The 1st day...
I walk around Ponyville, unnoticed. Silent. Not giving a care about my surroundings. No pony seems to give a care. I'm fine with just that. I have grown accustom to passing by everypony here in this small town.
It has been about a week since I died, last Saturday to be exact. I'm still stuck in this purgatory state wishing I would just leave this hell. Even when I was alive, no pony ever gave a damn about me. I was just an outcast, just trying to get by life the way I wanted. 'Screw everypony' I would think to myself. 'Who needs 'em?' I would also think.
"All the world needs is me...I got my values...so you can keep yours, alright?"
I continue to roam these streets, keeping to my self, passing through others in my way. The only thing I could do is listen to everyponies' problems and gossips. There are others like me, but I pay no mind to them.
All was hell...until...
"Attention, players!" A pony cloth in a dark cloak appeared in the middle of Town Square. Everypony that was deceased looked in the direction of the announcer. I followed along as there was nothing better to do. "We will be holding a little game to see which one of you is worthy of deserving a second chance at life. Some of you may have regrets that you hold dear and wish you can take those back. Now is your chance. Form a pact with somepony else, than the real challenge begins."
At that last statement, the figure smirked and turned away from everypony. The stranger started to walk off, then stopped. "Oh, and one more thing..." The horn of the cloaked figure glowed. Everypony looked at what was appearing in front of them. When it came to me, the object was...
'What is this? A pin?' I picked it up and examined it closely. It showed a picture of a sun on one side and a crescent moon on the other. They were both white which made them stand out of the black background. 'What's so special about this?'
"These are player pins. Every one of you are given this meaning you are participants of this game."
'Forget get it, hoodie. You can count me out,' I thought. I turn tail and started to walk away.
"And to those that do not participate, you can kiss you sorry flanks good-bye. Chao." Those were the final words of the cloaked pony before he disappeared.
'Not my problem.' I continued walking along, not paying any mind to that crazed loon.
Suddenly, I see red markings flying toward me. Those markings transformed into frogs and started charging at me.
"What the hay!" I gasped. "What are these creatures?" One of the frogs jumped on me and kicked at my side. "Ow! That actually hurts." The frogs kept coming, one by one. If felt worse than hell taking the kicks of these creatures.
"Not good," I said, beginning to pant hard. "I better bail out." I turned away from the frogs and ran. I don't know where I was running to, I just wanted to get the buck out of there.
As I ran, I noticed there were others that were getting attacked. Some of the ponies were disappearing left and right, getting taken out by those strange creatures. I did not stop. I just kept running, not giving any of this a second thought.
"Hey, Sweater!"
"What?!" I turned to see who was calling me, considering I have a vest on, which some ponies were stupid enough to mistake it for a sweater, still keeping a steady running pace.
There was a mare that flew up beside me. This mare was a red pegasus with hot pink mane and tail. Her mane was straight with bangs just above her blue eyes. There was a darker pink highlight hiding in her bangs. Her tail was medium sized with the same color highlight exposed down the middle of it. She wore a black wristband around one of her legs, which complimented her grey top.
"Form a pact with me!" she shouted toward me with a look that makes you feel sorry for that pony.
"If you think it will get rid of these things, then fine," I gasped back with what breath I had left.
For a moment, there was a flash of light that blind me. I couldn't see anything for a while. My vision came back after a few seconds. I also felt revitalized for some odd reason. I stopped my hooves from advancing any further, confused at what had just happened.
"What was that?" I questioned the red mare, who stopped right next to me.
"No time," she bluntly said. "Here." She held out a pin, but this one was different than the pin we had received. It had a lighting bolt on it. "I hope you know how to use it?"
"Use it? It's just a pin!" I pointed out, thinking that this pony is crazier than that cloaked unicorn.
"Hold out your hoof and focus your energy toward these things," the mare instructed.
"...Fine." Seeing as how I couldn't argue with this pegasus, I did what was asked. One of the frogs were closing in on us. I concentrated my energy and released it at the frog. It was just inches from my hand. The next thing I knew, the frog sparked from the energy I had just released and it disintegrated. I was amazed at what had just happened. "Did I...just...do that?" I looked back at my hoof, not believing what I had just done.
"Sure did," replied the red pegasus. "Though it's too soon to celebrate." She pointed to the oncoming frogs.
I saw what she meant, as they leapt toward us with haste. 'I guess the only way I'm going to hurt them is if I used this pin.' I hooked the pin the pegasus gave me to my vest and prepared to attack back. "I hope you have a method of fending off these things?"
CRACK!
I heard a piercing sound and saw that one of the oncoming frogs was gone. I looked back and saw the red mare holding a whip in her mouth. 'Hmm...kinky,' I thought to myself. "Okay, then. Let's get rid of these frogs."
I fired out bolts toward the creatures, some landing a direct hit on them, others going completely astray. The pegasus was going about whipping those that came close to her. After a while of firing lightning, it stopped working. Now I was left to dodge the frogs' jump. "Hey, what gives? You gave me a dud."
"It needs to reboot after a certain amount of uses," the red pegasus explained. Now growing weary with each time she used her whip. She was now having to dodge the incoming strikes "Give it some time and you should be able to use it again."
Sure enough, I was able to shot out bolts once again, taking out the rest of the creatures that remain. 'Well, that's that.'
"Wow, your pretty good with at using that pin," the pegasus complemented as she walked up to me.
'Big deal, it's just one pin,' I thought.
"Anyway, hey, hi, hello. My name is Tenba," she said with enthusiasm.
'Who the hell does she think she's kidding?'
"Do you mind telling me your name?"
'I don't have time for this.' I turned and began to walk the opposite direction, not giving Tenba a second thought.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The red mare shouted back. I didn't care whether she was talking to or not, I just wanted to be left alone. She took to the air and started to follow me.
This was now starting to bother me because, to me, she was like some sort of stalker. I turned to her tried to set her straight. "Look, the creatures are gone and I have no need for you. I also do not want to be a part of this 'game' the loon was talking about. Just leave me alone."
"And what if those things start attacking again, huh?" Tenba questioned. "What are you going to do then?"
"Just get rid of them the way I did before." 'As if I needed to explain myself, any more clearer than I need to be.'
"And just how did you come to that conclusion, Sweater?"
Both Tenba and I gasped as we heard a new voice enter in our conversation. I turned around and saw another pony, an alicorn to be specific, standing behind me. I quickly recognized who it was.
"P-p-princess Luna," Tenba stuttered as she bowed in respect.
'Great, just what I needed,' I thought to my self. 'Crap, I hope she doesn't read minds.'
"No need to be formal, Tenba," Luna said in a serious tone. Tenba got back up on her hooves and looked at Luna. "I just so happen to pass by and overhear your little conversation. All I am going to say is that you cannot face this alone, young one," she specified to me.
"And what makes you say that?" I demanded an answer. 'Royalty or not, she is just another pony getting in my way.'
"The only way you are able to activate your powers is through you partner. Before she came along, you were powerless against the noise."
"Noise? What is that?" Tenba asked, curiously.
"They are the creatures that attacked you early. They are summon through the red markings that are floating around this small town. If those creature ever have the chance to defeat you, you will vanish, forever." Tenba whimpered a little at the sound of vanishing. "These are but a minor threat, though, if you are willing to work together. There are, however, stronger foes you will encounter. They call themselves reapers."
"What are these reapers?" Tenba asked, once again, tensing up at the thought of disappearing forever.
"They are a force to be reckoned with. They are capable of sicking out noise upon players. My advice; if you ever encounter a reaper, I'd advise you to not engage in combat. Understood."
"Yes, princess,"
'I don't know why I'm even listening to this," I thought. 'But if it is the only way not to experience anything worse then hell...' "I still don't understand why I have to be stuck with her."
"Were you not listening, fool?" Luna was now feeling hostile toward me. "You are powerless without a partner. If your partner dies, you, too, will surely die."
'Ok, sheesh.'
"I wish the both of you luck, especially you, Sweater." She sneered at me, but I remained firm and unfazed at her glare. "Trust your partner." And with that she left, leaving me alone with Tenba.
"Well, that was a surprise." Tenba said after a moment of silence.
I just stood there, contemplating whether to go along with this whole game. 'Trust your partner? What a load of horses-'
"Anyway, can we start over?" the red pegasus suggested.
'If I'm going to get anywhere, I'm going to have to go with it.' "...Fine," I decided.
"Ok. Hey, hi, hello. My name is Tenba. What's yours?"
"...Kouma."
"Kouma, huh?" Just hearing her say my name made me kinda uneasy. "I would have expect such from a cute colt."
'Ugh, kill me now.'
"Anyway, nice to meet you."
BEEP, BEEP!
This made us both jump. 'Relax, it's just our phones,' I told myself. I took it out of my vest pocket and saw that it was text message. It read:
"Reach Carousel Boutique within 20 minutes.
Failure to do so will result in erasure.
-from Game Master"
"What the hell is this?" I asked.
"I don't know, but it looks like it is part of the game," Tenba pondered.
"Ow!" I felt a sharp sting on my hoof. I looked my hoof and saw a timer counting down from 20'00"00.
"I think you may be right about that," I said. 'Why am I even doing this?'
"We better make haste to CB," Tenba said.
'No sh-, Sherlock.'
We darted to the direction of Carousel Boutique. Luckily, we didn't have to face any noise, nor have we encountered any reapers along the path. With 5 minutes to spare, we made it.
"Whew, that was close," Tenba sighed with relief.
'Yeah, really easy for the first day,' I thought. "We still need to be prepared, just in case."
End of day 1
The 2nd day...
"Ugh"
"Oh, good. You're up."
I opened my eyes and found myself laying on the ground of an open field with a forest on the far edge. There, sitting next to me was my 'pact mate', Tenba, with that concerned look in her eyes. I got up from where I was laying, observing my surrounding. "Wh-where are we?"
The red pegasus got up from where she was sitting, now taking a look around her. "I'm not sure, but it looks like the edge of the Everfree Forest," she said.
"Everfree Forest!?" I exclaimed out loud. 'But, how? We were in front of Carousel Boutique just moments ago. How the hay did we end up here?' "Why didn't you go on without me?"
Tenba turned toward me, looking at me like I was stupid or something. "Um, hello? Earth to Kouma? Have you forgotten why I can't leave you?"
'No, but I so want to,' I thought through my irritation. "I already told you before, I don't care about this stupid game. Besides, I got nothing to gain for winning this. My life was hell and will always be for all I know."
"Look, you may not care about returning to life, but I do. I..." The red mare grew silent and looked off to the side, not knowing how to put what she wanted to say in words. "I...have this regret that I wish I could get rid of. I have been a horrible friend for doing it and...I want to make it right with her."
I sighed, not knowing what to do now that I have a pitiful excuse of a partner, but at the same time, I felt something...new. Something I thought I would never experience.
Concern... I actually start to feel sorry for this mare. Maybe even jealous. "Whatever it is, it can be that bad," I tried to comfort her, though somewhere in my mind, it wasn't like me.
"But it is," Tenba said, with tears forming in her blue eyes. "I said things I shouldn't have said to her... And now, if I don't get through this game, I won't be able to live it down. I crushed her spirit and lost our friendship in the end."
I just stood their in silence, not knowing what to say after hearing her reason.
Beep, Beep!
Our phones went off, just like they did yesterday. I pulled mine out and read the text that was sent to me:
"Rid the noise where knowledge thrives within 45 minutes.
Failure to do so will result in erasure.
-from Game Master"
'This must be the mission,' I thought. A sharp sting hit my front right leg just like yesterday. I looked down, and sure enough, there was the timer, ticking away. 'I really don't want to be part of this, but...' "Hey, the missions here. We should probably get this over with."
"Really? You want to actually get this done?" Tenba said with wide eyes.
"If it will get you to stop the crying, then, sure?" 'After this game is over, I will not have to deal with you anymore.'
This seemed to have brighten up the red pegasus, hearing me say that. "Ok, let's do this. I know we can win this."
'I'm not all that interested in this winning thing, but if it is to get her off my back I'm down with it,' I thought to myself. 'Though, I do feel a little better now that she's is not all sappy eyes on me.' "So, what do you make of this?" I asked showing her my phone.
She stares at it for a while, cocking her head in confusion at the wording of the mission. "'Rid the noise where knowledge strives?' Sorry to say, but I'm drawing a blank on this."
I wasn't the only one that did t understood the mission, Tenba was just as clueless as I was. "Ok, we'll I don't think we're going to get anywhere twiddling our hooves."
"Right, let's look around Ponyville for any clues," she said, not wasting any more time. We begin making our way to Ponyville, that is until...
THUD!
"Ow," Tenba exclaimed. "What was that?" She tried to get through again and again, but to no avail, the red pegasus was not making any progress. "What gives? It's like some kind of wall."
"Obviously, we not going to be able to get pass this," I said as I watched the mare trying to get through. "There has to be a reason why we can't get through..." I looked around, trying to look for anything out of the ordinary. There was, however, a pony, wearing a red hoodie with strange looking wings unlike those of a pegasus. 'How long has he been standing there?' I thought.
"Kouma, we have to find a way to get through this. It is the only way into Ponyville," she stated. Instead of listening to hear, I walked up to the red hooded pony. Tenba turned back to see I was not standing where I was previously. "Hey, Kouma!"
"Who are you?" I asked the red hoodie. I took a closer look and saw that his coat was pale where as the hood covered most of his face.
"I don't get paid to talk to players," the stranger explained in a monotonous voice. "Want pass this wall, then meet my requirements."
'So he's the one behind this wall...' "Name your terms, then."
"Clear out the noise in this area, then I'll talk."
I looked around in search for noises, but there was no sight of any. "Are you trying to mess with me? What noise?"
"This realm is more than just seeing with the naked eye. Utilize the player pin and you will see what I mean."
I looked at the pin with the sun and moon. 'This pin has the power to do that? Who would have known?'
"Kouma!" Tenba yelled at me. "Are you listening to me?"
"Hey, Tenba," I said in a calm tone. "In order to get through we need to get rid of the noise here."
"Really? Well I don't see any noise."
"We have to use these player pins to be able to see them." I said, pointing at the sun/moon pin on my vest.
"Are you sure about that?" the red pegasus question me.
"No, but it is the only thing I could think of based on what this guy said."
"Well, ok let's give it a shot."
I looked back at the hooded colt, glaring at him with the 'you-better-be-telling-the-truth' look. I focused my energy on the player pin. Everything turned dark around me. I did not see anything that looked like noise.
After a few seconds, I saw a sparkle of red popping into view. The red spark turned into something I did not expect to see: noise. With my energy, I drew the noise closer to me, inch by inch. As I drew it closer, the noise began to take shape into frog-like creatures. I came back into focus and prepared to attack. "There are noise here, we just couldn't see them."
"Wow," Tenba said, astonished of the player pin's power. "Well, we know the drill."
'Sure do. Time to test out these other pins as well.' I pulled out two more pins, one with fireballs firing across to one side, another with a hand, outstretched and open palm side. I found these the day when I first met Tenba. I didn't know how they worked at first, but I figured if the electro pin works with me focusing my energy in it, I wonder if these will do the same. 'Only one way to find out.'
As the frogs approached me, I focused my energy on the fireball pin, hoping this works. I felt the temperature rising up on my extended hoof. Next thing I knew, the heat was expelled in a form of a ball and was launched at one of the noise. 'It works!'
"Nice shot," commented the red pegasus, who flew straight to one of the frogs with the whip in her mouth. She lashed at her target, landing a direct hit and vanquishing it on the spot.
'I wonder how this other pin works?' I question. I focused, once again, on the pin with a hand, but nothing came out if it. I forced out the energy toward the frog, and still nothing. The frog approached closer and was inches from kicking me. Then, out of nowhere, a barrel came crashing into the noise. "What the hay!?' I turned to the direction of the barrel and saw no one in that general direction. 'Did I do that?' I looked at my hoof to see the pin with the hand. 'This could be...telekinesis?'
I tried again, this time, looking at the barrel the demolished the frog. It began to float in midair. I shot my hoof in the opposite direction and the barrel responded likewise with my hoof, hitting the last noise, that just so happened to be in the way of the barrel.
I looked around to see if there were anymore noises, but no sigh of them, even after I scanned the area. Tenba flew up and land beside me. "Woah! Since when did you get those pins?" she asked, still struck with awe.
"I've had them before, I just didn't know how to use them."
"Well, from the way you used them properly, you could be a powerful ally with these pins."
"Objective met," the red hooded colt came up behind them, making both of us jump. I turned to the stranger, still wondering who he was. "Wall cleared." With that being said, he vanished.
"Wait!" I yelled for him, but he was gone. 'Could he be one of the reapers Luna talked about?'
"Well, how rude," the red pegasus said. She turned to the path into Ponyville, paying no mind to the stranger. "Anyways, he got rid of the wall for us, so that's a good sign." She looked down at the timer on her front right leg and saw 10 minutes have passed. "Oh, my, Celestia! We only have 35 minutes left and we have no lead as to what this mission means!"
"Well, lets not waste anymore time," I said as I started to walk into Ponyville. "Come on."
"Right behind you."
We were able to make it to Ponyville crowded Town Square once we got in, lucky to not have encountered anymore walls that blocked the path. We stopped at the middle if Town Square, now coming up with a plan as to how to solve this mission.
"No matter how many times I think about this, I keep coming up blank," Tenba said as she racked her head to try to find answers.
"Yeah, I don't know where will find that noise that resounds in place where knowledge strives." I admitted after giving it some thought. I didn't know what to do so I just stood there, listening to the ponies that were passing by.
"Have you heard of that new hat they have on sale?"
"I think I left my shoes back at your place."
"Do you have time to spare, buddy?"
"I'll meet you at the library, then?"
!?
'Where knowledge strives... The library! Of course!' "Hey, I think I may have an idea as to where the noise is located."
"Really? Ok then, out with it," Tenba said as if she was in a hurry.
'It is going to be a long week.' "Does this town have a library nearby?"
The red mare put a hoof to her chin. "Yeah, I think so, but what does that have to do with the mis-oh!" she exclaimed as the light bulb went off in her head. "You think they are talking about the noise being being near the library?"
"It's worth a shot. After all, this is the only lead I could get." 'I hope I'm right about this.'
"What are we waiting for then? This way!" And she flew off in the direction of the library. I followed, trying to keep up with the winged pony.
We took almost no time to reach the library, again, no walls to get past, which was, again, luck on our side. We stopped on the front door of the building, where there was less ponies crowding the streets. Tenba turned to me with a questioning look on her face. "Are you sure this is really the place?"
"Only one way to find out..." I focused my energy on the player pin, one last time, and found a noise symbol about 5 hoof steps away from our current location. This one, however, was slightly bigger then the previous noises they have encountered. I began to draw the symbol closer in, revealing a 2 wolves. "Brace yourself!"
I didn't have to tell her twice for she had her whip at ready. We each focused on our own individual target considering there was two of them versus two of us. Tenba was the first to go in for a strike. She flew directly at her one of the wolves, preparing her whip for a lash attack. The hit landed, but the noise did not faze at the attack. This gave the wolf a reason to counter the red pegasus as it lunged straight for her. It connected and took a quick bite at one of her hind leg.
"Ahh!" Tenba screamed in pain as she came in for a landing. I was paying attention to what was happening to my partner I almost didn't notice the other wolf charging for me. I sidestepped to one side, still feeling the claws scratch at my side. I focused my fireball at my opposing target and let it loose. It landed a direct hit, but it did not have much affect.
"We'll never win like this," I pointed out, checking to see how Tenba was holding.
"We need a different approach," she panted. "Let's focus on one of them, then take out the remain noise."
'At this rate, we might as well.' "Ok." I turned my attention to Tenba's target. I ready a fireball and launched it at the noise. It did hit, but it still wasn't enough to stagger it. The red pegasus followed up with a whip lash across the body. This time, the attack sent it flying off to the side. Upon impact of the ground, the wolf diminished into nothingness.
'One down-'
Suddenly, I felt a jerk and a sharp pain at my side as I was sent barreling across the ground. Tenba saw what had happened and flew toward the remaining wolf, whip at ready. I got up from after being rolled like a wheel, and shook my head, enduring the pain that rested on my side. I saw the red pegasus charging at the wolf. I looked around and found a wheel cart I could use to finish off the noise.
Tenba delivered the strike, not making him faze, as usual. I focused what energy I had in me to lift the cart and sent it flying toward the wolf. It made impact and the noise was nothing more than rubble underneath the destroyed cart. I stood their, lost for breath as I have saw the work that was done to the noise. "Heh...heh..." I laughed in between breaths. I look to see that my partner was in a worse condition than I was. "I think...we did it," I managed to say.
Tenba limped up to me, dragging her bitten hind leg behind her. She looked down on her right front leg and saw that the timer was gone. "Sure did," she said as she continued to edge closer to me. I dropped to my rump, still trying to fill my lungs with oxygen. 'I still don't know what I got myself into,' I thought as I begin to lay down.
"You know, your not making my job any easier..." I heard a strange feminine voice from behind me. I quickly jumped to my hooves and saw an even stranger creature approaching me. I didn't look like a pony. She was walking on two legs instead of four, yet she had the same wings as the strange hooded colt from earlier. She had short pink hair and a strange get-up. "You two are the reason I'm behind on points, you know that?"
Tenba came up beside me, still at the ready in case the stranger decides to attack. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Why, I'm just your ordinary reaper, out to rid of you little players," the reaper explained, continuing to approach us. "I'm impressed that you were able to complete the mission today. I would like to have the honors to finishing what that noise started..." She summoned three more noises in front of us, all of them wolves.
"Ugh..."
"But sadly, that would just be easy picking, and my job says I am not allowed to touch players once the mission is done." The reaper raised her hand and the noise were gone in an instant. Both me and Tenba were in shock. "So you just use the noise as tools for your pleasure, is that it?" I questioned.
"You are so right, Sweater."
'Great, another one calling me that name. I'm getting sick of it.'
"Though I love to sit and chat, I need to be somewhere. Ta-ta!" And with that, she was gone. Not a single trace was left of her.
"This was close," the red mare sighed in relief. "I don't have any energy left to take on another wave of noises."
'Neither do I,' I thought, going back to laying back on the ground.
"I can tell you're tired, too," she laughed at the sight of me on the ground. I let out a small chuckle because what she said was true.
"Well, two days down. We keep this up, and you'll be home free..."
