Stronghold: Legends are Made!

Chapter 3:

Stronghold Reborn.

"No!!! Max!!!" Said a crying Fluttershy as she held Max in her arms. He had taken a hard blow against the ground. While it was that he had one time fallen forty feet from the sky, that was 8 years ago. He wasn't 17 years old, anymore. Max looked fine, except for a large gash on the side of his forehead. But either way, Fluttershy was tapping his face lightly, tears flowing down her cheeks and sliding along his beard. Meanwhile, Twilight cried. She couldn't believe that this happened. She felt as if she died on the inside. As did Fluttershy. Max, however, hadn't died on the inside. In fact, he was so far from death, he was at the edge...of rebirth.

I'm surrounded by darkness. There's darkness all around me as I try to light my hand up. But it wouldn't work. "What the heck is going on?" I muttered as I tried again. Suddenly, I felt a sharp jab at my ribs. "It's time. It's time for you to assume your true form." said a female voice. "What are you talking about? It's not war time, yet. I don't need this. Release me to my home, whoever you are!" I yelled. Then, the surroundings changed, and I appeared in the middle of a luxurious room, with tea and pancakes. "Calm yourself, young one. It's me, Princess Celestia. And I brought your soul over with the help of a great sorcerer. He told me that your soul is summoned easiest when your on the verge of death or dying."

"Well, then...never mind. But, what's this...true form you speak of? I've been fine with how I look, and that's not going to change. I've been a great warrior, and I think I don't need a 'true form' at all." I said. Celestia simply smiled at me and said "Let me rephrase; You have a greater power than you know. You had powers all along, since you were born. The waste Reggie dumped on you only unlocked the gates that kept them at bay."

...What?

I'm not sure I heard that properly. Did she say I actually had powers this entire time. I don't recall that ever being true. I was mortal, inside and out. If I had powers, then how come I couldn't have joined my dad all those shows? I even said this to Celestia. She said in a calm and assuring voice, "There are times when heroes are late bloomers. There are also times, when a hero must unlock it with something to trigger it. Now, as of your 'true form.' That really means your form is constantly shifting. It changes and never stayed in one shape.

"What I'm saying is, you can shapeshift. Your powers change depending on who or what you change into." "...How do you know this, Mom?" (Whoops, forgot to mention that Celestia's now my mother). "Long ago, when humans shared the world with us. Among them was a leader, whose name in the ancient language means 'Fortress,' or by today's term, 'Stronghold'. When his race was dying, he traveled the vacuum of outer space, taking with him the remaining survivors. It is said that he found a planet where they could repopulate and settle, for the planet was barren.

"It is also said that he had these strange powers that lead to his becoming of a leader. He was worshiped as a God, and he was kind to his people. He healed the sick and brought forth justice to wrongdoers on an unimaginable scale. Years after the humans left and regrouped on earth, two Archaeologists discovered a prophecy of a human with unimaginable powers arriving on Equestria in our time of need. It was found in a temple where the humans once lived. The prophecy spoke of you, Max.

"So, do you understand now, Max?" Celestia then asked, putting her hoof on my shoulder. I looked up at her, and said, "It's a lot to take in, but yeah. I think I do. "Good. Now, I'd suggest you return to consciousness. My time with you has run out." And then she shoved me, sending me into the darkness that was my mind.

I woke up with the taste of blood in my mouth, as well as some grass and dirt from the face plantage. 'Man, that must've been one nasty fall,' I thought. I got up, and Fluttershy backed away. I realized that if I hadn't fallen, I would have never known this. I never learned of this the first time, and I'm glad that on my second chance I had fallen. I have an advantage I didn't before, and I'm sure as hell gonna use it. I touched my forehead, and felt a huge gash that had stopped bleeding. It had some dirt sprinkled in the wound, but I just made water trinkle down from my fingers. When the gash had been washed, I then used healing acceleration to close it, leaving a long white scar in its place.

Fluttershy and her friends tackled me in a huge group hug, nearly knocking the wind out of me. "Oh, thank goodness, you're alright. I was worried that you..." Fluttershy said as she cried into my shoulder. Everyone but her had let go, so I held her close. "Shhh, it's alright, Flutters." I whispered into her ear. Rainbow Dash then ran up to me and got in my face, saying, "I'm sorry, did you say 'it's alright'? Your brain must be damaged, too. You just fell fifty feet from the air. You're lucky your body didn't go splat. And you're actually saying it's alright!?!"

"Rainbow, I understand you're in disbelief, but you don't have to play me close. Please back up." I said to Dashie. "Now, I just le...why are you staring at me like that?" I asked as they stared with their jaws down to the floor. I looked down and saw that my three piece had been replaced with a black white beater tucked into armor-plated pants and arm guards made of iron. On my back was a short sword made of bones. the bones were connected, with razor-thin spikes jutting out on one end. I took it out from the holster on my back and the bones separated, held onto the handle by chains.

It wasn't a short sword, it was a bone-whip.

That apparently wasn't the only thing that changed, though.

I walked up to a stream, and looked at my reflection. For starters, my left eye had been covered with an eye-patch. that wasn't what shocked me, though. What shocked me was that I looked like that artist Pitbull, from back when earth was still around. I still had my hair, but I looked nothing like myself. 'I hope this shape-shifting thing can help me change my face back,' I thought. I also had a voice that seemed to come out with a low hum. "Well, that settles it. I've been reborn."