The Ending Marks A New Beginning

by Golden Flare

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Drama, Changelings, Original Character, Adventure, Equestria Girls, Violence, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Main 6, Profanity, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Human
Length: 7737

“A cruel world is an unfair game; any chance of winning is nil…but, what if something were to, simply…change the rules?” A long time after Jason Wright’s invasion, another human stumbles into Equus…away from a now war-torn Earth…

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

A long time after Jason Wright, a human who was greatly wronged by ponies, invaded Canterlot and Ponyville, and got his revenge, the very ponies who wronged him were facing severe backlash for their crimes, even after having Ponyville torched to the ground and Discord’s demise: hated by many, labeled as torturous monsters of pony-kind, and the ones who were worst off are none other than the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony themselves.

Rainbow Dash never flew again after the day that everything changed, Applejack has been losing herself in her farm work so much that she suffers from severe exhaustion every day, Rarity’s reputation has hit rock bottom especially after losing both her boutiques, Pinkie Pie hasn’t smiled or even tried to cheer anypony up during this crisis, Fluttershy rarely goes into what little remained of the town, and Twilight…well, once word got out about the girls’ involvement, she was basically labeled as the instigator of this whole ordeal for slamming the door in Jason’s face, thus making the others shun him. Therefore, she was receiving the most flak from everyone, and when that’s not happening, ponies cry out to all the princesses, demanding Jason’s head on a platter.

Equestria essentially became a hell on Equus.

But the end of one story…is simply the beginning of a new one.

After the recent American President declared war on all of Earth and nuked every continent, they responded in kind, slowly turning the world into a nuclear wasteland. But luckily, a boy by the name of Alexander Siegfried had discovered the portal spell to Equus and used it to escape moments before the bombs dropped. Unfortunately, the force of the blast glitched the portal and launched him in between dimensions, granting him special powers from a being commonly known as "The Words of the World", but luck was on his side as he finally found himself in Equestria, just in a random spot.

As Alexander travels to find the famous Mane 6, he helps other creatures along the way, blissfully unaware of what has truly happened to Equestria, including the fact that Jason has discovered him. Alexander’s quest for peace begins. And Jason Wright is on the hunt.

Takes place months after A New Ending.

The "Crossover" tag is only there for references to the anime "That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime" and other subjects regarding the show.

Published 2023-04-29 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-07-02 14:10:49 UTC

Prologue: The Boy Who Overcame Space and The Man Who Overcame The Ponies

"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.

Chapter 1: The Show Mare

Alexander has survived a lot of challenges; he dealt with difficult high school tests, drama at home, and the occasional playground-type bully here and there. Hell, he's even dealt with a nuclear apocalypse! But now, Alexander now faces his greatest challenge yet.

VRROOO—SCREEECH! VROOOOO—SCREEEEECH! VROO—SCREECH!

...How to properly drive a motorcycle.

Contrary to popular belief, just because one is able ride a bicycle, doesn't mean one knows how to drive a motorcycle overnight, or even the course of a few hours. Yes, Alexander has been on Equus for roughly three hours, and he has yet to get anywhere fast, seeing as how he knows nothing about motorcycles. In school, he never took Driver's Education, and because of that and his recklessness in the Grand Theft Auto game series, he has little to no confidence in his driving skills, to the point where doesn't trust himself behind the wheel.

Or handlebars in this case.

Which leads to his current predicament: trying to explore the new world without being afraid of falling, crashing, or getting hurt in the process. With all of his ideas exhausted and him sick of being afraid, he finally decides to just walk his bike to his next destination, wherever it may be. Eventually, he came up to a rather friendly-looking forest with a dirt road path in the center, finally seeing his luck changing, Alexander presses onwards through the woods.

As he continues forward, Alexander doesn't recognize anything within, so he concludes he's definitely not in the Everfree Forest. Whitetail Woods, maybe? He thinks. But he didn't have an answer right now, all he could focus on was finding his way through the new forest he now found himself in, trying to find civilization before he starved or died of thirst. Granted, he had some food and water from when he was back on Earth, but that can only last him so long, especially when he doesn't know his current location, the portal spell he got off of the Dark Web didn't specify where in Equus he'd end up, so all he can do is continue on, cross his fingers, and hope for the best.

After ten minutes of walking his bike on the dirt road, he begins to hear a voice deeper in the forest, to him, it seems vaguely familiar, almost sounds like whoever is talking is broadly declaring something to many beings.

Wait...could it be...?

(Trixie Lulamoon's Theme)

Leaning his bike against a nearby tree, Alex quietly snuck closer to the location of the voice, and carefully shifted the bushes to see none other than Trixie Lulamoon, on her usual stage carriage, boldly declaring her magical feats to...no one?

Maybe she's practicing...? Alex thinks with a sweatdrop.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Trixie declares, "The tale of how the Great and Powerful Trrrrrixie vanquished the evil Changeling Emperor, Jason Wright!"

The "Dreaded Usra Major" I bet...wait, what did she just say?!

//Answer: She is referring to another human being named Jason Wright.//

Yeah, I got that! He yelled in his head, But why is there another human here other than me? And quote-unquote, "evil", no less?!

//Answer: It is very likely he came to this world via the same means as you.//

And my other question?

//Answer: That is something you will need to discover for yourself.//

Typical.

"...And after escaping the Equestrian Princesses, the Great and Powerful Trrrrrixie had used her incredible magic prowess to banish him beneath the depths of Tartarus!"

Somehow I doubt that... Alex deadpanned mentally.

"Thank you, thank you! Hold your applause! Thank you very much...wait...that IS applause! Who's there?!"

(stop music)

Alex jolted in his spot, then suddenly realized that he clapped for her story subconsciously, like he usually does at shows that he believes stinks, and gives the performers a pity clap, "Shoot...!" he whispered, tucking himself deeper in the bushes, "Guess old habits really do die hard...!"

//Uh-huh.//

"Gee, thanks for the confidence booster..."

"A-ha!"

Alex felt something yank at him and found himself in Trixie's face while being held her telekinetic grip.

"Gotcha, you free...loader...?" Trixie looked shocked, then horrified, "AHH! Another human!"

Trixie promptly dropped Alex and scooted as far from him as possible while the former tried to regain his bearings by shaking his head back and forth.

"Sheesh, some welcome..." he muttered, "Hey, um, 'Great and Powerful Trixie', can you tell me where I am exactly?" Alex asked her while trying not to give away his knowledge of the show.

"St-st-st-stay away...! Trixie...I've heard r-r-rumors about a human who destroyed Ponyville, and if you ARE one, I want nothing to do with you OR your kind!"

Great job, EMPEROR Jason Wright, Alex thought sarcastically, if this is how ponies are gonna treat me when I come around, this'll definitely make things a whole lot harder, not to mention he painted humanity in a bad light already...hang on, DESTROYED Ponyville?!? Alex forced his fear and surprise down and tried to calmly speak, "Look, I may be human, but I'm not dangerous. I don't know WHO this Jason person is, or WHY he destroyed Ponyville, but I'm NOT HIM. I just want to find a way out of this forest, whatever it might be named, find civilization, and then I'll get out of your hair. Promise."

"How does Trixie know she can trust you?" she asked, slipping back into her third person persona.

Alex sighed, "...To be frank, you can't." Trixie looked surprised, "I doubt anything I say will get you to trust me right away...but, I haven't hurt you in any way, have I?" she then had a look of realization, "If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it already, but I didn't. Because I know right from wrong. And you haven't hurt me in any way. So basically, you haven't given me a reason not to trust you, just as I haven't given you a reason not to trust me."

Trixie still seemed apprehensive, but eventually relented, "Fine—um, that is to say, The Great and Powerful Trixie, shall allow you lenience this time...but only this time. But, should you ever cross Trixie, or betray her trust, you will pay dearly!"

Alex sighed, "I suppose that's the best I'm gonna get right now..." he then looked around swiftly and suddenly, "Hey, did you hear that, too?"

"Hear what?"

The bushes nearby began to rustle, "There it is again...!" Alex started whispering loudly, "I think there's something in the bushes...!"

"Oh, please!" Trixie dismissed, "There isn't anything dangerous in these woods, we're not in the Everfree Forest—" just then, a large creature burst from the foliage and two more like it followed, something that looked all too familiar from the first two-parter of MLP...

"A-a-a-a-a-a-a—"

"—A manticore pack!!!" Trixie finished for Alex since he was stammering, "Run for your life!!!" she made a beeline for her carriage, but Alex stopped her, "What are you doing?!?"

"Your carriage won't protect you! We need to get outta here!"

"But Trixie's belongings, she won't leave without them!" A manticore suddenly jumped onto the aforementioned carriage and smashed it to bits, "Never mind, let's go!!"

Alex ran and led Trixie to his new bike as he hopped on, "Get on, get on!"

Trixie did so and asked, "What's this hunk of junk supposed to do for us?!"

Alex didn't answer right away as he turned the key to the bike's ignition and starting it up, There's no time to figure out if I'll handle this thing right or not, this is an emergency! "As a flying machine lover once said...HANG ON TO YOUR UNDERWEAR!!!" Alex hit the gas and sped off away from the predators he left in his dust.

(Run For It!)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!" Trixie shrieked over the loud motor of the machine.

"Not in my ear!" Alex had shout over his own ride, "I'm driving here!"

"What kind of bicycle IS this?!?"

"A motorcycle! Don't ask how I got it! It just happened!"

Trixie looked behind her and saw the manticore pack from before, "The kitties are back! And they're gaining on us!"

"Hang tight! I'll try and lose 'em!"

Alex tried maneuvering around the trees, boulders, bushes, and anything he could put between him, Trixie, and their mythical animal pursuers.

Luckily, one ran smack-dab into a tree and another slammed into a boulder.

Unluckily, however, the last one was barely able to dodge all of them and gain more ground towards its prey.

"This isn't working!" Trixie yelled.

"Well no shit!!!" Alex yelled back.

//Notice: use of the Unique Skill [Seer] might give you an edge to escape from the manticore.//

"'Unique Skill [Seer]'? What's tha—" suddenly, Alex's vision was filled with a glimpse of what was about to happen; the manticore will have caught up enough to leap at him and Trixie, and tear them asunder. Then, Alex's vision went back to normal, "What the fuck was that?!?"

"What's going on?!" Trixie asked in genuine concern.

Alex looked back and saw the manticore leap just as it did in his vision, and almost immediately, his survival instincts kicked in and he swerved to the right, causing the manticore to look confused...right before it hit a big tree head-first, knocking it unconscious.

(stop music)

Trixie looked astonished, then overjoyed, "We're safe!" then she turned to Alex, "That was amazing! How did you do that?!"

Alex, however, looked completely shellshocked, "...I have no idea."

As they both rode off to safety, Alex's thoughts dominated his mind, What the hell just happened? First this [Hijack] Unique Skill thing, now [Seer]? I mean, I was able to see into the immediate future like Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles but only when he wielded the Monado...but it seems like I'm not under such restrictions with that Unique Skill. I gotta get some answers.

Meanwhile...

Watching from afar was a pony-like figure, only it was pure black, its fur looked more like bug-like armor, had holes in its hooves, and piercing blue eyes. It began to contact its superiors through the hivemind link to report its findings.

"Come in, Commander! Come in! This is an emergency!"

//Did you find the source of the magic surge?//

"Yes, but...it's not what we expected...at all."

//Elaborate.//

The changeling sighed, "...I'm reporting a Priority H sighting, Commander."

Silence on the other end, and then, //...I'm sorry, I must've misheard you. Would you kindly repeat that?//

The changeling flinched at the harsh tone, but repeated himself all the same, "...I'm reporting a Priority H sighting."

//A human? Now?! This has to be a joke, no human can use magic!//

"Well, apparently, this one can! All I was able to hear was 'Unique Skill Seer' and he looked as if he was in a trance, then reacted as if he knew the manticore chasing him would pounce right then and there!"

//...// Another bout of silence, at least for a few moments, //...Return to the hive for debriefing. I'll have our remaining scouts keep a close eye on him until then. The Emperor needs to hear this. And this BETTER not be some kind of sick joke.//

"Understood, sir."

The link cut out.

The changeling sighed, "What a pain in the tail-end..." he began to fly back to the hive and deliver the news, "I just hope Agent Y doesn't do anything drastic like usual..."

Canterlot Castle Courtyard, moments after Alex and Trixie's escape...

It took some time and a lot of convincing, but Princess Celestia was finally able to gather enough pegasus guards to pull her chariot towards the direction of the magical surge. After hearing about the situation, the guards were very hesitant to go anywhere outside of Equestria due to Jason's invasion, but relented when she mentioned that this may help them in some possible way.

Not to mention she guilt-tripped them by telling them fear, as well as anger and hate, was what made Jason who he is now.

Soon everyone was ready for flight, Celestia climbed onto her chariot with Luna approaching near, "Sister, are you sure this is wise? Whoever cast that spell may not have pure intentions."

"Yes, but we do not know that for absolute certain. Besides..." Celestia looked down, "the least I can do is ensure my subjects are safe from whatever that surge was, if they even need any safety at all."

Luna wanted to say something, that she can't let Jason's complete change in personality rule her life, even if it was her fault, but she bit her tongue and said instead, "...Very well, sister. Just be back soon and in one piece, okay?"

Celestia managed a weak smile, "Always, dear sister." she raised her head and called out to her guards, "Take off!"

"You heard her, boys, let's fly!!" the leading pegasus guard declared as the chariot took flight.

Once they were all out of earshot, Luna muttered to herself, "Stay safe, Celly..."

Author's Note

//Next time: The Changeling Scout.//

A callback to another Ending-verse story called Endings and Beginnings by morbiusgreen and a reference to the Cartoon Network TV show Codename: Kids Next Door. Apologies if this chapter was really short. When you find time, give morbiusgreen's Ending-verse story a read if you haven't already, you might like it!

Chapter 2: The Changeling Scout

(Radio Music A)

As the crimson motorbike rode down the unknown dirt road, Alex decided to turn on the radio that came with his new ride, and thankfully, but surprisingly, one of his favorite songs came on as he and his new "friend", the term of which is used loosely, Trixie were listening to as they enjoyed the ride.

...Well, mostly.

"What kind of music is this?!" Trixie once again had to shout over the loud engine.

"Country Rock, I think!" Alex shouted back.

"Trixie isn't a fan of Country anything, but this sounds pretty good!"

"Glad you think so!"

Only the sound of the bike, rushing winds, and radio music filled the air around them now. Then Trixie spoke again.

"By the way, your skills with this 'motorcycle' thing were incredible! But how did you know when to dodge that last manticore?!"

"I..." Alex tried to think of what to say, "don't exactly know how, all I said was 'Unique Skill [Seer]', then one thing led to another; it was like I could glimpse into the immediate future!"

"See into the future?!" Trixie was shocked, "I thought humans didn't HAVE magic!"

"I know! It was a shock for me, too!"

As the two travelers cruised down the road, they were completely unaware that they were being watching by one of the scouts sent by one Emperor Jason Wright...and even HE was unaware of this specific scout's intentions. He was the same as the other Changelings, except he had dark yellow spines along his back and light grey eyes, which were glaring at the human driving the "mechanical monstrosity" as he called it. He kept his mind clear as not to alert the hive mind to his plan and slowly, but surely, began his descent towards the front of the duo...into a powerful divebomb.

"Hey! Do you hear something?!" Trixie asked-shouted.

"Hear what?!" Alex inquired back.

"A whistling sound!"

Alex focused his ears around the area and indeed hear the aforementioned whistling sound, "Yeah, I do! And it sounds like it's...getting...closer..." his eyes widened when he realized what that sound was: the sound of a dropping bomb, "LOOK OUT!!!" Alex swerved into a hard right to avoid—

BOOM!!

—The impact of something rather strong.

Luckily for them, it wasn't a bomb, but unluckily, it was something else. Or rather, someone else. Alex and Trixie turned to see a Changeling stepping out of the smoldering crater, gritting its teeth as it just missed it's target.

"STEP ON IT!!" Trixie screeched.

"Don't gotta tell me twice!!" Alex gunned the engine, desperately trying to get the both of them out of dodge as the Changeling gave chase.

(Danger!)

Since they were no longer in the forest, they had no cover, no trees to try and put distance between them and their pursuer, all they could do was drive and hope their motorcycle was faster than Changeling wings.

"Can't this hunk of metal go any faster?!" Trixie demanded.

"I'm trying, but we're at maximum speed!" Alex pointed out.

Just then, a beam of yellow-ish green energy flew past their right side, making Alex swerve to the left out of instinct. Alex risked a look back, and saw the Changeling charging another magic blast, but also noticed something else important: the Changeling wasn't gaining on them, in fact, it was matching their speed, Alex figured that it's trying to slow them down by blasting them in order to catch up.

"That guy's readying another blast!" Alex informed Trixie.

"Any OTHER bad news you'd like to point out?!" Trixie sarcastically asked.

"Yeah, actually! He can't catch up to us, so that guy's trying to slow us down!"

"So now what?!"

"Uhhh..." Alex was trying to brainstorm, but only came up with one thing, Voice, whoever you are, tell me, how do we get outta this mess?! Alex asked in his head, not wanting Trixie to think he's a crazy person.

//Request confirmed. Answer: there are no skills that you currently possess that can help you escape the Changeling assailant.//

Well, ain't that some shit! What about that [Seer] Unique Skill thing?

//Answer: using the Unique Skill [Seer] will only buy you additional time, it cannot help you escape the threat.//

Perfect! "Unique Skill [Seer]!" Alex's eyes glowed as he began to see into the future again: the Changeling fired its attack on the rear tire of the bike, blowing up the whole wheel and sending him and Trixie flying off their ride.

With that info in mind, just as the Changeling was about to attack, Alex swiftly swerved to the right, avoiding the blast of deadly magical energy.

"Unique Skill [Seer]!" Alex's eyes shimmered for a moment, then he dodged yet another magical beam.

//Warning: using a Unique Skill in rapid succession can greatly weaken your mental stamina. Notice: symptoms include: dizziness, lightheadedness, blurred vision, nausea, and severe exhaustion.//

At that moment, Alex felt all of the above symptoms while struggling to keep his bike balanced on the road, "Agh...now you tell me!"

"What's going on?!" Trixie shouted in concern.

"Using that—agh—Unique Skill mul—ugh—multiple times was—" Alex let out a nauseous belch, "—a bad idea. It hurts to even—murp—talk...!"

"Well, whatever you're going to do, you better do it soon...because the Changeling is gaining on us!!!"

Alex glanced back, and despite his blurred vision, he saw the Changeling catching up fast.

"Is there a—ugh—a spell to regain mental stam—murp—stamina...?"

Trixie pondered for a moment, but then looked as if she remembered something, "...Yes! There is! But, I can only cast it on another being, and it'll take time to take full effect!"

"Anything will do—" Alex gave another belch, ready to blow chunks, "—HURRY!!"

Trixie closed her eyes and concentrated on the spell and her target for it as the Changeling was getting closer...

"Agent Y! Agent Y! Disengage! That's an order!!"

Back in the Changeling Hive, the commander was currently trying, and failing, to rein his agent in, but to no avail. The second Agent Y crashed into the ground and missed the human and pony duo, his intentions became known to the entire hive mind, making them panic with the thought, "What if the Emperor found out that one of his own attacked his fellow human?" The one to recover quickly was the Commander in charge of Agent Y as he ordered him to stop attacking the human, but he was dead-set on going after him for some ungodly reason.

"Son of a whorse! What's gotten into that idiot?!"

"I'd like to know that as well, Commander Hornet."

The Commander, now named Hornet, froze, then slowly turned around to see the intimidating, masked face of his Emperor, Jason Wright. Despite his scarred face being hidden, he could tell that the Emperor was barely trying to contain his rage.

"M-My Emperor...I was just—" Hornet tried to stammer out.

"I'm in no mood for formalities nor excuses." Jason responded curtly, "Now tell me, WHY is one of YOUR troops attacking someone of great significant value to me. HMM??"

"I-I have no idea. Agent Y was ordered to keep watch and NOT engage the target."

"And yet here we are, watching your Agent engage that boy."

"I've tried ordering him to disengage, but he won't listen!"

"...Curious." Jason was silent for a brief moment, "Patch me into the hive mind."

"Sir?! Are you absolutely—"

"Do it!"

Hornet was stunned silent, but regained his voice, "A-Alright." then lit his horn and pressed it against his Emperor's forehead...

As this was happening, Alex couldn't keep his grip on the bike anymore and drifted too far to the point that he and Trixie fell over and off the motorcycle, just a short distance away from it. The Changeling slowed to a stop and began approaching the two as they were regaining their bearings. The Changeling pulled out a musket-like gun from his back and began loading it with his eyes solely on Trixie.

(Battle with Changelings - Yellowjacket)

"W-W-What do you want from us?!" she asked.

"Oh, just two things. One: the boy, alive. And two: you, DEAD."

"Why me?! What did I ever do to you?!" Trixie demanded to know, losing her 3rd Person shtick.

"You're a PONY, obviously! And him," he pointed at Alex, "My Emperor has a certain...interest in his fellow human."

"Urgh..." Alex groaned, "So I was right. I've heard of Jason from Trixie, but not the whole story. I don't know what happened or why he attacked Ponyville, but right now, I'm inclined to steer clear of him if this is how he orders his Changelings around to attack other beings."

Jason was watching and listening to this whole exchange through the hive mind without Agent Y's knowledge, and grit his teeth under his mask after hearing what the new human said, courtesy of Agent Y's intervention, "Son of a bitch..."

"Well, sorry about your luck," The Changeling continued, "but I never said you had a choice." he then leveled his musket at Trixie's head, making her cower.

"NO!" Alex yelled as he charged at him, grabbing the barrel of the gun and redirecting it.

"Let...GO... you stupid...MONKEY!!"

The two began struggling over the gun, trying to take it from each other with Alex actively avoiding it being pointed at him. Soon, Alex felt his mental strength come back to him in massive amounts, making him more focused and less dizzy.

"Bingo!" Alex declared, making the Changeling halt in confusion, and that brief moment was all it took, "Unique Skill [Hijack]!!"

Just then, the musket turned into green scan lines as it began to transform.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!?" The Changeling shouted in surprise.

As fast as the Unique skill was used, it was done; what was once an old-fashioned musket rifle has now become a modernized, custom-made shotgun, which bears a striking resemblance to Rufus Shinra's gun from Final Fantasy VII Remake. Alex, shaking off his surprise at another reference to the remake of FF7, raised his shoe-clad foot and kicked the Changeling off of his former gun, taking it for himself.

//Successful. The weapon has been modified to suit the user's needs. Notice: through subconscious use of the Unique Skill [Hijack], the user can change any small object into ammunition without the mental strain through use.//

"Why you...!" The Changeling began to charge, until Alex pointed the barrel of the gun at him.

Jason continued to watch as the rifle was transformed and the foolish agent tried to attack the boy again. He had seen enough.

"Agent Y." Jason began his strict order, "Return to base."

//What?! My Emperor, you can't be—//

"AGENT Y." his patience was running ever thinner with this idiot, "That's an order."

Alex watched as the Changeling seemed to have a mental debate in his head until he growled lowly, "...Count yourselves lucky this time." with that, he flew off, and Alex realized he never got his name, making him sigh.

(stop music)

"Should we...?" Trixie started to suggest.

"Better not push our luck." Alex lowered his new gun.

Trixie breathed a silent sigh of relief, then smirked, "Well! It is a good thing for that bug that The Great and Powerful TRRRRRRIXIE decided not to fight him with her grand magical prowess!" she then began to laugh arrogantly.

Alex just facepalmed and shook his head at her false bravado.

Back at the Changeling Hive, Agent Y was being led to the throne room by Commander Hornet and four lieutenants, two on each side of the former to prevent any sort of escape. Agent Y knew he was in hot water, but he had an excuse planned out.

"When we get there," Hornet began talking to Agent Y, "You'd BETTER have a good explanation for disobeying orders."

They reached the double doors and slammed them open, letting their Emperor and Duchess know they had arrived. The lieutenants broke off their formation from Agent Y as the Commander spoke to him once more.

"I already talked with the Emperor; he's willing to let you speak first before saying his own piece. Now speak."

Agent Y prepped up and gave his excuse, "My liege, I know I was only supposed to watch him, but not only was a pony with him," he uttered the word pony in disgust, "but I wanted to gauge whatever magical potential he had, and he has TWO of those Unique Skill things, but if he uses them too much, his mind starts to shut down. This could give us an edge."

There was silence in the throne room, then Jason took off his mask and addressed his subordinate, "Agent Yellowjacket...do NOT disobey my orders ever AGAIN." he then stood as Yellowjacket grit his teeth, "No one else is to engage this boy, only observe. That is a direct order from your Emperor. And that goes double for YOU, Yellowjacket. Consider yourself on probation. Disobey again, though, and you're dead. Did I make myself clear enough this time?"

"...Crystal clear, sir." Yellowjacket agreed, although reluctantly.

(stop music)

In the skies of Equestria...

All while this was going down, Princess Celestia and her pegasus chariot escorts were on their way to the general direction of the magical surge several hours ago. Celestia noticed that the sun was lowering itself down close to the horizon, meaning it will soon be time to lower it down entirely to make way for her sister's moon and nightfall. Her thoughts had been flooded with "what ifs" about who or what caused that surge and their intentions, but after so many questions and no answers, her thoughts wandered back to a certain group of former friends and their destroyed town.

I wonder how Twilight and the other Elements are faring right now...? she pondered as the chariot pressed forward to their destination.

Author's Note

//Next time: Ponyville Ruins.//

This is gun that Alex now wields, minus the coin:

[Soundtrack List]

FLARE (Opening Theme)
Night of Fate (Escape From A Nuclear Earth)
Pikmin Title Theme (Equus Arrival)
Ventus (Distress and Sorrow)
Juno - Bureaucratic Model (Changeling Castle Throne Room)
STORYSEEKER [TV Size] (Chapter End Theme)
Troupe Gramarye (Trixie Lulamoon's Theme)
Run, Rambi! Run! (Run For It!)
Seein' Red by Dustin Lynch (Radio Music A)
Apprehension (Danger!)
Unavoidable Battle -Reload- (Battle with Changelings - Yellowjacket)

Author's Note

Will update as the story continues.