Newcomers and veterans alike, welcome to the world of ponies!

[aie_mods]

Who: YOU. And you. And you. And everyone!
What: What just happened!? You've been transported into the world of ponies, that's what.
When: November 10th
Where: Smack dab in the middle of Ponyville. And around Ponyville. And maybe a little outside Ponyville too.
Rating: You know you.

(Pssst. Check out the story so far to get an idea for what's happened prior to this point!)

It all happened in a flash. Short earthquakes and aftershocks rocked some of the buildings in Ponyville as a magical explosion wreaked its own brand of havoc across Equestria. Once the dust settled, however, the Ponyville ponies realized that there were some newcomers in their midst. Ones that were definitely not there before the explosion. So where did they come from, and how did they get here? Did the explosion bring them here?

Luckily, the actual damage from the earthquakes was minor, and there were no actual downed buildings, just some that were now slightly cracked and in need of repairs.

The natives slowly closed in on the newcomers, warily eyeing them and wondering what their intentions were. But rather than looking angry or upset, they just looked confused and curious. Why not introduce yourselves to them, and to each other?

The official royal welcome wagon might even show up soon!

Comments

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

"... And you didn't think that just maybe in this world the rules might be different?" He doesn't want to be mean, but that's not going to stop him for giving her a well deserved scolding.

"Then you are an idiot of the highest order. You attack without thought or restraint, making you a bully at best. Do you want to be a murderer too? Maybe a villain? Your 'explosions' are dangerous, destructive and deadly." He's going to stop, turn his head and move so he can look her straight in the eye. "Had I had anyone with me when you attacked me, and they had been harmed, you would be getting a trip to a grave instead of a ride to town. I may not like fighting, I may be patient and I may put up with a lot, but prove yourself to be a danger to my friends and I will stop that threat. Permanently if need be. Is that clear?"

That's not a threat, it's a promise. The look on his face says that at this moment her words cause him to think that pond scum is a higher form of life than her at the moment in his eyes.

[explosions_are_awesome]

"Well when you put it like that..."

And Megumin rolled off Skyfire's back. "I don't want your help anyhow. I've gotten along just fine."

Slowly getting to her hooves, a miraculous feat, the tiny filly started slowly making her way to the town. "You don't understand my dedication to Explosion."

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

He snorts, grabs her by the back of her clothes and hauls her back up onto his back.

"Don't be an idiot. I didn't say that you couldn't do it, just don't be so dang careless with it." Huffing a touch he shakes his head. "How would you feel if you blew up a child hmm? What about blowing up a farmers field, knowing your actions would cause half a village to starve to death?..."

He pauses and looks at her seriously "Do you have a death wish? Should I be telling the healers in town to keep an eye on you so you don't harm yourself? What would you have done if I wasn't nice? You weren't, and still aren't in any shape to defend yourself..."

[explosions_are_awesome]

"It's happened several times already, and no one got hurt." Cause comedy. Suck on that logic!

"Both the explosion exhaustion and the blowing up fields. I blew up a swarm of flying cabbage once and it fed a town, so don't tell me Explosion isn't useful!"

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

"I never said it couldn't be, but your application of it is dangerous." An annoyed sigh follows her words, since she's not listening.

"Ok, lets go through this step by step so you see what's wrong with that thought."

"One. Is this your world?"

"Two. Knowing that it's not, why did you assume that the rules would be the same?"

"Three. Since you assumed I would be 'exploded', that means dead? So consider what would have happened if you'd fired of an explosion at one of your friends and it killed them..."

"Am I getting this through your dense skull? You came at me with that explosion with intent to kill, so what if it had? I don't care what the rules are like in your world... because we THIS ISN'T YOUR WORLD!." He growls the last few words for emphasis, making sure that she doesn't just disregard the point.

[explosions_are_awesome]

Megumin grimaced, hiding her expression from Skyfire as she humphed a little.

Sure she didn't like having to Explode Kazuma or Darkness or even Aqua, she might be a tiny horse in this world but at the very least, she saw a "threat" and she took action.

"And this isn't your world either, I'm betting. People die all the time, and at the very least, give me some credit. I only have one Explosion a day. What happens if you're dealing with Adventurers who have a bounty on something? What happens when a giant people-eating sized dragon is sighted on the outskirts of town? Wouldn't THAT raise alarms? Wouldn't THAT raise alarms in ANY world?"

"I ain't saying I'm blameless for this, but it's something to consider when dealing with adventurers."

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

His voice softens a little. "No, it's not. But ask yourself, would you want to take that risk? Would you want to be responsible for killing your friend? One life, one. There are no more, that's it. They die and they're done, gone forever."

Skyfire lets that sink in a moment. "You've already said, this isn't your world. Did you happen to think that the rules here might be different? That perhaps asking a few questions and doing a little research might have helped you here? Considering I was just in town and the ponies there felt comfortable enough to speak with me, and nobody was panicking or sounding alarms... The only reason I left was to keep from wrecking homes while trying to get used to walking and moving."

He keeps walking, hoping that he's getting her to think a little. "It's pretty safe to say that you likely weren't a unicorn in your world, so I want you to consider something. What if I was a town guard? A visiting noble? How do you know what's 'bad' here?" He pauses then adds "What if the 'monsters' here are whatever species you were on your world? You were careless, but then again, you're also young. And no, I don't mean that in a bad way. You're still learning, but I would rather not see you learn the hard way... You've been lucky so far, possibly very lucky. The even if the explosion itself might not kill someone, it still can send stuff flying. A sharp branch that gets launched like a spear..."

Taking a deep breath he figures he's given her a lot to think about so... "Look, I realize you like to make stuff explode and that you find it useful. I'm not going to argue about that. You just need to learn when it might not be a good idea to use it. You've said you can only use it once a day right? So ignoring everything else a moment, what do you do if you use it on something and then find out that you absolutely need to use it later? You've used up the strongest weapon you have..."

"I'm willing to help you find a safe place to blow things up, I'll even give you a lift out there when you need it. I just want you to promise me that you'll think before you blow stuff up. Prove to me that you actually care about the impact you might have on those around you."

[explosions_are_awesome]

"... well if you say it like that, I did hear about an abandoned castle in the forest. We could check there. I mean, ever since I learned how good it felt to explode castles, I need something big and hard to explode all over..."

Megumin please. You're only 14.

"That being said, fine I get it. I get it. Look, I ain't callous, but you can't fault a lack of resolve. I'll explode things that I can explode safetly. Fine?"

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

Skyfire doesn't get the more 'adult' meaning of her statement, can't help but think her reaction is a little odd. Still, he'll do his best to help.

"If you can promise to wait until we check it out to make sure it really is abandoned and ask around to make sure nobody owns it... If you have to blow something up till then, we might as well use the spot from today." He thinks he's an idiot for considering it but sighs... "If you must blow something up, since I know I can take it now, I'll let you use me for target practice." If it keeps her from causing trouble or attacking random creatures, he'll deal with it.

"Resolve is fine, but you really should have something else to rely on than that one shot explosion. Have you considered learning other spells, if nothing else, perhaps a smaller explosion? It might not be huge, but it would be something to keep you out of trouble after you use up your one shot..."

[explosions_are_awesome]

"You mean it?! Yay! All right, I'll hold you to that promise!" Exclaimed Megumin.

She pouted though at the small explosion. "That I cannot do. Explosion is the most powerful, most incredible feeling, the rush of the mana leaving your body, the powerful shockwaves that caress your body as it explodes day by day..."

She's hopeless.

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

"I mean it, but you have to keep up your end of the bargain too."

He sighs, realizing he's got his work cut out for him. "At least promise me you'll consider it? Wouldn't your life be easier if you could make a small fire for camping with a spell? What about a light spell, so you don't need to stumble around in the dark at night? I'm not saying you have to learn them and don't answer now, just think about it."

[explosions_are_awesome]

Megumin pouted like the kid she was. "But they're not Explosion... but I'll think about it."

Which was Megumin speak for hell no. For now.

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

Skyfire nods. "Good. They might not be explosion, but they could be useful all the same. You know, I'm quite jealous of you. You have the chance to learn so much magic... It seems like such a shame to restrict yourself to just the one thing. As far as I know, I can't learn any magic at all..."

They're getting closer to town now, and he's not going to keep pushing her to learn something else. She needs time to let what he's said soak in. "When is a better time for you to, explode things? Morning or evening?" Because he's going to need to get clean from soot daily judging by today's example.

[explosions_are_awesome]

"Yeah but they're not explosion..." pouted Megumin.

Any time of the day.

"Evening is fine," replied Megumin. "I think that should do it."

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

He's not going to comment on that, hoping that she'll consider it a little more once she's settled down and has time to think.

"That sounds fine then... He looks around and notices the area. Do you think you can find this area again? I could meet up with you here?" They're right on the edge of town, so he pauses and looks at her. "How are you feeling? Do you think you're up to walking now? I should really go wash off this soot."

[explosions_are_awesome]

"Yeah I'll be fine now," said Megumin, rolling off Skyfire and starting to carefully walk along the ground. "I'll be okay, I think four legs will help a lot."

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

"If you're sure... I can stay for a bit if you want to recover a little more?" Despite her fixation on explosions and poor impulse control, she seemed to be a decent enough kid. He didn't want her to pass out somewhere.

[explosions_are_awesome]

"It's all right," said Megumin, waving it off. "I've managed before. Not going to stop just from a little Explosion."

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

"Alright then. I'll meet you back here tomorrow evening then, take care of yourself okay?"

[explosions_are_awesome]

"Sure, no problem." And she'll just slowly make her way into town.

[caelum_ignis_draconigena]

He watches her leave and then heads off to find somewhere to go clean up.