Author's Note
(AN: Wow, a new story! Actually this is one that I've been wanting to do for a while. I really felt that the Gregverse would fit fantastically with Sunny Buns and company, so I decided to go with it. That said, I plan on trying to do about a chapter every two weeks. If you have no idea who Greg the Zombie is then please support the author of that novel by picking up a copy. You can find it here. The novel itself is a decent read, and so is the sequel novel Hellfire. If you enjoy Urban Fantasy, similar to that of the Dresden Files, then you may very well enjoy it.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this story. RJP)
Chapter 1
Road to Nowhere
An Equestria Girls and The ‘Greg the Zombie’ Journals Crossover
Chapter 1
(Canterlot City - Sunset Shimmer’s Apartment)
Equipment had long since been gathered and currently Twilight was checking over the readings. Her own magic detector had been modified, altered, and changed to help monitor something that she didn’t believe was possible. There was magic, true magic, that belonged to their world. It wasn’t Equestrian magic that had bled over, but instead it was something ancient that had simply slumbered here. They had conversed with Princess Twilight, who was interested to see what kind of effect their magic had with the dormant magic here.
Readings had been checked, double checked, and then triple checked. Everything that could possibly go wrong had been checked for, and finally they were ready to to see if the design itself would work. The idea was to find the larger pockets of Equestrian magic and check for any other type of magic there. Rainbow Dash had made the suggestion of using a GPS, and so naturally Pinkie Pie had managed to produce an early generation smartphone with a GPS program in it.
From there Twilight had worked with the smartphone’s older OS and managed to get it to communicate with the magic detector. That was when Princess Twilight Sparkle had shined and helped them set up a mirror that could be used as a scrying surface. It was modifying the magic that Starswirl had created into their own world, and setting it up to view only. The idea was that what magic, and technology, they were using should be safe enough to allow viewing without causing any serious issues. That was the idea.
The girls marveled at the device, and of course they had done well to inform others of what was going on. Their friends from Crystal Prep had attended, determined to help them with what they could, Vice Principal Luna was there to help provide some measure of authority, and of course on the other side Twilight helped monitor as well. The first action was to see if the scrying mirror could connect with the one that Twilight had created.
The idea was that if Equestrian magic was managing to awaken the ancient magic of this world, then there was a possibility, however remote, that if truly awakened the Earth’s dormant magic could bleed through and cause massive problems. The activation of the scrying mirror seemed to work without an issue. For a moment they saw Princess Twilight.
“Ah, it’s working,” she said, “Hi girls!”
“Hi Twilight, well pony Twilight!” Pinkie Pie shouted, “Say, what’s with the fancy banners?”
Princess Twilight grinned, “They’re doing a coronation, or attempting to, but I’m happier working in here. To be honest, I really don’t want all of the attention. I just want to do my work, see to friendship problems, and make sure that everypony is safe.”
Sunset smiled, “That’s a good goal.”
There was a moment and Princess Twilight looked at her side, “Sunset, I’m reading a strange surge, it isn’t Equestrian magic,” she said, “It looks like the magic of that world, do you see it?”
Sunset looked at Twilight who nodded, “Yeah, it’s huge, woah, we need to shut this down now!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth then the entire apartment turned white. From the outside it looked as if a section of the Apartment building glowed a brilliant white, and then it vanished. When it did it was as if the apartment had never been there. It simply ceased to exist. To those inside it felt as if their entire bodies had been pulled and stretched beyond any true measurable idea. When it ended the entire room was dark. There was no electricity, and the scrying mirror sat dormant as could be. Without a source of power there wasn’t any going anywhere. They walked toward the door, opened it, and looked outside.
What was out there wasn’t the same street that Sunset had lived on. It wasn’t even the same neighborhood. Instead it looked like they were next to an old closed up hotel or nursing home. Sunset stepped outside, uncertain of what was going on, uncertain of what could be happening, and she looked around. The darkness that surrounded her was different from what she had experienced before.
(Marcusville Oklahoma - Silent Oak Nursing Center - Twenty minutes earlier)
Greg leaned against the wall of the nursing center. The watch he was wearing allowed the illusionary magic to work on him, letting him feel more than he should be able to feel. Of course he wasn’t sure why he was wearing it. With Amber dead there wasn’t a reason. He’d been told that his stopping Asmodeus had done more than simply saved Thanatos. He’d managed to keep Hell from breaking loose on Earth itself.
He’d saved billions of people, but in truth he wasn’t sure that he really cared. Oh, he cared about the world, but the reason for being part of it seemed so dim. His deal with the Fates had ended Amber’s life. He hadn’t known that it would. He had absolutely no idea that in order to have the ability to stop Asmodeus he had to destroy the block that Lady Persephone had placed upon him. The only way to destroy that block was with something traumatic happening.
He had to have a push, and finding Amber inside of the refrigerator, gutted, raped, and barely alive thanks to the magic that Asmodeus had used was the very thing that pushed him. With Amber being a Succubus she was tougher than a normal human, but even a Succubus could be harmed, killed, or otherwise destroyed. Asmodeus had that ability. He was ancient, far older than Amber herself, and one of the original fifteen fallen that had created Hell itself.
The fact that Greg had tapped into the kind of power that put him on equal footing with Asmodeus hadn’t been a small thing. Greg looked at the watch, pulled it off, and he felt the hunger hit him. He put the small wrist watch into a pocket, reached over the cooler beside him, and opened it. He dug inside and pulled out the aluminum wrapped package that he was so ready to eat. Again, part of him wondered why he was doing this, but the answer was easy. He had to. The magic that created him, the magic that kept him going, it required fuel. Since the magic that made him wasn’t specific it used what he believed zombies ate in order to stay alive.
He unwrapped the cow brain, bit into it, and chewed. There was no warming it up, no trying to pass it off as a normal meal, it was just eating for the purpose of not going absolutely batshit insane and ending up hunting down his next meal. He chewed and then he felt something, magic, powerful magic, wild magic, and it was located next to him. He got up, grabbed the cooler, and stepped away to watch as the old nursing center suddenly grew what looked like another part of itself.
Instead of being the exact same there were differences. The brickwork didn’t match up, the windows didn’t look the same, and he could see that there was a door to the outside which the nursing center most certainly didn’t have. He stepped into the shadows, watching when a girl stepped out. Her skin was orange, almost spray tanned orange, but not quite. Her hair was two toned, and he studied her as she stood there.
Moments later there was another, and another. They stepped out and he watched them. He wondered if perhaps they were some of the wild fae. It would make sense, and the more power the fairy was the less they seemed to fit in with human society. Still, wild fae or not he was still part of the SNPF. That meant that he had to make sure that they weren’t doing something illegal. That’s when he heard the sound. It was one that he’d heard before. The last time had been when he was facing down Evana’s old coven. He could smell blood in the air, and he looked toward the shadows. He could see them, watching the girls, much as he was, and he couldn’t let this happen.
The factions couldn’t get into a fight because some coven decided that it would be all kinds of fun to pick off members of the fae. He prepared himself, ready to attack, when the girls stepped back into the door and closed it. That was better. The vampires couldn’t get in unless they were invited, but at the same time he needed to make his presence known. He walked forward, still clutching the partially eaten cow brain. He could still smell them, and then one walked out.
“Ah, Agent Reynolds,” she purred, “It is a delight to see you.”
He studied her. Her features were white, as white as a sheet, her eyes were almost cat like, a soft hazel color, and her lips were ruby red. There was evidence that she had fed this night. He noticed that she was dressed in what looked like a pair of ripped jeans, a black shirt featuring Uncle Eddie from Iron Maiden, and her blond hair had been shaved off on one side. The nose ring and chain that went from her ear to her lip was overkill.
“Hunting is illegal unless you have a willing donor,” he said, “and enthralling someone to become willing is illegal as well.”
She studied him, “Is offering yourself to someone so unique illegal?”
He wanted to growl at her, but he held his tongue. Instead he studied her for a moment, “No, it’s legal, but I’m not interested,” he said, “You best be getting home. Don’t want your faction to know that you could be potentially causing problems, do you?”
She studied him, shrugged, and stepped back. Within seconds he heard the telltale signs that they were gone. He then looked toward the door that the girl had stepped out of. He didn’t have the energy for a prolonged conversation, but there was one that needed to happen. He walked toward the door, knocked on it, and waited. He was prepared to see members of the fae. He was prepared to be offered the chance to join with one of them, and to be swayed to their faction. He was prepared to be known for who and what he was. He wasn’t prepared for a girl that was every bit as white as the vampire before to open the door, take a look at him, at the half eaten cow brain in his hand, scream, and then slam the door in his face.
He stood there, confused for a moment, and then he realized that they might not know who he was. Although that was practically impossible. Most of the supernatural community had found out about him right after he was turned into what he had become. He’d met with the fae before, various vampire covens, werewolves and their dens, demons, and one of the fallen. He had personally met the various gods from ancient Greece, And he had managed to remain on decent terms with some of them. For them to not know who he was boarded on bizarre. After a moment he knocked again.
“Look, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, “But I need to ask a few questions, and hopefully one, or more of you, can get me some answers.”
The door reopened, and this time it was the one that looked almost as if she had spray on tan. Oddly enough it looked like that was her natural skin tone. He gave her a slight nod. She didn’t slam the door, but he noticed that she was holding something, clutching it tight, and he realized that it was likely the object would eventually end up in his head at some point. Their actions pointed toward them not being part of the supernatural community.
“Who are you, where are we, and what’s going on?” the girl asked, “And don’t come a step closer.”
He shook his head, “My name is Greg Reynolds, this is Marcusville Oklahoma, and I have no idea what is going on,” he replied, “But I will not enter your domain without an invitation.”
She studied him, “You won’t?”
He nodded, “I won’t,” he said as he noticed one of the girls levitating something, “Magic users?”
The girl with the spray on tan looking skin looked at her purple friend with darker purple hair that had a lone pink stripe in it. She looked back at him, “Ummm, yeah?”
He nodded, “Good, that means that I can be involved in this,” he said, “As I said, my name is Greg Reynolds, and I am an agent with the SNPF, or the Supernatural Police Force. I saw wild magic for a moment, came to investigate, and then noticed that the Silent Oak Nursing Center suddenly got a brand new edition.”
The girl studied him, “You’re a police officer?” she asked, “One that deals with magic?”
He gave a nod, “More or less, that’s exactly what I am,” he replied, “Although who I report to isn’t the mortal authorities. Do I have permission to step inside?”
The girl shook her head, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she said her voice tight, “I mean you’re eating…”
He sighed, fished out the watch, and put it onto his wrist. A moment later he looked like he did before his death. He was a pasty white guy, built like a gamer, and no longer did he look like a walking corpse. His skin didn’t have that ashen gray look to it, there weren’t sections of his body that had a bluish/purple area that was common with bodies entering rigor mortis. He looked alive, and in that moment the girl stepped back her eyes wide, and he finished his meal before anything else could be said.
“Now, do I have permission to enter?”
One that looked a little older than the rest of them stepped forward. Her hair was a slightly darker blue than her body. She seemed to have a sense of authority, and she studied him for a moment.
“I believe we are all worried about what may happen if you do enter.”
He looked at her, “Fair enough,” he said, “I promise upon the magic that sustains me that I will not willingly cause harm to anyone inside, and I also promise that I will do my best to be as honest as I possibly can.”
They looked at each other, and a moment later the girl that had the spray on tan looking skin nodded, “Okay, you can come inside.”
He nodded, stepped through the threshold, and was never so glad to be welcomed. The door closed and looked at the collection of girls. There were several of them, and if they could use magic then that meant that they belonged to the magic users. The witches, wizards, warlocks, and necromancers were one of the factions, but they usually had a live and let live idology. He hoped that the inclusion of several new members wouldn’t change their minds.
“Okay,” he said, “I want to know what that magical surge was, and I would like to hear everything from the beginning. The more I know the bigger the chance is that I might be able to help.”
After a few moments of awkward silence the purple skinned one cleared her throat. She looked at the others in the room before finally looking at him. She breathed out a bit of sigh, and then looked at the odd looking mirror that had tesla coils, various wires, and what looked like circuit boards hooked up to it. She looked at him for a moment.
“Do you know much about magic?” she asked, “I mean it’s obvious that you know some, that watch is a great example, but do you know much about it?”
He shrugged, “I know enough to protect those I’m sworn to protect, and to help someone that might need it, but I have access to a large amount of information dealing with magic.”
She nodded, “Where we’re from, obviously isn’t here,” she said, “Instead it must be a different dimension. That’s the only thing that I can think of. Because there isn’t a Supernatural Police Force where we’re from. In truth most people don’t believe that magic is real there.”
He looked at her, “Most mortals don’t believe that magic is real either. Believe me, I used to be like them. No, I was like them, and I like to think that I still belong to that world,” he said, “But I can believe that you don’t know about the SNPF.”
He looked at the group before him, “Also, with your varying skin tones I can honestly say that none of you are native to this universe. Well, rather none of you would be native if you’re just pure mortals. If you belonged to the Fae then that would be different.”
The one with the blue skin looked at him, “The Fae?” she asked, “As in fairies?”
He nodded, “Yes, and trust me they’re not like how modern fairy tales portray them. They enjoy tricking humans, and you never want to accept a gift from them. Give them something, sure, and accept equal payment back, but never just accept a gift from them.”
The purple skinned one cleared her throat again, “Well, whatever happened to us, it brought us here. You said that you detected wild magic?”
He nodded, “Yeah, wild magic usually hangs around the Fae, which was what I thought the lot of you were,” he said, “I can see that I was wrong on that. So, if you’re from a different dimension then that means we’re talking about the Multiverse Theory.”
The purple skinned girl nodded, “Exactly!” she exclaimed, “That’s it exactly, each world is connected, and each one exists slightly different. Different decisions made caused various branches off of the original universe.”
He nodded, “That’s it in a nutshell. It also means that you’re all going to have to go into protective custody.”
They looked at him, and finally the blue skinned one spoke up, “Why?”
He studied her for a moment. “I’m not sure if it was luck that brought you here or not,” he said, “There’s individuals here that might know what happened, and maybe a few that might be able to recreate whatever it was that brought you here.”
He looked at them, spotted a stool, and walked toward it. He took a seat and studied them for a moment, “The problem is that the Supernatural world is divided,” he said, “They are divided into factions. There is a tentative peace, one that I am sworn to uphold, and one that some factions desperately want to break. The problem with them breaking it is that if it ever happens it won’t be just the Supernatural World that suffers. The mortal world will as well. It will turn into a war that would kill thousands, if not millions, of innocent people.”
He could see their shocked faces, “All of you are potential recruits for those factions. You’re an unknown commodity, and they want to gather anything strange, unique, and powerful to their sides. There are a couple of factions that appear to be neutral, but I can’t promise that they would remain that way if they believed that they had a leg up.”
The girl with the spray tan looking skin looked at him, “Haven’t they tried to work together?”
He smiled, “Sometimes, but consider this. Not all of those factions are benevolent. There are some that are down right malevolent, down right evil, and they want to see the world burn. They want to watch everything end,” he said, “The system that is in place now, as screwed up as it is, tends to be the only thing that works.”
He stood, “That’s why you’ll need to go into protective custody,” he said, “And we should be able to do that without much of an issue.”
Sunset spent the next hour with everyone else introducing themselves to Mr. Reynolds. So far he’d kept his word, which made her realize that swearing by their magic was important. That was something that she was going to file away. She did notice that while he was friendly enough with them he seemed sad. It was in his actions, in his manner of speech. Whatever it was that seemed to be weighing on him was important. But then again they really didn’t know each other. Maybe he was sad because he wasn’t human anymore.
In a way she understood what he might be going through. After all, she wasn’t exactly a pony anymore, and that took some massive getting used to. There were certainly times that she felt a little depressed because of what she had lost, but at the same time she wouldn’t trade what she had now for any of it. She had her friends, and she was accepted. That was two important things to her.
She heard as Twilight explained the magic surge, as best as she could, until she finally admitted that it was two different kinds of magic that was interacting with one another. When he saw the Equestrian Magic he was firm about them going into protective custody. He’d explained the factions, but more to the point he explained that a new source of magic was something that all of them would want.
She began to gleem more from when he talked to them. It was obvious that he was dealing with something similar. As he was explaining everything to him there was a short series of knocks coming from the front door. He walked toward it, opened it, and they saw the gorgeous blond woman standing there. She had the figure of a model, her skin looked perfect, and her smile revealed perfect white teeth behind the plum colored lips of hers.
“Greg, are these the new comers?” she asked, “You left out that there was so many. It looks like… Thirteen all together.”
He nodded, “Yeah, sorry on that, but this is them,” he said, “Thanatos, they need to go into protective custody. If any of the factions find out about them.”
She sighed, “I know,” she said, “And trust me, Daddy will want to know about them too.”
He looked at her, “You aren’t going to try and get them to join his faction, are you?”
She sighed, “No,” she said, “I’m an agent of the SNPF before a goddess, so I won’t be attempting to have them join us.”
She looked at them, her white chiton almost seemed to be sparkling, “Everyone, my name is Thanatos,” she said, “I am Greg’s superior. As his superior, and as the goddess of death, I welcome you to Marcusville Oklahoma.”
