Author's Note

PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!

First of all, I recommend reading this story in "High Contrast Dark" format. You can do so by clicking the "Formatting" button at the top-right corner of the page, right below the rating, total comments, and views counter.

These first few chapters will be to decide who the protagonist (you) is gender-wise. Each gender will get his/her own depictions of the story, with the first being the male, and the second being the female's.

This isn't a "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" story, though there will be some optional parts that could be skipped/chosen via the lowest corner, such as relation(s) between Anonymous and (an)other character(s), but those actions will barely mark any significance with the main story itself... though they could lead to bonus chapters in the near future, of course.

As the tags may point out, there will be some chapters containing mild clop (skippable, of course), and the gender of your chosen character will affect how it plays out! (Male/Female, Male/Male, and/or Female/Female will be an option, with each character having their own "unique" preferences.)

There will also be blood and gore, though nothing too absurdly graphic. Think "Assassin's Creed" levels of violence, if you will.

Lastly, remember that the "Next Chapter" function will only lead you to the female's perspective of that chapter, or possibly skip to a bonus chapter. As such, it should be noted that, in order to reach the next actual chapter for your chosen character, there will be two links at the bottom of the page, taking you to the previous one you read, or the next one. Some chapters will be genderless (IE: When nobody acknowledges your presence.) Those chapters will sometimes have four links at the bottom, rather than two, color coded with blue arrows at the top and red arrows at the bottom. I'm pretty sure that alone is quite self-explanatory... but just to be clear:
< BLUE (ON TOP) > = MALE
< RED (ON BOTTOM) > = FEMALE

And on that note, I hope you enjoy the ride... now, then... are you ready to take of that mask, and show us your true form?

{ Behind The Mask }

---

DATA LOADING. PLEASE STAND BY...
...
LOADING COMPLETE.
SYNCING USER WITH EQUESTRIA.EXE. PLEASE STAND BY...
...
SYNCING COMPLETE.
BOOTING...
...
ERROR! DATA NOT FOUND! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SETUP A NEW PROFILE?
...
COMMAND "YES" RECOGNIZED. SYSTEM STARTING...

---

You slowly walk into the cave. The portal to the mirror behind you pulses like that of water after an object enters or exits it. Over your body is the pitch black cloak that conceals everything human about you... well, almost everything. Over your neck is a dark blue scarf that's been augmented with magic capable of keeping your body at a reasonable temperature, no matter the location.

What really hides who you are, however, is the gray mask over your head. The eyes have been enchanted to keep your eye color hidden, and the symbols on the forehead give you a magical enhancement with this world, emulating the abilities of a unicorn, while granting you far more flexibility to change your magic's natural element at will... a feat that only the best of unicorns could do, but through several years of training.

Inside your cloak is an arsenal of magically enhanced weaponry, ranging from your trusty daggers, your longsword, your miniature crossbows, your spiked grappling hooks, your vials filled with chemicals of variable qualities and colors, and your padded light body armor.

Directly in front of you stands two alicorn sisters. They both are standing on two hooves, but have arms and hands rather than forelegs and forehooves.

The one on the left is a pure white coated one with a colorful mane and tail, magenta eyes, and a golden crown on her head. She's wearing golden tipped, white platemail armor with a sun emblem on her tabard. Her tower shield bears the same sun emblem, and the blade of her sword glows pure yellow, with the handle shaped and colored like an angel's wings.

The one on the right is a head shorter than her sister. Her coat is dark blue, and her mane and tail appear to have starry patterns on them. Her eyes are also just as blue as the night sky, giving you the feeling that you're looking at outer space in Equestrian form. Her armor is similar in shape to her sister's, but colored blue on the tips, and black everywhere else. Her tabard's and shield's emblems are that of a crescent moon, and her sword's blade shines pure white, making it almost impossible to look at directly. Her handle is shaped like the full moon, but to the sides of it, bat-like wings protrude from the left and right corners.

The three of you press your right hands on your own chests, giving a formal salute to each other, before the eldest of the sisters speak to you.

"It is good to see that Faust hasn't turned her attention away from Equestria just yet."

You silently nod your head, but say nothing. This makes her smile and lightly chuckle.

"The silent type... that is exactly what we were in need of, actually. I have a feeling we are going to get along well." She turns to her sister. "Isn't that right, Luna?"

Luna nods her head before turning to her sister. "Indeed it is, Celestia. I feel like our guest here is going to do his job well!"

Celestia tilts her head confusedly. "His? I thought that Faust said she would be sending in a female, though!"

The two of them sigh before silently bickering to each other over not paying attention to the documents that your boss, Lauren Faust of the "HUB", sent to them earlier this morning.

You let out a long drawn-out sigh before gripping onto your mask with your right hand. This catches both of the princess's attention as their eyes lock onto you. Finally, you remove your mask, revealing the face of a...

... young male barely in his twenties.<
... young female barely in her twenties.<