Partheus

Partheus' eye twitched. He began to breathe deeply, the veins on his temples bulged, and his face went red. "You... can't be serious..." He looked at Newsworthy scornfully, his eyes bloodshot from his growing rage. "You believe in that stupid rumour as well?! Even you, Rainbow Dash?!" He clenched his fists together, red lightning forming around his body. "I swear, if they weren't so darn young, I'd have already pounded those little whelps into dust by now!" He suddenly realised what he was doing, and stopped venting his anger. "Ahem, sorry about that little outburst just then, I've had just about everyone else ask me the same thing today, and it's starting to get to me." He leaned back into his seat, looking up into the sky as he tried to figure out how to break the news to them. "Okay, I'm going to have to tell you guys how it really is. Me and Twilight are not together. I know what Gabby Gums said, and I know how appealing the idea of a strange creature from another country befriending the local bookworm must be to you all. But, the simple fact is, we aren't interested in one another... I think, anyway. I don't know if Twilight's interested or not, but I know for sure that I'm not." Newsworthy gave Partheus a doubtful look. "She's a completely different species to me, for crying out loud! I know you guys are totally fine with inter-special relationships, but where I'm from, you just don't go there! And it gets even worse when you consider the implications of taking our friendship one step further..." He thought back to a recurring nightmare of his involving Twilight. 'Why do you think they're called cram sessions?' 'NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!' Never again, he thought. Never again... "Anyway, point is, we are not a couple, and we probably won't be a couple any time soon. Perhaps it could happen in the unlikely event that some nefarious pony has the ability to make people fall in love with one another, but that's just ridiculous, right?" He looked at Newsworthy and Rainbow Dash, who gave each other a cool and smirking look. "Right, guys?" I hate it when Newsworthy does that look to someone else, he thought. It's code for 'antics ahoy'...

Partheus looked up at the sky. The sun was shining it's brightest, hanging directly over his head. Noon, he thought. I better head back and get on the carriage to Canterlot. He dashed through Ponyville, keeping his eye out for Newsworthy or a carriage. While he was running, he bumped into a grape-red pony holding a tankard of what appeared to be cider. The tankard went flying through the air, but the grape-red pony jumped up from a prone position to catch the tankard before any of it's precious contents were spilled. "Hey, *hick*, watch where you're going, you silly pirate monkey!" Partheus was confused. "'Pirate monkey'? Ma'am, don't take this the wrong way, but I think you've had enough cider..." The grape-red pony swung her tankard at Partheus, narrowly missing his face. "ENOUGH?! I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I'VE HAD ENOUGH!" Partheus stepped back from her, hoping not to get a face full of cider and splinters. "Now now, I meant no harm, hehehe. Just... put down the tankard and let us talk like adults..." The grape-red pony threw her cider at Partheus, drenching him in alcohol. "Never! ...oh wait, *hick* now I'll have to go get another drink, *hick*... hold on, I know you!" "Really now?" Partheus was resisting the urge to deck the grape-red pony. "Yes, *hick*, you're Twilight's boyfriend, aren't you? I bet she's thrilled to finally have a-" Partheus simply couldn't take it any more. He lunged at the grape-red pony and socked her in the jaw. She was knocked clean off her feet, and flew into a pile of barrels, kicking up a mountain of dust. When it settled, the grape-red pony was sat there, rubbing her cheek. "Oww! What was that for, *hick*?" Partheus looked at his hand; that felt strangely soft, he thought. What the heck are these ponies made of? "Me and Twilight aren't together, you got that? I'm getting sick and tired of having complete strangers walk up to me and say 'Ooh, you and Twilight are together, eh? Nudge nudge, wink wink?' It stopped being funny a long time ago." The grape-red pony looked at Partheus sadly. "Oh, I get it! *hick* Sore subject, I got you. It's tough breaking up, *hick*, I know..." At that, Partheus ran towards the grape-red pony, and punched a neat hole in one of the remaining barrels. Cider began to flow out from the hole, and on to the grape-red pony's face. "There. Consider it an apology gift." The grape-red pony opened her mouth wide to take in all of the cider that was currently raining down on her, gargling the cider in drunken joy. Partheus walked off, leaving the scene before anyone else bothered helping up the grape-red pony, or asking him bothersome questions like why he punched a drunk pony in the face in the first place. He noticed a chariot up ahead, with Newsworthy standing by it looking up at the sky with the same expression one would look at his watch to check the time when someone is late for something. "Hey, don't leave without me!" He ran towards the chariot, quickly dumped his satchel and sword in the trunk, and hopped inside the carriage. "Sorry I'm late, I got... cider tracked..."

I can't believe she is capable of being so cruel, he thought. She's supposed to be this morally perfect leader that everyone looks up to, not some wicked tyrant who smites those who oppose her. Hmph, well, I never believed in that whole 'controlling the sun and moon' nonsense anyway. It's just propaganda. He looked mournfully at Gravel, who was crying while looking at the ground. "Although what Celestia has done to you is cruel, it has done a great thing for you." "You have made a friend in me. A true friend, who can look past such petty things as your appearance and reputation. And don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Although we have only known eachother for less than a day, we've managed to put aside our fears and prejudices to come together and become close companions. And who cares if I am to die one day? What matters is that we spend whatever time we have together wisely. Let us not squander a single moment of our friendship. Let us instead savour every moment, and enjoy it while it lasts. We will one day have to part ways, but now we have this lovely woods to walk through." Partheus held Gravel's hand gently, smiling kindly. "So, Gravel, shall we continue on our walk?"

((My profile picture is actually supposed to look like me. Partheus does not wear glasses.)) Partheus followed Sara to try and find Marbles. The inmates were pouring out of the windows and doors of the institution, trying desperately to get out into Ponyville to wreak havoc. Lights were flicked on in houses as patients ran around acting crazy. What remained of the staff regrouped in the hospital, refusing to leave until the patients had gone. Sara was seemingly following no one, but appeared to be following something. It was as if she was imagining someone was in front of her.

"Well, if you insist, I suppose it'd be nice to take a stroll with you." As they walked down the white path, crunching brown leaves with their feet, Gravel raised an interesting point. "Oh, weren't you? Please do tell more."

((Might be. Including a character at this stage in the story would feel a little rushed. We could start a new one for you if you want.))

"Well, that's kinda put me on the spot..." He scratched his head, trying to think of how to describe himself. "My name is Partheus. I am a human, which is basically a monkey with opposable thumbs and a better brain. That's all you need to know, trust me."

Partheus followed the giddy Gravel to the start of Whitetail Woods. The woods themselves were fairly well-lit, offering plenty of sunshine without sacrificing visibility, like with the Everfree. It was mostly deciduous trees in autumn; orange and brown leaves falling to the ground seemingly in slow motion, lighting up the white road that inspired the woods' name with an orangey hue. Partheus observed the woods carefully, looking for any sign of possible trouble. "So, what shall we do now? It looks fairly nice in these woods. Fancy a relaxing stroll?"

"Alright, let's do this." He charged at out of the cell door. "LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOY, JEEEENKINS!" He knocked over two guards wrestling a patient on the ground, and began to bulldoze his way through a sea of shoulder-high ponies all fighting one another. Unicorns were poking him in the backs of his legs and pegasi feathers were flying into his face as he trumped through the crowds of purile chaos that lay before him. He picked up a few ponies, patients and staff alike, and threw them across the hall like bowling balls, clearing out the next few yards of madness for Partheus to walk through. As he made his way to the end of the hallway, he could see a wall of staff armed with taser rods around the door to the exit. He picked up a green earth pony and chucked it at the formation. It broke their defences just long enough for Partheus to dive through and knock out all of the guards with swift and precise punches. He opened the door to the exit for everybody, causing the tide of ponies to come to him. Huh, he thought, I didn't really think of that beforehand. At least I got chicken...

((Aww, how she's holding his hand like that is really sweet!)) Partheus was slightly at a loss for words when Gravel held his hand. It reminded him of how Twilight used to hold his hand when she would spend ages dragging him around Ponyville, lecturing him about stuff he didn't understand or care about. All that mattered to him at the time was spending time with Twilight. Although she was a pony, she was the first person to ever make him feel part of something bigger. What he felt was an alien concept to him; he had spent his entire life isolated from everyone else. What Partheus felt, for the first time in his life, was friendship. And this feeling was now present in Gravel, as she escorted him to the start of Whitetail Woods.

Not quite Twilight, he thought, but she'll do. "I would love to join you, but I'm stuck in this jacket. Could you, perhaps, untie me? Then, I promise to join in whatever mayhem you have in mind, okay?" That should play to her emotions just so, he thought. Well, that's the problem with having a split personality; it's like an open wound in your mind that insidious types like me take advantage of.

Partheus stood up besides Gravel "Hey, it's okay to get clingy. It shows that you genuinely care. Trust me, if I were in your shoes, I would treat every visitor like gold dust." He scanned his current location; no landmarks as such, but there was a faint path in the ground. "You know these parts much better than I do. Perhaps you should lead the way?"

Twilight rubbed her chin. "Well, that does sound intriguing. A former human from another dimension, somehow stuck in Equestria as a pony..." "Yes, finally! I got it-" CRASH! "GRAAAAAAAHHH!!!" There came a loud thumping noise from upstairs, followed by a long groan, then heavy footsteps down the stairs. An irate Partheus came down to visit Bowie, with a fresh bruise on his forehead. "Partheus? How did you get tha-" "Headbutted the nearest wall out of anger. It's either that or I start glowing red again, and I think we both agree which is the safer bet." He sat down next to Twilight, trying his best not to look grumpy in front of a guest. "So, Twilight, care to fill me in? I was kinda busy... training, if you can call it that..." Twilight handed Partheus 'The History of Grans Island and Mainland Parmecia'. Partheus began to read the tome, curious about who the pony sitting in front of him was. After a lengthy reading session and two rounds of hot tea for all, Partheus finished reading the tome. "Wow, so you used to be a human like me? And you also used to go on epic adventures like me? Gosh, that's incredible! But, why are you coming to see us about it? Is there anything we can do to help you get back, perhaps?"

"Right. See you at noon!" Partheus put down his mug of tea, and walked out of Newsworthy's office into Ponyville, looking for something to effectively kill the time. He noticed a group of three fillies huddled around a rectangular piece of iron, a wooden cylinder, and a doorknob. "Are you sure the spell Twilight showed you actually works, Sweetie Belle?" "Yes, I'm positive, Scootaloo! Mabye we have to align the pieces a little straighter..." "Naw, girls! You gotta say the magic words at the same time! You were way out of sync that time, Scootaloo!" "No I wasn't, Apple Bloom! You were the one going out of... umm, what does 'sync' mean?" "It's short for 'synchronisation'." "What does that mean?" "Do I look like a dictionary to you?" He approached the bickering trio. "Uh, sorry to intrude on your game, girls, but what exactly are you doing?" Scootaloo smiled. "Hey look, it's Twilight's boyfriend!" Partheus blushed out of embarrassment. "We... aren't together like that. We're just friends. And for the record, my name is Partheus, not 'Twilight's boyfriend'." Scootaloo rolled on the floor laughing. "Hee-hee, 'Par-thee-us', good one... No, but seriously, what is your name?" Partheus slapped his face in disbelief. "Nevermind. Anyway, what are you doing with a bit of iron, some wood, and a doorknob?" "Twilight showed me how to cast a spell that would turn these ordinary items into..." Sweetie Belle posed dramatically. "... a sword!" Partheus giggled. "Oh really now? And what is this spell, may I ask?" Sweetie Belle then recited the following words: "Trusty iron, sharpen thy border, round of wood, a grip be made, Handle of door, complete thy order, To forge from magic a mighty blade!" "My, sounds like some powerful magic right there!" Partheus tried his hardest not to grin. "Could you girls show me this spell in action? I'm curious to see such a formidable incantation in action." "What does 'incantation' mean?" Partheus sighed. "Read a dictionary, will you?" Scootaloo grumbled something about Partheus and Twilight under her breath. The three fillies stood around the items, chanting the verse in unison. "Trusty iron, sharpen thy border..." Suddenly, the rectangular piece of iron lifted off the ground and folded itself into the shape of a blade, edges somewhat sharp. "Round of wood, a grip be made..." The wooden cylinder flew up underneath the blade, screwing itself into the bottom to form a handle. "Handle of door, complete thy order..." The doorknob floated towards the bottom of the cylinder, screwing itself in as well to form the pommel. "To forge from magic a mighty blade!" There came an intense flash of light from the sword, blinding the three fillies and Partheus for a few seconds. When the light died down, there was a balloon sword sat in the middle of the three fillies where the real sword used to be. "Wha? I don' understand. There should be a real sword here!" "All of THAT, for THIS? What a load!" "I don't understand what went wrong, we said the exact words Twilight said we should..." Pinkie Pie walked past Partheus and the three fillies. "Good morning you three! And a very good morning to you, Twilight's boyfriend!" Partheus sighed heavily. Ugh, he thought, not her too. "Ooh, have you been making balloon shapes? Wow-wee, that's really good, girls! Keep up the good work!" She picked up the balloon sword, swung it around for a bit, before sticking it in her mane and trotting off again. "Okay, who's been spreading that rumour about me and Twilight around?" The three fillies all looked at Partheus with a guilty look on their face. "Well, uh, you see, uhh..." "It was Gabby Gums! She made it up!" Partheus smirked; he knew who Gabby Gums really was. "Ah, Gabby Gums. Yes, I've heard so much from her. Tell me, is she a unicorn, pegasus, or an earth pony?" After a moment's awkward silence, Scootaloo shot her hoof up. "Oh, I know! She's a pegasus!" Sweetie Belle interjected. "No, she's a unicorn!" Apple Bloom slammed her hoof down. "No, she's an earth pony!" They all locked heads with eachother, then suddenly jerked their heads back and began to panic once they realised that they all said Gabby Gums was their respective race, giving the game away. Partheus laughed. "Aww, don't feel too bad about it. It's all harmless fun, eh?" He unsheathed his sword and held it out to the three fillies. "I assume you were hoping for something along the lines of this?" Scootaloo's wings immediately sprouted upwards, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Wo-ho-ho, that is one sweet sword! Where did you get it?" Partheus smiled. "This was given to me by Princess Celestia herself as a gift. I lost my old one, so Princess Celestia cast a spell and SHAZAM! This sweet baby appeared." He gave the sword to Scootaloo to swing around. "Say, you don't suppose that the spell Princess Celestia cast to make this sword is the same spell Twilight taught you? Mabye more practise is needed before you start creating swords like this?" "Hey, you're right! Let's practise some more! Thanks, Nevermind!" Wait, he thought, my name isn't... oh you've got to be kidding me. Scootaloo threw the sword up in the air, tried to catch it, but missed, causing the blade to embed itself into the ground. "Hey, be careful with that! I don't think Princess Celestia is going to give me another one of those." Partheus pulled the sword out of the ground, cleaned the blade with a cloth he conjured from his satchel, and sheathed the sword. "See you later, and good luck mastering that spell!" Partheus casually walked off, leaving the three fillies sat in a circle. "So, uhh... who's going to grab another piece of iron?" I will, I will!" "You got it last time! I want to get it!" "I wanna get the doorknob again, if that's alright with everypony." "No, I want to get the doorknob this time!"

Why must they always insist on calling me the insane one? Every day they bang on my door, telling me to get up by the door so they can shove some foul smelling feed and some pills through the letterbox for me to consume. They can accuse me of being insane until they go purple in the face for all I care. Well, some of them already are purple in the face and all over the rest of their body too, but that's not the point. The fact is, I'm not the one banging on the doors shoving food through a letterbox. I know some of the inmates do that, but I'm most certainly not of their ilk. I'm a human, for one thing... How dare they imprison me, Partheus, with these buffoons? Hmph, well, not only are they insane, but they're incompetent to boot. This straight-jacket is far too small for me, and this cell is way too dim to properly appreciate the lovely fabric on the walls. Ooh, if I could just touch it... Oh, what's that noise? Probably yet another uprising. Yawn. When will these idiots learn? You can't overthrow 'the man' if most of your resistance group is composed of people who are more interested in licking the urinals than fighting for their freedom. No matter, they'll learn to like this place like I have... "Gah! Who goes there?" Oh, my cell door... opened by itself? Since when does it... oh wait. Someone's probably hacked into the locking system, the crazy foal. Lemme see if I can gather what's going on out there... Ah, they might actually stand a chance this time around. By the looks of things, the patients are winning on sheer manpower... horsepower? Man, it's a complete clusterbuck out there, but there's some organisation hidden behind the mayhem. A planned jailbreak, perhaps? My word, things are getting interesting. Mabye Twilight's here to break me out? She knew that I wasn't insane. She defended my case in Celestia's court, but no one bought it... Wait, who the buck... "Who are you?"

What was a human doing in Manehatten? To put it succinctly, Partheus was a messenger for the Human League, a sort of military force for humans. He was travelling on a country road carrying top secret information for the king's eyes only, when he was attacked by bandits. He fought them off, but was severely wounded during the battle, and was forced to find temporary shelter. He took a detour into uncharted territory, and discovered the land of Equestria. After recovering in Ponyville Hospital for a week, he decided he would travel across this hitherto undiscovered country by himself and learn about it's culture, to wait until his injuries completely healed, then he could go back on his way to delivering his message to the king. And what better place to learn about Equestria's culture than in Manehatten, surfing through the oceans of high society? Humans had not set foot in Equestria for 2000 years, and were practically unheard of by most normal citizens of Equestria. As a result, everyone who walked past Partheus gave him a startled and frightful look. It also didn't help that most ponies only stood to about shoulder height on him. While admiring the tall buildings that dotted Manehatten, he suddenly had a hunger pang that felt like his stomach was trying to knot itself in protest. Right, he thought. I better go grab something to eat. But where? He noticed a restaurant on the opposite side of the street, apparently owned by someone named "Juniper Berry". That's odd, he thought. Why would you set up a restaurant next to a clinic? The food can't be that bad, can it? Oh well, it's the nearest one to me, and I don't feel like wrestling my way through more pompous unicorns. He wrestled his way through more pompous unicorns and crossed the street, dodging traffic and being careful not to trip up on the gutter, and made his way through the door and into the restaurant. He walked inside to see a fairly decadent and tidy eatery, but something was amiss; there was only one pony occupying a table, tucking into what appeared to be a luxury fruit salad garnished with juniper berries. The entire restaurant was otherwise vacant of activity. He approached the lone pony eating his salad. "Err, sorry to disturb your meal sir, but do you know where the staff is? Preferably the one called Juniper Berry?"

Partheus followed Sanctuary towards the encampment. He noticed a couple of other ponies beginning to follow behind him; a pink unicorn with her horn stuck on the bottom of her front-right hoof, a green pegasus with his wings replaced by wing-shaped pillows, and an orange earth pony with a beanstalk growing out of his back. Well, he thought, looks like I got lucky with my curse. Some poor folk have got it much worse than me, it seems. He sheepishly walked on among the cursed ponies, trying not to look smug or arrogant as they trundled along with their disfigurements while he briskly strolled with his bright clothing.

She knows my nightmare was about her, he thought. To be fair, I'd be a little eager to jump to that conclusion if I was a greatly feared monster like a gorgon. But, I don't want to hurt her feelings like that, not after all that she's done for me. Partheus stood up, walked over to Gravel, and rested his hand upon her shoulder. "Hey, no need to cry! It wasn't about you, I promise! I have nightmares like that all the time. Why do you think I wasn't scared of you when I first saw you?" He bent down and met Gravel at eye level. "Besides, I'm not leaving until I've learnt all I can about this place. Do you think you could help me with that?" He smiled at Gravel, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"Oh, well I guess if it's that important, come right in." Twilight ushered Bowie into her house, shutting the door behind him. "Alright... steady as she goes... a little to the left..." CRASH! "SON OF A SEA SERPENT!"

((Sure, I'll make it morning. And if you want to, I don't mind having this made private.)) Partheus was walking down a dark hallway, surrounded by shadowy figures looking down upon him behind their large hats. As he made his way down the hallway, the shadowy figures closed in on him, reducing Partheus to a crawl, then a slide between figures, then complete entrapment. He could barely breathe in the sea of black coats he found himself in. Just then, a pair of green eyes penetrated through the crowd, staring right into Partheus'. The green eyes moved closer, to reveal the face of Gravel, hissing her forked tongue into his face. Partheus gave out a terrified scream as she opened her mouth and consumed his head whole. * * * Partheus bolted up from his pile of hay, sweating and panting, feeling his face to make sure nothing actually happened to him. It was morning, and the ruins were somewhat alive with the distant sounds of birdsong. Gravel was still sat by his side, guarding him from would-be attackers. He lay back onto his pile of hay, sighing with relief.

"Thanks. It's much appreciated." Partheus put down his satchel, and lay his head on the pile of hay, watching Gravel stand guard to protect him, and eventually drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

"I have nowhere to stay, unfortunately. I've been travelling all around Equestria for the past few weeks, you see, so I just set up camp for the night wherever I happen to be. Speaking of which..." Partheus looked up at the sky; the moon was out, a waning crescent in the spotted array of stars. "Huh, well, looks like I'll be staying here for the night. You don't mind, do you?"

Twilight opened the door to see an earth pony armed with a sword standing outside, looking concerned. "Oh, hello there. Whatever it is you want, can it wait? I'm currently in the process of..." "Come on..." SMASH! "I swear, if I ever find the guy who invented this stupid spell, I will kick him in the shins!" "...Spring cleaning."

"You have my word. I will train as hard as I can to make sure I'm ready for when this Sagittarius rears his ugly head. I will learn the inner workings of this sword, and master it's hidden abilities. And most importantly, I will not underestimate him. If he can level cities, he's not one to be trifled with." Partheus stood up again, stretching his arms. "Oh, you're heading to Canterlot as well? Sure, I'll hop on your chariot. The sooner I can get to my new training room, the better."

Partheus put down his mug of tea. "Most normal men would give up on their superiors to suit their own needs, and I will be the first to admit that I have done such things in my military career. But, I am not going to fight Sagittarius because I have been commanded to by Celestia." He stood from his chair. "I will fight him because I know what would happen to my friends if I didn't." He walked over to the desk and picked up his sword. "Although my stay in Equestria has been a brief one, I have for the first time in my life grown fond of certain individuals such as you and Twilight, and would serve you more willingly as a friend than serve any leader or commanding officer as a pawn." He raised his sword in the air. "I am sworn to protect my new friends and all they care about with my dying breath. And if that means dying at the hands of a superior opponent, then so be it. I'd rather be a dead hero than a live coward." He pointed his sword forwards, nearly hitting Newsworthy. "It's because of people like you and Twilight that I have a stake in Equestria's future, even if it means that I am ultimately not part of it." He sheathed his sword back into its scabbard. "If I were to run, I would know what I was running from, but where would I be running to? Permanent exile from both Hominopolis and Equestria? Political instability in the Five Realms? The end of the world as we know it? I simply cannot turn back now. I must fight Sagittarius, whether I like it or not." He sat back down, picked up his mug of tea, and continued to sip it while thinking. "Oh, and thank you for telling me this thing can channel my energy. Now I have a good idea of how I can train myself for Sagittarius." I just need to convince someone into being a willing practise target, he thought.