Advent of Victory

I stood over the squirming diamond dog with my boot pressed to his throat. Though he was almost an entire foot taller than me he was still unable to move out from under me; his fear leaving him completely paralyzed. Tears began to stream down his face as I continued to apply pressure.

The dark space around me whispered encouragements as I slowly stole the life of the dog beneath my heel. His lips moved in words of pleading, but he was unable to make anything audible escape his throat except a whining choking sound. I reveled in the power I held over him as I increased the weight on my foot. I felt his trachea begin to shudder as it tried to absorb the force pressing down on it before suddenly snapping.

I removed my foot and took a couple of steps back and watched the dog thrash around trying to pull oxygen into his lungs. His flailing was in vain and no life giving air could make it down his shattered throat and save his miserable existence. I smiled as he wheezed and his face began to turn a comical blue. The veins in his eyes bulged and burst as he strained to take even a single pained breath.

It didn’t take long before his flailing calmed and he laid motionless on the dark surface that served as the ground, becoming still. My grin threatened to split my face as I watched the last moments of this murderer's life slip from him and float into oblivion. I didn’t know if he even had a soul, but if he did I prayed that it would find its way to hell so it could burn in fire for the rest of eternity.

“It feels good to triumph over your enemies,” A voice spoke behind me, causing me to turn immediately. Before me stood the beautiful woman that had prompted my journey to Equestria not a day ago.

“You!” I seethed.

“You should not be so hostile towards me, Maximilian.” She continued to walk forward until she stood but two feet away.

“You ruined my life.” I spat at her feet, but the gesture roused no emotion from her.

“I offered you a choice and you took it. Now you must listen for there is not much time. The veil between our worlds can only be open for a short period.”

“Speak your piece then.” I folded my arms and took a step away. Though I despised her for what she had done, I didn’t exactly want to push my luck too hard with her. If she had been able to send me across universes then she could probably squash me like a bug.

“I may have not been very upfront with you when we first met, and for that you are owed and explanation. You have been placed into a game between the immortal and powerful for stakes higher than you can imagine. Now that you are in the game there is only one way out, and I do not believe that you wish to journey down that path.” It was pretty evident what she was hinting at.

“So basically you and some other people got together and decided to toy with some mortals like myself. Who exactly are you anyway?”

“I have been known by many names but you may call me Victoria. I am your sponsor in this game, and you are to be my champion. Together we shall reign victorious over all others.” A fire ignited in her eyes and she showed me a genuine smile.

“Wait,” my mind reeled back to the history classes I had half slept through, “do you mean Victoria as in the roman goddess?”

“The one and the same. We do not have time to discuss such things now, as time is short. If you ever wish to return to your home, and be out of this game then you must win it. Victory in this competition will bring about spoils unimaginable.”

“Fine, okay lets say that I accept everything you just said.”

“You should I wouldnt lie to you,” she quickly added.

“That’s not the point. I am still debating whether or not I have had some mental break, but lets put all of that shit aside for a moment. I really only have one big question that needs answering at the moment. Why the hell did you make me a chick?” Above everything else I felt this needed answering.

She laughed to herself. She actually laughed! “You will thank me for that later.”

“I highly doubt it,” I deadpanned.

“Believe what you will, but it is the truth. It seems that our time has run out and I must leave. Good luck my champion, may your efforts bear fruit.” She began to step away, and quickly vanished into the blackness of the world that surrounded us. I tried to take off after her, but found that my feet were glued to the ground.

“Wait! How am I supposed to win this game if I do not even know the rules,” I called after her, but the darkness had already consumed her.

“How does anyone defeat another in a battle?” the voice echoed around me. “By destroying their opponent’s forces.”

I sprung to my feet and almost tumbled right off of the back of the cart. I looked around frantically trying to get my bearings and noticed a couple of ponies staring back at me. We were still traveling along the winding path through the mountains, and if the sky was anything to go by, the sun was just beginning to set. I must have dozed off during my ride in the back of the cart.

I sighed and settled back onto my stomach as the wagon continued its slow pace along the downward slope. After glancing ahead I could determine that we were not too far from reaching the end of the mountain range. It had taken a good portion of the day to pass through, most of which I had spent sleeping, but it seemed we would pass the border into Equestria in a few hours.

I sighed and began to turn my thoughts inward. I was still very disturbed by the dream that had shaken me awake. Was that really something that had happened or had I imagined the entire conversation? It had felt real or at least as real as the last time I had seen her in a dream. It was probably safe to assume that it was actually her.

Was her claim of godhood really true though? She had claimed to be the roman god of victory, and if I were to believe that then how could I deny her other assertions. She said that many immortals like herself were playing a game, and that I was to be her champion in this game. Did that mean that there were other humans here in Equestria all competing for some prize that I had no knowledge of? Was this Equestria just one giant staging ground for this game?

I had knowledge of this world from the show, but it was very limited. To my knowledge of canon only three gods existed within Equestria itself, and potentially more outside of its borders. The two pony princesses that ruled the land could be considered gods themselves seeing as how they were able to manipulate cosmic entities on a daily basis. Discord could also be considered near omnipotent with how much his chaos magic had changed the world, and even caused the sun and moon to cycle at random. If each of these gods had their own champion in this game then I was easily out of my depth.

One thing that she had said was bothering me the most though. “How does anyone defeat another in battle? By destroying their forces.” Does that mean that Victoria wanted me to kill the other champions in this game? Does that mean that they will be trying to kill me? Was that the goal of this game?

I sighed once more and buried my face in my paws, I simply lacked enough information to draw a conclusion at this point, but it would probably be wise to be cautious. I needed to keep my identity as a human hidden at all costs. If anyone found out then it would potentially be the end of me.

The simple act of burying my face in my very soft and furry paws prompted an entirely different train of thought to leap out at me. Why was I a big female fox? Why wasn’t I in my natural human form in the first place? If I had to be changed into something else to be in Equestria, which would be the only logical explanation, then why was I in this form? Had Victoria decided this form for me when she cast me into Equestria with no knowledge, and if so why this one?

If she wanted me to defeat the other champions in order to win this game then why did she give me a form that couldn’t even use any weapons? Would it not have been wiser to simply make me a massive dragon that could easily eat all others? Hell, anything with wings would probably hold an advantage in combat.

Being a fox did seem to carry with it certain advantages though. For one thing I was intimidating, at least to ponies if all of the looks they were chancing at me were anything to go by. It made sense that they would be wary of a carnivore that was at least as big if not bigger than they were. I still needed to figure out if I could actually eat anything other than meat.

In this form it seemed like I was much more agile than I had been as a human. Not being a big lumbering oaf was still something I needed to get used to, and it would probably take a very long time. A big downside was the lack of fingers; I could still pick up things with these clumsy paws, but most if not all of my dexterity was lost. I probably wouldn’t be able to do any sort of painting with them.

The last thing however was truly bugging me, and no matter how long I thought on it I doubted I would be able to get over it. Why was I a girl? I could rationalize everything else, but this genderswap I just could not wrap my head around. If she had been the one to choose my form while sending me here then why would she do this to me? Tears threatened roll down my face, but I was able to blink them back. A hysterical woman breaking down in front of a group of traders wasn’t very inconspicuous, and that was what I was trying to be at the moment.

I decided to stop bemoaning my fate since it wouldn’t help me in the least, and turn my mind to a more constructive task. What had caused that time stop I had experienced while fighting the snake? I still could not figure out exactly what had happened; one minute the massive creature was bearing down on me, and the next everything had just stopped in place.

Was Victoria responsible for this or had it been something else? Could I have possibly been the origin of this strange phenomenon? It seemed likely, almost certain, that I was somehow at the epicenter of whatever had happened since it hadn’t affected me. That is until I had tried to move at least. My chest was still aching from whatever had happened, and I knew that I needed to figure out whatever had happened as soon as possible. I would need to spend the rest of tonight trying to figure it out.

The sky was completely black now after the sun had dropped below the horizon, and several stars had started to make their appearances. I always did love the night sky more than the day. The day was important for life to flourish, and therefore often revered over its counterpart, but the night was when the heavens lit up with beauty. It wasn’t a necessary thing that kept the unthinking creatures on the ground scuttling about, but it was important for any who looked to the sky and were capable of awe.

It gave inspiration to poets and painters alike, and allowed them to express their desires and that of their entire race with their pen or brush. It gave the depressed and lonely something to look to, and brought lovers together. The night was something that defied necessity in favor or desire, and in doing so made itself necessary. Life without beauty is no life worth living.

I jumped down from the cart and easily landed on my paws already in a trot to keep up with the vehicle. I quickly made my way to the head of the procession where my young earth pony companion was chatting up one of the mares. I did a quick scan and noticed that there only seemed to be two stallions left among the traders. Maybe mares really did outnumber the other sex by a large margin.

“What are you two talking about?” I asked as I walked up to them.

“I was just telling Light Gale here about our run in with the diamond dogs,” Deciduous answered as he motioned to the mare the he was walking alongside. It seemed that he had taken the initiative, and hooked himself up to the lead cart so that he could give the mare a break.

“You haven’t told her anything bad about me I hope.” I shot him a glare while making sure that the mare next to him wouldn’t catch it.

“Nothing you have to worry about I assure you,” Light Gale added with a smile; speaking for the earth pony that was looking down in shame. “He just told me that you saved him from being forced into slavery. That was really kind of you.” She turned her smile to me, and I awkwardly returned the gesture. Did she not care exactly how I had managed to help him out?

“Well that’s good.” I let myself relax a little. “Sorry about taking a nap while everypony was pulling carts all day. I was just a little wiped out from everything that has happened the past couple of days.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear. We saw you try to fight off that snake, and even though it was that pegasus that ultimately stopped it we still owe you a debt of gratitude.” I studied her for a moment. She was a light beige color, and had a scraggly blonde mane. She was one of the pegasi that had been flying around trying to distract the snake so that the others could get at it with their spears. I immediately found myself liking her; even though it was mostly due to the praise she was giving me. I was very susceptible to flattery.

“Shouldn’t we be making camp soon?” I asked.

“We will be settling down to camp as soon as we clear the pass. The mountain pass is by far the most dangerous part of the journey because of all the snakes that like to prey on caravans passing through. Once we clear the path we will all hunker down, and get a good nights rest.” She looked between the stallion that was lying unconscious in the cart Deciduous was pulling, and the one pulling the cart behind us with tear stains on his face. “Some of us really need it.”

“Speaking of rest,” I turned my attention to the kid pulling the cart, “shouldn’t you take a break? If I’m right then you have been up for nearly a day now, and should not be operating heavy machinery.”

“I’m fine,” he said, but speaking caused him to let out a yawn.

“Sure you are.” I unstrapped the harness he was wearing and lifted it off of him, causing him to fall forward momentarily before catching himself. I practically shoved him out of the way and pushed him over to the side of the cart. “Why don’t you relax and take a ride in one of the carts with our stuff. I got this.” I started to strap myself into the cart, and found it rather easy. In less than a minute I was pulling the vehicle behind me with hardly any strain.

The mare next to me stared at me for a couple of seconds before she started to walk again and quickly caught up. “You are pretty strong for something so thin. Pretty strong for anypony with your figure.” She seemed genuinely impressed.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I didn’t mean any offense. It’s just that you don’t look like you are very built for strenuous activity. This cart has to be heavy, and I don’t want you straining yourself unnecessarily.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” I replied before beginning to pull the cart again.

“Don’t I know it, sister.” I winced, but didn’t think that she caught it.

“Tell me Light Gale, where did you get all of these gems. I hope you didn’t buy them off of any slave trading diamond dogs.” I allowed my tone to become harsh as I said the last bit.

“Of course not!” she seemed shocked that I would even think such a thing. “There is a small pony settlement that digs for gems to send back to Equestria. The settlement is very well defended, but it is so far out there that not many ponies are willing to make the trip out for the gems. I guess they just don’t see the point when you can just gems from one of the trading companies much cheaper.”

“I doubt that a corporation would have the moral backbone to not trade with slavers. Buying from them would simply make sure that the cycle continues.” If there was anything that humans did it was make the same mistake over and over until eventually everyone knew what not to do. It had taken us centuries to figure out how terrible slavery was and some places of the globe were still trying to grasp the concept.

“I know.” She looked down at her hooves depressed; apparently this was a sore subject for her. “Which is why it’s so important that ponies make the trip out to secure new trade lines. If no pony does then this will never stop.”

“Trying to save the world one caravan at a time.” I smiled at her, not enough to show my teeth, and she smiled back. “You are alright in my book, Gale.”

“I think you are a decent mare too, Vixen, even if you aren’t actually a mare.” She laughed a bit, and I found myself chuckling lightly as well. “If you don’t mind me asking, what were you doing out in the badlands in the first place?” I hadn’t really given much thought to any back-story. Looked like I would have to improvise.

“I’m an artist,” I said simply. “I travel the world looking for new things to see so that I can show them to everypony else across the world. When those diamond dogs grabbed me they wrecked all of my equipment, essentially leaving me destitute.” It sounded plausible to me, and if the tears welling in Gale’s eyes were anything to go by, she bought it too.

“That is terrible. What will you do now?”

“Well first I’m going to make sure that the kid gets back home safely. Apparently he is all the way from Las Pegasus so it will take some time. After that I don’t really know,” I answered truthfully.

“We could always use another hoof to help out here if you are looking for work. From what I have seen, we could really use your help to protect the caravans. It is kind of strange to see an artist that is capable of fighting a giant snake.”

“When you are on your own as long as I have been then you pick some things up. I do appreciate the offer, but I will probably find something else to do.” Did she find my defeat impressive? I had barely scratched the thing before it took me down.

“To each their own I suppose.” After that we just walked in silence until we reached the end of the mountain path. Two giant pillars of stone loomed before us with a large archway in between them. I was pulling the lead cart so I was first across the threshold and into Equestria, and as soon as we passed the border a chill ran down my spine. It was hard to describe but the closest thing would be to compare it to a warning. It was almost as if Celestia was staring down at me, daring me to try and do something wrong.

“Home sweet home,” Gale said with a sigh. “Why don’t you steer us to that clearing just off the road there.” She pointed to large circle of dirt alongside the road where all the grass had been trampled. I turned the cart and angled it towards the clearing that she had pointed out. I circled the perimeter to allow the other carts to fall in line behind me before stopping and unhooking myself. The ponies didn't waste any time as they started to set a fire and lay out sleeping mats.

Gale came up to me with a blanket probably to offer it to me as a place to sleep. “Don’t worry about me,” I said waving her off. “I had plenty of sleep on the way here. I think I will just stay up and keep watch.” She nodded and returned to the others who were bedding down in the middle of the clearing.

I quickly walked to where Deciduous was soundly sleeping in the third wagon, and silently grabbed my vials of chemicals. If I was going to keep watch over these ponies then I was going to at least look the part. I strapped the vials on and walked back to the middle of the clearing where everypony was hunkered down around a small fire. I would need to wait until everypony was asleep to make my next move.