It was just another day as the yong mountain lion was getting ready for the day. Putting on his vest he looked himself over in the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair. "Good." He thought as he grabbed his keys. "Let's see if we get any bites today." The thought amused him. Ever since he graduated from college, people have challenged him to game after game. And when he wasn't able to use strength to win. He used his best(in his opinion) asset... his brain.

There was no doubt that someone would come and challenge him in something. "It'll probably be something like chess again." He thought with a sigh as he looked the door to his apartment. "Or old maid." He stifled a chuckle at that and started for his favorite hunting grounds... the local park.

He has gone there so often and won that they had put his name on a bench marking it as his. As he approached said bench he looked around at the people walking past. Most gave him a friendly wave. Others quickly turned there heads away. He swor he saw a few of them where embarrassed. One even getting yelled at.

With a sigh he sat and pulled out a book. If he was going to be waiting, he supposed he can at least get some reading in. "Miths and monsters." He sighed opening to a marked page. "I've been meaning to get back to this one.... let's see... pegasi and unicorns..."

As he finished the chapter his ear twitched at the sound of someone sitting across from him. "Resting or was that thump of yours just your way of challenging me?" He asked, replacing his bookmark. Turning he saw a slender man in a fantasy suite smiling at him.

"Oh. I do have a challenge for you. A little game. You win, you get anything your heart desires. If I win.... well... with your reputation. I doubt it worries you. So I'll hold that for the off chance I win." The man said with a grin. The yong boy thought for a moment. The man had a point. But something about this felt off. "Would you like to know the rules before deciding?" He asked. After giving a nod the man explained. "The rules will be simple. You must stop an evil monster from exacting their plan. How you do it is up to you. However, to win you can't lose you main pieces."

The young man thought for a moment. It was clear this stranger was withholding information. Considering what the older man said he considered his next words carefully. "And on the off chance I do lose one? You do realize that most games require sacrifice. Right?"

The old man smiled and nodded. "Yes, I understand. I'm impressed that you would bring that up. Most jump to except after learning the basics without question." He said approvingly as he nodded and clapped his hands. "Very well. As a reward..." He paused as an idea came to him. "You know that's not a bad idea. You can earn them back. Yes. Instead of one big game we'll have several smaller ones. That'll lead to one winner take all. And as a reward for pointing out the odds. I'll even give you a choice on where you want to claim your final prize."

The young man thought for a moment. It still sounded shifty to him. But he was looking for something... new. "If you expect me to move. What will happen with my home and things."

The old man rubbed his chin. "I nearly forgot about that. You would need a place to stay. And we can't have you homeless when you return." A few moments passed as he considered it. "How about this. If you can get a place to stay there. Then I'll send you your things. Free of charge. I'll even make it so you won't lose this home as well. That is until our game is over. But in return. You'll have to do something for me."

"What?"

"You'll see. So do we have a deal?" The man said, holding out his hand.

After a bit of thought the young man held out his hand shaking the older man's hand. "No tricks."

"My boy." The old man laughed. "I don't lie on deals. My tricks are saved for the game to add spice." The young man shrugged as the two stood and started to walk down the path. "I see you like to read a lot. Ever think what it'll be like to be one of those creatures you read about?" The young man thought. It was true he hadn't given it much thought. But now that the topic was brought up. He did wonder. "You know. I wondered what it'd look like if two creatures had a kid. Like werewolves and pegasi. Or a manticore and a unicorn." The old man laughed.

The young man was starting to see what this man was really like and partially was regretting his choices. However the thought of mixing creatures was a fascinating topic. Not really new but it did raise questions like the old man had pointed out. It wasn't long however they got to a large old mansion. "I take it this is the place." The boy said, looking at the large double doors.

"That it is. Now before you go. I thought we could spice up our game a little. Help you blend in while making you stand out." The old man replied as he held out some cards. "Take two and don't look. Just take them with you when you enter the doors." With a nod the young boy took two random cards and entered the building vanishing in a bright flash of light.

Ponyville Equestria

Twilight sighed as she looked at the calendar hanging on the wall of her study. Blinking, she gasped as she saw it flipping backwards. Looking around her jaw dropped as the room started to become blurred. "DISCORD!!!!!!!!!!" She cried as her voice faded to nothing.

Author's Note

This is going to be interesting. MLP in a more rpg style. Lol I'll do my best to make it interesting. Future plans are for the team to relive the different events that brought them together. Of course we'll start with Nightmare Moon. But what do you think is on the cards? And what did the old man mean by mixing creatures?