Fate Weaver - The Edge of Timeby Justin DanielsChapters| I | Chapter 1| I | Chapter 2| I | Chapter 3| I | Chapter 4ACT I: AWAKENING| I | Chapter 1 WORLD'S END CANTERLOT CASTLE PRESENT DAY Princess Twilight Sparkle stood there with blood seeping out of her numerous wounds. Her two hooves were still planted firmly on the ground, a tower shield was protecting her body from any more physical harm in her left hand, and a long spear was firmly gripped with her right hand. On her body she wore purple platemail armor with golden decorations on the edges. Her wings were cut in multiple places, and her horn was glowing as brightly as her eyes were. Tears were trailing down her cheeks at the numerous losses that she encountered... and the heaviest of her losses happened to occur inside the very room that she was standing in; the Throne Room. Scattered across the floor were three butchered corpses; all of which were females. One was a blonde earth pony mare with an orange coat who wore a stetson, light blue overalls, a yellow and orange checkered t-shirt, a pair of brown gloves, and a pair of brown boots. The stetson was attached to her head... but her head was across the room with a thin bloody trail in-between it and her body. The second was a cyan-coated pegasus mare with a rainbow mane. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with black track pants and small light blue athletic boots over her hooves. Her entire chest was covered in blood, and a huge gaping hole was in the center. Her eyes were still open, but lifeless terror was all that her face showed. The third was a yellow-coated pegasus mare with a long pink mane. She simply wore a bright green dress with a leafy pattern on it. Her neck had a huge gash in it, and a large puddle of blood was underneath her, with a near-equally large amount of blood on her dress from the waist up. On the far-right corner of the room, a broken window barely stood with the sharp corners of it covered in blood. On a single shard, however, a purple strand of mane hair stuck in place and blew with the feint winds. Below it, a small torn cloth piece that appeared to belong to a light blue dress lied in the smaller pieces that rested on the floor. Dangling over the golden chandelier of the throne room was a pink-coated mare with a puffy pink mane. She was wearing a bright pink sleeveless shirt, light blue shorts, and pink boots over her hooves. Her eyes were lifeless and blood appeared to be dripping from her mouth. A golden metal chain was wrapped around her neck and tied across the chandelier. At this point, there were only two living individuals in the room... one was Twilight Sparkle. The other, however, was a pale-skinned human with pitch black hair, glowing red eyes, and a demented grin on his face. He was wearing a red hooded rain jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of brown hiking boots. In his right hand, he was holding a glowing red sword with a black bat-like winged patterned hilt. His left hand had a glowing red upside-down pentagram symbol in the center of a red circle marked on the back of it. He pointed the sword at Twilight and asked in a low-pitched, distorted, and downright demonic tone, "So.͞..̶ ̕͞ẃ͝h͟er҉͟ę̀ ̛i̶s҉̀ ̸̷̧y̕͠o̸͟u̵̶͏ŗ ̶h͘a̴͘r̛m͏҉ò̡ny̢͡ ͠ń̡ò̴͟w҉,́̀ ̕͢pr̛͞i͝n͏ç̶e̸̕͢s͟s̸͡?̧̀" Twilight's glare intensified along with her grip on her weapon. Regardless, however, she said nothing, which only made the possessed human chuckle. "A̡t́ ̡̀͠a͝ l̵̵͞os͜s ̕͜fo͢r͝͡ ̡̕w͞o̵rd͜͠s҉,͏ ̧̢a̴̕rę́͠ ͢͞w͏̶e̸̕?̧̢ ͝ ̕Ǹ̕͞o҉t̕ ̡̕ţ̵͢o̴ ̷͞w҉̛òr̵͟ry̷҉.͘͠.̷͝.̨́͝ ̕ít̛'̷s ͏͝͝n͝͏ǫt ́l͢҉i̕͜kè͢͡ ͢t͞h̵̴̀e͏̴r̷̵e͢ ̸á̀re͞҉ ̀an͜y͜͟ ̸̡̡ẃ̴͡o̷ŗd̵̶̛s̶͘ ͢th̶́́a̵̶͝t͝ ̕͞ḉ͢ou̸̕͘l͝d̛ ̀͞͏s͞͞a̧v͞҉ȩ͏͝ y͜ò̧͟u ̕͝no͏w̡̧,̡ ͠ą̵͡ǹ̢̀ỳ̷wá͜y̷͡s̛.̵͜͝" Twilight raised her spear in the air and prepared to make a last stand. "I know you're still in there, Fearless! Please... d-don't... don't do this!" The human chuckled again before shaking his head. "F̷̛o̴͡o͞l̴̕i̢͜͝s͢͠h͜͝͡ ́l̷ì̷t͏̷t͡le ̶̴̕p̡͘o̶n͟y̢͡!̸ ҉ ͢I ̸͟͏am̴̴ ́͞Se͟ph̶͟ti̵̧s̛̀͡,̸͢ ̸̛͠L͘͟or̡̨͠d̛ o̧͢f̶̢ E̛͠t̴ę̶r̶̡na̡l ̡D͠e̛a̷҉ţh̴̡! ̵̀ ̵̕You͟r͞ 'F̛e҉͞a͜ŗ͡ĺ͠e̡͜ss͏̛'̕͠ ͏͡i̴s͘͡ ҉̡n҉̧o ̢͝ḿ̧͢or͘͡e!̧" In the blink of an eye, Sephtis was directly in front of Twilight with his sword ready to strike at her. She, however, was quick enough to bring the shield up to block the attack, though the force of the impact caused her shield to fly out of her hand. Then she raised her spear defensively, only for him to kick her in the stomach and send her flying into the stairway that led up to the pair of broken thrones. She fell to her knees and vomited blood mixed with stomach acid and food from hours ago. Then she slowly looked up at Sephtis with a glum expression on her face as he slowly approached her ready to deliver one last strike. Finally, an idea struck her mind. She closed her eyes and began chanting an old forbidden spell that she learned long ago... a spell that she promised never to use unless the fate of the world was at stake. Her horn and eyes glowed a black and green color as she chanted the words. "Ǹ̵i̕ ͢͝p͝e҉͟t̢a҉̷̧s̡ ̡̀d̨̡é̴̵ ̀l͏a̶҉ ͘he̸̷r͟͏̵o̡ò͡͡j̷̀͜ ̸p͘͢a͢rd͟ò̡n͡o̧n̴ ͘k͞ȩ͝ ̵̶n̨͝i̢ ̶̸ŝa̡̕͜n̷̷̨ĝ҉̡á͝s̷͢ ͞ĺ͡à҉ ̨̛ŝ͠to̶͜f҉o͞j̸̧ ̶̕͘d̡͡e̸ t́͢em̸̕po ͟͜k҉a͠j̸͡ ̕sp̶ać̡́ơ." ("We beg from the mighty ones forgiveness that we alter the fabrics of time and space.") Sephtis was at the first step with an amused grin on his face. "A̡ ̶̶p͏̷i̵ty̷͟ ̢̢į̵̀t̶͝ h̢a̶͡d ̶͘t̴ò͟ ̛͘en͝d ҉̸͝t̴h̶̷͘is̷̀͝ w͟͞a̸҉͝ỳ҉. ̶̕ Y͜o҉ú ̶̶ẃ̀ǫ̴́u͢͝l̛d̨́͢'̛ve̸ ̡̧͠m̶͝á͝d҉e̸̵͏ ̡̀a̢ ̡̧́f̶ine͠ ͞q̶̶uee̛n̶͘!͡͞͝" Twilight continued to chant. "De̷ ̵l̕a͏ ̶͞t̶a͢go̕ ̷̕n̶͞i̴͜ ́҉u͘nu̡e͠ ͟͞r͢e͏͝n̢͘ķǫ͜n̷͡t҉̷̷i̕s̨̡.̴̀͞.͞.͡" ("From the day we first met...") He was looming directly over her. "Ļ̢͜e̴͢ci͡òn̨͡͡o͡ ͠l̶͏i̷̢ ̴̀ne̷̛p͘͢r̡e̸ ̨n̶e̛͠ f̀o҉̡ŗ̨̨gȩ̧͞śu͏̵.̶..̸͠" ("A lesson he must not forget...") He raised the sword over his head to deliver the final strike while Twilight raised her spear defensively. "N̡̧e͞n̕į̸̀a͏m̨ ̀f̷̛í͘d̵̨͠u͟ l̷̵a҉́ ̕v̴̀o̶ĉo̵ ͞e̢n ̶̕͡v̀͠i͜a̵̴ ka͜͝͠p͘͠o҉!̵̶" ("Never trust the voice in your head!") The sword inched closer to her spear in a swift motion. "Ķ̴͜e ̷̀͞v̵̨̨i͢͜͠ d͞é͏̕z̨͡į͡r͏̵̸a̴s̴ ҉́v̴i̷͝ą̧̀ ̕m̡͞o͏n͏͠d͞ò̢ ͢m̸o͢r̀́̀t̨͞á͠!̷͡" ("Lest you wish your world dead!") As soon as the blade hit the handle of the spear, the wood cracked and the blade continued its momentum. Before it could even reach her, however, a white flash of light illuminated the entire room. Then everything began to fade into a sea of darkness. PONYVILLE RIVER TWO YEARS AGO All the human could see was darkness, though he was able to hear the sound of water splashing onto the surface at his right. His mind wandered many different places, but no matter where it went, he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what was going on. He couldn't remember anything! Not his own name, not his family, his home, anything. All he could tell was one thing right off the bat... he didn't belong where he was... the air seemed too different... though not in a bad way. A young boy's voice broke his train of thoughts when he asked someone from a close distance to the human, "Do you think he's alright, Twilight?" Shortly following the boy's voice was an intelligent-sounding feminine voice. "I don't know, Spike... but I think he's waking up, at least!" He weakly opened his eyes, only for them to meet a lavender-coated unicorn with a purple and pink mane standing at his left, with a young purple drake with green spines on his head standing at his right. The unicorn was wearing a short-sleeved, white button-up shirt, a purple frilly skirt, a pair of black loafers on her hooves, and a pair of white stockings that barely rose above her skirt, which lowered down to her knees. The drake was wearing a simple white t-shirt, green denim jeans, and a pair of black shoes. The two of them smiled when they saw the human's eyes open up. The human groaned before rubbing his eyes and looking down at himself. He appeared to have pale skin, and was wearing a red hooded jacket, blue denim jeans, and brown hiking boots on his feet. The unicorn lowered to his level and held her right arm out. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay! Can you stand?" The human nodded his head before replying, "I... I think so, Twilight." He reached his left hand out to take her waiting hands, but noticed the strange mark on his hand... a black upside-down pentagram in the center of a black circle. He didn't focus too much on it, though, as he was quickly helped back onto his feet. He looked down at Twilight while she had a slightly amused smile on her face. "Wow... looks like those rumors have already spread around, huh? I honestly didn't think saving the world from Nightmare Moon would make us well-known that quickly! I mean, it's only been about a week, after all!" Then she shook her head and added, "Um... never mind that, though! What brings you here, sir?" The human rubbed the back of his head before replying, "Um... I'm... not sure, exactly." Twilight's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at that statement. Then she gasped before asking, "W-wait, you mean you can't remember?!" The drake copied her expression and asked in an equally startled tone, "Dude, you don't have amnesia, do you?!" Humming and scratching his head in thought, the human's eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. "Oh, no! You... you might be right! I... I can't even remember my own name!" Twilight rubbed her lips in thought. "Hm... a human who has no memories... this can't be good." The drake scratched the back of his head in thought before turning towards Twilight. "Human?! I thought he was just a shaved minotaur without horns!" Twilight deadpanned at him before retorting, "That's just ridiculous, Spike! Minotaurs happen to have cloven hooves like goats... not feet like primates!" Then she turned towards the human with a confused expression on her face. "Though now that I mention it, humans are considered mythological... so I'm rather curious as to why you're here of all places! I mean... the idea of humans first originated from the Griffon Kingdoms East of Equestria..." she shrugged, "... but I guess without your memories, we may never know why you were here... I just hope you didn't have any important messages you were planning on giving somepony." The human nodded his head with a glum expression on his face. "Yeah... I hope not, too." Twilight weakly smiled and held her right hand out. "Oh! By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle! The drake down there is Spike, my Number One Assistant. It's nice to meet you, sir!" The human weakly smiled at her and accepted the handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Sparkle... and thanks, by the way... both of you." She tilted her head in confusion. "Um... what are you thanking us for, exactly?" The human shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Well, you did say that you saved the world from some sort of threat... so I kinda-sorta figured I should show proper respect... that plus the fact that you and Spike found me." She smiled at him again before nodding her head. "Oh! Well... you're welcome, then! Please, though... don't try paying me back for anything like that. It's not something I expect any rewards from. Besides, you'll probably need whatever you would offer me more, anyways!" The human nodded his head and replied, "Understood... but I would still like to show my appreciation somehow." Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. "Well... for starters, we'll have to think up a name for you. Perhaps you can show your appreciation by helping me think of one?" The human lightly chuckled. "I think I can live with th..." The world around him grew slightly heavier. He groaned in slight pain before falling to his knees, which urgently caught Twilight's and Spike's attention. "Sir? Are you alright?!" Twilight asked worriedly. The human opened his mouth to respond, but he lost consciousness before any words could come out of his mouth. Twilight gasped and caught his shoulders before he could even fall over. "Quick, Spike! We need to take him to the library... and fast! Can you go get Applejack, please?" Spike nodded his head before replying, "On it!" Then, in a blurring speed, he was rushing towards the not-too distant Apple Orchard down the dirt road. Twilight turned towards the unconscious human and levitated his legs while she gripped his arms manually over her shoulders. "Don't worry... whoever you are. You're in safe hands... I promise!" Then she started down the path to her new home, "The Golden Oak Library". Author's Note Just think of the video at the bottom as the "Ending Credits". Remember, any and all comments are appreciated! Also, please be advised that by the time I post these chapters, I will already have the rest for that certain "ACT" written, so expect faster updates, with slightly longer breaks in-between each "ACT"! As of right now, there are only 5 chapters in "ACT I", with a "CLOSURE" at the end that could pretty much fill you in on the key points of the "ACT", in case you might've missed something, or are returning after the next "ACT" has been released. Acts "6", "8", and "9" will also have five chapters, but everything else will have "6" chapters, and there are 10 "ACTS" in this story, with the possibilities of a sequel planned if the "Like" bar goes up to at least "1,000". I know, that's a huge number, which is why I won't put a time limit on it. That means, should I get 1,000 likes after a year or two (or twelve, or more) then I will get started on a sequel. So if you like this story and want to see more, please do remember to hit that "Like" button, and perhaps comment on what you think about it! Also, if you hit the "Dislike" button, please inform me on what you didn't like so that I could make improvements wherever necessary. As always, stay sharp, My Little Bronies! And remember... "If life gives you salt, don't use it to burn your wounds even deeper! Use it to preserve your creations to make them last even longer!" (I kinda-sorta thought up that "Word of Possible Wisdom" with the unintended help of my brother, who was, and I quote, "Feeling Salty", or "Getting Angry" because of how other people were acting on a video game. Anger isn't something to be bottled up, for it is like salt, and putting salt in a wound is bound to lead to nothing but even more pain. Don't bottle it up, but spread it to your friends and/or family. Let them know how you feel, but don't do it aggressively! Tell them about your situation, and surely some of them will listen... and at least one will give you an acceptable answer! I don't promise to be a perfect example of a skilled speaker or problem-solver, but I can try my best to help those in need, or simply be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to speak to, and a mouth to listen to, should you need me! After all, we are all in this site together, not just as fellow Bronies and Pegasisters, but as "Bros" and "Sisters" with a common interest somewhere! ) (On a completely unrelated note, why the Tartarus does Japan always end up with the better "opening theme" music?! ) | I | Chapter 2 ENIGMATIC GUEST THE GOLDEN OAK LIBRARY The trip to the library was stressful enough for Twilight. Once Spike returned to her, he told her that her friend, Applejack, was extra busy in the orchard, but that if she needed her later, she'd be more than happy to help. Lucky for her, though, another one of her friends, Pinkie Pie, was available, and offered to help... and to Twilight, that fact alone was enough to smile at. Pinkie Pie was a pink-coated earth pony mare with a darker pink mane and tail. Her mane and tail were puffy, and had a slight resemblance to cotton candy. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with pink denim jeans, and a pair of pink boots. Twilight grunted as she pushed the door open with the human's arms still firmly gripped over her shoulders, and his midsection still held up in the air by her magic. Pinkie had his legs wrapped in her hooves, and she carried him facing backwards, with Twilight guiding her. "Okay, Pinkie... step! Step... step... and... there!" With the last of her energy, Twilight placed the human on the pink couch in the library; a friendly little housewarming gift from a certain pink visitor. Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie and smiled warmly. "Thank you again for your help, Pinkie Pie... I don't think I would've been able to make it here, if it weren't for you!" Pinkie, in turn, waved her left hand dismissively and replied in her usual high-speed, high-pitched tone, "Oh, it was nothing, Twilight! I couldn't help but notice that you were in need of help, and a good friend always, and I mean always, has to look out for her friends, because, I mean, that's what friends are for, right? To help one-another out in their times of need!" Twilight, despite missing half of Pinkie's ramblings due to the speed, was able to understand what she meant and nodded her head with a thankful smile. "Yes, Pinkie... and I'm eternally grateful for your help. Right now, though, I need to go find a book on human care... I'd hate to be a burden, but... can you watch over him for me right quick? I shouldn't take long at all!" Pinkie gave her a salute before replying, "Okie Dokie Loki!" Then she reached into her mane and (somehow) pulled out a magnifying glass, then closely examined the human's face through it. Twilight lightly chuckled and rolled her eyes at Pinkie Pie's antics, but decided to hurry up to her room. Spike followed her up the stairs to help her look. About five minutes have passed, and Pinkie was still staring at the human through her magnifying glass. She hummed as she examined him even closer, though... but more specifically, as she examined his dark brown hair. Curiously, she inched closer to his hair and bit down on a small lock of it carefully, so as not to pull any of his hair out. Then she released his hair from her teeth and rubbed her snout in thought. "Huh... his mane doesn't taste like chocolate..." She tilted her head in confusion before inching closer to his face. Then... she licked his left cheek, which made him turn his head away from the source of the foreign contact. "And his skin doesn't taste like banana... or vanilla! So this isn't some sort of food monster, at least!" she quietly told herself with a relieved smile. It was then that the human's eyes slowly opened up. He groaned before turning to his left, where he met the overly hyped out pink pony that sat on the floor, with her face undeniably too close for him to feel comfortable. They both stared at each other with a neutral expression on their faces... but no matter what, none of them could find anything to say to the other one. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Pinkie spoke. "You taste funny, Mr. Shaved-Hornless-Minotaur-Monkey-Shaped-Banana-Vanilla-Chocolate Coated Thing. You aren't made out of a foreign kind of blend of food from another kingdom, are you?" The human slowly raised an eyebrow out of confusion at the pink mare. He had to refrain from freaking out at the first few words she said. He even wanted to answer her question that followed, whatever it was, but at the rate she spoke, it was impossible for him to even understand most of what the question was. His train of thought was interrupted once again the moment she gave him a painfully large, toothy grin. Then he suddenly wanted to know where in the world the strange squeaking noise came from. Finally, after yet another long moment of silence, he was able to speak again. "... What?" From behind the human's point of view, he heard Twilight gasp. "Oh, good! You're awake again!" The human turned towards her. When he noticed her, she was rushing towards him from the bottom step. "Oh... hello, ma'am! Um... Twilight, was it?" the human asked while watching her trot around to where she and Pinkie Pie were in the same general area. Twilight eyed him curiously. "That is correct... at least you didn't forget that... hey, wait a second..." she gasped before pointing at him, "how on Equus did you know who I am?!" The human scratched the back of his head before replying, "It's strange... I don't know how, but... I just know you by name. Nothing more, though... well, aside from the others." Twilight tilted her head in even more confusion. "Others? You mean my friends?" With a nod, the human clarified, "Yeah... Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. As for how I know them, I can't say, because I don't know. All I know is what they look like, and their names... but that's it." Twilight and Pinkie Pie both eyed him suspiciously at that statement. Twilight rubbed her chin in thought before asking, "Hm... so you're saying you can only remember us, but only on a visual level?" Again the human nodded his head. "What's odd, though, is that I don't know how... and I can't even explain how I could actually know you six, yet I don't even know my own self!" He then noticed their expressions and waved his hands defensively. "B-but I don't think I could've been some sort of spy of any kind! I mean... if I was, then I promise I'm not any more!" The mares seemed to relax a little at that comment. Then Twilight cleared her throat before saying, "Well... I'm not sure how to think of that... I mean, you look like you're telling the truth, but... I'd keep information like that to myself, if I were you." She then weakly smiled at him. "But regardless, you don't look like the kind of guy who would pose a threat. I mean, it's clear your mannerisms are good, so that's a start!" Then she lightly chuckled. "But please, just call me Twilight. There's no need for 'Miss', or anything like that, since I am only seventeen!" The human nodded his head and replied, "Understood... and thanks, by the way. I'm not kidding when I say I can't remember anything else, but... if I was some kind of threat, I can assure you I'm not, anymore." His stomach started to grumble a little, which made him slightly jump at the sudden sound. The ponies raised one of their eyebrows at him confusedly while he, in turn, stared at his stomach in disbelief. "W-what the heck was that?!" Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie started to giggle. Twilight did the same, before the two of them burst into a fit of laughter. The human turned from his stomach to them with a worried expression on his face. Finally, when their laughter was done, Twilight was the first to reply. "Oh my gosh! You mean to tell me you don't know when you're feeling hungry?" The human just stared at her blankly before scratching the back of his head. "I... can't say I do know for sure... is that bad?" Twilight lightly shook her head and replied, "I can't believe I actually have to explain this to anyone! No, it isn't that bad... but it isn't that good, either! It just means you have to eat something!" She rubbed her chin in thought and hummed. "If I remember correctly, humans were considered to be omnivores, meaning they had to eat meat and vegetables to remain healthy. Considering we're in a herbivore-dominant place, however, we'll have to feed you some meat substitute... tofu, stuff like that!" The human tilted his head in confusion. "Um... meat substitute?" Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Of course! Sometimes, when he isn't looking, I have to give Spike a small amount of tofu to keep him healthy, since dragons are naturally carnivores... well, with the exception of gems." The human rubbed his chin in thought. "So Spike is a... dragon?" She nodded her head and replied, "Pretty much! Of course, he's only a baby dragon, so it's not like he's dangerous, or anything like that! Plus, when he grows older, I'm certain he'll still be the friendly little lovable drake that he is today! Um... minus the little part, though." The human nodded his head and asked, "Okay... but, um... can you help me with another question?" Twilight smiled widely at him before replying, "You actually like learning?!" The human shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah! I mean, I don't really know much about anything, yet I'd love to know more!" Twilight nodded her head in response. "That's a good attitude! I... might not be able to help you with everything that you need to know, but I promise I'll do the best that I can! Now, what would you like to know?" The human had to think back on his question again for a moment. Then, once he found it, he looked at her confusedly. "Um... what's a dragon?" Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Twilight lightly smirked before asking, "You're... you're kidding, right? You don't know what a dragon is?!" The human shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Heck, if it weren't for you and Spike telling me earlier, I wouldn't even know what I am! And while I know you and your friends, I don't even know what any of you are!" Twilight frowned at him with a sad expression. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry, though... I'll help you figure these things out, and I won't think any less of you for asking simple questions!" Then she smiled at him and pressed her right hand on her chest. "For starters, I am what you call a unicorn, or a subspecies of a pony that has a horn on her head!" Then she pointed at Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie over there is an earth pony, meaning she doesn't have a horn, or wings on her back, which would belong to what's known as a pegasus! Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are pegasi, while Rarity is a unicorn like me! Applejack is another earth pony like Pinkie Pie, though, and their extra natural strength is what makes them unique." The human smiled and nodded his head at her. "Thanks for that info... but what about dragons, though?" Pinkie Pie decided to chime in. "Well duh, silly! Spike is a dragon, which should show that they are similar to lizards, with scales and spines, as well as fins and spikes! Most of the dragons breathe fire, but there have been other dragons that breathe different elements, such s water, ice, and lightning! Also, they can grow up to be a quarter of the size of mountains!" Twilight stared at her blankly. "Um... how did you know that, Pinkie Pie?!" Pinkie giggled before replying, "Silly Twilight! One day, when I was just a little filly, I was eating a cupcake, then I started thinking about the way how cupcakes worked, and after putting one and one together, then putting two, and two, and two, and even two more together, I started asking myself, 'What makes dragons the way they are?' So I decided to eat a dictionary, and at once, the words became clear in my mind!" Both Twilight and the human raised an eyebrow, while trying to put Pinkie's "logic" together. Twilight then decided to ask, "Wait... you ate a Dictionary, then got the information from it?!" Pinkie giggled and shook her head. "Huh? Oh, no-no-no-no-no! I was just curious how a Dictionary tasted like. I got the information from the 'Dragopedia' on your shelf while you were away!" She pointed at the bookshelf behind her, pulled out a random book, and tossed it to Twilight, who caught it with her magic. After trying to figure Pinkie out for a moment longer, she merely groaned before rubbing her forehead out of slight pain. "Ugh... I need some iced water." She then turned to the human and weakly smiled. "Would you like some, Mr... um..." She gasped at a sudden realization. "Oh my gosh! We still have to figure out a name for you!" The human opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the front door to the library burst open by a rainbow-colored blur. When everyone looked towards the source of the noise, only to find a cyan-coated pegasus mare with a rainbow-streaked mane and tail. She was wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt with dark blue track pants and red shoes over her hooves. She also wore rainbow-colored wristbands that covered the lower halves of her arms. She was sweating profusely, and panting with a worried expression on her face. Twilight walked up to her worriedly and asked, "Rainbow Dash?! What's going on, what's wrong?!" In a tired, tomboyish voice, she replied, "Twi! It's... it's AJ! S-she... she's in trouble!" She then looked at the human and raised a confused eyebrow. "Um, Twilight? Who's that?!" Twilight ignored her question and shook her head. "I'll explain later. What was this about Applejack being in trouble?" Rainbow pointed outside the door and replied, "There's a creep in her orchard! He threatened Big McIntosh's life, and left him injured!" Both Twilight and Pinkie Pie gasped at that statement. "WHAT?!" Pinkie then commented, "B-but Big Mac is a really, really, really strong stallion! H-how could anyone be able to hurt him?!" Twilight shook her head and replied, "No time for questions! Applejack needs us!" She then turned towards the human and weakly frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to think of a name for you later. Right now, I need to go save a friend. I'll be back as soon as I can, though, I promise!" Without even waiting for a response, the three mares dashed out of the doorway and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, the town's local Apple Orchard. The human sat there for a moment while contemplating on what he should be doing. "Ỳóu ͝s͜h͞o̶uld go ͡and he̵l͞p̶ ̶t̡h͠e̴m.́" The human gasped and jumped at the sudden voice that echoed around him. "What the... who said that?!" "Thàt͢'s҉ no͘t ̕i̢ḿpo͏rta͜nt̸ r̡ight̸ ͢n̷ow.̧.. y͜o̸u ̧w̡o͏ul͢dn͞'͞t̀ ̸want ͟t̡ha̵t̵ ͟c͠re̢e͝p t͟o ̧endan̨ger͠ ͠your̕ p͟ót̕e̕n͡tiaĺ ͠ne͠w͢ ̛f͏ŗi̵e̸n̡d́s, ͜ţhou̵gh, wou͘ld ̡yóư?̨" The human shook his head. "N-no... I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, even!" "T̨hen yo̢u͝ kn̨ow wh́a҉t to͜ ͜do͏." The human nodded his head and scratched the back of his hair nervously. "Unfortunately... I think I do..." He took a deep breath before rushing out of the door to the library, and followed the distant ponies who were headed towards the orchard. SWEET APPLE ACRES An orange-coated earth pony mare with a braided blonde mane stood in the orchard with an intense glare on her face. She wore a red t-shirt, blue overalls, a pair of brown boots, and a pair of brown gloves. Over her scalp she wore a light brown stetson hat, and in both of her hands she held a rope. Lying on the ground directly behind her was a red-coated stallion with an orange mane, an orange t-shirt, blue overalls, black boots, and black gloves. His face was covered in blood and his breathing was raspy. The mare was glaring at a man dressed in an all-black bodysuit. His eyes glowed pure white, and around his eyes his mask had red rings that crawled vertically over and below his entire head, ending at a red ring around his neck, and circling around his eyes. In the center of the ring around his neck another red line lowered halfway down his stomach and parted two ways in the center of his abdomen in an upside-down "V" shape. The two lines lowered to the sides of his waist, where another red ring was. His gloves and boots both had red rings at the corners that rose up to his elbows and knees. In both of his hands he held Katanas with black handles and red blades. He lightly chuckled, with the rings around his eyes squinting. "Such a terrible waste of time... why should you stand in my path?" The mare spat on the ground before replying, "My brother ain't as much a' fighter as Ah am... now, Ah don't know who y'all are, but y'all have ten seconds ta leave this farm, 'fore Ah make y'all leave!" Again the figure chuckled before shaking his head. "You certainly have a lot of guts, if you think you can handle me! Do you not realize who I am?" The mare retorted, "Do y'all know who Ah am?! Ah'm Applejack, the hardest workin' mare in town!" She pulled the rope from both ends, which revealed that she was carrying two, instead. She whipped them on the ground before pointing at the figure. The figure slid both Katanas' blades together and grinned. "Ah, a fellow ambidextrous fighter... very well, then... I am Cruelty, Spirit of Destruction and Misery." He raised his right Katana at her and lowered his knees slightly into a battle position. "Now, then... let's see if you can keep up with my capabilities, shall we?" Applejack side-stepped away from her brother for his safety while keeping her eyes glued onto Cruelty's. Then she leaned into a battle position while waiting for the first strike to be made. At a blurring speed, Cruelty was directly over Applejack's unconscious brother with both of his swords ready to impale him. Before his swords could even lower, however, Applejack's ropes wrapped around his wrists and pulled him towards her. Then she leaped into the air and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back to where he started. He stood back up, but didn't appear to show any signs of pain. "Huh... you truly are a cut above the rest, aren't you?" Then he grinned again and took a step towards her. She, in turn, braced for his next action. He raised his swords in the air and prepared for his next action. "Of course, if you call that a strike, then I'd be very afraid if I were you." In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Applejack. He leaped into the air and managed to kick her in the chest with both of his feet, which sent her flying into a nearby tree. She grunted in pain as she fell to the ground. Then she weakly looked up, only to gasp when she saw Cruelty standing over her brother with his swords ready to strike him again. She also noticed that, during the time she was kicked, she was disarmed of her ropes. She reached her left hand out for her brother and shouted, "BIG MCINTOSH!" Then the figure's Katanas pierced into the ground. Cruelty tilted his head in confusion once the dirt from the impact of his blades cleared. His blades were pierced in the ground, but the stallion was nowhere to be found. With an annoyed grunt, Cruelty turned towards the sudden sound of hoof-steps nearby. The only thing he could see from that point was a rainbow and cyan-colored blur, before he found himself flying back even further than before. He landed and rolled a few times before quickly rising back up to his feet and deadpanning at the one who kicked his chest... Rainbow Dash. Behind Rainbow Dash was Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, who quickly grouped with her friends, despite the amount of cuts and bruises she had from the blow that she took mere seconds ago. Rainbow Dash appeared to be holding a pair of metal knuckles, while Pinkie's right arm was covered by a blue miniature cannon. Twilight was holding a lavender spectral spear with a purple handle. Cruelty chuckled before shaking his head. "You lot aren't the ones I'm looking for... begone, you interfering little horses!" Twilight glared at him and raised her spear at him. "You have some serious issues if you think we'll let you get away with attempted murder! Do you honestly have any idea who we are?!" Cruelty stood still for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. Then his swords disappeared into a pair of back mists before crossing his arms over his chest. "As a matter of fact, I do know who you are... Twilight Sparkle! And what's more, I even know your deepest, darkest secrets... Twily." The ponies gasped and Twilight's grip on her spear intensified. Then she slightly lowered it out of curiosity. "What the... h-how would you know that much about me?!" Cruelty shook his head and replied, "That isn't important right now... what is important is that you tell me where HE is! Do so, and I won't make this difficult for you, or your friends!" Twilight tilted her head out of confusion. "Um... who?" Cruelty deadpanned at her again. "You know who I'm talking about! Your clueless friend! The one whose very existence marks the death of us all!" It took Twilight a few moments to register the stranger's words. When she finally realized who he meant, she gasped and took a step back. "Hey! What's going on here?!" a vaguely familiar male's voice called from behind the mares. When they turned around, they saw the unnamed human from the river rushing up to them, only to stop when he saw Cruelty standing there. Cruelty chuckled before raising his right hand. Then he swept it across the air horizontally, and in a huge burst of wind, the mares flew away, with Twilight bumping her head on a tree, rendering her unconscious. The human tried to rush up to her, only to notice Cruelty headed his way. Cruelty leaped into the air with both of his katanas over his head ready to cut vertically. In a rage-fueled yell, he shouted, "YOUR TIME HAS COME, SEPHTIS! PREPARE YOURSELF!" | I | Chapter 3 CRUELTY VS NAMELESS HUMAN SWEET APPLE ACRES Everypony who was still conscious slowly opened their eyes after shielding them to keep from seeing the brutality that befell the human. When they did, however, they gasped at what they saw. In-between the human's hands was a pure white glowing longsword. It didn't have any particularly special qualities about it, other than the fact that the handle was the same color as the blade. Even the hilt was just a plain glowing white horizontal line. The human opened his eyes when he realized he didn't feel any pain. Then he gasped when he saw the spectral sword in his hands. Cruelty deadpanned at him while both of his swords were caught in the center of the blade. "Well, it looks like you've found your Spirit Weapon! Strange how plain it is, though... normally it would be altered by the Purity or Corruption of its user." Then he shrugged before raising his right foot in the air. "Oh, well. Not that it matters, anyway." Before he could react, the human had the wind kicked out of him as Cruelty's foot found its way onto his chest. He flew back and grunted in pain as he rolled across the floor. As soon as he released the handle of his sword, the sword vanished into thin air. When the human stopped rolling, he quickly pulled himself back onto his feet and looked around cautiously. While rolling around, he wasn't able to notice Cruelty vanish. "Béhi͢n̕d ͡yòu!" Instinctively, the human's body reacted before he could. He rolled to his left and narrowly dodged the blades that passed by and raised his right fist into the air. When his fist was balled up, the spectral sword rematerialized fast enough for him to block Cruelty's following horizontal slice. Then he quickly jumped backwards and held his sword defensively. "What the heck are you doing?! Why are you attacking us?!" the human asked. Cruelty smirked before replying, "You must take me for a fool if you think I'll answer that one!" Then he dashed towards the human at a blurring speed and sliced at him, only for the human to leap over his head, land behind him, and thrust his sword forward, only for Cruelty to vanish before his eyes. "What?!" The human growled before crouching into a battle position. Cruelty's voice began echoing around the human. "Don't take it personal, though. It's not necessarily you that I'm after... it's the voice in your head!" "Voice... in my head?! What are you even talking about?!" "H͠ȩ'̕s̛ ͠tr̴yi͢n͞g̡ ̢to͞ ̷c͜o͝nfu̢śe you! ͏ I͝'m ̡here̶ ͢to͡ he̸l͝p̸ ̴y̴ou ̧s҉t͟a͠y͘ al̨iv̀e!" Cruelty chuckled. "You should be aware that it's him who's trying to harm you! I'm merely here to save this world from the trouble that he will bring!" The human groaned and began rubbing his head with his left hand. "Ugh... can someone speak normal around here?!" Cruelty appeared from behind the human and chuckled. The human's eyes widened in shock as a strange memory played into his head. He leaped up and back-flipped over the pair of blades before catching the handles of both Katanas and disarming Cruelty of his weapons. Then, once he landed on the ground he kicked Cruelty's back and waited for Cruelty to turn around. Once Cruelty did, the human kicked him onto the ground and dashed towards him to deliver the killing blow. Before Cruelty could even react, both of his own swords were pierced into his shoulder blades, causing him to yell in agony, as his arms gave out on him. Then the human's sword materialized into his hands again, but this time, it was upside-down. The sword loomed over Cruelty's forehead as the realization of his doom was at hand. "Go ahead, then... finish me off!" The human smirked before nodding his head. "Evil scum like you don't deserve to live!" Without even giving a second thought, he pierced the blade into Cruelty's forehead, causing him to choke and gurgle on his own blood. His body convulsed, and his hands twitched open, but only for a few seconds. Then he went limp, and the life inside him was drained completely. Without hesitation, the human back-flipped over Cruelty's swords and disarmed him of his weapons. When he landed, he kicked Cruelty on the back enough for him to stumble slightly. Then, once Cruelty turned around, he did as his vision told him and kicked him in the chest and sent him onto the ground. Cruelty quickly looked at the human and gasped when he saw the human's eyes were suddenly glowing red. Before he could even react, the human leaped into the air and pierced both of his shoulders with his Katanas, causing him to yell in agony. He tried moving his arms, but was unable to. He coughed a few times before breathing heavily. He tried moving his feet, but an unseen force was keeping him from doing so. Then he looked at the human again and sighed in defeat. "Go ahead, then... finish me off!" The human smirked and nodded his head. Then he raised his sword over Cruelty's forehead and said in a slightly distorted voice, "E͝v̀il̨ ̢s͏cum ̶lik̸e y̶o̡ư don'͟t͏ des͜érve͝ ͡to͞ l͠iv̵ȩ!" Suddenly, Twilight's eyes shot open. She quickly turned towards the human and the shady figure and shouted, "NO! DON'T DO IT!" Then, in a split-second, the human's blade sunk down towards Cruelty's forehead. Author's Note I know, it's a short chapter. Technically this one is actually split into two parts, though, and the next one will be a little bit longer than this one. | I | Chapter 4 AFTERMATH SWEET APPLE ACRES Everyone stared in horror at the scene before them. The dust filled the air, and the human stood over the shady figure whose muscles were completely relaxed... or rather, his muscles were limp. The human breathed heavily as his light blue eyes focused on the figure before him. Then he pulled his sword from the ground and stepped back, while Cruelty's eyes popped open. He turned his head to his left and eyed the hole in the dirt that rested mere inches away from his forehead. Then he grunted in pain as the human drew his Katanas from his shoulder blades. He slowly sat back up and stared at the human confusedly. "I... I don't understand... y-you were supposed to kill me!" The human turned his back to Cruelty and pierced the Katanas into the ground. Then he walked between the Katanas and headed towards the ponies, who continued to stare at him in disbelief. "If I were to kill you, I wouldn't be any better than yourself." Cruelty sat there motionlessly for a moment. Then he lightly chuckled and shook his head. "My... you surely are a strange one." He backed into a tree and slid himself up to his feet again. "Lucky for you, however... Strange and Cruelty can get along quite nicely." The human tilted his head confusedly and rested his hands on his hips. "Get along? So wait... you're just going to stop fighting us like that?" Cruelty nodded his head and stared at his Katanas. Then he walked up to them and lowered his limp arms to their handles. When the tips of his fingers touched the handles, the swords disappeared again. "As a matter of fact, I am... but a word of advice, if I may." The human nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, then. I'm listening." "You may be wondering why I was after you... so I'll go on ahead and say it." He motioned towards the human's left hand. The human stared at it curiously while Cruelty explained. "That mark on your hand is a warning symbol. It means that dark times are coming... and you are either the only one that could keep it from happening... or you will be the one that will make it happen." The human looked back at Cruelty and asked, "Um... what do you mean by that, exactly?" Cruelty shook his head again and replied, "I'm something like a bounty hunter, except I don't just simply hunt bounties. Everything that belongs in this world has a fate that they are destined to meet... like me, for example. My fate was to be slain by you just recently... but since you haven't, that means that you have unintentionally altered the Threads of Fate." "Threads of Fate? What's that?" Cruelty cleared his throat. "Everything around us has a certain Thread of Fate. The threads are a spiritual strand that determines their lives. At first, they would all be eternal, meaning that their lives would go on forever... but should something happen to those threads, then their lives will end once they reach that point." "And... what do you mean by 'when they reach that point', exactly?" The human scratched the back of his head out of confusion. "Simple... the Threads of Fate are all bound to the Fabrics of Time. As such, they all intertwine with each other, and in the end, they form one fabric. Within that fabric, they all affect one another in their own ways." "And... what does this have to do with me, exactly?" the human asked. Cruelty replied, "Again, there's a simple answer to that. You see, it also relates to how you know about those mares behind you, yet they don't know you. In another Fabric of Time, you were considered one of their closest friends... but something happened in that fabric... the results are what gave you the cursed symbol on your left hand. As for whether it was already given to that side of you is beyond even my knowledge." The human looked at his hand again. "You said that this symbol means I could bring the end of this world?" Cruelty shook his head. "Not you... but the voice in your head. It gets even heavier that that, though." The human raised an eyebrow and looked up at him again. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean you aren't just carrying a monster in your mind that will destroy this world... you're carrying a monster that already did destroy this world in several different Fabrics of Time." The human looked at his left hand again. "So, wait... you're telling me I'm going to end up destroying this world?!" Cruelty shook his head again. "No... well, not directly. Eventually, the dark spirit in your mind will take over your body, and in turn, trade places with you. Then, with it in control, he will destroy the world, and you won't be able to stop him." With yet another confused expression, the human looked back up at Cruelty and asked, "And just who exactly is 'He'?" "... Sephtis." The human sighed and looked at his hand again. "Is there any way to keep him from taking over?!" Cruelty smirked. "Well, other than killing you, I doubt it." The human groaned and gripped his forehead with his right hand. "However," the human looked up at Cruelty with a slight ray of hope, "there was something that you just showed... something that could very well be the ray of hope that you're looking for." "I'm listening." Cruelty looked at the wounds on his shoulders and said, "As I have said before, I was fated for you to kill me just recently... but considering the fact that we're even having this conversation, you have proven one thing." "... And that is?" "It is a sign... a sign that you don't even have a fate." He nodded towards the human and concluded, "It means you are a Fate Weaver." The human stood there silently. Then he scratched the back of his head again and asked, "Again... and that is?" Cruelty sighed and slapped his forehead onto the tree next to him. "You surely are a curious one, huh?" Then he turned towards the human and said, "A 'Fate Weaver'! In other words, one who can alter the Fabrics of Time with the Threads of Fate! As in, you could make the world's impending doom not happen!" The human tilted his head again. "So... I can pretty much keep this Sephtis guy from taking over my body, and in turn, save the world by not letting him destroy it?" Cruelty nodded his head. "Exactly. You won't be able to stop the future from happening, but you can at least weave it into a better one!" The human nodded his head. "I... think I understand. But how do I stop these things from happening, though?" Cruelty tilted his head in thought. "Well, for starters, you could avoid doing those things that you or your caretaker sees before they happen!" "My... caretaker?" The human turned towards Twilight Sparkle, who was still awake, but staring at the two along with the other ponies. "Indeed. If she received a message from the future, that means she'll know how to keep you from screwing everything up." Cruelty sighed and fell onto his knees. The human quickly turned to him and rushed towards him. "Looks like I'm running short on blood... but hey, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. After all, you didn't necessarily kill me... blood loss did." Then he closed his eyes and fell onto his chest. The human quickly rushed up to the unconscious figure and slightly lifted him up. "Hey, wait! How the hell do you even know all of this?!" Seeing that he didn't get a response he groaned and shook his head. Then he turned towards Twilight, who rushed up to the two. "Hey, um... Twilight? Can you help me get this guy to Fluttershy, please? If my memories are correct, wouldn't she be the kind one?" Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Yeah... but I think he may have lost too much blood for a trip that long!" The human sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. Then Applejack rushed up to them and said, "Ah'll take care o' him. Y'all get Fluttershy, an' bring 'er up here, instead." They both nodded their heads to her. Then the human said, "Alright... thank you, AJ." Applejack nodded her head and replied, "Listen, Ah don't know who or what y'all are, but... if'n y'all was willin' ta protect mah farm an' mah brother, Ah'd say y'all are a friend fer sure." Then she leaned down at the unconscious figure and gently lifted him over her shoulders. "An' y'all have all of our thanks... by the way, what's y'alls name, partner?" The human rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, but... I can't really remember. Twilight and I were about to think of one before all of this even happened." Applejack hummed as she carried Cruelty towards her house. "Well, Ah'd say y'all showed a lot of fearlessness when y'all was defendin' us... maybe y'alls name could be 'Fearless'... or somethin'?" Twilight gasped and smiled at Applejack. "Yeah! Fearless Human, perhaps? Since... well... you're pretty much the only one that we've seen as of yet, and don't have any other 'human' names to go by?" The human nodded his head and weakly smiled. "Fearless Human, huh? Yeah... I think I can live with that name! Maybe just 'Fearless' for short, though?" Twilight nodded her head and motioned forward. "Well, then... please follow me this way, Fearless! I'll show you how to get to Fluttershy's cottage from here!" Fearless rubbed the back of his head while Twilight started rushing ahead of him, not even waiting for an answer. Then he shrugged his shoulders and tried to catch up with her. All the while, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie followed Applejack, in case she would need their help. "Whoa! Did you girls see how fast he ran? Or how awesomely he fought?!" Rainbow Dash smiled and stared at the running human. Pinkie giggled and nodded her head. "This calls for a party! Hey, do you think I should call it a 'Welcome to Ponyville, and Thank You For Saving Our Lives' Party, or a 'Thank You For Saving Our Lives, and Welcome to Ponyville' Party? Ooh, but he also discovered that he's a 'Fate Weaver', whatever that is, and also he was just now named 'Fearless', so how do you think I should add those details into the party's name? Should I call it-" Rainbow Dash quickly covered her snout and deadpanned at her. "I think you can figure it out, Pinkie Pie. After all, aren't you the Party Planner?" Pinkie nodded her head and gasped. Then she started to giggle. Rainbow tilted her head out of confusion and removed her hand from Pinkie's snout. Then Pinkie's giggling turned into a fit of laughter. "Huh? What's so funny?" Pinkie pointed behind Rainbow Dash, which caused her to turn around. Seeing nothing, she turned towards Pinkie again. "What is it?" "Your wings! They're... they're..." Rainbow's cheeks quickly turned red at that statement. "WHAT?!" She reached behind her back and tried to force her wings down her back again... but they refused to fold, and extended as soon as she released them. "Oh, COME ON!" Applejack turned towards her friends and smirked at Rainbow Dash's predicament. "Well, well, well! Day one, an' y'all are already gettin' some dirty thoughts in y'alls head about our new friend?" Rainbow glared at her and retorted, "Hoof, no! I'm just... they're just... um..." she pointed at Cruelty and muttered, "t-that punk must've just injured them somewhere! That's all!" Applejack rolled her eyes and smirked. "Right~." They entered the house and closed the door while Applejack carried the unconscious figure to the couch. Then she turned to Rainbow and Pinkie. "Y'all make sure he stays breathin'. Ah'll go upstairs an' get the First Aid Kit." Her friends nodded their heads and watched over Cruelty. Then Applejack headed into the bathroom to find her medical equipment, but when she turned her head towards the bathroom, she heard her brother groaning inside his bedroom across the hallway. She turned around, frowned at him with a sad expression, and sighed. "Looks like Ah'll need ta take care of y'alls wounds also, Big McIntosh." She then headed inside the bathroom and grabbed the First Aid Kit. FLUTTERSHY'S COTTAGE Twilight turned to Fearless and weakly smiled. "Um... please excuse her if she freaks out when she sees you. As her name implies, she can be a little... on the shy side." Fearless nodded his head in understanding. "Okay... um... should I wait over at the farm, or..." Twilight shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Besides, if she knows someone's in trouble and needs her help, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to assist them!" Fearless nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. Then Twilight turned to the door and gently knocked on it. About thirty seconds passed when they heard the sound of hooves landing on the other side of the door. Then a soft, barely audible feminine voice called from the other side. "Um... h-hello?" Twilight cleared her throat. "Hey, Fluttershy! It's me, Twilight!" The feminine voice from the other side of the door spoke slightly louder this time. "Oh! H-hello, Twilight! Um... h-how can I h-help you?" Twilight replied, "Actually, it's not me who needs help. Um... an unidentified creature is badly hurt at Applejack's farm, and-" Before anyone else could react, the door slammed open, and a yellow, pink, and green blur flew past them at an alarming speed towards Applejack's farm. Fearless, after being knocked flat onto his buttocks, stared wide-eyed at the now distant blur, while Twilight stood with her mouth agape at the same blur. Her mane was disheveled due to the airwaves from the blur. "Well... that was... unexpectedly fast." After groaning out of slight pain Fearless stood back up and dusted himself off before nodding his head in agreement. "Should we go back to the farm, now?" Twilight shook her head and turned towards the town. "I'm sure that they can find a way to help him... and if they could, I'm sure he won't be able to use his arms in a while, so he shouldn't be dangerous when he wakes up." Then she turned to Fearless and smiled. "But that doesn't mean I can't introduce you to the mayor! Then we could look into finding a place for you to stay later on!" Fearless chuckled and nodded his head. "Sounds like a plan, then. Please, lead the way." With that, the two of them headed towards the town, where they would be meeting with the mayor, herself. ACT I: AWAKENING ACT I AWAKENING A human, better known as a creature of ancient Griffon Mythology (most commonly believed to stand nearly twice the size of an average pony), washes up from a river near Ponyville with a majority of his memories forgotten. When he wakes up, however, he wakes up under the care of an anthropomorphic lavender unicorn who claims that she and her friends became famous about a week ago... but oddly enough, he does know who she and her friends are... even though he doesn't know very much about them, and can't even remember his own name.
| I | Chapter 1 WORLD'S END CANTERLOT CASTLE PRESENT DAY Princess Twilight Sparkle stood there with blood seeping out of her numerous wounds. Her two hooves were still planted firmly on the ground, a tower shield was protecting her body from any more physical harm in her left hand, and a long spear was firmly gripped with her right hand. On her body she wore purple platemail armor with golden decorations on the edges. Her wings were cut in multiple places, and her horn was glowing as brightly as her eyes were. Tears were trailing down her cheeks at the numerous losses that she encountered... and the heaviest of her losses happened to occur inside the very room that she was standing in; the Throne Room. Scattered across the floor were three butchered corpses; all of which were females. One was a blonde earth pony mare with an orange coat who wore a stetson, light blue overalls, a yellow and orange checkered t-shirt, a pair of brown gloves, and a pair of brown boots. The stetson was attached to her head... but her head was across the room with a thin bloody trail in-between it and her body. The second was a cyan-coated pegasus mare with a rainbow mane. She wore a white sleeveless shirt with black track pants and small light blue athletic boots over her hooves. Her entire chest was covered in blood, and a huge gaping hole was in the center. Her eyes were still open, but lifeless terror was all that her face showed. The third was a yellow-coated pegasus mare with a long pink mane. She simply wore a bright green dress with a leafy pattern on it. Her neck had a huge gash in it, and a large puddle of blood was underneath her, with a near-equally large amount of blood on her dress from the waist up. On the far-right corner of the room, a broken window barely stood with the sharp corners of it covered in blood. On a single shard, however, a purple strand of mane hair stuck in place and blew with the feint winds. Below it, a small torn cloth piece that appeared to belong to a light blue dress lied in the smaller pieces that rested on the floor. Dangling over the golden chandelier of the throne room was a pink-coated mare with a puffy pink mane. She was wearing a bright pink sleeveless shirt, light blue shorts, and pink boots over her hooves. Her eyes were lifeless and blood appeared to be dripping from her mouth. A golden metal chain was wrapped around her neck and tied across the chandelier. At this point, there were only two living individuals in the room... one was Twilight Sparkle. The other, however, was a pale-skinned human with pitch black hair, glowing red eyes, and a demented grin on his face. He was wearing a red hooded rain jacket, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of brown hiking boots. In his right hand, he was holding a glowing red sword with a black bat-like winged patterned hilt. His left hand had a glowing red upside-down pentagram symbol in the center of a red circle marked on the back of it. He pointed the sword at Twilight and asked in a low-pitched, distorted, and downright demonic tone, "So.͞..̶ ̕͞ẃ͝h͟er҉͟ę̀ ̛i̶s҉̀ ̸̷̧y̕͠o̸͟u̵̶͏ŗ ̶h͘a̴͘r̛m͏҉ò̡ny̢͡ ͠ń̡ò̴͟w҉,́̀ ̕͢pr̛͞i͝n͏ç̶e̸̕͢s͟s̸͡?̧̀" Twilight's glare intensified along with her grip on her weapon. Regardless, however, she said nothing, which only made the possessed human chuckle. "A̡t́ ̡̀͠a͝ l̵̵͞os͜s ̕͜fo͢r͝͡ ̡̕w͞o̵rd͜͠s҉,͏ ̧̢a̴̕rę́͠ ͢͞w͏̶e̸̕?̧̢ ͝ ̕Ǹ̕͞o҉t̕ ̡̕ţ̵͢o̴ ̷͞w҉̛òr̵͟ry̷҉.͘͠.̷͝.̨́͝ ̕ít̛'̷s ͏͝͝n͝͏ǫt ́l͢҉i̕͜kè͢͡ ͢t͞h̵̴̀e͏̴r̷̵e͢ ̸á̀re͞҉ ̀an͜y͜͟ ̸̡̡ẃ̴͡o̷ŗd̵̶̛s̶͘ ͢th̶́́a̵̶͝t͝ ̕͞ḉ͢ou̸̕͘l͝d̛ ̀͞͏s͞͞a̧v͞҉ȩ͏͝ y͜ò̧͟u ̕͝no͏w̡̧,̡ ͠ą̵͡ǹ̢̀ỳ̷wá͜y̷͡s̛.̵͜͝" Twilight raised her spear in the air and prepared to make a last stand. "I know you're still in there, Fearless! Please... d-don't... don't do this!" The human chuckled again before shaking his head. "F̷̛o̴͡o͞l̴̕i̢͜͝s͢͠h͜͝͡ ́l̷ì̷t͏̷t͡le ̶̴̕p̡͘o̶n͟y̢͡!̸ ҉ ͢I ̸͟͏am̴̴ ́͞Se͟ph̶͟ti̵̧s̛̀͡,̸͢ ̸̛͠L͘͟or̡̨͠d̛ o̧͢f̶̢ E̛͠t̴ę̶r̶̡na̡l ̡D͠e̛a̷҉ţh̴̡! ̵̀ ̵̕You͟r͞ 'F̛e҉͞a͜ŗ͡ĺ͠e̡͜ss͏̛'̕͠ ͏͡i̴s͘͡ ҉̡n҉̧o ̢͝ḿ̧͢or͘͡e!̧" In the blink of an eye, Sephtis was directly in front of Twilight with his sword ready to strike at her. She, however, was quick enough to bring the shield up to block the attack, though the force of the impact caused her shield to fly out of her hand. Then she raised her spear defensively, only for him to kick her in the stomach and send her flying into the stairway that led up to the pair of broken thrones. She fell to her knees and vomited blood mixed with stomach acid and food from hours ago. Then she slowly looked up at Sephtis with a glum expression on her face as he slowly approached her ready to deliver one last strike. Finally, an idea struck her mind. She closed her eyes and began chanting an old forbidden spell that she learned long ago... a spell that she promised never to use unless the fate of the world was at stake. Her horn and eyes glowed a black and green color as she chanted the words. "Ǹ̵i̕ ͢͝p͝e҉͟t̢a҉̷̧s̡ ̡̀d̨̡é̴̵ ̀l͏a̶҉ ͘he̸̷r͟͏̵o̡ò͡͡j̷̀͜ ̸p͘͢a͢rd͟ò̡n͡o̧n̴ ͘k͞ȩ͝ ̵̶n̨͝i̢ ̶̸ŝa̡̕͜n̷̷̨ĝ҉̡á͝s̷͢ ͞ĺ͡à҉ ̨̛ŝ͠to̶͜f҉o͞j̸̧ ̶̕͘d̡͡e̸ t́͢em̸̕po ͟͜k҉a͠j̸͡ ̕sp̶ać̡́ơ." ("We beg from the mighty ones forgiveness that we alter the fabrics of time and space.") Sephtis was at the first step with an amused grin on his face. "A̡ ̶̶p͏̷i̵ty̷͟ ̢̢į̵̀t̶͝ h̢a̶͡d ̶͘t̴ò͟ ̛͘en͝d ҉̸͝t̴h̶̷͘is̷̀͝ w͟͞a̸҉͝ỳ҉. ̶̕ Y͜o҉ú ̶̶ẃ̀ǫ̴́u͢͝l̛d̨́͢'̛ve̸ ̡̧͠m̶͝á͝d҉e̸̵͏ ̡̀a̢ ̡̧́f̶ine͠ ͞q̶̶uee̛n̶͘!͡͞͝" Twilight continued to chant. "De̷ ̵l̕a͏ ̶͞t̶a͢go̕ ̷̕n̶͞i̴͜ ́҉u͘nu̡e͠ ͟͞r͢e͏͝n̢͘ķǫ͜n̷͡t҉̷̷i̕s̨̡.̴̀͞.͞.͡" ("From the day we first met...") He was looming directly over her. "Ļ̢͜e̴͢ci͡òn̨͡͡o͡ ͠l̶͏i̷̢ ̴̀ne̷̛p͘͢r̡e̸ ̨n̶e̛͠ f̀o҉̡ŗ̨̨gȩ̧͞śu͏̵.̶..̸͠" ("A lesson he must not forget...") He raised the sword over his head to deliver the final strike while Twilight raised her spear defensively. "N̡̧e͞n̕į̸̀a͏m̨ ̀f̷̛í͘d̵̨͠u͟ l̷̵a҉́ ̕v̴̀o̶ĉo̵ ͞e̢n ̶̕͡v̀͠i͜a̵̴ ka͜͝͠p͘͠o҉!̵̶" ("Never trust the voice in your head!") The sword inched closer to her spear in a swift motion. "Ķ̴͜e ̷̀͞v̵̨̨i͢͜͠ d͞é͏̕z̨͡į͡r͏̵̸a̴s̴ ҉́v̴i̷͝ą̧̀ ̕m̡͞o͏n͏͠d͞ò̢ ͢m̸o͢r̀́̀t̨͞á͠!̷͡" ("Lest you wish your world dead!") As soon as the blade hit the handle of the spear, the wood cracked and the blade continued its momentum. Before it could even reach her, however, a white flash of light illuminated the entire room. Then everything began to fade into a sea of darkness. PONYVILLE RIVER TWO YEARS AGO All the human could see was darkness, though he was able to hear the sound of water splashing onto the surface at his right. His mind wandered many different places, but no matter where it went, he couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what was going on. He couldn't remember anything! Not his own name, not his family, his home, anything. All he could tell was one thing right off the bat... he didn't belong where he was... the air seemed too different... though not in a bad way. A young boy's voice broke his train of thoughts when he asked someone from a close distance to the human, "Do you think he's alright, Twilight?" Shortly following the boy's voice was an intelligent-sounding feminine voice. "I don't know, Spike... but I think he's waking up, at least!" He weakly opened his eyes, only for them to meet a lavender-coated unicorn with a purple and pink mane standing at his left, with a young purple drake with green spines on his head standing at his right. The unicorn was wearing a short-sleeved, white button-up shirt, a purple frilly skirt, a pair of black loafers on her hooves, and a pair of white stockings that barely rose above her skirt, which lowered down to her knees. The drake was wearing a simple white t-shirt, green denim jeans, and a pair of black shoes. The two of them smiled when they saw the human's eyes open up. The human groaned before rubbing his eyes and looking down at himself. He appeared to have pale skin, and was wearing a red hooded jacket, blue denim jeans, and brown hiking boots on his feet. The unicorn lowered to his level and held her right arm out. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay! Can you stand?" The human nodded his head before replying, "I... I think so, Twilight." He reached his left hand out to take her waiting hands, but noticed the strange mark on his hand... a black upside-down pentagram in the center of a black circle. He didn't focus too much on it, though, as he was quickly helped back onto his feet. He looked down at Twilight while she had a slightly amused smile on her face. "Wow... looks like those rumors have already spread around, huh? I honestly didn't think saving the world from Nightmare Moon would make us well-known that quickly! I mean, it's only been about a week, after all!" Then she shook her head and added, "Um... never mind that, though! What brings you here, sir?" The human rubbed the back of his head before replying, "Um... I'm... not sure, exactly." Twilight's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at that statement. Then she gasped before asking, "W-wait, you mean you can't remember?!" The drake copied her expression and asked in an equally startled tone, "Dude, you don't have amnesia, do you?!" Humming and scratching his head in thought, the human's eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. "Oh, no! You... you might be right! I... I can't even remember my own name!" Twilight rubbed her lips in thought. "Hm... a human who has no memories... this can't be good." The drake scratched the back of his head in thought before turning towards Twilight. "Human?! I thought he was just a shaved minotaur without horns!" Twilight deadpanned at him before retorting, "That's just ridiculous, Spike! Minotaurs happen to have cloven hooves like goats... not feet like primates!" Then she turned towards the human with a confused expression on her face. "Though now that I mention it, humans are considered mythological... so I'm rather curious as to why you're here of all places! I mean... the idea of humans first originated from the Griffon Kingdoms East of Equestria..." she shrugged, "... but I guess without your memories, we may never know why you were here... I just hope you didn't have any important messages you were planning on giving somepony." The human nodded his head with a glum expression on his face. "Yeah... I hope not, too." Twilight weakly smiled and held her right hand out. "Oh! By the way, my name is Twilight Sparkle! The drake down there is Spike, my Number One Assistant. It's nice to meet you, sir!" The human weakly smiled at her and accepted the handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Sparkle... and thanks, by the way... both of you." She tilted her head in confusion. "Um... what are you thanking us for, exactly?" The human shrugged his shoulders before replying, "Well, you did say that you saved the world from some sort of threat... so I kinda-sorta figured I should show proper respect... that plus the fact that you and Spike found me." She smiled at him again before nodding her head. "Oh! Well... you're welcome, then! Please, though... don't try paying me back for anything like that. It's not something I expect any rewards from. Besides, you'll probably need whatever you would offer me more, anyways!" The human nodded his head and replied, "Understood... but I would still like to show my appreciation somehow." Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. "Well... for starters, we'll have to think up a name for you. Perhaps you can show your appreciation by helping me think of one?" The human lightly chuckled. "I think I can live with th..." The world around him grew slightly heavier. He groaned in slight pain before falling to his knees, which urgently caught Twilight's and Spike's attention. "Sir? Are you alright?!" Twilight asked worriedly. The human opened his mouth to respond, but he lost consciousness before any words could come out of his mouth. Twilight gasped and caught his shoulders before he could even fall over. "Quick, Spike! We need to take him to the library... and fast! Can you go get Applejack, please?" Spike nodded his head before replying, "On it!" Then, in a blurring speed, he was rushing towards the not-too distant Apple Orchard down the dirt road. Twilight turned towards the unconscious human and levitated his legs while she gripped his arms manually over her shoulders. "Don't worry... whoever you are. You're in safe hands... I promise!" Then she started down the path to her new home, "The Golden Oak Library". Author's Note Just think of the video at the bottom as the "Ending Credits". Remember, any and all comments are appreciated! Also, please be advised that by the time I post these chapters, I will already have the rest for that certain "ACT" written, so expect faster updates, with slightly longer breaks in-between each "ACT"! As of right now, there are only 5 chapters in "ACT I", with a "CLOSURE" at the end that could pretty much fill you in on the key points of the "ACT", in case you might've missed something, or are returning after the next "ACT" has been released. Acts "6", "8", and "9" will also have five chapters, but everything else will have "6" chapters, and there are 10 "ACTS" in this story, with the possibilities of a sequel planned if the "Like" bar goes up to at least "1,000". I know, that's a huge number, which is why I won't put a time limit on it. That means, should I get 1,000 likes after a year or two (or twelve, or more) then I will get started on a sequel. So if you like this story and want to see more, please do remember to hit that "Like" button, and perhaps comment on what you think about it! Also, if you hit the "Dislike" button, please inform me on what you didn't like so that I could make improvements wherever necessary. As always, stay sharp, My Little Bronies! And remember... "If life gives you salt, don't use it to burn your wounds even deeper! Use it to preserve your creations to make them last even longer!" (I kinda-sorta thought up that "Word of Possible Wisdom" with the unintended help of my brother, who was, and I quote, "Feeling Salty", or "Getting Angry" because of how other people were acting on a video game. Anger isn't something to be bottled up, for it is like salt, and putting salt in a wound is bound to lead to nothing but even more pain. Don't bottle it up, but spread it to your friends and/or family. Let them know how you feel, but don't do it aggressively! Tell them about your situation, and surely some of them will listen... and at least one will give you an acceptable answer! I don't promise to be a perfect example of a skilled speaker or problem-solver, but I can try my best to help those in need, or simply be a shoulder to cry on, an ear to speak to, and a mouth to listen to, should you need me! After all, we are all in this site together, not just as fellow Bronies and Pegasisters, but as "Bros" and "Sisters" with a common interest somewhere! ) (On a completely unrelated note, why the Tartarus does Japan always end up with the better "opening theme" music?! )
| I | Chapter 2 ENIGMATIC GUEST THE GOLDEN OAK LIBRARY The trip to the library was stressful enough for Twilight. Once Spike returned to her, he told her that her friend, Applejack, was extra busy in the orchard, but that if she needed her later, she'd be more than happy to help. Lucky for her, though, another one of her friends, Pinkie Pie, was available, and offered to help... and to Twilight, that fact alone was enough to smile at. Pinkie Pie was a pink-coated earth pony mare with a darker pink mane and tail. Her mane and tail were puffy, and had a slight resemblance to cotton candy. She was wearing a white sleeveless shirt with pink denim jeans, and a pair of pink boots. Twilight grunted as she pushed the door open with the human's arms still firmly gripped over her shoulders, and his midsection still held up in the air by her magic. Pinkie had his legs wrapped in her hooves, and she carried him facing backwards, with Twilight guiding her. "Okay, Pinkie... step! Step... step... and... there!" With the last of her energy, Twilight placed the human on the pink couch in the library; a friendly little housewarming gift from a certain pink visitor. Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie and smiled warmly. "Thank you again for your help, Pinkie Pie... I don't think I would've been able to make it here, if it weren't for you!" Pinkie, in turn, waved her left hand dismissively and replied in her usual high-speed, high-pitched tone, "Oh, it was nothing, Twilight! I couldn't help but notice that you were in need of help, and a good friend always, and I mean always, has to look out for her friends, because, I mean, that's what friends are for, right? To help one-another out in their times of need!" Twilight, despite missing half of Pinkie's ramblings due to the speed, was able to understand what she meant and nodded her head with a thankful smile. "Yes, Pinkie... and I'm eternally grateful for your help. Right now, though, I need to go find a book on human care... I'd hate to be a burden, but... can you watch over him for me right quick? I shouldn't take long at all!" Pinkie gave her a salute before replying, "Okie Dokie Loki!" Then she reached into her mane and (somehow) pulled out a magnifying glass, then closely examined the human's face through it. Twilight lightly chuckled and rolled her eyes at Pinkie Pie's antics, but decided to hurry up to her room. Spike followed her up the stairs to help her look. About five minutes have passed, and Pinkie was still staring at the human through her magnifying glass. She hummed as she examined him even closer, though... but more specifically, as she examined his dark brown hair. Curiously, she inched closer to his hair and bit down on a small lock of it carefully, so as not to pull any of his hair out. Then she released his hair from her teeth and rubbed her snout in thought. "Huh... his mane doesn't taste like chocolate..." She tilted her head in confusion before inching closer to his face. Then... she licked his left cheek, which made him turn his head away from the source of the foreign contact. "And his skin doesn't taste like banana... or vanilla! So this isn't some sort of food monster, at least!" she quietly told herself with a relieved smile. It was then that the human's eyes slowly opened up. He groaned before turning to his left, where he met the overly hyped out pink pony that sat on the floor, with her face undeniably too close for him to feel comfortable. They both stared at each other with a neutral expression on their faces... but no matter what, none of them could find anything to say to the other one. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, Pinkie spoke. "You taste funny, Mr. Shaved-Hornless-Minotaur-Monkey-Shaped-Banana-Vanilla-Chocolate Coated Thing. You aren't made out of a foreign kind of blend of food from another kingdom, are you?" The human slowly raised an eyebrow out of confusion at the pink mare. He had to refrain from freaking out at the first few words she said. He even wanted to answer her question that followed, whatever it was, but at the rate she spoke, it was impossible for him to even understand most of what the question was. His train of thought was interrupted once again the moment she gave him a painfully large, toothy grin. Then he suddenly wanted to know where in the world the strange squeaking noise came from. Finally, after yet another long moment of silence, he was able to speak again. "... What?" From behind the human's point of view, he heard Twilight gasp. "Oh, good! You're awake again!" The human turned towards her. When he noticed her, she was rushing towards him from the bottom step. "Oh... hello, ma'am! Um... Twilight, was it?" the human asked while watching her trot around to where she and Pinkie Pie were in the same general area. Twilight eyed him curiously. "That is correct... at least you didn't forget that... hey, wait a second..." she gasped before pointing at him, "how on Equus did you know who I am?!" The human scratched the back of his head before replying, "It's strange... I don't know how, but... I just know you by name. Nothing more, though... well, aside from the others." Twilight tilted her head in even more confusion. "Others? You mean my friends?" With a nod, the human clarified, "Yeah... Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. As for how I know them, I can't say, because I don't know. All I know is what they look like, and their names... but that's it." Twilight and Pinkie Pie both eyed him suspiciously at that statement. Twilight rubbed her chin in thought before asking, "Hm... so you're saying you can only remember us, but only on a visual level?" Again the human nodded his head. "What's odd, though, is that I don't know how... and I can't even explain how I could actually know you six, yet I don't even know my own self!" He then noticed their expressions and waved his hands defensively. "B-but I don't think I could've been some sort of spy of any kind! I mean... if I was, then I promise I'm not any more!" The mares seemed to relax a little at that comment. Then Twilight cleared her throat before saying, "Well... I'm not sure how to think of that... I mean, you look like you're telling the truth, but... I'd keep information like that to myself, if I were you." She then weakly smiled at him. "But regardless, you don't look like the kind of guy who would pose a threat. I mean, it's clear your mannerisms are good, so that's a start!" Then she lightly chuckled. "But please, just call me Twilight. There's no need for 'Miss', or anything like that, since I am only seventeen!" The human nodded his head and replied, "Understood... and thanks, by the way. I'm not kidding when I say I can't remember anything else, but... if I was some kind of threat, I can assure you I'm not, anymore." His stomach started to grumble a little, which made him slightly jump at the sudden sound. The ponies raised one of their eyebrows at him confusedly while he, in turn, stared at his stomach in disbelief. "W-what the heck was that?!" Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie started to giggle. Twilight did the same, before the two of them burst into a fit of laughter. The human turned from his stomach to them with a worried expression on his face. Finally, when their laughter was done, Twilight was the first to reply. "Oh my gosh! You mean to tell me you don't know when you're feeling hungry?" The human just stared at her blankly before scratching the back of his head. "I... can't say I do know for sure... is that bad?" Twilight lightly shook her head and replied, "I can't believe I actually have to explain this to anyone! No, it isn't that bad... but it isn't that good, either! It just means you have to eat something!" She rubbed her chin in thought and hummed. "If I remember correctly, humans were considered to be omnivores, meaning they had to eat meat and vegetables to remain healthy. Considering we're in a herbivore-dominant place, however, we'll have to feed you some meat substitute... tofu, stuff like that!" The human tilted his head in confusion. "Um... meat substitute?" Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Of course! Sometimes, when he isn't looking, I have to give Spike a small amount of tofu to keep him healthy, since dragons are naturally carnivores... well, with the exception of gems." The human rubbed his chin in thought. "So Spike is a... dragon?" She nodded her head and replied, "Pretty much! Of course, he's only a baby dragon, so it's not like he's dangerous, or anything like that! Plus, when he grows older, I'm certain he'll still be the friendly little lovable drake that he is today! Um... minus the little part, though." The human nodded his head and asked, "Okay... but, um... can you help me with another question?" Twilight smiled widely at him before replying, "You actually like learning?!" The human shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah! I mean, I don't really know much about anything, yet I'd love to know more!" Twilight nodded her head in response. "That's a good attitude! I... might not be able to help you with everything that you need to know, but I promise I'll do the best that I can! Now, what would you like to know?" The human had to think back on his question again for a moment. Then, once he found it, he looked at her confusedly. "Um... what's a dragon?" Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Twilight lightly smirked before asking, "You're... you're kidding, right? You don't know what a dragon is?!" The human shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Heck, if it weren't for you and Spike telling me earlier, I wouldn't even know what I am! And while I know you and your friends, I don't even know what any of you are!" Twilight frowned at him with a sad expression. "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry, though... I'll help you figure these things out, and I won't think any less of you for asking simple questions!" Then she smiled at him and pressed her right hand on her chest. "For starters, I am what you call a unicorn, or a subspecies of a pony that has a horn on her head!" Then she pointed at Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie over there is an earth pony, meaning she doesn't have a horn, or wings on her back, which would belong to what's known as a pegasus! Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are pegasi, while Rarity is a unicorn like me! Applejack is another earth pony like Pinkie Pie, though, and their extra natural strength is what makes them unique." The human smiled and nodded his head at her. "Thanks for that info... but what about dragons, though?" Pinkie Pie decided to chime in. "Well duh, silly! Spike is a dragon, which should show that they are similar to lizards, with scales and spines, as well as fins and spikes! Most of the dragons breathe fire, but there have been other dragons that breathe different elements, such s water, ice, and lightning! Also, they can grow up to be a quarter of the size of mountains!" Twilight stared at her blankly. "Um... how did you know that, Pinkie Pie?!" Pinkie giggled before replying, "Silly Twilight! One day, when I was just a little filly, I was eating a cupcake, then I started thinking about the way how cupcakes worked, and after putting one and one together, then putting two, and two, and two, and even two more together, I started asking myself, 'What makes dragons the way they are?' So I decided to eat a dictionary, and at once, the words became clear in my mind!" Both Twilight and the human raised an eyebrow, while trying to put Pinkie's "logic" together. Twilight then decided to ask, "Wait... you ate a Dictionary, then got the information from it?!" Pinkie giggled and shook her head. "Huh? Oh, no-no-no-no-no! I was just curious how a Dictionary tasted like. I got the information from the 'Dragopedia' on your shelf while you were away!" She pointed at the bookshelf behind her, pulled out a random book, and tossed it to Twilight, who caught it with her magic. After trying to figure Pinkie out for a moment longer, she merely groaned before rubbing her forehead out of slight pain. "Ugh... I need some iced water." She then turned to the human and weakly smiled. "Would you like some, Mr... um..." She gasped at a sudden realization. "Oh my gosh! We still have to figure out a name for you!" The human opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the front door to the library burst open by a rainbow-colored blur. When everyone looked towards the source of the noise, only to find a cyan-coated pegasus mare with a rainbow-streaked mane and tail. She was wearing a light blue sleeveless shirt with dark blue track pants and red shoes over her hooves. She also wore rainbow-colored wristbands that covered the lower halves of her arms. She was sweating profusely, and panting with a worried expression on her face. Twilight walked up to her worriedly and asked, "Rainbow Dash?! What's going on, what's wrong?!" In a tired, tomboyish voice, she replied, "Twi! It's... it's AJ! S-she... she's in trouble!" She then looked at the human and raised a confused eyebrow. "Um, Twilight? Who's that?!" Twilight ignored her question and shook her head. "I'll explain later. What was this about Applejack being in trouble?" Rainbow pointed outside the door and replied, "There's a creep in her orchard! He threatened Big McIntosh's life, and left him injured!" Both Twilight and Pinkie Pie gasped at that statement. "WHAT?!" Pinkie then commented, "B-but Big Mac is a really, really, really strong stallion! H-how could anyone be able to hurt him?!" Twilight shook her head and replied, "No time for questions! Applejack needs us!" She then turned towards the human and weakly frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but we'll have to think of a name for you later. Right now, I need to go save a friend. I'll be back as soon as I can, though, I promise!" Without even waiting for a response, the three mares dashed out of the doorway and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, the town's local Apple Orchard. The human sat there for a moment while contemplating on what he should be doing. "Ỳóu ͝s͜h͞o̶uld go ͡and he̵l͞p̶ ̶t̡h͠e̴m.́" The human gasped and jumped at the sudden voice that echoed around him. "What the... who said that?!" "Thàt͢'s҉ no͘t ̕i̢ḿpo͏rta͜nt̸ r̡ight̸ ͢n̷ow.̧.. y͜o̸u ̧w̡o͏ul͢dn͞'͞t̀ ̸want ͟t̡ha̵t̵ ͟c͠re̢e͝p t͟o ̧endan̨ger͠ ͠your̕ p͟ót̕e̕n͡tiaĺ ͠ne͠w͢ ̛f͏ŗi̵e̸n̡d́s, ͜ţhou̵gh, wou͘ld ̡yóư?̨" The human shook his head. "N-no... I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to anyone, even!" "T̨hen yo̢u͝ kn̨ow wh́a҉t to͜ ͜do͏." The human nodded his head and scratched the back of his hair nervously. "Unfortunately... I think I do..." He took a deep breath before rushing out of the door to the library, and followed the distant ponies who were headed towards the orchard. SWEET APPLE ACRES An orange-coated earth pony mare with a braided blonde mane stood in the orchard with an intense glare on her face. She wore a red t-shirt, blue overalls, a pair of brown boots, and a pair of brown gloves. Over her scalp she wore a light brown stetson hat, and in both of her hands she held a rope. Lying on the ground directly behind her was a red-coated stallion with an orange mane, an orange t-shirt, blue overalls, black boots, and black gloves. His face was covered in blood and his breathing was raspy. The mare was glaring at a man dressed in an all-black bodysuit. His eyes glowed pure white, and around his eyes his mask had red rings that crawled vertically over and below his entire head, ending at a red ring around his neck, and circling around his eyes. In the center of the ring around his neck another red line lowered halfway down his stomach and parted two ways in the center of his abdomen in an upside-down "V" shape. The two lines lowered to the sides of his waist, where another red ring was. His gloves and boots both had red rings at the corners that rose up to his elbows and knees. In both of his hands he held Katanas with black handles and red blades. He lightly chuckled, with the rings around his eyes squinting. "Such a terrible waste of time... why should you stand in my path?" The mare spat on the ground before replying, "My brother ain't as much a' fighter as Ah am... now, Ah don't know who y'all are, but y'all have ten seconds ta leave this farm, 'fore Ah make y'all leave!" Again the figure chuckled before shaking his head. "You certainly have a lot of guts, if you think you can handle me! Do you not realize who I am?" The mare retorted, "Do y'all know who Ah am?! Ah'm Applejack, the hardest workin' mare in town!" She pulled the rope from both ends, which revealed that she was carrying two, instead. She whipped them on the ground before pointing at the figure. The figure slid both Katanas' blades together and grinned. "Ah, a fellow ambidextrous fighter... very well, then... I am Cruelty, Spirit of Destruction and Misery." He raised his right Katana at her and lowered his knees slightly into a battle position. "Now, then... let's see if you can keep up with my capabilities, shall we?" Applejack side-stepped away from her brother for his safety while keeping her eyes glued onto Cruelty's. Then she leaned into a battle position while waiting for the first strike to be made. At a blurring speed, Cruelty was directly over Applejack's unconscious brother with both of his swords ready to impale him. Before his swords could even lower, however, Applejack's ropes wrapped around his wrists and pulled him towards her. Then she leaped into the air and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back to where he started. He stood back up, but didn't appear to show any signs of pain. "Huh... you truly are a cut above the rest, aren't you?" Then he grinned again and took a step towards her. She, in turn, braced for his next action. He raised his swords in the air and prepared for his next action. "Of course, if you call that a strike, then I'd be very afraid if I were you." In the blink of an eye, he was directly in front of Applejack. He leaped into the air and managed to kick her in the chest with both of his feet, which sent her flying into a nearby tree. She grunted in pain as she fell to the ground. Then she weakly looked up, only to gasp when she saw Cruelty standing over her brother with his swords ready to strike him again. She also noticed that, during the time she was kicked, she was disarmed of her ropes. She reached her left hand out for her brother and shouted, "BIG MCINTOSH!" Then the figure's Katanas pierced into the ground. Cruelty tilted his head in confusion once the dirt from the impact of his blades cleared. His blades were pierced in the ground, but the stallion was nowhere to be found. With an annoyed grunt, Cruelty turned towards the sudden sound of hoof-steps nearby. The only thing he could see from that point was a rainbow and cyan-colored blur, before he found himself flying back even further than before. He landed and rolled a few times before quickly rising back up to his feet and deadpanning at the one who kicked his chest... Rainbow Dash. Behind Rainbow Dash was Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, who quickly grouped with her friends, despite the amount of cuts and bruises she had from the blow that she took mere seconds ago. Rainbow Dash appeared to be holding a pair of metal knuckles, while Pinkie's right arm was covered by a blue miniature cannon. Twilight was holding a lavender spectral spear with a purple handle. Cruelty chuckled before shaking his head. "You lot aren't the ones I'm looking for... begone, you interfering little horses!" Twilight glared at him and raised her spear at him. "You have some serious issues if you think we'll let you get away with attempted murder! Do you honestly have any idea who we are?!" Cruelty stood still for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. Then his swords disappeared into a pair of back mists before crossing his arms over his chest. "As a matter of fact, I do know who you are... Twilight Sparkle! And what's more, I even know your deepest, darkest secrets... Twily." The ponies gasped and Twilight's grip on her spear intensified. Then she slightly lowered it out of curiosity. "What the... h-how would you know that much about me?!" Cruelty shook his head and replied, "That isn't important right now... what is important is that you tell me where HE is! Do so, and I won't make this difficult for you, or your friends!" Twilight tilted her head out of confusion. "Um... who?" Cruelty deadpanned at her again. "You know who I'm talking about! Your clueless friend! The one whose very existence marks the death of us all!" It took Twilight a few moments to register the stranger's words. When she finally realized who he meant, she gasped and took a step back. "Hey! What's going on here?!" a vaguely familiar male's voice called from behind the mares. When they turned around, they saw the unnamed human from the river rushing up to them, only to stop when he saw Cruelty standing there. Cruelty chuckled before raising his right hand. Then he swept it across the air horizontally, and in a huge burst of wind, the mares flew away, with Twilight bumping her head on a tree, rendering her unconscious. The human tried to rush up to her, only to notice Cruelty headed his way. Cruelty leaped into the air with both of his katanas over his head ready to cut vertically. In a rage-fueled yell, he shouted, "YOUR TIME HAS COME, SEPHTIS! PREPARE YOURSELF!"
| I | Chapter 3 CRUELTY VS NAMELESS HUMAN SWEET APPLE ACRES Everypony who was still conscious slowly opened their eyes after shielding them to keep from seeing the brutality that befell the human. When they did, however, they gasped at what they saw. In-between the human's hands was a pure white glowing longsword. It didn't have any particularly special qualities about it, other than the fact that the handle was the same color as the blade. Even the hilt was just a plain glowing white horizontal line. The human opened his eyes when he realized he didn't feel any pain. Then he gasped when he saw the spectral sword in his hands. Cruelty deadpanned at him while both of his swords were caught in the center of the blade. "Well, it looks like you've found your Spirit Weapon! Strange how plain it is, though... normally it would be altered by the Purity or Corruption of its user." Then he shrugged before raising his right foot in the air. "Oh, well. Not that it matters, anyway." Before he could react, the human had the wind kicked out of him as Cruelty's foot found its way onto his chest. He flew back and grunted in pain as he rolled across the floor. As soon as he released the handle of his sword, the sword vanished into thin air. When the human stopped rolling, he quickly pulled himself back onto his feet and looked around cautiously. While rolling around, he wasn't able to notice Cruelty vanish. "Béhi͢n̕d ͡yòu!" Instinctively, the human's body reacted before he could. He rolled to his left and narrowly dodged the blades that passed by and raised his right fist into the air. When his fist was balled up, the spectral sword rematerialized fast enough for him to block Cruelty's following horizontal slice. Then he quickly jumped backwards and held his sword defensively. "What the heck are you doing?! Why are you attacking us?!" the human asked. Cruelty smirked before replying, "You must take me for a fool if you think I'll answer that one!" Then he dashed towards the human at a blurring speed and sliced at him, only for the human to leap over his head, land behind him, and thrust his sword forward, only for Cruelty to vanish before his eyes. "What?!" The human growled before crouching into a battle position. Cruelty's voice began echoing around the human. "Don't take it personal, though. It's not necessarily you that I'm after... it's the voice in your head!" "Voice... in my head?! What are you even talking about?!" "H͠ȩ'̕s̛ ͠tr̴yi͢n͞g̡ ̢to͞ ̷c͜o͝nfu̢śe you! ͏ I͝'m ̡here̶ ͢to͡ he̸l͝p̸ ̴y̴ou ̧s҉t͟a͠y͘ al̨iv̀e!" Cruelty chuckled. "You should be aware that it's him who's trying to harm you! I'm merely here to save this world from the trouble that he will bring!" The human groaned and began rubbing his head with his left hand. "Ugh... can someone speak normal around here?!" Cruelty appeared from behind the human and chuckled. The human's eyes widened in shock as a strange memory played into his head. He leaped up and back-flipped over the pair of blades before catching the handles of both Katanas and disarming Cruelty of his weapons. Then, once he landed on the ground he kicked Cruelty's back and waited for Cruelty to turn around. Once Cruelty did, the human kicked him onto the ground and dashed towards him to deliver the killing blow. Before Cruelty could even react, both of his own swords were pierced into his shoulder blades, causing him to yell in agony, as his arms gave out on him. Then the human's sword materialized into his hands again, but this time, it was upside-down. The sword loomed over Cruelty's forehead as the realization of his doom was at hand. "Go ahead, then... finish me off!" The human smirked before nodding his head. "Evil scum like you don't deserve to live!" Without even giving a second thought, he pierced the blade into Cruelty's forehead, causing him to choke and gurgle on his own blood. His body convulsed, and his hands twitched open, but only for a few seconds. Then he went limp, and the life inside him was drained completely. Without hesitation, the human back-flipped over Cruelty's swords and disarmed him of his weapons. When he landed, he kicked Cruelty on the back enough for him to stumble slightly. Then, once Cruelty turned around, he did as his vision told him and kicked him in the chest and sent him onto the ground. Cruelty quickly looked at the human and gasped when he saw the human's eyes were suddenly glowing red. Before he could even react, the human leaped into the air and pierced both of his shoulders with his Katanas, causing him to yell in agony. He tried moving his arms, but was unable to. He coughed a few times before breathing heavily. He tried moving his feet, but an unseen force was keeping him from doing so. Then he looked at the human again and sighed in defeat. "Go ahead, then... finish me off!" The human smirked and nodded his head. Then he raised his sword over Cruelty's forehead and said in a slightly distorted voice, "E͝v̀il̨ ̢s͏cum ̶lik̸e y̶o̡ư don'͟t͏ des͜érve͝ ͡to͞ l͠iv̵ȩ!" Suddenly, Twilight's eyes shot open. She quickly turned towards the human and the shady figure and shouted, "NO! DON'T DO IT!" Then, in a split-second, the human's blade sunk down towards Cruelty's forehead. Author's Note I know, it's a short chapter. Technically this one is actually split into two parts, though, and the next one will be a little bit longer than this one.
| I | Chapter 4 AFTERMATH SWEET APPLE ACRES Everyone stared in horror at the scene before them. The dust filled the air, and the human stood over the shady figure whose muscles were completely relaxed... or rather, his muscles were limp. The human breathed heavily as his light blue eyes focused on the figure before him. Then he pulled his sword from the ground and stepped back, while Cruelty's eyes popped open. He turned his head to his left and eyed the hole in the dirt that rested mere inches away from his forehead. Then he grunted in pain as the human drew his Katanas from his shoulder blades. He slowly sat back up and stared at the human confusedly. "I... I don't understand... y-you were supposed to kill me!" The human turned his back to Cruelty and pierced the Katanas into the ground. Then he walked between the Katanas and headed towards the ponies, who continued to stare at him in disbelief. "If I were to kill you, I wouldn't be any better than yourself." Cruelty sat there motionlessly for a moment. Then he lightly chuckled and shook his head. "My... you surely are a strange one." He backed into a tree and slid himself up to his feet again. "Lucky for you, however... Strange and Cruelty can get along quite nicely." The human tilted his head confusedly and rested his hands on his hips. "Get along? So wait... you're just going to stop fighting us like that?" Cruelty nodded his head and stared at his Katanas. Then he walked up to them and lowered his limp arms to their handles. When the tips of his fingers touched the handles, the swords disappeared again. "As a matter of fact, I am... but a word of advice, if I may." The human nodded his head and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright, then. I'm listening." "You may be wondering why I was after you... so I'll go on ahead and say it." He motioned towards the human's left hand. The human stared at it curiously while Cruelty explained. "That mark on your hand is a warning symbol. It means that dark times are coming... and you are either the only one that could keep it from happening... or you will be the one that will make it happen." The human looked back at Cruelty and asked, "Um... what do you mean by that, exactly?" Cruelty shook his head again and replied, "I'm something like a bounty hunter, except I don't just simply hunt bounties. Everything that belongs in this world has a fate that they are destined to meet... like me, for example. My fate was to be slain by you just recently... but since you haven't, that means that you have unintentionally altered the Threads of Fate." "Threads of Fate? What's that?" Cruelty cleared his throat. "Everything around us has a certain Thread of Fate. The threads are a spiritual strand that determines their lives. At first, they would all be eternal, meaning that their lives would go on forever... but should something happen to those threads, then their lives will end once they reach that point." "And... what do you mean by 'when they reach that point', exactly?" The human scratched the back of his head out of confusion. "Simple... the Threads of Fate are all bound to the Fabrics of Time. As such, they all intertwine with each other, and in the end, they form one fabric. Within that fabric, they all affect one another in their own ways." "And... what does this have to do with me, exactly?" the human asked. Cruelty replied, "Again, there's a simple answer to that. You see, it also relates to how you know about those mares behind you, yet they don't know you. In another Fabric of Time, you were considered one of their closest friends... but something happened in that fabric... the results are what gave you the cursed symbol on your left hand. As for whether it was already given to that side of you is beyond even my knowledge." The human looked at his hand again. "You said that this symbol means I could bring the end of this world?" Cruelty shook his head. "Not you... but the voice in your head. It gets even heavier that that, though." The human raised an eyebrow and looked up at him again. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean you aren't just carrying a monster in your mind that will destroy this world... you're carrying a monster that already did destroy this world in several different Fabrics of Time." The human looked at his left hand again. "So, wait... you're telling me I'm going to end up destroying this world?!" Cruelty shook his head again. "No... well, not directly. Eventually, the dark spirit in your mind will take over your body, and in turn, trade places with you. Then, with it in control, he will destroy the world, and you won't be able to stop him." With yet another confused expression, the human looked back up at Cruelty and asked, "And just who exactly is 'He'?" "... Sephtis." The human sighed and looked at his hand again. "Is there any way to keep him from taking over?!" Cruelty smirked. "Well, other than killing you, I doubt it." The human groaned and gripped his forehead with his right hand. "However," the human looked up at Cruelty with a slight ray of hope, "there was something that you just showed... something that could very well be the ray of hope that you're looking for." "I'm listening." Cruelty looked at the wounds on his shoulders and said, "As I have said before, I was fated for you to kill me just recently... but considering the fact that we're even having this conversation, you have proven one thing." "... And that is?" "It is a sign... a sign that you don't even have a fate." He nodded towards the human and concluded, "It means you are a Fate Weaver." The human stood there silently. Then he scratched the back of his head again and asked, "Again... and that is?" Cruelty sighed and slapped his forehead onto the tree next to him. "You surely are a curious one, huh?" Then he turned towards the human and said, "A 'Fate Weaver'! In other words, one who can alter the Fabrics of Time with the Threads of Fate! As in, you could make the world's impending doom not happen!" The human tilted his head again. "So... I can pretty much keep this Sephtis guy from taking over my body, and in turn, save the world by not letting him destroy it?" Cruelty nodded his head. "Exactly. You won't be able to stop the future from happening, but you can at least weave it into a better one!" The human nodded his head. "I... think I understand. But how do I stop these things from happening, though?" Cruelty tilted his head in thought. "Well, for starters, you could avoid doing those things that you or your caretaker sees before they happen!" "My... caretaker?" The human turned towards Twilight Sparkle, who was still awake, but staring at the two along with the other ponies. "Indeed. If she received a message from the future, that means she'll know how to keep you from screwing everything up." Cruelty sighed and fell onto his knees. The human quickly turned to him and rushed towards him. "Looks like I'm running short on blood... but hey, it shouldn't be too big of a deal. After all, you didn't necessarily kill me... blood loss did." Then he closed his eyes and fell onto his chest. The human quickly rushed up to the unconscious figure and slightly lifted him up. "Hey, wait! How the hell do you even know all of this?!" Seeing that he didn't get a response he groaned and shook his head. Then he turned towards Twilight, who rushed up to the two. "Hey, um... Twilight? Can you help me get this guy to Fluttershy, please? If my memories are correct, wouldn't she be the kind one?" Twilight nodded her head and replied, "Yeah... but I think he may have lost too much blood for a trip that long!" The human sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. Then Applejack rushed up to them and said, "Ah'll take care o' him. Y'all get Fluttershy, an' bring 'er up here, instead." They both nodded their heads to her. Then the human said, "Alright... thank you, AJ." Applejack nodded her head and replied, "Listen, Ah don't know who or what y'all are, but... if'n y'all was willin' ta protect mah farm an' mah brother, Ah'd say y'all are a friend fer sure." Then she leaned down at the unconscious figure and gently lifted him over her shoulders. "An' y'all have all of our thanks... by the way, what's y'alls name, partner?" The human rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, but... I can't really remember. Twilight and I were about to think of one before all of this even happened." Applejack hummed as she carried Cruelty towards her house. "Well, Ah'd say y'all showed a lot of fearlessness when y'all was defendin' us... maybe y'alls name could be 'Fearless'... or somethin'?" Twilight gasped and smiled at Applejack. "Yeah! Fearless Human, perhaps? Since... well... you're pretty much the only one that we've seen as of yet, and don't have any other 'human' names to go by?" The human nodded his head and weakly smiled. "Fearless Human, huh? Yeah... I think I can live with that name! Maybe just 'Fearless' for short, though?" Twilight nodded her head and motioned forward. "Well, then... please follow me this way, Fearless! I'll show you how to get to Fluttershy's cottage from here!" Fearless rubbed the back of his head while Twilight started rushing ahead of him, not even waiting for an answer. Then he shrugged his shoulders and tried to catch up with her. All the while, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie followed Applejack, in case she would need their help. "Whoa! Did you girls see how fast he ran? Or how awesomely he fought?!" Rainbow Dash smiled and stared at the running human. Pinkie giggled and nodded her head. "This calls for a party! Hey, do you think I should call it a 'Welcome to Ponyville, and Thank You For Saving Our Lives' Party, or a 'Thank You For Saving Our Lives, and Welcome to Ponyville' Party? Ooh, but he also discovered that he's a 'Fate Weaver', whatever that is, and also he was just now named 'Fearless', so how do you think I should add those details into the party's name? Should I call it-" Rainbow Dash quickly covered her snout and deadpanned at her. "I think you can figure it out, Pinkie Pie. After all, aren't you the Party Planner?" Pinkie nodded her head and gasped. Then she started to giggle. Rainbow tilted her head out of confusion and removed her hand from Pinkie's snout. Then Pinkie's giggling turned into a fit of laughter. "Huh? What's so funny?" Pinkie pointed behind Rainbow Dash, which caused her to turn around. Seeing nothing, she turned towards Pinkie again. "What is it?" "Your wings! They're... they're..." Rainbow's cheeks quickly turned red at that statement. "WHAT?!" She reached behind her back and tried to force her wings down her back again... but they refused to fold, and extended as soon as she released them. "Oh, COME ON!" Applejack turned towards her friends and smirked at Rainbow Dash's predicament. "Well, well, well! Day one, an' y'all are already gettin' some dirty thoughts in y'alls head about our new friend?" Rainbow glared at her and retorted, "Hoof, no! I'm just... they're just... um..." she pointed at Cruelty and muttered, "t-that punk must've just injured them somewhere! That's all!" Applejack rolled her eyes and smirked. "Right~." They entered the house and closed the door while Applejack carried the unconscious figure to the couch. Then she turned to Rainbow and Pinkie. "Y'all make sure he stays breathin'. Ah'll go upstairs an' get the First Aid Kit." Her friends nodded their heads and watched over Cruelty. Then Applejack headed into the bathroom to find her medical equipment, but when she turned her head towards the bathroom, she heard her brother groaning inside his bedroom across the hallway. She turned around, frowned at him with a sad expression, and sighed. "Looks like Ah'll need ta take care of y'alls wounds also, Big McIntosh." She then headed inside the bathroom and grabbed the First Aid Kit. FLUTTERSHY'S COTTAGE Twilight turned to Fearless and weakly smiled. "Um... please excuse her if she freaks out when she sees you. As her name implies, she can be a little... on the shy side." Fearless nodded his head in understanding. "Okay... um... should I wait over at the farm, or..." Twilight shook her head. "That won't be necessary. Besides, if she knows someone's in trouble and needs her help, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to assist them!" Fearless nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders. Then Twilight turned to the door and gently knocked on it. About thirty seconds passed when they heard the sound of hooves landing on the other side of the door. Then a soft, barely audible feminine voice called from the other side. "Um... h-hello?" Twilight cleared her throat. "Hey, Fluttershy! It's me, Twilight!" The feminine voice from the other side of the door spoke slightly louder this time. "Oh! H-hello, Twilight! Um... h-how can I h-help you?" Twilight replied, "Actually, it's not me who needs help. Um... an unidentified creature is badly hurt at Applejack's farm, and-" Before anyone else could react, the door slammed open, and a yellow, pink, and green blur flew past them at an alarming speed towards Applejack's farm. Fearless, after being knocked flat onto his buttocks, stared wide-eyed at the now distant blur, while Twilight stood with her mouth agape at the same blur. Her mane was disheveled due to the airwaves from the blur. "Well... that was... unexpectedly fast." After groaning out of slight pain Fearless stood back up and dusted himself off before nodding his head in agreement. "Should we go back to the farm, now?" Twilight shook her head and turned towards the town. "I'm sure that they can find a way to help him... and if they could, I'm sure he won't be able to use his arms in a while, so he shouldn't be dangerous when he wakes up." Then she turned to Fearless and smiled. "But that doesn't mean I can't introduce you to the mayor! Then we could look into finding a place for you to stay later on!" Fearless chuckled and nodded his head. "Sounds like a plan, then. Please, lead the way." With that, the two of them headed towards the town, where they would be meeting with the mayor, herself.
ACT I: AWAKENING ACT I AWAKENING A human, better known as a creature of ancient Griffon Mythology (most commonly believed to stand nearly twice the size of an average pony), washes up from a river near Ponyville with a majority of his memories forgotten. When he wakes up, however, he wakes up under the care of an anthropomorphic lavender unicorn who claims that she and her friends became famous about a week ago... but oddly enough, he does know who she and her friends are... even though he doesn't know very much about them, and can't even remember his own name.
