Equestria's Greatest... NIGHTMARE!!!

"Ah, it's good to be home," I sighed, slinging my shirt over my head and tossing it carelessly into my clothes hamper.

I booted up my old PlayStation 2, eager to release some pent up aggression. After a couple minutes, a loud voice proudly proclaimed the name of my chosen game.

"SOUL CALIBUR... THREE!!!"

One of my all time favorites, this game helped me over on many an occasion. I sank more free time into this than anything else. It helped to alleviate my anger issues, after all. Each time I defeated an enemy, I placed my bosses face on them, finding satisfaction in the thought of destroying them. The media might tell you violent videogames turn people into murderers, but I for one advocate them as the best medicine. I also found peace in perfecting my weapon techniques, seeking peace through practiced mastery of all weapon types in the game. It allowed me to drown out the world, and focus my mind to purge my rage.

Anger issues? Yeah, I had them. Especially when my own species seemed to think I was not human. Kicking me around, pushing me aside. Just today I was rejected for the umpteenth time. They say to keep trying, but her derisive laughter echoed through my mind, infuriating and depressing me at the same time.

I decided to continue my Chronicles of the Sword storyline. Wielding a large weapon that would realistically be unwieldy to use the way I was, I quickly destroyed my opposition. With nothing left standing, I turned my attention the the final base, where the traitorous General Girardot resided. I broke it down, initiating the cutscene before his demise.

"So you've come."

After saying his piece, the battle started, and I promptly disposed of him. Just because he wouldn't flinch or be damaged without counter attacks doesn't mean he was a threat. Guardian Force? Please. Defeating him, the final scene featuring him played.

"You are strong. But you do not yet know where to direct that power. Right now, your strength is controlled by others. Think for a moment, for whom do you wield your power, for what purpose, and against whom? You must learn to control that strength yourself... otherwise... You will never become a true warrior."

"Impressive. That fight had me cursing for awhile earlier when I tried it."

Whirling at the deep voice emanating behind me, I found a sight that shocked me completely. Standing behind me, cloaked in white robes, was a very familiar, yet completely impossible, figure.

"Zasalamel?!"

"This is merely the form I assumed to speak to you. I figured familiarity was in order for a first meeting," he said, sounding exactly like Zasalamel did in the game. A voice laden with power and dark purpose.

"A form you assumed? What the hell does that mean?" I questioned him, my natural skeptic attitude surfacing.

"For now, I will not answer that question. I came with an offer for you. You regret living life here, do you not? Of course you do. Shunned and reviled, rejected by the world you grew up in. You've become bitter and hateful."

"Yeah, what's it to you?" I asked, bitterness rising in my mind. This guy was starting to piss me off.

"I said I had an offer. Don't interrupt me again. I give you a chance, to leave this world, and go to one I have chosen. But you will have to leave your body, as I cannot think that you would be useful as you are right now. If you accept, I will send you there immediately, to act as my personal piece in a much grander game. What say you?"

I thought this over for a few moments. This guy was clearly one nutty fellow. He was claiming he could send me to another world. Hmm, maybe he meant a virtual world. Leaving my body, entering a new one, and he did call it a 'game'.

"It may be a game to me, but it is very real for you. And very dangerous. You could die, but I can give you a choice of bodies to help you survive. Dying wouldn't reflect well on me, you see."

Did he just-

"-read your mind? Yes."

I blinked at him in shock. Mind reading, telepathy, omniscience, I considered all of those to be pure bullshit used to glean idiots of their savings. Maybe he had some sort of power.

"Of course I have power. I am what you mortals would call a God, after all," the man said, smiling darkly at me.

"I don't believe in Gods."

But I was interested in his offer. Maybe I should try it, if for no other reason than being miserable here right now, or miserable here if it failed. But if it worked...

"Where would I be going, exactly?" I asked. This answer would decide for me.

"Equestria."

NOT the answer I expected, and my open mouth did well to convey my shock.

"I chose you because I know you would love to go, and have the chance to meet the ponies you've come to adore as your second anger coping mechanism."

That was true, but-

"And at least it isn't here, right? New start, and all that."

True. If it worked, it couldn't hurt. And if this guy just wanted to kill me, I doubt he'd be so elaborate.

I nodded once, letting him know I accept. He then raised his arm, and the forearm began to glow blue. The room darkened, and I felt a laugh escape me as I recognized one of Zasalamel's ending poses. Then my world went dark. The last thing I heard was Zasalamel's dark laughter, ringing in my ears.

I woke up God knows how much later with a pounding headache. I tried opening my eyes, only to shut them quickly against the invasive torchlight. Wait... Torchlight?!

"What's that in it's hand, servant?" a hissing voice rasped from somewhere to my left.

Upon hearing the question, I realized my left hand was gripping something rather heavy. I could feel something was strange about my right arm, but when a female voice spoke up, my attention immediately focused on it.

"We d-don't know, M-master. We think it is a large s-sword. We tried to t-take it from it, b-b-but the one who touched it, he... Oh Celestia it was horrible!"

The second voice quavered with fear, although whether it was in response to the owner of the first voice or the horror of whatever happened to her companion, I could not be sure. I could be sure he said Celestia, thought, which peaked my interest enough for me to feign waking up.

I groaned slightly and opened my eyes blearily. I had adjusted to the light flickering already and took a look around me. The first thing I noticed was a ruby red dragon, staring at me with malevolent eyes. The dragon was easily thirty feet long, and smoke was coming from it's nostrils as it regarded me. The second thing I noticed was the literal wealth of gold and gems it was sitting on. And finally, all around the cave, ponies of all kinds seemed to be slaving away at enlarging the cavern. At regular intervals, they were guarded by creatures resembling bipedal canines.

Hmm. Dragon? Check. Money? Check. Ponies? Check. Diamond Dogs? Check. Either I was having the strangest and most realistic dream ever, or that 'God' was really something quite spectacular.

Dreaming. Had to be dreaming. That was the thought running through my head as I stared the dragon down.

"Sup?" I asked, my voice strangely echoing with power and a dark aura.

Either it didn't like being addressed so forwardly, or didn't like it's captives to speak at all, because it roared at me. Not even two seconds later, I was surrounded by dogs, who were all leveling weapons towards me. Interesting. Sparing a look down at the object in my left hand, I looked back up at the dragon. But only for a second, as my eyes snapped back to the sword I held in shock.

Soul Edge, a sword from a video game that was not real, was now very real and clutched in my armored hand. Sparing a more critical look at what I could see, I found myself adorned in azure armor, except for part of my chest. That had a mouth. Yep, definitely a mouth. See, it even opens when I think about it. Oh God, I'm rambling to myself in shock.

With great willpower, I snapped my mouth back to observing myself, and took a look at my right arm. Which wasn't an arm, nope nope. That was a claw. A really big claw. Like, twice the size of my normal arm, claw. And oh look, another mouth, with tusks this time. Oh how cute, it even opens when I spare thoughts to it. Perfect. Two mouths. Nomnomnomnomrambling.

I was still looking over myself when I heard the same female voice from earlier cry out.

"Watch out!"

Looking up quickly, I saw one of the dogs thrusting a spear at me, which caught me in my right shoulder, right next to the mouth located there. And boy, did that hurt. Did that ever hurt. I spared only time to think that if this was a dream, I would have woken up from that, before I lifted the huge zweihander in my left hand with ease. With little effort, I swung the sword down and snapped the spear, before sliding it across the ground and into the dog's shin. With a howl, the dog fell to the ground, where I proceeded to thrust my weapon into its chest, -GREEN- silencing it as blood spurted around my blade. I didn't spare a thought to the color that had flashed through my mind as my sword killed it, figuring I'd have some time later to give it more thought.

Looking up, I saw the rest of my attending crowd staring at me in shock, before the dragon hissed one word.

"Attack."

And all hell broke loose.