Perspective: Kirito
I awoke strapped to a wall in a pitch black room. I could just barely make out Asuna in a similar situation.
"Asuna. You awake?"
"Yeah."
I looked into the upper corners of my vision, noticing a multitude of bars. It looked very similar to the interface of ALFheim Online.
"Looks like another game. Kind of like ALO, from what I can tell."
I swiped my finger downward, & a large white screen illuminated the room. I tapped on the "Status" bar & another menu opened in its place.
Player Name: Kirito
Level: 1
HP: 1278/3500
MP: 900/2500
Physical Strength: 1550
Magic Strength: 1200
Physical Defense: 2675
Magic Defense: 1500
Attack Power: 12600
Speed: 5580
Agility: 4675
Status Effects: None
"Seems like I have pretty high stats. Just like ALO."
"You know Kirito, this is starting to feel more & more like ALFheim Online."
"Yeah."
I looked at the "Equipment" menu this time.
Equipment
Weapons: Elucidator, Dark Repulser
White Magic: Cura, Esuna, NulBlaze, NulFrost, NulShock, NulTide, Life
Black Magic: Firaga, Blizzaga, Watera, Thundaga MK. IV, Lightga, Darkga, Aeroga MK. III
Physical Skills: Ars Negrum, Ars Negrum: Ventus, Ars Negrum: Pyrus, Ars Negrum: Terra, Ars Negrum: Aqua, Ars Solum, Ars Solum: Ventus, Ars Solum: Pyrus, Ars Solum: Terra, Ars Solum: Aqua, Ars Arcanum, Final Arcana, Final Arts, Omega Finish, Wisdom Shot, Thunder Edge, Aero Edge, Thunder Raid, Aero Raid, Thunder Sweep, Wind Sweep, Spark Dash, Wind Dash, Thunder Storm, Wind Storm
Magic Skills: Ultra Thunder Boost, Super Aero Boost, Black Blade, MP Rage, MP Hastega, Berserk
"Wait a second. Ive got a combination of my equipment & skills from SAO & ALO with a few others. Just what the hell is going on here? Im only Level 1, but I`ve got the most OP skill set possible. Also, how did we get here?"
I looked at the "About Game" section this time.
Welcome to Tales of Equestria! Here, you will be sent to assist the Equestrian citizens with their personal problems, while becoming part of a much larger quest.
The fate of Equestria is in your hands. What will you do?
Equestria... equestrian... horses.
"Hey Asuna, looks like this game has something to do with horses."
"Oh, great. I hate animals."
A large amount of light seeped into the room as a door opened, four figures walking inside. They seemed to be walking on four legs. The game classified them as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, a Night Guard, & a Solar Knight.
Status: Princess Celestia
Species: Pony
Sub-species: Alicorn
Alignment: Good
Level: 2000
HP: 3000000
MP: 750000/750000
Physical Strength: 300
Magic Strength: 5000
Physical Defense: 27500
Magic Defense: 150000
Ponies? Oh, God...
Status: Princess Luna
Species: Pony
Sub-species: Alicorn
Alignment: Good?
Level: 3025
HP: 7500000
MP: 1000000/1000000
Physical Strength: 750
Magic Strength: 25000
Physical Defense: 35000
Magic Defense: 390000
Status: Solar Knight
Species: Pony
Sub-species: Unicorn
Alignment: Good
Level: 350
HP: 2500/2500
MP: 15000/15000
Physical Strength: 570
Magic Strength: 2900
Physical Defense: 3000
Magic Defense: 5500
Status: Night Guard
Species: Pony
Sub-species: Pegasus
Alignment: Good
Level: 400
HP: 1700/1700
MP: 900/900
Physical Strength: 1500
Magic Strength: 550
Physical Defense: 4500
Magic Defense: 2000
The alicorn named Celestia spoke first.
"You are awake. Tell me, what are you two, & how did you get here? We have used our magic to find out as much as we can about this "Earth" you come from, but we know very little about you."
"My name is Kirito. This is Asuna. Were humans. As for how we got here, I have no idea. I just remember passing out yesterday, & then I woke up here. Im sorry if we caused any problems, you highness."
Thats how youre supposed to talk to royalty, right?
"You have no reason to be sorry, Kirito. Nopony was harmed in the process of your arrival. Also, my magic senses a great light within you, but it is countered by a powerful darkness. For now, I will consider you & Asuna peaceful."
I saw a yellow light form in front of us, & in a moment, there was a multitude of torches lit in the room. Finally, I got a good look at these "Ponies". Celestia & Luna were the most surprising out of the group. They were unicorns with wings! Celestia`s coat was a perfect white, so bright that one would think she was the sun itself. Her mane was colored in various shades of pink & green, as was her tail. A large sun marked her flank.
Her flank?
Luna was her polar opposite, her coat a deep navy blue, almost like the night itself. Her mane & tail were colored in various shades of navy blue & black. A blotch of darkness with a crescent moon inside it marked her flank. I noticed a few things about Luna; first of all, her mane was covered in white spots that looked almost like stars. Perhaps she had some connection to the night? I also saw that although she was much shorter than Celestia, Luna was obviously the more powerful of the two, since her Level & stats were much higher.
The Solar Knight was quite generic in appearance. His coat was a light grey, although it was difficult to see under his golden armor. His mane was very short-cut, & colored in a few shades of black & grey, as was his tail. Two swords crossed over a shield created the marking on his flank. He looked at me & Asuna with a strange expression, one that I discerned as being a combination of trust, suspicion, & borderline complete stoicism.
The Night Guard was fascinating in appearance. His coat was a very dark red, underneath a suit of black armor. His mane & tail were a flat black, & a winged sword marked his flank. What surprised me the most though, was the fact the he was a pegasus, but he had bat wings! He completely ignored Asuna, but gave me the same look as the Solar Knight.
Finally, Luna spoke to us.
"Kirito, Asuna. We have discovered that you come from another world, & that you were brought to Equestria by what your kind calls a "VRMMORPG". Do you know what this acronym means?"
I looked over to Asuna, & noticed that she had fallen asleep.
Looks like it`s up to me.
"Yes. A VRMMORPG is a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. On Earth, they`re just one of the many types of games that we play for entertainment. This one, however, did something that I remember happening a long time ago. When we bought the game & started playing, we just passed out & woke up here."
"You say that something like this happened before. What was it?"
"There was another game called Sword Art Online. Thousands of people played it, but when we started, the developer locked us inside, so if we died in the game, we died in real life. The only way to leave was for someone to finish the game. Me & Asuna, we banded together & beat the game. We saved at least four thousand lives, but there were plenty more who had died before; whether it was accidental or suicide, I still live with the guilt that I could have done it sooner & saved a lot more people. Thats where the darkness Celestia spoke of came from. The light, it comes from the fact that while I didnt save everybody, I still saved most of them, & so everyone in my homeworld considers us heroes. I went through a lot, caused a lot of deaths, but I was able to keep a lot more of them from happening."
"Celestia, do you think what I am thinking?"
"Yes, sister."
Luna`s horn glowed for a moment, & when it stopped, the bonds holding us to the wall had disappeared. The Solar Knight walked forward, preparing to speak.
"Kirito, Asuna. As you seem like valuable resources, we would like to ask you to assist the Royal Guard in a very important mission. We have reason to believe that one of our greatest enemies will be attacking the Royal Wedding in a few days, & we need as much help as we can get."
"I`ll help you, on two conditions."
"& what would that be?"
"First, I would like to request a bit of time with your soldiers. If theyre anything like you, they wont stand a chance. No offense. Second, I really need something to eat."
"I think we can do that."
The guard`s horn glowed for a second, & the door in front of us opened. Asuna & I stepped forward, bowing to the Princesses. I decided to speak first.
"Celestia, Luna. There are no words to describe how grateful we are. Mainly for you not killing us on sight."
Celestia just smiled warmly. I could tell that it was a hobby of hers. Finally, she responded.
"Kirito, I would like to request that you go somewhere. My personal student, she moved to a nearby town called Ponyville, & I believe that she would enjoy learning about you & your home, & would not hesitate to teach you everything she knows about Equestria. I will send you & Asuna to Ponyville whenever you wish. & please, stand up. I would not like to see you get dirt on such excellent clothing."
"Once again, I thank you."
Celestia, Luna & the Night Guard left, leaving the Solar Knight in the room with us. His hard expression softened, & he looked at us with what looked like pure trust.
"Kirito & Asuna, please come with me."
At that moment I realized something. This wasn`t a game. It was real life, just like SAO. A wave of fear washed over me at this revelation. Did the death rule apply here too? If it did, then we were in trouble. A large white box appeared, stopping my thoughts.
New party member:
Maverick Blaze
New weapon: Lightning Steel
Apparently the guard`s name was Maverick Blaze. We came to a large pair of doors, one white & the other black. As if on instinct, my hand glowed yellow as I prepared a Thundaga spell. These doors looked just like the boss doors in SAO. The glow disappeared as all I saw in the room was Celestia, Luna, & a massive feast. My stomach decided to speak for me, letting out a large growl. Clestia noticed, & spoke.
"Kirito, Asuna, please have a meal. You must be hungry from your recent experiences."
"You highness,-"
"Please stop calling me that. Just call me Celestia."
I took a seat near Luna as she whispered something in my ear.
"Sure thing, Tia."
"Sweet me, Luna. Will you ever stop with that incessant nickname? Then again, it is a bit cute, Lulu."
I decided to not become part of the conversation, instead filling a plate with food. A lot of it I recognized, but some of it looked unusual. Since when is apple butter rainbow-colored? Despite its unusual looks, the food was delicious. I had eaten more than my fill in just a few minutes, as had Asuna. Luna decided to address us this time.
"Well, if you two are done here, we have organized a room for you each. That is, if you don`t mind sleeping in separate rooms."
"I dont mind at all, & Im sure Kirito doesn`t either. Do you?"
"Not at all."
"Good. Kirito, I will take you to your room. Asuna, Tia will do the same for you."
I followed Luna out of the room, & into a large hallway. A question had been itching at the back of my mind for a while now.
"Excuse me, Luna? Could I ask you a question?"
"What would that be?"
"What are these marks on a pony`s flank for?"
"These are called cutie marks. They appear when a pony discovers their special talent in life. Since we were born to raise the sun & moon, Celestia & I were born with our cutie marks. Ah, this would be your room."
The doors were a light navy blue, & a crescent moon marked the center. Lunas horn glowed, the aura spreading out to the doors, & they opened. Inside was a massive bed that could easily hold four humans. The bed itself was a dark blue, & the blanket on top of it was a navy blue. I noticed that it was emblazoned with Lunas cutie mark, as was the ceiling. There was an assortment of other things in the room; a large desk piled high with scrolls, a burning fireplace, & a large set of windows, to name a few.
"Luna, is this-"
"My bedroom? Yes. The other rooms in the castle were preoccupied, & Asuna recieved the last one. I don`t mind if you sleep here. Do you?"
I could tell that Luna was fluttering her eyelashes as she spoke. Was she hitting on me!? It`d been made pretty clear that Asuna & I were together.
Maybe she`s just joking...
"I guess I don`t mind."
"Good. Go ahead & get settled. I must go & raise the moon."
I walked towards the bed & sat my Elucidator & Dark Repulser on the floor next to it. I removed my coat, noticing that I had my avatar from SAO, too. This was getting weirder & weirder. I laid down on the bed, closing my eyes. A small creaking noise came from the other side of the room. Luna was obviously back. The sounds of hoofsteps got closer & closer, until they stopped. I felt the bed move slightly, & an object being draped over my side. I opened my eyes, & saw that the object in question was Luna`s foreleg. She was lying fairly close to me, snoring a bit. She was cute, but this was so wrong. I decided to not pay any more attention, & fell asleep quickly.
