Sunlight pierced into the room between the cracks in the window shades. The deep blue walls resisted spreading the illumination too far, barely making the flowcharts attached to a corkboard on the wall legible. Safely sitting in the darkness, a young coder, perhaps twenty five, leaned forwards towards his keyboard, after a moment of inactivity, in order to to add a few more lines to his latest project. The man’s eyes were a light blue, his hair long, reaching down to just above his shoulders, colored a deep black, reaching towards the back of his shoulders. Overall his figure was quite slim and bony. He typed briskly and loudly at the keyboard, a satisfied sigh filling the room as he smiled, completing his latest project: some analytical software for some medical researchers, the coder gave a satisfied hum and began to scroll through, triple checking his work.
"Finally done. Phew, that was a tough one." He thought aloud, leaning back with a sigh and smile as he began to implement the code. "Took me long enough... But this final part is always satisfying." He noted, stretching with a yawn, glancing down to the computer's digital clock: the time was around noon. Midday.
Upon finishing implementation, he leaned back, eyes drifting upwards "Hacker friend's still not showing up..." He muttered with a frown, snapping his fingers. He could admit that he had some... Respect, for the art. A thief may cause trauma or death, a mugger the same, but a hacker just needs knowledge. That is all that’s required for them to take money, only ever hurting victims bank accounts, and maybe their reputations in some rare cases.. It did help, though, that his friend tended to point most of her hacking towards targets which deserved it. At least in his experience.
He sighed "...Perhaps she got caught. A shame..." He muttered, frowning and looking down, reminiscing about the time that he first met the self-proclaimed 'Goddess of the Machine'
It was a rainy, dark evening. He was relaxing at his computer, smiling and looking through youtube videos, before he got a notification that 'remote control' had started, the mouse closing the youtube page. Obviously, he panicked, eyes widening as he gasped, very quickly jolting upright as a notepad page opened, a single line quickly being written into the page.
"Heya, ma main awesome guy, Paulo! Don't panic, just here to talk~ ;) Got something you may want to see."
The hacker pressed enter once, lowering any potential text down a line, waiting. Paulo knew he had no bank details on this computer, so he relaxed slightly. Against his better judgement he decided to take the time to chat, though his teeth clenched lightly in worry. Must have researched me first, but why... He thought.
"What is it?" He questioned, staring at the screen intensely, as it took mere moments for the hacker to move to the next line, typing the response quickly.
"YOUR SOU--haha, only kidding. I've followed you online, my little coder~ Nice interest in certain hackers you have there~ And I noticed that you're working for the Fentriage company right now, correct?" The hacker responded, Paulo starting to note their seemingly random, perhaps eccentric personality. He clenched his teeth slightly harder; Of course it would follow she'd know this much about him after hacking his computer. "That is correct..." He typed after a brief pause
"Well, i've dug up some dirt on them. Turns out your little CEO isn't as friendly as he'd want you to believe." The hacker wrote, suddenly opening a few articles within his web browser. Well, less articles, more screenshots, from likely hacked sources. "As you can see, a bit of fund wiring to the North Korean government~ Company could be a part of their little funding network~ ;)" The hacker wrote, Paulo's eyes widening at the implications. The sources definitely looked legit, one also implying the scamming of a charity, at least to Paulo.
"Now, there are three ways we can go about this~" The hacker typed, pausing before stating: "1), you could ignore this message and stay as you are. 2), you could report this to the police. Though that'll only lead to possibly hurting the guy, and definitely not any superiors within NK... 3), i'll teach you a tiiiiny bit about how to hack, and you use this knowledge to secure a backdoor into their systems for me. I suppose the fourth would be to party until we come to a decision, but is that really necessary?" The hacker posted, Paulo's eyes widening as he exhaled, leaning back and staring at the screen for a few moments
"Oh, and I took the trouble of removing all spyware on your computer, as well as connecting to you through a secure connection (even to the likes of the NSA), so we aren't being watched. Get a grip, man. You don't have to be a goddess of the machine to scour for the more well hidden stuff ;)" The hacker posted "I'll make my own backdoor once inside, hide all evidence of yours, and maybe drop a portion of the winnings to you through bitcoin, just as incentive~" She added.
Paulo sighed, putting a hand to his head. It would be risky... But the chance to damage... His hands briefly moved to the keyboard, as he hesitated, looking around fearfully and clenching his teeth, before giving a small squeak of fear as he took the bait "...Alright, i'm in."
"Perfect~ Just call me..." The hacker paused for a moment "Pink Rose." She stated, following the text up with an obviously copied and pasted in, vast amount of 'XO' 's, before he could almost feel the change in tone from the hacker, the text above being deleted as "LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED~!" was laughed into his room, with a digitally warped voice, some upbeat music coming on as the lessons began. The lessons from a hacker, whom the FBI would kill to have on their side, began immediately.
The voice of the hacker had shuddered at one point in her initial exclamation though, which may have been what lead her to only speak in text past that one moment of voice distortion. It was very quiet, but as she spoke, he vaguely heard the sound of an object hitting dirt at high speeds, a masculine grunt, and very vaguely, a similar, dazed voice saying, quietly in the background:
"How'd I do, ma?"
He sighed forlornly, thinking back with a frown "...She was always so happy, so... Crazy. She still talked to me after that... I miss her already." He muttered, frowning sadly "...Perhaps she was behind that reveal of AI in america." He theorized, "Couldn't find that company... Biogenetics, or at least in the way implied by that fair... And local events surrounding that, it does scream 'her'..." He trailed off, before he sighed with a frown, looking down in defeat "...Whatever it is, there's no way I can help. Apart from perhaps if she's been kidnapped by someone, or is in court proceedings..."
Slowly he got up, frowning in the depressive feeling of not knowing what had happened to his friend. She tried to keep business-like in their conversations, but he knew she was strangling a desire for friendship behind paranoia. And she did have reason... "...Let's get some lunch." He stated with a frown, getting up and heading for the kitchen
The light of the midday sun, for once uninterrupted by England’s infamous weather (much to Paulo's detest), shone into the house through small cracks left open in the curtains, filled each room in a dim glow. Paulo stood within the kitchen, frowning as he put together a sandwich, unable to shake his worry for his friend as he prepared the meal. Within minutes, he was sitting at another sofa, smiling and leaning back as he bit into the sandwich, humming as he picked up a TV remote, turning on the television and searching for Fox News. While he absolutely despised the network, he did find it fun to laugh at their idiocy and see what they were getting up to every few months.
A frown adorned his face as he turned the news station on, it's logo stretching across the screen, his eyes closing for a brief moment as the official nature of it’s ‘theme tune’ reminded him through association of what had recently transpired in America. ...What a tragedy. He thought, sighing gently as he remembered the subject currently all over the news. While he may have lived in the UK, the Americans' plight had captured the empathy of most other nations, the exception being the government of China and a few others, who were 'sore' about losing the ability to experiment on those of their citizens (and some foreigners) that had become ponies within their borders. The plight itself was, of course, an invasion of Washington and the White House perpetrated by a terrorist group previously thought to be minor; The Cult of the Koridost. And at such an important point in history... The point that humans discovered that they were no longer alone. The existence of aliens was confirmed the moment that the many people that had been disappearing over the last few months returned, only in equine bodies, their supposed 'Princess', an Alicorn with white fur and an azure mane, stating that they share the form of a hitherto unknown alien species, but that they did want to 'fit into' human society. That everyone should think of themselves as 'Terrans', and abandon the fractures of race, religion and nation that had divided them.
His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the voice of the presenter, a serious expression on the man's face as he looked directly at the camera, papers adorning his desk as he sat, leaning forwards, an image of a very blatantly angry unicorn behind him. "Friend or foe?" His voice resounded across the room, painfully loud. Paulo cringed with a heavy grimace as he pawed for the TV remote desperately, quickly turning down the horrifically loud volume while covering his ears. "That is the question that PAP, or 'the People Against Ponies' are asking today." The reporter said with a steely tone, his image being replaced by that of a tall and thin black-cloaked figure, a mask covering it's face in the depiction of a wolf, the background being a brightly lit white room with a mosaic of the ankh, ironically, on it's wall. It was obviously not a hack as one could tell by the fox logo and all accompanying information still being present. Paulo's eyes widened in shock and some disgust that such hateful groups against the ponies had already formed. It was inevitable, but this early!?
"Greetings." The masked figure spoke, in a tone that did nothing but terrify him for some reason, his eyes widening, as he began idly scratching his suddenly itchy ears, the figure's voice garbled by audio software until it was unrecognizable. "We come to you today, with a... message.” The figure continued, their voice sad, but filled with undercurrents of anger. "No doubt, you're all aware of the... Tragic, horrific, monstrous invasion on Washington recently? Well, ask yourselves, is it truly a surprise? This Cult of the Koridost is..." The figure grasped for words for a moment, before looking down "...Mutated. Human, but NOT. No matter what's been said so far, nothing else can explain those hulking BEASTS that they used in the assault of the White House." It finally managed, before it looked to the camera with a sigh.
"Ring any bells? These ponies... Are the same as the Koridost. I'm sure those hulking goliaths that stormed into the White House were human, before some ungodly thing happened to them, and corrupted them into these... Beasts!" The figure exclaimed, in a rallying tone "I don't know about you, but isn't it logical to think that whatever is transforming the ponies, is also transforming the Koridost?" The figure implored, Paulo frowned at the implications. "Yes, I know these ponies haven't done anything yet, but they WILL." The figure emphasized, stepping forwards and raising a hand to the side "Do you not see how they treat this... Princess of theirs? Alexia Tune? The slightest glance, and they're entranced! It reeks of brainwashing. If their minds are still human, I doubt that they retain that upon gazing her form, or hearing her voice. They even die if they don't see or hear her! It's forced upon them!" The figure exclaimed angrily, lowering it's hand again.
Paulo frowned, humming as he tugged on some out of place hairs on his ear, not fully aware of how they got there "...Strange." He muttered "Not too much of a stretch, but... She seemed so genuine in her speech..." He thought aloud, thinking back to the first time Alexia Tune spoke to the international public, sighing in defeat as his eyes trailed down. ...But he does have a point. He thought, before looking to the screen with interest, though wary because he was listening to Fox.
"You may be asking what you can do to help, stop this blight on our society from spreading?" The masked figure asked, stepping towards the screen, as Paulo's attention returned to it's slender form "First, we accept donations, send it to the addresses flashing on the screen." He stated, various methods of payment flashing on the screen "Second, you can help us. Write to your government officials on the urgency of not allowing these Ponies and Fanatics to corrupt the political system. Third, and most helpful of all, you can join us." The figure concluded "Most of you will have access to the internet. Google our name, a number of addresses will be available to you. If none are available, do not worry, you can register online." The figure said in a friendly tone, though it only unnerved the coder, who yelped as he noticed that the shape of his own ears seemed just a tad... Off. Slowly, his panic began to raise as he felt around the extremities, noticing cartilage in positions it should not be approaching. "We're international, so please look us up." The figure concluded cheerfully.
The screen faded back to the news anchor, who looked upon the screen with a smile "Friend or Foe? I know which I choose. Keep watching, for more up to date and exciting news on these recent events." The anchor concluded, the screen showing the image of him scrolling away as the network prepared to move to adverts, Paulo's eyes progressively widening as he turned away from the screen, dashing to the closest mirror with his teeth clenched, cringing in an illusion of pain caused by his expectation of it, tears in his eyes. Upon getting to the mirror, he grit his teeth, turning the ear to the mirror before he gasped lightly, eyes widening in shock, as well as some horror as he jerked back.
The cartilage within the ear (and without his knowledge, the other) was, indeed, misshapen, but didn't look fractured. The shape had simply... Morphed, into a slowly increasing arch, the majority of the ear flattening slowly into a single curve. Paulo uttered a squeak in disbelief as, if that wasn't deep enough within the uncanny valley, his ears were each growing a dark green fur.
"N-No!" He exclaimed in shock, eyes wide in shock as his jaw dropped "I can't be... Becoming one of them...?" He whimpered fearfully, moving his ear closer to the mirror, his panting becoming heavier in denial. The voice of the PAP representative seemed to reverberate within his mind, summing up a fear which would otherwise not exist.
"Ring any bells? These ponies... Are the same as the Koridost." "I'm sure those hulking goliaths that stormed into the White House were human, before some ungodly thing happened to them" "I don't know about you, but isn't it logical to think that whatever is transforming the ponies, is also transforming the Koridost?" "Yes, I know these ponies haven't done anything yet, but they WILL."
He tugged on the ear lightly, gasping as it seemed to be less thick, panic quickly setting in as he backed away, soon pressing his back to the wall, trying to get back in control of his breathing O-Okay, no sweat, you're just turning into... A... Horse... He thought, trying to calm himself down, gulping
N-Never been a reported case of it going wrong... T-Though there hasn't been a reported case of it actually happening thus far...
Pale, he cringed and grimaced, rushing to a mirror to look over the rest of his face "Not too progressed..." He said with a sigh, trembling hard upon seeing himself; The ears being the only real effect "...Though no doubt, it will." He muttered, slowly sitting down and putting his hands to his head, eyes closing as he sighed "What... if the PAP..." He began to mutter, before shaking his head with a grimace "...No, I can't allow myself to fall into that trap. Bioweapon or not, I will not..." He sighed, closing his eyes and looking down for a moment "...Fall into the trap of hatred... I only have so long before it's complete, I need to think..." He stated, frowning and moving to his bed, sitting down.
"...So..." He muttered "I'm transforming into a pony..." He stated, burying his face in his hands as he leaned forwards, sighing "...Dark green... Who knows what else will change." The coder lamented.
"...I need to get a grip." He finally sighed, looking up "...Our secrecy is likely caused by the governments, so I should keep low, at least until the bureaucracy catches up with the US..." He concluded, stretching "Our governments are practically the same, I doubt that they'll take any route other than the tolerance that the US is preaching." He finished, reassuring himself with a smile, before laughing "Well, there's something that the PAP did get right. I'm feeling an unexplainable urge to listen to the Princ--" He paused, before smiling dreamily and sighing, "...The princess, yes. Before I do anything else... Let's see what Princess Alexia said once more..." He resolved, moving to his computer to quickly open a youtube video of her speech. "Malicious or not... I guess it is life or death." He defended, chuckling and shaking his head with a smile. "Who am I talking to?" He sighed, "...This is going to be strange, but.... fascinating." He observed with a growing grin, quickly finding a video depicting Alexia, opening it and allowing her voice and visage to spill across the room, as he leaned forwards, staring on. Some part of him adored this. it was small, but he could feel it growing...
He rolled his eyes, skipping through the questions preceding Alexia's speech, before grinning as the time approached.
“May I introduce Princess Alexia Tune and her entourage.” President Fitzgerald stated, sweeping an arm towards a curtain behind him.
The speech began in earnest, a unicorn answering questions while the two earth ponies and pegasus with her were mostly silent. Paulo seemed to visibly relax as she spoke, as if two conflicting sides of himself were falling into harmony, all of his troubles seeming to melt, and peace coming to his face. Her speech was all too short, but it was enough for him, at least for now. With a sigh, he leaned back from the monitor, smiling "...Wonder which of the three i'm going to be..." He muttered "I just hope i'll somehow be able to continue coding..." He added worriedly with a frown.
Paulo sighed, before smiling happily, stretching "...So, I just need to stay hidden until the bureaucracy catches up?" He asked aloud, starting to move throughout the house, closing all curtains in sight "Well, that should be pretty easy... Just keep the curtains closed, and buy a good supply of vegetables to last me as long as possible." He stated, moving quickly "...As I do live in a rural area anyway, alone, and with a job I can easily work from home... So long as I make an excuse for not showing up, I should be fine." He theorized, grinning, and beginning to scratch at the fur growing down his neck, the feeling of hair starting to run down the back of his left leg; the first sign of tail growth. A hint of fear did show in his eyes... While it was unnerving, he did feel some... Comforting aura, surrounding him.
Pretty soon, he was done preparing his house, smiling nervously as he double-checked each room before heading back to his bedroom, searching for a hoodie. "I'm fine so far, if a bit worried." He muttered, soon locating the article of clothing "...It's best to make the most of it." He thought aloud, beginning to undress and get into the hoodie. One thing did stop him from dressing for a moment, causing him to take a double-take and even prod his chest; there was just skin. His nipples had... Simply vanished. He froze for a few moments in sheer shock and body horror, jaw dropped and eyes wide, before he got dressed numbly, walking over to a mirror to check his ears, which were indistinguishable from a pony's ears now, swiveling lightly at the sound of a bird outside.
"...I've been taking this lightly so far... Perhaps it's just denial." He stated with a sigh and frown, looking into his eyes within the mirror. He felt a comforting presence, yes, but the remaining humanity within him was getting rather freaked out by it. Upon noticing a growing point near the top of his forehead, a single nub pushing forwards, he hid it within his thankfully long hair, as well as lowering the hood over it with a grimace "...Just slow enough to get to me, just fast enough that I can't adapt." He noted with a frown, grabbing his wallet he walked to his car. Entering and gripping the wheel tightly, he frowned, "...It's not too far to town..." He muttered, starting up the engine "I'll have to be quick; Don't want to be there with shortening fingers..." He concluded, giving a determined look to the road ahead of him, before driving off, planning his next move...
Twelve minutes later, his car unassumingly rolled into town, parking a small walk away from the local bank. Upon making sure that his growing horn was completely covered, Paulo stepped out of his car, and began a brisk walk towards the bank, pointedly keeping his head out of sight; While he didn't have many friends in this town due to his isolated nature (usually keeping friends online, other than rare instances), he did not want to risk meeting one of the few he knew offline, shaving off valuable minutes. Upon entering the bank, he quickly got into the short que, eyes impatiently twitching around as he clenched his teeth lightly. ...I don't have the time for this. was the thought that consumed his mind, up until he got to the register and fairly easily withdrew a large of his cash, staying friendly, and giving the cashier controlled views of his face; Avoiding the vague area around his ears now, as well as the sides of his jaw, fearing fur growth in those areas, the itch covering his body starting to get more and more unbearable.
Attempting to ignore it, he smiled and bade farewell, leaving the bank and heading directly to a local small grocery, inhaling and exhaling as he picked up four small 'boxes' they used in place of trolleys, loading them up with an alarming quantity of apples and carrots, as well as a good number of cabbages. Upon finishing, he exhaled, smiling and bringing them towards the till. The woman behind it gave him a smirk of amusement, making eye contact once he looked up. Was there a... No, I must be imagining it. She thought, inhaling before saying jokingly with a grin "Got a party planned, eh? Don't tell me i'm not invited~"
Thinking quickly, he grinned back "Ehh, sort of." He said sheepishly "Meeting an old friend... Or four. Really wanted to pull out all the stops." He stated, smiling in amusement Funny... The Royal... Herd? Are a group of four... He thought, the cashier luckily falling for it, as he paid for the food whilst in thought ...Ponies can eat grass, I think. So I shouldn't be at risk of starvation... Heh, never have to pay for food again? I'm rich~! He mentally joked to himself, smiling and quickly leaving with a few bags of food, feeling slightly off-balance on his legs, frowning as he approached his car "...Damn." He muttered under his breath, far enough away from others for it to be drowned out in ambient sound. "Off balance already..." He stated, unlocking the car and starting to load the food in, eavesdropping on a nearby conversation silently whilst doing so.
"...It is quite worrying." One man said to another "They do seem quite similar..." He hummed, Paulo's ears perking up beneath his hood as he took sudden interest in the conversation "I know, and didn't the bible say that a white horse would herald the apocalypse?" the second replied, the first humming "...I think you're right... I'll join the PAP later today." He stated, the second gasping in shock "...Come on dude, they're crazy!" He stated
At the mention of the PAP, Paulo's eyes widened, finally loading the last box and getting into the drivers' seat, turning on the ignition with a minor tremble, scratching the keyhole on the way and catching the last line of the conversation as he left.
"...Crazy, yes... But... what's the alternative?"
Paulo HAD noticed his legs slowly changing shape through the trip home, as well as his fingers shortening lightly, but luckily it was not enough to harm his ability to get back, as he quickly stepped out of the car, before walking awkwardly to his door, attempting to unlock it. Mmmgghh, can't quite get my balance right... He mentally complained with an irritated frown. Must be due to the transformation... He pondered as he opened the door, before turning around and heading back to the car to grab the first few bags of food ...It could be painful past this point... I don't want to be conscious when it finally hits me. He worried. I do this, and then... He sighed, approaching the door I go to... Sleep? He concluded, pausing at the door with his eyes widening as he noticed a light blue glow just inside the house, where mail usually came in.
Quickly setting the bags down within the entrance, he tentatively approached the glowing object, which soon revealed itself to be a very new-looking book, seemingly straight from the press. His jaw dropped lightly, as he inhaled, walking over to it and gripping it, the glow suddenly disappearing the moment the book was touched. This gave him cause for awe, as he stared at the book for a moment ...This must be related... He thought in wonder, as the name of the book was clear in it's subject, the cover reading: "Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Reference Guide to the Arcane, from novice to advanced"
He blinked, staring at the cover with a slowly growing smile, running his hand across the freshly binded (or so it seemed) book. "...Magic?" He stated breathlessly, eyes wide as his eyes drunk in the book's image.
It was a fairly large book with it being a square foot in size and several inches thick. The overall color was a light purple with an indented pattern of a six pointed starburst surrounded by five smaller ones. The tome was kept closed by a small locket on the side with the key on a simple thread next to it
Cautiously, Paulo took the key into his fingers, and pushed it into the lock, unlocking the spellbook, opening it to the first page, eyes full of wonder as his jaw dropped a bit more, leaning in to read more closely.
"Dear reader, thank you so much for buying my guide to the wonderful and exciting world of pony magic." It began, Paulo's eyes widening as he gasped, leaning forwards, now fairly sure that this was legitimate... That, or somebody knew, and got to his house ahead of him. That DID give him pause, making him look around for a moment with a paranoid expression, before he smiled and shook his head; That just couldn't be the case... No matter what his logical mind screamed, this was just too weird.
"Within these pages I will cover the various nauseas of each tribe’s innate magical abilities along with application spells for each. I know most of you might think there are no spells for anypony outside of unicorns, but that is a sad misnomer I hope to dispel. I know you will enjoy what this book has to offer and that you learn every step of the way."
He smiled in amusement at the mention of 'Everypony', heading back to the car with renewed vigor due to the promise of magic, as he recovered the last of the food, bringing it in and locking the doors. Once done, he sighed, smiling lightly and picking up the book again "...Right, i'll just confirm if this is magic, and then take a nap... Let the transformation go on overnight..." He said with a frown, sighing and walking to his bed awkwardly, finally sitting down and lowering the hoof, running a hand over his ears and slightly furred face, mostly furred around the sides anyway.
"...Right." he concluded with a frown, lowering his hand, noting the fact of his fingers being a bit smaller, as he began to skim-read the first chapter of the book, deep in focus.
"So..." He hummed, looking over the first chapter There are three pony tribes, each being unique physically... Huh. Odd, how they're called tribes, but could almost be considered different species... Almost. He observed, smiling ...Their homeland is Equestria... Definitely not earth, so this IS an alien race! He continued, eyes widening and smiling wider as he looked over the book reverently If this is true, it could mean that this is basically first contact... He observed with a smile, exhaling in wonder ...Onwards, onwards. So, the focal point of an Earth Pony's magic is their hooves, a Pegasus uses their wings, and a unicorn, the horn... He realized with a frown of interest I wonder what those two can do with their mana... Which, it turns out, is the official name... Oooh, diagram and wall of text below. He theorised, before moving down.
The diagram depicted a square, half filled vertically with black, the other half white, both sides were divided by a deep purple upwards arrow. Within the arrow and the two ‘sides’ of the square, there were labels in a contrasting colour. Within the black, ‘Lunar’ was written. Contrastingly, within the white, the word ‘Solar’ was depicted. Finally, within the arrow itself, was a single word written vertically. ‘Taint’.
There will be no Tainted magic (Frequently incorrectly referred to as dark magic) in this book, as it's effects are far too dangerous. While it's influence does deteriorate over a number of months, it has an addictive quality which will consume the caster’s mind and lead to a snowball effect if left unchecked. If any reader desires to go down that path, I cannot stop you, but urge you to be cautious. Very few have managed to survive the negative effects of frequent usage of even the most basic spells, and those that have failed have become the most feared and hated individuals in history. Sombra is perhaps the most well-known, but there are many more.
One advanced topic of magic is Corruption. An important point to take note of is that there are two axis of magic, instead of the frequent belief of there being only ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ magic. In basic terms: Most magic cast is 'Pure' magic, without taint. There are, of course, a number of spells which are aligned with taint. They are powerful, but as with all spells, they tend to corrupt their user towards the alignment of the spell - in this case, taint. This makes the afflicted pony unable to use the strongest, purest of magics (Such as the shield spell demonstrated by Princess Cadence and Shining Armour during the First Changeling Invasion of Canterlot) , as well as making them as bitter, cold, and cruel as Sombra himself.
Paulo swallowed lightly, grimacing as he felt the itching above his growing tail becoming unbearable, leading him to quickly strip as he itched lightly, looking back to the book with a frown before sighing in relief when done, picking the book back up with a grimace, laying down once more on his bed with a sigh. "...Seems dangerous." he stated with a frown "...Let's hope it's secrets aren't unlocked by this world..."
Pure magic, on the flip side, awards benevolence and loyalty to the elements, with power. This is why most nations we see today are benevolent, and the strongest care most for their citizens.
Paulo smiled at the implications of that, inhaling "...But, this magic does have the potential to change the world for the best... We'll have to see how it goes..." He stated, looking down and thinking on the idea for a moment, before looking back to the book.
Now, the next of note is Solar and Lunar magic. For unicorns, this is a specific, usually advanced, form of magic which makes the logically associated effects of the magic easier. For Pegasi and Earth ponies, it is a variety of disciplines, which do lead to the same physical and spiritual effects of the aforementioned magic (This will be explained later). Both lead to more strength, though there are subtle differences between the two.
Now, the final point of note is Corruption. I cannot speak from experience; Representing the element of magic means that all 'Corruption' entering me is annihilated, but know that it is, despite the name, a positive thing (usually) when related to Solar and Lunar magic. If any would ask my opinion on if they should advance down either of those two routes, I can only give my whole-hearted support. I wish I could, personally, but it is impossible with my link to the Element.
Corruption has a number of roots; It's initially influenced by parents, environment, and local effects. For all but a few, the roots mentioned before are negligible. However, there is a second root, which anypony can access. The more you cast spells aligned with Solar Magic, Lunar Magic, and Tainted Magic, the more you are 'Corrupted' by them. It's a slow process, but do not be fooled; It is a dramatic one. In the case of Solar and Lunar magic, extremes will lead to a boost of health, but also to fur-color changes, eye-color changes, build in some cases, and quite significantly the soul. The body and soul will adapt as you cast to be better attuned to the element which you are aligned with. Princess Celestia, for instance, is 100% Solar aligned. In contrast, Princess Luna is 100% Lunar aligned. Sombra is the best example of Taint, the best guesses putting him at between 80-90% attunement to Taint. As horrific as it may seem, Sombra is a perfect example of the effects of corruption. You need merely look at a depiction of him to see the unnatural mutations. As for his mind, a sad truth is, he was probably a kind, decent stallion before he was ruined and polluted by using Tainted magic. I will not explain further, for fear of ‘triggering’ one of his time-displaced victims, but there are many records of his abuses stored within the Crystal Library.
Paulo inhaled and exhaled, eyes wide. Okay... that WAS kind of a bombshell. He was conflicted; If turning into a pony did NOT brainwash him as the PAP suggested... He would still have to think long and hard about going down either route of corruption. He laid there for a few minutes, thinking and procrastinating with a frown, picturing scenarios, before finally looking back down to the book, and continuing to study. After some time, he reached the end of the first chapter.
As some of you may know about me, I love to learn. With that in mind, I hope by fully reading the previous chapter that you do too. Now I know this is a reference guide, but I couldn’t resist putting in a review for each chapter; mostly to make sure none of you hurt yourselves in taking on magic too dangerous for your skill level. To that end I placed each subsequent chapter under progressively more difficult illusion spells. Some of you more advanced magic users will have already picked up on the one for chapter one. Each chapter will be harder to unlock, but the solution will always be within the skill range set by the previous text. This review will be a gimme though as chapter one was only about the basics of the three tribes’ magical talents. The only thing you have to do to be able to read the next chapter is to touch the next page with the foci of your magic, based on tribe of course. Don’t worry about damaging them or the book as a whole, I made sure every copy of the guide is quite resilient. I hope to see you again in the next chapter.
He smiled, exhaling and leaning back "...An interesting read." He muttered, smiling and looking back over the pages he had read "...Oh, how the time flies." He sighed, turning to the next page, which was covered in random arrays of text, scrolling across the page quickly. His eyes widened in shock, as he gasped, staring at them for a moment "...Th... This is definitely paper..." He stated in awe, jaw dropping as he ran a hand down the page "...I guess this is the proof for magic..." He muttered, smiling and closing the book, locking it again before placing it upon his bedside table, smiling and leaning back in bed.
"...So... It is true. Magic... I hope..." He sighed, looking to the side, fur having grown across some of his neck, as well as starting to grow a muzzle on him now "...I dare not look in a mirror..." He muttered with a frown, before sighing, tears coming to his eyes as he pushed his head into his pillow. "...I hope the PAP was wrong..." He muttered, feeling more tears coming already "...If they are... These are my last moments... If not... My life is only beginning..." he stated, closing his eyes with a minor sob "...I-I..." He sighed "...I haven't done enough with my life..." he wallowed, hugging the pillow and closing his eyes, struggling to get to sleep, squeaking "...I don't want to die...", trying to control his breathing between sobs and get to sleep. Soon enough, he managed, falling fully unconscious, at peace. Dreaming of a magical land... Called Equestria...
Author's Note
It begins! What adventures will Paulo get up to? Find out next time!
Poor Paulo. The PAP got to him. He's lucky, in a way.
"...I haven't done enough with my life..." he wallowed, hugging the pillow and closing his eyes, struggling to get to sleep, squeaking "...I don't want to die...", trying to control his breathing between sobs and get to sleep. Soon enough, he managed, falling fully unconscious, at peace. Dreaming of a magical land... Called Equestria…
Paulo awoke to find himself in some form of… Endless, starry void. Various white, shining orbs were suspended within this dream-like dimension. His eyes wide, Paulo looked around, jaw dropping as he noticed his body; That of a grey-black unicorn, his mane black, seeming to have a light green tint.
”...Where...Am I?” He simultaneously asked and thought, his voice echoing through the void, softly returning to him. His gaze wandered across the starry landscape, before he heard innumerable faint whispers.
There was something indescribably wrong and terrifying about them, their voices speaking in some unknown language, invoking a primal fear in the unicorn. He squealed lightly, trying to run AWAY, only to find himself within one of the orbs, a gasp of terror coming from deep within his throat as he saw one of the beasts rear it's face at him. Appearing to be a black and purple swirling mist, given form by some indescribable magic, in the shape of a long neck and fanged mouth.
MINE!!! It screamed, in a voice which was deep, desperate, powerful and… Almost territorial, it’s mouth opening wide as it flung it’s jaw towards the orb he was standing in, as he screamed in response, backpedaling rapidly as the moment it’s jaw contacted the orb, it seemed to spread across the surface of the orb, obscuring his view in darkness.
Paulo gasped as he awoke, covered in a film of cold sweat… And fur.
That has to be… The most terrifying nightmare i’ve ever had. He thought between pants as he sat up with a sigh, slowly relaxing again as he looked down. Suddenly, as a thought occurred to him, he grinned. He could still think! He could control his body! Paulo was still himself… If just a bit furrier. He sighed with a smile in relief at the revelation and looked over his new body His long, dark green mane coming into view in the corner of his vision, as his fur was colored a light brown.
And i’m… Not dead! I mean, I can still think! It’s still me~! He thought, grinning as he tried to get to his hooves atop the bed, before he yelped as he collapsed. “...Mmmgh, I could see that coming a mile away.” He muttered into his blanket, before grinning and slowly getting to his hooves “But still, i’m alive!” He exclaimed enthusiastically, his grin evolving into a minorly worried one after a moment, his gaze wandering down “...Unless my mind is some kind of clone and i’m not the same person that went to sleep last night…” He muttered fearfully, his ears lowering before he smiled, shaking his head before carefully attempting to hop off of the bed. He succeeded quickly, though it took conscious effort. “...I don’t think I am, and I honestly don’t want to. Let’s make the most of this! Magic!” He exclaimed, grinning in foalish glee as his past fears about the transformation were quickly subsiding.
He looked up to the book with a frown, before sighing and raising a hoof, looking to it “...Oh come on, this could be the subject of a joke…” He stated while growing an amused smile, shaking his head and slowly walking to a nearby mirror, intending on seeing himself for the first time “A unicorn tries to open a b-YAH!” He exclaimed, eyes widening in shock for a moment as he jerked back upon seeing his face, before moving forwards again with an amused, if slightly disgusted smile. His horn, and a decent portion of his face below it, was smeared with blood. A glance to his bed, and he could easily see the bloodstain on the pillow, centralized, yet… Rolled around.
Must have been when the horn pierced the flesh. He pieced together, shaking his head whilst raising a hoof to the dried blood with a grimace “...Magic comes later, first it’s time to wash this off.” He stated, lowering the hoof again and slowly, cautiously, walking through his house, each window totally closed beforehand.
Soon enough, he reached the bathroom sink, closing an eye and biting the faucet’s handle. Slowly, awkwardly, and tooth-damagingly slowly (To his mind at least; The metal making him worry about the long-term implications of doing this), he managed to get a good stream of cold water going, propping himself up on his chest whilst bringing his head near to the stream. He then rubbed at the dirty spots repeatedly with wet hooves until they were completely clean once more.
Once done, he took a small sip of the water, thirsty from sleeping, before slowly turning the tap off once more, and carefully getting back to his hooves, drying them on a nearby towel, as well as drying his face by face-planting in said towel, and rubbing his head around.
“At least something as simple as washing myself is an adventure now.” He thought with a grin of amusement, rolling his eyes and slowly heading back to his room, and the book. Exhaling happily, he realised that he was on the verge of releasing some enormous tension that he had never previously noticed.
Pushing the tension to the back of his mind for now, he arrived back at the book and smiled, before giving the book a deadpan look and sighing, slowly clambering back onto the bed to get on eye level with it, before hooking one hoof to the side of the object, pushing it from the table. His spare hoof then caught it, and pressed it against his face, as he used the pincer move to bring the book to his pillow, before he sighed with an amused smile, opening the book with a hoof and bringing it to the first page, before quickly scrolling through it with his surprisingly blunt horn.
“I’m using my head a lot, these days.” He muttered with a chuckle “Now, where was I… Ah yes, i had to press my magical focus to the next page…” he stated, turning to the first of many indecipherable pages, text scrolling from left to right on it in gibberish, like a screensaver. With a sharp inhale, he pressed a horn to the page, smiling.
Instantly, spreading outwards from his horn in a circle, the animated page became covered in a perfect black, a simple sentence appearing in bold, white letters covering the page.
Finish Chapter 4 of the book you have been provided, in order to proceed.
He blinked, eyes widening in shock as he reared his head back, staring down at the book for a moment in surprise, before he felt his right ear start to itch horribly, twitching. Cringing, he moved a hoof up to it, only to feel… Paper?
Paulo, of course, freaked out upon feeling a massive amount of paper, curved into a cylinder, stuffed into his ear. Again, he released a yell as he had earlier. “GYAAAH! GET OUT!” He exclaimed with shocked eyes, panting and instinctually attempting to grab the paper with a hoof and slowly pull it out. Somehow, his hoof actually attracted the paper, making it very easy to remove. He had to remove a good few sheets of paper, their surfaces warm, as if they had just come from a printer, before the supply in his ear ‘dried up’, and he was back to normal.
Panting hard, he grit his teeth in the leftover horror, and noticed that it looked like the underside of the top sheet of paper was colored. Cringing, he turned the paper over, to find something truly bizarre. Staring up at him, was what looked like a child’s crayon drawing of a strange creature, it’s head being that of a horse, two mismatched horns on it’s head, and a black mane. It’s eyes had yellow sclera, with two red pupils, mismatched in size. What came next was even more surprising.
“Hellooo~” The drawing cooed, before chuckling, standing up and somehow coming off of the page, still 2d as it bowed towards him “Discord, master of Chaos, at your seeervice~” The drawing mocked, the bow long and exaggerated.The position of it’s limbs, and it’s expression, however, did not change, even it’s mouth holding still.
Upon seeing the image move, Paulo had at first yelped out in shock, eyes widening as he scooted back against a wall, before his jaw dropped as it spoke, an eye twitching lightly as a hoof moved up to rub it and it’s twin, trying to confirm if he was seeing things, Paulo’s breathing starting to get heavier. This could NOT be real. Magic, yes, but living drawings!?
“HAHA! Ahhh, your reaction reminds me of somepony…” The Master of chaos said, wiping a wide-open eye before running a hand through his beard, the image slowly turning purple for some reason. Paulo’s mouth opened slowly, inhaling to ask a question before one of Discord’s claws moved up to his mouth in a shushing gesture. Suddenly his mouth felt like something was filling it, causing the stallion to yelp in surprise, eyes widening “Hush now, I don’t have long, so allow me to speak BEFORE you ask what the meaning of life is.” The spirit stated, shaking his head and looking down for a moment, exhaling as he brought his claw down, the strange sensation promptly leaving his mouth, allowing Paulo control of it again. He quickly exhaled, brushing his lips with a hoof and grimacing, before pausing. His mouth tasted of asparagus…
“So, you… Lost your ability to use your magical book!” The drawing exclaimed in mock sadness, teleporting to the book, and kneeling before it, Paulo blinking and quickly following him with his eyes as his jaw dropped. “Oh woe is youuu~ But wait… I, HAVE, A SOLUTION!” The Draconequus exclaimed, grinning and holding up a drawing of a blue liquid within a test tube.
Paulo smiled in amusement at Discord’s pun, though he cringed back lightly with a grimace at how bad it was Solution… Liquid and answer… Auuughhhh!
Discord’s face however, soon became more serious “Don’t explain the joke Paulo, it ruins it!” The avatar of Chaos exclaimed, before smirking “But more importantly for you, I have a plan.” he began, causing Paulo’s eyes to widen in shock and gasp. Did he just… Read my mind? “Well, more of an errand. Oh, you ponies sure do love those~” Discord said in an amused tone, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards to a minor degree, causing Paulo to tilt his head lightly to the left with a curious light in his eyes, smiling softly, yet nervously. Solution… Could he have a way to get me a new book!? Then again, he likely caused this… The only question can be why... Paulo thought, before he gasped, attention refocusing on Discord as the image of his eyes expanded to fill most of the ‘head’ portion of the image, long, black lines forming, obviously intended to be eyelashes as he clasped his hands together and looked towards the window, pupils dilating to a disturbing degree. Paulo’s own eyes widened as he stared for a moment, head jerking back upon seeing Discord’s body change ...Well, that’s creepy! He thought, jaw dropping once more.
“What’s the matter~? Don’t like cute~?” Discord asked in a high pitched voice, before chuckling, returning to normal “Seriously though, there is hope for you yet, pony. I have a simple task for you, which WILL get you your magic again~” Discord stated with a smile, before leaning in, his ears stretching out as his head shrunk, the actual size of the paper not changing as he moved to Paulo’s ear, the unicorn blinking in surprise, becoming still with a poker face on.
“I have to say, congratulations on the Lunar Corruption~ Highest so far~ Had you been in Equestria, you’d have gotten a job with Luna’s Shades very quickly… But it turns out, her little recruitment program is hurting you now.” Discord whispered, frowning and giving Paulo’s ear a hug, looking out to the distance, as Paulo remained stock still, looking off to the middle distance, though his eye occasionally wandered to look at the odd creature.
“Your book, my little gift to you, SHOULD be sending a signal to Equestria, telling one of Twilight Sparkle’s spells that you need a Lunar Training book, right here, right now!” Discord said, hopping down and looking to the aforementioned book, frowning and putting his claw and paw to his hips.
“BUT, that relies on ambient magic being around the sender. And is there ANY ambient magic on falaffle, or whatever you call this world? None! Zilch! Nada!” Discord exclaimed, shaking his head before giving a ‘humph’ in mock frustration
“And that’s what you’re going to fix!” Discord said with a grin, extending his arms to Paulo, who blinked in shock, head jerking back as he gasped “Me?... But I never got st--” He began, before Discord laughed, shaking his head “You need SOME magic, sure, but i’ll give that to ya. What we need is a Glade. Given your corruption, it’ll be Lunar. Nice and powerful things, Glades… Be sure to tap the crystal once it’s done.” Discord stated, leaning back with a smirk, his image starting to shimmer, causing Paulo to widen his eyes, and lean slightly forwards.
“Hm? Oh poo, i’ll have to go soon.” Discord sighed with minor frustration “I’ll leave you with this advice before you get started!” He exclaimed, his image becoming more distorted, as Paulo gasped, leaning in, listening intently and deciding to trust this being for now.
Discord put on some stereotypical builders’ clothes, lime green with silver stripes, and a yellow construction hat atop his head, as he pulled a blueprint out of… His side, clearing his throat
“#1, build in nature - You need dirt at the center. #2, not near a cliff. Solid ground only, please. #3, dance the boogaloo. #4, Toodaloo!” Discord stated, grinning and waving before his image jumped down upon the page it had come from, returning to it’s initial position as it remained still, staring up into the air. Paulo blinked with wide eyes and stared right at it for a moment, biting his lip lightly.
After a few moments with his jaw dropped, he closed it again, closing his eyes and sighing “...Alright… I have no idea what else to do for now… Discord…” He sighed ”I’ll trust you for now... building this ‘Lunar Glade’, and allowing a signal to reach aliens could be dangerous, but…” He sighed “We already had SETI, what is there to lose?” He concluded, stretching and picking up the next piece of paper, which went into detail teaching levitation. There were around 4 pages in total “...Time to get to work.” He sighed.
The unicorn frowned, laying on his bed as he slowly moved his vision across the paper, a hoof to his forehead “So…” He muttered “...That, that… Divide the interaction of elements by the mass aaand~” He inhaled, eyes closing tightly as a soft glow came to his horn, starting out as a deep, dark blue before progressing to a lighter hue. The page in front of him shared in this glow, twitching upwards jerkily as he grimaced, deep in focus for a few moments more, giving out a few grunts before opening his eyes with a gasp, seeing the page fall back to earth.
“...It worked.” he stated breathlessly, a smile of childlike glee soon covering his face “It worked! It’ll take practice, but…” The stallion exhaled, shaking his head and looking down, a sigh entering his voice as he grinned, cooing “So cool~ It’ll take work, but...” He smiled, shaking his head once more “...It’s definitely worth it.”
The stallion used his muzzle to push that paper aside, inhaling deeply as he looked to the next spell he was to learn, eyes widening in surprise as he jerked back lightly after reading for a few seconds “...That needs me to have quite fine control of my levitation…” He muttered under his breath, shaking his head and inhaling, before hopping off of his bed. “...Might as well practice levitation while walking…” He hummed, his horn lighting up as he grimaced, standing straight and closing his eyes as he concentrated deeply.
There’s something… Off. In this spell. I can’t quite put my finger on it… Something’s inefficient. Wrong...
He inhaled, his eyes opening as he walked to his desk, collecting a pencil in his mouth and moving to a notebook of his, opening it carefully using his horn to pry it open, soon moving over it and leaning in.
...Gah, it’ll drive me insane if I don’t fix this. Let’s see now… That section needs to go and be replaced with…
Paulo labored over the new spell for around twenty minutes, having found no other way to write thus far without using his mouth. It was clunky, but surprisingly fluid. He exhaled when finished, spitting the pencil from his mouth, before looking over it with pride “Funny, I wonder how Discord missed that small thing…” He hummed, closing his eyes once more and grimacing as he attempted to levitate the page once more, the glow coming from his horn softening, taking on a slightly lighter blue tinge. The effect itself was that a random small object in the room, this time a tiger plushie from his childhood, levitated into the air, at least a few inches up, him grimacing as he was only able to hold it for a few seconds before releasing it, sighing happily with a smile. “Yeah, that was a bit easier.” He said whilst panting, before his stomach growled angrily.
“...Guess that’s my cue.” He muttered with a smirk, turning and leaving his room, heading downstairs carefully with a smile “Some time off would be nice.”
~24 hours ago~
"We're international, so please look us up." The wolf-masked figure concluded cheerfully before the camera, waiting for the PAP member behind it to turn it off, sighing and removing his mask once that was done, revealing the face of a relatively young man, between 25-29 years of age, the scabbed remains of a recently acquired bite, seemingly from an animal, present on the right side of his jaw.
“You did well, Nicole… Enjoy yourself, you can rest now.” He sighed, the camera operator nodding and walking out of the room, as the figure walked across the room to a heavily locked door, going through a number of keys as he scowled, snarling angrily “Damn those cultists… Damn those ponies… Damn whatever fiend spawned them.”
He quickly entered the room, closing it with a slam behind him, various mechanisms automatically locking the door once more as he sighed, walking through his office, very utilitarian in nature at this point, having a simple chair, desk, and a number of screens showing data near the back, a bed to the side, a drawer next to it filled with files and a desk with a few photos to the right of the room.
He approached the photos, tears coming to his eyes as he frowned, picking up one which depicted a woman around his age, standing next to him on a city’s pavement, her hair brown and long, her eyes a deep amethyst. The two were taking a ‘selfie’ together, grinning as they both gave a thumbs up.. The man sighed, smiling softly with tears in his eyes as he adjusted the angle of the photo in his hands, bringing one up to wipe at his eye “...You gave your life so that I could live… I won’t…” He inhaled, before continuing “Let your sacrifice be in vain...” he sobbed, looking down to the ground, a hand raising to his face as he sighed.
“...And i’ll die before those ponies get a chance to show their true nature.” He added after a few silent moments, putting down the photo and sighing, walking to his desk with a deep frown, tears still in his eyes as he wiped them, teeth clenched
“...Humanity needs some medicine. And i’m going to give us some.”
