Chapter II

A Whole New World

After nearly an hour of setting an account, Rarity was ready to jump into the land of Fantasia. She laid down in her bed and slipped the visor on. The visor in front of her glowed white and she felt her eyes become heavy. “Speak the words as they are displayed.” The machine said in a mechanical tone. Rarity took a moment to read the screen.

“Audio sensory test.” The fashionista said. The screen went dark and Rarity gulped and she felt her body tense up.

“Relax yourself.” The machine stated Rarity took in a breath and relaxed her position. “Please say the command you wish to select.”

“Start up.” Rarity felt woozy and soon her eyes fell shut. Rarity opened her eyes to feel herself floating in a white void. She looked around her and she saw an endless white space in front of her.

“Welcome adventurer.” Rarity’s head whipped around in the direction of the mother like tone. She saw what looked like a goddess clothed in white robes and had a golden crown holding back her flowing white locks of hair. In her hand was a golden staff with the image of the Sun on the top. “Welcome to the world of Fantasia. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace and prosperity. However, there is much danger in this world and it is up to adventurers like you to brave the storm of chaos and darkness that is returning. Are you ready?”

“Indeed.” Rarity said. The woman then snapped her fingers and a scroll appeared before her.

“Then scribe your name onto this scroll and let your name be forever written into history.” Rarity took a moment to think and entered her account name. ‘RadiantGemstone.’ The Goddess then held out a stack of cards that flew into the air and formed four larger cards each the size of Rarity. “Then select your destined path.”

Rarity looked at the card that had a sword and shield imprinted on it. “Become an unstoppable force of muscle if you choose the Warrior class. A sword and shield are your best friend, or just a large weapon that will devastate anyone in your path.” The goddess said. Rarity raised an eyebrow as looked at the card that had a pair of daggers and a bow on it. “Stealth and sneaking is your ally if you choose the Rogue class. Attack form a distance with a bow as a Ranger, or use the shadows to your advantage and strike with the daggers when the enemy’s back is turned as an assassin.”

Rarity then looked at the card that had a staff imprinted on it. “Become a master of the arcane arts and let the world see your skill with a staff.” The girl then turned her attention to the last card that had all three of the card’s pictures on it. “This card is for the indecisive and wish to see what they are proficient at before making a selection.” Rarity took a moment to think before selecting the last card.

“So the decision is made.” The woman raised her staff and the other three cards vanished. The card Rarity selected slid into the floor and appeared beneath her feet. “Good luck adventurer and be vigilant.” The card glowed and Rarity looked down to see the card opening like a door. Suddenly The girl was falling through open sky towards a world with a beautiful landscape, rich with fields, mountains and kingdoms came into view. Rarity soon realized she was heading right towards one of the fields at a break-neck pace.

“WAAAAHHHAHAAAA!” She yelled as she hit the atmosphere and felt resistance as she brought her arms up to shield herself. She opened her eyes to see the lush green fields, the mountains that pierced the very sky and in the distance she saw a shimmering white city.

The wind whipped by her as she closed her eyes and hit the ground. Rarity opened her eyes to see that she was in the center of a crater, but otherwise unharmed. The woman shook her head and groaned. “Well, that was rude.” She said to the sky.

“Rarity? That you?” A familiar southern accent was music to the girl’s ears. She looked out of the crater to see her five friends looking down at her. “Nice to see you’re still in one piece.” The characters’ faces were the spitting image of her friends in the real world.

They each had a tunic with leather armor on, but in a different color that suited them. Above their head read their names. ‘DashingSpectrum#1’ ‘AppleKicker’ ‘PinkPartier’ ‘CritterShy’ and ‘LavenderTwilight.’ Rainbow and Fluttershy’s characters had cyan and yellow wings coming from their back.

“You made it!” Pinkie yelled as Rarity climbed out of the hole with Applejack’s help.

“Yes, but why did she drop me from the air?” Rarity huffed as she brushed he dirt off her white tunic.

“Chill out Rarity. It’s supposed to get your blood pumping.” Dash said as she slammed her fist into her open hand.

“Where are we anyway’s Twi?” Applejack asked as she looked at their friend who was donning purple mage robes.

“We’re close to the Town of Dawn.” Twilight said pulling up her map. “You five have to go through Dusk Forest and meet me on the other side.” She said pointing to a line of trees fifty feet away from them.

“What? You can’t come with us?” Fluttershy said with a gulp.

“Sorry, but no one above level five can enter there. It’s a special training ground for beginners. Don’t worry, the monsters in there are the weakest in the game.”

“Weak?” Dash grumbled wanting a challenge.

“It’s only to help you get the hang of things. Like a tutorial program.” The flyer groaned at the words. “What class did you guys’ choose anyway?”

“Ah picked the warrior.” Applejack said as she took out her her sword and shield.

“I chose the indecisive one.” Rarity said. “I need to understand things first before I make a decision.”

“S-same.” Fluttershy squeaked. “I’m not good at fighting.”

“It was between Warrior and Rogue, wanted to see which one was more awesome so I chose the same.” Dash said.

“Same!” Pinkie yelled. “I want to see what everyone can do.”

“That’s very smart. A lot of players do that.” Twilight smiled.

“Wait, what if we need advice?” Applejack asked. “We don’t know anything about this game.” Twilight tapped her lip and swiped left brining up her menu.

“I’ll send you guys a group chat request.” She hit the send button and the five girls got the notification. “I’ll be able to talk to you guys during your mission.” Twilight then pulled out her map and selected the nearest town. The girl’s body then transformed into purple light and shot towards the sky. “Just call me if you have any questions.” Rarity sighed and looked at her friends.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Dash asked running down the path.

“Wait for me Dashie.” Pinkie yelled running after her friend. The other three sighed and ran after the two as they entered the forest. The crunch of leaves and gravel filled the air as they walked down the path. The air had a certain thickness to it and several insects started buzzing.

“I must say that this is amazing.” Rarity said.

“Ya can say that again.” The southerner said. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say this place was real.” The path kept winding and turning until they came to a clearing where a few large beetles were hovering. They had large mandibles and claws. Above their heads showed a green bar with the letter HP next to it. Above the bar was a title. ‘Lvl. 1 Terror Beetle.’

“Okay, what should we-”

“CHARGE!” Dash yelled running in with Applejack who had her sword and shield drawn. The beetles immediately noticed them and swarmed the two women. AJ was doing a good job of slashing her sword and bashing her shield. The beetles then noticed the rest of the group.

“Um Twilight?” Rarity gulped. “We need some help on some....ugh....beetles.” She said in a disgusted tone.

“They’re attack isn’t too bad, but they have bad status effects.” The mage’s voice rang out.

“She mean’s dealing with ‘em Twi.” AJ said as she bashed one with her wooden shield.

“I don’t have any weapons!” Dash yelled.

“Select them from your inventory.” Twilight sighed. Dash caught a breather and swiped left brining up her inventory. There were several low level weapons to choose from, but settled on a pair of daggers. The other’s did the same. Pinkie found a large battle axe and slashed a beetle. The bug glowed red and shattered into digital code before dropping some loot. Fluttershy panicked and selected a wooden bow and a quiver of arrows appeared on her back.

Rarity rapidly scrolled through her menu and found a long staff with a jewel at the tip. She activated her staff and a purple ethereal beetle appeared and attacked it’s counter part. Fluttershy was quivering against a rock and her arm was shaking as she held the bow. Her avatar instinctively pulled out an arrow. The yellow flyer soon saw a cross hair appear in front of her. As she put it over the beetle, the prompt turned red and she released the arrow. The bolt got the beetle between the eyes and was digitized. Soon the bugs were no more and the girls sighed in relief.

“Hey I leveled up!” Pinkie smiled. The same went for the other five girls.

‘PinkPartier has reached level 2.’ The others got a similar notification as they progressed through the forest. They killed a few more of the creatures and they each found themselves at level 3 by the end. As they stepped out of the forest they saw their purple mage friend.

“You guys made it!” Twilight smiled.

“Yeah, thanks for the help coach.” Dash said in a dry tone. “We almost got slaughtered out there!”

“There were several tutorial prompts dear.” Rarity stated.

“I always turn those off.”

“Now why in the name of Celestia did ya do that?” Applejack asked.

“Because I’m awesome!” The group only face palmed at the remark.

“Rainbow, this isn’t like any type of hack and slash game.” Twilight said. “You need strategy, careful planning and timely use of your abilities.” The girl sighed. “What we need is a game master.”

“A what now?” The farmer asked.

“A game master is someone who knows how to play the game to the best extent.”

“So like a mega nerd?” Dash asked.

“An expert.” She corrected. “Someone who knows the game. How to play it, what missions to take and how to level up faster.”

“You’re our expert darling.” Rarity said looking at her friend.

“No, someone whose better than me. I’m rusty at this game as well.” The indigo haired mage sighed. “Hang on.” The woman swiped and found her friend’s list. Her eyes scanned the lists and smiled. “Yes, he’s on!”

“Who?”

“A friend of mine. He’s really good at this game and he helped Spike and I get started when we started playing.” She said as she selected the contact. “Hang on a second girls.” The girl waited for a moment.

“Hello?” The voice was masculine.

“Crow, nice to hear from you.”

“Right. Sorry I haven’t been on. I’ve been moving around a bit.”

“No problem. I’ve been busy as well. Anyway, I need a favor. My friends just bought the game and they need help....surviving.”

“Rookies huh?”

“Yeah, they’re new to RPG’s.”

“Okay, I just need to finish up murdering these goblins. Then I’ll join ya.”

“Cool. I’ll send you an invite.” The line went dead and Twilight turned back to her friends. “Okay, my friend should be here soon. A word of warning he can be a bit...callous and a little sarcastic, but he’s a nice guy when you get to know him.”

“Be careful about chatting with people online dear.” Rarity said. “Have you ever met him in real life?”

“No and besides we’re only gaming friends. We don’t even know each other’s real names.” Twilight said waving the question off.

“So how good is this guy?” Applejack said.

“He’s good. Crow helped me beat a raid quest.” A beam of light then came down from the sky close to the group. They squinted and saw a figure come down from the beam. The beam of light stopped and they saw the mask wearing individual stand in front of them.

“Man that’s tingly.” He said as he shook his head. The man blinked a little to readjust his eyesight. “Ah, nice to see you again Twilight.” He looked at the scholar’s avatar.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.” Twilight nodded.

“So these are the rookies huh?” He eyed each of them up.

“Yeah, they’re from my school.”

“Okay, so what do you all know how to do?” Pinkie Pie was waving her had in front of herself

“How do you see your stats?” Mantis shook his head and started screaming internally.

What have I gotten myself into? With a deep breath the man pulled out his staff.

“Okay the first thing you need to know is-” His avatar suddenly vanished from sight leaving the group of girls bewildered.

“Um, what just happened?”

“That punk ditched us!” Dash yelled. Twilight pulled up her friends list and saw he was offline.

“No, I think he lagged out.” Twilight said. “It happens sometimes.”

Back in the real world Mantis shot up in his bed and winced as his eyes readjusted to his room. He looked beside him to see the armored knight from before. “What’s the big idea?”

“We have a guest.” He applied his disguise and followed the knight to the door. The knight vanished as Mantis pulled out a monocle and looked at the door. The wood appeared to vanish from the man’s sight and saw that Princess Cadence herself was outside his door. He pocketed the item and opened the door for her. “Princess.”

“Hello. Am I interrupting anything?”

“Not really.” He said as she walked inside his dorm. She took a seat on the couch before Mantis grabbed a chair and sat across from her. “So what brings you here?”

“I wanted to ask you for a favor.” She sad as she folded her hands. Mantis raised an eyebrow at the woman. “I wish to take on an apprentice. Would you be interested?” To say he was surprised would be an understatement.

“Why me? I’m sure there are other mages here who would kill for the opportunity to become your apprentice. I didn’t even know you were looking for one.”

“Well, Princess Celestia and Luna both have apprentices of their own. I’m sure you know that Twilight is Celestia’s.” Mantis had heard of the girl’s exploits as Celestia’s pupil and the Element of Magic. “Princess Luna’s is actually a former student of Celestia.” He sat forward and let his disguise drop.

“And you have no problem with the fact that I’m a member of a despised race that almost burnt your city to the ground and ruined your wedding?”

“That was Chrysalis and her forces. I doubt you had anything to do with that.”

“True. I was busy with other affairs at the time.”

“Besides, I think we can learn a lot from each other. I know next to nothing about Changelings. Their magic, philosophy or anything like that.”

“This is starting to sound like a one way street. What do I get out of this?”

“Apprentices such as Twilight, get special access to the Canterlot Archives.” That got his attention. Mantis had heard that the Canterlot Archives housed some of the most powerful magic ever created by Starswirl the Bearded and several other legends. Mages around the world would kill to just to spend five minutes among the ancient tomes. “You wouldn’t have unlimited access. There is some magic that should never see the light of day.”

“That I understand all too well.” He sat back and thought for a moment. “You’ve talked me into it. I have to say you surprise me Princess. I never thought the wife of the Carnifex would be a Changeling sympathizer.” Cadence looked at him in confusion.

“Wife of the what?”

“Oh apologies. It’s sort of a nick-name Changelings have for your husband.” He smiled. “In the Changeling way of life we are born with a name, but when we mature we are given a second name from the ancient Changeling language. It’s more of a title and it usually having something to do with their occupation.” This interested Cadence immensely. She had no idea their culture had something so unique.

“Fascinating. So Carnifex means Captain? Soldier? Prince?” She guessed as she tilted her head to the side. Mantis scratched his head and bit his lip.

“I’m not sure if you want to know. It isn’t exactly flattering. It’s more of a insult.” Cadence frowned at the man. “Well what do you expect? Your people waged a war on us we wanted nothing to do with. It’s only natural for us to do something to de-humanize our enemies. It makes it easier to fight them. As I understand that your military had a similar strategy. I believe they called us insects, maggots, etcetera.”

Cadence let out a heavy sigh remembering hearing some of the soldiers joke about the degrading nicknames. “Still want to know what it means?” Mantis crossed his arms and saw that she was not backing down. “Fine. In your language Carnifex means Butcher.”

Author's Note

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I will NOT be making Mantis into another Kirito from SAO. (Cringes) I mostly based his character off of these people.
Shiroe from Log Horizon.

Lelouch Vi Britannia/Lamprouge

Solas from Dragon Age: Inquisition.

And Finally Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail (You'll find out why next chapter)