First it was the body: width, height, male, female, age, race. Then came physical appearance: coat color, eyes, mane, tail, facial hair, accessories, colors for everything else. Then what is known as your "Class," not social class, but what you are skilled at. There are thousands upon thousands of them, each breaking off into individual sets and "Skill trees," so no one is exactly the same. These determine your cutiemark, which changes as you select your skills and advance in the "Game of life,". Nopony is aware of it that it happens, only that they wake up a moment later in their bed...
* * * * *
"Hey... wake up..."
"Come on already... wake up...
"Hey! Wake up!" The voice.. it sounded familiar.. was someone talking to me? Something hard came down on the side of my head as I started to open my eyes, and made my head start to swim more than it already was. Then I saw the larger stallion looming over me. "Good! Your awake!" He shouted as he grabbed me and pulled me out of bed and onto my hooves. "Come on! The barracks are on fire, your the last one left!" I reached my hoof up to my throbbing head and felt a bump. "Oh yeah, sorry about that, but you wouldn't wake up. Now come on!" The stallion said and jumped over a burning log as it hit the ground and gestured towards the door, "We don't have all night! It's only a matter of time until this place collapses!"
Like something had unlocked in me, I suddenly found the will to move as if I hadn't had control of my body before now. I started a slow walk around a burning log and followed the guide as he moved about the room, dodging various falling obstacles. Switching over to a trot to keep up with him, we made our way down the long room and to the door. "Ugh..."
What was he doing? "Its jammed, I can't get it open!" He pushed on the door as hard as he could, then turned around and tried kicking it down, but that didn't work either. "We're dead if you don't help me here! Quick, freeze the door so that we can break it off its hinges easier!"
I remembered something. In the back of my mind it ignited and came rushing out and clearly visible to me. A symbol appeared in my head and I focused on it. There was a strange sensation as if a wave was running through my bones. Then became aware of the horn sticking out of my forehead and felt an external force telling me to aim it at the door, and I did. The wave rushed up through my horn and stayed there. My horn started to glow and it felt like the... magic, was trying to push its way out through it. Giving it a little extra push, it felt as if a portion of life was drained from my body which grew ice cold for a second, then back to normal as a brilliant blue beam of light shot out from my horn at the door. The spell lasted a good three seconds and ice spread out from the impact zone to fully cover the door and the sound of ice crackling as the door gave in to the force and the cold. Feeling tired, I almost passed out there but remained standing when another flaming log landed right behind me and singed the end of my tail. I whipped back around and looked over at the guide. He looked at the door, turned around and gave it one last big kick which made it gave way.
Turning to me he said "Nice job, now lets get out of here before we're crushed." and with that we both ran out of the door, and into the darkness.
Rushing out the door and away from the flaming building, the outside breeze felt cool against my coat. My eyes adjusted to the darkness and I could start to make out the shapes of ponies as they ran around hitting and bumping into each other. "This way!" the guide shouted from a position a little ahead. He turned and started running down the dirt road and I quickly caught up to him. "What's your name newbie."
Suddenly I became aware of one word in one my mind, "I.. my na.. my name.. is Lunar.." I was able to spit out in between breaths as I struggled to keep up with him. My heart was racing and my legs were shaking. Why was it so hard to run! I was slowing down now and was at least a good ten feet behind him.
The guide looked over at me and something on his head began to glow. A horn! So he was a unicorn also! I saw the aura before the object hit me which I instinctively reached out and got a grip of it with my magic. It was a glass vial with some blue liquid in it that seemed to be... glowing? It looked a little hazardous... I quizzically looked over at him and he yelled. "Just drink it!"
So using my magic to pop the cork out the top of the bottle I grabbed it in my mouth and threw my head back, drinking it all at once. There was an immediate change. My pulse slowed a little, as if I wasn't running on just adrenaline any more, my steps became lighter, and I found myself catching back up to him as a new found energy rushed through me.
I noticed an aura around me as it all happened, then it suddenly twisted around and my body seemed to suck it right out of the air. The drink tasted sweet as it rushed down my throat, but then came the bitter part. The after taste was awful, and the guide must have seen my reaction because he started laughing as we drew near our destination.
"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to be louder than the crowd as everyone rushed towards the burning building. "Why aren't we helping to put out the fire,"
"We're reporting to the guild hall. With all the commotion, I doubt they actually know whats going on, just that everyone is running around and that its chaotic out here!" The guild hall? I tried to remember something about the place but everything was clouded in my mind.
Houses started passing by, then shops and stalls were lining the streets as we kept running. There was a big building ahead, it seems that the street we took wen't straight to it, which was handy except that it was a rather large distance to run all the way. Lanterns were hanging on posts on the side of the streets as we drew near the building, which grew bigger and bigger the closer we got, until it stood over us at an incredible height. I followed my guide up the stairs and we burst through the door. Light flooded my eyes and for a moment I threw my forehoof up to block it, but then put it down as my eyes seemed to adjust, they weren't straining to see something like they were in the dark moments ago. The room was big and circular. The floor was marble and gems were laid about it to look like pictures. Pillars were used as a decoration on the walls which were made out of a type of white stone. There were two staircases that wrapped around the far side of the room, which must have led up a second floor above us. Looking up I noticed that the ceiling was made of a reflective crystal, and that the images on the ground could be seen on each surface. Marveling at the interior design, I Hadn't noticed when the guide started calling for someone. "Princess Luna!" he shouted the loudest he possibly could, "Princess Luna!" ponies in purple armor started streaming down the stairs on each side of the room and circled us, forming a two layer thick wall between us, and anything else, of ponies. A moment went by and everyone was quiet, except for the occasional scrape of metal as the assumed guards shifted their positions.
I got jabbed lightly in the side by a spear as a guard shifted into place. I wondered who it was we were here to see. The guide had called for a 'Princess Luna' but all that was here were guards. Some of them gave us an evil glare and others just stood there, head held high and their gaze forward. I snapped out of it and back to the present when a cloud of jet black smoke appeared behind the guards. They parted in front of us to each side. When I thought that the building was beautiful... I must not have had any idea of what I was thinking. There in front of use stood a pony. She was notably taller then the rest of us and I felt a sense of awe as I gazed upon her. Her coat was a midnight blue like the night sky, and her main and tail were like waves, which seemed to reflect the stars as they flowed in the air. I became distinctly aware that my mouth was hanging open and closed it.
The guide next to me bowed, and I followed suit. Although I didn't know exactly who this figure was, I found that it was the least I could do to show respect. "Stand," she said in a calm, yet demanding voice, and we did. She looked back and forth at the two of us and said, "What brings thee here?"
The guide stepped forward and replied, "Princess Luna. IT, has happened again." So she was royalty? Well that further explained the bowing, and what I figured to be the guards.
Princess Luna looked over behind us and frowned. I glanced back and noticed the orange glow of the fire even from so far away. She turned to a pony that was out of my sight until now. "Increase the guards," the Princess said, "Post more on the walls and the towers, have scouts on the ground on the outside and tell them to report to me 12 hours, or if something, anything suspicious happens," The pony bowed and spread its wings. It wasn't until now that I also noticed that they weren't made from feather, but rather they were webbed, more like a bat. Now that he looked around, all the guard ponies had the webbed wings, and their ears were a little larger than normal. Batponies, I inwardly smirked at the new name I made for them.
The messenger batpony flapped a couple times and flew over us and out the door. "You," I looked up at the Princess. Unlike the others, she did have feathered wings.
I swallowed nervously and said, "Me?"
"Yes you," she replied. "Who are you, and whats your business here,"
I opened my mouth to respond but the guide cut me off, "He's the only survivor of the fire." The princesses eyes widened and she stood there for a moment, as if lost in deep thought.
Without shifting her gaze she asked, "Shinning Armor, how do you know this wasn't just a regular fire?" Shinning Armor? Oh, that must be his name, Though it fit, because not only was he the only one wearing gold armor, which didn't really say anything. But the light seemed to reflect off his pure white coat, giving a look almost as if it really WAS shinning.
I noticed Shinning Armor hesitate a bit before responding, "There was no smoke," Smoke? There hadn't been any smoke had there? Though I guess I wasn't paying all that much attention considering all the falling flaming logs. But what did that have to do with any of this? Fire that didn't have smoke? Sure its weird but there has to be a reasonable explanation for it, I mean, its not like its magic or anything, so why make a big deal about it.
"You know what to do," Luna said looking over at him. Shinning armor nodded his head and turned towards me. Wait, what does he know what to do? I noticed a faint glow shimmering around his horn. A ring of blue fire slowly started to circle around me on the ground. I didn't panic, it felt like I didn't have control of my body. Why couldn't I move! Now I started to panic, but I still just stood there in the middle as the flames made their way around me, then slowly start to rise up and make a fiery dome. Great, now I'm trapped, how could this get any wo-. My trail of thought was cut off by a bright white flash.