Chapters Reality Is an Illusion, Albeit a Persistent One.
Who’s That Pokemon...?!
Illusions are the greatest thing to fear in society. An illusion can be made from anyone who wants to keep the truth hidden, be it a normal man or one with power, But the greatest illusions we have to face are the ones we create ourselves.- Anonymous
Walking down the extremely pointless and huge stairs, I make my way around the marble pillars and towards the parking garage. Walking past the guard monitoring the gate, I continued my walk while giving him a prompt greeting. “Hey I’m going out, see you around.” Making my way out, I navigated my way through the winding gardens that my father insisted made the grounds more beautiful, a nuisance at best is what they are. I climbed into my Ford POS stationed in the garage at the far side of the gardens before driving down and out of our gated land, nodding to the other guard as I passed. I didn’t bother with the radio, my own thoughts satisfied me plenty as I drove my way through the multitude of towering abodes that must inevitably be passed on my way to the city, and my favourite cafe contained within.
You may know me as Eric, and unless you are a fool you’ve inferred I’m currently accelerating away from my wealthy family's mansion and towards the city. You’re probably wondering why I’m leaving the cozy place of home to go out into the world. Well sit back cause this will take some time to explain. My father is what you call a ‘Man of Business,’ and I’m one of the usually unknown family members riding his coattails.
All my existence my father has raised me in the same fashion he had been, I’m sure you can imagine: “Wasting time is wasting money”, “If it seems like a bad idea it’s most likely a waste of your resources”, et cetera. Regardless of my wealth, my life has not been an easy one. I’ve been a black sheep for some time simply because my father and I don’t agree on some things, because of this, he has made life a personal hell at home, in the insistence that I must conform to his idea’s of what I should become.
‘What ideas do my father and I don’t see eye to eye on,’ you ask. Well for starters they way he treats others, his willingness to gain money at the most optimal moment for himself, and the way he simply carries himself. Now call me old fashioned, but I honestly believe that the majority of humans are dark, selfish, vile creatures... But few of them are kind enough to improve the world. This is the main idea my father and I argue: he believes humans are stones that need to be set down to make your path or tosses aside if they don’t fit. It is because of his view that I even exist, not because he loved my mother (I’m not even sure he can love), but because she was a stone that needed to be ‘laid’. So every free chance I receive, I venture out and interact with less fortunate society just to relax. Forcing myself from my thoughts, I turn on the radio and listen to some old school rock to try and aid my escape from reality.
Pulling off the main road, I meandered my way through traffic to a parking garage. Swiping my card through the machine, The bar was raised and I drove through to locate a position to park. Settling in my chosen location on the third floor, I climbed out and popped the trunk to retrieve my bag which held everything I need. Walking into the Texas sun, I repositioned my sunglasses and zipped up my nondescript hoodie.
Walking away fromt the parking garage, as I make my way to sixth street, I passed a local college student. He was wearing an orange and white t-shirt with a yellow jaguar on the back. ‘Dude thinks that going to college will help him later in life. Gotta admire his commitment to learning. Hope he succeeds in his goals.’ As I turned to walk away I failed to notice the raised eyebrow he threw my direction. I ignored the loud noise and clamor and instead revelled in the energy of the city. It was rejuvenating to be connected to so many with dates to meet and places to be, it charged me as well as humbled.
Hiking up the stairway to the cafe, I began my repose at a green wire table outside the establishment. After placing order for a blt with some fries, I pulled out my laptop. Turning it on, I plugged in some earbuds and began my fade from reality. As soon as I was presented with the familiar background of the TARDIS, I opened my Itunes account plus Chrome and waited for my previous pages to load. Looking around, I immersed myself in the warm Texas spring day mixed with the smell of tar and exhaust. Noticing my waiter return with a glass full of bubbly brown liquid, I pulled out an earbud and addressed him with some slight confusion in my voice.
“‘Scuse me boss, I didn’t order a drink.”
“Oh, but didn’t your guest?”
“If it’s not too much trouble for you?” I lowered the screen of my laptop down to see a man wearing a white overcoat with a white fedora and a gold feather sitting across from me. As the waiter left, I prepared myself for the worst. Being the son of a wealthy family, you learn a few things about self defense and how to avoid those who would cause you harm. I slowly reached for my pocket knife as the man spoke while distracting him with my other arm by removing the other earbud. “Hello Eric, I’m sure you are wondering who I am and why I’m here?”
“Actually yes, and how did you manage to order a drink when the waiter only talked to me?” I placed my hand on my knife and gripped the handle in preparation.
The man lightly chuckled for a bit then returned to being mysterious. “I can answer the ‘who am I’ question right now if you allow me to access your laptop.” Shutting it completely, I slid it closer to me. Being my personal laptop, I have just about my entire life on it. Letting someone go through it was a big no no.
“Is there not a better way, like a card or something?”
“Hmm, there is another way I suppose.” The man brought up a golden glove and reached into his interior breast pocket. After a bit of rummaging, he produced a pokemon card and placed it between us.
Using my free hand, I removed my sun glasses, revealing my blue eyes, and stared at the opposing individual. “...What the hell is this?”
“My card, you did ask for it.”
I guess a couple of thing my Father taught me stuck, this was a waste of my time. “Ok, I’m going to count to three. If you’re not gone by then, well I have a few friends in high places that’ll allow me to get away with some questionable things.”
“Ah mortals and their reasoning, did you ever think that I was serious?”
“One.”
“Really, you’re going to go with violence against a god?”
“Two.”
“Humor me and pick up the card, then maybe you’ll understand who you’re speaking with.”
I paused with the “th” already formed on my mouth, (not to mention creating a way to discuss this to the authorities) and reached for the card without breaking eye contact, with my free hand I turned it over, making visible the shiny image of the god of pokemon, Arceus. Looking back at the man, I stopped. I went back to the card and look at the eyes. ‘Green with red pupils.’ Looking back at the man, I noted his eyes, green with red pupils.
“Cute, the colored contacts are a new one, you also bought yourself a few seconds. So why don’t you stop playing and tell me exactly who you are before I say three and this gets nasty.” Revealing my pocket knife and flipping it open, I placed my fist on the table, and gave the man a few moments to decide how this conversation would proceed.
“You really don’t know who I am?” Shaking my head in response, the man sighed and picked up his drink. “Figures humans remember the gods that influenced their lives in a forgotten period; yet when one shows up on a modern day beacon and basically tells them he’s a creator of worlds, he gets written off as a mentally ill freak.” He took a sip before continuing his insane rant. “Perhaps it is better that way, the fewer who know the better.”
Letting him finish, I decided to push for info. “So let’s say you’re Arceus, why aren't you looking like the card?”
“Because humans would take notice of a giant pokemon, and it would cause so much trouble, not to mention there’s also a few beings I want to avoid.” I can relate to that last statement.
“Like a trainer with a master ball?” I smirked, ‘Arceus’ put his drink hand down and sighed.
“What can I do to convince you I am who I claim to be?”
“I don’t know, stop time like you did in the movie.”
“Simple enough.” Grabbing the card off the table, he then tossed it to the waiter returning with my food causing him to lean back and fall. Suddenly time froze, the waiter stopped mid fall, even the fries were just floating in the air. Looking around, I saw a bird paused in mid flight and a bee floating above a flower. Looking back at Arceus, I saw a concerned look on his face. “Believe me now?”
Looking into his eyes once more, I saw a faint glow of red behind his pupils. “No way.” Coming back to reality, I put away my knife and started to play twenty questions. “So big question, why me?”
“I believe you want something I have, and since you have a knack for playing things to your advantage, I’d thought I’d offer you a chance to become something greater than yourself.”
Upon hearing this, I proceeded to drop the mask I wore for the public and displayed the face I use for business. Running my eyes over him, I failed to notice anything of importance. ‘This is a god, a being of ultimate power? He could easily destroy me if he desired, or just erase me from existence. So what could I offer him’?
“I see what your thinking, and you do raise a good question.”
“You can read minds?”
“A habit I started after a rocky time in my past.” Bringing up his hand again, he floated his glass back to the table and placed it in the middle.
“So you’re offering me the chance to do what exactly?”
“I’m offering you the chance to go to escape to a realm where rising to power will be a bit harder without riding the coattails of your father.” My eyes widened as he continued. “I’m offering you a chance to actually make a name for yourself, instead of traveling down the path laid before you.” Looking back on it, I should’ve paid closer attention to what he was saying. “So what will it be? Stay here and become the politician with daddy’s wealth and connections, or start over with a new body and a new chance to rise, but this time under your own power?” Staring into his eyes, I detected a small sense of urging, as if he actually wanted to help me.
“So if I accept this, I’ll become the person I want to be?” He nodded. “I accept your offer.” Outstretching my hand, Arceus grabs it and gave it a firm shake. “Now how do you propose we go about this?”
“You will see, now before you go, here are a few rules to remember. You’ll receive a new body, only one though, once you die there’s no restart. Once there you won’t be able to return, so I wouldn’t waste your time looking for an exit. Oh and one last thing, I can’t directly interfere in the world I’m sending you to, so I may need your help on more than one occasion.” After saying that my laptop flipped open and displayed a bright white light. Removing my hand from Arceus’ shake, I moved it to block the blinding light. Suddenly my vision starts to darkened as I felt the sensation of falling. As I fell into darkness, Arceus’s voice faded out near the end. “Be careful and enjoy yourself, this game is supposed to be fun... or so I’m told.”
Reality Is an Illusion, Albeit a Persistent One.
It's!... Oh shi-
It’s a unique experience floating through darkness. You sense you’re moving, but cannot actually feel a thing. Every direction you attempt to turn greets you with the same shade of black nothingness as the last. While I was floating through that I managed to think up some coherent thoughts. Minor things like ‘where am I’ and ‘what the hell is going on’, ya know, little things. Well after what felt like a century of floating, I felt some feeling returning.
Ever had those mornings when your mind is active but your body doesn’t want to move? That was my first feeling when I regained some of my senses and realized that there was a light shining on my face. After establishing that I was indeed still alive, I thought it wise to get up and move around, only to have my eyelids fail me.
‘Great, eyes refuse to open. Might wanna give my face a good slap to wake me up.’ I tried to raise my hand only to reach the same end result as with my eyes. ‘So my entire body is refusing to work.’ Laying there for a good amount of time, I started to ponder how I could get my body to start moving. After a minute of debating, something brushed past my arm.
‘What was that?’ Still unable to move, I began to freak out. ‘Ok, calm down Eric. It was probably a bug or something.’ I felt the same sensation again. ‘Bugs aren't that furry!’ Understandably, since I couldn’t move at the time, freaking out was the next best option. Struggling against my debilitating lethargy, I somehow moved my arm a fraction of an inch. ‘Wait, did I just move?’ Twitching my arm, I continued to force it another inch. ‘So if my arm can move...’ Switching focus, I rolled my shoulder and moved to the other one. ‘Sweet, I can move again. Let's get up and face whatever is brushing against me!’ After finishing up my arms, I worked my way towards the lower parts of my body.
Flexing my stomach, I started to move my thighs and my legs. Upon reaching my feet I felt an odd sensation. ‘Wait,’ I wiggle my toes. ‘One, two, three? Only three, whatever. I’ll worry about that when I’m up and dealt with what’s around me.’ Feeling confident with my neck down, I work my way back up and to my head. ‘Ok lets see if I can wiggle my nose, eyebrows, and ears.’ Sending the order to do so, the first one to comply is my nose. ‘Cool,’ *Sniff sniff* Why do I smell dust... And grass?’ Tossing the idea to the side, I wiggled my eyebrows and ears. ‘Good to know that I seem to be back in full control.’ Now confident in my body, despite the strange changes in motor control, I slowly cracked open my eyes and came face to face with the sky above me. Wiggling my ears a bit more, I pick out the soft sounds of bugs chirping as well as a few birds off in the distance.
“Huh, was expecting to find something deadly in front of me.” Seeing the open sky reminded me of my conversation with Arceus. “I hope you like the realm I send you too... Oh, and enjoy the new body.” “Realm? New body?... Huh, guess he sent me to a Pokemon world. Don’t see why he didn’t call Ash or something.” Jerking myself up, I got a glimpse at my new form, and boy was it a shocker.
My body was now covered with ash gray fur while my torso had maroon furry wing things on it. My arms were thin until they met the fur on my elbows, then they became larger and had three indigo claws at the end of them. My entire waist had grown the same gray fur and formed a ring to separate my stomach from my legs. My legs sported the same colored fur and curved backwards, while my feet had three indigo claws for toes. Staring at my new form for a few seconds, I came to a conclusion.
“Holy shit I’m a shiny Zoroark!” Spending enough time on the internet has paid off. I know what I am, what I can do, and what my weaknesses are (fighting and bug attacks); this didn’t help me with my current situation. “Well, this is definitely new. I assumed when he said new body he meant human, not Pokemon.” ‘Wait a minute, Zoroark are illusionists. So then that means that I can...’ Looking at my claws, I tried and create a fake fire in my new palm. “Ok...Burn!” Nothing happened. “What the hell?” I didn’t have enough time to contemplate this because I felt something brush against my leg. ‘Shit it’s back!’ Having had enough sitting around, I leapt up and slashed at whatever's behind me.
As I felt my claws come into contact with something, a good amount of tall green grass flew into the subtle breeze. Confused for a few moments, the sensation returned and causes me to repeat my previous action. Meeting tall grass once more, I decide to turn around the after feeling the sensation again. Looking over my shoulder, I’m met with dark indigo hair with maroon tips that fell all the way down my back. Pausing for a moment, I started to laugh at my own expense.
“Heh, thought my hair was an enemy. Wow way to go, Eric, not even an hour in this new world and you’ve declared war on grass.” I laugh a bit more before I come to a surprising conclusion. “Wait, I’m actually talking... Not saying ‘Zoroark’ actually talking in sentences.” Listening to my voice, I hear what is a slightly higher pitch as well as a bit of growling in there. “This is definitely something new... Alright enough messing around, I need to find out where I am.” Looking to the sky, I noticed no key features to describe my location. Face clawing for a moment, I realized the flaw in my action. “New world, I have no idea where anything would be even if I had landmarks. Hell, I’m probably in the Unova region for all I know.”
Thinking for a moment, I considered what I could recall of Zoroark’s abilities in the movie. ‘Illusionist, can use dark and ghost type powers, oh jumping. They can jump really well!’ Jumping into the air, I cleared the grass while jumping as high as a tree. During my hang time, I noticed two things. One being a small wooded village off in the distance about the size of a small shopping center, with only one dirt road cutting the village in half. The other thing I noticed is how my hair is complete with a giant yellow bead towards the end. Crashing back down to the harsh earth, I manage to land perfectly on said sphere with my ass. “OW, mother of fuck that hurt!” Rubbing my rear I failed to see the grass rustling around me.
“Zinazunguka kitu!” Suddenly the grass around me revealed brown pointed wooden spears and four sets of yellow angry eyes peering at me. Getting up, I saw that they all still had their spears levelled at me. After a minute of silence, one of them spoke again. “Ni nini?”
“Je, ni jambo, pengine kutuua.”
‘Great, out of all the languages I know, they’re speaking one I’ve never cared for. Guess you won that argument dad.’
“Excuse me, do any of you speak English?”
Instantly one of the spear holders raised it’s spear and tried to knock me on the head. Thinking quickly, I dodged the attack and rushed past the attacker. Now away from the group, I readjusted myself and start running towards the forest. The whole time during this, I heard shouts and hollers from all around me. Still running, I became aware of a whizzing noise, before leaping over a spear that had planted itself in the earth right in front of me. Looking back, I saw shapes moving behind the tall grass. Not wanting to become a shish kebab, I got onto all fours and charged in an all out sprint. I serpentined, ducked, weaved, and even zigged and zagged just so I wouldn’t get hit with one of those deadly sharpened wooden sticks. Finally, after what felt like hours of running, I saw the grass growing thin. Not wanting to spend any more time with my pursuers, I jumped the last bit and landed within a village.
Looking back on it, entering the village probably wasn’t the best idea. Once I landed within everything went deathly silent. Looking around, I saw zebra everywhere, but these zebras weren’t normal. Each had a different looking black and white mark on their rear and had a cartoony appearance to them. That was all I was able to observe before one of them screamed and the village went into a mass panic. Hoping not to cause any more mayhem, I tried to leave, only to have a group of zebra hunters block the path I had come from. Choosing flight rather than fight, I turned around and jumped onto one of the wooden roofs. Now at a higher elevation, I tried to escape while the others ran around in a massive panic on the ground below. Jumping from roof to roof, I was granted a better feel of how my new body acted and a greater chance of escape. Becoming aware of the end of the village and the start of some more tall grass, I envisioned hiding there and waiting for the hunters to pass.
Suddenly I heard a high pitched scream emanate from the chaos below. Turning around, I saw a feminine looking zebra with tears in her eyes. Following her gaze, I saw a small one huddled in fear of the events around it. Looking back to the feminine figure, I saw a scared looking zebra running towards little one in front of it not noticing the down child. ‘Oh shit I know what will happen if I don’t interfere.’ Changing course, I jumped off the roof and towards the little zebra. Time seemed to slow as I leapt through the air as if some higher being was watching this with extreme interest. As I touched down, I gave a little hop and managed to dive for the little zebra.
As I reached the downed zebra, time started to flow regularly again. Looking back at the oncoming zebra, I made a quick decision to protect the little one. Touching down in front of the downed child, I grabbed the rushing one and used his momentum to spin him around, then threw him back to the panicking mob. Moving quickly, I grabbed the little one and jumped off toward the feminine figure. Once landing, I gently put the little one down and turn my gaze to the other. Getting closer I noticed that there are tears now flowing from her eyes as she rushed toward the smaller zebra seemingly having forgotten me. Turning back around, I saw the four hunters from before had blocked the way I came. Now that the adrenaline had stopped being pumped into my veins, I saw that the mass panic had ended with me throwing the rushing zebra into the crowd.
“Nice kujaribu, lakini huwezi kutoroka.”
Sighing a bit, I lowered myself into a fighting stance. As the others followed suit, we began our stare off, waiting for the other to make a move. One of the hunters attacked first, thrusting the spear towards my chest. Moving my body to the side, I kept my eyes on the attacking zebra while I grabbed the spear and pulled it out of it’s grasp. Leveling the spear at its original owner, I prepared for their next move. Only to have something knock me on the back of my head with a loud *Clang* . Falling to the ground, my vision blurred as a couple sets of hooves gathered around me. Before fading out I caught a glimpse of a unique set that stood out from the others, four pink hooves and one black frying pan.
Reality Is an Illusion, Albeit a Persistent One.
The Start of Something New
After my little encounter with the locals, my flow of thought ebbed from reality and into an unfamiliar plane. Fading out of the darkness, little stars began winking into existence. Then came some galaxies and finally a star right before me. I didn’t have time to admire the view for a god was there to speak to me.
“Ah, Eric, good to see you so soon.” I turned towards the voice and was greeted by Arceus in his Pokemon form. “Are you enjoying this realm?”
“Not really.” Arceus tilted his head in confusion. “For starters, I found out the hard way that this bead is pretty solid, I landed on it.” I turn my back towards him and point at the offending objects with my claw. “Oh and here’s the kicker, I found a village of zebras that knocked me out and fear me!”
“Oh, now that does sound like a lot for one day.” Arceus turned his head to the stars and continued. “So besides your little adventure so far, is there anything else you want to ask me?” Before I can shoot off my machine gun of questions, the star erupts a solar flare, sparking Arceus to speak once more. “Beautiful isn’t it, I hope the goddess responsible for this is taking care of one of my creations.”
After a few minutes of silence, I managed to work up some courage and start my Q&A session. “Yeah, how do I do the whole illusion thing?” In hindsight, asking a powerful god while still a little steamed was a bad idea to begin with.
“I suggest you be calm, I do get offended by snide remarks.” Pausing for a bit, he continues. “It’s something like second nature, the best way to understand it, put yourself in a life or death situation then use it.” Arceus turns away from the star and faces me again.
“That’s useful.” There’s another brief silence before I continued, “I don’t suppose I can breathe fire or something?”
“Actually you can,” I stopped for a moment and allowed him to explain. “I granted you a Zoroark's body, all perks included. So you can breathe fire and have a range of other abilities.”
“So I can breathe fire,” I paused for a second and chose my next words carefully. “Wait, so am I limited to four moves or not?”
Arceus paused for a moment, suddenly I noticed a new star’s light wink into existence above his head. “That’s actually a good idea,” Arceus’ eyes flashed red for a second then returned to normal. “There now you have the full range of abilities a Zoroark could have. You just need to learn what they are and figure out how to use them.”
“Great, now I need to do the heavy lifting I suppose.” Pausing for a bit I start to let the flow of my mind do it’s work, only to be interrupted by Arceus once more.
“Well since you have calmed down a bit since you got here, I could tell you how other Pokemon learn.” Silently urging him to continue, I listened intently to his words. “Most think of the ability in their head and put it into action, though since you are new at this, I suggest you find a trigger then memorize the way it feels to use it for future purposes.” After his explanation, he closes his eyes and smiles a bit (it still perplexes me to this day how he does that). “Anything else you want to ask?”
“Actually this one’s a bit more about my appearance.” He opens his eyes and gives me a questioning look. “Why the dark gray color pallet?”
He laughs for a bit while I patiently awaited his answer. Peering down below us, and see a green world beneath our feet. “I colored you this way because these are your favorite colors, I even gave you your blue eyes.” Arceus realizes that I’m no longer looking at him and sees me gazing to the world below. “Oh, you noticed the planet. A unique one really, so many wonders and events.”
“What world is it?” Arceus looked onto the planet with me, taking in the sights as well.
“This one, this one is called Equis.” After saying this, I turned to Arceus as my vision started to fade. “So long Eric, the next time we meet won’t be as nicely.”
Waking up, this time, was more painful and less exciting. The first thing I noticed was that I had the worst splitting headache known to man, the second being that I was trapped in a tan barred wooden cage. The third was my current housing situation. ‘Yo dawg I heard you like wood, so we put you in a wooden cage in a wooden hut in the middle of a wooden village.’ The hut was made as best as a third world country could’ve made it, a bunch of sticks held together by mud and string. Having had enough laying on my back for the day, I got up and hit the bump on my head on the roof of the cage.
“Ow, fucking whore of a lego brick!” I have a colorful vocabulary for occasions like this.
“Oh good, you’re awake!” Looking around I saw a light pink unicorn mare with a sky blue mane and tail, a khaki buttoned shirt, green eyes and a pair of light rimmed black glasses on the edge of her nose. Turning my gaze to her back, I could faintly make out some color on the back of her body.
‘Wait a minute, did she just talk?’ Going over the mental record, she had indeed just talked and with a slight British accent. ‘Talking horse and zebras, brightly colored coats and manes, cartoonish appearance.’ There was only one thing that could explain this.
“Oh dear God and/or Gods, I’m in Equestria.” I remember a few pieces about the ‘bronies’. See before I came here, I was something of an advert internet user. Spending a massive amount of time online got me in close contact with other members of fandoms and showed me their culture. Basically, I know what the communities about, I know the show, and no I’m not a ‘bronie/pegasister’ or whatever the hell they’re calling themselves!
“Well not quite.” Looking up, I give a questioning look. After a moment of silence, I decide to speak.
“So if this is not in Equestria, then where pray tell are we?”
“First off wow, such a wonderful vocabulary. I’ve never seen a Diamond Dog such as yourself with such a strong understanding of language. I mean there are intelligent creatures out there but they only grasp short orders like sit, not that that is a bad thing-” She continued like this for a good minute before I got annoyed let loose a sharp whistle.
“Oi, where the blue balls are we?!”
“Nini kinaendelea huko? Je, unahitaji msaada wowote?” A zebra poked it’s head into the little wooden hut I was currently held in.
‘Shit not this again!’
“Hakuna hakuna matata, mimi tu akaenda mbali iliyotembea tena,” The pink mare jabbered at the zebra. After holding the mare’s stare for a moment, the zebra left, leaving me and the mare alone in the wooden hut. “Sorry about that, I forget to get my point across before I start to ramble. Right, we are currently in Zebria, right next to Saddle Arabia.”
“Zebria?” The mare nods, “not Equestria?” More nods.
“Wait, you have no idea where you are?”
“Well...” Deciding not to tell her about what happened before the recent events, I come up with a convenient lie. “All I remember is running through the tall grass.”
“Hmm, wonder if that bump is interfering with your memory.” Convenient lie if I’ve ever heard one.
“That’s probably it. So,” I jerked her from her thoughts and bring her attention back to me. “Is there a way to get me out of here and on the next boat to Equestria?”
“Oh, well at the moment... no.”
“Why not, aren’t you a pony?”
“Well I am, but the team I was with was abducted by Diamond Dogs. I managed to escape and find my way here. Canterlot should know of our disappearance by now, but there’s no way for them to find us, so...”
“You’re stuck here?”
‘Diamond Dogs, like in the episode with Rarity? So there’s more of them and they also keep slaves... Wonderful, I’ve managed to stumble upon a cartoon slave ring.’
“Won’t be for long!” This brought me out of my contemplating. “See, I’ll offer the dogs a trade, you for the rest of my team and a ship to get to Equestria.”
“...Seriously?” This caused her to give me a confused look, I turn around and lean my back on the cage. “Ok, a couple of things wrong with that plan.” Walking around the cage, I list off what’s wrong with her plan. “One, do you really think dogs would trade someone like me for a team of ponies? Two, how would you contact them, and what’s preventing them from taking us both when we're alone? And three, you’re trading your friends for my life into slavery.” The last one caused her to step back in shock. Pausing for a moment, I drill into her. “Wait, you didn’t think about that last part did you? You were just hoping I’d be some stupid creature you could just bargain off into slavery for your companions!”
“Well- I- uh…”
“Lady you are a horrible being, willing to sell a living thing to a group of slavers just so you can have a happy life and try and help your friends from the same fate!” Sudden realization crossed her eyes. Folding her ears back, she bowed her head low and started to sniffle. Feeling bad about what I caused, I tried to apologize to her. “Oh, hey don’t cry. Look I’m sorry for what I said.”
“You’re right, I am a horrible pony.”
Opting to show her a little kindness, I walk to the front of the cage and start speaking. “Listen, I can see where you were coming from.” Lifting her gaze from the ground, she looks at me with tears flowing from her eyes. “The needs of the few didn’t compare to the needs of the many.”
“How did you...?”
Turning away from the pony, I look at a wall and speak. “Unlike you ponies, I have dealt with these situations before.” Satisfied with my work, I look back at her, only to see the tears gone and instead a look of realization on her face. “Did I say something wrong?”
“You’re not from this world!”
Shocked a bit, I reign in my composure and ask the important question “How do you know that?”
“There are others who’ve come to our world because of the work of another, I don’t know which you’re from, but the way you act is just like them!” After saying this, we heard some commotion outside the hut. “What in Celestia’s name is going on out there?” As the mare goes to look, I see a pickaxe with a wooden handle on her flank. Poking her head out the door, she goes stiff then runs back to the cage. “Dogs, here!”
“What?”
“There’s a pack of Diamond Dogs here, they must have followed my scent, oh no oh no oh no!” Looking into the mare's eyes, my father’s wise words rose from the depths of my mind. ‘People are stones, all they’re good for is paving your path to success. Some stones need to set fast while others need to be set before others, but there are some that do not fit into your path; cast them out and let them sink into the earth to be forgotten!’ Still looking into her green eyes, I see a small bit of fear.
I remembered the argument I had with my father about his view of people. ‘People are not stones! People live, they breathe, they strive towards goals. They should be helped, not shoved aside or put down when they move into your path!’
Looking back at the mare, I make my choice. ‘She’s not a stone to be cast aside, she needs help...’
“Let me out.”
“What?! No! The last time you were out you caused massive panic and-”
“And manage to save someone in need of help, and now, that’s you.” She looks at me skeptically with her green eyes. “I promise, if you let me out of here, I won’t let those dogs take you away to wherever they take slaves.”
We continued to stare at each other for another minute, the sounds of commotion growing louder with each passing second. “Ok, I trust you.” The mare went to the front of the cage and used her magic to untie a knot on it. After taking off the knot the front part of the cage collapsed and gave me an exit. Walking out of the prison, I stretched my back and it gave a satisfying pop. Stretching my legs I rose above the unicorn and got a better glimpse of her, realizing I’m also a bit taller than the average pony.
“Alright, now stay here and don’t come out.” She was about to say something before I stopped her. “No, not for some cry for help, not because you have to pee. Stay here and be silent! Understood?” She nodded in response. “Good.”
‘I guess years as being the child of a wealthy man has helped me in staying hidden, not to mention a former blackwater mercenary as a personal trainer doesn’t hurt.’ Making my way to the door, I’m stopped one last time.
“Why are you helping me?”
I rolled my eyes “I believe that those who are strong to offer help should give it to those in need.” She’s silent for a moment, then asks the question that started this crazy journey.
“Uhh, can I get your name mister...?”
‘I could use a new name, what with the new body and all. Hmm, dark coloring, long hair, fur, my blue eyes, and I’m a Pokemon...’
“Call me... Rorschach.” Making my way to the exit once more, I heard the mare one last time.
“Mine’s Dusty Tomb, and thank you Rorschach.” Thinking about my father's words, I began to steel my nerves and step outside. ‘I remember what my thoughts were that day, what I did to my father... There are much more like him, even in paradise.’ mentally prepared for whatever conflict I may face, I stepped outside. ‘I won’t let the powerful hurt those they could protect. I will help those in need, and I will destroy that way of thinking!’
Reality Is an Illusion, Albeit a Persistent One.
No Good Deed...
Walking outside I’m greeted by what reminds me of an old western style town, ya know, a straight dirt road with buildings on your left and right. All I needed now is a tumbleweed and a gust of wind to pick up dust and said tumbleweed. Taking a moment, I looked around the wooden village to see what all the hubbub is about.
“Where pony?” Turning to the screaming, I saw a group of five dogs. One had a blue tinged knife, wore a red vest, sported a short black and yellow spotted mohawk, and reminded me of a hyena. Two had spears while the other one had a net. The final dog wore a brown coat of fur, had a wolf like appearance, and kept his claws near some sort of utility belt that held vials of various colors. His face was partly hidden behind the shadow of a purple hooded vest and green goggles. A poor zebra in the mohawk ones grasp rattled something off in his native language, before being thrown away from the group.
*Whap!* “Idiot,” the one with vials slapped the mohawk one and spoke. “Me said we need translator, now how we find pony?”
“Hit me again, I stab you!” The mohawk one let out a snarl, but was cut off by another hit to the head, this time in the shape of a fist.
I let them continue their verbal and physical brawl while I thought of a plan. ‘Ok so Arceus said that I can use some abilities. Perhaps I could form a shadow ball to throw at them... Wait a minute.’ Looking around, I noted a tan zeppelin with a red balloon floating above some trees off in the distance. ‘So that’s their means of transportation, I could use the ship to get to Equestria.’ Taking another glimpse at the group, I saw that the one with vials had pinned the mohawk one. ‘Lets go with small attacks. Scratching, biting, punching and kicking. Don’t want them to know what I am capable of, so no powers and no illusions unless I have no other choice. Following pack mentality, I’ll take out the leader first and use him as a bargaining chip. Feeling that my plan was secure, I whistled for the dogs attention.
“*Whistle* Oi, Wranger!” The dogs stopped arguing amongst themselves and their attention snapped to me. Ever so slowly, I saw their faces turn from one of angry questioning to shocked confusion. “Glad to see you’re done with your little ‘lovers tiff!’”
After a moment of silence, the one with the vials jumped off his perch atop the mohawk’s head and spoke. “We here to find pink pony!”
I put one of my claws to my chin, and started to ponder while walking towards them. “Pink, pink. Pink?” I looked at one of the dogs with a spear in a questionable manner, he nodded in response. “Pink.” After walking a few more feet, I decided to pull them along. “About yeigh high?” All nodded, “horn in on it’s head?” More nodding, “blue mane and tail?” I swear they were like those cheap gas station bobble heads.
“You see?”
“Afraid not.” I put on my best troll face as all of them glared at me.
“Enough!” The vial one got up and took a step forward, pointing an accusing claw at me. “Me think you lie, me think you seen pink pony!”
“And who are you to call me a liar?” I raised an eyebrow at the offending dog.
“I Tear, Gamma of pack!”
‘Gamma, that’s greek. So that means he’s third in command... Oh goody goody.’
“Oh no, not Tear.” Closing the distance a bit more, I’m now a little out of arm's reach. “Please oh great and powerful gamma, don’t kill me.” Laying the sarcasm on thick, I can see the dog visibly fuming at my response. “If I’m going to die, then at least let me pick up my favorite rock.”
Reaching down to the sandy earth, I smiled as Tear stepped forward to try and punch me. ‘Underside of jaw exposed, go for uppercut while using leg strength to go for a knockout punch.’ Flexing my legs, I leapt up and managed to land a right uppercut in the soft part underneath his jaw. After knocking him to the ground, I dropped the act and turned towards the rest of his group, all of them had a shocked expression on their face.
“Huh, guess diamond dogs have glass jaws.” Shaking my paw, I tried and relieve some of the pain from hitting Tear.
“What you do?!” Looking back at the group, I saw the mohawk one drawing his dagger and pointing it at me. I then looked at the unconscious dog, and back to the mohawk one.
“I thought the two of us could have an exchange of riveting dialogue before I disarmed you in a painful and humiliating fashion.” It was obvious at that point he was struggling just to understand what I was saying, that gave me the chance to rush the dog and grab his meaty paw clenching the dagger. In one swift motion I popped his elbow joint with a well placed punch, and grabbed the dagger as it dropped. Now holding the weapon, I kicked the dog back to the group, causing him to topple the lot as they tried and catch him. Reacting quickly, I picked up the unconscious leader and brought the dagger to his throat. “Upupup!” All the dogs halted as I brought the knife closer to his throat.
Now two things to remember when you have a hostage. One: make sure they are important, don’t want to grab someone disposable now do you? Two: make sure they aren't as heavy as this bitch! Standing in a half circle, I watched as all the dogs presented me their best death glares. “First off: I did warn you about what was going to happen, and since you didn’t listen you get to wallow in pain and self pity.Secondly: you four are going to take me to that Zeppelin over there.” One of them turned and looked at the object in question. “Then when we get there, I’m going to bargain with your Alpha or Beta, whomever is there at the moment. Take over your ship, then sail... Or I guess fly in this case, into Equestria. Savvy?”
All of them gave me a placid look of confusion, mentally face palming, I explained. “Savvy means do you understand?” All of them give me the ‘oh!’ face and nodded in agreement. “Good, now then. Take me to your leader.”‘I’ve, always wanted to say that!’
Dusty Tomb’s POV
After a few minutes of silence, I noticed the illusion that Rorschach had put on me fading away. ‘Oh no!’ Throwing his rule to the wind, I rushed out the hut and see what had happened. ‘Please don’t be dead please don’t be dead please don’t be dead please please please! Do not be dead!’ Exiting the hut I was only marginally comforted by the familiar intact look of the zebra village.
Spinning around, I couldn't see any signs life in any direction. Looking back to where I had spotted the dogs earlier, I saw an unmoving zebra in the dirt. Rushing forwards, I made my between the huts to the zebra, hoping it was Rorschach. Upon getting there, I saw that it was one of the village inhabitants instead. Slightly discouraged, I made sure the zebra was still alive. After getting a positive on his pulse, I began to set his head back down, only to have him wake up.
“What, who?”
“Be still, you took a nasty fall, I’m trying to help you.”
“You! They were looking for you!”
“I know, but they are gone now.”
“The monster went with them!”
“What?”
“The monster hit the leader, then took the dagger from the other and held the leader hostage.” I stopped what I was doing and looked him in the eyes, terror on my face.
“What do you remember?”
“The blue one put the dagger to the leaders throat, said some things to the dogs. Then left following the dogs with the leader, dagger still pressed to his neck.”
Eyes widening, I bolted down the road and to the tall grass.
“Halt!” I skidded to a halt as I saw the village chief come out of his hut, with a sizable portion of the village in tow. “What are you doing?”
“I need to go help him! If he goes there alone, then the others will overpower him and then... then!” I started to cry, breaking down in the middle of the village. “Oh dear Celestia, he’s going to get beaten then either die or get taken into slavery!” While crying the entire town started to murmur at my words. As the whispers became less subtle, the chief stomped his hoof into the dust and silenced them.
“He’s sacrificing himself, he’s giving you a chance to leave.” I stood there for a minute, then collapsed to the earth. Tears flowing from my eyes as sobs escaped past my lips. That thing, no. Rorschach, managed to defeat the leader, take him hostage, and sacrificed himself to save me.
‘I promise... I won’t let those dogs take you away to wherever they take slaves.’
“What was that thing?”
“That thing,” I stood up and glared at the villager who asked the question. “Has a name, and his name is Rorschach! He saved me, and saved the little zebra from before. And we just treated him like a beast...” Nothing else was said as I walked back to the hut. Shuffling through the huts, I vowed then and there to remember Rorschach and to do everything in my power to never let anything like this happen to anypony ever again.
Gotta say, traveling with a pack of disgruntled dogs while carrying their really heavy leader through a jungle really sucked. Ten minutes after we left the village, I found out the hard way that I don’t appear to have sweat glands, and I’m now panting like characters from the old looney toons cartoon. On the plus side, I hadn’t had to deal with any escape attempts... Yet.
Halfway to the Zeppelin I began to notice that the three not wounded kept looking back at me, waiting for me to make a mistake and reclaim their leader. After about the twentieth time this happened, (I lost count around fifteen) I decided I’d had enough of this.
“Hey ugly,” All of them turned around. “Good reaction times, you guys must have practice!” Their death glares intensified as we continued to walk. “I see what you’re doing, and I want you to know that next time I see one of you turn around-.” I removed the dagger from the leaders throat and moved it to his left ear. “I’ll take off one of these.”
I didn’t have much time to react before the supposedly unconscious leader grabbed my claw with the dagger and flipped me over him, before placing a foot on my chest and holding me down. “You good, but stupid.”
“In all honesty *grunt* this was the first time I had control of a hostage.” The leader pried the dagger out of my claw and took it for himself.
“You two,” he turned to the two with spears. “Hold him.” The leader released his hold on me while the other two took an arm and a leg on either side of me.
Deciding to be a smart ass, I tried to get under his skin. “Oh come on Tear. I got a cheap shot on you, you got one on me. Why don’t we just call it even and go home for the day, I’ll tell ya what, why don’t we come back tomorrow for round two?” One of the dogs holding me punches me in the gut. After regaining my lost oxygen, I glare at it and respond. “I’ll make sure to make your death slow and painful.”
The leader ignored me and turned to the one with the mohawk. “You idiot, you let thing take weapon and threaten me.”
“I sorry, but thing was fast and-.”
“No! You fail us, you fail Alpha, you fail pack!” The leader took the dagger and plunged it into the dogs gut. The stabbed dog took a step back before the leader removed the dagger from his stomach. The mohawk dog fell to his knees, clutching his stomach before he was stabbed again in the eye and fell to the ground unmoving. “You disgrace, you die in waste.” The leader just stood there, still looking at his kill.
“You-you killed him?” I broke the silence. “Why did you kill him, all he did was-”
“He disgrace pack, he let you live and lost weapon.” The leader loosely held the dagger in his paw. “He Beta, he brother.”
‘Oh shit, I think I just pissed off my only way of getting out of here.’
“We tired of dealing with him, he no longer beta, he no longer part of pack.” The leader then turned to me, dagger held tightly in his grasp. “We should kill you here, now!” He puts the dagger to my throat. Then he just stared at me, peering into my soul through the scratched green goggles of his. It’s kinda funny, staring him down, I heard a soft cry of fear from somewhere. Even though that was one of my closer experiences with death, I looked him in his goggled eyes and showed no fear. “You will strong, good. We need that in slave.” The next thing I know I heard a shattering sound and a green gas filled my vision. I felt the sensation of falling into a familiar darkness.
