The Changeling Who Broke The World

Chapters

Prologue: Let Me Tell You A Secret
An Unlikely Meeting
It's Dangerous To Go Alone...
The Final Boss?
Dexterity, Vitality, Strength
Game Breaker
Old Stories, New Worries

Prologue: Let Me Tell You A Secret

"Let me tell you a secret..."

"Inside of Canterlot Castle, there is a secret room that only Princess Celestia goes into or out of. This room is filled with magical mirrors, each one being a gateway to another world. Celestia has been creating them in her spare time, trying to work out a way to find a very specific world. Why? Well, you didn't hear this from me, but a thousand years ago, she went into one of those alternate worlds, and met her very special somepony. Crazy, right? You'd think that she'd have looked a little closer to home for a sweetheart, but..."

"Well, anyway, the mirror she went into ended up getting messed up somehow, and she couldn't return to that place using the original mirror, no matter how much she wanted to. Whoever locked up that mirror did a real number on it, and even she can't break the spell that bars the way. However, what was done once can be done again, so she's tried, over and over again, to recreate that one mirror. Of course, if there's an infinite number of alternate worlds out there, then it would take a very, very long time to find the right world. Of course, she has the time, and the patience. Gotta say, I hope that whoever that guy is, he's worth waiting for."

"But in the meantime, that means that there's who knows how many mirrors that lead to other worlds. Some of those worlds are radically different from the one we know. Worlds that have never seen unicorns, pegasai, earth ponies, alicorns... or changelings."

"Ah, now I've got your attention, don't I?"

"Good. Lay your bag of bits on the table, and I'll give a little more information. Just remember that, if you get caught, you didn't hear this from me. Celestia would have my hide if she found out I told anypony about this. No, that's not a euphemism: When I got banished from Equestria, she said that if she ever found out I divulged privledged info, she'd hunt me down and have me skinned. Still, money's money, and it ain't like you're planning on using this to hurt anypony, after all."

"Just one other thing you should know, though: Some of those mirrors, I've heard, have a transformational effect. What that means is, some places don't have anything remotely like creatures like you or me, so when you pass through, you get turned into something else, something that does exist there. I have no clue what it might do to a changeling, but I don't think you'll mind. From what you've told me, since we've started drinking this morning, being a changeling stinks. I reckon you'd jump at the chance at being something other than what you are now, right?"

"Let me tell you a secret..."

"Inside of Canterlot Castle, there is a secret room that only Princess Celestia goes into or out of. Rumors say that this room is filled with magical mirrors, each one being a gateway to another world. Celestia has been creating them in her spare time, trying to work out a way to find a very specific world. Why? Well, you're a little bit young to understand, but the princess once traveled to another world, and fell in love with a handsome king there. However, a wizard placed a curse upon the mirror that leads to the one she loves, so she's been trying to make a second portal. It hasn't worked yet, but she keeps trying..."

"Anywho, in the meantime, the mirrors that don't go where she wants, she keeps locked away, in case she ever needs to return to one of them."

"That means that there's who knows how many mirrors that lead to other worlds. Some of those worlds are radically different from the one we know. Worlds where there's no magic whatsoever, and worlds where everyone, from the smallest peasant child to the mightiest of rulers, can perform magic."

"Ah, now I've got your attention, don't I?"

"Good. Come sit here with me, and I'll tell you a little bit more. Now, these mirrors are kept in a special room, like I said, but it just so happens that there's a secret way into that room: See, one of those mirrors loops right back around into our world, right? It's connected to a natural mirror, a chunk of crystal in an otherwise unremarkable field. It's less than an hour's walk from here, so it's easy to reach. The two mirrors connect once a day, and only for a short period of time. I'd say about three minutes, so you'll have to be quick. When the sun is at its highest, you can walk right into the crystal, and come out in Celestia's secret room."

"Why doesn't Celestia know about this? Well, when she tried the mirror, she walked through just before it closed, so she thought that it was just a one way trip, I think. Anyway, it's a very short window of opportunity, but once you're in, you can search for the world you want with no problems. The best part is, magical knowledge can transfer from one world to the next, and you, little lady, know more about magic than most unicorns. You can go in, learn everything about how they do magic there, and come back here, still able to work spells. Imagine how impressed Celestia would be if you were to walk up to her and show her that you're just as good at magic as Twilight Sparkle is... or even better? You could wind up being better than every unicorn in that special school of hers put together."

"Anyway, you didn't hear this from me. Just make sure you go in at a time when Celestia won't be likely to catch you, like, oh, say, the wedding tomorrow. Just remember one thing, though: No matter what world you go to, Friendship Is Magic. The day you can grasp that one fundamental truth will be the day that you can truly make magic your own."

"Do you truly think that it will work, dearest?"

"I certainly hope so, love. Our world has been locked in unending strife for far too long. The cycle has been repeating itself for eons now, and no one thinks to try another way. A wheel that spins, yet goes nowhere, should not exist. The cycle must be broken, so that our world can begin to move forward. That cannot be done by anyone other than an outsider, someone not bound by the cycle from birth. I just hope that they'll forgive us for manipulating them so."

"It was not done with malice, so I think that they will. That young filly has a good heart, in spite of all the misfortune piled upon her young shoulders, and that changeling... well, I believe that, when he sees what our world has become, he'll understand why we've done all of this. Besides, they'll have each other for support. Together, they should be fine..."

"I'm not worried about them getting hurt... Well, not too worried, anyway. I worry more about what will happen when they meet... her."

An Unlikely Meeting

"And here we are..."

Titan Beetle hated the life he'd been forced to live. It wasn't his fault he was a changeling, and had someone offered him the choice of being anything else, he'd have leapt at the chance. If you'd told him that the only other available option was to be an incontinent mule sewer worker, then he'd not only have accepted, he'd have shown up to work every day, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, wearing rubber pants and nose plugs, and would never have breathed a word of complaint, even if he worked every day and lived to be a hundred and twenty. Earthworms had better lives than changelings did, in his opinion.

This was compounded by the fact that he was huge, both in height and in weight. At seven and a half strides tall, and weighing in at an awe-inspiring one and a half tons (Muscle and chitin, all of it. He might not have liked violence, but he liked to stay in shape), Titan was the second largest changeling in the hive, beat only by the legendary Goliath Spider himself, who was so massive that he could only disguise himself as an adult dragon.

Titan's intimidating appearance, his spectacular musculature, and his admittedly considerable talent at fighting had made him an automatic candidate for the Queen's Hoof, the elite bodyguard who watched over the royal family. Thankfully, this meant that he saw very little actual combat, but it also meant that his sole purpose in life was just to stand around, looking intimidating, and occasionally punch someone who suffered from suicidal stupidity. Titan would have much rather spent his time studying things like poetry, art, literature; all of the things that moved the heart and soul, and things that the changeling swarm lacked. The only culture that changelings could claim involved that strange fungal rash that Dung Beetle (NO RELATION!!! Ahem, sorry, no relation...) had developed on his exoskeleton after his refusal to bathe for sixty days straight.

Titan was a gentle bug who hated violence, even if he did prove skillful in its application. Fate had conspired against him, however, in putting him into one of the most violent and aggressive cultures in the world, one where every day was a fight for survival. The ones that, in all honesty, every race, species, and culture in the world saw as irredeemable villains. Worse, the aristocracy, the rare bit of cream, and the vast multitudes of scum, that floated on the top of changeling society, would actively track down young changelings who left the swarm (If you were forty or older, they tended not to be so enthusiastic about tracking you down, since your ability to contribute to the swarm was significantly less). Once found, the deserters would be dragged back, kicking and screaming, to be forcibly drained until their body was locked into dry hibernation, then left on display as a warning to others. There was no place in this world where a changeling, especially one of his epic proportions, could hope to hide.

No place in this world... but perhaps in another...

Examining the seemingly blank wall in front of him, Titan searched for the hidden catch that would allow him to open the secret door. While his window of opportunity was small, he didn't want to leave a trail. With the invasion in full swing, it would take time for his absence to be missed, and hopefully, by the time the invasion failed (Why the queen thought the swarm could ever hope to hold such a large country with the limited numbers that they had was beyond him), he'd be well out of reach of anybuggy sent to find him. More importantly, if he just smashed through the door, Princess Celestia would immediately figure out what happened, and likely send ponies after Titan, thinking that he was intent on causing mayhem, rather than just trying to escape the miserable life he lived.

Ah, there it was. With a flick of his hoof, he activated the mechanism that opened the secret door, then quickly stepped inside, closing the door and locking it behind him (Thankfully, since the door was built with alicorns in mind, it was not as tight a fit as most doors tended to be). After all, one thing he knew for certain was that he was never going back if he could help it...

"And here we are..."

Morning Glory loved magic. Seriously, much more than would have been healthy for a unicorn, let alone an earth pony. She couldn't help it: Practically since she was a foal, she'd been fascinated by magic in all of its forms. From alteration to conjuration, from evocation to enchantment, she had studied the mystic arts to the point where she could quote entire books of magic from front to back, and a few from back to front. By all rights, were she a unicorn, she'd be the newest rising star at Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns...

But in spite of being able to ace the written entrance exam, something that even her idol, Twilight Sparkle, had failed to do (Twilight had forgotten to carry the one on question three), Morning Glory was not allowed entry, on the grounds of not having a horn.

It just wasn't fair! Zebras had shamanism, as well as potion brewing, griffins could work spells by weaving their talons in various mystical patterns, and even minotaurs could use 'buff' magic, spells that bolstered their innate physical prowess. For ponies, however, the only spells available were the kind that flowed from a horn, so by simply being born an earth pony, she wasn't able to cast spells. All ponies, she'd read, possessed some level of magical power inside, but only unicorns could tap into those reserves in the form of spells...

But if there were other worlds, and on those worlds anyone could do magic, then there must be some sort of secret, one that had not been discovered by the wizards of Equestria: The fundamental heart of magic itself. If she could discover that secret, she could return in triumph and show everypony that she was just as great a wizard as any unicorn in the world, if not greater...

But first things first...

She studied her reflection in the crystal in front of her as she waited for the sun to reach its zenith. Bright blue eyes stared back from the face of a pink filly with a purple mane, not long enough to be showy, but not short enough to be colt-ish. Mrs Butterbean, the mare who ran the orphanage that Glory was staying in, said that when she grew up, the young filly would be quite lovely. For now, she was considered adorable, even if she was an unrepentant magic nerd...

The natural mirror briefly shimmered, as if for a second it had changed from a solid piece of crystal to the surface of a still pond. It was time. She stepped forward, into the portal that would lead her to Celestia's secret room...

And almost bumped into a pony-bug-monster-thing that was so huge that he could easily swallow her in one gulp...

Titan gulped loudly, seeing the tiny pony (Well, technically, almost every pony was tiny compared to Titan, but there was tiny, and then there was little filly tiny) who had just walked in. Drawing the natural conclusion, that the only reason why she would be here was because she was supposed to be here, he immediately felt a wave of cold dread fill him: If she screamed in here, odds were that anypony or anybuggy in the hallway outside would hear, and the jig would be up. The existence of this room would be known, along with the fact that someone was inside, and either the aristos would come to investigate after the invasion was over (in the unlikely event of a changeling victory), or Celestia would come in here personally, and lay the royal smack down upon him. The secrecy he'd hoped would keep him safe would be lost, and...

"Please, please, please mister giant guard monster sir, please don't eat me! I wouldn't taste good, and I'd probably give you a tummyache!"

Well, maybe this could work out, after all.

Keeping his voice very soft, he said, "I'm not going to eat you, kid, and I'm not a guard, so don't fret. But since you're here, why don't you tell me what you're doing, barging into Princess Celestia's secret chamber?"

Author's Note

The world's biggest horse is seven and a half feet tall, and weights a ton and a half.
The Titan Beetle is the second largest in the world, and in spite of its size, lacks the aggressive attitude and appearance of other big beetles. Its pincers, while short, can still cut a pencil in half, and can easily cut flesh.
Some of you may remember Morning Glory from The King Is Dead, Long Live The Emperor. This is the Prime Universe version of her.

It's Dangerous To Go Alone...

"So you want to learn how to use magic?"

Morning Glory looked up at the massive creature, still more than a little terrified. She'd... she'd told him everything. Why she wanted to go to another world, how she'd gotten here, how she'd heard about the secret entrance, why she couldn't go back the way she'd come... she'd even blabbed about how she'd disguised herself with a paper mache horn, snuck into Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, and took the official entrance exam (and aced it, being the first filly of five to ever do so). By the time she'd finished, she was nearly in tears. It was over before it had even really started. This big bug-pony would turn Glory over to Celestia, and it would be the entrance exam incident, all over again...

Princess Celestia, sweet, kind, and above all, patient and understanding Princess Celestia, had taken Morning Glory on a short walk, and the princess had very gently and delicately explained to her that, while the young filly definitely possessed (Almost) every quality that a pony needed to be a wizard, there was a very specific reason why it was a school for gifted unicorns, rather than just a school for the magically gifted in general: The school was intended for unicorns to teach other unicorns how to use magic. While Celestia would certainly like to have a curriculum that could teach magic to creatures other than unicorns, nopony knew how a pegasus or earth pony might use magic. In addition, the various other magic using creatures of the world had their own schools, located in their homelands, and most, if not all, of their wizards were more than willing to remain in the own nations, and most, if not all, of those willing to learn magic did not leave their homelands until their training was complete. Perhaps more to the point (And this was the reason why Glory had chosen not to hold a grudge against Celestia or any member of unicorn-kind), the number of non-unicorn ponies who had an avid interest in magic was exactly... one. Morning Glory herself.

Of course, plenty of ponies found magic interesting, and there were plenty of non-unicorns who were quite interested in magical theory (Zoology experts had to have at least a working understanding of biomancy to do their jobs, for example), but with the exception of Morning Glory, not a single one had expressed an interest in practical application. Nopony, asides from magically gifted unicorns, really ever actually WANTED to be a wizard. A school was a place where teachers taught students, yes, but teachers can only teach what is already known to individuals wishing to learn. Celestia had recommended that, if Glory truly wanted to be a wizard, she'd have to forge her own path, and there was no guarentee that she would ever get anywhere with it. However, the alicorn had also advised that Glory should also look into other interests. Celestia had also mentioned, in an off-hoof kind of way, that while a five year old filly having a detailed knowledge of magical theory that was leaps and bounds ahead of Twilight Sparkle was incredibly impressive, it wasn't healthy to spend all of her time buried in books. Glory might find more happiness and fulfillment trying new things, and looking into another field of interest...

But, as strange as it might sound, Morning Glory couldn't imagine herself as anything other than a wizard. And for all her kindness and gentleness, what Celestia said boiled down to was that Morning Glory could not be what she wanted most in the world to be...

Titan looked down at the little pony, and considered his options. He could easily just tell the young lady to go home: It wouldn't take long to open the door and shoo the filly outside. However, with the invasion in progress, there was no telling what might happen to her then. More importantly, once outside, the filly might make a scene, or just track down Celestia and then...

Yeah, that wasn't an option. Titan considered reasoning with her, telling her that it was unlikely that she'd be able to work magic, regardless of what she found out on other worlds. However, the tears welling up in her eyes suggested that Morning Glory had been hearing that all her life, and would probably throw a fit if he said anything of the sort. Besides, while Titan had done a lot of things in his life he wasn't proud of (Being a changeling means, almost by definition, racking up a painfully long list of such things before you turn twelve), and he wasn't going to add 'crushing the dreams of a small filly and making her cry' to the list.

...Besides, who was Titan to say it was impossible for her to be a wizard?

The world was a weird place. Changelings, given their nomadic nature, got to see more of it than most, so he had a pretty good idea of how weird that this world alone was. Maybe other worlds were weirder? Maybe there was magic out there somewhere for the little filly to find. If so, it wouldn't do for her to go on her journey alone. The idea of the little filly wandering off, alone, in a world with who knows what kind of dangers might be lurking, didn't sit well with Titan. Too many bad things were out in Equestria alone that ate little fillies for breakfast. Who knew what might be waiting on other worlds.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I'll level with you, little lady. My name's Titan, and I'm not supposed to be here either. I'm looking to go to another world myself. I'd... be willing to escort you to whichever world you want to visit, but only if its one that we can both agree would be a good choice, and that it will be safe for us. Deal?" Titan extended a hoof, his expression serious. Moment of truth time...

The filly, after a moment's hesitation, wiped her eyes, took his hoof, then said, "Deal." Looking a little confused, she then asked, "But how will we know that it will be safe?"

Titan chuckled. One of the benefits of having compound eyes was that he could see a great deal more around him than most other creatures. "Look around, young lady," he said, "and tell me what you see."

Morning Glory looked around, taking in the room properly for the first time.

The room itself was fairly nondescript, obviously intended to be a storeroom, rectangular in shape, with the opposite end of the room a long ways off. In fact, she might have sworn that the room was miles long, far larger than Canterlot Castle itself could contain. But that would be impossible, unless...

Her eyes narrowed as she took in her surroundings and stated, "This room is located inside of a pocket dimension."

She heard a chuckle behind her, and heard Titan say, "Good guess, young lady. Yes, I expect that to be the case: There's no other way a room this big could fit inside the palace with nopony noticing something was off. But that's not the most important thing. Look again."

She looked around, and this time, took note of the surroundings, noticing the mirrors against the walls. Each mirror was a plain looking rectangle in an undecorated frame. Next to each one was a clipboard hanging from a nail, holding several sheets of paper with writing clearly visible on each one. Glory put two and two together...

"Princess Celestia made notes on where each of these mirrors go?"

Chuckling again, Titan said, "Exactly. I think that, since she couldn't permanently close these portals, she made notes on where each one went, and what you can expect to find on the other side. That way, if someone wandered inside of this place from another world, she'd have an easier time working out what world they came from, and would also have an easier time sending unwanted visitors back. It would also make it easier to return of these worlds if she needed to."

The giant walked over to one of the mirrors, picked up the clipboad, and brought it over for her to read. Written, in fine, flowing script, was the following...

"World three nine four seven one."

"Magic levels: Practically non-existent."

"Transformative Effect: None."

"Native wildlife: Non-existent, although ruins are present, suggesting that the region the mirror is connected to might have once housed a thriving civilization."

"Opening/Closing Cycle: Mirror opens at sunset, closes at sunrise on the Equestrian side, yet is always open on the other side. I noted that seemingly no time passes while you are on the other side, suggesting an extreme time dilation effect. An accurate ratio between our world and this one, given the extreme nature of the differential, is impossible to determine."

"Notes: No living creatures, animals or plants, in fact even the ground itself seems dead. Further analysis suggests that this annihilation of life goes all the way to the microscopic level and as far down as the bedrock. The soil is far too alkaline to support life native to Equestria, else I would have nurtured a few plants to return life to the area. Scorched craters, visible fire damage to the buildings still mostly intact, and a few relics that may have been weapons of some sort, suggest that this region was the site of a terrible battle, possibly within the last two hundred years. If so, the residents were either wiped out entirely, or were forced to evacuate in the aftermath. I hope it was the latter, and that they were able to find something better than what was left of their homes. The thought that it might be otherwise keeps me awake some nights. Something like this could happen to Equestria one day, if the magic of friendship is ever truly forgotten. The world is cloaked in endless night, lit only by surprisingly bright stars, and is bitterly cold to the point that even I could not stay long without a heavy coat. There is a strong likelihood that this world is completely dead, beyond all hope of recovery. Do not enter without taking the precautions listed on the next page, including the non-magical weaponry recommended: There may be no living things present, but the ruins contained strange metal golems, all of which were armed for battle. They all seemed to be inert, but it is better not to take any risks."

On the next page was a list of precautions that should be taken if one intended to visit. It was a very long list, taking up all of the space on the page... and it was all in very small writing. From what it seemed, even touching the ground with your bare hooves might hurt you...

After a few moments, Titan said, "Not a good place to visit, but I think you get the idea: Celestia made very detailed notes, so while it might take a little hoof-work, and a little bit of reading, we shouldn't have any problems finding a fairly safe world that will meet our needs."

With a giggle, Morning Glory asked, "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's start looking!"

Titan gently picked Glory up, then placed the filly on his back, then said, "You don't have to tell me twice." With that, he walked over to the next mirror, and began reading the notes Celestia had left.

As the two searched for the mirror they needed, outside of the pocket dimension that composed Celesita's secret storehouse the changeling invasion escalated quickly, then ended abruptly. While the love sphere of doom did a thorough job of cleaning the city of changelings, it passed harmlessly and unnoticed by Celestia's secret room. Why that would be is difficult to say, save that there may have been interference caused by the fact that the room was not truly a part of the castle... or something else had protected the two of them...

Glory had not truly realized just how major an undertaking this was going to be. There were hundreds of mirrors here, and each one led to a world. Some worlds were weirder than others. One mirror went directly to a room filled with strange metal golems which did nothing but scream at you, according to the notes. Another was home to a race of mighty thunder monkeys (Were the monkeys that controlled thunder, or were they monkeys made of thunder? There was no way to tell: Celestia didn't go into much detail, but advised avoiding that world if at all possible). There was a world where everything was made of candy. A fun place to visit, Celestia had advised, but you had to be careful what you ate, since everything being made of candy included ponies... even yourself. There was even one that lead to... A ROOM WITH A MOOSE!!! Celestia had, for some reason, found that room terrifying, and had placed a large number of magical barriers over that mirror, in order to prevent anypony from entering on accident... or its sole occupant from leaving. What was so bad about the room, Celestia did not say, but had only written that she would never look at walnuts the same way again...

"Here we go," Titan said, having finished his study of the latest clipboard. He held up the clipboard to Morning Glory, then waited as she read it aloud.

"World eight six four nine one seven."

"Magic Levels: Extremely High. All lifeforms present can use magic to some degree. At least seventy known categories of magic are reported to exist, and each one is subdivided into multiple schools."

"Transformative Effect: When I walked through, I became a sort of bipedal creature. I later learned that this creature was called a 'hyu-man'. Difficult to describe, and is in no way native to Equestria. Be prepared to walk on your hind legs, and to handle things with your forelegs, while on the other side. While a strange state, adjusting was surprisingly easy, and I was walking like a native within an hour."

"Native Wildlife: Abundant and diverse. Vast numbers of creatures, both sapient and not, can be found in this world. Most were friendly, once they found that I was not hostile. 'Hyu-mans' do not seem to be very popular with other sapient creatures, although polite ones are tolerated."

"Opening/Closing Cycle: Closed for twenty-five days, then opens and remains open for three days afterwards. On the other side, this coincides with the 'lunar cycle', and the event called the 'full moon' signals that the portal is open. No dilation effect, time moves at a one-to-one ratio."

"Notes: As mentioned, the life forms present are abundant, vary widely, and remain friendly so long as one does nothing to provoke or antagonize them. The vast majority of the creatures on the other side seem to be locked in war with the 'hyu-mans', but are willing to give polite visitors the benefit of the doubt. I did not encounter any other 'hyu-mans' during my stay, but the stories I've heard about them were... worrying. It is natural, during an extended wars, to demonize the enemy, but there's usually a grain of truth in such tales. Some of the atrocities mentioned were sufficient make me want to keep 'hyu-man-ah-tea' in general a long distance away."

"Thankfully, the mirror is connected to a place called the 'Maou's Palace', which is as far from the nearest 'hyu-man' settlements as one can get without crossing the nearest ocean. The lord of the castle, the 'Maou' (A title given to the ruler of the non-'hyu-man' creatures on this world), was quite friendly, although there was initially some friction when he first thought that I was a true 'hyu-man'. He mistook me, initially, for something called a 'yuusha' (A word I found later means 'chosen one', or something along those lines. Ironic, given what I later discovered). Later inquiries revealed that this entity was some sort of assassin, sent by the 'hyu-mans', that would show up from time to time, butchering every creature in his path, intent upon attempting to slay the lord of the palace... and often succeeding. An unstoppable warrior who could not be bargained with or reasoned with, and did not seem to feel pity or remorse, often aided by a team of other 'hyu-mans' with a similar temperament. Very frightening, especially given the seemingly indiscriminate nature of the carnage that was described. Still, one only appeared once a century, and it would be decades before the next one was expected."

"I was only able to visit this world a few times before I moved on to my next attempt at reaching the correct world, but the lord of the castle and his subjects were great company, although the omnivorous, and sometimes purely carnivorous, nature of some of his subjects left me a little quesy at times. Still, one cannot help the way one was made, only how one behaves, and even the most avid carnivore treated me respectfully during my stay. World is safe, provided one is cautious, courteous, and considerate. WARNING: DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING MADE OF LEATHER!!! IN FACT, DON"T EVEN TOUCH IT!!! JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT: YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHERE IT COMES FROM!!!"

"Sounds like a good place to start," Morning Glory said, after she finished. Friendly natives, everyone can do magic, and they'd be able to meet right away with a powerful political figure who Celestia herself thought was a nice fellow... this entire trip was going to be a cakewalk!

"Agreed." Chuckling, Titan touched the mirror, and noted that his hoof passed through without resistance. "And we're just in time: The portal is open. Let's go and see if this 'Maou' fellow is as friendly as Celestia says he was."

With no further discussion, they stepped through the portal...

Sadly, they did not know that Celestia's last visit to the world beyond was more than four centuries past. A lot can happen in that time...

Of course, it might have helped if someone had not removed the dates on Celestia's notes... or removed the second page.

Author's Note

Maou: Japanese word, means great demon, demon king, overlord, demon lord, the villain. Often the final boss of old-school JRPG games, such as many of the Dragon Quest games.

Yuusha: A superhuman paragon, the chosen one, the fated, destined, world saving dude. The main hero, typically of fantasy JRPG games, anime, and manga.

Both terms have been used to the point of becoming cliches in Japan, but while they may have different names, they still see use in the USA (Diablo = Maou, Nephilim heroes = Yuusha, for example).

But what does a hero look like from the opposite side? A lone figure, or one heading a team, who walks directly up to a head of state and murders him in cold blood can only be considered one thing: An assassin.

A Room With A Moose: I will leave you to your moosey fate.

Thunder Monkeys: Hail To The King

The Final Boss?

"Master, I have news."

Bias waited outside the Maou's door, his orb-like body hovering over the ground. While he doubted that his master would have cared overmuch if the elderly spectator had stormed in without even announcing himself (In truth, he found the thought of seeing the master unclothed nauseating. He'd preferred his mates much more spherical, back when he cared for such things), there was such a thing as decorum. Besides, given what was about to occur, he did not think that it would not do to be rude just now.

...After all, she would likely be dead tomorrow.

Sighing, Bias silently fumed inside while he waited. Three years ago, the previous Maou had died suddenly, choking to death on his evening meal. While such things had happened before, it had never occurred so soon before a Yuusha's scheduled arrival. Usually, there would be no end of volunteers for the vaunted role in the aftermath, but with only three years before humanity's executioner came to end slayt heir leader, the number of volunteers was zero. Bias could not blame them, and did not wish to force anybeast to take the role against their will (After all, if the Maou fled, then there would be no end to the Yuusha's killing spree). So, desperate for a solution, he'd resorted to magic, and tried to summon someone from another world to take the role, someone who was in a situation where even three more years to live would seem a blessing. He'd succeeded in finding the perfect candidate, groomed her, prepared her for the fight ahead, and then...

...And then he'd grown attached to her.

It was not unheard of. Unlike most beholders and most beholderkin, spectators were known to form friendships with other creatures from time to time. Sadly, one of the disadvantages to that was the fact that, due to their long life-spans, spectators tended to outlive a lot of friends. And unless a miracle happened, Bias would be outliving another today...

"I'm decent," said a musical voice from the other side of the door.

Bias made to open the door, then stopped. Suddenly, he found himself unable to face her. Closing his main eye, his four eyestalks turning away from the door, he said, mournfully, "The Yuusha chose to ride through the night, master. He will be here within the hour, instead of tomorrow morning."

After a few seconds of silence, a chuckle came from the room beyond. "Well, I doubt I would have had much fun today, what with what I would have been expecting tomorrow."

His tone carefully neutral, Bias said, "I could dispatch a few guards to the front entrance. It would delay him for a few hours, perhaps longer."

The master, her tone quite cross, said, "And sacrifice their lives needlessly? No. I will be as ready within the hour as I would have been this time tomorrow. I will meet the Yuusha in the grand hall." With a surprisingly girlish giggle, she added, "Besides, don't be so pessimistic. Yuushas have been beaten before. You've said so yourself!"

Yes, but in the last fifty thousand years, the Yuushas who arrived had only been defeated thrice, and of those three times, only once did the Maou survive the battle... and he'd died from his wounds a week later. Still, Bias kept his mouth shut. He knew that she was trying to keep his spirits up...

Her tone much more optimistic than Bias felt is should be, Jacquelynn said, "Make the final preparations, and find a place to sit and watch. I promise you, win or lose, I will give you a show the likes of which will be sung about for ages to come. And I plan on being the one to do the singing."

While Jacquelynn definitely had butterflies in her tummy, it was no worse than what she'd feel before any other performance. The only real difference was that, if she died on stage this time, it would be a little more literal than before. Still, she was as ready as she would ever be. Checking herself in the mirror, she smiled at what she saw. Straight black hair went all the way down to her waist, framing a heart-shaped face with a button nose. She was still miffed a little bit by her red eyes (They were originally a sea green, but upon becoming the Maou, they'd turned red. It could have been worse: Becoming the Maou always changed the recipient of the title slightly, and she could just as easily have ended up with a horn coming out of her forehead), but she supposed that they gave her an exotic appeal. Tight leather pants, along a black hoodie, hugged a figure that most women would have committed bloody murder for. Admittedly, she'd not started 'blooming' until she arrived on this world, but a body like this was well worth the wait. In three years, she'd gone from a stick (Admittedly, given that she was six foot six at sixteen years old, she'd been an awfully a big stick) to a knockout, and now, at nineteen, she could have been a model or an actress, along with being a guitarist.

Well, she could have, had she not ended up here. But she only had herself to blame: Three years ago, she'd gotten depressed (Long story, very sad, didn't want to dwell on it right now), gotten drunk, gotten on her motorcycle, and driven off with no destination in mind. She couldn't remember much after that until she realized that she was in the wrong lane, and about to collide head on with a semi-truck.

It is amazing how quickly something like that can sober you up... and empty both your bowels and bladder at the same time. Sadly, there was less than a second before impact, and no time to do anything but scream. The last thing she remembered was a blinding light, and suddenly...

Suddenly she was in the middle of what seemed like a Dungeons and Dragons cosplay convention.

That was when she first met Bias, and a lot of things happened. In the end, it boiled down to something simple: The old boss had died, and no one wanted to be the new boss when it meant dying in just three years time. So, Bias and a few others had pulled her out of her near-death experience to do the one job no one else wanted.

Well, grateful as she was, Jacquelynn had decided to oblige them. The trip, they'd told her, was one way. Even if they wanted to, they had no way to send her home. Just summoning her here had taken more strength than Bias and his companions had imagined possible, and it had nearly killed the lot of them. A return trip would be ten times harder. 'Jack' was stuck here, in a land of monsters, all of whom were willing to call her their master and grant her incredible power in exchange for facing off against the 'yuusha' that was going the be arriving in three years time.

The monsters were desperate: The one time there had not been a Maou for the Yuusha to fight, said Yuusha had gone on a rampage, slaughtering thousands of monsters until a Maou was selected and sent to fight him. The title, it seemed, was all that mattered, and slaying the bearer of said title was the only thing that would appease this genocidal maniac. The monsters of the world had tried everything they could think of, but asides from sacrificing a maou to the sword of the yuusha, nothing worked. Dragons, beholders, mindflayers, they had once even tried a tarrasque, and each one had died, powerless against the might of the Yuusha. Given that the Yuusha bore three of the four Pillars Of Gaia, sacred artifacts that supposedly embodied all of creation itself, it seemed hopeless. Nothing on Gaia could stop the Yuusha...

But Jacquelynn wasn't from Gaia, was she?

Flipping her hood up so that it covered her face, she grinned (An enchantment upon the hood shrouded her face in darkness, so only two glowing red eyes and a white crescent of a smiled could be seen. The effect, she'd been told, made her look frightening), then reached over for her weapon of choice for this battle. Her electric guitar, which she had named named Halloween: The guitar she'd taken with her when she'd gone on her last ride. Her sixteenth birthday present from her brother, the last thing she'd received from him before his death. If she was going to go down, it was going to be with this in her hands...

While it had been nothing special back home, she'd spent the last three years 'customizing' it. It was now its own self-contained sound system, and had more than enough mystical power inside to bring the house down, both figuratively and literally. Sadly, she no longer had her original pick (She'd forgotten to take it with her, sadly), she'd been able to fashion a new one with a black dragon's scale. While she'd been given a few other magical artifacts and weapons since her arrival, nothing else felt quite as good or as natural as strumming her guitar... and given that she'd turned out to be a natural at song spells, this made her already powerfully endowed guitar a weapon of mass destruction.

Picking Halloween up and putting the strap around her body, she sighed at the feel of the familiar weight. If she was going to die today, she'd die rocking harder than she'd ever rocked before...

Forty-five minutes later...

Strumming her guitar, 'Jack' sat in front of a mirror in the grand hall (The instrument could be a weapon of destruction at the flick of a switch, but until then, it was just an ordinary musical instrument). The mirror, she'd heard, was magical, but no one knew how it worked or what it did, other than the fact that it seemed completely indestructible. Still, she doubted that, whatever it was supposed to do, the mirror would be able to contribute to today's battle...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a thunderous sound, as the great doors of the Maou's palace were blasted off of their hinges. Excessive, Jacquelynn thought to herself. The doors were not even locked, and would have opened easily at the slightest touch, thanks to enchantments that had been in place for ages. The Yuusha had not even bothered to try opening them normally first, but had instead blasted them open with a bolt of destructive force.

...Par for the course, from what she'd been told.

Into the grand hall strode the Yuusha. She'd been given a briefing, as well as shown an artist's rendering of the last Yuusha, so she knew what to expect. He was armored in simple chainmail, with leather boots and gloves. He was tall, well over six feet, and superbly muscled, to the point of making most body builders envious. Yet at the same time, his handsome, clean shaven face had an almost effeminate beauty to it. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a long, strait nose, he was, from what 'Jack' had been told about the humans on this world, considered the absolute paragon of manliness. The Yuusha, her adversary. Her executioner. And he could not be any older than sixteen years of age

Strapped to his right hip (Many Yuusha were left handed. No one knew why) was the legendary blade itself. Seemingly ordinary in appearance, it was only when it was in use that it became remarkable: The Sword Of Justice. A weapon whose blade could not be turned, and which could cut through any barrier, any shield, and and armor. The ultimate weapon.

On his right arm was a golden bracer, which at will could summon forth an invincible magical barrier that was proof against any attack, whether magical or mundane. The Shield Of Purity. The ultimate shield.

Around his neck hung a silver pendant, holding a brilliant diamond: The Eye Of Truth. A magical gemstone which granted the bearer mastery of magic. Healing white, destructive black, and much more, all were at the command of the Yuusha who bore this pendant. The ultimate power.

Three of the four Pillars Of Creation. What the fourth one was like, and what power it granted, was unknown, but three were enough to make an already formidable warrior practically invincible...

There's no way I can beat this guy, she thought to herself. She immediately quashed that pessimistic thought. She'd never win if she doubted herself. Standing up, Jacquelynn switched her guitar on, and readied herself, taking a few steps away from the mirror. The Yuusha met her gaze, and drew his sword...

Then froze, his eyes widening, looking at something beyond her.

Jacquelynn turned around, then looked up... and up... and up. Before her stood a gigantic figure in dark gray armor, a blue cape upon his back. The eye holes in the helmet radiated a cool blue light which, rather than being terrifying, seemed almost soothing. Still, he was gigantic: He had to be seven feet tall, at least! Looking down, trying put some sort of frame of reference to the creature before her, she had a startling realization: He was much more than seven feet tall, as he was on his hands and knees! The giant rose... and rose... and rose... until he reached a height of at least twelve feet tall (Almost as an after thought, a spritely young girl with purple hair that 'Jack' hadn't noticed before jumped down from the giant's back. Well, honestly, with something that huge, a dancing clown who was juggling monkeys might have gone unnoticed right now). Given his massive proportions, it was impossible to estimate his weight without using the word 'ton', even if it might have been an exaggeration. MIGHT.

In a surprisingly worried voice, the titan asked, "Did we come at a bad time?"

Author's Note

Spectators are creatures from Dungeons and Dragons. Unlike Beholders, they are Lawful Neutral, and they tend to be a lot nicer and friendlier than beholders. Spectators, sadly, are also a bit less powerful than their evil cousins, possessing fewer and less impressive powers than beholders do. Still, it is a small price to pay for not being a total jerk, right?

Tarrasques are essentially the Godzillas of D and D. The only monsters considered more powerful and deadly are the eldest dragons, deities, and a few demons. Killing one is often a sign that you need to retire your characters and roll new ones: Unless you plan on making war on the gods, there is not much else left your characters can do at that point. In many D and D editions, they are likened to a weapon created to destroy the gods, or a weapon created by the gods to wipe out all life on the planet. Either way, it is not a creature you want to mess with.

Mindflayers are brain eating monsters with squids for a head, bad attitudes, and psychic powers. 'Nuff said.

Dexterity, Vitality, Strength

"Help! Help!"

Fifteen Years Earlier...

Young hatchling number 10301893 was in big trouble. He'd ducked into a side passage, and went deep into the changeling hive's cavern system, hoping to escape the other young hatchlings who bullied him mercilessly about how unnaturally tall and skinny he was. All he'd wanted was a few minutes of peace and quiet. However, he'd walked into the wrong tunnel: He'd witnessed a group of three adults who had pinned down a fourth... and were in the process of forcibly draining him dry.

He'd never fully understand why, but he had, without thinking, attacked the assailants, distracting them from their quarry. The older changeling had fled immediately, and that had left the young hatchling alone, being chased by three criminals desperate to keep their crimes undiscovered. While their initial victim had escaped, without a corroborating witness to support his claims, the three assailants could still potentially get away with their crimes.

And with the young hatchling having accidentally turned down a dead end tunnel, it was clear to him now that he was doomed. The four changelings began closing in...

Wait a minute... four? When did a fourth one show up? And who was he? The young hatchling would have remembered seeing a changeling so incredibly muscular before.

Suddenly, the muscular changeling grabbed two of the others and bashed their heads together with a resounding crack. As the two changelings fell, the third, their leader, turned and began to growl, taking a fighting stance. Criminal he may have been, but years of participating in invasions had refined this battle-scarred veteran's fighting instincts... and it was clear he wouldn't go do without a fight.

But now that the odds were a little more even...

The hatchling jumped onto the leader's back, and enclosed his neck in a sleeper hold. While the young hatchling's only redeeming qualities were his abnormal height (While he may have been 'skin and bones' as the ponies might put it, he was, at five years old, as tall as an adult... and still growing), he had an impressive grip strength to go with those long limbs. As the muscular changeling watched in amusement, the veteran tried, and failed, to dislodge the hatchling's hold. The leader, unable to escape the noose-like hold that the hatchling had, eventually passed out.

Chuckling, the muscular changeling said with a smile, "Well done. The changeling you saved flagged me down and told me what happened." Hefting the two that he'd knocked out and placing them onto his back, he then strode forward, seemingly without feeling their weight, then extended a hoof and said, "Atlas Beetle, at your service."

Taking the hoof nervously and shaking it, the hatchling said, "Pleased to meet you. Looking over at the unconscious changelings, he asked, "Ummm... what will happen to them?"

His expression stern, Atlas said, almost as if quoting something, "These are the laws of the changelings, as old and as true as the sky. The bug who would keep them may prosper, but the bug who would break them must die." At the hatchling's confused expression, the older changeling sighed and said, "Right, I forgot, you're a little young to have been taught the old laws. The meat of it is, there are laws in the hive. You break them, like these three were doing, and you pay for it. Odds are, they'll be extracted, then their immobile bodies will be put on display as a warning to others who might try to emulate them."

Yikes.

Seeming to notice his shocked expression, Atlas said, "They knew exactly what they were doing, and they knew it was wrong. They were stronger than most other changelings, so they decided that because they were so strong, the laws did not apply to them. They are going to see just how wrong they are." Hefting up the third, and placing the unconscious changeling atop the other two, he said, "Remember this, when you get big and strong: Strength does not give you license to go around hurting others. Strength exists to protect others who lack it." Smiling, he said, "Now, let's go see the queen. I'm sure she'll have some choice words for these three before she passes sentence... and a few kinder words for the youngster who helped me stop them. We'll see about getting you a name, and then I'll see if I can put some muscle on that rangy frame of yours."

That was the day that the changeling who would one day be known as Titan met his mentor, Atlas Beetle, Queen Monarch's personal bodyguard and one of the strongest changelings in the hive. In the years to follow, Titan would grow in strength, weight, and height. However, while Atlas' workout routine helped to form Titan's impressive physique, it was the words spoken that day which would eventually make Titan the changeling he would eventually become...

Now...

"Actually, you may be just in... LOOK OUT!!!"

Jacquelynn watched, first in horror, then in surprise, as the Yuusha had launched an attack, his sword coming in a high arc fit to cut the giant in half. The massive, armored giant, with a seemingly seamless movement, stepped first back, cleanly evading the Yuusha's vicious swing, then forward. The giant's right hand snaked forward, faster than she would have believed possible, then gripped the Yuusha's wrist before the assassin could attempt a follow up swing.

"That was not a nice thing to try and do," the giant said, then tightened his grip. To the Yuusha's credit, while he grimaced in pain, he did not release his grip on the sword. Instead, his other hand reached towards the amulet at his neck. The Yuusha's eyes narrowed in anger, then he extended his hand to where it was an inch from the titan's face. A bright light flared, and a brilliant white flame erupted, directly in the giant's face... and continued going for a good ten seconds.

When the Yuusha's impersonation of a flamethrower ended, it seemed as if it might be the end of the giant: His head was clouded by smoke, making it impossible to see if he might still have one. And then...

Then his head whipped forward and slammed into the Yuusha's face, hard enough that Jacquelynn could hear the crunch of bone breaking. The Yuusha stumbled back, still clutching the hilt of his sword with one hand, and his face with the other.

The giant's voice was icy cold as he said, "Take Miss Glory someplace safe."

It took her a moment to realize that the giant was talking to her, and that Glory was the small child. As the Yuusha used his amulet to cast a healing spell upon himself, Jacquelynn asked, "What about you?"

Titan had seen minotaurs fight, so he knew a bit about how to use 'arms', 'hands', 'fists', and 'fingers'. Carefully, he folded his fingers together, then outstretched his arms, cracking his knuckles so loudly that it might have been confused with a mountain collapsing into itself. Struggling to keep the anger out of his tone (And not realizing that the icy tone the came from his mouth was far more frightening), he said, "He launched an unprovoked attack on me with a potentially deadly weapon, then followed it up with a spell strong enough to kill someone. Both actions were performed while a child was within three strides of me. I'm going to teach him proper combat etiquette... after I've beating the ever-loving daylights out of him."

As the... whatever that thing was took Miss Glory by the hand and ran off, Titan raised his fists up into a defensive stance, then made a beckoning gesture. He then said a phrase he'd heard before, one that often preceded a fight between two individuals.

"Come at me, bro."

Author's Note

Charles Atlas, famous bodybuilder, and the man whose ad campaign is one of the most famous and recognizable in the world. His exercise routine, based on the concept of Dynamic Tension, is one that was endorsed by many other famous individuals, including legendary actor/martial artist Bruce Lee. In 1921, he was dubbed the world's most perfectly developed man. Titan's number, you might notice, was also Charles Atlas' birth date.

The Atlas Beetle: An aggressive little beetle built like a little insect triceratops. They use their horns in fights against one another over mating rights, and even as larva are very aggressive.

Atlas The Titan: Bore the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Game Breaker

"Come at me, bro."

After reading the dialogue on the screen, Hiro chuckled to himself. He had to admit, this time, the game was providing something interesting for him to face. The sudden appearance of this gigantic warrior, in place of the hooded mage he'd witnessed just minutes before, had surprised him. The game developers had promised that, with the new random event generator, there was no predicting what the plot might be, or what kind of battles you might face along the way, but in twenty-three playthroughs, this was the first time they'd switched out bosses before the final battle began.

And what a boss it was. He wasn't a big scary demon, a dragon, or anything else. Instead, it was just a really big guy in armor... who'd successfully dodged one attack, prevented a second, then shrugged off a third... before returning with a counter that had managed an almost jaw-droppingly powerful crit. Thankfully, Hiro had invested in the 'Lucky Break' perk, allowing his character to survive fatal attacks for the first five rounds of combat, otherwise it would be game over before the fight had even started. Still, seeing that 9999, just before it was knocked down to just half his hit points, had been startling. This was obviously not an opponent to take lightly...

Rather than immediately pressing the attack, Hiro decided that his best move would be to use a Scan spell. Since the final boss had decided to guard for the first turn, he should get an idea of what he was facing...

But once cast, all that displayed was a bunch of completely incomprehensible garbage characters. "Great," he said, mostly to himself, "A glitch." Well, it wasn't completely unheard of. There had been a few reports of bugs in the game, like the final boss not being in the final dungeon but instead showing up as a random encounter, or the final boss falling to his knees and begging for mercy. There was even one case where the bonus boss and the final boss were the same creature. Had the player not been the obsessive compulsive type who maxed out his character before tracking down the final boss, he'd likely have lost. If memory served, it was always the same world 'seed' that produced these errors though.

Wait, it couldn't be...

Opening the system menu, Hiro selected the option that allowed him to see the world seed. Yup, there it was: World Seed GXA8I6A4S9B1A7NXE. The problem child that seemed to pop up in an unusually high number of playthroughs. Well, at least it promised an interesting battle...

"Bias," Jacquelynn said, as she pushed the young girl, 'Glory', into the room with the spectator, "keep an eye on her, and make sure she stays out of trouble. I'm going to see what I can do to help our visitor."

Bias nodded, then asked, "Very well. But, why is the Yuusha attacking him instead of you?"

Chuckling, 'Jack' said, "A case of mistaken identity, I suppose. Our new best friend looks a lot more like a monster than I do."

Frowning, 'Glory' said, "But Mister Titan isn't a monster!"

The spectator, frowning, said, "Sadly, he looks more than enough like one to qualify, I fear. Still..."

Bias looked out the view-port that this small chamber had which overlooked the grand hall, his gaze focusing on the battle, then said, "There are good monsters, and there are bad monsters..."

This interloper, most likely the Yuusha that Princess Celestia had described in her notes, seemed... hesitant to make the first move. Admittedly, after taking the hit that Titan had dealt, it was seemingly a miracle that he was still standing. Still, Titan would need to finish this quickly: That sword, while it might have been plain and unadorned, was... unsettling, in ways he could not put into words. He had the distinct impression that if he failed to dodge it, that would be the last thing he ever failed to do.

Well, if the Yuusha wasn't going to make the first move...

Titan made a quick calculation: His opponent, carrying his sword, had an arm length of approximately two and a half hooves. The sword he carried had a blade approximately three hooves long. Together, that allowed for a maximum potential 'threat radius' (the range at which he could effectively swing that sword) of, oh, five and a half hooves, give or take a little bit. Titan's arms were, in his current state, five and a half hooves long. That meant that his opponent could attack with his sword, but only by putting himself directly into Titan's own 'threat radius'. So, if Titan dodged or interrupted his opponent's initial attack, he'd have enough time to deliver at least one solid punch to his opponent. One would really be all that he needed. But at the same time, if the Yuusha swung too soon, then Titan would be able to counter-attack before his opponent could recover.

A simple, but time-tested, stratagem came to mind. A simple dash in, and then he would stop before coming into his opponent's range. His opponent, startled, would either attempt a defensive maneuver or would attempt to attack Titan as he came into range. Odds are, the opponent would attack, and when he did, Titan would watch as the fool takes the bait and swings, letting the sword whistle by harmlessly, then move in for the quick finish. While his opponent had magical abilities, he seemed more likely to attack with the sword than to attack with spells. The only other possibility would be dodging, but if the Yuusha did dodge, it was likely to be to put more range between himself and Titan. If he did dodge, Titan would revise his strategy from there.

Strategem in mind, Titan steeled himself, then began moving forward...

Hiro was startled to see the final boss suddenly dash forward. How? This was a turn based strategy game (No Active Time Battle, thank you very much), and he'd been in the middle of deciding his next move when suddenly the game decided to change the rules!

Reacting quickly, he selected 'defend', and a split second before the boss came in range, Hiro's character managed to raise his shield. Hiro's grip on the controller relaxed slightly, and he let out a breath he'd not realized that he'd been holding: The shield that Hiro had equipped was a quest item, and a very powerful one. It nullified the damage of any frontal attack. The boss could pounded on that shield until judgement day, without ever scratching the hero behind it.

So one can imagine Hiro's surprise when Hiro's controller shook violently, the shield shattered, and Hiro's character took damage equal to half his hit points...

At that moment, Hiro's IPod began playing a very distinctive song...

The shield had surprised Titan, but his punch was already on its way, and too far along to stop. He'd felt a noticiable amount of resistance, but the shield had given under the force of Titan's blow. In truth, his punch went through the shield like a battering ram through a glass wall, and struck the golden bracer upon the Yuusha's arm. There was a worrying crunch of broken bone, and the bracer, bizarrely, fell off, breaking into pieces.

Subtly, almost imperceptibly, the entire world shook...

"Whoa, did you feel that?"

Bias, using one of his eyestalks to look at the little girl, asked, "What are you talking about?"

Glory, placing a hand over her tummy in an effort to still the butterflies that had suddenly started fluttering inside, said, "I don't know how to explain it. It... it felt like the entire world just turned sideways for a second..."

Whoa...

Well, this wasn't the first time that Hiro had faced down an opponent with the ability to break equipment. He'd miss the ability to defend, but he still had plenty of healing potions, not to mention magic spells, so as long as he didn't take an instantly fatal blow, he could still win.

Speaking of, time for some magic.

Opening his magic menu quickly, Hiro selected the holy magic spell, Divine Pulse. A high level spell, it would completely heal his character's hit points, add bunch of defensive and offensive buffs, and release a powerful wave of energy, pushing his opponent back. A fun combination of offense and defense that had served him well over the course of this adventure...

A pity he didn't get a chance to use it this time.

"Oh no you don't," Titan said, flatly, reaching for the pendant that the Yuusha was clutching. The last time the Yuusha had used that thing, he'd completely fixed all of his injuries. Before that, he'd hit Titan in the face with white fire. While, strangely, that fire hadn't hurt, Titan didn't want to wait and see what else might happen.

Given that the Yuusha had used some sort of healing magic, odds were that such spells were common on this world. That said, Titan could be a little more... forceful, given that such damage could be repaired later. Titan's hand closed around the pendant, and the hand that held that pendant... and crushed both.

The world shook again. Harder.

"I definitely felt something," Bias admitted, after a brief moment of nausea passed. It had felt, for an instant, as if the world had stood on its head.

"Me too," Glory said, and her face took on an almost comical look of confusion. "But..."

Bias, swiveling two eyes around to look at the young girl. A sensitive? Some individuals were more... in tune with the world around them than others. The fact that she had felt the first tremble when Bias had not implied that, if she was a sensitive, she was an incredibly powerful one. After a moment's hesitation, the spectator asked, "But what?"

Struggling to put the feeling into words, Morning Glory said, "It's almost like the world is... laughing. Like somebody who spent their whole life in chains suddenly found that some of the chains were gone..."

Hiro's controller was shaking violently, to the point that it was hard to hold it. Still, he'd been a gamer long enough that he wasn't going to let the fact that the device in his hands was rumbling like a miniature volcano stop him. If the game wanted to cheat, then that was fine: He still had enough potions for an extended battle, and his 'Lucky Break' skill still had one turn left before it wore off. More importantly, he still had 'Move' (The ability to move a character from one place to the next) left for this turn. In fact, he had two turns worth of movement at his disposal (His 'Sudden Rush' skill meant that if he didn't move his character for one turn, then his next move would allow him to cover double the distance he normally would), so a plan came to mind...

His opponent was a big bruiser type, but had demonstrated no long range attacks thus far. In addition, his total 'Move' range was likely less than Hiro's was each turn. Hence, if Hiro put enough distance between himself and the final boss, he could use an item to restore his character. Plus, with his 'Multi-Item' skill, he could use several potions at once (Up to five), so he could buff himself at the same time. Next turn, Hiro had several throwable items that did damage, debuffed, and inflicted status effects. Provided he could keep out of his enemy's range, he could just whittle down his opponent until the boss' stats became more manageable, then move in for the kill...

Faster than Titan would have thought possible, the Yuusha sprang out of Titan's grip, and covered half the length of the room in an eyeblink. With his damaged hand, the Yuusha sheathed his sword, seemed to draw bottles from out of thin air, and consumed all of their contents at once. Miraculously, the injuries that Titan had inflicted vanished. While that was good news, since it meant that any damage that Titan did could be undone, it was bad news, since the only way Titan could end this was to smash the Yuusha hard enough to knock him out.

But what was really worrying was the fact that, in spite of taking injuries that would leave a grown stallion in tears, the Yuusha had yet to say anything. Not a grunt of exertion, nor a whimper of pain. In fact, TItan had not even seen a change of facial expression when he'd crushed the Yuusha's hand. It was almost as if he were fighting an automaton made of flesh and bone, rather than a real living creature...

Jacquelynn returned to the grand hall just in time to see the Yuusha put some distance between himself and this 'Titan'. Incredibly, it was clear that Titan had the Yuusha on the ropes, yet had not sustained a single injury of his own. Still, it was pretty clear that the Yuusha was not about to give up.

It would be a good idea to end this quickly... and 'Jack' knew just how to do the job. Pulling out her pick, she strummed her guitar and began to play...

Suddenly, the entire world was moving in slow motion. Titan looked around, and saw behind him the hooded stranger he'd met just a few minutes earlier. She was... playing a guitar? Strange. And yet, from each slow (Well, he supposed that to him, they sounded slow) strum, Titan could feel power flowing through his veins. Some sort of magic, hidden in the music? Well, regardless of how it was happening, it was clear that Titan had some support now. Best to move quickly, then.

Heh, that could almost be considered a joke.

Running forward, Titan reached the Yuusha, and did the first thing that he could think of: He took the Yuusha's sword from the sheath at his side, then with a single, quick motion... broke it over his knee.

Bias was stunned: No one, in ten thousand years, had ever thought to try and break the 'Pillars Of Creation'. No one had thought that they could be broken. To do so, most would assume, would be the same as trying to break the world itself. And yet, this stranger had shattered the three that the Yuusha held as though they were nothing more than mundane trinkets...

And the strange feeling of joy that filled Bias was even more puzzling. The entire world seemed to be rejoicing at the destruction of the 'Pillars'. Something was going on here: It was clear that whatever Bias, and the rest of the world, assumed about the Pillars Of Creation was wrong. Suddenly, they seemed less like Pillars that held the world up... and more chains that held the world down.

Following up the destruction of the sword, Titan reared his fist back for a mighty punch. Not willing to risk his opponent getting back up with any new tricks, he did something that he almost never had to do: He began burning love, doubling his already immense strength. It felt... different from before, but he didn't have time to question it. He swung his fist forward with all his might...

Hiro dropped the controller, which was now shaking so violently that to try and hold it would risk hurting his hands, staring in horror at his console, which was now visibly shaking and letting out the most awful sound he'd ever heard. Wisps of smoke were coming out of the vents and the disk drive. A flicker from his tv drew his attention back to the screen.

He saw the game go into some kind of cutscene, and saw the final boss bringing his fist back to throw a punch... with the fist wreathed in green fire. Horrified, Hiro jumped behind his chair, ducking behind the sturdy piece of furniture. He'd never be able to adequately explain why he'd decided to hide behind a solid object: After all, it was just a game, it couldn't really hurt him.

However, the fact that he was behind his chair was the only reason he escaped serious injury when his controller, his gaming console, and his television all exploded violently...

The Yuusha, after being struck by Titan's fist, exploded. It wasn't how you would expect a living creature to explode (When most living creatures explode, it is a lot... messier, and more colorful), but instead, the Yuusha seemed to break into pieces, which flew off in every direction.

Looking at the fragmented remains of the Yuusha, Titan said, "Wow. I didn't think I'd hit him THAT hard..."

Elsewhere...

The true ruler of the world scowled, the ugly expression marring his otherwise perfect features. The loss of three of the 'Pillars Of Creation' would be a setback, but only a temporary one. They could, over time, be reconstructed, and allow him to regain his control over the world. What was more worrying was the fact that, at this moment in time, there existed someone who could break those relics. Thankfully, the fourth was hidden someplace a long way from this interloper, but if that fourth was broken...

He supposed it was time to start taking a more active role in things. He'd relied upon proxies for far too long, and his plans were too close to fruition to leave anything to chance. Just a little more time, a few more and the final barriers to his absolute control of the world would be broken... and he could wipe everything away and remake it all in any way he saw fit.

There was a knock on the door. Re-establishing the illusion that he'd maintained in order to allow him to interact with mortals, he said, "Come on in."

His 'superior' (As if there was really anyone better than he was) poked his head in, and said, "We got another report of problems with Seed GXA8I6A4S9B1A7NXE. This time, it seemed to cause some sort of a catastrophic hardware failure. We're going to have to take it off of the servers... that is, unless you've finished with the patch?"

While his expression remained neutral, the true ruler cringed slightly. The interloper had managed to break a player's gaming console? Inconceivable. To break the barriers of reality, even briefly, with just pure strength should have been impossible. Still, a lot of 'impossible' things had happened today. Clearing his throat, the true ruler said, "Almost done, boss. I'll have it ready in time for tomorrow's update." He hated kowtowing to mortals, but the ruler had learned, the hard way, that if he just tried to run roughshod over others in worlds that were not his own, there were those who would make him pay for it. Still, once tomorrow's update was completed, he could leave this world, and return to the place he truly belonged...

"Good," the superior said, smiling. "Keep up the good work." With nothing else to say, the boss left, closing the door behind him.

With a chuckle, the true ruler said, "I intend to..."

Soon. Soon, he would be the god of a new world...

Old Stories, New Worries

"Gather 'round, little ones, and I shall tell you a tale..."

One year ago...

Morning Glory listened in rapt attention as Miss Butterbean began to read aloud from the book in front of her. While Glory was already reading at a level several grades higher than anypony else in the orphanage, the young filly could not deny that there was a kind of magic in a story read aloud...

As the other youngsters took their seats, Glory could not help but feel a little annoyed: At the Cloudsdale Orphanage, she stuck out like a diamond dog at a cat show. The other youngsters were all either unicorns or pegasai. She was the only earth pony in the group. She was thankful, though, that the other orphans were not the cruel or vicious type, else she would no doubt have been the target of merciless bullying. Instead, she just... didn't have any friends. At all.

Smiling cheerfully, the rotund mare began, saying in an almost sing-song voice, "Now, back when the world was young, everything worked without ponies, or anyone else, having to do anything. The sun rose and fell on its own, as did the moon. The seasons turned without anypony needing to do a thing to move the snow or to make the leaves fall or anything like that. The world was in balance, in a perfect state of harmony."

"But while the world might have been in harmony, the ones who lived upon it were not. Ponies, and in fact all creatures everywhere, bickered and fought against one another constantly. And during this time, when few, if any, of the creatures who lived upon this world were willing to work together for a brighter tomorrow, he appeared."

The emphasis upon that last part made it clear that, whoever this individual was, he was bad with a capital Bee Ai Dee.

"To this day, no one can remember who or what he was, save that he was a wizard, and one more powerful than any other that has ever lived. Worse, perhaps, was the fact that he was selfish, greedy, and arrogant. He did not care about others, and did not spare a thought concerning how his actions might harm others. He was, in many ways, a reflection of the times that had given birth to him. And when he discovered just how powerful he truly was, in comparison to others, he decided to do something truly terrible..."

"He crafted a powerful relic, the likes of which the world has never seen, before or since. While none can remember what it was called, all can remember what it did: It allowed him to control every aspect of this world."

That didn't sound good...

"Suddenly, the harmony of the world was gone: The sun rose and set, not in their stately order, but at the whims of this terrible wizard. The seasons changed, not in their expected order, but whenever he felt they should. Weather changed in the blink of an eye, from rain to sun to snow, then back again. Even time itself would run at whatever speed amused this terrible tyrant, running fast, slow, or even in reverse, if it should amuse him to do so."

Shaking her head sadly, Miss Butterbean said, "And each time he imposed his selfish will upon the world, it caused disasters to occur across the entire planet. Even the smallest change caused nightmarish calamities to spring forth. Protected by his relic, the tyrant unleashed calamities across the planet without any care for whom he hurt. The world could not long bear this wizard's cruel and petty manipulations."

"And so, a group of brave and powerful wizards banded together, setting aside their differences in the hopes of stopping this deranged lunatic before his actions destroyed the entire world."

"The evil one soon learned of their campaign against him, and set every conceivable obstacle against them. Using his dark and twisted magic, in combination with his all-powerful relic, he summoned forth armies of terrible monsters, and set them loose upon the world. It was a long and terrible battle to reach the dark wizard's citadel, and of the wizards who had banded together to stop the terrible tyrant, only three of the original one hundred remained standing."

"A terrible battle took place, and while the brave wizards tried their hardest, their foe was too powerful for the three of them to overcome. And then, one of the wizards came up with a desperate plan. Mustering what little was left of his strength, he unleashed a powerful bolt of energy... which he used to shatter the evil tyrant's relic."

This drew gasps from all of the colts and fillies assembled, and Miss Butterbean paused for a moment before she continued.

"When the relic was shattered, the tyrant's control over the world was lost, and his own magical power, since it was tied into the relic, was greatly diminished. The three wizards were able to subdue their foe, but with the relic broken, they could not set right what the tyrant, in his arrogance, had set wrong. Worse, when the relic broke, everything stopped. Yes, time still moved forward, but the seasons did not change, the weather did not change, nor did the sun nor moon rise or set. The wizards of the world had to work together in order to keep the world working as it should."

"When confronted about his destruction of the relic, the wizard responsible had this to say: Had he and his companions failed to stop the tyrant, his actions would have eventually destroyed the world. Instead, they were fortunate that, instead, the shattering of the relic had only broken the world instead. Once destroyed, the world would be gone. However, since it was only broken, there is a hope that, one day, the world might be mended."

"And that is why, little ones, it is important that we all strive to think of others and work together, rather than thinking only of ourselves. After all, it only took one wizard to break the world... and even now, eons later, no one has succeeded in fixing it."

Now...

Galaxy turned at the sound of pounding at her front door. The invasion had ended but a few hours ago, and the invaders had been repelled successfully. Still, given all that had happened, she couldn't be blamed for her heart suddenly skipping a beat at the sudden, noisy interruption. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she approached the door, and opened it.

In front of her was a portly pegasus mare, butter yellow coat and a bright green mane. She carried a satchel across her back, and it was clear that it was stuffed nearly to capacity. She was clearly out of breath, and the way her wings were fluttering, it was clear that she had flown a very long way very quickly. As soon as the door was open, she blurted out, "My name is Butterbean. I run the orphanage at Cloudsdale. Have you seen a little filly, about five years old, with a pink coat, purple mane, and blue eyes? Answers to the name of Morning Glory?"

Taken aback by the sudden torrent of information and questions, it took Galaxy a moment to form a response. After a moment, she answered, "No, I have not." After a moment, she asked, "Why would you think that she would be here?"

Bluntly, the pegasus stated, "Because she's your daughter."

Galaxy, principal of Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, said, "I... I don't know what you're..."

"Don't lie," Butterbean said, interrupting her. "Do you really think I wouldn't be here if I didn't do any research? I've known that she was your daughter since the day after she tried to enroll into the School For Gifted Unicorns."

A voice from upstairs called down, asking, "Mommy? Who's at the door?"

"It's just a visitor, sweetie," Galaxy called over her shoulder, then turned back towards Butterbean and said, apologetically, "My sister's daughter. It's... it's a long story."

An eyebrow raised, Butterbean said, "I imagine it must be." Shaking her head, the pegasus said, "It's not important right now. Glory's been missing all day, and she'd left a note saying she was coming to Canterlot. I thought that she'd be here, but if she isn't, I'll have to look elsewhere." She turned to leave...

Butterbean was stopped from taking off when the mare behind her said, "Wait."

The pegasus turned around, and took in the unicorn again with a critical eye. A pink coat, with bright pink eyes, and a tri-colored mane of red, pink, and white, with a pair of spectacles balance upon her muzzle, she was... attractive, in a bookish kind of way. Her mark was a collection of seven dark pink stars in the shape of a constellation. Butterbean, who'd been heavy all her life, couldn't help but feel a little envious, but that was a secondary concern right now.

Morning Glory came first...

"If you have something that belongs to her," Galaxy stated, "I know a number of spells that we can use to track her down."

Nodding, Butterbean said, "Alright. I have her favorite hairbrush right here. Let me just dig it out..."