"A cruel world is an unfair game; any chance of winning is nil…but, what if something were to, simply…change the rules?"

He had done it.

He had won.

Jason Wright.

A man who is both hated and feared by many, once he was living a pathetic existence in a cave, now he rules the Changeling Kingdom, which has become the Changeling Empire, with an iron fist and Queen, no, Duchess Chrysalis by his side. A mortal emperor who had slain the immortal, then temporarily mortal, Spirit of Chaos, Discord, for forcing him to live out previously mentioned pathetic existence. The mere mention of his name makes all in Equestria cower in fear, even so much as to piss themselves.

And he did it all in the name of revenge.

For what, exactly?

Not just because of what Discord did, but the other ponies who fell victim to his deceit and shunned a once innocent man.

Jason had destroyed, not just Ponyville, but others' lives as well: homes, businesses, and everything in between...lost, in the flames of anger and hatred.

In the end, he got what he wanted.

The damaged reputations of the Element Bearers and the Princesses, the destruction, no, the erasure of Ponyville, and he made them feel the same exact pain he felt every day.

And yet...he was not happy.

Even after everything, he still felt remorse for what he did; when Discord revealed that he himself was the cause of all of his pain, a horrible realization washed over him.

He destroyed everything and everyone...all over a prank.

Sure, a prank is usually in good fun...but how far is too far?

But even so, he hardened his heart and decided it was too little, too late for apologies and forgiveness. He made his choice. There was no going back.

The same goes for the Element Bearers, in a sense.

Though they may not have the same thoughts on the matter, especially since they pretty much severed ties with each other, there is one thing that they have in common.

Regret.

Discord may have been the one to plant the idea in their heads, but they themselves are the ones who went with that idea...without a second thought.

Not even about the consequences.

Actions have consequences, and they don't just affect the ones who made those actions. They affect everyone.

The damage had been done, and there was no undoing any of it.

...

......

.........

...Or was there?

(Opening Theme)

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! Work, damn it!"

This was not good, the portal spell was failing again. It has to work, it just has to!

Thanks to the most recent American President, war was declared across the globe, and everybody were dropping nukes on every nation in the world, and America is next! This frantic young man of 17 years of age, who was German-American, more so the latter, Alexander Siegfried, was desperately trying to get the portal spell he found to Equestria to work, for the millionth time in a row after so many days and attempts only to end in numerous failures. He had short dark brown hair, pale skin, and blue eyes, except he has a cataract in his right one, so he placed a red iris contact lens in it to make him look cooler, since he won't be able to use it. The clothing he wore, a yellow shirt with brown shorts and black shoes, were somewhat tattered after trying to escape the mobs and riots that broke out because of the new World War. He knew what was going to happen; once the nukes are dropped in America, that's it.

There will be no one left. Not even him.

His family were already killed in the riots, his mom and his dad, but his elder brother seemed to have escaped, but he hadn't heard from him ever since he saw him last, running as far and fast as possible. His friends had moved away long ago, but he had lost contact with them once the war was declared. He hoped they were all okay.

Back to the predicament at hand, Alexander was still trying to get the portal spell to work, and after several hours of trying, he broke down crying, begging and pleading the portal to work when he needed it most. Just then, a miracle happened; the portal appeared to have answered his cries for help and opened a hole in space-time for him. The instrument of his salvation.

Then...

BOOM!!!

Alexander turned to face a mushroom cloud far in the distance with nuclear dust being swiftly carried in the wind of the massive explosion, decimating everything it touches. Realizing that he finally ran out of time, he jumped into the portal with reckless abandon, the force of the nuclear bomb making the portal glitch out of existence as it began it's otherworldly effects on Alexander...

As he was thrown back and forth between dimensions, he could his genetic structure change each time he slammed into a metaphysical wall of the portal. Damn! This is almost like 'Back to the Future', when the time machine was cold upon going through time, but this is both burning hot AND cold! Not to mention it hurts!!

//Request confirmed. Acquisition of the Unique Skill [Seer] is successful. The user can now briefly glimpse into immediate future. Request confirmed. Acquisition of the Resist Skill [Thermal Fluctuation Resistance] is successful. Continuing...[Flame Manipulation] Extra Skill acquisition successful.//

He now knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of the Star Shard from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. It was like being thrown into a tidal wave halfway through a whole city.

//Request confirmed. Acquisition of the Extra Skill [Water Manipulation] is successful. Extra Skills [Ice Manipulation] and [Snow Manipulation] are included. Successful.//

He suddenly had a flashback to his younger self, when he was playing with his brother and they sparred with wooden swords. Then another one with him back in middle school doing a pretend magic duel with his best friend, wielding wands and staffs.

//Request confirmed. Creation and acquisition of multiple new Skills [Sword Mastery], [Wand Mastery], and [Staff Mastery] successful.//

He also remembers wishing magic was real, so he could be like an apprentice mage, and he thought if magic existed by now, he'd have been a great mage.

//New Extra Skill created and acquired: [Mage]. Continuing...[Mage] will transform into the newly created Unique Skill [Great Mage]. Successful.//

Another memory comes to him, one of a movie he rather enjoyed: Max Keeble's Big Move. Max and his two besties were super close, up until certain events, like being forced to move away to Chicago and almost losing his friends to the popular kids. They made up near the end of the movie and everything worked out, but that one thing the kid who always wore a robe said piqued Alex's curiosity; why were there so many carjackers in Chicago? Were they really that bad?

//Hijacking of local vehicles via 'carjacker' has failed due insufficient information. Employing alternative measure...as an alternative, the creation of a new Unique Skill is successful. The new Unique Skill [Hijack] has been acquired. The user can now target certain objects and transform them to suit the user's needs and desires. Notice: This Unique Skill can only alter an object's use and appearance, and cannot turn them into different objects nor give them alternate uses. Notice: Once this Unique Skill has been used on an object, only the user will be able to utilize it.//

Is this it? Is this where your life flashes before your eyes? Am I...going to die...?

Then, as if the space-time continuum was angered by all of this and Alex's loss of hope, swirled all of the dimensions around the young man, causing the lights of the other worlds to flash in his eyes. It was almost too much to bear, making Alex's will to live spring back into action.

"Please...I'm not ready to die yet! I haven't made anything of my life!" Alexander said, then faced the lights with desperation in his voice, "God! If you're out there, please! Give me another chance! And I swear, wherever I am, whatever I become...I'll do great things!"

The dimensions swirled around him even faster now.

He grit his teeth, closed his eyes, then screamed to the dimensional heavens:

"I SWEAR IIIIIITT!!!"

(stop music)

...

......

.........

...Nothing.

Alexander opened his eyes to see the dimensions have finally stopped swirling, instead they slowly guided him to his destination. When he blinked, he found himself in a large meadow with butterflies, dragonflies, and all sort of little animals prancing in the area, as if they didn't mind his sudden existence. He turned around to see the portal closing after fulfilling its purpose to deliver its passenger to where he needed to be, and after the reality of the situation finally set in, he began to cry with a smile on his face.

"Thank you...!" Alexander began, raising his arms in the air as if to hug the deity that gave him another chance, "THANK YOOOOOUUU!!!"

With that, he shed tears of joy for the longest time until he could shed no more, Alexander wiped his eyes, taking care not to knock out his right contact lens, and stood taller than he ever had before.

"Okay..." he uttered breathless, "that's enough emotional BS for one day." he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and started planning his next move, "Now...I don't know where I currently am, and the map of Equestria wasn't entirely accurate on Google, so...the only thing I can thing of is to find a road nearby. It's gotta lead somewhere eventually, right? Right." Alexander began his trek through the meadow, doing well to leave the animals alone and not bother them, once he was a good distance away from them all so he wouldn't scare them, he declared with all the determination in his soul, "I just got a second chance, and I'm not gonna blow it!"

Just as he was about to truly begin his journey, he noticed half of a rotting, old-fashioned carriage just laying in the most secluded part of the meadow. The other half was nowhere around, presumably decayed into nothing by this point. Alexander was for some reason drawn to it, and placed his hand over it, feeling the splintered wood.

“Poor thing…makes me wish it was in good enough condition to rebuild into a motorcycle or something…”

//Confirmed. Activating the Unique Skill: [Hijack].//

“Huh?! Who said that?”

But Alexander’s question would have to go unanswered as the ruined carriage began to morph into something entirely different; it became a rather long and red motorized bike that was reminiscent of the one that character Roche used in Final Fantasy VII Remake. Alexander had just gotten what he wished, a motorcycle; a new ride.

//Successful. [Hijack] has transformed decaying vehicle into refurbished motorcycle. Notice: This vehicle can use nearly any fluid for fuel and will not break down by normal means, such as lack of maintenance.//

"WWWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAT?!?!"

Canterlot, 1 Month and 1 Week After Jason's Invasion of Equestria...

(Distress and Sorrow)

Princess Celestia, ruler of the land of Equestria, alongside her sister, had just entered her bedchambers via slamming the door open and all but threw off the garments that made her royalty before ungracefully plopping onto her bed. It had been over a month since Jason Wright and the changelings had invaded Canterlot and laid waste to Ponyville not long after, and she was still reeling from the backlash of it all. Day Court had not gone well today, just as it has been for the past month; the nobles have done nothing but bicker amongst themselves, debating on how to "pay Jason Wright back" as they say, only for her to cease their squabbling and tell them that everypony was to blame for this ordeal, even going as far as calling them out on their xenophobic behavior. But all that has done was embolden them against her, accusing her of allowing that "monster" to roam free instead off locking it up or killing it, some even going so far to say that she should step down as ruler and let somepony else take the reins.

It went without saying that the guards swiftly and promptly arrested them for treason against the crown.

Now, Prince—ahem, Celestia, seeing that she is not donning her crown, simply cried tears of despair and grief into her pillow as the gravity of every horrible thing that happened had crashed down on her now-deteriorating mind. Jason Wright had suffered grievously because of her student, her frien—er, former friends, and the residents of Ponyville simply for the crime of existing when all Jason wanted was to be friends with all of them. And now everypony has either suffered greatly or is still suffering for their own transgressions.

Just then, Celestia shivered immensely before jolting up on the bed, she looked over to her balcony window and rushed over to it as she figured out what that shiver she felt was. It was a surge of magic, but it wasn't just any magic, no, a powerful spell was just cast, maybe more powerful than something Twilight could cast herself even if she were still a unicorn. But what spell was it, and who or what cast it?

Luna burst into Celestia's room as she was pondering, looking quite frazzled, "Sister...did you feel that, too?"

Celestia nodded slowly, "Yes..."

Neither of them know what had just happened, but one thing is clear: things were changing, whether they were good or bad has yet to be seen and proven.

Ponyville Town Hall, moments before the magical surge...

Around the same time, Prin—no, Twilight was helping Mayor Mare with the paperwork involving Ponyville's destruction due to Jason's invasion...because of her, her former friends, and the whole town's alienation of Jason, and planning for its possible reconstruction. Twilight was using this mostly as a distraction from her massive failure as a princess and one who was supposed to embody friendship, and from the townsfolks' scathing opinions of her and her former friends. As if Princess Celestia's disappointment of them wasn't bad enough, now the ponies of the "Ponyville Ruins", as it's now called, are constantly reminding her of their colossal blunder through their barely hushed words and even outspoken remarks, every word stung, of course, but it was nothing compared to how Jason more than likely felt and had to deal with for years on end.

The least Twilight can do is live with the suffering like Jason was forced to.

Twilight was almost sent to the floor when she felt something react to her horn, she knew what that feeling was all too well: a surge of magic, but far more powerful than any she had ever felt, maybe even more than when she got her Cutie Mark.

"Twilight? Is something wrong?" Mayor Mare asked her.

But Twilight didn't answer, she simply rushed to the closest window and stared out into the horizon, trying to discern which direction the surge came from...

The Badlands Changeling Hive, moments after the Surge...

(Changeling Castle Throne Room)

The double doors to the throne room burst open as a single Changeling rushed to the masked human sitting upon the Changeling Throne, "My Emperor! Important news from the the Changeling Garrison!"

"...And what could be so damn important that you had to barge in here, unannounced and uninvited, no less?" The masked human asked, unamused and not noticing or caring about Duchess Chrysalis's scared expression.

"A...A..."

"'Uh' what? Get on with it!"

"A surge! A powerful magic surge, several miles from here!"

The masked human felt something he hadn't felt in a while: righteous fury. "...Are those bitches from Equestria on their way here? How did they find us?!"

"You don't understand! The surge doesn't match any pony signature! It's completely foreign magic!"

The masked human's rage suddenly turned to frustrated confusion, "...How foreign?"

"It's...out of this world! I can't think of any other way to explain it!"

Chrysalis finally found her voice and spoke to the human, "I felt it as well, my Emperor; it was extremely powerful, more so than what that Twilight could do, but slightly weaker than Celestia's own prowess."

The human, while masked, had a face of surprise, despite no one could see it, then slumped into his throne, "Go. Send a scout to investigate. Have you determined a location?"

The Changeling shook his head, "No, the entire garrison is trying to pinpoint the origin, but the signature is all over the area from its casting."

The human groaned, "How annoying. Then send scouts everywhere in that direction. FIND what's causing it."

"Understood, my Emperor!" The Changeling left quickly to inform his brethren of their new orders.

Chrysalis was suddenly worried, "Emperor Jason, are you sure that's wise? I mean, that surge, it was immense in siz—"

"Duchess Chrysalis." Jason began firmly, Chrysalis knew well when he referred to her that way and in that tone, it means, 'sit pretty and shut up', lest she draws his ire, "I believe he was speaking the truth when he brought it up, otherwise he wouldn't have barged in so brazenly. But right now, I need answers; what is the source of that 'magic surge'? Why near here? Why now? Something's changed...but I'm not sure if I like it or not."

"So...what then?"

Jason was silent for a moment, "...We wait. See what our scouts find out there. Patience IS a virtue, after all."

(stop music)

What Alexander doesn't realize is that his otherworldly arrival and accidental casting of that Unique Skill of his has set into motion a chain of events that'll change everything on Equus forever, for better or for worse. After all...

The ending of one story...is simply the beginning of a new one.

"A cruel world is an unfair game; any chance of winning is nil…but, what if something were to, simply…change the rules?"

Author's Note

(Chapter End Theme)

//Next time: The Show Mare.//

Alexander’s new ride:

I decided to throw my own hat into the ring, and make an Ending-verse story. I may not be a good writer or even a halfway decent one, but I'll do what I can with this story, and deepest apologies if this chapter was too short.