Terrarian

Cortez awoke to see a strange ceiling. He stepped out of bed and stepped over to the balcony. Instead of seeing Levi's garden, He saw canterlot. A burning Canterlot. Great stones colided with the ground and ponies were crushed beneath them. Fire and explosions erupted from all around the city. He watched in horror as ponies were dropped down in to crevices that opened up in the city. He wanted more than anything to help them, but he could not. Some force was preventing him, his feet refused to move themselves from their place on the floor.

His feet stayed planted until the floor gave a mighty lurch. It ripped open as he fell toward the carnage below. He landed in a street of death, and then the worst happened. The entire canterlot castle fell upon him! He tried to scream but could not. The castle landed upon him and all went black.

Cortez awoke for real this time with sweat on the inside of his armour and his gun drawn. After the changling invasion he had taken to sleeping with it on, although his house would hold them off for some time.

He passed by the calendar in his hallway. It had been a week. One week since the Canterlot invasion. Great swarms of ponies had coursed through the streets rebuilding and cleaning. He walked into his fridge, and grabbed some Turkey.

As he sat down in the dining room next to his bedroom, he shivered as he recalled the dream,'it could have happened. If i wasn't there.' He had been trying to figure out how to leave this planet, but now was not so sure he wanted to. The screams of chrysalis still were fresh in his mind. No matter what he did to try to get it off his mind, he could not.

Glancing at the calendar again, he noticed it was Thursday,'Chess day' he sighed,'Time to get whipped'.

After finishing his breakfast, he walked over to the main living room. Levi was already sitting there with the chess board set up.

"Losers go first." Levi motioned for Cortez to move.

"Ha ha funny." Cortez slid a pawn forwards two, Levi moved the pawn in front of his queen. Cortez moved the pawn in front of his other castle. Levi place moved his bishop. Cortez cam up with a plan. He proceded to move the pawn in front of his king, and at the moment he removed his hand, Levi put his queen out of commission.

"That one gets ya every time!" The guide laughed.

"Well, at least I get a consolation prize." Cortez said as he took the bishop off the board.

"Yeah, call it whatever you like."

After ten minutes Cortez had lost one castle, both bishops, his queen and both Knights,"Not as good at chess as you are at stopping invasions, Checkmate!"

He checked the clock,"Ten minutes? I think that's a new record!" He shuddered at the thought of the invasion. The comman belief that he had not killed chrysalis still haunted him.

"So, what do you plan to do today?"

"Probably find out if there's anyone in Ponyville that I can beat at chess, but other than that I can't think of anything."

"Good luck, you're gonna need it!"

"I'm sure I will find someone who I can beat at chess."

"Just tell Ye self that." The pirate stumbled in,"Even I can beat Ye at chess!"

"Let's see about that!"

While Cortez and Garry played chess, insectum went for a visit to her science division.

"Your majesty." A changling ran into the room,"we found something in canterlot!"

"If it's the body of the Terrarian, you're the third one this week." She said uninterestedly.

"No no no, but it's something that should help us to get that."

"What did you find?" The now queen said much more intrigued.

"This." The drone pulled out Cortez's chain gun,"We found it perched on a balcony, we believe it killed thousands of changlings. Other than the Terrarian himself, it was the biggest barrier in taking Canterlot."

"This-this is something of interest." The changling touched it's smooth surface,"I want to to learn how to use it, then I want a thousand like it!"

"Yes queen!" The changling ran off into the hallway.

"Soon, I will avenge my mother!"

"And, I lost." Cortez looked down at the chess board.

"He he he, even I can beat Ye!" The pirate gloated.

"You need some more practice, how about try some of the folks around Ponyville, like at the pub i found."

"You found a pub? There are ponies there who drink? Didn't think that there would be a pub here." Cortez was surprised. He haden't thought about trying some other drinks, none of them had compared to what he had so far, but it was worth a try.

"There's ale there, that I know, but I'm not sure how it tasted. Ye see, I think I drank a bit much to remember..."

"In that case, it's probably good, bye!" Cortez sped off into the Forrest.

"Hey, er Levi, do Ye what a game of chess?"

Cortez searched the town for the pub, and after an hour of looking, found it. To his disappointment it was closed until that night. So he set off for Twilight's library.

He got there in less than a minute thanks to his lighting boots, and he knocked on the door. It swung open and twilight stood in the doorway,"Hi, I was wondering if you would have a game of chess, I can't seem to beat anyone."

"Uhh, sure." Twilight answerd, surprised at his request,"I'll get the board set up."

"How much progress have you made." Queen insectum demanded

"We, have found a way to use it, as I will demonstrate." The changeling scientist pointed the gun in the direction of the dummy. Dozens of blasts erupted from the gun as bits of metal and fire burst out of it. Insectum threw up a barrier as the scientist ducked for cover.

"Is that what should be happening?" She groaned looking at the undamaged dummy.

"The gun fires, but the bullets cannot withstand the force of the explosion that should propel them towards a targate."

"I want it to work, not spray shrades everywhere." She growled menacingly.

"Our second prototype is in progress, don't worry, it will make our armies unstoppable!"

"Well, I'm guessing there is no one I can beat at chess." Cortez sighed as he lay down his King.

"Sure there must be someone."

"That's what everyone says, but oh well, I noticed there was a Ponyville bar, might you and your friends be interested in going?"

"I'm sure they will, what time."

"9:00, I'll be there." Cortez sped back home.

Cortez left the house and soon after bumped into the CMC.

"Heya, we thought we would get our cutie marks in detective skills, but we didn't. Oh right we figured out you were the green streaks that saved us in the Forrest a while back." Scootloo rambled.

"Yeah that was in the first hour I arrived here."

"But the streaks were green, and you're suit is blue." Applebloom pointed out.

"That's because I loaded my gun with green bullets, and that particular type cannot miss a targate."

"Thanks for saving us from the timber wolves." Sweetie belle spoke.

"No problem, but I need to be going now, bye."

After grabbing a few bottles of ale (in case the ones there were no good) Cortez ran to where he thought the Ponyville bar was located. He had gone to the wrong place a few times, but eventually found it. His arms were full so he kicked open the door. Or rather kicked down the door by accident.

As the ponies saw him come in, they raised their glasses and Applejack spoke,"Ah propose a toast, to cortez not killing chrysalis!"

Cortez tried to mask the agony the statement had caused. He imagine every scenario of telling them,"Sorry, I'm not feeling well, got to go!"

"Cortez, what's wrong!" Twilight yelled to the allyway

Cortez blindly ran through the Forrest. He stopped beside a tree breathing hard. For an hour he sat there, before slumping over and going to sleep.

It was late in the night when he awoke to the feeling of an evil presence watching him. He stumbled over to a clearing in the Forrest. 'Wait' he stopped 'There was no clearing here before' as he approched it he saw a green flame was consuming it. Red streaks flashed across the sky. There was only one monster that would cause this destruction.

"The two eyes."