The Game Master

Chapter 4

Author's Warning: This chapter contains cursing so strong, it may cause you to re-think your religious principles, and possibly switch political parties. Read on at your own risk.

~~

Alex was excited. Now he would really get to play a good game. Dropping into his surround-sound gaming chair, he pulled up the theme song that he used to get into the mood, and clearly enunciated to the screen in front of him, "play". A sound, not unlike something DJ-P0N3 would mix, shot from the speakers. Aww, looks like our poor princess needs some rest. Why don't we give her some? Quietly, he reached over to a stainless steel panel with a brainwave readout, and flicked a dial labeled "TEST LEVEL 16: DO NOT USE". Sweet dreams, princess. Or should I say, not so sweet. He he he...

~~

Finally, the Princess had risen the sun. It had taken quite a bit of effort, considering how tired and distracted she was. She left a memo on her door directing all inquiries to Luna, and with that, promptly collapsed into the royal bed. Within a few minutes, she had slipped into a light doze, and was in REM after 30.

"NO! Princess, please! Just tell them to kill me, unhook the machines!" Begged Twilight Sparkle. She was a horrific sight, looking as if someone had burned and subsequently ran the lower half of the purple unicorn through a meat grinder.

"Oh, Twilight, they turned off the machines an hour ago. We are trying to ease your pain! Please, understand!" Celestia said softly, silent tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Celestia, please. If I can't die, I need help. Please..." The moaning Twilight Sparkle feebly pointed a hoof toward a scalpel sitting on a nearby tray. "You can do it. A few cuts, in the right spots."

"Please, Twilight! The doctors are doing all they can!"

"Oh Princess, quit kidding yourself. Everyone else is dead already." Twilight's last moan made Celestia look around. For the first time, she noticed the piles of carcasses that lay around the room, flies buzzing around, gorging on her once-living subjects.

"Princess, its just you and me. Please, PLEASE! I c-can't bear it, stop this pain!"

What is this? Wait... How did this happen? Oh... fuck. Celestia knew what was happening; a unicorn with her power, knowledge, and centuries of experiences  would quickly recognize when they were being messed with.

With this epiphany, she snapped her eyes open, and found herself back her bedchamber, the mattress soaked with sweat. I guess sleep will be a problem to deal with. As she lay where she had awoken, the princess mused about the day's incredible events. A creature shows up, intent on completely destroying her, only because he was bored. The more she thought, the angrier she grew. No one should have the power to ruin lives for entertainment! Slowly, Celestia's shivers of fear became shivers of anger.  You know what, enough of this shit! It's my turn! Celestia was getting sick of this pubescent filly, time to go offensive.

~~

Twilight Sparkle was galloping toward Canterlot as fast as her hooves could carry her. After a 6-hour checkover of Ponyville to make sure it was really the same (4 of those 6 hours involved checking the location of every book in town), Twi needed to check on her beloved mentor. Surely she could get some answers from Celestia. Reaching the guard at the palace gate, she managed to wheeze between gasps, "Student... Game reset... Ask Molestia, I mean, Celestia..." Oddly enough, the guard was the same one rainbow dash had ran into.

Seriously, why am I the weirdo magnet? Wondered Wally Guardian.

With a sigh, the grey pony in golden armor stood aside to let the unicorn through. He almost preferred an angry Celestia over an altercation with this creep.

Twilight entered Celestia's chambers to find a very unexpected surprise. Luna had opened the door, before returning to some documents awaiting her. Celestia was pacing around her bed, muttering something along the lines of "That asshole, he's really pushed it too far, I'm going to castrate him, if Humans have genitals similar to a pony's..."

"P-perhaps we should Talk a-another time, Your Majesty." Twilight was stunned by the foul language that had came from Celestia's own mouth.

"Oh my! Twilight Sparkle! I'm sorry...mostly..." Really, though. I meant those things... I might as well be facing off against Discord, because this... human... makes me just as angry.

"Um... well, then. Could you tell me about this game?"

"HOLD IT, CELESTIA! THAT BREAKS RULE 1." Alex's voice seemed to be coming from an invisible object in the center of the room. "ONLY THE PLAYERS MAY KNOW THE RULES."

Celestia shouted (In the Royal Canterlot Voice, no less) a stream of sounds that would be forever imprinted on the minds of those who heard them.

~~

Alex loved it. He was making the other player emotional, and only after 7 hours. This game might as well be over by midnight tomorrow.

"Ah, how fun! X, bring me my dinner, if you would." X, Alex's nickname for the human who ran his XM-17 Battle Tech Supersoldier, or BTS, came forward holding a tray.

"You know, you have a damn butler."

Robert Baler, who was an Air Force Academy Graduate, and the first triple-ace of World War III, had taken the job due to the 7-digit promised salary. Right now, he was regretting signing that contract. Terrorizing marshmallow-horses, really?

At that moment, Alex flipped. Literally, the 13-year-old sort of, well, somersaulted out of his chair, landing prostrate in front of Rob.

"SHE CUT MY FUCKING COMMUNICATION!!! HOWWWWW???"

"Weeeelll... she's a magical horse, with wings, and enough magic to adjust the position of her planet to make night and day. I think she took some of that magic, and, in her current state of, quote, 'rip off the kid's balls', decided to play your game." Robert didn't care if he'd loose money. Money as hell wasn't everything, and that quote was easily worth 6 million.

~~

"Princess! If he can give you nightmares, what keeps him from reading your thoughts?" Twilight Sparkle was seriously confused.

"Simple, my faithful student. Extreme emotion. Emotion is a primitive and irrational thing, causing very random thoughts and readouts. This means lots of it will "scramble" brainwave signals. All the better so that little prick will keep out of my head while I devise a real strategy. For example, placing his vessel and all signals within a containment shield, similar to the one placed around this city during your brother's wedding."

"And where is his "vessel"?"

Celestia concentrated on the source of all her recent misery, and was mildly surprised by its location.

"Why, its actually not anywhere around here, its on a different world!"

Indeed, Alex was in a unit in the back of a Semi Truck (Articulated Lorrie) on a planet known by equestrian astronomers as "Sol 3". Alex never left earth.