Equestria Ends With You

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..."