Oh, that fateful day. I remember it more than any other, even now. The way the tears fell from Luna's eyes, the way the Mane Six saluted me, and the way my mother tried not to fall apart. The way Celestia nodded to me, a sad smile on her face. The way individual citizens of Equestria waved good-bye to all of us. I turned away, and looked at the ship, fearing I may begin crying if I didn't.
"Got... To stay... strong..." I whispered, a single tear falling. I surveyed our craft. It was an odd kind of thing. Formed entirely of Arcane Magic, the body was a single piece of stone, somehow lighter than the water. It was a mile long, and a thousand feet wide. If needed, it could shrink down, but would normally stay the same size. Perhaps most amazing of it was how it was set up.
It was carved out to look like a small town. There were buildings all over, from barracks, to stores to buy extra supplies, to bars, to even hobby shops. Despite how easy and nice and soft it all seemed, I knew that if any of us wanted these extras, we would have to work hard for them. Very hard.
And I was okay with that. I was here to fight for the Love of my life, and for my people. Not to have fun. But, I knew that I would have to hide some aspects of my identity. I was different than other people. I was smarter. Stronger. And better-prepared. I knew that if I revealed this, they would all hate me, and I would be mistrusted, and destroyed.
I took out the trident Luna had given me for Christmas, and swore that every single battle would be won with fair blood. "Nomine Dei, omnes Angeli in caelo et in terra, Spiritus, sanguis pugnabo, et unum redeant. Qui occidi fratrem moriturum." As the Dead Words poured from my mouth, swearing the Ultimate Oath of the Lifeblood, I was certain that these next few months... Would be my last.
Even as that thought entered my mind, I pushed it away, cursing myself for thinking so. I should know better! I had so much back at home, too much to die! I had Luna, I had a child on the way, I had friends, I had family! But, there was know way then that I saw that I would stay alive. I just growled and stabbed my trident once into the hard deck, then swore the Oath one more time, before putting the trident away, and drawing my blood to make the promise official.
"Hey!" I heard a gruff, harsh voice yell at me. I turned to face the source. "Hey, freakjob!" I looked to see a large, heavy-set Pegasus with a gold-colored coat, and a mane & tail of silver sheen. On his flank was a golden coin being flipped. "Oh shit..." I whispered, realizing I'd made an enemy already, somehow. I snorted once, then looked away, knowing I would regret the action.
"Hey, jackass! Turn back around and look at me!" I knew this sort. I could tell he was probably just spoiled-rotten, idiotic, soft, rich asshole who thinks he's stronger than anyone, just because he's higher up in society. I knew this, because I had faced the sort among my bullies at school. I knew how to handle him.
"What, pray tell, can I do for you?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't sense the sacrcasm. He rushed up to me and looked me right in the eye. "You smartin' off to me?" He quizzed me, with an accent that reminded me of New York City. "Eh? I heard how ya said that to me! You best be learnin', I ain't gonna take no shit here! Since the day I was born, everypony I've ever run into has known that you do NOT screw with me, and that you give me respect!"
Now, I was pissed off. He said he wasn't going to take any shit from me? He was the one getting up in my face, smarting off to me! "Hey, buddy," I said, trying my hardest to stay calm. "Just leave me be. I've just left the most important thing in my life, and I'm in no mood to fight. So just take this one warning: I'll leave you be to do whatever the Hell you want. But you fuck with me, and I'm gonna crack open an ice cold can of Whoop-Ass Cola!" I gave him a blank look, though I knew he could tell what I was thinking.
"Than let's go! Right here, right now! Unless..." He took on a devilish grin. "You're chicken?" He snickered then, and only after that did I realize that he had brought some friends with him. "Yeah, chicken!" Cackled a scrawny looking one.
"Uh, yeah! What he said!" Spouted the big, somewhat dumb-looking one.
I shrugged, and cracked my knuckles, ready to bust some heads. "Three-On-One?" I inquired. "Not fair... For you mother fuckers!" The little one growled then, and came at me, charging blindly. I laughed and dodged his first couple strikes, then kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling.
The big one came at me then, yelling something I couldn't understand. I tried to uppercut him and end it it quickly, but he was surprisingly nimble, and dodged the strike before biting my arm. "Son of a bitch!" I yelled out in pain, angered by the attack. I busted the dumb bastard in the jaw, then once more in between the eyes before he fell unconscious, nose bleeding.
That just left the leader. "So, you still wanna fuck with me," I started, drawing my trident. "Or do you wanna run for your pathetic, worthless little life?" He just growled, then spit at my feet before turning and running. I just laughed and walked way. "No one fucks with me..." I chuckled as I walked away from the scene of my crime.
As I walked away from the fools who attacked me, I heard a voice. "Hey," The figure whispered. "Come here." I turned, and saw only Shadow. As I had learned long before, the Shadow was one of the few things in this world you can trust, so I shrugged and walked that way. Soon, the voice's owner came into focus. It was an Alicorn. He was a well-built, muscular stallion. His coat was flame-colored and in waves, and his tail was of the same color. However, oddly enough, his mane was pitch-black. He had a Phoenix-shaped tattoo the color of Scarlet upon his face, and a necklace whose pendant was a pure, living flame draped around his neck. Perhaps the oddest thing was that his cutie mark wasn't a single symbol.
It was more like four.
Resting upon his flank was a small circle-like symbol divided into four sections, each with a different symbol in it. I was unsure about this, so I muttered a silent blessing, warding myself against evil should he choose to magick something upon me. He obviously sensed this change in the Arcane field, and chuckled.
"Don't worry," The Alicorn-on-fire laughed. "I'm not your enemy. In fact, I'd like to be a friend." I looked at him a moment, then checked his energies to see how honest he was. Surprisingly enough, he told the entire truth. I held my breath a second, then relaxed the energies guarding me as I exhaled. "Alright than," I said, a bit friendlier than I had previously acted. "My name's General. What can I do for you?"
He chuckled again. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bullet Blast, and I just wanted to tell you... It took guts to stand up to that jackass and his cronies over there." He motioned towards my crimescene, and I just laughed.
"You saw that, than?" He nodded. "Well, shit, that might could get me into trouble here!" Bullet Blast shook his head, still chuckling. "Don't worry, I don't want anyone getting in trouble over giving them what they deserve. You won't be found out."
I sighed in relief. "Well, thanks man. So, uh... Could you tell me one thing?"
He looked at me. "What is it?" He asked.
"Well... With all due respect, what the fuck kind of Cutie Mark is THAT?" I asked, motioning towards his rear. He looked at the mark, and laughed.
"Multi-talent Cutie Mark. It means I'm especially talented in several different things." I continued to scrutinize the symbol, curious about how it could actually occur. "Are you the... First person that's been like that?" Bullet Blast continued to chuckle slightly. "Yeah, probably. It's probably the only special thing about me..." He appeared sullen for a moment, but then his mood returned to normal.
"So, uh," He continued. "How did you end up like... This?" He motioned to my anthromorphic form, unsure what to make of me. I laughed as he had before. "Let me tell you the story." I told him what all had happened to make me like this. I told him of the Sea Ponies that came forth from The Ocean, how I was taken before an entire population of people, and how my transformation occurred while I was within the Temple.
"Man," He said. "That's pretty amazing! I've never heard of such a thing before. And you say you're a human?" I nodded. "Pretty cool. So, are you from Vitam, or Hejmlando?" I looked at him oddly, confused.
"Am I from where?" I asked.
"Haha, those are the only places in the world that have humans! What, are you tellin' me you're not from this world?"
"Buddy, I ain't even from this Universe. I'm from a planet called Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy in a Parallel Dimension in an alternate Universe." Suddenly, Bullet Blast fainted.
He came to about an hour later. He raised his hoof to his head and rub his temple. He chuckled lightly. "I fainted?" He asked me, a bit indirectly. I nodded. "Figures. That was pretty crazy what you said. But," He paused a moment, contemplating something. "I guess I believe you. In this crazy ass world today, it shouldn't really be surprising."
I simply nodded, a smile on my face. "So, how 'bout you?" I asked him.
"Hmm?"
"I mean, where do you come from, what's your history?" I rolled my eyes sarcastically.
"Ah," He replied. "Well... It's kind of a long story. Let me start at the best point I can - The Birth of my Home.
.....
I was born twenty years ago in the nation of Vitam, the birthplace of the World. Legend says that long before anything else lived, the Great Gods created The Ocean, with a single small Island at the center. They made it larger, until it could hold thousands of mountains and valleys. They rimmed the entire land with a single mountain range, making the land a huge valley, like a kind of cradle. In the very center of it, they formed a golden egg from the Divine Energies of The Universe, giving all the strength they could into it. The head God said, "Let a thousand eons pass, with energy passing into this body. When all this time is gone, let it break apart and reveal a Mortal." And so it was.
A thousand eons and infinite energy later, the egg cracked to reveal a Mortal - A single, burning flame. The fire let itself spread, until the entire Island looked like a fire ring in a campground. When another thousand eons past, the fire died and left ashes, revealing a great Metropolis. This place was my Homeland, the city of Ortus. The First City sprawled for a thousand miles, with a million ponies running and frollicking happily. They were never hungry or thirsty, for trees and rivers sprawled for a hundred miles in every direction. The Gods said they could eat from any tree or drink from any river, on one condition.
Where all the rivers and groves connected, There was a single, enormous pool of water known as the Well of Verum, and growing from the center was the Tree of Vita et Mors. They were told that all the Mortal and Immortal energies of a Godly Soul rested within The Well and The Tree, and that The World would die if it knew The Secrets of Infinity revealed by the Nourishment of the Couple. The Ponies of Old were very Wise, so they knew that The Gods could and must be trusted. Therefore, they left it alone.
However, not all of them were Wise and Generous. Some of them were Greedy, Foolish, Monstrous. They would often sneak out at Night, when all were sleeping, and attempt to sip from The Well or nibble the bark of The Tree. Whenever they did, the Cherubim of Aeterna, Great Divine Guards of The Couple, would wound the Trespassers and send them away. The Cherubim rose from The Water and rested in The Leaves.
Finally, The Elders, the oldest of all of the first ponies, were tired of having to rely on The Cherubim alone. They knew the Great Divine worked hard, and wanted them to rest. So, they built The Great Walls of Silver and Gold Glamour, and set traps around The Walls.
One day, a thousand eons after the traps had been set, the Ponies of Old had all died, and their Seed had spread. The Ponies had moved outwards towards the mountains, and the location of The Couple had been forgotten. Soon, the ponies all became curious. They wanted to know what was beyond The Mountains, the only barrier keeping them on The Island. They wanted to see... The Ocean.
Finally, one pony had enough. It was my many-times great grandfather, the great Iron Blade, who adventured out to see the World. He broke down an enormous tree with a single kick, and carved it out with his magic. He tied a rope to the bow, and took the rope in his mouth. He ran a hundred Days and a hundred Nights around the island, looking for a break in The Mountains. He neither ate, nor drank, nor slept at all, defying all logic with his strength and power of will. Finally, on the 101st Dawn, Iron Blade found a path through the mountains. He knew it would take at least a week to travel through it, but he was not deterred.
Finally, on the sixth day, he came to a crack in all the land. It was where The Mountains and The Land met The Ocean, The Magna Littoris. Blocking his way was a single guard, a Dark God, a member of The Fallen.
It was Scriosadh, The Dark Gryphon King. The beast wasn't intent on letting The Gods' young Chosen complete his mission. The beast drew out the blade Magister Mortis, a great zweihandr blade of Dark Iron. He grinned an evil, sadistic smile at the young Hero, and sprinted towards my ancestor. With a single spell, Scriosadh was cast away, off a thousand miles from the land.
What happened afterwards, no one knows. All that is known is that he climbed into his vessel, sailed away, and returned fifty years later as a battle-scarred, wise old man. Legend has it that whatever he did after he left The Island, it was so great that the great Queen Ijubav, the Goddess of Love and Hate, came down from The Heavens, and became the wife of Iron Blade.
Thus, he was declared King of Vitam, and our entire line was declared Royalty. About twenty-one years ago, after countless attempts, my mother, Queen Aviana, and my father, King Ignis, finally conceived a child. I was born eleven months later, my coat pure white, same as my mane and tail. I didn't cry when I was born, and I didn't stand at all. I was completely alive, but I didn't have anything within my heart. I was just a soulless husk.
King Ignis panicked. He had no idea what this might mean. There had been legends of ponies born with no soul, all of them being a foul omen. It was said it was best to kill such a child, but my father didn't want to kill the only thing he truly had to show from his forty year life. Quickly, he cast a spell that took part of his own soul, and sent it into a magical necklace. The amulet was immediately set aflame, and he placed it over my neck. Instantly, my entire body seemed to be set aflame itself, my eyes opened, and I began to cry. From that day on, my strength, speed, and courage were comepletely unmatched by anyone. Finally, about a year ago, I signed up for Vitam's militiary, and I was sent off for training. Ever since, I've been preparing for all Hell to break loose so that The End could come, and I would die for the few that I love.
