“Really? Before you continue with your story, I must ask. Did you not feel fear?” Asked a robed masked figure. His voice sounding eerily as that of Naraku from the anime Inuyasha.

He wore a dark brown robe that covered like a blanket. A reptilian bone mask with brown hairs on the back. The mask covered his face quite well. Not a single bit of him was showing, allowing him to move wherever he wanted unrevealed.

Currently both the girl and this new figure were sitting inside a shack. A simple one room shack to be exact. There were two windows opposite from each other on two different walls. A door on the wall to the right with one of the windows. A fireplace behind the robed figure, but it wasn’t being used. Instead a tall stand to the left with a candle and the other window on the left wall were. In the center was a table and two chairs. The chairs on opposite sides of the table. There, they both sat.

“I can’t explain it. I never had much in my life before. I had very few interests when I was young, and I just did what was expected of me by my parents. I took survival tips and training, but definitely not a world of magic.”

“Anything else? Surely having such a life isn’t the only reason you’re like this. Maybe, there is something else. Something tragic perhaps?” The figure gestured with his arm.

“I don’t truly know for certain. I felt like, like I needed to live. I did what I did as efficiently as possible. Almost like I just felt the need to do such things.”

“Perhaps an instinct of sorts? It would explain a few things. That, or the magic in this world. You see, the magic in this world is so abundant, that a single blade of grass can become harmful. If the magic within in was extracted. I would not be surprised if the magic was affecting your emotions somehow.”

“But that’s just it! How do I fight against those with magic!? All others I have no problem. The flying horse creatures are annoying, but even they have to come down to attack me, or run out of projectiles to use against me.”

“I know of a way. But first, I want something from you. Simple enough as it wouldn’t hurt.”

The girl eyed him suspiciously at first before she asked him.

“What DO you want?”

“What happened then that led you here to this shack in particular.”

“That’s it? Just the rest of the story? No items or objects?”

“The only thing I desire right now is knowledge. That I can only obtain from you as you alone know the truth. Don’t you? I know you know about the rumors of the imp in the forest as you are the imp they refer to. I’m sure it wouldn’t be long until the Elements of Harmony come for you when the princesses can’t deal with you themselves. Well, by themselves, I mean their soldiers can‘t anymore.”

“And who are these Elements exactly?”

“A wise question as you are referring to their bearers. Each one has an element, and there are six in total. The Elements themselves are gemstones wielded by Ponies, or horse creatures. Twilight Sparkle is of magic, Applejack is of Honesty, Rainbow Dash is of Loyalty, Rarity is of Generosity, Pinkie Pie is of Laughter, and finally, Fluttershy is of Kindness.”

“Gee, they sound quite nice, don’t they? I’m SURE they won’t murder my face with morale lessons.” She said with obvious sarcasm.

“Considering what they’ve accomplished. I’ve already compiled a list and what effects the Elements have had on their enemies. I’ve also taken the liberty of writing down what kind of magic the Elements are, rather than what they claim the type of magic to be.”

She took the pad of paper and began reading it. She treated it with indifference as she read the information given to her. When she was finally done, she closed the pad and looked back at him.

“Really? The ‘magic of friendship is it? Really?”

“As the information states, it’s not really friendship that empowers it. Focuses maybe, but not empower.”

“I get why they might think that, but they seriously believe morals empower those things. *Sigh* Fine, Lets get back to the rest of this story.”

“Wonderful. Please proceed.”

“I remember waking up on a shore somewhere, then exploring everywhere around me. I didn’t know if I was on a giant island like before, but that didn’t matter as there was life. So I went into the forest.”

“Quite dangerous to go into a random forest alone isn’t it?”

“Yes, but nothing else would seem to faze me for some reason, so I kept walking on. Eventually I found a couple and their two kids getting attacked by some dog things.”

“Diamond Dogs.”

“Right. So here I was deciding if I wanted to help. At first no, but then I heard a child scream, so I went in and destroyed them. At first it was useless, but then I used some of the wine I still had to burn them. It wasn’t long until the couple turned on me however.”

“Because you were different? Because they were afraid of unknown creatures?”

“No, they were wary of their children getting hurt, so they protected them. I tried to show I was peaceful, but they didn’t listen and ran off. It wasn’t long until these guys in gaudy golden armor appeared.”

“Ah yes, the Solar Guard as they are called. There are also Lunar Guard as well. Them, I would be more weary of as they are more like assassins. They work best under the cover of the night.”

“I see. I encountered one of them before and got these new blades.”

She held up twin dagger weapons. Sadly the daggers themselves were faulty as they were covered in bits of rust. The blades curved nature suggested they were used more for slashing than stabbing opponents.

“Hmph. A rookie. Those are the blades of a new guard. You were his test.”

“What do you mean test?”

“The test the Princess of the Night set up long ago. Each guard must, in order to pass rookie, kill a certain creature of relevant stature. You must have ended lives or defeated enough to warrant such attention. The question is what exactly, and when did you encounter the bat winged pony.”

“Hmm. Well. it was quite a time later. I started training myself due to my poor performance back against that Scorpan guy. I remember doing what Yusuke from the anime Yu Yu Hakusho did as training. Focusing my power, exerting control of the balance of my body. I pretty much spent weeks, if not months training endlessly.”

“Did you ever sleep at all?”

“Only during the day. At night, I trained, so I made myself more nocturnal.”

“That makes sense. Especially since the Lunar Princess can go into the dreams of others. She can also make horrible nightmares in your head if she so desired. I wonder what other mind manipulative powers she has.”

“Heh. Thanks for telling me. Another thing I have to worry about.” She looked away, downtrodden.

“How old are you, and how long have you been in this world?”

“I’m sixteen. I’ve been here for a couple of years now.”

“I see, so what happened during your time after training?”

“Well, I found a village, and snuck in it during the night. Not to steal or anything. I just wanted to know the area just in case. I remember this one time I made a campfire and had to hide.”

“Why? Soldiers?”

“No, a small family. I ended up coming out and asking what they were doing with my fire. They accused me of being to stupid and shooed me off. I.” She hesitated to continue speaking for a moment. “I killed them.”

“You were angry they thought of you as a simpleton. Understandable since Ponies are quite ignorant themselves. Funny how that works. they claim they don’t go around hurting other intelligent creatures when they act out against you, a child just starting adolescence at the time. How ironically absurd.”

“I was cold. I hadn’t eaten yet, and I was going to cook some of the bread I had with me. They tried to take it away, but I. I wouldn’t. I was desperate!” She blurted out.

“Nothing wrong with it. Nothing at all. Every creature has instinct. They should acknowledged their prey instinct that you were an Alpha Predator.” He shrugged before relaxing his arms.

“Still, I felt bad, but after that. I felt like I didn’t care anymore.”

“The way you were treated, plus your hormonal reaction would indicate your coming of age. In a sense.”

“I guess. Anyway, I didn’t realize how used to it I was until, him.”

“Him? Oh, a special victim perhaps? Or a love interest? Hah hah hah! I’m kidding about the love part.”

“He was just some wannabe hero. After killing the small family, I found an axe. A large one, needing two hands to wield. I trained with it. After one of my training sessions, he came to me.”

“How did he react?”

“He smiled before holding up this old looking sword. He kept talking how he came to slay the imp that terrorized and even killed others. Called me a disgusting beast and did a lot of self-proclamation of his pride and family sword. I readied my axe and swung at him to shut up. he said how it was rude, but expected as such from a wild beast like me.”

“Ah, so he was one of those self-righteous types. Yes, I do hate those. Their heart is in the right, but their mind is not. Continue.”

“Well, I did get a few cuts on me. That was only because of me just getting done from training, and believing he wasn’t so strong. Turns out he was stronger than I thought. Apparently he said he was farm boy dreaming to be a guard or some fantasy of his.”

“Even worse, the delusional type.” He tilted his head to the side.

“I know right!? he just went on about being the hero that I couldn’t give a …well you know.” She paused to breath a moment before continuing. “Eventually I just tuned him out. I remembered a few lessons from some animes I watched. Uh, back in my world sort of thing.”

“Anime eh?”

“One of the few things I took an interest in. I wasn’t an otaku, but I enjoyed watching it whenever I had some spare time to myself. Anyway, I stayed calm and tuned him out. After dodging him enough, he got more aggressive and angry that he kept missing.”

“Pretty typical of his type actually. Self-righteous, delusional, angry when they don’t get their way, and let me guess, he began to swing wildly to right?”

“Yep. He kept swinging with no restraint. When I got the chance, I swung at his legs, cleaving into one of them. he fell and began balling over his wound. After the fortress, and before fighting him, I’ve actually had worse.”

“Really? What was it?”

“A pretty nasty fall that got me fighting more of those dog things. Anyway, I stood over him, telling him how stupid he was. I told him how much this wasn’t a fairy tale. I even went into a full explanation about what I’d been through compared to what he most likely did. I was even talking about whether I should let him live or not and what the consequences would be for me. You what he said after all that?”

“…”

“He said ‘You can talk?’ to me! After I went through all that time explaining the hardships I went through, exerting my frustration or ranting! He says that!” She swung her arms into the air wildly.

“Well, I can see why that would be frustrating.”

“I know!” She lowered her arms, calming herself down as she did. “So I cleaved his head off from the mouth and took his generations old sword and shield with me. From then, I began using three different weapon styles.”

“Interesting. Did you meet the Lunar Guard afterwards?”

“Some time after, yep. There were still the Solar Guard guys that hunted me down, but they stuck mainly to the roads to bother me. This one night I was attacked by one with two knives, or twin daggers. He broke my kitchen knives, so I used my sword and shield attacks against him.”

“How did that go?”

“He was more experienced than the farm boy, but I wasn’t tired this time. And I also took my time to analyze his attacks. He still nicked me a bit, but I still one. Especially when I used him as a cushion when we fell off that cliff.”

“Nicely done. Survival for a Human is quite adaptable to such situations, unlike the Pony race as they have deterred their own existences in their rulers blissful kind-heartedness. Well, their Solar Princess anyway.”

“Afterwards, I found this shack and met you sitting here waiting for me about a few days after I had killed him. That’s about it. I’ve just been trying to survive and not get caught. I know one day they’ll find me, but. I just want to live. I don’t want to die.” She spoke melancholically.

“And what about the ones you killed? Did they want to die?” He asked her.

“I don’t care. They’re dead now. They made their choices as I’ve been forced to make mine. Besides, they’re dead in the past. I’m still alive today. Whatever thoughts or feelings they had are dead with them. I do believe I have a chance to talk to them. They hate me though. I won’t go their route, but if they go after me, then. Then they made their choice.” She spoke with no fear, no hate, no pain.

“You speak with resolve. Good. I will now tell you about an instrument of sorts. One that will give you the capability to fight on par against magical beings.”

She perked up at this.

“What is it?”

“Right now, a group of griffons have the Human Amulet. It is the opposing force to the Alicorn Amulet. the Alicorn Amulet increases the magical power of its wielder. Be it expressive, or innate, it doesn’t matter. But the one condition is, only the wielder can take it off. If they still have the mental capacity to do such.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Alicorn Amulet negatively affects the users mind, causing aggression. this was because it was created with hatred in mind. You can guess against what.”

“Let me guess that it’s non-Pony right?”

“You would be correct. A long time ago, humans used to exist in this world. They don’t anymore because of the Ancient Alicorns. They grew jealous of humanity for a number of reasons. One of which was their advancement.”

“You mean their technology right?”

“Yes. They hated how humans not only were completely devoid of magic, but could manipulate it with their machines, creating Magitech. That and the other reason was because humans had no real boundaries to what they could do."

“What do you mean?”

“Ponies have cutie marks that tell what their special talent is. Humans can have multiple talents to them. They an go any direction unbound. Even the Ancient Alicorns were bound by fate.”

“Fate is a lie told by gods.” She said blankly.

The masked figures head twitched up a bit.

“Where did you hear that?” He asked with slight intent.

“A video game. The main character was a guy named Kratos.”

“I see. Well whatever the case. Kratos would be right if cutie marks didn’t exist. Regardless, I’ve yet to ask you child. What is your name?”

“I. I strangely don’t remember. I’ve been moving in such a blind fright and will to survive, I don’t quite remember.”

“Ashen Fate. Fate for short.”

“Huh?”

“A name for you. It does sound more Pony-like and it would keep them from questioning you too much.” He said as he reached around himself.

“A nice name I’m sure, and what about the Human Amulet?”

“I’m still not done about the alicorn one. Anyways the Alicorn Amulet can be completely controlled by an alicorn. Any other race, or ‘lower’ being will get the mental aggression. Kirin however can resist for a time. Not only being half dragon, half pony, but they have more focus to them.” he turned back towards her with something in his arms.

“Okay. So, are they like special other than being a hybrid?”

“Samurai mostly. Honed skills and mental fortitude and all that. Now the Human Amulet does the opposite as the Human race created it with protection in mind. That protection was against the power of magic.”

“So it ignores magic then?” She asked crossing her arms.

“Not quite. It destroys it. It will allow you to become a living poison to all magical beings. To the point that magical creatures will crumble into dust upon death. Or rather ashes.”

“Heh.” She smiled. “So that’s why the name Ashen Fate. If they fight me, they’ll become ashes in the wind then. I get it now.”

“Not only that, but all magical creatures. A magical god can’t be killed by a simple knife, but with the Human Amulet involved, well, that’s a different story. You won’t be invincible, but you will have a chance. A far greater chance.”

“I see.” She pondered before her eyes went to the items he was holding. “What are those for?” She pointed at them.

“What I can give to help you. After all, I WAS expecting you. Creepy as that is, I know.” He said as he spread them over the table between them.

There were five items on the table. A black shirt, white shorts, and grey underwear that looked like hers, but a different color, a hooded cloak, and a pair of boots. The clothes looked to be the same as hers, but looked to be made from harder material, the boots looked like the Hide Boots from Skyrim, and the cloak had a small blue aura around it.

“The shirt is more properly made for travel and combat as well as the shorts. Underwear for undergarments of course. The boots for footwear too. The cloak has a spell that will help disguise you from prying eyes, unless you get too close. Regardless, they won’t see you well as long as you keep the hood on.” He explained.

Fate took the items and began to dress into them. She ignored the cloaked figure gaping before turning around when she took her shirt off. She honestly didn’t care about nudity much as clothes can also hinder oneself. Her old shirt was already torn to the point of falling right off anyway. Her shorts were already stretching that she had to keep them unbuttoned.

She also noticed her body had shaped weirdly. She grew a decently sized pair of lumps on her chest and her body curved almost like an hourglass. She knew why, but still didn’t pay any mind to it.

‘It would appear the magic of this world is also maturing her body. Probably because she puts a lot of physical hard work into everything she does. I wonder how her body will be like in a few- gah! I shouldn’t think of such things! Shame on me.’ He thought to himself.

“Alright, I’m dressed.” She said.

“Good, now all you have to do is go East. The griffon with the Amulet of interest is in a town in that direction. I’d advise having plenty of bits on you to get his attention.”

“Bits?” She questioned.

“Gold coins.”

She made an oh with her mouth before looking into the pockets of her old shorts, taking out some coins.

“I have ten. How much is that worth?” She showed him.

“Exactly ten bits. Each coin is worth one bit. I suggest you go obtain more. Around thirty to forty.”

“Okay. Well, I better get going then. See you another time. I guess.” She said as she walked out the door.

When her footsteps were out of earshot, two figures arose from the two windows. One was a giant white cobra as long as twenty feet long. The other was a purple boa with yellow dragon horns pointed back of the same length. Much like all the other sapient beings in the world, these two also were anthro.

“So that’s one of the three that will ‘correct’ this world?” The cobra asked indicating itself female.

“Yes, she is. Otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen her to do this.”

“Oh that’s right. You chose them to rewrite how this world works.” Said the purple boa, proving that it too was female.

“I didn’t choose those two. The world itself did. I only chose the girl that was here.”

“Hmm? The world itself chose those other two? How?” The cobra asked.

“I contacted Gaia Everfree from the other dimension and ‘asked’ for her permission. She kindly agreed to our arrangement in using her power to force the mirror to open to different worlds altogether. I then chose the girl for a purpose I have in mind. One that I’ve set on the path towards already.”

“And the other two?” The boa asked.

“The boy, Atronach of Corruption as he calls himself, will serve the purpose of extracting the power from within the world to the surface, causing wild magic to run amuck. The hermaphrodite will take in the worlds errors as manifested orbs.”

“Hermaphrodite? But she looks completely female to me.” The cobra said.

“She does, and unlike the boy, she expresses no emotion nor manipulation of emotions. This would explain her now monochrome appearance. However she has both reproductive organs, making her a hermaphrodite.”

“This first one that was here is completely female though right?” The cobra asked.

“Yes. A female, a male, and a hermaphrodite. What a strange sexual balance the world has made.”

“So, what are these error orbs you mentioned?” The boa asked.

“Not sure, yet. I’m sure it has something to do with the numbers 4, 3, and 1. But for now, we watch, and wait.”

“And of this Human Amulets story? The history you made up? Will it work on them?” The cobra questioned.

To this, the masked figure smiled. Though unnoticed, the feeling of their masters aura was enough to convince them he was in a good mood with his next answer.

“I‘ve assured it.”.

Author's Note

Another new chapter. Meh, felt like it today.

Please enjoy.