Acheron, Meet Equestria!

Chrysalis shook me, bringing me back to reality. I stood, shaking. I could feel the depression associated with the knowledge of just what was going on.

“What goes around... comes around, I suppose.” I walked to the rope, my nose running. Twilight galloped up to me, her face tightening.

“What is that sign?! Why did your react like that?” I turned, angry. She seemed irritated, but I was beyond that point. I hurt, horribly.

“Twilight, that sign... you're standing in what's left of my hometown.” She stopped, falling behind as I dragged myself up the incline of the pit with the assistance of the rope. With a flash, Trixie and Chrysalis had teleported to the top, waiting for me. Twilight was still at the bottom, staring up with tears in her eyes. Chrysalis grabbed my hand, dragging me up into a hug.

“Just don't even speak. There are some things that don't even need words.” I stood there, in the embrace of Chrysalis, the tears flowing freely. Trixie, having heard what I had said, seemed to forget keeping up her act of a performer, tears streaming as well. Something about the whole thing just felt... wrong.

“Chrysalis... if this is my hometown... this is Earth... and the time period... means I've travelled through time.” I pushed her away, looking down. Wiping away the tears on my dust sleeve, I stared around, looking at the ruins. An idea appeared before me. Twilight flashed up, appearing behind me.

“So, your name is Acheron... I am so, so sorry. I didn't know-” I held up my hand.

“Twilight Sparkle, for once, please shut up. I thought I'd left the horrible world of depression behind. It seems... it never leaves you.” Laughing seemed to come from the air around us as we stood there. The laughter... the voice was familiar, for some bizarre reason, even though I was perfectly sure I had never heard it before.

“So, you found my little secret? Oh, the human seems to recognize my voice! Ah, the humour! Even though we've never met, you seem to be familiar with me. What, has mythology been revealed to you, human? There are some things that never change. Even your people learned the meaning of true chaos, though they already had the capacity for it. Ta ta, for now! We shall meet again!” The laughter subsided, echoing out into the ruins. Everyone was on edge after that. True chaos... even though I understood mythology, a being of pure chaos, I did not know of any.

“Acheron, you recognize the voice?” I shook my head. It seemed familiar, but then again, it was alien.

“I really don't know- look out!” A bright white sphere was approaching out of nowhere, heading straight for us. I pushed her out of the way, the light landing in front of me. The shockwave hurled me into a nearby boulder-sized piece of concrete, pain coursing through every muscle. Celestia appeared out of the light, a look of pure anger on her visage. I reached up my hand to my mouth, wiping blood that was coming forth off. Twilight stood up, staring at the princess.

“Princess! What's going on-” Celestia stood between her and myself. I stood there, my hand on my back pocket. Unbeknownst to the others, I had my BB pistol there, loaded and ready.

“Get behind me. The human is dangerous. He will try to kill us.” I drew the pistol slowly, making no sudden movements.

“This is his hometown, princess! We are standing in the ruins of a human town!” Celestia paid no heed to her words, focusing on me. Her horn charged. I revealed the pistol. As she discharged a beam of energy, I fired, pulling the trigger as quickly as humanly possible. The beam melted the BB's, arcing past them towards me. I closed my eyes, holding up my hands. The beam struck something, a muffled explosion reaching my ears. I opened my eyes, shock forming on my face. A shield, of sorts, surrounded me. Celestia herself was even shocked. I looked down at the BB pistol. While it looked almost the same. I noticed an actual ejection port on the top. Pulling the slide back, I heard an actual handgun round enter the chamber. Dropping it, I backed up.

“What is going on?! What was that shield?! How do you teleport, lift stuff and-” I passed out, the mental strain finally taking its toll.

“I think he's waking up. If you want to ask him anything, princess, I suggest you ask him now.” Chrysalis' voice drifted into my deadened sense of hearing as I regained consciousness. I noticed Twilight, Trixie, Chrysalis and Princess Celestia standing over me as if I had died. Slowly, I sat up in the large hospital bed I found myself in. I hurt everywhere, as if I had just finished exercising for more than a recommended two hours.

“Yeah, no thanks to that blast of yours. Now, why exactly did you shoot at me? Seemed like a good- why am I chained to the bed?” I looked down at my chest, noticing bandages. Chrysalis slowly removed them, allowing me to see what exactly they all seemed to be so afraid of. On my chest, there was what appeared to be a blood-red star. It was very unsettling.

“This appeared on your chest soon after you collapsed. It burned away the clothing you had been wearing. Speaking of which, a pony named Rarity has agreed to recreate the clothing, as long as you give her the... odd design on the front.” I frowned. That had been my favourite shirt.

“There's no reason to fear the atom.” I shook my arms again. “Okay, so, I'm chained because you think I'm a threat, and I have a funky red tattoo. Anything else you want to tell me?” A knock at the door removed their attention from me.

“Is this the room where I'm supposed to deliver the pizza?” The rage I felt, I hazarded a guess that the entire room felt it by the looks on their faces. My right hand began to burn as the rage dissipated. I looked down at my hand. My hand was on fire, melting the iron chain.

“What's going on?!” The chain dripped away, setting the bed on fire. “Get me off of this bed! I don't want to burn to death!” I shook my hand violently, flinging molten drops of iron around. Other parts of the hospital bed began to smolder as smoke filled the room. With a blast of energy, the chain was gone, the fire out, and I was standing without a shirt on staring down at the various ponies before me. The sight was shocking, to say the lest.

“Why did that happen, princess? Who is he?” I flexed my hand, popping the bones into place. My gaze floated over to Celestia, who was near the back of the room, frowning.

“I do not entirely understand how the human acquired magic, but somehow, he has absorbed a small amount of it. It seems tied to his emotions, however.” I sighed. At first I thought it had been advanced technology, which would have been amazing, but magic? That was just unfair, in the cosmic scheme of things.

“So, you're saying that I'm a ticking time-bomb pressure cooker, and if I experience heights of extreme emotion, I could burn up?” Celestia nodded silently. I stuck my hands in my pockets. A voice from outside the door silenced all.

“It is a good thing I accounted for something along those lines, darling. While the... symbol was odd, it was simple enough to replicate.” A marshmallow white unicorn with a frivolously styled purple mane entered, a clothing rack following behind her. One of the outfits appeared to be a sort of trench coat. “If it had not been Princess Celestia who had requested this, I would never have done it.” I smiled as I lifted one of the shirts off. The fabric was exquisite, comfortable, and hopefully fire-proof. I slid it on, the shirt fitting perfectly. I looked down at myself again. I was skinnier than I had been before. Something was very strange.

“Wasn't I a lot heavier before- wait... how long have I been unconscious?” Twilight and Trixie shifted nervously as I stared. Rarity was the one to break the silence, much to my chagrin.

“Around two weeks. The healing magic we used on you must have used up the extra mass in your body to repair itself.” Healing magic. Magic. They had used magic to heal me, and now I had strange, Mutant X-esque powers. I grabbed the trench-coat, smiling. While it was a simple black trench-coat when viewed from the front, the back had my symbol on it.

“Never fear the atom.” I slid it on, making sure it was done up right. Chrysalis tossed me my hat, letting me put the final touches on. I smiled. I looked remarkably like a sea captain. Something was nudged into my hand slowly, cold metal, and quite heavy. I frowned. The handgun could be useful, but killing, it was not my style. Even though, I still grasped it, sliding it into the inside pocket of the coat.

“'Never fear the atom?' What does that mean?” I turned, the sadness in my face showing.

“Something I wish I could have said to some people. Something I wish I could have... to some of the people I used to know.” A tear fell from my eye. I wiped it away quickly before they saw.

“So, what now? You going to tell us about the voice?” I sat down, sighing.

“It was at the research camp...”

“... and that's everything, Celestia, right up until before you arrived. That, by the way, was extremely painful. Also, it was entirely uncalled for.” I sat there, shifting slightly. Tea had been brought by the request of Celestia, something I had welcomed. It was very delicious, and definitely served to lessen the tension of the situation.

“The voice... it sounds like you may have met Discord.” The name seemed to bring disgust and hatred throughout the room. While it seemed strange, it seemed to belong to the creature that had destroyed the human race. That alone was reason enough to bring a foul taste to my mouth thinking of him. I clenched my fist, staring down at my feet.

“So, he's the reason that my people are dead...” I could feel my face tighten as the anger returned in full force. Hatred. Pain. The only proper word to express the emotion was fury, the very sort of fury that could destroy everything in my path, but leave me scorched and dying. I drew a deep breath, drawing my mind inwards. Meditation, it does wonders towards calming one's inner fires.

“You seem to have gained control over your anger. That's good. Hopefully that won't change in the long run.” A voice inside of my head had spoken. It was not the voice of Discord, or of any other pony or person I had met. It was female... and quite relaxing to listen to.

“So, might I ask who you are?” The voice was silent, not responding. I stood there, a discussion happening near me as I frowned. They were not paying attention, which meant that they did not notice me talking to myself.

“I am the voice of order. You would call me Yggdrasil, if that is the appropriate name.” The name was familiar, itself coming from Norse mythology on Earth.

“The World Tree. The one under which the Norse 'Nine Realms' were protected. I know my mythology well.” Beside the hospital bed sat my red Warhammer case, and my paratrooper backpack. Quickly grabbing the backpack, I undid the knot that held it shut, removing from it a single book that was always in the backpack, no matter where I put it. A book that dealt entirely with mythology. I flipped through until Yggdrasil was the one I was looking at.

“In a matter of speaking. Another name is the Tree of Life, the very being that gave life to this planet. Acheron, I have been watching you for many years, while you wondered if there was a purpose to your existence. While I cannot give you the entirety of what I mean now, rest assured that you coming to this land was not accidental.” The voice seemed to disappear, leaving me with a lot of questions.

“Acheron, why exactly are you talking to yourself?” I looked down. Trixie was staring up at me, confused. The conversation in the background continued on-

“Trixie, why are you a filly?” I reached down, picking her up. She was about the size of a small dog, which meant their size grew somewhat exponentially later in life.

“Achewon, why am I so smaw?” Even though something was not right there,  the sheer adorableness of it kept me from mentioning it. I squeezed her slightly, eliciting a high-pitched giggle from her.

“Trixie, I'm going to clear out my backpack of some stuff. Do you want to ride around with me?” She waved her little hooves around, smiling. Her little voice was incredibly cute, even though normally she would be keeping up her act of being 'great' and 'powerful.' I pulled out some of the items inside the backpack, namely a camouflage jacket, a chest rig for what was once a BB pistol, and my fingerless gloves. Quickly slipping them on, I lifted the filly Trixie into the backpack, strapping it on as she giggled, seeming to not understand what was going on. Celestia turned, staring.

“Acheron, why is Trixie a filly?” I sat down on a nearby stool, looking down at the ground.

“Something is happening that I cannot figure out. On the train, on the way to the research camp, there was a speaker. That is technology from my time, from your past, and that means that items from the past are bleeding through.” I turned to the wall. There was a thin crack on the wall, but it seemed impossible. “A... crack... in the universe. That's impossible. That is scientifically and physically impossible.” To be perfectly honest, I understood what that crack could do. I watched Doctor Who, but I never expected the crack to actually occur.

“A crack in the universe? What do you mean, Acheron?” I looked around. I was holding a teacup, drinking the Darjeeling tea that Celestia had made. The situation that had just occurred was reminiscent of the event with Luna.

“Something really strange is going on. An event plays out, but then I seem to be right back just before the event began.”

“You seem to be able to perceive an alternate future. The crack is not in the universe, but in the fabric of time itself. Time is unraveling. Be careful, Acheron.” Yggdrasil, at least, had been real. Time unraveling, though... that was bad. Incredibly so. I looked up at the group again. Chrysalis was wearing clothing from my backpack again, a trench-coat with a wide-brimmed green hat.

“Looking good, Chrys.” She turned away, her face red. I smiled. Celestia glanced at me, worry on her face. “So, I have a serious question right now.” She nodded, silent. “How does that healing magic work, exactly?” Celestia seemed to calm down, at least, quite subtly, although I could still see it.

“It jumpstarts the magic in one's body for healing, forcing it to- oh.” She apparently seemed to understand what I was getting at. While I, a human, was not magically inclined in the slightest, she had gone and forced magic into my body, giving me something that, in all logical sense, I should never had ever been able to have.

“And the mark on my body... it is remarkably similar to the one on Twilight's flank. What were they called again?” Celestia merely frowned. She seemed to be drawing the same conclusion I was.

“... Cutie Marks... and they are a representation of one's true talents.” I nodded, frowning.

“I thought as much. While yours are Cutie Marks, mine cannot be described as such. Hmm... Mark of Power would be more appropriate than Cutie Mark for a human.” I waited for Yggdrasil to speak again, for a message that would tie it all together.

“Acheron, this is most... unusual. While your life energy is usually a bright white, the light of humanity's spirit, I see in it intertwined tangles of magical energy, something your race never had. I will speak again when it is an appropriate time.” I sighed, staring at the ground. Sometimes, I wished things would be simple, just for once.

“... so, your Mark of Power-”

“Wait... my back!” I threw off the coat and shirt I was wearing, turning to a nearby mirror to check my back. Surely enough, there was another mark on my back, balancing scales. To humour myself, I grabbed the hat I had been given, staring inside at the mark. The shifting mark had become a mark. While otherwise it would not have made everything fall into place, that time, it was the perfect final piece of a puzzle. The mark of the Order of Balance... it was a blood-red star over balance scales. I... I was the Order. As if it was a poisonous snake, I hurled the hat away from me, quickly bringing the shirt and coat back on. I clenched my fist, watching as a ball of fire enveloped it. It did not hurt when it happened, and it was not burning the clothing I was wearing. Waving my hand, I dispelled the magical fire, staring at the ground.

“You have a modicum of control over the magic already.” My mind returned to the night when I had discovered exactly what I feared, the shield that had enveloped me, and my BB gun becoming a lethal weapon. A desire to hit the ground came over me, as I stared at my shoes. Without a second thought, my fist was slamming into the ground, wind whipping around Celestia as she flinched against the rush of sudden wind. I sat there, my fist on the ground, and a bright, shimmering field of energy covering my body.

“I also have my own shield. Huh.” Standing up, the shield dissipated, leaving me feeling exhausted and drained. Staggering, I sat down. Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, heck, all those inside the room, save Trixie and Chrysalis, were open-mouthed in shock. Chrysalis had seen how my little world operated, and did not think on it. Trixie seemed to not give two bits about it.

“As to why your magic activates only in certain ways is beyond-” A whistling from outside of the window sent a shiver up my spine. I stared out the window. Rain had begun to fall, and a pony in red clothing stood outside. Even though I did not know the pony, I knew the song, and every time I heard that specific rendition, something bad had always happened. Something inconceivably bad. Words began to slowly drift into the room, fear gripping me as I sat there.

“When the blazing sun is gone, when the nothing shines upon. Though I know not what you are... Twinkle Twinkle, little star.” Celestia stared at me, noting the look of abject fear on my face. The words were apparently non-existent, at least, for the princess. I was visibly shaking.

“Whenever that song plays... something bad always happens.” The next thing that happened made me wish I was never right about that. Ticking echoed through the hallways, quiet, but foreboding.

“I-Is that a clock? What is that?” The ticking... it was something far worse than a simple clock.

“We need to leave. Now!” The ticking had increased in speed, a timer that was counting down faster and faster. As they left the room, I frowned. Something was incredibly off. I brought up the rear, glancing into other rooms as I passed them. “Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God!” In every room, there was blood, as if someone was trying to paint the walls with the insides of patients. Bodies were laying on the ground, signs of a struggle evident. As we moved down the stairs, I stopped. Something had changed. We were standing in the front lobby of the first pony hospital I had ever seen. My hat was on my head, my hands with no marks or burns. I clenched my fist. A small amount of fire gathered in my palm as I unclenched my fist. I waved it away, letting it dissipate. Chrysalis stared back at me with a worried expression.

“Acheron?”

“... I think we need to talk to Luna again.”