Chapters "Yet another BEAUTIFUL day at the convention centre!" I exclaimed as I walked through the bustling crowds with practiced ease, one hand clutching my red over-shirt and the other placed firmly upon the handle of a large black pull-along suitcase bearing eight of my favourite symbols of all gaming history. My eyes darted back and forth between the stalls, searching for my contact while still watching for anything interesting that I could snatch up while I was here.
I must have looked downright bonkers, from all the strange looks I was getting.
I had a routine, you see. Attend any and all conventions that sparked my interest whenever they came through my town and then wander aimlessly with a pocket full of cash until some collectable or poster signing caught my eye. It tended to work, as nine times out of ten I would go home with at least one new trinket.
This time, however, I was on a mission. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted, and there was no force on this planet that would keep me from my prize.
Finally, after what felt like hours of searching (though it was probably no more than ten minutes), I saw him. Just like I was told, he was running a stall of assorted brick-a-brack while dressed as The Merchant from a game that I forget the name of. Never played the game in question, as anything that fell into 'horror' games just didn't sit well with me, but I digress.
As I made my way over to his stall, I realised he had a pretty big selection of weaponry and gadgets from a multitude of games. He even had a replica of the key ring that hangs off of the Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts! Someone else got to it before me, though, so I let it go. The Merchant looked up at me, his mask shifting slightly as he (presumably) smiled. "Ah, my friend, I feel I know you! Have we met before?" He asked, extending a hand in greeting.
"Not in person, no." I replied, shaking his hand. Funny, his gloves felt as gritty as his character-costume had me believe they would be. "But we spoke over the phone. I'm Ace." His eyes lit up in recognition and he gave a throaty chuckle.
"Ah, yes, the Skylander enthusiast!" His voice was not particularly loud, but you could almost feel the power it suddenly held as he shifted to business.
"Yes. I believe you mentioned a Spyro figurine for sale?"
"Indeed I did, but I am curious as to why you require a character the company provides for free." It wasn't a question, but I felt compelled to give an answer for some reason.
"I got the game from a friend who had accidentally broken his Spyro. When I started collecting, for some reason, I just couldn't find that character at all. Now he's the last one I need, and I came prepared to pay any price you ask!" The Merchant seemed to consider this before nodding, seemingly satisfied with my answer.
"I'm a collector too, ya know." He said, pulling the Spyro toy from his large backpack under the desk and rolling the base around in his fingers.. "Though I prefer something with a little more… scare factor."
"Yeah," I laughed, "I can tell."
The Merchant placed the toy on the small table that lay between us, the light hitting it so that it looked just THAT much better. I hope I'm not drooling over this.
"So," I said, trying to get the conversation back on track. "How much do you want for it?"
Again, the mans mask creased in the way that made you think he was smiling, but you couldn't be sure. He placed his fingertips again one another and rested his elbow upon the table, one either side of the toy. After several minutes of him just staring at me (and me trying to look as stony-faced as possible(news flash: I'm not good at the stone-face)), he laughed again and reached into his bag again, this time fishing out a necklace with a large, oval stone the colour of a spring-time sky embedded into a casing of glimmering silver.
"This," he said, waving the necklace in my direction almost drunkenly, “is the amulet worn by Master Eon himself when the Core of Light was first forged."
"Sure." I replied, frowning. I then pointed at a small red and white sphere on a small stand in another corner of his stall. "And that's a real Pokéball."
"Don't blow things off just because you don't think they're real, kid. Listen, I'll give you the toy and the amulet for just a hundred bucks. The toy on its own is two hundred."
"WHAT!" I cried, slamming my hand down on his table. "That's extortion!"
The Merchant merely leaned back and shrugged, saying "You want the thing or not?"
Grumbling, I pulled the needed fund from my pocket and forked them over. I then snatched the toy and the amulet from the Merchant, walking over to the doors to the convention centre and making my way outside, ignoring his jeering.
Once outside, I sat at a small wooden picnic bench and lifted my carry case onto the table, opening it and placing the final occupant into his place. I sat there for a while, staring at the amulet that had halved the price and wondering why he wanted rid of it. I shrugged it off after a bit and lifted the long black string over my head. May as well get some use out of the thing, right?
With the amulet resting on my chest and my case once again in hand, I turned to make my way home.
And then everything went white.
{3rd Person POV - Castle of the Two Sisters, Everfree Forest}
Zecora, Zebra Shaman and personal friend to Princess Twilight Sparkle, had been trekking the Everfree Forest in search of certain plants and herbs in order to refill her larder when she had decided to check in on the Tree of Harmony. She wasn't expected to do it, but she had decided it best that somepony at least make sure once in a while.
On her normal visits she would wander down, just as she was now, and meditate under the Tree for a while. This allowed her to sense the ambient magic produced, as well as any other magic was attempting to tamper with it. So when Zecora walked into the cove in which the Tree of Harmony rested, she planted her long Everwood staff into the ground and removed her flowing brown cloak, hanging it off of a rock jutting from the wall. She then hopped up, balancing one-footed upon the tip off her staff.
Taking a deep breath, Zecora took a deep breath and entered into a meditative trance. For the longest time she remained motionless, naught but the breeze disturbing her. She was just about to finish up, already bending her leg slightly in order to hop down, when she felt… something flare to life. It's power spiked immediately, throwing her from the trance and onto the floor. The staff followed her, snapping off at the base and clattering to the floor. Zecora frowned.
Just what was that surge?
That was when she noticed the pulsing purple light shining from somewhere behind the Tree, where as it had previously been assumed that the cove ended at the Tree. When she went to investigate, though, Zecora noticed that the rear wall seemed less like a natural construct and more like somepony had stacked a multitude of rocks over a hole in the wall, then cast a spell to keep then steady for a long time. The shaman was amazed that she had never noticed this before, likely because the sheer power of the Tree's magic cloaked that of the barrier. Nevertheless, she took her broken staff and wedged it into one of the gaps in the rock wall, using it as leverage in order to pry the passage open.
On the fourth attempt, Zecora finally managed to pry loose a single, fist-sized stone. This in turn loosened the remainder of the wall, causing it to crumble away and reveal another small chamber further inside the cove.
As the zebra crept in, her eyes fell upon the source of the pulsing light. A cylindrical podium, tall enough to reach her waist and seemingly made from slabs of stone, was situated in the centre of the sanctum with a purple, viscous-looking fluid rippling within its Dias. Strange symbols were carved through the outer shell at eight regular intervals. As Zecora stared in awe, the glow from the fluid grew brighter and brighter to a near-blinding point. The shaman had to shield her eyes in order to observe the spectacle.
The substance began to churn, sloshing towards the sides and meeting back in the middle in an increasingly aggravated manner, seeming to be building up to something. The relating splashes reached higher and higher, yet never once did a single droplet of the stuff separate from the main source. Zecora afforded herself a moment to wonder just what the substance was .
And then, from seemingly nowhere, the mass of glowing purple something spat out an unconscious person.
The person was male, if his broad shoulders were anything to go by, and would probably reach around six feet tall when standing straight (a mere two inches above her own five foot ten). He was dressed in a seemingly simple white tee-shirt under a red flannel shirt, blue denim jeans, black faux-leather hiking boots and a matching set of fingerless batting gloves. His jet-black hair had three vertical white stripes running the length of the left side and reached roughly half-way down his neck. What intrigued the shaman the most, however, was the distinct lack of fur on his peachy skin.
Once her observation of the fur-less Earth Pony (He must be so , she had reasoned, as neither Wing nor Horn is shown! ) was complete, Zecora wasted no time in hefting the boy onto her back and beginning the trek back to her hut. She grunted slightly as she adjusted his weight across herself.
'This shall be a long walk.'
Ace awoke slowly, groaning with discomfort from his current position. He lay on his back upon what appeared to be a medical cot, and as he looked around the room, he grew more and more worrisome for his health. Hanging from the walls were creepy-looking masks whilst bottles and vials of every colour lined any and every surface. A huge, wrought-iron cauldron sat over a fire-pit in the middle of the room, a sickly green liquid bubbling away while a cloaked figure stood stirring, occasionally adding a plant or herb. Whoever it was appeared to be singing a little song to them self as they worked, too.
"Little dreamer leaving for your quest, you face a rugged pa~th you'll have to carve on your own…"
Ace noted that the figure had a definite feminine tone to it's - her - voice.
"Uh… is this a bad time?" he asked, slowly raising himself to sit on the edge of the cot. The cloaked figure whipped around so quickly that she almost seemed to have been facing him the whole time, her face shrouded in shadow, two glowing yellow orbs peering from the depths of the darkness. Ace swallowed down the fear that the figure instilled in him and stood up, realisisng that he was, in fact, taller than the woman by roughly two inches.
The woman reach towards her hood, gripping it's edge and throwing it back. This act revealed a mohawk of charcoal-grey and snow-white stripes. Her skin was covered in short, coars looking fur sporting the same colour scheme as her mohawk and her nose and mouth were elonated slightly into a short muzzle. Several gold rings adorned her neck.
"It would seem you have a knack for stealth," she said, eyes softening into a look Ace ascociated with concerned nurses. "Though the concern still lies with your health."
"Wha..." Ace never got to finish that thought as the girl lifted him up - surprisingly easily - before laying him on the cot again. When he tried to sit up, she merely pushed him back down. Eventually, Ace resigned himself to lay back and let the strange woman do her thing. And it was when he felt her soft, fur-covered hands run along the left side of his chest, stoping at each rib and applying the slightest pressure, that he realised she had removed his shirt.
"Who are you?" he asked, watching with trepidation as the woman moved from his left side to his right, repeating the process. ""What are you doing?"
The woman reached behind her, grabbing a bottle of yellow liquid, before replying. "My name, my friend, is Zecora." she said before pouring some of the liquid onto his upper arm, which he now noticed had a long (but thankfully shallow) cut running from his shoulder to his elbow. "And I am treating your wounds which, while minor, still come in a plethora."
Ace just nodded before looking around the room. He didn't comment on her strange look, or the strange ornaments, or the strange liquid in the strange cauldron. I don't want to be rude , he told himself, but in reality he was just scared she would put him in the brew. He jumped when Zecora hit a particularly sensitive spot on his wrist, turning to find her eyes studying him.
"You know," she said, looking back to her task. "when somepony gives you their name, it is quite impolite to not do the same."
"Sorry," Ace chuckled, scratching at a spot just behind his ear with his free hand. ""I was just sort of... intrigued by your choice in decorations. I'm Ace."
Zecora nodded in understanding. It wasn't the first time that somepony took an interest in the masks and potions lining her walls. At least he isn't calling me an Evil Enchantress! She couldn't resist a small chuckle at the memory, which caused Ace to smile a little subconciously.
"Well then, Ace, I am quite glad to say," Zecora said, standing and moving to what appeared to be a wooden coat rack. "That all of your wounds appear A-Okay!" She then grabbed Ace's tee-shirt off of a hook and tossed it to him, prompting him to pull it over his head. He frowned a little when he noticed the large tear in the front.
"Damn it…"
"I apologise for the clothing tear," Zecora began, her back to him as she placed her cloak on a hook. Underneath he saw that she was wearing an earth-brown suede jacket over a black vest top, a pair of earth-brown jeans and pink socks. She looked back at him as she pulled on a pair of black hiking boots. "But I know where you can get more clothes to wear. A friend of mine, quite a fashionable mare, cares about clothes almost as much as her hair!"
Zecora laughed openly at her own joke, handing Ace his own boots and his over shirt, which was shredded more so than his tee. Ace sighed, grabbed his gloves from a desk by the door, and followed Zecora out of her hut, muttering all the while.
"Rassa frassa … favourite shirt… stupid luck…"
Spike was a simple man, by dragon standards. He liked books, he only gathered enough gems and jewels to feed himself, and he did everything in his power to protect his friends.
So when he heard somepony screaming from the direction of the Everfree Forest, he dropped his basket of freshly dug rubies and dashed towards the source.
What he found was, quite frankly, disturbing. Zecora had walked into town which, by now, was perfectly normal. The creature - as that was all it could be described as from that distance - was not normal. It looked like something out of one of the dragon's particularly gruesome comics, where the bad guy had kidnapped and skinned a pony, somehow keeping them alive. I need to re-read that one , Spike thought idly as he prepared to leap at the creature.
He was stopped, however, by Zecora's hand, as she had apparently not stopped walking.
Ace had heard the scream and jumped, freezing in place. It was only now, as he willed himself to move, that he took notice of the seven foot tall dragon and instantly (and figuratively) crapped himself. Though, for some odd reason, he did feel an odd pull from the drake…
"Spike, Ace, I believe you have met," Zecora stated, breaking the silence between the three and beckoning both males to follow as she continued on her way. Ace immediately fell into line, offering his hand to Spike as the drake matched his pace. Spike took the offer and the two apprehensive men share a firm handshake. Zecora sighed. "Now grow up and realise there is no need to fret. Ace here simply need some new clothes, the reason for which he quite clearly shows."
"Hey!" Ace cried indignantly, pulling at what remained of his shirt. "…t'aint my fault…"
"So you're going to Rarity's" Spike asked, brow raised. He thanked a cream-furred girl with two-toned hair the colour of rose petals as she handed him his basket of rubies.
"Indeed we are, Spike my dear." She turned and gave the drake a look, cutting him off before he had fully opened his mouth. "And yes, you can come, to lift any fears."
"Cool."
Rarity was a busy mare. Orders had stacked up out of nowhere : three dresses with ruby-encrusted hems, all a different design, for Fluer Di Lis; three matching suits with ruby-encrusted lapels, also different designs, for Fancy Pants; and five gem-encrusted stage dresses, each with a different gem for every day of the week, for Sapphire Shores.
Fortunately, Sapphire's dresses were already completed and on their way to the pop-star's most recent show. Un fortunately, those dresses had ran her gem supplies completely dry, so she'd had to send Spike out to collect the rubies for the remaining orders, which had all since been prepped for the long process in which the gems would be sewed into the fabric. The fashionista was just pouring a cup of tea when the small bell hanging above Carousel Boutique's door let out a small *ring *, announcing either the arrival of a customer or Spike's return.
"Rares! I'm back!"
Rarity smiled to herself, placing the teapot back on the stove before making her way into the foyer. "Spikey-Wikey!" The mare called, holding out her arms in a hugging manner. Spike, of course, complied instantly before placing his basket on a nearby table. "And Zecora, too! Oh, it's been much too long!"
"Indeed it has, my fashionable friend!" Zecora replied, smiling broadly. "Though I'm afraid this visit holds a small business end."
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"That would be me."
Rarity jumped slightly at the new voice, as she hadn't noticed the third member of the visiting party. Rarity took a moment to take in this new stallion's appearance - which of course means she took one look at his torn and ragged clothes and immediately teleported him onto the small stage in her show room, immediately taking measurements.
"Whatever happened to your clothes, dearie?" the fashionista asked, tape measure wrapping around Ace's waist.
"I'm still trying to figure that part out myself." Ace admitted, sighing. A sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, where exactly am I? I never did ask."
The three others in the room shared a look, clearly surprised by his question.
Rarity spoke first, moving over to a desk covered in paper and drawing utensils. "Darling, surely you've heard of Ponyville, if not the Everfree Forest?"
"They sound familiar, yeah, but..." Ace began before trailing off. Slate-grey eyes widened in a mixture of realisation, amazement and despair. "No. Freakin'. Way. Am I in Equestria?"
Spike stepped forward, slight concern in his eyes. "Uh, dude? You okay there?"
Out of nowhere, Ace began to giggle. His giggling soon grew into a chuckle, before exploding into outright maniacal laughter, causing the others to step back in concern. Tears built in the man's eyes before cascading down his face, the laughter only growing in volume in this time. Ace slowly sank to his knees as he finally began to just sob pathetically, Zecora moving to his side, pulling the distraught man into a hug. Rarity, attempting not to focus on the awkward situation, busied herself with designing multiple outfits for Ace. She also made a quick note to replicate his current clothes.
Spike, having seen the signs in many of his comic books, finally concocted reasonable (in his eyes, at least) theory as to Ace's bizarre looks.
"You're... you're not from this planet, are you?" he asked.
"Spike!" Rarity scolded. "That's ridiculous! Of course he's-"
"You're right, Spike." Ace began, cutting Rarity off as he dried his eyes. Thanking Zecora, he continued. "Where I'm from, this world is just a cartoon, though you're not as... humanoid . Tell me, what was the last big thing to happen to you guys?"
"Well, that would be Tirek, surely." Rarity replied, already stitching the material together for a simple tee shirt. "But I still find this whole 'other world' thing utterly ridiculous. I mean, how would your sun and moon move without Celestia and Luna!" She gave a little laugh at that, thinking that she had won.
"The planet moves around the sun on it's own, as does the moon around the planet."
Rarity face palmed.
"Now, since Tirek was the last big thing to happen, that means you no longer have the Elements of Harmony, but you do have the power of the Rainbow Light thing. And Twilight has a castle."
"Ignoring how unsettling it is that a supposed alien knows all of that," Rarity stated, handing Ace a loose-fitting, plain white tee shirt with a motif of three diamonds on the right shoulder. "Here is a new shirt for you. I shall get right to work on some proper trousers to replace whatever those used to be." She finished with a brief gesture to Ace's jeans, which were surprisingly no more torn than when he had put them on the morning before.
It was when he changed his shirt hat he realised he was still wearing the necklace. It seemed to have a greater shine to it now, as though it held some untold power, but right now all Ace could see was the Merchant's smug face.
"He did this to me." he spat, voice dripping with venom. "He sold me this thing. He tore me from my sister!"
The necklace seemed to flash, and suddenly Ace's face paled. The others in the room merely looked on in confusion, none daring to say a word.
"Something's wrong."
As if on cue, a series of loud screams echoed through the air. Wasting little time, Ace rushed for the door, stopping only when Rarity screeched "You can't go out there! You'll get yourself killed!"
Ace looked back at her, eyes cold but determined. "I have a new shirt and my jeans aren't damaged any more than normal." He said, pulling open the boutique's door. "All I know is, as far as the timeline I know of is concerned, there isn't supposed to be anything attacking Ponyville today."
And with that, he shot off, Spike hot on his heels. The two of them quickly made their way to the market square, where they saw an orange Earth-Pony with a blonde mane and tail kicking at a timberwolf, a smaller, yellow Earth-Pony with a scarlet mane and tail, both of whom wore simple work jeans and tank tops.
"Applejack!" Spike shouted, charging the timberwolf and tackling it to the ground. Ace ran over to the mare, speaking quickly.
"Ma'am, take your sister and run. We'll handle this."
Applejack nodded before grabbing her sister and sprinting away. "C'mon, Apple Bloom." she said. "Let's get ya safe."
Ace turned to see Spike throwing the timberwolf off of himself, noticing the purple smoke billowing from the wolf's eye's.
"Spike!" he called, the drake rolling out of the way of the wolf lunging at his throat. "D'you see that in it's eyes?"
"Yeah, that's not good."
Ace rushed forward, hoping to get a decent kick at the timberwolf's jaw while it was distracted. However, it dodged at the last second before using incredibly surprising strength to buck him clear into the air, his body sailing towards the Everfree.
(Ace's POV)
Interesting thing about timberwolves: they have tree sap for blood. I suppose that's to be expected, but still. Kaze no Ran'na glowed cyan again before shrinking, gaining weight once more as it returned to Core Strike. I don't know why this doesn't freak me out, but it doesn't. I was distracted from my thoughts by a rough, boyish-but-still-feminine voice squealing.
"So awesome !"
I whipped around, eyes falling on the five mares and the drake. I absently started twirling Core Strike in my right hand and put my left in my pocket, smiling at them. Rainbow and Applejack fell into fighting stances, Twilight's horn lighting up despite her neutral expression. Spike merely sighed, shoulders slumping, and Rarity pinched the bridge of her snout between her thumb and fore finger. Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie, by which I mean she was instantly smiling, stood by my left side (thankfully away from the sword) and greeting me.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I've never met you before! Spike says you're a human, but you look like a bald Earth Pony to Applejack - despite your mane, I mean. I don't care what you are, though, because now I can throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party and a 'Thanks for Saving our Lives' party!" she said, not a single breath being taken during. I just smiled, Core Strike still spinning.
"Ace, I do believe that the constant twirling of a deadly weapon in the immediate vicinity of the pink one is making the others nervous. " Core Strike said. The others all jumped, looking around for the source of the voice. I guess he decided not to hide.
"Right, I should probably stop that." I replied, catching the sword in a reverse-hand grip and thrusting it into the ground. "You don't mind being in the dirt, right?" I asked.
"Not at all, Ace. " he replied.
The incredulous looks I received told me that they were not expecting the sword to be talking. Neither was I, girls, neither was I. I just shrugged and waved before speaking.
"To anyone who hasn't met me yet," I began. "Hi. My name's Ace. The sword's name is Core Strike right now, but when it transforms it's name changes to Kaze no Ran'na."
Twilight's horn lost it's glow the minute I put the sword down, and Applejack came out of her stance. Rainbow Dash, however, still looked ready to charge me despite her previous declaration of my awesomeness. Twilight stepped forward and cleared her throat.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, most recent Princess of Equestria. These are my friends Rainbow Dash," The prismatic Pegasus grunted in response.
"Applejack,"
"Howdy." The orange mare replied, tipping her Stetson.
"Pinkie Pie."
"Hi!" The pink mare waved enthusiastically.
"And I believe you've already met Spike and Rarity."
"Now," Twilight began, smoothing down her lilac cardigan. "The matter at hand is: what do you intend to do now?"
I blinked once. I blinked again. "Say again?"
"What do you intend to do? If what Spike says is true, then it is clear that you are not from any world that I know of."
"Ah, right. Of course. Well, I suppose the first thing to do would be..." I paused, looking up to see the sun still high in the sky. "...contact Celestia, let her know who and what I am. Maybe ask for a licence of whatever if I'm gonna be keeping Core Strike."
"Excellent idea, Ace. We don't want the Princess' thinking you're a threat, do we? "
"No, we don't. "
When I looked up from our impromptu convo, Spike was already belching green flames on a rolled up parchment. Nobody else seemed phased by it, but I was honestly scared of the drake right now. For some reason, I could see thousands upon thousands of screaming souls in the flame. The sounds seemed to resonate within me, echoing around my head, getting louder and louDER AND LOUDER AS IT WENT !!!!!!!!!!!
"OH DEAR GOD MAKE IT STOP!! " I screamed, clutching at my ears in pain. The others looked at me in shock, but I didn't care at this point. The sound was still deafening, but I could tell it was beginning to die down. Core Strike's voice cut through, - I know that's a terrible pun, shut up - silencing the screams as he spoke.
"Ace, it's okay. I can hear them too. "
"What is that!?"
"That is Spike showing us his Element. " the sword explained, extending his psychic range to once again include the mares and drake.
"Element?" Twilight asked, head tilting to the side in curiosity. "What element? We gave the Elements of Harmony back to the Tree, and Spike wasn't even a bearer!"
"Not the Elements of Harmony, the Ten Elements. "
"The whosit?" Applejack asked.
Core Strike sighed. "The Ten Elements are the ethereal powers upon which this world is based. There are ten of them, each of which can be channelled by the creatures of this world. Some creatures can control certain Elements easier than others. For example, all Pegasi can channel the Air Element, which grants them their abilities to fly and manipulate weather, even if they don't realise it. "
"So which of these 'Elements' did I show you, Ace?" Spike asked. "What made you freak out so much?"
"I-I don't know! It was like... in your fire! There were voices ! Screaming voices!"
Everyone present, even a few other ponies who had come out of their homes, looked at me as though I had grown a second head. A young, orange Pegasus filly with a messy purple mane - who I remembered to be Scootaloo - leaned over to a white Unicorn filly with a two-tone pink and purple mane, stage-whispering to her: "Someone has issues !"
Spike looked somewhere between intrigued and disgusted by my description.
"So what Element does that fall into?" the drake asked.
"Undead. "
Wait a minute... if two of the Elements are Undead and Air... that's it! I knew something was familiar!
"Say, Twilight. Does the term 'Skylands' mean anything to you?" I asked, looking to the sky. I have a feeling the Princesses will be here soon...
"It sounds familiar, but... ah! I might have a book about it in the castle library!"
"Then that's where we'll go. Where'd you tell the Princesses we'd be?"
"In the castle."
"All the more reason to go then! Onwards!"
And with that, and a quick flourish of Core Strike, I left for Twilight's castle with Twilight and Spike. The other girls all excused themselves for one reason or another, though I think Rarity said something about adding a scabbard to my 'shopping list'.
Wow. Gotta say, I didn't expect the castle to be so... shiny ! I mean, I know it's crystal and all, but still...
Twilight walked ahead, pausing in the foyer before turning left. Spike cleared his throat, coming to a stop beside me and pointing to the right. Twilight smiled sheepishly and turned, walking down a hallway to the right. Spike rolled his eyes at me.
"Three weeks." he said, leading the way to what I assume is the library. "She had Canterlot Castle memorised in an hour, but it's taken her this long just to remember where her bedroom is."
"Well, it's a big adjustment, I'd imagine." I replied, letting out a small chuckle.
We walked in silence for a time, Spike occasionally having to redirect Twilight. Eventually we reached the library, the only room so far that had wooden floors. Twilight walked in and lit her horn again, causing dozens of books to start floating around her. Spike spread his wings and flew to the second floor, searching through those shelves. I examined the signs labelling each section.
Magical Theory
Equestrian History
Fiction
I strolled down the Fiction aisles, organised into alphabetical order - thank you Twilight - until I found the "S"es. Fingers tracing the spines, I perused the shelves until Twilight walked around the corner.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, eyeing the book that my hand had stopped on. "I thought you were looking for a book on 'Skylands'."
I merely pulled the book out and showed her the cover. She promptly facepalmed.
"'The Skylanders - Protectors of Skylands'" I read, smiling smugly. Twilight turned and walked back into the centre, sitting at a table that I hadn't noticed before, and I followed her. Spike hopped down to sit with us, a comic book under his arm. He sat in a seat opposite me and began reading his comic, which I noticed was a bit more gruesome than the one in the Power Ponies episode. Oh well. Twilight levitated a book on long-range teleportation in front of her. Shrugging, I leaned back and began reading.
Long before Celestia and Luna's reign, before the foundation of Equestria, before ponies even lived, the world was much different to what we see today. The land was not connected - rather, it was a series of floating islands across a vast ocean of clouds. Many a fantastic creature lived in these lands in the sky, from Snarglebums to Gustoquicks.
I burst out laughing, falling off of my chair as I did so. Twilight looked up, rolled her eyes and leaned over, scanning the book until she reached my slayer.
"'Snarglebums'?" she asked, giggling slightly. "'Gustoquicks'? What in the name of Celestia are those?" She looked to Spike for an answer.
Spike had joined me on the floor, howling with laughter.
Twilight shook her head, still smiling. "Boys."
Pulling myself together, I picked up the book again and resumed reading.
The most common sentient race of this land were the Mabu, who closely resembled the modern-day Ferret in appearance. One day, the various Mabu royal families realised something at a council - they had yet to name the land! And so, King Rizzo the First put forth the suggestion of 'Skylands'!
Why am I not surprised that one of the annoying Mabu characters was royalty. I skipped ahead a bit, reaching a chapter titled The Skylanders .
Skylands, despite it's peaceful appearance, was constantly plagued by evil forces hoping to take over. To combat this, the lone tribe of Portal Masters that called Skylands home decided to put together elite groups of heroes. They called these groups the Skylanders!
Out of these groups, the best of the best were lead by Master Eon. This force was lead by the ancestors of all Dragonkin: the drake of Darkness, Tenebris, and the dragoness of Light, Lux. These Dragons lead the first elite team of Skylanders - the Giants!
Over the years, forces of evil continued to threaten Skylands, and the Skylanders were always there to uphold the peace.
I stopped reading there, flipping through until I found more on the Elements.
There are ten Elements from which a Skylander's power comes from. Legend has it that, when the last Skylanders sacrificed their very existence to combine the islands of Skylands, effectively creating Equus as we know it, the Elements - that previously only the Skylanders could wield - were imbued into the world itself. From that day onward, all creatures born had a minute connection to the Ten Elements - some races having a higher connection to a certain Element than others.
The Elements have always had a direct connection with the survival of the world, and are as follows: Air, Earth, Water, Fire, Life, Undead, Magic, Tech, Light, and Dark.
Contrary to popular belief, not all creatures are direct iterations of their Element. For example, you don't have to be undead to bear the Undead Element. An example of this would be Cynder, one of the last noble Purple Dragons alongside her lover Spyro. Rumour has it that they had an egg before giving their lives to form Skylands, though it is unknown what happened to the egg if it did exist.
I looked up at Spike. You know, his colours did seem to be darker than in the show. His spines were longer too, curled and sharp rather than domed and blunt. Is it possible that he's a descendant of Spyro and Cynder?
"So what'd you find?" Twilight asked, making me jump. Spike looked up too, placing a bookmark in his comic.
"Well, apparently Equus wasn't always whole." I proceeded to tell them everything I'd learned from the book, as well as my suspicions about Spike. The drake in question looked surprised at this, as though he had never expected to have come from such a heroic lineage.
"Wow." Spike said, scratching the back of his neck. "Guess the whole Element thing isn't so weird after all."
At that moment, Twilight's horn flashed purple. Twilight shot up, rushing out of the room. I looked to Spike for answers.
"Magic doorbell." he said.
"Ah."
And that was when shit went down.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. (Ace's POV)
Ow! Dammit, that hurt! Though, considering the fact that I'm currently flying through the air instead of lying dead with my entire torso turned to mush, I guess I should be thankful. Wonder where I'm going to land?
Wait... was that a cottage at the edge of the Everfree Forest? That can only be Fluttershy, and given my angle in regards to the cottage...
...
......
...................
"Castle of the Sisters, here I come!"
"Gah! Ow! Dammit all!"
Needless to say, crashing through several layers of stone walls and floors, no matter how old they may be, is painful. Thankfully, I seemed to be slowing down, so I should stop soon.
smack
And of course as soon as I say that I land, spine first, on a rock. Ouch. Luckily, all of the previous pain seems to have numbed my body, so it wasn't too bad. I chose to ignore the fact that the force should have at least affected how I moved as I stood, taking in my surroundings. I seem to be in an area of the castle that hasn't been shown in the show yet, but that's to be expected, as they haven't actually shown a lot of it.
Wow. I almost forgot I was in Equestria. Granted, it's an anthropomorphic Equestria, but the Multiverse Theory dictates that in the Multiverse, any and all possibilities can and will happen, so that isn't too much of a shock. But Equestria! How? All I remember is putting on this stupid amulet that I bought from that guy at the Con. Could he be behind this? But how? And, more importantly, why?
Oh well, I'm not gonna dwell on that right now. First I need to find a way back to Ponyville so I can help Spike with that weird Timberwolf. Now, let's see... I seem to be in some kind of cell, what with the rusted bars across the doorway, so I'm probably down in the dungeons. I just hope that rust has weakened the bars enough, otherwise I'm gonna have to climb my way out.
I walk over to the bars in question, inspecting them at the edges. They seem pretty weak, but looks can be deceiving, as the Manticore in the first episodes proved. Now, let's see, the bars seem weakest at the edges, so if I just... and push right here... kick that out... and voila! Freedom! Now, let's see about getting out of the castle proper...
"...young Master... "
...what was that? I swear I just heard a voice. A quiet, raspy voice, almost like someone hasn't had a drink for over a thousand years.
"Who's there?" I ask aloud, despite the fact that it could be some kind of body-snatcher. What, I'm paranoid sometimes!
"...young Master...help me...please... "
Okay, now I have to know what it is.
"Where are you?" I say, hoping that they could hear me as I slowly walked down the hallway. Rusted bars to ancient cells lined the walls, shadows seeming to stretch on forever within. Perhaps some kind of light-hating creatures were inside, sealed away by great magics for their crimes against the populace. Or maybe they were just shadows.
"...I'm in...the armoury...hurry... "
As the voice replied, I rounded a corner that lead to the first actual door in the hallway, an almost completely faded plaque fixed upon it, no doubt once stating the purpose of the room beyond with great pride.
"A... Mo... Y? Amoy? Armoy? Armoury! Hold on, dude, I'm coming!"
I charged forwards, barging into the door and knocking it off it's hinges instead of just stopping to open it. No one was inside, just a short sword lying on a large chair.
Granted, considering everything else I had seen so far, the fact that both sword and chair were in pristine condition caught me off guard, but otherwise I was just confused. Who was calling me? I shrugged, turning to leave, when I heard the voice again.
"...so you're not...going to...help me?...I should...have known... "
I whipped back around, scanning the room. My eyes fell on the sword again. Was that who was talking to me? It wasn't so far off, I mean, Equestria , but still...
Screw it.
"You're the sword, aren't you." I deadpanned.
"...Yes... "
"And you want me to take you off of that chair?"
"...Yes... "
"The chair that you were probably left on for a good reason.
"...When did we...start playing...twenty questions?... "
"When I realised I was talking to a magic sword, that's when." I snapped. "Now tell me why you were left here!"
"...I was...forgotten... "
"And why should I take you? You belong to someone else."
"...my wielder...he is dead...killed by the Nightmare... "
Oh. Well then.
"...Fine." I said, moving to the chair. I reached out, stopping just above the hilt.
"You're not going to drain my life force, are you?"
The sword took a moment before answering.
"...no... "
"So why do you need my help? And why do sound so weak?"
"...I was forged...by ancient Changelings...to house...a spirit... "
"What kind of spirit?"
"...one...of Courage...I feed...on bravery... "
"Like a Changeling feeds on Love?"
"...yes... "
"Well okay then!"
And with that, I grabbed the hilt of the sword, raising it dramatically over my head. I felt the energy flowing from my heart, through my arm, out of my hand and into the sword, multiple different colours visible through my skin for the briefest of moments.
"That feels so much better! " the sword... said? Must be some kind of psychic communication. Cool. "It is so rare for every element to be present in one being! "
... okay, that threw me off.
"Whadd'ya mean, 'every element'?" I asked, brow arched sceptically.
"Why, the Ten Elements, of course. Don't tell me that ponies forgot about the Ten Elements in a mere thousand years! "
"You'd be surprised what these ponies forget in a thousand years, dude." I said, shaking my head. It truly was ridiculous. "They thought Nightmare Moon and Discord were just fairy tales until they broke free."
"How could Celestia allow such a thing to happen!? " He - he sounds like a he - asked, genuine anger present in his 'voice'.
"Dunno. But that's for another day, there's something that I need to do, and you can help me with it."
"Of course, young Master. How may I serve you? "
"I need to get back to Ponyville ASAP. There's a monster attacking. D'you know the fastest way there?"
"Why not fly? "
"I can't."
"Of course you can! The Air element is present in your veins! Merely focus on channelling the very Air itself through me, and I shall guide you from there. "
Gotta admit, flight would be pretty cool, and the whole 'Air element' sounds familiar. For now, though, I'll just do as he says. Focusing on the feeling of the air on my skin, I pictured it feeding into the blade in my hands. A breeze picked up, visible lines of wind flowing outwards in front of me, curling around the room and back to travel up my arms and into the sword. Before my eyes, the sword erupted in a cyan glow, the blade becoming longer, thinner and lighter. It was like it weighed absolutely nothing! As the light faded, the blade was revealed to have transformed into what appeared to be a katana, though the handle was that of a lightsaber.
"Cool. Now what?" I asked, eager to get in the air.
"Now you must envision my blade slicing the air itself, and you stepping through the gaps. "
"So it's not so much flight as it is I'm walking on air?"
"Precisely. "
"Cool."
Quickly running back to the cell that I landed in, as I knew that one had a path leading outside, I ran through the steps in my mind.
Step 1: Envision the blade slicing the air.
A cyan energy enveloped the blade, allowing me to actually see the air. I quickly swiped sideways, creating a small 'step' of solid air for myself. I grinned, already loving this power.
Step 2: Will yourself to walk on the air.
A tentative step up proved that I was successful in this step, and I quickly repeated Step 1 before lifting myself up again. I was now roughly four metres above the ground, so I quickly faced the hole I had made my entry through and continued, eventually building up the courage to create steps as I ran. Eventually I found myself floating above the castle, attempting to find which direction Ponyville was.
"So what's you're name?" I asked, the sword in my left hand as my right shielded my eyes from the sun.
"Beg pardon, young Master, but you have not given me one. " he replied.
"Well what did your old master call you?"
The sword was silent for a while before answering. by that time I had already started moving, having saw a rainbow blur shooting up then down in the distance.
"My old master... he could not access my alternate forms. " he said, obviously deep in thought. I stayed quiet, allowing him time. "He knew of them, but he was unable to use any of the Ten Elements. However, he still thought of me as a useful ally, even in my Core form. Because of this, he named me Core Strike. "
I thought that over for a moment. Clearly, the sword's old master had loved it, even without it's full power. Striking from it's very Core, defending it's master as much it could.
"I like it. Has a nice ring. But I feel like you should have a name for each form..." I looked down, seeing my feet running on the wind... "A-ha! I know!"
"What is it, young Master? "
"I shall name you using the most refined language I know! Your Air form shall bear the name Kaze no Ran'na, Wind Runner!"
"By your will, young Master. "
"And please, dude, call me Ace."
(Third Person POV)
Ponyville Market was completely destroyed, all because of a single timberwolf. Spike was thankful for his draconic heritage, as that meant that despite the amount of time he had spent fighting this thing, he was still pretty far from getting tired. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had arrived not long after the beast had catapulted Ace away, working together to make sure it stayed in one place while Spike took care of the fighting himself. Applejack had returned shortly after ensuring her sister's safety, along with Rarity and Pinkie Pie, and all three had began helping Twilight and Rainbow with keeping the perimeter. Fluttershy was helping the citizens.
Spike growled, baring his fangs and claws as he charged the timberwolf again. The wolf also charged, fangs dripping with rancid saliva as it pounced at Spike's face. Spike dropped to his knees, sliding under the wolf and raking his claws against it's underside. When he was at a safe enough distance, he turned to see what damage he had done and winced. The deep gouges in the timberwolf's wooden body were quickly disappearing, leaving no sign of injury whatsoever. Even with a regular timberwolf's regular ability to heal dismemberment, they could never normally repair any damage to the wood itself. This was no ordinary Timberwolf.
"What the heck is that !" Rainbow screeched, pointing at the air above the Everfree Forest. All heads, even the Timberwolf's, turned to observe what Rainbow had seen - a furless Earth Pony running on nothing, twenty feet above the ground!
"Is that Ace?" Rarity asked, squinting slightly. Her eyes widened after a moment. "It is Ace! I didn't know he could fly!"
"Who's Ace?" Twilight asked.
"A human, like from the other side of the mirror." Spike replied. "I don't think he's from the same place though. He seemed to know about us."
"Is that what that guy was?" Applejack asked, scratching her head. "Ah thought he was some kinda bald Earth Pony."
"Guys! Twitchy tail!"
At Pinkie's outburst, the five mares and one drake promptly scattered, attempting to find any cover they could. The timberwolf just looked around, confused, before a long, thin blade plunged through the back of it's head, the tip emerging from it's lower jaw. The wolf's eyes widened before the purple smoke faded away. The wolf's body slowly began to fall apart, wooden chunks falling to the ground. Ace pulled the blade of Kaze no Ran'na from the wolf's wooden skull with a flourish, the blade emitting a cyan flash of light as it reverted to it's Core form.
A tense silence filled the air as Ace inspected the blade of Core Strike, wiping some sap off. Rainbow Dash broke the silence accordingly.
"So awesome !"