I let out a low whistle as we approached the factory. "That is a lot of rainbow." Apparently they came in liquid form here, which when you think about it wasn't really that different from Earth.
"Nah. I'm sure Earth has way bigger factories than this." I looked down at Rainbow Dash, blinking once or twice. I still wasn't quite used to the boldness of her mane.
"Not really. On Earth all our weather comes naturally." Twilight and Dashie stared at one another for a second before chuckling.
"And let me guess, there's no magic there either?" I shook my head.
"Don't get me wrong, there are people who can do some amazing feats, but nothing like what I've seen here." Their mouths dropped open.
"How do you live like that?" I thought for a moment, then held one hand up and waggled my fingers.
"These things work great." Rainbow studied them for a second.
"Yeah, I bet they would. But still, you can't control your weather with them." I shrugged. Win some, lose some.
"So, where are the smelters?" Rainbow pointed off to the right with her hoof.
"Right over there. I'll ask the boss if you can borrow them for a few minutes." She trotted off and I turned to Twilight.
"I have a few requests to make." She looked at me strangely. She had every right to, with the way I was asking.
"Well... sure. Go ahead." I felt bad bringing this onto her so soon, but it would have to be done sooner or later.
"Alright. First thing is this. If I come back through using this box and I ask you to get away or get everyone to somewhere safe, you can't hesitate. Please, just do it." She nodded, her eyes now filled with what looked like fear. "Next, please don't ask me if you can come along to Earth. The only way I'll be able to make an alliance between our peoples work is if I'm the only one who comes back. I have to make them believe that whatever they might try against you, it isn't worth the risk." Twilight nodded a bit more quickly now. She was catching on. "And finally, whatever happens, do not try to stop anything I may do if anything desperate does occur. No matter how crazy or evil I may seem, I will always be working for the greater good. I always have." I twitched a little at my own lie.
I heard the screen door squeak and slam as I walked across the driveway. There was no reason for me to stay. I had learned how to fight from my father, although he may not have meant to teach me, and I had learned how to love from my mother. But now she was taking care of herself, and there was nothing I could do to stop her. As I stepped onto the pavement a gunshot echoed from my house. I didn't stop. Even though I knew exactly what had just happened and what was happening now, I kept walking. I stepped off the curb and onto the street as the second, more muffled gunshot rang out from the little ghetto shack. I was alone.
Twilight looked legitimately afraid, but she seemed to calm down a little when I bent down a gave her a gentle hug. I scratched her lightly behind the ear as I stood, and as my hand brushed across the spot between her ear and horn her whole body twitched. "You okay?" She nodded, panting ever so slightly.
"Yeah. Sorry, that's kind of a..." I nodded. So they did have weaknesses. I turned to see Rainbow Dash walking back toward us. I stroked my chin as a thought ran through my mind.
"Great news, guys! We have the smelter for the next hour!" I ran toward her, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible with what I was about to do. I grabbed her and lifted her up, giving her a bit hug.
"Yes! Thank you so much!" As I spoke, my hand brushed across the underside of her wing and she flipped straight out of my arms.
"Woah there, buddy. Sorry, that's a no-no." She gave a few flaps to straighten out any feathers that might have been ruffled. Just as I suspected. Both unicorns and pegasi had weak points. Good to know.
"Sorry. Either way, though, we should probably get on down to the smelter. No point burning daylight out here." The two looked at me strangely. "Ahem. No point wasting time out here." They both nodded in understanding.
We strolled through the now open doors, me rubbing the copper button between my fingers. I gave a low whistle as I saw the equipment I'd have to work with. "This... this is an awesome forge." I moved over to the anvil and picked up the apron hanging off of it. "Maybe not my size. Oh well, I've worked under worse conditions." Twilight's eyes bulged.
"What do you mean? You can't do this kind of heat work without some sort of protection." I grinned, being careful not to show teeth. It only made sense that such an act would be a bit intimidating.
"Look, Twilight. I've done work with hotter furnaces than this while barechested." She closed her eyes, trying to get the image out of her head. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, landed next to me with a grin.
"No way. Even the veteran smelters here can't work without the apron. I bet you can't." I chuckled, slipping my shirt off. Their eyes bulged a bit, but I couldn't be sure why. It was either my eight-pack abs, my just slightly overmuscled shoulders, or the ridiculous amount of scars that coated my entire abdomen. "Whoa. Where'd you get those?" She ran a tentative up and down the one that came just over my hip. It was the only one she could reach without standing on two legs, so I didn't mind.
"That one happened about five years ago when I was kicked into a patch of barbed wire."
"Who does that?" I sighed and began to explain.
"Does this kingdom have any sort of a military or special operations force?" They both shook their heads. "Good on you that you don't need one. Anyway, my world does. I was more or less forced into the special operations group, and the training was beyond intense. Part of it was made to show us how much we could survive, and being thrown headlong into barbed wire and brambles was basically the final exam for it." Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows.
"And you actually did survive that?"
"I'm standing here, aren't I?" I turned, picking up the nearest set of tongs and clenching the button down between them. "But enough talk. This won't take long."
