The life of a Spriggan Fairy.

     I log in to the sound of crickets chirping. I sit up and begin wiping the "sleep" from your eyes. I slowly wings flex with anticipation as look around my surroundings trying to find out where I was at. Gazing out, I see nothing but forest in every direction. The sky overhead is not visible through the thick forest canopy. What little light that did hit the forest floor directly and unfiltered was off in the distant clearing to your east.

     Standing up, I strap my sword to my side and grab the pack beside me. I try to walk to the clearing, only to trip on something shortly thereafter. Gazing down at my legs, I see a small quadruped laying at in a heap at my  feet. Worried, I inspect the little creature. Its breathing, so I know its alive. Upon further inspection, I take note that it is in fact a little pony with an emerald-green coat and golden hair. I shortly identify a small saddlebag that lays over her flanks. I guess that it is female due to the body structure of the pony. She has a horn growing from the top of her head as well. She seems to be exhausted, taking short laboured breaths in her sleep.

    Reaching out carefully, I give the pony a gentle  tap on her left side. She twitches but gives no other reaction. Not wanting to leave the filly (for that is what I now knew about her) to face any possible harm alone in the forest, I slowly and gently lift her onto my shoulder and begin to make for the clearing to the east. The distance is covered swiftly, but i am careful as to avoid waking the filly.

    Laying the filly down on the soft grass, I begin rummaging through my  backpack. Taking inventory of what i have in the pack, I find that I  have: my longsword, my scale mail armor set, my cloak of darkness, two fire-steel strikers, a small metal tin filled with tinder, my  Leatherman multitool, a camp hatchet, one canvas tarp, a canteen, one full spool of wax-coated twine,  three-hundred feet of rope in a double daisy-chain, and one full mess-kit.

   I sigh miserably, noting the lack of food in the kit. Wanting something to take my mind off the growing hunger that i was feeling, I began building a small shelter for myself and the filly. Using fifty feet of the rope, the tarp, and a few poles that were fashioned from tree branches, I make a small tent. Setting the filly under the makeshift shelter, I begin looking for some edible plants for the filly, while also finding fruit for the both of us.

    My efforts are successful, having  gathered more than I thought I would. I found a large patch of spearmint growing nearby, along with a few blackberry brambles growing along the edges of the clearing with a small stream for fishing. Two tea trees are situated nearby as well, something I find rather odd seeing tea trees in a forest such as this. A small apple tree grove lies south of the clearing, along with wild wheats and grains. Looking back on all that you find, some would consider this clearing a smaller version of Eden.

    "Why am I here?" I mutter to myself, staring at the beauty of the forest around me.

    Getting hungry, I decide to decide to fix up a small salad for the filly, and set it on your backpack for her to see it if she wakes up, and then I  begin to nibble on one of the apples that I picked while waiting for the filly to finally wake up. While eating my apple, I examined my sword.

    The hilt was crystalline metal with a gold trim around the guard that spiralled down the handle. The pommel was inlaid with a green diamond and silver/gold wire was inlaid around in a combination of runes that you barely recognise. The rune gave the sword a healing enchantment along with several other enchantments for lightness, fire damage, paralysis, and the strength to rend another person's armour clean in half. The blade was also made of crystalline metal. The sword's name was written in the runic language that decorated the hilt; spelling out Dark Liberator's Repulser in gold-wire.

    "The Dark Liberator's Repulser? Why don't I remember having made or bought this?"  to yourself.

     A small yawn breaks my concentration. Looking over my  shoulder, I see the filly begin to rub the sleep from her eyes. She looks at me with drowsiness still in her eyes and then blinks a few times. She stares at you for a few seconds before fear sets into her eyes. She looks at Dark Repulser and back at me, scared beyond reasoning. I slowly sheath the blade and crouch down near the tent entrance. Extending my arm, I reach out to the filly, who flinches back a few inches.

    "I'm not going to hurt you. You don't need to be afraid little one; your safe here." I say, trying to as sound warm and friendly as possible.

    The filly inches toward me, curiosity in her eyes. She stops mere inches from my outstretched, calloused hand and inspects it. She taps it withe her hoof and pulls it back quickly, somewhat like a timid kitten, but then nuzzles it. She comes out of the tent and sits down on the grass beside me. I bring the salad that I made for her over and place it before her. She looks at it with caution and then nibbles a few of the vegetables, only to begin eating the salad with enthusiasm. I walk over to the creek and fill the  canteen with some of the crystal clear water. I set a wooden cup that I had whittled down next to her and wait while she finishes her meal.

    When she is done you sit back on the grass and gaze up at the sky, its light blues and fluffy clouds mesmerizing me. I feel the filly lay down next to me and I turn to face her.

   "Thank you for the food mister," the little filly says in a soft timid voice.

   "Think nothing of it," you reply.

   "...what are you exactly?" She asks, her voice becoming softer with each word.

   "I'm a Spriggan," I reply bluntly, hoping she doesn't ask anything about Spriggans.

   "What... whats  your name?"

   "John, what might your name be, little one?"

    "Emerald... Emerald Star, Mr. John, sir." She replied meekly.

    "Nice to meet you Emerald. Now what is a little filly like you doing out in this forest alone?"

    She remains silent for a while. Off in the distance you can hear the noise of battle. Looking at Emerald, I wonder how an NPC like her could have gotten out here alone without the help of another NPC or player. Emerald's sigh breaks your train of thought and refocusses my attention.

    "A big fight broke out between the ponies and the changelings. My mommy found this blue/black wispy-thingy and told me to follow its flame and it would guide me to a safe place. She said that if I kept it safe, a friend would come to help us. Are you the pony my mommy talked about?"

     I stare in confusion at the pony before you. What was a changeling? Where was the wisp that she had followed. Most importantly where are am I? What game is this and how was it connected to Alfhiem? Thousands of questions swam in the miasma of my mind.

    "Mr. John sir, is something wrong?" Emerald asked, worry in her voice.

    "No, I'm fine. Just confused thats all." I reply with a sigh. "Emerald, where are we exactly?"

    "We're in the the Everfree Forest."

    "Where is the wisp that you followed here?"

    "It vanished after we got near the clearing. I tripped and I don't know what happened to it after that. When I woke up I was in the tent"

     "Emerald, where is the nearest town located."

     "Well, Ponyville is just a five day trot from here. Why?"

     "Well, I need to take you home, and I need to find out how I could help."

     With beaming eyes she looks at me and begins to tear up. She tries to stand but begins to fall over immediately afterwards. I instantly catch her and pull her close. Silent tears fall run down Emerald's muzzle.

    "So you'll help us Mr. John?" She whispers softly.

    "If it is within my power to do so, but for now its getting late, you need to rest. I'll wake you in the morning."

    As I carry the filly to the tent, my enhanced hearing picks up a rustling in the undergrowth. Not wanting to give Emerald any reason to fret, I put her in the tent.  Walking back out of the tent I notice dozens of sets of glowing green eyes. Whispering, I begin to cast an illusion spell over the clearing. The once lush and vibrant colors and plants were changed to a dull swampy mire. The mire extended for about half a mile in ever direction, making the place blend in easily.

     Dozens of sets of glowing yellow eyes glare at you from all sides of the mire. A thick fog flowed freely across the clearing, giving the area a foreboding atmosphere. The howls of wolves filled the clearing echoing throughout the woods. I notice a creaking noise becoming louder and louder coming from all sides.

    I reequip my  armor as I catch a glimpse of the silhouettes of about fifteen wolves surrounding your camp. The black and gold trimmed scale mail allowing me decent mobility while protecting me  against most low to mid level elemental spells and weapons. I put on my cloak and blend into the shadows of the trees.

     Staring out into the clearing, I watch curiously as a few wolves emerge from their hiding places. I notice that instead of flesh and fur, the wolves appear to be made of wood and tree bark. They stared menacingly about the clearing, seemingly unaffected by the illusion spell. They silently moved closer to the tent, their breathing sounding like leaves rustling in a gentle breeze.

     As the wolves continue their slow advance on the tent, I slowly walk behind the closest of the wolves in the pack. Sword in hand, I throw up a barrier to keep the tent sound proof. Quickly in one single swipe, I cleave the first wolf in half from snout to tail. A deep amber fluid sprays out and coats the nearest wolves and seeps into the ground quickly. The wolves jump back and turn to face you, growling and sniffing the air. I quickly move forward on to the nearest wolf in an attempt to dispatch it as well. The blade slide through its skull like it was nothing but paper. No amber fluid gushes from it, but I give that little heed as I continue dispatching the remaining wolves.

     The fight is finished in under five minutes. Twelve wooden wolves lay dead at your feet and the woods are quiet once more. I take off my cloak and begin walking to the tent to rest easy after my small encounter with the wolves.

     Something large knocks me off my feet and grips me in its fangs. I try to look around but see nothing but a large blurry star scape that clouded your vision. The little that is not blurred or star filled was obstructed by a bipedal creature that sorta reminded me of a chimera.

   "Now now, Lupus, that is not how we treat our friends. I didn't bring this Spriggan to the Everfree just so you could eat him." Said the creature, his yellow and red eyes never leaving me.

   The thing, which you now knew was called Lupus, dropped me. I landed with a loud thud and the clang of your sword landing on your greaves. Looking up, I see that Lupus is a large wolf made up of a small cluster of stars. Curious about it, I slide my left arm though the wolf's right foreleg, watching it pass through the leg. The wolf growls and nips at my face, causing me to pull back quickly. A series of coughs brought my attention back to the chimera.

    "Are you finished violating the wolf  I brought yet? Oh and just so you know, I'm a Draconequus, not a chimera."  said the Draconequus in annoyance.

    "What do you want?" I ask, having been in this situation countless times prior to this experience. There is always a person who wants something from me, be that 'borrowed' goods that I have no intention of returning, or as a sell-sword.

    "Well well well, right to the point as always, typical of humans. If you must know, there is currently a war going on between the changelings and the ponies of Equestria. That said, there is so much chaos that could be spread, the problem is there aren't enough gods of chaos the spread it. That is where you come in. I've seen how your race lives, always fighting with one another, causing chaos and destruction where ever you go. But you always manage to progress though those events an keep advancing." The Draconequus leaned closer to you. "But between you and me, I still can't believe that your race has put colonies on Mars and your planet's moon. That wasn't even suppose to happen until the year 2060, but you did it in 2034."

     He pulled back and a glass of chocolate milk appeared in his talon. You watch dumbfounded as he drinks the glass and throws the milk behind him, which explodes shortly thereafter.

    "So let me get this straight; you want me to help you spread Chaos?" I say with a slight grin on my face." Whats the catch?"

    "Well, since you asked, the terms and conditions are," the Draconequus snaps and a small piece of parchment appears and he hands it to me.

    "Your powers will be limited to your imagination, anything goes. But; You are never to, under ANY circumstance, use your powers to kill. Your failure to follow this will result in your own self destruction. Your powers will be dormant for a period of anywhere from forty-eight to seventy-two hours. Do not use your powers while under the influence of alcohol, prescription medications, or potions; side effects will vary. If you begin to feel any change in mood or diet please contact your doctor, this may be an early sign of 'burn out.' Nausea, uncontrollable vomiting, and fevers that last for more than three weeks are common signs that 'burn out' has begun. Please contact me if any of these occur." The Draconequus pause shortly. "Finally; you will not remember anything from this meeting except that you now have these powers."

     I stand there just looking at him. "I that it? No blood pacts, no oaths of honor to uphold, just that I can't kill with the powers, and that I won't remember meeting you? That sounds almost to good to be true; but again why me?"

    "You are a different race; there has never been one of your kind in Equestria, so it wouldn't seem out of the ordinary that you have strange and almost omnipotent powers; just keeps me from having to deal with any repercussions that may result if you go to far."

    "I think we have a deal." I say as I extend my arm to shake his claw.

    "Excellent, let's get started." The Draconequus says as he shakes my hand.

    I instantly am rewarded with a sharp pain that courses throughout my entire body. It almost feels... real, like someone had stabbed me in real life. Why does it feel like my body is here in the virtual world but at the same time it wasn't?

   "What was your name? I never thought to ask," I say through clenched teeth.

    "To answer both your questions, I am Discord, lord of chaos; and your not in a virtual world, these ponies and other races that exist here are real, not npc's. Your body that was on Earth was fused together with your virtual avatar's body when I corrupted the nerve gear you were wearing. Well, the pleasure was all mine I'm sure," and with a snap of his talon, Discord disappeared, thankfully he took Lupus with him.

    As I walk back to the the tent where Emerald slept soundly, I feel a strange force at work in my mind, like a leech siphoning knowledge of recent events. Making it three feet from the tent flap, I collapsed in the grass. My vision began to blur and darken. The last thing I see is the tent flap open and Emerald peering out into the darkness.