deal, girls." Rarity interjected, giving me a suspicious glance from behind her friends shoulders, "We must take him more seriously then. Good thing he's where we have medicine now. We can treat him properly and keep him from being contagious. Ick!"
"Impossible. No that's just not… That cannot be…" twilight mumbled to herself, now chewing on her bottom lip with her teeth and giving her bulging eyes a break, "Yet, you're here with us and not dead. So… you're a walking, talking, cold of some sort? Bah but you still need a HEART! How else could you be talking to us all right now? You just can't survive without a beating heart!"
"Look, Twi, you need to relax before you go and drop a lung or poke out an eye or even suffer an anxiety attack." I stated, keeping my temper along with patience in check with the good natured yet bewildered princess of Ponyville, "As for me having no heartbeat, I thought I told you this already. Just take that answer and walk away with it. There's nothing more I can say about it that wouldn't make you trot in circles some more."
"Yes, Kyle, you did answer my question. However, forgive me but your words just don't make sense." Twilight stated, giving me a huffy look of seriousness, "Be you virus or no virus, you look nothing like a sickness or germ. You look, well, intelligent. Thus, how could you not be living but are sentient?"
If I'm being completely honest, I didn't even know anything scientific about my condition myself. I mean, with all the consumption of other human material I've done in the past, it doesn't make sense how my mass hasn't increased in the slightest but grown firmer, resilient, fierce. And therefore, since I'd never been able to honestly answer myself and I couldn't really give Twilight a straight answer currently, I held my hands up. When I got silence from everypony, I truthfully said with the most logical response I could muster.
"Magic. I live, breathe, talk, and all that other stuff through magic."
"Magic? The arcane keeps you alive? Seriously?" Twilight asked of me in an excited manner, her tail excitedly whipping both Applejack as well as Rainbow Dash in the faces meanwhile, "If that's the case then I really need to run a few tests on you and study you. This could be revolutionary! Think of it; magic from your world, Kyle! Ooh, I need to figure out how-"
"No. Hold up there, Element of Magic." I immediately said back in a very stern tone, narrowing my eyes at the energetic princess of Ponyville, "Tests and I do not have a good history together. Truly, I don't take too kindly to being tested on in the slightest. That is a big no-no."
In turn to my dead panning her on running any kind of experiments on me in the name of science or what have you, Twilight's ears folded back in embarrassment. Perhaps she'd understood that she'd rushed things a bit? Maybe she'd caught on that I wasn't exactly a touchy, feely, being bound down kind of guy?
Either way, whatever she'd figured out, I politely tried to explain to her more of what I could guess about my prototype condition, "I should add, Twilight, that my response to me being kept alive through magic was completely sarcastic. Magic doesn't exist where I came from. Therefore, it was a term we used if there wasn't a clear explanation for something. Magical, miraculous, unbelievable; they're all terms well associated with my condition."
"Oh…well, I know that you're not feeling the greatest, Kyle… So, um…" The Element of Magic mumbled, her ears still held back in uncertainty while under my gaze, "Then would you perhaps mind if I got around to asking you a few more questions about this sometime later then?"
"I don't see why not." I answered almost at once, feeling my spirits rise a bit in the meantime at seeing the princess of Ponyville happily register my words, "Mind, though, just try to make sure I'm not busy or in a hospital bed, huh? After I get well, I'll be sure to give you what time and answers I can about what you need to know."
"Oh, thank you! That would be wonderful!"
Once I'd been thanked by the joyful Element of Magic, I winked in her direction before looking down at my scar-riddled body. During my inspection of my figure, I noticed something odd. You see, I wasn't wearing any, well, uh… clothes. And normally, if you'd understand like any human being or rational creature, I stayed clothed unless I wanted them to come off. So, how did I manage to become unclothed without a say?
"Ahem. Excuse me, your highness." I obnoxiously addressed the mare of sun, earning an odd expression from her in reply while I bluntly asked next, "How – Wait, let me rephrase. WHY in the hell am I not wearing my clothes? Surely we've gone over that even if I am weakened in battle that my outfit was not to come off without my say, correct?"
"Kyle. When you…should I say 'transformed' back into your normal self, your clothes were not there." Celestia explained to me, making my pine chill up a bit at the mention of me having transformed to fight the goliath in the courtyard earlier, "And thus, you keeping your clothes wasn't exactly an option at the moment. Mind, It was indeed odd to see you out in plain sight without your said clothing if I may say so myself."
"Hmm… My clothes have been lost to me, you say? I think I know the culprit behind this little inconvenience. Ah, well. Observe me get them back."
Having said what needed to be said, I quickly shifted all of the familiar clothes I had been wearing previously in the courtyard of the castle back on. And when I say "shifted", it's just an easier way of saying that I reverted, transformed, changed back from being naked into my clothes using my shapeshfting powers.
"Impressive show. And speaking of culprits…" Celestia spoke unto me, making me look to her again as she started looking me up and down in uncertainty, "I would like to know, Kyle, what exactly that thing you became to save my little sister was."
"Dearest sister," Luna intervened, giving her older sibling a warning look of her glimmering eyes while she still remained lying on my legs, "we thought we told you that that thing was not Kyle. There is no way that our friend could become something that horrendous."
Ah, the princess of the night didn't believe I had been me while defeating the goliath for Canterlot? Good, good. And at having heard her come to my defense about that fragile subject, I looked to Luna in gratitude. She really did give a shit about me. Enough to even defend me from her looming sister's accusations. In all seriousness, I couldn't help asking myself; what did the mare of the moon see me as? What was I to her?
"I apologize, little sister. Allow me to rephrase my sentence. It was not meant to insult but to ask the obvious, I assure you." The mare of the sun gently said, not at all looking for a fight with the only family she had in the world, "Once more, Kyle, do you have any idea of what that thing that took your place against the monster was?"
With all of the honesty I could must about the subject about to be discussed, I lifted my hands up for Celestia to observe as I admitted to her, "I'm not at all sure, Celestia. It's as alien to me as it is to you. Actually, just before I woke up in this bed with you all, that thing you want to know about came to me. I tried asking him what he was or who he was, but he didn't tell me. He wanted to keep those details hidden above all else."
"But of course. Since I saw it take your place in the courtyard, such a demonic entity would play the mysterious card if you asked it questions." The princess of the sun growled to herself, looking maybe as irritated as I felt about not knowing anything much about what had taken over my body recently, "Hmm…If you would permit it, Kyle, we at the castle will have to keep watch over you. If the beast that controlled you wishes to play evasive than let that be the case. Nevertheless, if the moment ever came, I would like to protect you as well as converse with this creature and get an idea of its motives."
"Hah. You and me both, Princess." I sarcastically chuckled, remembering a bit of the heat that had risen in my chest and the clattering of burning chains in my ears whenever that demon counterpart of mine came close, "There is something I need to ask of you though."
"But of course. Ask me what you need to be answered."
"Does the word 'pestilence' have any significant meaning to you? Like, at all?"
For a long moment, Celestia seemed to mull it over the term "Pestilence" before she responded as best as she could for unsure me, "Not that I can immediately think of. Not that I won't be mulling it over in my head in the future. Why do you ask?"
It was time to spill the beans, I suppose.
"Before I woke up with you and Luna here and the other ponies, that demon thing we saw in the courtyard told me something in my slumber. It said a bit along the lines of "beware of Pestilence. He will stop at nothing to have your power." After that had been said to me, I was woken up."
Celestia's eyes narrowed as all the other ponies in the room seemed to fidget in uncertainty, exchanging furtive glances. Then, the mare of the sun stated, "I see. This is another bit of information we will all have to beware of. Kyle, we cannot have another incident like the one today. Mine and Luna's subjects would not be able to handle the stress. Which leads me to my next question: do you have any idea as to how that… thing-"
"Goliath. It was a goliath Canterlot defeated back in the courtyard at the gates."
"Thank you. That beast, that goliath, managed to appear here in Equestria? From what I could gather, it appeared to me that you had them on your world. You were familiar with how to deal with it, am I right?"
"That's right. Yes. As for how that monster appeared in your castle's courtyard, sadly, that's another thing that I have no idea about. I truly don't know how it happened, Celestia. These events have to all be tied in somewhere-"
And then, literally from out of nowhere and like a brick had smashed me upside my aching head, the thought/answer just randomly hit me. I believe I knew the cause of the goliath. I can't really explain how quick it came to me but… that attack on Canterlot had had to be something due to with that loser, that moron, uh, um, King Sombra! Yeah, it had to be that dweeb of a dark unicorn king!
For one moment, think about the situation with me! I haven't mentioned this before but I haven't had any contact with that evil clown Sombra for the last six months. After having been quiet for the latest said months, it only makes sense that he'd try to finally send something like a goliath my way. He probably thought that if he gave it enough time, we – or mainly me – would completely forget about him lurking elsewhere and, during our ignorance, we wouldn't be able to defend against a monster of such proportion.
Well, hah, plainly the foolish king of shadows had been wrong. His genius plan – if it had been his to begin with, mind – had miserably failed. Be it six months, six days, six minutes, I hadn't forgotten the annoyance that was him. And never would I forget him. Never would I let him get the better of me, Luna, Celestia, Twilight, not any of Equestria. On that I inwardly promised myself.
Besides, even if he was so very powerful or whatever, six months was probably the amount of time it had most likely taken for Sombra to conjure a summoning spell of such a sinister nature too. In bringing the goliath forth for me/Canterlot to fight, I mean. To be able to pull something from my world and put it into this one must've not been an easily managed task. Nah, it obviously would have taken some heavy magical study along with ability to be accomplished.
Heh, what? Surprised with me, are we? Shocked by knowledge of magical things here in Equestria? Well, meh, with nothing else to really do, I had to learn about something during my forced time here. And the arcane properties of this realm seemed like the best topic of research during all of my stay.
"Sombra." I got around to mumbling, a bit too quietly for anyone to hear me correctly, "It was you, wasn't it? Wherever you are, whatever you're up to now, you brought that goliath freak into Canterlot. You were the one who threatened me, my friends, Luna… Just admit it. It was totally you, you piece of-"
"What? None of us can hear you, old buddy, old pal, old Kyle?" Rainbow Dash stated, hovering closer towards me to try to hear me better before being pushed back by Luna's magic in turn, "Aw, c'mon, your highness. Don't be like that. Enough of all of these secrets. What'd you say, Kyle, buddy? Speak up, would you?"
"Sombra." I repeated with more force and audibility this time, causing all of the ponies' faces to turn white with fear at the mention of the cursed title, " I was thinking about… about that unicorn sorcerer king you said had formerly been ruler over the Crystal Empire in the past."
"Hold up, Mr. Death. Take a deep breath and let me get this straight for us all." Cadance interjected, sweeping her multicolored mane aside to try to distract me from the nervousness in her voice, "Okay. For a second there it sounded like you mentioned Sombra."
"Now, now. Let me get this straight for you, Candy, dearest." I chuckled to my pink friend of a mare, pretending to try to sweep aside my own imaginable mane which made everypony smile against their will, "I didn't only mention him, mind. I was talking about him. I was even thinking about him."
I cannot even begin to describe the pure expressions of anxiety that had shifted onto all of the ponies' faces. Of course, I had to admit that he was a bit menacing but what was it about this evil unicorn king that made every Equestrian pony look uneasy, made them glance over their shoulders for someone not there, made them fidget with their hooves? Regardless, I should have seen it coming but it was Celestia as well as Luna who were the exception to all of this fear. For, instead of show fright at the mention of Sombra, the expressions of the princesses of the sun and moon became ones mixed with anger if not defiance.
"This news is…most troubling indeed, Kyle." Luna admitted, her teal eyes entrancing my gold ones for a moment as she spoke in that solid tone of hers, "You speak of the dark king so simply. Tell us, why mention him at all? Why speak of his vile name? Are you saying that this – the coming of that grotesque monster you destroyed in the castle courtyard – was maybe the work of the dark unicorn king?"
"It's not a maybe thing when you think about it, Luna. Sombra has been way too quiet since I came to Equestria. Formerly, he was all over the place. Nowadays, he hasn't made contact with us in about six months until now." I explained smartly, feeling very confident in my theory, "And being so high and mighty and important as he considers himself, I seriously doubt he would just disappear altogether from the kingdom. Also, as shown earlier, as he probably found out before bringing it here, goliaths make excellent distractions against his enemies. The brutes are entirely too dumb-witted to be able to just stumble upon a transport device. Sombra is the only plausible reason the thing got here."
"That is a reliable guess in itself. Truly, it's more than we've had to follow for the last few hours since the goliath perished." Celestia admitted, giving me a smile at my guessing of what had happened up to this point, "Sombra may be on the move, hm? Well, even if we cannot be fully certain of that, Kyle, we must take precautionary measures, no? Therefore, as is to be expected, the guards kingdom-wide will be placed on high alert and the forces here in Canterlot will be doubled. Thinking about it now, I would like to pull the soldiers from the neighboring countries. Our allies abroad know their places and even they will be more than happy to join us in, heh, King Sombra hunting."
"All of your ideas are good ideas, your highness. Very well said." I congratulated, very much impressed as well as heartened by the mare of the sun's sudden show of leadership, organization, planning, "But before we do anything else, there is something more I would like to ask you."
"Of course, Kyle. Of course. What is it that troubles you?"
"Would there be any way…" I half said, half grumbled, not really sure of the answer I was going to get to my coming inquiry, "For me to possibly travel back to my world or dimension or whatever? Mind, Sombra is of this world. Nonetheless, both worlds were involved in the goliath's recent happening and I would like to go see if Blackwatch was at all involved. The creature's appearance in Equestria may have been a test to see if the device that sent me here would work again if needed."
Going back home wasn't at all a certainty. Ever since having crash landed into Equestria, I'd never seriously pondered on going back home through a portal or whatever power to America. But now that a goliath had come to mess things up, no that there was a risk more could show up in the future, I couldn't get the idea of going home out of my head.
I still knew it was an insane idea to hope to be able to return to my realm. Yet, in these situations you couldn't be too safe. I needed to check up on Blackwatch. I needed to be sure that they hadn't figured out how to transport enemies to the front step of ponydom here by freewill. That wouldn't be at all good for anyone. Maybe not even King Sombra himself.
When Celestia visibly winced at my question of me maybe going back to America, my hopes for success very much dwindled. Her grimacing like, her eyes adopting a uncertain glint, her mane not flowing as smoothly as usual, were never good signs for me.
"You want to return to your homeland? To your home world?" The snowy white mare of the sun pondered, shifting her wings a bit in discomfort at my hopeful gaze, "I'm not entirely sure that that will work, Kyle."
"And why ever not? You mean to say that you, the Princess of Day, nor your sister, the Princess of Night, would be able to accomplish that for me?" I patiently lectured, not being hostile but being comedic about the fact that such powerful alicorns actually had limits, "I'm pretty sure that you guys, you sisters, must have some sort of spell or something to get me back where I came from. Heck, if not you then genius Twilight here."
"It's not that simple, Kyle." Twilight instantly replied to my humor, looking honored by my words but serious too, "Um, I'm aware that there are spells to travel back in time but that's only for a few minutes max."
"And as for spells that allow other-worldly travel, I don't know of anything, dear friend." Luna explained to me, assuming an attractively sad mood while she nuzzled me under the chin, "Truth be told, we do not even know if you jumped worlds. Maybe you managed to jump entire dimensions to get to us here."
"Shit. Okay, okay. Let's stop talking about all of that high tech or mystical stuff." I exclaimed with a grunt, already feeling a bit overwhelmed by what was being spoken to me, "Man. We only talked about that material for a few seconds and here I am suffering from a massive headache. Let's pump the breaks. Let me get my wind back. Whew."
If it wasn't clear beforehand, this – me being a bit trapped in Equestria, being blind to many thing – wasn't good. If I couldn't get back to Earth, how the hell would I be able to see if Blackwatch perhaps had had some part in this disaster? For if they did and I couldn't stop them, they could keep sending their experiments and shit here to Equestria. What if they even came through themselves and decided to kidnap ponies… like how they'd done to me?
No. No, I wasn't going to let that happen to these Equestrians. I wouldn't let them go through what I had. They didn't deserve something like that. True, I hadn't deserved to be turned into what I was now. But then again, I hadn't had a say in the matter back then. Now, at this moment, I did. No matter me being stuck in ponydom, I really did!
"Alright. If nothing can be done for now than could you at least look around for a spell, Celestia," I wondered, rubbing my eyes while also noticing Luna pressing her hooves down onto my chest to relieve me of some of my stress, "Truly, about Blackwatch, I can't sit around doing nothing. They need to be dealt with as much as Sombra. I hate to think about what would happen if those experimenting wackjobs actually did have something to do with this attack we've suffered."
"On that, us dealing with all of our enemies and not just Sombra, we can agree." Celestia agreed with me, looking a bit as a tired as I maybe did if not felt in my bed, "Yes. You going back home… I can look around through the royal archives for a solution to that predicament of ours. More than likely, considering his genius during his era, Starswirl the Bearded did some sort of study on it when he was alive."
"Princess Celestia," Twilight piped up at having heard a mention of Starswirl, her trot having a jump in it now, "if it isn't too much trouble, would you mind if I helped you look through the archives too? I know I've gone through most of Starswirl's works but I haven't really been able to look through the royal archives. I wouldn't be a hindrance. I would do my best to be a help."
"Twilight Sparkle, for shame. You have never been a hindrance to me but one of the greatest things to have ever come into that adventure which has been my life." The mare of the sun chimed in a happy voice, hugging the princess of Ponyville closer to her side with a white wing, "And didn't I say that you no longer needed to call me princess? We are equals and have been for a few months now."
"Yeah, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically as the rest of her friends giggled in tandem, making the Element of Magic's face take on a red hue due to her annoyance and embarrassment at being addressed as royalty, "You and Princess Celestia are equals now. Duh."
"Rainbow, gah! Don't do that to me." The princess of Ponyville snapped back, trying to act angered while her grimace kept turning into a humored smile, "I thought I told you that I don't like it when you or any of you girls call me that! Don't. Just don't."
"Ah, c'mon, Twi. You think I don't know that already? You don't think that's why I keep wanting to make you squirm, princess?" The Element of Loyalty laughed, putting the Element of Magic into a headlock in turn, "Seriously, yep, I should have gotten tired of calling you nobility by now. Yet, buddy, you still make it fun enough for me to keep pulling your leg every now and then about it."
"Oh, I do not." Twilight jokingly scoffed, ignoring the snickering from the rest of her group of so called friends, "Alright, alright, I know, I know. Perhaps I do… make it too easy to be picked on. Still, if you're my friends like I believe you are, you shouldn't be so eager to take advantage of my flaws."
There was a laugh shared between all of the Elements of Harmony. The silence that followed, though, the one that seemed to go on for forever, was an awkward experience. Seeing as all of the ponies didn't exactly know how to go about the situation, that explained the awkwardness. And me, well, if it wasn't clear enough by now, I wasn't real one for awkward silences. Thus, with a simple stretch of my arms, I was the one to break the quiet at hand.
"Well then. What happens now?" I said for everypony, noticing some of them shrugging their shoulders while the others stood there watching me talk from my bed, "Do we not all have a plan to attend to? If that's the case… I don't mean to sound rude here or anything but I'm still a bit worn out. If you guys can all leave me now so I can fully recover, I would deeply appreciate-"
"No." Luna firmly interrupted me, her wings flapping once in irritation at the sound of my serious tone, "Kyle, if you would permit it of us, we…Well…I am not leaving my best friend here alone. Not after I just found out that he is, in fact, alive. Heh, you shant shake me off so easily, friend."
In turn, Luna's face turned into a smirk as she finished her sentence. And at seeing her giving me a playful, stubborn shine from her eyes, I could very well tell that she wasn't planning on chattering my ear off with questions like a certain present Element of Magic. No, the mare of the moon intended to screw around (Not like that, people. Dear God, not like that.) with me for some fun, as wrong as that sounded. Simply put, she just wanted to see me alive and well. It was better she do so than be forced to trot off to another part of the castle, leaving me by myself in the process.
"I've got the knocked out sack of potatoes over there to keep me company, Sunshine." I tried to explain to the princess of the night, smiling back at her as she frowned at my rebuttal at me mentioning I had Shining Armor for company, "Honestly, Luna, we've all been through enough for today. Your worrying over me is, ahem, appreciated but it would be best if you went to your own quarters and rested up while I did the same-"
"Let it be known here, my friend, that I am not leaving this room. Not until you do anyway." The mare of the moon growled at me, not at all giving me an inch of the argument to use against her, "And you know how I am when I get like this, my dearest Kyle. Truly, you do. Thus, just save us both some time and accept the fact that I'm not going anywhere until you-"
"Oh, come on! You're both ridiculous, you know that?" Rainbow Dash intervened, hovering over stunned me as well as Luna for what seemed the hundredth freaking time since I'd woken up, "Seriously, would you two just kiss each other already? Your messing around all of the time is making me want to barf."
When she finished telling me along with the mare of the moon off, the Element of Loyalty assumed a disgusted face in midair for everypony to plainly see; she opened her mouth, rolled back her eyes as well as put her right hoof in front of her maw while making gacking noises. At this, with me trying desperately to not seem all that disturbed by the cerulean pegasus's show nor by Luna giving me a curious glance, I gave Rainbow Dash one of my trademarked death glares.
And, heh, I bet you yourself can't figure out where the name for my said glare it came from. Go ahead! Try and guess.
"Ooh, I'm so scared of you. Look at me falling back." The Element of Loyalty cackled when I half seriously swiped a fist at her, getting her to back off along with stop being so childish about stuff, "Yeah, look at me get out of your reach so that I can go on doing what I was just doing-"
"ENJOY Princess Celestia's sun outside, Rainbow Dash." I swiftly interrupted, doing my best to look quite mad at the pegasus of Cloudsdale when I was actually humored by her, "For when I get up out of this bed of mine here, you'll never be able to bask in its presence. On that, I promise you."
"Hah! Is that a threat? Seriously? From you who's still stuck in bed? Pft." Rainbow Dash chuckled, not really seeing my serious attitude as something to tremble under like so many other adversaries had in the past, "And you don't scare me, bug guy. You weren't the only one fighting that goliath thing back in the courtyard. So, I'll go bask in the sun like you said. Still, if you plan to make it my last time doing so… Good clue catching me!"
I couldn't hold my strict gaze on the perhaps overconfident or just plain brave Element of Loyalty for much longer before I instead burst out into laughter at her reaction. Upon realizing that she had been being fooled with as she'd predicted, she tried to be me and assume a cool attitude like she'd gotten the better of e. Yet, she couldn't form enough stability in the end and, due to her major laughing fit alongside me, she soon rocketed out of the room for some privacy from everypony's gaze. Of course, we all could still hear cackling for a while longer down the halls.
In turn to maybe seeing me opening up with laughter, at watching Rainbow Dash act so shyly, Twilight and her other friends started to laugh along with me. All except for the yellow pegasus, the shy Element of Harmony. What was her name? Fluttershy? She looked just about ready to become a little ball of pink mane and tail with how small she had tried to make herself during the ruckus the rest of us were causing. Ha ha ha!