The Story of J

I have forgotten how cold this place was. The icy wind bites into my spectral form making it hard to look solid. I hold my chest and still my body. My body searches for my host. *Badum....Badum* There I feel the barely beating form of whom I am searching for. I pick the direction of the beating form that only I can hear. I look up at the sky to see the frozen husk of the sun still there, making it even colder at all times of the day.

I have been walking the frozen tundra for an hour now and have reached a strangely shaped building that connects multiple houses together. I can feel the beating of the heart more strongly here. I melt in the shadows and move about the strange faux mansion with ease. Finally I reach a single door that looks like it hasn't been used in years. I slip under the door and materialize on the other side. There I see a form sitting on a chair sitting in front of a self made shrine. The candles have frozen over who knows how long ago. There are pictures of a small girl posing in all of them. There sitting in the chair rests the cause of the cold world. A broken man with no hair, his ribs profusely making known his emaciated form. His arms and legs more akin to thin twigs. The clothes on him no longer fitted for his form look like large blankets.

"Hey how long are you gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself?" I ask myself.

"Hey how long are you gonna sit there feeling sorry for yourself?" I hear a voice ask me, the first one I've heard in years. I slowly and stiffly turn to see who it is to see my shadow standing over me, looking at me with disgust. " Isn't it time to move on and try to live again?" It asks me with pity in his eyes. I try to respond but my vocal chords refuse to used after a century of not using it making me cough roughly and then shrug my shoulders with indecision. "Look you sad sack of shit, while you were here with your pathetic pity party crying away the universe, I have been searching for a new employer for us. Now I know you can't ever forget what happened but I refuse to waste it doing nothing when we could be out there killing, massacring and stealing souls for The Void or have you forgotten your duty?" I feel a slight indignation rising in my chest. A fire burn within me reigniting the stiff joints all over my body.

"I serve The Void in all his endeavors and am the instrument in which fuels the Balance of all life. I will restore Balance where chaos reigns, where harmony blooms abundantly and where I am needed. In death as in life I shall serve." I whisper almost croaking from the misuse of my voice. I slowly stand causing all my bones to pop and realign themselves slowly. A low grumbling comes from my starving stomach. "I am famished." I state amazingly feeling hunger for the first time in some time.

"Its a good thing I come prepared then isn't it." My shadow throws a small canister of some golden substance. Inside the canister resides a soul that's been trapped. I can feel the soul inside it writhing for freedom. I quickly pop the canister open and devour the soul inside. I glow a dark glow as energy floods my body and quickly is put to use in repairing my body. I feel my body expand and fill out more making me look less starved and more fit.

"Thanks Xado, you're a lifesaver." I grunt my thanks. I flex my renewed body trying to feel out the stiffness still left in me. My clothes fit me better but are still a little loose. I look around the room and go towards the bedroom. Inside are weapons and armor stacked on the wall in an orderly fashion. I reach for the black smooth armored suit of to the left side of the room. As I slowly put on the armor I hear Xado grabbing equipment from the second room adjacent to current one. "So whats the details?" I ask my dark companion eager to hear what mischief he's dragged me into.

"Well some things are better seen then told." He chuckles as he tells me. " However this time we're working for a princess." He states across the room. All the while dragging out heavy cases and filling them loudly. " We've been hired by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna her sister. Keep in mind its a diarchy ruled by the two sisters!" He yells over the clattering of the equipment.

"Great royalty, just what I wanted to work for. You know how I detest the self privileged and self entitled. So this is either good enough to warrant a chance or something about them is different from the usual rabble." I say to him as much as I state aloud. I finish putting on the armor, the armor was made from essentially from volcanic rock. It was a shimmering black color that reflected the light shining on it. The armor was covered in pouches and hidden compartments that had a hidden crossbow and a wrist blade. The armor could also withstand a great deal of temperature and even adapted to the temperature. It was a bit loose but I would fill into it later. I browsed my weapons and decided to stick with knives and blades for now. I grabbed dozens of knives and stored them in the my many pockets. Then I grabbed the compound bow and a quiver filled with arrows. I turned around to see Xado dragging several large black crate's that looked like that had plenty of equipment in them. I looked pointedly at the crates he was dragging.

" What? We still need a lot of shit for future and better that this equipment doesn't go to waste anymore." He shrugs and goes back to packing more equipment. I look around and find a spools of fine thread used to silently assassinate targets quickly. I grab a few dozen spools and place them in one of my pockets. I also grab some C-4 and motion sensors for the road. I look at the time and see that it is 4:00. I hum thoughtfully as I judge how far the walk is. " Oh what time is it by the way?" Xado asks while hurriedly packing all the gear we can bring.

"Its about 0400 why?" I ask uncertain of what time restraints we have. I hear Xado curse loudly and quickly finish his packing before quickly slipping the crates into his shadowy form. Though it looks quite comical seeing a shadow stuffing himself full of huge crates and cases. I chuckle softly at him.

"Shit, we should head out soon then, the rendezvous point is about an hour away so we should make hast returning there. A portal will open at 0700 to take us to our new destination, where our current handler." Xado proclaims abruptly finishing his task and looking at me expectantly. I finish grabbing a few items including a music box that was on the shrine and leave behind the home that I had known for so long.

"So what are the natives like?" I ask eager to hear of the new world that awaits me.

"Hehehe, you'll see." Xado laugh mockingly at me. I frown from the lack of response.

"Pssh asswipe, i'll find out on my own then." I say in mock anger only to hear Xado laugh harder. I have a sinking suspicion i'm not going to like whatever it is Xado has planned. Still bound to serve by one who I have given my word to serve, even if it was not me who actually agreed. My reputation was at stake and demanded that I follow through with all my commitments.

It took us roughly an hour and a half to reach the destination and I grew increasingly more worried about the unknown of what kind of place would this planet be. We stood there for all but 10 minutes before a sudden portal opened up before me. Xado slipped easily behind me making me and my shadow whole. 'Well no time like the present' I thought and stepped into the portal to a whole new world. What awaited me on the other side was a strangely dressed man in maid outfit looking expectantly at me.

"Welcome master, may I be the first in welcoming you to the beautiful lush lands of Equestria?" Glib spoke like a maid trying to seduce her master however the name didn't register at first and the vibrant colors that attacked me through the portal made me feel uneasy. Then as I realized the name of the place and moaned loudly.

"Oh What the fuck!?"