Ultraman

Chapters

Prologue: Reality
Chapter 1: Different
Unite

Prologue: Reality

Music: Ryu and Serizawa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-x1sXh5bJM)
Cory walks these streets day by day. It’s repetitive as it is mind numbing, but nonetheless, it’s a reminder to him. The people who are on these streets are the most important reminder that this is still reality, that even though his life may have lost some of its meaning, life for others; life in general continues on. It stops for no one despite the self-centered notions people may have. He still looks around at other families, the children playing with Frisbees and chasing each other. The days seemed peaceful as usual. Tranquil, easy going, happy, despite being the care taker of his much younger sister. Even though they lived in the isolation of their community in North America, sheltered from the evils and violence that besieged parts of earth, this small town of harmony was what mattered to him. But what if this wasn't the only reality he knew of. What if, another reality existed? One far beyond man’s comprehension. These were thoughts he pondered in his head.

Music insert: Opening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwwTrdR9ngs&index=1&list=PLEBF16B37B4050315)

As he pondered this, his fingers tapped against the metal of his car door as he waited for her to be released from her school. He tapped his cigar on the car door to let the ashes drop to the ground before bringing it to his lips, taking a prolonged puff before exhaling the tobacco smoke. He spat, and put his cigar out in his cars ash tray as he saw his sister exit the middle school building. It was her first day at Middle School, which had him worried. At High school being a freshman could be rough, he knew this from experience, but being new to Middle school was far worse. You're a common target of the eighth grade bullies who thought of themselves as gods of the entire school. Their words, and the words of the other children would burn such a young, sensitive girl like red embers. His sister was stronger than most twelve year olds mentally having had an upbringing that a tad bit on the rough side. But still, he worried about her being in what can be a hostile environment for teenage girls emotionally. Despite this he had to keep his head up, whether or not things went well for her at school he needed to show that he was there for her when a friend was needed. He smiled as she got into the car, tossing her backpack in the back seat and sighed as she fastened her seat belt. She paused for a moment and sniffed the air before turning to him with a stone glare, glancing back at him and the still slightly smoking cigar.

He rolled his eyes as he put his keys in the ignition, "It’s the only one I've had all week."

"You know what they did to dad," She said, her expression staying solid.

"Those were cigarettes Sarah. Not Cigars, there's a huge difference." He shook his head, turning around to look to see if anyone was behind him as he backed out, "And like I said, I'll quit right after I finish the box I just purchased."

"You said that right after your last one, there were fifty of them in there and you went through them all in a month and a half! Don't you think its best you, quit? Buy some nicotine gum or something?"

"That'd just get me addicted to chewing that crap," he chuckled, poking her nose.

"Its smoke. You remember what happened to his jaw." He shook her head as well, giving up on her small argument she pulled a small, scarlet wrist band from her sweatshirt pocket as Cory put the car in drive.

He glanced over and furrowed his brows, recognizing the band as the one Sarah gave her best friend Tara back in third grade, "Tara’s wrist band. Why do you have it?"

"It's a long story." She stashed it back into her pocket.

"I'm a good listener." He raised his brows, eyes still on the road ahead of them.

"You remember Jason right?" She asked, twirling her hair around one of her fingers, her attention out the passenger side window.

Jason, the boy Cory had heard of time to time. If he could remember correctly, Jason was Sarah's friend Tara’s love interest. She has pursued him since their fifth grade year. For such a young age, Tara was infatuated with the boy.

"Heard of him, yes." It finally occurred to Cory just what had happened, "Was Tara not in his best interests?"

She looked down at her feet, "No, but I was. She yelled at me and called me a..." She huffed, "A whore. She took this and threw it at me and stormed off. Everyone stopped and looked at me, "Tears began to stream down her face," I just didn't know what to do."

Ah yes, Cory remembered those days as well, rivalry triggered by such trivial things. Cory sighed and turned on the radio, switching it to the classical station where they played swing music.

Song insert: I'm sitting on top of the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVrJoA2O7E4)

He began to sing with a makeshift, nasally New York accent, while tapping the steering wheel, glancing at his sister every few seconds. She covered his eyes and held in her giggle, finally punching his arm with a smile on her face. He wiped away her tears and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks," she smiled, "Now, you can turn that geezer crap off."

He grinned, "You don't have to tell me twice." As he turned the radio station, they passed by their apartment complex, pulling in and parking in their designated spot.

Music insert: Fear of encounter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MERfJZ6C8hY)

The sky had grown cloudy, asides from a few beams of evening sunlight that showed through some spots on the horizon. He grabbed a few bags of groceries as he closed his car door and locked it. When he looked up towards his Neighbors window. He saw something. Someone, with a silver, almost featureless face staring at him as he stood by his car. It had large, black as night eyes, and what appeared to be large backward facing hornlike protrusions atop its eyes. A streak of what appeared to be red extended from the left side of its face down its smooth, silver cheek. Cory's grip loosened on the bag he was holding, its contents spilling out onto the blacktop. He knelt down and quickly stashed the food back into the bag as fast as he could.

"Cory?" His sister called for him from the doorway of their apartment. He looked towards her, and then back at the window. Whoever was standing there was now gone. He kept his gaze on the window for a few more moments before making his way into their apartment. He sat the bags down on the table, making sure that the ones containing juice bottles didn't topple over.

"The neighbors must be a bit paranoid of us." he said, pulling the bread from the grocery bag.

"Which ones?" She asked while texting, placing her phone back down on the counter.

"The ones on the second floor, room 16."

Her face contorted to an expression of confusion, "Cory, that apartment is vacant."

He stopped in his tracks and spun around, "What?"

Sarah placed her phone back down, "The whitemens moved out of there last week remember?"

"Yes, but..." He walked back towards the door and opened it, looking to see where he saw the face was the right apartment. It was, apartment number sixteen on the second floor, right above the parking garage.

"It was right there..." He mumbled to himself.

"You're freakin me out bro." Said Sarah, smirking at him while placing a hand on the wall.

"Whatever." He sighed and entered the house. Sarah had sat down in front of the TV, and was flipping through the limited channels they had till she came to the FOX station to watch Family Guy. Cory opened the door to his room and locked it behind him, walking over to the picture he had on his night stand. A man standing next to a younger boy were in the picture, both in white gees. Cory took the picture frame and sat down on his bed. His eyes traced over the man's face as memories flooded his mind.

Music insert: Suffering (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8xrBrXvgz4)

"I should be angry that you left me with this burden. Until Sarah is of age to work, we have very little to live off of. But, at the same time I have much to be thankful for." He laid on his back, still examining the old photo of him and his dad. "You taught me how to fight well dad. Great, in fact, I have that to be thankful for. Of all the training you put me through, I did grow strong." he looked at his hand, "Even to the point to wear my hands would turn blue and swell, I would have to soak them in cold water. But..." He could feel his frustration grow, "Even with this fighting knowledge I still don't know where my life is heading. Will it stagnate like this? Will I become something?" He placed the photo on the bed, "What did any of what you taught me amount to?"

He sat up and shouted at the picture, "What was it all for? I am still nothing in this world!" He sat up on his knees, "Tell me!" A tear flowed down the side of his face, "Just what am I supposed to be in this world?"

He heard a knock at his door, "Cory? Are you alright?" It was Sarah. He heard her insert a pin into the key hole and open it. She closed to door and sat by his side, "Dads picture..." She looked over it, "This was six years ago."

He sighed, "Yeah. Right before his cancer spread." He put a hand over his temples, "Of all times to go... Right after mom left."

"I hate her..." She replied nonchalantly, "But, Cory, you were yelling about being nothing." He gave no answer other than him lowering his shoulders.

"It seems, that there’s nothing left for me." He exhaled.

"There is. There is still someone you're important to." She smiled.

Cory shot her a confused stare, before realizing what she meant. “I love you Sarah."

"Ew, gay." She giggled.

"Seriously?" He chuckled.

"Yep." She sat up from his bed and opened the door, "Cory, I know it’s hard now, but please hang in there for both of us."

He nodded, "I will Sarah." as she wished him goodnight and closed the door, Cory held the picture in his hands again.

"I'll protect her dad. Just like you asked." He sat the photo on his nightstand, "Goodnight."

XXXXX

The next day at work, Cory sat behind the computer screen as he typed in the names of the many guests that would be attending the offices luncheon. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his computer chair as he heard a knock at his cubicle entrance. His friend Brunheild smiled, "Ey, Miller, don't have that smoke smell to you for a change."

Sarah didn't want me smoking in the car." He rubbed his forehead as he groaned, "And I'm sure as hell feeling it."

"Think a Camel will do?" His friend offered, pulling out a box of cigarettes.

"I don't do cigs, you know that." Cory rolled his eyes. "Sorry, I had a rough evening yesterday. Sarah had a hard time at school yesterday."

"Huh, what brat ripped her a new one?" Brunheild stashed his box in his Blazer pocket and put a mint candy in his mouth to mask the ashy scent on his breath.

"Since when did you try and mask your ash breath?" Cory pointed out laughing, "Trying to get that promotion today huh?"

"Sh!" Brunheild looked outside the cubicle to make sure no one heard him, "Serious shit man, but yeah, the cig breath would have only made it well, least bit convincing to have a smoker on that job."

"The boss does it himself." Cory turned in his computer chair and began typing again. That’s when both him and his friend heard spastic knocking on the wall again, this time one of the office assistants, hair disheveled from her running, "Cory, come look at the TV!"

Brunheild and Cory shot each other confused glances before following their panicked comrade into the break room. All the workers, boss including were gathered around the TV that showed a helicopter view of a school, one that was all too familiar with Cory.

His face grew a pale white as he read the words on the screen, "Middle School Gang shooting, students held hostage."

"Sarah..." He whispered as he broke out into a cold sweat, "Sarah!" He made a mad Dash from the room, his friend shouting for him to come back.

He peeled out of the parking lot and into the road, nearly getting T-boned from a rather beat up pick up truck in one lane, and a smart car in the next. He floored it through a red light, the traffic cop blowing his whistle feverishly as he sped by. He rounded the corner on the road that lead to Sarah's Middle School, the doors of the school were children fleeing from the building. From the windows on the second floor, children that he recognized as High School students had knocked the windows clear from the second floor and were firing upon students who foolishly fled through the entrance, hoping to be lucky enough to get away towards safety. He ducked down as bullets ripped through the metal of his car, swerving before finally crashing into one of the trees nearest to the outer parking lot. His head slammed against the steering wheel, his car engine sputtering as it came to a stop. His vision grew blurry before he finally blacked out, his head slumping to the side while blood ran down his forehead.

"Sarah... Sarah..."

XXXXX

"Sir? Sir are you alright!?"

Cory groaned as he opened his eyes lazily, trying to lift his head from the side. A sharp pain wracked through his neck, causing him to stiffen his body, only resulting in more pain from his severe whip lash.

"Hold on, we're getting you out of here alright? Can you understand me?" Asked the woman who wore a police uniform. She beckoned towards the fire men who lifted Cory onto a stretcher, his vision finally growing clear enough to observe his surroundings, "Where... Where is she, where is Sarah." He began to grow impatient as he got no reply, "Where is she, where is my sister?" He lifted his head up just enough to look back towards the school. His eyes grew wider upon realization of the horror that had occurred. Children, some alive, most dead, were lifted onto stretchers and carried towards multiple ambulances and carried off towards the hospital.

"How?" he thought, "This shouldn't be. In a war zone yes, but why here? Why children? Why..." He remembered the reason why he risked his life coming here, "Sarah... Please, tell me is she's ok."

"Where is she damn it?" He tried to yell as one of the Fire men pushed him back down into the stretcher.

"Sir please, you're in no condition for this, be calm!"

"Sarah!" he called out, looking around one last time before his eyes found her.

"No..."

He saw her body being lifted on a stretcher, a crimson laden blanket stretched over her motionless body. His face grew cold, even as hot tears streamed down his face, "This is... This can't... Sarah!" he tried to stand up despite the throbbing pain in his head and the tension in his body, only to be forced down by the nurses in the ambulance. He cried out for her one last time before the doors were shut.

"Fuck you!" He seethed with rage, "Let me out!" He spat at the nurse who strapped him arm down as he thrashed about. He quickly grew tired, and his anger faded back to sadness. He sobbed as more tears welled up in his eyes, "Sarah..." He silently cried over and over between sobs, "Sarah..."

His nurse sat near the medicine cabinet when she cleaned up the wound on Cory's forehead, occasionally wiping away with tears of her own. Though she felt for the children as well, nothing she felt at that time could compare to Cory's.

XXXXX

He awoke to the sound of a heart rate monitor monotonously bleeping away. As his blurred vision focused, he could see that the room was dimly lit by a fluorescent light on the ceiling, illuminating the pearl white hospital room he was in. His head rested on a white pillow as he turned his head side to side to observe his surroundings even more. A basin, a glass of water which was within reaching distance. He used hsi good arm to lift it to his lips, taking a long, savoring sip as it soothed his dry throat. He downed the whole glass in a matter of ten seconds and sighed, his mind still in a daze from the day’s prior events. He could then hear someone’s voice on the opposite side of the door before an African man stepped in, clip board in hand and a smile on his face, "Hello sir, My name is Dr. Martin, and you're Cory Miller, correct?"

"Yes doctor." He laid his head back down.

"Feeling alright? Whiplash not giving you any major troubles?" He waited for Cory to reply. His smile faded, sighing he placed his glasses on the counter, "I understand that what you saw, was something you never had to see. It didn't need to happen. I'm sorry you had to experience it sir."

"It’s not just that..." Cory looked up at the ceiling, "My sister was there. I saw her, she wasn't moving... She was..."

The doctor sat up upon hearing this "You said she correct, your sister was a student there, right?"

"Sarah..." Cory raised his head up a little, "Is she here?"

Dr. Martin raised his eyebrows, "Sarah Miller? She regained consciousness not long before you did. I can have you meet her shortly if you'd like."

Cory could feel relied wash over him. She was alive, she was in the hospital with him. She was safe.

This was what he promised.

"How is she?" Cory eagerly asked, shifting his weight onto his right side, "Will she be ok?"

Dr. Martin placed his glasses back on, his look growing even more solemn. "I'll have the nurses get you in a wheel chair."

"What about Sarah? Is she ok?" He asked once more, a tone of desperation growing prevalent in his voice.

"From what we have gathered, a bullet severed her spinal cord and kidney, thus causing an unprecedented amount of internal bleeding." He looked down at the floor, and back at Cory whose jaw was now slightly agape upon hearing this news. He closed his mouth and tried to swallow as his mouth grew dry, "C-Can I, see her?"

"Of course." He stepped out of the doorway as two nurses entered the room and helped Cory into his wheel chair, pushing in tow with the Doctor. They made a few turns down the hall, and pushed him into a room identical to his own asides from the medical equipment that still laid out in the silver tray next to her bed. The doctor nodded to Cory as he slowly closed the door. The noise of the lock clicking into place awoke his sister from her slumber, "Her eyes weakly opening, their once bright green color was now faded grey. He could see a small smile form amongst her lips.

Song insert: Cory's theme/ Himeya's Theme (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb13imP3JQs)

"Cory..." She said weakly, "You're here..."

"Sarah..." Cory felt his heart sink, her voice sounded so hollow, so weak and frail.

"Cory, I don't regret it. All these years living with you. I wouldn't trade it for anything." Her smile grew bigger, this time Cory could see her teeth which were still beautiful.

He stifled a sob, "Me neither. Even without mom and dad, I still managed to at least give you a home."

"You took the role of both. You cooked, took me to school, worked for us, gave me a home, and was my best friend when I needed one." A tear streamed down her face, "Thank you." She raised a hand up for him to grasp, it was almost cold to the touch.

"I know, Sarah. I don't regret any of it either. Not one bit, my life..." He stopped as her grip on his hand grew lighter, her eyes were fighting to stay open, "Sarah please... Not now, I don't want this to happen, Sarah, Sarah! I told dad I wouldn't let this happen."

Her lip trembled while she cried, "I'm... Sorry..." Her and body grew limp as she gave one last breathe.

Sarah..." He shook her arm, "Sarah you can't, Sarah, Sarah!"

Nurses flooded into the room, the entire place was in a fit of chaos as doctors and nurses gathered around her bed in hope that they could revive her. One began to cart him out of the room, he pushed himself from the wheel chair and crawled towards his sister as he cried, “Please! Please let me see her! Let go! Bastards, let me go!" He was lifted back into the wheel chair while the doors to the room slowly closed, with his hand outstretched, he shouted for his beloved sibling one last time.

This, was not what he had promised.

One month later...

Cory sat on a park bench that overlooked the cemetery. The wind was warm and gentle, with sunlight peeking through the clouds here at the skies zenith. It had been three weeks since her funeral. He remembered how the survivors of the school shooting showed up, even some of their parents who knew that they struggled financially offered him a few generous loans of money. He declined, even with the money, his heart was split beyond repair. The flowers he had placed on her grave were now wilted, their petals blowing away with the gentle breeze that ran its fingers through his hair. He had taken the week off upon reccomendation form his boss, believing that some time to mourn without interruption would help clear his mind. As he looked to his side where he heard footsteps, his closest friend, Brunheild, walked down the brick road, carrying a drink in each hand. This entire time he had been a great help to Cory. He helped soothe some of the pain, he was grateful for that.

Music insert: Heart Break (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uFX1EU2yXc)

"Thought I'd find you here." He sat down next to Cory and crossed his legs, "You've been hiding out here a lot lately."

Cory nodded, "It’s been... Rough." he finished lamely.

"Well, it sure has been a tough past month. But, this tea won’t drink itself." He handed the Styrofoam cup to Cory who took it, lightly sipping on it while keeping his gaze on the ground below.

Brunheild put his drink on the walkway and turned his body towards him, "This is far easier said than done, but Cory, for your sake, for your sister's sake, shouldn't you turn from the past?" Cory's puzzled stare invoked a long sigh from him, "What I mean is, this mourning won't do you any good. You're not going to get anywhere by wallowing in your self-pity. Just turn away from your past. Please..."

Cory shook his head, “I am different from you, brunheild. I'm not a strong man like you."

"That’s not true, Cory." He assured him, "Everyone has a past that they wish to forget." He looked towards the horizon, "It’s an old saying Cory but it greatly applies here."

"What is it?" he muttered.

"You can't change your past, but you can always change your future. I know how you feel Cory, but it’s time to let it go. Let yourself be free from this pain." Brunheild smiled warmly, patting his friend on the back.

"Still..." Cory stood up, "Even if I move towards the future, without my family its..." he looked towards Brunheild before leaving, "Meaningless."

Brunheild could only take a deep breath of disappointment. He had done his best, and it all seemed that he could only leave it to his friend to find peace with it all. "Turn away from the past Cory, live in the present. Find peace, find happiness, and find contentment in your life. Meet people will be loya, honest, ones that will make you laugh, be generous and kind. Find people to love, and those that will love you. Good luck." he whispered, going his own separate way.

XXXXX

When Cory got home, he dropped his sweatshirt on the floor carelessly, walking into his bedroom and sitting down on his bed. He ran with palms through his hair and took a deep breath. Clearing his throat, he opened the drawer nearest to him and opened the box of his Cigars, holding it his mouth for a moment before picking up his picture frame, sorrow welling up once more as he stared longingly at the smiling faces of both him and his father.

"I'm sorry." He nearly croaked, "I am so, so sorry." A tear fell onto the glass, "You trusted me. You believed in me... And I failed you."

He grabbed his cigar in one hand, lighter in the other. He brought the cigar to his lips as he began to light it, careful to char the end too much.

"You know what they did to dad..."

"Sarah..." He thought to himself. He looked at the rolled up tobacco and threw it away before he fell to his knees. Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind, training with his father, running through the yard while he chased Sarah around with the garden hose on a summer’s day. Memories of the past, the past which every iota in his being yearned for. His chest grew heavy his body was wracked with torment, hopelessness and sorrow. "Why must it be this way? Why am I robbed of everything?" Tears streamed down his face, "Why?" He banged his fists into the floor, "Damn it! Damn it!" He stumbled over to where he kept his pistol in the drawer, "This is it..." He put his finger on the trigger, "This is what I have become... Nothing..."

He pulled the trigger.

He felt nothing. He should have felt the bullet rip through his skull for a brief few moments before death. But that relief from all this pain did not come. He was still alive, still breathing. But yet, everything was so still. The sound of spring birds that were chirping away were gone, replaced by a sudden, eerie silence. He could hear only his heart beat in the wake of the complete and utter silence that befell his apartment. That’s when he felt it first in his fingertips, then the hair on the back of his neck stood up from an electrical current that rippled through the air. He spastically looked around the room as car alarms outside began to go off, followed by the shattering of windows and ear splitting banging of metal pans that fell from their cupboards that broke the long silence. His body tingled all over, the hairs standing up at ninety degree angles. He felt extremely light headed as it felt he was spinning, and the sensation of electricity still resonated through his body. That was when he heard a distinct roar, like the sound of a giant beast, and then all went black.

Complete, darkness...

No wait, there was something in the darkness. An image appeared fainty in his unconcious mind... A horse, no a pony... But it was different than a poy. Its eyes were far too large, and human like. It had a warm, welcoming smile, a red bow in its sea blue mane. Another pony flashed through his mind. It had a horn on its forehead, a two tone mint green mane, and yellow, golden eyes. Her coat was a minty green color, much different in contrast to the almost grey one of the previous mare. The next one was what surprised him the most. A Unicorn like the one before, her mane was an electric blue, her eyes showed from behind her retro style sun glasses. They were a bright, neon red along with her off white coat. Who... Just who were those creatures? Why was he seeing them in this dream like state?

XXXXX

In the night of another world, the stars shined brightly in the dark abyss that was the sky. The town, its architecture resembling gothic style buildings and castles, were scattered along the landscape and mountain side. Canterlot was the name of this great city, its name was known throughout the land. Its name dripped wealth, class and culture. Home to the finest in all of Equestria, this was the final frontier to those who yearned to become the very best.

Atop one of the castles that leaned out towards the star clad horizon, an ivory mare with a flowing, teal and pink mane stared from her window pane. Without her sun, she could not properly look over her kingdom in order to discover just what this disturbance was. Just, what was this knot she was feeling in her stomach that was causing such paranoia and unease.

A Blue mare, complete with a horn and wings just like her sister entered the bedroom. Where a sun was on the flank of the white mare, hers was a crescent moon. "Sister, pray tell, what has thee worried at such a late hour?"

Celestia closed her eyes and turned away from the window sill, "I sense a disturbance of some sort. An, imbalance."

"Whatever do you mean? All is well across the landscape." She joined her sister by her side, "I remember looking upon those rolling hills. Remember him? That foal, well, boy as they called him that would always nap facing the castle?"

Celestia nodded, "It's been almost a full millennia."

"If only," Luna said solemnly, "If only there was another way for it to end."

"They were a violent people Luna. It pained to see the good ones, the ones that also served us well go to. But, in the nd they would have sided with their own people."

Luna nodded in agreement, "Do you think we will ever cross paths with them again?"

"While they're in tehri own little world?" Celestia giggled, "I don't see that happening. Even though stranger instances have occurred before."

"Indeed they have." Luna turned away from Celestia, "Come sister, it is time that I take charge of things. You need your rest to raise your sun."

"I will try Luna." Celestia closed the curtains and walked to her bedroom. Her stomach felt uneasy... Something was horribly wrong. In the morning she would make sure that her student would aid in her investigation of this disturbance she felt.

Chapter 1: Different

Opening for story: Doa Eiyuu

He had no idea how long he was out of it, it could have been minutes, hours, and days even. Upon his awakening, his eyes examined the canopy of moss entangled trees, they grey sky in the center. Rubbing his eyes he examined his surroundings. Lush folia, moss that hung from tree branches, and a somewhat grey sky overhead. He shook his head and stood up, his body somewhat sore from that strange phenomena. The air was thick with humidity, and gnats attacked his ears in no time.

"What the, where the hell am I?" He stood up and wiped the water from his hands, his shoes somewhat wet from the humidity that clung to the grass. It looked like the kind of forest you'd see in a medieval fantasy movie. Thick green forest, a grey, hazy sky, but the air was heavy, hot and moist.

Suddenly, he felt something prick his back. He turned around to see a horse, or pony due to its small size, holding the iron lance like a human would. He was clad in gold armor, with a blue plume on top of his helmet, exact to the ancient Greeks warrior style. His expression was what shocked him the most, not only was he angry, but it showed. He did not have his ears back and head raised like a normal horse would, his brows were furrowed and his nostrils were widened, a mixture of both a horse and human.

"Stay where you are." he commanded, poking Cory in the gut. He stumbled back with his hands up, at loss for words. Did that pony just speak to him in perfect English?

From the sky descended several more of these ponies, or in this case "Soldiers" carrying a gold and silver clad chariot of some sort that lacked wheels. How they were able to land it was a mystery, but he watched as they slowed down their flight speed, the chariot illuminating with a white aura before settling on the dampened grasses. Stepping out of the chariot was a larger, and leaner, her mane was flowing by itself, and looked like the colors of the rainbow. Her coat was whiter than snow, and behind the Tiara she wore on her head was an Ivory unicorn horn. There was another mare whose coat was a night blue, a crescent moon adorned her flank. She was a tad smaller than her white counterpart, her eyes were a dark green, almost blue color. Her mane also flowed like the others, but it too like her coat was a dark blue. Both were an absolute sight. They looked exactly like the Pegasi he had seen in children’s books years ago and in medieval lore, like they were taken right from some old fairy tales. The larger white one approached him with a blank expression, but he could see it in her eyes that it was question time.

Another soldier stood in front of the human, holding the same type of lance the one behind him wielded. His glare was solid stone, his eyes were bloodshot in self perpetuated anger, its only purpose to make him all the more intimidating. Cory raised his hands to the sky even higher, careful not to move even when the larger, ivory mare inspected him. She used her magic to levitate his shirt up.

"What’s the deal?" he shouted. Her expression hardened briefly, but soon returned to one of peace when she took a deep breath, "Do you have any sort of wand?"

"Wand?" He repeated, "Of course I... No, I do not have one."

She stepped closer to him, nearly eye to eye, "Do you practice any sort of sorcery, witchcraft, do you know of any warlocks?"

"Warlocks... But those aren't..." he froze up when he felt the cold tip of a spear poke his back.

"You answer the Princess when she asks you a question." The soldier demanded.

He swallowed despite the fact his mouth had gone bone dry, "No... But they aren't real."

The Night blue Mare stepped down from their carriage, "Does thou take us for fools!? To deny the existence of blatantly real beings is a cause for great suspicion."

The white mare laid a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, "You are telling me the truth. Are there any magical humans in your world?"

Cory was confused, how did she know about humanity? "No, there aren't any wizards or witches, they're just legend."

The two sisters looked at each other in surprise. The darker one was first to look back to him, "Would thou please come with us?" Cory nodded, even if they were going to kill him it would be a far quicker death than starving out in the wilderness.

XXXXX

The next morning in Ponyville at the golden oaks library, Twilight trotted back and forth, the kitchen rug becoming flat and matted by her constant pacing. She had received a letter the night before about Cory, or “visitor” as he was labeled and how he would be staying in Ponyville with a few ponies to get him acquainted with life in Equestria. "Spike, Spike!" she called, having grown a tad annoyed with her assistants sluggish pace.

"I'm coming I'm coming," The small purple dragon mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"There you are," She trotted over to him, "Seems you've been up late."

"Well, not really. That letter I burped up gave me a wicked stomach ache." He grimaced. He fell back and sighed, head throbbing from the lack of his sleep.

"So it seems." She broke from her pacing and levitated her satchel onto her back, "The visitor is coming to Ponyville today."

He sat up from laying on his back, "And we are the ones to give him a warm welcome, right?"

She placed a few food items in one side of her satchel before zipping it shut, "Not quite, a few mares who volunteered for community service accepted that job."

"Why's he staying with them?" he scratched his head in confusion, "You're her student, don't you think it would make more sense if this visitor stayed with you?"

"I understand Spike, I thought the same thing too. But I am needed at the Crystal Empire with Cadance. Plus with it being Apple buck season, fall weather coming, and Rarity's boutique making a lot of business, it’s just better if he stays with someone else gets him acquainted. They all know he'll be in town and can help out the volunteers if needed."

He slumped down onto the floor, "I guess that makes sense." He yawned and stretched his arms.

Twilight giggled and levitated him onto her back, he yawned once more and fell asleep. She trotted out into the early morning rays of sun. The mornings here were always peaceful. She loved the smell of dew in the late summer, the warm yet not overbearing sun always sent barrages of positivity in the townsfolk, despite a few occasions such as the temporary reign of Discord. Nonetheless, she was always able to wake up and marvel at the earth's beauty.

XXXXX

"Lyra!"

A mint green unicorn froze up when another mare screamed her name, she fell onto her back, her light brown colored hoof becoming stuck to the floor. The other pony, whose hair was both a dark navy blue on one side and pick on the other, trotted over to her dazed friend. "What did I tell you about sneaking into the kitchen? And what’s that on your hoof?"

"Aheh, um," Lyra sat up from the floor, pulling her hoof free from the hardened candy mixture, "Lets just say i got a little too impatient this time."

"Lyra! Because you had to go and put your dirty little hoof in there the candy batter is ruined!" She pressed her nose against her roommate.

Lyra winced and looked to her right, "Sorry Bonny..."

Bon Bon sighed and put a hoof to her forehead. She grabbed some money from her drawer and put her satchel onto her back, "I'm gonna go get some more ingredients. And next time Lyra, just wait..."

Lyra saluted her friend with her candy coated hoof, "Got it!" She glanced at it before happily licking away. After cleaning herself up, she too exited her home and trotted down the streets, growing more and more curious about what her friend Sapphire was up to that day.
Her eyes were closed, her breaths slow, yet focused. The smell of the incense wafted into her nostrils as she relaxed every muscle from her head all the way down to her flanks. With her mind clear, she could sense that she was almost there, at last she could accomplish what she so longed to do. Her mind was slipping away into a state of subconscious, dipping into a mental realm, almost a dimension that few ponies had ventured into. She was going to finally experience an out of body experience and...

"Hey Sapphire!"

Her eyes snapped open as she squeaked in surprise, turning her head to see Lyra smiling at her from the doorway. Sapphire groaned, "I was so close..."

"Close to what?" Lyra asked, her head tilting to the side.

"Nothing." Sapphire stood on all fours. "I at least wanted to get some decent meditation in before I head off to Canterlot this afternoon."

"Oh yeah!" Lyra's eyes brightened up, "I remember now. With the Elements of harmony busy and with Twilight and Cadence at the Crystal Empire there's no one else to help get this new pony settled here. Where did she say he came from again?"

"She didn't really say," Sapphire adjusted her bow, "She just said he was a, visitor." She lowered the paper with her magic.

"Hm,” Lyra sat back on her haunches, "I wonder if he's a griffon! Or maybe a Zebra?"

"Or maybe a human." Sapphire joked, rolling her eyes and smirking.

"Hey! We've already talked about this!" Lyra pouted, her face flushing red.

Sapphire giggled, "I was only kidding Lyra, but at times you're a bit too into your cryptozoology."

"This is coming from the meditator."

"Well I... Never mind." Sapphire gave up, her comment would have only turned the situation ugly. She sat up from her pillow and gestured for Lyra to follow her. Lyra trotted by her side through town as they made their way to the train station.

"You'll be nice to him right?" Lyra asked, her eyes narrowing just a tad.

"Maybe, we'll see. It’s already a burden sharing my space with you and Ditsy half the time." She chuckled.

Lyra turned her head away and rolled her eyes, "I'll take that as a no."

XXXXX

Cory stood with Celestia at the station, two guards on each side of him. Their expressions were solid stone, along with that their armor clad bodies were motionless even as they occasionally glanced over at him. Their ruler wasn't making any of it easier. In fact, she seemed a bit annoyed that whomever they were meeting was late. Even though it’s only been one minute.

"We are a tad early." She murmured, "Perhaps I should let it slide."

"So, uh," Cory stood awkwardly between the two guards, "You guys do this for a living?" He asked lamely. As he predicted, he got no response from either asides from a grunt in annoyance. It was after all a stupid question.

After another minute passed, that’s when he saw them, two mares walking along the dirt path at a fast pace. One wore a red bow in her sea blue mane. It had a horn on its forehead just like Celestia and the guards. The other, a unicorn mare with a two tone mint green mane, and yellow, golden eyes. Her coat was a minty green color, much different in contrast to the almost grey one of the previous mare.

"I'll be damned..." He remembered the dream he had before he awoke in this world, "It’s them, but, but how?"

The two of them bowed to Celestia, "Thank you two for coming here. Your help is much appreciated. Something strange has certainly fallen upon us, and, with the Crystal Empire in need of Twilight's assistance and my own, I have left it to you to help our visitor." She stepped to the side, "Please come forth and..."

"Incoming!" Shouted a somewhat nasally voice. Coming in hot was a gray Pegasus mare, her blonde mane flowing in the wind. She tried to brace herself for her clumsy impact, only to crash and slide on her bottom, coming to a sliding stop next to Sapphire. Her eyes went crossed as she smiled at Celestia.

Celestia returned the expression, "Well, it seems you three are here after all." She finally stepped aside, reveling the human that stood behind her, "Please come forth."

When they locked eyes with him, the shock Cory had felt earlier was now mutual, "He's a..." Sapphire's jaw was agape in disbelief.

"A human!" Lyra's eyes were wide with excitement, "She tackled the human and sat back on his lap, but soon hopped off as a guard thrust his lance towards her.

"Keep your distance from him until the Princess allows it." The guard demanded, retracting his weapon.

"You three are aware of why you're here, correct?" Celestia asked.

Derpy bounced up and down like an eager child, "I know, you wanted us to watch the visitor right?"

"Right you are Ditsy, not only do i want you to watch him, I want you to also get him acquainted with his new..." She paused for a moment, "Residence. For the time being that is."

Sapphire raised her left brow, "So, we're babysitting?"

"Excuse me?" Cory snapped. He felt the cold tip of a lance poke his back he raised his arms back up, but not without rolling his eyes. Even though the guard wouldn't dare impale him without Celestia's consent, Cory figured that it'd be best to stay on her kinder side to ensure his survival.

Sapphire turned her nose to the air away from Cory. He could tell they were going to get along “great”. As Celestia and her guards made their way towards the Princess' carriage, the white mare stopped and beckoned for Cory to come closer. Cory looked back at the three mares before he walked to Celestia.

Her face hardened a tad, her eyes looking into his as if she was scanning them for the least bit of deceit. "I have one more question for you. Will you answer it honestly?"

He nodded, "Yes I will Princess Celestia."

"In your realm, do you have any legends that include bipedal Titans?"

"Yes we do, but they're mainly fairy tales for children."

"Mhm," Celestia bit her lip, "Thank you. Enjoy your stay here."

"Well that was, weird." He thought to himself.

"Hey biped, still with us?" Sapphire asked, her voice growing impatient. Her friend Lyra nudged her shoulder, "Remember what Celestia asked? Hospitality!"

"Whatever," she snorted, keeping quiet on their way back to Ponyville. As they walked through the town, ponies looked at Cory with suspicion, worry, and some with fear. He didn't blame them at all really, from what he could gather most have never seen one quite like him, and save for a few, most were fairly small compared to the equines back at home.

"Boy, you seem pretty popular!" Ditsy smiled, looking up at him with her wall eyes stare.

"Not the kind of attention I wanted." He said nonchalant.

"Well, you dos tick out like a sore thumb." Sapphire added, "Not only are you freakishly tall, but you're also, well, bald everywhere."

His face grew red, "Boy, you know how to make a guy feel welcome."

"You could say that, that is, if you were welcome." Lyra bumped his side and gave him a more reassuring look. Her smile faded when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes.

"You ok mister?" Disty asked, her eyes going crossed again, "Does someone need me to hug them?" She bounced up and down.

Sapphire shook her head, "Let him alone Derpy, its going to take more than that to get this weight off his shoulders."

"Hey! It’s Ditsy! Not Derpy!" She huffed, her eyes cork screwing in frustration.

They came to a large, almost medieval style house. A garden of various spice plants and flowers surrounded the housed perimeter asides from the entrance where a large wooden door stood. Sapphire used her magic to unlock the door, stepping followed by the two other mares and the human who had to almost duck down when he entered. Disty trotted up the stairs into her room, coming down not even a minute later with an empty satchel and blue mail man cap.

"Well, I gotta deliver mail today. By Cory!" She gave him a hug, much to his surprise and discomfort. She was surprisingly warm to him, which, he thought, could be related to her obvious mental illness which showed through her nasally voice and skewed eyes. She let go of him and trotted away from the house happily humming to herself. For such a troubled looking mare she seemed so, happy, even in the presence of an alien such as Cory. Lyra also trotted by his side with a small basket in her mouth. She giggled and placed it down, smiling at him and nudging his side, "I'll just be outside, and I think it'd be best to talk Sapphire for a bit."

Either Cory gave her a funny look or she could read minds, "She's not that bad once you get to know her." Without saying another word, she too exited the house and tended to her spice garden, collecting mint leaves and pruning off dead growth.

He sighed and walked to where Sapphire sat on her pillow, flipping through the pages of her book. She seemed very absorbed into what she was reading, her eyes danced across the pages of the book. She glanced up at him with her eyes and then back down at the book. He sat down instead, growing rather impatient with her sour attitude. The other two mares had been kind to him, the grey one named Ditsy Do especially.

She lowered her book just enough to peer at him just above the pages, "Is it normal for your kind to just stare at others?"

His brows furrowed, "You don't like me at all, don't you?"

"Not that I don't like you. I'm like this to everyone." She giggled.

"So, plainly you're a bitch?"

She nodded, "You could say that."

"What good will acting that way do?"

She closed her book, shooting him a cold glare, "Another thing about me, I don't have to explain myself to you at all. I am who I am, got it?"

Cory smirked, "Is that so?" In a way, her snooty attitude reminded him of his sister whenever they argued. "You remind me of someone."

He expected a response by the line of "Should I care?" But he actually perked her interest. "And who would that be?" she asked from behind her book.

"Well, my sister..."

Music insert: Ryu and Serizawa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-x1sXh5bJM)

She stopped half way through flipping her page, lowering the book just too where he could see her eyes. He could sense she wanted him to continue, "Before I came here, or, wherever the hell this place is, I was living alone with her."

This time she closed her book and set it aside, "Just you two?"

He nodded, "Yes. For two years. I and she were best friends since the day she was born."

"Oh," was all she could say, "Um, I guess being here is even harder for you now, with her not here."

"Heh," he chuckled nervously, "Well, she wasn't there either when I left. At least not anymore." He held his head lower.

Sapphire felt the strings in her heart being plucked, her body began to well up with guilt for having treated him horribly. She shrugged most of it off, but she had to admit his past did sound a tad tragic.

"I'm sorry... I didn't..." She stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a small reassuring smile. She returned one of her own, but it was more or less a smirk.

She took a deep breath, "My names Sapphire, last name Libra."

"Cory, Cory Nash." They exchanged hand, or, hoof shakes. Immediately she went back to her book as if the whole thing never happened, "So, now you know my name. Don't think that automatically means we are friends."

He laughed, I didn't think so." he stood up and left, "When your heads out of your you know what, feel free to talk to me."

"As far as you’re concerned it'll be always up there." She chuckled, ignoring him from then on.

XXXXX

"Do you really think he's returned?"

"It is hard to say Luna, a human has not existed in Equestria for almost a Millenia." Celestia flipped through the pages of her book, "Mother of me, I know this is the book, where, just where is the end of the prophecy!?"

Luna stood by her side, eyes also glued to the book, "You’re truly resorting to those dusty old books? This could have been a freak phenomenon. The most we should do is keep an eye on him, at least until we can confirm he is not like the others."

"Here it is," Celestia sighed in relief. "Wait, what is happening?" The lettering on the page began to morph into a variety of symbols, a different language unknown to modern ponies. Both of them could read exactly what it was, and what they read made their blood run cold.

"Devil... Mephisto..." Celestia said in absolute terror. The books pages began to flip rapidly back and forth, each page now had the same words hastily written in ink. The book finally closed and the candles in the room blew out. Celestia used her magic to relight them, cold sweat running down her back as she spastically looked around the room.

"He has returned... Devil Mephisto."

XXXXX

Cory placed the pan on the burner as Lyra used her magic to cut up the mint leaves. All the while, Cory stared at the string instrument that adorned each side of her flank.

"Those markings on your hips, are they some sort of tattoo?" he asked, wiping his hands dry with a dish towel.

"These" She gestured to her bottom, "Nope! They're as permanent as can be. They're called cutie marks."

"Cutie Marks?" He raised a brow, somewhat bemused by the childish name.

"Well in a sense they signify our special talents." Added Sapphire, filling up small water glasses for the table.

"Special talents... So, is yours playing the harp?"

"It’s a Lyre, but yes it is." She smiled at him with excitement in her eyes, "Perhaps I can show you after dinner, I'm a great player."

Sapphire overturned a large casket, "That may have to wait, looks like we are out of Apples."

"Well, I can go get some." The human volunteered. It was not a big deal, and since they were giving him a place to stay the least he could do was do them a small favor.

"Sure, make yourself useful." Sapphire chuckled, giving him a wink, "The market is just down the street. The person running it is awfully friendly, so she'll give you far less trouble than I have."

"Oh happy day." He joked. He took the small coins Lyra gave him and set out into the streets. The Twilight was in full swing, the first stars of the evening were showing just above the crimson sunset. Some of the ponies stared at him with suspicion, whilst some even scooped up their children and took them back inside their homes. Not once in his life did he feel so out of place. It as one thing going to the rougher sides of town back home and being stared at, but this was whole different look. Like he was a convicted felon who was walking free. Finally he came to the market and saw a blonde manned, orange colored pony. She wore a large brown Stetson hat with a band in her ponytail like mane. On her flanks were three red apples. Signifying that the crop she was selling was her passion, just like the Lyre was Lyra's. She wore a somewhat hesitant look on her face as he approached her stand.

She shook her head as soon as she realized she was staring blankly at him, "Why, uh, hello there partner. What can I get fer' yah?" She gave him a sheepish smile.

"Well, a bushel of apples is all I need."

She nodded and used a pair of tongs to pick a dozen apples into a basket, "So yer the foreigner that Celestia told us about."

He cocked and eyebrow, "She told you too?"

"Well a friend of mine who's a student of hers gave us a heads up." She placed the last one in the bushel. "There yah go hun."

"You're not that afraid of me?" He asked, a tad perplexed.

Well, yer not harmin anyone, and Celestia gave us a heads up that you ain't here to cause harm. On top of that, yer buyin my crop and helpin support me and mah family. So you're a-ok in mah book." She nudged his shoulder. "The names Apple Jack.' She held out her hoof, "Yours?"

"Cory Nash." He shook her hoof, a smile forming amongst his features. He noticed that a few Ponies have been watching him converse with Apple Jack. They whispered amongst each other,

"Thanks," He smiled, relieved that he was at least trusted by someone outside of Sapphire, Lyra and Ditsy.

"Don't mention it, have a goodnight hun." She began to close her stand for the night, pulling a tarp over the fruit and disposing the ones that had grew bad during the day. He waved and turned around, walking on the dirt road back to his residence. However, just as the house was in seeing distance, he heard a laugh, like the giggle of a teenage girl. He turned around the see if it was Apple Jack, however, all he saw was a now empty street, most ponies having turned in for the evening. His eyes finally caught something, a girl. A young human girl, one that was...

"Sarah?" He asked in disbelief. He dropped the bushel of apples as his eyes grew in shock. It was her, Sarah, right down the street from him. She giggled and ran from him, turning around to see if he was in pursuit. He called out to her once again as he chased through the streets, towards the outskirts of the town. She laughed the whole time, glancing back and smiling when she saw him not far behind.

"Sarah?" Where are you going?" He began to grow winded, they finally came to the mouth of the forest he was previously in, the large Ever free forest.

Music insert: Disappear (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MERfJZ6C8hY)

"Sarah?" He asked, he was beginning to grow unsure of what her intentions were. She turned away and ran into the forest, calling his name for the first time. For some reason, hearing his name being called by her enticed him enough to give chase once again. He soon regretted this as he was soon encompassed by the thick foliage of the woods. The canopy blocked most of the remaining twilight sun, making the forest floor dark and ominous.

"Sarah?" He called out once more, fear welling up inside him. He began questioning whether or not he had really seen his sister, or if that was even her. And no some sort of, well, who knew. He was confused and scared now that he was lost in the forest. But what made it worse was the deep, guttural growl that came from behind him. He slowly turned around him, his eyes growing in fear as he saw the face of a lion, a large, devil horned lion whose carnivorous breath filled the human's nostrils. The Lion like creature lunged at him, barring its teeth and lashing out with his claws.

The human screamed and barely managed to dodge the beast whose body was now in full sight. On its back were two back like wings, and where a tail should her was a large, carapace clad scorpion tail. He remembered the beast from the mythology books he studied few years back as a Manticore. This thing however was twice the size of a normal lion, and far more powerful with potent venom and great strength. The thing was about to strike once more as the human backed away nearly paralyzed in fear. But from above, what looked like another star shined bright in the sky for a few moments, blinding both human and beast. The Manticore shook its head and allowed its eyes to adjust to the blinding light before reeling back and pouncing towards Cory.

Music insert: Encounter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVK8IZJs86c)
Right when the Manticore was about to strike him, suddenly, the blinding light screamed down towards the earth, crashing down onto the manticore in a quick explosion, the creatures life was ended so quickly it could not even cry out in pain before its death. Cory uncovered his eyes to see just what it was that killed the forest hunter, his eyes growing in shock as he saw, a large, silver fore arm. On the side of it’s was a silver and yellow wrist blade, the fist however was buried into the earth. As he worked his eyes along the large arm, it connected to a large titan, his body clad in silver and dark grey armor. All except for deep crimson V shaped light on its chest. Its eyes were large and bugged out slight from its head that had a type of crest that extended to the back, followed by elongated armor on the back that protected the nap of its neck. Its face was silver and featureless, asides from a solid mouth piece that stayed motionless. It slowly pulled its fist from the earth, standing to its full height of one hundred fifty five feet. It stared towards the horizon, its eyes glowing with a pure, white light. It slowly turned its head to face the human who stood in awe.

"This... This can't be real..." But the terror, the pain in his joints, the smells of the forest, and the shock from the impact were all real. At least, it felt so. As the giant’s image faded, so did the crater on the forest floor. All of it, his sister, the manticore, even the giant were all an illusion. He stood up, this time finding the exit to the forest was much easier now that his mind was at ease. What was he seeing, did it mean something? Was he truly just seeing things, or was there meaning to it all. What was the meaning of him being in this strange world?

At that moment, everything Cory ever knew completely crumbled. The reality that he held dear to him his whole life disappeared. And a whole new one was presented to him.

Unite

He sat at the dinner table with the two of them, his mind completely absent. Sapphire paused with a mouth full of food, giving him a pensive glare before looking over to Lyra who sat also happily munching away. Lyra noticed her gaze and her small gesture towards the biped who sat at the opposite end of the table. The pangs in his stomach begged him to at least eat something, but his mind was on an entirely different matter. Slowly he took a few bites of his potato, slowly chewing, but in the end he didn't even swallow half of it, the remaining amount of the starchy substance drawing the moisture from his tongue.

"You still with us?" Lyra giggled, her words muffled from her chewing.

Snapping out of it, his face lit up as he sat up straight in his chair, sweat beading on his forehead from the embarrassment, "U-uh yeah I'm good just..."

"You're weird." Sapphire laughed and went back to her eating. Cory glared at her in annoyance, standing up from his chair and marching to his bed room. He plopped down onto the mattress as he exhaled.

Lyra shot daggers at her housemate whom shrugged in confusion, "What, it wasn't my fault."

"That is not hospitality." Lyra snapped.

Sapphire levitated her fork down onto the table, "He's pretty sensitive for a guy, most would have just laughed along with me." Lyra didn't say another word to her, she trotted to where Cory lay in his bedroom, eyes stuck on the ceiling.

"You enjoyed dinner?" She asked, smiling warmly as she sat down on her rump.

"Yeah. I was actually able to eat a little something for once."

Lyra's ears slightly drooped down, "You seem, bothered by something. And I don't mean bothered from being away from home. Did what Sapphire say really bother you that much?"

Cory put his hands behind his head, "Not really, a lot has happened even before I came here."

"Like what?" She tilted her head.

"I told Sapphire about it briefly, but I had a sister."

"What do you mean had?" It took a moment before it finally set in her mind just what he meant, "Oh... Oh no, I'm very sorry I..."

"You didn't know." He shrugged it off.

"here," her forelegs wrapped around him. This shocked him, she seemed far more comfortable around him than he had imagined. He lightly returned the hug and felt his hand trace her side as she pulled back. She had a warm look in her golden eyes, they sent him a clear message that he had her hospitality.

"Thank you." He felt his spirit being lifted. Since he met her and the wall eyed winged equine, a warm sense of security washed over him.
As he thought over their hospitality, her eyes trailed amongst his form. He certainly was different, but it perked her interest, "Raise up your arms."

He gave her a puzzled look but obliged, raising them from his sides. She inspected them with her large, amber irises. His form peaked her interest, the veins in his arms stuck up in some places underneath his skin. he pulled them back a bit as her hoof traced the small bit of hair he had on his arms. He placed his hands down onto the mattress that was a tad bit small for him, making his feet hang off the edge. She blew out the candle but allowed for her horn to illuminate the room as she turned to leave for the night. However, She noticed Cory's stare in both amazement and confusion.

"How do you do that?"

"Magic!" She chirped, "You humans are like earth ponies, right?" By the look he gave her she could tell he had little idea of what she was talking about. "What I mean is, humans don't have magic, right?"

"I guess you didn't hear me talking to your ruler early." He sat up, bringing his feet in closer, "Its all just a gag where I come from. How are you so sure that your horn isn't bio-luminescence?"

She giggled, "Could bio, whatever it is do this?" She levitated him from the mattress, making him flail his arms in annoyance. She toyed with him for a minute before she dropped him back down.

"Ok ok, I get it now." He rubbed his eyes, his head aching slightly from being toyed with. Lyra giggled and illuminated the room once more before leaving, "Sweet dreams."

She stopped in the door way and awaited his reply. He nodded, "Goodnight. And, thanks."

"No problem. Now get some sleep you." She smiled. And without another word she closed the door. Finally alone in the bedroom, he looked out the window that allowed from moonlight to spill onto the floor. Sighing as he lay his head back onto the pillow, he slowly, but surely, fell asleep.

Lyra trotted to her bedroom just down the hall when Sapphire stopped her, her expression was one of mischief. "So, you seem rather concerned for his well being. I know you're thrilled to see your little 'crypt' turned out to be real, but you seem to have a whole different kind of interest in his well being."

Lyra's face flushed red, "I'm just doing what Celestia asked of us."

"She said to just watch him and make sure he stays out of trouble, not to baby him just because he thinks my jokes are mean spirited." Sapphire rolled her eyes and trotted away, "Goodnight Lyra, make sure you stay in your own bedroom."

"Funny." Lyra mumbled. Illuminating her horn, she closed her bedroom door and turned in for the night. As she lay in bed, a touch of giddiness brewed in her. She giggled and rubbed her hind legs together, "He is real, I knew it all along!" She nuzzled her pillow before drifting off to sleep.

XXXXX

"Agh!" he cried out, the side of his face scraping across the muddied ground. The combination of tears and rain water clouded his vision. The left side of his face throbbed in a dull pain, as he desperately tried to clear his eyes. Thunder clapped overhead as his eyes opened to the man who stood in front of him. His emotionless face was unmoving, his stance towering as he kept his hands behind him. Before Cory knew it, a spade hand collided with his cheek, knocking the mouth guard from his mouth and into the mud.

"You don't need it, get up boy."

Sobbing he stood up, stumbling as he did so. His eyes widened in horror as he was lifted from his feet, his fathers fist clenched tighly around the collar of his Gi. He tossed him to the ground, landing his fist into his stomach. He hacked up saliva as his eyes widened from the shock and pain from the blow.

"If you don't come at me seriously you'll lose. I expected better from you." He turned his back to his son, arms folded behind his back as he walked away in anger, paying no heed to the rain that ran down his Gi. He stopped as he heard Cory stumble to his feet, gasping for air as he gripped his fractured shoulder. His father stopped and turned around, his glare was solid as it was when they started fighting. He balled his fist once more and brought it towards his side and then....

Everything went black. The shock he was experiencing in his dream faded, and the next thing he knew he was in a large, open field. There was nothing around for what seemed like miles. No trees, no mountains, houses or anything. Just knee high grasses. The sky was a dark blue due to the thin cloud layer that gave peeks of the evening sunset that he could see just barely over the horizon. The air was a tad cool, but the ground beneath him was warm. After he completed observing his surroundings it took him a few moments before he realized someone, or something, was holding his hand.

"Sarah..."

She lay in the grass by his side, her face was blank until he looked over at her, and at that moment she smiled. She sat up from where she lay and began running from him. Cory to stood up and chased after her, calling her name. She was extremely fast, easily out running him despite the fact he was miles ahead of her physically. Just like when he was back in the streets of town she laughed as he gave chase, glancing back at him to see where he was at. As he stopped so did she, her smile fading as he gave her a stern glare.

"Sarah, whats all this about? Where the hell are we going?" He asked between breaths.

She didn't answer. Running back to him she grabbed his hand, pulling him along until the came to a fairly steep drop off, and what he saw amazed him. What appeared to be castle ruins, like the ones you would see in parts of Europe. She slid down the hill and beckoned for him to follow her. Growing frustrated he followed her into the castles entrance. The inside resembled the sort of castle in which a King and Queen lived in. Torches immediately ignited and paved the way down the hall way. . The entrance was more or less like a mansion, asides from the stone pillars that supported the ceiling. At the end he saw Sarah, still smiling at him. As he advanced down the hallway, his foot steps echoed throughout the walls.

That was when he came to a large, open room, like a large, catholic church.

His brows furrowed, "What is this?" he kept an even pace as he ventured into the void, "Oi! Anyone here?" His voice echoed, in such a large building he thought that at least some other soul would be there other than him.

That was when he noticed a large mantle towards the end of the room, "What's this?" He slowly brought his hand down to his side and continued to walk towards the mantle, the five slots were empty, save for the top one that began to pulsate. The sound of a heart beat reverberating throughout the room was the only thing he heard. The top of it began to glow white, its essence, its warmth encouraging him to go closer to it. When he heard his sisters laugh he turned his head, seeing her standing on the other side of the room. She stopped smiling and nodded to him. Could he trust her? He lay his hand on the mantle, his body convulsing as electrical charges tore though him. As this happened, images flashed through his mind.

Large monsters tore through entire villages, flames engulfing homes as they ran a muck throughout the unknown civilization. Towards the end of his terrifying episode, two glowing, oval eyes glowed in the dark abyss. The same eyes that glowed with white light that bore right through his body. He knew them from.... The forest where he experienced the illusion of the Manticore. He snapped awake after the horrid images that flashed through his mind, but he was not in the bedroom of Lyra's home, no, he was in a dimension of light, it was dark all around him yet he glowed with light, and he could see through the dark abyss with light. It was dark, yet there was light. Just where was he... He heard his name being called somewhere off in the distance, it was a firm yet stern voice, almost angelic in a sense. It sounded as if whoever it was, was beckoning to him.

"Where? Where am I? Who's calling my name?"

In the midst of the seemingly never ending space, a light began to glow, unlike the rest it was a dark crimson color. Eventually it spread to reveal a large, V shape that glowed red. Moments later a humanoid being materialized from the light. It was silver with dark grey in a few spots, its eyes were bulbous oval shape. It was him, the Titan that he had seen in the illusion.

"Who are you? You are, you're the one who called me? Why?" Cory asked, a bit shaken up in fear from how large the giant truly was. He recognized this titan all to well. He heard the being of light speak to him once again. "I am the ancient guardian of this land."

He thought back to the illusion, the one he had of him destroying the Manticore in one strike," Please tell me, why am I here?"

"Those that yearn for peace and harmony will be in need of my assistance. I would like to borrow your potential strength." he opened his hand, a small item, a relic of some sort floating towards him. When Cory grabbed hold of it, the green gem on it flashed a dark blue. It was warm to the touch, the ivory body radiating a soothing warmth that made his tense hand relax.

"This is?" he asked, his mind racing. Why was he there? Who was this Titan? He had only been there for two days and already he was being greeted by this Silver Titan and given an unknown task.

"Use it when precious lives are in peril."

Music insert: A Beast's Rage (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev363o86Bz0)

Before he could reply, a loud, terrifying roar tore through the air. Everything was happening so fast, when he opened his eyes after just blinking, he was back in Equestria, it was night though, the sky was dark, and strangely it was starless as well. The air had an abnormal chill to it being it was the dead of summer. As he looked back towards the sky, dark clouds gathered at it's center, a stream of crimson light screaming down towards the earth from the eye of the clockwise rotating clouds. From the stream of light formed a large, humanoid form. Its body seemed to be covered in armor that was dull gray and silver in places, while its head was like the helmet used by medieval knights from Earth, except in place where the visor should be, a glowing yellow eye sat in the middle, while pointed ears adorned the sides of the head. However, it was the center of the chest that caught Cory's attention, there appeared to be what looked like a light in the center of the chest, in the shape of an upside-down triangle, but glowed a steady blue while a golden sheath covered the edges of it. The thing let out a cry, much like the cry an elephant call would give, if its voice were warped and distorted. It was easily sixty meters tall, towering over the trees in the back ground.

It roared once more, scanning it's surroundings for signs of life. When it's single eye caught the human, it roared with glee and made it's towards the human, the ground rumbling beneath his earth crushing steps. Cory was frozen in both fear and confusion, but was knocked from his trance like state when a ball of light descended towards the ground between him and the armor clad titan. It hit the ground with a rumbling force, making the giant stumble back in surprise. The light slowly faded, revealing another titan, the same one Cory had just witnessed in the other dimension. Why was he there as well?

Music insert: Noa's birth (Skip to 1: 30, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKvEi2pKhAA)

Whatever was going on, the fact that he was there seemed to greatly upset the monster, Apatee, who bellowed in frustration. Ultraman stood tall, his stance stolid and proud. Was this giant protecting him?

Apatee was first to attack, dashing towards Ultraman, his body weight causing plooms of dirt to erupt from beneath his feet. Ultraman nodded and ran forward as well, both giant's pushing against each other. Ultraman used every iota of strength in his being to push back his armored foe, before releasing him and using the ball of his foot to kick Apatee back. Apatee stumbled back, gaining his balance and swatting at Ultraman who caught his arm, tossing him over his shoulder with what seemed like relative ease. Apatee roared in anguish as he was tossed aside so easily, standing on bended knee, hands down at his side. He placed his hands on his torso and leaned his head back, roaring in a higher tone than previously. Was he, laughing? As he stood up, his waist began to glow, and from there an armor like skirt formed, along with thicker shoulder armor that adorned his shoulder and knee caps. His right arm formed into a ball and chain, swinging it while going into his fighting stance.

Music insert: Incident Occurs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzlnXFLSCr0&index=13&list=PLEBF16B37B4050315)

Ultraman was taken back at Apatee's transformation, but held his battle stance, and despite Apatee's new form, was first to advance. He dodged a strike from Apatee's spiked ball that crashed into the earth, making Cory fall forward from the shock. As Apatee's back was turned, Ultraman ladned a heel kick to his back, making him stumble forward. Apatee roared in annoyance, his other arm becoming a long, jagged blade. It was his turn, Apatee thrust his lance forward, hoping to the impale the ultra, but luckily Ultraman managed to block it in time, knocking it away from him, but Apatee merely brought it up in an upward slash, the double-edged blade cutting him on the chest and sending sparks flying. Apatee swung down, and struck Ultraman again. This time he was knocked backwards. Then, Apatee tried a different tactic; its body seemed to ripple like a liquid, and he morphed his mace hand back into a normal one, but with a iron lance that he gripped tightly. He tossed his new weapon at the down giant who managed to roll out of harm's way.

The growth in armor had easily doubled Apatee's strength, blocking a round house kick from Ultraman and planting a front one to his chest, He grabbed the hero of light's arm, tossing him over his shoulder with a roar of pure joy. Ultraman hit the ground with a thud, but performed a kick up and squared off once again to Apatee. Apatee's blade arm morphed back, going into a fighting stance as well. Just what the hell was this thing Cory thought, immortal?

As Apatee charged, Ultraman parried a punch from him, grabbing hold of his shoulder armor and falling back, using his right foot to kick him overhead. Infuriated that he was rag dolled, Apatee materialized another lance, raising his in preparation to ultimately strike down the Ultra. Quickly, Ultraman brought his fore arm to the dark sky, blue energy cackling around the armed nexus before making a lower case T with his arms. A sea blue stream of energy fired from his vertical forearm. The beam was quick, lasting no more than a second, but it was all the fatigued giant could muster. The beam struck Apatee in the chest, blowing away chunks of armor with ease. Apatee gave one last cry of anguish as he fell backwards. His body was limp, the light that he originally descended from dissolved his body into matching colored particles. The clouds soon dissipated, and the stars of the night sky came into view. Ultraman slowly lowered his hands, slowly looking towards the human who looked in awe.

Music insert: Encounter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVK8IZJs86c)

"Amazing...." Slowly, the titan raised a hand to him, pointing at the human.

"And so it begins..."

"But wait, I don't under-." He couldn't finish his sentence before he was awoken from his sleep. He spastically glanced around his bedroom, sweat dripping from his brow as he slowed down his breathing. The room was entirely empty, save for himself, "Fuck..." He exhaled, falling back with his arms out to his sides, relieved that it was all just simply a dream. He wiped the sweat from his brow, turning onto his side, unaware of the relic that lay next to him as he entered a stage of dreamless sleep.

As if reality hasnt changed enough, Cory would enter an era that would forever change him.

Chapter 2, end.