Defenders of Harmonyby chillbook2ChaptersBulliesEquestriaFlight LessonsThe Silver RiftBack to EarthFirst ContactParty TimeThe AttackOption 1Option 2UltimatumThe New BossWar Never ChangesLossHome, Sweet HomeEpilogueHappy Birthday to MeMy TransformationThe EndBulliesI walked down the street for 5 minutes until I reached the bus stop. I could have walked downtown, but I was feeling lazy. I waited for the #7 bus, which wouldn’t take too long. My urban city had amazing public transportation. Sure enough, I was paying for the bus about 3 minutes later. I sat down as near to the back as I could. After about 4 stops, I got off the bus. Turning to my right, I walked down the semi-busy street until I was in front of a humble building with a large neon Jackson’s sign. My home away from home. The door opened with a ring and I was met with a fist in the right arm. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Again and again I was decked in the arm. After 19 blows, it stopped. I turned to see my boss, friend, and father-figure, Mr. Jackson, bald and aproned, staring me in the face. He smiled then brung me in for a hug. “Ow!” I said. “What was that for?” “It’s your birthday, son! Your generation doesn’t seem to understand the concept of birthday punches.” said Mr. Jackson. “I understand the concept, but why did you hit me 19 times?” I replied irritably. “One for good luck.” he said with a grin. “What are you doing here?” “I never go to school on the last day. I find it pointless.” “But why did you come here? You should have gone out, saw a movie. Ya know, splurge. You’re young and you have a job. What is it you kids say again? YALO?” “It’s Y.O.L.O, sir.” I said, aware he screwed up on purpose. He was in his forties and wasn’t oblivious to the world. “I just felt like coming in today. I still need to work off my debt.” “Christian Michael Brooks. You don’t owe us anything. Understand this. You don’t have to be here today if you don’t want to.” He and Mrs. Jackson kept saying I didn’t owe them anything, but I really do. I have no idea what would have happened if they didn’t let me move in. After I ran away from home, I was lost, no clue on what to do. The Jacksons, who were close family friends, allowed me to move in for no rent and gave me a job. I moved out about two years after that when Isaiah and Robert felt like moving out of their respective homes. We moved in a nice, decent sized apartment, and split the rent 3 ways. I’m still trying to pay the Jacksons back for the support, love and the rent I would have had to pay. “It’s alright, Mr. J. I didn’t have anything to do today besides wait for Isaiah and Rob to get home from school. Might as well do something worthwhile.” I said. But something wasn’t quite right. It was a little too quiet. “Wait. Where’s Mrs. J and Sarah?” I asked, looking around for his red headed wife and daughter. Not that I felt they should be bowing down to me, but I was kinda used to Mrs. Jackson chatting with me as if I was a normal person. And my mornings were never complete until their 15 year old daughter Sarah hit on me. She would say something smooth and casanova-ish, I would shoot her a look of fake attraction and her dad would fake threaten me that if I touched his daughter he’d get his shotgun, then we’d all laugh. “Sarah went to nationals today. Her mother decided, under my persuasion, to accompany her.” he replied. Sarah was a master gymnast, the best I’ve ever seen. It was no question that she deserved to go to a national competition. “Later tonight she’ll call you though.” “Cool, cool.” I say nonchalantly. “Well, let me go hang up my hoodie, then I’ll get working.” I walked to the backroom, put my phone, keys and hoodie in my locker, then grabbed an apron off of a nearby hook. If it was just me and Mr. J today, we’d have our work cut out for us. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a rag, and began to wash the few dirty dishes from last night’s dinner service. When I was done there, I made sure the salt and pepper shakers were all full, neatened up the tables and went back to the kitchen to knead some dough. We made everything we could from scratch. When I finished there, I walked upstairs to the roof, where we had our vegetable garden. I grabbed a basket and began picking the various veggies; Eggplant, tomatoes, corn, and peppers. My basket full, I walked back to the kitchen to wash off the ingredients. By this time, a few people were trickling in. I grabbed my notepad and pen, walked over to each table, and took orders. It wasn’t much, only three people at this early hour. I prepared their meals, 2 eggplant parmesan and our three-bean vegetarian chili. When everything was perfect, I brung them their food with a smile. Those were the only customers we had for a while. I wasn’t worried. It was only noon. We got the most business later at night anyway. It wasn’t until 1:30 did we get our next customers. I heard the familiar jingle of the door and rushed out of the kitchen, ready to take their order. I got to their table and, staring at my notepad, said the routine line: “Welcome to Jackson’s, the only completely vegetarian restaurant in town! May I take your order?” “Yes. I’ll have the bacon cheese burger, the meatloaf with a side of beef gravy and the fried chicken.” said none other than Robert. He always said that when he ate here. He thought it was funny. It kinda was. “Hey Rob.” I said. “What are you doing here?” “Lunch.” he said simply. “Ok. Well, what will you have?” “Get me a slice of that veggie pizza with the goat cheese.” he said. “Ok. Lucky for you, a pie should be coming out in a minute. Drink?” I replied, still in full waiter mode. “Diet root beer, if you would.” said Robert, checking his phone. “Anything else?” I ask. “Hold on. Our dear friend Isaiah Simmons is still trying to decide what he wants.” he said. His phone went off. Checking it, he said, “He said to get him one of those cucumber and watercress sandwiches. He has a soda at school, so don’t worry.” “Got it. Your pizza will be out in a second and then I’ll put together a sandwich for Simmons.” I said, walking to the kitchen. I pulled the pizza out of the oven. I took the time it would take to cool to fill up a glass with root beer for Robert and make a sandwich for Isaiah. I put Isaiah’s food in a take-home container, cut a slice of pizza out for Robert, plated it and brought it out for him. Setting his food down in front of him, I pulled up a chair. “Mr. J! I’m on break!” I yelled over my shoulder. “So what’s up?” I said, turning my attention to Robert. “How come Isaiah didn’t come?” “He’s studying to try to get in that fancy-schmancy medical college.” said Robert, pizza in his mouth. “I told him to relax, but he was like, ‘Noooo. I gotta study. I gotta do well and become a doctor, nyaah nyaah nyaah.’” “Cut him some slack. He’s just trying to make something of himself.” I replied. “I think it’s kinda cool that he can even understand that crap.” “I still think he’s crazy, but to each their own. That reminds me. We are going to that concert tonight. Make sure you’re home by 8:00 because that’s when we leave.” “Tears of Plague plays tonight?” I asked. They were my favorite band. “Yeah and we’re going. Be home by 8 or we will call the cops and report you missing.” said Robert, checking his phone once more. “Oh, crap! I gotta go if I wanna get yearbooks. See ya Chris.” He got up from the table, dropping a twenty dollar bill in my hand. “Later Rob.” I said, walking back to the register to put the money away. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I only had a couple more customers before the dinner service at 7. “Chris. Come over here.” called Mr. J from the backroom. I walked to the back room, curious as to what he wanted. I walk in the breakroom and see my boss standing in front of my locker. “Yeah, Mr. J?” I asked, eager to start the service. “What is it?” “A few things, actually. First off, Sarah called. She told me to wish you happy birthday. Second, you are going to stop calling me Mr. Jackson. You’re a man now. Call me Harrold or call me nothing. Understand?” “Yes, Mr. J… erm, I mean Harrold.” I said. That’s going to be a hard habit to break, I thought. “Anything else?” “Yeah. The last thing I want you to do is go home. It’s your birthday. You should be out with your friends, celebrating. So, you are going to hang up your apron, get your stuff, and go home. Got it?” “B-but…” I said protesting. “No buts. Go home. You’ll thank me later.” “Are you sure you can handle it?” I asked worriedly. “I’ve been running this restaurant since before you were born. I’m sure I can handle one dinner service. Now. Go. Home.” “Alright, alright, If it makes you feel better, I’ll leave. But I’m coming in early tomorrow.” I said boldly. “If you say so. Just have fun.” replied my boss. I opened my locker, grabbed my stuff, and left. I still had an hour before we would leave for the concert, so I decided to wander town. I walked all over town, past cafes and pharmacies, with no real direction. I just let my mind wander as I walked. After a few minutes, my mind told me to stop. I looked up, and I saw my mother’s house. Way to go, brain, I thought to myself, You brung me to the one place I don’t want to be. Fantastic. I stood in front of the house for a minute, deciding whether or not I should go in. Why would she want to see me?, I thought, She made it very clear she doesn’t approve of me. I thought back to the day I ran away. My mom couldn’t deal with my being a brony, so she pestered me about it, trying to get me to stop. She called me everything in the book, until one day, I had enough. I told her to leave me alone, or she would lose a son. She chose the latter. She doesn’t want me, I said in my mind, And I don’t want her. I turned tail and walked away, trying to forget about it. I walked a few steps and was met with a fist in the ribs. “What’s up, faggot ass broony?” said some unknown thug. At least, he was unknown for a second. There are only two people I know who pronounce ‘brony’ as ‘broony’. I didn’t expect to have to deal with them today. “Mathew. What do you want?” I asked, trying to get breathe back into my lungs. “Me and Pat heard it was your birthday and we wanted to see what faggot broony things you got. Not to mention we wanted to give you your present.” said my biggest bully, pulling out a squirt gun. “Oh-no. Last time you guys brung out squirt guns, I smelled like cat piss for a week.” I said, stepping backwards. I had an agreement of sorts with Matt and Pat. They would mock me and beat me up, I would say something sarcastic that their low I.Q.s couldn’t understand, I’d run and we’d meet back up the next day to repeat the cycle. “No. Not piss this time.” said Pat. “Wanna see what it is though?” He squirted me with whatever substance was in the gun, drenching my hoodie. I sniffed the liquid, and the smell made me a little light headed. No. Nononono. They did not do that. I must be losing my mind, because I swear to god that they sprayed me with bleach. “Was that bleach?” I asked, trying to regulate my breathing. I was normally a calm person, but they finally went too far. “Did you jack-offs just spray me with bleach?” “Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?” said Pat threateningly. “What you ass-holes fail to realise is that the reason I don’t fight you back isn’t fear or physical limitations. It is ideals. I feel words carry more weight. So I normally take your beatings and retort something to make me feel better. If I wanted to, like I do know, I could kick your asses in a second. You have one chance. Apologize.” I said, anger welling in my voice. “Yeah, right. As if you could even touch us you gay-ass broony.” said Mat. “Just try touching us and see what happens brawny. Or do you not have the ba-”, Pat’s sentence was cut off by my fist colliding his jaw. I pulled my fist back and released all my energy into his ribs. I took my right foot, pulled it back and rammed it in Pat’s stomach. “What was that about me not having balls? And by the way, it’s brony. Brony. Not broony you idiots. If your gonna pick on me do it right.” I would have said more, but a sharp pain ran through my side. I turned around to see Mat pulling his hand back away from me. I looked down and saw a knife wedged in my body. I forgot about Matt!, I screamed at myself, brain going fuzzy. I ran past them, trying my hardest to get away. My vision grew blurry and my footsteps slowed. NO! I am not going to die here, too these jerkbags! I thought. I booked it through the streets, staring at the concrete the whole way. I took one wrong step, stumbled and fell. POMF! My face fell into dirt. I looked up, taking in all the sudden greenery around me. Grass and plants everywhere. Where the hell am I?, I thought to myself. Nice place to die. Then the world faded into blackness and I saw no more. EquestriaThe pain in my side and head is what woke me up. Opening my eyes, I saw… nothing but fuzz. My contacts were dried out. I needed to get my saline solution. I got up and began to walk to my bathroom. As soon as I stood up, a wave of nausea swept over me. I sat down quick, trying to regain control of my stomach. After a few seconds, I stood back up, convinced I would hold onto whatever I had eaten recently. Standing up, I was able to tell immediately this wasn’t my home. “Where am I?” I asked no one. What happened? How did I get here? I racked my brain, trying to put the pieces together. Suddenly, I remembered. “Mathew.” I said to myself. “He stabbed me. Wait a second.” I looked down and, for the first time, realised I was shirtless. Looking at the right side of my body, I saw a bloody bandage wrapped across my ribs. Someone patched me up. “Hello? Is anyone home?” I called. “Anyone? How did I get here? Please help me!” “Oh. You’re awake.” called a quiet, feminine voice behind me. “I was worried for a while. I’ve never seen anything like you before, so I had no clue what to do for you. I just stitched you up, which was enough I guess.” Never seen anything like me before? That was certainly an odd thing to say. “Well, thank you very much for the help, but I still need you for something. I can’t see.” I replied, turning to try to make out who this woman was. From my blurred vision, I could see that she was a bit curvaceous. She wore a yellow sweater and grey sweatpants. She had pink hair, parted to one side. She was incredibly tall, a little over 6 feet. The strangest thing about her was her skin. It seemed to be yellow. “Oh no! You went blind! I must have done something wrong! Please forgive me! I’m so sorry, I just couldn’t leave you there on the edge of the forest. Who knows what would have happened to you?” she said, flustered and panicked. “Nonono. I’m not blind. My contacts are just dried. Do you have any saline?” I asked. “Oh thank goodness. Here, I have some right here.” she said, handing me a small bottle. I dropped a couple drops into each eye, blinking hard after. It wasn’t until then did I process what she said. “Wait. You found me by a forest?” I asked confused. “Yes. What happened to you?” she replied, genuine worry in her voice. “How did I get by a forest?” I said, ignoring her question. “I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore.” “Kansas? What’s Kansas? Is that the name of your kingdom?” she said interested. “What? No. It’s a joke. And what do you mean kingdom?” I said, vision finally returning. Now I can see who this dane is and go home, I thought. Taking a good look at her for the first time, I saw that her eyes were a beautiful cyan. Her face was breathtaking, albeit a little horse-like in structure. Her face even protruded out a little, almost like a muzzle. Her skin was definitely yellow, but upon further inspection, was covered in some sort of fur. “What’s your name? I like to know the people I owe my life to.” I said, trying to figure out who she looked like. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was… “My name is Fluttershy.” she said quietly. “Come off it. Seriously, what’s your name?” I said dubiously. “I’m Fluttershy. Did you want someone else?” she replied, insecurity filling her already scared voice. “It’s cool you’re a pegasister, but I want to know your actual name. The one your parents gave you.” “Pegasister?” she inquired. “I don’t have a sister, but I am a pegasus.” Taking my breath away, she spread out wings, big yellow wings. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you? I’ve never seen any creature like you.” “Y-y-you have wings.” I stuttered. “You have honest-to-goodness wings.” I walked around to her back and almost tripped over her pink tail. I touched her right wing, feeling the feathers against my hand. “What forest did you say you found me in again?” “The Everfree Forest. Not the best place to take a nap.” she said. “I was in the Everfree Forest?” she nodded. “So now I’m in your cottage? In Equestria?” She nodded once more, perplexed at my confusion. “Ok, Chris. Logical explanation time.” I said, more to myself than anybody, as I sat down in a nearby chair. “First explanation: I’m dreaming. That would explain why I couldn’t remember what happened with Matt. But I would have had to have seen this before in order to dream about it, so that’s out. Second explanation: I’ve lost my mind and I’m in an asylum. That has the same problems as the dream. I’d have had to have seen this before. Third: This is a cruel joke. The only people who would do this are Matt and Pat. They don’t have the money or the knowledge of Equestria to pull this off. Plus, Matt wouldn’t have stabbed me, he’d have knocked me out. Final, and least likely, explanation: Somehow, I made it to Equestria. So, I’m in Equestria when I shouldn’t be. Who do I go to? Ah-ha!” My argument with myself over, I turned to the woman calling herself Fluttershy. “Can you take me to see Twilight Sparkle?” I asked. “How do you know Twilight? From what it sounds like, you’ve never been to Equestria before.” she asked. “Let’s just say I’ve heard a lot of it. I’m basically a citizen.” I said, dodging the question. “Did you happen to recover my hoodie?” “Yes, but I’m sorry to tell you it’s ruined. Covered in bleach and your blood, I’m afraid.” Fluttershy said, pointing to the mess that used to be my hoodie. The mane and wings ripped off, and you couldn’t see anything other than a yellow mess. If I ever got home, I would murder those two scumbags. Fluttershy seemed to be working up courage to ask me something. “I’ve told you my name, now will you tell me your’s?” “Saying my real name might cause some complications.” I said, racking my brain to come up with an alias. Suddenly, something came to me. “So you can just call me Silver Rift.” “That’s an interesting name. Why do you want to go see Twilight?” asked Fluttershy. She seemed genuinely interested. I felt really bad about concealing information from her, but I had no choice. If I told her my name, I’d have to tell her where I came from, then I’d have to tell her how I know of Equestria. I would think that hearing that thousands, maybe millions, of people watch your life unfold would freak oneself out. Lying was definitely the best course. “She might be able to help shed light on how I got here and how I can get back home.” I answered. “Would it be too much to ask for you to bring me there?” “Of course not. I have to go return Twilight’s book on mythical creatures anyway. I think we should go around Ponyville to get to the library. Ponies might stare at you.” replied Fluttershy. “Whatever you say is best, Fluttershy. Hold on. Do you have my shirt?” I asked. “Yes. It was ripped from the knife, so I sewed it up. It’s right here.” she said, holding up my black t-shirt. She tossed it to me. I caught it and put it on. It kinda hurt my side to put on my shirt, but I got over it. Getting to my feet, I take last look around the cottage. “So, can we go?” I asked, ready to get answers. “Yes. Come on, we are leaving through the back door. Follow me.” she said, turning around and walking to to her back door. I followed behind her, mesmerised by the swinging of her tail. Swish-swish. It was really distracting. Stop staring Chris, I yelled to myself, It’s not cool. “How exactly did you end up with that nasty wound?” asked Fluttershy, snapping me out of my stupor. “I had a… disagreement… with a guy. I may have kicked his friend in the stomach. When my back was turned, he stabbed me. He probably thinks I’m dead.” I said, wondering how Mat was dealing with my sudden disappearance. I hope he feels horrible. He probably will, after Robert finds out. Fluttershy led me through the brush of the forest. We didn’t go in too far, just enough so that no-pony would see me. I looked around, taking in the beauty of the forest. I looked to the left and right, trying to capture every single detail I could. Not looking where I was walking, I ran into something. Crash! I fell to the ground on my butt, dazed and confused. Rubbing my head, I looked around for whatever I ran into. Looking directly ahead of me, I saw a figure of pink in a pink shirt and skirt. A little shorter than Fluttershy, her hair (I mean mane) was puffy and pink, like cotton candy. A bit on the plump side, she had the happiest smile I’ve ever seen. She looked at me and gasped. “OhmygoshwhoareyouareyounewtoPonyvillemyname’sPinkiePieareyougoingtoseeTwilightcanIcome?” she said quickly. “I’m Silver Rift, yes I’m new to Ponyville, hello Pinkie, it’s nice to meet you, we are indeed going to see Twilight and you can come if you don’t tell anypony about me.” I replied. I took that moment to realise that I just responded to a stream of speech from Pinkie perfectly. Just the little things. “How long are you staying?” asked Pinkie as we continued walking. “I dunno.” I said. “It depends on what Twilight says. If I can stay here, I will for as long as I can.” “Where are you from?” said Pinkie with a smile. “Can’t tell you. It’s a secret. It might destroy the universe or something.” I replied. “Ooooh. That sounds cool. Are you sure you can’t tell me?” “Not until I ask Twilight her opinion.” “Well, that can be arranged, considering we are here.” said Fluttershy. I looked up and saw a big tree, with windows and doors and balconies. Twilight’s library in all of it’s majesty. “We got here fast.” I said, marveling at our speed. “ Time sure flies when you’re having fun. One of you should probably knock. She doesn’t know me.” Pinkie Pie jumped at the opportunity and pounded on the door. “Coming!” called a voice from inside. I heard some shuffling and a few seconds later, the door flung open. In the doorway stood a lavender-haired unicorn… mare? I guess they are technically ponies. Yeah. Ponies. She had a straight-cut purple mane with pink highlights. She had on a button down blue blouse. She was a lot thinner than Pinkie and a bit taller than Fluttershy. Twilight stood in her doorway, reading a book. Not looking up, she said, “Hey, guys. What’s up?” “We made a new friend!” said Pinkie. “He’s not from Equestria and he needs your help!” “What are you talking about Pinkie? Who’s not from Equestria?” asked Twilight, looking up from her book. Looking around at us, she stopped on me. “What is that thing!?” “This thing has a name, ya know?” I said, displeased by this less than warm welcome. “Oh, my. You can talk! So sorry, I can be a bit scatter-brained when it comes to creatures I’ve never seen before. What is your name?” said Twilight apologetically. “I can’t tell you.” I said sheepishly. “Just call me Silver Rift for now.” “Why can’t you tell me your name?” she asked. “It’s… complicated. The only thing that really matters is that I am not from Equestria and I need to get home.” I said, carefully selecting my words. “Where are you from? If I can get some information on your world, I may be able to help.” said Twilight with anticipation. “Er… I probably shouldn’t tell you that either. I have no clue what is dangerous to let slip.” I said. “Okay.” said Twilight slowly. “Can you tell me your species?” “Probably not.” I replied, aware of how stupid I must sound. “So, you want me to find out how to get you home, which is a place you won’t tell me about, while I have no information whatsoever of you, your world or your species?” she asked irritated. “More or less.” I said, growing dizzy. “I’m sorry. It’s just that… that… t-that.” “Are you ok?” asked Fluttershy softly. “Yeah. I’m fine.” I said weakly. My vision grew fuzzy and the room began to spin. “Are you sure?” asked Twilight, worry overtaking her previously annoyed voice. “Is this normal for your people?” “Not normal, no. Nothing about today is normal. I just… need to… sit down.” I said, falling to my knees. Over a loud pounding in my ears, I heard Pinkie’s gasp of concern, the ruffling of Twilight searching through a book, and Fluttershy’s gentle “Oh my!” The room began to darken, the pounding intensified, and a burning feeling ran throughout my body. What was happening? Was I dying? If I had to die anywhere, I couldn’t have picked a better place. “G’night” I hear myself say as the room disappears and I black out once more. Flight Lessons“Come on! You’re pathetic!” yelled Rainbow Dash from the sky. “Well, excuse me, but I’ve only been a pegasus for 20 minutes!” I cried, flapping my wings pitifully to get off the ground. I had been trying to get up to Rainbow Dash, who was 10 feet in the air, for about 15 minutes. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to get more than a few feet off the ground. Rainbow was losing patience. “I was able to fly before I could walk! Even if you aren’t technically a pegasus, you’re still a disgrace! I know fillies who can fly better than you!” shouted Rainbow, obviously displeased at my inability to get off the ground. “Even Fluttershy is better and that scardey-pony will only fly if one of her precious animals are in trouble.” “Maybe if you taught me how to fly, I’d be able to do better!” I shouted angrily. I could expect no help from anypony. Only Fluttershy might’ve been able to help me, but she left with Twilight to wait for Celestia’s letter. “You can’t be taught how to fly! You either have it or you don’t. Apparently, you don’t have it! Of all the useless fliers I’ve seen in my life, you are by far the worst! If you aren’t in the air in five seconds, I’m going home, locking my door, and leaving you out in the cold!” She held up her hand, spreading out each of her fingers. “One” she said, lowering a finger. “Two.” “Don’t do this Rainbow! I need help!” I whined. I flapped some more, but still couldn’t get any real height. “Three.” She was serious! I needed to get up there. “Four.” Rainbow was right. I am pathetic. Her insults bounced around in my head, amplified 1000 times. I felt myself (and my anger) rising, getting higher and higher, until I was nose to nose with the most terrifying girl I’ve ever met. I just sat there, awkwardly in mid-air, waiting for some sort of approval. I was disappointed “Hm. You made it just in time. Don’t think you’re out of the woods, though. You still have to catch me.” said Rainbow as she zoomed away at top speed, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. How was I supposed to catch up with her?! I couldn’t quit now, though. I flew behind her, following her trail, which was fading fast. I leaned forward until my stomach was parallel to the ground, extended my arms, and flapped my wings with all my strength. The trail grew brighter and brighter. I was catching up to her! I could see why Rainbow loved flying and racing so much. The power, the adrenaline, the wind in your mane. No other way to describe it other than awesome. Simply awesome. I used this boost of adrenaline to put my wings into over-time. I flapped fast and hard, getting closer and closer. She looked back and saw I was right on her tail. Her face was priceless! Drifting to the right a little, I picked up even more speed, and was flying neck-and-neck with Rainbow Dash. “Who’s the pathetic one now?” I asked mockingly, taking my eyes off the road. Rainbow’s face went from that of shock to one of awe then to an evil smirk. “The one who’s about to run into that tree!” she yelled, pulling her nose up to ascend. Turning my eyes back in front of me, I saw a large oak tree coming right at me. I tried to stop, but realised I didn’t know how. WHAM! I collided face first with the tree. My eyes swam and warm, sticky blood dripped from my nose. I dropped to the ground, moaning faintly. When did we fly into the Everfree Forest? Why did we fly into the Everfree forest? Did she set me up to run into a tree? “Oh my gosh! Are you alright?” came a voice from the heavens. “I died, didn’t I? Oh well. Celestia, take me away.” I said drunkenly. A figure of blue flew down and came to rest to my right. “Oh no! I didn’t think you were actually dumb enough to run into that tree! Now you have brain damage or something! You’re going to die aren’t you? I can’t live with that! You actually seemed like a cool pegasus and I killed you! My life is ruined!” cried Rainbow Dash in despair. “Rainbow Dash?” I asked. She nodded, hanging on to every word. “Come closer.” She shuffled up until she was a few inches away from me. “What is it?” she sniffled, tears running down her face. “I want you to know something.” I said, breathing shallowly. “Yes? What is it? Anything, I’ll do it! You’re going to die because of me! Please let me honor your last request!” “Come in closer.” I said faintly. She put her ear a few centimeters from my mouth. “Yes?” she whispered. “You’re a jackass.” I whispered, pushing her off. I stood up relatively unharmed and quite amused at the results. Rainbow Dash was confused, relieved, and angry all at the same time. “You’re ok?!” she asked in outrage. “Yup.” I replied, grinning. “And you just let me think you were going to die?!” yelled Rainbow. Uh-oh. Perhaps angering the only pony who will give me a place to stay was a bad idea. I couldn’t help myself though! That prank was too perfect. “Yeah. You should have seen the look on your face!” “How did you fake your nose getting broken?” “I didn’t. That’s real. I actually did run headlong into a tree, just nowhere near as bad as you thought. I’ll just ask Twilight to fix my nose later.” “You ran into an oak tree at top speed just so you could prank me?” “I did it to earn your respect. It seemed to have worked. I believe you referred to me as a ‘cool pegasus’. Unless I’m mistaken.” “I-I just said that to console you. I thought you were gonna die, so I tried to make you feel better in your last moments. That’s all.” said Rainbow blushing. “Right. Shouldn’t we actually get to your house? Although I can’t fly anymore. I think I did receive a concussion. Walk me there?” I said, offering my left arm. She grabbed it, draped it across her neck, and flew, taking me in the air with her. We flew for a short moment until we were in front of a huge, ginormous cloud-house. Floating me down to the surface of the cloud, she said, “Welcome to my awesome house… of awesomeness.” She wasn’t boasting. It was pretty amazing. It was huge, at least three stories tall. It had ornate arches and beautiful detailing. The ground had some sort of rainbow liquid cascading over the side, and an actual rainbow arched over the back of the house. It was beautiful. “Whoa.” I said in awe. Rainbow stepped forward, leading me to her door. I followed her as she opened her door and entered her home. It was completely empty. There were multiple floors, but no stairs to get up there. The only real structures in her house were a television, a refrigerator, and a stove. “If you want somewhere to sit, you can just pull up some of the cloud.” said Rainbow Dash, yanking a tuft of cloud out of the ground. Planting her butt on the makeshift chair, she said, “Well? Are you gonna sit or do you need an invitation?” I followed her example, grabbed a heaping fistful or two of cloud across from Rainbow Dash, and sat down. Immediately, I sank through the ground. I fell through until I felt a hand around my ankle. “Get up here, you moron!” shouted Rainbow Dash, hoisting me up by the foot. She held me upside down, staring at me. “When you sit on a cloud, you have to let loose and become as light as the cloud in spirit. Relax a little. I swear I won’t bite.” I turned myself upright and tried to calm down. I looked at Rainbow Dash in the face. The brash angry look in her eye was gone, replaced with care and compassion. I tried again to sit down, and this time I was able to stay up. “Cool! And super comfy!” I said pleased. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. As soon as Celestia writes back, you’re gone.” replied Rainbow, toughness in her voice once more. “Don’t you ever get lonely here? It’s a large place.” “Why do you care? Are you trying to say I don’t have any friends? If I want company, I’ll ask for company.” said Rainbow Dash grumpily. “Calm down. I just wanted to see if you were as cool as I’ve heard.” “I’m not. I’m even cooler. At least 20% cooler than you could ever be.” “Just wanted to make sure. But, really. Don’t you get lonely?” I said, refusing to drop the subject. She looked flustered for a while and finally answered with, “Sometimes. Fluttershy comes over every now and then and Scootaloo will stay with me sometimes, when she doesn’t want to be at the orphanage. I wish she’d stay over more.” “Why don’t you just ask her?” I asked. “As if she want’s to hang out with me. I mean, look at me! Since I was a filly, I’ve had a dream. I wanted to join the Wonderbolts. My whole life was wasted, trying to join a team that’ll never have me. What use does Scootaloo have for a pony who can’t join some stupid flying team?” said RD hopelessly. “Wow. And you call me an idiot. Can’t you see that Scootaloo adores you? Wonderbolt, not a Wonderbolt, captain of the Wonderbolts, banned from the Wonderbolts. It doesn’t matter to her. Just hang out with her.” “What makes you think you know so much about Scoots?” “I dunno. Sometimes words will just flow out of my mouth. I can’t always make sense out of what I say. Just ignore it.” I said with a smile. She sat there for a second, contemplating. I think it worked. “Thank you.” said Rainbow Dash, a new power in her voice. “I’m starting to like you more and more Silver Rift. It’s getting late. Yank up some cloud and hit the hay.” I made my bed (Quite literally), laid down, and fell asleep almost at once. The Silver RiftIt was a whole week before we received word back from Princess Celestia. Not to say it was boring. The day after I transformed, I went down to Twilight’s to get my nose healed. Afterwards, Me and RD went for a joyride through town. We went to Sugar Cube Corner for a snack. When we got there, Pinkie Pie apologized for not bringing me the cake she promised. Apparently, she put confetti in the oven again and it caught fire. How exactly you set an oven on fire is beyond me. Then, we went to Applejack’s place so I could get some work. She sent me out to work in the fields and I came back to Dash’s house at the end of the day with a wallet full of bits. The next day, Dash gave me some flying lessons. That stunt I pulled when we met was simply luck and adrenaline, because the next day I could barely fly straight. She gave me some pointers, I crashed and burned a few times, and we shared a couple laughs. Eventually, Rainbow decided to include Scootaloo in on the lesson. I figured it would be best to leave them alone, so I went to Fluttershy’s cottage. She invited me in for tea, which was nice until Angel Bunny jumped up and kicked me in the eye. After that it was more of a comedy show than a dignified tea. In any case, I enjoyed my stay in Ponyville. My days were more or less like this: I’d go to work, roam Ponyville and neighboring areas with RD, we’d stop somewhere for lunch, I’d go to Flutter’s for tea, have dinner with one of the Mane 6, and Dash and I would just lay down on a cloud under the stars, just relaxing. “Silver?” asked RD on the seventh day. “Can I ask you a question?” “Go for it.” I replied. “What’s your name? Your real name?” “I told you. If I tell you, it will complicate things a lot. I wouldn’t even be able to answer all your questions.” “I know. It’s just that you seem like such a cool pony, and I want to learn more about you. I like you a lot. You make me happy.” said Dash, not thinking. “Er… Are trying to tell me something RD?” I asked awkwardly. “Not like that, stupid. I don’t trot that way.” said Dash. “Even if I did, I couldn’t come between you and Fluttershy.” “W-what are you talking about?!” I cried in outrage. “Come on. Admit it. I see the way you look at her, the way you perk up when you hear her voice. Not to mention your pomf moments!” “As if, Dashie! We’re two completely different species. And maybe I have someone at home.” “Do you?” asked Rainbow mockingly. “Maybe!” “Are you guys done flirting up there!?” called a voice from below. I looked down and saw Twilight in another nice blouse. “I just got a letter from Princess Celestia! Get your flanks down here! The train leaves in 5 minutes.” “Coming, Twi! Just chill!” said Dash, allowing herself to drop through the clouds. I followed suite, did a front flip in mid-air and landed on my hooves. I had gotten good in seven days. “You aren’t going to bring anything?” asked Twilight. “I didn’t come here with anything. What could I possibly bring with me?” I said. “Not you. Rainbow Dash. Didn’t I mention? The princess asked for all of us to come.” “I don’t have anything to bring any way. Didn’t you say we were in a rush? Let’s get going!” said RD impatiently. We left Rainbow’s home at full gallop. We made it to the train station just in time. The others were waiting for us there. We boarded the train to Canterlot, where the princess of the sun would send me home. “Ah just realised. Ya leavin tonight, ain’t ya?” said Applejack. “Yeah. Princess Celestia is probably gonna send me home as soon as we get there.” I said sadly. “Oh man! You can’t leave now! You didn’t even get to try any of my world-famous cupcakes!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Uh… that’s ok Pinkie. I will miss all of you dearly though.” I said honestly. “I will never forget you guys.” “We’ll miss you too.” whispered Fluttershy, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. “Even you Twily?” I asked mockingly. “I told you not to call me that.” said Twilight. “And yes. You peaked my interest. I would love to learn about these… Earthins?” She had been trying to get me to let slip the name of my species since she found out about Earth. Not going to happen. “Not even close. Points for creativity though.” I replied. “So what are you going to do when you get home?” asked Rarity. “I dunno. Probably prepare my funeral because my roomies are gonna murder me.” “Do you think you’ll be able to come back?” inquired RD. “Maybe. I suppose we have to ask the princess. I don’t even know how I got here. She might not even know.” We were silent for the remainder of the trip. We arrived at the castle and were ushered by a troop of guards to the castle. We entered the front door, two guards ahead and two behind, and walked through the long, straight corridors. We stopped in front of large double doors with two more guards at each side. They opened the door at the sight of Twilight, allowing us in. We entered, me at the very back of the group. The room was large, with high ceilings and large mosaic windows. At the back of the room were two thrones, with one large mare sitting in each. On the left throne was a dark blue alicorn with a starry mane. On the right was a larger white alicorn with a multi-colored mane. They both wore regal white and gold robes. The Regal Sisters. We stopped in front of them, dropped to one knee, and bowed. “Princess Celestia.” said Twilight, looking up. “This is Silver Rift. I explained to you what happened in my letter. Can you help?” “Yes. He is here because I brung him here.” said Princess Celestia. “What? Why did you bring him here?” “We need his help. He is the only one who can open Silver Rifts.” “Silver Rift is his name, princess.” said Fluttershy. “How can he open himself?” “His name is Christian Brooks and he is a human. He does not belong in this world and I took a huge risk by bringing here.” “Wait. Hold on a minute. You know who I am? And you brung me here?” I said standing up to look her in the eye. I would never be able to if she were standing. Luna had to be about 7 feet tall, and Celestia was about a head taller. “Yes Christian. I brought you to Equestria so you could help us.” “What’s this about ‘Silver Rifts’? He’s just a name I came up with for my OC.” I said, assuming she knew what I was talking about. “And why did I change to look just like him? Why did I change at all?” “Perhaps my sister should explain this.” said Celestia, handing the floor to Luna. “You were born a human. Like all natural things in this multiverse, you have a magic within you called the Shine. The Shine likes to be like the other Shines around it. So, when you came to Equestria, a marvelous thing happened. I call it the Chameleon Effect. Your Shine was exposed to other Shines of Equestria. It took in the naturally resonating energy of a Shine and told your body to change to blend in better. The reason you became your OC is because, in your heart, that’s who you wanted to be. The Shine will randomly pick a form for you, if you don’t have one in mind.” “So my life-force energy thing saw the other life-force energy things and said ‘Let’s be like them’. Ok. But why did you summon me to Equestria? I still don’t understand.” “We need your help to open Silver Rifts.” said Luna. Catching my question before it could leave my throat, she continued, “A Rift is a passageway between worlds. There are three types: White, Black, and Silver. I can open Black Rifts, which will get you where you need to go, if you can keep the world you’re leaving where it is. My Rifts suck everything into the new world, like a black hole. Tia can open White Rifts. Those are the exact opposite. They throw the destination at the area of departure. We got our magic together and made a sort of Gray Rift. You got here with minimal scarring of the fabric of the universe.” “You still didn’t tell me why you need me.” I said. “We are at war.” said Celestia. “Nopony knows this but we are. 4 of Equestria’s most powerful enemies have united to destroy both worlds. A unicorn named Sunset Shimmer, an old student of mine, Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos, Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Changelings, and King Sombra, Lord of Shadows. I assume you know them. The show is more or less factual. Just remember, Equestria Girls never happened. It seems most humans wish that were true anyway.” “You know of MLP?” I asked. “Doesn’t offend you or fill you with discomfort?” “Of course not. In your world we are works of fiction. Why would I care what they watch? For those here who are still confused, Christian watches a television show on Earth called My Little Pony. This show follows your adventures to learn about friendship. None of that matters though. What matters is that I tell you of how I found you.” “One day, I was in the Canterlot Library, in the Starswirl the Bearded wing. I was searching for a book, when I stumbled across a prophecy. It stated that somepony from another world would, with the help of his two best friends, defend the harmony of both Equestria and his world from 4 powerful evils. At once, I started combing Earth, searching for these Defenders of Harmony. What I discovered shocked me. Humans have magic in their bodies as strong as Twilight’s was before I began teaching her. Never before have I seen so much raw power in one place. But it was strange. None of you seemed to be using it. I looked closer and saw that it was sealed in your bodies and would never be able to come undone. I couldn’t quit though. I kept looking and, eventually, stumbled across you and your friends, Isaiah and Robert. The three of you had this same power, but untapped. I began to search for a way to get you here. I discovered that there was a way to get you here safely, under a few circumstances. You had to be happy, so I picked your birthday. Then you would have had to be exposed to sadness and suffering, causing a rift between emotions. The unstable emotions would act as a two-way anchor. Your soul would be locked on Earth and in Equestria. I made you go to your mothers house, where you would have been teleported here. Those bullies almost ruined it. When you ran, I panicked and yanked you without precision. That’s how you ended up in the forest.” “What do you mean, ‘You made me’ go to my mother’s? I went there on my own free will.” I said defiantly. “Only after I placed the thought into your subconscious. If it were up to you, you would have gone straight home. Sorry for manipulating you, but it was the only way.” “You keep saying how you need me, but I don’t see it. Why didn’t you just come to Earth yourself and put a stop to this before it began?” “Think of all the worlds in this multiverse as in a circular arrangement.” said Luna. “Our worlds being side-by-side. Now, there is always energy flowing between these worlds. If it’s in a circle, the energy will only go one of two ways: Clockwise or counter-clockwise. Let’s say it flows clockwise. Traveling from your world to ours would be easy, relatively speaking, because we have to flow with energy. If we tried to go from here to there, we’d have to fight against the current of energy. Nopony is that strong” “Then what help am I?” I asked. I was still very confused. “The brilliance of Silver Rifts. They are the only true Rifts. What me and my sister opened are more like portals, but Silver are exactly what they say they are: rifts. Tears in the multiverse. Safe tears, small tears, but tears nonetheless. You can open them in either direction. Twilight and her friends will need your help once they get to Earth, whether it be to blend in or for combat. So, if you accept, you will all go to Earth, where those four are hiding. You’ll capture them and report back.” “What happens when we beat them?” “You and your friends would be the three most powerful humans in existence. You tell me.” “Princes of Earth?” I asked with a smirk. “You could, although that would be unwise. Humans don’t typically seem to listen to random people who just assert control over them.” said Celestia. “Fair point. But I could come back to Equestria if I wanted?” “You could take ponies to Earth for three days to see how many humans they could bed for all I care. As long as you defend Earth and Equestria. I will help you, of course.” “How?” I asked. “I will teach you some magic and give you some weaponry. Like these.” said Celestia, horn glowing yellow. From some back room she levitated a sheathed sword and holstered revolver. She stood up and grabbed them both, expertly handing them to me. I pulled out the sword, about 3 feet in length and one and a half in width. The blade was orange and had text engraved on each edge: Celestial. Sheathing the blade back, I pulled out the pistol, a revolver with an 8 inch long barrel. It was midnight blue up until the grip, which was black. On the barrel was the text Lunar. “The blade is made of Celestial Silver. The gun is made of Lunar Steel. They are very special weapons. If Celestial chips or cracks, sit it in a fire for 30 minutes. If something happens to Lunar, soak it in cold, pure water. They will come out good as new.” “You said you would teach me some magic. How? I’m a pegasus.” I asked. At that point, I wondered if the Mane 6 were still behind me. Don’t know why the question came to mind. “Since you are a human, you have enormous magic within you. You should be able to channel it without the use of a horn.” said Luna. “When do we start?” I was eager to begin. I figured I would go to sleep, wake up in the morning, eat some breakfast and… “Now. Luna, please show the girls to their rooms. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, if you prefer to grab a cloud from outside, you may.” said Celestia. “Alright. This way girls.” said Luna, rising up from her throne. I thought she was tall before, but know I could see she was Amazonian. She walked past me and left the room, taking the mares with her. The doors closed, and I was in the room alone with Princess Celestia. “Let’s begin. First off, maybe we should go over some basic levitation. What you do is-” “Actually, Princess Celestia, I have a concern. From what you’ve told me, we are in a hurry. We don’t really have time for this training. Is there any way for you to speed up the process?” I asked. I didn’t think there was, but I felt the need to ask. “There is a way for me to teach you nearly instantly. I can use the spell that I used to influence you on Earth, but on a larger scale. I don’t think we should, though.” “Why not? If we can train me by morning, we can leave and start fighting.” “It is going to hurt. A lot. It might even kill you.” said Celestia grimly. “I don’t care! This is important! Please Princess, just give me a chance!” I said boldly. She seemed to be thinking it over. Looking at me solemnly, she walked forward. “Alright Christian. If you are willing to take the risk, I’ll do it.” she said, reaching both arms forward. She grabbed me on either side of the face. She closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. Soon, her body was illuminated with white light. She opened her eyes once more, her pupils having disappeared and her eyes glowing white. My body filled with a fiery sensation, and my skin began to melt. Or, at least, that’s how it felt. Needles of pain exploded in my chest, growing slowly and then bursting into mini-mushroom clouds of agony. My throat grew raw from my screams of torment. After what felt like hours, it finished. I fell to the ground, breathing heavily. “ Is… that… all?” I panted. “Did it work?” “Not really. It was supposed to teach you how to do everything you needed immediately.” said Celestia, horn glowing. “From these scans, I’ve determined that it worked partially. You didn’t learn anything, but it made you more suppceptiple to learning. Certain things you attempt, you will find you are a natural at it.” “Alright. What now?” I asked, getting to my hooves. “Try to open a Rift. Take your hands and reach into the fabric of the multiverse. Then spread it open wide enough to step through.” said Celestia, stepping backwards. I extended my hands, concentrated on my world and Equestria, and clenched my fists. Then, I yanked my hands apart with all my might. The air in front of me seemed to rip open, leaving a rip of silver energy, wider and taller than me. I felt it calling to me, asking me to step inside. “How did I know to do that?” I asked, awestruck. “I told you. The spell will just give you little hints and instincts, gut feelings. Follow them. Any way, that’s all I can really do for you. I suggest getting some rest.” said Celestia, pointing to the door. “Where do I go?” I asked. “Your friend Rainbow Dash will be outside waiting to ambush you. She’ll take you where you need to go.” “Ok.” I said. I closed the Rift and walked to the door. I opened it up and stepped out. I turned to my right and was face-to-face with RD. “Come on, loser.” said Rainbow Dash, leading the way. I followed her for a while, until we came across two large clouds sitting in the middle of a hallway. “Oh my. How did these clouds get in the castle?” asked RD sarcastically. Hopping on the one on the right, she gestured for me to take the other. I sat down, waiting for the question. “What happened?” asked Dash. “The princess was going to manually teach me how to fight and stuff, but instead she put a spell on me that would give me certain instincts. She said I’ll learn things very easily. Dash, I really don’t want to talk about it. I’m going to go to sleep. If you want to know about it, ask me in the morning.” I said, laying down. For once she left well enough alone, because I fell asleep instantly. Back to EarthI opened my eyes just in time to see Rainbow Dash kick my cloud from underneath me. In time to see, not react. I fell to the ground with a soft thud. “Oomf. What the hell?” I said angrily. “I was sleeping!” “No shit, Sherlock Hooves! I’ve been trying to wake you up for ten minutes! We were supposed to leave already!” she replied angrily. “Damn! Let’s go!” I said, getting to my feet. We ran at full gallop to the throne room. I shoved open the door, ran and slid into a bow a few feet in front of the throne next to the Mane Six. “Sorry… I’m… late… princess.” I panted. “What are you talking about? You’re right on time.” said Princess Celestia. “Is that so? Rainbow Dash and I are going to have a little talk when we get there.” I muttered under my breath. “So what now?” “I set up an abandoned house on the outskirts of town for you to use as a base. Open a Rift there and then go get your friends. The house has enough room for you to fit in comfortably, if a little snug. There is an armory and training room installed. Oh, and take this.” she said, kicking Lunar, Celestial, and a large burlap sack towards me. I opened it up to see a large pile of bits. I assumed that since gold was a natural ore it would be affected by the Chameleon Effect. “Thank you, princess. When can we leave?” “Right now, if you’re ready. Don’t forget to close the rift on the other side. Don’t want any more humans randomly walking into Equestria.” “You guys ready?” I said, turning to the mares. “Ready!” they replied in perfect unison. I stood up, grabbed my gear, and slung it over my shoulder. I reached my hands forward and ripped open a Rift. This time, I was bathed in a blinding white light. Once it subsided, I heard a gasp. “What? What happened?” I asked worriedly. Twilight simply pointed at my thigh. I looked down and saw a symbol, a curved arrow looping around to the back of another curved arrow, on my flank. The arrows were split down the middle by a fissure-like crack. I got my cutie-mark! I would have to celebrate later. I threw the sack through, latched my pistol and blade to either hip, and walked through the Rift. I felt my body warp through the vortex of the universe and tripped into a musky old house. The wallpaper was peeling in some places and 2 of the four windows I could see were boarded up. We’ll work with this, I thought to myself. Just then, I heard 6 bodies hit the ground. I turned around and saw my new friends on the ground in a pile. I hoisted them over my shoulder one at a time and carried them to a nearby bedroom. There were nine beds exactly. That was a good thing. I looked around the house for a closet and found a separate room with, you guessed it, nine closets, three filled with male clothes and six filled with female clothes. “Wow, Princess Celestia hooked us up!” I exclaimed. Looking through the clothes, I saw that Celestia filled it with clothes specifically matching the personality of each of the Mane Six. Rainbow’s closet was filled with tank tops and skinny jeans, Aj’s with plaid shirts and blue jeans, Rarity’s had elegant dresses, Twi had sweater vests and sweatpants, Pinkie had bright t-shirts, and Fluttershy had long-sleeved green and yellow shirts with khaki pants. At that moment, I realised the Mane Six would wake up without pants. I grabbed a pair of pants from each closet and threw them on top of each of the Six. When I got to Fluttershy, I watched her shrink. Her face receded, her ears slid down her face, and her fur seemed to melt back into her body. Her skin was a pale pastel yellow. The Chameleon Effect was taking place. Didn’t Twilight say something about screaming? “AHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed Fluttershy. I froze. Is this how she felt when I changed? My stomach exploded with terror and I couldn’t think. I reached forward and rubbed her forehead slowly. As soon as my hand touched her, she stopped. Slowly, she opened her eyes. “What happened? Did we make it?” said Fluttershy breathily. She sat up, touching her face tenderly. Slowly, her eyes lit up with panic. “What happened to my muzzle?!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry about it. You changed into a human. I’ll teach you how to turn back when we get back.” I said. “Here, put on these pants.” She looked at the pants sprawled across her lap. Grasping them, she lifted the blanket to put them on. I swiftly turned away. “Uh, Fluttershy? Next time, don’t remove the blanket when you put on your pants.” “Sorry.” she said. “They’re on. What now?” “Stay here until I come get you.” I said, walking out. “I’m going to change back, and I will have to put pants on. It is very important that you stay in there.” I went into the closet room and pulled out some jeans from my closet. I concentrated hard on being human and began to change back. I felt my body shrinking and my skin flowing like hot wax. My body re-solidified and I knew I changed back. I put my pants on, stowed my gun and sword away in the closet, and grabbed a pen and paper. I wrote a quick note, telling the girls that I’d be back, Flutters would be with me, put on the pants, yadda yadda. I had a sudden impulse to cast a spell on the paper. I gripped each side firmly and tore it in half. The halves grew back into full sheets of paper. Smirking, I repeated the process until I had five copies of the note. I walked back into the bedroom and placed one note on each of the mare’s faces. “We can go now.” I said. “Stick close to me. Don’t worry about the humans. They won’t pay attention to us, so long as we don’t make a scene.” She nodded and we left the house. I looked around, trying to piece together where I was. We were pretty close to town, we could get to my apartment in 10 minutes. We made our way into town, Fluttershy close behind. We were silent for the entire trip. We stopped in front of my building, where there were an ambulance and two police cars. Something was wrong. “What happened?” I asked the paramedic. “Two guys just got brutalized by someone in this building.” “Who is it?” I said, walking to the back of the ambulance. I was shocked to see Matthew and Patrick laying, faces bruised and bloody, in a gurney. “What happened?!” “Chris! You’re alive!” yelled a voice from behind me. I turned around and saw Robert in handcuffs being escorted by the police. “Robert! What did you do?!”I shouted. “I won!” he yelled manically. “Oh no! You’re going to jail!” “And when I get out, I’m going right back in because I’m gonna murder you!” “Who was that?” asked Fluttershy. “One of my friends. Let’s go talk to Isaiah.” I said, stepping inside. I went to my apartment and knocked on the door. I had left my keys in Equestria. The door swung open and Isaiah yanked me in by the arm. I grabbed Fluttershy and brung her in with me. “Chris, you jackass!” said Isaiah angrily. “What?!” I asked. “What did I do?” “You disappeared for a week, Mat came in a little while ago saying he stabbed you, Robert beat their faces in, we both thought you were dead, and you TOOK MY PANTS!” he yelled. “Relax! It wasn’t my fault! See, I was-” “You left us for a week to go screw around with this skank, didn’t you?” he said, pointing to Fluttershy. Her eyes began to tear up and I got really pissed. “Don’t talk to Fluttershy like that!” I yelled bitterly. “What are you talking about? Where were you?” “I went to Equestria. I know that doesn’t make sense, but it’s true. I need you to come with us.” “I’m not going anywhere until you explain where you were.” “We don’t have time for this. Just come on! Why are you so stubborn?” I felt something protruding from my back. I ignored it, trying to get Isaiah to agree to come with us. “We need to go! This is important!” My fists were opening and closing, but my hands were balled up. “C-chris. You have wings.” said Isaiah. I looked over my shoulder and saw my wings spreading out. Huh. Guess I have to focus to keep my form. I concentrated and felt my wings suck into my back. “See? I need you to come with us. I’ll explain when we get there.” I said, grabbing him by the wrist. We left the apartment and ran back to the base. When we got there, I began to explain. “Discord, Sunset, Chrysalis, and Sombra are attacking Earth and Princess Celestia sent the Mane Six to come help us take them down. In the bedroom are the Six. They’re probably still unconscious. So, now we are going to bail Robert out of prison, then we’ll try to get you guy’s under the Chameleon Effect. That’s what transforms us. Then we’ll train some and start our attack.” I said. “You have wings.” said Isaiah stupidly. “I know! Isn’t it cool?!” I said, forgetting myself. “Come on. Let’s go check on the mares.” I knocked on the bedroom door and heard a bright, “Come in!”. I opened the door and walked in with Fluttershy and Isaiah right behind me. Sitting on each of the beds was the Six, but not quite the Six. They were obviously them, but human. They were about a foot shorter, had skin a little lighter than the color of their fur, and their faces receded into a normal human face. “Isaiah, this is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity. Oh, and you already met Fluttershy.” I said resentfully. “Girls, this is Isaiah.” “What happened to our faces?” asked Rarity. “This is hideous! My muzzle is gone, I’m short, and what happened to my coat?!” “Relax, Rarity. You’re a human now. You’ll be able to change back later.” “Aren’t you supposed to have two friends?” asked Twilight. “I do, but he’s in jail now.” “What?! What did he do?!” “He beat up the guys who stabbed me. But it’s ok, we can go bail him out with the money Princess Celestia gave us. It shouldn’t take too long.” “These are the Mane Six.” said Isaiah. “Rarity, and Applejack, and Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash, and T-twilight Sparkle.” “Yes. I need you to go bail Robert out of jail. Twilight, will you go with him? The rest of us can go take a look around. Maybe there are some changelings around.” “Ok. Isaiah, right? On our way, you have to tell me about Earth. It seems like a very fascinating place” said Twilight with fascination. “Ok. Where’s the… money… for bail?” asked Isaiah, staring at Twilight. I tossed him the sack and he pulled out a large wad of bills. He was really good with cash, so I just assumed he grabbed the right amount. They walked out, Isaiah still staring at Twilight. I threw her a silent, “I’m sorry.” and gathered the girls up. “Ok gals. We are looking for changelings. I have nothing to reveal their disguises. I have no way to distinguish a changeling from a human. So… yeah, let’s just hope that one is dumb enough to reveal itself.” “Good plan.” said RD sarcastically. “Well, I’m sure I’ll figure something out. The spell is still working. I’ll get an impulse.” I said, leaving the house. The girls followed me and we patrolled the surrounding area. We stood close to one another, scouting the area for enemy forces. We got absolutely nothing. After two hours, we called it quits and returned to base. As soon as we got in there, someone kicked in the door. “Someone better tell me what’s going on here! Chris, you have two minutes to explain before I rip out your throat!” shouted Robert angrily. His normally pale, white face was beet red with fury. Uh-oh. “Mat stabbed me, I woke up in Equestria, this is the Mane Six, Princess Celestia called for me to help, there’s a war, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis, Sunset Shimmer, changelings, fight, help, I have wings!” I said panickedly. I quickly revealed my wings to show him. “You live. For now. One more time: What the hell happened!” I sat down and explained the whole ordeal to him. He sat there silently and unsmiling, two things that are not normally attributed with Robert. “And now I’m going to try to do some apparently painful magic that will allow you to become a pony.” I finished. “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “I’m waiting to see if you are going to brutally murder me. Since that doesn’t seem to be happening, I’ll begin. Isaiah, if you could please stand next to Robert, there you go.” I said. What now? Got it. “Girls, please surround them and join hands.” They did as I instructed and left me with another “What now?” moment. Without thinking, I flew up above them and flung my hands downward, channeling my Equestrian energy right down onto Robert and Isaiah. Their bodies slowly grew fur, Robert’s jet-black, Isaiah’s pure white. My friends grew two feet taller than they were before. Robert’s mane grew out of his head, blood-red and messy, while Isaiah’s was ginger, long and flowing. Out of Isaiah’s mane protruded a long white horn. Robert’s eyes went from pale blue to a deep, dark red, like his mane. Isaiah’s eyes went from carmel brown to emerald-green. Isaiah collapsed on the spot, while Robert dropped to one knee. “That’s all? Please… sir… may I have another?” gasped Robert, rising to his hooves. “I’ll put Isaiah in bed. Where?” “Down the hall, third door on the right.” I said, fluttering to the ground exhausted. That was a lot of work. Good thing I would never have to do that again. Robert flung Isaiah over his shoulder like he was nothing. He left our sight with heavy footfalls. So now we had 3 unicorns, 3 pegasi, and 3 Earth ponies. That’s good. Balanced. “That worked.” said Aj. “Sure did. Now I think we should go to the armory and get you guys weapons. I think it’s downstairs.” I said, pointing to the corner of the room. I walked over and pulled open a hidden trapdoor which unfolded into a ladder. I slid down and took in the sight. A wall of swords and firearms, targets, ammo caches, practice dummies. You name it, we had it. We even had a bunker to test explosives. “Let’s assign each of you one melee weapon and one firearm to carry around.” I said, gesturing to let them take their pick. They floated around the room, inspecting each weapon until they found one for them. Aj was the first to decide on an Olympia double barrell shotgun and broadsword. She immediately began to practice. Next was Twilight with a 9mm pistol with a rapier. Then Rarity (a M14 rifle and a curved, black shortsword.), Robert, who had come to join us (A lever-action shotgun and a giant war hammer), and Pinkie who had grabbed a nifty modified M16 that shot explosive rounds. We had trouble finding a suitable melee for her. “How about this scalpel?” she asked brightly. “No!” I said, snatching it from her. “Where’d you even get that?” “Ooo. How about a hacksaw? Why is it called a hacksaw anyway? You don’t hack with it, you just s-” “No hacksaws! Here, take this bowie knife.” I said, handing her the sheathed blade. “Hey! That was mine!” yelled Dash. “I’ll find you something else.” I said. I found her dual M1911 pistols and handed her a long bladed stiletto knife, which seemed to satisfy her. We had a right trouble getting Fluttershy to take a weapon of any kind, but eventually got her to use a cutlass and P90 submachine gun. “Don’t I get a toy?” asked a voice from the ladder. Down stepped Isaiah, apparently unphased by his sudden transformation. Without asking what was happening, he walked right up to two crossed katanas and grabbed them. Then he levitated a sniper rifle (L96a1) into his hand and placed it over his shoulder. “Let’s get cracking.” he said with a grin. First ContactThe next day we had some renovations on base. I left for twenty minutes to get some groceries, and when I came back, I could say nothing but “Wow”. The two floored house was, on the outside, still the same, beat-down and raggedy. When I entered, I had to leave to make sure I was in the right place. The inside was massive! Giant dining room, a foyer, plenty more bedrooms, a giant koi pond, and a large fireplace. “What the hell?” I muttered to myself. “You like?” asked Isaiah, coming from one of the two new staircases. “It’s bigger on the inside!” “What? How? Why?” I asked with a grin. “Me and Twilight worked it out. Wait until you see the armory. And the icing on the cake: check this out.” he said, turning to his side. I looked him up and down, my eyes stopping on his flank. The white space was replaced with a golden scepter in front of a green circle with a large triangle and various symbols inside. His cutie mark. “Holy crap! What is your talent?” I asked. “Magic in general, but specifically alchemy. The circle is an alchemy circle. Alchemy is creating and altering matter to fit your needs. I can also warp space. The ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ spell was pretty easy.” he replied with pride. “Excellent! We can celebrate later. Right now we should get some training in.” “Where the hell do you think everybody is now? They’re in the new training rooms. If you would like to join us, Celestial and Lunar are down there already.” he said, leaving to get to work. I put away the groceries and ran down the stairs, eager to begin. I reached downstairs just to have my breath taken away. The basement was large enough to hold three armies of obese hippos. The targets were gone, replaced by a proper firing range. The targets, which used to be simple bullseyes, were now cutouts of random changelings and ponies. They were attached to the ceiling by a cable, which could move up and down the long range for practicing with multiple ranges. The dummies were more realistic and they even moved around. The weapon wall was more extensive. We had more explosives and firearms, not to mention swords and blunt weapons. It was amazing. On the nearest wall was my blade and gun. I picked them both up and ran to practice. I’d never shot a gun before, so I decided to start with that. I went to the firing range and set the target to be at point-blank range, just to get myself used to the feeling of shooting. I grabbed some ammo from the nearest cache and placed it on a nearby table. I slowly loaded the gun, cocked it back and gripped the butt with both hands. I aimed steadily, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. BOOM! The gun flew up, nearly dislocating my shoulder. It hurt my hands, it hurt my arm, and the noise hurt my head. I loved it! It was exciting and power-filling. Not to say that I looked forward to killing. I knew I would regret it. I don’t know if it’s the Instinct spell or just my personality, but I understand. I would have to end these creatures for our benefit. So, when the time came, I would do it without hesitation. In order to protect my people. “Holy cow.” I said, snapping back to reality. “That was intense!” I heard a soft sniffle coming from the corner. It was Fluttershy, face in her hands and crying. I trotted over and sat on the floor next to her. “What’s wrong Flutters?” I asked. I knew exactly what was wrong. Just had to make sure. “All of these g-guns and s-s-swords are scaring me.” she sobbed. “It’s alright. I know they can be loud, but you’ll get used to them.” “It’s not just how loud they are. These are weapons! We are fighting with these! Princess Celestia expects me to kill somepony and I don’t think I can do it.” “I understand. But you also have to understand: we have to fight and that will involve some fatalities. They won’t stop until we are either dead or enslaved. It’s going to be hard, but it has to be done. We won’t think any less of you afterwards.” “You guys won’t think I’m a monster?” she asked. “No matter what you do, you’ll still be lovely, kind, beautiful Fluttershy.” I said “We all feel that way.” I amended quickly. “Thank you.” said Fluttershy. “If you really mean that, I guess I can try.” “Wanna come try out your gun?” I asked. She looked frightfully at the gun on my hip. Slowly she nodded her agreement. I helped her up and brought her over to the firing range. I set up the target to be a few feet from her and showed her how to load her gun. I walked behind her and grabbed her hands, which were holding onto that little SMG for dear life. I helped her aim and taught her how to steady her hands. She took aim and squeezed the trigger, letting out 4 quick rounds. All headshots. “That’s good Flutters!” I shouted proudly. “Your aim is amazing! Let’s pull back the target a little.” We trained for about thirty minutes with our guns, then we learned how to use our swords. Of course, we took plastic versions so we wouldn’t hurt each other. We sparred for another 15 minutes alone, until RD jumped in and joined the fray. Soon enough, Pinkie joined in. All of my friends jumped into the fight with training versions of their weapons. We eventually left our little circle and turned the entire training room into the ring for a 9-way battle royale. We honed our skills for another hour before I called it quits. “Alright everypony!” I shouted. “Gather round! We’re done here! I have new assignments!” The team circled around me, waiting for my instruction. We were tired, sweaty, bruised, and we could not be happier. “What… now?” panted Twilight. “Isaiah, Twilight and Rarity will place protection spells around the area and work on getting us some armor. Shouldn’t be too hard between an alchemist, a student of Celestia, and a fashionista.” They nodded and left off to get to work. “Rob, Pinkie, and Aj will work on weaponry and explosives. Try to make a fail-safe, in case the base gets overtaken.” “Ay, mate!” said Robert, sauntering off to a work table. “Us three left will do some more recon. I picked up some walkie-talkies while I was out today. Let’s put them to good use.” “Alright.” said RD. We left the house, my gun hidden under my shirt, and split up. We scattered through town, hoping to find some information. It was Fluttershy who found some first. “Um, guys.” she called over the walkie talkie. “I think I found something. These guys are talking about Sunset Shimmer. They said that she just got back from a meeting at the Crassly Hi building,” “That’s a good lead Flutters. If only I’ve ever heard of Crassly Hi. We at least know that they’re here. We can find a connection.” I replied from the alley I decided to wait in. “Let’s go.” “Wait. They said something about the Ma Bros. Ma brothers? Is that some sort of gang?” “Not that I’ve heard of. I think that there is a relationship, though. I’ll have to figure it out.” “These don’t sound like real names.” said Rainbow. “What are we missing?” “Now they are talking about a place called ‘Scrod Id’ What are they talking about?” asked Fluttershy. “Let me think.” I replied. What do they mean?, I asked myself, Now would be a great time for one of those impulses. Crassly Hi. Ma brothers. Scrod Id. These sound like gibberish. Or maybe just really weird human speech! “I got it!” I shouted into the walkie-talkie. “Crassly Hi, Ma Bros., Scrod Id! They’re anagrams, Crassly Hi is Chrysalis, Ma brothers is supposed to be abbreviated to Ma Bros., which is Sombra. And Scrod Id is Discord! They’re not together! They split up! We can use this to our advantage!” “Only if you leave here with your life.” said a voice from behind. I turned around and saw two short black figures with hardened black skin, a sharp horn, pointed ears and torn wings. They walked forward, revealing the large holes in their arms and legs. Their turquoise eyes seemed to pierce through my soul. “Guys.” I whispered into my walkie. “Run. Go home. Do not wait for me. Just get home!” “That’s enough of that.” said the one on the right, blasting a shot of magic energy at my hand, knocking the walkie out of my grasp. They advanced slowly and menacingly. “You might have gotten away, if you didn’t scream at the top of your lungs.” “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” I asked fearfully. “Before I die, you wanna tell me what your queen is planning?” “Not really.” said the other, charging a spell in his hands. “We might have, if we found you worthy.” “So now I’m unworthy? Gosh, you guys are mean. Just hurry up and kill me. Put me out of my misery. Cure me of my emotional trauma.” I said sarcastically. I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help it. Whenever I panic, I start to spew out snide remarks. “You are very unworthy. You go out to spy on us and don’t even have a method of defense? Pathetic.” “Funny you should say that, actually!” I said, ripping Lunar from under my shirt. I cocked it lightning-fast and pointed the gun at the changeling on the left. I squeezed the trigger, hitting him in the neck. Ghostly green blood spewed from the wound. Grabbing himself around the neck, the changeling I shot sank to the ground. I turned my gun to his friend and fired. He twirled around and dodged my shot. He fired a blast at me, which I ducked. I shot again, this time hitting him in the leg. More green blood splattered on the ground as he screamed in pain. He fell to the ground on his back. I ran up to him and put my barrel on his forehead. “Go ahead, human.” he said smugly. “Do it. You know you want to.” The thing that scared me is that I did. I really, really wanted to pull the trigger and blow his brains out. I gripped my pistol tighter, hesitating. I had to make a decision. “Bye.” I said. “Tell your friend in hell that Silver Rift said ‘hi’.” Without warning, he shot a blast of light into my eyes, blinding me. I backed up, rubbing my eyes. “Later, Silver Rift.” I heard him say. I rubbed my eyes furiously until vision returned. When I could see again, I looked for that changeling. I was in the alley alone. “Damn! I should’ve shot him when I had the chance!” I muttered to myself. I went back over to my fallen walkie-talkie. I picked it up and tried to contact the others. “Flutters? Dash? Are you ok?” I asked. “What the hell, Silver?!” yelled RD. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “Sorry. It’s all good now, though. Only two of them.” “What did you do with them?” “I killed one. The other got away.” “Smooth move, jackass. Now they know they’re being watched.” said Dash spitefully. “It’ll be fine. Get back to base. We have to relay this information to the others.” I said. I wasn’t upset by how RD yelled at me. I knew she was just worried. I went over to the fallen changeling, neon-green blood pooling around him. I crouched and closed his unblinking eyes. “Rest in peace.” I whispered. I should leave, before someone came. I put the safety of my pistol on and shoved in my pants, against the flat of my back. I left the alley, praying no one would see me. I made it home undetected. I entered base, closing the door behind me. Standing in the foyer was Isaiah holding a sheathed katana in each hand. I pulled out my pistol to rest on the table. Quick as lightning, Isaiah kicked me hard in the chest with his right hoof. I flew backwards, hitting the door when an elbow connected with my skull. I staggered to the right, tripping to the floor. I felt two large hands grasp my shirt. Hoisting me up, Robert threw me against the table, where Lunar lay. I grabbed it up, and aimed it at Robert’s knee. He ripped his hammer from off his back and swung it with all his might. It hit Lunar on the side of the barrel, knocking it from my grasp. I scrambled to my feet, rushing at Robert. He dodged out of the way to the left. I kicked him in the right leg and swept my leg across his ankle, dropping him to the ground. I turned to Isaiah and reared up my fist. I swung clumsily at his face. He dodged it easily and smacked me in the ribs with his sword. I flinched, opening myself up for four more smacks. He kicked me again and flicked his wrist, sending the sheaths flying off his blades and hitting me in the gut. He crossed his swords, shoved me against the door and stabbed either side of my head. He brought the edge of each blade dangerously close to my neck. Robert got up slowly and grabbed his shotgun. He placed the barrel against my temple and chambered a round. “What the hell, guys?!” I screamed. “Move and I blow your brains out.” growled Robert. He looked murderous. He probably was. “Prove to me you are Chris. If you can’t, You get a brain full of buckshot, I get my first head trophy, and Robert satisfies his desire to kill a changeling.” said Isaiah. “Tick-tock.” “Who else could I be besides Chris?” I asked. “This is ridiculous!” “Changeling scum.” said Robert angrily. “Fine, fine. I’ll prove it!” I said quickly. How was I supposed to prove that? “Here. I’ll show you my wings.” I transformed into my pony form. “Not good enough. You better be able to change into a different form. You’re a changeling.” said Isaiah, pressing the blades against my neck. “Why does everyone think I’m a changeling?” I said. “Ask me a question. Something only Chris would know.” “You could have interrogated him before hand. Keep trying.” “I’m killing this sumbitch so we can find Chris.” said Robert, gripping his gun. “Wait, wait, wait!” I said panickedly. “Here, here.” I lifted my hands slightly and opened a tiny Silver Rift. “See? Princess Celestia said only I can open those.” Isaiah seemed to consider the my point. Finally, he lowered his swords. He picked up his sheaths and put away his blades. Robert lowered his shotgun and then punched me hard in the stomach. “What?!” I groaned. “I just proved myself to be me!” “You freakin’ idiot! Why would you fight changelings?!” yelled Robert. “I didn’t mean to! I was yelling and they found me!” I shouted. “Why were you screaming?!” “I cracked the code?” I supplied. “What code?” asked isaiah. “I figured out that the enemy is split in four. Sombra, Discord, and Chrysalis are in separate places. They are communicating with each other via Sunset Shimmer.” “The relevance?” asked Rob. “They don’t trust each other. We can use that to our advantage. They’re communicating through Sunset. We take her…” “They have no way to plan!” said Isaiah in excitement. “And they trust each other even less.” I finished. I picked up Lunar from off the ground. The barrel was bent to make a right angle. This would be useless for the next 30 minutes. “Sorry, Chris.” said Robert. “I got a little excited and… violent.” “It’s good. I’ll just soak it in water for a while.” I said, trotting over to the koi pond. I threw the gun in the pond. “It’ll be good in thirty minutes.” “What’s our next move?” asked Isaiah. “Our next move is to tell me where you learned those amazing katana moves.” “Remember when I left to Japan two years ago?” “Yeah?” “Well, I met a guy and he gave me lessons.” “You don’t say. You know, I can teach you guys how to change back into human form.” “Why would we want that?” asked Robert. “I love being War Horse!” “War Horse?” “That’s what he calls his pony form.” said Isaiah. “You being Silver Rift, we thought we should come up with names for us. I’m Conjure.” “War, Conjure, and Silver Rift.” I said grinning. “Cool. Let’s get some stuff done.” Party TimeAs soon as I went down to the training room, RD slapped me across the face. I expected her to hug me afterwards. but she shoved me to the ground. She jumped on me and started punching me in every place she could get to with furious blows. I didn’t even protest. It took Twilight to drag her off with magic. I explained what happened and let Rainbow yell at me some more for being so stupid. After Rainbow Dash’s rage was extinguished, I taught everyone how to change from pony to human. They picked up on the idea pretty fast. After everyone was able to change form well enough, I went and saw what was done when I was gone. First, the Earth ponies showed me their contingency. “Here’s what we did.” said Robert. “We had the unicorns place a spell on us and the base. On the off chance that we all die, the base will secrete a pheromone that we believe the changelings will find irresistible. Hopefully, the changelings will bring their queen over here to scope it out.” “What happens then?” I asked. “A party!” shouted Pinkie Pie. I looked back at Robert who put it simply. “It explodes.” he said. “So, yeah. Party. Speaking of parties, check this out.” He showed me his formerly blank flank. Formerly. Now there was a rose red skull, overlaying two blood-red knives. “Sweet! What’s your talent?” I asked. “War. I discovered it during the fail-safe planning. If it’s related to war or combat, I’m your stallion.” he said proudly. “Nice job! We’ll celebrate tonight. Pinkie, can you throw a party?” I said, knowing the answer. “Uh, duh!” she said with a smile. “I already got it planned! It’s gonna be off… the… HOOK!” “Good to know.” I said walking away. “I have to see what was done with the armor. We’ll chat later.” I left and went through the house looking for Rarity. She was in a sewing room that I didn’t know existed. Conjure must’ve been busy. I approached Rarity, who was huddled over a sewing machine. Her rifle was to the right of her chair and her sword was right in front of her. She greeted me with a concentrated smile and gestured for me to take a seat next to her. “Did you get us some armor?” I asked Rarity. “Why, I certainly did, darling.” she said, tossing me a plain black t-shirt. “Put this on, my dear.” “Uh… thanks, Rarity.” I said, putting it on. “I don’t think this is going to do much, though.” She ignored me, and picked up her rifle. Silently, she aimed it at me. I stared at her, frozen in fear as she pulled the trigger four times. The bullets bounced off of my shirt with a PLINK! “What the hell?!” I said. “Why is everypony trying to kill me today?” “Relax, darling. The shirt is Chameleon Armor. Isaiah and Twilight helped me place the shirt under the Chameleon Effect. Look at it now.” I glanced down, my shirt having been replaced with a steel chestplate. I didn’t even notice. “Wow. This is going to be useful.” I said, dumbstruck. “Neat, isn’t it? We figured out how to enchant anything to react to the surge of adrenaline one gets during combat situations. In other words, if you get scared or excited, your shirt will transform into this armor, 8 inches thick of pure titanium. Nearly weightless. I can do the same with our weapons so we can hide them a little better.” “Excellent! How many do you have?” “How many do you need, darling?” she asked, gleam in her eye. “We’re going to need full sets for all of us. And if you can enchant the weapons, like you said, that’d be great.” “Of course, dear. Consider it done.” she replied, already hard at work on the next piece of armor. This was good. We have information, we have a back-up plan, and we have gear. Now we just need a strategy. Let’s find Twi. “Twily!” I called from the hallway. “I told you not to call me that.” came a voice from nowhere. Right before my eyes, Twilight melted out of thin air. “What is it?” “Invisibility spell?” I asked. She nodded. “We need a plan of attack. We know that they are in different places and they’re all nearby. We just need to find them.” “Well, we could do some more scouting, although that can prove inefficient. We can try out a new spell I found. It should be able to pinpoint their sinister magic.” she said thoughtfully. “Er… we may be able to narrow it down, but I wouldn’t say pinpoint.” I said. “Why not?” “Humans are probably one of the biggest sources of sinister magic in the universe.” I answered sheepishly. “What do you mean?!” asked Twilight alarmed. “Are you telling me that we’re fighting to save a race of evil incarnate?!” “No! Humans aren’t evil. Just… corrupt. We’re greedy. We’re selfish. Most humans will stab you in the back to suit their own ends. We lie, we cheat, and we steal to get what we want. Finding Sombra on Earth would be like searching for a hay in a needle-stack. Not to mention that Sombra can corrupt us even further. It’s definitely a good start, though.” “So we can’t trust humans?” she asked. “You can. Just be careful. We’re dangerous to each other, physically and emotionally.” I warned. “Are you as dangerous as the others?” she asked warily. “Nope. I’m nothing like most other humans.” I said. “What makes you different?” “Pull up a chair.” I said. She summoned two chairs with her horn. She sat down and waited for me to do the same. “I’m not the most normal of humans. I’ve always been the odd man out.” “What do you mean?” “On Earth, you guys are fictional T.V. characters. The show you’re on is called My Little Pony. In my society, ponies are for little girls. I didn’t care, I watched it anyway. Because of that, I didn’t have many friends. I was teased, horribly. I’ve been called gay, a faggot. I’ve been told I have no life. My only friends were Isaiah, Robert, and the T.V. that played MLP. It started as simple teasing, but then, it escalated. People started vandalizing my property, tripping me in the halls. I’ve even gotten physically assaulted. I took all of that, though. I did. I took it in my stride, for years. Then, everything changed.” I said solemnly. “What happened?” asked Twi, holding on to every word. “My mom.” I sighed. “She found out that I was a brony. That’s what we call ourselves; bronies. She hated it. She picked on me worse than the kids at school. Then, she started bothering me for other things. Her biggest problem with me was my hair. Mane. She hated how I dye my mane.” “You dye your mane?” “Yes! Why is everyone so shocked?! Did you all think my hair is naturally white? I didn’t like my hair being black, so I dyed it the exact opposite. That’s not important. What’s important is that me and my mom got into an argument. Argument being an understatement, considering I moved out. I had nowhere to go, but it was better than staying there. Family friends took me in, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. They loved me like a son, and I loved them like parents. I made a few more friends through their daughter, Sarah. She helped me feel accepted. We had a lot of things in common. We were both bronies, we both dyed our hair. Her’s is fire red. The main difference between me and her is that she was good at making friends. I couldn’t talk to anyone unless I had to. She helped me get over it a little. She probably thinks I’m dead right now. Which is why we need to get this done as soon as possible. I have to apologize for scaring her so bad.” “What about your dad? You talked about how your mom picked on you, but did your dad take your side?” she asked. “My dad died before I was born. Mom said that he had an aneurysm in his sleep. Didn’t feel a thing.” I said somberly. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. If my dad hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Besides, I’d never known him. I don’t know what I’m missing.” “Why did you tell me all of this?” “To prove that I would never do anything to hurt my friends. Friendship is too precious to me. Assuming, of course, that you consider me your friend.” “Of course, you’re my friend. Silver, you are possibly the single most fascinating creature I’ve met in all my years of study. We are all friends, here. We’re all in this together.” she said, hugging me. On the outside, I kept on a serious look and accepted her hug, but on the inside I was melting. I was officially friends with Twilight Sparkle! And she hugged me! That is the pinnacle of brony-kind. “Thanks, Twily. Erm… Twilight.” I said. “Twilight, we should try that spell. I want to have a decent idea of where the enemy is before the party starts.” “Ok.” she said, releasing me from the hug. “Here we go.” She closed her eyes and spread her arms. Her horn began to glow and project a beam of light onto the floor. The beam spread out into a square map of the town. Scattered across the map were little red dots. In four particular spots, the red was a more concentrated thick dot. One of the dots was moving and one was pulsating. It appeared to be leaving from the biggest dot right in the middle of the city. Twilight lowered her arms and opened her eyes. The map stayed momentarily, then dissipated. “Sunset’s on the move. The one in the middle was Sombra, the one to the north was Chrysalis, and the southernmost one was Discord.” I said. “How can you tell?” “Sombra would logically be the most concentrated, him being the most evil. Sunset is the only one moving and Discord’s is pulsating because he’s less evil and more chaotic. And I know every single one of those buildings. Forget Sunset Shimmer! We can take the all out and be home in two weeks! We’ll attack in a couple of days. We should probably check out the area and develop a plan.” I said. “Excellent! This is great! Princess Celestia will be pleased.” said Twilight excitedly. She hugged me again, this time lifting me up off my hooves. She put me down and ran downstairs. “Where are you going?” I asked. “To plan the attack! I should be able to finish before the party.” she replied. “You mean the party that’s starting right now?” I said, pointing to the stairs. We could hear noise and see light from the party that Pinkie was throwing. I ran downstairs and marvelled at the beautiful decorations. There were streamers and balloons and confetti and party favors and things I didn’t even know the name of. The air was rich with the smell of.. “Apple pie!” I exclaimed, staring at the buffet table filled with various cakes, pies and tarts. I ran over to the table and grabbed up a slice of apple pie. I shoved it in my face, tongue melting at the amazingness of it. “Ya like the pie, sugarcube?” asked Aj, from behind. “Mh-hm!” I said, through a full mouth. “Shucks, Ah’m glad yer enjoyin’ it! When Robert, Pinkie, and Ah were workin, Robert told me it was yer birthday a couple days ago. Why didn’t ya tell us? Ya was in Equestria for a whole week! We could’ve had us a proper shindig! Robert said a simple pie would do tha trick.” “Thanks, Aj.” I said, swallowing the delicious pie. “It’s amazing! I didn’t tell you because I never really celebrated my birthday.” “What!?” shouted Pinkie. “You don’t celebrate your birthday?! We have to fix that!” She reached into her mane and pulled out a boombox. She smashed the play button and party music began to fill the room. Pinkie grabbed Robert by the wrist and spun him around to the middle of the room. They danced with energy and with vigor, just happy to be there. Soon enough, we all jumped in. We had a great time, dancing to one pop, clubby song after another. After one particularly loud dubstep song (No doubt the work of Vinyl Scratch, as it was magnificent.) the entire mood changed. Suddenly, slow, contemporary music began to play. We just looked at each other for a while, unsure of what to do. I doubt even Pinkie knew how the song ended up on her music list. Finally, Robert (In his War Horse form) grabbed her around the waist with his left hand and clasped her hand with his right. They stepped slowly to the tune of the music. “Might as well.” said RD, grabbing Applejack in the same way. Rainbow led confidently, while Aj allowed herself to be turned and swung in dance. Then, Conjure grabbed Twilight to dance, and they did the same. What am I gonna do?, I asked myself. Maybe I can sneak back upstairs and help Rarity. I was halfway to the stairs when I heard a tiny gasp. I turned to my left, searching for the source. In the corner of the room, nearly hidden from view, was Fluttershy. Why was she in the corner? For that matter, when did she get here? I hadn’t seen her dancing or doing anything since I got to the party. She seemed, once again, on the verge of tears. “I must be out of my mind.” I said to myself, walking over to her. I grasped her around the waist and brought her into the middle of the dancefloor. She nuzzled her head against my chest as we danced slowly through the room. I’m dancing with Fluttershy!, I thought to myself, And she’s enjoying it! I think I might faint! We danced throughout the night, me cradling her in my arms. It was perfect. We danced until our hooves were sore. At around ten o’clock, we called it a night. I retreated to my room to go to bed. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “What a night. A perfect night. Too perfect. Can’t wait to see what goes wrong tomorrow.” I whispered to myself grimly. “I wonder if Fluttershy enjoyed the dance as much as I did. Dear Celestia, that was amazing!” The Attack“See anything?” I heard Twilight ask from over my headset communicator. I walked past the Heaven’s Impaler building for the thirtieth time, marking a pattern of who showed up there, how long they stayed, and what they did while they were here. “I’ve seen about forty changelings rotating around the building and heard them talk of about twenty more on the inside. If we’re getting in, we’re not doing it by force.” I muttered into my hidden microphone. The invisibility spell was holding. I circled the Heaven’s Impaler, the tallest commercial building in the tri-state area, a few more times, just to be sure. “How about you?” “Me and Aj have about the same. RD, how are you and Rarity doing?” she asked. “We have similar numbers. Is everything in place?” replied Rarity. “I have my eye on Sunset Shimmer.” said Isaiah. “You’d have thought that we would have found her before now, what with her hair that’s damn-near glowing.” It seemed that everything was in place. The day after the party, we began to put together a plan. First, we had a drawing to make teams. Each team would take on a different enemy. Twilight and Aj were a team (Black Team), Rarity and Rainbow (Green Team), Pinkie and Rob (Red Team), and Fluttershy and me (Yellow). Isaiah would be giving sniper support from afar and would be a member of all teams. The Black Team went after Discord, the Greens after Chrysalis, the Red Team after Sunset, and me and Fluttershy got (with my amazingly good luck) the strongest, evilest, most powerful of the group: Sombra. We took another two days to train and collect some information. I had staked out the Impaler for eight hours a day, finding out every nook and cranny we could get in or out of. “Like I said, brute force is out. That means put away the explosives that I know you are loading up, Robert.” I said. “Damn. How’d you know?” he asked. “Ive known you since we were 5. By now I’m pretty sure I know the types of things you’d like.” I quoted. “I also know you convinced Pinkie to hide a grenade in her shirt, so put that away.” “Party-pooper!” whined Pinkie Pie. “Anywho, we need to get in stealthily. Probably for the best. Princess Celestia wanted us to capture them, so that’s what we’ll do. Isaiah, can you modify your sniper to shoot non-lethally?” “Tranq gun at the ready.” he said after a short pause. “Give me the word and I can take them out.” “Good. Fluttershy, are you in position?” I asked. “Uh… er… y-yes.” she said panickedly. Good. We could begin. “Everypony ready?” I asked. “Let’s go.” said Isaiah. “Yee-haw!” exclaimed Aj. “Party time!” said Pinkie. “We got this.” said RD confidently. “Can we hurry this up? The dresses are probably piling up at home. I hope Sweetie Belle didn’t take it upon herself to fill out orders. That’d be horrendous!” said Rarity. “Where’s Robert?” asked Twilight. “He’s here. He’s just concentrating.” said Pinkie. “Everypony knows the plan, right?” I asked. “I don’t remember.” said Fluttershy. “It’s simple. You will go up to the front desk and distract the lady at the front desk. When she’s focused on you, I’ll knock her out. From there, we’ll go upstairs and sneak past the changelings. If we can get to Sombra undetected, we’ll knock him out. I’ll open a Rift that leads right into Canterlot Castle, where the Princess will be waiting to arrest him. Hopefully by then the others will be done, but if not, we’ll go assist the Black, Green, and Red teams, in that order. If we do this right, we can be in Equestria in time for supper.” Sounded easy in theory. Let’s see how it worked in practice. I looped around the building one last time. I got to the front and watched Fluttershy enter the building. I waited for a minute, then entered. I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out a book. That’s what it looked like anyway. In reality, it was a device that would reveal changelings in disguise. I pointed it towards the lady behind the main desk. It would send a small neural buzz directly to my brain if it was a changeling. I waited a few minutes and when nothing happened, I walked right past the lady. “You s-see, I d-don’t really have an appointment.” said Fluttershy to the receptionist. I looked around, and when no one was looking, I jabbed her in the neck, knocking her unconscious. I picked her up and sat her in her chair, laying her head down to look like she was napping. “Good job, Flutters. Come on.” I whispered, walking towards the elevator. The Heaven’s Impaler wasn’t the actual name of the building, but we’ve been calling it that for so long that we can’t remember what it is actually called. It was headquarters to Vetri Quaz Industries, which sold everything you could think of. I entered the elevator, waited a beat for Fluttershy to file in behind. I pressed the button to take us to the top floor, where we knew Sombra would be. I took the time to steel my nerves. “Let’s get in and out as quickly as possible.” I said. “Just strut in like you own the place.” Just then, the doors opened. We stepped out and were surrounded by office workers. Over fifty workers were on this floor, looking at us menacingly. They seemed pretty ordinary, until you notice the eyes. Some of them had no visible pupils. Instead the entire area of the eyes was turquoise. The others had eyes that were human-like, except crimson in color. The book was nearly melting my brain from the buzz of so many changelings. “Who are you?” growled one. “Me? I’m Sylvester Richards, owner of Equine Industries. This is my assistant, Francine. We’re here to talk to the boss about starting a line of saddle bags. I think it would be a great investment, and I love your other products.” I said confidently. “I.D. Now.” hissed another. “Oh, but of course!” I said, reaching into my bag. I dropped the book and dug around. Ammo, boots, food. Ah-ha! I grabbed what I was looking for and yanked from my bag. I pointed Celestial at the nearest guy for half a second, then swung at his leg. He fell to the ground as his friends rushed at me. I sliced one in the arm, covering my blade in that green blood. Fluttershy ran backwards and pressed herself against the wall as I took out enemy after enemy. “AHHHHHHHH!” screamed Fluttershy in terror, as she was grabbed around the wrist. I jumped backwards and swiped my sword, taking off his hand. Red spewed from the wound, covering Celestial and Fluttershy. Some of them are human?! I thought to myself. I have to be a little more careful. Then, I got an idea. I reached back into my Mary Poppins Purse and pulled out the sheath for Celestial. I covered it and jumped back into the fray. I whipped it around, smacking changelings and humans alike, knocking some unconscious, breaking a couple ribs. I took out about twenty in total before they began to seriously fight back. The humans pulled small knives and daggers from under their shirts, while the changelings morphed their arms and legs into bladed weapons. Uh-oh. I sliced and parried, more concerned on keeping them away from Flutters than anything else. “Fluttershy! If, at anytime, you feel like helping, that would be fantastic!” I shouted, wincing from the knife that grazed my knee. Neither me nor Rarity thought about any armor besides chestplates. Woops. “I can’t!” she cried. “I left my weapons at home! I couldn’t do it!” Of course she did. A changeling jumped up and kicked, cutting me right across the nose. I leaned forward and kicked him with all my might, launching him to the side. I sliced at the last two enemies, knocking them out with blows to the head. “Come on.” I said, breathlessly. “That was nothing!” We ran down the halls, kicking in door after door. Every cubicle, every conference hall, every break room was empty. I bashed in one last conference hall and walked in. Just like the others, it was empty. Fluttershy looked around confusedly. “Where is he? He’s supposed to be up here. This is the last room on the floor.” she said. “I dunno. We should check the other floors. We may have been mistaken.” I said, turning around. I stepped forward and bumped into a tall figure in a black suit, with a black shirt and red tie. His hair was long and slicked out, jet-black. His eyes were blood red and soul-piercing. He had a gray tint to his skin, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he revealed his mouthful of razor-sharp fangs. “Celestia has sent her puppets to try and defeat me?” he growled. “And you rushed in so confidently. The mare doesn’t even have a weapon. Did you really think that you were so strong, or so smart that you could overtake me without any real weapons?” Slowly, I backed away. This was bad. I needed a plan. “King Sombra, no?” I asked, hoping to stall. Maybe if I can get him near a window, maybe Isaiah could tranq him. “A tranquilizer wouldn’t even touch me.” he said. Before I could even completely form the thought, he continued, “Yes, I can read your thoughts. What should I do to you? I could kill you now, but that wouldn’t be fun. I could make an example of you, torture you for a while. Or, I could give you to Chrysalis. She should be able to feed her children for a couple months with all the love you have for the mare.” “What?” I asked. “Nononono, I do-” I began. “Don’t lie to me. I can tell you’re in love with her.” he said, raising his hand. He opened his hand, and black claws materialized at the end of each finger. “And that’s what you decided to say? You’re worried about whether or not ponies know of your petty crush? Pathetic.” “What are you doing here, Sombra? What do you have to gain from being here?” I asked, killing time until I could form a plan. “What do I have to gain? Control.” he said. He swung his claw, scratching me in the right side. I screamed in pain as Sombra walked over to Fluttershy. I grabbed the wound and felt the blood leak out. I fell to my knees, squeezing my ribs. I moved my hand away to access the damage. There were five gashes in my side, very deep. The “blood” I felt leak was jet black. Ok. That’s bad. Have to get out. “And you, my dear. We’ve met before haven’t we?” he said standing over Fluttershy. “Quite confident of your colt-friend’s abilities, aren’t you? Well, he’s about to die, so it’s only fair that you do as well.” “NO!” I shouted, spinning around on the ground. I pulled Lunar out of the bag, aimed carefully and shot Sombra in the back. The bullet connected, but nothing happened at first. I shot him four more times, and he turned to face me. I emptied my gun into his chest, reached into the bag for more ammo, reloaded and fired again. He walked forward, disregarding Fluttershy. He took my bullets nonchalantly. When he got to me, he touched me on the face. He looked at me one last time, and then dissipated into black smoke. The smoke flew out of the room and down the hall. Fluttershy ran up to me. “Are you ok?” she asked, concerned. “I’m fine. We have to warn the others.” I said. I pressed my mic to my ear. “Oi! Everypony, abandon the mission. Meet back at base.” I tried to get up, and fell back immediately. She grabbed me and draped my arm over her neck. She hoisted me up, and escorted me to the window. She kicked the window, shattering the glass. “Silver, can you change back? We have to get out.” she said. After much concentration, I pulled out my wings. She transformed as well and jumped out of the window. We flapped our wings and booked it back to base. We got halfway there, and dropped. We hit the ground and walked the rest of the way. I began to grow dizzy and I heard whispers. Whispers and laughter. I tripped all the way to the base. We got there just in time to see the other teams arrive. I fell to the ground on the front steps. “I can’t move.” I muttered from far away. “Robert, get him inside.”I heard Isaiah say from a distance. I felt myself be lifted up and carried into the house. He placed me down on my bed and covered me with a blanket. The room began to spin, and I couldn’t see properly. My ribs were melting and it seemed to be spreading to the rest of my body. “Isaiah, can you help?” asked Robert. “Twilight, I’ll need you!” he called. The world slowly faded into darkness. Right before I passed out, I heard myself whisper, “We failed, guys.” Option 1“Wake up, Chris!” called a voice from outside my room. I sat up in my bed, turning to grab my glasses off of my dresser. I put them on my face and jump out of bed. I use the bathroom, wash my face, and comb through my curly, black hair. I threw on some clothes and ran downstairs. I walked in the kitchen and saw my mother cooking breakfast. “Morning, Mom.” I said cheerfully. I took a seat at the table and waited to be served. My mom dropped a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. She made herself a plate and sat down. “What’s up, champ?” she said brightly. “Nothing much. Dad went to work already?” I asked. “Yeah, but don’t worry. He’ll be home in time for your party. Who’s coming?” “Well, Robert and Isaiah, obviously. Besides them is Mat, Pat, a couple of girls, and Kyle from the other high school.” “And Sarah is coming.” she said. “But Mom! I don’t like her. She’s weird. She’s always trying to get me to watch that stupid My Little Pony show! Please don’t make me invite her!” I begged. “I know, I know. I don’t really like her either, but Harold needs me to watch her for a while. He’s busy at the restaurant, and Victoria is away on some restaurant convention. I need to pick her up from her gymnastic practice. We are kinda stuck with her until they get back. Sorry kid, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll hang out tomorrow. Anyway, it’s time for you to get to school.” she said. “Fine. See you when I get home.” I said, leaving the house. Little did my mother know, I wasn’t actually going to school. I hopped on the bus, which would take me to school in 4 stops. I got off after 6, and walked up to my friends, Mat, Pat, Isaiah, and Robert. I approached them, waving. Mat pulled out five water guns and tossed me one. I opened the tank and sniffed it’s contents. Bleach. I think I know where this is going. “Who?” I asked mischievously. “Where is he?” “I don’t know his name, but he should be walking past here pretty soon.” said Mat. Sure enough, a minute after, some kid in a yellow hoodie. On the front were blue eyes, some My Little Pony character. Shutterfly, or something like that. Doesn’t matter. We’re gonna have some fun. We walked past him, letting him walk away a few feet before blasting him in the back. He turned around, shocked, as we emptied about two gallons of bleach all over him. He ran away in fear and anger, screaming over his shoulder “You guys are assholes!” We watched him run away, us laughing the entire time. “That was epic!” I said. “Yeah, it was.He’s gonna be pissed. What do we do know?” asked Pat. “I dunno. Just hang around, I guess.” I said. We walked around town, stopping at stores here and there. We stopped off at a burger joint for lunch. We met a few more bronies, harassed them, and kept going. We went to the CD store, picked up the new Tears of Plague CD and were just general delinquents for most of the day. We walked into Jackson’s, a vegetarian restaurant, where Sarah worked part-time. I stopped the guys outside and went up to her. Let’s get this over with. “Hey, Sasha.” I said drearily. I think some part of me was aware her name isn’t Sasha. “Wanna come to my party later?” “Will there be bronies?” she asked. Here we go. “No, but there will be normal, non-homosexual, guys you could creep out, if you want.” I responded. “Do I creep you out?” she asked, twirling a lock of her fire-red hair. “Very much, yes. But, my mom told me you need to stay over for a while, so you might as well show up. I can’t exactly tell you to go somewhere else.” “What do you find creepy about me?” she asked, still twisting that bright hair. “Where to start? You watch a show for 7 year old girls, your hair is bright, obnoxious, and unnatural, you constantly hit on me, and you don’t seem to understand personal space.” I said, pushing her out of my face. Ugh. She is very… ugh! “Wanna hear how none of that makes me creepy?” she said. Not waiting for me to answer, she continued. “The show is not for 7 year olds, the target audience is actually for girls more my age. My hair is not all that bright, you’re just really normal and dull. I only get in your space to piss you off. As to why I hit on you, well… you’re cute.” “Uh… that’s cool I guess. Well… see you at my party. Don’t be creepy. Try to stay away from me. You’re only there because you have to be.” I said, walking away. “You don’t mean that! One day, we’ll end up together, making out on a rooftop!” she called. I opened the door and stepped out. “Not even in your dreams, Sasha!” I called looking over my shoulder. I looked back in front of me just in time to see me run into somebody. I fell to the ground, hitting with a thud. He had long, black hair, graying skin and red eyes. He looked down, and extended his right hand to help me up. I grabbed it and felt a rush of wind. “You must make a choice.”, he whispered. “What was that, sir?” I asked, getting to my feet. “Sorry. I should have paid more attention to where I was walking.” he growled. “Well, have a nice day.” He walked past me into the restaurant. I turned back and saw no one but Sarah. Strange. I walked up to my friends to finish the day. “Who was that?” asked Isaiah. “I don’t know.” I said, face dripping sweat. “He bumped into me and whispered… I can’t remember. I… don’t… what are we doing here, again?” “We were deciding what next. We gonna mess with more fags?” said Mat. “Nah. Let’s go to find Kyle. He’s about to get out of school now, isn’t he?” I said. We left and walked to Kyle’s high school. We got there a few minutes early, so we had a smoke. Ok, they had a smoke. Me and Isaiah don’t mess with cigarettes. We sat outside for ten minutes, waiting for the bell to ring. BRIIING!!! Students flooded from the school. I walked into the middle of the group, letting people flow around me. Through the crowd, I picked out Kyle, the short, scrawny, new member of our group. He was cool enough, maybe a little weak for my taste. Anyway, I approached him, grabbed his shoulder, and about-faced. We headed back to my house. We got there and walked upstairs. “Mom! We’re home!” I called heading towards my room. “Uh… Chris? There’s something you should know…” responded my mom. “In a second! I’m just gonna change my clothes!” I said, opening my door. I walked in and went to hop on my bed. Too bad a creepy redhead was occupying it. “Hi, Chris!” she said brightly. “I see you’re hanging out with your asshole friends. Except for you, Kyle. You’re ok.” “What are you doing on my bed?” I asked, exasperated. “I got out of school early, and your mom told me to make myself at home. I like your room.” “Mom!” I called. “I didn’t expect her to invade your room!” she replied. “Sarah, would you mind helping me set up the party?” “Of course, Mrs. Brookes. Anything at all.” she said. She jumped up and cartwheeled past me. She skipped down the stairs behind my mom, who was mouthing her apology silently. I waved her off and jumped on my bed. My friends and I played video games until 7 o’clock, when the party started. We ran outside to the backyard, where a huge tent was erected. I stepped inside, letting my dad direct me towards a long table, sitting me next to all of my friends. He cut me a slice of cake, threw some ice cream on next to it, and slammed it in front of me. I went to take a bite, but had my face slammed into the cake. “Happy birthday!” said my dad, raising my face. He passed me a towel to wipe the frosting off, but I couldn’t, I was trembling so hard. From laughter, of course. That was hilarious! I wiped my face and finished the rest of my cake. I joked around with my friends and family for over an hour. After a while, I had to take a break, so I left the tent and ran around the side of my house. I grabbed the ladder leaning against the side and scaled up to the roof of my home. I layed down on a mat I had threw down a while back. I stared up at the stars, enjoying the outdoors. I closed my eyes for a while, thinking. I remembered the man from earlier. Who was he? What was that whisper about? And why do I care? He was just some random dude. “What’s up, Chris.” came a voice. I opened my eyes and saw the creepy redhead herself, taking a spot next to me. “What do you want, Sarah?” I asked. “Ah-ha! You’re starting to like me.” she said. “What makes you say that? You didn’t get less creepy in four hours.” “You called me Sarah.” she said plainly. “So? That’s your name, isn’t it?” “So it is. If you know that, why do you call me Sasha?” “Why are you up here?” I asked, ignoring her question. “How did you even know I’d be up here?” “I watched you climb up here. I came up here to talk.” she said. “What do you want to talk about?” “Do you actually care? Or are you just trying to set me up to look stupid?” “Guess I do care. So, go on.” “Wanted to ask you why you hang out with such assholes. You’re actually a cool person. You should hang out with less-shitty people.” “They’re my friends, and they aren’t assholes. Why are you so weird?” I asked. “Ooh, a question game! I like it. Have to answer a question to ask a question; seems fair. I’m weird because it’s fun. Normal is boring. Why do you hate bronies so much? We’re a cool fanbase.” “I don’t hate them. They’re just unnatural. They shouldn’t enjoy it. Why do you enjoy it?” “It’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s well-animated, and it teaches good traits. Like how to make good friends. Do you have a girlfriend?” “Uh… no. Why?” I asked. “Wait, that’s not my question! My question is this: Do you consider me your friend?” “You’re my best friend, whether you wanna acknowledge it or not. Do you think I’m pretty?” she asked, inching closer to me. “Answer honestly.” “Er… uh… y-yes. You’re really pretty. One of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.” I said, trying to find a way to change the topic. Why was I being so open? “Does your dad know I tease you so much?” “If he does, I don’t care. I know you do it because you can’t express yourself. Don’t worry about it. Do you wanna start acting like friends?” “I guess. Will you make an effort to get along with the guys? I’ll keep them off your back.” “Will you make a decision?” “Aren’t you supposed to answer my question before you ask yours?” I asked. “I didn’t say anything. I always try to be nice to the assholes. I mean your friends.” she whispered, a few inches away from me. “Will you stop me from doing this?” She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. She kissed me like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I looked to the right and saw him. The guy from Jackson’s was on the roof next to us. “Enjoying this life?” he growled. “Will this be your choice? Let’s see the other option.” Author's Note Still hanging in there? My, what a strong will this one has? Hope this isn't too unbearable. Perhaps there are even a few who are enjoying this. Nah. Option 2“Honey, can you come up here?” called a voice from upstairs. “Coming, babe!” I called. I pushed Angel off of my lap, whispering my apology. I got to my hooves and walked up the cottage stairs. I approached the bedroom door and slowly pushed it open. Sitting on the bed was Fluttershy, in nothing but her undergarments. I sat down next to her, pecking her on the cheek. “What’s up?” I asked cheerfully. “Pinkie said the cake was done, and I wanted to know if we should go check it out.” she said. “Sure thing. I’m sure Pinkie did a great job. When are we leaving?” “As soon as I put some clothes on.” she giggled. “Unless you want me to go outside in my bra and panties.” “No way! That’s for my eyes alone!” I said, feining outrage. “Don’t want other stallions getting any ideas.” “Oooh, jealous much?” she teased. “I’m your fiance. That’s part of my job.” I said, kissing her again quickly. “Are you gonna get dressed so we can go?” She quickly threw on a top and skirt, slipped into some shoes, hooked her arm around mine, and we stepped out of the house. We strolled into town, heading towards Sugar Cube Corner, the workplace of one of our best friends. We entered the shop, empty except for one stallion. He had a gray coat, a slick, black mane, and stunningly red eyes. He shot us a polite smile and walked past, whispering to himself. “Will this be it? Will this be your choice?” “What was that?” I asked, turning around. Nopony was there. “Anypony else hear that?” “Are you ok? You seem stressed. Wanna talk about it?” asked Fluttershy. “It’s… fine.” I replied uneasily, “Just a bit of a headache. Let’s see this cake.” “Did somepony say ‘cake’?!” came Pinkie’s voice from the back room. A second later, she came out wheeling a cart with the most amazing cake I’ve ever seen. 7 tiers of pure white, pure delicious cake. On the bottommost layer were names of the lucky couple, Fluttershy and Silver Rift. “Wow.” I said. “Pinkie, this is amazing! How did you do this?” “It was easy! Baking is my whole life! Well, not exactly, because if baking was my whole life, then I wouldn’t have time to talk to other ponies, and if I can’t talk to other ponies then I can’t make friends, and if I can’t make friends, I can’t find ponies to bake cakes for, and if I can’t find ponies to bake cakes for, then I don’t have a job anymore, now do I?” “I suppose not.” said Fluttershy quietly. “I love it Pinkie. I’m sure it’s amazing.” “You don’t think that I made you this super-duper amazing wedding cake without making super-duper amazing sample wedding cupcakes, do you?” said Pinkie, pulling three cupcakes from under the cart. They were decorated similarly to the cake. She passed one to me and Flutters, then shoved one in her own mouth. Me and Fluttershy did the same, and melted at the deliciousness of the cake. Soft and fluffy and sweet. So good! “So, what do ya think?” asked Pinkie eagerly. “Amazing!” shouted Fluttershy. Well, she kinda shouted. In her own, whispering way. “Fantastic!” I said. “How long did it take you to make this?” “I was up all week! It was fun!” she said excitedly. “A week?! You haven’t slept in seven days?” I asked. “Nope, not a wink! That’s why you haven’t seen too much of me. I only left the kitchen to get more ingredients!” “Pinkie, that’s crazy. Even for you! How could you work non-stop like that? Aren’t you at least a little tired?” “It was nothing.” she said slowly. “What are friends for? If you can’t trust me to make a huge, super-ginormous, amazing, not-to-toot-my-own-horn-but-toot-toot awesome cake, then who can you trust?” “Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy concerned. “You don’t look so good.” “I-I’m good. Just a little… run down. I just need… a little.. nap.” yawned Pinkie Pie. Seems like the excitement that was keeping her awake has been exhausted. “We can’t thank you enough, Pinkie. This was amazing! But please, go to sleep. That can’t be good for you.” said Fluttershy. “Okey-dokey… lokey.” said Pinkie drearily. She pushed the cake back into the kitchen and dragged herself upstairs. We heard the snoring from downstairs. “That was great!” I said. “What do you think we should do now?” “Um… If it were ok with you, I’d like to go see Rarity. We have to make sure the rings fit, and you need a suit.” replied my fiance. “A suit, huh? Alright. Rarity’s gonna kill me, I put it off so much.” I said, grabbing her hand. We left Sugar Cube Corner and made the short walk to Rarity’s boutique. We entered. the bell ringing as we opened the door. We stepped forward into Rarity’s workspace and called for her. “One second, darlings!” came a voice from upstairs. “Just finishing up!” A minute later, Rarity climbed down the stairs, covered in sweat, but otherwise happy. She was holding a pillow with two silver wedding rings. On one of them were tiny diamonds encrusted all the way around. She presented them to us as though we held her life in our hands. Fluttershy slipped on the diamond one, while I put on the plain silver. Mine fit perfectly. I held it some distance away from my face to inspect it. I loved it! “Beautiful, Rarity! You’ve outdone yourself. It’s just so… me. Plain and silver.” I said happily. “Well, I tried to capture your essence in your rings. Speaking of essence, what do you intend to wear?” she asked. “Uh… The thing is… I don’t really-” “Don’t tell me you don’t know! You must know! You are getting married tomorrow, and you don’t know what you’re wearing? Have a seat, darling, I’ll find you something nice to wear.” said Rarity, pulling shirts and jackets and shoes and ties out of the closet, holding them to my body, checking sizes and… I honestly don’t know. I was never the most fashionable. She was doing something seamstress-ish. I dunno, the point is, she got me in a proper tuxedo within an hour, and she didn’t rip my head off for procrastinating. It was a good day. She put away the tux, promising to take good care of it, along with Fluttershy’s dress. She sent us on our way, telling us to enjoy the rest of our day. We decided to stroll through town, just relax, for the rest of the day. We walked past shops and stalls for a while before we ran into possibly my best friend, Rainbow Dash, soaking wet and holding a water gun. “What’s up Rainbow?” I said. “Nothin much. Hey, have you guys seen Aj?” she asked, looking back and forth nervously. “No. Why do you ask?” “Why do you think, stupid? She doused me and ran! I’ll get that mare if it’s the last thing I do.” she said, only slightly grumpily. “You don’t seem too upset.” said Fluttershy. “Yeah, well, ya know. It’s Aj.” she said, blushing. “What are you going do? Anyway, I gotta jet. See you two love birds later.” She flapped her wings in search of Applejack. She had been acting like that for a while. Always with Applejack. It would seem like my wedding wouldn’t be the last. We continued our walk, eventually ending up at Twilight’s library. I knocked three times then let myself in. “Twily! It’s us!” I called, taking a seat next to Flutters. “I keep telling you not to call me tha-. Oh, what’s the point?” said Twilight from upstairs. She slid down her banister and took a seat facing us. “What can I do for you guys?” “Nothing, really. We just wanted to hang out. All the preparations for the wedding are done, so we have some free time.” I said. “Oh, ok. I just have to send out these letters.” she said. She closed her eyes for a second, willing her horn to glow. We heard a faint POP from the next room, the pop of a teleportation spell. “Who were the letters to?” asked Fluttershy. “Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and Princess Cadence. Octavia is performing at the ceremony, Vinyl is doing the after-party, and the princess wants to be there to congratulate you.” “How nice.” I said, my head reeling. I kept hearing whispers, deep, growling whispers. “Choose.” “What was that?” I asked. “We didn’t say anything, Silver. Are you ok? You’ve been like this all day.” said Fluttershy concerned. She scooted closer to me and nuzzled her cheek against my own. “I’ll make some tea.” said Twilight, getting up. She left to the kitchen, where she began to fill a kettle. I turned to where she sat and saw the stallion from Sugar Cube Corner, sitting in her spot. “Just as nice as the last one. Which will you choose? Guess we’re about to find out.” he growled. With a snap of his fingers, the world melted into black. UltimatumI was suddenly… nowhere. Nothing was around me, just white. I was definitely standing on something, I could feel my feet touching the ground. It was both hard and soft, cold and warm at the same time. Interesting. I walked forward a couple steps, when, out of nowhere, a full sized mirror appeared in front of me. I gazed into it and saw I was naked. Slightly concerned, I looked around for anyone. No one but me. Still, I wished I had some clothes. No sooner had I formed the thought, I looked into the mirror again, astonished by the sudden appearance of jeans and a black t-shirt on my body. “Anybody here?” I called into the nothingness. I turned around and was face to face with a man, grey skinned, black haired, and red-eyed. I say face to face, but he was so tall, I only actually got up to his neck. “Hello.” he said in a deep, growling voice. “Hey, I know you! We ran into each other at Jackson’s!” I shouted. “Really? Is that the only place you know me from?” he said, calmly. I wracked my brain, thinking it over. Oh, yeah. I have seen him besides that. “You were at Sugar Cube Corner, too.” I said, proud that I figured it out. Then something clicked. “Wait a second. How did I see you in Jackson’s and Sugar Cube Corner? For that matter, what was I doing at both places?” “Finally got there, did you?” he said. “About time, too. That is a good question, by the way. How was I both in Equestria and on Earth? I think you can ask a slightly better question, though.” I thought about it, and something else odd came to mind. “Who are you?” I asked, a little frustrated. He was making me feel stupid, and I didn’t like it. “There you are. Well, let’s play a game. I always loved games. Guessing games, to be precise. So, guess who I am.” he said. I looked at him hard, concentrating. Just then, I noticed his gray steel armor and sheathed sword. He saw my look of horror and smiled a fanged smile. “Sombra!” I shouted. “Where are we? What have you done with my friends?” “Not too bright, are you?” he said, condescendingly. “Think about it! What have you experienced lately?” “I… lived on Earth for a while. Then I was in Equestria.” I said, slowly piecing together the puzzle. “Yes, yes, but more than that! What happened in both places?” “On Earth, it was my birthday. I was hanging out with Isaiah, Robert, and Mat and Pat? Why would I be hanging out with them?” “Because that is what you want more than anything.” replied Sombra. “Well, that’s part of what you want.” “I don’t want to be friends with those jerks!” I said. “No. You want them to not be jerks. What else was on Earth that’s different?” “My mom. She didn’t hate me.” I replied, remembering. It was like waking from a dream and trying to piece together what happened. “And my dad! He was alive!” “Yes, he was indeed. Understand now?” said Sombra impatiently. “No? Well, let’s keep going. In Equestria, you were getting married to Fluttershy. Why do you think that is?” “No idea. I imagine you know. It was probably you who did it.” I said bitterly. Where was Celestial when you needed it? Other things seemed to just materialize, so why not my weapons? “You aren’t getting your weapons because I have them right here.” said Sombra, raising my gun and sword. “Since you don’t seem to be getting it, I’ll explain. You might want to sit down for this.” Two chairs appeared out of thin air, facing one another. Sombra took one and nudged the other towards me. I sat down carefully, waiting for some sort of explanation. “Well?” I said, crossing my legs. “Explain.” “You have tasted two lives, each perfectly imperfect in their own ways. On Earth, you have loving parents, a pretty girl, and the one thing you want more than anything: to fit in. All you want is to be accepted and loved, so I showed that to you. In Equestria, you had no parents, five close friends, and a beautiful fiance, who you were going to marry in the morning. I gave you a peek at the only other thing you could want: Fluttershy.” “Why would you show me that? What do you gain?” I asked, leaning forward. “Me? I gain nothing. It’s what you gain. And what you gain is the perfect life. If you play my game, of course.” “It’s always a game when you have power. Give someone too much control, and they stop taking things seriously.” I said, unamused. “Not that I’m bending to your demands, but what’s the game?” “The game is simple.” said Sombra, pulling Lunar from off of his lap. He chambered a single round and passed it to me, grip first. I grabbed it, confused. Was this some sort of trap? “Why are you giving this to me?” I asked. “So you can play the game.” he said, standing up. “The game is this: I’ve shown you two lives, your two perfect lives. Choose.” “What?” I asked. I didn’t understand. “Choose.” he repeated, snapping his fingers. Next to him appeared my mother, wearing an apron, and Fluttershy, wearing a wedding gown. “You have one bullet in your gun. You can choose your mom or your wife-to-be. Whoever you shoot will be erased from your reality. You will be inserted into the moment when you left, with no memory of this or your past. You will remember things that never happened, your time with Fluttershy or your past with your mother. It will be as if you had lived that life in that world your entire life.” “You want me to choose? What’s the catch?” I asked. “No catch. There is no way for you to lose this game. Whatever makes you happy will become real. So what will it be? You can be Christian Brookes on Earth, or Silver Rift in Equestria. Just pick.” “I have to pick? Why would I do that when I can just go and be both?” I asked. “Because it’s the only way out of here. You must decide, or you will rot here for all of eternity.” he laughed. “So, maybe I lied when I said you couldn’t lose. It’s just really hard.” “Where are we?” I asked fearfully. “We are in your subconscious, deep in the recesses of your mind. But that’s besides the point. Just choose. Is it that really so hard? Why can’t you just decide? It won’t hurt them. It’s mostly symbolic. I was going to give you the sword and say you had to ‘sever the bonds you had’ but that seemed overdone. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you, whatever your choice may be. You deserve happiness, so I’m just trying to give it to you.” “I can pick which life I want? And no one will be hurt by it?” I asked. “No one will even notice. You have to decide, though.” growled Sombra. Could I? Could I really choose one over the other? I turned Lunar over in my hands, thinking. I would be happy either way, so what was the big dilemma? I just had to choose. “Flutters or Mom?” I said to myself. I took my time, thinking it over once more. Finally, I had reached a decision. I pointed the gun at my target and gripped the butt of my gun. I aimed carefully and took a deep breath, when suddenly my brain felt a quick ZAP! What was I doing?! I couldn’t do this! There had to be another way. I lowered the gun, thinking again. “What are you doing?!” asked Sombra angrily. “You must choose!” “I’ll choose, after I explain my choice to you. You okay with that?” I said. “Good. You see, I just figured out what you’re trying to do. You are trying to destroy me, destroy what I am and what I stand for.” “No, of course not!” said Sombra. “Yes, you are. But, ya know, I learned something a while ago, from my mother. Me and my mum didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but she gave me good advice, advice I follow to this day. Whenever I felt like quitting, she would remind me of something. She would say ‘Everything in life has two abilities. They have the ability to create and the ability to be conquered.’ And this ‘game’ of yours is not my favorite thing in this world. I just have to find a way to conquer it. You see, you’re evil, pure evil. But even evil does not destroy.” “Evil doesn’t destroy? Then what do you call what I did to the Crystal Empire?” he asked smugly. “Creation. You created the necessary strength for your victims to keep fighting. Even now, as you try to destroy my life, you are creating power, power for me to make a choice.” I said, raising Lunar. “So, you will still choose? What will it be?” growled Sombra. “Well, I was going to shoot my mom.” I said, pointing the gun at her. “But then, I thought, ‘Eh, maybe I’ll shoot Flutters.’” I turned the gun onto Fluttershy. “Which is it?!” cried Sombra. “You must make a choice.” “You say that whichever life I pick, I’ll win. You are wrong. If I pick either of these I will lose.” “So pick the one where you’ll lose less.” said Sombra angrily. “Ah, but I can pick the third option.” I said knowingly. “There is no third option! You must pick between the two!” “You said whoever I shoot will be erased from my reality.” I said, placing Lunar’s barrel against my temple. “What if I want to erase myself from this reality?” “What are you doing?!” yelled Sombra. He seemed to be losing it. “I don’t want to make this choice, so I’ll remove myself from a world in which I have to. You had me backed against the wall, Sombra, and I was gonna make a choice, but you made the mistake of giving me a way out. You underestimated my intelligence, and I’ll make sure you regret it, that’s for damn sure.” “What are you doing?!” repeated Sombra. “What am I doing?” I said, gripping Lunar. “I’m winning. Isn’t that what you wanted?” And I pulled the trigger. BOOM! I opened my eyes slowly. I looked down at my right arm and noted the IV needle. I sat up and ripped it out of my arm. I turned to my right and saw Conjure standing at a counter, flipping through files. I jumped to my hooves and stretched out my back. Ugh. Stiff, like I had been sleeping for a while. I shrugged it off and examined my side. Someone had bandaged it up. It was sore, but otherwise I was fine. Isaiah still hadn’t turned around. “Hey. What’s up?” I said cheerfully. “I’m awake! We should plan a new attack.” He jumped at the sound of my voice. He turned around quickly, staring at me. He stepped up to me and tapped my nose softly. He stepped backwards and punched the air. “Hell yeah!! It worked!! I am a genius!” he shouted with excitement. “Someone’s excited. Jesus, I was only out, what a couple of hours? A day?” I said. “A couple of hours?” he asked, sorrow replacing his excitement. “Dude, you were out for-” “It doesn’t matter.” I said, ignoring him. I ran out of my room to an empty hallway with no other rooms. Conjure must’ve been rearranging the house. I ran down to the middle of the hall, looking for a door. I looked down and saw a hidden trap door. I stomped hard, knocking it open. I went into Silver Rift form and floated down. I walked down to the training room, assuming that’s where everypony was. In the middle of the the room were the Mane Six, minus Fluttershy, huddled over a table. Their manes were messy and Pinkie seemed to have just recovered from a bout of tears. “Hey, guys.” I said. “Where’s Fluttershy?” They turned around quickly, and stared at me. They looked very tired and worn down. “Oh my…” said Twilight. “Isaiah was right.” “What exactly was he right about? And where is Fluttershy?” I asked worriedly. I heard a few quick, heavy hoof-falls from behind. I turned around and saw Fluttershy at the steps. She looked at me and broke into a run. I extended my arms to hug her, but instead was met with a fist. WHAM! Fluttershy’s fist collided with my nose, shattering it. I looked up at her and noticed her face, covered in dirt and scars. “You asshole!” she shouted angrily. “You have some nerve coming back now. I’m going to go for a quick flying. If you’re smart, you won’t be here when I get back.” She left the room in a fury. “Wad happened do ‘er?” I asked through a mouthful of blood. She messed me up bad. “How did she gid so strong?” It was Rainbow who spoke. “She had three years to work out. She took advantage of it.” “Three years? Wad are you talking about?” Twilight walked over to me and fixed my nose with her magic. “I’m sorry, Silver. I’m so, so sorry. You’ve been dead for three years.” The New Boss“What. The. Hell. Are you talking about?” I asked, knees weak. “After we got you home from the attack, you… died.” said Rainbow Dash. Without warning, she jumped from her seat and hugged me, hard. I didn’t react. I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. If I died, then where was I? “If I’m dead, does that mean you all died as well?” I asked. “Am I in some sort of pony-afterlife?” “No. We’re all very much alive. The thing is, I scanned your vitals, double, triple checked.” said Twi. “I was positive that you were dead.” “We had a funeral service for you and everything, darling.” said Rarity. “You should be in a casket, six feet underground.” “Well, I’m not. When I came to, I was upstairs.” I said. “Yeah. How in all of Equestria did that happen?” asked Applejack. Twilight blushed and backed away. “Um… that may have been me.” she said weakly. “What?!” shouted Aj. “What in tarnation did ya do?” “It wasn’t her fault.” said Conjure. “It was mine.” “Look, I don’t care who did it. Just explain to me what happened.” I said. I walked over and took a seat next to Pinkie. She was being unusually quiet, and she had definitely been crying. I would address that later. “Here’s what happened:” said Conjure, after a deep breath. “We got you here and you flatlined. We tried everything in our power to bring you back, but we failed. You were deemed dead. Fluttershy lost it. She demanded we bury you at once. I couldn’t let that happen. I knew you were alive. I didn’t know how, but I knew it in my gut. Fluttershy took over the operation, deemed me insane because I refused to accept your death and because I kept your hair trimmed. I finally told her that you could be buried. What she didn’t know is that I made Twilight help dig you out and replace you with a dummy. We placed the appropriate counter-spells so that nopony would want to go upstairs to where I had you stashed. Just today, I saw your brain light up with activity for the first time in years. I analyzed it and it looked like you were arguing with yourself. I watched as something convinced you to lean towards a particular decision, then I shocked you. Apparently it woke you up. Don’t know how, but it did.” “How did you know that I wasn’t dead?” I asked, quietly. “Your readings. The claw marks were nothing, a simple fleshwound. Twilight could whip up an antidote to any poison in existence, and your heart was in perfect condition. You just stopped breathing.” “What did you accomplish while I was out?” I asked. “We did more in two days than we did in all of our time under you.” came an angry, bitter voice from the stairs. I turned and got a better view of her. She had various small scratches over her face, a tiny chunk of her left ear was missing, and she had a long scar going diagonally across her face. “We took down Shimmer and Discord.” “Awesome” I said, glad to be back in the flow of things, to a degree. “Where are they? Can I speak to them?” “Yeah.” said Fluttershy brightly. “I’ll just go get my boot; there might be some of her left on there.” “What?!” I asked in horror. She must’ve been joking. No way was she serious. “My god, were you this dumb before?” she asked. “Although, I suppose if I was dead for three years, I’d be a little slow on the uptake myself. Let me explain, slowly for you. Stay with me when I say it: I… killed… her. Stomped her head in, over and over. I was picking little bits of her brain out of my hooves for days. As for Discord, he got away, but it cost him an arm and a leg. Or rather, an arm and a tail.” “Why would you kill Sunset Shimmer?” I asked appalled. “Princess Celestia made it very clear that she wanted them captured. Alive.” “Don’t talk to me about Celestia.” she said angrily. “Three years, three long years we’ve been at this, and not once did we get a single supply drop, news on what’s happening at home, not even a goddamn letter saying ‘Nice work, guys!’ She abandoned us a long time ago, so I don’t give a rat’s ass what she has to say. This is now beyond Celestia’s power. This is my jurisdiction.” “So what, you went commando?” I asked sarcastically. “Oh! That’s what I’ve been calling her!” shouted Isaiah. “Commandoshy, our fearless and psychotic leader!” She shut him up with a murderous stare. This was unreal. What happened when I was gone? I was missing something. I turned to look at Pinkie, her face wet with tears. Why was she so upset? Maybe Robert knew. Wait a second… “Where’s Robert?” I asked. As soon as I said his name, Pinkie burst into tears once more. Everypony looked at me with distaste, except for RD, Fluttershy and Isaiah. I looked around for some sort of explanation. “He’s gone.” said Twilight. My heart was beating in my throat. “G-Gone? You mean he’s… dead?” I asked. “No, but by now he probably wishes he was.” said Commandoshy. “Then where is he?” I asked. What did this all mean? “After you were… put out of commision, Robert got his panties in a bunch and split. He blamed me for what happened, so he took a ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ bag, filled it with ammo, and left. We just found out that he was captured by the changelings yesterday. To answer your next two questions: No, we aren’t going to save him and yes, that is why Pinkie is crying.” “What do you mean, we aren’t going to save him?! We have to!” I cried. “No, we don’t. He stopped being my problem the moment he left the grounds of this house. He shouldn’t have gotten himself in such a stupid situation. Besides, I have more important things to do. Like win this war before it gets out of hand.” “What happened to you? The Fluttershy I knew would never abandon a friend.” I said. “Well, kid, things change. Especially during war.” she replied resentfully. “Kid?!” I said indignantly. “I-I’m a year older than you!” “Yeah, whatever. Just because I haven’t kicked your ass yet doesn’t mean I won’t. I told you that if you were smart, you wouldn’t be here when I came back. Apparently you aren’t smart.” said Commandoshy. “Listen here, girly.” I said boldly. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I’ll deal with you later. We have bigger fish to fry, like saving Robert. We leave in the morning.” “You listen here, Silver Rift” replied Flutters, walking towards me. She got right in my face and continued. “You’ve been gone for too long, so let me educate you. While you were dirt-napping, I took over. I kinda run this shit now. We’re going to get Robert, but only because I need Pinkie to operate at her best. This is my decision. So don’t you ever, ever come in here and tell me what I’m doing. You don’t own me, I own you.” “I have to disagree on that one.” I said, backing away. Remember earlier when I said that Rainbow Dash was the most intimidating girl I’ve ever met? Well, I may have lied. “Ya know what? You can disagree when you’ve earned the right to an opinion again. Until further notice, you are disposable. Expendable. Your opinion is worth nothing until I let you know otherwise. Got it?” “No. I don’t.” I said defiantly. “Let me explain it slowly: You are my bitch. Plain as that. I own your ass, and there’s not a damn thing you can say about it.” “You don’t own me, and I am not your bitch.” I said angrily. “Is that a fact? Let’s find out.” said Fluttershy. She slapped me hard across the face. She backhanded me the other way. She closed her fist and hit me hard in the nose. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, she pulled me close by her face. “Do something about it. If you aren’t my bitch, then put me in my place. Make me your bitch. Until you step up and take control, your ass belongs to me. And don’t you forget it.” She pushed me back, apparently content with her “lesson”. She looked at me, semi-satisfied, and swung her right hoof and smacked me on the side of the head, dropping me to my knees. “Sorry, Fluttershy.” I said, tearily. “It won’t happen again.” “Damn right it won’t.” She said bitterly. “And Bitch? Drop the Fluttershy. I actually like Commandoshy.” “Y-yes ma’am.” I said, getting to my hooves. “What do you need me to do?” “RD and Aj will go out and find out where they’re keeping Robert. Don’t come back until you find him. Twilight, make sure our weapons are in good condition. Find Lunar and Celestial and clean them. Rarity, enforce our armor. Pinkie, go… eat some cake or something. Anything to shut your ass up. Conjure, Bitch, you two need to go work out. You have thirty minutes to train before I come down there and kick your ass. Try your damndest to survive.” ordered Fluttershy. “Hey, Psychoshy. Wanna give me my magic back?” said Isaiah. “Twilight, give Jackass his magic back. Then meet me upstairs. We need to have a little chat about you going behind my back.” said Commandoshy. Everypony left the room except for me, Isaiah, Twi and RD. “Be careful, Silver.” said Rainbow Dash, leaving the room. “Things have changed. Don’t get in Fluttershy’s way. I don’t want to attend your funeral twice.” “Come here, Conjure.” said Twilight, walking up to Isaiah. She extended her hand and grabbed his horn. She concentrated, horn glowing for a moment, before letting him go. Then, she smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow! What was that for?” he said, rubbing his head. “Why would you get me involved?! I mean, I know we had to get Silver, but now Fluttershy is going to rip my head off! Why couldn’t you dig him out yourself?” said Twilight frantically. “You had already suppressed my magic. I couldn’t have gotten any of it done without you.” “You owe me for this one!” “Twilight! I am not a patient mare!” called a voice from upstairs. “You have about ten seconds!” Twilight shot us one more look of panic, then rushed upstairs. I sat there in silence, trying to absorb what just happened. I think Fluttershy just kicked my ass. That was… odd. “Wow Chris. Way to go full-on wuss mode.” said Isaiah, grabbing his swords. “Shut up.” I said quietly. “Holy shit. She broke you. Never thought I’d see the day.” “Shut up.” I repeated. “Listen. I know this must be a lot to take in, but right now we have to train. When Commandoshy says we have thirty minutes, we should be done in fifteen.” “Did that just happen?” I asked. “Did I really just let her kick my ass?” “Hate to say it, but yeah. Come on, you need to help me. I’m rusty. It’s been three years since I was allowed to hold anything sharp.” said Isaiah grumpily. “Why? You haven’t been helping?” “I told you, I was dubbed insane, a danger to myself and others. She had Twilight suppress my magic and took all my belongings. I had to smuggle some scissors in so I could cut your hair.” “Wait. You cut my hair?” I asked uncomfortably. “I knew you hated when it got too long, so I kept it short. I couldn’t get my hands on any dye, though. It doesn’t matter. Fluttershy wasn’t joking. We need to be able to defend ourselves when she gets down here.” “Fine.” I said extending my hand. “Pass me one. While we spar, we can answer each other’s questions.” He tossed me one of his katanas. Hopefully Celestia’s spell hadn’t worn off. We decided to keep sheaths on, considering neither of us had that Chameleon Armor. We crossed swords, then jumped backwards to begin. I rushed at him and swung to the right. He blocked it, tip of sword pointed at the ground. He pushed me back, raised his blade above his head, and swung downward. Holding my sword sideways, I blocked it and heaved him off. “So, who’s first?” asked Isaiah, swinging towards my knee. I jumped backwards and lunged. “Guess I’ll go. When exactly did Robert leave? And why?” He dodged my lunge and kneed upwards. “When Fluttershy took over. He refused to follow her orders, so he left. He blamed her for your death.” I smacked his knee down with my sword. “What happened when you… ya know. Bit the dust?” “I lived on Earth with my mom, dad, Mat, Pat, you and Rob. It was perfect. Then I was in Equestria with the Six. Also perfect. Sombra came out and made me choose between them.” I kicked forward, hitting him in the gut. He staggered then smacked me on the right side. “I saw that you made a decision before I zapped you. Who did you pick?” I thrust my sword on his toe, then smacked him in the neck. “I don’t really remember what happened. I know it happened, the details are just… fuzzy. Exactly how long was I out for?” I swung for his ribs. “You were gone on July 7, 2013. It’s January 23rd, 2017. Just over three years.” He caught my blade with his hilt, swung around his sword, causing me to drop it. We’d been at it for about twenty minutes. I changed back to human form, took a seat on the floor and fell on my back. I was exhausted. “When did Fluttershy go crazy?” I asked breathlessly. “Well, after she took charge she got a little harsher, but not like she is now. She was more like Rainbow Dash until they caught Sunset Shimmer. She lost it and… you know the rest.” “Yeah, she bashed her head in with her bare hands.” I said. “And I’ll do the same to you two jackoffs unless you can defend yourself.” said Commandoshy, walking down the stairs. She was wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit and two swords, one on her back and one on her hip. Her hipped sword was her cutlass, but the one on her back was my own Celestial. “How does this work?” I asked, getting to my feet and dusting myself off. “What do we do?” “Survive.” she replied. “We fight until I say stop. If you are in one piece by the end of it, you suit up so we can get Robert the Rebel. If you aren’t, well, I’ll make sure your funerals are nice. And that you’re both actually dead.” she added bitterly. She pulled out her sword with her left hand and Celestial with her right. “Can I get my sword?” I asked frightened. “Yeah, where do you want it? Your stomach? Your heart? I can make it happen.” she said, twirling the blades. “Um… so I can’t have my sword?” I asked sheepishly. Without warning, she jumped at me, slicing down with both swords. Instinctively, I slashed upwards with the sheathed katana, throwing her back. Conjure ran forward and slashed at her stomach. She deflected it with Celestial and swiped at his shoulder with her cutlass. He jumped back, only grazed and pulled his blade from the sheath. He stabbed at Fluttershy, just to be blocked by me. “NO!” I screamed. “Put that away!” I felt a hoof connect with the side of my head, sending me flying to the right. I fell onto my back as Fluttershy pointed Celestial’s tip at my Adam’s Apple. “No thanks!” shouted Isaiah, running at Fluttershy. He tackled her to the ground, got on his knees over her, and punched her in the face. He swung four times, smashing her face before she kicked him off. He got up and slashed her shin, causing her to grunt in pain. She slashed at his hand, cutting two inches deep in his wrist. “Yes! This is the most fun I’ve had in a while!” shouted Commandoshy with excitement. “How did you punish Twilight?” said Isaiah angrily. He slashed furiously at her chest. She blocked it easily. “She got off with a warning. She goes around my back one more time and she’s Grounded.” replied Commandoshy. Here is when my panicked sarcasm comes in. “What are you gonna do? Send her to her room? Take away her cellphone?” I said, getting up. As soon as I said it, I knew I shouldn’t have. She seemed to remember I was there for the first time. She jumped back to me and spun, slashing me in the chest four times. “Cute. When I ‘Ground’ someone, I make sure they are grounded. Translation: I break something. A leg, an arm, depends on who it is. Twilight only got out because this is her first offense.” she said. I blocked swipe after swipe, not daring to attack. Conjure jumped at her back, trying to stab her. Without taking her eyes (or sword) off of me, she swiped backwards, knocking his sword out of his hand. She kicked backwards, hitting him in the ribs and sending him flying. He hit the ground with a sinister CRACK! “NO!” I shouted. I swung furiously at her chest, throwing the sheath off in the process. THUNK!! My sword bounced off of her chest. Her bodysuit transformed into thick, steel armor. Huh. I swung at her leg, indenting her armor. I smashed at her stomach, scratching her chestplate. I dropped my sword a little, exposing the hilt under my fist. I swung downwards ferociously on her skull. She fell to the ground on her butt, dropping both swords. I pointed the tip of the katana at her throat. “You’re done.” I said, walking away. I ran up to Isaiah’s fallen body, checking him for injuries. I touched his side, causing him to cry out in pain. “AHHH!” he shouted. “I think she broke my ribs.” “It’s ok, we won.” I said, grabbing his arm. I lifted him up a little before being kicked in the neck. I stumbled to the ground as Commandoshy jumped on my chest. She picked me up by the shirt and threw me against the wall. “Remember the rules?” she said angrily. “I said that we fight til I said stop. I didn’t say stop yet.” “Well, what if I told you that I didn’t care what you said?” I said, kicking her in the stomach. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own hooves. I jumped forward and stepped on her chest. “Fair enough. Stop, you’ve won.” said Fluttershy. I removed my foot, ripped Celestial’s sheath off of her back, walked over and grabbed up my sword. I sheathed it and put in on my back. I walked over to Isaiah and tried once more to lift his now unconscious body. I struggled under his weight for a minute before I felt some of it alleviated by Fluttershy. I slung one of his arms over my neck while she did the same. I pulled out my wings and we flew him upstairs. I looked at Fluttershy and smiled for the first time since I woke up. “Don’t smile at me like that, asshole! Just because I’m allowing you to go doesn’t mean you’re better than me. I gave up because we didn’t have time to waste and, although I really wanted to, I couldn’t leave Conjure sitting there with broken ribs. I’m already planning our rematch.” said Commandoshy angrily. “Flutters, can you answer me a few questions?” I asked. “What did you call me?” she said poisonously. “S-sorry. Ma’am?” I tried. When she allowed it, I reiterated. “Who did you Ground and for what?” “Why do you think? They were being stupid or dangerous. It’s not just about keeping me out of the loop. Some of them has done legitimately stupid stuff. For instance, Rainbow Dash was the first one. We were in the cellar, right? I was showing them where we kept the gunpowder and TNT and the like, when Rainbow thinks it’d be cool to light a cigarette. Mind you, the air was thick with explosive powder. If it weren’t for Twilight, we would have died. Then she tried to play it off like it wasn’t her. She tried to fly off, so I broke her wing.” “Was she the only one?” I asked. “No. Rarity got her fingers broken because she tried to sneak out past curfew, trying to get some dress. I broke Applejack’s ankle for blasting country music when we were doing recon. Pinkie has gotten the most. I broke each arm about four times over, fractured her leg, unhinged her jaw, snapped a few tendons and shattered her ribs because she kept trying to go after Robert. She refused to listen to reason. When we found out that he was taken, I knew we had to save him or else she might go out on her own. I’d never forgive myself if she got killed out there.” “That’s the Fluttershy I remember.” I muttered. “Well, don’t get used to it. Didn’t you want to ask something else?” “Oh yeah. Why did it take so long for your armor to take effect?” “I can answer that one.” whispered Isaiah. When did he wake up? “She got scared!” “I will drop your ass right now.” said Fluttershy upon reaching the top floor. She heaved Isaiah onto the sofa, not too gently. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “If anyone here has reason to be scared, it’s me.” “Damn right you do. But he’s not wrong. Remember, Chameleon Armor only becomes armor when you get frightened or excited. I was calm until I threw Isaiah. Not to say I was afraid, but I knew you were pissed and would actually fight back.” “Another question: Let’s say, hypothetically, I stayed dead. After you killed Chrysalis and Sombra, and when you finished off Discord, what would you have done?” “Twilight would have worked her ass off trying to get us home. If Celestia could do it, then Twilight could.” she replied. “One last question before I start planning. Hurry up with it.” “What did you tell the Jacksons?” I asked, scared for the answer. “The truth.” laughed Fluttershy morbidly. “You died, so we made it obvious that you were dead. Made dummies of you three dummies, threw you in a car and threw the car into oncoming traffic. Your mom, your few friends, and that annoyingly cute redhead all believe you’re dead. So stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking about. You’re not dropping in to say ‘hi’. You will never be able to see them again.” She walked back downstairs, no doubt to plan. I’ll have to add my future to a list of shattered objects, right below Isaiah’s ribs and Fluttershy’s ability to be kind. War Never ChangesAfter Fluttershy bandaged up my wounds, she got the team together. According to Aj and Rainbow, Robert was being held underground about a mile north of town. They had a bunker where they kept prisoners. We would have to fight through a large number of changelings just to get in, and countless more to get Robert out. We’d also have to convince him to come with us. A tall order, but he needed our help. “Alright. I was contemplating on splitting us up into groups, but it’s not worth the time or the risk, so we’re running in together. No real plan, no real strategy, just rush in, grab Robert, and rush out. Any questions?” said Fluttershy, at the war table. “Yeah, I have a question.” said Pinkie. “How are we going to get in? We can’t just waltz in, we’ll be shot on sight.” “We blow it up. We walk in, blow a hole in the bunker and leave. I know I will probably regret it, but I give you full access to the explosive armory.” “Permission to leave?” asked Pinkie seriously. Fluttershy nodded and Pinkie Pie ran to the bomb range excitedly. “We go in as soon as Pinkie is ready. Twilight, can you teleport us all in?” asked Fluttershy. “Not all of us, no. I can take… six ponies, including myself.” replied Twilight. “So five passengers. And I can’t exclude any of you, I need the manpower. Conjure, can you teleport the Bitch and yourself?” “I can teleport me and Christian, if that’s what you’re asking. I might be a little off at first, my magic is still returning. We’ll get there, it’ll be fine.” said Isaiah, stretching out his side. Twilight was able to repair his ribs a bit, but they’re apparently still sore. “Is this really a good idea?” I asked. “You can’t really expect us to run in there without a plan, can you?” “I’m sorry, I forgot that I asked you to give your two-cents. Please, continue to grace us with your three years of battle experience. Oh wait, wait, that’s not you. That’s me with all that experience. How silly of me. Now, what did I really want to say to you? Oh yeah: Shut that goddamn hole on your face!” said Commandoshy. “Like I said: We’re rushing in, today.” “Don’t take it personally, sugarcube. Whenever she gets like this, it’s best to stay out of her way.” said Applejack. “Don’t tell him that. He’s supposed to take it personally. Rarity, do you have any extra armor?” “I have a suit for Conjure, Silver and War, in the event that he needs one.” said Rarity. “And I have about three extras besides that.” “Excellent. Now if Pinkie would only get down here with her explosives.” “You called?” said Pinkie, walking downstairs. She was in the same Chameleon body-armor as Fluttershy, with two duffle bags on her shoulders. She placed them down, opened them and pulled out two bazookas. She held one in each hand and pointed them at the air. “Let’s go.” We approached a grassy hill, just outside of town. Walking briskly and with purpose, Pinkie went to the side of the hill. She reached into her duffle bags and pulled out five bricks of C4. She put them in a square formation on the side of the hill, one in each corner and one in the middle. When everything was the way she wanted, Pinkie ran backwards, reached into her pocket and pulled out the detonator. “Ready for this?!” asked Pinkie rhetorically. Raising the detonator high in the air, she flicked the button. BOOM! The ground exploded, sending grass and dirt everywhere. I walked up to the crater and jumped in the steaming metal hole. It wasn’t deep, I hit the ground and stumbled forward a little. I gazed, shocked at what I saw. There was a long, empty hallway that led up to a large door, wide enough for the eight of us to walk in, side-by-side. The door was steel, and probably more than a few feet thick. I heard the others fall down behind me. “What now, Fluttershy?” I asked. “Still think this ‘no plan’ business was smart?” “Pinkie. Go.” growled Fluttershy. Pinkie ran up a few feet away from the door with her double rocket launchers in her hands. I stared at them, amazed at how she was able to lift such large weapons, let alone shoot them. “Like my Party Cannons? I didn’t have time to paint them. They were gonna be pink.” said Pinkie. She aimed at the door, gave us each a look of focus, and shouted. “PARTY TIME!!!” BOOM!! The doors blew apart with a bang. We rushed in, unable to see through the smoke in the room. Uh-oh. That wasn’t us. We couldn’t see two feet in front of our faces. “Twilight!” coughed Fluttershy. “Get us some visual!” I heard a soft humming and the smoke began to thin. After a few minutes, it dissipated. What I saw shocked me more than you could believe. Robert was kneeling over a changeling, beating his face in. Seemed normal enough, until you took in the fact that he was completely naked. “So you came for me, huh?” said Robert not taking his eyes off of the changeling. “Don’t know why you’re wasting your time. I’m not going with you.” “Not even for me?” I asked sarcastically. He dropped the changeling in shock. He got up and walked over to me. I expected this much. He stared me up and down and, without warning, punched me in the jaw. I stumbled backwards, not quite down and very surprised. “You have got to stop dying.” said Robert with a smile. “Yeah, well you have to stop being a psycho.” I said, rubbing my face. He opened his arms to hug me, but I had to say no… for obvious reasons. “Just a hug, bro. I thought you were dead for three years!” he said. “I’ll hug you, as soon as you put some clothes on.” I replied. “Come on, don’t be like that! It’s a party down here!” “Ooooooh! I knew it was a party, but I didn’t know it was that kind of party!” said Pinkie, unzipping her suit. “NO!” I shouted. “It’s not that type of party! Zip your suit back up!” “Party pooper!!” said Robert and Pinkie together. I rolled my eyes and tossed him a suit. He pulled it on and suddenly got serious. “Listen, we have two options: Run now or fight. If we run, we’re more likely to survive, but if we fight, we might learn something. What do you think, Chris?” “What he thinks doesn’t matter. It’s what I think, and I think we should fight.” said Commandoshy. “Yeah, but I didn’t ask you. I don’t take orders from you anymore, Fluttershy. I’ll follow Chris’, but not yours. What do you think we should do, Chris?” repeated Robert. Erm… That’s not good. “Uh… Robert? I think we should probably stay and fight. We need all the info we could possibly get.” I said quietly. “Cool. I get to show you my special magic.” He punched her in the ribs and kicked her in the leg. Grabbing her mane, he lifted her up and threw her over next to me. She hit the ground right next to my face. Her nose was leaking blood and her lip was bruised. “Help… me.” she whispered. Robert grabbed her back up, his eyes and skin faintly glowing red. He threw her to the ground twice more before I found my voice. “Robert, stop!” I screamed hoarsely. I got up slowly. “Stop. You’ve done enough. Why don’t you go work out or something, huh? Blow off some steam.” “Sorry. Unfortunate side effect to Battlecry. Makes me angry.” he said, sauntering off. I limped over to Fluttershy and grabbed her up. I carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. Sitting down, I let out a deep sigh. “Thanks.” she said weakly. “I don’t think he would have stopped if it wasn’t for you.” “Don’t worry about it. What happened back there? I was pretty sure you could’ve taken down Robert.” “I… panicked, sorry.” she replied, closing her eyes. “Chris, can I tell you something?” “What is it?” I said, grimacing in pain. She really screwed up my wing. “I don’t think I’m up for this. I can’t do this anymore.” “What? Can’t do what anymore?” I asked. “Lead. I’m not very good at it. Look at what I’ve done while you were gone. I’ve ended countless lives, I’ve yelled and shouted and even hurt my friends. You were much b“Magic? What can you do?” I asked confusedly. He transformed into War without answering my question. He spread his arms out and inhaled deeply through his nose. A faint red aura engulfed his body. Suddenly, he swung his arms upwards, bathing the room in a red glow. I felt myself get lifted off of my feet. Just as abruptly as it started, it finished. “I call it Battlecry.” said Robert. “I just tripled your physical strength. Thank me later. We have hostiles incoming.” No sooner had he said it, had the room filled with changelings. We were surrounded by a ring of 80 plus changelings, when Pinkie threw down a smoke bomb. A thick fog filled the room, obstructing the vision of friend and foe alike. I rushed forward, pulled out my sword, and slashed at a changeling leg, cutting it off like a hot knife through butter. Whoops. Talk about triple strength. “Forget the sword.” I said. “We can take out these guys bare-knuckle.” I abandoned my sword and ran towards an enemy. I reared my fist back and swung it at his face, launching him across the room. A bladed arm breezed past my ear. I kicked it’s owner in the shoulder, hearing the CRACK! I dropped backwards and kicked upwards, smacking another changeling in the jaw. I stood up straight, observing my surroundings. Fluttershy slashed two changelings in the chest as Pinkie shot another in the knee. Twilight sliced off a changelings arm, kicked a nearby one in the chest, spun around and punched the first one in the throat. Aj and Rainbow were taking turns beating up a group of four changelings with a combination of hands, hooves, and blade. Only me and Isaiah were holding back, as Robert was throwing changelings around with all of his might. I looked around one last time and noted that there was only one left. I grabbed him by the wing and swung him to the ground as gently as I could. I picked him back up and threw him against the wall. I whipped out my blade and pressed it against his neck. “Hi, friend.” I said. “Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” I felt the hairs on my neck prickle and something told me to duck. I got down just in time to avoid Fluttershy’s sword. The blade hit the changeling in the horn, cleaving it clean off. I got back up and thanked her for the save. “Hurry up, Silver. We don’t have all day. Get what we need.” she growled. “What have you been doing lately? Plan any invasions worth talking about?” I asked. “What if we have? What are you going to do about it?” he said in a slithering, insectoid voice. “If you tell us, you can run back to your queen. If you don’t, well,” I pushed my sword into his neck a little, just to scare him. A light trickle of green dripped on my blade. “How do you think my sword will look in green?” “You don’t scare me.” he said. I pushed a little more, watching him grimace in pain. “Ok, ok. We are planning an invasion on Canterlot. We plan on taking the Regal Sisters.” “Keep going.” I said. “When? How?” “We’re going to open a portal to Equestria next month. You’ll never stop it. You don’t even know where we are.” he said proudly. “How are you gonna pull that off, dipweed?” asked Fluttershy. “There’s no way Chrysalis is strong enough to open a portal to Equestria. How are you pulling that one off? Sombra?” “Shut up, you filth! How dare you taint the name of my queen! And you imply that we need the help of Sombra the would-be-King-of-Darkness? Never would my queen lower herself to ask for help from that useless wannabe ruler! Let me give you some advice: Don’t try to stop her. If you get in Queen Chrysalis’ way, she will make you regret it dearly. She will kill all of you, slowly and intimately, for the good of changeling-kind!! What do you have to say about that, filthy pegasus?” he said, chest puffing. Fluttershy walked up next to me, smiling. She tilted her head to the side, staring at my hostage. Finally, she spoke. “What do I have to say about that? Not very much, actually. I have but one retort.” she grabbed Lunar off of my hip and placed it’s barrel against the changelings head. “Go to hell.” She pulled the trigger, sending chunks of green goo flying across the room and splattering the wall. I dropped him in shock and stared at Fluttershy. She tossed Lunar back to me and walked out. The rest of the girls followed suit, leaving me alone with Isaiah and Robert. “Did… what the hell?!” I said confused, rushing out of the room. I ran up to Fluttershy and grabbed her wrist. “What do you want?” asked Fluttershy, yanking her hand away. “What did you do?!” I asked outraged. “I heard the information and eliminated the witness. Problem?” “You didn’t have to kill him!” I shouted angrily. “It didn’t matter. He told us what we needed to know. What’s the big deal?” “Wow, really? Where do I begin? He was a living being, he complied to our demands, he was no threat, and we didn’t have to kill him. You did it just because you could.” “To be fair, that was, like, Changeling Kill of the Week. That was so goddamn badass!” shouted Robert from behind. “Not helping!” I yelled. “You still don’t get it, do you?” said Commandoshy. “This is war!” “That might may true, but you’re not following the rules. Even war has rules.” “I’m following my rules. First rule of Commandoshy Warfare: Win. No matter what. Now, get the hell out of my face. We need to get out. Twilight, Conjure, get us home.” Twilight grabbed hands with Pinkie, Aj, RD, Fluttershy and Rarity. Conjure grabbed my shoulder and Robert’s suit. “Let’s go.” he said. He concentrated hard, bathing us in green glow. I noticed his other hand unclench and squeeze back. The light grew more intense and suddenly POP! I stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting gravel. I got to my feet and observed the area. I was on the roof of a building, one with a large sign on the top. I walked around it to read what it said. JACKSON’S “Isaiah.” I said quietly. “I’ll be back.” I transformed into Silver Rift and turned to fly downstairs. I got halfway to the other side of the roof before she got me. Fluttershy grabbed my left wing, wrestled me to the ground, place her hoof in the crook between my wing and back, twisted and yanked. CRACK! She clamped her hand against my mouth, blocking out my scream. She heaved me up, grabbed Isaiah by the horn and gave him a murderous stare. He looked down and concentrated again. POP! We appeared in the training room in front of the rest of the group. Fluttershy kicked me in the back of the leg, dropping me to my knees. She swung her hoof and smacked me in the back of the head. I fell forward on my face, crying out in pain. “You’re Grounded, asshole!” said Fluttershy, stomping my broken wing. She kicked me in the wing three more times, then turned away. I looked up and saw Robert grab Fluttershy by the hair. He flung her against the wall and punched the wall next to her face, cracking the wall. “Don’t you ever hurt my friends. I promise to everything that I love, no, everything you love, if I see you hurt Silver or Pinkie again, I’ll chop off your head, skin you with a rusty saw and make a necklace with your bowels.” said Robert with bass and anger in his voice. “Can’t wait. Let’s make an appointment. I’m free for next Tuesday, if you’re game. Maybe Pinkie can watch.” She said sarcastically. Robert pulled his arm back and swung into her face. He punched her in the ribs and kicked her in the leg. Grabbing her mane, he lifted her up and threw her over next to me. She hit the ground right next to my face. Her nose was leaking blood and her lip was bruised. “Help… me.” she whispered. Robert grabbed her back up, his eyes and skin faintly glowing red. He threw her to the ground twice more before I found my voice. “Robert, stop!” I screamed hoarsely. I got up slowly. “Stop. You’ve done enough. Why don’t you go work out or something, huh? Blow off some steam.” “Sorry. Unfortunate side effect to Battlecry. Makes me angry.” he said, sauntering off. I limped over to Fluttershy and grabbed her up. I carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. Sitting down, I let out a deep sigh. “Thanks.” she said weakly. “I don’t think he would have stopped if it wasn’t for you.” “Don’t worry about it. What happened back there? I was pretty sure you could’ve taken down Robert.” “I… panicked, sorry.” she replied, closing her eyes. “Chris, can I tell you something?” “What is it?” I said, grimacing in pain. She really screwed up my wing. “I don’t think I’m up for this. I can’t do this anymore.” “What? Can’t do what anymore?” I asked. “Lead. I’m not very good at it. Look at what I’ve done while you were gone. I’ve ended countless lives, I’ve yelled and shouted and even hurt my friends. You were much better at this than me. It’s time I faced facts: I’m a failure. I was never meant to do this. You should take over.” “Nope. Not yet.” I said, rubbing my wing. “What do you mean ‘not yet’? What are you waiting for?” she said in outrage. “Not until you figure out when Chrysalis is attacking.” I replied. “When I find out? You mean you already know?! When is it?” she shouted in anticipation. “I know when, but I won’t tell you. You have to figure it out on your own.” “Why?! Is it because I called you a bitch? Or because I beat you up so much?” she asked pitifully. “No. It’s because you called yourself a failure. Prove yourself wrong.” I said, crossing my arms. “That’s not right! This isn’t about my self-esteem, ok? We need to know this. If you know, you have to tell us.” she said frustrated. “It’s obvious.” I said, rising to my feet. I walked over and sat on her bed next to her. “It’s staring you in the face.” “It’s obviously not obvious, because I can’t figure it out.” “You just need to open your eyes.” I leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She pushed me off confusedly, then pulled me back in. We broke apart after a moment, both a bit confused at what just happened. “Why did we do that?” asked Fluttershy. “Love makes you do crazy things.” I said breathlessly. She seemed to consider it for a second. I sat there, hoping she would figure it out. Suddenly, her face lit up with excitement. “That’s it! Oh, Chris, I could just about kiss you!” she shouted happily. “Er… wouldn’t that be redundant?” I asked. “Oh, shut up, you.” she said, smiling. She sat up and stretched out her arms. “By the way. You remember when we just kissed?” “Uh… yeah?” I said uneasily. “No you don’t, cause that never happened. The others never find out about this. Understand?” she said threateningly. “Er… uh… um… No. I mean yes. Maybe?” I said shakily. “Good. I guess. What are we doing here still? If you’re waiting for more, you’re gonna be disappointed. Let’s go tell the others.” she said, jumping to her hooves. She walked downstairs briskly, leaving me in pain and disappointed. “Damn.” I said, leaving the room. “I kinda was waiting for more.” I rushed downstairs where things were not quite as we left it. Robert and Pinkie Pie were in the center of the room, kissing furiously, while the others kinda orbited them in discomfort. Even Fluttershy was standing there in shock. “Ahem. Uh… wow, guys. Really?” I said awkwardly. “Are you two, like, an item now?” “Oh, shut up Chris.” said Robert, breaking away from Pinkie for a second. “Don’t act like you’re surprised.” “Yeah. I can’t believe none of you figured it out.” said Pinkie. “None of you saw that I was crazy-wazy for him?” “Doesn’t matter. You two can… eat each other’s faces later.” said Fluttershy. “First off, I would like to apologize for everything I’ve done over the years. Especially to Pinkie, Robert, and Isaiah. I lost it a little. Please, forgive me.” “I forgave you before you did it.” said Pinkie. “I could never be mad at you, Fluttershy!” “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll get over it. After some time has passed.” said Robert. “I still hate your guts.” “He doesn’t mean that.” said Pinkie, pecking him on the lips. “He’s just trying to act tough in front of me.” “I appreciate it a lot, guys. What I really came down here for is to tell you that I figured it out. I know when the attack begins.” said Fluttershy. “How did you figure that out?!” shouted Rarity. “Erm… That doesn’t matter! What matters is that I know, alright? Listen, we need to be prepared by February 14th.” “Febooary 14th?” asked Applejack. “Why in tarnation is it gonna be on Febooary 14th?” “It’s Valentines Day. It’s the Earth version of Hearts and Hooves Day. She’s gonna feed off of all the love on Earth to open a portal to Equestria.” answered Fluttershy. “That’s in, like, two and a half weeks. Better get ready.” I said flexing my wings. “Twily, be a dear and fix my wings, please? An old friends of mine ruined them. I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of her any more.” “I think you might be right.” said Fluttershy, shooting me a happy smile. LossIf I learned one thing from my time with the Six, it’s that we are horribly bad at managing time. In the blink of an eye, it was February 13th. “How did this happen? It felt like just yesterday we figured out when we needed to be ready and now, poof! It’s tomorrow!” I said that night. “Yeah, it’s almost like the author is having some problems with keeping the continuity up.” said Pinkie. “He doesn’t seem to be able to keep a handle on how time progresses in the story, so he just skipped around the days that didn’t have any relevance to the plot!” “What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion. “She’s been saying it all day, just roll with it!” called Robert from downstairs. He had been lifting weights for two hours, while me, Fluttershy, Isaiah, and the Mane Six sat down and planned. “What are we gonna do?” asked Twilight. “We have a couple of hours before Heart’s and Hooves Day. What’s the course of action?” “Here’s what I say:” said Fluttershy. “We leave at the crack of dawn and go straight to Canterlot, get the Princesses out, and wait there for Chrysalis. What say you, Silver?” “I think that’s a great idea. Gives us enough time to get our gear in order and get some sleep. Did Robert get new weapons yet?” Apparently, when we escorted Robert from the changeling bunker, the smoke we saw was from his shotgun exploding. As for his hammer, we have no clue. He was pissed and has been looking for some replacements ever since. “War! Did you get new weapons yet?!” called Pinkie. “Hold on! I just need to… Here ya go!” yelled Robert. He ran upstairs, brandishing a giant hammer, a yard long shaft and a 2-foot wide square head. “Say hello to Mjolnir!” “Got a gun yet?” I asked. He whipped a shotgun off of his back. It was jet-black and about half the length of his arm. He cocked it back and said, “When do I get to break these bad bitches in?” “Patience, Robert. We have to wait a until morning.” I said. “It is morning.” said Pinkie. “What are you talking about? It’s 10 pm.” I said. “No it’s not! It’s 6:30 in the morning! The girls and Isaiah are downstairs already, waiting for you!” “How is that possible?! We’ve been talking for two minutes!” “Told you: he skips over the non-relevant parts of the story. He’s probably gonna get some grief in the reviews, but I doubt he cares. Besides, the author is really excited to get into the next part. Come on, Silver! We have to go!” said Pinkie, running downstairs. “Did you notice any time passing?” I asked. “Nope. It doesn’t matter too much though. We should leave. They’re waiting for us.” replied Robert. He transformed into War and ran downstairs. I switched to Silver and followed him, still confused as to what just happened. I entered the briefing room to get down to business. With the mares in front of me and my Earth friends (both in pony form) by my sides, I felt ready to get started. “Alright. We’re going to leave, now. Is everypony ready?” They all nodded. “Are you sure? Once we leave, we’re not coming back until the Princesses are safe. That means no visits to Ponyville until we’re done. Got it? No visits to Sweetie Belle or Applebloom or Scootaloo or Angel or Sugar Cube Corner or your library! We have to do this without goofing around or somepony is gonna end up dead!” I shouted. “The only pony I’m worried about dying is you, Silver.” said Fluttershy. “We understand, alright? Just open the goddamn Rift!” “Fine, fine. Just nervous.” I said, extending my hands. I gripped the air and ripped it apart, leaving silver energy hanging in front of me. I stepped through slowly, tripping through to the otherside. “Ahahaha!” I yelped, stumbling slightly. Suddenly, I felt a sharp blade tip touch my throat. The pony holding it was an orange pegasus mare with blackened steel armor, her face obscured by her helmet. “Who goes there?” she asked, in a familiar cracking, high-pitched voice. I heard the others step out from behind. “Don’t move.” I said. “I’m thinking.” “Rainbow Dash!!” shouted my captor. “I thought you were dead!!” She whipped off her helmet, revealing an unmistakable, purple, wind-swept mane. “Scootaloo?!” said RD, running past me. She swept up that not-so-little filly up in a back breaking hug. “Drop her!” I shouted. Why didn’t I bring my detector book?! “It might be a changeling!” “I’m not!” yelled Scootaloo. “Why would the changelings impersonate me?” “Then what are you doing here?!” “My job. I’m Princess Luna’s head swords-pony! I even got my Cutie Mark!” she shouted in excitement. She turned around and showed us her Cutie Mark, two crossed swords behind a shield with a crescent moon on top. “After you guys left, I started taking up fencing. I got really good, and entered a few tournaments. I won and got the honor of performing for the Princesses. Princess Luna saw my skill and offered to take me up as her student. I’ve been head of her sword department ever since.” “And she’s been doing a marvelous job, I might add.” came Luna’s voice, stepping out of the shadows. “It is good to see you all again.” I dropped to my knees and bowed, the others following behind me. “Princess Luna.” said Robert. “You and your sister are in terrible danger!” “Oh, but you must be Robert. And the other must be Isaiah. Lovely meeting you. I take it that you have eliminated the threat?” replied the princess of the moon. “Not exactly. Perhaps Fluttershy should explain. I was out of comission for a while.” I said. “Princess, we have killed Sunset Shimmer and Discord is M.I.A. I took his arm and tail, so I don’t think he’ll be coming back.” reported Fluttershy. “Sombra and Chrysalis are still on the loose, which is why we’re here. We have reason to believe that-” “Why did you kill Sunset Shimmer? Me and my sister made it very clear that they should be captured. I was not aware that ‘capture’ meant ‘murder’ on Earth.” said Luna disapprovingly. “I did what I could, princess. After Silver was… unfit to lead, I took over the operation. I apologize for not following orders, but when shit hits the fan…” “We don’t have time for this!” shouted Twilight, getting to her hooves. “Princess Luna, you and Celestia have to leave. Now! Chrysalis is coming to kill you, today. We need to get you out.” “I see. We must warn my sister immediately.” said Luna, turning tail. She walked into the shadows she entered and began to ascend. I followed her up the staircase, listening to the conversation behind me. “Scootaloo, my dear, have you spoken to Sweetie Belle lately? I’m worried about how she’s been keeping up without me.” said Rarity. “Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s here too! Head of firearms department. Dead-eye aim. Applebloom is here as well.” added Scootaloo. “She’s actually the leader of Princess Luna’s Royal Guard. We’re still friends and all, we’re just busy.” “Ah knew Applebloom would find her talent. Just never thought she’d be a soldier. Ah always thought she’d pick up on the apple farm. Oh well, as long as she’s happy.” said Aj. “On a completely unrelated note, how much of the moo-lah is she bringin’ in?” “Don’t worry about that!” laughed Luna. “If Applebloom plays her cards right, she’ll never work a day past forty. Unless she wishes to stay on the Guard. She seems to enjoy it.” “And don’t worry, Rarity, I made sure to let Sweetie Belle know not to start making dresses. After that whole fiasco at the talent show, she felt it was the best course. You’ll be able to see them soon.” said Scootaloo as we approached the throne room doors. I threw them open and was shocked to see Luna and Celestia sitting on thrones, side-by-side, with Scootaloo standing next to them. “Imposter!” called the Scootaloo that came with us and the Luna on the throne, in unison. “Look who’s talking!” shouted our Luna and their Scootaloo. If this wasn’t such a dire situation, I would have died in laughter. “Whoah! That’s unusual!” I said, walking to the center of the room. My friends followed behind me, pulling their guns out and pointing them at both pairs of Luna and Scootaloo. “Put down the guns.” said our Scoots. “No way.” I said, walking up to her. “Not until we find out who’s real.” “The ones who came with us are real.” said Twilight. “How do you know?” I asked, not taking my eyes off of them. “Because the real Scootaloo would never hold Celestia at gunpoint.” answered Fluttershy solemnly. I turned around to see my friends dropping their weapons while the Princess dropped to her knees and put her hands up. Pressed against the back of her head was an emerald-green pistol held by Scootaloo. “Not quite according to plan, but this will do.” said Fake Scootaloo in a sensual, insectoid voice. “No point in hiding anymore, Sombra.” Fake Luna and Fake Scootaloo burst into bright green flames. Laughing manically, a tall, slender figure stepped out of the flames. Her mane fell on her shoulders, teal and riddled with craters. Her tall, black body looked as hard as stone and her green eyes pierced through my soul. Stretching out her tattered wings, she pushed the gun harder against Celestia’s skull. “Hurry up and kill them.” growled Sombra, stepping out of the other plume of fire. “We don’t have all day, Chrysalis! Unless you want your people to starve. Is that what you want, Chrysalis?” “Shut up, Sombra. I’m looking for the other one.” she answered in her echoing voice. “There is supposed to be ten.” “What are you talking about? There’s only nine, and they’re all right here.” “No, no, no! After Silver Rift died, they replaced him with another. Speaking of which, why is he here? I thought you killed him. Looks like you screwed up. We’ll discuss this later. Go look for the tenth!” “I assure you, there is only nine! Kill them now, so we can take Equestria for our own!” shouted Sombra angrily. Then, something odd happened. Chrysalis looked me in the eyes and mouthed a single word. “Help.” Then, something even odder happened. I listened. “You’ll never find Kyle!” I shouted. “You idiots left your entire base undefended, huh? Sunset’s dead and Discord is in Fum-Buck Egypt! Who’s defending your troops? Nopony, that’s who. Kyle can take out 100 changelings a minute. Say you have 200,00 changelings on base. You do the math.” Sombra stepped over to me and placed his index finger on my forehead, reading through my mind. “Seems I was mistaken.” he growled. He turned to smoke and flew out the window. “Kill them before I return.” The room was silent for a minute after he left, until Chrysalis broke it. “Come clean. Who’s Kyle?” inquired Chrysalis. “An old friend of ours. He died five years ago, in a car accident. Sombra wasn’t too bright and only looked to see if he was real. Didn’t check to see if he was alive. Now you. Why did you want Sombra to leave?” I asked. “I needed him gone so we could negotiate.” she replied. “What makes you think we would negotiate with you?!” yelled Scootaloo. “Really? You’re kidding, right?” answered Chrysalis, pressing the gun against Celestia’s head once more. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. I give you Celestia, you give me the Elements of Harmony and I walk away.” “What do you want the Elements for?” I asked curiously. “My people will feed off of it’s love magic.” said Chrysalis plainly. “Are you stupid?” asked Fluttershy. “They’re called the Elements of Harmony. Harmony. Not love. Harmony.” “Fine! You’ll use them to create some love for my people to feast on. How about that, huh?” yelled the queen. “You need to go back to Magic Kindergarten, Chrysalis.” said Twilight, matter-of-factly. “Let me refresh your memory. The father of modern magic, Starswirl the Bearded, set three fundamental laws of magic. No matter how powerful the unicorn, nopony can manipulate time, nopony can revive the dead, and nopony can create love.” “And if you want to learn more about Starswirl the Bearded, you can read the author’s previous story, Starswirl’s Story. You can do that by clicking here.” said Pinkie inexplicably. We chose to ignore her. “Chrysalis, you know there is no alternative.” said Celestia. “You have to-” “Silence! Hold your tongue, princess of the sun!” shouted Chrysalis. “Don’t talk to the princess that way!” replied Twilight. “Keep your mouth shut or I’ll put a bullet in between your eyes!” “I have been patient with you Chrysalis, but I will not tolerate you threatening my student.” said Celestia, rising to her hooves. “Chrysalis you have wasted enough of our time, so why don’t you just do what I suggested earlier?” “Don’t play with me, Celestia. Just get me some love for my people and I’ll leave you alone. I’m sure you can handle Sombra on your own.” “Did you notice it as well, Twilight?” said Conjure softly. “Yes, but it doesn’t make any sense. Why would she do that?” asked Twilight. “What are you talking about?” asked War. “You guys haven’t noticed? Suppose you wouldn’t. Something only we geniuses would catch.” he said smugly. “Can you say that again? All I heard was ‘Please Robert. Please bash my head in!”” replied War. “A lot of hostility! Fine, I’ll tell you. I think Chrysalis wants to die.” “Conjure, don’t be an idiot. Why would she want that?” asked Fluttershy. “I haven’t a clue, but you know I wouldn’t say such a thing without amble proof. First off, she allowed us to keep our melee weapons, and she didn’t tell Chris to drop his gun at all. You could say that she wasn’t worried about us, considering she could probably kill Celestia before we got to her. But then you think about the fact that she had Celestia on the floor instead of using her as a shield, but you could argue that she didn’t want to get too close to Celestia, which would make sense until you consider the fact that she allowed Scootaloo and Luna to get so close to her.” I looked to the sides and, sure enough, he was right. Luna was to Celestia’s right, while Scootaloo was to the left of Chrysalis. “But then one could argue that Scootaloo is the only one with a weapon and she could probably overpower her. But then you consider the one fact that proves that she is trying to get killed: we can still use our magic.” “You can use your magic?” I asked. “Yes. I’ve been using it to scan the area for enemies this entire time.” he replied. “I haven’t taken her down yet because I’m curious. So I ask, why, why does Queen Chrysalis want to die? The answer, you ask? Oh, well, I’ll tell you. She is acting as a martyr.” “Hahahahahahahaha!” laughed Chrysalis. “You think I would die just to fire up my people? When I could just inspire them by being here? My changelings all would happily die for me, and my dying won’t change that.” “Then why do you want to die? You are basically begging for us to end you.” said Twilight. “You are wrong.” said Chrysalis. “You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried.” “Your people are dying, Chrysalis, and I’m sorry for that, but it’s time we face facts.” said Celestia calmly. “Back on your knees, princess, or you die!” “Ha! You think that scares me, Chrysalis?” laughed Celestia. “You are older than me, by at least a thousand years, so you know even better than me that death is not something to fear. Death to me would be like visiting an old friend whom I’ve been arguing with for a while, us finally apologizing to one another. Long story short, you have nothing to threaten me with.” “Shut up, Celestia! Back on your knees!” “I’m sorry, Chrysalis. Your people are starving, and I know you think this is the only way, but I have to do this.” said Celestia, horn glowing. “It has to end this way.” BOOM! Have you ever read a book, or saw a movie or T.V. show, where something so unbelievably bad happens, like a character dies, and time begins to slow down? Believe it or not, that does happen. It’s just that nothing you’ve ever seen could do the real thing justice. Time doesn’t slow down. It stops completely. As the bullet entered Celestia’s head, she paused in mid-air. There she hung as we all watched in horror. Even Chrysalis couldn’t believe it. Slowly, time began to return to normal. She drifted to the ground, falling awkwardly on her face. A large hole was in the back of her head, gushing blood down her neck. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! YOUR BLOOD WILL PAINT THESE FLOORS!!!” shouted Luna in her Canterlot Voice, rushing towards Chrysalis. BOOM! Luna fell to the ground slightly faster. She hit the ground next to her sister, large wound in her chest. Blood gushed, pooling around them both. I dropped to my knees in disbelief. The Regal Sisters were dead. “They… dead.” whispered Chrysalis quietly. “What did you say?” said Twilight. I looked and saw her trembling. Not that I can blame her. I reached out and grabbed her arm. TSSSS! “OW!” I shouted, retracting my hand. I looked down at it, which was burned red and raw. Oh no. Her coat began to glow an orange-ish white. Her eyes slowly reddened and her mane and tail grew orange. “What did you just say?!” she repeated. “You just killed Luna and Celestia, and you have the nerve not only to say that you did it, not only to stay here in my presence, but the nerve to use… incorrect grammar?!?!” With that, she exploded. Her mane burst into bright orange flames and she exerted heat like an open flame. “You killed my mentors and don’t even have the courtesy to use full sentences?!?! That’s a fragment!!!” She rushed at Chrysalis, rearing back her fist. She swung, hitting the Queen in the face and knocking her to the ground. “That’s for Princess Luna!!” she said. Dropping to her knees, she punched Chrysalis in the ribs. She swung at her face with a ferocity I didn’t know Twilight possesed. She jumped to her feet and pulled out her sword. “And this is for my mother!!” she screamed, jumping in the air, sword pointed downwards onto Chrysalis. I ran forward when… SNAP! I froze in a blob of gelatin. Yeah, you read that right. If you want to go back and check again, that’s fine. I’ll wait. I ran forward to stop Twilight when I was stopped in a cube of grape gelatin. Twilight was halted as well, her rapier’s tip a mere few inches from Chrysalis’ throat. “BWAHAHAHAHA!!” laughed a maniacal voice. “Little Twilight Sparkle is ready to kill mean ol’ Queen Chrysalis! Didn’t Celestia teach you better than to resort to violence?” SNAP! A long, lanky figure appeared in front of Chrysalis. He had the head of a pony, but a serpentine body, an eagle claw, a lion paw, a hoof and a lizard claw. He stroked his short white beard, laughing maniacally. “What was that last part, Twilight Sparkle? Did you call Celestia your mother? I wasn’t aware Celestia had any children.” chuckled Discord. “I didn’t mean it literally!” blushed Twilight. “She was the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had.” “Oh, whatever you say, Twilight Sparkle. As to you, Chrysalis, I am disappointed. I didn’t think you were dumb enough to mock Celestia in front of her favorite student.” “She didn’t just mock her. She murdered them both!” shouted Twilight. “Don’t you think I know that?! Why do you think I came here in the first place?!” shouted Discord angrily. “It surely wasn’t to visit my dear friend Shutterfly!” “Discord, call me Shutterfly one more time. I dare you. Didn’t you learn from the last time?” said Fluttershy. “Yes. If I do recall, you violently removed my arm and tail. What good friends we are!” “Speaking of which, how do you have them back? Can draconequus regrow limbs?” “I can do whatever I want. I’m the spirit of chaos, so the rules don’t exactly apply to me.” “Hate to interrupt this heart-warming reunion between friends, but can you release me from this?” said Twilight, tail and mane extinguished. “I’m in the middle of something.” “Sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but you won’t be exacting your revenge today.” said Discord smugly. “Chrysalis should have left already, but maybe she missed the memo, so I’ll tell her myself: leave now, Chrysalis. Before things get too heated.” “I’m not going anywhere, Discord. I’m staying to finish the job.” replied the queen. “Chrysalis, my two oldest friends are now dead, but I am not upset about that. What upsets me is the fact that you keep pretending like it was you who killed them. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a phony-pony. Drop the illusion that you murdered Celestia.” “What are you talking about, Discord? We sat there and watched her kill both of the princesses.” said Twilight angrily. “Hohohohoho! I see what’s happening! Celestia didn’t tell you!” giggled Discord. “Well, if she didn’t tell, I won’t either. What I will do is give you a hint. Think about this: Princess Celestia has been in power for over a thousand years. Don’t you think she’s been an assassination target before today? Well, I’ll tell you, she has. Many times I was the would-be assassin. Don’t you think she would have developed some way to prevent herself from getting shot?” “Why are you spreading these lies, Discord?” said Chrysalis. “Celestia had nothing to do with this. I killed her, plain and simple.” “Just because I stopped Twilight from killing you once doesn’t mean I’ll do it twice.” said Discord. “I suggest that you shut up and walk away, before your people die.” She looked at him, then at Twilight, then back to Discord. Exhaling loudly, she stood up and POP! She was gone. SNAP! THUD! I fell forward on my stomach, completely free from my JELLO prison. Twilight hit the ground next to her sword with a THUD! “It’s been fun talking with you, but I really must go.” said Discord, walking towards the door. “Where do you think you’re going?” said Twilight. “You’re not leaving until you explain what you mean!” “Explain what?” asked Discord. “There’s nothing to explain.” “Why did you say Chrysalis didn’t murder Celestia?” “To say ‘murder’ would imply that she didn’t have permission.” he replied simply. “Permission? What are you talking about?!” “I don’t want to spoil anything for you, so I’ll just say this: I’m not going to mourn Celestia; you shouldn’t either. Remember, Celestia always has a plan. Don’t doubt her.” he said, grabbing the door handle. “If you want more information, maybe you should go see Cadenza. No doubt she needs you, what with so many tragedies happening at once.” “Tragedies? Besides this? What do you mean? You’re making even less sense than usual!” “Well, that’s all a matter of perception. Princess Cadence will make sense of it all. Well, I will bid you farewell! Goodbye, my friends. Conjure, War, Silver, good luck with Sombra.” he pushed open the door and fell through the floor, nowhere to be seen. “Twilight?” said Conjure softly. “Are you alright?” “Oh, I’m fine. I’ll be even better when we go see Cadence and Shining Armor to find out how we’re going to kill Chrysalis! Come on, everypony, let’s go!” replied Twilight, reaching her hands out. “I have the strength to take us all this time.” Slowly we all linked hands with her. She closed her eyes and… POP! Ice-cold air whipped me in the face. I released Twilight and looked around. A giant diamond structure was before us, two large, intricate doors flung wide open. Something was wrong. We ran in, Twilight at the lead. We made our way into the castle where we approached two doors at the end of the hall. Twilight kicked in the door and rushed in. Twilight fell to her knees in horror, shocked by the noose-hung body of a pink alicorn with a purple and pale gold mane. Taped to her stomach was a folded piece of paper. I ran forward and grabbed it off of her. Unfolding it, I read the note aloud. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, If you are reading this, I am (obviously) dead. I’m sorry for the grief I may have caused, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. When Celestia told me her plan, I told her it was crazy but she insisted. She was sure that this had to end with her death. Luna wasn’t in on it, but I think we both suspected that she would get caught in the cross-fire. I was supposed to rule in her absence, but everything changed. Shining Armor is gone. He went out to attack a changeling base and he hasn’t reported back. Yesterday, that base was bombed. We found no remains. I’m so sorry. Without the help of Shining Armor, I don’t think I can do it. I can’t lead alone, and there is nopony to help me. I wish there was another way, but it is too much pressure. So, I’m leaving it up to you. You are a much better candidate for princess than me. You have to do this, Twilight. I have faith in you. Once you have cleaned up this mess, you must be leader of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. A tall order, I know, but you have the ability. You have the power of friendship. You aren’t alone, like I was. I will never forget you Signed, Princess Cadence” “T-twilight?” I asked carefully. She had curled herself up in a ball, tears streaming down her face. “We will fix this. Sombra and Chrysalis will pay for what they’ve done.” “You don’t get it, do you?” said Twilight shakily. “They haven’t done anything. This was all part of Celestia’s plan. There’s nothing we can do about it.” “That’s not true.” I said, not very confidently. “We can bring Sombra and Chrysalis to justice. Avenge the princesses.” “We’ll never stop them. Every attempt we’ve ever made to take out an enemy has failed. Even when Fluttershy killed Sunset Shimmer, Sunset gave herself up, expecting some compassion. I wish we could ask the princesses for advice.” “We can!” shouted Isaiah. We all looked at him in confusion. “Or rather, we might. If Celestia played her cards right. She planned for her death, so maybe she planned for this.” “Wanna tell us what ‘this’ is?” asked RD unimpressed. “Princess Luna could enter the dreams of others. If Celestia knew they were going to die, she may have boosted that power to the point where they can do it without being awake… or alive. Tonight, concentrate hard on the princesses while you are going to sleep.” he walked up to Twilight and touched her shoulder. “Qui regnum sib in somnis.” he muttered, horn glowing green. “What did you do?” asked Twilight. “Basically said ‘sweet dreams’. You may not see them tonight, but you will, eventually. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. Remember? 3 fundamental laws of magic?” he said. Twilight stared at him for a second, then grabbed him by the collar, pulled his face to her’s and kissed him furiously. “Really?” I asked in disbelief. “Not to be a buzzkill, but is this really the best place for that?” “You’re just mad that you’re not getting any, aren’t you Silver?” mocked Rainbow. “I wouldn’t say that. Can you two break for a second? We have to leave.” I replied. This entire day was too horribly absurd to be true. “I’ll open the Rift.” I reached forward and opened up a Rift. “Wait.” said Twilight. “We can’t leave her here.” “What do you want to do?” I asked. “Come with me, Conjure. I need your help. You guys can meet us outside the castle.” she said, grasping Isaiah’s hands. She closed her eyes and… POP! She and Isaiah were gone. Home, Sweet HomeTwilight and Isaiah returned a few minutes later with two large caskets, one blue and one yellow. They placed down the boxes carefully and walked over to Cadence’s lifeless body. Twilight pulled her gun off of her back, aimed at the rope, and shot Cadence down. Her body fell right into Isaiah’s arms. He lowered her gently to the ground and walked over to the center of the room. When he got there, he spread his arms and closed his eyes, his horn glowing green. He thrust his palms downwards, bathing the room in a bright light. A casket the same size as the other two appeared beneath his hands, only this one was light pink. He pried it open and lifted Cadence into it. Twilight pointed her index finger at the ground in front of her and blew it open. CRACK! The ground cracked apart revealing a large body of water. The hole was about 10 feet wide and twice as long. Together, they lifted the three caskets into the water, closing Cadence’s slowly. “I think we should say a few words, in honor of the princesses.” said Rarity quietly. “Ooh, I’ll go!” exclaimed Pinkie. “While the princesses may have passed on, they will never pass from memory. They may be gone from this world physically, but they will never truly be gone, as long as we remember and love and cherish their existence. We must say not in sorrow that they are no more, but live in thankfulness that they once were.” “Wow. That was actually really good, Pinkie. Deep and heartfelt. I’m proud.” said Twilight. “Where’d you get that from?” “That was the speech I gave at my sister’s funeral. Me and Inky came up with it together. I haven’t spoken to Inky in ages. I have to get in touch with her…” “Pinkie. Focus.” I said. “What a marvelous speech, Pinkie Pie! You always were my favorite of the group.” said Discord, melting out from the ground. “What are you doing here, Discord?” asked Twilight, more annoyed than angry. “Paying my respects to the princesses, of course! You think I would miss the funeral of my best friends? What type of pony do you take me for?” “Funny. All jokes aside, why are you here?” I asked, eager to move on. “So linear, Silver. Linear and boring! But I know you can be spontaneous if you want. You can be interesting. Fun. Anywho, I’m just here because I thought you might want to know that King Sombra is attacking Earth in… I’d say, twenty minutes. Better get moving.” “Before you leave, can you give us anymore information? We’ll need all we can get.” said Robert. “Good question! Let’s see, Sombra knows all about you, so he’s probably going to attack family and loved ones. Might want to address that. Also, I do not want you to kill anypony unnecessarily. I’ve had enough death in my life.” “Then why did you help them in the first place!?” asked Rainbow angrily. “Sombra never said we would kill Celestia! How was I supposed to know it would end up like this?” shouted Discord angrily. He shook himself, regaining his composure, and continued. “My point is this: Everypony deserves another chance. So don’t kill Sombra and especially don’t kill Chrysalis. Celestia would never forgive you for that.” “You keep talking about Celestia as if you two were close, but I know her better than you!” shouted Twilight. “Is that so? Did you know her favorite color is lavender? Or that she is allergic to chestnuts? Or how about the fact that she loves bananas? See, me and Celestia have been old friends since before you were even a thought. Over a thousand years of rivalry and fighting later, I’m sure that I can safely say what Celestia would like to happen and what she would dislike to happen. Trust me when I say this, If you kill Chrysalis, you’ll be ending millions of lives and breaking Starswirl’s Shadow Proclamation, which outlawed inorganic weapons of mass destruction, unfair or unnecessary condemnation to a cruel fate and genocide. By killing Sombra, you wouldn’t be doing any of that, but I still think that Celestia would want you to find another way.” “I’ll think about it. Will you come help us?” asked Twilight. “Unless you’re still working with them.” “I’m not, but I won’t help you either. From henceforth, I will not directly interfere with Equestrian matters. I will watch from the comfort of my own realm. It’s for the best. Keeps things fair. But what are you still doing talking to me? Your friends and family have fifteen minutes before Sombra gets to them!” “He’s right, girls.” I said opening the Rift again. “It’s time to go.” I pushed them through, one-by-one, walking through last. We stumbled out the other side into the middle of town. No time to stop back at base. I don’t think Discord was lying. “I’m going to get my mom out.” said Isaiah. “Who has the cash?” “I have it, darling.” said Rarity, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a large stack of bills and handed some to me, Isaiah, and Robert. “Thanks. We’ll meet you at Jackson’s” said Robert turning away. They transformed into human in mid sprint and booked it to their parents, Pinkie and Twilight following close behind. Who did I have to warn? The Jacksons. I transformed to human and ran down the street until I approached the restaurant. I opened the door and stepped inside. It was packed, full-house. Of course it was. The one day I need it to be empty is the one day when it’s jam-packed. I had to get these people out. I looked at my friends for help. “What are their names?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Harrold, Veronica and Sarah Jackson.” I answered. She pulled out her pistols and aimed at the sky. BOOM! BOOM! “Unless you’re Veronica, Harrold or Sarah Jackson, get the hell out of here!” shouted Rainbow. “If you three move, I kill of a family business!” People scrambled out, screaming for help. Everyone left except for an older couple and a teenage girl. “That was not cool, Rainbow Dash! How would you even know it was them?!” I shouted. “Chris?” asked the teenager. “Is that you?” She walked over to me, twirling her bright red hair. “Sarah? If you’re upset about all of the texts I must’ve missed, let me explain.” I said sheepishly. “To get to the point, you guys are about to be attacked by creatures with swords and guns and magic unless you get out right now. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but these guys are no joke. They killed me for three years. Hence why I haven’t seen you.” “Chris. Start from the beginning, and say it in terms I can understand.” said Mr. J. “I can’t seem to comprehend your lingo.” “Ok, let’s try something else. You three are going on a vacation. Here take a couple thousand dollars.” I said, tossing them the stack. “Leave now!” “Why?” asked Mrs. Jackson. “Whatever you’re going through, we can help.” “Mrs. J, I love you, but you’re wrong. It’s far too dangerous.” I said, checking the clock. 10 minutes, if Discord was accurate. “How dangerous can it be?” Just then, Twilight, Pinkie, Robert, and Isaiah entered the restaurant. “Did you warn my mom?” I asked. “Of course.” said Robert. I looked him in the eyes, yanked Lunar from it’s hidden holster and shot him in the chest. I whipped my pistol to Twilight and shot her in the throat. Green blood covered the floor. I ran forward and pulled out Celestial, slicing Isaiah’s arm off. I kicked him to the ground and stabbed Pinkie through the heart. “How dangerous could it be?” I asked. “So dangerous that that was the safest thing I’m gonna be doing all week.” “Christian!” yelled Mrs. J in terror. Oops. Probably should’ve explained first. “O-kay.” I said slowly. “I can see how that might look bad. They weren’t real. Well, they were real, but they weren’t Robert and Isaiah. They were… er… how do I… Isaiah!” I shouted as the real Isaiah, Robert, Pinkie and Twilight ran through. Hopefully they were the real ones. “What’s up?” said Robert. “How are you, Sarah?” “Did you get my mother?” I asked. “No. Why would we?” said Isaiah. “Ok. You’re good. We had a run in with the changelings.” “Changelings? As in, from MLP?” asked Sarah. “Yes. It’s a bit complex. I’ll simplify a little: We are fighting Sombra and Chrysalis, I was gone for three years, we just watched the princesses die, Sombra attacks in about 3 minutes, and he is coming for you. You have to leave. Take this money and go to… Puerto Rico, I guess. Just take a vacation. If we survive, well, I’ll let you know what to do if we get to that point.” I said, out of breath. She stepped over to me and grabbed me by shirt. “Come on, Sarah, I’m tired of getting beaten up for things that aren’t my fault.” I said grumpily. “It’s becoming a habit.” Sarah pulled me in and kissed me angrily. “Hey!” shouted Fluttershy. “Enough of that, Red! We don’t have time for this, so Chris, please stop swallowing her face. Unless you want her and her parents to die.” “Sorry.” said Sarah. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. Fluttershy, right? Not surprising. Mom? Dad? Let’s go.” “Um… Alright.” said Mr. Jackson unsure. “Uh… Don’t touch my daughter?” “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to. We’ll work this out later.” I said, leading everyone out. I ushered everyone outside, except for Twilight. She held me back for a word. “Silver. We have to talk.” she said sullenly. “I know you said that you don’t want to kill Sombra or Chrysalis, but we have to. There’s no way for us to do this without killing at least one of them.” “I don’t care what you say Twi, we aren’t killing them. I know you want your revenge on Chrysalis, and I promise you she will pay for it, but she will not die today.” I replied. “I never said kill Chrysalis. I was just saying that maybe it would be a bit easier on all of us if she were to disappear.” she said evilly. “Twilight, I will say it one more time: We are not killing Chrysalis. She lives and goes to a fair trial, and eventually go to prison.” “Maybe I don’t listen to you anymore.” she said angrily. “Ya know what? Kill her.” I said. “Kill her. Go ahead and kill her.” “Really?” she said happily. “Are you sure?” “Oh yeah, go on.” I said, stepping towards Twilight. “Just know that when you eliminate that enemy, you’ll be gaining another. There’s an old Earth proverb, don’t know if you have it in Equestria, but it’s this: For those who seek revenge, remember to dig two graves. If Chrysalis dies by your hand, you will die by mine.” “Don’t threaten me, Chris. I know you don’t have it in you to kill a friend.” “The moment you kill Chrysalis, you cease being my friend. I’ll repeat: You can kill her, you really can. But when you do, I will not stop until you are buried right next to Celestia!” I said angrily. Thud! A woman ran past us, knocking a table over. She turned and looked me in the eyes, her bright green eyes piercing my soul. Was that…? “We have a minute before Sombra attacks. I suggest we get moving.” I said. “Fine.” she said bitterly. We left the restaurant and joined the others. Conjure stepped forward, placed his palm on the door, and closed his eyes. His horn glowed green and the entire building was enveloped in the same aura. POP! Jackson’s melted into the ground, disappearing. I looked at my adoptive family whose faces were lit up with terror. “What the hell?!” shouted Mr. Jackson. “Isaiah, I am going to kill you!” “Don’t worry, you can get it back after we win. Or die. Whichever comes first.” said Isaiah, with a smirk. BOOM! An explosion from a far reverberated throughout town. I turned, looking for the source of the noise. Slowly but surely, the Heavens Impaler collapsed to the ground. I watched in horror as hundreds of lives were extinguished, killed by the initial explosion or crushed by falling debris. “We’re too late.” I said. “It’s starting. Listen, forget about Puerto Rico. I need you to go here.” I reached forward and opened a Rift. “Go through, find Scootaloo, and tell her that Silver sent you. She’ll take care of you.” I pushed them through, giving Sarah a smile. When they were in, I closed it and turned to my friends. “Well.” I said. “Let’s do this.” Epilogue“Do I have to?” I asked terrified. “Of course you have to! You can’t just keep this to yourself! She has to know!” shouted Twilight. “But what if she doesn’t accept it? Or what if she’s mad at me for staying dead for all those years?” I asked worriedly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be with you every step of the way.” said Robert. “We’re your friends. We’re all here supporting you.” “If you’re all supporting, then where’s Rarity?” I asked, turning to walk away. “That’s different, and you know it! She’s just went into labor.” said Fluttershy. “What are they naming her?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “I think she and Spike agreed on ‘Alexandria’ But their daughter doesn’t matter right now.” said Isaiah. “What about your daughters? You and Twilight call yourself parents, and you left your kids alone? For shame! We have to go check on them! Let’s go!” I replied, turning to get away again, only to be stopped by Rainbow Dash. “Hell-o? Scootaloo is watching Celestia and Luna. And if my daughter-” “Ahem.” coughed Applejack. “Sorry. If our daughter can’t handle it alone, she still has Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to help her out. So quit your stalling and go in!” said RD impatiently. I looked at my last glimmer of hope, Fluttershy. I knew it was no good as soon as she opened her mouth. “You know I wouldn’t make you do this if you didn’t have to.” she said kindly. “But we have to tell her.” She rubbed her stomach slowly. She’s right. “Fine. Let’s go.” I said, opening the door to the old house. I walked in with my friends right behind me, more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life. “It’ll be fine.” said Fluttershy, still rubbing her growing stomach. “Really, what is she gonna do? You think she’s gonna say ‘no’ to the person who saved the town and possibly the world?” “You know I had some help. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Chrysalis. But I guess you’re right. Can you really believe it’s been five years since all of that?” I said, stopping in the living room. “And it’s been five more since we walked in the door!” shouted Rainbow. “On with it man!” “Alright! I just don’t see why we don’t have to visit Robert’s parents!” “Because my parents are mentally unstable! Even more so than me.” replied Robert. “Listen, are you gonna talk to her or what?” “Fine.” I said. “Mom! We need to talk!” “I’ve been on the steps since you walked in, stupid!” shouted my mother. “What do you want? I thought you disowned me.” “Uh… Er, the thing is… I wanted to tell you the g-g-g-good n-n-n-” I tried panickedly. “The good news!” exclaimed Fluttershy. “We have to tell you something.” “And who the hell are you?” asked Mom rudely. “One of your freakshow friends? Yeah, looks like a brony alright. Pink hair, huge, and looks like a horse. What good news could you nutcases have?” “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Brookes.” said Robert. “Shut up, Robert. I didn’t ask for your sarcasm.” “Mom! You can talk to me whichever way you want, but you are not being mean to my friends!” I said, finding my voice. “So you finally got yourself some friends? No girlfriends yet, I bet. Even these hideous girls don’t want you. I can tell at least two of them are lesbians.” said Mom confidently. “That would be me and Aj, here.” said Rainbow Dash, with a tone of respect that was clearly fake. “We’ve been together for five years and we’ve adopted a lovely little orphan named Scootaloo. Do you have a problem with that?” “And what if I do?” “Mom! Shut up!” I said angrily. “Listen for a second, huh? I actually do have a girlfriend, that would be Fluttershy over here. And the only reason we’re here is to tell you that she’s pregnant.” “Who’s the daddy? It can’t be you. I’d be surprised if your gay ass even still has a-” “I can assure you he does.” said Fluttershy. “Hence me being pregnant.” “So you’re his baby momma? Some weak woman who only said ‘yes’ because you didn’t want to hurt his feelings?” spat my mom. “Nope. I said ‘yes’ because I fell in love with him. I thought that we should let you know that you’re about to be a grandmother.” said Fluttershy, surprisingly calm. “You think I give a shit? All of you can disappear of the face of the earth for all I care. So, get out! I want nothing to do with you!” shouted Mom. I looked from her to Fluttershy and back, shocked at what had transpired. “Let me rephrase that.” said Fluttershy, whipping out her sword. She pointed it at my mother. “I’m pregnant. He’s the father. You’re the grandmother. We’re getting married soon. You have two choices: Accept it and wish us good luck or get your ass kicked by a pregnant mare. What’s your choice?” My mom paused for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. “You’ve earned my respect. I don’t like you, but I hope you all live happily. Away from me.” said Mom bitterly. “Thank you.” said Fluttershy, sheathing her sword. “We haven’t worked out all the details of the wedding, just know that it is probably going to be in Equestria, should you wish to come. Silver will deliver information to you as we receive it. Now he’s going to take us home because I feel we are unwanted.” “Uh… okay.” I said, opening a Rift. Everypony stepped in, leaving me alone with Mom. “You sure know how to pick em’” she said smugly. “So did Dad, apparently.” I shot back. “Are we cool, Mom? Will you accept me for who I am?” “I don’t like her. She was about to kill me!” “But she didn’t.” “No thanks to you! Here, I’ll make you a deal. Keep her crazy ass on a leash and I’ll stop bad-mouthing your friends.” “Deal.” I said with a smile. I stepped towards the Rift and stuck my foot in. “Anything else?” “Yes! We have to talk about how you disappeared to play hero for 3 years!” she shouted angrily. “You can’t pull some bullshit like that and not expect a discussion. I thought you were dead, and I cried about it!” “I love you, too.” I said, leaving Earth. I fell out into Fluttershy’s cottage… Me and Fluttershy’s cottage, where my seven friends and fiance were waiting for me. “How do you think it went?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh, she loved you. Her favorite part was when you shoved a sword against her esophagus!” I said sarcastically. “It’ll be fine. We’re on good terms.” “So what now?” asked Rainbow. “We live.” I answered. “Live and hope that we can die in peace.” Author's Note It's over! Thank the gods, it's over! The first (and worst) of the unnecessarily long DoH series. Admittedly, they do get mildly better as time goes on, but they're still quite terrible. Anyway, if you want to see the rest of this series (for whatever reason), or if you'd like to see how I've grown, then be sure to give me a follow. Until the next one, Farewell. Happy Birthday to MeBEEP! BEEP! My eyes flew open. I turned to my right to see my alarm clock on my nightstand flashing the time: 6:00 a.m. Time to get ready for the day. I sat up, rubbing my eyes with a yawn. I got up out of my bed, walked over to my bathroom. I used the toilet, washed my hands, brushed my teeth. You know, normal stuff. I opened my medicine cabinet, reached in and grabbed my contacts. I put them on and the world snapped into clarity. Closing my cabinet, I looked in the mirror. My short, white, spiky hair was an untidy mess, just the way I liked it. I grabbed a washcloth, ran it under a stream of warm water, and used it to wash my milk-chocolate face. After my hygiene was taken care of, I went back into my room to get dressed. Opening my drawer of clothes, I rummaged through it for some jeans. I couldn’t find any. Then I remembered they all needed to be washed. So, then, I put on a plain black t-shirt and left my room pants-less. I went to borrow a pair from one of my roommates. Robert’s would be way too big, so instead I went into Isaiah’s room. Opening his door, I saw his appallingly neat room was sparkling clean, same as ever. I went over to his drawer and took out the blackest jeans he owned. I put them on, then walked over to his bed. “Oi! Isaiah! I’m taking a pair of your je-” I began, reaching his empty bed. Isaiah never woke up before he absolutely had to. He may be super-neat, but man can he procrastinate. I shrugged it off, not too worried. Maybe he spent the night at his mom’s house, I said to myself, I didn’t see him get home last night. I walked across the hallway to my other friend’s room, planning to ask him about Isaiah’s absence. Opening the door, I said, “Rob, do you know what happened to Isaiah?” Silence. Walking in further, I saw that Robert was not in his room either. “Great.” I said to no one. “You’re gone too.” A little grumpy, I left his room, shutting the door behind me, and began downstairs. Ok, you may not understand why I was so upset, so I’ll explain. Today is the last day of our senior year in high school. I was planning on skipping, but if they don’t show up, we won’t get our yearbooks, we won’t get our stuff out of our lockers, and we won’t get our report cards. So, I kinda had to go. But anyway, I walked downstairs to make a cup of coffee. I was never much of a breakfast person. Breakfast normally fell into two groups: sweet things and meat things. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and I’m a vegetarian, so I normally just stick with tea or coffee. I got to my kitchen, which was pitch black. I turned on the light and was greeted by my two best friends in the world. “Surprise, jackass!” exclaimed Robert, my tall, wide, and pale friend. “Are you idiots trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked irritably. “I told you he would react like this.” said Isaiah. He looked just like me, except shorter and he wears glasses. “Relax, Chris. We were just trying to surprise you.” “For what reason?” I asked, staring at them in confusion. “Are you really that stupid?” said Robert with a smile. “It’s your birthday!” I thought back on it. Whipping out my phone, I checked the date. Sure enough, it was June 24, making today my 18th birthday. Wow. I had been 18 for over fifteen minutes and didn’t even know it. “It is my birthday, isn’t it?” I said dubiously. “Well, what did you do?” “We made you breakfast.” said Robert, still smiling his madman smile that only Robert could pull off. “What did you make, bacon and eggs? Sausage? Biscuits and beef gravy?” I asked sarcastically. “Yes. We made all of those. Even though we are all vegetarians. It was really hard to make all of these things in one pot.” replied Robert, with equal sarcasm. “We know you don’t usually eat in the morning, but Robert had the idea to make some breakfast for you.” said Isaiah, ignoring our satirical battle. “So he put together some really good oatmeal while I got your gifts and ordered your pie.” I never really liked cake, so ever since I was young I had pie for my birthday. “Thanks for the effort, but I don’t eat oatmeal.” I said, trying hard not to make them feel like they wasted their time. “Well, you’ve never had the privilege of tasting my oatmeal.” said Robert. When I went to protest, he cut me off. “Just try some. I swear it’s not poison. That’s going in your pie.” I give a small laugh, pull out a chair at the little round table and sat down. “Well? Amaze me.” I said, as smugly as I could. Robert sat down a bowl of oatmeal in front of me, then went back to serve a bowl for Isaiah and himself. I took a nice, big spoonful and shoveled it in my mouth. It was amazing! Sweet and spicy at the same time. “Ok. Don’t tell me.” I said after a couple spoonfuls. “I taste brown sugar, cinnamon, bay leaf and… ginger?” “Holmes, you’ve cracked the case!” said Isaiah. “It was elementary, my dear Watson. Although I don’t understand what made you pick these specific ingredients.” “We’ve known you since we were 5. By now I’m pretty sure I know the types of things you’d like.” said Robert seriously. And he was right. This is the exact thing I would like. 13 years sure does teach you about a person. I hastily finished my oatmeal and got up to grab my jacket. “Where are you going?” asked Isaiah, never missing a beat. “School doesn’t start for another hour and a half. Plus, you never go to school on the last day. “I’m going to Jackson’s. I work today.” I replied. Jackson’s was a family restaurant, the only 100% vegetarian restaurant in town, run by Harold Jackson and Victoria Jackson. Not only were they like parents to me, but they let me stay with them while I was working things out with my mother. When that exploded out of proportion, I decided to move in with my two best friends. “You can’t go to work now!” yelled Robert indignantly. “You gotta check out your presents.” “Yeah! I didn’t go through the trouble of looking for these gifts for you to leave to go to work without looking at them!” said Isaiah. “Or is the great Christian Brooks to special to see what his friends got him?” “Fine!” I sighed. “If I get in trouble for being late, I’m going to kill you.” I knew I wouldn’t get in trouble. I don’t officially start work until 8. I had plenty of time. “Where are they?” “Look to your left, genius.” said Robert. I do as he says and sees a cardboard box, larger than a computer monitor, with my name written on it. I got up to investigate the treasures that were surely in the box, all the while reveling at how blind I could be. I opened the box and reached my hand in. I grabbed some soft fabric and withdrew it from the box. I held up the yellow garb, spreading out the arms to see it was a hoodie. Not just any hoodie though. On the hood itself was strips of pink, hanging off to one side. On the back were small yellow wings and 3 small butterflies in the lower corner. Turning it to see the front, I am greeted by bright cyan eyes. I didn’t believe it: Fluttershy was on my hoodie! Fluttershy was my favorite character, and I’ve been wanting this forever. I dropped my usually calm and reserved manner right then, jumped up and gave Robert and Isaiah spine-snapping hugs. “You know… that’s not all… that’s in the box?” choked Isaiah, air being squeezed out of him from the force of my hug. I retracted and ran back to the box. Reaching in once more, I feel another hunk of fabric. Pulling it out, I saw it was a grey cotton shirt. On the back was nothing, but on the front was a pegasus stallion, black as the night, with silver eyes and white hair almost identical to mine. Above him were the words ‘Silver Rift’. These guys were awesome! First the hoodie, then they put my OC on a shirt? Insane! There was no way that this could get better. I was about to be proven wrong. I reached in for a third, and final, time and pulled out an envelope. I opened it and pulled out the card within. On the cover was Fluttershy with a party hat on and text above saying ‘Have a Happy Birthday. I mean if that’s ok with you.’ I opened it up, expecting to find a couple dollars, but instead found myself holding three tickets to Brony-Con. “We’re going to Brony-Con next week!” I yelled, super excited. “No we’re not. We’re going to Mine-Con, stupid.” said Robert, smiling sarcastically. “You guys are the greatest! I’m gonna go put away this stuff, then I should really start leaving.” I said walking back upstairs with my gifts. When I reached my room, I decided to wear the hoodie to work but leave the shirt. I hang up my shirt in my closet and take one good last look in the mirror. When everything was in order, I grabbed my keys and ran downstairs. Nothing can ruin this day, I thought to myself, walking out of the house with my new hoodie on. It was a dream come true. I was going to Bony-Con with my two best friends ever. It was a dream come true for sure. Right? Author's Note This is one of the first stories I've ever written. As a bit of a celebration for reaching 50 followers, I thought I'd share it and all of its sequels. I have done no editing to this story since its original completion. This was over a year ago, and I know that this is terrible now. When I was writing it, I thought it was the bee's knees. How foolish was I? My TransformationI awoke without the ability to move. I shook my hands and legs trying to get out of… nothing. I was chained to a bed by nothing. What more, I felt odd. Not sick, just different. I shook my limbs a little while longer, only able to turn my head. I tried to scream but the words kept getting stuck in my throat. What happened?, I thought to myself, Is this my entire visit to Equestria? Getting knocked out? “You’re up. Finally.” I heard a voice call from out of sight. I turned to my right and saw Twilight, her nose bandaged, furiously flipping through a book. “We were a little worried about you. Sorry about the restraints. While you were out, you thrashed a lot. Broke my nose, actually.” “Sorry.” I said, finally able to speak. “Can you unchain me?” My head was swimming and my body felt weird. “Sure thing.” said Twilight, her horn glowing. “Before you sit up, you should be prepared.” “For what?” I asked sitting up, free from my invisible shackles. Explanation was unnecessary. All I had to do was look down at my body to tell that something was wrong. My body was covered in jet-black fur, my legs were thicker than before, and I felt taller. I was five foot nine before, but now felt well over six and a half, and there was something wrong with my feet. “I can’t feel my toes.” I said to Twilight, knowing perfectly well her response. “What are toes? Are those what you called those things at the end of your hooves?” replied Twilight. She seemed concerned but also intrigued. “Can I have a mirror?” I asked. She levitated a hand mirror to me. I grabbed it and looked into it. My hair was more or less the same, but my face was covered in the same black fur that coated my body. My face extended into a muzzle, just like the mares I met here. My eyes changed from their usual hazel to steel-grey. I turned into my OC from home, the one on the shirt that my friends got me. “I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, but I have no clue when she’ll reply. She’s probably busy with her royal duties.” said Twilight, recapturing my attention. “I’m a pony.” I said plainly. “How long was I out for?” “About two hours. You screamed the entire time. Fluttershy couldn’t take it, so she went home for a while. Pinkie said she was going to bake you a get-well cake.” answered Twilight. So these guys did care about me. “That was nice of Pinkie. What do you think I should do now?” I questioned, a bit weirded out by my sudden transformation. “We have to find you a place to stay for the night. You can’t stay here because I don’t have much room. That’s the problem with almost all my friends, except for Rainbow Dash.” “That’s a whole new set of problems. Doesn’t she live on a cloud?” I asked, standing up. I looked down and realised I didn’t have any pants on. “AHHH!” I screamed, jumping underneath a nearby blanket. “What’s wrong?” asked Twilight concerned. “Are you alright?” “What happened to my pants?!” I asked embarrassed. “I was naked this whole time?” “Yeah. What’s the big deal? I took them off because your legs grew. I figured you would be uncomfortable.” “What do you mean ‘What’s the big deal’? I don’t have pants on!” I yelled. “Neither do I.” said Twilight, raising her right leg. It was completely unclothed, revealing her furry leg. I looked it up and down, noting the hooves. “Any particular reason you aren’t wearing pants?” I asked, a little afraid at what would happen next. “I didn’t feel like wearing any today. Is that not how pants work where you come from?” she asked, a look of interest on her face. “No, actually, they don’t work that way! My people wear pants almost all the time! We only get naked around close family and people we’re sleeping with!” I said, amazed at how different Equestria was compared to Earth. “I see. You don’t have to worry here. If you wear pants, you wear pants. It doesn’t matter, unless you’re going somewhere fancy.” she replied matter-of-factly. “Is that what you do with shirts?” I asked curiously. “No! The mares wear shirts all the time. See, in Equestria, the females have these growths on their chest called breasts and they ar-” “I know what breasts are!” I said indignantly. “We have them on Earth too!” “So your world is called Earth? Interesting. Tell me more about it.” said Twilight, immersed in our conversation. Damn! I can’t believe I let that slip! “Forget what I just said! Don’t we have to go talk to Rainbow Dash or something?” “We were, but then you started talking about a ‘whole new set of problems’. What might that be?” asked Twilight. “She lives on a cloud. How am I supposed to get up there? Plus she probably won’t want me to stay with her. She doesn’t even know me.” “I’m sure she’ll do you this favor. As to how you’ll get up there, just fly.” “Fly? How can I fly?” I asked. No sooner had I said that did I feel something spread across my back. Turning my head, I saw large black wings spreading out past my shoulders. Apparently I was a pegasus. And shirtless. “This is… unusual.” I said. “Are they supposed to spread out randomly like that?” “Not really, no. They are doing that for one of two reasons. One: since you weren’t born a pegasus, you’ll have to get used to them. If this is true, the wings will fly open and closed sporadically until you learn how to keep them closed.” replied Twilight, a smirk growing on her face. “The other is that you have a wi-” “Don’t say it!” I said, closing my wings. It actually felt kind of natural, like opening and closing your fist. “I do NOT have a wing-boner. It’s obviously the first one. I can open and close them at will pretty easily, now that I know that they’re there.” I opened and closed my wings a few time to prove it. It felt really normal, like having giant, feathered hands on your back. Yeah, that is what constitutes as normal to me. Go figure. “Good to know you can control it now.” said Twilight. Right then, Fluttershy burst through the door in a flurry of panic. As soon as I saw her, my wings flew open wide. “Oh my gosh! Is he ok?” she asked. Looking at me, she said, “Sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I’ll just go.” “Don’t go!” I called to Fluttershy, who turned around to leave. “It’s me! I changed into a pegasus somehow.” “That’s interesting.” she said, concentrating on something on my back. “What’s wrong with your wings? Why do you have them spread like that? It looks uncomfortable.” “Er, I, um… I can’t control them very well yet. They just fly open sometimes.” I sputtered with embarrassment. “I thought you said you could open and close them at wi-” started Twilight. “Well, Fluttershy, now that I can blend in a little better, would you mind showing me around Ponyville? I would love to see it before I have to leave.” I said loudly, making it impossible for her to hear what Twilight was saying. “That’s a good idea.” said Twilight, dropping the subject of my involuntary spasms of the wing. “I want to introduce you to the rest of our friends. I’ll need their help to keep an eye on you.” “What do you mean, keep an eye on me? You don’t trust me or something?” I asked, a little hurt at the implication. “Actually, I don’t trust you.” said Twilight. “You have to understand how this looks from my perspective. You are a creature nopony has ever seen before, you won’t tell us anything about you, and you just changed to look like us. You know what the spells?” “Changeling.” I said, understanding now why she’s being so cautious. She thought I might be a changeling. Understandable. So all I have to do is not give her a reason to distrust me. Sounds easy enough. “I’m not, although if I were a changeling, I’d probably say that anyway. That’s why you want me to stay with Rainbow Dash. She probably sleeps with one eye open, so if I do decide to do something mischievous or evil in the dead of night, she’ll be able to catch me. Right?” “Exactly. So, now we get to go meet the rest of my friends so they can help keep watch on you until we get word back from the princess.” said Twilight, finally closing her book. “One second while I heal my nose.” Her horn began to glow purple once more and there was a gross CRACK! She clawed the bandages off her nose revealing it to be in perfect shape. “How’d you do that?” I asked stupidly. “Minor injuries like broken noses are easy to fix when you have the right spell. I just happen to have that particular spell in this book. In any case, we should go meet the girls.” replied Twilight, inhaling deeply through her nose. She gestured for me to follow her as she walked to her door. Opening it, she led me and Fluttershy out of her home. We walked quietly for a few minutes, my wings still open, with nopony having anything to say. It would appear that Fluttershy really did believe I was a changeling. That kind of stung. I wanted to reassure her, tell her I wasn’t, but it would be pointless. So I just kept going silently, taking in every detail I could. I scanned the town, spotting shops and ponies just being ponies. I loved it! I probably made some of them very uncomfortable, I stared at them for so long. I couldn’t help myself! We stopped in front of a large tent-like structure. Twilight opened the door, me and Fluttershy following close behind, and we entered the establishment. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every dress is chic, unique, and magnifique! I will be with you in one minute!” called a voice from the right of the wide empty room. The source of the voice was a pure white unicorn mare, with a swirled purple mane. Next to her was an orange mare with long, dirty-blonde hair. They were both huddled around a sewing table, the unicorn working the machine, the earth pony starring in anticipation. “Applejack, darling, you really must try to be more careful with your hat.” said the unicorn. “This must be the eighth time this week that I had to sew it up.” “Sorry, sorry. Ya know how things get get at the farm, Rarity. Ah can’t help it. Can ya fix it?” said the earth pony, anxiety welling in her voice. “Of course I can darling. I just want you to be more careful.” “Sorry to intrude, but this is kinda important.” said Twilight. “We need to talk.” “One minute Twilight, dear.” said Rarity. “As it were, I am in the zone.” After a few seconds of her sewing, she looked up and handed the hat to Applejack, who swiftly shoved it on her head. Turning to face Twilight, she said “What can I do for you, dear?” “I would like to introduce you to… a friend, I guess. This is Rarity and Applejack.” said Twilight. “I know. I would just like to say it is lovely to meet you both.” I said, looking back and forth between them both. “I’m going to be staying in Ponyville for… I don’t actually know. I don’t know if I’ll ever get home.” “I’m sorry to hear that, darling. Would you like to tell us about your home? It might make you feel a little less homesick.” said Rarity tenderly. “Don’t be sorry. I love it here! If I am trapped here, I wouldn’t be upset at all. I would love to tell all of you about where I’m from, but that may be dangerous.” I replied. “See the problem? I know nothing about him except that he’s not from Equestria and he’s not a pony. Don’t let him fool you. He’s different from us and I don’t trust him very much. I need you girls to help keep an eye on him until Princess Celestia returns my letter.” said Twilight. I seemed to be a burden to her. “Now Twi. That’s a mighty rude thing to say! Of course he’s from Equestria. He’s just as pony as ah am.” said Applejack. “Actually, she’s right.” I told Aj. “I’m not from Equestria and I can see why she doesn’t trust me very much. I know all this information about you and I won’t tell her how I know this stuff. It does look a little suspicious.” “Like what?” asked Rarity “Nevermind that. It was nice meeting you guys, but I really think we should go.” I said, turning to the door. Twilight and Fluttershy said their goodbyes, and we left the boutique. As soon as I stepped outside, I heard a yell. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOOF-BALL PLAYERS!” shouted an unknown voice. Before I could think, a shoulder collided with my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. Breathing shallowly, I looked up and saw a small orange body get up from off my chest. She wore a pair of grass stained jeans and a jersey with a big 00 on the front. Her mane was purple and windy. Standing up she said, “Sorry mister! I’m trying to get a cutie-mark in hoof-ball. It doesn’t seem to be working.” “Ugh! That hurt, kid! I’m not exactly in perfect health, ya know!” I said irritably. “What happened?” she asked. She seemed more intrigued than concerned. “Can’t you see the bandages? I got into a fight and the other guy stabbed me.” I replied. “Cool! You must be really tough! Can I see where he cut you?” she asked brightly. I looked at her bright face, illuminated with interest, and couldn’t find a way to say no. I grabbed the bandages on my side and carefully peeled them off, exposing my wound to the world. Fluttershy did a good job stitching me up. They were even and clean. I leaned to show this small child my wound I got in a vicious fight. I may not be the greatest role-model in the world. She stared at my stitched wound in awe. “Awesome! Your almost as cool as Rainbow Dash! Too bad somepony as cool as you wouldn’t want anything to do with a blank flank like me.” she said, crestfallenly. “Your Scootaloo, right?” When she nodded, I continued. “How old are you?” “I turn 14 next month.” she answered. “I’m 18 years old. Look at this.” I said, turning to show her my thigh. She looked at my leg puzzled, and then she gasped. “You don’t have a cutie-mark either?” she asked. “Nope. My flank is just as blank as yours. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. You’ll get your’s in due time. Probably before me. You said you know Rainbow Dash. Where can I find her?” “Right behind you.” came a brash voice from behind me. I turned around and was met with the sight of a mid-height pegasus with cyan skin and a rainbow mane. She was thin and a bit flat, and wore a blue tank-top. “What do you want?” “Er… Twilight should probably explain. It’s a bit complex.” I said, very much so scared. She was extremely intimidating. I felt like she could kick my ass at any time. “Rainbow Dash, this is Silver Rift.” said Twilight, walking up to meet Rainbow. “Would it be too much to ask if he could stay with you for a while?” “Why? Who is he?” asked Rainbow skeptically. “We have no idea. Fluttershy found him in the Everfree Forest and he’s from a place called Earth. I don’t really trust him, but we can’t just leave him to wander around.” “Why not? I’ve never heard of anywhere called Earth. Maybe he’s just some crazy stallion who escaped the mad-house or something.” said Rainbow Dash. “I thought that at first too, but he passed out while he was here. While he was asleep, I used a spell to scan his body and life-energy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen! His body is filled with magic that could rival the princess!” whispered Twilight, although very loudly. “You didn’t say that before! That was important and you didn’t tell me?” I said in outrage. “To be fair, you have withheld information from us. Like everything about you.” said Twilight. “I still don’t understand why he has to stay with me.” said Rainbow. “I think he might be a changeling. He has to stay with you because if he tried something sneaky, you could catch him in your sleep. So, I want you to catch him in your sleep.” answered Twilight. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, then to me, then back to Twilight. “Fine. If I have to. Silver, right?” she said, not caring to wait for my answer. “I’m Rainbow Dash. I care very much about Ponyville. All of Equestria really. I am the Element of Loyalty, after all. So, if you try to do anything to hurt Ponyville, or Equestria, or any of my friends, you will be very sorry. Don’t pretend like you’re not scared. I can smell it on you. You are about ready to piss yourself. Just to make myself clear: Do not. Mess. With. Ponyville. Or I will destroy you. Got it?” “Erm… I… Uh… Y-yes, got it. I would never do anything to hurt Ponyville.” I said, face pouring sweat. She was terrifying! I’ve never been more scared in my life. “Good. Now, let me show you to my house.” said Rainbow, flapping her wings and rising in the air. How the hell am I supposed to get up there?!, I thought to myself, my wings finally closing. The End“You guys go ahead.” I said to the group. “I have to go to base for a second. Don’t wait up.” They turned slowly and broke into a run. I waited until they vanished from view and made my way towards our base. Halfway there, I heard a voice call out to me. “Silver! Wait up!” shouted Fluttershy. She ran up and nudged me on the shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Trying to tie up loose ends, Chrysalis.” I said. “What do you want?” She burst into green flames and transformed into the queen of changelings. “Hands in the air.” said Chrysalis half-heartedly. “On your knees.” “Don’t waste my time.” I said, slowing down slightly. “If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it in the restaurant. So, what do you want?” “I want to see what you’re doing. Know your enemy, right?” said Chrysalis. “Ah, but are we enemies? I stuck my neck out for you and you’ve done the same. We’re basically family. Oh, would ya look at that? We’re here.” I said, opening the front door. I walked to the stairs and slid down to the basement. I ran to the middle of the room and looked around. “Discord!” I shouted. “Get out here! We need to talk!” “How did you know I’d be here?” asked Discord, materializing out of thin air. “It’s something that I would never ordinarily do, so I knew it’s something you expected me to never not do. Did that make sense?” I asked confusedly. “Doesn’t matter. I need your help.” “I told you that I’m not helping either side.” said Discord. “So it seems you’ve wasted your time.” “Just tell me how I’m supposed to beat Sombra without killing him. I can’t figure it out.” I said. “Why do you want to take him alive?” asked Chrysalis. “Wouldn’t it be easier to kill him?” “Easy is not always best.” said Discord. “I see you took my words to heart. If you want Sombra taken alive, perhaps a spell will help you thrive.” “Not your best rhyme, Discord, but I appreciate the advice. Do you think I can do it or is this a unicorn job?” I asked. “I’m sure you have the power. Just concentrate on positive things and funnel it through your hands. It should cleanse him of his evil.” “Thanks for the tip.” I said. Directing my attention to Chrysalis, I said, “You need to get out. I told Twi not to kill you, but if she sees you… I don’t know how much authority I’ll have.” “Silver Rift, as Queen of changelings, I have to say that I do not need your help nor your pity.” she said smugly. “But off the clock?” “Thanks. I will bid you adieu.” said Chrysalis. She burst into flames and disappeared. “Well. I guess we just have to worry about Sombra.” I said. “Can you give me a ride?” “Of course.” he said, stepping up to me. He reached forward with his eagle hand and flicked me in the forehead. My vision blurred for a second and when I could see again, there was a changeling standing in front of me. I smacked him in the neck with my sheath, knocking him out. “Way to join us.” said Fluttershy. “We thought you’d gotten yourself killed again.” “Where is everypony?” I asked. “They’re out fighting. Did you figure out how to beat Sombra without killing him?” “Yeah. Let’s get him.” I said. Without warning, I felt a hand clasp my shoulder. I turned to face Fluttershy, who threw me against the ground. She dropped to her knees and punched me in the face. Raising her sword, she stabbed it down at my face. I leaned to the side and shoved her off. She jumped up and stared me in the face with her deep, red eyes. “Shit.” I said as she jumped back onto me. She hit me in the throat, causing me to cough. With a swing of the leg, I kicked her in the back knocking her off me again. I decided to take advantage this time and jumped to my feet. I transformed into Silver Rift and extended my palm. I concentrated on happy things, my friends and family, Equestria and Fluttershy. I mentally shoved forward, blasting her with the positive energy I’d been storing. She fell over and closed her eyes tiredly. “I was hoping she’d at least wound you before you fixed her. Oh well.” said Sombra, appearing out of nowhere. “My mother used to say to me ‘If you want something done right, murder the guy yourself’. I’m paraphrasing, of course.” “What have you done to her?” I asked angrily. “Don’t you pull that righteous anger thing on me. What’s next? You’re gonna start screaming for Rachel?” “Sombra, you’ve killed me, hurt my friends and my city, and pretty much ruined my life, but the one thing you don’t do is mess with Fluttershy!” I screamed, rushing at him. I jumped and punched at his face. He blocked it and threw me down. I swung my leg and tripped him to the ground. I lunged on him and punched him in the chest. I scrambled to my hooves and brung my hoof down on Sombra’s head. He turned into a wisp of black smoke and passed right through me. I twirled around and punched him in the stomach. I was shocked to see that I hit Twilight. “Twi!” I screamed. “Are you ok?” “How could you?” she asked, dropping to her knees. Buried in her midsection was the hilt of a sword, dripping blood. She hit the ground and burst into black smoke. “What the hell?” I asked. “How did that happen?” “Stupid, simple, Silver Rift. I thought you would be able to see through my tricks. Don’t you know that I can make you see whatever I want? Like your deepest fears.” he growled. Black smoke enveloped me, blinding me. After a second the smoke disappeared, revealing the dark basement that I was suddenly in. Basement was a very flattering term, considering the fact that I could barely move my arms. Oh no. Nononononono! I never did well in tight spaces. I began to breathe raggedly, fear filling my body. “No!” I shouted. “Somepony, anypony, please! I need help! Get me out of here!” Slowly, out of the wall melted snakes, 10 feet long and thicker than my arms. The one thing I feared more than tight places is… snakes. “PLEASE!” I called, tears streaming down my face. “I NEED HELP!” “Ssssilver Rift.” hissed one of the snakes. It reared it’s ugly head, revealing dark red eyes. “Sssso afraid. Claustrophobia and Ophidiophobia? Ssssso sssscared. What elssse do you fear?” Suddenly, I was on a platform, a thousand feet up, surrounded by all of my friends. “Oh, thank GOD!” I said. “That was terrible! Where are we?” “Getting away from you, faggot.” said Robert angrily. “What are we even doing here?” “No clue.” said Isaiah. “Let’s bounce. His faggotness is starting to rub off.” They walked off the platform, disappearing from my vision. “What was that?” I asked. “What happened?” “They probably didn’t want to get blood on their clothes.” said Pinkie evilly. I noticed that her hair was straight and covered in blood. “Do be careful with him, Miss Pinkamena. I would like to use his skin for a new dress.” said Rarity. “These cupcakes of your’s better be good, Pinkamena.” said Applejack. “Ah’m starvin.” “And try not to eat any before the batch is finished.” chimed Twilight. “Last time you baked, you ate half of it raw. And don’t forget that I get to inspect his skeleton.” “Just hurry up.” said Rainbow Dash. “I have better things to do.” “Don’t rush me.” said Pinkamena, stepping towards me. She pulled out a short, rusty scalpel and stuck it in my chest. “But maybe you guys are right. I should pick up the pace.” “What are you doing?!” I shouted, dropping to my knees. “I’m making snacks. My friends are getting restless, so perhaps I should cut to the chase!” she giggled, stabbing me with each syllable. I got to my hooves and ran to the edge of the platform. I looked down and saw a straight drop into nothing, I turned back around and was face-to-face with Fluttershy. “Aww, look at how hopeful you look.” she said, in mock-adoration. “You think that I’m going to save you.” She turned and swung her tail seductively, hitting me in the nose. She looked completely normal except a thousand times more beautiful in everyway. I don’t understand how it was possible, but it was. “Please. Help me, Fluttershy!” I cried. “Save me!” “Why would I do that?” she asked, turning back to face me. “Because I love you?” I tried. “Ha! I hope you’re not deluded with the idea that I feel the same.” she laughed, pushing against me. “I thought we were getting close.” I said, filled with terror. “Was I wrong?” “Yes, yes you were. Did you really think that I could ever love somepony as worthless as you? Don’t make me laugh.” “You… don’t love me?” I asked quietly. “What did I just now say about making me laugh? Wanna save us all the time and off yourself?” she said. She shoved forward, knocking me off the platform. I fell through the air, screaming all the way. “Hello.” said Sombra, falling through the air next to me. “Listen, there’s not much time. You will hit the ground in fifteen seconds. There is no way for you to survive, and if you hit the ground you will be in pain until you die. You can also put a bullet in your skull, much quicker, less painful. Go ahead. Make a choice.” “Again with the ultimatums! Why can’t shit be straightforward with you?! I can’t make decisions! I need my… friends.” I said. “Friends. Friends! Those were my friends! They would never do that! You told me that you could show me my worst fears. That’s what this is! You’re messing with my head. If I concentrate I can break this!” “No! You are not surviving twice!” shouted Sombra. “Yes I am! I just have to think for a second. If I can just focus, maybe I can see through the bullshit!” I blinked hard and was back next to Fluttershy with my gun against my head. My friends huddled around me with looks of worry on their faces. “What happened?!” shouted Robert. “Put down the gun! We can talk through this! Suicide is not the answer.” “What? I’m not trying to kill myself. It was a trick. Sombra almost got me, too.” I said, wiping my face. Wait a second… “Get back! Get away from me!” “What is it?!” asked Isaiah. “Are you alright?” “Nothing is real! Everything is a lie!” I screamed, backing away. “All of this is a Sombra mind trick! None of you are real! Come out and fight me like a stallion, Sombra! What are you? A pussy?!” “Angry, are we?” said Sombra, stepping out of the ground. “I’m the only pony here who deserves to be angry. I killed you… twice!” “Come here, Sombra!” shouted Robert angrily. “None of that! Shield up!” shouted Sombra, throwing his hooves up. A dome of dark purple energy surrounded me, Sombra, and Fluttershy’s unconscious body. “Aaaaaaagh!” shouted Robert, running into the dome. PCHEWM! He flung backwards onto his back, moaning in pain. Lowering his arms, Sombra ripped out his sword and pointed it towards me. “You wanted to fight me? Well, have at thee!” he said, lunging at me. I jumped back, just barely avoiding the tip of his black sword. I fumbled for my sword, getting it out just in time to block another jab. I deflected his next jab and sliced at his ribs. My sword passed right through his midsection, leaving my sword faintly smoking. Of course it did. Just what I needed: an enemy that I couldn’t touch. “Shit!” I said, slicing at his knee. Still nothing. “Fight fair, Sombra! You prick!” “You wanted to fight, so I gave you a fight. You should have learned the choreography before you came to tango!” laughed Sombra, slashing me in the shoulder, cutting me shallowly. I slashed at his ribs, once again to no avail. What would it take to hurt this guy? “Silver.” moaned Fluttershy from the floor. “Don’t give up. You can do this. I have faith in you.” “Shut up!” shouted Sombra. He aimed his hand at Fluttershy and launched a wave of purple energy at her, throwing her against the wall of the dome. She crashed to the ground with a groan. “Sombra!” I shouted, aiming my hand at him. I concentrated hard on everything I loved. I thought of all my friends, especially Fluttershy, and willed it forward. This wave was different from the other. While the first one was invisible, this time I watched a tendril of grey energy fly and connect with Sombra’s chest. “AHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed, his body glowing blinding white. He rose in the air, his body changing from a dark gray to pure white. His mane shifted from black to white, and his eyes became a gentle hazel. His fanged teeth retracted and he fell to the ground. I had done it! “Sombra!” I shouted warily, running towards him. I reached down and helped him up. “Get up, ya big lug.” “I feel… good.” he said, rising to his hooves. He pulled out his sword and pointed it towards me. “On your knees. I would like to knight you.” I dropped to my knees and bowed my head, remembering that he is, technically, a king. He reached to the sides and lowered the shield, then gestured for my friends to join us. I can’t believe it. It worked! All of my friends, even Fluttershy, bowed on one knee to be knighted. He placed the blade gently on my shoulder. He raised it high above his head and brought it down, burying it in my shoulder. Lightning fast, he swung his arms around, blasting my friends with magic. I fell to the ground, shocked and in pain. “Did you really think that would work?” laughed Sombra. “Such a weak spell could never touch me!” “How?… It didn’t work?” I asked stupidly. “Of course not! Luna couldn’t beat me, Celestia didn’t beat me, not even Chrysalis could beat me! I am invincible! I’m a god! I’m a-” he said, getting cut off by Chrysalis, who had kicked him in the face with all her might. He dropped to the ground, shocked at the turn of events. Chrysalis pulled out a set of handcuffs and confined Sombra, kicking him in the face for good measure. “You’re a self-indulgent piece of shit, that’s what you are!” she screamed. “Go ahead, just try to phase out! Soul-binding handcuffs, bitch!” “Chrysalis.” I groaned. “Why?” “Just trying to be a true, true friend.” she said, turning around. “It’s not going to happen again.” “Thanks.” I moaned. “I thought I was a goner there.” “Farewell, Silver Rift. If you don’t mind, I have to go find food for my people.” she said bitterly. “Wait!” I said, gears in my head turning. “I think I have a solution!” I got to my hooves and pulled out Lunar. I trotted over to Sombra’s fallen body and put the barrel against his head. “How?!” shouted Sombra angrily. “How did you win?!” “Friendship.” I said simply. “Enough with this ‘friendship’ bullshit! What does that even mean?! What is friendship in relation to this?!” “Don’t you know? Friendship is Magic, bitch!” I said, pulling the trigger. I laughed as my bullet past over his head, him crying out in fear. “Oh, shut up, Sombra. You really think I would waste all that time trying to take you alive, just so I could kill you?” “What is this solution of your’s, Silver?” asked Chrysalis impatiently. “Help me fly up above the buildings.” I said. Turning my attention to the rest of my friends, I continued. “You guys will need to get up too.” “Here. I got this.” said Conjure. He threw his hands down towards the ground, raising a chunk of earth high above the rooftops. He pointed his index finger at me and said, “Megaphone?” “Thanks.” I said, my voice magically magnified 1000x it’s normal volume. I ripped the sword out of my shoulder, thinking it would hurt less than leaving it in. I was wrong. “People of Earth!” I said to the ground. “You have no need to worry. I am aware that you are probably scared of what happened, so I am here to explain to you. I am Christian Michael Brookes. These are my friends Isaiah Simmons and Robert Thompson. The girls behind me are the Mane Six and Queen Chrysalis, from My Little Pony. Now, I know some of you are saying to yourselves ‘What is this nutcase talking about?’. To these people, I say ‘Shut up, I’m not done.’ Yes, they are fictional characters in this world, but they have their own world where, until recently, they have been living happily. Until King Sombra, Sunset Shimmer, Discord and the woman behind me got together to fight against Princess Celestia. Sunset Shimmer was killed a long time ago and Discord has decided to drop out of the battle. Why? Because he did not appreciate the way Sombra pressured Chrysalis to kill Celestia. Through a long series of events, Twilight Sparkle is in charge of all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.” I looked at Twilight, who blushed in pride and, to tell you the truth, looked about ready to vomit. Turning back to the ground, I noticed that I had a group of people congregating around the ground we were above. “Not more than an hour earlier, King Sombra began terrorizing the town, with the help of Chrysalis.” I continued. “A minute ago, we defeated Sombra. He will no longer be hurting anyone. Now there’s just Chrysalis, the woman standing directly behind me. Why isn’t she cuffed or dead, you ask? Simply because she didn’t ask for this. Queen Chrysalis is the queen of the changelings, a shape-shifting race that feeds on love. Lately, her people have been starving. So she did what any good leader would do: fight to her dying breath, trying to provide for her subjects. Now, I won’t lie. She has done some things that are morally questionable at best, but simply because she had no other option. Princess Celestia understood this, I understand this, and I expect you to understand. If it wasn’t for Chrysalis, I’d be dead on the ground and Sombra would be wiping out humanity. She is not a bad person. Now, why am I telling you all this? So I can teach you how to prevent this from happening again.” “What are you talking about?” asked Chrysalis. “Changelings feed on love, so I’m going to create enough excess love so that they can eat and live happily. I can open passageways from Earth to their world of Equestria. I am going to open one and allow ponies from Equestria to go to Earth, and humans on Earth to go to Equestria. You will be able to travel to a whole new world for the price of bus fare, but only on one condition: You will not hate each other. Everyone will feel love for one-another or else this will happen again. Only next time, I won’t be so quick to help. So, I beg you, go find your enemies and give them a hug. Love them simply for being a human being. Forgive them for how they’ve wronged you and beg that they do the same. Love and Harmony will reign over Earth. Tell your friends, spread the message. We will be a loving species, because everyone here will heed my words. No one is innocent. I have two people I need to forgive myself. So, I will say it once more, then I’m going to get down and seek medical attention before I bleed out. Harmony and forgiveness will be your savior. Just love and tolerate everyone you meet.” I finished, stumbling woozily. I put my finger against my throat and looked at Conjure hopefully. He pointed at me once more, lowering my voice to normal volume. “Nice work Silver.” said Twilight. “I think you sent a message that will be remembered forever.” “Thanks.” I said, pressing my hand against my wound, to slow the bleeding. “How did you guys do? During the fight?” “We came, we saw…” began Robert. “We kicked some ass!” finished Pinkie Pie. They laughed, then kissed ferociously. Isaiah grabbed Twilight and followed Robert’s example. “Have you no shame?” said Rainbow Dash, grabbing Applejack. She leaned forward and kissed her lovingly. Huge shocker. I stumbled towards Fluttershy, hoping to get some first-aid. What I received was her lips pressed against mine. “All of you are so lucky! You have your true loves right here, while I have to go all the way to Ponyville for mine!” said Rarity, slightly grumpily. “I have to go let Spike know how I feel.” “Not that I didn’t enjoy that,” I said, breaking away from Fluttershy. “But I’m seriously about to pass out from blood loss.” “You can have bandages or another kiss.” joked Fluttershy. “Bleeding out isn’t such a bad way to go.” I said with a smile.
BulliesI walked down the street for 5 minutes until I reached the bus stop. I could have walked downtown, but I was feeling lazy. I waited for the #7 bus, which wouldn’t take too long. My urban city had amazing public transportation. Sure enough, I was paying for the bus about 3 minutes later. I sat down as near to the back as I could. After about 4 stops, I got off the bus. Turning to my right, I walked down the semi-busy street until I was in front of a humble building with a large neon Jackson’s sign. My home away from home. The door opened with a ring and I was met with a fist in the right arm. WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Again and again I was decked in the arm. After 19 blows, it stopped. I turned to see my boss, friend, and father-figure, Mr. Jackson, bald and aproned, staring me in the face. He smiled then brung me in for a hug. “Ow!” I said. “What was that for?” “It’s your birthday, son! Your generation doesn’t seem to understand the concept of birthday punches.” said Mr. Jackson. “I understand the concept, but why did you hit me 19 times?” I replied irritably. “One for good luck.” he said with a grin. “What are you doing here?” “I never go to school on the last day. I find it pointless.” “But why did you come here? You should have gone out, saw a movie. Ya know, splurge. You’re young and you have a job. What is it you kids say again? YALO?” “It’s Y.O.L.O, sir.” I said, aware he screwed up on purpose. He was in his forties and wasn’t oblivious to the world. “I just felt like coming in today. I still need to work off my debt.” “Christian Michael Brooks. You don’t owe us anything. Understand this. You don’t have to be here today if you don’t want to.” He and Mrs. Jackson kept saying I didn’t owe them anything, but I really do. I have no idea what would have happened if they didn’t let me move in. After I ran away from home, I was lost, no clue on what to do. The Jacksons, who were close family friends, allowed me to move in for no rent and gave me a job. I moved out about two years after that when Isaiah and Robert felt like moving out of their respective homes. We moved in a nice, decent sized apartment, and split the rent 3 ways. I’m still trying to pay the Jacksons back for the support, love and the rent I would have had to pay. “It’s alright, Mr. J. I didn’t have anything to do today besides wait for Isaiah and Rob to get home from school. Might as well do something worthwhile.” I said. But something wasn’t quite right. It was a little too quiet. “Wait. Where’s Mrs. J and Sarah?” I asked, looking around for his red headed wife and daughter. Not that I felt they should be bowing down to me, but I was kinda used to Mrs. Jackson chatting with me as if I was a normal person. And my mornings were never complete until their 15 year old daughter Sarah hit on me. She would say something smooth and casanova-ish, I would shoot her a look of fake attraction and her dad would fake threaten me that if I touched his daughter he’d get his shotgun, then we’d all laugh. “Sarah went to nationals today. Her mother decided, under my persuasion, to accompany her.” he replied. Sarah was a master gymnast, the best I’ve ever seen. It was no question that she deserved to go to a national competition. “Later tonight she’ll call you though.” “Cool, cool.” I say nonchalantly. “Well, let me go hang up my hoodie, then I’ll get working.” I walked to the backroom, put my phone, keys and hoodie in my locker, then grabbed an apron off of a nearby hook. If it was just me and Mr. J today, we’d have our work cut out for us. I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a rag, and began to wash the few dirty dishes from last night’s dinner service. When I was done there, I made sure the salt and pepper shakers were all full, neatened up the tables and went back to the kitchen to knead some dough. We made everything we could from scratch. When I finished there, I walked upstairs to the roof, where we had our vegetable garden. I grabbed a basket and began picking the various veggies; Eggplant, tomatoes, corn, and peppers. My basket full, I walked back to the kitchen to wash off the ingredients. By this time, a few people were trickling in. I grabbed my notepad and pen, walked over to each table, and took orders. It wasn’t much, only three people at this early hour. I prepared their meals, 2 eggplant parmesan and our three-bean vegetarian chili. When everything was perfect, I brung them their food with a smile. Those were the only customers we had for a while. I wasn’t worried. It was only noon. We got the most business later at night anyway. It wasn’t until 1:30 did we get our next customers. I heard the familiar jingle of the door and rushed out of the kitchen, ready to take their order. I got to their table and, staring at my notepad, said the routine line: “Welcome to Jackson’s, the only completely vegetarian restaurant in town! May I take your order?” “Yes. I’ll have the bacon cheese burger, the meatloaf with a side of beef gravy and the fried chicken.” said none other than Robert. He always said that when he ate here. He thought it was funny. It kinda was. “Hey Rob.” I said. “What are you doing here?” “Lunch.” he said simply. “Ok. Well, what will you have?” “Get me a slice of that veggie pizza with the goat cheese.” he said. “Ok. Lucky for you, a pie should be coming out in a minute. Drink?” I replied, still in full waiter mode. “Diet root beer, if you would.” said Robert, checking his phone. “Anything else?” I ask. “Hold on. Our dear friend Isaiah Simmons is still trying to decide what he wants.” he said. His phone went off. Checking it, he said, “He said to get him one of those cucumber and watercress sandwiches. He has a soda at school, so don’t worry.” “Got it. Your pizza will be out in a second and then I’ll put together a sandwich for Simmons.” I said, walking to the kitchen. I pulled the pizza out of the oven. I took the time it would take to cool to fill up a glass with root beer for Robert and make a sandwich for Isaiah. I put Isaiah’s food in a take-home container, cut a slice of pizza out for Robert, plated it and brought it out for him. Setting his food down in front of him, I pulled up a chair. “Mr. J! I’m on break!” I yelled over my shoulder. “So what’s up?” I said, turning my attention to Robert. “How come Isaiah didn’t come?” “He’s studying to try to get in that fancy-schmancy medical college.” said Robert, pizza in his mouth. “I told him to relax, but he was like, ‘Noooo. I gotta study. I gotta do well and become a doctor, nyaah nyaah nyaah.’” “Cut him some slack. He’s just trying to make something of himself.” I replied. “I think it’s kinda cool that he can even understand that crap.” “I still think he’s crazy, but to each their own. That reminds me. We are going to that concert tonight. Make sure you’re home by 8:00 because that’s when we leave.” “Tears of Plague plays tonight?” I asked. They were my favorite band. “Yeah and we’re going. Be home by 8 or we will call the cops and report you missing.” said Robert, checking his phone once more. “Oh, crap! I gotta go if I wanna get yearbooks. See ya Chris.” He got up from the table, dropping a twenty dollar bill in my hand. “Later Rob.” I said, walking back to the register to put the money away. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I only had a couple more customers before the dinner service at 7. “Chris. Come over here.” called Mr. J from the backroom. I walked to the back room, curious as to what he wanted. I walk in the breakroom and see my boss standing in front of my locker. “Yeah, Mr. J?” I asked, eager to start the service. “What is it?” “A few things, actually. First off, Sarah called. She told me to wish you happy birthday. Second, you are going to stop calling me Mr. Jackson. You’re a man now. Call me Harrold or call me nothing. Understand?” “Yes, Mr. J… erm, I mean Harrold.” I said. That’s going to be a hard habit to break, I thought. “Anything else?” “Yeah. The last thing I want you to do is go home. It’s your birthday. You should be out with your friends, celebrating. So, you are going to hang up your apron, get your stuff, and go home. Got it?” “B-but…” I said protesting. “No buts. Go home. You’ll thank me later.” “Are you sure you can handle it?” I asked worriedly. “I’ve been running this restaurant since before you were born. I’m sure I can handle one dinner service. Now. Go. Home.” “Alright, alright, If it makes you feel better, I’ll leave. But I’m coming in early tomorrow.” I said boldly. “If you say so. Just have fun.” replied my boss. I opened my locker, grabbed my stuff, and left. I still had an hour before we would leave for the concert, so I decided to wander town. I walked all over town, past cafes and pharmacies, with no real direction. I just let my mind wander as I walked. After a few minutes, my mind told me to stop. I looked up, and I saw my mother’s house. Way to go, brain, I thought to myself, You brung me to the one place I don’t want to be. Fantastic. I stood in front of the house for a minute, deciding whether or not I should go in. Why would she want to see me?, I thought, She made it very clear she doesn’t approve of me. I thought back to the day I ran away. My mom couldn’t deal with my being a brony, so she pestered me about it, trying to get me to stop. She called me everything in the book, until one day, I had enough. I told her to leave me alone, or she would lose a son. She chose the latter. She doesn’t want me, I said in my mind, And I don’t want her. I turned tail and walked away, trying to forget about it. I walked a few steps and was met with a fist in the ribs. “What’s up, faggot ass broony?” said some unknown thug. At least, he was unknown for a second. There are only two people I know who pronounce ‘brony’ as ‘broony’. I didn’t expect to have to deal with them today. “Mathew. What do you want?” I asked, trying to get breathe back into my lungs. “Me and Pat heard it was your birthday and we wanted to see what faggot broony things you got. Not to mention we wanted to give you your present.” said my biggest bully, pulling out a squirt gun. “Oh-no. Last time you guys brung out squirt guns, I smelled like cat piss for a week.” I said, stepping backwards. I had an agreement of sorts with Matt and Pat. They would mock me and beat me up, I would say something sarcastic that their low I.Q.s couldn’t understand, I’d run and we’d meet back up the next day to repeat the cycle. “No. Not piss this time.” said Pat. “Wanna see what it is though?” He squirted me with whatever substance was in the gun, drenching my hoodie. I sniffed the liquid, and the smell made me a little light headed. No. Nononono. They did not do that. I must be losing my mind, because I swear to god that they sprayed me with bleach. “Was that bleach?” I asked, trying to regulate my breathing. I was normally a calm person, but they finally went too far. “Did you jack-offs just spray me with bleach?” “Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?” said Pat threateningly. “What you ass-holes fail to realise is that the reason I don’t fight you back isn’t fear or physical limitations. It is ideals. I feel words carry more weight. So I normally take your beatings and retort something to make me feel better. If I wanted to, like I do know, I could kick your asses in a second. You have one chance. Apologize.” I said, anger welling in my voice. “Yeah, right. As if you could even touch us you gay-ass broony.” said Mat. “Just try touching us and see what happens brawny. Or do you not have the ba-”, Pat’s sentence was cut off by my fist colliding his jaw. I pulled my fist back and released all my energy into his ribs. I took my right foot, pulled it back and rammed it in Pat’s stomach. “What was that about me not having balls? And by the way, it’s brony. Brony. Not broony you idiots. If your gonna pick on me do it right.” I would have said more, but a sharp pain ran through my side. I turned around to see Mat pulling his hand back away from me. I looked down and saw a knife wedged in my body. I forgot about Matt!, I screamed at myself, brain going fuzzy. I ran past them, trying my hardest to get away. My vision grew blurry and my footsteps slowed. NO! I am not going to die here, too these jerkbags! I thought. I booked it through the streets, staring at the concrete the whole way. I took one wrong step, stumbled and fell. POMF! My face fell into dirt. I looked up, taking in all the sudden greenery around me. Grass and plants everywhere. Where the hell am I?, I thought to myself. Nice place to die. Then the world faded into blackness and I saw no more.
EquestriaThe pain in my side and head is what woke me up. Opening my eyes, I saw… nothing but fuzz. My contacts were dried out. I needed to get my saline solution. I got up and began to walk to my bathroom. As soon as I stood up, a wave of nausea swept over me. I sat down quick, trying to regain control of my stomach. After a few seconds, I stood back up, convinced I would hold onto whatever I had eaten recently. Standing up, I was able to tell immediately this wasn’t my home. “Where am I?” I asked no one. What happened? How did I get here? I racked my brain, trying to put the pieces together. Suddenly, I remembered. “Mathew.” I said to myself. “He stabbed me. Wait a second.” I looked down and, for the first time, realised I was shirtless. Looking at the right side of my body, I saw a bloody bandage wrapped across my ribs. Someone patched me up. “Hello? Is anyone home?” I called. “Anyone? How did I get here? Please help me!” “Oh. You’re awake.” called a quiet, feminine voice behind me. “I was worried for a while. I’ve never seen anything like you before, so I had no clue what to do for you. I just stitched you up, which was enough I guess.” Never seen anything like me before? That was certainly an odd thing to say. “Well, thank you very much for the help, but I still need you for something. I can’t see.” I replied, turning to try to make out who this woman was. From my blurred vision, I could see that she was a bit curvaceous. She wore a yellow sweater and grey sweatpants. She had pink hair, parted to one side. She was incredibly tall, a little over 6 feet. The strangest thing about her was her skin. It seemed to be yellow. “Oh no! You went blind! I must have done something wrong! Please forgive me! I’m so sorry, I just couldn’t leave you there on the edge of the forest. Who knows what would have happened to you?” she said, flustered and panicked. “Nonono. I’m not blind. My contacts are just dried. Do you have any saline?” I asked. “Oh thank goodness. Here, I have some right here.” she said, handing me a small bottle. I dropped a couple drops into each eye, blinking hard after. It wasn’t until then did I process what she said. “Wait. You found me by a forest?” I asked confused. “Yes. What happened to you?” she replied, genuine worry in her voice. “How did I get by a forest?” I said, ignoring her question. “I guess I’m not in Kansas anymore.” “Kansas? What’s Kansas? Is that the name of your kingdom?” she said interested. “What? No. It’s a joke. And what do you mean kingdom?” I said, vision finally returning. Now I can see who this dane is and go home, I thought. Taking a good look at her for the first time, I saw that her eyes were a beautiful cyan. Her face was breathtaking, albeit a little horse-like in structure. Her face even protruded out a little, almost like a muzzle. Her skin was definitely yellow, but upon further inspection, was covered in some sort of fur. “What’s your name? I like to know the people I owe my life to.” I said, trying to figure out who she looked like. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was… “My name is Fluttershy.” she said quietly. “Come off it. Seriously, what’s your name?” I said dubiously. “I’m Fluttershy. Did you want someone else?” she replied, insecurity filling her already scared voice. “It’s cool you’re a pegasister, but I want to know your actual name. The one your parents gave you.” “Pegasister?” she inquired. “I don’t have a sister, but I am a pegasus.” Taking my breath away, she spread out wings, big yellow wings. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you? I’ve never seen any creature like you.” “Y-y-you have wings.” I stuttered. “You have honest-to-goodness wings.” I walked around to her back and almost tripped over her pink tail. I touched her right wing, feeling the feathers against my hand. “What forest did you say you found me in again?” “The Everfree Forest. Not the best place to take a nap.” she said. “I was in the Everfree Forest?” she nodded. “So now I’m in your cottage? In Equestria?” She nodded once more, perplexed at my confusion. “Ok, Chris. Logical explanation time.” I said, more to myself than anybody, as I sat down in a nearby chair. “First explanation: I’m dreaming. That would explain why I couldn’t remember what happened with Matt. But I would have had to have seen this before in order to dream about it, so that’s out. Second explanation: I’ve lost my mind and I’m in an asylum. That has the same problems as the dream. I’d have had to have seen this before. Third: This is a cruel joke. The only people who would do this are Matt and Pat. They don’t have the money or the knowledge of Equestria to pull this off. Plus, Matt wouldn’t have stabbed me, he’d have knocked me out. Final, and least likely, explanation: Somehow, I made it to Equestria. So, I’m in Equestria when I shouldn’t be. Who do I go to? Ah-ha!” My argument with myself over, I turned to the woman calling herself Fluttershy. “Can you take me to see Twilight Sparkle?” I asked. “How do you know Twilight? From what it sounds like, you’ve never been to Equestria before.” she asked. “Let’s just say I’ve heard a lot of it. I’m basically a citizen.” I said, dodging the question. “Did you happen to recover my hoodie?” “Yes, but I’m sorry to tell you it’s ruined. Covered in bleach and your blood, I’m afraid.” Fluttershy said, pointing to the mess that used to be my hoodie. The mane and wings ripped off, and you couldn’t see anything other than a yellow mess. If I ever got home, I would murder those two scumbags. Fluttershy seemed to be working up courage to ask me something. “I’ve told you my name, now will you tell me your’s?” “Saying my real name might cause some complications.” I said, racking my brain to come up with an alias. Suddenly, something came to me. “So you can just call me Silver Rift.” “That’s an interesting name. Why do you want to go see Twilight?” asked Fluttershy. She seemed genuinely interested. I felt really bad about concealing information from her, but I had no choice. If I told her my name, I’d have to tell her where I came from, then I’d have to tell her how I know of Equestria. I would think that hearing that thousands, maybe millions, of people watch your life unfold would freak oneself out. Lying was definitely the best course. “She might be able to help shed light on how I got here and how I can get back home.” I answered. “Would it be too much to ask for you to bring me there?” “Of course not. I have to go return Twilight’s book on mythical creatures anyway. I think we should go around Ponyville to get to the library. Ponies might stare at you.” replied Fluttershy. “Whatever you say is best, Fluttershy. Hold on. Do you have my shirt?” I asked. “Yes. It was ripped from the knife, so I sewed it up. It’s right here.” she said, holding up my black t-shirt. She tossed it to me. I caught it and put it on. It kinda hurt my side to put on my shirt, but I got over it. Getting to my feet, I take last look around the cottage. “So, can we go?” I asked, ready to get answers. “Yes. Come on, we are leaving through the back door. Follow me.” she said, turning around and walking to to her back door. I followed behind her, mesmerised by the swinging of her tail. Swish-swish. It was really distracting. Stop staring Chris, I yelled to myself, It’s not cool. “How exactly did you end up with that nasty wound?” asked Fluttershy, snapping me out of my stupor. “I had a… disagreement… with a guy. I may have kicked his friend in the stomach. When my back was turned, he stabbed me. He probably thinks I’m dead.” I said, wondering how Mat was dealing with my sudden disappearance. I hope he feels horrible. He probably will, after Robert finds out. Fluttershy led me through the brush of the forest. We didn’t go in too far, just enough so that no-pony would see me. I looked around, taking in the beauty of the forest. I looked to the left and right, trying to capture every single detail I could. Not looking where I was walking, I ran into something. Crash! I fell to the ground on my butt, dazed and confused. Rubbing my head, I looked around for whatever I ran into. Looking directly ahead of me, I saw a figure of pink in a pink shirt and skirt. A little shorter than Fluttershy, her hair (I mean mane) was puffy and pink, like cotton candy. A bit on the plump side, she had the happiest smile I’ve ever seen. She looked at me and gasped. “OhmygoshwhoareyouareyounewtoPonyvillemyname’sPinkiePieareyougoingtoseeTwilightcanIcome?” she said quickly. “I’m Silver Rift, yes I’m new to Ponyville, hello Pinkie, it’s nice to meet you, we are indeed going to see Twilight and you can come if you don’t tell anypony about me.” I replied. I took that moment to realise that I just responded to a stream of speech from Pinkie perfectly. Just the little things. “How long are you staying?” asked Pinkie as we continued walking. “I dunno.” I said. “It depends on what Twilight says. If I can stay here, I will for as long as I can.” “Where are you from?” said Pinkie with a smile. “Can’t tell you. It’s a secret. It might destroy the universe or something.” I replied. “Ooooh. That sounds cool. Are you sure you can’t tell me?” “Not until I ask Twilight her opinion.” “Well, that can be arranged, considering we are here.” said Fluttershy. I looked up and saw a big tree, with windows and doors and balconies. Twilight’s library in all of it’s majesty. “We got here fast.” I said, marveling at our speed. “ Time sure flies when you’re having fun. One of you should probably knock. She doesn’t know me.” Pinkie Pie jumped at the opportunity and pounded on the door. “Coming!” called a voice from inside. I heard some shuffling and a few seconds later, the door flung open. In the doorway stood a lavender-haired unicorn… mare? I guess they are technically ponies. Yeah. Ponies. She had a straight-cut purple mane with pink highlights. She had on a button down blue blouse. She was a lot thinner than Pinkie and a bit taller than Fluttershy. Twilight stood in her doorway, reading a book. Not looking up, she said, “Hey, guys. What’s up?” “We made a new friend!” said Pinkie. “He’s not from Equestria and he needs your help!” “What are you talking about Pinkie? Who’s not from Equestria?” asked Twilight, looking up from her book. Looking around at us, she stopped on me. “What is that thing!?” “This thing has a name, ya know?” I said, displeased by this less than warm welcome. “Oh, my. You can talk! So sorry, I can be a bit scatter-brained when it comes to creatures I’ve never seen before. What is your name?” said Twilight apologetically. “I can’t tell you.” I said sheepishly. “Just call me Silver Rift for now.” “Why can’t you tell me your name?” she asked. “It’s… complicated. The only thing that really matters is that I am not from Equestria and I need to get home.” I said, carefully selecting my words. “Where are you from? If I can get some information on your world, I may be able to help.” said Twilight with anticipation. “Er… I probably shouldn’t tell you that either. I have no clue what is dangerous to let slip.” I said. “Okay.” said Twilight slowly. “Can you tell me your species?” “Probably not.” I replied, aware of how stupid I must sound. “So, you want me to find out how to get you home, which is a place you won’t tell me about, while I have no information whatsoever of you, your world or your species?” she asked irritated. “More or less.” I said, growing dizzy. “I’m sorry. It’s just that… that… t-that.” “Are you ok?” asked Fluttershy softly. “Yeah. I’m fine.” I said weakly. My vision grew fuzzy and the room began to spin. “Are you sure?” asked Twilight, worry overtaking her previously annoyed voice. “Is this normal for your people?” “Not normal, no. Nothing about today is normal. I just… need to… sit down.” I said, falling to my knees. Over a loud pounding in my ears, I heard Pinkie’s gasp of concern, the ruffling of Twilight searching through a book, and Fluttershy’s gentle “Oh my!” The room began to darken, the pounding intensified, and a burning feeling ran throughout my body. What was happening? Was I dying? If I had to die anywhere, I couldn’t have picked a better place. “G’night” I hear myself say as the room disappears and I black out once more.
Flight Lessons“Come on! You’re pathetic!” yelled Rainbow Dash from the sky. “Well, excuse me, but I’ve only been a pegasus for 20 minutes!” I cried, flapping my wings pitifully to get off the ground. I had been trying to get up to Rainbow Dash, who was 10 feet in the air, for about 15 minutes. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to get more than a few feet off the ground. Rainbow was losing patience. “I was able to fly before I could walk! Even if you aren’t technically a pegasus, you’re still a disgrace! I know fillies who can fly better than you!” shouted Rainbow, obviously displeased at my inability to get off the ground. “Even Fluttershy is better and that scardey-pony will only fly if one of her precious animals are in trouble.” “Maybe if you taught me how to fly, I’d be able to do better!” I shouted angrily. I could expect no help from anypony. Only Fluttershy might’ve been able to help me, but she left with Twilight to wait for Celestia’s letter. “You can’t be taught how to fly! You either have it or you don’t. Apparently, you don’t have it! Of all the useless fliers I’ve seen in my life, you are by far the worst! If you aren’t in the air in five seconds, I’m going home, locking my door, and leaving you out in the cold!” She held up her hand, spreading out each of her fingers. “One” she said, lowering a finger. “Two.” “Don’t do this Rainbow! I need help!” I whined. I flapped some more, but still couldn’t get any real height. “Three.” She was serious! I needed to get up there. “Four.” Rainbow was right. I am pathetic. Her insults bounced around in my head, amplified 1000 times. I felt myself (and my anger) rising, getting higher and higher, until I was nose to nose with the most terrifying girl I’ve ever met. I just sat there, awkwardly in mid-air, waiting for some sort of approval. I was disappointed “Hm. You made it just in time. Don’t think you’re out of the woods, though. You still have to catch me.” said Rainbow as she zoomed away at top speed, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. How was I supposed to catch up with her?! I couldn’t quit now, though. I flew behind her, following her trail, which was fading fast. I leaned forward until my stomach was parallel to the ground, extended my arms, and flapped my wings with all my strength. The trail grew brighter and brighter. I was catching up to her! I could see why Rainbow loved flying and racing so much. The power, the adrenaline, the wind in your mane. No other way to describe it other than awesome. Simply awesome. I used this boost of adrenaline to put my wings into over-time. I flapped fast and hard, getting closer and closer. She looked back and saw I was right on her tail. Her face was priceless! Drifting to the right a little, I picked up even more speed, and was flying neck-and-neck with Rainbow Dash. “Who’s the pathetic one now?” I asked mockingly, taking my eyes off the road. Rainbow’s face went from that of shock to one of awe then to an evil smirk. “The one who’s about to run into that tree!” she yelled, pulling her nose up to ascend. Turning my eyes back in front of me, I saw a large oak tree coming right at me. I tried to stop, but realised I didn’t know how. WHAM! I collided face first with the tree. My eyes swam and warm, sticky blood dripped from my nose. I dropped to the ground, moaning faintly. When did we fly into the Everfree Forest? Why did we fly into the Everfree forest? Did she set me up to run into a tree? “Oh my gosh! Are you alright?” came a voice from the heavens. “I died, didn’t I? Oh well. Celestia, take me away.” I said drunkenly. A figure of blue flew down and came to rest to my right. “Oh no! I didn’t think you were actually dumb enough to run into that tree! Now you have brain damage or something! You’re going to die aren’t you? I can’t live with that! You actually seemed like a cool pegasus and I killed you! My life is ruined!” cried Rainbow Dash in despair. “Rainbow Dash?” I asked. She nodded, hanging on to every word. “Come closer.” She shuffled up until she was a few inches away from me. “What is it?” she sniffled, tears running down her face. “I want you to know something.” I said, breathing shallowly. “Yes? What is it? Anything, I’ll do it! You’re going to die because of me! Please let me honor your last request!” “Come in closer.” I said faintly. She put her ear a few centimeters from my mouth. “Yes?” she whispered. “You’re a jackass.” I whispered, pushing her off. I stood up relatively unharmed and quite amused at the results. Rainbow Dash was confused, relieved, and angry all at the same time. “You’re ok?!” she asked in outrage. “Yup.” I replied, grinning. “And you just let me think you were going to die?!” yelled Rainbow. Uh-oh. Perhaps angering the only pony who will give me a place to stay was a bad idea. I couldn’t help myself though! That prank was too perfect. “Yeah. You should have seen the look on your face!” “How did you fake your nose getting broken?” “I didn’t. That’s real. I actually did run headlong into a tree, just nowhere near as bad as you thought. I’ll just ask Twilight to fix my nose later.” “You ran into an oak tree at top speed just so you could prank me?” “I did it to earn your respect. It seemed to have worked. I believe you referred to me as a ‘cool pegasus’. Unless I’m mistaken.” “I-I just said that to console you. I thought you were gonna die, so I tried to make you feel better in your last moments. That’s all.” said Rainbow blushing. “Right. Shouldn’t we actually get to your house? Although I can’t fly anymore. I think I did receive a concussion. Walk me there?” I said, offering my left arm. She grabbed it, draped it across her neck, and flew, taking me in the air with her. We flew for a short moment until we were in front of a huge, ginormous cloud-house. Floating me down to the surface of the cloud, she said, “Welcome to my awesome house… of awesomeness.” She wasn’t boasting. It was pretty amazing. It was huge, at least three stories tall. It had ornate arches and beautiful detailing. The ground had some sort of rainbow liquid cascading over the side, and an actual rainbow arched over the back of the house. It was beautiful. “Whoa.” I said in awe. Rainbow stepped forward, leading me to her door. I followed her as she opened her door and entered her home. It was completely empty. There were multiple floors, but no stairs to get up there. The only real structures in her house were a television, a refrigerator, and a stove. “If you want somewhere to sit, you can just pull up some of the cloud.” said Rainbow Dash, yanking a tuft of cloud out of the ground. Planting her butt on the makeshift chair, she said, “Well? Are you gonna sit or do you need an invitation?” I followed her example, grabbed a heaping fistful or two of cloud across from Rainbow Dash, and sat down. Immediately, I sank through the ground. I fell through until I felt a hand around my ankle. “Get up here, you moron!” shouted Rainbow Dash, hoisting me up by the foot. She held me upside down, staring at me. “When you sit on a cloud, you have to let loose and become as light as the cloud in spirit. Relax a little. I swear I won’t bite.” I turned myself upright and tried to calm down. I looked at Rainbow Dash in the face. The brash angry look in her eye was gone, replaced with care and compassion. I tried again to sit down, and this time I was able to stay up. “Cool! And super comfy!” I said pleased. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it. As soon as Celestia writes back, you’re gone.” replied Rainbow, toughness in her voice once more. “Don’t you ever get lonely here? It’s a large place.” “Why do you care? Are you trying to say I don’t have any friends? If I want company, I’ll ask for company.” said Rainbow Dash grumpily. “Calm down. I just wanted to see if you were as cool as I’ve heard.” “I’m not. I’m even cooler. At least 20% cooler than you could ever be.” “Just wanted to make sure. But, really. Don’t you get lonely?” I said, refusing to drop the subject. She looked flustered for a while and finally answered with, “Sometimes. Fluttershy comes over every now and then and Scootaloo will stay with me sometimes, when she doesn’t want to be at the orphanage. I wish she’d stay over more.” “Why don’t you just ask her?” I asked. “As if she want’s to hang out with me. I mean, look at me! Since I was a filly, I’ve had a dream. I wanted to join the Wonderbolts. My whole life was wasted, trying to join a team that’ll never have me. What use does Scootaloo have for a pony who can’t join some stupid flying team?” said RD hopelessly. “Wow. And you call me an idiot. Can’t you see that Scootaloo adores you? Wonderbolt, not a Wonderbolt, captain of the Wonderbolts, banned from the Wonderbolts. It doesn’t matter to her. Just hang out with her.” “What makes you think you know so much about Scoots?” “I dunno. Sometimes words will just flow out of my mouth. I can’t always make sense out of what I say. Just ignore it.” I said with a smile. She sat there for a second, contemplating. I think it worked. “Thank you.” said Rainbow Dash, a new power in her voice. “I’m starting to like you more and more Silver Rift. It’s getting late. Yank up some cloud and hit the hay.” I made my bed (Quite literally), laid down, and fell asleep almost at once.
The Silver RiftIt was a whole week before we received word back from Princess Celestia. Not to say it was boring. The day after I transformed, I went down to Twilight’s to get my nose healed. Afterwards, Me and RD went for a joyride through town. We went to Sugar Cube Corner for a snack. When we got there, Pinkie Pie apologized for not bringing me the cake she promised. Apparently, she put confetti in the oven again and it caught fire. How exactly you set an oven on fire is beyond me. Then, we went to Applejack’s place so I could get some work. She sent me out to work in the fields and I came back to Dash’s house at the end of the day with a wallet full of bits. The next day, Dash gave me some flying lessons. That stunt I pulled when we met was simply luck and adrenaline, because the next day I could barely fly straight. She gave me some pointers, I crashed and burned a few times, and we shared a couple laughs. Eventually, Rainbow decided to include Scootaloo in on the lesson. I figured it would be best to leave them alone, so I went to Fluttershy’s cottage. She invited me in for tea, which was nice until Angel Bunny jumped up and kicked me in the eye. After that it was more of a comedy show than a dignified tea. In any case, I enjoyed my stay in Ponyville. My days were more or less like this: I’d go to work, roam Ponyville and neighboring areas with RD, we’d stop somewhere for lunch, I’d go to Flutter’s for tea, have dinner with one of the Mane 6, and Dash and I would just lay down on a cloud under the stars, just relaxing. “Silver?” asked RD on the seventh day. “Can I ask you a question?” “Go for it.” I replied. “What’s your name? Your real name?” “I told you. If I tell you, it will complicate things a lot. I wouldn’t even be able to answer all your questions.” “I know. It’s just that you seem like such a cool pony, and I want to learn more about you. I like you a lot. You make me happy.” said Dash, not thinking. “Er… Are trying to tell me something RD?” I asked awkwardly. “Not like that, stupid. I don’t trot that way.” said Dash. “Even if I did, I couldn’t come between you and Fluttershy.” “W-what are you talking about?!” I cried in outrage. “Come on. Admit it. I see the way you look at her, the way you perk up when you hear her voice. Not to mention your pomf moments!” “As if, Dashie! We’re two completely different species. And maybe I have someone at home.” “Do you?” asked Rainbow mockingly. “Maybe!” “Are you guys done flirting up there!?” called a voice from below. I looked down and saw Twilight in another nice blouse. “I just got a letter from Princess Celestia! Get your flanks down here! The train leaves in 5 minutes.” “Coming, Twi! Just chill!” said Dash, allowing herself to drop through the clouds. I followed suite, did a front flip in mid-air and landed on my hooves. I had gotten good in seven days. “You aren’t going to bring anything?” asked Twilight. “I didn’t come here with anything. What could I possibly bring with me?” I said. “Not you. Rainbow Dash. Didn’t I mention? The princess asked for all of us to come.” “I don’t have anything to bring any way. Didn’t you say we were in a rush? Let’s get going!” said RD impatiently. We left Rainbow’s home at full gallop. We made it to the train station just in time. The others were waiting for us there. We boarded the train to Canterlot, where the princess of the sun would send me home. “Ah just realised. Ya leavin tonight, ain’t ya?” said Applejack. “Yeah. Princess Celestia is probably gonna send me home as soon as we get there.” I said sadly. “Oh man! You can’t leave now! You didn’t even get to try any of my world-famous cupcakes!” exclaimed Pinkie. “Uh… that’s ok Pinkie. I will miss all of you dearly though.” I said honestly. “I will never forget you guys.” “We’ll miss you too.” whispered Fluttershy, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. “Even you Twily?” I asked mockingly. “I told you not to call me that.” said Twilight. “And yes. You peaked my interest. I would love to learn about these… Earthins?” She had been trying to get me to let slip the name of my species since she found out about Earth. Not going to happen. “Not even close. Points for creativity though.” I replied. “So what are you going to do when you get home?” asked Rarity. “I dunno. Probably prepare my funeral because my roomies are gonna murder me.” “Do you think you’ll be able to come back?” inquired RD. “Maybe. I suppose we have to ask the princess. I don’t even know how I got here. She might not even know.” We were silent for the remainder of the trip. We arrived at the castle and were ushered by a troop of guards to the castle. We entered the front door, two guards ahead and two behind, and walked through the long, straight corridors. We stopped in front of large double doors with two more guards at each side. They opened the door at the sight of Twilight, allowing us in. We entered, me at the very back of the group. The room was large, with high ceilings and large mosaic windows. At the back of the room were two thrones, with one large mare sitting in each. On the left throne was a dark blue alicorn with a starry mane. On the right was a larger white alicorn with a multi-colored mane. They both wore regal white and gold robes. The Regal Sisters. We stopped in front of them, dropped to one knee, and bowed. “Princess Celestia.” said Twilight, looking up. “This is Silver Rift. I explained to you what happened in my letter. Can you help?” “Yes. He is here because I brung him here.” said Princess Celestia. “What? Why did you bring him here?” “We need his help. He is the only one who can open Silver Rifts.” “Silver Rift is his name, princess.” said Fluttershy. “How can he open himself?” “His name is Christian Brooks and he is a human. He does not belong in this world and I took a huge risk by bringing here.” “Wait. Hold on a minute. You know who I am? And you brung me here?” I said standing up to look her in the eye. I would never be able to if she were standing. Luna had to be about 7 feet tall, and Celestia was about a head taller. “Yes Christian. I brought you to Equestria so you could help us.” “What’s this about ‘Silver Rifts’? He’s just a name I came up with for my OC.” I said, assuming she knew what I was talking about. “And why did I change to look just like him? Why did I change at all?” “Perhaps my sister should explain this.” said Celestia, handing the floor to Luna. “You were born a human. Like all natural things in this multiverse, you have a magic within you called the Shine. The Shine likes to be like the other Shines around it. So, when you came to Equestria, a marvelous thing happened. I call it the Chameleon Effect. Your Shine was exposed to other Shines of Equestria. It took in the naturally resonating energy of a Shine and told your body to change to blend in better. The reason you became your OC is because, in your heart, that’s who you wanted to be. The Shine will randomly pick a form for you, if you don’t have one in mind.” “So my life-force energy thing saw the other life-force energy things and said ‘Let’s be like them’. Ok. But why did you summon me to Equestria? I still don’t understand.” “We need your help to open Silver Rifts.” said Luna. Catching my question before it could leave my throat, she continued, “A Rift is a passageway between worlds. There are three types: White, Black, and Silver. I can open Black Rifts, which will get you where you need to go, if you can keep the world you’re leaving where it is. My Rifts suck everything into the new world, like a black hole. Tia can open White Rifts. Those are the exact opposite. They throw the destination at the area of departure. We got our magic together and made a sort of Gray Rift. You got here with minimal scarring of the fabric of the universe.” “You still didn’t tell me why you need me.” I said. “We are at war.” said Celestia. “Nopony knows this but we are. 4 of Equestria’s most powerful enemies have united to destroy both worlds. A unicorn named Sunset Shimmer, an old student of mine, Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos, Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the Changelings, and King Sombra, Lord of Shadows. I assume you know them. The show is more or less factual. Just remember, Equestria Girls never happened. It seems most humans wish that were true anyway.” “You know of MLP?” I asked. “Doesn’t offend you or fill you with discomfort?” “Of course not. In your world we are works of fiction. Why would I care what they watch? For those here who are still confused, Christian watches a television show on Earth called My Little Pony. This show follows your adventures to learn about friendship. None of that matters though. What matters is that I tell you of how I found you.” “One day, I was in the Canterlot Library, in the Starswirl the Bearded wing. I was searching for a book, when I stumbled across a prophecy. It stated that somepony from another world would, with the help of his two best friends, defend the harmony of both Equestria and his world from 4 powerful evils. At once, I started combing Earth, searching for these Defenders of Harmony. What I discovered shocked me. Humans have magic in their bodies as strong as Twilight’s was before I began teaching her. Never before have I seen so much raw power in one place. But it was strange. None of you seemed to be using it. I looked closer and saw that it was sealed in your bodies and would never be able to come undone. I couldn’t quit though. I kept looking and, eventually, stumbled across you and your friends, Isaiah and Robert. The three of you had this same power, but untapped. I began to search for a way to get you here. I discovered that there was a way to get you here safely, under a few circumstances. You had to be happy, so I picked your birthday. Then you would have had to be exposed to sadness and suffering, causing a rift between emotions. The unstable emotions would act as a two-way anchor. Your soul would be locked on Earth and in Equestria. I made you go to your mothers house, where you would have been teleported here. Those bullies almost ruined it. When you ran, I panicked and yanked you without precision. That’s how you ended up in the forest.” “What do you mean, ‘You made me’ go to my mother’s? I went there on my own free will.” I said defiantly. “Only after I placed the thought into your subconscious. If it were up to you, you would have gone straight home. Sorry for manipulating you, but it was the only way.” “You keep saying how you need me, but I don’t see it. Why didn’t you just come to Earth yourself and put a stop to this before it began?” “Think of all the worlds in this multiverse as in a circular arrangement.” said Luna. “Our worlds being side-by-side. Now, there is always energy flowing between these worlds. If it’s in a circle, the energy will only go one of two ways: Clockwise or counter-clockwise. Let’s say it flows clockwise. Traveling from your world to ours would be easy, relatively speaking, because we have to flow with energy. If we tried to go from here to there, we’d have to fight against the current of energy. Nopony is that strong” “Then what help am I?” I asked. I was still very confused. “The brilliance of Silver Rifts. They are the only true Rifts. What me and my sister opened are more like portals, but Silver are exactly what they say they are: rifts. Tears in the multiverse. Safe tears, small tears, but tears nonetheless. You can open them in either direction. Twilight and her friends will need your help once they get to Earth, whether it be to blend in or for combat. So, if you accept, you will all go to Earth, where those four are hiding. You’ll capture them and report back.” “What happens when we beat them?” “You and your friends would be the three most powerful humans in existence. You tell me.” “Princes of Earth?” I asked with a smirk. “You could, although that would be unwise. Humans don’t typically seem to listen to random people who just assert control over them.” said Celestia. “Fair point. But I could come back to Equestria if I wanted?” “You could take ponies to Earth for three days to see how many humans they could bed for all I care. As long as you defend Earth and Equestria. I will help you, of course.” “How?” I asked. “I will teach you some magic and give you some weaponry. Like these.” said Celestia, horn glowing yellow. From some back room she levitated a sheathed sword and holstered revolver. She stood up and grabbed them both, expertly handing them to me. I pulled out the sword, about 3 feet in length and one and a half in width. The blade was orange and had text engraved on each edge: Celestial. Sheathing the blade back, I pulled out the pistol, a revolver with an 8 inch long barrel. It was midnight blue up until the grip, which was black. On the barrel was the text Lunar. “The blade is made of Celestial Silver. The gun is made of Lunar Steel. They are very special weapons. If Celestial chips or cracks, sit it in a fire for 30 minutes. If something happens to Lunar, soak it in cold, pure water. They will come out good as new.” “You said you would teach me some magic. How? I’m a pegasus.” I asked. At that point, I wondered if the Mane 6 were still behind me. Don’t know why the question came to mind. “Since you are a human, you have enormous magic within you. You should be able to channel it without the use of a horn.” said Luna. “When do we start?” I was eager to begin. I figured I would go to sleep, wake up in the morning, eat some breakfast and… “Now. Luna, please show the girls to their rooms. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, if you prefer to grab a cloud from outside, you may.” said Celestia. “Alright. This way girls.” said Luna, rising up from her throne. I thought she was tall before, but know I could see she was Amazonian. She walked past me and left the room, taking the mares with her. The doors closed, and I was in the room alone with Princess Celestia. “Let’s begin. First off, maybe we should go over some basic levitation. What you do is-” “Actually, Princess Celestia, I have a concern. From what you’ve told me, we are in a hurry. We don’t really have time for this training. Is there any way for you to speed up the process?” I asked. I didn’t think there was, but I felt the need to ask. “There is a way for me to teach you nearly instantly. I can use the spell that I used to influence you on Earth, but on a larger scale. I don’t think we should, though.” “Why not? If we can train me by morning, we can leave and start fighting.” “It is going to hurt. A lot. It might even kill you.” said Celestia grimly. “I don’t care! This is important! Please Princess, just give me a chance!” I said boldly. She seemed to be thinking it over. Looking at me solemnly, she walked forward. “Alright Christian. If you are willing to take the risk, I’ll do it.” she said, reaching both arms forward. She grabbed me on either side of the face. She closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. Soon, her body was illuminated with white light. She opened her eyes once more, her pupils having disappeared and her eyes glowing white. My body filled with a fiery sensation, and my skin began to melt. Or, at least, that’s how it felt. Needles of pain exploded in my chest, growing slowly and then bursting into mini-mushroom clouds of agony. My throat grew raw from my screams of torment. After what felt like hours, it finished. I fell to the ground, breathing heavily. “ Is… that… all?” I panted. “Did it work?” “Not really. It was supposed to teach you how to do everything you needed immediately.” said Celestia, horn glowing. “From these scans, I’ve determined that it worked partially. You didn’t learn anything, but it made you more suppceptiple to learning. Certain things you attempt, you will find you are a natural at it.” “Alright. What now?” I asked, getting to my hooves. “Try to open a Rift. Take your hands and reach into the fabric of the multiverse. Then spread it open wide enough to step through.” said Celestia, stepping backwards. I extended my hands, concentrated on my world and Equestria, and clenched my fists. Then, I yanked my hands apart with all my might. The air in front of me seemed to rip open, leaving a rip of silver energy, wider and taller than me. I felt it calling to me, asking me to step inside. “How did I know to do that?” I asked, awestruck. “I told you. The spell will just give you little hints and instincts, gut feelings. Follow them. Any way, that’s all I can really do for you. I suggest getting some rest.” said Celestia, pointing to the door. “Where do I go?” I asked. “Your friend Rainbow Dash will be outside waiting to ambush you. She’ll take you where you need to go.” “Ok.” I said. I closed the Rift and walked to the door. I opened it up and stepped out. I turned to my right and was face-to-face with RD. “Come on, loser.” said Rainbow Dash, leading the way. I followed her for a while, until we came across two large clouds sitting in the middle of a hallway. “Oh my. How did these clouds get in the castle?” asked RD sarcastically. Hopping on the one on the right, she gestured for me to take the other. I sat down, waiting for the question. “What happened?” asked Dash. “The princess was going to manually teach me how to fight and stuff, but instead she put a spell on me that would give me certain instincts. She said I’ll learn things very easily. Dash, I really don’t want to talk about it. I’m going to go to sleep. If you want to know about it, ask me in the morning.” I said, laying down. For once she left well enough alone, because I fell asleep instantly.
Back to EarthI opened my eyes just in time to see Rainbow Dash kick my cloud from underneath me. In time to see, not react. I fell to the ground with a soft thud. “Oomf. What the hell?” I said angrily. “I was sleeping!” “No shit, Sherlock Hooves! I’ve been trying to wake you up for ten minutes! We were supposed to leave already!” she replied angrily. “Damn! Let’s go!” I said, getting to my feet. We ran at full gallop to the throne room. I shoved open the door, ran and slid into a bow a few feet in front of the throne next to the Mane Six. “Sorry… I’m… late… princess.” I panted. “What are you talking about? You’re right on time.” said Princess Celestia. “Is that so? Rainbow Dash and I are going to have a little talk when we get there.” I muttered under my breath. “So what now?” “I set up an abandoned house on the outskirts of town for you to use as a base. Open a Rift there and then go get your friends. The house has enough room for you to fit in comfortably, if a little snug. There is an armory and training room installed. Oh, and take this.” she said, kicking Lunar, Celestial, and a large burlap sack towards me. I opened it up to see a large pile of bits. I assumed that since gold was a natural ore it would be affected by the Chameleon Effect. “Thank you, princess. When can we leave?” “Right now, if you’re ready. Don’t forget to close the rift on the other side. Don’t want any more humans randomly walking into Equestria.” “You guys ready?” I said, turning to the mares. “Ready!” they replied in perfect unison. I stood up, grabbed my gear, and slung it over my shoulder. I reached my hands forward and ripped open a Rift. This time, I was bathed in a blinding white light. Once it subsided, I heard a gasp. “What? What happened?” I asked worriedly. Twilight simply pointed at my thigh. I looked down and saw a symbol, a curved arrow looping around to the back of another curved arrow, on my flank. The arrows were split down the middle by a fissure-like crack. I got my cutie-mark! I would have to celebrate later. I threw the sack through, latched my pistol and blade to either hip, and walked through the Rift. I felt my body warp through the vortex of the universe and tripped into a musky old house. The wallpaper was peeling in some places and 2 of the four windows I could see were boarded up. We’ll work with this, I thought to myself. Just then, I heard 6 bodies hit the ground. I turned around and saw my new friends on the ground in a pile. I hoisted them over my shoulder one at a time and carried them to a nearby bedroom. There were nine beds exactly. That was a good thing. I looked around the house for a closet and found a separate room with, you guessed it, nine closets, three filled with male clothes and six filled with female clothes. “Wow, Princess Celestia hooked us up!” I exclaimed. Looking through the clothes, I saw that Celestia filled it with clothes specifically matching the personality of each of the Mane Six. Rainbow’s closet was filled with tank tops and skinny jeans, Aj’s with plaid shirts and blue jeans, Rarity’s had elegant dresses, Twi had sweater vests and sweatpants, Pinkie had bright t-shirts, and Fluttershy had long-sleeved green and yellow shirts with khaki pants. At that moment, I realised the Mane Six would wake up without pants. I grabbed a pair of pants from each closet and threw them on top of each of the Six. When I got to Fluttershy, I watched her shrink. Her face receded, her ears slid down her face, and her fur seemed to melt back into her body. Her skin was a pale pastel yellow. The Chameleon Effect was taking place. Didn’t Twilight say something about screaming? “AHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed Fluttershy. I froze. Is this how she felt when I changed? My stomach exploded with terror and I couldn’t think. I reached forward and rubbed her forehead slowly. As soon as my hand touched her, she stopped. Slowly, she opened her eyes. “What happened? Did we make it?” said Fluttershy breathily. She sat up, touching her face tenderly. Slowly, her eyes lit up with panic. “What happened to my muzzle?!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry about it. You changed into a human. I’ll teach you how to turn back when we get back.” I said. “Here, put on these pants.” She looked at the pants sprawled across her lap. Grasping them, she lifted the blanket to put them on. I swiftly turned away. “Uh, Fluttershy? Next time, don’t remove the blanket when you put on your pants.” “Sorry.” she said. “They’re on. What now?” “Stay here until I come get you.” I said, walking out. “I’m going to change back, and I will have to put pants on. It is very important that you stay in there.” I went into the closet room and pulled out some jeans from my closet. I concentrated hard on being human and began to change back. I felt my body shrinking and my skin flowing like hot wax. My body re-solidified and I knew I changed back. I put my pants on, stowed my gun and sword away in the closet, and grabbed a pen and paper. I wrote a quick note, telling the girls that I’d be back, Flutters would be with me, put on the pants, yadda yadda. I had a sudden impulse to cast a spell on the paper. I gripped each side firmly and tore it in half. The halves grew back into full sheets of paper. Smirking, I repeated the process until I had five copies of the note. I walked back into the bedroom and placed one note on each of the mare’s faces. “We can go now.” I said. “Stick close to me. Don’t worry about the humans. They won’t pay attention to us, so long as we don’t make a scene.” She nodded and we left the house. I looked around, trying to piece together where I was. We were pretty close to town, we could get to my apartment in 10 minutes. We made our way into town, Fluttershy close behind. We were silent for the entire trip. We stopped in front of my building, where there were an ambulance and two police cars. Something was wrong. “What happened?” I asked the paramedic. “Two guys just got brutalized by someone in this building.” “Who is it?” I said, walking to the back of the ambulance. I was shocked to see Matthew and Patrick laying, faces bruised and bloody, in a gurney. “What happened?!” “Chris! You’re alive!” yelled a voice from behind me. I turned around and saw Robert in handcuffs being escorted by the police. “Robert! What did you do?!”I shouted. “I won!” he yelled manically. “Oh no! You’re going to jail!” “And when I get out, I’m going right back in because I’m gonna murder you!” “Who was that?” asked Fluttershy. “One of my friends. Let’s go talk to Isaiah.” I said, stepping inside. I went to my apartment and knocked on the door. I had left my keys in Equestria. The door swung open and Isaiah yanked me in by the arm. I grabbed Fluttershy and brung her in with me. “Chris, you jackass!” said Isaiah angrily. “What?!” I asked. “What did I do?” “You disappeared for a week, Mat came in a little while ago saying he stabbed you, Robert beat their faces in, we both thought you were dead, and you TOOK MY PANTS!” he yelled. “Relax! It wasn’t my fault! See, I was-” “You left us for a week to go screw around with this skank, didn’t you?” he said, pointing to Fluttershy. Her eyes began to tear up and I got really pissed. “Don’t talk to Fluttershy like that!” I yelled bitterly. “What are you talking about? Where were you?” “I went to Equestria. I know that doesn’t make sense, but it’s true. I need you to come with us.” “I’m not going anywhere until you explain where you were.” “We don’t have time for this. Just come on! Why are you so stubborn?” I felt something protruding from my back. I ignored it, trying to get Isaiah to agree to come with us. “We need to go! This is important!” My fists were opening and closing, but my hands were balled up. “C-chris. You have wings.” said Isaiah. I looked over my shoulder and saw my wings spreading out. Huh. Guess I have to focus to keep my form. I concentrated and felt my wings suck into my back. “See? I need you to come with us. I’ll explain when we get there.” I said, grabbing him by the wrist. We left the apartment and ran back to the base. When we got there, I began to explain. “Discord, Sunset, Chrysalis, and Sombra are attacking Earth and Princess Celestia sent the Mane Six to come help us take them down. In the bedroom are the Six. They’re probably still unconscious. So, now we are going to bail Robert out of prison, then we’ll try to get you guy’s under the Chameleon Effect. That’s what transforms us. Then we’ll train some and start our attack.” I said. “You have wings.” said Isaiah stupidly. “I know! Isn’t it cool?!” I said, forgetting myself. “Come on. Let’s go check on the mares.” I knocked on the bedroom door and heard a bright, “Come in!”. I opened the door and walked in with Fluttershy and Isaiah right behind me. Sitting on each of the beds was the Six, but not quite the Six. They were obviously them, but human. They were about a foot shorter, had skin a little lighter than the color of their fur, and their faces receded into a normal human face. “Isaiah, this is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity. Oh, and you already met Fluttershy.” I said resentfully. “Girls, this is Isaiah.” “What happened to our faces?” asked Rarity. “This is hideous! My muzzle is gone, I’m short, and what happened to my coat?!” “Relax, Rarity. You’re a human now. You’ll be able to change back later.” “Aren’t you supposed to have two friends?” asked Twilight. “I do, but he’s in jail now.” “What?! What did he do?!” “He beat up the guys who stabbed me. But it’s ok, we can go bail him out with the money Princess Celestia gave us. It shouldn’t take too long.” “These are the Mane Six.” said Isaiah. “Rarity, and Applejack, and Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash, and T-twilight Sparkle.” “Yes. I need you to go bail Robert out of jail. Twilight, will you go with him? The rest of us can go take a look around. Maybe there are some changelings around.” “Ok. Isaiah, right? On our way, you have to tell me about Earth. It seems like a very fascinating place” said Twilight with fascination. “Ok. Where’s the… money… for bail?” asked Isaiah, staring at Twilight. I tossed him the sack and he pulled out a large wad of bills. He was really good with cash, so I just assumed he grabbed the right amount. They walked out, Isaiah still staring at Twilight. I threw her a silent, “I’m sorry.” and gathered the girls up. “Ok gals. We are looking for changelings. I have nothing to reveal their disguises. I have no way to distinguish a changeling from a human. So… yeah, let’s just hope that one is dumb enough to reveal itself.” “Good plan.” said RD sarcastically. “Well, I’m sure I’ll figure something out. The spell is still working. I’ll get an impulse.” I said, leaving the house. The girls followed me and we patrolled the surrounding area. We stood close to one another, scouting the area for enemy forces. We got absolutely nothing. After two hours, we called it quits and returned to base. As soon as we got in there, someone kicked in the door. “Someone better tell me what’s going on here! Chris, you have two minutes to explain before I rip out your throat!” shouted Robert angrily. His normally pale, white face was beet red with fury. Uh-oh. “Mat stabbed me, I woke up in Equestria, this is the Mane Six, Princess Celestia called for me to help, there’s a war, Discord, Sombra, Chrysalis, Sunset Shimmer, changelings, fight, help, I have wings!” I said panickedly. I quickly revealed my wings to show him. “You live. For now. One more time: What the hell happened!” I sat down and explained the whole ordeal to him. He sat there silently and unsmiling, two things that are not normally attributed with Robert. “And now I’m going to try to do some apparently painful magic that will allow you to become a pony.” I finished. “What are you waiting for?” he asked. “I’m waiting to see if you are going to brutally murder me. Since that doesn’t seem to be happening, I’ll begin. Isaiah, if you could please stand next to Robert, there you go.” I said. What now? Got it. “Girls, please surround them and join hands.” They did as I instructed and left me with another “What now?” moment. Without thinking, I flew up above them and flung my hands downward, channeling my Equestrian energy right down onto Robert and Isaiah. Their bodies slowly grew fur, Robert’s jet-black, Isaiah’s pure white. My friends grew two feet taller than they were before. Robert’s mane grew out of his head, blood-red and messy, while Isaiah’s was ginger, long and flowing. Out of Isaiah’s mane protruded a long white horn. Robert’s eyes went from pale blue to a deep, dark red, like his mane. Isaiah’s eyes went from carmel brown to emerald-green. Isaiah collapsed on the spot, while Robert dropped to one knee. “That’s all? Please… sir… may I have another?” gasped Robert, rising to his hooves. “I’ll put Isaiah in bed. Where?” “Down the hall, third door on the right.” I said, fluttering to the ground exhausted. That was a lot of work. Good thing I would never have to do that again. Robert flung Isaiah over his shoulder like he was nothing. He left our sight with heavy footfalls. So now we had 3 unicorns, 3 pegasi, and 3 Earth ponies. That’s good. Balanced. “That worked.” said Aj. “Sure did. Now I think we should go to the armory and get you guys weapons. I think it’s downstairs.” I said, pointing to the corner of the room. I walked over and pulled open a hidden trapdoor which unfolded into a ladder. I slid down and took in the sight. A wall of swords and firearms, targets, ammo caches, practice dummies. You name it, we had it. We even had a bunker to test explosives. “Let’s assign each of you one melee weapon and one firearm to carry around.” I said, gesturing to let them take their pick. They floated around the room, inspecting each weapon until they found one for them. Aj was the first to decide on an Olympia double barrell shotgun and broadsword. She immediately began to practice. Next was Twilight with a 9mm pistol with a rapier. Then Rarity (a M14 rifle and a curved, black shortsword.), Robert, who had come to join us (A lever-action shotgun and a giant war hammer), and Pinkie who had grabbed a nifty modified M16 that shot explosive rounds. We had trouble finding a suitable melee for her. “How about this scalpel?” she asked brightly. “No!” I said, snatching it from her. “Where’d you even get that?” “Ooo. How about a hacksaw? Why is it called a hacksaw anyway? You don’t hack with it, you just s-” “No hacksaws! Here, take this bowie knife.” I said, handing her the sheathed blade. “Hey! That was mine!” yelled Dash. “I’ll find you something else.” I said. I found her dual M1911 pistols and handed her a long bladed stiletto knife, which seemed to satisfy her. We had a right trouble getting Fluttershy to take a weapon of any kind, but eventually got her to use a cutlass and P90 submachine gun. “Don’t I get a toy?” asked a voice from the ladder. Down stepped Isaiah, apparently unphased by his sudden transformation. Without asking what was happening, he walked right up to two crossed katanas and grabbed them. Then he levitated a sniper rifle (L96a1) into his hand and placed it over his shoulder. “Let’s get cracking.” he said with a grin.
First ContactThe next day we had some renovations on base. I left for twenty minutes to get some groceries, and when I came back, I could say nothing but “Wow”. The two floored house was, on the outside, still the same, beat-down and raggedy. When I entered, I had to leave to make sure I was in the right place. The inside was massive! Giant dining room, a foyer, plenty more bedrooms, a giant koi pond, and a large fireplace. “What the hell?” I muttered to myself. “You like?” asked Isaiah, coming from one of the two new staircases. “It’s bigger on the inside!” “What? How? Why?” I asked with a grin. “Me and Twilight worked it out. Wait until you see the armory. And the icing on the cake: check this out.” he said, turning to his side. I looked him up and down, my eyes stopping on his flank. The white space was replaced with a golden scepter in front of a green circle with a large triangle and various symbols inside. His cutie mark. “Holy crap! What is your talent?” I asked. “Magic in general, but specifically alchemy. The circle is an alchemy circle. Alchemy is creating and altering matter to fit your needs. I can also warp space. The ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ spell was pretty easy.” he replied with pride. “Excellent! We can celebrate later. Right now we should get some training in.” “Where the hell do you think everybody is now? They’re in the new training rooms. If you would like to join us, Celestial and Lunar are down there already.” he said, leaving to get to work. I put away the groceries and ran down the stairs, eager to begin. I reached downstairs just to have my breath taken away. The basement was large enough to hold three armies of obese hippos. The targets were gone, replaced by a proper firing range. The targets, which used to be simple bullseyes, were now cutouts of random changelings and ponies. They were attached to the ceiling by a cable, which could move up and down the long range for practicing with multiple ranges. The dummies were more realistic and they even moved around. The weapon wall was more extensive. We had more explosives and firearms, not to mention swords and blunt weapons. It was amazing. On the nearest wall was my blade and gun. I picked them both up and ran to practice. I’d never shot a gun before, so I decided to start with that. I went to the firing range and set the target to be at point-blank range, just to get myself used to the feeling of shooting. I grabbed some ammo from the nearest cache and placed it on a nearby table. I slowly loaded the gun, cocked it back and gripped the butt with both hands. I aimed steadily, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. BOOM! The gun flew up, nearly dislocating my shoulder. It hurt my hands, it hurt my arm, and the noise hurt my head. I loved it! It was exciting and power-filling. Not to say that I looked forward to killing. I knew I would regret it. I don’t know if it’s the Instinct spell or just my personality, but I understand. I would have to end these creatures for our benefit. So, when the time came, I would do it without hesitation. In order to protect my people. “Holy cow.” I said, snapping back to reality. “That was intense!” I heard a soft sniffle coming from the corner. It was Fluttershy, face in her hands and crying. I trotted over and sat on the floor next to her. “What’s wrong Flutters?” I asked. I knew exactly what was wrong. Just had to make sure. “All of these g-guns and s-s-swords are scaring me.” she sobbed. “It’s alright. I know they can be loud, but you’ll get used to them.” “It’s not just how loud they are. These are weapons! We are fighting with these! Princess Celestia expects me to kill somepony and I don’t think I can do it.” “I understand. But you also have to understand: we have to fight and that will involve some fatalities. They won’t stop until we are either dead or enslaved. It’s going to be hard, but it has to be done. We won’t think any less of you afterwards.” “You guys won’t think I’m a monster?” she asked. “No matter what you do, you’ll still be lovely, kind, beautiful Fluttershy.” I said “We all feel that way.” I amended quickly. “Thank you.” said Fluttershy. “If you really mean that, I guess I can try.” “Wanna come try out your gun?” I asked. She looked frightfully at the gun on my hip. Slowly she nodded her agreement. I helped her up and brought her over to the firing range. I set up the target to be a few feet from her and showed her how to load her gun. I walked behind her and grabbed her hands, which were holding onto that little SMG for dear life. I helped her aim and taught her how to steady her hands. She took aim and squeezed the trigger, letting out 4 quick rounds. All headshots. “That’s good Flutters!” I shouted proudly. “Your aim is amazing! Let’s pull back the target a little.” We trained for about thirty minutes with our guns, then we learned how to use our swords. Of course, we took plastic versions so we wouldn’t hurt each other. We sparred for another 15 minutes alone, until RD jumped in and joined the fray. Soon enough, Pinkie joined in. All of my friends jumped into the fight with training versions of their weapons. We eventually left our little circle and turned the entire training room into the ring for a 9-way battle royale. We honed our skills for another hour before I called it quits. “Alright everypony!” I shouted. “Gather round! We’re done here! I have new assignments!” The team circled around me, waiting for my instruction. We were tired, sweaty, bruised, and we could not be happier. “What… now?” panted Twilight. “Isaiah, Twilight and Rarity will place protection spells around the area and work on getting us some armor. Shouldn’t be too hard between an alchemist, a student of Celestia, and a fashionista.” They nodded and left off to get to work. “Rob, Pinkie, and Aj will work on weaponry and explosives. Try to make a fail-safe, in case the base gets overtaken.” “Ay, mate!” said Robert, sauntering off to a work table. “Us three left will do some more recon. I picked up some walkie-talkies while I was out today. Let’s put them to good use.” “Alright.” said RD. We left the house, my gun hidden under my shirt, and split up. We scattered through town, hoping to find some information. It was Fluttershy who found some first. “Um, guys.” she called over the walkie talkie. “I think I found something. These guys are talking about Sunset Shimmer. They said that she just got back from a meeting at the Crassly Hi building,” “That’s a good lead Flutters. If only I’ve ever heard of Crassly Hi. We at least know that they’re here. We can find a connection.” I replied from the alley I decided to wait in. “Let’s go.” “Wait. They said something about the Ma Bros. Ma brothers? Is that some sort of gang?” “Not that I’ve heard of. I think that there is a relationship, though. I’ll have to figure it out.” “These don’t sound like real names.” said Rainbow. “What are we missing?” “Now they are talking about a place called ‘Scrod Id’ What are they talking about?” asked Fluttershy. “Let me think.” I replied. What do they mean?, I asked myself, Now would be a great time for one of those impulses. Crassly Hi. Ma brothers. Scrod Id. These sound like gibberish. Or maybe just really weird human speech! “I got it!” I shouted into the walkie-talkie. “Crassly Hi, Ma Bros., Scrod Id! They’re anagrams, Crassly Hi is Chrysalis, Ma brothers is supposed to be abbreviated to Ma Bros., which is Sombra. And Scrod Id is Discord! They’re not together! They split up! We can use this to our advantage!” “Only if you leave here with your life.” said a voice from behind. I turned around and saw two short black figures with hardened black skin, a sharp horn, pointed ears and torn wings. They walked forward, revealing the large holes in their arms and legs. Their turquoise eyes seemed to pierce through my soul. “Guys.” I whispered into my walkie. “Run. Go home. Do not wait for me. Just get home!” “That’s enough of that.” said the one on the right, blasting a shot of magic energy at my hand, knocking the walkie out of my grasp. They advanced slowly and menacingly. “You might have gotten away, if you didn’t scream at the top of your lungs.” “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” I asked fearfully. “Before I die, you wanna tell me what your queen is planning?” “Not really.” said the other, charging a spell in his hands. “We might have, if we found you worthy.” “So now I’m unworthy? Gosh, you guys are mean. Just hurry up and kill me. Put me out of my misery. Cure me of my emotional trauma.” I said sarcastically. I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut, but I couldn’t help it. Whenever I panic, I start to spew out snide remarks. “You are very unworthy. You go out to spy on us and don’t even have a method of defense? Pathetic.” “Funny you should say that, actually!” I said, ripping Lunar from under my shirt. I cocked it lightning-fast and pointed the gun at the changeling on the left. I squeezed the trigger, hitting him in the neck. Ghostly green blood spewed from the wound. Grabbing himself around the neck, the changeling I shot sank to the ground. I turned my gun to his friend and fired. He twirled around and dodged my shot. He fired a blast at me, which I ducked. I shot again, this time hitting him in the leg. More green blood splattered on the ground as he screamed in pain. He fell to the ground on his back. I ran up to him and put my barrel on his forehead. “Go ahead, human.” he said smugly. “Do it. You know you want to.” The thing that scared me is that I did. I really, really wanted to pull the trigger and blow his brains out. I gripped my pistol tighter, hesitating. I had to make a decision. “Bye.” I said. “Tell your friend in hell that Silver Rift said ‘hi’.” Without warning, he shot a blast of light into my eyes, blinding me. I backed up, rubbing my eyes. “Later, Silver Rift.” I heard him say. I rubbed my eyes furiously until vision returned. When I could see again, I looked for that changeling. I was in the alley alone. “Damn! I should’ve shot him when I had the chance!” I muttered to myself. I went back over to my fallen walkie-talkie. I picked it up and tried to contact the others. “Flutters? Dash? Are you ok?” I asked. “What the hell, Silver?!” yelled RD. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” “Sorry. It’s all good now, though. Only two of them.” “What did you do with them?” “I killed one. The other got away.” “Smooth move, jackass. Now they know they’re being watched.” said Dash spitefully. “It’ll be fine. Get back to base. We have to relay this information to the others.” I said. I wasn’t upset by how RD yelled at me. I knew she was just worried. I went over to the fallen changeling, neon-green blood pooling around him. I crouched and closed his unblinking eyes. “Rest in peace.” I whispered. I should leave, before someone came. I put the safety of my pistol on and shoved in my pants, against the flat of my back. I left the alley, praying no one would see me. I made it home undetected. I entered base, closing the door behind me. Standing in the foyer was Isaiah holding a sheathed katana in each hand. I pulled out my pistol to rest on the table. Quick as lightning, Isaiah kicked me hard in the chest with his right hoof. I flew backwards, hitting the door when an elbow connected with my skull. I staggered to the right, tripping to the floor. I felt two large hands grasp my shirt. Hoisting me up, Robert threw me against the table, where Lunar lay. I grabbed it up, and aimed it at Robert’s knee. He ripped his hammer from off his back and swung it with all his might. It hit Lunar on the side of the barrel, knocking it from my grasp. I scrambled to my feet, rushing at Robert. He dodged out of the way to the left. I kicked him in the right leg and swept my leg across his ankle, dropping him to the ground. I turned to Isaiah and reared up my fist. I swung clumsily at his face. He dodged it easily and smacked me in the ribs with his sword. I flinched, opening myself up for four more smacks. He kicked me again and flicked his wrist, sending the sheaths flying off his blades and hitting me in the gut. He crossed his swords, shoved me against the door and stabbed either side of my head. He brought the edge of each blade dangerously close to my neck. Robert got up slowly and grabbed his shotgun. He placed the barrel against my temple and chambered a round. “What the hell, guys?!” I screamed. “Move and I blow your brains out.” growled Robert. He looked murderous. He probably was. “Prove to me you are Chris. If you can’t, You get a brain full of buckshot, I get my first head trophy, and Robert satisfies his desire to kill a changeling.” said Isaiah. “Tick-tock.” “Who else could I be besides Chris?” I asked. “This is ridiculous!” “Changeling scum.” said Robert angrily. “Fine, fine. I’ll prove it!” I said quickly. How was I supposed to prove that? “Here. I’ll show you my wings.” I transformed into my pony form. “Not good enough. You better be able to change into a different form. You’re a changeling.” said Isaiah, pressing the blades against my neck. “Why does everyone think I’m a changeling?” I said. “Ask me a question. Something only Chris would know.” “You could have interrogated him before hand. Keep trying.” “I’m killing this sumbitch so we can find Chris.” said Robert, gripping his gun. “Wait, wait, wait!” I said panickedly. “Here, here.” I lifted my hands slightly and opened a tiny Silver Rift. “See? Princess Celestia said only I can open those.” Isaiah seemed to consider the my point. Finally, he lowered his swords. He picked up his sheaths and put away his blades. Robert lowered his shotgun and then punched me hard in the stomach. “What?!” I groaned. “I just proved myself to be me!” “You freakin’ idiot! Why would you fight changelings?!” yelled Robert. “I didn’t mean to! I was yelling and they found me!” I shouted. “Why were you screaming?!” “I cracked the code?” I supplied. “What code?” asked isaiah. “I figured out that the enemy is split in four. Sombra, Discord, and Chrysalis are in separate places. They are communicating with each other via Sunset Shimmer.” “The relevance?” asked Rob. “They don’t trust each other. We can use that to our advantage. They’re communicating through Sunset. We take her…” “They have no way to plan!” said Isaiah in excitement. “And they trust each other even less.” I finished. I picked up Lunar from off the ground. The barrel was bent to make a right angle. This would be useless for the next 30 minutes. “Sorry, Chris.” said Robert. “I got a little excited and… violent.” “It’s good. I’ll just soak it in water for a while.” I said, trotting over to the koi pond. I threw the gun in the pond. “It’ll be good in thirty minutes.” “What’s our next move?” asked Isaiah. “Our next move is to tell me where you learned those amazing katana moves.” “Remember when I left to Japan two years ago?” “Yeah?” “Well, I met a guy and he gave me lessons.” “You don’t say. You know, I can teach you guys how to change back into human form.” “Why would we want that?” asked Robert. “I love being War Horse!” “War Horse?” “That’s what he calls his pony form.” said Isaiah. “You being Silver Rift, we thought we should come up with names for us. I’m Conjure.” “War, Conjure, and Silver Rift.” I said grinning. “Cool. Let’s get some stuff done.”
Party TimeAs soon as I went down to the training room, RD slapped me across the face. I expected her to hug me afterwards. but she shoved me to the ground. She jumped on me and started punching me in every place she could get to with furious blows. I didn’t even protest. It took Twilight to drag her off with magic. I explained what happened and let Rainbow yell at me some more for being so stupid. After Rainbow Dash’s rage was extinguished, I taught everyone how to change from pony to human. They picked up on the idea pretty fast. After everyone was able to change form well enough, I went and saw what was done when I was gone. First, the Earth ponies showed me their contingency. “Here’s what we did.” said Robert. “We had the unicorns place a spell on us and the base. On the off chance that we all die, the base will secrete a pheromone that we believe the changelings will find irresistible. Hopefully, the changelings will bring their queen over here to scope it out.” “What happens then?” I asked. “A party!” shouted Pinkie Pie. I looked back at Robert who put it simply. “It explodes.” he said. “So, yeah. Party. Speaking of parties, check this out.” He showed me his formerly blank flank. Formerly. Now there was a rose red skull, overlaying two blood-red knives. “Sweet! What’s your talent?” I asked. “War. I discovered it during the fail-safe planning. If it’s related to war or combat, I’m your stallion.” he said proudly. “Nice job! We’ll celebrate tonight. Pinkie, can you throw a party?” I said, knowing the answer. “Uh, duh!” she said with a smile. “I already got it planned! It’s gonna be off… the… HOOK!” “Good to know.” I said walking away. “I have to see what was done with the armor. We’ll chat later.” I left and went through the house looking for Rarity. She was in a sewing room that I didn’t know existed. Conjure must’ve been busy. I approached Rarity, who was huddled over a sewing machine. Her rifle was to the right of her chair and her sword was right in front of her. She greeted me with a concentrated smile and gestured for me to take a seat next to her. “Did you get us some armor?” I asked Rarity. “Why, I certainly did, darling.” she said, tossing me a plain black t-shirt. “Put this on, my dear.” “Uh… thanks, Rarity.” I said, putting it on. “I don’t think this is going to do much, though.” She ignored me, and picked up her rifle. Silently, she aimed it at me. I stared at her, frozen in fear as she pulled the trigger four times. The bullets bounced off of my shirt with a PLINK! “What the hell?!” I said. “Why is everypony trying to kill me today?” “Relax, darling. The shirt is Chameleon Armor. Isaiah and Twilight helped me place the shirt under the Chameleon Effect. Look at it now.” I glanced down, my shirt having been replaced with a steel chestplate. I didn’t even notice. “Wow. This is going to be useful.” I said, dumbstruck. “Neat, isn’t it? We figured out how to enchant anything to react to the surge of adrenaline one gets during combat situations. In other words, if you get scared or excited, your shirt will transform into this armor, 8 inches thick of pure titanium. Nearly weightless. I can do the same with our weapons so we can hide them a little better.” “Excellent! How many do you have?” “How many do you need, darling?” she asked, gleam in her eye. “We’re going to need full sets for all of us. And if you can enchant the weapons, like you said, that’d be great.” “Of course, dear. Consider it done.” she replied, already hard at work on the next piece of armor. This was good. We have information, we have a back-up plan, and we have gear. Now we just need a strategy. Let’s find Twi. “Twily!” I called from the hallway. “I told you not to call me that.” came a voice from nowhere. Right before my eyes, Twilight melted out of thin air. “What is it?” “Invisibility spell?” I asked. She nodded. “We need a plan of attack. We know that they are in different places and they’re all nearby. We just need to find them.” “Well, we could do some more scouting, although that can prove inefficient. We can try out a new spell I found. It should be able to pinpoint their sinister magic.” she said thoughtfully. “Er… we may be able to narrow it down, but I wouldn’t say pinpoint.” I said. “Why not?” “Humans are probably one of the biggest sources of sinister magic in the universe.” I answered sheepishly. “What do you mean?!” asked Twilight alarmed. “Are you telling me that we’re fighting to save a race of evil incarnate?!” “No! Humans aren’t evil. Just… corrupt. We’re greedy. We’re selfish. Most humans will stab you in the back to suit their own ends. We lie, we cheat, and we steal to get what we want. Finding Sombra on Earth would be like searching for a hay in a needle-stack. Not to mention that Sombra can corrupt us even further. It’s definitely a good start, though.” “So we can’t trust humans?” she asked. “You can. Just be careful. We’re dangerous to each other, physically and emotionally.” I warned. “Are you as dangerous as the others?” she asked warily. “Nope. I’m nothing like most other humans.” I said. “What makes you different?” “Pull up a chair.” I said. She summoned two chairs with her horn. She sat down and waited for me to do the same. “I’m not the most normal of humans. I’ve always been the odd man out.” “What do you mean?” “On Earth, you guys are fictional T.V. characters. The show you’re on is called My Little Pony. In my society, ponies are for little girls. I didn’t care, I watched it anyway. Because of that, I didn’t have many friends. I was teased, horribly. I’ve been called gay, a faggot. I’ve been told I have no life. My only friends were Isaiah, Robert, and the T.V. that played MLP. It started as simple teasing, but then, it escalated. People started vandalizing my property, tripping me in the halls. I’ve even gotten physically assaulted. I took all of that, though. I did. I took it in my stride, for years. Then, everything changed.” I said solemnly. “What happened?” asked Twi, holding on to every word. “My mom.” I sighed. “She found out that I was a brony. That’s what we call ourselves; bronies. She hated it. She picked on me worse than the kids at school. Then, she started bothering me for other things. Her biggest problem with me was my hair. Mane. She hated how I dye my mane.” “You dye your mane?” “Yes! Why is everyone so shocked?! Did you all think my hair is naturally white? I didn’t like my hair being black, so I dyed it the exact opposite. That’s not important. What’s important is that me and my mom got into an argument. Argument being an understatement, considering I moved out. I had nowhere to go, but it was better than staying there. Family friends took me in, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. They loved me like a son, and I loved them like parents. I made a few more friends through their daughter, Sarah. She helped me feel accepted. We had a lot of things in common. We were both bronies, we both dyed our hair. Her’s is fire red. The main difference between me and her is that she was good at making friends. I couldn’t talk to anyone unless I had to. She helped me get over it a little. She probably thinks I’m dead right now. Which is why we need to get this done as soon as possible. I have to apologize for scaring her so bad.” “What about your dad? You talked about how your mom picked on you, but did your dad take your side?” she asked. “My dad died before I was born. Mom said that he had an aneurysm in his sleep. Didn’t feel a thing.” I said somberly. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. If my dad hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Besides, I’d never known him. I don’t know what I’m missing.” “Why did you tell me all of this?” “To prove that I would never do anything to hurt my friends. Friendship is too precious to me. Assuming, of course, that you consider me your friend.” “Of course, you’re my friend. Silver, you are possibly the single most fascinating creature I’ve met in all my years of study. We are all friends, here. We’re all in this together.” she said, hugging me. On the outside, I kept on a serious look and accepted her hug, but on the inside I was melting. I was officially friends with Twilight Sparkle! And she hugged me! That is the pinnacle of brony-kind. “Thanks, Twily. Erm… Twilight.” I said. “Twilight, we should try that spell. I want to have a decent idea of where the enemy is before the party starts.” “Ok.” she said, releasing me from the hug. “Here we go.” She closed her eyes and spread her arms. Her horn began to glow and project a beam of light onto the floor. The beam spread out into a square map of the town. Scattered across the map were little red dots. In four particular spots, the red was a more concentrated thick dot. One of the dots was moving and one was pulsating. It appeared to be leaving from the biggest dot right in the middle of the city. Twilight lowered her arms and opened her eyes. The map stayed momentarily, then dissipated. “Sunset’s on the move. The one in the middle was Sombra, the one to the north was Chrysalis, and the southernmost one was Discord.” I said. “How can you tell?” “Sombra would logically be the most concentrated, him being the most evil. Sunset is the only one moving and Discord’s is pulsating because he’s less evil and more chaotic. And I know every single one of those buildings. Forget Sunset Shimmer! We can take the all out and be home in two weeks! We’ll attack in a couple of days. We should probably check out the area and develop a plan.” I said. “Excellent! This is great! Princess Celestia will be pleased.” said Twilight excitedly. She hugged me again, this time lifting me up off my hooves. She put me down and ran downstairs. “Where are you going?” I asked. “To plan the attack! I should be able to finish before the party.” she replied. “You mean the party that’s starting right now?” I said, pointing to the stairs. We could hear noise and see light from the party that Pinkie was throwing. I ran downstairs and marvelled at the beautiful decorations. There were streamers and balloons and confetti and party favors and things I didn’t even know the name of. The air was rich with the smell of.. “Apple pie!” I exclaimed, staring at the buffet table filled with various cakes, pies and tarts. I ran over to the table and grabbed up a slice of apple pie. I shoved it in my face, tongue melting at the amazingness of it. “Ya like the pie, sugarcube?” asked Aj, from behind. “Mh-hm!” I said, through a full mouth. “Shucks, Ah’m glad yer enjoyin’ it! When Robert, Pinkie, and Ah were workin, Robert told me it was yer birthday a couple days ago. Why didn’t ya tell us? Ya was in Equestria for a whole week! We could’ve had us a proper shindig! Robert said a simple pie would do tha trick.” “Thanks, Aj.” I said, swallowing the delicious pie. “It’s amazing! I didn’t tell you because I never really celebrated my birthday.” “What!?” shouted Pinkie. “You don’t celebrate your birthday?! We have to fix that!” She reached into her mane and pulled out a boombox. She smashed the play button and party music began to fill the room. Pinkie grabbed Robert by the wrist and spun him around to the middle of the room. They danced with energy and with vigor, just happy to be there. Soon enough, we all jumped in. We had a great time, dancing to one pop, clubby song after another. After one particularly loud dubstep song (No doubt the work of Vinyl Scratch, as it was magnificent.) the entire mood changed. Suddenly, slow, contemporary music began to play. We just looked at each other for a while, unsure of what to do. I doubt even Pinkie knew how the song ended up on her music list. Finally, Robert (In his War Horse form) grabbed her around the waist with his left hand and clasped her hand with his right. They stepped slowly to the tune of the music. “Might as well.” said RD, grabbing Applejack in the same way. Rainbow led confidently, while Aj allowed herself to be turned and swung in dance. Then, Conjure grabbed Twilight to dance, and they did the same. What am I gonna do?, I asked myself. Maybe I can sneak back upstairs and help Rarity. I was halfway to the stairs when I heard a tiny gasp. I turned to my left, searching for the source. In the corner of the room, nearly hidden from view, was Fluttershy. Why was she in the corner? For that matter, when did she get here? I hadn’t seen her dancing or doing anything since I got to the party. She seemed, once again, on the verge of tears. “I must be out of my mind.” I said to myself, walking over to her. I grasped her around the waist and brought her into the middle of the dancefloor. She nuzzled her head against my chest as we danced slowly through the room. I’m dancing with Fluttershy!, I thought to myself, And she’s enjoying it! I think I might faint! We danced throughout the night, me cradling her in my arms. It was perfect. We danced until our hooves were sore. At around ten o’clock, we called it a night. I retreated to my room to go to bed. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. “What a night. A perfect night. Too perfect. Can’t wait to see what goes wrong tomorrow.” I whispered to myself grimly. “I wonder if Fluttershy enjoyed the dance as much as I did. Dear Celestia, that was amazing!”
The Attack“See anything?” I heard Twilight ask from over my headset communicator. I walked past the Heaven’s Impaler building for the thirtieth time, marking a pattern of who showed up there, how long they stayed, and what they did while they were here. “I’ve seen about forty changelings rotating around the building and heard them talk of about twenty more on the inside. If we’re getting in, we’re not doing it by force.” I muttered into my hidden microphone. The invisibility spell was holding. I circled the Heaven’s Impaler, the tallest commercial building in the tri-state area, a few more times, just to be sure. “How about you?” “Me and Aj have about the same. RD, how are you and Rarity doing?” she asked. “We have similar numbers. Is everything in place?” replied Rarity. “I have my eye on Sunset Shimmer.” said Isaiah. “You’d have thought that we would have found her before now, what with her hair that’s damn-near glowing.” It seemed that everything was in place. The day after the party, we began to put together a plan. First, we had a drawing to make teams. Each team would take on a different enemy. Twilight and Aj were a team (Black Team), Rarity and Rainbow (Green Team), Pinkie and Rob (Red Team), and Fluttershy and me (Yellow). Isaiah would be giving sniper support from afar and would be a member of all teams. The Black Team went after Discord, the Greens after Chrysalis, the Red Team after Sunset, and me and Fluttershy got (with my amazingly good luck) the strongest, evilest, most powerful of the group: Sombra. We took another two days to train and collect some information. I had staked out the Impaler for eight hours a day, finding out every nook and cranny we could get in or out of. “Like I said, brute force is out. That means put away the explosives that I know you are loading up, Robert.” I said. “Damn. How’d you know?” he asked. “Ive known you since we were 5. By now I’m pretty sure I know the types of things you’d like.” I quoted. “I also know you convinced Pinkie to hide a grenade in her shirt, so put that away.” “Party-pooper!” whined Pinkie Pie. “Anywho, we need to get in stealthily. Probably for the best. Princess Celestia wanted us to capture them, so that’s what we’ll do. Isaiah, can you modify your sniper to shoot non-lethally?” “Tranq gun at the ready.” he said after a short pause. “Give me the word and I can take them out.” “Good. Fluttershy, are you in position?” I asked. “Uh… er… y-yes.” she said panickedly. Good. We could begin. “Everypony ready?” I asked. “Let’s go.” said Isaiah. “Yee-haw!” exclaimed Aj. “Party time!” said Pinkie. “We got this.” said RD confidently. “Can we hurry this up? The dresses are probably piling up at home. I hope Sweetie Belle didn’t take it upon herself to fill out orders. That’d be horrendous!” said Rarity. “Where’s Robert?” asked Twilight. “He’s here. He’s just concentrating.” said Pinkie. “Everypony knows the plan, right?” I asked. “I don’t remember.” said Fluttershy. “It’s simple. You will go up to the front desk and distract the lady at the front desk. When she’s focused on you, I’ll knock her out. From there, we’ll go upstairs and sneak past the changelings. If we can get to Sombra undetected, we’ll knock him out. I’ll open a Rift that leads right into Canterlot Castle, where the Princess will be waiting to arrest him. Hopefully by then the others will be done, but if not, we’ll go assist the Black, Green, and Red teams, in that order. If we do this right, we can be in Equestria in time for supper.” Sounded easy in theory. Let’s see how it worked in practice. I looped around the building one last time. I got to the front and watched Fluttershy enter the building. I waited for a minute, then entered. I reached into my messenger bag and pulled out a book. That’s what it looked like anyway. In reality, it was a device that would reveal changelings in disguise. I pointed it towards the lady behind the main desk. It would send a small neural buzz directly to my brain if it was a changeling. I waited a few minutes and when nothing happened, I walked right past the lady. “You s-see, I d-don’t really have an appointment.” said Fluttershy to the receptionist. I looked around, and when no one was looking, I jabbed her in the neck, knocking her unconscious. I picked her up and sat her in her chair, laying her head down to look like she was napping. “Good job, Flutters. Come on.” I whispered, walking towards the elevator. The Heaven’s Impaler wasn’t the actual name of the building, but we’ve been calling it that for so long that we can’t remember what it is actually called. It was headquarters to Vetri Quaz Industries, which sold everything you could think of. I entered the elevator, waited a beat for Fluttershy to file in behind. I pressed the button to take us to the top floor, where we knew Sombra would be. I took the time to steel my nerves. “Let’s get in and out as quickly as possible.” I said. “Just strut in like you own the place.” Just then, the doors opened. We stepped out and were surrounded by office workers. Over fifty workers were on this floor, looking at us menacingly. They seemed pretty ordinary, until you notice the eyes. Some of them had no visible pupils. Instead the entire area of the eyes was turquoise. The others had eyes that were human-like, except crimson in color. The book was nearly melting my brain from the buzz of so many changelings. “Who are you?” growled one. “Me? I’m Sylvester Richards, owner of Equine Industries. This is my assistant, Francine. We’re here to talk to the boss about starting a line of saddle bags. I think it would be a great investment, and I love your other products.” I said confidently. “I.D. Now.” hissed another. “Oh, but of course!” I said, reaching into my bag. I dropped the book and dug around. Ammo, boots, food. Ah-ha! I grabbed what I was looking for and yanked from my bag. I pointed Celestial at the nearest guy for half a second, then swung at his leg. He fell to the ground as his friends rushed at me. I sliced one in the arm, covering my blade in that green blood. Fluttershy ran backwards and pressed herself against the wall as I took out enemy after enemy. “AHHHHHHHH!” screamed Fluttershy in terror, as she was grabbed around the wrist. I jumped backwards and swiped my sword, taking off his hand. Red spewed from the wound, covering Celestial and Fluttershy. Some of them are human?! I thought to myself. I have to be a little more careful. Then, I got an idea. I reached back into my Mary Poppins Purse and pulled out the sheath for Celestial. I covered it and jumped back into the fray. I whipped it around, smacking changelings and humans alike, knocking some unconscious, breaking a couple ribs. I took out about twenty in total before they began to seriously fight back. The humans pulled small knives and daggers from under their shirts, while the changelings morphed their arms and legs into bladed weapons. Uh-oh. I sliced and parried, more concerned on keeping them away from Flutters than anything else. “Fluttershy! If, at anytime, you feel like helping, that would be fantastic!” I shouted, wincing from the knife that grazed my knee. Neither me nor Rarity thought about any armor besides chestplates. Woops. “I can’t!” she cried. “I left my weapons at home! I couldn’t do it!” Of course she did. A changeling jumped up and kicked, cutting me right across the nose. I leaned forward and kicked him with all my might, launching him to the side. I sliced at the last two enemies, knocking them out with blows to the head. “Come on.” I said, breathlessly. “That was nothing!” We ran down the halls, kicking in door after door. Every cubicle, every conference hall, every break room was empty. I bashed in one last conference hall and walked in. Just like the others, it was empty. Fluttershy looked around confusedly. “Where is he? He’s supposed to be up here. This is the last room on the floor.” she said. “I dunno. We should check the other floors. We may have been mistaken.” I said, turning around. I stepped forward and bumped into a tall figure in a black suit, with a black shirt and red tie. His hair was long and slicked out, jet-black. His eyes were blood red and soul-piercing. He had a gray tint to his skin, and when he opened his mouth to speak, he revealed his mouthful of razor-sharp fangs. “Celestia has sent her puppets to try and defeat me?” he growled. “And you rushed in so confidently. The mare doesn’t even have a weapon. Did you really think that you were so strong, or so smart that you could overtake me without any real weapons?” Slowly, I backed away. This was bad. I needed a plan. “King Sombra, no?” I asked, hoping to stall. Maybe if I can get him near a window, maybe Isaiah could tranq him. “A tranquilizer wouldn’t even touch me.” he said. Before I could even completely form the thought, he continued, “Yes, I can read your thoughts. What should I do to you? I could kill you now, but that wouldn’t be fun. I could make an example of you, torture you for a while. Or, I could give you to Chrysalis. She should be able to feed her children for a couple months with all the love you have for the mare.” “What?” I asked. “Nononono, I do-” I began. “Don’t lie to me. I can tell you’re in love with her.” he said, raising his hand. He opened his hand, and black claws materialized at the end of each finger. “And that’s what you decided to say? You’re worried about whether or not ponies know of your petty crush? Pathetic.” “What are you doing here, Sombra? What do you have to gain from being here?” I asked, killing time until I could form a plan. “What do I have to gain? Control.” he said. He swung his claw, scratching me in the right side. I screamed in pain as Sombra walked over to Fluttershy. I grabbed the wound and felt the blood leak out. I fell to my knees, squeezing my ribs. I moved my hand away to access the damage. There were five gashes in my side, very deep. The “blood” I felt leak was jet black. Ok. That’s bad. Have to get out. “And you, my dear. We’ve met before haven’t we?” he said standing over Fluttershy. “Quite confident of your colt-friend’s abilities, aren’t you? Well, he’s about to die, so it’s only fair that you do as well.” “NO!” I shouted, spinning around on the ground. I pulled Lunar out of the bag, aimed carefully and shot Sombra in the back. The bullet connected, but nothing happened at first. I shot him four more times, and he turned to face me. I emptied my gun into his chest, reached into the bag for more ammo, reloaded and fired again. He walked forward, disregarding Fluttershy. He took my bullets nonchalantly. When he got to me, he touched me on the face. He looked at me one last time, and then dissipated into black smoke. The smoke flew out of the room and down the hall. Fluttershy ran up to me. “Are you ok?” she asked, concerned. “I’m fine. We have to warn the others.” I said. I pressed my mic to my ear. “Oi! Everypony, abandon the mission. Meet back at base.” I tried to get up, and fell back immediately. She grabbed me and draped my arm over her neck. She hoisted me up, and escorted me to the window. She kicked the window, shattering the glass. “Silver, can you change back? We have to get out.” she said. After much concentration, I pulled out my wings. She transformed as well and jumped out of the window. We flapped our wings and booked it back to base. We got halfway there, and dropped. We hit the ground and walked the rest of the way. I began to grow dizzy and I heard whispers. Whispers and laughter. I tripped all the way to the base. We got there just in time to see the other teams arrive. I fell to the ground on the front steps. “I can’t move.” I muttered from far away. “Robert, get him inside.”I heard Isaiah say from a distance. I felt myself be lifted up and carried into the house. He placed me down on my bed and covered me with a blanket. The room began to spin, and I couldn’t see properly. My ribs were melting and it seemed to be spreading to the rest of my body. “Isaiah, can you help?” asked Robert. “Twilight, I’ll need you!” he called. The world slowly faded into darkness. Right before I passed out, I heard myself whisper, “We failed, guys.”
Option 1“Wake up, Chris!” called a voice from outside my room. I sat up in my bed, turning to grab my glasses off of my dresser. I put them on my face and jump out of bed. I use the bathroom, wash my face, and comb through my curly, black hair. I threw on some clothes and ran downstairs. I walked in the kitchen and saw my mother cooking breakfast. “Morning, Mom.” I said cheerfully. I took a seat at the table and waited to be served. My mom dropped a plate of bacon and eggs in front of me. She made herself a plate and sat down. “What’s up, champ?” she said brightly. “Nothing much. Dad went to work already?” I asked. “Yeah, but don’t worry. He’ll be home in time for your party. Who’s coming?” “Well, Robert and Isaiah, obviously. Besides them is Mat, Pat, a couple of girls, and Kyle from the other high school.” “And Sarah is coming.” she said. “But Mom! I don’t like her. She’s weird. She’s always trying to get me to watch that stupid My Little Pony show! Please don’t make me invite her!” I begged. “I know, I know. I don’t really like her either, but Harold needs me to watch her for a while. He’s busy at the restaurant, and Victoria is away on some restaurant convention. I need to pick her up from her gymnastic practice. We are kinda stuck with her until they get back. Sorry kid, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll hang out tomorrow. Anyway, it’s time for you to get to school.” she said. “Fine. See you when I get home.” I said, leaving the house. Little did my mother know, I wasn’t actually going to school. I hopped on the bus, which would take me to school in 4 stops. I got off after 6, and walked up to my friends, Mat, Pat, Isaiah, and Robert. I approached them, waving. Mat pulled out five water guns and tossed me one. I opened the tank and sniffed it’s contents. Bleach. I think I know where this is going. “Who?” I asked mischievously. “Where is he?” “I don’t know his name, but he should be walking past here pretty soon.” said Mat. Sure enough, a minute after, some kid in a yellow hoodie. On the front were blue eyes, some My Little Pony character. Shutterfly, or something like that. Doesn’t matter. We’re gonna have some fun. We walked past him, letting him walk away a few feet before blasting him in the back. He turned around, shocked, as we emptied about two gallons of bleach all over him. He ran away in fear and anger, screaming over his shoulder “You guys are assholes!” We watched him run away, us laughing the entire time. “That was epic!” I said. “Yeah, it was.He’s gonna be pissed. What do we do know?” asked Pat. “I dunno. Just hang around, I guess.” I said. We walked around town, stopping at stores here and there. We stopped off at a burger joint for lunch. We met a few more bronies, harassed them, and kept going. We went to the CD store, picked up the new Tears of Plague CD and were just general delinquents for most of the day. We walked into Jackson’s, a vegetarian restaurant, where Sarah worked part-time. I stopped the guys outside and went up to her. Let’s get this over with. “Hey, Sasha.” I said drearily. I think some part of me was aware her name isn’t Sasha. “Wanna come to my party later?” “Will there be bronies?” she asked. Here we go. “No, but there will be normal, non-homosexual, guys you could creep out, if you want.” I responded. “Do I creep you out?” she asked, twirling a lock of her fire-red hair. “Very much, yes. But, my mom told me you need to stay over for a while, so you might as well show up. I can’t exactly tell you to go somewhere else.” “What do you find creepy about me?” she asked, still twisting that bright hair. “Where to start? You watch a show for 7 year old girls, your hair is bright, obnoxious, and unnatural, you constantly hit on me, and you don’t seem to understand personal space.” I said, pushing her out of my face. Ugh. She is very… ugh! “Wanna hear how none of that makes me creepy?” she said. Not waiting for me to answer, she continued. “The show is not for 7 year olds, the target audience is actually for girls more my age. My hair is not all that bright, you’re just really normal and dull. I only get in your space to piss you off. As to why I hit on you, well… you’re cute.” “Uh… that’s cool I guess. Well… see you at my party. Don’t be creepy. Try to stay away from me. You’re only there because you have to be.” I said, walking away. “You don’t mean that! One day, we’ll end up together, making out on a rooftop!” she called. I opened the door and stepped out. “Not even in your dreams, Sasha!” I called looking over my shoulder. I looked back in front of me just in time to see me run into somebody. I fell to the ground, hitting with a thud. He had long, black hair, graying skin and red eyes. He looked down, and extended his right hand to help me up. I grabbed it and felt a rush of wind. “You must make a choice.”, he whispered. “What was that, sir?” I asked, getting to my feet. “Sorry. I should have paid more attention to where I was walking.” he growled. “Well, have a nice day.” He walked past me into the restaurant. I turned back and saw no one but Sarah. Strange. I walked up to my friends to finish the day. “Who was that?” asked Isaiah. “I don’t know.” I said, face dripping sweat. “He bumped into me and whispered… I can’t remember. I… don’t… what are we doing here, again?” “We were deciding what next. We gonna mess with more fags?” said Mat. “Nah. Let’s go to find Kyle. He’s about to get out of school now, isn’t he?” I said. We left and walked to Kyle’s high school. We got there a few minutes early, so we had a smoke. Ok, they had a smoke. Me and Isaiah don’t mess with cigarettes. We sat outside for ten minutes, waiting for the bell to ring. BRIIING!!! Students flooded from the school. I walked into the middle of the group, letting people flow around me. Through the crowd, I picked out Kyle, the short, scrawny, new member of our group. He was cool enough, maybe a little weak for my taste. Anyway, I approached him, grabbed his shoulder, and about-faced. We headed back to my house. We got there and walked upstairs. “Mom! We’re home!” I called heading towards my room. “Uh… Chris? There’s something you should know…” responded my mom. “In a second! I’m just gonna change my clothes!” I said, opening my door. I walked in and went to hop on my bed. Too bad a creepy redhead was occupying it. “Hi, Chris!” she said brightly. “I see you’re hanging out with your asshole friends. Except for you, Kyle. You’re ok.” “What are you doing on my bed?” I asked, exasperated. “I got out of school early, and your mom told me to make myself at home. I like your room.” “Mom!” I called. “I didn’t expect her to invade your room!” she replied. “Sarah, would you mind helping me set up the party?” “Of course, Mrs. Brookes. Anything at all.” she said. She jumped up and cartwheeled past me. She skipped down the stairs behind my mom, who was mouthing her apology silently. I waved her off and jumped on my bed. My friends and I played video games until 7 o’clock, when the party started. We ran outside to the backyard, where a huge tent was erected. I stepped inside, letting my dad direct me towards a long table, sitting me next to all of my friends. He cut me a slice of cake, threw some ice cream on next to it, and slammed it in front of me. I went to take a bite, but had my face slammed into the cake. “Happy birthday!” said my dad, raising my face. He passed me a towel to wipe the frosting off, but I couldn’t, I was trembling so hard. From laughter, of course. That was hilarious! I wiped my face and finished the rest of my cake. I joked around with my friends and family for over an hour. After a while, I had to take a break, so I left the tent and ran around the side of my house. I grabbed the ladder leaning against the side and scaled up to the roof of my home. I layed down on a mat I had threw down a while back. I stared up at the stars, enjoying the outdoors. I closed my eyes for a while, thinking. I remembered the man from earlier. Who was he? What was that whisper about? And why do I care? He was just some random dude. “What’s up, Chris.” came a voice. I opened my eyes and saw the creepy redhead herself, taking a spot next to me. “What do you want, Sarah?” I asked. “Ah-ha! You’re starting to like me.” she said. “What makes you say that? You didn’t get less creepy in four hours.” “You called me Sarah.” she said plainly. “So? That’s your name, isn’t it?” “So it is. If you know that, why do you call me Sasha?” “Why are you up here?” I asked, ignoring her question. “How did you even know I’d be up here?” “I watched you climb up here. I came up here to talk.” she said. “What do you want to talk about?” “Do you actually care? Or are you just trying to set me up to look stupid?” “Guess I do care. So, go on.” “Wanted to ask you why you hang out with such assholes. You’re actually a cool person. You should hang out with less-shitty people.” “They’re my friends, and they aren’t assholes. Why are you so weird?” I asked. “Ooh, a question game! I like it. Have to answer a question to ask a question; seems fair. I’m weird because it’s fun. Normal is boring. Why do you hate bronies so much? We’re a cool fanbase.” “I don’t hate them. They’re just unnatural. They shouldn’t enjoy it. Why do you enjoy it?” “It’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s well-animated, and it teaches good traits. Like how to make good friends. Do you have a girlfriend?” “Uh… no. Why?” I asked. “Wait, that’s not my question! My question is this: Do you consider me your friend?” “You’re my best friend, whether you wanna acknowledge it or not. Do you think I’m pretty?” she asked, inching closer to me. “Answer honestly.” “Er… uh… y-yes. You’re really pretty. One of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.” I said, trying to find a way to change the topic. Why was I being so open? “Does your dad know I tease you so much?” “If he does, I don’t care. I know you do it because you can’t express yourself. Don’t worry about it. Do you wanna start acting like friends?” “I guess. Will you make an effort to get along with the guys? I’ll keep them off your back.” “Will you make a decision?” “Aren’t you supposed to answer my question before you ask yours?” I asked. “I didn’t say anything. I always try to be nice to the assholes. I mean your friends.” she whispered, a few inches away from me. “Will you stop me from doing this?” She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. She kissed me like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I looked to the right and saw him. The guy from Jackson’s was on the roof next to us. “Enjoying this life?” he growled. “Will this be your choice? Let’s see the other option.” Author's Note Still hanging in there? My, what a strong will this one has? Hope this isn't too unbearable. Perhaps there are even a few who are enjoying this. Nah.
Option 2“Honey, can you come up here?” called a voice from upstairs. “Coming, babe!” I called. I pushed Angel off of my lap, whispering my apology. I got to my hooves and walked up the cottage stairs. I approached the bedroom door and slowly pushed it open. Sitting on the bed was Fluttershy, in nothing but her undergarments. I sat down next to her, pecking her on the cheek. “What’s up?” I asked cheerfully. “Pinkie said the cake was done, and I wanted to know if we should go check it out.” she said. “Sure thing. I’m sure Pinkie did a great job. When are we leaving?” “As soon as I put some clothes on.” she giggled. “Unless you want me to go outside in my bra and panties.” “No way! That’s for my eyes alone!” I said, feining outrage. “Don’t want other stallions getting any ideas.” “Oooh, jealous much?” she teased. “I’m your fiance. That’s part of my job.” I said, kissing her again quickly. “Are you gonna get dressed so we can go?” She quickly threw on a top and skirt, slipped into some shoes, hooked her arm around mine, and we stepped out of the house. We strolled into town, heading towards Sugar Cube Corner, the workplace of one of our best friends. We entered the shop, empty except for one stallion. He had a gray coat, a slick, black mane, and stunningly red eyes. He shot us a polite smile and walked past, whispering to himself. “Will this be it? Will this be your choice?” “What was that?” I asked, turning around. Nopony was there. “Anypony else hear that?” “Are you ok? You seem stressed. Wanna talk about it?” asked Fluttershy. “It’s… fine.” I replied uneasily, “Just a bit of a headache. Let’s see this cake.” “Did somepony say ‘cake’?!” came Pinkie’s voice from the back room. A second later, she came out wheeling a cart with the most amazing cake I’ve ever seen. 7 tiers of pure white, pure delicious cake. On the bottommost layer were names of the lucky couple, Fluttershy and Silver Rift. “Wow.” I said. “Pinkie, this is amazing! How did you do this?” “It was easy! Baking is my whole life! Well, not exactly, because if baking was my whole life, then I wouldn’t have time to talk to other ponies, and if I can’t talk to other ponies then I can’t make friends, and if I can’t make friends, I can’t find ponies to bake cakes for, and if I can’t find ponies to bake cakes for, then I don’t have a job anymore, now do I?” “I suppose not.” said Fluttershy quietly. “I love it Pinkie. I’m sure it’s amazing.” “You don’t think that I made you this super-duper amazing wedding cake without making super-duper amazing sample wedding cupcakes, do you?” said Pinkie, pulling three cupcakes from under the cart. They were decorated similarly to the cake. She passed one to me and Flutters, then shoved one in her own mouth. Me and Fluttershy did the same, and melted at the deliciousness of the cake. Soft and fluffy and sweet. So good! “So, what do ya think?” asked Pinkie eagerly. “Amazing!” shouted Fluttershy. Well, she kinda shouted. In her own, whispering way. “Fantastic!” I said. “How long did it take you to make this?” “I was up all week! It was fun!” she said excitedly. “A week?! You haven’t slept in seven days?” I asked. “Nope, not a wink! That’s why you haven’t seen too much of me. I only left the kitchen to get more ingredients!” “Pinkie, that’s crazy. Even for you! How could you work non-stop like that? Aren’t you at least a little tired?” “It was nothing.” she said slowly. “What are friends for? If you can’t trust me to make a huge, super-ginormous, amazing, not-to-toot-my-own-horn-but-toot-toot awesome cake, then who can you trust?” “Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy concerned. “You don’t look so good.” “I-I’m good. Just a little… run down. I just need… a little.. nap.” yawned Pinkie Pie. Seems like the excitement that was keeping her awake has been exhausted. “We can’t thank you enough, Pinkie. This was amazing! But please, go to sleep. That can’t be good for you.” said Fluttershy. “Okey-dokey… lokey.” said Pinkie drearily. She pushed the cake back into the kitchen and dragged herself upstairs. We heard the snoring from downstairs. “That was great!” I said. “What do you think we should do now?” “Um… If it were ok with you, I’d like to go see Rarity. We have to make sure the rings fit, and you need a suit.” replied my fiance. “A suit, huh? Alright. Rarity’s gonna kill me, I put it off so much.” I said, grabbing her hand. We left Sugar Cube Corner and made the short walk to Rarity’s boutique. We entered. the bell ringing as we opened the door. We stepped forward into Rarity’s workspace and called for her. “One second, darlings!” came a voice from upstairs. “Just finishing up!” A minute later, Rarity climbed down the stairs, covered in sweat, but otherwise happy. She was holding a pillow with two silver wedding rings. On one of them were tiny diamonds encrusted all the way around. She presented them to us as though we held her life in our hands. Fluttershy slipped on the diamond one, while I put on the plain silver. Mine fit perfectly. I held it some distance away from my face to inspect it. I loved it! “Beautiful, Rarity! You’ve outdone yourself. It’s just so… me. Plain and silver.” I said happily. “Well, I tried to capture your essence in your rings. Speaking of essence, what do you intend to wear?” she asked. “Uh… The thing is… I don’t really-” “Don’t tell me you don’t know! You must know! You are getting married tomorrow, and you don’t know what you’re wearing? Have a seat, darling, I’ll find you something nice to wear.” said Rarity, pulling shirts and jackets and shoes and ties out of the closet, holding them to my body, checking sizes and… I honestly don’t know. I was never the most fashionable. She was doing something seamstress-ish. I dunno, the point is, she got me in a proper tuxedo within an hour, and she didn’t rip my head off for procrastinating. It was a good day. She put away the tux, promising to take good care of it, along with Fluttershy’s dress. She sent us on our way, telling us to enjoy the rest of our day. We decided to stroll through town, just relax, for the rest of the day. We walked past shops and stalls for a while before we ran into possibly my best friend, Rainbow Dash, soaking wet and holding a water gun. “What’s up Rainbow?” I said. “Nothin much. Hey, have you guys seen Aj?” she asked, looking back and forth nervously. “No. Why do you ask?” “Why do you think, stupid? She doused me and ran! I’ll get that mare if it’s the last thing I do.” she said, only slightly grumpily. “You don’t seem too upset.” said Fluttershy. “Yeah, well, ya know. It’s Aj.” she said, blushing. “What are you going do? Anyway, I gotta jet. See you two love birds later.” She flapped her wings in search of Applejack. She had been acting like that for a while. Always with Applejack. It would seem like my wedding wouldn’t be the last. We continued our walk, eventually ending up at Twilight’s library. I knocked three times then let myself in. “Twily! It’s us!” I called, taking a seat next to Flutters. “I keep telling you not to call me tha-. Oh, what’s the point?” said Twilight from upstairs. She slid down her banister and took a seat facing us. “What can I do for you guys?” “Nothing, really. We just wanted to hang out. All the preparations for the wedding are done, so we have some free time.” I said. “Oh, ok. I just have to send out these letters.” she said. She closed her eyes for a second, willing her horn to glow. We heard a faint POP from the next room, the pop of a teleportation spell. “Who were the letters to?” asked Fluttershy. “Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and Princess Cadence. Octavia is performing at the ceremony, Vinyl is doing the after-party, and the princess wants to be there to congratulate you.” “How nice.” I said, my head reeling. I kept hearing whispers, deep, growling whispers. “Choose.” “What was that?” I asked. “We didn’t say anything, Silver. Are you ok? You’ve been like this all day.” said Fluttershy concerned. She scooted closer to me and nuzzled her cheek against my own. “I’ll make some tea.” said Twilight, getting up. She left to the kitchen, where she began to fill a kettle. I turned to where she sat and saw the stallion from Sugar Cube Corner, sitting in her spot. “Just as nice as the last one. Which will you choose? Guess we’re about to find out.” he growled. With a snap of his fingers, the world melted into black.
UltimatumI was suddenly… nowhere. Nothing was around me, just white. I was definitely standing on something, I could feel my feet touching the ground. It was both hard and soft, cold and warm at the same time. Interesting. I walked forward a couple steps, when, out of nowhere, a full sized mirror appeared in front of me. I gazed into it and saw I was naked. Slightly concerned, I looked around for anyone. No one but me. Still, I wished I had some clothes. No sooner had I formed the thought, I looked into the mirror again, astonished by the sudden appearance of jeans and a black t-shirt on my body. “Anybody here?” I called into the nothingness. I turned around and was face to face with a man, grey skinned, black haired, and red-eyed. I say face to face, but he was so tall, I only actually got up to his neck. “Hello.” he said in a deep, growling voice. “Hey, I know you! We ran into each other at Jackson’s!” I shouted. “Really? Is that the only place you know me from?” he said, calmly. I wracked my brain, thinking it over. Oh, yeah. I have seen him besides that. “You were at Sugar Cube Corner, too.” I said, proud that I figured it out. Then something clicked. “Wait a second. How did I see you in Jackson’s and Sugar Cube Corner? For that matter, what was I doing at both places?” “Finally got there, did you?” he said. “About time, too. That is a good question, by the way. How was I both in Equestria and on Earth? I think you can ask a slightly better question, though.” I thought about it, and something else odd came to mind. “Who are you?” I asked, a little frustrated. He was making me feel stupid, and I didn’t like it. “There you are. Well, let’s play a game. I always loved games. Guessing games, to be precise. So, guess who I am.” he said. I looked at him hard, concentrating. Just then, I noticed his gray steel armor and sheathed sword. He saw my look of horror and smiled a fanged smile. “Sombra!” I shouted. “Where are we? What have you done with my friends?” “Not too bright, are you?” he said, condescendingly. “Think about it! What have you experienced lately?” “I… lived on Earth for a while. Then I was in Equestria.” I said, slowly piecing together the puzzle. “Yes, yes, but more than that! What happened in both places?” “On Earth, it was my birthday. I was hanging out with Isaiah, Robert, and Mat and Pat? Why would I be hanging out with them?” “Because that is what you want more than anything.” replied Sombra. “Well, that’s part of what you want.” “I don’t want to be friends with those jerks!” I said. “No. You want them to not be jerks. What else was on Earth that’s different?” “My mom. She didn’t hate me.” I replied, remembering. It was like waking from a dream and trying to piece together what happened. “And my dad! He was alive!” “Yes, he was indeed. Understand now?” said Sombra impatiently. “No? Well, let’s keep going. In Equestria, you were getting married to Fluttershy. Why do you think that is?” “No idea. I imagine you know. It was probably you who did it.” I said bitterly. Where was Celestial when you needed it? Other things seemed to just materialize, so why not my weapons? “You aren’t getting your weapons because I have them right here.” said Sombra, raising my gun and sword. “Since you don’t seem to be getting it, I’ll explain. You might want to sit down for this.” Two chairs appeared out of thin air, facing one another. Sombra took one and nudged the other towards me. I sat down carefully, waiting for some sort of explanation. “Well?” I said, crossing my legs. “Explain.” “You have tasted two lives, each perfectly imperfect in their own ways. On Earth, you have loving parents, a pretty girl, and the one thing you want more than anything: to fit in. All you want is to be accepted and loved, so I showed that to you. In Equestria, you had no parents, five close friends, and a beautiful fiance, who you were going to marry in the morning. I gave you a peek at the only other thing you could want: Fluttershy.” “Why would you show me that? What do you gain?” I asked, leaning forward. “Me? I gain nothing. It’s what you gain. And what you gain is the perfect life. If you play my game, of course.” “It’s always a game when you have power. Give someone too much control, and they stop taking things seriously.” I said, unamused. “Not that I’m bending to your demands, but what’s the game?” “The game is simple.” said Sombra, pulling Lunar from off of his lap. He chambered a single round and passed it to me, grip first. I grabbed it, confused. Was this some sort of trap? “Why are you giving this to me?” I asked. “So you can play the game.” he said, standing up. “The game is this: I’ve shown you two lives, your two perfect lives. Choose.” “What?” I asked. I didn’t understand. “Choose.” he repeated, snapping his fingers. Next to him appeared my mother, wearing an apron, and Fluttershy, wearing a wedding gown. “You have one bullet in your gun. You can choose your mom or your wife-to-be. Whoever you shoot will be erased from your reality. You will be inserted into the moment when you left, with no memory of this or your past. You will remember things that never happened, your time with Fluttershy or your past with your mother. It will be as if you had lived that life in that world your entire life.” “You want me to choose? What’s the catch?” I asked. “No catch. There is no way for you to lose this game. Whatever makes you happy will become real. So what will it be? You can be Christian Brookes on Earth, or Silver Rift in Equestria. Just pick.” “I have to pick? Why would I do that when I can just go and be both?” I asked. “Because it’s the only way out of here. You must decide, or you will rot here for all of eternity.” he laughed. “So, maybe I lied when I said you couldn’t lose. It’s just really hard.” “Where are we?” I asked fearfully. “We are in your subconscious, deep in the recesses of your mind. But that’s besides the point. Just choose. Is it that really so hard? Why can’t you just decide? It won’t hurt them. It’s mostly symbolic. I was going to give you the sword and say you had to ‘sever the bonds you had’ but that seemed overdone. Don’t worry, I won’t judge you, whatever your choice may be. You deserve happiness, so I’m just trying to give it to you.” “I can pick which life I want? And no one will be hurt by it?” I asked. “No one will even notice. You have to decide, though.” growled Sombra. Could I? Could I really choose one over the other? I turned Lunar over in my hands, thinking. I would be happy either way, so what was the big dilemma? I just had to choose. “Flutters or Mom?” I said to myself. I took my time, thinking it over once more. Finally, I had reached a decision. I pointed the gun at my target and gripped the butt of my gun. I aimed carefully and took a deep breath, when suddenly my brain felt a quick ZAP! What was I doing?! I couldn’t do this! There had to be another way. I lowered the gun, thinking again. “What are you doing?!” asked Sombra angrily. “You must choose!” “I’ll choose, after I explain my choice to you. You okay with that?” I said. “Good. You see, I just figured out what you’re trying to do. You are trying to destroy me, destroy what I am and what I stand for.” “No, of course not!” said Sombra. “Yes, you are. But, ya know, I learned something a while ago, from my mother. Me and my mum didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but she gave me good advice, advice I follow to this day. Whenever I felt like quitting, she would remind me of something. She would say ‘Everything in life has two abilities. They have the ability to create and the ability to be conquered.’ And this ‘game’ of yours is not my favorite thing in this world. I just have to find a way to conquer it. You see, you’re evil, pure evil. But even evil does not destroy.” “Evil doesn’t destroy? Then what do you call what I did to the Crystal Empire?” he asked smugly. “Creation. You created the necessary strength for your victims to keep fighting. Even now, as you try to destroy my life, you are creating power, power for me to make a choice.” I said, raising Lunar. “So, you will still choose? What will it be?” growled Sombra. “Well, I was going to shoot my mom.” I said, pointing the gun at her. “But then, I thought, ‘Eh, maybe I’ll shoot Flutters.’” I turned the gun onto Fluttershy. “Which is it?!” cried Sombra. “You must make a choice.” “You say that whichever life I pick, I’ll win. You are wrong. If I pick either of these I will lose.” “So pick the one where you’ll lose less.” said Sombra angrily. “Ah, but I can pick the third option.” I said knowingly. “There is no third option! You must pick between the two!” “You said whoever I shoot will be erased from my reality.” I said, placing Lunar’s barrel against my temple. “What if I want to erase myself from this reality?” “What are you doing?!” yelled Sombra. He seemed to be losing it. “I don’t want to make this choice, so I’ll remove myself from a world in which I have to. You had me backed against the wall, Sombra, and I was gonna make a choice, but you made the mistake of giving me a way out. You underestimated my intelligence, and I’ll make sure you regret it, that’s for damn sure.” “What are you doing?!” repeated Sombra. “What am I doing?” I said, gripping Lunar. “I’m winning. Isn’t that what you wanted?” And I pulled the trigger. BOOM! I opened my eyes slowly. I looked down at my right arm and noted the IV needle. I sat up and ripped it out of my arm. I turned to my right and saw Conjure standing at a counter, flipping through files. I jumped to my hooves and stretched out my back. Ugh. Stiff, like I had been sleeping for a while. I shrugged it off and examined my side. Someone had bandaged it up. It was sore, but otherwise I was fine. Isaiah still hadn’t turned around. “Hey. What’s up?” I said cheerfully. “I’m awake! We should plan a new attack.” He jumped at the sound of my voice. He turned around quickly, staring at me. He stepped up to me and tapped my nose softly. He stepped backwards and punched the air. “Hell yeah!! It worked!! I am a genius!” he shouted with excitement. “Someone’s excited. Jesus, I was only out, what a couple of hours? A day?” I said. “A couple of hours?” he asked, sorrow replacing his excitement. “Dude, you were out for-” “It doesn’t matter.” I said, ignoring him. I ran out of my room to an empty hallway with no other rooms. Conjure must’ve been rearranging the house. I ran down to the middle of the hall, looking for a door. I looked down and saw a hidden trap door. I stomped hard, knocking it open. I went into Silver Rift form and floated down. I walked down to the training room, assuming that’s where everypony was. In the middle of the the room were the Mane Six, minus Fluttershy, huddled over a table. Their manes were messy and Pinkie seemed to have just recovered from a bout of tears. “Hey, guys.” I said. “Where’s Fluttershy?” They turned around quickly, and stared at me. They looked very tired and worn down. “Oh my…” said Twilight. “Isaiah was right.” “What exactly was he right about? And where is Fluttershy?” I asked worriedly. I heard a few quick, heavy hoof-falls from behind. I turned around and saw Fluttershy at the steps. She looked at me and broke into a run. I extended my arms to hug her, but instead was met with a fist. WHAM! Fluttershy’s fist collided with my nose, shattering it. I looked up at her and noticed her face, covered in dirt and scars. “You asshole!” she shouted angrily. “You have some nerve coming back now. I’m going to go for a quick flying. If you’re smart, you won’t be here when I get back.” She left the room in a fury. “Wad happened do ‘er?” I asked through a mouthful of blood. She messed me up bad. “How did she gid so strong?” It was Rainbow who spoke. “She had three years to work out. She took advantage of it.” “Three years? Wad are you talking about?” Twilight walked over to me and fixed my nose with her magic. “I’m sorry, Silver. I’m so, so sorry. You’ve been dead for three years.”
The New Boss“What. The. Hell. Are you talking about?” I asked, knees weak. “After we got you home from the attack, you… died.” said Rainbow Dash. Without warning, she jumped from her seat and hugged me, hard. I didn’t react. I couldn’t believe it. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. If I died, then where was I? “If I’m dead, does that mean you all died as well?” I asked. “Am I in some sort of pony-afterlife?” “No. We’re all very much alive. The thing is, I scanned your vitals, double, triple checked.” said Twi. “I was positive that you were dead.” “We had a funeral service for you and everything, darling.” said Rarity. “You should be in a casket, six feet underground.” “Well, I’m not. When I came to, I was upstairs.” I said. “Yeah. How in all of Equestria did that happen?” asked Applejack. Twilight blushed and backed away. “Um… that may have been me.” she said weakly. “What?!” shouted Aj. “What in tarnation did ya do?” “It wasn’t her fault.” said Conjure. “It was mine.” “Look, I don’t care who did it. Just explain to me what happened.” I said. I walked over and took a seat next to Pinkie. She was being unusually quiet, and she had definitely been crying. I would address that later. “Here’s what happened:” said Conjure, after a deep breath. “We got you here and you flatlined. We tried everything in our power to bring you back, but we failed. You were deemed dead. Fluttershy lost it. She demanded we bury you at once. I couldn’t let that happen. I knew you were alive. I didn’t know how, but I knew it in my gut. Fluttershy took over the operation, deemed me insane because I refused to accept your death and because I kept your hair trimmed. I finally told her that you could be buried. What she didn’t know is that I made Twilight help dig you out and replace you with a dummy. We placed the appropriate counter-spells so that nopony would want to go upstairs to where I had you stashed. Just today, I saw your brain light up with activity for the first time in years. I analyzed it and it looked like you were arguing with yourself. I watched as something convinced you to lean towards a particular decision, then I shocked you. Apparently it woke you up. Don’t know how, but it did.” “How did you know that I wasn’t dead?” I asked, quietly. “Your readings. The claw marks were nothing, a simple fleshwound. Twilight could whip up an antidote to any poison in existence, and your heart was in perfect condition. You just stopped breathing.” “What did you accomplish while I was out?” I asked. “We did more in two days than we did in all of our time under you.” came an angry, bitter voice from the stairs. I turned and got a better view of her. She had various small scratches over her face, a tiny chunk of her left ear was missing, and she had a long scar going diagonally across her face. “We took down Shimmer and Discord.” “Awesome” I said, glad to be back in the flow of things, to a degree. “Where are they? Can I speak to them?” “Yeah.” said Fluttershy brightly. “I’ll just go get my boot; there might be some of her left on there.” “What?!” I asked in horror. She must’ve been joking. No way was she serious. “My god, were you this dumb before?” she asked. “Although, I suppose if I was dead for three years, I’d be a little slow on the uptake myself. Let me explain, slowly for you. Stay with me when I say it: I… killed… her. Stomped her head in, over and over. I was picking little bits of her brain out of my hooves for days. As for Discord, he got away, but it cost him an arm and a leg. Or rather, an arm and a tail.” “Why would you kill Sunset Shimmer?” I asked appalled. “Princess Celestia made it very clear that she wanted them captured. Alive.” “Don’t talk to me about Celestia.” she said angrily. “Three years, three long years we’ve been at this, and not once did we get a single supply drop, news on what’s happening at home, not even a goddamn letter saying ‘Nice work, guys!’ She abandoned us a long time ago, so I don’t give a rat’s ass what she has to say. This is now beyond Celestia’s power. This is my jurisdiction.” “So what, you went commando?” I asked sarcastically. “Oh! That’s what I’ve been calling her!” shouted Isaiah. “Commandoshy, our fearless and psychotic leader!” She shut him up with a murderous stare. This was unreal. What happened when I was gone? I was missing something. I turned to look at Pinkie, her face wet with tears. Why was she so upset? Maybe Robert knew. Wait a second… “Where’s Robert?” I asked. As soon as I said his name, Pinkie burst into tears once more. Everypony looked at me with distaste, except for RD, Fluttershy and Isaiah. I looked around for some sort of explanation. “He’s gone.” said Twilight. My heart was beating in my throat. “G-Gone? You mean he’s… dead?” I asked. “No, but by now he probably wishes he was.” said Commandoshy. “Then where is he?” I asked. What did this all mean? “After you were… put out of commision, Robert got his panties in a bunch and split. He blamed me for what happened, so he took a ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ bag, filled it with ammo, and left. We just found out that he was captured by the changelings yesterday. To answer your next two questions: No, we aren’t going to save him and yes, that is why Pinkie is crying.” “What do you mean, we aren’t going to save him?! We have to!” I cried. “No, we don’t. He stopped being my problem the moment he left the grounds of this house. He shouldn’t have gotten himself in such a stupid situation. Besides, I have more important things to do. Like win this war before it gets out of hand.” “What happened to you? The Fluttershy I knew would never abandon a friend.” I said. “Well, kid, things change. Especially during war.” she replied resentfully. “Kid?!” I said indignantly. “I-I’m a year older than you!” “Yeah, whatever. Just because I haven’t kicked your ass yet doesn’t mean I won’t. I told you that if you were smart, you wouldn’t be here when I came back. Apparently you aren’t smart.” said Commandoshy. “Listen here, girly.” I said boldly. “I don’t know what happened to you, but I’ll deal with you later. We have bigger fish to fry, like saving Robert. We leave in the morning.” “You listen here, Silver Rift” replied Flutters, walking towards me. She got right in my face and continued. “You’ve been gone for too long, so let me educate you. While you were dirt-napping, I took over. I kinda run this shit now. We’re going to get Robert, but only because I need Pinkie to operate at her best. This is my decision. So don’t you ever, ever come in here and tell me what I’m doing. You don’t own me, I own you.” “I have to disagree on that one.” I said, backing away. Remember earlier when I said that Rainbow Dash was the most intimidating girl I’ve ever met? Well, I may have lied. “Ya know what? You can disagree when you’ve earned the right to an opinion again. Until further notice, you are disposable. Expendable. Your opinion is worth nothing until I let you know otherwise. Got it?” “No. I don’t.” I said defiantly. “Let me explain it slowly: You are my bitch. Plain as that. I own your ass, and there’s not a damn thing you can say about it.” “You don’t own me, and I am not your bitch.” I said angrily. “Is that a fact? Let’s find out.” said Fluttershy. She slapped me hard across the face. She backhanded me the other way. She closed her fist and hit me hard in the nose. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, she pulled me close by her face. “Do something about it. If you aren’t my bitch, then put me in my place. Make me your bitch. Until you step up and take control, your ass belongs to me. And don’t you forget it.” She pushed me back, apparently content with her “lesson”. She looked at me, semi-satisfied, and swung her right hoof and smacked me on the side of the head, dropping me to my knees. “Sorry, Fluttershy.” I said, tearily. “It won’t happen again.” “Damn right it won’t.” She said bitterly. “And Bitch? Drop the Fluttershy. I actually like Commandoshy.” “Y-yes ma’am.” I said, getting to my hooves. “What do you need me to do?” “RD and Aj will go out and find out where they’re keeping Robert. Don’t come back until you find him. Twilight, make sure our weapons are in good condition. Find Lunar and Celestial and clean them. Rarity, enforce our armor. Pinkie, go… eat some cake or something. Anything to shut your ass up. Conjure, Bitch, you two need to go work out. You have thirty minutes to train before I come down there and kick your ass. Try your damndest to survive.” ordered Fluttershy. “Hey, Psychoshy. Wanna give me my magic back?” said Isaiah. “Twilight, give Jackass his magic back. Then meet me upstairs. We need to have a little chat about you going behind my back.” said Commandoshy. Everypony left the room except for me, Isaiah, Twi and RD. “Be careful, Silver.” said Rainbow Dash, leaving the room. “Things have changed. Don’t get in Fluttershy’s way. I don’t want to attend your funeral twice.” “Come here, Conjure.” said Twilight, walking up to Isaiah. She extended her hand and grabbed his horn. She concentrated, horn glowing for a moment, before letting him go. Then, she smacked him on the back of the head. “Ow! What was that for?” he said, rubbing his head. “Why would you get me involved?! I mean, I know we had to get Silver, but now Fluttershy is going to rip my head off! Why couldn’t you dig him out yourself?” said Twilight frantically. “You had already suppressed my magic. I couldn’t have gotten any of it done without you.” “You owe me for this one!” “Twilight! I am not a patient mare!” called a voice from upstairs. “You have about ten seconds!” Twilight shot us one more look of panic, then rushed upstairs. I sat there in silence, trying to absorb what just happened. I think Fluttershy just kicked my ass. That was… odd. “Wow Chris. Way to go full-on wuss mode.” said Isaiah, grabbing his swords. “Shut up.” I said quietly. “Holy shit. She broke you. Never thought I’d see the day.” “Shut up.” I repeated. “Listen. I know this must be a lot to take in, but right now we have to train. When Commandoshy says we have thirty minutes, we should be done in fifteen.” “Did that just happen?” I asked. “Did I really just let her kick my ass?” “Hate to say it, but yeah. Come on, you need to help me. I’m rusty. It’s been three years since I was allowed to hold anything sharp.” said Isaiah grumpily. “Why? You haven’t been helping?” “I told you, I was dubbed insane, a danger to myself and others. She had Twilight suppress my magic and took all my belongings. I had to smuggle some scissors in so I could cut your hair.” “Wait. You cut my hair?” I asked uncomfortably. “I knew you hated when it got too long, so I kept it short. I couldn’t get my hands on any dye, though. It doesn’t matter. Fluttershy wasn’t joking. We need to be able to defend ourselves when she gets down here.” “Fine.” I said extending my hand. “Pass me one. While we spar, we can answer each other’s questions.” He tossed me one of his katanas. Hopefully Celestia’s spell hadn’t worn off. We decided to keep sheaths on, considering neither of us had that Chameleon Armor. We crossed swords, then jumped backwards to begin. I rushed at him and swung to the right. He blocked it, tip of sword pointed at the ground. He pushed me back, raised his blade above his head, and swung downward. Holding my sword sideways, I blocked it and heaved him off. “So, who’s first?” asked Isaiah, swinging towards my knee. I jumped backwards and lunged. “Guess I’ll go. When exactly did Robert leave? And why?” He dodged my lunge and kneed upwards. “When Fluttershy took over. He refused to follow her orders, so he left. He blamed her for your death.” I smacked his knee down with my sword. “What happened when you… ya know. Bit the dust?” “I lived on Earth with my mom, dad, Mat, Pat, you and Rob. It was perfect. Then I was in Equestria with the Six. Also perfect. Sombra came out and made me choose between them.” I kicked forward, hitting him in the gut. He staggered then smacked me on the right side. “I saw that you made a decision before I zapped you. Who did you pick?” I thrust my sword on his toe, then smacked him in the neck. “I don’t really remember what happened. I know it happened, the details are just… fuzzy. Exactly how long was I out for?” I swung for his ribs. “You were gone on July 7, 2013. It’s January 23rd, 2017. Just over three years.” He caught my blade with his hilt, swung around his sword, causing me to drop it. We’d been at it for about twenty minutes. I changed back to human form, took a seat on the floor and fell on my back. I was exhausted. “When did Fluttershy go crazy?” I asked breathlessly. “Well, after she took charge she got a little harsher, but not like she is now. She was more like Rainbow Dash until they caught Sunset Shimmer. She lost it and… you know the rest.” “Yeah, she bashed her head in with her bare hands.” I said. “And I’ll do the same to you two jackoffs unless you can defend yourself.” said Commandoshy, walking down the stairs. She was wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit and two swords, one on her back and one on her hip. Her hipped sword was her cutlass, but the one on her back was my own Celestial. “How does this work?” I asked, getting to my feet and dusting myself off. “What do we do?” “Survive.” she replied. “We fight until I say stop. If you are in one piece by the end of it, you suit up so we can get Robert the Rebel. If you aren’t, well, I’ll make sure your funerals are nice. And that you’re both actually dead.” she added bitterly. She pulled out her sword with her left hand and Celestial with her right. “Can I get my sword?” I asked frightened. “Yeah, where do you want it? Your stomach? Your heart? I can make it happen.” she said, twirling the blades. “Um… so I can’t have my sword?” I asked sheepishly. Without warning, she jumped at me, slicing down with both swords. Instinctively, I slashed upwards with the sheathed katana, throwing her back. Conjure ran forward and slashed at her stomach. She deflected it with Celestial and swiped at his shoulder with her cutlass. He jumped back, only grazed and pulled his blade from the sheath. He stabbed at Fluttershy, just to be blocked by me. “NO!” I screamed. “Put that away!” I felt a hoof connect with the side of my head, sending me flying to the right. I fell onto my back as Fluttershy pointed Celestial’s tip at my Adam’s Apple. “No thanks!” shouted Isaiah, running at Fluttershy. He tackled her to the ground, got on his knees over her, and punched her in the face. He swung four times, smashing her face before she kicked him off. He got up and slashed her shin, causing her to grunt in pain. She slashed at his hand, cutting two inches deep in his wrist. “Yes! This is the most fun I’ve had in a while!” shouted Commandoshy with excitement. “How did you punish Twilight?” said Isaiah angrily. He slashed furiously at her chest. She blocked it easily. “She got off with a warning. She goes around my back one more time and she’s Grounded.” replied Commandoshy. Here is when my panicked sarcasm comes in. “What are you gonna do? Send her to her room? Take away her cellphone?” I said, getting up. As soon as I said it, I knew I shouldn’t have. She seemed to remember I was there for the first time. She jumped back to me and spun, slashing me in the chest four times. “Cute. When I ‘Ground’ someone, I make sure they are grounded. Translation: I break something. A leg, an arm, depends on who it is. Twilight only got out because this is her first offense.” she said. I blocked swipe after swipe, not daring to attack. Conjure jumped at her back, trying to stab her. Without taking her eyes (or sword) off of me, she swiped backwards, knocking his sword out of his hand. She kicked backwards, hitting him in the ribs and sending him flying. He hit the ground with a sinister CRACK! “NO!” I shouted. I swung furiously at her chest, throwing the sheath off in the process. THUNK!! My sword bounced off of her chest. Her bodysuit transformed into thick, steel armor. Huh. I swung at her leg, indenting her armor. I smashed at her stomach, scratching her chestplate. I dropped my sword a little, exposing the hilt under my fist. I swung downwards ferociously on her skull. She fell to the ground on her butt, dropping both swords. I pointed the tip of the katana at her throat. “You’re done.” I said, walking away. I ran up to Isaiah’s fallen body, checking him for injuries. I touched his side, causing him to cry out in pain. “AHHH!” he shouted. “I think she broke my ribs.” “It’s ok, we won.” I said, grabbing his arm. I lifted him up a little before being kicked in the neck. I stumbled to the ground as Commandoshy jumped on my chest. She picked me up by the shirt and threw me against the wall. “Remember the rules?” she said angrily. “I said that we fight til I said stop. I didn’t say stop yet.” “Well, what if I told you that I didn’t care what you said?” I said, kicking her in the stomach. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her own hooves. I jumped forward and stepped on her chest. “Fair enough. Stop, you’ve won.” said Fluttershy. I removed my foot, ripped Celestial’s sheath off of her back, walked over and grabbed up my sword. I sheathed it and put in on my back. I walked over to Isaiah and tried once more to lift his now unconscious body. I struggled under his weight for a minute before I felt some of it alleviated by Fluttershy. I slung one of his arms over my neck while she did the same. I pulled out my wings and we flew him upstairs. I looked at Fluttershy and smiled for the first time since I woke up. “Don’t smile at me like that, asshole! Just because I’m allowing you to go doesn’t mean you’re better than me. I gave up because we didn’t have time to waste and, although I really wanted to, I couldn’t leave Conjure sitting there with broken ribs. I’m already planning our rematch.” said Commandoshy angrily. “Flutters, can you answer me a few questions?” I asked. “What did you call me?” she said poisonously. “S-sorry. Ma’am?” I tried. When she allowed it, I reiterated. “Who did you Ground and for what?” “Why do you think? They were being stupid or dangerous. It’s not just about keeping me out of the loop. Some of them has done legitimately stupid stuff. For instance, Rainbow Dash was the first one. We were in the cellar, right? I was showing them where we kept the gunpowder and TNT and the like, when Rainbow thinks it’d be cool to light a cigarette. Mind you, the air was thick with explosive powder. If it weren’t for Twilight, we would have died. Then she tried to play it off like it wasn’t her. She tried to fly off, so I broke her wing.” “Was she the only one?” I asked. “No. Rarity got her fingers broken because she tried to sneak out past curfew, trying to get some dress. I broke Applejack’s ankle for blasting country music when we were doing recon. Pinkie has gotten the most. I broke each arm about four times over, fractured her leg, unhinged her jaw, snapped a few tendons and shattered her ribs because she kept trying to go after Robert. She refused to listen to reason. When we found out that he was taken, I knew we had to save him or else she might go out on her own. I’d never forgive myself if she got killed out there.” “That’s the Fluttershy I remember.” I muttered. “Well, don’t get used to it. Didn’t you want to ask something else?” “Oh yeah. Why did it take so long for your armor to take effect?” “I can answer that one.” whispered Isaiah. When did he wake up? “She got scared!” “I will drop your ass right now.” said Fluttershy upon reaching the top floor. She heaved Isaiah onto the sofa, not too gently. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “If anyone here has reason to be scared, it’s me.” “Damn right you do. But he’s not wrong. Remember, Chameleon Armor only becomes armor when you get frightened or excited. I was calm until I threw Isaiah. Not to say I was afraid, but I knew you were pissed and would actually fight back.” “Another question: Let’s say, hypothetically, I stayed dead. After you killed Chrysalis and Sombra, and when you finished off Discord, what would you have done?” “Twilight would have worked her ass off trying to get us home. If Celestia could do it, then Twilight could.” she replied. “One last question before I start planning. Hurry up with it.” “What did you tell the Jacksons?” I asked, scared for the answer. “The truth.” laughed Fluttershy morbidly. “You died, so we made it obvious that you were dead. Made dummies of you three dummies, threw you in a car and threw the car into oncoming traffic. Your mom, your few friends, and that annoyingly cute redhead all believe you’re dead. So stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking about. You’re not dropping in to say ‘hi’. You will never be able to see them again.” She walked back downstairs, no doubt to plan. I’ll have to add my future to a list of shattered objects, right below Isaiah’s ribs and Fluttershy’s ability to be kind.
War Never ChangesAfter Fluttershy bandaged up my wounds, she got the team together. According to Aj and Rainbow, Robert was being held underground about a mile north of town. They had a bunker where they kept prisoners. We would have to fight through a large number of changelings just to get in, and countless more to get Robert out. We’d also have to convince him to come with us. A tall order, but he needed our help. “Alright. I was contemplating on splitting us up into groups, but it’s not worth the time or the risk, so we’re running in together. No real plan, no real strategy, just rush in, grab Robert, and rush out. Any questions?” said Fluttershy, at the war table. “Yeah, I have a question.” said Pinkie. “How are we going to get in? We can’t just waltz in, we’ll be shot on sight.” “We blow it up. We walk in, blow a hole in the bunker and leave. I know I will probably regret it, but I give you full access to the explosive armory.” “Permission to leave?” asked Pinkie seriously. Fluttershy nodded and Pinkie Pie ran to the bomb range excitedly. “We go in as soon as Pinkie is ready. Twilight, can you teleport us all in?” asked Fluttershy. “Not all of us, no. I can take… six ponies, including myself.” replied Twilight. “So five passengers. And I can’t exclude any of you, I need the manpower. Conjure, can you teleport the Bitch and yourself?” “I can teleport me and Christian, if that’s what you’re asking. I might be a little off at first, my magic is still returning. We’ll get there, it’ll be fine.” said Isaiah, stretching out his side. Twilight was able to repair his ribs a bit, but they’re apparently still sore. “Is this really a good idea?” I asked. “You can’t really expect us to run in there without a plan, can you?” “I’m sorry, I forgot that I asked you to give your two-cents. Please, continue to grace us with your three years of battle experience. Oh wait, wait, that’s not you. That’s me with all that experience. How silly of me. Now, what did I really want to say to you? Oh yeah: Shut that goddamn hole on your face!” said Commandoshy. “Like I said: We’re rushing in, today.” “Don’t take it personally, sugarcube. Whenever she gets like this, it’s best to stay out of her way.” said Applejack. “Don’t tell him that. He’s supposed to take it personally. Rarity, do you have any extra armor?” “I have a suit for Conjure, Silver and War, in the event that he needs one.” said Rarity. “And I have about three extras besides that.” “Excellent. Now if Pinkie would only get down here with her explosives.” “You called?” said Pinkie, walking downstairs. She was in the same Chameleon body-armor as Fluttershy, with two duffle bags on her shoulders. She placed them down, opened them and pulled out two bazookas. She held one in each hand and pointed them at the air. “Let’s go.” We approached a grassy hill, just outside of town. Walking briskly and with purpose, Pinkie went to the side of the hill. She reached into her duffle bags and pulled out five bricks of C4. She put them in a square formation on the side of the hill, one in each corner and one in the middle. When everything was the way she wanted, Pinkie ran backwards, reached into her pocket and pulled out the detonator. “Ready for this?!” asked Pinkie rhetorically. Raising the detonator high in the air, she flicked the button. BOOM! The ground exploded, sending grass and dirt everywhere. I walked up to the crater and jumped in the steaming metal hole. It wasn’t deep, I hit the ground and stumbled forward a little. I gazed, shocked at what I saw. There was a long, empty hallway that led up to a large door, wide enough for the eight of us to walk in, side-by-side. The door was steel, and probably more than a few feet thick. I heard the others fall down behind me. “What now, Fluttershy?” I asked. “Still think this ‘no plan’ business was smart?” “Pinkie. Go.” growled Fluttershy. Pinkie ran up a few feet away from the door with her double rocket launchers in her hands. I stared at them, amazed at how she was able to lift such large weapons, let alone shoot them. “Like my Party Cannons? I didn’t have time to paint them. They were gonna be pink.” said Pinkie. She aimed at the door, gave us each a look of focus, and shouted. “PARTY TIME!!!” BOOM!! The doors blew apart with a bang. We rushed in, unable to see through the smoke in the room. Uh-oh. That wasn’t us. We couldn’t see two feet in front of our faces. “Twilight!” coughed Fluttershy. “Get us some visual!” I heard a soft humming and the smoke began to thin. After a few minutes, it dissipated. What I saw shocked me more than you could believe. Robert was kneeling over a changeling, beating his face in. Seemed normal enough, until you took in the fact that he was completely naked. “So you came for me, huh?” said Robert not taking his eyes off of the changeling. “Don’t know why you’re wasting your time. I’m not going with you.” “Not even for me?” I asked sarcastically. He dropped the changeling in shock. He got up and walked over to me. I expected this much. He stared me up and down and, without warning, punched me in the jaw. I stumbled backwards, not quite down and very surprised. “You have got to stop dying.” said Robert with a smile. “Yeah, well you have to stop being a psycho.” I said, rubbing my face. He opened his arms to hug me, but I had to say no… for obvious reasons. “Just a hug, bro. I thought you were dead for three years!” he said. “I’ll hug you, as soon as you put some clothes on.” I replied. “Come on, don’t be like that! It’s a party down here!” “Ooooooh! I knew it was a party, but I didn’t know it was that kind of party!” said Pinkie, unzipping her suit. “NO!” I shouted. “It’s not that type of party! Zip your suit back up!” “Party pooper!!” said Robert and Pinkie together. I rolled my eyes and tossed him a suit. He pulled it on and suddenly got serious. “Listen, we have two options: Run now or fight. If we run, we’re more likely to survive, but if we fight, we might learn something. What do you think, Chris?” “What he thinks doesn’t matter. It’s what I think, and I think we should fight.” said Commandoshy. “Yeah, but I didn’t ask you. I don’t take orders from you anymore, Fluttershy. I’ll follow Chris’, but not yours. What do you think we should do, Chris?” repeated Robert. Erm… That’s not good. “Uh… Robert? I think we should probably stay and fight. We need all the info we could possibly get.” I said quietly. “Cool. I get to show you my special magic.” He punched her in the ribs and kicked her in the leg. Grabbing her mane, he lifted her up and threw her over next to me. She hit the ground right next to my face. Her nose was leaking blood and her lip was bruised. “Help… me.” she whispered. Robert grabbed her back up, his eyes and skin faintly glowing red. He threw her to the ground twice more before I found my voice. “Robert, stop!” I screamed hoarsely. I got up slowly. “Stop. You’ve done enough. Why don’t you go work out or something, huh? Blow off some steam.” “Sorry. Unfortunate side effect to Battlecry. Makes me angry.” he said, sauntering off. I limped over to Fluttershy and grabbed her up. I carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. Sitting down, I let out a deep sigh. “Thanks.” she said weakly. “I don’t think he would have stopped if it wasn’t for you.” “Don’t worry about it. What happened back there? I was pretty sure you could’ve taken down Robert.” “I… panicked, sorry.” she replied, closing her eyes. “Chris, can I tell you something?” “What is it?” I said, grimacing in pain. She really screwed up my wing. “I don’t think I’m up for this. I can’t do this anymore.” “What? Can’t do what anymore?” I asked. “Lead. I’m not very good at it. Look at what I’ve done while you were gone. I’ve ended countless lives, I’ve yelled and shouted and even hurt my friends. You were much b“Magic? What can you do?” I asked confusedly. He transformed into War without answering my question. He spread his arms out and inhaled deeply through his nose. A faint red aura engulfed his body. Suddenly, he swung his arms upwards, bathing the room in a red glow. I felt myself get lifted off of my feet. Just as abruptly as it started, it finished. “I call it Battlecry.” said Robert. “I just tripled your physical strength. Thank me later. We have hostiles incoming.” No sooner had he said it, had the room filled with changelings. We were surrounded by a ring of 80 plus changelings, when Pinkie threw down a smoke bomb. A thick fog filled the room, obstructing the vision of friend and foe alike. I rushed forward, pulled out my sword, and slashed at a changeling leg, cutting it off like a hot knife through butter. Whoops. Talk about triple strength. “Forget the sword.” I said. “We can take out these guys bare-knuckle.” I abandoned my sword and ran towards an enemy. I reared my fist back and swung it at his face, launching him across the room. A bladed arm breezed past my ear. I kicked it’s owner in the shoulder, hearing the CRACK! I dropped backwards and kicked upwards, smacking another changeling in the jaw. I stood up straight, observing my surroundings. Fluttershy slashed two changelings in the chest as Pinkie shot another in the knee. Twilight sliced off a changelings arm, kicked a nearby one in the chest, spun around and punched the first one in the throat. Aj and Rainbow were taking turns beating up a group of four changelings with a combination of hands, hooves, and blade. Only me and Isaiah were holding back, as Robert was throwing changelings around with all of his might. I looked around one last time and noted that there was only one left. I grabbed him by the wing and swung him to the ground as gently as I could. I picked him back up and threw him against the wall. I whipped out my blade and pressed it against his neck. “Hi, friend.” I said. “Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?” I felt the hairs on my neck prickle and something told me to duck. I got down just in time to avoid Fluttershy’s sword. The blade hit the changeling in the horn, cleaving it clean off. I got back up and thanked her for the save. “Hurry up, Silver. We don’t have all day. Get what we need.” she growled. “What have you been doing lately? Plan any invasions worth talking about?” I asked. “What if we have? What are you going to do about it?” he said in a slithering, insectoid voice. “If you tell us, you can run back to your queen. If you don’t, well,” I pushed my sword into his neck a little, just to scare him. A light trickle of green dripped on my blade. “How do you think my sword will look in green?” “You don’t scare me.” he said. I pushed a little more, watching him grimace in pain. “Ok, ok. We are planning an invasion on Canterlot. We plan on taking the Regal Sisters.” “Keep going.” I said. “When? How?” “We’re going to open a portal to Equestria next month. You’ll never stop it. You don’t even know where we are.” he said proudly. “How are you gonna pull that off, dipweed?” asked Fluttershy. “There’s no way Chrysalis is strong enough to open a portal to Equestria. How are you pulling that one off? Sombra?” “Shut up, you filth! How dare you taint the name of my queen! And you imply that we need the help of Sombra the would-be-King-of-Darkness? Never would my queen lower herself to ask for help from that useless wannabe ruler! Let me give you some advice: Don’t try to stop her. If you get in Queen Chrysalis’ way, she will make you regret it dearly. She will kill all of you, slowly and intimately, for the good of changeling-kind!! What do you have to say about that, filthy pegasus?” he said, chest puffing. Fluttershy walked up next to me, smiling. She tilted her head to the side, staring at my hostage. Finally, she spoke. “What do I have to say about that? Not very much, actually. I have but one retort.” she grabbed Lunar off of my hip and placed it’s barrel against the changelings head. “Go to hell.” She pulled the trigger, sending chunks of green goo flying across the room and splattering the wall. I dropped him in shock and stared at Fluttershy. She tossed Lunar back to me and walked out. The rest of the girls followed suit, leaving me alone with Isaiah and Robert. “Did… what the hell?!” I said confused, rushing out of the room. I ran up to Fluttershy and grabbed her wrist. “What do you want?” asked Fluttershy, yanking her hand away. “What did you do?!” I asked outraged. “I heard the information and eliminated the witness. Problem?” “You didn’t have to kill him!” I shouted angrily. “It didn’t matter. He told us what we needed to know. What’s the big deal?” “Wow, really? Where do I begin? He was a living being, he complied to our demands, he was no threat, and we didn’t have to kill him. You did it just because you could.” “To be fair, that was, like, Changeling Kill of the Week. That was so goddamn badass!” shouted Robert from behind. “Not helping!” I yelled. “You still don’t get it, do you?” said Commandoshy. “This is war!” “That might may true, but you’re not following the rules. Even war has rules.” “I’m following my rules. First rule of Commandoshy Warfare: Win. No matter what. Now, get the hell out of my face. We need to get out. Twilight, Conjure, get us home.” Twilight grabbed hands with Pinkie, Aj, RD, Fluttershy and Rarity. Conjure grabbed my shoulder and Robert’s suit. “Let’s go.” he said. He concentrated hard, bathing us in green glow. I noticed his other hand unclench and squeeze back. The light grew more intense and suddenly POP! I stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting gravel. I got to my feet and observed the area. I was on the roof of a building, one with a large sign on the top. I walked around it to read what it said. JACKSON’S “Isaiah.” I said quietly. “I’ll be back.” I transformed into Silver Rift and turned to fly downstairs. I got halfway to the other side of the roof before she got me. Fluttershy grabbed my left wing, wrestled me to the ground, place her hoof in the crook between my wing and back, twisted and yanked. CRACK! She clamped her hand against my mouth, blocking out my scream. She heaved me up, grabbed Isaiah by the horn and gave him a murderous stare. He looked down and concentrated again. POP! We appeared in the training room in front of the rest of the group. Fluttershy kicked me in the back of the leg, dropping me to my knees. She swung her hoof and smacked me in the back of the head. I fell forward on my face, crying out in pain. “You’re Grounded, asshole!” said Fluttershy, stomping my broken wing. She kicked me in the wing three more times, then turned away. I looked up and saw Robert grab Fluttershy by the hair. He flung her against the wall and punched the wall next to her face, cracking the wall. “Don’t you ever hurt my friends. I promise to everything that I love, no, everything you love, if I see you hurt Silver or Pinkie again, I’ll chop off your head, skin you with a rusty saw and make a necklace with your bowels.” said Robert with bass and anger in his voice. “Can’t wait. Let’s make an appointment. I’m free for next Tuesday, if you’re game. Maybe Pinkie can watch.” She said sarcastically. Robert pulled his arm back and swung into her face. He punched her in the ribs and kicked her in the leg. Grabbing her mane, he lifted her up and threw her over next to me. She hit the ground right next to my face. Her nose was leaking blood and her lip was bruised. “Help… me.” she whispered. Robert grabbed her back up, his eyes and skin faintly glowing red. He threw her to the ground twice more before I found my voice. “Robert, stop!” I screamed hoarsely. I got up slowly. “Stop. You’ve done enough. Why don’t you go work out or something, huh? Blow off some steam.” “Sorry. Unfortunate side effect to Battlecry. Makes me angry.” he said, sauntering off. I limped over to Fluttershy and grabbed her up. I carried her upstairs and laid her on her bed. Sitting down, I let out a deep sigh. “Thanks.” she said weakly. “I don’t think he would have stopped if it wasn’t for you.” “Don’t worry about it. What happened back there? I was pretty sure you could’ve taken down Robert.” “I… panicked, sorry.” she replied, closing her eyes. “Chris, can I tell you something?” “What is it?” I said, grimacing in pain. She really screwed up my wing. “I don’t think I’m up for this. I can’t do this anymore.” “What? Can’t do what anymore?” I asked. “Lead. I’m not very good at it. Look at what I’ve done while you were gone. I’ve ended countless lives, I’ve yelled and shouted and even hurt my friends. You were much better at this than me. It’s time I faced facts: I’m a failure. I was never meant to do this. You should take over.” “Nope. Not yet.” I said, rubbing my wing. “What do you mean ‘not yet’? What are you waiting for?” she said in outrage. “Not until you figure out when Chrysalis is attacking.” I replied. “When I find out? You mean you already know?! When is it?” she shouted in anticipation. “I know when, but I won’t tell you. You have to figure it out on your own.” “Why?! Is it because I called you a bitch? Or because I beat you up so much?” she asked pitifully. “No. It’s because you called yourself a failure. Prove yourself wrong.” I said, crossing my arms. “That’s not right! This isn’t about my self-esteem, ok? We need to know this. If you know, you have to tell us.” she said frustrated. “It’s obvious.” I said, rising to my feet. I walked over and sat on her bed next to her. “It’s staring you in the face.” “It’s obviously not obvious, because I can’t figure it out.” “You just need to open your eyes.” I leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips. She pushed me off confusedly, then pulled me back in. We broke apart after a moment, both a bit confused at what just happened. “Why did we do that?” asked Fluttershy. “Love makes you do crazy things.” I said breathlessly. She seemed to consider it for a second. I sat there, hoping she would figure it out. Suddenly, her face lit up with excitement. “That’s it! Oh, Chris, I could just about kiss you!” she shouted happily. “Er… wouldn’t that be redundant?” I asked. “Oh, shut up, you.” she said, smiling. She sat up and stretched out her arms. “By the way. You remember when we just kissed?” “Uh… yeah?” I said uneasily. “No you don’t, cause that never happened. The others never find out about this. Understand?” she said threateningly. “Er… uh… um… No. I mean yes. Maybe?” I said shakily. “Good. I guess. What are we doing here still? If you’re waiting for more, you’re gonna be disappointed. Let’s go tell the others.” she said, jumping to her hooves. She walked downstairs briskly, leaving me in pain and disappointed. “Damn.” I said, leaving the room. “I kinda was waiting for more.” I rushed downstairs where things were not quite as we left it. Robert and Pinkie Pie were in the center of the room, kissing furiously, while the others kinda orbited them in discomfort. Even Fluttershy was standing there in shock. “Ahem. Uh… wow, guys. Really?” I said awkwardly. “Are you two, like, an item now?” “Oh, shut up Chris.” said Robert, breaking away from Pinkie for a second. “Don’t act like you’re surprised.” “Yeah. I can’t believe none of you figured it out.” said Pinkie. “None of you saw that I was crazy-wazy for him?” “Doesn’t matter. You two can… eat each other’s faces later.” said Fluttershy. “First off, I would like to apologize for everything I’ve done over the years. Especially to Pinkie, Robert, and Isaiah. I lost it a little. Please, forgive me.” “I forgave you before you did it.” said Pinkie. “I could never be mad at you, Fluttershy!” “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll get over it. After some time has passed.” said Robert. “I still hate your guts.” “He doesn’t mean that.” said Pinkie, pecking him on the lips. “He’s just trying to act tough in front of me.” “I appreciate it a lot, guys. What I really came down here for is to tell you that I figured it out. I know when the attack begins.” said Fluttershy. “How did you figure that out?!” shouted Rarity. “Erm… That doesn’t matter! What matters is that I know, alright? Listen, we need to be prepared by February 14th.” “Febooary 14th?” asked Applejack. “Why in tarnation is it gonna be on Febooary 14th?” “It’s Valentines Day. It’s the Earth version of Hearts and Hooves Day. She’s gonna feed off of all the love on Earth to open a portal to Equestria.” answered Fluttershy. “That’s in, like, two and a half weeks. Better get ready.” I said flexing my wings. “Twily, be a dear and fix my wings, please? An old friends of mine ruined them. I don’t think I’ll be seeing much of her any more.” “I think you might be right.” said Fluttershy, shooting me a happy smile.
LossIf I learned one thing from my time with the Six, it’s that we are horribly bad at managing time. In the blink of an eye, it was February 13th. “How did this happen? It felt like just yesterday we figured out when we needed to be ready and now, poof! It’s tomorrow!” I said that night. “Yeah, it’s almost like the author is having some problems with keeping the continuity up.” said Pinkie. “He doesn’t seem to be able to keep a handle on how time progresses in the story, so he just skipped around the days that didn’t have any relevance to the plot!” “What are you talking about?” I asked in confusion. “She’s been saying it all day, just roll with it!” called Robert from downstairs. He had been lifting weights for two hours, while me, Fluttershy, Isaiah, and the Mane Six sat down and planned. “What are we gonna do?” asked Twilight. “We have a couple of hours before Heart’s and Hooves Day. What’s the course of action?” “Here’s what I say:” said Fluttershy. “We leave at the crack of dawn and go straight to Canterlot, get the Princesses out, and wait there for Chrysalis. What say you, Silver?” “I think that’s a great idea. Gives us enough time to get our gear in order and get some sleep. Did Robert get new weapons yet?” Apparently, when we escorted Robert from the changeling bunker, the smoke we saw was from his shotgun exploding. As for his hammer, we have no clue. He was pissed and has been looking for some replacements ever since. “War! Did you get new weapons yet?!” called Pinkie. “Hold on! I just need to… Here ya go!” yelled Robert. He ran upstairs, brandishing a giant hammer, a yard long shaft and a 2-foot wide square head. “Say hello to Mjolnir!” “Got a gun yet?” I asked. He whipped a shotgun off of his back. It was jet-black and about half the length of his arm. He cocked it back and said, “When do I get to break these bad bitches in?” “Patience, Robert. We have to wait a until morning.” I said. “It is morning.” said Pinkie. “What are you talking about? It’s 10 pm.” I said. “No it’s not! It’s 6:30 in the morning! The girls and Isaiah are downstairs already, waiting for you!” “How is that possible?! We’ve been talking for two minutes!” “Told you: he skips over the non-relevant parts of the story. He’s probably gonna get some grief in the reviews, but I doubt he cares. Besides, the author is really excited to get into the next part. Come on, Silver! We have to go!” said Pinkie, running downstairs. “Did you notice any time passing?” I asked. “Nope. It doesn’t matter too much though. We should leave. They’re waiting for us.” replied Robert. He transformed into War and ran downstairs. I switched to Silver and followed him, still confused as to what just happened. I entered the briefing room to get down to business. With the mares in front of me and my Earth friends (both in pony form) by my sides, I felt ready to get started. “Alright. We’re going to leave, now. Is everypony ready?” They all nodded. “Are you sure? Once we leave, we’re not coming back until the Princesses are safe. That means no visits to Ponyville until we’re done. Got it? No visits to Sweetie Belle or Applebloom or Scootaloo or Angel or Sugar Cube Corner or your library! We have to do this without goofing around or somepony is gonna end up dead!” I shouted. “The only pony I’m worried about dying is you, Silver.” said Fluttershy. “We understand, alright? Just open the goddamn Rift!” “Fine, fine. Just nervous.” I said, extending my hands. I gripped the air and ripped it apart, leaving silver energy hanging in front of me. I stepped through slowly, tripping through to the otherside. “Ahahaha!” I yelped, stumbling slightly. Suddenly, I felt a sharp blade tip touch my throat. The pony holding it was an orange pegasus mare with blackened steel armor, her face obscured by her helmet. “Who goes there?” she asked, in a familiar cracking, high-pitched voice. I heard the others step out from behind. “Don’t move.” I said. “I’m thinking.” “Rainbow Dash!!” shouted my captor. “I thought you were dead!!” She whipped off her helmet, revealing an unmistakable, purple, wind-swept mane. “Scootaloo?!” said RD, running past me. She swept up that not-so-little filly up in a back breaking hug. “Drop her!” I shouted. Why didn’t I bring my detector book?! “It might be a changeling!” “I’m not!” yelled Scootaloo. “Why would the changelings impersonate me?” “Then what are you doing here?!” “My job. I’m Princess Luna’s head swords-pony! I even got my Cutie Mark!” she shouted in excitement. She turned around and showed us her Cutie Mark, two crossed swords behind a shield with a crescent moon on top. “After you guys left, I started taking up fencing. I got really good, and entered a few tournaments. I won and got the honor of performing for the Princesses. Princess Luna saw my skill and offered to take me up as her student. I’ve been head of her sword department ever since.” “And she’s been doing a marvelous job, I might add.” came Luna’s voice, stepping out of the shadows. “It is good to see you all again.” I dropped to my knees and bowed, the others following behind me. “Princess Luna.” said Robert. “You and your sister are in terrible danger!” “Oh, but you must be Robert. And the other must be Isaiah. Lovely meeting you. I take it that you have eliminated the threat?” replied the princess of the moon. “Not exactly. Perhaps Fluttershy should explain. I was out of comission for a while.” I said. “Princess, we have killed Sunset Shimmer and Discord is M.I.A. I took his arm and tail, so I don’t think he’ll be coming back.” reported Fluttershy. “Sombra and Chrysalis are still on the loose, which is why we’re here. We have reason to believe that-” “Why did you kill Sunset Shimmer? Me and my sister made it very clear that they should be captured. I was not aware that ‘capture’ meant ‘murder’ on Earth.” said Luna disapprovingly. “I did what I could, princess. After Silver was… unfit to lead, I took over the operation. I apologize for not following orders, but when shit hits the fan…” “We don’t have time for this!” shouted Twilight, getting to her hooves. “Princess Luna, you and Celestia have to leave. Now! Chrysalis is coming to kill you, today. We need to get you out.” “I see. We must warn my sister immediately.” said Luna, turning tail. She walked into the shadows she entered and began to ascend. I followed her up the staircase, listening to the conversation behind me. “Scootaloo, my dear, have you spoken to Sweetie Belle lately? I’m worried about how she’s been keeping up without me.” said Rarity. “Oh, don’t worry about her. She’s here too! Head of firearms department. Dead-eye aim. Applebloom is here as well.” added Scootaloo. “She’s actually the leader of Princess Luna’s Royal Guard. We’re still friends and all, we’re just busy.” “Ah knew Applebloom would find her talent. Just never thought she’d be a soldier. Ah always thought she’d pick up on the apple farm. Oh well, as long as she’s happy.” said Aj. “On a completely unrelated note, how much of the moo-lah is she bringin’ in?” “Don’t worry about that!” laughed Luna. “If Applebloom plays her cards right, she’ll never work a day past forty. Unless she wishes to stay on the Guard. She seems to enjoy it.” “And don’t worry, Rarity, I made sure to let Sweetie Belle know not to start making dresses. After that whole fiasco at the talent show, she felt it was the best course. You’ll be able to see them soon.” said Scootaloo as we approached the throne room doors. I threw them open and was shocked to see Luna and Celestia sitting on thrones, side-by-side, with Scootaloo standing next to them. “Imposter!” called the Scootaloo that came with us and the Luna on the throne, in unison. “Look who’s talking!” shouted our Luna and their Scootaloo. If this wasn’t such a dire situation, I would have died in laughter. “Whoah! That’s unusual!” I said, walking to the center of the room. My friends followed behind me, pulling their guns out and pointing them at both pairs of Luna and Scootaloo. “Put down the guns.” said our Scoots. “No way.” I said, walking up to her. “Not until we find out who’s real.” “The ones who came with us are real.” said Twilight. “How do you know?” I asked, not taking my eyes off of them. “Because the real Scootaloo would never hold Celestia at gunpoint.” answered Fluttershy solemnly. I turned around to see my friends dropping their weapons while the Princess dropped to her knees and put her hands up. Pressed against the back of her head was an emerald-green pistol held by Scootaloo. “Not quite according to plan, but this will do.” said Fake Scootaloo in a sensual, insectoid voice. “No point in hiding anymore, Sombra.” Fake Luna and Fake Scootaloo burst into bright green flames. Laughing manically, a tall, slender figure stepped out of the flames. Her mane fell on her shoulders, teal and riddled with craters. Her tall, black body looked as hard as stone and her green eyes pierced through my soul. Stretching out her tattered wings, she pushed the gun harder against Celestia’s skull. “Hurry up and kill them.” growled Sombra, stepping out of the other plume of fire. “We don’t have all day, Chrysalis! Unless you want your people to starve. Is that what you want, Chrysalis?” “Shut up, Sombra. I’m looking for the other one.” she answered in her echoing voice. “There is supposed to be ten.” “What are you talking about? There’s only nine, and they’re all right here.” “No, no, no! After Silver Rift died, they replaced him with another. Speaking of which, why is he here? I thought you killed him. Looks like you screwed up. We’ll discuss this later. Go look for the tenth!” “I assure you, there is only nine! Kill them now, so we can take Equestria for our own!” shouted Sombra angrily. Then, something odd happened. Chrysalis looked me in the eyes and mouthed a single word. “Help.” Then, something even odder happened. I listened. “You’ll never find Kyle!” I shouted. “You idiots left your entire base undefended, huh? Sunset’s dead and Discord is in Fum-Buck Egypt! Who’s defending your troops? Nopony, that’s who. Kyle can take out 100 changelings a minute. Say you have 200,00 changelings on base. You do the math.” Sombra stepped over to me and placed his index finger on my forehead, reading through my mind. “Seems I was mistaken.” he growled. He turned to smoke and flew out the window. “Kill them before I return.” The room was silent for a minute after he left, until Chrysalis broke it. “Come clean. Who’s Kyle?” inquired Chrysalis. “An old friend of ours. He died five years ago, in a car accident. Sombra wasn’t too bright and only looked to see if he was real. Didn’t check to see if he was alive. Now you. Why did you want Sombra to leave?” I asked. “I needed him gone so we could negotiate.” she replied. “What makes you think we would negotiate with you?!” yelled Scootaloo. “Really? You’re kidding, right?” answered Chrysalis, pressing the gun against Celestia’s head once more. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. I give you Celestia, you give me the Elements of Harmony and I walk away.” “What do you want the Elements for?” I asked curiously. “My people will feed off of it’s love magic.” said Chrysalis plainly. “Are you stupid?” asked Fluttershy. “They’re called the Elements of Harmony. Harmony. Not love. Harmony.” “Fine! You’ll use them to create some love for my people to feast on. How about that, huh?” yelled the queen. “You need to go back to Magic Kindergarten, Chrysalis.” said Twilight, matter-of-factly. “Let me refresh your memory. The father of modern magic, Starswirl the Bearded, set three fundamental laws of magic. No matter how powerful the unicorn, nopony can manipulate time, nopony can revive the dead, and nopony can create love.” “And if you want to learn more about Starswirl the Bearded, you can read the author’s previous story, Starswirl’s Story. You can do that by clicking here.” said Pinkie inexplicably. We chose to ignore her. “Chrysalis, you know there is no alternative.” said Celestia. “You have to-” “Silence! Hold your tongue, princess of the sun!” shouted Chrysalis. “Don’t talk to the princess that way!” replied Twilight. “Keep your mouth shut or I’ll put a bullet in between your eyes!” “I have been patient with you Chrysalis, but I will not tolerate you threatening my student.” said Celestia, rising to her hooves. “Chrysalis you have wasted enough of our time, so why don’t you just do what I suggested earlier?” “Don’t play with me, Celestia. Just get me some love for my people and I’ll leave you alone. I’m sure you can handle Sombra on your own.” “Did you notice it as well, Twilight?” said Conjure softly. “Yes, but it doesn’t make any sense. Why would she do that?” asked Twilight. “What are you talking about?” asked War. “You guys haven’t noticed? Suppose you wouldn’t. Something only we geniuses would catch.” he said smugly. “Can you say that again? All I heard was ‘Please Robert. Please bash my head in!”” replied War. “A lot of hostility! Fine, I’ll tell you. I think Chrysalis wants to die.” “Conjure, don’t be an idiot. Why would she want that?” asked Fluttershy. “I haven’t a clue, but you know I wouldn’t say such a thing without amble proof. First off, she allowed us to keep our melee weapons, and she didn’t tell Chris to drop his gun at all. You could say that she wasn’t worried about us, considering she could probably kill Celestia before we got to her. But then you think about the fact that she had Celestia on the floor instead of using her as a shield, but you could argue that she didn’t want to get too close to Celestia, which would make sense until you consider the fact that she allowed Scootaloo and Luna to get so close to her.” I looked to the sides and, sure enough, he was right. Luna was to Celestia’s right, while Scootaloo was to the left of Chrysalis. “But then one could argue that Scootaloo is the only one with a weapon and she could probably overpower her. But then you consider the one fact that proves that she is trying to get killed: we can still use our magic.” “You can use your magic?” I asked. “Yes. I’ve been using it to scan the area for enemies this entire time.” he replied. “I haven’t taken her down yet because I’m curious. So I ask, why, why does Queen Chrysalis want to die? The answer, you ask? Oh, well, I’ll tell you. She is acting as a martyr.” “Hahahahahahahaha!” laughed Chrysalis. “You think I would die just to fire up my people? When I could just inspire them by being here? My changelings all would happily die for me, and my dying won’t change that.” “Then why do you want to die? You are basically begging for us to end you.” said Twilight. “You are wrong.” said Chrysalis. “You couldn’t be more wrong if you tried.” “Your people are dying, Chrysalis, and I’m sorry for that, but it’s time we face facts.” said Celestia calmly. “Back on your knees, princess, or you die!” “Ha! You think that scares me, Chrysalis?” laughed Celestia. “You are older than me, by at least a thousand years, so you know even better than me that death is not something to fear. Death to me would be like visiting an old friend whom I’ve been arguing with for a while, us finally apologizing to one another. Long story short, you have nothing to threaten me with.” “Shut up, Celestia! Back on your knees!” “I’m sorry, Chrysalis. Your people are starving, and I know you think this is the only way, but I have to do this.” said Celestia, horn glowing. “It has to end this way.” BOOM! Have you ever read a book, or saw a movie or T.V. show, where something so unbelievably bad happens, like a character dies, and time begins to slow down? Believe it or not, that does happen. It’s just that nothing you’ve ever seen could do the real thing justice. Time doesn’t slow down. It stops completely. As the bullet entered Celestia’s head, she paused in mid-air. There she hung as we all watched in horror. Even Chrysalis couldn’t believe it. Slowly, time began to return to normal. She drifted to the ground, falling awkwardly on her face. A large hole was in the back of her head, gushing blood down her neck. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! YOUR BLOOD WILL PAINT THESE FLOORS!!!” shouted Luna in her Canterlot Voice, rushing towards Chrysalis. BOOM! Luna fell to the ground slightly faster. She hit the ground next to her sister, large wound in her chest. Blood gushed, pooling around them both. I dropped to my knees in disbelief. The Regal Sisters were dead. “They… dead.” whispered Chrysalis quietly. “What did you say?” said Twilight. I looked and saw her trembling. Not that I can blame her. I reached out and grabbed her arm. TSSSS! “OW!” I shouted, retracting my hand. I looked down at it, which was burned red and raw. Oh no. Her coat began to glow an orange-ish white. Her eyes slowly reddened and her mane and tail grew orange. “What did you just say?!” she repeated. “You just killed Luna and Celestia, and you have the nerve not only to say that you did it, not only to stay here in my presence, but the nerve to use… incorrect grammar?!?!” With that, she exploded. Her mane burst into bright orange flames and she exerted heat like an open flame. “You killed my mentors and don’t even have the courtesy to use full sentences?!?! That’s a fragment!!!” She rushed at Chrysalis, rearing back her fist. She swung, hitting the Queen in the face and knocking her to the ground. “That’s for Princess Luna!!” she said. Dropping to her knees, she punched Chrysalis in the ribs. She swung at her face with a ferocity I didn’t know Twilight possesed. She jumped to her feet and pulled out her sword. “And this is for my mother!!” she screamed, jumping in the air, sword pointed downwards onto Chrysalis. I ran forward when… SNAP! I froze in a blob of gelatin. Yeah, you read that right. If you want to go back and check again, that’s fine. I’ll wait. I ran forward to stop Twilight when I was stopped in a cube of grape gelatin. Twilight was halted as well, her rapier’s tip a mere few inches from Chrysalis’ throat. “BWAHAHAHAHA!!” laughed a maniacal voice. “Little Twilight Sparkle is ready to kill mean ol’ Queen Chrysalis! Didn’t Celestia teach you better than to resort to violence?” SNAP! A long, lanky figure appeared in front of Chrysalis. He had the head of a pony, but a serpentine body, an eagle claw, a lion paw, a hoof and a lizard claw. He stroked his short white beard, laughing maniacally. “What was that last part, Twilight Sparkle? Did you call Celestia your mother? I wasn’t aware Celestia had any children.” chuckled Discord. “I didn’t mean it literally!” blushed Twilight. “She was the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had.” “Oh, whatever you say, Twilight Sparkle. As to you, Chrysalis, I am disappointed. I didn’t think you were dumb enough to mock Celestia in front of her favorite student.” “She didn’t just mock her. She murdered them both!” shouted Twilight. “Don’t you think I know that?! Why do you think I came here in the first place?!” shouted Discord angrily. “It surely wasn’t to visit my dear friend Shutterfly!” “Discord, call me Shutterfly one more time. I dare you. Didn’t you learn from the last time?” said Fluttershy. “Yes. If I do recall, you violently removed my arm and tail. What good friends we are!” “Speaking of which, how do you have them back? Can draconequus regrow limbs?” “I can do whatever I want. I’m the spirit of chaos, so the rules don’t exactly apply to me.” “Hate to interrupt this heart-warming reunion between friends, but can you release me from this?” said Twilight, tail and mane extinguished. “I’m in the middle of something.” “Sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but you won’t be exacting your revenge today.” said Discord smugly. “Chrysalis should have left already, but maybe she missed the memo, so I’ll tell her myself: leave now, Chrysalis. Before things get too heated.” “I’m not going anywhere, Discord. I’m staying to finish the job.” replied the queen. “Chrysalis, my two oldest friends are now dead, but I am not upset about that. What upsets me is the fact that you keep pretending like it was you who killed them. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a phony-pony. Drop the illusion that you murdered Celestia.” “What are you talking about, Discord? We sat there and watched her kill both of the princesses.” said Twilight angrily. “Hohohohoho! I see what’s happening! Celestia didn’t tell you!” giggled Discord. “Well, if she didn’t tell, I won’t either. What I will do is give you a hint. Think about this: Princess Celestia has been in power for over a thousand years. Don’t you think she’s been an assassination target before today? Well, I’ll tell you, she has. Many times I was the would-be assassin. Don’t you think she would have developed some way to prevent herself from getting shot?” “Why are you spreading these lies, Discord?” said Chrysalis. “Celestia had nothing to do with this. I killed her, plain and simple.” “Just because I stopped Twilight from killing you once doesn’t mean I’ll do it twice.” said Discord. “I suggest that you shut up and walk away, before your people die.” She looked at him, then at Twilight, then back to Discord. Exhaling loudly, she stood up and POP! She was gone. SNAP! THUD! I fell forward on my stomach, completely free from my JELLO prison. Twilight hit the ground next to her sword with a THUD! “It’s been fun talking with you, but I really must go.” said Discord, walking towards the door. “Where do you think you’re going?” said Twilight. “You’re not leaving until you explain what you mean!” “Explain what?” asked Discord. “There’s nothing to explain.” “Why did you say Chrysalis didn’t murder Celestia?” “To say ‘murder’ would imply that she didn’t have permission.” he replied simply. “Permission? What are you talking about?!” “I don’t want to spoil anything for you, so I’ll just say this: I’m not going to mourn Celestia; you shouldn’t either. Remember, Celestia always has a plan. Don’t doubt her.” he said, grabbing the door handle. “If you want more information, maybe you should go see Cadenza. No doubt she needs you, what with so many tragedies happening at once.” “Tragedies? Besides this? What do you mean? You’re making even less sense than usual!” “Well, that’s all a matter of perception. Princess Cadence will make sense of it all. Well, I will bid you farewell! Goodbye, my friends. Conjure, War, Silver, good luck with Sombra.” he pushed open the door and fell through the floor, nowhere to be seen. “Twilight?” said Conjure softly. “Are you alright?” “Oh, I’m fine. I’ll be even better when we go see Cadence and Shining Armor to find out how we’re going to kill Chrysalis! Come on, everypony, let’s go!” replied Twilight, reaching her hands out. “I have the strength to take us all this time.” Slowly we all linked hands with her. She closed her eyes and… POP! Ice-cold air whipped me in the face. I released Twilight and looked around. A giant diamond structure was before us, two large, intricate doors flung wide open. Something was wrong. We ran in, Twilight at the lead. We made our way into the castle where we approached two doors at the end of the hall. Twilight kicked in the door and rushed in. Twilight fell to her knees in horror, shocked by the noose-hung body of a pink alicorn with a purple and pale gold mane. Taped to her stomach was a folded piece of paper. I ran forward and grabbed it off of her. Unfolding it, I read the note aloud. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, If you are reading this, I am (obviously) dead. I’m sorry for the grief I may have caused, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. When Celestia told me her plan, I told her it was crazy but she insisted. She was sure that this had to end with her death. Luna wasn’t in on it, but I think we both suspected that she would get caught in the cross-fire. I was supposed to rule in her absence, but everything changed. Shining Armor is gone. He went out to attack a changeling base and he hasn’t reported back. Yesterday, that base was bombed. We found no remains. I’m so sorry. Without the help of Shining Armor, I don’t think I can do it. I can’t lead alone, and there is nopony to help me. I wish there was another way, but it is too much pressure. So, I’m leaving it up to you. You are a much better candidate for princess than me. You have to do this, Twilight. I have faith in you. Once you have cleaned up this mess, you must be leader of Equestria and the Crystal Empire. A tall order, I know, but you have the ability. You have the power of friendship. You aren’t alone, like I was. I will never forget you Signed, Princess Cadence” “T-twilight?” I asked carefully. She had curled herself up in a ball, tears streaming down her face. “We will fix this. Sombra and Chrysalis will pay for what they’ve done.” “You don’t get it, do you?” said Twilight shakily. “They haven’t done anything. This was all part of Celestia’s plan. There’s nothing we can do about it.” “That’s not true.” I said, not very confidently. “We can bring Sombra and Chrysalis to justice. Avenge the princesses.” “We’ll never stop them. Every attempt we’ve ever made to take out an enemy has failed. Even when Fluttershy killed Sunset Shimmer, Sunset gave herself up, expecting some compassion. I wish we could ask the princesses for advice.” “We can!” shouted Isaiah. We all looked at him in confusion. “Or rather, we might. If Celestia played her cards right. She planned for her death, so maybe she planned for this.” “Wanna tell us what ‘this’ is?” asked RD unimpressed. “Princess Luna could enter the dreams of others. If Celestia knew they were going to die, she may have boosted that power to the point where they can do it without being awake… or alive. Tonight, concentrate hard on the princesses while you are going to sleep.” he walked up to Twilight and touched her shoulder. “Qui regnum sib in somnis.” he muttered, horn glowing green. “What did you do?” asked Twilight. “Basically said ‘sweet dreams’. You may not see them tonight, but you will, eventually. I know it’s not much, but it’s the best I can do. Remember? 3 fundamental laws of magic?” he said. Twilight stared at him for a second, then grabbed him by the collar, pulled his face to her’s and kissed him furiously. “Really?” I asked in disbelief. “Not to be a buzzkill, but is this really the best place for that?” “You’re just mad that you’re not getting any, aren’t you Silver?” mocked Rainbow. “I wouldn’t say that. Can you two break for a second? We have to leave.” I replied. This entire day was too horribly absurd to be true. “I’ll open the Rift.” I reached forward and opened up a Rift. “Wait.” said Twilight. “We can’t leave her here.” “What do you want to do?” I asked. “Come with me, Conjure. I need your help. You guys can meet us outside the castle.” she said, grasping Isaiah’s hands. She closed her eyes and… POP! She and Isaiah were gone.
Home, Sweet HomeTwilight and Isaiah returned a few minutes later with two large caskets, one blue and one yellow. They placed down the boxes carefully and walked over to Cadence’s lifeless body. Twilight pulled her gun off of her back, aimed at the rope, and shot Cadence down. Her body fell right into Isaiah’s arms. He lowered her gently to the ground and walked over to the center of the room. When he got there, he spread his arms and closed his eyes, his horn glowing green. He thrust his palms downwards, bathing the room in a bright light. A casket the same size as the other two appeared beneath his hands, only this one was light pink. He pried it open and lifted Cadence into it. Twilight pointed her index finger at the ground in front of her and blew it open. CRACK! The ground cracked apart revealing a large body of water. The hole was about 10 feet wide and twice as long. Together, they lifted the three caskets into the water, closing Cadence’s slowly. “I think we should say a few words, in honor of the princesses.” said Rarity quietly. “Ooh, I’ll go!” exclaimed Pinkie. “While the princesses may have passed on, they will never pass from memory. They may be gone from this world physically, but they will never truly be gone, as long as we remember and love and cherish their existence. We must say not in sorrow that they are no more, but live in thankfulness that they once were.” “Wow. That was actually really good, Pinkie. Deep and heartfelt. I’m proud.” said Twilight. “Where’d you get that from?” “That was the speech I gave at my sister’s funeral. Me and Inky came up with it together. I haven’t spoken to Inky in ages. I have to get in touch with her…” “Pinkie. Focus.” I said. “What a marvelous speech, Pinkie Pie! You always were my favorite of the group.” said Discord, melting out from the ground. “What are you doing here, Discord?” asked Twilight, more annoyed than angry. “Paying my respects to the princesses, of course! You think I would miss the funeral of my best friends? What type of pony do you take me for?” “Funny. All jokes aside, why are you here?” I asked, eager to move on. “So linear, Silver. Linear and boring! But I know you can be spontaneous if you want. You can be interesting. Fun. Anywho, I’m just here because I thought you might want to know that King Sombra is attacking Earth in… I’d say, twenty minutes. Better get moving.” “Before you leave, can you give us anymore information? We’ll need all we can get.” said Robert. “Good question! Let’s see, Sombra knows all about you, so he’s probably going to attack family and loved ones. Might want to address that. Also, I do not want you to kill anypony unnecessarily. I’ve had enough death in my life.” “Then why did you help them in the first place!?” asked Rainbow angrily. “Sombra never said we would kill Celestia! How was I supposed to know it would end up like this?” shouted Discord angrily. He shook himself, regaining his composure, and continued. “My point is this: Everypony deserves another chance. So don’t kill Sombra and especially don’t kill Chrysalis. Celestia would never forgive you for that.” “You keep talking about Celestia as if you two were close, but I know her better than you!” shouted Twilight. “Is that so? Did you know her favorite color is lavender? Or that she is allergic to chestnuts? Or how about the fact that she loves bananas? See, me and Celestia have been old friends since before you were even a thought. Over a thousand years of rivalry and fighting later, I’m sure that I can safely say what Celestia would like to happen and what she would dislike to happen. Trust me when I say this, If you kill Chrysalis, you’ll be ending millions of lives and breaking Starswirl’s Shadow Proclamation, which outlawed inorganic weapons of mass destruction, unfair or unnecessary condemnation to a cruel fate and genocide. By killing Sombra, you wouldn’t be doing any of that, but I still think that Celestia would want you to find another way.” “I’ll think about it. Will you come help us?” asked Twilight. “Unless you’re still working with them.” “I’m not, but I won’t help you either. From henceforth, I will not directly interfere with Equestrian matters. I will watch from the comfort of my own realm. It’s for the best. Keeps things fair. But what are you still doing talking to me? Your friends and family have fifteen minutes before Sombra gets to them!” “He’s right, girls.” I said opening the Rift again. “It’s time to go.” I pushed them through, one-by-one, walking through last. We stumbled out the other side into the middle of town. No time to stop back at base. I don’t think Discord was lying. “I’m going to get my mom out.” said Isaiah. “Who has the cash?” “I have it, darling.” said Rarity, reaching into her bag. She pulled out a large stack of bills and handed some to me, Isaiah, and Robert. “Thanks. We’ll meet you at Jackson’s” said Robert turning away. They transformed into human in mid sprint and booked it to their parents, Pinkie and Twilight following close behind. Who did I have to warn? The Jacksons. I transformed to human and ran down the street until I approached the restaurant. I opened the door and stepped inside. It was packed, full-house. Of course it was. The one day I need it to be empty is the one day when it’s jam-packed. I had to get these people out. I looked at my friends for help. “What are their names?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Harrold, Veronica and Sarah Jackson.” I answered. She pulled out her pistols and aimed at the sky. BOOM! BOOM! “Unless you’re Veronica, Harrold or Sarah Jackson, get the hell out of here!” shouted Rainbow. “If you three move, I kill of a family business!” People scrambled out, screaming for help. Everyone left except for an older couple and a teenage girl. “That was not cool, Rainbow Dash! How would you even know it was them?!” I shouted. “Chris?” asked the teenager. “Is that you?” She walked over to me, twirling her bright red hair. “Sarah? If you’re upset about all of the texts I must’ve missed, let me explain.” I said sheepishly. “To get to the point, you guys are about to be attacked by creatures with swords and guns and magic unless you get out right now. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but these guys are no joke. They killed me for three years. Hence why I haven’t seen you.” “Chris. Start from the beginning, and say it in terms I can understand.” said Mr. J. “I can’t seem to comprehend your lingo.” “Ok, let’s try something else. You three are going on a vacation. Here take a couple thousand dollars.” I said, tossing them the stack. “Leave now!” “Why?” asked Mrs. Jackson. “Whatever you’re going through, we can help.” “Mrs. J, I love you, but you’re wrong. It’s far too dangerous.” I said, checking the clock. 10 minutes, if Discord was accurate. “How dangerous can it be?” Just then, Twilight, Pinkie, Robert, and Isaiah entered the restaurant. “Did you warn my mom?” I asked. “Of course.” said Robert. I looked him in the eyes, yanked Lunar from it’s hidden holster and shot him in the chest. I whipped my pistol to Twilight and shot her in the throat. Green blood covered the floor. I ran forward and pulled out Celestial, slicing Isaiah’s arm off. I kicked him to the ground and stabbed Pinkie through the heart. “How dangerous could it be?” I asked. “So dangerous that that was the safest thing I’m gonna be doing all week.” “Christian!” yelled Mrs. J in terror. Oops. Probably should’ve explained first. “O-kay.” I said slowly. “I can see how that might look bad. They weren’t real. Well, they were real, but they weren’t Robert and Isaiah. They were… er… how do I… Isaiah!” I shouted as the real Isaiah, Robert, Pinkie and Twilight ran through. Hopefully they were the real ones. “What’s up?” said Robert. “How are you, Sarah?” “Did you get my mother?” I asked. “No. Why would we?” said Isaiah. “Ok. You’re good. We had a run in with the changelings.” “Changelings? As in, from MLP?” asked Sarah. “Yes. It’s a bit complex. I’ll simplify a little: We are fighting Sombra and Chrysalis, I was gone for three years, we just watched the princesses die, Sombra attacks in about 3 minutes, and he is coming for you. You have to leave. Take this money and go to… Puerto Rico, I guess. Just take a vacation. If we survive, well, I’ll let you know what to do if we get to that point.” I said, out of breath. She stepped over to me and grabbed me by shirt. “Come on, Sarah, I’m tired of getting beaten up for things that aren’t my fault.” I said grumpily. “It’s becoming a habit.” Sarah pulled me in and kissed me angrily. “Hey!” shouted Fluttershy. “Enough of that, Red! We don’t have time for this, so Chris, please stop swallowing her face. Unless you want her and her parents to die.” “Sorry.” said Sarah. “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. Fluttershy, right? Not surprising. Mom? Dad? Let’s go.” “Um… Alright.” said Mr. Jackson unsure. “Uh… Don’t touch my daughter?” “I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to. We’ll work this out later.” I said, leading everyone out. I ushered everyone outside, except for Twilight. She held me back for a word. “Silver. We have to talk.” she said sullenly. “I know you said that you don’t want to kill Sombra or Chrysalis, but we have to. There’s no way for us to do this without killing at least one of them.” “I don’t care what you say Twi, we aren’t killing them. I know you want your revenge on Chrysalis, and I promise you she will pay for it, but she will not die today.” I replied. “I never said kill Chrysalis. I was just saying that maybe it would be a bit easier on all of us if she were to disappear.” she said evilly. “Twilight, I will say it one more time: We are not killing Chrysalis. She lives and goes to a fair trial, and eventually go to prison.” “Maybe I don’t listen to you anymore.” she said angrily. “Ya know what? Kill her.” I said. “Kill her. Go ahead and kill her.” “Really?” she said happily. “Are you sure?” “Oh yeah, go on.” I said, stepping towards Twilight. “Just know that when you eliminate that enemy, you’ll be gaining another. There’s an old Earth proverb, don’t know if you have it in Equestria, but it’s this: For those who seek revenge, remember to dig two graves. If Chrysalis dies by your hand, you will die by mine.” “Don’t threaten me, Chris. I know you don’t have it in you to kill a friend.” “The moment you kill Chrysalis, you cease being my friend. I’ll repeat: You can kill her, you really can. But when you do, I will not stop until you are buried right next to Celestia!” I said angrily. Thud! A woman ran past us, knocking a table over. She turned and looked me in the eyes, her bright green eyes piercing my soul. Was that…? “We have a minute before Sombra attacks. I suggest we get moving.” I said. “Fine.” she said bitterly. We left the restaurant and joined the others. Conjure stepped forward, placed his palm on the door, and closed his eyes. His horn glowed green and the entire building was enveloped in the same aura. POP! Jackson’s melted into the ground, disappearing. I looked at my adoptive family whose faces were lit up with terror. “What the hell?!” shouted Mr. Jackson. “Isaiah, I am going to kill you!” “Don’t worry, you can get it back after we win. Or die. Whichever comes first.” said Isaiah, with a smirk. BOOM! An explosion from a far reverberated throughout town. I turned, looking for the source of the noise. Slowly but surely, the Heavens Impaler collapsed to the ground. I watched in horror as hundreds of lives were extinguished, killed by the initial explosion or crushed by falling debris. “We’re too late.” I said. “It’s starting. Listen, forget about Puerto Rico. I need you to go here.” I reached forward and opened a Rift. “Go through, find Scootaloo, and tell her that Silver sent you. She’ll take care of you.” I pushed them through, giving Sarah a smile. When they were in, I closed it and turned to my friends. “Well.” I said. “Let’s do this.”
Epilogue“Do I have to?” I asked terrified. “Of course you have to! You can’t just keep this to yourself! She has to know!” shouted Twilight. “But what if she doesn’t accept it? Or what if she’s mad at me for staying dead for all those years?” I asked worriedly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll be with you every step of the way.” said Robert. “We’re your friends. We’re all here supporting you.” “If you’re all supporting, then where’s Rarity?” I asked, turning to walk away. “That’s different, and you know it! She’s just went into labor.” said Fluttershy. “What are they naming her?” I asked, eager to change the subject. “I think she and Spike agreed on ‘Alexandria’ But their daughter doesn’t matter right now.” said Isaiah. “What about your daughters? You and Twilight call yourself parents, and you left your kids alone? For shame! We have to go check on them! Let’s go!” I replied, turning to get away again, only to be stopped by Rainbow Dash. “Hell-o? Scootaloo is watching Celestia and Luna. And if my daughter-” “Ahem.” coughed Applejack. “Sorry. If our daughter can’t handle it alone, she still has Sweetie Belle and Applebloom to help her out. So quit your stalling and go in!” said RD impatiently. I looked at my last glimmer of hope, Fluttershy. I knew it was no good as soon as she opened her mouth. “You know I wouldn’t make you do this if you didn’t have to.” she said kindly. “But we have to tell her.” She rubbed her stomach slowly. She’s right. “Fine. Let’s go.” I said, opening the door to the old house. I walked in with my friends right behind me, more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life. “It’ll be fine.” said Fluttershy, still rubbing her growing stomach. “Really, what is she gonna do? You think she’s gonna say ‘no’ to the person who saved the town and possibly the world?” “You know I had some help. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Chrysalis. But I guess you’re right. Can you really believe it’s been five years since all of that?” I said, stopping in the living room. “And it’s been five more since we walked in the door!” shouted Rainbow. “On with it man!” “Alright! I just don’t see why we don’t have to visit Robert’s parents!” “Because my parents are mentally unstable! Even more so than me.” replied Robert. “Listen, are you gonna talk to her or what?” “Fine.” I said. “Mom! We need to talk!” “I’ve been on the steps since you walked in, stupid!” shouted my mother. “What do you want? I thought you disowned me.” “Uh… Er, the thing is… I wanted to tell you the g-g-g-good n-n-n-” I tried panickedly. “The good news!” exclaimed Fluttershy. “We have to tell you something.” “And who the hell are you?” asked Mom rudely. “One of your freakshow friends? Yeah, looks like a brony alright. Pink hair, huge, and looks like a horse. What good news could you nutcases have?” “Nice to see you again, Mrs. Brookes.” said Robert. “Shut up, Robert. I didn’t ask for your sarcasm.” “Mom! You can talk to me whichever way you want, but you are not being mean to my friends!” I said, finding my voice. “So you finally got yourself some friends? No girlfriends yet, I bet. Even these hideous girls don’t want you. I can tell at least two of them are lesbians.” said Mom confidently. “That would be me and Aj, here.” said Rainbow Dash, with a tone of respect that was clearly fake. “We’ve been together for five years and we’ve adopted a lovely little orphan named Scootaloo. Do you have a problem with that?” “And what if I do?” “Mom! Shut up!” I said angrily. “Listen for a second, huh? I actually do have a girlfriend, that would be Fluttershy over here. And the only reason we’re here is to tell you that she’s pregnant.” “Who’s the daddy? It can’t be you. I’d be surprised if your gay ass even still has a-” “I can assure you he does.” said Fluttershy. “Hence me being pregnant.” “So you’re his baby momma? Some weak woman who only said ‘yes’ because you didn’t want to hurt his feelings?” spat my mom. “Nope. I said ‘yes’ because I fell in love with him. I thought that we should let you know that you’re about to be a grandmother.” said Fluttershy, surprisingly calm. “You think I give a shit? All of you can disappear of the face of the earth for all I care. So, get out! I want nothing to do with you!” shouted Mom. I looked from her to Fluttershy and back, shocked at what had transpired. “Let me rephrase that.” said Fluttershy, whipping out her sword. She pointed it at my mother. “I’m pregnant. He’s the father. You’re the grandmother. We’re getting married soon. You have two choices: Accept it and wish us good luck or get your ass kicked by a pregnant mare. What’s your choice?” My mom paused for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. “You’ve earned my respect. I don’t like you, but I hope you all live happily. Away from me.” said Mom bitterly. “Thank you.” said Fluttershy, sheathing her sword. “We haven’t worked out all the details of the wedding, just know that it is probably going to be in Equestria, should you wish to come. Silver will deliver information to you as we receive it. Now he’s going to take us home because I feel we are unwanted.” “Uh… okay.” I said, opening a Rift. Everypony stepped in, leaving me alone with Mom. “You sure know how to pick em’” she said smugly. “So did Dad, apparently.” I shot back. “Are we cool, Mom? Will you accept me for who I am?” “I don’t like her. She was about to kill me!” “But she didn’t.” “No thanks to you! Here, I’ll make you a deal. Keep her crazy ass on a leash and I’ll stop bad-mouthing your friends.” “Deal.” I said with a smile. I stepped towards the Rift and stuck my foot in. “Anything else?” “Yes! We have to talk about how you disappeared to play hero for 3 years!” she shouted angrily. “You can’t pull some bullshit like that and not expect a discussion. I thought you were dead, and I cried about it!” “I love you, too.” I said, leaving Earth. I fell out into Fluttershy’s cottage… Me and Fluttershy’s cottage, where my seven friends and fiance were waiting for me. “How do you think it went?” asked Fluttershy. “Oh, she loved you. Her favorite part was when you shoved a sword against her esophagus!” I said sarcastically. “It’ll be fine. We’re on good terms.” “So what now?” asked Rainbow. “We live.” I answered. “Live and hope that we can die in peace.” Author's Note It's over! Thank the gods, it's over! The first (and worst) of the unnecessarily long DoH series. Admittedly, they do get mildly better as time goes on, but they're still quite terrible. Anyway, if you want to see the rest of this series (for whatever reason), or if you'd like to see how I've grown, then be sure to give me a follow. Until the next one, Farewell.
Happy Birthday to MeBEEP! BEEP! My eyes flew open. I turned to my right to see my alarm clock on my nightstand flashing the time: 6:00 a.m. Time to get ready for the day. I sat up, rubbing my eyes with a yawn. I got up out of my bed, walked over to my bathroom. I used the toilet, washed my hands, brushed my teeth. You know, normal stuff. I opened my medicine cabinet, reached in and grabbed my contacts. I put them on and the world snapped into clarity. Closing my cabinet, I looked in the mirror. My short, white, spiky hair was an untidy mess, just the way I liked it. I grabbed a washcloth, ran it under a stream of warm water, and used it to wash my milk-chocolate face. After my hygiene was taken care of, I went back into my room to get dressed. Opening my drawer of clothes, I rummaged through it for some jeans. I couldn’t find any. Then I remembered they all needed to be washed. So, then, I put on a plain black t-shirt and left my room pants-less. I went to borrow a pair from one of my roommates. Robert’s would be way too big, so instead I went into Isaiah’s room. Opening his door, I saw his appallingly neat room was sparkling clean, same as ever. I went over to his drawer and took out the blackest jeans he owned. I put them on, then walked over to his bed. “Oi! Isaiah! I’m taking a pair of your je-” I began, reaching his empty bed. Isaiah never woke up before he absolutely had to. He may be super-neat, but man can he procrastinate. I shrugged it off, not too worried. Maybe he spent the night at his mom’s house, I said to myself, I didn’t see him get home last night. I walked across the hallway to my other friend’s room, planning to ask him about Isaiah’s absence. Opening the door, I said, “Rob, do you know what happened to Isaiah?” Silence. Walking in further, I saw that Robert was not in his room either. “Great.” I said to no one. “You’re gone too.” A little grumpy, I left his room, shutting the door behind me, and began downstairs. Ok, you may not understand why I was so upset, so I’ll explain. Today is the last day of our senior year in high school. I was planning on skipping, but if they don’t show up, we won’t get our yearbooks, we won’t get our stuff out of our lockers, and we won’t get our report cards. So, I kinda had to go. But anyway, I walked downstairs to make a cup of coffee. I was never much of a breakfast person. Breakfast normally fell into two groups: sweet things and meat things. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and I’m a vegetarian, so I normally just stick with tea or coffee. I got to my kitchen, which was pitch black. I turned on the light and was greeted by my two best friends in the world. “Surprise, jackass!” exclaimed Robert, my tall, wide, and pale friend. “Are you idiots trying to give me a heart attack?” I asked irritably. “I told you he would react like this.” said Isaiah. He looked just like me, except shorter and he wears glasses. “Relax, Chris. We were just trying to surprise you.” “For what reason?” I asked, staring at them in confusion. “Are you really that stupid?” said Robert with a smile. “It’s your birthday!” I thought back on it. Whipping out my phone, I checked the date. Sure enough, it was June 24, making today my 18th birthday. Wow. I had been 18 for over fifteen minutes and didn’t even know it. “It is my birthday, isn’t it?” I said dubiously. “Well, what did you do?” “We made you breakfast.” said Robert, still smiling his madman smile that only Robert could pull off. “What did you make, bacon and eggs? Sausage? Biscuits and beef gravy?” I asked sarcastically. “Yes. We made all of those. Even though we are all vegetarians. It was really hard to make all of these things in one pot.” replied Robert, with equal sarcasm. “We know you don’t usually eat in the morning, but Robert had the idea to make some breakfast for you.” said Isaiah, ignoring our satirical battle. “So he put together some really good oatmeal while I got your gifts and ordered your pie.” I never really liked cake, so ever since I was young I had pie for my birthday. “Thanks for the effort, but I don’t eat oatmeal.” I said, trying hard not to make them feel like they wasted their time. “Well, you’ve never had the privilege of tasting my oatmeal.” said Robert. When I went to protest, he cut me off. “Just try some. I swear it’s not poison. That’s going in your pie.” I give a small laugh, pull out a chair at the little round table and sat down. “Well? Amaze me.” I said, as smugly as I could. Robert sat down a bowl of oatmeal in front of me, then went back to serve a bowl for Isaiah and himself. I took a nice, big spoonful and shoveled it in my mouth. It was amazing! Sweet and spicy at the same time. “Ok. Don’t tell me.” I said after a couple spoonfuls. “I taste brown sugar, cinnamon, bay leaf and… ginger?” “Holmes, you’ve cracked the case!” said Isaiah. “It was elementary, my dear Watson. Although I don’t understand what made you pick these specific ingredients.” “We’ve known you since we were 5. By now I’m pretty sure I know the types of things you’d like.” said Robert seriously. And he was right. This is the exact thing I would like. 13 years sure does teach you about a person. I hastily finished my oatmeal and got up to grab my jacket. “Where are you going?” asked Isaiah, never missing a beat. “School doesn’t start for another hour and a half. Plus, you never go to school on the last day. “I’m going to Jackson’s. I work today.” I replied. Jackson’s was a family restaurant, the only 100% vegetarian restaurant in town, run by Harold Jackson and Victoria Jackson. Not only were they like parents to me, but they let me stay with them while I was working things out with my mother. When that exploded out of proportion, I decided to move in with my two best friends. “You can’t go to work now!” yelled Robert indignantly. “You gotta check out your presents.” “Yeah! I didn’t go through the trouble of looking for these gifts for you to leave to go to work without looking at them!” said Isaiah. “Or is the great Christian Brooks to special to see what his friends got him?” “Fine!” I sighed. “If I get in trouble for being late, I’m going to kill you.” I knew I wouldn’t get in trouble. I don’t officially start work until 8. I had plenty of time. “Where are they?” “Look to your left, genius.” said Robert. I do as he says and sees a cardboard box, larger than a computer monitor, with my name written on it. I got up to investigate the treasures that were surely in the box, all the while reveling at how blind I could be. I opened the box and reached my hand in. I grabbed some soft fabric and withdrew it from the box. I held up the yellow garb, spreading out the arms to see it was a hoodie. Not just any hoodie though. On the hood itself was strips of pink, hanging off to one side. On the back were small yellow wings and 3 small butterflies in the lower corner. Turning it to see the front, I am greeted by bright cyan eyes. I didn’t believe it: Fluttershy was on my hoodie! Fluttershy was my favorite character, and I’ve been wanting this forever. I dropped my usually calm and reserved manner right then, jumped up and gave Robert and Isaiah spine-snapping hugs. “You know… that’s not all… that’s in the box?” choked Isaiah, air being squeezed out of him from the force of my hug. I retracted and ran back to the box. Reaching in once more, I feel another hunk of fabric. Pulling it out, I saw it was a grey cotton shirt. On the back was nothing, but on the front was a pegasus stallion, black as the night, with silver eyes and white hair almost identical to mine. Above him were the words ‘Silver Rift’. These guys were awesome! First the hoodie, then they put my OC on a shirt? Insane! There was no way that this could get better. I was about to be proven wrong. I reached in for a third, and final, time and pulled out an envelope. I opened it and pulled out the card within. On the cover was Fluttershy with a party hat on and text above saying ‘Have a Happy Birthday. I mean if that’s ok with you.’ I opened it up, expecting to find a couple dollars, but instead found myself holding three tickets to Brony-Con. “We’re going to Brony-Con next week!” I yelled, super excited. “No we’re not. We’re going to Mine-Con, stupid.” said Robert, smiling sarcastically. “You guys are the greatest! I’m gonna go put away this stuff, then I should really start leaving.” I said walking back upstairs with my gifts. When I reached my room, I decided to wear the hoodie to work but leave the shirt. I hang up my shirt in my closet and take one good last look in the mirror. When everything was in order, I grabbed my keys and ran downstairs. Nothing can ruin this day, I thought to myself, walking out of the house with my new hoodie on. It was a dream come true. I was going to Bony-Con with my two best friends ever. It was a dream come true for sure. Right? Author's Note This is one of the first stories I've ever written. As a bit of a celebration for reaching 50 followers, I thought I'd share it and all of its sequels. I have done no editing to this story since its original completion. This was over a year ago, and I know that this is terrible now. When I was writing it, I thought it was the bee's knees. How foolish was I?
My TransformationI awoke without the ability to move. I shook my hands and legs trying to get out of… nothing. I was chained to a bed by nothing. What more, I felt odd. Not sick, just different. I shook my limbs a little while longer, only able to turn my head. I tried to scream but the words kept getting stuck in my throat. What happened?, I thought to myself, Is this my entire visit to Equestria? Getting knocked out? “You’re up. Finally.” I heard a voice call from out of sight. I turned to my right and saw Twilight, her nose bandaged, furiously flipping through a book. “We were a little worried about you. Sorry about the restraints. While you were out, you thrashed a lot. Broke my nose, actually.” “Sorry.” I said, finally able to speak. “Can you unchain me?” My head was swimming and my body felt weird. “Sure thing.” said Twilight, her horn glowing. “Before you sit up, you should be prepared.” “For what?” I asked sitting up, free from my invisible shackles. Explanation was unnecessary. All I had to do was look down at my body to tell that something was wrong. My body was covered in jet-black fur, my legs were thicker than before, and I felt taller. I was five foot nine before, but now felt well over six and a half, and there was something wrong with my feet. “I can’t feel my toes.” I said to Twilight, knowing perfectly well her response. “What are toes? Are those what you called those things at the end of your hooves?” replied Twilight. She seemed concerned but also intrigued. “Can I have a mirror?” I asked. She levitated a hand mirror to me. I grabbed it and looked into it. My hair was more or less the same, but my face was covered in the same black fur that coated my body. My face extended into a muzzle, just like the mares I met here. My eyes changed from their usual hazel to steel-grey. I turned into my OC from home, the one on the shirt that my friends got me. “I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, but I have no clue when she’ll reply. She’s probably busy with her royal duties.” said Twilight, recapturing my attention. “I’m a pony.” I said plainly. “How long was I out for?” “About two hours. You screamed the entire time. Fluttershy couldn’t take it, so she went home for a while. Pinkie said she was going to bake you a get-well cake.” answered Twilight. So these guys did care about me. “That was nice of Pinkie. What do you think I should do now?” I questioned, a bit weirded out by my sudden transformation. “We have to find you a place to stay for the night. You can’t stay here because I don’t have much room. That’s the problem with almost all my friends, except for Rainbow Dash.” “That’s a whole new set of problems. Doesn’t she live on a cloud?” I asked, standing up. I looked down and realised I didn’t have any pants on. “AHHH!” I screamed, jumping underneath a nearby blanket. “What’s wrong?” asked Twilight concerned. “Are you alright?” “What happened to my pants?!” I asked embarrassed. “I was naked this whole time?” “Yeah. What’s the big deal? I took them off because your legs grew. I figured you would be uncomfortable.” “What do you mean ‘What’s the big deal’? I don’t have pants on!” I yelled. “Neither do I.” said Twilight, raising her right leg. It was completely unclothed, revealing her furry leg. I looked it up and down, noting the hooves. “Any particular reason you aren’t wearing pants?” I asked, a little afraid at what would happen next. “I didn’t feel like wearing any today. Is that not how pants work where you come from?” she asked, a look of interest on her face. “No, actually, they don’t work that way! My people wear pants almost all the time! We only get naked around close family and people we’re sleeping with!” I said, amazed at how different Equestria was compared to Earth. “I see. You don’t have to worry here. If you wear pants, you wear pants. It doesn’t matter, unless you’re going somewhere fancy.” she replied matter-of-factly. “Is that what you do with shirts?” I asked curiously. “No! The mares wear shirts all the time. See, in Equestria, the females have these growths on their chest called breasts and they ar-” “I know what breasts are!” I said indignantly. “We have them on Earth too!” “So your world is called Earth? Interesting. Tell me more about it.” said Twilight, immersed in our conversation. Damn! I can’t believe I let that slip! “Forget what I just said! Don’t we have to go talk to Rainbow Dash or something?” “We were, but then you started talking about a ‘whole new set of problems’. What might that be?” asked Twilight. “She lives on a cloud. How am I supposed to get up there? Plus she probably won’t want me to stay with her. She doesn’t even know me.” “I’m sure she’ll do you this favor. As to how you’ll get up there, just fly.” “Fly? How can I fly?” I asked. No sooner had I said that did I feel something spread across my back. Turning my head, I saw large black wings spreading out past my shoulders. Apparently I was a pegasus. And shirtless. “This is… unusual.” I said. “Are they supposed to spread out randomly like that?” “Not really, no. They are doing that for one of two reasons. One: since you weren’t born a pegasus, you’ll have to get used to them. If this is true, the wings will fly open and closed sporadically until you learn how to keep them closed.” replied Twilight, a smirk growing on her face. “The other is that you have a wi-” “Don’t say it!” I said, closing my wings. It actually felt kind of natural, like opening and closing your fist. “I do NOT have a wing-boner. It’s obviously the first one. I can open and close them at will pretty easily, now that I know that they’re there.” I opened and closed my wings a few time to prove it. It felt really normal, like having giant, feathered hands on your back. Yeah, that is what constitutes as normal to me. Go figure. “Good to know you can control it now.” said Twilight. Right then, Fluttershy burst through the door in a flurry of panic. As soon as I saw her, my wings flew open wide. “Oh my gosh! Is he ok?” she asked. Looking at me, she said, “Sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I’ll just go.” “Don’t go!” I called to Fluttershy, who turned around to leave. “It’s me! I changed into a pegasus somehow.” “That’s interesting.” she said, concentrating on something on my back. “What’s wrong with your wings? Why do you have them spread like that? It looks uncomfortable.” “Er, I, um… I can’t control them very well yet. They just fly open sometimes.” I sputtered with embarrassment. “I thought you said you could open and close them at wi-” started Twilight. “Well, Fluttershy, now that I can blend in a little better, would you mind showing me around Ponyville? I would love to see it before I have to leave.” I said loudly, making it impossible for her to hear what Twilight was saying. “That’s a good idea.” said Twilight, dropping the subject of my involuntary spasms of the wing. “I want to introduce you to the rest of our friends. I’ll need their help to keep an eye on you.” “What do you mean, keep an eye on me? You don’t trust me or something?” I asked, a little hurt at the implication. “Actually, I don’t trust you.” said Twilight. “You have to understand how this looks from my perspective. You are a creature nopony has ever seen before, you won’t tell us anything about you, and you just changed to look like us. You know what the spells?” “Changeling.” I said, understanding now why she’s being so cautious. She thought I might be a changeling. Understandable. So all I have to do is not give her a reason to distrust me. Sounds easy enough. “I’m not, although if I were a changeling, I’d probably say that anyway. That’s why you want me to stay with Rainbow Dash. She probably sleeps with one eye open, so if I do decide to do something mischievous or evil in the dead of night, she’ll be able to catch me. Right?” “Exactly. So, now we get to go meet the rest of my friends so they can help keep watch on you until we get word back from the princess.” said Twilight, finally closing her book. “One second while I heal my nose.” Her horn began to glow purple once more and there was a gross CRACK! She clawed the bandages off her nose revealing it to be in perfect shape. “How’d you do that?” I asked stupidly. “Minor injuries like broken noses are easy to fix when you have the right spell. I just happen to have that particular spell in this book. In any case, we should go meet the girls.” replied Twilight, inhaling deeply through her nose. She gestured for me to follow her as she walked to her door. Opening it, she led me and Fluttershy out of her home. We walked quietly for a few minutes, my wings still open, with nopony having anything to say. It would appear that Fluttershy really did believe I was a changeling. That kind of stung. I wanted to reassure her, tell her I wasn’t, but it would be pointless. So I just kept going silently, taking in every detail I could. I scanned the town, spotting shops and ponies just being ponies. I loved it! I probably made some of them very uncomfortable, I stared at them for so long. I couldn’t help myself! We stopped in front of a large tent-like structure. Twilight opened the door, me and Fluttershy following close behind, and we entered the establishment. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every dress is chic, unique, and magnifique! I will be with you in one minute!” called a voice from the right of the wide empty room. The source of the voice was a pure white unicorn mare, with a swirled purple mane. Next to her was an orange mare with long, dirty-blonde hair. They were both huddled around a sewing table, the unicorn working the machine, the earth pony starring in anticipation. “Applejack, darling, you really must try to be more careful with your hat.” said the unicorn. “This must be the eighth time this week that I had to sew it up.” “Sorry, sorry. Ya know how things get get at the farm, Rarity. Ah can’t help it. Can ya fix it?” said the earth pony, anxiety welling in her voice. “Of course I can darling. I just want you to be more careful.” “Sorry to intrude, but this is kinda important.” said Twilight. “We need to talk.” “One minute Twilight, dear.” said Rarity. “As it were, I am in the zone.” After a few seconds of her sewing, she looked up and handed the hat to Applejack, who swiftly shoved it on her head. Turning to face Twilight, she said “What can I do for you, dear?” “I would like to introduce you to… a friend, I guess. This is Rarity and Applejack.” said Twilight. “I know. I would just like to say it is lovely to meet you both.” I said, looking back and forth between them both. “I’m going to be staying in Ponyville for… I don’t actually know. I don’t know if I’ll ever get home.” “I’m sorry to hear that, darling. Would you like to tell us about your home? It might make you feel a little less homesick.” said Rarity tenderly. “Don’t be sorry. I love it here! If I am trapped here, I wouldn’t be upset at all. I would love to tell all of you about where I’m from, but that may be dangerous.” I replied. “See the problem? I know nothing about him except that he’s not from Equestria and he’s not a pony. Don’t let him fool you. He’s different from us and I don’t trust him very much. I need you girls to help keep an eye on him until Princess Celestia returns my letter.” said Twilight. I seemed to be a burden to her. “Now Twi. That’s a mighty rude thing to say! Of course he’s from Equestria. He’s just as pony as ah am.” said Applejack. “Actually, she’s right.” I told Aj. “I’m not from Equestria and I can see why she doesn’t trust me very much. I know all this information about you and I won’t tell her how I know this stuff. It does look a little suspicious.” “Like what?” asked Rarity “Nevermind that. It was nice meeting you guys, but I really think we should go.” I said, turning to the door. Twilight and Fluttershy said their goodbyes, and we left the boutique. As soon as I stepped outside, I heard a yell. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOOF-BALL PLAYERS!” shouted an unknown voice. Before I could think, a shoulder collided with my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. Breathing shallowly, I looked up and saw a small orange body get up from off my chest. She wore a pair of grass stained jeans and a jersey with a big 00 on the front. Her mane was purple and windy. Standing up she said, “Sorry mister! I’m trying to get a cutie-mark in hoof-ball. It doesn’t seem to be working.” “Ugh! That hurt, kid! I’m not exactly in perfect health, ya know!” I said irritably. “What happened?” she asked. She seemed more intrigued than concerned. “Can’t you see the bandages? I got into a fight and the other guy stabbed me.” I replied. “Cool! You must be really tough! Can I see where he cut you?” she asked brightly. I looked at her bright face, illuminated with interest, and couldn’t find a way to say no. I grabbed the bandages on my side and carefully peeled them off, exposing my wound to the world. Fluttershy did a good job stitching me up. They were even and clean. I leaned to show this small child my wound I got in a vicious fight. I may not be the greatest role-model in the world. She stared at my stitched wound in awe. “Awesome! Your almost as cool as Rainbow Dash! Too bad somepony as cool as you wouldn’t want anything to do with a blank flank like me.” she said, crestfallenly. “Your Scootaloo, right?” When she nodded, I continued. “How old are you?” “I turn 14 next month.” she answered. “I’m 18 years old. Look at this.” I said, turning to show her my thigh. She looked at my leg puzzled, and then she gasped. “You don’t have a cutie-mark either?” she asked. “Nope. My flank is just as blank as yours. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. You’ll get your’s in due time. Probably before me. You said you know Rainbow Dash. Where can I find her?” “Right behind you.” came a brash voice from behind me. I turned around and was met with the sight of a mid-height pegasus with cyan skin and a rainbow mane. She was thin and a bit flat, and wore a blue tank-top. “What do you want?” “Er… Twilight should probably explain. It’s a bit complex.” I said, very much so scared. She was extremely intimidating. I felt like she could kick my ass at any time. “Rainbow Dash, this is Silver Rift.” said Twilight, walking up to meet Rainbow. “Would it be too much to ask if he could stay with you for a while?” “Why? Who is he?” asked Rainbow skeptically. “We have no idea. Fluttershy found him in the Everfree Forest and he’s from a place called Earth. I don’t really trust him, but we can’t just leave him to wander around.” “Why not? I’ve never heard of anywhere called Earth. Maybe he’s just some crazy stallion who escaped the mad-house or something.” said Rainbow Dash. “I thought that at first too, but he passed out while he was here. While he was asleep, I used a spell to scan his body and life-energy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen! His body is filled with magic that could rival the princess!” whispered Twilight, although very loudly. “You didn’t say that before! That was important and you didn’t tell me?” I said in outrage. “To be fair, you have withheld information from us. Like everything about you.” said Twilight. “I still don’t understand why he has to stay with me.” said Rainbow. “I think he might be a changeling. He has to stay with you because if he tried something sneaky, you could catch him in your sleep. So, I want you to catch him in your sleep.” answered Twilight. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, then to me, then back to Twilight. “Fine. If I have to. Silver, right?” she said, not caring to wait for my answer. “I’m Rainbow Dash. I care very much about Ponyville. All of Equestria really. I am the Element of Loyalty, after all. So, if you try to do anything to hurt Ponyville, or Equestria, or any of my friends, you will be very sorry. Don’t pretend like you’re not scared. I can smell it on you. You are about ready to piss yourself. Just to make myself clear: Do not. Mess. With. Ponyville. Or I will destroy you. Got it?” “Erm… I… Uh… Y-yes, got it. I would never do anything to hurt Ponyville.” I said, face pouring sweat. She was terrifying! I’ve never been more scared in my life. “Good. Now, let me show you to my house.” said Rainbow, flapping her wings and rising in the air. How the hell am I supposed to get up there?!, I thought to myself, my wings finally closing.
The End“You guys go ahead.” I said to the group. “I have to go to base for a second. Don’t wait up.” They turned slowly and broke into a run. I waited until they vanished from view and made my way towards our base. Halfway there, I heard a voice call out to me. “Silver! Wait up!” shouted Fluttershy. She ran up and nudged me on the shoulder. “What are you doing?” “Trying to tie up loose ends, Chrysalis.” I said. “What do you want?” She burst into green flames and transformed into the queen of changelings. “Hands in the air.” said Chrysalis half-heartedly. “On your knees.” “Don’t waste my time.” I said, slowing down slightly. “If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve done it in the restaurant. So, what do you want?” “I want to see what you’re doing. Know your enemy, right?” said Chrysalis. “Ah, but are we enemies? I stuck my neck out for you and you’ve done the same. We’re basically family. Oh, would ya look at that? We’re here.” I said, opening the front door. I walked to the stairs and slid down to the basement. I ran to the middle of the room and looked around. “Discord!” I shouted. “Get out here! We need to talk!” “How did you know I’d be here?” asked Discord, materializing out of thin air. “It’s something that I would never ordinarily do, so I knew it’s something you expected me to never not do. Did that make sense?” I asked confusedly. “Doesn’t matter. I need your help.” “I told you that I’m not helping either side.” said Discord. “So it seems you’ve wasted your time.” “Just tell me how I’m supposed to beat Sombra without killing him. I can’t figure it out.” I said. “Why do you want to take him alive?” asked Chrysalis. “Wouldn’t it be easier to kill him?” “Easy is not always best.” said Discord. “I see you took my words to heart. If you want Sombra taken alive, perhaps a spell will help you thrive.” “Not your best rhyme, Discord, but I appreciate the advice. Do you think I can do it or is this a unicorn job?” I asked. “I’m sure you have the power. Just concentrate on positive things and funnel it through your hands. It should cleanse him of his evil.” “Thanks for the tip.” I said. Directing my attention to Chrysalis, I said, “You need to get out. I told Twi not to kill you, but if she sees you… I don’t know how much authority I’ll have.” “Silver Rift, as Queen of changelings, I have to say that I do not need your help nor your pity.” she said smugly. “But off the clock?” “Thanks. I will bid you adieu.” said Chrysalis. She burst into flames and disappeared. “Well. I guess we just have to worry about Sombra.” I said. “Can you give me a ride?” “Of course.” he said, stepping up to me. He reached forward with his eagle hand and flicked me in the forehead. My vision blurred for a second and when I could see again, there was a changeling standing in front of me. I smacked him in the neck with my sheath, knocking him out. “Way to join us.” said Fluttershy. “We thought you’d gotten yourself killed again.” “Where is everypony?” I asked. “They’re out fighting. Did you figure out how to beat Sombra without killing him?” “Yeah. Let’s get him.” I said. Without warning, I felt a hand clasp my shoulder. I turned to face Fluttershy, who threw me against the ground. She dropped to her knees and punched me in the face. Raising her sword, she stabbed it down at my face. I leaned to the side and shoved her off. She jumped up and stared me in the face with her deep, red eyes. “Shit.” I said as she jumped back onto me. She hit me in the throat, causing me to cough. With a swing of the leg, I kicked her in the back knocking her off me again. I decided to take advantage this time and jumped to my feet. I transformed into Silver Rift and extended my palm. I concentrated on happy things, my friends and family, Equestria and Fluttershy. I mentally shoved forward, blasting her with the positive energy I’d been storing. She fell over and closed her eyes tiredly. “I was hoping she’d at least wound you before you fixed her. Oh well.” said Sombra, appearing out of nowhere. “My mother used to say to me ‘If you want something done right, murder the guy yourself’. I’m paraphrasing, of course.” “What have you done to her?” I asked angrily. “Don’t you pull that righteous anger thing on me. What’s next? You’re gonna start screaming for Rachel?” “Sombra, you’ve killed me, hurt my friends and my city, and pretty much ruined my life, but the one thing you don’t do is mess with Fluttershy!” I screamed, rushing at him. I jumped and punched at his face. He blocked it and threw me down. I swung my leg and tripped him to the ground. I lunged on him and punched him in the chest. I scrambled to my hooves and brung my hoof down on Sombra’s head. He turned into a wisp of black smoke and passed right through me. I twirled around and punched him in the stomach. I was shocked to see that I hit Twilight. “Twi!” I screamed. “Are you ok?” “How could you?” she asked, dropping to her knees. Buried in her midsection was the hilt of a sword, dripping blood. She hit the ground and burst into black smoke. “What the hell?” I asked. “How did that happen?” “Stupid, simple, Silver Rift. I thought you would be able to see through my tricks. Don’t you know that I can make you see whatever I want? Like your deepest fears.” he growled. Black smoke enveloped me, blinding me. After a second the smoke disappeared, revealing the dark basement that I was suddenly in. Basement was a very flattering term, considering the fact that I could barely move my arms. Oh no. Nononononono! I never did well in tight spaces. I began to breathe raggedly, fear filling my body. “No!” I shouted. “Somepony, anypony, please! I need help! Get me out of here!” Slowly, out of the wall melted snakes, 10 feet long and thicker than my arms. The one thing I feared more than tight places is… snakes. “PLEASE!” I called, tears streaming down my face. “I NEED HELP!” “Ssssilver Rift.” hissed one of the snakes. It reared it’s ugly head, revealing dark red eyes. “Sssso afraid. Claustrophobia and Ophidiophobia? Ssssso sssscared. What elssse do you fear?” Suddenly, I was on a platform, a thousand feet up, surrounded by all of my friends. “Oh, thank GOD!” I said. “That was terrible! Where are we?” “Getting away from you, faggot.” said Robert angrily. “What are we even doing here?” “No clue.” said Isaiah. “Let’s bounce. His faggotness is starting to rub off.” They walked off the platform, disappearing from my vision. “What was that?” I asked. “What happened?” “They probably didn’t want to get blood on their clothes.” said Pinkie evilly. I noticed that her hair was straight and covered in blood. “Do be careful with him, Miss Pinkamena. I would like to use his skin for a new dress.” said Rarity. “These cupcakes of your’s better be good, Pinkamena.” said Applejack. “Ah’m starvin.” “And try not to eat any before the batch is finished.” chimed Twilight. “Last time you baked, you ate half of it raw. And don’t forget that I get to inspect his skeleton.” “Just hurry up.” said Rainbow Dash. “I have better things to do.” “Don’t rush me.” said Pinkamena, stepping towards me. She pulled out a short, rusty scalpel and stuck it in my chest. “But maybe you guys are right. I should pick up the pace.” “What are you doing?!” I shouted, dropping to my knees. “I’m making snacks. My friends are getting restless, so perhaps I should cut to the chase!” she giggled, stabbing me with each syllable. I got to my hooves and ran to the edge of the platform. I looked down and saw a straight drop into nothing, I turned back around and was face-to-face with Fluttershy. “Aww, look at how hopeful you look.” she said, in mock-adoration. “You think that I’m going to save you.” She turned and swung her tail seductively, hitting me in the nose. She looked completely normal except a thousand times more beautiful in everyway. I don’t understand how it was possible, but it was. “Please. Help me, Fluttershy!” I cried. “Save me!” “Why would I do that?” she asked, turning back to face me. “Because I love you?” I tried. “Ha! I hope you’re not deluded with the idea that I feel the same.” she laughed, pushing against me. “I thought we were getting close.” I said, filled with terror. “Was I wrong?” “Yes, yes you were. Did you really think that I could ever love somepony as worthless as you? Don’t make me laugh.” “You… don’t love me?” I asked quietly. “What did I just now say about making me laugh? Wanna save us all the time and off yourself?” she said. She shoved forward, knocking me off the platform. I fell through the air, screaming all the way. “Hello.” said Sombra, falling through the air next to me. “Listen, there’s not much time. You will hit the ground in fifteen seconds. There is no way for you to survive, and if you hit the ground you will be in pain until you die. You can also put a bullet in your skull, much quicker, less painful. Go ahead. Make a choice.” “Again with the ultimatums! Why can’t shit be straightforward with you?! I can’t make decisions! I need my… friends.” I said. “Friends. Friends! Those were my friends! They would never do that! You told me that you could show me my worst fears. That’s what this is! You’re messing with my head. If I concentrate I can break this!” “No! You are not surviving twice!” shouted Sombra. “Yes I am! I just have to think for a second. If I can just focus, maybe I can see through the bullshit!” I blinked hard and was back next to Fluttershy with my gun against my head. My friends huddled around me with looks of worry on their faces. “What happened?!” shouted Robert. “Put down the gun! We can talk through this! Suicide is not the answer.” “What? I’m not trying to kill myself. It was a trick. Sombra almost got me, too.” I said, wiping my face. Wait a second… “Get back! Get away from me!” “What is it?!” asked Isaiah. “Are you alright?” “Nothing is real! Everything is a lie!” I screamed, backing away. “All of this is a Sombra mind trick! None of you are real! Come out and fight me like a stallion, Sombra! What are you? A pussy?!” “Angry, are we?” said Sombra, stepping out of the ground. “I’m the only pony here who deserves to be angry. I killed you… twice!” “Come here, Sombra!” shouted Robert angrily. “None of that! Shield up!” shouted Sombra, throwing his hooves up. A dome of dark purple energy surrounded me, Sombra, and Fluttershy’s unconscious body. “Aaaaaaagh!” shouted Robert, running into the dome. PCHEWM! He flung backwards onto his back, moaning in pain. Lowering his arms, Sombra ripped out his sword and pointed it towards me. “You wanted to fight me? Well, have at thee!” he said, lunging at me. I jumped back, just barely avoiding the tip of his black sword. I fumbled for my sword, getting it out just in time to block another jab. I deflected his next jab and sliced at his ribs. My sword passed right through his midsection, leaving my sword faintly smoking. Of course it did. Just what I needed: an enemy that I couldn’t touch. “Shit!” I said, slicing at his knee. Still nothing. “Fight fair, Sombra! You prick!” “You wanted to fight, so I gave you a fight. You should have learned the choreography before you came to tango!” laughed Sombra, slashing me in the shoulder, cutting me shallowly. I slashed at his ribs, once again to no avail. What would it take to hurt this guy? “Silver.” moaned Fluttershy from the floor. “Don’t give up. You can do this. I have faith in you.” “Shut up!” shouted Sombra. He aimed his hand at Fluttershy and launched a wave of purple energy at her, throwing her against the wall of the dome. She crashed to the ground with a groan. “Sombra!” I shouted, aiming my hand at him. I concentrated hard on everything I loved. I thought of all my friends, especially Fluttershy, and willed it forward. This wave was different from the other. While the first one was invisible, this time I watched a tendril of grey energy fly and connect with Sombra’s chest. “AHHHHHHHHH!” he screamed, his body glowing blinding white. He rose in the air, his body changing from a dark gray to pure white. His mane shifted from black to white, and his eyes became a gentle hazel. His fanged teeth retracted and he fell to the ground. I had done it! “Sombra!” I shouted warily, running towards him. I reached down and helped him up. “Get up, ya big lug.” “I feel… good.” he said, rising to his hooves. He pulled out his sword and pointed it towards me. “On your knees. I would like to knight you.” I dropped to my knees and bowed my head, remembering that he is, technically, a king. He reached to the sides and lowered the shield, then gestured for my friends to join us. I can’t believe it. It worked! All of my friends, even Fluttershy, bowed on one knee to be knighted. He placed the blade gently on my shoulder. He raised it high above his head and brought it down, burying it in my shoulder. Lightning fast, he swung his arms around, blasting my friends with magic. I fell to the ground, shocked and in pain. “Did you really think that would work?” laughed Sombra. “Such a weak spell could never touch me!” “How?… It didn’t work?” I asked stupidly. “Of course not! Luna couldn’t beat me, Celestia didn’t beat me, not even Chrysalis could beat me! I am invincible! I’m a god! I’m a-” he said, getting cut off by Chrysalis, who had kicked him in the face with all her might. He dropped to the ground, shocked at the turn of events. Chrysalis pulled out a set of handcuffs and confined Sombra, kicking him in the face for good measure. “You’re a self-indulgent piece of shit, that’s what you are!” she screamed. “Go ahead, just try to phase out! Soul-binding handcuffs, bitch!” “Chrysalis.” I groaned. “Why?” “Just trying to be a true, true friend.” she said, turning around. “It’s not going to happen again.” “Thanks.” I moaned. “I thought I was a goner there.” “Farewell, Silver Rift. If you don’t mind, I have to go find food for my people.” she said bitterly. “Wait!” I said, gears in my head turning. “I think I have a solution!” I got to my hooves and pulled out Lunar. I trotted over to Sombra’s fallen body and put the barrel against his head. “How?!” shouted Sombra angrily. “How did you win?!” “Friendship.” I said simply. “Enough with this ‘friendship’ bullshit! What does that even mean?! What is friendship in relation to this?!” “Don’t you know? Friendship is Magic, bitch!” I said, pulling the trigger. I laughed as my bullet past over his head, him crying out in fear. “Oh, shut up, Sombra. You really think I would waste all that time trying to take you alive, just so I could kill you?” “What is this solution of your’s, Silver?” asked Chrysalis impatiently. “Help me fly up above the buildings.” I said. Turning my attention to the rest of my friends, I continued. “You guys will need to get up too.” “Here. I got this.” said Conjure. He threw his hands down towards the ground, raising a chunk of earth high above the rooftops. He pointed his index finger at me and said, “Megaphone?” “Thanks.” I said, my voice magically magnified 1000x it’s normal volume. I ripped the sword out of my shoulder, thinking it would hurt less than leaving it in. I was wrong. “People of Earth!” I said to the ground. “You have no need to worry. I am aware that you are probably scared of what happened, so I am here to explain to you. I am Christian Michael Brookes. These are my friends Isaiah Simmons and Robert Thompson. The girls behind me are the Mane Six and Queen Chrysalis, from My Little Pony. Now, I know some of you are saying to yourselves ‘What is this nutcase talking about?’. To these people, I say ‘Shut up, I’m not done.’ Yes, they are fictional characters in this world, but they have their own world where, until recently, they have been living happily. Until King Sombra, Sunset Shimmer, Discord and the woman behind me got together to fight against Princess Celestia. Sunset Shimmer was killed a long time ago and Discord has decided to drop out of the battle. Why? Because he did not appreciate the way Sombra pressured Chrysalis to kill Celestia. Through a long series of events, Twilight Sparkle is in charge of all of Equestria and the Crystal Empire.” I looked at Twilight, who blushed in pride and, to tell you the truth, looked about ready to vomit. Turning back to the ground, I noticed that I had a group of people congregating around the ground we were above. “Not more than an hour earlier, King Sombra began terrorizing the town, with the help of Chrysalis.” I continued. “A minute ago, we defeated Sombra. He will no longer be hurting anyone. Now there’s just Chrysalis, the woman standing directly behind me. Why isn’t she cuffed or dead, you ask? Simply because she didn’t ask for this. Queen Chrysalis is the queen of the changelings, a shape-shifting race that feeds on love. Lately, her people have been starving. So she did what any good leader would do: fight to her dying breath, trying to provide for her subjects. Now, I won’t lie. She has done some things that are morally questionable at best, but simply because she had no other option. Princess Celestia understood this, I understand this, and I expect you to understand. If it wasn’t for Chrysalis, I’d be dead on the ground and Sombra would be wiping out humanity. She is not a bad person. Now, why am I telling you all this? So I can teach you how to prevent this from happening again.” “What are you talking about?” asked Chrysalis. “Changelings feed on love, so I’m going to create enough excess love so that they can eat and live happily. I can open passageways from Earth to their world of Equestria. I am going to open one and allow ponies from Equestria to go to Earth, and humans on Earth to go to Equestria. You will be able to travel to a whole new world for the price of bus fare, but only on one condition: You will not hate each other. Everyone will feel love for one-another or else this will happen again. Only next time, I won’t be so quick to help. So, I beg you, go find your enemies and give them a hug. Love them simply for being a human being. Forgive them for how they’ve wronged you and beg that they do the same. Love and Harmony will reign over Earth. Tell your friends, spread the message. We will be a loving species, because everyone here will heed my words. No one is innocent. I have two people I need to forgive myself. So, I will say it once more, then I’m going to get down and seek medical attention before I bleed out. Harmony and forgiveness will be your savior. Just love and tolerate everyone you meet.” I finished, stumbling woozily. I put my finger against my throat and looked at Conjure hopefully. He pointed at me once more, lowering my voice to normal volume. “Nice work Silver.” said Twilight. “I think you sent a message that will be remembered forever.” “Thanks.” I said, pressing my hand against my wound, to slow the bleeding. “How did you guys do? During the fight?” “We came, we saw…” began Robert. “We kicked some ass!” finished Pinkie Pie. They laughed, then kissed ferociously. Isaiah grabbed Twilight and followed Robert’s example. “Have you no shame?” said Rainbow Dash, grabbing Applejack. She leaned forward and kissed her lovingly. Huge shocker. I stumbled towards Fluttershy, hoping to get some first-aid. What I received was her lips pressed against mine. “All of you are so lucky! You have your true loves right here, while I have to go all the way to Ponyville for mine!” said Rarity, slightly grumpily. “I have to go let Spike know how I feel.” “Not that I didn’t enjoy that,” I said, breaking away from Fluttershy. “But I’m seriously about to pass out from blood loss.” “You can have bandages or another kiss.” joked Fluttershy. “Bleeding out isn’t such a bad way to go.” I said with a smile.
