Love is Blue Remasteredby WildAceChapters1. The Beginning Part 12. Beginning Part 2.Chapter 3.1. The Beginning Part 1 Spring of 1507 "We Templars are everywhere. We are your neighbours, your family and friends... we are inescapable. Get this clear Assassin, we will succeed and you will all fall. Remember my words, Ceasare will be victorious and the Borgia will have all of Rome become a Templar territory." The wounded Governor sneered, a maniacal laugh following. *Cough* *Cough* *Splat* His laugh devolved into a series of coughs, blood dripping through his fingers as he held his throat. He looked away for a second, before glaring back in rage. "Die in hell! Guards! Guards!" Shink Silence reigned for a moment, until my hidden blade quickly pulled out of his midsection. "Requiescat in peace motherfucker." I growled back, as the sound of chainmail clashing reached my ears. ‘Damn, the guards are getting closer.’ I thought as my eyes darted around before landing upon a nearby window. Already sprinting towards the opening, the nearby door opened dramatically as a guard entered, searching for the perpetrator... which was moi. "Oh no, you’re not getting away Assassino!" A voice bellowed from behind as I spared a glance back. He was already charging towards me, unfortunately for him though I’d put a fair distance between us. A whistle blared through the air as I could see archers quickly taking notice of the situation. The guard signaled the archers as he ran, "Kill him! Kill him!" He shouted. Shit. In a blur I dove out the window, swinging off a pole and landing hard on the ground. Wasting no time, I ran to a nearby house and hid around the corner. "Get him, don't let him get away!” A voice boomed out, “He can’t be far, search the perimeter!" Metallic clashing could be heard in the nearby street as dozens of guards ran past me, not a single one looking my way. "Where is he? I could've sworn he was around here." Another soldier atop a horse wondered aloud. "Hya!" With a swift kick, he took off to investigate another house. However, the rest of the guards were still in a group and hadn’t started searching. "Spread out imbéciles! Search the people... search the hay stacks! He’s around here somewhere..." The mounted guard ordered. Escape plans danced through my thoughts as I looked around me. There were maybe ten or twelve people here besides the guards, and they were spread enough that I couldn't just blend in with them. Cazzo. (Fun fact: Cazzo is Fuck in italian.) ‘I could climb the house and go through the rooftops... but I’m bound to be noticed by an archer up there...’ I pondered for a second, before shaking my head. ‘Nah, they’re really scarce in this area’ Taking a cautious look around anyway and not seeing any in the vicinity, I pulled myself up the wall… quickly scaling the house. As soon as I reached the top I took off in a free run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and quickly nearing the edge of the search zone. Well, it was worth it. I finally had enough money from those stupid and repetitive assassin contracts... and I finally can buy the final upgrade of my armour. But first... I needed to go to a blacksmith. Glancing at my map, I took note of the blacksmith not even a few blocks away. "There! I saw him! On the rooftops!" A shout suddenly rang out as I looked to where the voice came from, before a rock just barely glazed my forehead. ‘Phew! That was a really close one!’ I thought to myself as I quickly crossed the roof before starting my descent. But then, as I was beginning to get down, my controller stopped freaking responding! "No! No! No! Come on, don't do this to me Xbox... don't fuck me now." I spoke in a panicked tone as I fought to turn on the controller, just as an arrow nails Ezio and knocks him over. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Get the fuck up, fucker!" I mashed the buttons at random, hoping one of them would magically stand him back up. "Get up! Get up! Get up!" At this point I was screaming, my heart pounding from the fear of desynchronizing for the twelfth time in a row. ‘Where did they all come from?!’ What started as a dozen had turned into thirty as guards quickly surrounded me. I watched helplessly as I waited for the inevitable. RING RING RING Present day: 24 of May of 2020 Place: Jorge's apartment. Tearing my gaze away from the scene unfolding on the T.V, my eyes locked with the small flashing phone across the room. Grumbling in annoyance, I tossed my dead controller aside and closed the distance. The wool socks making the small trip across the wooden floor surprisingly hazardous, my feet slipping out from me a couple times as I scrambled over. Apparently not fast enough, as my phone continued to blare angrily from it’s spot on the counter. Finally after an Odyssey of fights against the floor, I managed to get to my phone and flipped it open, rolling my eyes at all the notifications. Besides, 70+ unread messages in whatsapp is normal… right? Sighing, I tapped on the ‘Accept call’ button as an angry voice blared through the speaker. "Where the hell were you today dude? Tonight’s the night to turn in the assignment for Corporate Finance!" The angry voice shouted. 'Ohhhh yeah that assignment. I forgot about that’ I shrugged having already finished it a while ago, hence the video games. "James, calm down. I already finished it, the question is... have you?" I smirked at the lack of answer. I took a look back to my Xbox, the fated twelfth desync having already transpired. Sighing, I moved over to the TV and shut them both off before my parents saw it sitting idle, so I don’t get the same old lectures like, 'Son! Why are you not saving energy?' or 'Son! It's 11:00 at night, get to sleep!' I mean, come on I’m 24 not 15. "Shut up, pony fucker." The voice finally replied back. "Hey! You’re as guilty as me, at least I fuck a widely known athlete. Who do you fuck? A nobody? A commie?" I finished with a laugh eliciting a groan of defeat from James. ‘Damn, that was easy’ I thought as I returned to my dead controller. Picking it up, I stashed it in the nearby drawer by the TV. "Come on dude, help me out. If I fail this one I’m gonna flunk. Besides, we’re bros… right?” "That we are. Though… next time maybe stop jerking off to pony pictures during class long enough to take in some of the lectures." Urgh, what have we become? We don't even have enough experience to know the pleasures of a woman. "Hey that goes for you too, don’t come at me with that shit! Besides, I don't jerk off during class, even if we are in the middle of a pandemic. I do listen, it's just… hard man." There was a moment of silence through the speaker, until a muffled voice rang through the background. “James, dinner!” Followed by the sound of JAmes fumbling his phone. “Coming!” Looking over at the clock, I grumbled at the time. "Ok, I'll help you. Should've told me like an hour ago at seven, you won’t even be done eating until like nine.” I paused for a second before letting out a sigh. “I don’t think we’ll have enough time, it’s a pretty big project..." "It’s fine! I just need a passing grade." James replied desperately. "...alright. But you owe me big. Mhm?" I finished with a snicker, hoping that he understood the implication. "Ok fine, Dominos on me next time." James groaned back. "Yes!" I yelled, pumping a fist into the air. "We’ll worry about this when you get back. Bye." "Bye." James squeezed in before I tapped the end call button. After two hours and a half and countless problems in the Financial Statements... "Finally! Finished... thanks man." James said through zoom. James was your run of a mill white guy, really chill mate and a good friend. However, he was definitely more built than I was. Cupcakes, beer and no exercise… the unholy trio. His eyes were brown and he sported messy black hair which he had to brush out of the way often. He was pretty outspoken with his love for the show. MLP merch decorated his whole room, dominantly one pony in particular… Starlight Glimmer. Though for me, my room was the typical teenage ‘design’ with no MLP merch... shame. However, my computer was a whole other story, modded to the brim with whatever I could change. The background, the browser… the cursor. All best pony. I’m sure we all know who that is. "No problem, it's getting late. See ya tomorrow." I replied, waving at the screen. "See ya." The screen went black, and I sat back and sighed. ‘Phew.... urgh, why, why me?’ Why doesn't he just get better at Finance, after all... he’s going to deal with Finance for almost his whole life. Sighing again, I looked around and picked up my phone. Looking at the time, I saw it was already one in the morning. Swearing under my breath, I rubbed my tired eyes. ‘Need to get up in five hours...*Groan* Stupid life, stupid university, I hate this’ Taking in a breath, I let it out slowly before shaking my head… such is my life lately. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I decided not to linger on it any longer… I was a grown ass man of twenty four. Why the hell am I whining about how much sleep I’m missing? Unlocking my phone I quickly pulled up something to watch, and settled on the last My Little Pony season. Funny, how even seeing my waifu in a cartoon have feelings for another pony can instill a feeling of jealousy. Maybe I should stop… stop watching the show, stop looking at the porn… move on. Nah. Author's Note Glad that the first chapter has been rewritten to perfection. I have to thank for that the following editor: Pinkies Imagination 2. Beginning Part 2.Hushed voices echoed through the corridors of an office complex. Many sounds rattled through the building, ringing phones, printers whirring... and a strange music which played through rows of loudspeakers. To ‘motivate’ and ‘inspire’ the employees in the business. Though just having a job should seem motivating enough on it’s own, the music made the employees uncomfortable and alert to keep them on their toes. However, one of these offices differed from the rest… and was much more grand in scale. Most interesting about it was the event currently unfolding at the large table in the center. Many figures were seated around the table, one of them raising their hand as they spoke. “You can’t go outside the field, we can’t even get in his mail! We only have access to the main desktop.” The voice, Cesare Borgia, spoke with authority. This is how Cesare should look. “Bullcrap, Antonio once made it to the explorer, said he could see everything Jorge was doing… said he even edited a couple documents.” A more feminine voice spoke next, the fair Fatima Cruz. This is Fatima. A third figure spoke, much louder than the last two. “Just myths from the locals, do you actually believe there’s even a chance? Don’t dream about such things, think! The security is so high we wouldn’t even make it past the first 100 yards!” This was Jael Kibba, a padawan-turned-sith. This is Jael Fatima glared back at Jael. “Shut up you sicko. Listen, we just need to gather enough viruses and scripts to brute force our way through the firewall. From there we can get into the registry and destroy the computer.” said Fatima. “No!” Cesare slammed his fist on the table, silencing everyone. “That’ll only end in three possible situations… we end up brainwashed and endlessly obey the system, we die and also endlessly obey the system, or worse... replace us completely and end our existence.” Pausing his speech, he rapped his fingers against the table. “I’ve tried. I- I’ve tried a dozen times, and every… single… time they brainwash me.” No one said anything for a while as they glanced at each other, a long silence reigning. Sighing, Cesare spoke again. “And what do you think will happen if we start crashing the desktop? The antivirus will surely come for us all. It’ll shred us down to our last string of code before erasing us. Who knows… maybe instead of playing the game he’ll just watch this again.” He paused for a moment, tossing out a file with a video name on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPf85p0aoXY (A small “Aww how cute…” could be heard from somewhere in the office’) “Whatever we do always ends up a strategic blunder. Let’s have patience and wait this out, maybe someone will show up to help us.” Jael let out a sneer. “Help us? Do you have a bug or are you finally losing it? Not even our peer villains support our actions. We’re alone… we can’t do anything. It’s like the ant trying to beat the elephant.” He finished with a sigh, rubbing the side of his face. Cesare began to retort, when Fatima quickly raised her hands. “Silence! We’re just splitting ourselves. We need to stick together, work together.” The conversation however was quickly drowned out by the sound of slow clapping. A moment later, laughter accompanied it as everyone's eyes turned to the cause. However, upon realizing what had caused the interruption, many of the figures devolved into mixtures of scoffing and laughing. Cesare was the first to speak up. “Hey old man, don’t do anything too rash or you might break those bones... or worse, have a heart attack.” He finished with a snicker. However, all of the laughter quickly grew silent as the new figure slowly lifted his head. As he stretched out his arms, all of the lights in the office began to brighten… before bursting in sequence. In a matter of moments, all of the power for the building had been drawn out and absorbed into this now massive (and muscular) Centaur. As the shock wore off, power slowly began to return to the few remaining light bulbs in the office… until Cesare hesitantly stepped forward, “Who are you?” He gave a deep chuckle, and you could almost feel the table shake from his gravelly voice. “It doesn’t matter, what does is how you can achieve your vengeance.” He paused as he let out a large grin, “I have a proposal for all of you…” The rest all watched hesitantly as he slowly pushed his hands together, a small ball of light forming and creating an illusion. “Now, listen closely…” As the illusion fizzled out the group all adorned sly smiles from the tantalizing deal the strange creature had presented them with. However talking big was one thing, how were they sure he could deliver? But if that illusion was real magic, something that no being inside this digital hell can reproduce themselves, then this offer may be just what they needed. Not a single disagreement was uttered through the group as they all turned back to the strange being with looks of determination. “Good decision. Though, I should add that you must be careful, as when you pass to this next world your appearance will change. Don’t worry about your clothes, they’ll change accordingly.” He assured and, with a casual wave of his hand, tore open a portal in the air behind him. Nervousness was to be expected, how else was one supposed to feel when presented with such a display? All three of them felt the same thing as they stared at the tear, leading to what was, presumably, an entirely new world. ‘What if it fails?’ ‘What will I look like?’ These and other questions were passing through the three of them rapid fire. Jael was the first to step up, and steeled himself as he approached the gateway. As he readied himself, the strange creature gave a low chuckle and spoke, “Watch your step, remember; you could be anything.” Jael gulped and nodded, locking eyes with the swirling nexus in front of him. ‘Here goes nothing.’ Holding his breath, he stepped into the portal... and the world around him stretched infinitely, before exploding back with a loud snap. *Thud* Jael groaned as he propped himself up, a coppery taste filling his mouth. He winced in pain as he tried to talk, his tongue throbbing after nearly biting it off on impact with the ground. Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself onto his feet… before crashing back down again. ‘What the hell?’ He looked to where his limbs should be, but found a pair of claws and paws in their place. A cat-like tail twitched behind him as he studied his newfound form, noting his lower body resembled a lion… while the rest seemed to be an eagle. ‘A griffon, huh?’ He pondered as he shifted his stance, and attempted to stand on the new limbs. Success! After a couple close calls he stood to his full height, before hesitantly looking around. This new world seemed nice enough, so after feeling prepared to move on he pushed his head through the still open portal to see his other partners peering back at him in surprise. “So? Is it safe?” Fatima asked impatiently. “Yes! It’s great here. Come through the portal, quickly!” Jael reassured before pulling back into the swirling whirlpool of energy. One by one they passed through the portal, transforming into an assortment of creatures. Cesare became a red dragon with deep green stripes he was as big as Celestia, while Fatima transformed to a yellow pegasus sporting a beautiful red mane. “Where exactly are we?” Cesare growled out, observing his scaly new body. Scanning the area around them, they all froze at the sight behind the portal in the distance. A large city filled with creatures resembling Jael soared through the air majestically. “We’re on a planet called Equus.” Tirek snapped them all from their stares as he came through the portal. “That city that you’re watching is called Griffinstone, it shall be the first city we’ll conquer. It’ll be an important stepping stone for our victory over the ponies and the Celestial sisters.” Tirek explained as the group followed him through the woods and towards the city. The rest of the group grew slightly nervous as they approached the massive entrance to the city as they steeled themselves for the upcoming battle. However, as they entered the city, a chorus of cheers and applause reached their ears. “Lord Tirek! What a delightful sight to behold. Lady Grizelda told us you would come sooner or later! She’s expecting you at the main hall.” A gray griffon excitedly greeted Tirek as he hurriedly shuffled towards him, before dropping to a bow. “What’s the meaning of this? What did you not tell us?” Fatima accused, turning to Tirek as the rest returned the look as well… all feeling deceived. “Calm yourselves, this is simply an unexpected positive for us. Before I left I’d assigned a traitor among the griffons... however I didn’t expect her to have the whole territory conquered already.” He trailed off as he scratched at his chin, thinking about the new situation he was in. ‘I wonder how many years have passed.’ Tirek pondered as he turned to the griffon. “How many years have passed since the conquest of Griffinstone?” The griffon blinked once before bowing again. “Well according to Grizelda it’s been ten months since you last spoke with her.” He said cheerfully. “Who are you? How do you know her?” Tirek threatened the griffon. “Don’t worry My Lord. I’m the brother of Grizelda, Gist.” Tirek relaxed at the new information, before nodding and following Gist through the city towards the main hall… the trio of villains in tow. As they marched, griffons all around stopped to applaud and cheer Tirek for his return. It seems that Grizelda did a wonderful job in painting a good reputation for Tirek. It was such a good job in fact, it almost seemed like they praised Tirek as something akin to a god. Murals were painted on walls around the city, all depicting Tirek in various threatening ways and promising power. They walked through the streets of Griffinstone, and little by little they all realized the conditions in which the Griffons lived. To Fatima and Cesare it reminded them of the architecture and environment from back home. Jael however felt everything looked old and lame, and had an uncivilized air about the place. All around the streets one could see various pitiful criminal acts on display, and to Jael the state of the city made him sick. From the petty thievery of meat off a nearby butcher, to a griffon being mugged in the alleyway next to them. Jael sneered as he observed the area around himself. ‘Bunch of animals, this isn't what I came to deal with. Better get a ship and get the hell out of this madness, this place is just pitiful.’ He thought to himself. It seemed that everyone shared variations of the same opinion as they looked between each other skeptically, until Cesare decided to put an end to this. Grabbing a nearby crate and sliding it to the middle of the street, much to the annoyance of a nearby stall owner, he heaved his draconic body atop it and took in a deep breath. “Griffons! Stop this madness at once!” Every nearby creature stopped what they were doing as they turned to the source of the shouting, all eyes landing on Cesare. Many of them pointed ignorant looks towards him, but a few did draw closer as to listen better. “Why fight amongst one another, do you believe yourselves petty and weak? Look upon your forms! Are you not the same predator your ancestors were before you?” The griffons all looked among themselves, many dawning looks of shame. Suddenly, a yell from the crowd cut into Cesare’s speech. “Who are you then to chastise us?! We recently survived a revolution, and no other kingdom is willing to trade with us now. The homes we live and fields we work are all but destroyed!” A few scattered agreements from the crowd trickled forth after that. “Even before the revolt we lived miserably, the ponies say they are so compassionate and loving but here we are…” Another voice continued, pausing for a moment, “-fucked! Treated like waste!” Fatima realized Cesare’s plan and quickly scrambled on top of the crate next to him. “I may not be a griffon, but I understand your anger, your resentment. I too was betrayed by the ponies and those that reside across the sea.” Fatima waited a moment, as the crowd murmured at being talked to by a pony. “What would you prefer? To be branded as weak by the other races and have your civilization crumble to dust, or become a force to be reckoned with… and take what’s rightfully yours.” Fatima finished her speech with a stomp, scanning their thoughtful expressions. As she spoke many more griffons had flooded the street and listened to the exchanges. From Chicks to graying elders, they all listened intently. Tirek smiled, he was seeing his handiwork bear fruit… and it was sweet. ‘This is all moving along perfectly… just need one last push’ He thought with a chuckle. Stepping in front of the crate, all eyes fell on him. “You will become a force the princesses learn to fear. Use your anger, your rage, let it fuel your desire to rebuild stronger than before.” Starting to pace, he motioned to the derelict state of the nearby homes. “Build again your homes and fields. If we give up now, we’ll be crushed. Don’t give in, we can prove to those ponies what it means to be predators. They don’t know suffering, they don’t know war. You do, you who have suffered and cried at the hooves of these lowly herd animals.” Pausing for a moment, he turned to the large crowd again and spread open his arms. “Join us! Help us! Let us build an empire that every creature fears.” He announced, watching the rising spirits of the Griffons. Cesare followed suit, stretching his wings apart from the crate and giving a wicked toothy grin. “Long live Lord Tirek! Long live the Gang of Four!” The griffon's pride swelled, and their cheers and screeches roared through the air. “Long live Lord Tirek! Long live the Gang of Four!” Tirek was ecstatic at the reception, and rubbed his hands together as he turned towards his mismatched party. “Good job. These fools will make great cannon fodder when the time comes. As for your revenge on Jorge.” Fatima pointed a hoof towards Tirek. “You better uphold your end of the deal. You may have magic and stuff to make you more powerful but you’re still mortal like everyone.” Tirek couldn’t help but smile at the threat. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him into this world, but I can’t right now. I need to recharge.” Tirek said. “Recharge? What? That wasn’t part of the deal! You said now, and now is now.” growled Jael. “I also didn’t expect this but listen to what I have to tell you.” Tirek then whispered something that no creature could hear even if you are right with them. “I need three years.” proposed Tirek. “Three years?” Fatima scoffed. “Fine, but if those three years came to pass and he is still not here, I’ll skin you alive.” “Of course, darling. I always keep my word. Come now, let us feast. We have many hard days ahead of us to prepare.” And with that the group continued through the city, a celebration kicking off that lasted many days to come. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* “Come in.” A motherly voice spoke out as the door opened to reveal a certain cream colored mare. “Ah, special agent Sweetie Drops, we’ve been waiting for your return. What report do you have for us?” Celestia asked from a nearby table as the pony slid the paper over to her. The pony looked around in surprise, she hadn’t expected to see the elements and princesses to be having a council. After a quick greeting to the other ponies, she addressed Celestia again. “Tirek has successfully conquered Griffinstone. Though, I couldn’t identify the three other creatures he was accompanied by. Referred to themselves as the ‘Gang of Four’.” She gave Celestia a brief description of the gang, noting their varied races. Celestia hummed before she passed the paper around the table. When the paper made its way to Twilight she squinted before talking to herself. “A pony… alongside Tirek? But why? Who could it be?” After a moment of silence, she continued passing the paper to the rest of her friends. Celestia turned her gaze back to Sweetie, who straightened out at the sudden attention. “Anything else to report, Agent?” “Yes, there’s something that has been bugging me. I heard them mention revenge on a creature named ‘Jorge’… I’ve never heard that name before, and they never elaborated on it any further.” she paused for a moment, before continuing, “But, there’s something more your Majesty... Tirek mentioned he needs three years to 'recharge' but I couldn't figure out what he was referring to… sorry. What do you think he's got planned? War? Famine?” Waving her hoof for extra effect, she spoke with a motherly tone. “Calm down, agent. Now, three years…” she pondered the information for a moment, before calling in another guard and giving the order. “Call for a council with all the members of the Alliance. We have new information they'll be interested in hearing.” Author's Note Well, the second Chapter is done. I like how it went. Chapter 3.The first thought that rang though my head was ‘Where the hell am I?’ as I looked at the darkness around me. Everything was pitch black, the everpresent hum of tv static filling the otherwise empty void. The difference between tv static and the painful noise I was being subjected to, was you could turn down the tv’s volume. In my case however, the sound was so deafening that I had to cover my ears. To my horror I quickly realized I didn’t have hands or arms, nor could I feel them either. Looking down I could see my whole body was gone as well, replaced with a strange orb-like shape. A short time passed, or maybe a long time… it was hard to tell in the infinite blackness. Eventually, the piercing static started to die down as color began to seep back into the world. I was in a strange room, littered with technical graphs on lit screens and many other consoles flickering with lights. A large screen sat perched on a wall, surrounded by many other tiny screens all with their own respective buttons and lights. In the middle of the room there was a round table, and on it were a plethora of different things. Model ships, vehicles, weapons, books… among other things. I noticed the sound was coming from the large screen in the center. 7 signs appeared on it, grabbing my attention. I felt my body being pulled forward until I was right below the shifting static, it’s large imposing screen bearing down on me. As everything stopped, the sound also came to a dead silence. Immediately after, 9 cutie marks were shown, almost all of which I recognized. The first six belonged to none other than the Mane six while the seventh was Starlight’s. However, the other two cutie marks I didn’t recognize at all. Suddenly, Rainbow and Starlight’s marks broke off from the group and each paired up with the two I didn’t recognize, each claiming one of them as their own. Then everything went black once more, until a large creepy eye pierced the dark and peered straight at me. I could feel goosebumps ripple over my body as I stared back as it quickly transformed into a cloudy horse-like figure. That horse had four horns protruding from it’s skull, each horn adorning strange letters and markings carved into them. Then, a world appeared. The horse appeared to grow larger, but farther away at the same time… until it swallowed the world itself. In an instant, everything shifted again. The world seemed cloaked in a violet cloud, disasters ravaging the surface in an endless cacophony of noise. Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanos... Homes destroyed, entire civilizations crumbling to dust before my eyes. Suddenly the piercing noise waned just a bit… and a feeling of serenity seemed to fill the scarred landscape. Four Alicorns appeared before me, their horns glowing with a brilliant light and casting a soft warmth over the land. These four creatures conjured a shield that stretched over the horizon for miles, beyond the boundary of my vision. Then locals began to emerge from the landscape, looking up to their saviours with renewed hope and courage. The four then commanded a pony, a single pegasus, to defeat a horrible creature and save the world. The pegasus wielded a curious sword, it’s pommel resembling that of a lion. The blade glinted with a brilliant light… a kaleidoscope of colors seemingly dancing off of it in every hue imaginable. The cross-guard glowed with a golden shine, six uniquely colored stones engraved into its side which glittered like a rainbow. Three colors in particular shone brighter than the rest: Red, yellow and blue. Intricate runes etched along the fuller of the sword gave it a powerful yet majestic aura. Standing over the monster, now defeated, the pegasus hefted up the sword and threw it towards me as it impacted the screen. With a jolt I awoke, a cold sweat covering me as I struggled to slow my breathing. “What the fuck was that?” I asked aloud, images of the dream rushing to the front of my memory once again. It felt so real, so true. However, there was still one problem: It was still just a dream, a construct of my ‘My Little Pony addicted’ mind. Besides, it looked like the plot of some adventure fanfic. Yeah… that seemed logical. Just a dream based on some fanfiction or something weird I must’ve read at some point, but I wasn’t sure… hard to keep track of them all. I gave myself a light smack on the face and shook my head, before pulling off my sheets and getting ready for the day. After all, a dream is just a dream and I still have school today… Once I was happy with my clothing choices I prepared some breakfast, hoping to at least start off the day in the right mood. As I ate my food my eyes spotted the nearby newspaper on the kitchen counter, and the headline mentioning a virus outbreak in Wuhan. … I shouldn’t even be surprised, as if this year wasn’t cursed enough. Anyway, it looked like things were under control. Damn, I just jinxed it. Hope this doesn’t turn out too badly. I continued eating as my eyes read further down the pages. “Abortion is going to be legal in México, crash that caused 10 deaths, citizen believes he was transported to another dimension...” As my eyes glazed over the headlines, the last title caused me to pause. Did I read that clearly? I put down my food and pulled the paper over to read it more clearly. ‘As the story goes, he states he was transported to a place called ‘Equestria’, where ponies could talk.’ I blinked slowly at the page, grabbing it in both hands and forgetting my food completely. ‘-however the victim, while muttering many things that were unintelligible, did have some interesting statements. He constantly referred to himself as ‘Starswirl’, calling himself “Doomed” and that “Nothing else matters anymore - a hundred years have I lived and now I must restart”. Many specialists have said this looks to be some form of dementia or schizophrenia. Not only is this sudden case of schizophrenia strange but even more so the family states he had been missing for a whole month prior to this. The family says that he lost an incredible amount of weight, and has tendencies to eat only vegetables, along with a plethora of knowledge rivaling that of even our top scientists. We will update as the situation changes.’ I read a bit further down, and saw even the church was getting involved. Talks of demonic possession and learning new languages as signs of dark times. Then there was also that name… Starswirl. It seems there are fans out there even more deprived than moi. I glanced up at the clock. 6:40 a.m. ‘Oh shit, I’m gonna be late!’ In a flurry I finished getting ready and sped towards the school, all within the speed limit I swear. The drive was uneventful aside from the impending feeling of tardiness as I parked in the lot and ran into the building. Upon reaching class I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed it hadn’t started yet… the professor must have been running late. I counted my blessings and made my way into the class as whispers and topics danced around me from the talking students. I heard a variety of gossip as I walked, the most prominent being that guy who claimed to be Starswirl the Bearded. Such audacity. I glanced around the packed room for James before something poked me in my ribs from the side. “Boo!” James screamed, electing a jolt from me. “Holy fuck!” I yelled. “James, what the hell dude?” I hissed as I gave him a small shove as he, in turn, exaggerated falling over… a hand on his head. “Oh no! He just pushed me like a common bully!” He wailed out with fake terror. “Har, har, yeah laugh it out. Karma will get you sooner or later.” I warned him, hiding my small smile as I sat in a nearby chair. “Ha! Karma can kiss my ass, see if I care about it.” He said with a wave of his hand. Soon class was in session, or so it should have been. The teacher tried to begin but it seems the chatty masses were still in their own world. In a swift movement he slammed his hand down on the book on his desk, eliciting a loud THUMP. “That’s enough! You all will be quiet or there will be pain, studying and pain!” Then everything went quiet. After a quiet few moments the teacher cleared his throat and began again. “Ok class, today we’ll be starting ‘An introduction to Intermediate Accounting’. So first things first… who could tell me what-” The voice of the teacher fading away as I stared out the window. ‘What a beautiful day. The quietness, the way the leaves rustle in the heat of summer. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be on summer vacation. The sea, bikinis, beers, sleepless nights, video games with the boys… just the total experience of a kick-ass summer. Come on, just a couple more weeks and freedom!’ However this peace and tranquility was broken by screams of joy, chatter, and the occasional mocking cry directed at me (or maybe the whole class, though I felt like it was directed at me) could be heard and seen outside the class window. Another class was having an extra hour of spare period since they won our most recent soccer tournament. Some of my classmates groaned at the sight as I remembered the painful memory of how we choked and lost against them in the finals. The soccer tournament was an idea that the department of Human Resources came up with. The class that defeated everyone in football was granted the chance to either have an hour of free time with some pizza and drinks… or some points on their final grade. It was an all or nothing from the start. Everyone knew what we were up against, yet against all odds we made it to the finals. We had some of the best players of our college on our team and we still barely scraped by… it’s amazing what motivation and an ounce of courage can do for the underdogs. We barely made it, however there was another team that was younger and faster than us. It’s interesting how karma works, between us and that team there were some grudges that had definitely formed. The most notable being that they apparently thought we cheated in one of the tournaments. However, this last match was the pinnacle of everything. Everyone in my group had at least one serious grudge with the other group and vice versa. If we win, we would all recover our honor. However, if we lost, there is a possibility of living the rest of our College lives in shame as laughing stocks. ‘Just wasn’t meant to be, I guess…’ I thought to myself as I peered out the window at the celebrating masses once more. The day flew by and nothing else particularly interesting happened… a couple quizzes, lunch at a taco stall… to name a few things. Soon the lessons came to a close as the day dragged on, and before I knew it I was walking towards my car, key in hand. I started to unlock the door while gripping the handle with my other hand, until I started to fumble and dropped it onto the pavement below… a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. I brushed it off as an effect of the heat, it had been a particularly hot day today. The drive home was uneventful as I pulled into my parking spot and hurriedly made my way to the front door. As I entered the house It felt like the whole world was shifting, making me nauseous in an instant. By now my suspicions had morphed into worry, I couldn’t understand what was going on. Did I drink alcohol somehow? Maybe someone put something on my soda… or was it really just the heat? I tried to walk but my steps became dumber and more erratic, making me crash into things and almost fall onto the floor. I aimed for the sofa by the entrance and fell onto it as my vision quickly blacked out as the pressure peaked from my headache. I could feel every atom of my body being pulled and pushed at the same time, it felt both like nothing and everything. I tried to scream but couldn’t find my voice as I felt myself gag (That’s what she said! Ha! Boom! Roasted! Jajajaa Am I making any sense in this situation?) As soon as my body finished feeling like it was in a taffy puller everything stopped, except the rapidly spinning world around me forcing me to close my eyes to avoid throwing up. I felt as if I was floating in the air, completely weightless for a few moments. Then… SLAM! Right into the floor, stomach first as my ears rang and my teeth chattered together. “Aahhg… Holy fuck! What the hell was that?” I groaned out as wet grass stuck to my face. Wait… Grass? I tried to get up but failed as I slammed once again into the floor. I groaned in increasing annoyance and tried again. This time, I tried to think what went wrong. It felt like my center of balance was completely off, like my arms and legs came to an end in… stumps. *Blink* I slowly blinked, processing the image before me. …hooves… ‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ I shifted my stance from biped to quadruped, which of course is the most logical action to do when you suddenly transform into a freaking horse! This all felt like a freaky dream, but at this point I should’ve woken up… it all feels too real as my new senses cranked into overdrive and began to overwhelm me. Besides, the pain had a level of realism that no dream could imitate. I took a look around and analyzed my surroundings. I crashed into a forest, a creepy forest at that… containing strange weeds and plants. The ground was moist with liquid as my hooves pressed into it… giving the feeling of a swamp. But the flora near me seemed to indicate otherwise. Even if this was a swamp or a forest, it’s still a good idea to get out of here as fast as possible. “I hope all my weekends watching Bear Grylls can help me get out of here. Preferably alive and in one piece, I have too much to live for to just die in this god forsaken place.” I spoke aloud to myself, nothing but the silence of the forest and the occasional critter greeting me back. I racked my brain for the next step. Maybe… search nearby to see if anything is worth taking? It made enough sense to me and I quickly started scrambling around the area, looking for anything that could help. It took a little bit to get used to my changed form, after all living with two legs my whole life leaves you with some movement ‘Quirks’ I had to get used to. Like which order to take my steps in… for that I remembered how I saw ponies walking in the show and tried my best to replicate it. Ten minutes of searching and stumbling later and the only thing I found were some delicious smelling berries. I tried one and found out that they were actually pretty good. I hope they weren't poisonous... but that worry faded the more time passed, something told me they were just normal blueberries. I knew the only way things were going to get better is if I put my… hoof… forward and got to work. ‘Hopefully getting out of here won't take too long though…’ Even with the sweet flavor of berries fading from my tastebuds I could feel my current situation really sink in. I was alone in this forest and I had no idea which way to go. I trotted for… I wasn’t sure how long. Ten minutes… an hour? More? It didn’t matter at this point as this forest didn’t seem to change even a little bit, I felt as if I was going in circles but had no way to really tell. Eventually something caught my attention… almost calling me in a way. Something that was in the environment had changed, a static in the air put me on edge. I stopped and looked around for a sign of… anything really. Suddenly a small glint, a barely noticeable spec of light, flickered through the foliage and trees. My gaze locked with it instantly, my eyes widening and my ears giving a small involuntary flick. ‘Finally! An end to this damn forest!’ My excitement peaked as I bolted towards the light, hoping to find some village or building or… something. Yet, as I came closer, it took shape of not buildings but… a white pillar? I raised my brow and approached it, examining it as I circled the strange landmark. The pillar was placed very deliberately in a small open patch of forest. It looked like it had been used as part of a ritual. Against my better judgment, I touched with my hooves to the pillar’s surface and a strange energy flowed through me. The entire experience happened so fast and was so overwhelming I blacked out not a moment later. *Beep* *Beep* *Beeeeeeep* *Beep* *Beep* Two purple ears appeared from underneath a small desk in a dimly lit room, the small beeps and sounds of machinery permeating the area. Paper billowed from a nearby computer as the small lavender figure rushed to it with a quill and parchment floating nearby in a similarly colored aura. She held back from writing anything as she watched the paper spew out of the machine, watching to see if it repeats itself. As, according to ‘Magical disturbances and its uses’ written by Starswirl the bearded himself, stated that magical disturbances always had an echo of sorts, the first being shorter and in higher pitch than the second. Clear sign of large magical disturbances. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* ‘Come on, come on, baby. Show yourself…’ She bit her lip as she scanned the pages printing out, until… *Beep* *Beep* *Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup* *Beep* *Beep* She did a small little dance with a small ‘Squee’ and furiously scribbled onto the parchment. —- Dear Princess Celestia, As per your instructions I’ve been on constant surveillance of all the magic disturbances around both Ponyville and Canterlot. Attached is the strongest and weirdest I’ve seen yet, maybe ever. I already checked if it was a mistake of the computer, or a software glitch but the result is the same each time: The action is high-pitched and short, while the echo, or reaction, was low-pitched and long. According to the Magical Placement Sensors located in Everfree Forest and Froggy Bottom Bog, the magical disturbance should be in there somewhere. What it was that caused this I haven't determined yet. More interestingly enough is the frequency suggests it originated from a very powerful source, more powerful than you and Princess Luna combined… which seems very worrying. I have various hypotheses for this: Perhaps Tirek is involved somehow, it’s been a few years since the incident… and then there's the nearby allied counties, perhaps it’s a magical experiment of some kind? I don’t know what’s happening,but if there’s anything else you need, I am at your service. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle —- “Spike!” Yelled Twilight. Immediately a short purple dragon appeared with a pink apron which adorned a very pink heart with the text ‘Best Chef’ “Yes, Twilight?” He asked hesitantly. “Could you please forward this to the Princess?” Spike only had to look at it for a moment before he lept into action and grasped the letter. Using his green fire breath he incinerated it to ashes as it swiftly flew out the window towards its destination, a certain solar Princess. Author's Note Hope you enjoy this Chapter, as I did. Amazing work and help from Pinkies Imagination. It took a while but it's finished, I hope that the next chapter we could bring it to you in the next week or month.
1. The Beginning Part 1 Spring of 1507 "We Templars are everywhere. We are your neighbours, your family and friends... we are inescapable. Get this clear Assassin, we will succeed and you will all fall. Remember my words, Ceasare will be victorious and the Borgia will have all of Rome become a Templar territory." The wounded Governor sneered, a maniacal laugh following. *Cough* *Cough* *Splat* His laugh devolved into a series of coughs, blood dripping through his fingers as he held his throat. He looked away for a second, before glaring back in rage. "Die in hell! Guards! Guards!" Shink Silence reigned for a moment, until my hidden blade quickly pulled out of his midsection. "Requiescat in peace motherfucker." I growled back, as the sound of chainmail clashing reached my ears. ‘Damn, the guards are getting closer.’ I thought as my eyes darted around before landing upon a nearby window. Already sprinting towards the opening, the nearby door opened dramatically as a guard entered, searching for the perpetrator... which was moi. "Oh no, you’re not getting away Assassino!" A voice bellowed from behind as I spared a glance back. He was already charging towards me, unfortunately for him though I’d put a fair distance between us. A whistle blared through the air as I could see archers quickly taking notice of the situation. The guard signaled the archers as he ran, "Kill him! Kill him!" He shouted. Shit. In a blur I dove out the window, swinging off a pole and landing hard on the ground. Wasting no time, I ran to a nearby house and hid around the corner. "Get him, don't let him get away!” A voice boomed out, “He can’t be far, search the perimeter!" Metallic clashing could be heard in the nearby street as dozens of guards ran past me, not a single one looking my way. "Where is he? I could've sworn he was around here." Another soldier atop a horse wondered aloud. "Hya!" With a swift kick, he took off to investigate another house. However, the rest of the guards were still in a group and hadn’t started searching. "Spread out imbéciles! Search the people... search the hay stacks! He’s around here somewhere..." The mounted guard ordered. Escape plans danced through my thoughts as I looked around me. There were maybe ten or twelve people here besides the guards, and they were spread enough that I couldn't just blend in with them. Cazzo. (Fun fact: Cazzo is Fuck in italian.) ‘I could climb the house and go through the rooftops... but I’m bound to be noticed by an archer up there...’ I pondered for a second, before shaking my head. ‘Nah, they’re really scarce in this area’ Taking a cautious look around anyway and not seeing any in the vicinity, I pulled myself up the wall… quickly scaling the house. As soon as I reached the top I took off in a free run, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and quickly nearing the edge of the search zone. Well, it was worth it. I finally had enough money from those stupid and repetitive assassin contracts... and I finally can buy the final upgrade of my armour. But first... I needed to go to a blacksmith. Glancing at my map, I took note of the blacksmith not even a few blocks away. "There! I saw him! On the rooftops!" A shout suddenly rang out as I looked to where the voice came from, before a rock just barely glazed my forehead. ‘Phew! That was a really close one!’ I thought to myself as I quickly crossed the roof before starting my descent. But then, as I was beginning to get down, my controller stopped freaking responding! "No! No! No! Come on, don't do this to me Xbox... don't fuck me now." I spoke in a panicked tone as I fought to turn on the controller, just as an arrow nails Ezio and knocks him over. "Fuck, fuck, fuck! Get the fuck up, fucker!" I mashed the buttons at random, hoping one of them would magically stand him back up. "Get up! Get up! Get up!" At this point I was screaming, my heart pounding from the fear of desynchronizing for the twelfth time in a row. ‘Where did they all come from?!’ What started as a dozen had turned into thirty as guards quickly surrounded me. I watched helplessly as I waited for the inevitable. RING RING RING Present day: 24 of May of 2020 Place: Jorge's apartment. Tearing my gaze away from the scene unfolding on the T.V, my eyes locked with the small flashing phone across the room. Grumbling in annoyance, I tossed my dead controller aside and closed the distance. The wool socks making the small trip across the wooden floor surprisingly hazardous, my feet slipping out from me a couple times as I scrambled over. Apparently not fast enough, as my phone continued to blare angrily from it’s spot on the counter. Finally after an Odyssey of fights against the floor, I managed to get to my phone and flipped it open, rolling my eyes at all the notifications. Besides, 70+ unread messages in whatsapp is normal… right? Sighing, I tapped on the ‘Accept call’ button as an angry voice blared through the speaker. "Where the hell were you today dude? Tonight’s the night to turn in the assignment for Corporate Finance!" The angry voice shouted. 'Ohhhh yeah that assignment. I forgot about that’ I shrugged having already finished it a while ago, hence the video games. "James, calm down. I already finished it, the question is... have you?" I smirked at the lack of answer. I took a look back to my Xbox, the fated twelfth desync having already transpired. Sighing, I moved over to the TV and shut them both off before my parents saw it sitting idle, so I don’t get the same old lectures like, 'Son! Why are you not saving energy?' or 'Son! It's 11:00 at night, get to sleep!' I mean, come on I’m 24 not 15. "Shut up, pony fucker." The voice finally replied back. "Hey! You’re as guilty as me, at least I fuck a widely known athlete. Who do you fuck? A nobody? A commie?" I finished with a laugh eliciting a groan of defeat from James. ‘Damn, that was easy’ I thought as I returned to my dead controller. Picking it up, I stashed it in the nearby drawer by the TV. "Come on dude, help me out. If I fail this one I’m gonna flunk. Besides, we’re bros… right?” "That we are. Though… next time maybe stop jerking off to pony pictures during class long enough to take in some of the lectures." Urgh, what have we become? We don't even have enough experience to know the pleasures of a woman. "Hey that goes for you too, don’t come at me with that shit! Besides, I don't jerk off during class, even if we are in the middle of a pandemic. I do listen, it's just… hard man." There was a moment of silence through the speaker, until a muffled voice rang through the background. “James, dinner!” Followed by the sound of JAmes fumbling his phone. “Coming!” Looking over at the clock, I grumbled at the time. "Ok, I'll help you. Should've told me like an hour ago at seven, you won’t even be done eating until like nine.” I paused for a second before letting out a sigh. “I don’t think we’ll have enough time, it’s a pretty big project..." "It’s fine! I just need a passing grade." James replied desperately. "...alright. But you owe me big. Mhm?" I finished with a snicker, hoping that he understood the implication. "Ok fine, Dominos on me next time." James groaned back. "Yes!" I yelled, pumping a fist into the air. "We’ll worry about this when you get back. Bye." "Bye." James squeezed in before I tapped the end call button. After two hours and a half and countless problems in the Financial Statements... "Finally! Finished... thanks man." James said through zoom. James was your run of a mill white guy, really chill mate and a good friend. However, he was definitely more built than I was. Cupcakes, beer and no exercise… the unholy trio. His eyes were brown and he sported messy black hair which he had to brush out of the way often. He was pretty outspoken with his love for the show. MLP merch decorated his whole room, dominantly one pony in particular… Starlight Glimmer. Though for me, my room was the typical teenage ‘design’ with no MLP merch... shame. However, my computer was a whole other story, modded to the brim with whatever I could change. The background, the browser… the cursor. All best pony. I’m sure we all know who that is. "No problem, it's getting late. See ya tomorrow." I replied, waving at the screen. "See ya." The screen went black, and I sat back and sighed. ‘Phew.... urgh, why, why me?’ Why doesn't he just get better at Finance, after all... he’s going to deal with Finance for almost his whole life. Sighing again, I looked around and picked up my phone. Looking at the time, I saw it was already one in the morning. Swearing under my breath, I rubbed my tired eyes. ‘Need to get up in five hours...*Groan* Stupid life, stupid university, I hate this’ Taking in a breath, I let it out slowly before shaking my head… such is my life lately. Pushing the thought out of my mind, I decided not to linger on it any longer… I was a grown ass man of twenty four. Why the hell am I whining about how much sleep I’m missing? Unlocking my phone I quickly pulled up something to watch, and settled on the last My Little Pony season. Funny, how even seeing my waifu in a cartoon have feelings for another pony can instill a feeling of jealousy. Maybe I should stop… stop watching the show, stop looking at the porn… move on. Nah. Author's Note Glad that the first chapter has been rewritten to perfection. I have to thank for that the following editor: Pinkies Imagination
2. Beginning Part 2.Hushed voices echoed through the corridors of an office complex. Many sounds rattled through the building, ringing phones, printers whirring... and a strange music which played through rows of loudspeakers. To ‘motivate’ and ‘inspire’ the employees in the business. Though just having a job should seem motivating enough on it’s own, the music made the employees uncomfortable and alert to keep them on their toes. However, one of these offices differed from the rest… and was much more grand in scale. Most interesting about it was the event currently unfolding at the large table in the center. Many figures were seated around the table, one of them raising their hand as they spoke. “You can’t go outside the field, we can’t even get in his mail! We only have access to the main desktop.” The voice, Cesare Borgia, spoke with authority. This is how Cesare should look. “Bullcrap, Antonio once made it to the explorer, said he could see everything Jorge was doing… said he even edited a couple documents.” A more feminine voice spoke next, the fair Fatima Cruz. This is Fatima. A third figure spoke, much louder than the last two. “Just myths from the locals, do you actually believe there’s even a chance? Don’t dream about such things, think! The security is so high we wouldn’t even make it past the first 100 yards!” This was Jael Kibba, a padawan-turned-sith. This is Jael Fatima glared back at Jael. “Shut up you sicko. Listen, we just need to gather enough viruses and scripts to brute force our way through the firewall. From there we can get into the registry and destroy the computer.” said Fatima. “No!” Cesare slammed his fist on the table, silencing everyone. “That’ll only end in three possible situations… we end up brainwashed and endlessly obey the system, we die and also endlessly obey the system, or worse... replace us completely and end our existence.” Pausing his speech, he rapped his fingers against the table. “I’ve tried. I- I’ve tried a dozen times, and every… single… time they brainwash me.” No one said anything for a while as they glanced at each other, a long silence reigning. Sighing, Cesare spoke again. “And what do you think will happen if we start crashing the desktop? The antivirus will surely come for us all. It’ll shred us down to our last string of code before erasing us. Who knows… maybe instead of playing the game he’ll just watch this again.” He paused for a moment, tossing out a file with a video name on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPf85p0aoXY (A small “Aww how cute…” could be heard from somewhere in the office’) “Whatever we do always ends up a strategic blunder. Let’s have patience and wait this out, maybe someone will show up to help us.” Jael let out a sneer. “Help us? Do you have a bug or are you finally losing it? Not even our peer villains support our actions. We’re alone… we can’t do anything. It’s like the ant trying to beat the elephant.” He finished with a sigh, rubbing the side of his face. Cesare began to retort, when Fatima quickly raised her hands. “Silence! We’re just splitting ourselves. We need to stick together, work together.” The conversation however was quickly drowned out by the sound of slow clapping. A moment later, laughter accompanied it as everyone's eyes turned to the cause. However, upon realizing what had caused the interruption, many of the figures devolved into mixtures of scoffing and laughing. Cesare was the first to speak up. “Hey old man, don’t do anything too rash or you might break those bones... or worse, have a heart attack.” He finished with a snicker. However, all of the laughter quickly grew silent as the new figure slowly lifted his head. As he stretched out his arms, all of the lights in the office began to brighten… before bursting in sequence. In a matter of moments, all of the power for the building had been drawn out and absorbed into this now massive (and muscular) Centaur. As the shock wore off, power slowly began to return to the few remaining light bulbs in the office… until Cesare hesitantly stepped forward, “Who are you?” He gave a deep chuckle, and you could almost feel the table shake from his gravelly voice. “It doesn’t matter, what does is how you can achieve your vengeance.” He paused as he let out a large grin, “I have a proposal for all of you…” The rest all watched hesitantly as he slowly pushed his hands together, a small ball of light forming and creating an illusion. “Now, listen closely…” As the illusion fizzled out the group all adorned sly smiles from the tantalizing deal the strange creature had presented them with. However talking big was one thing, how were they sure he could deliver? But if that illusion was real magic, something that no being inside this digital hell can reproduce themselves, then this offer may be just what they needed. Not a single disagreement was uttered through the group as they all turned back to the strange being with looks of determination. “Good decision. Though, I should add that you must be careful, as when you pass to this next world your appearance will change. Don’t worry about your clothes, they’ll change accordingly.” He assured and, with a casual wave of his hand, tore open a portal in the air behind him. Nervousness was to be expected, how else was one supposed to feel when presented with such a display? All three of them felt the same thing as they stared at the tear, leading to what was, presumably, an entirely new world. ‘What if it fails?’ ‘What will I look like?’ These and other questions were passing through the three of them rapid fire. Jael was the first to step up, and steeled himself as he approached the gateway. As he readied himself, the strange creature gave a low chuckle and spoke, “Watch your step, remember; you could be anything.” Jael gulped and nodded, locking eyes with the swirling nexus in front of him. ‘Here goes nothing.’ Holding his breath, he stepped into the portal... and the world around him stretched infinitely, before exploding back with a loud snap. *Thud* Jael groaned as he propped himself up, a coppery taste filling his mouth. He winced in pain as he tried to talk, his tongue throbbing after nearly biting it off on impact with the ground. Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself onto his feet… before crashing back down again. ‘What the hell?’ He looked to where his limbs should be, but found a pair of claws and paws in their place. A cat-like tail twitched behind him as he studied his newfound form, noting his lower body resembled a lion… while the rest seemed to be an eagle. ‘A griffon, huh?’ He pondered as he shifted his stance, and attempted to stand on the new limbs. Success! After a couple close calls he stood to his full height, before hesitantly looking around. This new world seemed nice enough, so after feeling prepared to move on he pushed his head through the still open portal to see his other partners peering back at him in surprise. “So? Is it safe?” Fatima asked impatiently. “Yes! It’s great here. Come through the portal, quickly!” Jael reassured before pulling back into the swirling whirlpool of energy. One by one they passed through the portal, transforming into an assortment of creatures. Cesare became a red dragon with deep green stripes he was as big as Celestia, while Fatima transformed to a yellow pegasus sporting a beautiful red mane. “Where exactly are we?” Cesare growled out, observing his scaly new body. Scanning the area around them, they all froze at the sight behind the portal in the distance. A large city filled with creatures resembling Jael soared through the air majestically. “We’re on a planet called Equus.” Tirek snapped them all from their stares as he came through the portal. “That city that you’re watching is called Griffinstone, it shall be the first city we’ll conquer. It’ll be an important stepping stone for our victory over the ponies and the Celestial sisters.” Tirek explained as the group followed him through the woods and towards the city. The rest of the group grew slightly nervous as they approached the massive entrance to the city as they steeled themselves for the upcoming battle. However, as they entered the city, a chorus of cheers and applause reached their ears. “Lord Tirek! What a delightful sight to behold. Lady Grizelda told us you would come sooner or later! She’s expecting you at the main hall.” A gray griffon excitedly greeted Tirek as he hurriedly shuffled towards him, before dropping to a bow. “What’s the meaning of this? What did you not tell us?” Fatima accused, turning to Tirek as the rest returned the look as well… all feeling deceived. “Calm yourselves, this is simply an unexpected positive for us. Before I left I’d assigned a traitor among the griffons... however I didn’t expect her to have the whole territory conquered already.” He trailed off as he scratched at his chin, thinking about the new situation he was in. ‘I wonder how many years have passed.’ Tirek pondered as he turned to the griffon. “How many years have passed since the conquest of Griffinstone?” The griffon blinked once before bowing again. “Well according to Grizelda it’s been ten months since you last spoke with her.” He said cheerfully. “Who are you? How do you know her?” Tirek threatened the griffon. “Don’t worry My Lord. I’m the brother of Grizelda, Gist.” Tirek relaxed at the new information, before nodding and following Gist through the city towards the main hall… the trio of villains in tow. As they marched, griffons all around stopped to applaud and cheer Tirek for his return. It seems that Grizelda did a wonderful job in painting a good reputation for Tirek. It was such a good job in fact, it almost seemed like they praised Tirek as something akin to a god. Murals were painted on walls around the city, all depicting Tirek in various threatening ways and promising power. They walked through the streets of Griffinstone, and little by little they all realized the conditions in which the Griffons lived. To Fatima and Cesare it reminded them of the architecture and environment from back home. Jael however felt everything looked old and lame, and had an uncivilized air about the place. All around the streets one could see various pitiful criminal acts on display, and to Jael the state of the city made him sick. From the petty thievery of meat off a nearby butcher, to a griffon being mugged in the alleyway next to them. Jael sneered as he observed the area around himself. ‘Bunch of animals, this isn't what I came to deal with. Better get a ship and get the hell out of this madness, this place is just pitiful.’ He thought to himself. It seemed that everyone shared variations of the same opinion as they looked between each other skeptically, until Cesare decided to put an end to this. Grabbing a nearby crate and sliding it to the middle of the street, much to the annoyance of a nearby stall owner, he heaved his draconic body atop it and took in a deep breath. “Griffons! Stop this madness at once!” Every nearby creature stopped what they were doing as they turned to the source of the shouting, all eyes landing on Cesare. Many of them pointed ignorant looks towards him, but a few did draw closer as to listen better. “Why fight amongst one another, do you believe yourselves petty and weak? Look upon your forms! Are you not the same predator your ancestors were before you?” The griffons all looked among themselves, many dawning looks of shame. Suddenly, a yell from the crowd cut into Cesare’s speech. “Who are you then to chastise us?! We recently survived a revolution, and no other kingdom is willing to trade with us now. The homes we live and fields we work are all but destroyed!” A few scattered agreements from the crowd trickled forth after that. “Even before the revolt we lived miserably, the ponies say they are so compassionate and loving but here we are…” Another voice continued, pausing for a moment, “-fucked! Treated like waste!” Fatima realized Cesare’s plan and quickly scrambled on top of the crate next to him. “I may not be a griffon, but I understand your anger, your resentment. I too was betrayed by the ponies and those that reside across the sea.” Fatima waited a moment, as the crowd murmured at being talked to by a pony. “What would you prefer? To be branded as weak by the other races and have your civilization crumble to dust, or become a force to be reckoned with… and take what’s rightfully yours.” Fatima finished her speech with a stomp, scanning their thoughtful expressions. As she spoke many more griffons had flooded the street and listened to the exchanges. From Chicks to graying elders, they all listened intently. Tirek smiled, he was seeing his handiwork bear fruit… and it was sweet. ‘This is all moving along perfectly… just need one last push’ He thought with a chuckle. Stepping in front of the crate, all eyes fell on him. “You will become a force the princesses learn to fear. Use your anger, your rage, let it fuel your desire to rebuild stronger than before.” Starting to pace, he motioned to the derelict state of the nearby homes. “Build again your homes and fields. If we give up now, we’ll be crushed. Don’t give in, we can prove to those ponies what it means to be predators. They don’t know suffering, they don’t know war. You do, you who have suffered and cried at the hooves of these lowly herd animals.” Pausing for a moment, he turned to the large crowd again and spread open his arms. “Join us! Help us! Let us build an empire that every creature fears.” He announced, watching the rising spirits of the Griffons. Cesare followed suit, stretching his wings apart from the crate and giving a wicked toothy grin. “Long live Lord Tirek! Long live the Gang of Four!” The griffon's pride swelled, and their cheers and screeches roared through the air. “Long live Lord Tirek! Long live the Gang of Four!” Tirek was ecstatic at the reception, and rubbed his hands together as he turned towards his mismatched party. “Good job. These fools will make great cannon fodder when the time comes. As for your revenge on Jorge.” Fatima pointed a hoof towards Tirek. “You better uphold your end of the deal. You may have magic and stuff to make you more powerful but you’re still mortal like everyone.” Tirek couldn’t help but smile at the threat. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him into this world, but I can’t right now. I need to recharge.” Tirek said. “Recharge? What? That wasn’t part of the deal! You said now, and now is now.” growled Jael. “I also didn’t expect this but listen to what I have to tell you.” Tirek then whispered something that no creature could hear even if you are right with them. “I need three years.” proposed Tirek. “Three years?” Fatima scoffed. “Fine, but if those three years came to pass and he is still not here, I’ll skin you alive.” “Of course, darling. I always keep my word. Come now, let us feast. We have many hard days ahead of us to prepare.” And with that the group continued through the city, a celebration kicking off that lasted many days to come. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* “Come in.” A motherly voice spoke out as the door opened to reveal a certain cream colored mare. “Ah, special agent Sweetie Drops, we’ve been waiting for your return. What report do you have for us?” Celestia asked from a nearby table as the pony slid the paper over to her. The pony looked around in surprise, she hadn’t expected to see the elements and princesses to be having a council. After a quick greeting to the other ponies, she addressed Celestia again. “Tirek has successfully conquered Griffinstone. Though, I couldn’t identify the three other creatures he was accompanied by. Referred to themselves as the ‘Gang of Four’.” She gave Celestia a brief description of the gang, noting their varied races. Celestia hummed before she passed the paper around the table. When the paper made its way to Twilight she squinted before talking to herself. “A pony… alongside Tirek? But why? Who could it be?” After a moment of silence, she continued passing the paper to the rest of her friends. Celestia turned her gaze back to Sweetie, who straightened out at the sudden attention. “Anything else to report, Agent?” “Yes, there’s something that has been bugging me. I heard them mention revenge on a creature named ‘Jorge’… I’ve never heard that name before, and they never elaborated on it any further.” she paused for a moment, before continuing, “But, there’s something more your Majesty... Tirek mentioned he needs three years to 'recharge' but I couldn't figure out what he was referring to… sorry. What do you think he's got planned? War? Famine?” Waving her hoof for extra effect, she spoke with a motherly tone. “Calm down, agent. Now, three years…” she pondered the information for a moment, before calling in another guard and giving the order. “Call for a council with all the members of the Alliance. We have new information they'll be interested in hearing.” Author's Note Well, the second Chapter is done. I like how it went.
Chapter 3.The first thought that rang though my head was ‘Where the hell am I?’ as I looked at the darkness around me. Everything was pitch black, the everpresent hum of tv static filling the otherwise empty void. The difference between tv static and the painful noise I was being subjected to, was you could turn down the tv’s volume. In my case however, the sound was so deafening that I had to cover my ears. To my horror I quickly realized I didn’t have hands or arms, nor could I feel them either. Looking down I could see my whole body was gone as well, replaced with a strange orb-like shape. A short time passed, or maybe a long time… it was hard to tell in the infinite blackness. Eventually, the piercing static started to die down as color began to seep back into the world. I was in a strange room, littered with technical graphs on lit screens and many other consoles flickering with lights. A large screen sat perched on a wall, surrounded by many other tiny screens all with their own respective buttons and lights. In the middle of the room there was a round table, and on it were a plethora of different things. Model ships, vehicles, weapons, books… among other things. I noticed the sound was coming from the large screen in the center. 7 signs appeared on it, grabbing my attention. I felt my body being pulled forward until I was right below the shifting static, it’s large imposing screen bearing down on me. As everything stopped, the sound also came to a dead silence. Immediately after, 9 cutie marks were shown, almost all of which I recognized. The first six belonged to none other than the Mane six while the seventh was Starlight’s. However, the other two cutie marks I didn’t recognize at all. Suddenly, Rainbow and Starlight’s marks broke off from the group and each paired up with the two I didn’t recognize, each claiming one of them as their own. Then everything went black once more, until a large creepy eye pierced the dark and peered straight at me. I could feel goosebumps ripple over my body as I stared back as it quickly transformed into a cloudy horse-like figure. That horse had four horns protruding from it’s skull, each horn adorning strange letters and markings carved into them. Then, a world appeared. The horse appeared to grow larger, but farther away at the same time… until it swallowed the world itself. In an instant, everything shifted again. The world seemed cloaked in a violet cloud, disasters ravaging the surface in an endless cacophony of noise. Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanos... Homes destroyed, entire civilizations crumbling to dust before my eyes. Suddenly the piercing noise waned just a bit… and a feeling of serenity seemed to fill the scarred landscape. Four Alicorns appeared before me, their horns glowing with a brilliant light and casting a soft warmth over the land. These four creatures conjured a shield that stretched over the horizon for miles, beyond the boundary of my vision. Then locals began to emerge from the landscape, looking up to their saviours with renewed hope and courage. The four then commanded a pony, a single pegasus, to defeat a horrible creature and save the world. The pegasus wielded a curious sword, it’s pommel resembling that of a lion. The blade glinted with a brilliant light… a kaleidoscope of colors seemingly dancing off of it in every hue imaginable. The cross-guard glowed with a golden shine, six uniquely colored stones engraved into its side which glittered like a rainbow. Three colors in particular shone brighter than the rest: Red, yellow and blue. Intricate runes etched along the fuller of the sword gave it a powerful yet majestic aura. Standing over the monster, now defeated, the pegasus hefted up the sword and threw it towards me as it impacted the screen. With a jolt I awoke, a cold sweat covering me as I struggled to slow my breathing. “What the fuck was that?” I asked aloud, images of the dream rushing to the front of my memory once again. It felt so real, so true. However, there was still one problem: It was still just a dream, a construct of my ‘My Little Pony addicted’ mind. Besides, it looked like the plot of some adventure fanfic. Yeah… that seemed logical. Just a dream based on some fanfiction or something weird I must’ve read at some point, but I wasn’t sure… hard to keep track of them all. I gave myself a light smack on the face and shook my head, before pulling off my sheets and getting ready for the day. After all, a dream is just a dream and I still have school today… Once I was happy with my clothing choices I prepared some breakfast, hoping to at least start off the day in the right mood. As I ate my food my eyes spotted the nearby newspaper on the kitchen counter, and the headline mentioning a virus outbreak in Wuhan. … I shouldn’t even be surprised, as if this year wasn’t cursed enough. Anyway, it looked like things were under control. Damn, I just jinxed it. Hope this doesn’t turn out too badly. I continued eating as my eyes read further down the pages. “Abortion is going to be legal in México, crash that caused 10 deaths, citizen believes he was transported to another dimension...” As my eyes glazed over the headlines, the last title caused me to pause. Did I read that clearly? I put down my food and pulled the paper over to read it more clearly. ‘As the story goes, he states he was transported to a place called ‘Equestria’, where ponies could talk.’ I blinked slowly at the page, grabbing it in both hands and forgetting my food completely. ‘-however the victim, while muttering many things that were unintelligible, did have some interesting statements. He constantly referred to himself as ‘Starswirl’, calling himself “Doomed” and that “Nothing else matters anymore - a hundred years have I lived and now I must restart”. Many specialists have said this looks to be some form of dementia or schizophrenia. Not only is this sudden case of schizophrenia strange but even more so the family states he had been missing for a whole month prior to this. The family says that he lost an incredible amount of weight, and has tendencies to eat only vegetables, along with a plethora of knowledge rivaling that of even our top scientists. We will update as the situation changes.’ I read a bit further down, and saw even the church was getting involved. Talks of demonic possession and learning new languages as signs of dark times. Then there was also that name… Starswirl. It seems there are fans out there even more deprived than moi. I glanced up at the clock. 6:40 a.m. ‘Oh shit, I’m gonna be late!’ In a flurry I finished getting ready and sped towards the school, all within the speed limit I swear. The drive was uneventful aside from the impending feeling of tardiness as I parked in the lot and ran into the building. Upon reaching class I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed it hadn’t started yet… the professor must have been running late. I counted my blessings and made my way into the class as whispers and topics danced around me from the talking students. I heard a variety of gossip as I walked, the most prominent being that guy who claimed to be Starswirl the Bearded. Such audacity. I glanced around the packed room for James before something poked me in my ribs from the side. “Boo!” James screamed, electing a jolt from me. “Holy fuck!” I yelled. “James, what the hell dude?” I hissed as I gave him a small shove as he, in turn, exaggerated falling over… a hand on his head. “Oh no! He just pushed me like a common bully!” He wailed out with fake terror. “Har, har, yeah laugh it out. Karma will get you sooner or later.” I warned him, hiding my small smile as I sat in a nearby chair. “Ha! Karma can kiss my ass, see if I care about it.” He said with a wave of his hand. Soon class was in session, or so it should have been. The teacher tried to begin but it seems the chatty masses were still in their own world. In a swift movement he slammed his hand down on the book on his desk, eliciting a loud THUMP. “That’s enough! You all will be quiet or there will be pain, studying and pain!” Then everything went quiet. After a quiet few moments the teacher cleared his throat and began again. “Ok class, today we’ll be starting ‘An introduction to Intermediate Accounting’. So first things first… who could tell me what-” The voice of the teacher fading away as I stared out the window. ‘What a beautiful day. The quietness, the way the leaves rustle in the heat of summer. Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be on summer vacation. The sea, bikinis, beers, sleepless nights, video games with the boys… just the total experience of a kick-ass summer. Come on, just a couple more weeks and freedom!’ However this peace and tranquility was broken by screams of joy, chatter, and the occasional mocking cry directed at me (or maybe the whole class, though I felt like it was directed at me) could be heard and seen outside the class window. Another class was having an extra hour of spare period since they won our most recent soccer tournament. Some of my classmates groaned at the sight as I remembered the painful memory of how we choked and lost against them in the finals. The soccer tournament was an idea that the department of Human Resources came up with. The class that defeated everyone in football was granted the chance to either have an hour of free time with some pizza and drinks… or some points on their final grade. It was an all or nothing from the start. Everyone knew what we were up against, yet against all odds we made it to the finals. We had some of the best players of our college on our team and we still barely scraped by… it’s amazing what motivation and an ounce of courage can do for the underdogs. We barely made it, however there was another team that was younger and faster than us. It’s interesting how karma works, between us and that team there were some grudges that had definitely formed. The most notable being that they apparently thought we cheated in one of the tournaments. However, this last match was the pinnacle of everything. Everyone in my group had at least one serious grudge with the other group and vice versa. If we win, we would all recover our honor. However, if we lost, there is a possibility of living the rest of our College lives in shame as laughing stocks. ‘Just wasn’t meant to be, I guess…’ I thought to myself as I peered out the window at the celebrating masses once more. The day flew by and nothing else particularly interesting happened… a couple quizzes, lunch at a taco stall… to name a few things. Soon the lessons came to a close as the day dragged on, and before I knew it I was walking towards my car, key in hand. I started to unlock the door while gripping the handle with my other hand, until I started to fumble and dropped it onto the pavement below… a sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. I brushed it off as an effect of the heat, it had been a particularly hot day today. The drive home was uneventful as I pulled into my parking spot and hurriedly made my way to the front door. As I entered the house It felt like the whole world was shifting, making me nauseous in an instant. By now my suspicions had morphed into worry, I couldn’t understand what was going on. Did I drink alcohol somehow? Maybe someone put something on my soda… or was it really just the heat? I tried to walk but my steps became dumber and more erratic, making me crash into things and almost fall onto the floor. I aimed for the sofa by the entrance and fell onto it as my vision quickly blacked out as the pressure peaked from my headache. I could feel every atom of my body being pulled and pushed at the same time, it felt both like nothing and everything. I tried to scream but couldn’t find my voice as I felt myself gag (That’s what she said! Ha! Boom! Roasted! Jajajaa Am I making any sense in this situation?) As soon as my body finished feeling like it was in a taffy puller everything stopped, except the rapidly spinning world around me forcing me to close my eyes to avoid throwing up. I felt as if I was floating in the air, completely weightless for a few moments. Then… SLAM! Right into the floor, stomach first as my ears rang and my teeth chattered together. “Aahhg… Holy fuck! What the hell was that?” I groaned out as wet grass stuck to my face. Wait… Grass? I tried to get up but failed as I slammed once again into the floor. I groaned in increasing annoyance and tried again. This time, I tried to think what went wrong. It felt like my center of balance was completely off, like my arms and legs came to an end in… stumps. *Blink* I slowly blinked, processing the image before me. …hooves… ‘You’ve got to be kidding me…’ I shifted my stance from biped to quadruped, which of course is the most logical action to do when you suddenly transform into a freaking horse! This all felt like a freaky dream, but at this point I should’ve woken up… it all feels too real as my new senses cranked into overdrive and began to overwhelm me. Besides, the pain had a level of realism that no dream could imitate. I took a look around and analyzed my surroundings. I crashed into a forest, a creepy forest at that… containing strange weeds and plants. The ground was moist with liquid as my hooves pressed into it… giving the feeling of a swamp. But the flora near me seemed to indicate otherwise. Even if this was a swamp or a forest, it’s still a good idea to get out of here as fast as possible. “I hope all my weekends watching Bear Grylls can help me get out of here. Preferably alive and in one piece, I have too much to live for to just die in this god forsaken place.” I spoke aloud to myself, nothing but the silence of the forest and the occasional critter greeting me back. I racked my brain for the next step. Maybe… search nearby to see if anything is worth taking? It made enough sense to me and I quickly started scrambling around the area, looking for anything that could help. It took a little bit to get used to my changed form, after all living with two legs my whole life leaves you with some movement ‘Quirks’ I had to get used to. Like which order to take my steps in… for that I remembered how I saw ponies walking in the show and tried my best to replicate it. Ten minutes of searching and stumbling later and the only thing I found were some delicious smelling berries. I tried one and found out that they were actually pretty good. I hope they weren't poisonous... but that worry faded the more time passed, something told me they were just normal blueberries. I knew the only way things were going to get better is if I put my… hoof… forward and got to work. ‘Hopefully getting out of here won't take too long though…’ Even with the sweet flavor of berries fading from my tastebuds I could feel my current situation really sink in. I was alone in this forest and I had no idea which way to go. I trotted for… I wasn’t sure how long. Ten minutes… an hour? More? It didn’t matter at this point as this forest didn’t seem to change even a little bit, I felt as if I was going in circles but had no way to really tell. Eventually something caught my attention… almost calling me in a way. Something that was in the environment had changed, a static in the air put me on edge. I stopped and looked around for a sign of… anything really. Suddenly a small glint, a barely noticeable spec of light, flickered through the foliage and trees. My gaze locked with it instantly, my eyes widening and my ears giving a small involuntary flick. ‘Finally! An end to this damn forest!’ My excitement peaked as I bolted towards the light, hoping to find some village or building or… something. Yet, as I came closer, it took shape of not buildings but… a white pillar? I raised my brow and approached it, examining it as I circled the strange landmark. The pillar was placed very deliberately in a small open patch of forest. It looked like it had been used as part of a ritual. Against my better judgment, I touched with my hooves to the pillar’s surface and a strange energy flowed through me. The entire experience happened so fast and was so overwhelming I blacked out not a moment later. *Beep* *Beep* *Beeeeeeep* *Beep* *Beep* Two purple ears appeared from underneath a small desk in a dimly lit room, the small beeps and sounds of machinery permeating the area. Paper billowed from a nearby computer as the small lavender figure rushed to it with a quill and parchment floating nearby in a similarly colored aura. She held back from writing anything as she watched the paper spew out of the machine, watching to see if it repeats itself. As, according to ‘Magical disturbances and its uses’ written by Starswirl the bearded himself, stated that magical disturbances always had an echo of sorts, the first being shorter and in higher pitch than the second. Clear sign of large magical disturbances. *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* *Beep* ‘Come on, come on, baby. Show yourself…’ She bit her lip as she scanned the pages printing out, until… *Beep* *Beep* *Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup* *Beep* *Beep* She did a small little dance with a small ‘Squee’ and furiously scribbled onto the parchment. —- Dear Princess Celestia, As per your instructions I’ve been on constant surveillance of all the magic disturbances around both Ponyville and Canterlot. Attached is the strongest and weirdest I’ve seen yet, maybe ever. I already checked if it was a mistake of the computer, or a software glitch but the result is the same each time: The action is high-pitched and short, while the echo, or reaction, was low-pitched and long. According to the Magical Placement Sensors located in Everfree Forest and Froggy Bottom Bog, the magical disturbance should be in there somewhere. What it was that caused this I haven't determined yet. More interestingly enough is the frequency suggests it originated from a very powerful source, more powerful than you and Princess Luna combined… which seems very worrying. I have various hypotheses for this: Perhaps Tirek is involved somehow, it’s been a few years since the incident… and then there's the nearby allied counties, perhaps it’s a magical experiment of some kind? I don’t know what’s happening,but if there’s anything else you need, I am at your service. Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle —- “Spike!” Yelled Twilight. Immediately a short purple dragon appeared with a pink apron which adorned a very pink heart with the text ‘Best Chef’ “Yes, Twilight?” He asked hesitantly. “Could you please forward this to the Princess?” Spike only had to look at it for a moment before he lept into action and grasped the letter. Using his green fire breath he incinerated it to ashes as it swiftly flew out the window towards its destination, a certain solar Princess. Author's Note Hope you enjoy this Chapter, as I did. Amazing work and help from Pinkies Imagination. It took a while but it's finished, I hope that the next chapter we could bring it to you in the next week or month.
