Prologue: Arrival In Tokyo and The Black Sun Rises

Sunset stepped off of the plane she had taken to Tokyo, Japan, and breathed in. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, or her senses were boosted now that she and the others had finally awoken their magic. She pondered this as she walked up to the baggage claim, grabbing her suitcase as it came by. Sunset was here to try out the NerveGear, a new VR headset that could completely immerse all five senses into a game, creating the illusion of stepping into the game. It was all thanks to the contest that she signed up for five months prior. The goal of the contest was to help create a new idea for the next game to be released for the Nerve Gear, and she had won by submitting character designs for several races to be included, such as a race of cat-like people known as the Kait-Sith. She had originally wanted to take the girls with her, but they were all busy with their own plans and obligations. They did, however, wish her good luck, lots of fun, and for her to bring back a souvenir for them.

Or rather, Rainbow asked for the souvenir, while the others rolled with it.

Sunset walked briskly to where she knew RECT, the company responsible for making the NerveGear, was running calibration tests with contest victors, and was excited to take part in the beginning of a New Age in gaming technology. Naturally, when Sunset had revealed that she was a major gamer ever since she stepped through the mirror from Equestria, Rainbow immediately began railing on her for it. At least, until Sunset beat her 30-0 in Super Smash Bros. as Lucario, who was her worst character. Rainbow promptly learned that Sunset wasn't just a gamer, she was the Master Gamer.

Needless to say, an overseas flight just for a game was normal for Sunset, and her friends didn't bat an eye. Well, Princess Twilight did when she had heard, but that was more due to the fact she didn't know how planes worked. Sunset made a brief mental note to teach her about that when she got the chance.

She checked in at the reception desk, where they took her to her room, along the way, she peeked into rooms where people she assumed were other players were staying while here in Japan. She passed by a group of girls who each looked about 14-15, who all seemed to be laughing. She heard one poke another and say "That's what you think, my sweet fox." Looking out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn she saw the twitching furry tip of a fox's ear, but Sunset told herself that it was just some new cosplay thing.

A round of giggles accompanied Sunset down the hall to a pleasant room where the lady who had guided her smiled and warmly said "Welcome to your home for your stay here, dear. Diagnostics and calibration for SAO will begin shortly. A technician will arrive here to carry out the tests to ensure your physical and mental health won't be an issue inside the game." Sunset thanked her, placed her suitcase on the floor, and unpacked her clothes into the dresser. Soon, a bell rang, and a technician stepped in and asked "Are you ready for testing?" Sunset nodded, and followed the young man out to a lab where she saw four girls hooked up to a few machines that seemed to be scanning brain activity, heart rate, and breathing.

Sunset was surprised to see that one girl seemed to have the ears and tail of a fox as well as snake-like eyes, while another had pale grey skin and vine-like tattoos on her legs, and the third had the ears and tail of a cat. She could practically smell the magic in those three, and vowed to keep an eye on them. As the technician hooked her up to the machines, she watched the kitsune make a joke that made the bushy-haired brunette, although she couldn't quite hear them over the hum of the machinery. After running scans, the technician returned, clapped his hands, and said cheerfully "Alright, all of you are fit for Aincrad. We'll get you all hooked up in a jiffy." As four more technicians came in and helped them equip the NerveGear, Sunset started to practically vibrate with anticipation.

The techs gave the okay, and as one the five girls shouted the activation phrase "Link, start!"

Sunset couldn't believe what she was seeing right now. She was in what looked like a fantasy world town, almost like she was in Whiterun or Solitude from Skyrim, or even Castle Town from Legend of Zelda. She had made an avatar that looked almost like Ryuko from Kill La Kill, except somewhat older looking. She had decided to use a bow, and had built her skill set towards tracking and trapping, as well as ranged combat. She ran out of the town into the field, where she got to work fighting the mobs spawning there. She would build traps around herself, then use her bow to annoy mobs into rushing at her, only to be caught in the snares and pitfalls she created. She had already reached level 10 when, suddenly, she was teleported back into the Town of Beginnings, where the sky began to turn blood red. A figure in red robes floated down, and began speak. "Attention, players. I welcome you to my world. My name is Akihiko Kayaba, and as of this moment, I am in control of this world. I'm sure most of you have already noticed an item missing from your main menus -- the log out button. Let me assure you, this is not a defect in the game." Many players began tittering nervously at that. "I repeat, this is not a defect. This is how "Sword Art Online" was designed to be. You cannot log yourselves out of SAO, and no one from the outside will be able to shut down or remove the "NerveGear" from your head.If anyone attempts to do so, a transmitter inside the NerveGear will discharge a microwave signal into your skull, destroying your brain and ending your life."

Outraged cries broke out among the crowd, their rage powerful and caustic. "To Hell with that! Let's bail!" One man cried, drawing a chorus of agreement.

"Despite my warning, the families and friends of some of the players have attempted removing the NerveGear, an unfortunate decision, to say the least. As a result, the game now has two hundred thirteen less players than when it began. They've been deleted from both Aincrad and the real world." Horrified cries broke out as screens showing images of the real world appeared. "As you can see, international media outlets have round-the-clock coverage of everything, including the deaths. At this point, it's safe to assume the likelihood of a NerveGear being removed is minimal at best. I hope this brings you a little comfort as you try to clear the game. It's important to remember the following: There is no longer any way to revive someone within the game. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be deleted from the system... forever, and the NerveGear will simultaneously destroy your brain. There is only one way for a player to escape now -- you must clear the game. Right now, you're gathered on Floor One, the lowest level of Aincrad. If you can get through the dungeon and defeat the boss, you may advance to the next floor. Defeat the boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

Kayaba then raised a hand. "Last but not least, I've placed a little present in the item storage of every player. Please have a look." Sunset looked in her inventory to see a mirror, one that she noted looked vaguely like the one Princess Celestia had shown her long ago. She took the item out and used it, and gasped as her avatar faded to show how she truly looked. As she looked around, she noted that that everyone had used the mirrors, and that she was standing by the girls she had met in the lab. Around them, some players were getting nasty shocks.

"Wait, you aren't a girl?!"

"You said you were seventeen!"

"Why would you lie about that?!"

"Right now, you are probably wondering why." Kayaba spoke, drawing their gazes back to him. "Why would Akihiko Kayaba, developer of Sword Art Online and NerveGear, do this? Ultimately, my goal was a simple one. The reason I created Sword Art Online was to control the fate of a world of my design.As you can see, I have achieved my goal. This marks the end of the tutorial and the official launch of Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you the best of luck." With that, Kayaba faded, and the sky returned to normal.

Sunset heard a low, threatening growl next to her, startling her. She turned to see the kitsune from the lab, fangs bared and ears pinned back, her eyes shining like blazing emeralds. The fox-eared girl shouted a curse that sounded like Latin, but Sunset didn't know for sure. The girl turned towards her and sighed "So, we seem to be stuck here. Can you believe that?"

Sunset shook her head and replied "No. I was only supposed to play for a day or two, then head back to Canterlot."

"Canterlot? Where's that? And what's your name?" The bushy-haired neko asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Sunset Shimmer. Canterlot is a city in Canada, right near Lake Eerie. Who might you three be, then?"

The kitsune replied "My name is Harriet Potter. The cat is my wife, Hermione Granger. Next to her is our friend Winter Black, who's a cross between a Hylian and a Twili. Namely, Link and Midna."

Sunset blinked, confused at what she heard. Then she thought about it a little more, and it made sense. After all, Equestria existed, and that's a whole separate world. Hyrule and the Twilight Realm existing wasn't really a stretch, to be honest. "Hey, Sunset. Do you wanna travel with us? It'd be safer than travelling alone would." Winter asked, cocking her head to one side. If Sunset had to totally honest, Winter's eyes creeped her out a little bit, what with the glowing yellow irises and black sclera. The raven hair with emerald and purple highlights did, however, lessen the urge to flinch away though.

"Hey, we should form a guild!" Harriet suggested, drawing the attention of the others. Winter gave a go on gesture, and Harriet continued "Well, think of it like this. Parties don't really last beyond a single dungeon, so why not a guild? We could even recruit other players!" The others considered this carefully. On one hand, it was a good idea. If they managed to gather enough strong players together, they could do much more, and prove helpful in fighting against the bosses in the floors ahead. On the other, they had no idea on how to gather enough players to become a strong guild.

"Sounds like a solid plan to me. What should we call ourselves, then?" Sunset asked. Hermione hummed, oh-so obviously thinking of a name for their guild, a name that would be someday cheered for bringing the fight to Kayaba himself.

"How about... the Black Sun Organization?" Hermione asked, ears twitching. The other girls looked to each other and, seeing the confirmation within the eyes of their friends, nodded.

"How'd you come up with that name, Hermione?" Harriet asked, tilting her head to one side cutely. A small part of Sunset was struggling not to embrace her inner filly and pet the fox girl's ears and tail.

"Simple. I figured a good basis for the name would be the Celtic knot tattoos that the three of us have on our left ankles. They're black suns, so it just made sense to go from there. Hence, the Black Sun Organization." Hermione answered, looking at least a little sheepish. Harriet nodded sagely, as if this was the key to understanding the entire universe.

Winter cleared her throat, catching the attention of the others. "Well, if that's settled then, let's get to work."

Author's Note

Alright, I've changed a few things that I realized didn't work in the story, like Harriet's name and re-writing Winter's introduction. I realized it didn't quite fit. I also changed the reasoning behind Sunset going to RECT instead of wandering about Tokyo.

And no, Winter and Sunset won't become a couple. Winter already has someone who will be revealed later on when I can fit the character in without breaking the universe.