Echos of Strifeby dusk flameChaptersPrologueInto A New WorldNew beginningsPrologueTheir world burns. Why should I see this as a problem? An ethereal being shaped like a dancing flame turned away from the Earth to face three others. To his left was a being that held the form of shifting sands with a covering of emerald green leafs. Because, Ignis, that is not as it should be. You know as well as I do that the Earth is a place of life and beauty. The humans are not all impure, many suffer and yet still, they honor the elements. The second being turned towards Ignis, a feeling of concern radiating from her as she spoke. While Ignis was the youngest and most inexperienced of the group, Natura, the nature spirit, was the most recent addition. The humans brought chaos to their world of their own accord. Let them burn in the cleansing flames so their world can begin anew. A third being, a water spirit with the appearance of a light blue storm cloud, broke from her respite to reprimand the flame spirit. Ignis, I insist you refrain from engaging in such brash thoughts. It belittles our very reason for existing. With mock horror he responds, Oh! Spare me the indignity Procella— Control yourself. Natura is correct; relocate humans capable of symbiotic existence. The fourth, a being of translucent wind, turned to face the group as he spoke. This one, the eldest and commanding the most respect, is the wind spirit Zeyphr. The flame spirit turned towards Zeyphr, radiating waves of displeasure. Not you too Zephy. I thought you would be on my side for this one! Procella perked up again, sensing another opportunity to reprimand the young flame spirit. Dear Ignis, you have much to learn. Will you just sit this one out and let the three of us handle the matter of Earth? The flame spirit radiated even more waves of displeasure while speaking with a strained tone. Oh, my apologies, I forgot I only mattered when you wanted a little... fire in your life. The wind spirit radiated a powerful wave of annoyance, in order to draw the attention of the other three spirits. They turned towards him as he began. Salvage their race. They have unique minds. Corrupted, but unique. The nature spirit turned away from the group, an ethereal tear falling from her eye accompanied by thick waves of sadness. I still think we should have done something back then to combat Obitus. We could have avoided this entire affront to nature if only we had intervened! Oh sure, and then they could have been all peaceful and loving and lived in harmony with everything I would have gone to sleep ages ago if that's how this planet developed. I don't even care if they still had their conflicts. Anything even close to your 'ideal world' bores me to silence. Ignis, whenever you are done with your incessant complaints of how horrid peace and love is, may we move on and finally decide on a course of action? Just a suggestion, but I recently discovered this planet inhabited by sentient quadrupeds among other races. They would be a perfect foil to whichever humans we decide to send. Ignis sighed and radiated a light wave of contempt. After a few moments of thought he spoke up, a new realization filling his thoughts. I can hardly believe I'm saying this... but I agree with Procella. It would be fun to watch and I certainly wouldn't be opposed to the thought of sentient predators living among equally sentient prey... I'll support this under one condition: we send our own humans without consorting with anyone else. It'll make things far more interesting that way. Zeyphr, after a period of deep thought, looked towards the Earth for a few moments before addressing his fellows. Acceptable. Thank you all for agreeing to spare the humans. I say we should get to work on choosing who we should send. Oh yes, you three should do that. I for one have already sent a human! Hmph... Leave it to you to act as you please. I think I'll settle for watching how your human reacts, It'll help me pick out who I want to send. Send multiples. Enough to propagate. I completely agree with you. They would be ever so lonely and afraid if we sent them one by one. Knowing you you'll probably send those naturalists. They'll probably think they've died and gone to heaven or something from what I've seen! Yes... Well the little human I have sent is beginning to awaken. Shall we observe him?... I took the liberty of expanding his speech patterns. I do suggest that to be a common theme for any other humans we decide to send over. It would just be such a bother to have them deal with such an outstanding language barrier. The flame spirit laughed at this remark, a wry grin upon his ethereal face. I didn't even consider that... The four spirits slowly fade from view as they leap across the vast expanses of space; their sights set on Equis and the soon to unfold events that will transpire. Author's Note In my (most likely temporary) desire to get back into writing, I decided to revisit what I have to reintroduce myself to the story. I made a few fixes here and there to this, and re-imagined slightly the personalities of Zeyphr and Procella. (Which just so happened to involve removing about 100 or so words of Zeyphr's dialogue ^_^' Really do need to flesh this out somehow... but it seems to work as is so maybe not?) Into A New WorldI'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you here today... Ahh who am I kidding, if you're reading this and I haven't given you permission, you're a bad person and you should feel bad. All that aside, I'm sure you're wondering what all this is about. Well, it all started one morning back at institution... Darkness. Pure, endless darkness engulfs the planet. A true emptiness that somehow puts to shame the “void” we call space. It seems so wrong, so monstrous, that the everlasting life that populated our planet no longer exists. No more do creatures look up at the stars, no more do plants grow beneath the sun. Cean! That voice again... it sounds like... CEAN! I woke up with a jump, I was just dreaming. "Took ye long enough ye bloody fool. We got class in thirty minutes! and quit sleepin' with yer Jack." It took a moment, but soon enough my head cleared. Knowing just how screwed I was if I was late, I went around my room to gather up all my gear. Netlink, a bag of peanuts, a mountain of text books that hardly ever get used (something about tradition is the reason we have them still) and finally my most prized possession: an external, quadruple encrypted memory unit with everything I've ever written in my entire life. I also had it fitted into a case that could get run over by a war machine... and I'm swooning now, aren't I? Well, time to go. A quick spot check around the room, and I saw almost everything where it should be. "Let me fix my desk real quick." My friend rolled his eyes "Forget about it mate ye can take care of it after class. Just hurry up before we're late." I then sighed in defeat as my friend ran out of the room. When I eventually followed, I took a quick look at my hair in the mirror I kept near the door. Seeing my glacial blue hair triggered the memory of a bet I lost two years ago. Ever since then I decided to have fun with it so I let my hair grow out, and styled it into a circlet of icicles. This, and the fact that I got the tips bleached, ended up earning me the nickname "Icing". Remembering that moment, another memory was brought to the surface of my mind. I was speaking to a guy with a lisp, and when I told him my name was Cean he said, "oh so its like you're Ice Cean" it came out as "oh tho ith like youar Ith then" which some people who were listening in heard as "oh so its like you're Icing". Rather unfortunate for a time, but eventually I took the name in as my own, ruining the fun of those that vainly tried offending me with it. Snapping back in to the real world, I dashed out of my room and down the hall only to see the lift with my friend waiting inside. As the door started to close, I put on a burst of speed, slipped in through the gap, span on my foot, and came to rest leaning casually on the railing of the elevator. "Cheeky bastard." He said with an amused grin. "Jealous much?" I threw a cocky grin at my best friend. Of course, this was a standard exchange between us. Since before we even met I had been a bit of a fanatic when it came to running. At first he made fun of me for it for whatever reason, but once he learned I was one of the many that was Rapid Perception Attuned, and... other various oddities, he came to understand why I did what I did. "Yea, yea, whatever Icy. Hope yer ready for the tests though. This day will be a pain in the fekking arse. "I see you're prepared for all the fun we'll be having." "Aye." "Well that sucked. I'm headed to the lockers, you in for some energy burning?" "I got plans mate. Definitely need time to relax after that marathon. Its like all the professors decided to torture us today or something. Bloody faculty meetings... they always plot against us in them I say." Conversation ended, I say my good byes and go running off to the lockers. When I get there, I find the one I've been keeping my gear in since I started at institution a year ago. Releasing the lock, I changed into a pair of blue running pants and gray shirt. Next, I slipped into my 40kg blue and black vest. Afterwards, I grabbed the two black 5kg leg bands and slipped them on in addition to my newly acquired pair of black running shoes. Finally, I grabbed my blue arm bands with 2.5kg in each of them before finishing off my ensemble with a pair of blue and black gloves at 2.5kg each. Before I threw my bag in my locker for storage, I took out the peanuts I brought with me and stuff them into a pouch I added to the side of my vest. Testing my weight with a few hops and punches, I decided I was all set. Equipment readied, I run off into the comforting embrace of the air-conditioned track. When I reach the starting line I hold myself ridged, feeling the ever present tension that plagues me. I close my eyes, focusing on the discomfort, and proceed to harness it. I move the abundant energy through my body, feeling my muscles sharpen, and my body quicken. With a lightning movement I fling my arms out wide, feeling a second rush fill me. My ritual complete, a wild grin covers my face as I lose myself to the feel of the track. "Alright, time to organize!" After emptying my bag, I set my netlink up on my nightstand, connect it to the speaker port and play some fairly old music from what is quickly becoming my favorite pre-Imperium band. As the song picked up I emptied my desk in order to sort the contents into piles. Hydromeals, essentials, gadgets, blades, other. Alright, all set! With my things organized, I start the task of replacing everything with a nearly obsessive attention to order and detail. Hydros bottom left, essentials center, gadgets top left, blades top right and other in bottom right. Good to go, now if only I could keep the bloody thing organized... With a lull in concentration, I notice a different song just ending. After changing the music, I move my laptop to my desk and crack my knuckles to mark the beginning of a relaxing session of writing. Soon enough, I got lost in a world of pureimagination. Oh, excuse me... human? You seem to really enjoy those spurious worlds of yours do you not? "Who's there and why is your voice coming from everywhere?" No... not everywhere, from inside your mind! Now then, allow me to introduce myself. *ahem* My name is Procella and I am a spirit of water. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, dear human. "Fair maiden, My name is Cean and the pleasure is mine." Oh my! Quite the gentleman you are. Now, I suppose you have a few questions and I am sure you are also wondering when it was you fell asleep. I can first tell you that you are in fact awake and I will also tell you there will be time for questions later. "Oookay well I'm just gonna roll with this and assume I'm unconscious from my workout again... Hope you don't mind!" Hmph, and here I am going out of my way to offer you the chance to go to a completely new world filled with dangerous beasts and unconditional happiness. "Well... strange combination... I'm sure there's a catch for me to partake in this this wondrous land of lands, oh spirit of water." It was at this point that I sighed inwardly, waiting for the inevitable as I woke up to the real world, only to find myself slumped over on my desk or just passed out on the floor. Thinking a moment, I save my work and interrupt the current song in favor of a much more fitting tune. It's right then when I realize that everything is too fluid, too connected, for this to be a dream and so I decide to take the voice I'm hearing a little more seriously. Well, that is an interesting song choice, is it not? As for the 'catch', well... the only stipulation is that you must do as you please and you shall not be allowed to return to this world. Not a great loss all things considered. This planet has fallen into a horrid state of disrepair... "Know what? I know what's going on. I've gone bat-shit insane and you're a split personality so yes, take my to this magical land of wonder and happiness please." Hmph. How crude! You know what? Fine, I will, but do not go crying if you regret this! It was then that a blue portal opened up on my wall, as if to rub it in my face that I was indeed insane, and soon enough , my desk, my chair and I were pulled from our resting positions. As soon as I touched the portal my vision began to fade toblack and I found myself lost in a sea of unconscious dreams. POV: Fluttershy "Oh, calm down. Please... Please calm down now there's no need to be so upset." My animal friends have been disturbed for a long time now. It started when I saw this strange blue light come from the Everfree forest and now I've been trying everything I can think of to calm the animals. I'm worried about what the light was and I want to make sure nothing is all alone out there and hurt. After awhile I manage to calm my friends enough so I leave my cottage to go find Twilight. Once I get to the library I knock on the door like usual and ask to come in. When Twilight opens the door she asks me what's up. "Uhm... well if it's not to much of a bother, I m-mean, if you w-want to that is, there was this strange blue light in the *gulp* E-Everfree and I was wondering, only if you're ok with it, if you wanted to come with me and see what's going on... But i-if you don't want to that's alrig—" "Yes of course I'll go with you Fluttershy! Just let me go get my list for 'things needed to go exploring in the Everfree forest' sorted out and completed then we can leave right away!" After a few minutes Twilight and I left the library, Ponyville, and soon enough passed by my cottage to began our trek through the Everfree. POV: Cean Well... That was fun. I stand up, using my fallen chair and desk as support, and take in my surroundings. The muddy clearing I was in was ringed by a large number of fallen trees which led me to believe it was caused by the portal Procella sent me through. After taking a few minutes to fix up the contents of my desk and making sure all my electronics were off and put away, I decide the first thing I'll have to do is find shelter and clean water. I could tell I was in a forest so I slipped a belt of knives on, courtesy of my hobbyist nature and walked with no clear direction in mind. If only my friends were around for me to laugh at them for thinking my hobbies were crazy... It's a shame I never learned how to hunt... but at least my addiction to Hydros will pay off. I should have at least a week of food... I really wish there was somebody else here... Nice spirit lady are you still there?... I could use someone to talk to right about now... I had been walking for about an hour. I saw a few interesting things, one of them being a clearing filled with a long reed-like grass with some properties of rope. Despite my intentions to just wander around, I decided it would be better to follow a spiral path and it paid off as I finally discovered a rocky outcropping. Not only did it have a suitable overhang for a makeshift home, but it also had a spring bubbling up into a small pool of water just a few minutes away. I turned and walked in what I hoped was a direct route back to the clearing, marking trees along my way and after another 10 minutes I finally found my way back. I thought for a moment how I would lug my desk and chair back to my new home and decide to just lift my desk over my shoulder and carry the chair over the other. For once I'm glad I didn't get a bigger desk. I still wish I wasn't alone though. Maybe if... no she's gone and she's not coming back. No point trying to pretend things would be any different... Procella please say something... You can at least tell me a little more about this place, right? With my belongings moved, I decided it was time for me to get my temporary home a little more... homely. I grabbed a few items from my desk and went back to the clearing again. When I got there I started sawing off branches and piling them up with a length of nylon ribbon at each end so I could bundle the sticks together making them easier to carry. After another 30 minutes or so I had a nice bundle all made up so once more I return to my new home. And they said my condition offered no side effects... I can't believe I haven't seen any sort of animals yet. Must not be many larger creatures out here... Procella you can speak to my mind so that means you can hear my thoughts too, right? Another solid hour of work and I finished the job of forming the sticks into a two sided wall, the rock being the third wall and roof. I was able to make use of the twine-like grass I found in the other clearing to bind the sticks together and I gave the walls some semblance of wholeness by weaving in large ferns that grew wherever sunlight reached the ground. All around I was happy with my new home so I decided it was time for me to see what else I could find in this forest. So I've been here for around three hours and I already have a reasonably well made home, a source of water, and plenty of food for awhile. Not bad If I may say so myself... I'd give anything to have someone to talk to right about now... Procella... please don't just abandon me here... I had been wandering around the forest for over an hour, going in a serpentine path from my new home and so far I discovered nothing of use. Deciding it was time to head back I went in what I knew was a direct path back to my new home, using the occasional marked tree to alter my path. As I got closer I heard a low growl that shocked me and gave me hope at the same time. I turned towards the sound and was greeted with a creature I only knew from stories... a manticore. POV: Twilight Fluttershy and I had been walking in the woods for a few hours now. Of course, I had a recall spell at the ready in case something attacked us that she couldn't ward off with her special talent. We had kept up a steady banter, only falling silent when the occasional sound scared Fluttershy. After a somewhat close encounter with a manticore we came upon a clearing that was completely destroyed by what I assumed was a large water based magical blast. The trees were drenched and pushed to the edges of the clearing and the clearing itself was nothing but mud. I gingerly stepped over the logs, noticing that quite a few of the trees had branches that seemed to have been cut, and began my examination of the area. Deciding this area was important to our search. I planted a lodestone and then cast a spell to connect it to the one I kept in Ponyville. I was about to cast a second spell to test the connection but my concentration was interrupted by a terrible roar. Fluttershy froze up, cowering in the mud, so I picked her up with my magic and quickly ran towards the direction of the roar knowing something was in danger. POV: Cean (A/N And now, the part you've all been waiting for! Also, gotta havebattle music, yea?) The manticore charged me, its bat like wings held tight against its back, as it quickly closed the distance between us. My heart stopped for a moment as I looked the beast in the eye and I realized there was only one way I was getting out of this; I had to fight for my life or die trying. I grabbed three knives from my belt, placing one in my mouth to assist in protecting my head and neck, holding my off hand blade backwards for parrying and slashing, and the blade in my right hand forwards so I could stab quickly. I waited, every muscle in my body tensed and ready to explode into overdrive. I concentrated on the burning desire that plagued me, honing it, shaping it into an energy that could fuel me. I felt the energy move through me, time seemed to slow down as my focus sharpened and sure enough, the manticore made its move. It leapt into the air, claws extended to their full length, and let loose a mighty roar. I dodged to the right and raked my off hand blade through its side but it quickly shot its tail out to impale my arm. My grip loosened for a moment but by sheer force of will I held on to my blade. Not wanting to go through that again, I quickly whirled around to relieve it of its tail. Poison oozed from each end and I saw that even the stinger on the tail was oozing with poison, as well as my puncture wound. I knew I wouldn't have much time to act, since the poison was probably a neurotoxin, so I leapt towards the neck of the manticore with reckless abandon. I thought this would be it but the manticore charged forward, almost causing me to fall flat on my face. I turned quickly and locked eyes with my opponent. It let out a snarl as I grinned with insanity. The manticore kept circling me, waiting for its venom to take hold. Thinking quickly, I dropped to a knee and feigned weakness, waiting for my time to strike. The manticore slowly approached me, making sure I really was out for the count. I relaxed all my muscles which caused me to slump further and the knife in my mouth to swing down, only a tooth preventing it from falling completely. I continued to wait but sure enough I saw the manticore's paw enter my vision. I tensed all my muscles immediately before I struck the manticore on either side of the head. My daggers embedded themselves in it's neck but the manticore continued to fight, albeit with quite a struggle. Carefully, I lined my third knife up with the manticore's eye, and plunged it in without hesitation. Blood spurted out, adding my face to the list of blood soaked body parts. Now, finally, the manticore slumped and fell to the ground with a thud. I licked my lips, the taste of blood lingering, and thought of how good this meat might taste with a side of potatoes. With the fight over, the surge of energy that filled me passed and my perception of time returned to normal. I decide the first thing to do would be to squeeze out and then wash out what poisons I could since making an antidote would be impossible. The depth of the wound was similar to that of a weak handgun but it was starting to ooze heavily so I let it bleed out a little before covering it with some nylon ribbon. The fact that the ribbon was red gave me a little peace of mind since I wouldn't be able to see exactly how much blood would soak into it but I knew if I didn't do something fast I wouldn't make it. I quickly ran towards the spring I found so I could clean off my wound and half way there the pain from the poison started to set in. I stumbled and fell facedown in the dirt and I could do nothing but lay there for a little while. So... this is it for me? Dying alone in a forest with manticore poison in my veins?... No, I'm not dying yet. I need to make it through this. I grabbed the ground into a death grip and pushed it away from me. I stood tall and with a blank stare in my eye I walked the last few minutes to the spring to plunge my arm, make shift bandages and all, into its waters. Well... I'm here now but wow this seems pointless. All this way just to clean myself off... but... I made it. I set a task for myself and I made it. With my arm soaking in the water, I felt the pain of the wound being leeched away from me. After sitting there for awhile I felt something different so I looked down and removed my bandage. Instead of blood and a wound that had been there moments ago, I saw some strange crystalline substance. Not knowing what to make of it, I pulled my arm and bandage out of the water and took a good solid look at this new addition. The crystal was an glacial blue like my hair and almost immediately I noticed it was growing. I stared in horror as it branched out, creating a strange lattice moving down my arm and towards my hand. I felt no pain from it but the world around me seemed to take on a darker tone. I felt fearful of the world around me and the once vibrant colors I had come to enjoy felt muted. I decided there was nothing more I could do here so I took a nice long drink from the spring and began my trek home. When I finally got there, my head was pounding as if it were being assaulted by a legion of hammers. I stumbled into my makeshift hut to collapse on my makeshift bed. Unfortunately, it really only functioned as a pillow but that was all I needed for now. As I lay there, I watched the crystal on my arm slowly grow towards my palm. Soon enough, the branching network of lines began to gather and form a large node in the center of my palm, ironically, where the lines of my palm formed an X. The crystal emitted a bright light and in the same moment the pounding in my head ceased. I studied the crystal and saw that the light within it was moving. I tapped the crystals and discovered that I had no feeling in them so I decide to take it a step further and test them with a knife. I took a knife to the node on my upper arm where my wound used to be and poked it in. I felt the pressure of the knife but the tip of the blade didn't sink in at all. I put more pressure on the blade and yet again the tip didn't even make a scratch. Thinking for a moment I took the knife to one of the tendrils of crystal on my lower arm and repeated the same process, even giving the crystal a quick slash but still, the crystals didn't get a single scratch. Ok so a little recap here... I got really strong crystals embedded into my arm now and I have a knife that needs to be sharpened... I also have a manticore I need to move away from my home and three more knives to clean... I wonder what manticore tastes like? I am alone in a forest on an alien planet after all. Might as well go ahead and keep up with trying new things... Feeling slightly more energetic after my short reprieve, I pulled myself up and carefully walked over to the manticore. I noticed something about it was off; it looked a lot more... dangerous, then it did before. Looking it over, I decided it would be a good idea to keep the pelt since I didn't have a real bed and I might need some blankets. The first thing I did was drag the manticore closer to where the spring was. It took some effort at first but eventually I just threw its hindlegs over my shoulders and lugged the thing half on my back, half dragging on the ground. After dragging it for a few minutes I stopped to catch my breath and that's when I heard a noise behind me. I left the manticore carcass behind as I quickly ran to put my back against a tree. I stood perfectly still for a bit and once again I heard a sound. I slowly crept towards the direction of the sound, a knife in each hand, and soon enough I had made it back to my house. Outside of it were two demonic looking quadrupeds. One a purplish color with a horn and the other a yellowish color with wings. I stopped moving for a moment, listening to the two beings speak to each other but it was a language I didn't understand. The horned one looked towards the yellow one and said "siht edam tahw redonw I?" The winged one looked around with a strange, almost fearful, look in its eyes and responded, "hguoht ti tliub evah ot seod ekips ekil swalc-c ro cigam rehtie evah ot sah ti-I. wonk t'nod I-I." The two creatures walked towards the entrance of my house and went inside. After some shouting they came out a little later and the lavender one's horn was glowing a pinkish color along with, to my horror, all my electronics and, strangely, even my school books. It was jumping up and down excitedly babbling on in that strangely familiar language and I decided right then and there I had to protect my belongings from these creatures. POV: Twilight Fluttershy and I had been walking through the forest for awhile now looking for any sign of a struggle. We heard some roars and adjusted our direction occasionally but it was hard to keep a straight path in the forest. Eventually, we came upon a small rock formation that had been made into what was obviously a makeshift hut. Outside of it were blood stains, foot prints of a manticore, foot prints of some strange creature I couldn't recognize and multiple trails of the strange foot prints leading off in one direction along with what looked to be the markings of something being dragged. So... this strange beast seems to have fought a manticore and won. I hope it isn't around right now... But maybe it was just defending itself! Maybe it isn't some dangerous beast. After all, it shows signs of intelligence if the ...being... is the same thing that made that hut... "I wonder what made this?" "I-I don't know. I-it had to have either magic or c-claws like Spike though to have built it though." Fluttershy and I walked into the hut after I assured her there was nothing inside and, to my surprise, I found what looked to be cushions and a desk. I spoke up as I looked through the drawers. "Now this is just weird. These two things are obvious signs of civilization so what're they doing so deep in the Everfree? "I-I don't know... but I just can't place those footprints. It has to be some new creature we've never seen before. We are in a section of the Everfree nopony has been in after all... I looked through the desk and found quite a few interesting things. In one of the drawers were packets of what I assumed was food based on the pictures. In another drawer were quite a few strange devices that I've never seen before so I took them all out before moving on. As I looked into the middle drawer I found two more strange devices and, to my great surprise, a few books!. "Book! Books! This creature has BOOKS!" I said, jumping up and down excitedly. I quickly looked into the other two drawers for good measure but found nothing else of interest. "Uhmm... T-Twilight? A-Are you sure we should be taking these things?" Fluttershy looks over at me, a look of worry plastered across her face. "Don't worry Fluttershy I just want to look at them. I'll put everything back! Now lets head outside so I can get better lighting." Fluttershy and I walked outside and as soon as we got a few steps away from the hut some strange bipedal creature came charging at us with daggers in hand. Losing my composure, I hit the ground. Not thinking about it much, I pulled all the items I had been holding in front of me before shouting out, "Stop! Please stop!" POV: Cean Once the two creatures get a few feet away from my home, I charge and as soon as the purple one sees me, it ducks, puts all my belongings in between the two of us and shouts out, "Pots esaelp! Pots!" I come to a sudden stop, not wanting to damage any of my things, but also because of the fact I recognized a word. "Pots?" The purple one looks up at me with a very confused look and says, "Stop?" "What the... I don't even." I deadpanned, staring at a creature that held a similar expression. The creature's face brightened as it started jumping in place, "Ti wenk I! Nairtseuqe kaeps uoy!" I responded, my expression unchanging, "What are you saying I can't understand you..." The creature then looked at me with a confused expression, "Enif tsuj uoy dnatsredun nac I! Tub... "Tub... Wait a second. I think... you can understand me just fine right?" The creature nods so I continue saying, "Say... Say wood dog" The creature regained a confused look but did as I asked, "God doow". "Thats it! Everything you say, I hear backwards! I don't know what's causing it... though I got poisoned by a manticore and then everything started looking evil and then this... But this is completely amazing! What're the chances of us speaking the same language when we're from different worlds?!" The creature looked at me, a glimmer of understanding in its eyes, and then placed all my items onto the ground. It walked up to me and as it did so its horn became enshrouded in that pink light once more. It touched its horn to the crystalline node on my upper arm and a surge of power flowed through me. I fought to stand but soon enough all I saw was an evil smile as I fell unconscious. Well, that was interesting. Why'd you give him some of your powers? Oh please, you saw how he almost died to the manticore. Without the purifying influence of my gifts he would have been done for! Even if the ponies found him Hmph. Well I don't need to remind YOU what happened the last time you gave a human your "gifts" Dear Ignus, please refrain from bringing about old memories from another time; It's quite rude. Besides, this planet already has very strong energy manipulators, adding one more won't hurt anything. Yea, yea, go steam yourself Author's Note Now for some "word of god" bonus round! 1) Imperium's influence on the world is more or less like Shinra from FF7 without the mako. If there's anything more you guys want to know about Cean's life, history, and planet then do tell me now because I want to avoid extensive flash back scenes and bits of information places haphazardly throughout the story. Also, sorry for the song cramming. (made worse by the 3 hidden songs, I'm sure. To find them, check the spaces between song titles that you may have noticed.) 2) Cean's unusual amount of stamina is thanks to high metabolism, evolutionary traits (ADHD is a similar case, in Cean's world it's a trait known as RPA, or rapid perceptual attunement. Roughly one tenth of the populace has it and there is a bit of a social divide because of it.) and a unique way of coping with an unfortunate medical condition. (This will be explained in detail in chapter 4 or 5) 3)Hydromeals = MREs, Academy = grade school, Institution = college/uni, Netlink = future tech laptop with no moving parts and negligible heat generation. It can function as a tablet, has a removable headset (it's a thin flexible strip that lightly sticks to the skin and has an earpiece) and the screen slides rather then flips. 4)I played with the thought that "Earth" is actually Mars from a few thousand years ago (30-40) and then a group of survivors settled our Earth but... it's unnecessary since the Sol system doesn't show up much past this chapter. It's referenced, but the state of Earth will be along the lines of, "crappy with a chance of extinction. The fuck is this place?" New beginningsAuthor's Note Yes, I changed everything. I had to because I just couldn't find it in me to continue the old storyline. All I was doing was setting the stage for emotional connections and troubles, with no legitimate action. I'm happy to say that I'm fully prepared and ready to get back to this story. Word of God bonus round: Here is the base timeline I'm using for this story. Season 4 and on of course is assumed to already be in chronological order (For the most part anyway) http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/349/8/8/my_little_pony_friendship_is_magic_timeline_update_by_tobyandmavisforever-d6xz8b7.png Bonus points if you can pin down just where in that timeline this story begins. New beginnings Endless despair covers the land that was once my home. Death I look around me, I see wisps of poison pollute the air. I try to flee but as quickly as I can move, the poison surrounds me. I struggle against the air itself but all it accomplishes is wasted effort. Death I feel air leave my lungs only to be replaced by the taint of the outside world. I look around me and see nothing but death and destruction. Death I find myself laying on the ground, gasping for air. I return to my feet but the light leave my eyes as I run as fast and as far as I can. Death I find myself running, I don't know why but when I look behind me I see bodies. Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies lying in broken, disfigured, piles.Death I look ahead of me and the world is bathed in flames. Death I look up to the sky and a dark blue demon enters the edge of my sight, Death broken shards of the dome fall Death the song of the world reaches a crescendo. Death The noise stops. I feel peace... unity... I hear music. A calm symphony fills the air as rainbow shards form a cascade of broken light. I see light cover the land and the darkness fades from memory as the light shatters to the ground around me. I feel a sense of calm as the world explodes with light, staining the ground around me with a deep red hue. I look up to the sky and see the demon again, only this time raindrops fall from on high to splash against me. The demon leaves, taking the rain with it, and the dome shatters once more. I smile as rainbow lights fall towards me again and when I close my eyes I feel the light knock me to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I felt scared. I could remember what happened to me the day before, but something about it was just... off. I could tell I wasn't in my room, and I could see a few of my things spread carelessly across the floor, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was asleep in the middle of a library. Not only that, but I even had a very plushy cushion under me that was softer then anything I have ever felt before. I rubbed my eyes and nearly freaked at the sight of my left arm, but the events of... my last experiences... came in to focus and I remained calm. Let me ask you something though, if you wake up with a weird crystalline growth on your arm, what would you try to do with it first? Well, the answer for me was stick my hand out and fire a beam out of it... completely oblivious to my current surroundings. "Well... not doing that inside again..." See, there was a mixture of coincidences that happened right then. The first is that I stuck my arm out, willing for something to shoot out. Then, with my body catching up on the wake-up process, my throat began to feel scratchy so I thought about getting a drink, the natural choice being water. THEN, when I thought about water, the node on my upper arm began to glow, which traced down my veins, which collected in the node on my hand, which somehow culminated in the breaking of every single law of physics I knew of. Long story short, I emitted a torrent of water that just so happened to blast a few chips out of the floor. Fortunately, the flow of water cut itself off rather quickly. Unfortunately, that was when the person behind me made herself known. "I would hope so. Are you suffering from a bit of incontinence or something? I've had that problem before... but I'd rather not talk about it." I blinked... twice... before responding. "Yea, let's go with that. I get the feeling telling her I just got this thing... awhile ago... would be a bad idea. So how long was I out then Ms..." "Twilight Sparkle, you were out for about half a day. Slept through the night like a baby dragon." Huh... that's an odd one. "Well, can't argue with that. My name is Cean, mind if I call you Sparky?" "Why Sparky? My friends call me Twi... or Twilight!" I feel inclined to mention I could feel her glare. Asides aside, I thought for a moment. Why do I want to call her Sparky? "No reason, bonus points if it's abnormal is what I always say." It was about then that I finally fell to the obligation of turning around to meet my mysterious benefactor face to face, which is when I realized I was talking to a decidedly no-longer-demon pony. "Well, you're a talking..." "Human." "...from the Everfree forest, with more technology in one desk then I've seen in my entire life, a written language that makes no sense to me and the strangest collection of items that would put Pinkie to shame. I think I can file your oddities away under 'cultural differences' and leave it at that... assuming it remains controlled." I'd also like to take the time to mention that upon saying that, she flipped through some sort of a book that wasn't quite a textbook, and wrote a few lines down. I'd also like to mention that when I asked why she used a feather for a stylus, she gave me a strange look, dipped her stylus in a pot of some oil looking substance, and then wrote a few more lines down on the same page. Putting 2 and 2 together, I came to the conclusion that she was writing something down under the heading of 'cultural differences' using that not-quite textbook and oil. "Well, can't fault you for being literal I guess. So what next? You seem to be taking this whole thing rather well." "I had all night to get used to you being here. You, on the other hoof, just woke up in a completely unfamiliar location and the worst you did was chip away at my floor with your magic. Care to explain?" "I had all day yesterday to get used to the batshite crazy. I mean, why stop at getting 'ported to an a strange place, I had to get attacked by a fekking manticore, I mean, you could have a dragon fight a hydra in the commons and the worst I would do is call it a rip-off of a pre-Imperium movie... Side note, all three of those animals don't even bloody exist where I come from." "...I didn't quite understand a few of those words. Batshite and fekking are complete unknowns, pre-Imperium I can guess and I take it 'bloody' has a different meaning where you come from." "Batshite can be switched with words like very or extremely within a negative context, 'fek' is an unusually inoffensive way of saying 'fuck' and bloody is... a modifier that conveys importance of a subject... yea, let's go with that." After a little more writing in her little book, Sparky then looks up at me again and asks me what the word 'fuck' means. "Honestly? Fek... well you can fekking use the word 'fuck' in just about any fekking context, regardless of how much of a fekking fekker it makes you fekking feel like." More writing into her notebook, with a few obvious underlines, and she placed both book and stylus on a table top in what looked to be a mixture of a kitchen and dining room "I haven't eaten in about eleven hours. This will be a perfect opportunity to learn about the eating habits of you humans!" Drawing upon what I know of ponies, I responded with a frank "you probably won't like what you learn. I admit now that humans, by nature, are omnivores." Smiling faintly, my purple friend replied with, "that's good to know actually. Fluttershy already said you were a predator from examining your body structure so I was hoping that, since you clearly shared our language, you could be reasoned with to adjust your diet." "I've been meaning to ask that, how do we speak the same language?" Not even sparing a glance, the unicorn replied, "I've learned that some questions are best left unanswered. Just call it magic and leave it at that." "Well... Can't argue with that. Magic would explain the blatant disregard for science I just displayed... So, you were mentioning food?" Funnily enough, this is when my stomach decided to make itself known with a deep growl. "Yes, I did mention food. Care to join me for an early lunch?". "Lead the way Sparky!" I feel inclined to note I saw the unicorn's eye twitch even though she was facing away from me... those eyes of theirs are pretty darn freaky... There's no way they have the same shape as our eyes, they just wouldn't fit if they were. "So, what's on the menu?" I ask timidly, "Normally I'd crack a joke right about now but this doesn't seem to be the right setting... and I'm still just a touch caught up on the whole talking pony thing... I bet the naturalists would love this place though..." "Oh!" the purple pony responds with enthusiasm, "we need to get through a few checklists first to see what sort of foods we have that you think you could eat! Then we can talk about all sorts of other things, like your magic, those Naturalists you mentioned, and your entire species!" I sigh at the prospect of having to do things before eating and follow the unicorn through the tree... library... house... thing... into what I'm guessing is their version of a food distribution center. When I passed the threshhold I took the time to look around while the pony wrote on three rather long sheets of paper. I saw a bunch of things that made no real sense to me, but being a student all my life I never actually made my own food, outside of hydromeals. Needless to say I'm sure the set up and machines made sense to Sparky so I wasn't worried. "Alright Cean, here's three checklists. The first one is for grains, grasses and flowers, the second is fruits and vegtables and the third is other, which includes items such as eggs, dairy products, nuts and other various edibles." As she explained the purpose of the sheets, I went to town marking off things I recognized. The first list remained nearly empty, with only something I guessed was flour being marked off. The second list got a big check next to the title to save time and the third list received checks on just about everything, with what I assumed to be gems being the only mentionable exclusion. "That about does it. So what's the deal with the gems? And I couldn't help but notice the only thing resembling meat was fish." Sparky gave me a rather unusual look, which I returned with a raised eye brow. "Well... Spike eats gems so I figured you might be able to as well. You do have that crystalline formation on your arm after all." Choosing to not make a comment on my new addition, I advanced the conversation in less conspicuous direction. "Ah... Well, I couldn't really tell you too much about food production. I can tell you that, being the only sentient species that we knew of the menu was rather large." "That's... horrible. You grew up thinking you were the only sentient species? There's dragons, gryphons, us ponies, zebras, diamond dogs, minotaurs, cows-" My eyes went wide at what I just heard, I cut her off immediately, shouting out, "WHAT?! YOUR COWS CAN TALK?!" She responded rather frantically due to my outburst saying, "Wha- yes! Of course!... You had ones that couldn't? Is that a bad thing?" "Well..." I began, not really sure how best to put this, "We had this thing called a burger which was made from beef. Beef comes from cows and if cows can talk then that means no more burgers..." "Oh... oh my Celestia, you've eaten COW?!..." After nearly hyperventilating, Sparky went silent for awhile. I was content just sitting there watching her and, sure enough, she snapped out of whatever trance she put herself in. "Ok. We can talk to Fluttershy and see what you can do. You're not the first meat eater to ever live among ponies so you might even be able to order in special foods. You'll need a job to get enough bits for that but I'm almost certain your strange anatomy and magic will be more then enough to get you a steady income. I..." she trailed off in her tirade as the sound of a door opening. I looked behind me and saw two things: the first is that there was this yellow pony with wings that could only be described as cute and cuddly, the second is that a blatantly pink pony next to the first one looked like a villain from a preimperium slasher horror movie. "HhhheeEERREEE'S PINKIE!" Why do I feel the sudden urge to stab things with an axe?... Heeyyy I can probably make an ice axe! As I went to focus on my powers, another thought struck me, but not inside. New powers + indoors = bad time. "Oh goodie! Perfect timing you two. I take it Fluttershy already filled you in on what she knows, Pinkie?" While I was thinking about what I could make out of ice, Sparky wasted no time in greeting who I assume to be her friends. The three of them spoke for a little, Sparky catching the other two up on my situation, then the pink one broke away and produced a box from Selene knows where. A quick poof later and I found myself with a bright blue cupcake in each hand, one in my mouth and another halfway down my throat. Needless to say I totally aced the whole calm and collected reaction, "OH SWEET SELENE WHAT THE CRAP JUST HAPPENED!" "O-oh my..." "Pinkie! What did you do to Cean!" "Oh don't be such a silly sillypants I just gave him some welcome to Ponyville cupcakes!" After the shock of somehow not choking wore off, and the second cupcake was expelled from my body, I spoke. "As much as I appreciate getting some food in my stomach, pure sugar like that stuff does NOT agree with me. On that note, I'm going to be outside for awhile running like mad so I don't freak the fuck out from a sugar high... whiCH IS ALREADY HAPPENING-GOODBYE-I'LL-BE-BACK Pinkie went oddly silent, staring at the half eaten cupcake on the floor. Sparky and Fluttershy were staring between Pinkie and I, which I promptly ignored as I ran out the door handing each of them a cupcake. If I was smart I would probably have noticed the panic and mayhem my appearance was causing in town, but in my current state I could not have cared less. I was running as fast as I could, and I was quickly leaving the town behind. I felt a surge of energy as the sugar made its way through my system, and my entire body began to speed up. My heart was racing, my lungs were burning, the crystals on my arm were glowing, Huh... That's a new one. Going to have to study this a bit once I calm down. and I began to feel a cool relief spread through my body. The burning in my lungs went away, the dryness in my mouth and throat following, and I felt amazing. I picked it up the pace a bit, this new sense of relief spurring me on, and after a few minutes the pain finally began to die down. I had burned away the majority of the excess energy from the sugar and now that I had stopped running, I realized that I wasn't even out of breath. After taking a minute to slowly walk around, allowing my body to cool down, I realized that my heart rate wasn't even beating rapidly. Attributing my new found endurance to my powers, I focused on the crystals in my arm, willing a small shoot of water to emerge from my palm. A few divots in the ground later, and I finally managed to control the power well enough that I could create a gentle fountain. Well, glad I managed that. Now to see about making ice. Unfortunately, my training was interrupted by the appearance of a rainbow maned teal pony with wings. "Hey you! What do you think you're doing running off like that especially leaving Pinkie like... uh... what happened here?" Looking around, I took the time to notice just how badly marred the trail was by my efforts. Some of the gouges I left were actually kinda deep, and some trees were missing a few chunks. Needless to say I was glad I did this far, far away from civilization. Noticing an opportunity to knock two birds with one stone, I replied. "This is why I ran out of town so quickly... I didn't want to hurt anyone. I'm just glad I had enough time to calm things down or else I may have harmed you." The rainbow mare looked on sheepishly, quite for a moment before replying, "Yeaaa... I'm gonna head on back now. Are you good or do you need a minute?" "The name's Cean by the way, and yea, going back sounds like a good plan." "The name's Rainbow Dash," oh Selene, these ponies are named by color, "fastest pegasus in Equestria and only one to ever perform the sonic rain boom." I could FEEL the arrogance in that sentence, but, since it wasn't my place to grill her over it, I continued. "Well, nice to meet you Rain. I hope I did not cause undue mayhem during my exodus." That earned me a laugh from the rainbow mare... who also took the time to defy gravity entirely as she was hovering in mid air without even flapping her wings... Nope, not going down that road, the pink one is causing me enough problems. Willful suspension of disbelief... engaged. Feeling at peace with the world around me, I inquired as to why I was being laughed at. "Heh... ah, sorry. It's just I've never heard anyone speak like that before..." Where there was once laughter was soon replaced by introspection, "Why'd ya call me Rain though? I usually go by Dash." I thought for a moment, before shrugging and giving yet another half assed answer on the subject, "Eh, I liked the sound of it. Besides, I'm kind of a water guy if you haven't noticed yet." It was then that I took the time to send a rather weak fountain of water in Rain's general direction. Fortunately, it truly was weak and instead of shaving off a strip of hair I only ended up lightly completely soaking the poor mare. Whoops... Still not controlling it well enough I guess. "SWEET CELESTIA... Why would you fire that thing at me! I saw some of the streams you shot out when I first left Ponyville. You could hit Cloudsdale with that kind of water pressure." Rain took on a rather pensive look after that. After walking in silence for a good few minutes she spoke up again, "So how much water can you create at any one time?" I actually stopped moving at that. It was a rather unusual question that I hadn't anticipated having to BS an answer to, so, I winged it with some fresh BS as I started walking again. "Dunno, I've never run out before. I could probably fill a large pond at the least. I've been feeling oddly hyper ever since I got here so I might even be able to fill a lake." 'Course the size of a lake is rather varied so it's a rather safe bet. The small talk continued for awhile. I learned a bit about the history between Rain, and her 5 friends, then she even promised to tell me all about the Wonderbolts. They sounded kind of similar to a preimperium group that was mildly popular in some circles, but flying never really was my thing. Once we were about halfway back to the town, Rain asked me if I wanted to have a hoof race. Wondering just how far my endurance could take me, I accepted. Needless to say I got destroyed. She was able to run a good bit faster then me thanks to being a pony, but oddly enough when we got to the tree house library I wasn't even winded. I did feel tired in a different way though so I decided it would be a good idea to not over use my powers. "*Huff* You humans have some. *wheeze* crazy stamina. I was galloping full speed. *huff* that entire time. *puff* and I'm guessing. *breathe* you were too." "Yea, I was. Kinda hard for a biped to keep up with a quadruped, but I nearly managed it. Bit of a drain on my powers running that far that fast, but it feels good to let loose." After panting a bit more, Rain finally gathered herself, before lifting off and somehow hovering in mid air. "Wait, you used your magic? Humph, cheater." I'll admit, I never imagined I'd watch a physics defying winged pony give an indignant 'humph' before, but now I have. Regardless, I could not let such a jab go without riposte. "It's not something I can just turn off. My powers, or I guess magic as you call it, work to sustain me. I'm not sure what the limits are but I do know I can survive on far less fluids then the average person..." Or at least I think that's how it is... considering I haven't had one drink since I woke up this morning, I'm pretty sure that's how it works... "Oh..." The Rainbow mare began, "Sorry about that..." It was then that the two of us finally entered the treehouse library thing. It was also then that I noticed that two more ponies had joined the three I had already been introduced to. Not bothering to let me exchange silent looks with them, Rain introduced me to both Applejack and Rarity. Huh... apples and diamonds... and I guess Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy aren't exactly color based... though Sparky does have sparkles on her side... The three of us exchanged pleasantries while I considered the ramifications of the pony's naming conventions, and eventually I found myself apologizing to the pink one while considering the meaning of the tattoos each of the ponies had, in addition to considering how deep into the rabbit hole I was with the whole power-of-water bit I now had going on. I assumed the tattoos held some form of important symbolism, and I knew that I could keep the bluff up for as long as I was able to learn more about my abilities, but between a conversation about my favorite baked goods and what sort of clothing is popular in my home world, I was beginning to lose track of my waffles... You get the idea. "I'm not sure what you mean about tattoos, but our cutie marks have lots of symbolism!" Whoops The pink one then went on to excitedly tell me the story about how she threw her first party, which apparently involved some sort of sonic boom that broke the visual spectrum concurrently to the sound barrier. My salvation came in the form of Sparky, who again insisted I call her Twilight, telling me that some food had been prepared according to the notes I had been able to give her earlier. I of course was more than happy to leave behind talking in favor of eating, and not even 20 seconds later I was happily munching on various foods, which included something that looked like a burger, but was clearly not a burger. It needed a little something extra to it, but when I asked for some salt I got a strange look followed by some writing in that book. I then asked for some ketchup and mustard which was hastily provided, so I guess ponies don't know what salt is. Considering it's something used mostly on meats I'm not surprised. Now happily fed, I once again realized I still have not had any fluids to drink, and I once again noted I felt no urge to drink. I also noted another urge missing that usually hit me in the mornings and whenever I ate. Well if there's no input there's no output... Stupid magic mucking up my biology... Biology aside, it was then that the dreaded pink one returned to interrupt my peaceful post meal musings. "Hey Icing we all wanted to ask you a few questions about where you came from! You're not gonna be a loner mc grumpy pants, are you?" Did she just call me... eh, it's gotta be the hair, not that far of a stretch... "Sure, why not. Whats a little interplanetary greeting without the obligatory questioning phase?" It's times like this that I'm glad I watched movies. Of course, had I been paying attention I would have noticed an increasingly malevolent grin creeping across Spark-... Twilight's... face
PrologueTheir world burns. Why should I see this as a problem? An ethereal being shaped like a dancing flame turned away from the Earth to face three others. To his left was a being that held the form of shifting sands with a covering of emerald green leafs. Because, Ignis, that is not as it should be. You know as well as I do that the Earth is a place of life and beauty. The humans are not all impure, many suffer and yet still, they honor the elements. The second being turned towards Ignis, a feeling of concern radiating from her as she spoke. While Ignis was the youngest and most inexperienced of the group, Natura, the nature spirit, was the most recent addition. The humans brought chaos to their world of their own accord. Let them burn in the cleansing flames so their world can begin anew. A third being, a water spirit with the appearance of a light blue storm cloud, broke from her respite to reprimand the flame spirit. Ignis, I insist you refrain from engaging in such brash thoughts. It belittles our very reason for existing. With mock horror he responds, Oh! Spare me the indignity Procella— Control yourself. Natura is correct; relocate humans capable of symbiotic existence. The fourth, a being of translucent wind, turned to face the group as he spoke. This one, the eldest and commanding the most respect, is the wind spirit Zeyphr. The flame spirit turned towards Zeyphr, radiating waves of displeasure. Not you too Zephy. I thought you would be on my side for this one! Procella perked up again, sensing another opportunity to reprimand the young flame spirit. Dear Ignis, you have much to learn. Will you just sit this one out and let the three of us handle the matter of Earth? The flame spirit radiated even more waves of displeasure while speaking with a strained tone. Oh, my apologies, I forgot I only mattered when you wanted a little... fire in your life. The wind spirit radiated a powerful wave of annoyance, in order to draw the attention of the other three spirits. They turned towards him as he began. Salvage their race. They have unique minds. Corrupted, but unique. The nature spirit turned away from the group, an ethereal tear falling from her eye accompanied by thick waves of sadness. I still think we should have done something back then to combat Obitus. We could have avoided this entire affront to nature if only we had intervened! Oh sure, and then they could have been all peaceful and loving and lived in harmony with everything I would have gone to sleep ages ago if that's how this planet developed. I don't even care if they still had their conflicts. Anything even close to your 'ideal world' bores me to silence. Ignis, whenever you are done with your incessant complaints of how horrid peace and love is, may we move on and finally decide on a course of action? Just a suggestion, but I recently discovered this planet inhabited by sentient quadrupeds among other races. They would be a perfect foil to whichever humans we decide to send. Ignis sighed and radiated a light wave of contempt. After a few moments of thought he spoke up, a new realization filling his thoughts. I can hardly believe I'm saying this... but I agree with Procella. It would be fun to watch and I certainly wouldn't be opposed to the thought of sentient predators living among equally sentient prey... I'll support this under one condition: we send our own humans without consorting with anyone else. It'll make things far more interesting that way. Zeyphr, after a period of deep thought, looked towards the Earth for a few moments before addressing his fellows. Acceptable. Thank you all for agreeing to spare the humans. I say we should get to work on choosing who we should send. Oh yes, you three should do that. I for one have already sent a human! Hmph... Leave it to you to act as you please. I think I'll settle for watching how your human reacts, It'll help me pick out who I want to send. Send multiples. Enough to propagate. I completely agree with you. They would be ever so lonely and afraid if we sent them one by one. Knowing you you'll probably send those naturalists. They'll probably think they've died and gone to heaven or something from what I've seen! Yes... Well the little human I have sent is beginning to awaken. Shall we observe him?... I took the liberty of expanding his speech patterns. I do suggest that to be a common theme for any other humans we decide to send over. It would just be such a bother to have them deal with such an outstanding language barrier. The flame spirit laughed at this remark, a wry grin upon his ethereal face. I didn't even consider that... The four spirits slowly fade from view as they leap across the vast expanses of space; their sights set on Equis and the soon to unfold events that will transpire. Author's Note In my (most likely temporary) desire to get back into writing, I decided to revisit what I have to reintroduce myself to the story. I made a few fixes here and there to this, and re-imagined slightly the personalities of Zeyphr and Procella. (Which just so happened to involve removing about 100 or so words of Zeyphr's dialogue ^_^' Really do need to flesh this out somehow... but it seems to work as is so maybe not?)
Into A New WorldI'm sure you're wondering why I've gathered you here today... Ahh who am I kidding, if you're reading this and I haven't given you permission, you're a bad person and you should feel bad. All that aside, I'm sure you're wondering what all this is about. Well, it all started one morning back at institution... Darkness. Pure, endless darkness engulfs the planet. A true emptiness that somehow puts to shame the “void” we call space. It seems so wrong, so monstrous, that the everlasting life that populated our planet no longer exists. No more do creatures look up at the stars, no more do plants grow beneath the sun. Cean! That voice again... it sounds like... CEAN! I woke up with a jump, I was just dreaming. "Took ye long enough ye bloody fool. We got class in thirty minutes! and quit sleepin' with yer Jack." It took a moment, but soon enough my head cleared. Knowing just how screwed I was if I was late, I went around my room to gather up all my gear. Netlink, a bag of peanuts, a mountain of text books that hardly ever get used (something about tradition is the reason we have them still) and finally my most prized possession: an external, quadruple encrypted memory unit with everything I've ever written in my entire life. I also had it fitted into a case that could get run over by a war machine... and I'm swooning now, aren't I? Well, time to go. A quick spot check around the room, and I saw almost everything where it should be. "Let me fix my desk real quick." My friend rolled his eyes "Forget about it mate ye can take care of it after class. Just hurry up before we're late." I then sighed in defeat as my friend ran out of the room. When I eventually followed, I took a quick look at my hair in the mirror I kept near the door. Seeing my glacial blue hair triggered the memory of a bet I lost two years ago. Ever since then I decided to have fun with it so I let my hair grow out, and styled it into a circlet of icicles. This, and the fact that I got the tips bleached, ended up earning me the nickname "Icing". Remembering that moment, another memory was brought to the surface of my mind. I was speaking to a guy with a lisp, and when I told him my name was Cean he said, "oh so its like you're Ice Cean" it came out as "oh tho ith like youar Ith then" which some people who were listening in heard as "oh so its like you're Icing". Rather unfortunate for a time, but eventually I took the name in as my own, ruining the fun of those that vainly tried offending me with it. Snapping back in to the real world, I dashed out of my room and down the hall only to see the lift with my friend waiting inside. As the door started to close, I put on a burst of speed, slipped in through the gap, span on my foot, and came to rest leaning casually on the railing of the elevator. "Cheeky bastard." He said with an amused grin. "Jealous much?" I threw a cocky grin at my best friend. Of course, this was a standard exchange between us. Since before we even met I had been a bit of a fanatic when it came to running. At first he made fun of me for it for whatever reason, but once he learned I was one of the many that was Rapid Perception Attuned, and... other various oddities, he came to understand why I did what I did. "Yea, yea, whatever Icy. Hope yer ready for the tests though. This day will be a pain in the fekking arse. "I see you're prepared for all the fun we'll be having." "Aye." "Well that sucked. I'm headed to the lockers, you in for some energy burning?" "I got plans mate. Definitely need time to relax after that marathon. Its like all the professors decided to torture us today or something. Bloody faculty meetings... they always plot against us in them I say." Conversation ended, I say my good byes and go running off to the lockers. When I get there, I find the one I've been keeping my gear in since I started at institution a year ago. Releasing the lock, I changed into a pair of blue running pants and gray shirt. Next, I slipped into my 40kg blue and black vest. Afterwards, I grabbed the two black 5kg leg bands and slipped them on in addition to my newly acquired pair of black running shoes. Finally, I grabbed my blue arm bands with 2.5kg in each of them before finishing off my ensemble with a pair of blue and black gloves at 2.5kg each. Before I threw my bag in my locker for storage, I took out the peanuts I brought with me and stuff them into a pouch I added to the side of my vest. Testing my weight with a few hops and punches, I decided I was all set. Equipment readied, I run off into the comforting embrace of the air-conditioned track. When I reach the starting line I hold myself ridged, feeling the ever present tension that plagues me. I close my eyes, focusing on the discomfort, and proceed to harness it. I move the abundant energy through my body, feeling my muscles sharpen, and my body quicken. With a lightning movement I fling my arms out wide, feeling a second rush fill me. My ritual complete, a wild grin covers my face as I lose myself to the feel of the track. "Alright, time to organize!" After emptying my bag, I set my netlink up on my nightstand, connect it to the speaker port and play some fairly old music from what is quickly becoming my favorite pre-Imperium band. As the song picked up I emptied my desk in order to sort the contents into piles. Hydromeals, essentials, gadgets, blades, other. Alright, all set! With my things organized, I start the task of replacing everything with a nearly obsessive attention to order and detail. Hydros bottom left, essentials center, gadgets top left, blades top right and other in bottom right. Good to go, now if only I could keep the bloody thing organized... With a lull in concentration, I notice a different song just ending. After changing the music, I move my laptop to my desk and crack my knuckles to mark the beginning of a relaxing session of writing. Soon enough, I got lost in a world of pureimagination. Oh, excuse me... human? You seem to really enjoy those spurious worlds of yours do you not? "Who's there and why is your voice coming from everywhere?" No... not everywhere, from inside your mind! Now then, allow me to introduce myself. *ahem* My name is Procella and I am a spirit of water. I am pleased to make your acquaintance, dear human. "Fair maiden, My name is Cean and the pleasure is mine." Oh my! Quite the gentleman you are. Now, I suppose you have a few questions and I am sure you are also wondering when it was you fell asleep. I can first tell you that you are in fact awake and I will also tell you there will be time for questions later. "Oookay well I'm just gonna roll with this and assume I'm unconscious from my workout again... Hope you don't mind!" Hmph, and here I am going out of my way to offer you the chance to go to a completely new world filled with dangerous beasts and unconditional happiness. "Well... strange combination... I'm sure there's a catch for me to partake in this this wondrous land of lands, oh spirit of water." It was at this point that I sighed inwardly, waiting for the inevitable as I woke up to the real world, only to find myself slumped over on my desk or just passed out on the floor. Thinking a moment, I save my work and interrupt the current song in favor of a much more fitting tune. It's right then when I realize that everything is too fluid, too connected, for this to be a dream and so I decide to take the voice I'm hearing a little more seriously. Well, that is an interesting song choice, is it not? As for the 'catch', well... the only stipulation is that you must do as you please and you shall not be allowed to return to this world. Not a great loss all things considered. This planet has fallen into a horrid state of disrepair... "Know what? I know what's going on. I've gone bat-shit insane and you're a split personality so yes, take my to this magical land of wonder and happiness please." Hmph. How crude! You know what? Fine, I will, but do not go crying if you regret this! It was then that a blue portal opened up on my wall, as if to rub it in my face that I was indeed insane, and soon enough , my desk, my chair and I were pulled from our resting positions. As soon as I touched the portal my vision began to fade toblack and I found myself lost in a sea of unconscious dreams. POV: Fluttershy "Oh, calm down. Please... Please calm down now there's no need to be so upset." My animal friends have been disturbed for a long time now. It started when I saw this strange blue light come from the Everfree forest and now I've been trying everything I can think of to calm the animals. I'm worried about what the light was and I want to make sure nothing is all alone out there and hurt. After awhile I manage to calm my friends enough so I leave my cottage to go find Twilight. Once I get to the library I knock on the door like usual and ask to come in. When Twilight opens the door she asks me what's up. "Uhm... well if it's not to much of a bother, I m-mean, if you w-want to that is, there was this strange blue light in the *gulp* E-Everfree and I was wondering, only if you're ok with it, if you wanted to come with me and see what's going on... But i-if you don't want to that's alrig—" "Yes of course I'll go with you Fluttershy! Just let me go get my list for 'things needed to go exploring in the Everfree forest' sorted out and completed then we can leave right away!" After a few minutes Twilight and I left the library, Ponyville, and soon enough passed by my cottage to began our trek through the Everfree. POV: Cean Well... That was fun. I stand up, using my fallen chair and desk as support, and take in my surroundings. The muddy clearing I was in was ringed by a large number of fallen trees which led me to believe it was caused by the portal Procella sent me through. After taking a few minutes to fix up the contents of my desk and making sure all my electronics were off and put away, I decide the first thing I'll have to do is find shelter and clean water. I could tell I was in a forest so I slipped a belt of knives on, courtesy of my hobbyist nature and walked with no clear direction in mind. If only my friends were around for me to laugh at them for thinking my hobbies were crazy... It's a shame I never learned how to hunt... but at least my addiction to Hydros will pay off. I should have at least a week of food... I really wish there was somebody else here... Nice spirit lady are you still there?... I could use someone to talk to right about now... I had been walking for about an hour. I saw a few interesting things, one of them being a clearing filled with a long reed-like grass with some properties of rope. Despite my intentions to just wander around, I decided it would be better to follow a spiral path and it paid off as I finally discovered a rocky outcropping. Not only did it have a suitable overhang for a makeshift home, but it also had a spring bubbling up into a small pool of water just a few minutes away. I turned and walked in what I hoped was a direct route back to the clearing, marking trees along my way and after another 10 minutes I finally found my way back. I thought for a moment how I would lug my desk and chair back to my new home and decide to just lift my desk over my shoulder and carry the chair over the other. For once I'm glad I didn't get a bigger desk. I still wish I wasn't alone though. Maybe if... no she's gone and she's not coming back. No point trying to pretend things would be any different... Procella please say something... You can at least tell me a little more about this place, right? With my belongings moved, I decided it was time for me to get my temporary home a little more... homely. I grabbed a few items from my desk and went back to the clearing again. When I got there I started sawing off branches and piling them up with a length of nylon ribbon at each end so I could bundle the sticks together making them easier to carry. After another 30 minutes or so I had a nice bundle all made up so once more I return to my new home. And they said my condition offered no side effects... I can't believe I haven't seen any sort of animals yet. Must not be many larger creatures out here... Procella you can speak to my mind so that means you can hear my thoughts too, right? Another solid hour of work and I finished the job of forming the sticks into a two sided wall, the rock being the third wall and roof. I was able to make use of the twine-like grass I found in the other clearing to bind the sticks together and I gave the walls some semblance of wholeness by weaving in large ferns that grew wherever sunlight reached the ground. All around I was happy with my new home so I decided it was time for me to see what else I could find in this forest. So I've been here for around three hours and I already have a reasonably well made home, a source of water, and plenty of food for awhile. Not bad If I may say so myself... I'd give anything to have someone to talk to right about now... Procella... please don't just abandon me here... I had been wandering around the forest for over an hour, going in a serpentine path from my new home and so far I discovered nothing of use. Deciding it was time to head back I went in what I knew was a direct path back to my new home, using the occasional marked tree to alter my path. As I got closer I heard a low growl that shocked me and gave me hope at the same time. I turned towards the sound and was greeted with a creature I only knew from stories... a manticore. POV: Twilight Fluttershy and I had been walking in the woods for a few hours now. Of course, I had a recall spell at the ready in case something attacked us that she couldn't ward off with her special talent. We had kept up a steady banter, only falling silent when the occasional sound scared Fluttershy. After a somewhat close encounter with a manticore we came upon a clearing that was completely destroyed by what I assumed was a large water based magical blast. The trees were drenched and pushed to the edges of the clearing and the clearing itself was nothing but mud. I gingerly stepped over the logs, noticing that quite a few of the trees had branches that seemed to have been cut, and began my examination of the area. Deciding this area was important to our search. I planted a lodestone and then cast a spell to connect it to the one I kept in Ponyville. I was about to cast a second spell to test the connection but my concentration was interrupted by a terrible roar. Fluttershy froze up, cowering in the mud, so I picked her up with my magic and quickly ran towards the direction of the roar knowing something was in danger. POV: Cean (A/N And now, the part you've all been waiting for! Also, gotta havebattle music, yea?) The manticore charged me, its bat like wings held tight against its back, as it quickly closed the distance between us. My heart stopped for a moment as I looked the beast in the eye and I realized there was only one way I was getting out of this; I had to fight for my life or die trying. I grabbed three knives from my belt, placing one in my mouth to assist in protecting my head and neck, holding my off hand blade backwards for parrying and slashing, and the blade in my right hand forwards so I could stab quickly. I waited, every muscle in my body tensed and ready to explode into overdrive. I concentrated on the burning desire that plagued me, honing it, shaping it into an energy that could fuel me. I felt the energy move through me, time seemed to slow down as my focus sharpened and sure enough, the manticore made its move. It leapt into the air, claws extended to their full length, and let loose a mighty roar. I dodged to the right and raked my off hand blade through its side but it quickly shot its tail out to impale my arm. My grip loosened for a moment but by sheer force of will I held on to my blade. Not wanting to go through that again, I quickly whirled around to relieve it of its tail. Poison oozed from each end and I saw that even the stinger on the tail was oozing with poison, as well as my puncture wound. I knew I wouldn't have much time to act, since the poison was probably a neurotoxin, so I leapt towards the neck of the manticore with reckless abandon. I thought this would be it but the manticore charged forward, almost causing me to fall flat on my face. I turned quickly and locked eyes with my opponent. It let out a snarl as I grinned with insanity. The manticore kept circling me, waiting for its venom to take hold. Thinking quickly, I dropped to a knee and feigned weakness, waiting for my time to strike. The manticore slowly approached me, making sure I really was out for the count. I relaxed all my muscles which caused me to slump further and the knife in my mouth to swing down, only a tooth preventing it from falling completely. I continued to wait but sure enough I saw the manticore's paw enter my vision. I tensed all my muscles immediately before I struck the manticore on either side of the head. My daggers embedded themselves in it's neck but the manticore continued to fight, albeit with quite a struggle. Carefully, I lined my third knife up with the manticore's eye, and plunged it in without hesitation. Blood spurted out, adding my face to the list of blood soaked body parts. Now, finally, the manticore slumped and fell to the ground with a thud. I licked my lips, the taste of blood lingering, and thought of how good this meat might taste with a side of potatoes. With the fight over, the surge of energy that filled me passed and my perception of time returned to normal. I decide the first thing to do would be to squeeze out and then wash out what poisons I could since making an antidote would be impossible. The depth of the wound was similar to that of a weak handgun but it was starting to ooze heavily so I let it bleed out a little before covering it with some nylon ribbon. The fact that the ribbon was red gave me a little peace of mind since I wouldn't be able to see exactly how much blood would soak into it but I knew if I didn't do something fast I wouldn't make it. I quickly ran towards the spring I found so I could clean off my wound and half way there the pain from the poison started to set in. I stumbled and fell facedown in the dirt and I could do nothing but lay there for a little while. So... this is it for me? Dying alone in a forest with manticore poison in my veins?... No, I'm not dying yet. I need to make it through this. I grabbed the ground into a death grip and pushed it away from me. I stood tall and with a blank stare in my eye I walked the last few minutes to the spring to plunge my arm, make shift bandages and all, into its waters. Well... I'm here now but wow this seems pointless. All this way just to clean myself off... but... I made it. I set a task for myself and I made it. With my arm soaking in the water, I felt the pain of the wound being leeched away from me. After sitting there for awhile I felt something different so I looked down and removed my bandage. Instead of blood and a wound that had been there moments ago, I saw some strange crystalline substance. Not knowing what to make of it, I pulled my arm and bandage out of the water and took a good solid look at this new addition. The crystal was an glacial blue like my hair and almost immediately I noticed it was growing. I stared in horror as it branched out, creating a strange lattice moving down my arm and towards my hand. I felt no pain from it but the world around me seemed to take on a darker tone. I felt fearful of the world around me and the once vibrant colors I had come to enjoy felt muted. I decided there was nothing more I could do here so I took a nice long drink from the spring and began my trek home. When I finally got there, my head was pounding as if it were being assaulted by a legion of hammers. I stumbled into my makeshift hut to collapse on my makeshift bed. Unfortunately, it really only functioned as a pillow but that was all I needed for now. As I lay there, I watched the crystal on my arm slowly grow towards my palm. Soon enough, the branching network of lines began to gather and form a large node in the center of my palm, ironically, where the lines of my palm formed an X. The crystal emitted a bright light and in the same moment the pounding in my head ceased. I studied the crystal and saw that the light within it was moving. I tapped the crystals and discovered that I had no feeling in them so I decide to take it a step further and test them with a knife. I took a knife to the node on my upper arm where my wound used to be and poked it in. I felt the pressure of the knife but the tip of the blade didn't sink in at all. I put more pressure on the blade and yet again the tip didn't even make a scratch. Thinking for a moment I took the knife to one of the tendrils of crystal on my lower arm and repeated the same process, even giving the crystal a quick slash but still, the crystals didn't get a single scratch. Ok so a little recap here... I got really strong crystals embedded into my arm now and I have a knife that needs to be sharpened... I also have a manticore I need to move away from my home and three more knives to clean... I wonder what manticore tastes like? I am alone in a forest on an alien planet after all. Might as well go ahead and keep up with trying new things... Feeling slightly more energetic after my short reprieve, I pulled myself up and carefully walked over to the manticore. I noticed something about it was off; it looked a lot more... dangerous, then it did before. Looking it over, I decided it would be a good idea to keep the pelt since I didn't have a real bed and I might need some blankets. The first thing I did was drag the manticore closer to where the spring was. It took some effort at first but eventually I just threw its hindlegs over my shoulders and lugged the thing half on my back, half dragging on the ground. After dragging it for a few minutes I stopped to catch my breath and that's when I heard a noise behind me. I left the manticore carcass behind as I quickly ran to put my back against a tree. I stood perfectly still for a bit and once again I heard a sound. I slowly crept towards the direction of the sound, a knife in each hand, and soon enough I had made it back to my house. Outside of it were two demonic looking quadrupeds. One a purplish color with a horn and the other a yellowish color with wings. I stopped moving for a moment, listening to the two beings speak to each other but it was a language I didn't understand. The horned one looked towards the yellow one and said "siht edam tahw redonw I?" The winged one looked around with a strange, almost fearful, look in its eyes and responded, "hguoht ti tliub evah ot seod ekips ekil swalc-c ro cigam rehtie evah ot sah ti-I. wonk t'nod I-I." The two creatures walked towards the entrance of my house and went inside. After some shouting they came out a little later and the lavender one's horn was glowing a pinkish color along with, to my horror, all my electronics and, strangely, even my school books. It was jumping up and down excitedly babbling on in that strangely familiar language and I decided right then and there I had to protect my belongings from these creatures. POV: Twilight Fluttershy and I had been walking through the forest for awhile now looking for any sign of a struggle. We heard some roars and adjusted our direction occasionally but it was hard to keep a straight path in the forest. Eventually, we came upon a small rock formation that had been made into what was obviously a makeshift hut. Outside of it were blood stains, foot prints of a manticore, foot prints of some strange creature I couldn't recognize and multiple trails of the strange foot prints leading off in one direction along with what looked to be the markings of something being dragged. So... this strange beast seems to have fought a manticore and won. I hope it isn't around right now... But maybe it was just defending itself! Maybe it isn't some dangerous beast. After all, it shows signs of intelligence if the ...being... is the same thing that made that hut... "I wonder what made this?" "I-I don't know. I-it had to have either magic or c-claws like Spike though to have built it though." Fluttershy and I walked into the hut after I assured her there was nothing inside and, to my surprise, I found what looked to be cushions and a desk. I spoke up as I looked through the drawers. "Now this is just weird. These two things are obvious signs of civilization so what're they doing so deep in the Everfree? "I-I don't know... but I just can't place those footprints. It has to be some new creature we've never seen before. We are in a section of the Everfree nopony has been in after all... I looked through the desk and found quite a few interesting things. In one of the drawers were packets of what I assumed was food based on the pictures. In another drawer were quite a few strange devices that I've never seen before so I took them all out before moving on. As I looked into the middle drawer I found two more strange devices and, to my great surprise, a few books!. "Book! Books! This creature has BOOKS!" I said, jumping up and down excitedly. I quickly looked into the other two drawers for good measure but found nothing else of interest. "Uhmm... T-Twilight? A-Are you sure we should be taking these things?" Fluttershy looks over at me, a look of worry plastered across her face. "Don't worry Fluttershy I just want to look at them. I'll put everything back! Now lets head outside so I can get better lighting." Fluttershy and I walked outside and as soon as we got a few steps away from the hut some strange bipedal creature came charging at us with daggers in hand. Losing my composure, I hit the ground. Not thinking about it much, I pulled all the items I had been holding in front of me before shouting out, "Stop! Please stop!" POV: Cean Once the two creatures get a few feet away from my home, I charge and as soon as the purple one sees me, it ducks, puts all my belongings in between the two of us and shouts out, "Pots esaelp! Pots!" I come to a sudden stop, not wanting to damage any of my things, but also because of the fact I recognized a word. "Pots?" The purple one looks up at me with a very confused look and says, "Stop?" "What the... I don't even." I deadpanned, staring at a creature that held a similar expression. The creature's face brightened as it started jumping in place, "Ti wenk I! Nairtseuqe kaeps uoy!" I responded, my expression unchanging, "What are you saying I can't understand you..." The creature then looked at me with a confused expression, "Enif tsuj uoy dnatsredun nac I! Tub... "Tub... Wait a second. I think... you can understand me just fine right?" The creature nods so I continue saying, "Say... Say wood dog" The creature regained a confused look but did as I asked, "God doow". "Thats it! Everything you say, I hear backwards! I don't know what's causing it... though I got poisoned by a manticore and then everything started looking evil and then this... But this is completely amazing! What're the chances of us speaking the same language when we're from different worlds?!" The creature looked at me, a glimmer of understanding in its eyes, and then placed all my items onto the ground. It walked up to me and as it did so its horn became enshrouded in that pink light once more. It touched its horn to the crystalline node on my upper arm and a surge of power flowed through me. I fought to stand but soon enough all I saw was an evil smile as I fell unconscious. Well, that was interesting. Why'd you give him some of your powers? Oh please, you saw how he almost died to the manticore. Without the purifying influence of my gifts he would have been done for! Even if the ponies found him Hmph. Well I don't need to remind YOU what happened the last time you gave a human your "gifts" Dear Ignus, please refrain from bringing about old memories from another time; It's quite rude. Besides, this planet already has very strong energy manipulators, adding one more won't hurt anything. Yea, yea, go steam yourself Author's Note Now for some "word of god" bonus round! 1) Imperium's influence on the world is more or less like Shinra from FF7 without the mako. If there's anything more you guys want to know about Cean's life, history, and planet then do tell me now because I want to avoid extensive flash back scenes and bits of information places haphazardly throughout the story. Also, sorry for the song cramming. (made worse by the 3 hidden songs, I'm sure. To find them, check the spaces between song titles that you may have noticed.) 2) Cean's unusual amount of stamina is thanks to high metabolism, evolutionary traits (ADHD is a similar case, in Cean's world it's a trait known as RPA, or rapid perceptual attunement. Roughly one tenth of the populace has it and there is a bit of a social divide because of it.) and a unique way of coping with an unfortunate medical condition. (This will be explained in detail in chapter 4 or 5) 3)Hydromeals = MREs, Academy = grade school, Institution = college/uni, Netlink = future tech laptop with no moving parts and negligible heat generation. It can function as a tablet, has a removable headset (it's a thin flexible strip that lightly sticks to the skin and has an earpiece) and the screen slides rather then flips. 4)I played with the thought that "Earth" is actually Mars from a few thousand years ago (30-40) and then a group of survivors settled our Earth but... it's unnecessary since the Sol system doesn't show up much past this chapter. It's referenced, but the state of Earth will be along the lines of, "crappy with a chance of extinction. The fuck is this place?"
New beginningsAuthor's Note Yes, I changed everything. I had to because I just couldn't find it in me to continue the old storyline. All I was doing was setting the stage for emotional connections and troubles, with no legitimate action. I'm happy to say that I'm fully prepared and ready to get back to this story. Word of God bonus round: Here is the base timeline I'm using for this story. Season 4 and on of course is assumed to already be in chronological order (For the most part anyway) http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/349/8/8/my_little_pony_friendship_is_magic_timeline_update_by_tobyandmavisforever-d6xz8b7.png Bonus points if you can pin down just where in that timeline this story begins. New beginnings Endless despair covers the land that was once my home. Death I look around me, I see wisps of poison pollute the air. I try to flee but as quickly as I can move, the poison surrounds me. I struggle against the air itself but all it accomplishes is wasted effort. Death I feel air leave my lungs only to be replaced by the taint of the outside world. I look around me and see nothing but death and destruction. Death I find myself laying on the ground, gasping for air. I return to my feet but the light leave my eyes as I run as fast and as far as I can. Death I find myself running, I don't know why but when I look behind me I see bodies. Hundreds upon hundreds of bodies lying in broken, disfigured, piles.Death I look ahead of me and the world is bathed in flames. Death I look up to the sky and a dark blue demon enters the edge of my sight, Death broken shards of the dome fall Death the song of the world reaches a crescendo. Death The noise stops. I feel peace... unity... I hear music. A calm symphony fills the air as rainbow shards form a cascade of broken light. I see light cover the land and the darkness fades from memory as the light shatters to the ground around me. I feel a sense of calm as the world explodes with light, staining the ground around me with a deep red hue. I look up to the sky and see the demon again, only this time raindrops fall from on high to splash against me. The demon leaves, taking the rain with it, and the dome shatters once more. I smile as rainbow lights fall towards me again and when I close my eyes I feel the light knock me to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I felt scared. I could remember what happened to me the day before, but something about it was just... off. I could tell I wasn't in my room, and I could see a few of my things spread carelessly across the floor, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was asleep in the middle of a library. Not only that, but I even had a very plushy cushion under me that was softer then anything I have ever felt before. I rubbed my eyes and nearly freaked at the sight of my left arm, but the events of... my last experiences... came in to focus and I remained calm. Let me ask you something though, if you wake up with a weird crystalline growth on your arm, what would you try to do with it first? Well, the answer for me was stick my hand out and fire a beam out of it... completely oblivious to my current surroundings. "Well... not doing that inside again..." See, there was a mixture of coincidences that happened right then. The first is that I stuck my arm out, willing for something to shoot out. Then, with my body catching up on the wake-up process, my throat began to feel scratchy so I thought about getting a drink, the natural choice being water. THEN, when I thought about water, the node on my upper arm began to glow, which traced down my veins, which collected in the node on my hand, which somehow culminated in the breaking of every single law of physics I knew of. Long story short, I emitted a torrent of water that just so happened to blast a few chips out of the floor. Fortunately, the flow of water cut itself off rather quickly. Unfortunately, that was when the person behind me made herself known. "I would hope so. Are you suffering from a bit of incontinence or something? I've had that problem before... but I'd rather not talk about it." I blinked... twice... before responding. "Yea, let's go with that. I get the feeling telling her I just got this thing... awhile ago... would be a bad idea. So how long was I out then Ms..." "Twilight Sparkle, you were out for about half a day. Slept through the night like a baby dragon." Huh... that's an odd one. "Well, can't argue with that. My name is Cean, mind if I call you Sparky?" "Why Sparky? My friends call me Twi... or Twilight!" I feel inclined to mention I could feel her glare. Asides aside, I thought for a moment. Why do I want to call her Sparky? "No reason, bonus points if it's abnormal is what I always say." It was about then that I finally fell to the obligation of turning around to meet my mysterious benefactor face to face, which is when I realized I was talking to a decidedly no-longer-demon pony. "Well, you're a talking..." "Human." "...from the Everfree forest, with more technology in one desk then I've seen in my entire life, a written language that makes no sense to me and the strangest collection of items that would put Pinkie to shame. I think I can file your oddities away under 'cultural differences' and leave it at that... assuming it remains controlled." I'd also like to take the time to mention that upon saying that, she flipped through some sort of a book that wasn't quite a textbook, and wrote a few lines down. I'd also like to mention that when I asked why she used a feather for a stylus, she gave me a strange look, dipped her stylus in a pot of some oil looking substance, and then wrote a few more lines down on the same page. Putting 2 and 2 together, I came to the conclusion that she was writing something down under the heading of 'cultural differences' using that not-quite textbook and oil. "Well, can't fault you for being literal I guess. So what next? You seem to be taking this whole thing rather well." "I had all night to get used to you being here. You, on the other hoof, just woke up in a completely unfamiliar location and the worst you did was chip away at my floor with your magic. Care to explain?" "I had all day yesterday to get used to the batshite crazy. I mean, why stop at getting 'ported to an a strange place, I had to get attacked by a fekking manticore, I mean, you could have a dragon fight a hydra in the commons and the worst I would do is call it a rip-off of a pre-Imperium movie... Side note, all three of those animals don't even bloody exist where I come from." "...I didn't quite understand a few of those words. Batshite and fekking are complete unknowns, pre-Imperium I can guess and I take it 'bloody' has a different meaning where you come from." "Batshite can be switched with words like very or extremely within a negative context, 'fek' is an unusually inoffensive way of saying 'fuck' and bloody is... a modifier that conveys importance of a subject... yea, let's go with that." After a little more writing in her little book, Sparky then looks up at me again and asks me what the word 'fuck' means. "Honestly? Fek... well you can fekking use the word 'fuck' in just about any fekking context, regardless of how much of a fekking fekker it makes you fekking feel like." More writing into her notebook, with a few obvious underlines, and she placed both book and stylus on a table top in what looked to be a mixture of a kitchen and dining room "I haven't eaten in about eleven hours. This will be a perfect opportunity to learn about the eating habits of you humans!" Drawing upon what I know of ponies, I responded with a frank "you probably won't like what you learn. I admit now that humans, by nature, are omnivores." Smiling faintly, my purple friend replied with, "that's good to know actually. Fluttershy already said you were a predator from examining your body structure so I was hoping that, since you clearly shared our language, you could be reasoned with to adjust your diet." "I've been meaning to ask that, how do we speak the same language?" Not even sparing a glance, the unicorn replied, "I've learned that some questions are best left unanswered. Just call it magic and leave it at that." "Well... Can't argue with that. Magic would explain the blatant disregard for science I just displayed... So, you were mentioning food?" Funnily enough, this is when my stomach decided to make itself known with a deep growl. "Yes, I did mention food. Care to join me for an early lunch?". "Lead the way Sparky!" I feel inclined to note I saw the unicorn's eye twitch even though she was facing away from me... those eyes of theirs are pretty darn freaky... There's no way they have the same shape as our eyes, they just wouldn't fit if they were. "So, what's on the menu?" I ask timidly, "Normally I'd crack a joke right about now but this doesn't seem to be the right setting... and I'm still just a touch caught up on the whole talking pony thing... I bet the naturalists would love this place though..." "Oh!" the purple pony responds with enthusiasm, "we need to get through a few checklists first to see what sort of foods we have that you think you could eat! Then we can talk about all sorts of other things, like your magic, those Naturalists you mentioned, and your entire species!" I sigh at the prospect of having to do things before eating and follow the unicorn through the tree... library... house... thing... into what I'm guessing is their version of a food distribution center. When I passed the threshhold I took the time to look around while the pony wrote on three rather long sheets of paper. I saw a bunch of things that made no real sense to me, but being a student all my life I never actually made my own food, outside of hydromeals. Needless to say I'm sure the set up and machines made sense to Sparky so I wasn't worried. "Alright Cean, here's three checklists. The first one is for grains, grasses and flowers, the second is fruits and vegtables and the third is other, which includes items such as eggs, dairy products, nuts and other various edibles." As she explained the purpose of the sheets, I went to town marking off things I recognized. The first list remained nearly empty, with only something I guessed was flour being marked off. The second list got a big check next to the title to save time and the third list received checks on just about everything, with what I assumed to be gems being the only mentionable exclusion. "That about does it. So what's the deal with the gems? And I couldn't help but notice the only thing resembling meat was fish." Sparky gave me a rather unusual look, which I returned with a raised eye brow. "Well... Spike eats gems so I figured you might be able to as well. You do have that crystalline formation on your arm after all." Choosing to not make a comment on my new addition, I advanced the conversation in less conspicuous direction. "Ah... Well, I couldn't really tell you too much about food production. I can tell you that, being the only sentient species that we knew of the menu was rather large." "That's... horrible. You grew up thinking you were the only sentient species? There's dragons, gryphons, us ponies, zebras, diamond dogs, minotaurs, cows-" My eyes went wide at what I just heard, I cut her off immediately, shouting out, "WHAT?! YOUR COWS CAN TALK?!" She responded rather frantically due to my outburst saying, "Wha- yes! Of course!... You had ones that couldn't? Is that a bad thing?" "Well..." I began, not really sure how best to put this, "We had this thing called a burger which was made from beef. Beef comes from cows and if cows can talk then that means no more burgers..." "Oh... oh my Celestia, you've eaten COW?!..." After nearly hyperventilating, Sparky went silent for awhile. I was content just sitting there watching her and, sure enough, she snapped out of whatever trance she put herself in. "Ok. We can talk to Fluttershy and see what you can do. You're not the first meat eater to ever live among ponies so you might even be able to order in special foods. You'll need a job to get enough bits for that but I'm almost certain your strange anatomy and magic will be more then enough to get you a steady income. I..." she trailed off in her tirade as the sound of a door opening. I looked behind me and saw two things: the first is that there was this yellow pony with wings that could only be described as cute and cuddly, the second is that a blatantly pink pony next to the first one looked like a villain from a preimperium slasher horror movie. "HhhheeEERREEE'S PINKIE!" Why do I feel the sudden urge to stab things with an axe?... Heeyyy I can probably make an ice axe! As I went to focus on my powers, another thought struck me, but not inside. New powers + indoors = bad time. "Oh goodie! Perfect timing you two. I take it Fluttershy already filled you in on what she knows, Pinkie?" While I was thinking about what I could make out of ice, Sparky wasted no time in greeting who I assume to be her friends. The three of them spoke for a little, Sparky catching the other two up on my situation, then the pink one broke away and produced a box from Selene knows where. A quick poof later and I found myself with a bright blue cupcake in each hand, one in my mouth and another halfway down my throat. Needless to say I totally aced the whole calm and collected reaction, "OH SWEET SELENE WHAT THE CRAP JUST HAPPENED!" "O-oh my..." "Pinkie! What did you do to Cean!" "Oh don't be such a silly sillypants I just gave him some welcome to Ponyville cupcakes!" After the shock of somehow not choking wore off, and the second cupcake was expelled from my body, I spoke. "As much as I appreciate getting some food in my stomach, pure sugar like that stuff does NOT agree with me. On that note, I'm going to be outside for awhile running like mad so I don't freak the fuck out from a sugar high... whiCH IS ALREADY HAPPENING-GOODBYE-I'LL-BE-BACK Pinkie went oddly silent, staring at the half eaten cupcake on the floor. Sparky and Fluttershy were staring between Pinkie and I, which I promptly ignored as I ran out the door handing each of them a cupcake. If I was smart I would probably have noticed the panic and mayhem my appearance was causing in town, but in my current state I could not have cared less. I was running as fast as I could, and I was quickly leaving the town behind. I felt a surge of energy as the sugar made its way through my system, and my entire body began to speed up. My heart was racing, my lungs were burning, the crystals on my arm were glowing, Huh... That's a new one. Going to have to study this a bit once I calm down. and I began to feel a cool relief spread through my body. The burning in my lungs went away, the dryness in my mouth and throat following, and I felt amazing. I picked it up the pace a bit, this new sense of relief spurring me on, and after a few minutes the pain finally began to die down. I had burned away the majority of the excess energy from the sugar and now that I had stopped running, I realized that I wasn't even out of breath. After taking a minute to slowly walk around, allowing my body to cool down, I realized that my heart rate wasn't even beating rapidly. Attributing my new found endurance to my powers, I focused on the crystals in my arm, willing a small shoot of water to emerge from my palm. A few divots in the ground later, and I finally managed to control the power well enough that I could create a gentle fountain. Well, glad I managed that. Now to see about making ice. Unfortunately, my training was interrupted by the appearance of a rainbow maned teal pony with wings. "Hey you! What do you think you're doing running off like that especially leaving Pinkie like... uh... what happened here?" Looking around, I took the time to notice just how badly marred the trail was by my efforts. Some of the gouges I left were actually kinda deep, and some trees were missing a few chunks. Needless to say I was glad I did this far, far away from civilization. Noticing an opportunity to knock two birds with one stone, I replied. "This is why I ran out of town so quickly... I didn't want to hurt anyone. I'm just glad I had enough time to calm things down or else I may have harmed you." The rainbow mare looked on sheepishly, quite for a moment before replying, "Yeaaa... I'm gonna head on back now. Are you good or do you need a minute?" "The name's Cean by the way, and yea, going back sounds like a good plan." "The name's Rainbow Dash," oh Selene, these ponies are named by color, "fastest pegasus in Equestria and only one to ever perform the sonic rain boom." I could FEEL the arrogance in that sentence, but, since it wasn't my place to grill her over it, I continued. "Well, nice to meet you Rain. I hope I did not cause undue mayhem during my exodus." That earned me a laugh from the rainbow mare... who also took the time to defy gravity entirely as she was hovering in mid air without even flapping her wings... Nope, not going down that road, the pink one is causing me enough problems. Willful suspension of disbelief... engaged. Feeling at peace with the world around me, I inquired as to why I was being laughed at. "Heh... ah, sorry. It's just I've never heard anyone speak like that before..." Where there was once laughter was soon replaced by introspection, "Why'd ya call me Rain though? I usually go by Dash." I thought for a moment, before shrugging and giving yet another half assed answer on the subject, "Eh, I liked the sound of it. Besides, I'm kind of a water guy if you haven't noticed yet." It was then that I took the time to send a rather weak fountain of water in Rain's general direction. Fortunately, it truly was weak and instead of shaving off a strip of hair I only ended up lightly completely soaking the poor mare. Whoops... Still not controlling it well enough I guess. "SWEET CELESTIA... Why would you fire that thing at me! I saw some of the streams you shot out when I first left Ponyville. You could hit Cloudsdale with that kind of water pressure." Rain took on a rather pensive look after that. After walking in silence for a good few minutes she spoke up again, "So how much water can you create at any one time?" I actually stopped moving at that. It was a rather unusual question that I hadn't anticipated having to BS an answer to, so, I winged it with some fresh BS as I started walking again. "Dunno, I've never run out before. I could probably fill a large pond at the least. I've been feeling oddly hyper ever since I got here so I might even be able to fill a lake." 'Course the size of a lake is rather varied so it's a rather safe bet. The small talk continued for awhile. I learned a bit about the history between Rain, and her 5 friends, then she even promised to tell me all about the Wonderbolts. They sounded kind of similar to a preimperium group that was mildly popular in some circles, but flying never really was my thing. Once we were about halfway back to the town, Rain asked me if I wanted to have a hoof race. Wondering just how far my endurance could take me, I accepted. Needless to say I got destroyed. She was able to run a good bit faster then me thanks to being a pony, but oddly enough when we got to the tree house library I wasn't even winded. I did feel tired in a different way though so I decided it would be a good idea to not over use my powers. "*Huff* You humans have some. *wheeze* crazy stamina. I was galloping full speed. *huff* that entire time. *puff* and I'm guessing. *breathe* you were too." "Yea, I was. Kinda hard for a biped to keep up with a quadruped, but I nearly managed it. Bit of a drain on my powers running that far that fast, but it feels good to let loose." After panting a bit more, Rain finally gathered herself, before lifting off and somehow hovering in mid air. "Wait, you used your magic? Humph, cheater." I'll admit, I never imagined I'd watch a physics defying winged pony give an indignant 'humph' before, but now I have. Regardless, I could not let such a jab go without riposte. "It's not something I can just turn off. My powers, or I guess magic as you call it, work to sustain me. I'm not sure what the limits are but I do know I can survive on far less fluids then the average person..." Or at least I think that's how it is... considering I haven't had one drink since I woke up this morning, I'm pretty sure that's how it works... "Oh..." The Rainbow mare began, "Sorry about that..." It was then that the two of us finally entered the treehouse library thing. It was also then that I noticed that two more ponies had joined the three I had already been introduced to. Not bothering to let me exchange silent looks with them, Rain introduced me to both Applejack and Rarity. Huh... apples and diamonds... and I guess Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy aren't exactly color based... though Sparky does have sparkles on her side... The three of us exchanged pleasantries while I considered the ramifications of the pony's naming conventions, and eventually I found myself apologizing to the pink one while considering the meaning of the tattoos each of the ponies had, in addition to considering how deep into the rabbit hole I was with the whole power-of-water bit I now had going on. I assumed the tattoos held some form of important symbolism, and I knew that I could keep the bluff up for as long as I was able to learn more about my abilities, but between a conversation about my favorite baked goods and what sort of clothing is popular in my home world, I was beginning to lose track of my waffles... You get the idea. "I'm not sure what you mean about tattoos, but our cutie marks have lots of symbolism!" Whoops The pink one then went on to excitedly tell me the story about how she threw her first party, which apparently involved some sort of sonic boom that broke the visual spectrum concurrently to the sound barrier. My salvation came in the form of Sparky, who again insisted I call her Twilight, telling me that some food had been prepared according to the notes I had been able to give her earlier. I of course was more than happy to leave behind talking in favor of eating, and not even 20 seconds later I was happily munching on various foods, which included something that looked like a burger, but was clearly not a burger. It needed a little something extra to it, but when I asked for some salt I got a strange look followed by some writing in that book. I then asked for some ketchup and mustard which was hastily provided, so I guess ponies don't know what salt is. Considering it's something used mostly on meats I'm not surprised. Now happily fed, I once again realized I still have not had any fluids to drink, and I once again noted I felt no urge to drink. I also noted another urge missing that usually hit me in the mornings and whenever I ate. Well if there's no input there's no output... Stupid magic mucking up my biology... Biology aside, it was then that the dreaded pink one returned to interrupt my peaceful post meal musings. "Hey Icing we all wanted to ask you a few questions about where you came from! You're not gonna be a loner mc grumpy pants, are you?" Did she just call me... eh, it's gotta be the hair, not that far of a stretch... "Sure, why not. Whats a little interplanetary greeting without the obligatory questioning phase?" It's times like this that I'm glad I watched movies. Of course, had I been paying attention I would have noticed an increasingly malevolent grin creeping across Spark-... Twilight's... face
