As Stars Fall from the Heavens

My name's Aegir Samebito, a 25 year old American born from a Norse father and a native Japanese mother. They taught me traditions from both cultures, trained me in Glima, Laustak, Aikido, Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Kyudo from the age of three. I have mastered Glima, Laustak and Aikido. I am considered high ranking status within Kenjutsu and Kyudo, but, Ninjutsu troubles me and I am mid rank at best. They were very loving and strict, but, allowed me my freedoms, my favorite being gaming.

One day I got an email asking me to try a new Suikoden game, 'Suikoden: Harmonic Chaos Land of New Beginnings'. I took the chance and waited for the next email. Three long months of training, while I wondered what the story line would be, the characters that would come out, maybe some new true runes as well.

Finally, the next email came and it said 'Out of the 3000 sent the previous email and the 1789 that accepted, you are a part of the 500 testers that will be using a new feature added to the game. There will be two versions of the game that will be put out the average tried and true Suikoden and another that will use this new feature. You will create your main character, your Star of Heaven from the ground up. We will allow you to be as detailed as you want. Also, one more thing pushing you to be as detailed and creative as you can be, the top ten characters of the 500 will be added into the primary version of the game as different stars. PS: Have fun.'

It came with the file and I was ecstatic as I loaded it up and hit the start button. It went to the character creation screen. I took a full three hours on the creation of my character, including gender, description, and many, many more things. Once I was happy with what I made I hit the send button. The game immediately went on the fritz and shutdown. I was so pissed off I couldn't speak and just held my head in my hands.

Ten minutes passed as I silently raged gripping my face. Suddenly, I heard a ping and the music from the game. I looked up and a message was on the screen. 'Hello, Aegir. I have gone over your character, don't worry it wasn't deleted, and have found it to be the best of the 500 placed in. Although, second place and third place came very close. You beat second place with the creativity you put into your character and you beat third place with the time you put into your characters history. Very close match indeed. Now if you would like we will allow your character to be the Star of Heaven in the main game. Do you accept?'

I was so happy I screamed out "YES!!!" That's when things became very, very weird as an arm burst out of my computer and grabbed me, pulling me into the screen.

I found myself in a blank room with only one computer in it and a single person who dropped me on the ground and said with a toothy smile, "that's what I thought." His.... her... their form seemed to shimmer and change never actually looking the same for more than a few seconds and their voice seemed to change with them. I was amazed as some of their forms were characters I knew from games.

"Who... Who are you... and what the hell happened?" I asked, completely subdued by what had just occurred.

They walked towards their computer and said, "I am The Gamer, a being called a Void Dweller. I am the one who got them to send out the 500 extra files, altering them slightly to make sure I would be able to contact the contest winner, or one of the top ten if my offer wasn't accepted." They looked at me and said as they continued to change, never in one state, "I meant what was sent, but, one thing wasn't explained. Your character will be accepted into the game as the Star of Heaven, however, you will get the new beginning and will play my game."

They walked towards me and touched my forehead I screamed in pain as my form was shifted. Seconds later the pain left me and they pulled a mirror from nowhere. I looked into it and saw the character I had just made. My hair was now white with a dark grey stripe through it, and fell to the middle of my back. I was now 6'4" instead of my previous 5'3". I knew that I was now ambidextrous. I had three tantos at my right hip, a katana, kobutowari and an odachi upon my left hip, and a short bow on my back with it's arrows. I wore a dark grey leather coat that match the color of my hair, a black studded leather shirt, a pair of leather pants that matched the color of my coat, and a pair of black leather boots.

"Funny thing is you had the most uninspired name of the top ten as you used your real name and if third place just took a little more time they might have won." They added in with their chaotic voice.

"You... you still haven't really told me much..." I said quietly, my voice now sounding foreign to me.

"No... perhaps I haven't. So, you are now what is known as a Displaced. There are many throughout the multiverse and some do come in contact with each other through what is known as a token. Said token will have a phrase that can be used to call a Displaced over to the other's universe, to send messages, or to jump to the universe of the token's owner. Some other void dwellers like to make a token for a displaced, but, I'm just going to give you the knowledge of how to do it."

A see through screen appeared in front of me that stated, 'The Gamer has entered Teaching Mode and offers to Teach Aegir Samebito Token Creation. Will you accept.' I tapped the yes on the screen even more confused, but, not so surprised that The Gamer could access game mechanics. A wave of knowledge flowed into me and I smiled. I flowed the energy within me focusing on how I wished the Token to look and it compressed into a small orb. Glass like in it's looks it held a small star within it that was half black and half white. It's colors constantly shifting around it's surface. I whispered into it, "In the beginning there was Darkness. Then finally, the Darkness shed a Tear. From that Tear, the brothers Sword and Shield were born."

The Gamer smiled once more and said, "now that's using the game's lore." I sent copies to float through the void randomly. "Now that, that's done we can move on. You will be able to use certain game mechanics when you are sent to world I have chosen, such as leveling up, an item box... hmm.... what else should I give you... might as well give you an altered version of the class system allowing you to have your main class, which will be altered to contain the mage class as well, and three sub-classes. I will allow you to use the lore version of runes upon your body instead of the game mechanics as it would limit you too much, however, too many runes can still hurt you. You will use a point system game mechanic for your stats. Hmm.... you'll use game mechanics for Hp and Mp bars, but, it will be altered slightly so that you can draw mana from inside as well as the world itself with meditation. You will have a training mechanic that will allow you to up your stats. You will not have the teaching mechanic, as I think that would be less fun. Finally, when you find one of the 108 stars you will have a slight ping that could go unnoticed if you aren't paying enough attention. If the stars join you they will have access to these mechanics as well. The screens will go unseen to any but those affected by the game mechanics and can be controlled through thought alone. So that people don't think you're crazy." They finished and I was amazed at what was done.

I chose Martial Artist as my main class which was altered to Enlightened Fist, followed by Swordsman, Archer and Ninja. I was happy with my choices and smiled. I realized that I also had the runes I had picked at the beginning, but, something was different I could hear a small voice in my head. It sounded as grating, but, somehow high pitched. I asked The Gamer, "what's... what's the voice in my head?"

"Ah, that would be one of the three runes you have, the True Lightning Rune, I upgraded it. I know you have the Gale Rune and the Sunbeam Rune. The Sunbeam Rune will work on allies within thirty feet of you. Now you're finished. Bye Aegir." They said.

The world shifted and all I could see was a rainbow of colors all around me as a deep female voice screamed out "NOOOOO!!" She sounded like she was near me, but, then I was shot to the side and impacted a column and a -2 appeared in front of me and faded away.

'That's going to get annoying very quickly.' I thought as I looked around. I could see that there was an actual rainbow beam being blasted down where I was previously. It, also, seemed to be coming from six young adult looking females. They were humanoid, but, equine-like, two had horns, two had wings, and two had neither. The rainbow faded and I noticed we were in a dilapidated and ancient castle. Then I saw two more of these equines one a little taller than the six I had noticed before, but, the other, now she was tall. She dwarfed even the new me by at least five inches. Both of them had both horns and wings. They hugged each other and she began talking to one of the... unicorns I guess... and said "Twilight, I thank you for this night... for bringing my sister Luna ba...." Her voice stopped as she finally noticed me in the corner her eyes grew wide and the others looked to me. That's when she screamed, "Holy Tartarus what are you!?" That's when I felt the pings.

I smiled lightly and said, "Heh... Hey... I'm Aegir Samebito and I'm well a human. Not really from around here..." My uncomfortable smile showing as I could feel the power from this woman.

"Why do you have weapons?" She growled as her power pulsed further.

"Gotta protect myself right?" I simply said as I shivered, my fear showing. I wanted to crawl into myself as I began to tear up. One tear fell and everything changed in a moment.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by two women, one was the light yellow pegasus with long pink hair and the other was the pink equine with pink hair that looked like clouds or cotton candy. The other four had put themselves in-between me and the powerful woman in front of me. Both of them around me were hugging me tightly and speaking softly.

The pegasus said in a quiet, caring voice, "Shh... it's ok, I'm Fluttershy and you don't have to cry anymore." She had large blue green eyes that exuded kindness.

The other stated with quiet, but happy sounding voice, "It'll be fine. I'm Pinkie Pie, I wanna be your friend and I want to see you smile no more sad. See." Pinkie Pie had large blue eyes and had a smile on her face that seemed like it was just for me. My happiness grew.

I heard Twilight say to the tall women, "Princess Celestia, please pull back your magic can't you see that it's scaring him. He may have weapons, but, think about it. This is the Everfree Forest, it isn't the safest place on Equus. My friends and I will stay with him and I don't think he's a bad pony. I don't know why... I just feel it.. Like I'm connected to him somehow... So please just calm down."

I smiled widely as Princess Celestia's power shrank back. Then I cried some more, this time out of joy and said just loud enough the six around me to hear as I hugged the Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie tightly, "Thank you."

Pinkie giggled as she pressed herself against me and said happily, "now that's a smile and a great hug to boot."

"Fine Twilight, I shall trust you, but, should any harm come to my ponies... well, Tartarus hath no fury." She said, the threat very clear in her voice. She and Luna flew off and I felt so much better.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both pulled back and helped me to my feet. I took a deep breath and looked at the six ponies around me. That's when I realized just how gorgeous these women were. Pinkie immediately stated, "you already know me, Flutters and Twilight. These wonderful mares are Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity!" Pointing to each of the mares in succession.

Pinkie was adorable and a little pudgy here and there, but, you could still just barely see her abs below her white and pink half shirt, as well as, the muscle in her three jointed legs covered by a pair of jean shorts with her cotton candy-like tail emerging from it. She seemed to be around 5"4". She was curvy, adorable, strong, had one of the cutest voices I'd ever heard and had the best smile.

Fluttershy was thinner, but, was still curvy, she hid behind her hair... no mane... She hid behind her mane, and wore a long, green and white dress that had frilled sleeves that covered her hands mostly. It hid most of her, but, she had been pressed up against me just a little while ago. She seemed to be graceful and her shy nature made her even more gorgeous. She seemed to be around 5'6". Her wings could be seen, but her tail was beneath her flowing dress.

Twilight had light purple fur and had a three toned mane that was mostly a dark blueish purple, with stripes of dark purple and dark pink. Her mane was so strait and controlled you could almost feel the OCD pulsing from it. She was beautiful, but, I think the better word I would use to describe her was adorkable. Her clothing was like a school uniform, a dark purple vest, a light blue long sleeved button up shirt that was perfectly tucked into a knee length skirt matching the color of her vest. She stood around 5'5" and was nicely shaped. Her eyes were a couple shades away from matching her mane, that showed curiosity, intelligence, and care.

Rainbow Dash had blue fur, an athletic body, a messy rainbow colored mane and tail, and dark magenta eyes that just pulsed with confidence. She was flying so I could actually see her wings in motion. Her wings were graceful and every movement she made was perfect. Her feathers were prim and perfect as well showing the care she put into them. She seemed to be around 5'3" and was wearing a tight tank top and tight, black athletic shorts. She was a bit thin, but, honestly that just made her a little hotter.

Applejack had a blonde mane and tail that were put up in... a ponytail of all things and wore a light brown stetson. She had orange fur and wore a simple white tee shirt with apples on it, a pair of working gloves, and a pair of blue jeans. However, you could see the strength in this 5'6" mare. I knew a farmer when I saw one. She was built, but, not so built that it looked freaky. Her beautiful green eyes showed an honest mare, with family on her mind. She was a working mare, but, still took care of herself and was beautiful.

Now, Rarity had white fur and while Fluttershy had a natural grace to her, Rarity had a practiced grace to her. Her grace was not false though, it was years of practice that I don't even think she knew she had. She had a curled, indigo mane and tail. She wore a short sleeved two-toned shirt showing blues and whites, and had a short, indigo skirt with small gems embedded over both. Her eyes were a darker blue than Pinkie's and showed a wonder in her eyes as if ideas were just boiling underneath the surface. She held herself with a proper stance and damn she was sexy.

I took a breath as I realized that as I had been staring they had been talking, specifically, to me. That's when the slight blush I had went nuclear. "Aegir, are you ok?" Twilight asked as she got close and checked my temperature. Her forehead pressed against mine and I looked strait into those intelligent eyes.

I heard Rainbow laughing as she said, "oh yeah, he's fine. Just a little case of hot mare syndrome."

"Rainbow, darling, you need to have more couth. Though, it does make a mare feel good to see the way he looked at us," Rarity said.

"Well, truthfully, ah don't think he heard a word we said and yur right. Does feel naice to know somepony thinks yah look good," Applejack answered.

Twilight backed up really quick and her blush, which was a dark purple, went just as nuclear as mine as she realized just what she had done. Fluttershy was blushing up a storm as well as Pinkie jumped up happily and said, "yay! He thinks we're pretty!"

I calmed myself down and brought myself back to normal with a short meditation lasting only a few seconds. "Ok, I can think now. Now, what were you mares saying. I got... distracted as you could see... no use in hiding it." I said, causing Rainbow to laugh her ass off, Pinkie to have a belly laugh, and even Fluttershy to have a quiet titter. However, none of them seemed to be a mean laughter.

"Well, darling, you said you were far away from your original home correct," Rarity pointed out and I nodded. "So, we were thinking that maybe, you could stay with one of us. First can you walk on clouds?" she asked. I simply shook my head no. "Rainbow's house is out then. Fluttershy, is a little to shy for it so no. Pinkie is renting and cannot bring in a new resident. So, that leaves us with my house, AJ's farm, or the library where Twilight lives." She finishes.

I couldn't believe what I heard, "you... you all don't even know me... and you've already put yourselves in danger for me... then, you offer me a place to stay.... even if it's just temporary... you all are so much more caring and so much nicer than most humans I've ever..." I stop as it sets in that I would never see my parents again. Tears rush out as I drop to my knees.

They rush to me and surround me, "Hey, there, fella what's goin' on. You can tell us," Applejack stated.

"I'll never... never see my parents again....." I answered quietly.

Applejack pulls me to my feet and my legs feel weak. She said to them, "I'ma take this one girls. I know the feelin'." From there we walked a path until we made it to Applejacks farm, the mares leaving slowly as we went. Each one giving me a hug before they left. "Let's go and get you some vittles," She stated with sad eyes as she put me up at a table and walked into what was probably a kitchen. She came out with a small pie and a young yellow filly with a red mane and tail, large orange eyes, simple clothing and a big bow in her mane.

Applejack gave me the pie, a sweet apple pie if my nose was working, and a spoon, while the young filly looked up to me and grabbed the hand I wasn't using to eat. "Mister... Ah'm Applebloom... and ah, know how it feels to lose family... it hurts... ah was real young when it happened, but, ah can still feel the pain..." her eyes watered, "If... if you want ah could be yur little sister... it'd be naice tah have another big brother 'round here... and the Apple family always stays tahgether..." The words she said just made me so happy. I looked towards Applejack and she nodded.

I gave the little filly a big hug and said, "sure, I think I'd like that. My family always taught me that family and tradition are important," She gripped me as tightly as her little body could, and a message played in my head, 'the Broken Star, Applejack, and the Leveled Star, Applebloom wish to join you. Do you accept?' I simply thought 'yes'. Their eyes both grew wide as they looked at me. I finished the pie and spent the next few hours just explaining what was going on. Then we all went to bed as the stress of the day fell upon us late that night.