I awoke to a blinding light, I tried to raise my hoof to cover my eyes, only to discover that it was held down by some unknown force. I tried to move my legs, but they too were held down. I was forced to remain motionless in silence, the only sound was my breathing. As my eyes slowly adjusted, I could see that I was in a dark grey room. As I scanned my surroundings, I could see a couple tables with an assortment of medical tools, some were hooks, others just small scalpels. My eyes wandered down to my hoofs, they were a dark green with black stripes. Huh...how'd those get there I thought to myself, examining the stripes as best as I could. At the base of my hoof was an IV tube filled with a black liquid, dripping slowly into my veins What the hell is tha-. My thought was interrupted by a majestic, powerful voice
"Ah, thou hath finally awoken" My eyes shot over and examined the figure. She was a taller-than-average Alicorn, an obvious sign of royalty, with a flowing black/blue mane. Her coat was dark blue in color. "Can thou hear me?" Every word she said seemed somehow powerful, making me feel obligated to bow to her.
"Yes, ma'am, loud and clear" I muttered, my mouth feeling odd, as if it hadn't been used in a while.
"Perfect, I am Princess Luna, as thou may hath guessed" As she spoke, two ponies came from behind her and trotted over to the cold, steel bed that held my body. They began to undo the straps that held me down.
"Your limbs may feel stiff and hard to move, please remain still as we run a few tests to ensure all went well" With that, they began checking different signs. After ensuring all my vitals were in good condition, they began pushing and prodding at different parts of my body, their main priority seemed to be my stripes and wings. Wait, wings? This is getting weird
"How do you feel?" one of the Lab Coat ponies inquired, taking notes on his clipboard.
"Where am I?"
"Thou are in a deep underground laboratory" the princess explained.
"Why?" My face giving off obvious signs of confusion.
"Shall I tell him, your Highness?" One of the Lab coat ponies asked.
"Yes, thank you Luther"
"Well, you are aware of the squabbles between the Solar and Lunar empires, correct?" I nodded "Well, we figured that we could finish this war once and for all, the solution was 'Project Nihil'. It is a project that we scientists conducted on several ponies, so far you are the first one that hasn't tried killing us so far. Anywho, Project Nihil was based around genetic mutation. As you may have noticed, we have given you wings and stripes, both of which are merely external vanities. The good stuff is on the inside. The stripes that are appear on your fur are the aftermath of the Black Thorn supplement we used to replace your blood. Now, before you freak out, allow me to explain what said supplement does to your body. Theoretically, from any given point of your body you should be able to shoot black tendrils from your body through your fur and skin. These points are indicated by, you guessed it, your stripes. This will also allow you to heal at ridiculous rates and possibly alloy you to speed up your aging process, possibly even reverse it. Oh yes...one more thing..."
"And that thing would be..." I inquired, kind of nervous of what the request would be.
"You give your undying loyalty to the Lunar Republic" His demand caught me off guard at first.
"Well no fucking shit you have my loyalty, you will kill me otherwise" I laughed.
"Subject No. 06, this is no laughing matter. Are you willing to sacrifice your life at any given moment for the Princess of the Night" He said in a serious tone.
"Fine, I give my life to the eternal darkness. There, ya happy now?" I growled
"Perfect, thou hast made the right choice" The princess exclaimed "Show him to his quarters" And with that, she left. The two lab coat ponies began leading me through a maze of halls and doors, the occasional scream could be heard from a distance. The halls were dimly lit with small hanging bulbs which flickered every now and then. When we arrived, the lab coat ponies opened the door and gently pushed me in, closing and locking it behind me.
I began to inspect the room. A mattress on the floor with nothing more than rags for sheets laid in the corner, to the left of me was a bookshelf with a single book. I picked it up and flipped through the pages,it was a bunch of stories about hero's of the old days. The greatest leader in equestrian history, Rainbowdash. Then the classic tales of the mare with the strength of three stallions, Applejack. The rest were stories about the rest of the six legends. I put the book down and saw a mirror on the wall. I decided to take a look at what I looked like, as I reached the mirror, I immediately knew that I would regret the decision. My mane was unkempt, my forest green eyes were bloodshot, and of course I had wings and stripes. What the hell was I? Why did they pick me? Why can't I remember the outside world? I sighed and laid down on the mattress. As I applied my weight to the rag tag bed, a spring poked through the thin material and into my ribs, leaving behind an ugly gnash. I let out a cry of pain and surprise, but stopped when I noticed something odd, it was healing. Black tendrils stitched the wound shut and within seconds, it was gone. When they said that I would heal quickly, they weren't exaggerating at all.. It felt like hours had passed, I wasted time reading the book of legends, after flipping through the pages, I tossed the book aside and went to lay on my mattress and sleep. Just as I felt the pleasant feeling of sleep wash over me, there came a knock from the door.
My eyes shot open upon hearing the dull knocking on the door. For the love of Celestia, can a pony get any sleep around here? I thought to myself as I stumbled over and opened the door. Behind the door was none other than one of the Lab Coat Ponies.
"Subject No. 06, the princess has requested a meeting with you. But she has a few requirements"
"Such as" My voice sounded irritated and angry.
"She wants you to wear this" His voice nervous as he held up a fancy black tuxedo with grey stripes and a black bow. I grabbed the suit and put it on, it was a little tight and slightly uncomfortable.
"What the hay does she want from me?"
"I'm not sure. All I know is that you two will be enjoying a meal together as you discuss your matters"
"Ugh...fine...lets get going" I growled. The Lab Coat Pony lead me through the labyrinth of halls and to a large wooden door.
"Now, remember to be polite, and let her start the conversation." I rolled my eyes and entered through the doors. The first thing I saw was a long table. It had to be at least fifty feet long, but only two places were set for a meal. Along either side of the hall were statues of Lunar war hero's. I trotted over to the table and sat by one of the placings, no sign of the princess anywhere. My eyes wandered around the room for a moment. I felt an odd wind blow through my mane, ruffling my fur. I took another look around and saw the princess sitting in her seat.
"Hello Nihil" Her voice seeming softer than before.
"Hi" I muttered,looking down
"Where did you get that suit?"
Damn her, she's stalling "Ok, cut the shit. Why the hay do you want me here?" The princesses eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but only a mere moment.
"I was only going to say that it looks nice on you, but I see that you are impatient. I summoned you here because I have a mission for you" She took a sip of fine wine from a golden goblet.
"And that mission would be...?" The princess was right, I am impatient.
"Well, as you were informed, the Black Thorn serum should allow you to reverse your aging process. Now, my sister is fond of fillies and colts, but not in a sexual way. The plan is to get you to turn into a young colt. Upon doing so, we will drop you off at the castle. Celestia should take you in and take you in. When inside, you will gather as much information as possible. But do not kill Celestia" I burst out laughing
"What is so funny?" The sound of irritation in the princesses voice caused me to stop laughing.
"Ok, there are two major flaws in your plan."
"And those would be?"
"One, what of Princess Celestia doesn't take me in. And two, I literally learned about my powers an hour or two ago. How the hay do you expect me to become a colt?"
"Don't worry about Celestia taking you in, we have it all set up. As for your powers, you have three days to figure how to use them, if you can't use them by then, we will kill you. Sound fair?"
"Wha...woah...woahwoahwoahwoah...you expect me to change my age within three days? You are crazy!! I'm leaving!" I shouted at her as I got up and stormed off. It took me a while to find my room, but when I did, I slammed the door shut and sat on the bed.Three days.. I thought to myself as I let sleep take me over.
Three days
