A Creator's Gambitby KaBar42ChaptersMy Name Is...Of Hospital Beds and Strange Times Feathered Mistakes, A Maze Of TerrorMaking AmendsDark Hallways, Dark DaysCoups, Theophanies and Interrupted VacationsMy Name Is...A Creator's Gambit Chapter 1 I stared down at the meandering creatures. Just wandering around the planet, their lives, so mortal, so fragile, so pathetic. I could kill them all with one thought if I wanted. So, then, why was I so bored? For thousands of years, I kept my eye on them . Helping them when they needed it, and watching their adventures. But it was so peaceful. Not that it's a bad thing, of course. I don't want to see my wonderful creatures die. But that's how life goes. But, here, on Anima, the ponies controlled the weather. Nature stayed within specific confines and the majority of times if someone died from a wild animal, it was completely their own fault. I'd been to Earth several times, sometimes even going down there and interacting with the Humans. It was just so much more interesting there than it was here. Especially Eire, although, I may have made a few of them think I was their Goddess by accident... I mean, I am a Goddess, but not their Goddess. In fact, there was this one incident where I met a handsome Gaelic village chief... I'm just going to not continue that. Let's just say that's where Gaelic red heads come from. It has been a while since I was there. Last I was there, I was in a city called Boston, and a group was protesting about a tax on tea... I made up my mind, I shall go back there. I check the world one more time. The lands of Anima flash past me instantaneously, I can not see any imminent threat, Anima will be fine if I leave it alone for a day. With one thought, Earth appears before me. I smile. The biped glanced up from his position on the ground, his body prone and his face having previously been in the… well, it seemed like a nonexistent ground, but it was definitely there. “Whoo! Well, that was a close one! Wasn't it?” He looked to red-haired beauty that was speaking, the same red-haired beauty that had gotten him into this mess. “You!” He shouted, springing from his prone position and pointing an accusatory finger at her. “It’s your fault this happened! Stay away from me!” He finished. The Redhead took it in stride, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, pish-posh. Sure I may have… damaged your physical body a bit. A lot.” She paused mulling over her options. Her hand lifting to her face. A bright light emanated from her body, blinding the biped as he brought both arms up to cover his eyes. When the light dissipated, he removed his arms, only to see that instead of the beautiful redhead, there was now a redheaded unicorn/pegasus, horse/dog thingy standing in front of him. “Ah, always feels better to be in this form.” She said. “Holy shit!” The biped exclaimed as he backpedaled and tripped over his own feet, landing on his ass. “A talking horse!” “Pony, thank you very much.” the “pony” responded. “I don’t care!” The biped responded back. “Any way, none of this matters. What does matter is that I accidentally broke your body, a bit.” the pony began. “ A lot!” The biped yelled, standing up to his full height, which was only about a foot more than the pony, staring her in the eye. She nonchalantly continued her sentence. “As I broke your body I have a proposition for you. Oh! Yes, I nearly forgot,” She held her hoof out. “My name is Faust.” The biped stared at her hoof suspiciously. However, he reluctantly put his hand out and met her hoof. “My name is-” He was cut off by Faust. “Yes, I know who you are. Now allow me to continue.” “Well, fuck you as well.” “Now, my proposition is this, seeing as I broke your body, I will allow you use of my body on my planet.” Silence reigned as the biped soaked in the information. “What?” He questioned. “Simple, my dear Human.” Faust explained. “I will put you in my body for one month, in that time, your body should have healed with my help. During that one month you will be in my body and I will be watching you, just in case.” “Absolutely not.” The biped sternly said, crossing his arms across his chest, closing his eyes. “Oh? So I suppose the gold I was going to give you as recompense.” The biped opened one eye, but his face remained stern. “Still, no.” “So not even twenty gold bars, and forty gold bars for your brother, who I happen to know is fighting a very large legal battle for custodial rights for his daughter, who was granted to his ex-wife? The very same one who is also accusing him of rape?” “How did you…?” “ I know everything, and I also know that your brother’s innocent. And since I know I’m right and would have the moral grounds to do it, I may also be able to whip up some… video proof that he’s innocent.” The biped mulled over this. His brain going over the pros and cons of this. “Fuck me. Alright! I’ll take your offer. So I guess go ahead and send me to whatever planet you come from.” “Not yet, my dear child,” Faust began walking around the seemingly nonexistent room. “As there are a few… conditions to this proposition.” The biped groaned, covering his face. “Oh god, what now?” he asked. “You see, I’m bored. And this wouldn’t be interesting or fun for either of us if I just sent you down there with past knowledge. So, you will be an amnesiac.” “What!” “You will be an amnesiac, but, you will have my powers and my abilities, and you will know the basic, how to walk, how to talk. And this shall begin immediately!” The biped had no time to respond as a hole of light opened below him, sucking him through, yelling all the way. “Good Luck, my child!” Was the last thing he heard as his vision went black. I woke, slowly, my vision turning from a solid black. Intense light flickered in as I blinked, attempting to clear my eyes. I rolled over onto my belly, having previously been laying on my side, I stretched out a wing. Wait, wing? I looked back, and sure enough there was a wing. Two wings, actually. I experimentally stretched the other wing. I was a bit clumsy in stretching it out, and it was a bit difficult to hold it, but I eventually managed to hold it out. I clamber to my hooves, hooves? I look down. These don’t seem right. I feel like I’m missing something. I look around, a clearing in a forest, did I fall asleep here, I certainly don’t remember falling asleep here. Actually, for that matter, I don’t remember my name. What was it? “Fiona?” I say out loud to myself. No, it didn’t sound right. I knew it began with an F. “Francine? Felicia? Fleur? Faith?” No, none of those sound right. “Faustinne?” I question. Yes. That one sounds better, but it still doesn’t sound right. “...Faust?” Yes! That had to be it, it sounded right. So, my name is Faust. That’s… all I know. Oh well! I suppose, at least, it’s a start. I look to the treeline, and decide to go in a south-western, hopefully the right way. This was going to be a long trek. I stumbled out of the bush, kicking a loose tree branch off my leg. That wasn’t… too eventful, I suppose. Somehow, my long mane of red hair stayed straight and clear of debris. I looked ahead of me, clearly a town and where I was, devoid of people. I would have to wander into town, not that far of a walk, as I walked between two small buildings. Ah! There. Two female ponies, one cream colored and the other a turquoise blue, talking to each other. They were quite a bit smaller than I was. Maybe they could tell me where I am. They weren’t paying attention to me. “Excuse me? Ma’am?” I yelled. “Uh, yes, how can I-” She stopped as she turned around and caught sight of me. As her eyes expanded in shock. She quickly prostrated herself in front of me, her friend doing the same as soon as saw me. “Q-queen Faust! T-thank you for gracing us with your presence, your Majesty!” The cream one said, struggling to complete the sentence. I could only stare in shock. “Uh, if you could tell me what town I am in, that would be lovely.” I said. “O-of course, Your Majesty. You’re in the humble town of Hollow Shades. We thank you for gracing this humble small village with your Divine Presence, Your Majesty.” “Right, well, I guess I’ll be on my way then.” “Your Majesty, please wait.” The Blue one spoke up as I turned to leave. I turned my head to face them. “Yes?” “Please, allow us to take you the Mayor so we may have a feast in your honor.” “ But I’m not ev-” I was cut off as my stomach growled. “Well, I suppose I am hungry.” The turquoise pony hopped up, her face gleeful. “Please, then. Your Majesty. Follow me.” She said as she began walking in the opposite direction. The two mares and I weren’t very far from the heart of the town, and there were, progressively more and more ponies. All of them bowing as I walked and they caught sight of me. As we reached the town square, it seemed as though everyone caught sight of me instantly. And it made the town square look live a massive wave of multicolored ponies. Making our way through the square and to a rather humble and to a building that looked a like a large size, not a government building. The turquoise pony knocked on the door. “Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor! Please come immediately, there’s royalty here!” She shouted. Royalty? What did she mean? I heard a few knocks and slams, a few crashes as well. “Royalty! Who is it? Celestia? Luna? Will they finally grace their presence around here so I can complain about funding to this town?” I heard through the door. The door opened inwards. as an old looking pony stared out, not seeing me at first. He was a green color, with gray hair and a beard. He was holding a cane and wearing glasses. “Has one of them finally decided to grace this town with their pre-” His jaw dropped upon noticing me. “My, my Queen!” He spoke as he attempted to bow, his back cracking as he attempted to lower himself to the ground. I voiced my concerns. “Please don’t hurt yourself for me.” “Nonsense, if I can bow for your daughters, then I can bow for you.” Daughters? Doesn’t matter right now. Save it for later. I knew that there was nothing I would be able to say that would stop him. “Okay, just be careful.” We all waited for him to finish the bowing motions. After about a minute of resting in the bowing position, he pulled himself back up. “Now! Onto celebrations! Turquoise, go tell the farmers! Tell the cooks! Tell everyone!” The turquoise pony, named turquoise, how original. And I was led off by a crowd of cheering ponies. The mayor turned to a pegasus standing beside him, wearing a small mail satchel on his side. “Go, Feather, go and tell the Princesses that their mother is back.” The mayor said. Feather prepared to take off, before the mayor stopped him. “Also, find out when my piano is going to be delivered.” Feather nodded and took off. Author's Note My first, actual, Faust fic. If you favorited, please explain why. And if you disliked it, please explain why, as well. Of Hospital Beds and Strange Times Of Hospital Beds and Strange Times A Creator's Gambit Chapter 2 Sitting in the elevated hospital bed, the young man who was covered in bandages as though he was a living mummy stared at the TV. He watched the screen intently, as it showed a creature that looked like a parody of a horse with white fur and a red mane and tail, along with a horn and wings. Said creature was conversing with a significantly smaller creature who was, although of similar shape, was a different color, and had neither wings nor a horn. The young man repositioned himself in the hospital bed, letting out a sigh, as he laid his head down. With a groan, he stated: “He is taking way too long… let’s speed this up.” The man grabbed the remote that had been lying near his left leg and raised it up to the TV. He pressed the fast forward button as the images sped up on the screen. It was just another day in the Equestrian Court System. Celestia sat on her throne, sneaking a bite of cake as she listened to the noble, of whom she could not even remember his name, drone on about a law that would require all tea to be mixed with pink food dye. Celestia didn't particularly understand his reasoning, nor did she really want to hear it. She had already decided that she was going to deny the petition, but it was professional courtesy to allow the speaker to finish. Of course, if he went on for too long, there was always the Lord of the Floor to stop him. However, the Princess knew that the noble still had five minutes left before the Lord of the Floor would stop him. And already, she was bored by his argument. However, this was soon to change. A commotion was heard on the other side of the great doors of the throne room. Several shouts were heard from guards, but Celestia heard one that stood out. It was not the voice of any of her normal guards, but a stranger’s voice. “Sorry! I can’t stop! I literally can’t slow down! I don’t know why!” As this sentence was finished, the great doors burst open. As a pegasus crashed into the crowd of organized desks that were on the main floor. The pegasus tumbled as she attempted to stop herself. “Ah, here we go!” The bandaged man said to himself with joy evident in his voice. He pressed the pause button and then hit the play button. The pegasus came to a rest at the foot of the throne, her back facing Celestia. Replacing the previously speaking noble who had dove for cover after the doors had burst open. Resting on her haunches, the pegasus was still for a moment, as the courtroom was silent. The little pony slowly looked over her shoulder, realizing where she was. She shot up and repositioned herself so that she was bowing to Princess Celestia. “Your majesty!” She squeaked out. She attempted to level her voice, and went on. “I apologize for the rude interruption and hope you’ll forgive me. But I come bearing urgent news from the town of Hollow-Shades. Queen Faust has blessed us with her presence.” At the mention of the Queen, the entire courtroom shot to attention. Including the previously slouched and very bored Princess Celestia. “Continue.” Celestia spoke, doing her best to hide whatever excitement was building up in her. “The Queen graced our humble town with her appearance, asking for its name. The mayor ordered a feast in her honor and tasked me with informing the Royal Sisters of their Mother’s return.” That was proof enough for Celestia, as she disregarded all royal procedure and shot out of the throne room. As she was making her way to her sister’s room, the excitement of seeing her mother again began to take hold. But there was a small question in the back of her mind. “Why would her mother ask for the town’s name?” However, the excitement quickly pushed this thought out of her mind. “I really must insist, Mr. Mayor, that all of these preparations are not necessary. A dinner would have just been fine.” The Mayor waved his hoof. “Nonsense!” He said. “You are the Queen and we must prepare festivities that are fit for a Royal of your standing. As such, a stage for the royal table must be present!” Faust lowered her voice, as she mumbled out a statement to herself. “I still don’t know what you’re on about. I’m not a royal.” Or, at least, she thought it was to herself. “Oh! Always so humble, my Queen!” The mayor stated, his head held high. However, he quickly turned around and yelled to the workers who were constructing the stage. “Hurry up! The Royal Sisters will be here soon! I want that stage constructed before they arrive!” At the Mayor’s prompting, the ponies sped up the construction. “Luna, I know you’re excited, but you must slow down! If not for my sake, then for the sakes of poor guards!” Celestia shouted at her sister, in an effort to slow her down. And indeed, several hundred meters behind them, the two groups of guard, Solar and Lunar, struggled to keep up with the Alicorn siblings. “Why would we slow down? Mother has finally come back and the guards can catch up to us. It’s not like we need their help anyway. Besides, we’re just a few minutes from the town now! We can’t slow down!” Luna yelled back to her sister. “Luna, if we’re going to fly this fast, then you need to pay attention to where you’re going!” Faust stood upon the newly constructed stage, hesitantly hoofing the wood, unsure of its structural integrity. After all, it had been made in about an hour. She might not have been an expert in stage making, but that just didn’t sit right with her. “Are you… are you certain this stage is safe?” She asked the Mayor. “Of course! I wouldn’t dare put the Queen on something I didn’t trust my life to! Now, if you would, a podium has been placed right there, please feel free to practice your speech as we wait for your daughters to arrive.” Faust raised her head, her eyes widening. “Speech! What speech?” She questioned. “Why! The Royal Speech! It is tradition for visiting royals to give a speech to their gathered subjects as a way to open the feast. By tradition, it is the oldest royal present who gives the speech. And since you are the oldest of anyone, there is no one to outrank you!” “Did you just call me old, Mr. Mayor?” “A wise pony once said that it is the greatest honor of all to have grey hair. I mean... obviously you can’t have grey hair, but the point is still there. And the pony kind of… died before he had grey hair… ” “Damn this charismatic mayor.” Faust thought to herself. She began to move to the podium where she would improvise her unprepared speech and hope it worked out. However, luckily, or perhaps unluckily for Faust, a shout came from above. “Incoming! Look out below!” As a blue streak came plummeting from the sky. She landed on the stage, where the abnormally sized planks that are big enough for an alicorn to set all four legs down on at the same time, combined with shoddy construction equalled sending one surprised Faust who had no intention of flying, flying. Luna popped her head up from under the stage, as she looked around confused, while Celestia landed gracefully on the stage. “Where’s mom?” Luna questioned, as she continued to pivot her head in search of her mother. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” A scream sounded, but quickly died down. “What was that?” Luna asked, her face the very picture of innocence. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” Faust screamed as she floundered through the air, with the grace of a whale attempting to do ballet. Her hooves flailing around in the air, fruitlessly attempting to grab something to halt her fall. Of course, as this is the sky, there was nothing for her to grab. Despite the fact that she had been gaining altitude, she realized that she was now losing it and falling. As she flipped several more times, she realized she was going to land in a field. A field, which oddly enough, happened to have a brick wall built exactly where she was about to land. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” Faust yelled, as she impacted the wall at high speed. The wall itself crumbling, and covering her in bricks. This time, Luna landed much more gracefully in the field that she had accidentally catapulted her mother into. She noticed a pile of bricks, but could not see her mother anywhere. Behind her, a light flashed as Celestia teleported the crowd of ponies who had been at the stage and herself to the scene. “Luna! Where’s mother?” Celestia asked her younger sister, who was looking around, once again, in search of their lost mother. “I don’t know!” She replied. “I landed here and all that was here was this pile of bricks. But I’m absolutely certain this is where mother landed.” Before anyone else could reply, the pile of bricks began to move, as a large figure removed itself from the mess. Faust stepped down from the pile, evidently shaken as she attempted to find her footing. She stumbled several times. And when she finally found her balance, she yelled: “I’m fine! I’m fine!” As the crowd of ponies looked on in amazement. However, as she finished her sentence, another shout was heard. “Look out below! Incoming!” It wasn't even a second after this sentence had been spoken that a piano fell directly on top of Faust’s head, bringing her down to ground, cold. And smashing the piano into hundreds of pieces. The pile once again covered Faust, with nothing but a horn and a twitching hoof sticking from it. “My piano! My piano!” The mayor cried, as the crowd of ponies, and the Royal Sisters, unanimously turned to him and gave him a dirty eye. The mayor nervously cleared his throat, as he realized all eyes were on him. “Ahem, I mean… My Queen! My Queen!” Before anyone else could say anything, another cry was heard. “My wall! My wall!” An orange earth pony, with a comb-over blond mane in a black suit with a tie wailed over his destroyed wall. The crowd of ponies, the Royal Sisters and the Mayor turned to this pony and stared angrily at him. A young mare from the crowd called out: “Will you stop building those stupid walls everywhere? It’s not like they do anything! I can just walk around them! The bandaged man repositioned himself once again. “Well, that was interesting, but he’ll be out for a while. So let’s see what’s going on with Earth right now.” He flipped the channel to a new channel. Where a man standing at a podium with a blond comb-over, wearing a black suit and tie was speaking. “I will build a great wall -- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me -- and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." A nurse poked her head in at the sound of hearty laughter. She realized what was happening when she saw the young man who quickly stopped laughing and grabbed his chest in pain. “Oh, fuck, that hurt.” Author's Note Co-Authored by Randomrusina Whoo! First new chapter of a story since, like... sophomore year! Enjoy! Feathered Mistakes, A Maze Of TerrorA Creator’s Gambit Chapter 3 The mummified patient continued his daily routine of doing nothing besides laying in his bed and watching TV. He would occasionally flip through channels to ameliorate his boredom. Of course, this patient wasn’t normal… considering the fact that he was actually a she as well as an omnipotent horse goddess with wings and a horn who had gotten so bored with her planet that she came to Earth and then proceeded to cause an undisclosed accident which left the body she was currently possessing utterly maimed, with the exception of two fingers on its right hand. Which she was currently using to manipulate the buttons on the remote to the room’s TV to flip through channels. The channel she was currently watching was a TV series about a marine being stranded on an alien planet after he was nearly killed in Afghanistan. She watched as the scene in the show unfurled. The marine had just meandered his way into a cave full of the planet’s natives that had been enslaved by other natives. And, of course, since the show had been made by an overly patriotic American, the marine then proceeded to utterly massacre the slavers. Because it went against his morals. After he had killed the slavers and released the slaves, the scene switched to one of the slaves he had released, a father with his newborn son. A son the marine had to resuscitate. The newly freed former slave watched as the alien dropped the injured ring leader of the slave ring down from a precipice to a waiting crowd of the slaves he had abused as well as the planet’s version of law enforcement. Without saying a word, the marine then turned around and walked off to make his escape from the natives, pausing only to slowly look back. As the freed natives looked at him in awe. The mummified patient paused the TV as the nurse walked in. “How are you enjoying the show, Mr. -” As the nurse said the patient’s name, a maintenance worker stopped his cart too abruptly in front of the patient’s door to his room. Which caused an unbalanced piece of equipment to fall over and slam on the ground, obscuring the sound the nurse had made that was the patient’s name. “Sorry!” The maintenance worked apologized to no one in particular. The nurse looked back to the door and raised her eyebrow. But decided there was nothing she could do about it so she turned back to the patient and saw the show he had been watching. “Oh!” The nurse’s face lit up. “I remember this show when it first came on in 2014! It was really popular for two seasons! People really wanted it to continue, but the produce just up and left! He left a lot of people disappointed!” “Ah! Man! How disappointing, I was really looking forward to the next episode! Eh, guess I’ll just have to find something else to watch.” The patient flipped the channel, he had reached a new channel. They were discussing the president. The news anchor began leading into the story about him. “The Secret Service is currently investigating odd emails sent directly to the president’s secure email. Through leaked documents, it is revealed that the emails sent to him is coming from someone who claims to be the queen, formerly princess, of an unknown nation and demands, multiple times, for the president to cede control of the world over to her. Sometimes even threatening him and his family with extreme violence. For some odd reason, the president plays along, explaining to the unknown person that he does not have the authority to cede control of anything over to her, much less the world. At one point, she offers to allow him to keep control of California in return for everything else. The President then sent an email insulting California. He states: “And even if I could, why would I? No one wants California, I hate that state!” California politicians are up in arms in regards to the statement. In other news, the eighteen year old marine who went missing in Afghanistan in 2014 following a mortar attack on his position has been found alive. More on that at eight.” By this time the nurse had left. The patient took this opportunity to check up on his new toy. Oh, yeah, when the omnipotent horse goddess possessed this body, she had also put the original soul into her body and put her body with the Human soul now in it. on her planet, with her powers but with no memories beyond the basic stuff like walking… as a horse. The patient flipped the channel and observed a pure white mare, with a beautifully red mane and tail, white wings and a white horn, laying in bed on her side. Faust lifted her neck and glanced around the room. It wasn’t completely dark, as some sun shone through the drawn curtains. The room itself was surprisingly plain with just a full sized mirror, a desk cut for ponies larger than average, a large window covered by curtains, as well as the bed she was currently occupying. A bed that was insanely comfortable. Fit for a queen. Faust moved her head around, taking in the surroundings. “Wow. It feels like I’ve been asleep for two years.” Faust mumbled to herself. She looked down at the bed she was laying in. “And this bed is amazing, I wonder what it’s made of…” Her monologue trailed off as a knock on the door sounded. “Your Majesty, is everything alright in there, I heard you speaking. May I enter?” The person who knocked asked. Faust looked around once more, then to her blanket covered body. “Yes, you may.” Faust answered. The door gingerly and slowly opened, as a male pony in armor entered. He was lacking both wings and horn. His mane and tail were a deep blue, almost black. The hair on the rest of his body was red. Upon entering the room, he bent his front legs and lowered his head and spoke. “My Queen, it is an honor to be in your presence. I am Lieutenant Cannon. If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to inform me.” The Earth stallion stated, resolutely. Faust slipped out of the bed she was in, with the blanket falling to the ground. She looked around once more and then looked at the bed. She paused, seeming to consider something. “Actually, Lieutenant, there is something you can do for me.” Faust stated. “Yes, Your Majesty!” Cannon answered, the excitement obvious in his voice. Faust raised an eyebrow at the excitement in his voice. “What is the filling in this bed made of?” The stallion answered proudly. “Pegasus feathers!” Faust blanched, however, her white fur hid the paleness extremely well. “P-pegasus feathers!” Faust asked in shock. The stallion beamed, not realizing he had spooked the Queen. He had believe he had been of help to her and was proud of it. “Yes! Only the finest and softest specimens are fit for a bed that is being used by the Queen! As such, we collect them from pegasi who have not yet begun their first preening.” Faust’s muzzle began taking a green tinge to it, as horrid and gore filled thought swirled in her mind. The stallion did not realize the discomfort the Queen was in and continued. “We collect them and put them in a machine that mixes them together and then sorts them by color. The parents can sometimes be a bit hesitant to volunteer their children, though.” The green tinge only grew darker on Faust’s muzzle. “Children?” The stallion beamed even brighter. “Oh yes! Pegasi who have not yet begun their first preening have the softest feathers in order to keep warm. The process can sometimes be a bit painful for them, but there’s no price too high for the Queen’s comfort!” The last sentence was far too much for Faust, as she decided she’d rather jump through a window then be in the castle with child murdering, homicidal lunatics… although her first choice would have been a door, the psychopathic guard was standing in the doorway. So she took the only open path she had… Through the window. The curtain that was drawn over the window initially caught her upon running into it, but with the weight of the full grown alicorn queen, it was quickly ripped from the wall, as she smashed through the flimsy glass as well. The curtain prevented her from unfurling her wings and flying, not that it mattered much, since she couldn’t fly to begin with. She could only pray she was not at the very top of a tower. In a slight change of luck, she was not at the top of the tower, but rather on the second floor. But the curtain she was tangled in prevented her from knowing this until she hit the ground with a solid thud. She could feel the pain in her left wing and ribs, as she had landed on her side. She gave a groan, as the air had been knocked from her lungs. She scrambled to her hooves and without paying attention to where she was going, sprinted off into the distance. Whatever it took to put as much ground between these psychos and her. The guardstallion was left to stare at the now broken window in shock. Was it something he said? “Your Majesty! Wait!” Cannon sprinted to the window, but could only watch as the Queen sprinted off, all while yelling in apparent terror. Cannon let his stoicness drop, as he dreamily looked upon the fleeing alicorn. He sighed. Even when she was running in terror, she was impossibly graceful. The Two Sisters sat in their respective thrones. Normally at this time, Luna would be asleep with her sister having sole occupation of the court room, but she was so excited at the idea of seeing their mother… That and she felt guilty for causing her injuries. They were holding off on announcing that their mother was back, hopeful that she would wake up soon. They did not want to leave her in such an exposed state. But the nobles in the court knew something was up due to the presence of both sisters. But, court still had to carry on, and as such that meant cases presented to them. The current case was a noble who was bringing a petition to court. He had been denied a permit to keep an Ursa Major as a pet. And he was now seeking the approval of the Royal Court. Of course, both Celestia and Luna subtly cocked their eyebrows at each other when they heard the noble’s initial petition. And both planned to immediately deny it as soon the noble was done giving his speech. That they both considered dumb and boring. However, as the noble was droning on, the doors to the courtroom burst open as a guard entered, forgetting the etiquette guards are supposed to follow when speaking with royalty. “You Majesties! Captain Cannon Fodder sent me with the utmost urgency! Your mother has run away!” The entire court gasped at the mention the mother of the Two Sisters. And without a word, the Two Sisters shot out of their own throne room, leaving everyone in it behind. The noble who had been petition for a pet permit for an Ursa Major looked around the courtroom that was now lacking any figure of any authority. “Uh… so does this mean my permit is accepted?” The noble questioned to no one in particular. The bandaged patient chuckled. “I remember Colonel Cannon Fodder, poor boy had the most unfortunate name.” Faust ran. She ran and ran. Anything that put distance between her and that psycho, Private Cannon. However, she soon came to realize that she was in a maze. A hedge maze. What is with royals and mazes, anyways? She stopped. If she was lost, she was probably safe from the Private, so she could afford to slow down. Take her time. She looked around, taking in all the options she had. She stretched her wings out, as she looked back at them. Flying wasn’t an option, for some odd reason, she remembered how to walk, talk and run. But she couldn’t remember how to fly. She looked upwards, gazing at her horn. For another matter, she also couldn’t remember how to use magic. She knew for a fact that she used to be able to do both of these. She couldn’t remember ever using either, but she could feel it deep inside that she had. She had used them both before. Since she couldn’t do anything that would help her get out of this maze, she did the only other thing she could do. She walked. She walked, as the sun beat down on her mercilessly. She had to have been walking for the better part of the day, yet the sun still beat down on her with no forgiveness. Sweating bullets, she looked towards the sun with anger in her eyes! “It’s so hot out here! Why can’t it be night time already! Please!” Almost as though the sun heard her plea, it travelled to the right and disappeared over the horizon in a mere second, the moon now occupying the spot it had formerly sat in. Faust jumped back in shock. “Holy!” She yelled in terror! She was appreciative of the reprieve from the heat of the sun, but that wasn’t natural. Could this day get any worse? First she was taken to a castle that thinks it’s acceptable to grind foals up to collect their feathers for her mattress and now the sun moves unnaturally! “This day… er, night can’t get any worse!” Faust declared in anger. “Mother! I found you!” No. Faust turned in terror. A pony, only slightly smaller than her, rocketed towards her. But this wasn’t any regular pony… This was the blue menace that had launched her into the air from the stage the other day. In a burst of speed she didn’t realize she was capable of, Faust sidestepped the incoming pony-missile, who rocketed straight past her former position and slammed into the wall of the hedge maze. “Why did I open my big mouth!” Faust screamed as she once again took off in a run. First the psycho Private now this night terror! She began making as many turns as she could, hoping to confuse the terror that was now chasing her. Faust realized she had to get out of this maze, and quickly. She had busted through the glass window earlier with extreme ease. As such, she had assumed the grass wall in this hedge maze would not pose much of an obstacle. She ran faster then she had ever run before, at full gallop, she crashed head first into the wall of the maze… And stopped. Her front hooves were touching the other side, but her back hooves were suspended in the air. Faust blanched once more. Her hooves weren’t suspended! She was stuck in the wall of the maze! She began kicking her back hooves and attempting to pull forward with her front. But anyone with hooves knows this one simple fact. Hooves aren’t very good for pulling yourself forward. But despite this, she continued struggling, her rear kicking and her front pulling. But the maze held tight. “General Cannon!” The young private ran up the guardstallion. “Sir! I realize that you are currently helping in the search for the Queen, but there are reports of three drunken noblestallions wondering the castle grounds and harassing the female staff! Cannon sighed, rolling his eyes. They were always having problems with nobles getting drunk and harassing staff. “Where were they last seen?” Cannon asked. “Sir, they were last seen heading towards the maze!” This was it. Faust accepted her fate. She was, without a doubt, undeniably, stuck. She scrunched up her muzzle. She could occasionally see the night terror fly over her, but miss her. This happened several times. Perhaps it was because she was stuck between two sides of a wall, so the wall obscured most of her from the sky. Whatever it was, she prayed her luck kept up. She had no desire to deal with the night terror. But she was still in a conundrum. She was stuck. She couldn’t call out for help, otherwise the loony Lieutenant or the night terror may find her. But she couldn’t stay stuck, otherwise she would starve to death. But she was also in a vulnerable position. Her buttocks were unprotected, and should any rapscallions come along, there was nothing she could do to protect herself. She needed to find a way to unstick herself, and fast. So once again, she began her futile effort of kicking her rear hooves and pulling forward with her front hooves. As she was busy doing this, however, she heard laughing. Panicked, her ears swivelled, trying to find the source of the laughter. Was it coming from her front? The side? The air? No… it was behind her. She felt something touch her rear, as she unconsciously squeaked and her muzzle became a deep red color. As more laughter resounded. Faust hated her life. The bandaged patient somehow managed to sit up even straighter in his bed. The real Faust, possessing his body, was seething with rage. Sure, she had given the Human her body to use until his was healed up, and sure she had wanted something interesting to happen. But the audacity of those stallions to assault her! After they had been harassing other mares, no less! And what was taking Sergeant Cannon so long to catch up with them, she could only wonder what was slowing that idiot down so much. She would show them. Although, she may no longer have been in that world, and she may have been in the body of the crippled Human, her magic was no less powerful. Those stallions would regret the day they decided today was a good day to go drinking. “Hey, Straight Arrow, look there!” The stallion slurred his words as he spoke, obviously drunk. The stallion named Straight Arrow looked at the wall his friend pointed at. “By the grace of Faust, Midnight, is that what I think it is.” The patient’s stomach curled at the mention of her name by the stallion. Luna had been flying over the maze for hours. She had found mother once, but she dodged her hug and then disappeared into the maze. And despite her superb night vision, Luna had been unable to find her mother. She stopped and hovered in mid-air. Wondering if she should check in with Commander Cannon to see if he had seen any trace of her mother. As she was about fly away from the maze to find the commander, something hit her in the head. Catching it with her magic as it bounced off her head, she inspected it. Not that it needed much inspection, as it was a flashing neon sign that simply said, “Look down.” Always one to trust signs that randomly fall out of the sky and hit her on the head, Luna looked down. Her eyes took in the scene. Her snout furrowed in anger, as her normally flat teeth morphed into monstrous fangs. Her pupils narrowed into slits, not unlike a cat’s eyes. The patient grinned, although his mouth wasn’t visible under the bandages. Faust sometimes amazed even herself with her genius. “Man, Onyx. Look at this.” Midnight whispered, somehow, despite being drunk. The three drunk stallions slowly creeped up on the rear of mare. It was obvious she had gotten stuck. And her rear seemed oddly larger than normal. But in their drunken state, the three stallions didn’t even consider the fact that the pony was about the right size for an alicorn. They did notice the cutie-mark. A full inkwell with a quill dipped in it. “What do you think her job is? A scribe?” The stallion named Onyx questioned his companions. Of course, had any of them been a little bit more sober, they would have realized that was the cutie-mark of Faust. Before any of them could answer the trapped mare began kicking her rear hooves, in an apparent attempt to free herself. For some odd reason, as is often the case with drunk people, the three stallions found this hilarious and burst out laughing. The mare soon stopped her kicking. As Arrow giggled and spoke. “I’mma touch it.” He slurred. And true to his word, he did. And when he did, a squeak sounded from the other side of the wall. The three stallions once again burst out laughing. Slurring his words, the stallion identified as Onyx spoke. “Let me.” He shoved his friend to the side and reared on his rear hooves. Taking the mare’s rear in between his hooves, he squeezed. This had the unintended side effect of the trapped mare kicking him. Because while her front half was trapped, her legs were free. The stallion went flying, contrary to the laws of physics, where as the mare stayed stuck. The two companions were slow to react due to their drunkenness, btu they watched as their friend, Onyx, rose from where he had hit the wall. Slowly sauntering over to where he had previously been, he and Midnight began jeering at the trapped mare. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that you… a-ass” Onyx slurred, even more than normal due to the pain he was in. They began advancing on the mare, but Arrow stayed behind. Normally, he would have joined them, but something was stopping him. The hairs on the back of his neck were at full attention, as a freezing wind cut through him. It was odd, it was the middle of the summer, there shouldn’t be any freezing wind. He could feel eyes, staring into his very soul. His eyes constricting in primordial fear, his heart beating at a thousand miles an hour. His companions seemed to also get the feeling. All three of them slowly turned around, and were met with the most terrifying sight they had ever seen. An ethereal mane whipped in the freezing wind, as the stallion’s souls were torn apart with the eyes of a snake. “Tell me, Geldlings,” The voice ripped through their very minds, as images of their deepest and darkest fears flashed before their eyes. “Would you prefer for me to kill you slowly and painfully, or would you prefer I eat you and damn your souls to eternal torment?” The three stallions screamed in innate terror. “Captain Cannon!” The very same private that had informed him of the three drunk noblestallions once more landed in front of him. Once again, Cannon rolled his eyes. “What is it now?” He asked the private. The private saluted and spoke. “Sir, I know you’re currently looking for the Queen and those three drunk stallions, but staff have also complained about hearing a few little girls screaming in the maze!” Author's Note I'm back bitches! And so is the Amnesiac Faust and the Real Faust! What does the next chapter hold? What happens to the drunks? Do they die? Did one of them actually have a vore fetish and screw it up for everyone else? Does Amnesiac Faust ever get free of her imprisonment? And does Prince Cannon ever find those screaming little girls? Tune in for the next chapter, when ever the fuck it comes out! When will it come out? I have no idea! Maybe I'll get around to writing it once I've finished playing Half-Life 3! If you like this chapter or favorite this story, please leave a comment explaining why. Same if you didn't like this chapter, or disliked the story. Please leave a comment explaining why. Making AmendsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Dark Hallways, Dark DaysSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Coups, Theophanies and Interrupted VacationsSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
My Name Is...A Creator's Gambit Chapter 1 I stared down at the meandering creatures. Just wandering around the planet, their lives, so mortal, so fragile, so pathetic. I could kill them all with one thought if I wanted. So, then, why was I so bored? For thousands of years, I kept my eye on them . Helping them when they needed it, and watching their adventures. But it was so peaceful. Not that it's a bad thing, of course. I don't want to see my wonderful creatures die. But that's how life goes. But, here, on Anima, the ponies controlled the weather. Nature stayed within specific confines and the majority of times if someone died from a wild animal, it was completely their own fault. I'd been to Earth several times, sometimes even going down there and interacting with the Humans. It was just so much more interesting there than it was here. Especially Eire, although, I may have made a few of them think I was their Goddess by accident... I mean, I am a Goddess, but not their Goddess. In fact, there was this one incident where I met a handsome Gaelic village chief... I'm just going to not continue that. Let's just say that's where Gaelic red heads come from. It has been a while since I was there. Last I was there, I was in a city called Boston, and a group was protesting about a tax on tea... I made up my mind, I shall go back there. I check the world one more time. The lands of Anima flash past me instantaneously, I can not see any imminent threat, Anima will be fine if I leave it alone for a day. With one thought, Earth appears before me. I smile. The biped glanced up from his position on the ground, his body prone and his face having previously been in the… well, it seemed like a nonexistent ground, but it was definitely there. “Whoo! Well, that was a close one! Wasn't it?” He looked to red-haired beauty that was speaking, the same red-haired beauty that had gotten him into this mess. “You!” He shouted, springing from his prone position and pointing an accusatory finger at her. “It’s your fault this happened! Stay away from me!” He finished. The Redhead took it in stride, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, pish-posh. Sure I may have… damaged your physical body a bit. A lot.” She paused mulling over her options. Her hand lifting to her face. A bright light emanated from her body, blinding the biped as he brought both arms up to cover his eyes. When the light dissipated, he removed his arms, only to see that instead of the beautiful redhead, there was now a redheaded unicorn/pegasus, horse/dog thingy standing in front of him. “Ah, always feels better to be in this form.” She said. “Holy shit!” The biped exclaimed as he backpedaled and tripped over his own feet, landing on his ass. “A talking horse!” “Pony, thank you very much.” the “pony” responded. “I don’t care!” The biped responded back. “Any way, none of this matters. What does matter is that I accidentally broke your body, a bit.” the pony began. “ A lot!” The biped yelled, standing up to his full height, which was only about a foot more than the pony, staring her in the eye. She nonchalantly continued her sentence. “As I broke your body I have a proposition for you. Oh! Yes, I nearly forgot,” She held her hoof out. “My name is Faust.” The biped stared at her hoof suspiciously. However, he reluctantly put his hand out and met her hoof. “My name is-” He was cut off by Faust. “Yes, I know who you are. Now allow me to continue.” “Well, fuck you as well.” “Now, my proposition is this, seeing as I broke your body, I will allow you use of my body on my planet.” Silence reigned as the biped soaked in the information. “What?” He questioned. “Simple, my dear Human.” Faust explained. “I will put you in my body for one month, in that time, your body should have healed with my help. During that one month you will be in my body and I will be watching you, just in case.” “Absolutely not.” The biped sternly said, crossing his arms across his chest, closing his eyes. “Oh? So I suppose the gold I was going to give you as recompense.” The biped opened one eye, but his face remained stern. “Still, no.” “So not even twenty gold bars, and forty gold bars for your brother, who I happen to know is fighting a very large legal battle for custodial rights for his daughter, who was granted to his ex-wife? The very same one who is also accusing him of rape?” “How did you…?” “ I know everything, and I also know that your brother’s innocent. And since I know I’m right and would have the moral grounds to do it, I may also be able to whip up some… video proof that he’s innocent.” The biped mulled over this. His brain going over the pros and cons of this. “Fuck me. Alright! I’ll take your offer. So I guess go ahead and send me to whatever planet you come from.” “Not yet, my dear child,” Faust began walking around the seemingly nonexistent room. “As there are a few… conditions to this proposition.” The biped groaned, covering his face. “Oh god, what now?” he asked. “You see, I’m bored. And this wouldn’t be interesting or fun for either of us if I just sent you down there with past knowledge. So, you will be an amnesiac.” “What!” “You will be an amnesiac, but, you will have my powers and my abilities, and you will know the basic, how to walk, how to talk. And this shall begin immediately!” The biped had no time to respond as a hole of light opened below him, sucking him through, yelling all the way. “Good Luck, my child!” Was the last thing he heard as his vision went black. I woke, slowly, my vision turning from a solid black. Intense light flickered in as I blinked, attempting to clear my eyes. I rolled over onto my belly, having previously been laying on my side, I stretched out a wing. Wait, wing? I looked back, and sure enough there was a wing. Two wings, actually. I experimentally stretched the other wing. I was a bit clumsy in stretching it out, and it was a bit difficult to hold it, but I eventually managed to hold it out. I clamber to my hooves, hooves? I look down. These don’t seem right. I feel like I’m missing something. I look around, a clearing in a forest, did I fall asleep here, I certainly don’t remember falling asleep here. Actually, for that matter, I don’t remember my name. What was it? “Fiona?” I say out loud to myself. No, it didn’t sound right. I knew it began with an F. “Francine? Felicia? Fleur? Faith?” No, none of those sound right. “Faustinne?” I question. Yes. That one sounds better, but it still doesn’t sound right. “...Faust?” Yes! That had to be it, it sounded right. So, my name is Faust. That’s… all I know. Oh well! I suppose, at least, it’s a start. I look to the treeline, and decide to go in a south-western, hopefully the right way. This was going to be a long trek. I stumbled out of the bush, kicking a loose tree branch off my leg. That wasn’t… too eventful, I suppose. Somehow, my long mane of red hair stayed straight and clear of debris. I looked ahead of me, clearly a town and where I was, devoid of people. I would have to wander into town, not that far of a walk, as I walked between two small buildings. Ah! There. Two female ponies, one cream colored and the other a turquoise blue, talking to each other. They were quite a bit smaller than I was. Maybe they could tell me where I am. They weren’t paying attention to me. “Excuse me? Ma’am?” I yelled. “Uh, yes, how can I-” She stopped as she turned around and caught sight of me. As her eyes expanded in shock. She quickly prostrated herself in front of me, her friend doing the same as soon as saw me. “Q-queen Faust! T-thank you for gracing us with your presence, your Majesty!” The cream one said, struggling to complete the sentence. I could only stare in shock. “Uh, if you could tell me what town I am in, that would be lovely.” I said. “O-of course, Your Majesty. You’re in the humble town of Hollow Shades. We thank you for gracing this humble small village with your Divine Presence, Your Majesty.” “Right, well, I guess I’ll be on my way then.” “Your Majesty, please wait.” The Blue one spoke up as I turned to leave. I turned my head to face them. “Yes?” “Please, allow us to take you the Mayor so we may have a feast in your honor.” “ But I’m not ev-” I was cut off as my stomach growled. “Well, I suppose I am hungry.” The turquoise pony hopped up, her face gleeful. “Please, then. Your Majesty. Follow me.” She said as she began walking in the opposite direction. The two mares and I weren’t very far from the heart of the town, and there were, progressively more and more ponies. All of them bowing as I walked and they caught sight of me. As we reached the town square, it seemed as though everyone caught sight of me instantly. And it made the town square look live a massive wave of multicolored ponies. Making our way through the square and to a rather humble and to a building that looked a like a large size, not a government building. The turquoise pony knocked on the door. “Mr. Mayor! Mr. Mayor! Please come immediately, there’s royalty here!” She shouted. Royalty? What did she mean? I heard a few knocks and slams, a few crashes as well. “Royalty! Who is it? Celestia? Luna? Will they finally grace their presence around here so I can complain about funding to this town?” I heard through the door. The door opened inwards. as an old looking pony stared out, not seeing me at first. He was a green color, with gray hair and a beard. He was holding a cane and wearing glasses. “Has one of them finally decided to grace this town with their pre-” His jaw dropped upon noticing me. “My, my Queen!” He spoke as he attempted to bow, his back cracking as he attempted to lower himself to the ground. I voiced my concerns. “Please don’t hurt yourself for me.” “Nonsense, if I can bow for your daughters, then I can bow for you.” Daughters? Doesn’t matter right now. Save it for later. I knew that there was nothing I would be able to say that would stop him. “Okay, just be careful.” We all waited for him to finish the bowing motions. After about a minute of resting in the bowing position, he pulled himself back up. “Now! Onto celebrations! Turquoise, go tell the farmers! Tell the cooks! Tell everyone!” The turquoise pony, named turquoise, how original. And I was led off by a crowd of cheering ponies. The mayor turned to a pegasus standing beside him, wearing a small mail satchel on his side. “Go, Feather, go and tell the Princesses that their mother is back.” The mayor said. Feather prepared to take off, before the mayor stopped him. “Also, find out when my piano is going to be delivered.” Feather nodded and took off. Author's Note My first, actual, Faust fic. If you favorited, please explain why. And if you disliked it, please explain why, as well.
Of Hospital Beds and Strange Times Of Hospital Beds and Strange Times A Creator's Gambit Chapter 2 Sitting in the elevated hospital bed, the young man who was covered in bandages as though he was a living mummy stared at the TV. He watched the screen intently, as it showed a creature that looked like a parody of a horse with white fur and a red mane and tail, along with a horn and wings. Said creature was conversing with a significantly smaller creature who was, although of similar shape, was a different color, and had neither wings nor a horn. The young man repositioned himself in the hospital bed, letting out a sigh, as he laid his head down. With a groan, he stated: “He is taking way too long… let’s speed this up.” The man grabbed the remote that had been lying near his left leg and raised it up to the TV. He pressed the fast forward button as the images sped up on the screen. It was just another day in the Equestrian Court System. Celestia sat on her throne, sneaking a bite of cake as she listened to the noble, of whom she could not even remember his name, drone on about a law that would require all tea to be mixed with pink food dye. Celestia didn't particularly understand his reasoning, nor did she really want to hear it. She had already decided that she was going to deny the petition, but it was professional courtesy to allow the speaker to finish. Of course, if he went on for too long, there was always the Lord of the Floor to stop him. However, the Princess knew that the noble still had five minutes left before the Lord of the Floor would stop him. And already, she was bored by his argument. However, this was soon to change. A commotion was heard on the other side of the great doors of the throne room. Several shouts were heard from guards, but Celestia heard one that stood out. It was not the voice of any of her normal guards, but a stranger’s voice. “Sorry! I can’t stop! I literally can’t slow down! I don’t know why!” As this sentence was finished, the great doors burst open. As a pegasus crashed into the crowd of organized desks that were on the main floor. The pegasus tumbled as she attempted to stop herself. “Ah, here we go!” The bandaged man said to himself with joy evident in his voice. He pressed the pause button and then hit the play button. The pegasus came to a rest at the foot of the throne, her back facing Celestia. Replacing the previously speaking noble who had dove for cover after the doors had burst open. Resting on her haunches, the pegasus was still for a moment, as the courtroom was silent. The little pony slowly looked over her shoulder, realizing where she was. She shot up and repositioned herself so that she was bowing to Princess Celestia. “Your majesty!” She squeaked out. She attempted to level her voice, and went on. “I apologize for the rude interruption and hope you’ll forgive me. But I come bearing urgent news from the town of Hollow-Shades. Queen Faust has blessed us with her presence.” At the mention of the Queen, the entire courtroom shot to attention. Including the previously slouched and very bored Princess Celestia. “Continue.” Celestia spoke, doing her best to hide whatever excitement was building up in her. “The Queen graced our humble town with her appearance, asking for its name. The mayor ordered a feast in her honor and tasked me with informing the Royal Sisters of their Mother’s return.” That was proof enough for Celestia, as she disregarded all royal procedure and shot out of the throne room. As she was making her way to her sister’s room, the excitement of seeing her mother again began to take hold. But there was a small question in the back of her mind. “Why would her mother ask for the town’s name?” However, the excitement quickly pushed this thought out of her mind. “I really must insist, Mr. Mayor, that all of these preparations are not necessary. A dinner would have just been fine.” The Mayor waved his hoof. “Nonsense!” He said. “You are the Queen and we must prepare festivities that are fit for a Royal of your standing. As such, a stage for the royal table must be present!” Faust lowered her voice, as she mumbled out a statement to herself. “I still don’t know what you’re on about. I’m not a royal.” Or, at least, she thought it was to herself. “Oh! Always so humble, my Queen!” The mayor stated, his head held high. However, he quickly turned around and yelled to the workers who were constructing the stage. “Hurry up! The Royal Sisters will be here soon! I want that stage constructed before they arrive!” At the Mayor’s prompting, the ponies sped up the construction. “Luna, I know you’re excited, but you must slow down! If not for my sake, then for the sakes of poor guards!” Celestia shouted at her sister, in an effort to slow her down. And indeed, several hundred meters behind them, the two groups of guard, Solar and Lunar, struggled to keep up with the Alicorn siblings. “Why would we slow down? Mother has finally come back and the guards can catch up to us. It’s not like we need their help anyway. Besides, we’re just a few minutes from the town now! We can’t slow down!” Luna yelled back to her sister. “Luna, if we’re going to fly this fast, then you need to pay attention to where you’re going!” Faust stood upon the newly constructed stage, hesitantly hoofing the wood, unsure of its structural integrity. After all, it had been made in about an hour. She might not have been an expert in stage making, but that just didn’t sit right with her. “Are you… are you certain this stage is safe?” She asked the Mayor. “Of course! I wouldn’t dare put the Queen on something I didn’t trust my life to! Now, if you would, a podium has been placed right there, please feel free to practice your speech as we wait for your daughters to arrive.” Faust raised her head, her eyes widening. “Speech! What speech?” She questioned. “Why! The Royal Speech! It is tradition for visiting royals to give a speech to their gathered subjects as a way to open the feast. By tradition, it is the oldest royal present who gives the speech. And since you are the oldest of anyone, there is no one to outrank you!” “Did you just call me old, Mr. Mayor?” “A wise pony once said that it is the greatest honor of all to have grey hair. I mean... obviously you can’t have grey hair, but the point is still there. And the pony kind of… died before he had grey hair… ” “Damn this charismatic mayor.” Faust thought to herself. She began to move to the podium where she would improvise her unprepared speech and hope it worked out. However, luckily, or perhaps unluckily for Faust, a shout came from above. “Incoming! Look out below!” As a blue streak came plummeting from the sky. She landed on the stage, where the abnormally sized planks that are big enough for an alicorn to set all four legs down on at the same time, combined with shoddy construction equalled sending one surprised Faust who had no intention of flying, flying. Luna popped her head up from under the stage, as she looked around confused, while Celestia landed gracefully on the stage. “Where’s mom?” Luna questioned, as she continued to pivot her head in search of her mother. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” A scream sounded, but quickly died down. “What was that?” Luna asked, her face the very picture of innocence. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” Faust screamed as she floundered through the air, with the grace of a whale attempting to do ballet. Her hooves flailing around in the air, fruitlessly attempting to grab something to halt her fall. Of course, as this is the sky, there was nothing for her to grab. Despite the fact that she had been gaining altitude, she realized that she was now losing it and falling. As she flipped several more times, she realized she was going to land in a field. A field, which oddly enough, happened to have a brick wall built exactly where she was about to land. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” Faust yelled, as she impacted the wall at high speed. The wall itself crumbling, and covering her in bricks. This time, Luna landed much more gracefully in the field that she had accidentally catapulted her mother into. She noticed a pile of bricks, but could not see her mother anywhere. Behind her, a light flashed as Celestia teleported the crowd of ponies who had been at the stage and herself to the scene. “Luna! Where’s mother?” Celestia asked her younger sister, who was looking around, once again, in search of their lost mother. “I don’t know!” She replied. “I landed here and all that was here was this pile of bricks. But I’m absolutely certain this is where mother landed.” Before anyone else could reply, the pile of bricks began to move, as a large figure removed itself from the mess. Faust stepped down from the pile, evidently shaken as she attempted to find her footing. She stumbled several times. And when she finally found her balance, she yelled: “I’m fine! I’m fine!” As the crowd of ponies looked on in amazement. However, as she finished her sentence, another shout was heard. “Look out below! Incoming!” It wasn't even a second after this sentence had been spoken that a piano fell directly on top of Faust’s head, bringing her down to ground, cold. And smashing the piano into hundreds of pieces. The pile once again covered Faust, with nothing but a horn and a twitching hoof sticking from it. “My piano! My piano!” The mayor cried, as the crowd of ponies, and the Royal Sisters, unanimously turned to him and gave him a dirty eye. The mayor nervously cleared his throat, as he realized all eyes were on him. “Ahem, I mean… My Queen! My Queen!” Before anyone else could say anything, another cry was heard. “My wall! My wall!” An orange earth pony, with a comb-over blond mane in a black suit with a tie wailed over his destroyed wall. The crowd of ponies, the Royal Sisters and the Mayor turned to this pony and stared angrily at him. A young mare from the crowd called out: “Will you stop building those stupid walls everywhere? It’s not like they do anything! I can just walk around them! The bandaged man repositioned himself once again. “Well, that was interesting, but he’ll be out for a while. So let’s see what’s going on with Earth right now.” He flipped the channel to a new channel. Where a man standing at a podium with a blond comb-over, wearing a black suit and tie was speaking. “I will build a great wall -- and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me -- and I'll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." A nurse poked her head in at the sound of hearty laughter. She realized what was happening when she saw the young man who quickly stopped laughing and grabbed his chest in pain. “Oh, fuck, that hurt.” Author's Note Co-Authored by Randomrusina Whoo! First new chapter of a story since, like... sophomore year! Enjoy!
Feathered Mistakes, A Maze Of TerrorA Creator’s Gambit Chapter 3 The mummified patient continued his daily routine of doing nothing besides laying in his bed and watching TV. He would occasionally flip through channels to ameliorate his boredom. Of course, this patient wasn’t normal… considering the fact that he was actually a she as well as an omnipotent horse goddess with wings and a horn who had gotten so bored with her planet that she came to Earth and then proceeded to cause an undisclosed accident which left the body she was currently possessing utterly maimed, with the exception of two fingers on its right hand. Which she was currently using to manipulate the buttons on the remote to the room’s TV to flip through channels. The channel she was currently watching was a TV series about a marine being stranded on an alien planet after he was nearly killed in Afghanistan. She watched as the scene in the show unfurled. The marine had just meandered his way into a cave full of the planet’s natives that had been enslaved by other natives. And, of course, since the show had been made by an overly patriotic American, the marine then proceeded to utterly massacre the slavers. Because it went against his morals. After he had killed the slavers and released the slaves, the scene switched to one of the slaves he had released, a father with his newborn son. A son the marine had to resuscitate. The newly freed former slave watched as the alien dropped the injured ring leader of the slave ring down from a precipice to a waiting crowd of the slaves he had abused as well as the planet’s version of law enforcement. Without saying a word, the marine then turned around and walked off to make his escape from the natives, pausing only to slowly look back. As the freed natives looked at him in awe. The mummified patient paused the TV as the nurse walked in. “How are you enjoying the show, Mr. -” As the nurse said the patient’s name, a maintenance worker stopped his cart too abruptly in front of the patient’s door to his room. Which caused an unbalanced piece of equipment to fall over and slam on the ground, obscuring the sound the nurse had made that was the patient’s name. “Sorry!” The maintenance worked apologized to no one in particular. The nurse looked back to the door and raised her eyebrow. But decided there was nothing she could do about it so she turned back to the patient and saw the show he had been watching. “Oh!” The nurse’s face lit up. “I remember this show when it first came on in 2014! It was really popular for two seasons! People really wanted it to continue, but the produce just up and left! He left a lot of people disappointed!” “Ah! Man! How disappointing, I was really looking forward to the next episode! Eh, guess I’ll just have to find something else to watch.” The patient flipped the channel, he had reached a new channel. They were discussing the president. The news anchor began leading into the story about him. “The Secret Service is currently investigating odd emails sent directly to the president’s secure email. Through leaked documents, it is revealed that the emails sent to him is coming from someone who claims to be the queen, formerly princess, of an unknown nation and demands, multiple times, for the president to cede control of the world over to her. Sometimes even threatening him and his family with extreme violence. For some odd reason, the president plays along, explaining to the unknown person that he does not have the authority to cede control of anything over to her, much less the world. At one point, she offers to allow him to keep control of California in return for everything else. The President then sent an email insulting California. He states: “And even if I could, why would I? No one wants California, I hate that state!” California politicians are up in arms in regards to the statement. In other news, the eighteen year old marine who went missing in Afghanistan in 2014 following a mortar attack on his position has been found alive. More on that at eight.” By this time the nurse had left. The patient took this opportunity to check up on his new toy. Oh, yeah, when the omnipotent horse goddess possessed this body, she had also put the original soul into her body and put her body with the Human soul now in it. on her planet, with her powers but with no memories beyond the basic stuff like walking… as a horse. The patient flipped the channel and observed a pure white mare, with a beautifully red mane and tail, white wings and a white horn, laying in bed on her side. Faust lifted her neck and glanced around the room. It wasn’t completely dark, as some sun shone through the drawn curtains. The room itself was surprisingly plain with just a full sized mirror, a desk cut for ponies larger than average, a large window covered by curtains, as well as the bed she was currently occupying. A bed that was insanely comfortable. Fit for a queen. Faust moved her head around, taking in the surroundings. “Wow. It feels like I’ve been asleep for two years.” Faust mumbled to herself. She looked down at the bed she was laying in. “And this bed is amazing, I wonder what it’s made of…” Her monologue trailed off as a knock on the door sounded. “Your Majesty, is everything alright in there, I heard you speaking. May I enter?” The person who knocked asked. Faust looked around once more, then to her blanket covered body. “Yes, you may.” Faust answered. The door gingerly and slowly opened, as a male pony in armor entered. He was lacking both wings and horn. His mane and tail were a deep blue, almost black. The hair on the rest of his body was red. Upon entering the room, he bent his front legs and lowered his head and spoke. “My Queen, it is an honor to be in your presence. I am Lieutenant Cannon. If there is anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to inform me.” The Earth stallion stated, resolutely. Faust slipped out of the bed she was in, with the blanket falling to the ground. She looked around once more and then looked at the bed. She paused, seeming to consider something. “Actually, Lieutenant, there is something you can do for me.” Faust stated. “Yes, Your Majesty!” Cannon answered, the excitement obvious in his voice. Faust raised an eyebrow at the excitement in his voice. “What is the filling in this bed made of?” The stallion answered proudly. “Pegasus feathers!” Faust blanched, however, her white fur hid the paleness extremely well. “P-pegasus feathers!” Faust asked in shock. The stallion beamed, not realizing he had spooked the Queen. He had believe he had been of help to her and was proud of it. “Yes! Only the finest and softest specimens are fit for a bed that is being used by the Queen! As such, we collect them from pegasi who have not yet begun their first preening.” Faust’s muzzle began taking a green tinge to it, as horrid and gore filled thought swirled in her mind. The stallion did not realize the discomfort the Queen was in and continued. “We collect them and put them in a machine that mixes them together and then sorts them by color. The parents can sometimes be a bit hesitant to volunteer their children, though.” The green tinge only grew darker on Faust’s muzzle. “Children?” The stallion beamed even brighter. “Oh yes! Pegasi who have not yet begun their first preening have the softest feathers in order to keep warm. The process can sometimes be a bit painful for them, but there’s no price too high for the Queen’s comfort!” The last sentence was far too much for Faust, as she decided she’d rather jump through a window then be in the castle with child murdering, homicidal lunatics… although her first choice would have been a door, the psychopathic guard was standing in the doorway. So she took the only open path she had… Through the window. The curtain that was drawn over the window initially caught her upon running into it, but with the weight of the full grown alicorn queen, it was quickly ripped from the wall, as she smashed through the flimsy glass as well. The curtain prevented her from unfurling her wings and flying, not that it mattered much, since she couldn’t fly to begin with. She could only pray she was not at the very top of a tower. In a slight change of luck, she was not at the top of the tower, but rather on the second floor. But the curtain she was tangled in prevented her from knowing this until she hit the ground with a solid thud. She could feel the pain in her left wing and ribs, as she had landed on her side. She gave a groan, as the air had been knocked from her lungs. She scrambled to her hooves and without paying attention to where she was going, sprinted off into the distance. Whatever it took to put as much ground between these psychos and her. The guardstallion was left to stare at the now broken window in shock. Was it something he said? “Your Majesty! Wait!” Cannon sprinted to the window, but could only watch as the Queen sprinted off, all while yelling in apparent terror. Cannon let his stoicness drop, as he dreamily looked upon the fleeing alicorn. He sighed. Even when she was running in terror, she was impossibly graceful. The Two Sisters sat in their respective thrones. Normally at this time, Luna would be asleep with her sister having sole occupation of the court room, but she was so excited at the idea of seeing their mother… That and she felt guilty for causing her injuries. They were holding off on announcing that their mother was back, hopeful that she would wake up soon. They did not want to leave her in such an exposed state. But the nobles in the court knew something was up due to the presence of both sisters. But, court still had to carry on, and as such that meant cases presented to them. The current case was a noble who was bringing a petition to court. He had been denied a permit to keep an Ursa Major as a pet. And he was now seeking the approval of the Royal Court. Of course, both Celestia and Luna subtly cocked their eyebrows at each other when they heard the noble’s initial petition. And both planned to immediately deny it as soon the noble was done giving his speech. That they both considered dumb and boring. However, as the noble was droning on, the doors to the courtroom burst open as a guard entered, forgetting the etiquette guards are supposed to follow when speaking with royalty. “You Majesties! Captain Cannon Fodder sent me with the utmost urgency! Your mother has run away!” The entire court gasped at the mention the mother of the Two Sisters. And without a word, the Two Sisters shot out of their own throne room, leaving everyone in it behind. The noble who had been petition for a pet permit for an Ursa Major looked around the courtroom that was now lacking any figure of any authority. “Uh… so does this mean my permit is accepted?” The noble questioned to no one in particular. The bandaged patient chuckled. “I remember Colonel Cannon Fodder, poor boy had the most unfortunate name.” Faust ran. She ran and ran. Anything that put distance between her and that psycho, Private Cannon. However, she soon came to realize that she was in a maze. A hedge maze. What is with royals and mazes, anyways? She stopped. If she was lost, she was probably safe from the Private, so she could afford to slow down. Take her time. She looked around, taking in all the options she had. She stretched her wings out, as she looked back at them. Flying wasn’t an option, for some odd reason, she remembered how to walk, talk and run. But she couldn’t remember how to fly. She looked upwards, gazing at her horn. For another matter, she also couldn’t remember how to use magic. She knew for a fact that she used to be able to do both of these. She couldn’t remember ever using either, but she could feel it deep inside that she had. She had used them both before. Since she couldn’t do anything that would help her get out of this maze, she did the only other thing she could do. She walked. She walked, as the sun beat down on her mercilessly. She had to have been walking for the better part of the day, yet the sun still beat down on her with no forgiveness. Sweating bullets, she looked towards the sun with anger in her eyes! “It’s so hot out here! Why can’t it be night time already! Please!” Almost as though the sun heard her plea, it travelled to the right and disappeared over the horizon in a mere second, the moon now occupying the spot it had formerly sat in. Faust jumped back in shock. “Holy!” She yelled in terror! She was appreciative of the reprieve from the heat of the sun, but that wasn’t natural. Could this day get any worse? First she was taken to a castle that thinks it’s acceptable to grind foals up to collect their feathers for her mattress and now the sun moves unnaturally! “This day… er, night can’t get any worse!” Faust declared in anger. “Mother! I found you!” No. Faust turned in terror. A pony, only slightly smaller than her, rocketed towards her. But this wasn’t any regular pony… This was the blue menace that had launched her into the air from the stage the other day. In a burst of speed she didn’t realize she was capable of, Faust sidestepped the incoming pony-missile, who rocketed straight past her former position and slammed into the wall of the hedge maze. “Why did I open my big mouth!” Faust screamed as she once again took off in a run. First the psycho Private now this night terror! She began making as many turns as she could, hoping to confuse the terror that was now chasing her. Faust realized she had to get out of this maze, and quickly. She had busted through the glass window earlier with extreme ease. As such, she had assumed the grass wall in this hedge maze would not pose much of an obstacle. She ran faster then she had ever run before, at full gallop, she crashed head first into the wall of the maze… And stopped. Her front hooves were touching the other side, but her back hooves were suspended in the air. Faust blanched once more. Her hooves weren’t suspended! She was stuck in the wall of the maze! She began kicking her back hooves and attempting to pull forward with her front. But anyone with hooves knows this one simple fact. Hooves aren’t very good for pulling yourself forward. But despite this, she continued struggling, her rear kicking and her front pulling. But the maze held tight. “General Cannon!” The young private ran up the guardstallion. “Sir! I realize that you are currently helping in the search for the Queen, but there are reports of three drunken noblestallions wondering the castle grounds and harassing the female staff! Cannon sighed, rolling his eyes. They were always having problems with nobles getting drunk and harassing staff. “Where were they last seen?” Cannon asked. “Sir, they were last seen heading towards the maze!” This was it. Faust accepted her fate. She was, without a doubt, undeniably, stuck. She scrunched up her muzzle. She could occasionally see the night terror fly over her, but miss her. This happened several times. Perhaps it was because she was stuck between two sides of a wall, so the wall obscured most of her from the sky. Whatever it was, she prayed her luck kept up. She had no desire to deal with the night terror. But she was still in a conundrum. She was stuck. She couldn’t call out for help, otherwise the loony Lieutenant or the night terror may find her. But she couldn’t stay stuck, otherwise she would starve to death. But she was also in a vulnerable position. Her buttocks were unprotected, and should any rapscallions come along, there was nothing she could do to protect herself. She needed to find a way to unstick herself, and fast. So once again, she began her futile effort of kicking her rear hooves and pulling forward with her front hooves. As she was busy doing this, however, she heard laughing. Panicked, her ears swivelled, trying to find the source of the laughter. Was it coming from her front? The side? The air? No… it was behind her. She felt something touch her rear, as she unconsciously squeaked and her muzzle became a deep red color. As more laughter resounded. Faust hated her life. The bandaged patient somehow managed to sit up even straighter in his bed. The real Faust, possessing his body, was seething with rage. Sure, she had given the Human her body to use until his was healed up, and sure she had wanted something interesting to happen. But the audacity of those stallions to assault her! After they had been harassing other mares, no less! And what was taking Sergeant Cannon so long to catch up with them, she could only wonder what was slowing that idiot down so much. She would show them. Although, she may no longer have been in that world, and she may have been in the body of the crippled Human, her magic was no less powerful. Those stallions would regret the day they decided today was a good day to go drinking. “Hey, Straight Arrow, look there!” The stallion slurred his words as he spoke, obviously drunk. The stallion named Straight Arrow looked at the wall his friend pointed at. “By the grace of Faust, Midnight, is that what I think it is.” The patient’s stomach curled at the mention of her name by the stallion. Luna had been flying over the maze for hours. She had found mother once, but she dodged her hug and then disappeared into the maze. And despite her superb night vision, Luna had been unable to find her mother. She stopped and hovered in mid-air. Wondering if she should check in with Commander Cannon to see if he had seen any trace of her mother. As she was about fly away from the maze to find the commander, something hit her in the head. Catching it with her magic as it bounced off her head, she inspected it. Not that it needed much inspection, as it was a flashing neon sign that simply said, “Look down.” Always one to trust signs that randomly fall out of the sky and hit her on the head, Luna looked down. Her eyes took in the scene. Her snout furrowed in anger, as her normally flat teeth morphed into monstrous fangs. Her pupils narrowed into slits, not unlike a cat’s eyes. The patient grinned, although his mouth wasn’t visible under the bandages. Faust sometimes amazed even herself with her genius. “Man, Onyx. Look at this.” Midnight whispered, somehow, despite being drunk. The three drunk stallions slowly creeped up on the rear of mare. It was obvious she had gotten stuck. And her rear seemed oddly larger than normal. But in their drunken state, the three stallions didn’t even consider the fact that the pony was about the right size for an alicorn. They did notice the cutie-mark. A full inkwell with a quill dipped in it. “What do you think her job is? A scribe?” The stallion named Onyx questioned his companions. Of course, had any of them been a little bit more sober, they would have realized that was the cutie-mark of Faust. Before any of them could answer the trapped mare began kicking her rear hooves, in an apparent attempt to free herself. For some odd reason, as is often the case with drunk people, the three stallions found this hilarious and burst out laughing. The mare soon stopped her kicking. As Arrow giggled and spoke. “I’mma touch it.” He slurred. And true to his word, he did. And when he did, a squeak sounded from the other side of the wall. The three stallions once again burst out laughing. Slurring his words, the stallion identified as Onyx spoke. “Let me.” He shoved his friend to the side and reared on his rear hooves. Taking the mare’s rear in between his hooves, he squeezed. This had the unintended side effect of the trapped mare kicking him. Because while her front half was trapped, her legs were free. The stallion went flying, contrary to the laws of physics, where as the mare stayed stuck. The two companions were slow to react due to their drunkenness, btu they watched as their friend, Onyx, rose from where he had hit the wall. Slowly sauntering over to where he had previously been, he and Midnight began jeering at the trapped mare. “Oh, you’re gonna pay for that you… a-ass” Onyx slurred, even more than normal due to the pain he was in. They began advancing on the mare, but Arrow stayed behind. Normally, he would have joined them, but something was stopping him. The hairs on the back of his neck were at full attention, as a freezing wind cut through him. It was odd, it was the middle of the summer, there shouldn’t be any freezing wind. He could feel eyes, staring into his very soul. His eyes constricting in primordial fear, his heart beating at a thousand miles an hour. His companions seemed to also get the feeling. All three of them slowly turned around, and were met with the most terrifying sight they had ever seen. An ethereal mane whipped in the freezing wind, as the stallion’s souls were torn apart with the eyes of a snake. “Tell me, Geldlings,” The voice ripped through their very minds, as images of their deepest and darkest fears flashed before their eyes. “Would you prefer for me to kill you slowly and painfully, or would you prefer I eat you and damn your souls to eternal torment?” The three stallions screamed in innate terror. “Captain Cannon!” The very same private that had informed him of the three drunk noblestallions once more landed in front of him. Once again, Cannon rolled his eyes. “What is it now?” He asked the private. The private saluted and spoke. “Sir, I know you’re currently looking for the Queen and those three drunk stallions, but staff have also complained about hearing a few little girls screaming in the maze!” Author's Note I'm back bitches! And so is the Amnesiac Faust and the Real Faust! What does the next chapter hold? What happens to the drunks? Do they die? Did one of them actually have a vore fetish and screw it up for everyone else? Does Amnesiac Faust ever get free of her imprisonment? And does Prince Cannon ever find those screaming little girls? Tune in for the next chapter, when ever the fuck it comes out! When will it come out? I have no idea! Maybe I'll get around to writing it once I've finished playing Half-Life 3! If you like this chapter or favorite this story, please leave a comment explaining why. Same if you didn't like this chapter, or disliked the story. Please leave a comment explaining why.
Dark Hallways, Dark DaysSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
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