//-------------------------------------------------------// Jack's Lament -by TheBlackPanda- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Life Changing Moment //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: Life Changing Moment Author's Note: This story starts off slow. Really slow. Just bear with me here, it'll get better, stay patient. And do me a favor: If you don't like it, please provide criticism so I can make a more enjoyable story. I'm still new to writing! It was sunny. The heat blasted from between the clouds and landed on my face. The smell of hot pizza hit my nose as I walked inside. "Hey Jack!" I looked at my girlfriend, Rachel Jean. She had long, strawberry blond hair. Her face had freckles on her cheeks, and she had dimples when she smiled. She wore a blue T-shirt with short shorts, along with sky blue Converse One Stars. By the way, I'm Jack Parker. The normal guy. I had dusty brown hair, medium length. I wore glasses. I was about 5'7, and had a well shaped form. Not skinny, but not a meatball. I wore a red shirt that had the cover to my favorite Megadeth album on the front, (Made it myself!) along with black camouflage shorts, and red sneakers. I sat down next to Rachel and kissed her on the cheek. We had been together for a couple weeks, and we were both juniors in high school. "So, I ordered us some pizza! I heard this place was pretty good, and I knew how much you loved pizza, so I figured 'why the hell not?' and got us some." She smiled. I opened my mouth to say thanks, then the smell hit my nose. It smelled like sex. (I really had no clue what sex smelled like, I was a virgin) I thanked her, after being taken aback by just how awesome it was, and we both began to eat. -----------------------------------1 and A Half Pizzas Later...-------------------------- "That was good!" I said as we walked around town, looking for something to do. We went into music stores, where we listened to the latest August Burns Red album, then to GameStop, where we had a friendly debate about Battelfield 3 and MW3, and finally, to the local Starbucks. After that we walked outside. The sun was setting on the horizon, but I felt something in my bones. I never felt a feeling like it in my life. It was terrifying. Rachel apparently got the same feeling, because she stiffened, and stared at me. Seconds passed by, and she grabbed my hand, moving closer to me. She was shaking. A gust of wind blew by, and I heard a laugh. I looked to see an old man wearing a suit that was not one, but many colors. One sleeve would be red, the other blue, and so forth, except a random color. He looked at us with a grin. "Looks like I've found today's lucky winners!" He ran at me with incredible speed. Rachel backed away, not wanting anything to happen. I got into a fighting stance, and threw a punch when he got close. It hurt my hand, given the speed he was traveling, but it paid off. He stumbled back a few feet. Did I forget to mention I had a black belt in Martial Arts? Wiping the blood off his face he charged at me, I prepared another punch. This guy just didn't learn! Another gust of wind blew by. Rachel screamed. I turned to find he had grabbed her from behind, and he began to glow. "Here's a present for you!" The light exploded, enveloping me, Rachel, and the old guy. Then everything went black. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Crash Landing //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Crash Landing I was falling. The world around me was dark. I couldn't feel, nor control, my body, therefore I was stuck inside my head for the moment. Calming down, I managed to close my eyes and meditate. Counting down from 100, then 30, I calmed my nerves and thought this through. How did this happen? I can't believe I got tricked like that... Rachel's off with a crazy-ass hobo, and I just let it happen. God dammit, I'm so stupid! I felt a warm light pierce my eyes. Then a voice, with no indication of male or female, spoke. I see you wish to protect others. Then you may do so, as long as it is in your heart. I sense something in you, something that I have not seen in many others. I sense how you are loyal, faithful, honest, and willing to fight injustice. I see in you intelligence and vigilance. While you may not know, I do, and I've seen a rare spirit in you heart. The spirit of the wolf, is who you are. Regaining my mouth, I asked, "So what, can I be a wolf now?" I swear, I felt this thing smile, though I couldn't see it, No. That is something you must learn on your own. At that, the other presence left, and heat blasted my face. I felt like I was falling even faster. Whips of wind hit my face. Opening my eyes, I saw clouds ahead of me. And I fell through them. I was freaking out. I saw the ground rushing to meet me. And I said the one word I could think of. "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" I was cut off by my crash landing, And all went black. Fluttershy was feeding her animals. She hummed a happy tune as she went to work, carefully making sure that no food spilled, and everyone got just the right amount. Her hands were dirty, but she didn't care. She loved feeding animals, after all, they all just seemed to love- "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-" *THUD* Fluttershy jumped almost four feet off the ground. She was scared stiff, not knowing what to do, when Twilight teleported right next to her, startling her even more. "Fluttershy! Is everything alright? I heard someone screaming really loud!" Twilight was quick, obviously pushing little matters out of her mind to uncover the mysteries surrounding this loud screaming of obscenities that occurred moments before. "I...I...don't...know...Twilight...What's happening?" Fluttershy was shaking rapidly, her voice stuttering and barely even a whisper. Twilight sighed, stomping off into the Everfree Forest, where the scream came from, and Fluttershy scrambled after her. They walked in the forest for what seemed like hours, the sun slowly falling. Then they found a male person. He was out cold, not noticing the two girls approaching him. Twilight picked him up and they teleported back to Fluttershy's house. Fluttershy picked him up and took him upstairs, tucking him into his bed. Twilight left to go get their friends, and Fluttershy was by herself, left to ponder the cause of these events. I woke up with a splitting headache. I reached up to rub my forehead. It took my body a long time to notice the fact that I wasn't laying on the ground, but, in fact, a bed. A very comfy one at that. I heard birds chirp out side, and people talking. Deciding to activate my super awesome ninja skills, I began to focus on their conversation. "-Whadaya suppose we do?" "I don't know, he looks like us, but he doesn't seem like he's from around here." "Maybe he's an alien!" "Pinkie, there is no such thing as aliens!" "How do you know!" I got up out of bed and walked into the hallway. Looking to my left, I saw a flight of stairs. Going down the stairs, I walked inside. There were six girls in a living room, all chatting. One by one, they turned their heads to look at me. One of them ran up to me, making signals, "Can. You. Understand. Me." "Pinkie, stop!" Another girl pushed the one in my face away. I decided to answer the question, "Why yes, I can understand you quite well." The one now in front of me smiled, "Good. I'm Twilight Sparkle." She reached out and shook my hand. She wore a pleated skirt that was two different shades of purple, a white blouse and purple sweater vest, as well as a purple tie. Her socks went up right below the knee, and she was wearing purple sneakers. Her hair was dark purple with a pinkish highlight down the middle, and she had curious, violet eyes. The next one to introduce themselves was the person who accused me of being an alien or foreign earlier. She bounced, literally, in front of me. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!" She almost shouted in my face. She wore a bright pink T-Shirt that had big black letters on the front that read, 'Professional Cupcake Baker'. She wore tight blue jeans, and pink converse. Her hair was unbelievably curly, and it stood up, like a balloon. After that came the third, "'Sup! I'm Rainbow Dash, Equestria's fastest!" She wore a cyan tank top with a rainbow colored lightning bolt coming out of a cloud, and tight cyan gym shorts that ended mid thing. The sides of the shorts were rainbow colored. She wore black gloves with they fingertips cut off, and white running shoes with the same image on the shirt. She had rainbow colored hair, and it was unkempt, but the look suited her. She had a unique build, her muscles were toned perfectly to her frame. The fourth wore a dirt stained, white T-Shirt, short shorts and cowboy boots, as well as a stetson. Her blond hair was tied back, and she had a tan skin tone. "Howdy! I'm Applejack, nice to meet ya!" We shook hands. She had a firm grip, and her hands were calloused, but not rough. The fifth was definitely the diva of their group. She had perfectly curled, purple hair. She wore a white blouse with black slacks. She had on flat soled shoes, and her skin was pale. Her face was practically drowning in makeup, I could almost hear her skin cells gurgling for help. "Hello, darling, my name's Rarity. I must say it is a pleasure to meet you!" The last one, oh god. I don't mean this in a way of replacing Rachel, but this last one was cute. She wore a canary yellow T-Shirt and brown sweatpants. She wasn't wearing any shoes. Her long pink hair went past her shoulders, and she seemed to be blushing. "My...name's..." She trailed off in a mumble. "What?" She just squeaked. Twilight stepped in, "Her name's Fluttershy. She's, well, really shy. She does this around strangers." I sighed, "Well, thank you for your introductions. My name's Jack, Jack Parker." They smiled. So this place's called Equestria, huh? I thought, Not bad... //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Father, Part 1 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Father, Part 1 Big Mac was fourteen. He was generally happy, and hated one word answers. He felt like he always wanted to speak his mind. Even though he was son to a renowned family of farmers, he was particularly smart, and could work the little technology they were provided with ease. Anyone who knew him then knows why he is the way he is now. =-======================--- It was six o'clock in the afternoon. He had just finished bucking the apples with his mother, when their dad came home drunk. Applejack Finch, or just Finch, for his second born happened to be named Applejack, was a gentle man. He was strong, but kind, and he taught Big Mac right from wrong. Until today, he had never laid hands on a member of his family in violence. Big Mac was sitting in the kitchen with his mother, Candy Apple, when their dad came home firing off cuss words. Candy ran off to her room, while Big Mac stayed downstairs to talk to his father. "Pa, what's up with all this nonsense?" "Shuddup boy, I need to talk to your ma." "No. Ya don't look to good right now, ya need to sit down." "Don't ya fuckin' tell me what I need!" He backhanded his son across the face. Big Mac landed on the floor, and Finch was standing over him. "I'll teach ya to talk back to me, Mac. I oughta kill ya on this here floor." He grabbed Big Mac by his shirt collar and hit him repeatedly. Blood sprayed everywhere. Then he went upstairs, and found both Candy, and Granny Smith, huddled together. Big Mac hid in a corner and cried, holding his hands over his ears to block out the screaming and grunting. Then Finch came down one more time. "Don't you tell a soul boy, or I'll be back with more than my two hands." He walked out. That was the last day Big Mac spoke out to anyone. I woke up in a trance. It had been a week since I landed in Equestria, and this place was great. I had moved in with Twilight, who got me up to date on Equestrian history, as well as debates over topics, such as the dominance magic has here, while on Earth, we had machines that eliminated the use for magic. I also had a schedule of which of my new friends I helped out with every day. Today was the day I went to Sweet Apple Acres to help. I walked through the orchards looking for Applejack. "I reckon yer one of mah sister's friends." I looked in the direction of the voice I just heard, "Is Applejack your sister?" "Eeyup." "Then yes, I am." I said. I got a good look at the man standing in front of me. He was about six feet even, and he was pretty buff. He wasn't wearing a shirt, but he wore dirty blue jeans. He had medium length straw colored hair, and he had a wheat sprig in his mouth. He had a straight expression, not one of joy nor anger. Just a straight face. I held out my hand. "The name's Jack, I came to help AJ buck some apples." He shook it, "Big Macintosh, mah sister ain't here right now, but I sure could use a bit of help 'round here." He motioned to the apple trees. I gulped. There were so many. But I grew a pair and we got to bucking. -----------------2 Hours Later---------------------- We were halfway done when Big Mac looked off into the distance. He scowled. "Get behind me, now." He grunted. The man walked up. He wore a dark brown stetson. He also had on a blue dress shirt, as well as the trademark cowboy sleeveless vest. He had on clean blue jeans, and wore cowboy boots with spurs on the bottom. On his hip he had a pistol holster with a revolver in it, even though I was certain they didn't have those here. "Howdy, Mac. You've grown a lil'" "What're you doin' here, ya smelly varmit." Big Mac almost growled. "Now is that any way to talk to yer daddy, Mac?" "After what you've done, ya ain't my Pa." No way. They look nothing alike! I thought. Then I noticed their similarities. They both had straw colored hair, and the new man had Big Mac's same facial structure, but he was noticeably older. "Ya cain't just disown the man who owns you Mac." "Like hell ah cain't" Big Mac retorted. "Now, tell me what you're here for, before I kick yer smelly ass off of this here farm!" "Ah'm here to talk to yer granny." "You ain't gonna lay a hand on Granny Smith!" Mac shouted. The man drew his pistol. "This is serious Mac. If you don't let me in that shithole ya call a farm, I'll cave your damned head in!" Mac growled, "Fine, but hand over that weapon." The man walked inside. Shouting was heard, and various other things. After what felt like hours, the man walked out. Big Mac returned his gun to him. "Mac, you got anything to do tomorrow at noon?" The man asked. "Nnope." "Good, cause you better go dig yer grave." The man walked off. I took it upon myself to teach Big Mac how to fight properly. He seemed like he would fight like a boxer, so I helped him with my little knowledge of that style. He got it rather quickly. Noon came. The man, who Big Mac told me was named Applejack Finch, or Finch for short, arrived on time. Big Mac had gauze around both hands, his trademark dirty jeans on, and his wheat sprig. Finch was wearing the same thing he wore yesterday, "Glad to see you didn't chicken out this time, Mac." "I ain't gon' pass up a chance to get mah payback from ya." Finch smiled. He threw his revolver in the dirt, and got into a fighting stance. Big Mac got in a stance of his own. The two men charged one another. They got close in the exact same time, but Big Mac got the first hit off on Finch's chin. Finch stumbled backwards, and Big Mac ran toward his father, jumping in the air for a heel drop, but Finch blocked the blow above his head, and with a quick swipe, knocked Big Mac back a few feet. Mac rolled on the ground, but hopped up, only to be met with a punch to his nose. When Big Mac recovered, his nose was crooked. He simply took his right hand and snapped it back in place. Mac ran at his father, who sidestepped, elbowing his son in the back of the head. Mac just hit the ground. Finch stood over his son. "Damned shame, you never said I couldn't use my revolver." He went and picked his gun up off of the ground. Mac stood up again. By now, a crowd of people had developed, shocked that one of the friendliest souls was fist fighting a stranger. "Big Macintosh, what's the meaning of this?" Applejack was at the front of the crowd, and she look disappointed. "Ya cain't just start fights in the middle of town!" Big Mac didn't turn around, "Get outta here! This is a lil' more personal that that." I saw the quick look in Finch's eye. Mac saw it. AJ saw it. Finch swiped the pistol in his hand as he fired, similar to those guys on that old movie 'Wanted' when they curved the bullets as they fired. The bullet headed for Big Mac, but made a left to Applejack. Big Mac couldn't get to her in time, so instead he jumped in the way of the gunshot. He grunted as he hit the ground. Finch laughed. "That was a little dirty," I said, not amused. I ran at him. We did an instant cross counter. I came back with a spinning back kick to the face. He stumbled back, spitting out blood. He stood upright, "I'll make a deal with you. Meet me here at 6:00 in the evening. If you win, I'll leave. If I win, I get to take my babies with me." I nodded. Big Mac got up, shaking Applejack off of him. "Finch! You ain't gonna lay a hand on 'em!" Finch blasted the rest of his revolver into Big Mac's body. He fell over. Twilight ran over and teleported him to the hospital. The crowd dispersed. Everyone mumbled in shock. And I stood alone. Wondering if the bullets hit anything important. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: Father, Part 2 //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: Father, Part 2 Applejack screamed and rat to her brother, who was struggling to get up. His body was having none of it, and he gave up and laid there, in a growing puddle of his own blood. I ran over there to help her get him to the hospital. We picked him up and carried him there. Thankfully, the person at the front desk had seen the commotion, and before we knew it, he was being ushered into an E.R. The rest of us (as in, me, Rainbow, Pinkie, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity) were all sitting outside, me trying to help them make heads or tails of the situation. "Who was he?" Twilight question stopped our banter. I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could, the doctor walked out, telling us that Big Mac was awake and ready for visitors. "Ask him yourself," I said, as I walked inside. Big Mac spilled the beans. Applejack, now knowing that Finch was her father, was beside herself on whether or not to hunt him down for hurting Big Mac or give him a hug. I, on the other hand, was intent on finishing this bullshit family feud tonight. I walked outside the hospital to clear my mind. And it traveled to Rachel. She was out there, in the arms of that creepy ass dude. And something told me that he wasn't planning on giving her up either. I knew I'd have to fight for her. And working my way up the Equestrian ladder was the only way that didn't look like it would end badly. I sat in the town square for a little while. I had spent hours in the hospital, and it was thirty minutes 'till the showdown. Twilight walked over and sat next to me, "What's wrong?" I shook my head, "Nothing, I'm just a little nervous." "Why is that?" "I've never had to deal with a cowboy that has a revolver on his belt." I grinned playfully. Twilight giggled, "Well, you shouldn't have to worry. As long as you focus, you're fine." "Point taken." She smiled, "Good." We sat there, laughing and talking, and she stayed close to me, because the sun was going down, and it was getting pretty cold. She smiled, "Luna really knows how to make the night shine." "Who's Luna?" "One of Equestria's two rulers." I nodded, for some reason I was already interested. But before I could press on about the rulers, Finch showed up. "Glad to see y'all are on time. It'd be a damn shame if ya couldn't be here, ya know." Finch walked up, cleaning his gun. Once he was in front of us, he threw the gun into the ground, similar to the way he had done with Big Mac. "Now, I'll let ya run, if yer gonna let me have mah babies. If ya do, I won't beat ya into the ground just like Mac." I turned to Twilight, "Go. I'll be fine." She nodded, giving me a hug before returning to the hospital. "Now, where were we?" I turned to Finch, getting into a fighting stance. He did the same, only he started the fight. He ran toward me, with a yell, raising his fist to punch me. I saw it coming, blocking it with my right forearm. He hopped backwards, coming back with an uppercut. I jumped backwards, and leaped forwards with a right hook that caught him in the cheek. He stumbled backwards with the sheer force of the punch. I ran toward him, jumping in the air for a heel drop. He jumped back as I hit the ground, making a small crater with my foot. A small part of my brain tried to process how that even happened, but the part that was focusing on winning the fight ignored it. We closed the distance, trading blows in a closer proximity. I made a punch toward his cheek. He caught it, pulling me into a punch of his own. My vision was blurry for a second. As my vision cleared, I looked to see him running toward me. He jumped, aiming a kick downward. I rolled under him and came back with a spinning back kick to his face. He stumbled and I rushed him, aiming a punch to his face. When he caught it, I did the same with my left hand, only to have him catch that one too. We locked fists as I looked into his eyes. "Ya might as well give up and let me have mah kids back." He said calmly. "No, I refuse to let you have them!" I retorted. No sooner than after I had said that, the sound of a wolf howling cut through the night. I felt revitalized, and I broke the lock. Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I threw him over my shoulder, and into the dirt. He coughed hard, and struggled to get up. I ran toward him, throwing punches to his gut, chest, and face. I jumped upward, and with a yell, brought my heel down onto his head. His face hit the dirt, and he didn't move after that. Crouching, I picked up his pistol in the dirt. Looking to see him struggle, I walked to him. "Don't you even try to get up." I said, pushing the barrel of his revolver into the back of his skull. I had no clue why, but I felt myself smiling. This felt good. I giggled slightly as I chambered the round, and began to clench the trigger. No, this is wrong. Stop it now, I told myself. I let go of the trigger, "Get out of here." He got up. Walking away, he hung his head. He turned to aim one kick at my head. I raised the pistol, and pulled the trigger, nailing him in the shoulder. "Get out!" I shouted. He turned and ran. I pocketed the pistol, suddenly feeling drained, even though I hadn't broken a sweat. My vision blurred, and I quickly collapsed. I woke up in the library. Twilight was practically screaming as she talked to someone that sounded like a little kid. "Spike! I'm glad you're finally back from Canterlot!" The little kid laughed, "Same here, Twilight! I never knew that being a dragon-born could be so boring." "Well, someone new came here last week. He's staying here for a while, you should go meet him!" Next thing I knew, Twilight was up in the room with a kid who looked about 13 or 14. He had spiked emerald green hair, and pale skin. He wore a purple hoodie, and black shorts. His shoes were purple with green flames. "Who's this guy, Twilight?" He looked at Twilight. "Oh, Jack, this is Spike. Spike, this is Jack." She smiled at both of us. He raised an eyebrow and snorted. A tiny green flame blew out of his nostril. "So I'm assuming you're 'dragon-born'?" He grinned, and his teeth seemed to be slightly sharper than a normal person's, "Yep, that's right!" Rachel sat, strapped to a chair. She was sitting at a table for two, staring down at the old man that had taken her from her home. He seemed odd, but the scariest thing was his crimson irises and sickly yellow eye. He grinned at Rachel, and it unnerved her. "I assume you're wondering where you are at the moment?" He asked her. "Yes, that would be about right." "Well then, you are aboard the Draconeqqus, flying flagship of yours truly, the god of chaos and destruction, Discord!" Rachel raised an eyebrow, "And where is Jack?" "Oh, he's somewhere down there." Rachel sighed. Discord unstrapped her from the chair. "Now, don't try anything funny. My guards are on here 24/7. You are a guest of honor, now act like it. Rachel was led to her bedroom. There was a bed in the middle, along with pink paint splashed over the silver walls in streams. It would be a nice room, if it weren't designed to be a prison. As the door closed, she let a single tear run down her cheeks as she sat on the bed. "I hope he's safe down there..." //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Meet the Princesses //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 4: Meet the Princesses A week had passed since I fought off Finch. Life was returning to normal. That is, unless you're a member of the Apple family. For them, it was getting worse. Big Mac had been shot in the worst possible place for a worker. He couldn't walk, at least not for a pretty long time. That left Applejack as the only person capable of working on the farm, not counting relatives from their hometown of Appleloosa. I felt bad for not being able to stop Big Mac from being crippled, so I made it up to them. I got up every morning at sunrise, and went to help the farmers with their work. In no time, I was physically fit, getting muscles grown in places I didn't even know you could grow muscles in. After a while, Applejack and I decided it was best to take a break from apple bucking, so I began staying at the library with Twilight and Spike. We had lots of fun, and good times were to be had. After a while, Spike and I had warmed up to each other, and he was like my little brother after a while. We did a lot of talking about things that we believed Twilight shouldn't know, like him no longer liking Rarity, and instead moving on to her little sister Sweetie Belle (who I had no clue even existed until he told me). I also helped him learn how to fight, and I taught him about the ways he could use fire to protect his loved ones. Spike, Twilight, and I were sitting at the table talking after another dinner that Twilight had provided, when Spike burped. And out of that burp came a ball of fire. And out of the fire came a scroll. Twilight used her magic to float the scroll over to her, and opened it. Holding it, she read aloud: My Faithful Student, I know you have been writing me letters about your new visitor, Jack. Tell him I said to prepare for teleportation. Your Princess -Celestia No sooner than her finishing the letter, I felt white enveloping me, and a spell of weightlessness surround me. It was awkward at first, and as I tried to get used to it, I felt my feet hit the ground. Once I touched down, I felt like throwing up. Instead of putting my head in the nearest bucket, I manned up and pushed it back down. My wave of nausea slowed down, and disappeared. Rubbing my head, I muttered, "Well, that was different..." "Don't worry, You'll get used to it soon." Another voice called out. "Who's there?" A woman walked toward me. She had pastel, multicolored hair that waved in the air, albeit there being a lack of wind in the room. She wore a white aviator's jacket with a sun on the left breast. She also wore a brown pleated skirt that stopped mid calf, along with brown boots that went halfway up her thighs. She wore a belt around her waist, and a rapier was strapped to it. Her skin was tan, and her eyes were golden with a glowing intensity. I felt like I was staring into two suns. She looked young, a little older than Twilight, but the look in her eyes was full of wisdom, as if she had seen everything there is to be seen. She gave off a regal aura, although she had a less strict air about her as well. But the part that struck me was the fact that her whole body seemed to glow. It wasn't super bright, but if you looked at her long enough, you could almost see it. "Who are you?" I asked. She frowned, "Now, is that how you talk to a princess?" I stammered, then bowed to her. She giggled, "No need for that, I was just teasing." I straightened, "Seriously, who are you?" "I'm Princess Celestia. I assume you're the man Twilight's been talking about, Jack." "You assume correct." She smiled, "I would just like to know where you came from, if you'd like." "But of course, I don't see a reason I can't tell you." She took me to her bedroom, and I began recounting my tale. Of how I was born on Earth, quite possibly an entire dimension away from Equestria, and how a man in a oddly colored suit kidnapped me and sent me here. I also told her about the voice that had talked to me before I landed here. Celestia raised an eyebrow when I talked about the man in the suit, and the voice that had talked to me. "Do you have any idea who either the man or the voice were?" She asked. "Absolutely not," I replied, and it was true. "I have a hunch that the man may be an old enemy of mine and my sister's." I raised an eyebrow, "Who might that be?" "The spirit of chaos and destruction, Discord." I leaned back in the chair I was sitting in, "Interesting..." "What is your world like?" "Quite like this one actually. The one difference being that we are much more advanced, and your people are actually really nice." "Elaborate, please." "Our technology makes up for the fact that we don't have immortal rulers and magic. And frankly, our planet is nothing but Chaos and destruction." Celestia opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by another girl walking into the room. "Sister! The ambassadors from Gryphonia and Draconia are both here to see you!" "Luna, I'm talking to someone..." Luna shrank away slightly, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see him!" Celestia sighed, and got up, "It's alright, Luna, I suppose you should get a chance to talk to him as well. He is an interesting individual." She walked out the door, kissing her sister's fore head as she walked out. "Hi. I'm Jack." I said, trying to sound casual, but instead coming off as awkward. She walked toward me. She looked younger than Celestia, almost as young as Twilight. Her hair was similar to Celestia's, except hers was blue and had white specks that almost looked like stars. She wore similar clothing to her sister's, except The aviator's jacket was the same shade of blue as her hair, and the other clothing articles were black. She had a double edged blade on her side instead of a rapier. "What were you talking to 'Tia about?" "Just how I came to Equestria, among other things." She nodded. We began to talk about other things. Just going back and forth. We slowly got used to each other, and we began to bust out laughing at jokes we made at each other. Soon her hands began to glow, and while that transpired, the sun went down and the moon went up. "Was that you?" She nodded, "My sister and I have to raise and lower the sun and moon." I nodded. Just when I was about to inquire about this unique ability, Celestia walked in, "I'm sorry for keeping you here so long, I'm pretty sure Twilight's getting ready to freak out if you don't get home soon." I nodded, "She probably will." Celestia raised her hands, "Well then, I guess I'll send you off." Luna had a saddened look on her face. I waved at her, "See you later, Luna. It was pretty fun up here, huh?" She blushed, "Yes, it was!" She said, with a smile. Celestia's hands glowed with white magic, and I felt the familiar feeling of teleportation envelop me again. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5: Taking Action //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 5: Taking Action Author's Note: Now, I don't have to worry about character building! The shit is starting to hit the fan now. I was teaching Spike how to fight. We were in Twilight's backyard, and he was picking up quickly. After a while, I could hear knocking. Twilight, who had been watching the two of us spar, got up to go open the door. She screamed as soon as she opened the door. I took off toward the door, about to tackle the intruder, as if I were a dog. I was quickly over taken however, because the next thing I knew, I was laying in the dirt road as if I had been thrown. "Don't worry, Twilie, I got this guy!" A voice called out from behind me. "No, wait! He just thought you were somebody else!" I felt a odd energy envelop me, and I was being picked up off the ground. I looked at my target/aggressor. He had tan skin, and was wearing a white leather jacket, with Celestia's symbol on it. His undershirt was navy blue, and he had a double edged sword strapped to his blue jeans. He had electric blue hair. He looked serious as heck, but after he looked over me, his expression softened. He put me down, apologizing. "Sorry, about that. I got carried away, thinking you broke in and you were just hiding." He smiled. "No problem. I had a similar assumption." He offered a hand, "I'm Shining Armor, Twilight's older brother." I shook it, "I'm Jack Parker, I've been living with Twilight for a while now." Shining Armor grinned, "Twilie, you have a boyfriend? I never would have guesed!" Twilight blushed, "He's not my boyfriend!" I laughed, "Twilie? That's adorable!" "Shut up, Jack!" Shining Armor put a hand on her shoulder, "Calm down, sis, we were just teasing. But, I didn't come to visit. Celestia wanted to see you and Jack." I frowned, it's only been a couple of days since she teleported me there. "What happened?" "She hasn't told me yet, but I can tell it's making her worried." "Okay, so you gonna teleport us. or..." I let the sentence trail off. Shining Armor grinned. "Teleport, of course! Hold still..." Before I knew it, we were standing in the throne room. Celestia and Luna were looking at us, both had worried expressions. "Let's not waste anymore time, shall we?" Celestia offered. The rest of us nodded. "Well then, to put it simply, Discord is free once more." Twilight frowned, "But how? Nothing's happened for a long time, doesn't he need chaos to escape?" "He does, but he never needed it from one dimension. He simply used the chaos and negative energy from another dimension to free himself here." "Let me guess: Earth." I stated. "Yes, that is correct, actually. How did you know?" "I've told you why." Celestia nodded, "Ah, yes. I remember now." "So what do we do?" I asked. "We've located him, and our best guess is to find him, and take him down for good." "Well, let's go! That crazy bastard knows where my girlfriend is!" Tracking. It sucks. You have absolutely no idea what you're doing as it happens. You're just there, waiting out a storm. That is, until you actually find something. We sent Twilight home, so she wouldn't get hurt. Shining Armor and I volunteered to check it out. It was a ship. Not like a primitive ship either. This was like the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier on steroids. Shining Armor drew his sword, and I just kept my eyes wide open. We navigated the ship with expertise. And then we heard breathing on the other side of a wall we were pressed to. We looked at the door that was next to us. Getting on either side of the door, we silently counted to three. On three I kicked the door down and we ran inside. We looked around the room. It looked pretty comfortable. We were about to leave, considering the fact that it was probably a false alarm. "What the hell?" A female voice shouted. But it was familiar. Shining and I turned around to see who said that, but when I looked at her, her jaw dropped, and my jaw dropped. "No way. Rachel? What are you doing here?" I asked, running toward her. I hugged her tight, and kissed her on her cheek. "Where were you? What is this place?" Rachel opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a male voice, "You are aboard the Draconeqqus, flagship of yours truly, Discord!" The man, apparently our guy, clapped his hands sarcastically as he walked toward me. I recognized him. He was the guy that kidnapped Rachel and sent me here! I tried to punch him, but he caught me and threw me to the other side of the room. As he walked toward me, there was a tremor underneath us, and I felt an extreme sense of vertigo. Shining Armor ran and looked out the window. "Uhh, dude, I think we're flying!" He shouted. Discord laughed, "You are correct! We are indeed flying! Now I can take care of you two personally..." My bones hurt. Shining Armor was already out numbered. Discord was raising Shining Armor's sword over my head, about to bring it down on me. This was it. As it turned out, no it wasn't. I looked to see Rachel shoulder ram the dude into a wall. She pinned him there, then turned to look at me, with a half-grin, half-angry look on her face. "Get going. Get the other guy outta here! I'll be fine, I promise." I took one last look at her. She seemed to be glowing with a pink aura. I snapped out of my trance, picked up Shining Armor, and prepared to jump out the window. "I love you Rachel. " I said. "What did I say, hurry up! I can't hold him off for long!" "No, I can't leave you-" She cut me off. She kissed me full on, grabbed me by the collar of my shirt, and threw me out the window. I was falling, holding on to Shining Armor so I didn't drop him. Turning in midair, I saw something that made my heart stop. The ship was falling, and the back rotors were smoking. Not good. I looked down to see water rapidly approaching. I braced myself for impact. We hit the water. It hurt like a bitch. But nothing felt broken. I looked to see Celestia and Luna running toward us. And I looked in the other direction to see the ship land in the water and start sinking. Without thinking. I started swimming. Celestia grabbed my arm, "Don't! That's too far out, The currents will take you out to a point where you can't come back!" "I don't care! Let me go!" I screamed, and I felt a burst of energy. I broke free of Celestia's grip. I swam toward the ship, and dove under. I looked around. I saw Rachel sinking even deeper. I swam toward her, picking her up, and taking her with me. I swam the the shore, and watched Shining Armor get up, and try CPR on her. No good. She wasn't moving. Shining Armor began to glow blue. His eyes turned black, and his irises turned white. He looked over the body, and he sighed. "Internal bleeding, and some ruptured organs. She's done Jack." It had been a week since that day. Days tend to blend together. My memory of what happened is still kind of fuzzy. All I could remember is how much I screamed, how much I cried. Twilight had to get her friends to drag me outta bed. She told me that I had to do something. So I went into the Everfree. Just to do something. Then I heard something odd. A girl crying. I followed the noise to a clearing next to a river. There was a girl, wiping her eyes and sobbing. She had blue-green hair, and pale skin. She had a white T-Shirt and tight black jeans. I walked over to her, and sat next to her. "What's wrong?" She looked at me, "Nothing. At least, nothing you'd care about..." "Try me." She shook her head, "Doesn't matter." "Well then, why are you in the Everfree?" "Because no one would accept me in the towns." "Why wouldn't they?" "Because I'm a changeling. At least a year ago, we nearly destroyed Canterlot. I wasn't with them, but I know they won't see me any differently." "Really? They're all nice people. They wouldn't be mean to you because you're different." "Are you so sure?" "I'm positive." "Changelings area race of shapeshifters. We feed on the love of others. Our queen tried to overthrown the princesses and take over your nation. Do you really think I'd get accepted after being a part of that?" "But I thought you said you weren't there." "I wasn't, but they don't know that." "Well, how is that-" "Listen to me! Do you want to waste away in the Everfree, or do you wanna come with me?" "I'll stay." There was a howl in the distance. She looked at me, "On second thought, let's get outta here." We walked toward the exit. "Wait, what's your name?" I asked. "Call me Crystal. What's yours?" "Jack." She nodded. "That's a nice name..." I got her to the library. Twilight gave her an odd stare, but it disappeared just as quickly. "Twilight, this is Crystal. I met her in the Everfree forest." "Okay, and?" I was taken aback, Twilight wouldn't be that rude normally, "Can she stay with us? She doesn't have a home." "Sure." Crystal's face brightened. "Thank you so much!" Twilight took her to go see her room. I dragged myself to the bed. For some reason, I wasn't feeling so fucked up right now. I could actually rest easy. Crystal was sitting in the room Twilight had given her. She was looking around at the various things and trinkets placed around. "Don't try and bull crap me." Crystal looked at Twilight, "What are you even talking about?" "You know damed well what I'm talking about! You're a Changeling, aren't you?" Crystal's eyebrow furrowed, "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" "I'm warning you." "About what?" "If you even try to lay a finger on either princess, I will end you." //-------------------------------------------------------// Extra Scene Added to Chapter 5! //-------------------------------------------------------// Extra Scene Added to Chapter 5! I added a little extra to Chapter 5. Read it! //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6: Blank Slate //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 6: Blank Slate "Oh really?" Crystal asked, standing up, "What could you possibly do to me?" "My magic is second only to the princesses. I've taken out Hydras and an Ursa Minor. You don't think I won't take you down?" Twilight stated calmly. "And you don't think I don't know that?" "You ought to be scared!" "You would have no reason to even attack me." "You're a changeling. You feed on the love of other beings. You take so much out of them, they're mindless by the time you're done!" "I'm different." "I doubt it. You're all the same! Disgusting creatures!" "As in, I can't feed." Twilight was about to shout another rebuttal, but that statement stopped her cold. A changeling unable to feed? But how? "What do you mean, unable to feed?" Twilight asked. "As in, I can't suck the love out of other people." "You're lying. There's no way a changeling shouldn't be able to do that!" "I can still shapeshift." Crystal said, turning into a carbon copy of Twilight, "But I can't feed. My body won't allow it." She turned back into herself. "Chrysalis was shocked to see this. She waited on me until I was old enough to join the planned takeover, when I was thirteen." "How old are you now?" "Sixteen. You?" "Eighteen." "Anyways, Chrysalis recently banished me. She said I was making no progress, and I was worth nothing. She put me under, and dropped me in the Everfree Forest." "And that's where Jack found you?" "Yes." Crystal sat down on the bed, a dreary look in her eyes, "I don't like this one bit. Why wouldn't they let me stay?" Twilight was shocked to see tears fall out of her eyes. She sat down next to her, and hugged her, "Look, I didn't mean what I said. You're fine in my book, at the least." "Thank you." With Shining Armor's help, I set out for Canterlot castle. After navigating the hallways for some time, I found Luna's bedchambers. She had asked to see me while I was crying over Rachel's body. I walked inside. I knew Luna wouldn't be asleep, being the princess of the night and whatnot. "I see you haven't forgotten." I turned, "Of course not, Princess. I wouldn't forget something so important." She smiled, "Would you like to see something?" "What is it?" She motioned to the window, "My sister's statues. They are very beautiful. I would like you to see them." "I would be honored." We walked around. She showed me the various statues, like the evil dragon king from when Celestia and Luna were fresh in the ruling business. Then we got to the pedestal where Discord used to stand. She stared at it. I could tell there were bad memories involved with him. She was staring at it as if she were going to kill the pedestal. "What happed between you guys?" "Who, Discord, my sister, and I?" "Yeah." She took a long, deep breath, "We grew up together. The three of us were best friends for the longest time. Discord and my sister even dated for a little. But Discord started to be ...odd. He started being unpredictable and strange. Then, while I was sleeping, he climbed in through the balcony and..." She stopped cold. "It's alright, you don't have to talk about that part if you don't want to. I'm not making you do anything." "No, it's fine. He got in bed with me. I woke to him on top of me, trying to remove my pants without waking me up. I tried to fight him off, but before I could, he got my pants off. Before he could do anything else to me, Celestia had him on the floor. She didn't know it was him until much later, when I told her." I was shocked, "Wow, Discord did all that?" She nodded. I sat down on the edge of the statue base. I motioned for her to sit next to me. She obliged, leaning her head on my shoulder. I put an arm around her shoulder. It was nighttime and the cool, clean air kept us at a nice, comfortable temperature. I felt her move closer to me and kiss my cheek. I jerked back, looking at her in surprise. She covered her mouth and began to apologize. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" I put a hand on her shoulder. "No it's fine. A heat of the moment thing, I get it." I leaned in and kissed her forehead. I felt warmth spread around us, and we were on Luna's bed. She looked at me with a different look. She was looking for us to get to it. Not yet Jack. Not yet I shook my head, "No. At least, not yet." She frowned, disappointed. I apologized, but she just sent me back home. I landed in front of the door. I knocked. Crystal opened the door for me. I looked inside. there were lights on, but it looked empty. I walked inside... ...And was tackled upon entrance by Twilight. "What the hell?" I shouted. Twilight giggled, "I just wanted to tell you that Crystal's gonna stay for a while." "So what was the point in tackling me?" "I felt like it!" I pushed Twilight off of me, "No tackling!" She stuck her tongue out at me. "Yeah, Twilight, no tackling!" I heard from behind me. I turned around... ...And ran into Twilight. I was surrounded by Twilight! "Fuck what?" I said, "You're making my brain cry!" The Twilights laughed. The one on my right began to glow. Slowly, her features were replaced by that of another familiar person. Crystal. So this is what she meant by changeling. They can change.(Inb4 no shit) I walked over to Crystal and Twilight, and pushed them down. "That's payback!" I said. They got up and dragged me down. And then they began to participate in the ritual that destroys souls: tickle torture. I'd rather not go through the details. Anyways, after that, Twilight made dinner. We had spaghetti, and Spike was eating- "Dude, are those gems?" I asked. I never really paid attention to him eating. He nodded, "How have you not noticed?" I simply stared, dumbstruck. The kid was eating gems. Shouldn't he be getting indigestion or something? How does he even chew? Then I looked at him as he bit into another one. His teeth were sharp. Not bigger than his mouth, but he had teeth that were sharper (and no doubt harder) than a regular human's. After that, we went to bed. After saying good night in a way that would make the Brady Bunch proud, we headed off to sleep. It was the best sleep since Rachel had died. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7: Return Of Chaos //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 7: Return Of Chaos I was inside. A storm was scheduled for the day, and from the looks of it, it was a pretty big one. But something was off. The water falling down looked brown, and the storm clouds weren't dark, like they usually were. They were bright pink, and there was a chocolate aroma slowly filling the house. "Hey Twilight!" I called out, "What kind of storm was scheduled for today by the weather team?" "According to Rainbow Dash, just a normal one." She called back. "Then why is there brown rain and pink clouds?" Twilight dropped something. I heard her muttering to herself about something, and it sounded panicked. Before I knew it, she appeared next to me in a flash of magenta colored light, and she peered out the window. "Oh no, not now!" She looked around, "Where are my scrolls?" I held one up for her. "Thanks!" She snatched it out of my hand, and quickly began writing. "Spike!" She yelled. Spike came rushing in. He took the letter out of Twilight's hand, took a deep breath, and lit the scroll on fire. But instead of burning to a crisp in the light green flame and falling to the floor, the tiny ashes flew out the window, carried by a non existent wind. After a few moments, Spike clutched his stomach and released a burp, and with a release of fire, came another scroll, which Twilight picked out of the air and began to read aloud: Twilight Sparkle, Do not worry, we are one step ahead. My sister is gathering her troops and the elements as we speak. I ask you, just stay calm. Other guards have been sent to Ponyville to remind others to stay inside. This time we will be prepared. -Princess Luna Celestia ran down the halls. She had to make sure to get the Elements before Discord did, knowing he would try to hide them like last time. "Hello Celestia! I've been waiting!" A man with a chocolate brown suit and a yellow undershirt walked out of the shadows. He had brown skin, and a bald head. He had a gray goatee, and the whites in his eyes were yellow, while his irises are red. He was carrying a double edged sword. "Discord! When will you learn?" Celestia sighed, drawing her sword from her sheath. "Oh my! We're getting to that point again, aren't we? A little violent for the nice little princess your people know!" Celestia's brow furrowed. She didn't say another word. Instead she ran at Discord, her sword aimed for his throat. He ducked under the thrust, coming back up with a stab. Celestia parried the strike, and tried to bring the sword down on his head. He jumped back and dashed forward, leaping up. As he soared through the air, he spun, kicking Celestia in the face. As he recovered from the speed of the spin, he punched her. She kicked him back, and threw a bolt of golden energy at him. He simply caught the blast and sent it flying through the window. "Sister? What is-" Luna walked in, only to be snatched up by her hair by Discord "Discord! Put her down! Leave her out of this!" Celestia screamed. Discord shrugged, throwing the Princess of the Night away like a rag doll. Celestia tried to run over to her sister, but Discord jumped in her way, swinging his sword down at her. She barely had time to parry the strike, but this time Discord sliced at her arm, and she was grazed by the cut. She hissed as the cut began to burn much more than it should have. "Oh by the way, have you ever felt hydra's blood?" Celestia shook her head. The pain was too much. She could barely think. "Well, hydra's blood is very poisonous, however it isn't lethal. It slowly removes magic from the body, and causes infinite amounts of extreme pain to the point where some people have passed out. You're actually taking it quite well, though it is only a scratch." Discord seemed to teleport to her. He kicked the sword out of her good hand, and began to dig his sword deeper into her cut as she began to scream. "Now, what if I told you that I talked to various Earthlings about Equestria? What If I told them about how much more lush and providing our land is, seeing that Earth is in the middle of it's sleeping phase right now, meaning that life there sucks at the moment. The humans love to conquer, 'Tia. They love to destroy. They fight wars over trivial things like money, while entire countries starve and can't even feed their children." Celestia's eyes widened. Jack hadn't even tried to tell her about those kinds of Earthlings. "It's more chaos that my parent's could have ever given me for my 666th birthday! I love it! And to bring the chaos home, all I had to do is tell their Military about how they could do so much more for their country. How they could be the first to travel dimensions! How they could serve their country in a bigger way than ever before! They're interested, Celestia! They want to know about your magic! They want to see your women! They're going to love it all! But you're lucky, you won't be there to witness the fall of the nation you spent thousands of millennia trying to build!" Luna stepped in between the two, "What is wrong with you?" She shouted, "Why would you do such a thing? Look at you two fighting! What happened to the days when we would play together, when we were happy? We were the best of friends at one point! What happened to us?" Discord frowned, he seemed put down by this, "What happened? My dear Lulu, we. grew. UP!" He thrust out his hand, and his sword flew out of it... ...and flew straight through Celestia's middle. It stopped at the hilt, but the sheer force sent her flying to the wall. Luna screamed and ran over to her sister, crying. The last thing Celestia saw was her sister holding her, crying, begging her not to leave her alone. //-------------------------------------------------------// Oh, look, another letdown X[ //-------------------------------------------------------// Oh, look, another letdown X[ Welp, this makes me 2 for 3 so far. I've hit a massive brick wall with this story. I can't even think of a way to continue the plot from the last chapter. I started the newest chapter last month. It took me hours to write 200 words. And this story just doesn't sound good on paper. I'm gonna have to cancel this one too, guys. At least until I can get my shit together... -TSW //-------------------------------------------------------// For Those That Hated The First Chapters //-------------------------------------------------------// For Those That Hated The First Chapters I encourage you, stick around! It'll get better, I promise. I just need to get the feel for this story. Trust me, when shit goes down, it's gonna go DOWN. //-------------------------------------------------------// Small Change of Plans... //-------------------------------------------------------// Small Change of Plans... I've decided to stop posting chapters as I finish them. I went through and made small edits, including an unintentional plothole between the last two chapters. So instead, I'm gonna proofread them. And I've been working on getting a co-writer. The problem being she only has an account of Fanfiction.net. I'll fix this later, but I'm tired as hell. So anyways, stay frosty, guys.