//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Conditions // Story: Equestria Ends With You // by Lunat1c //------------------------------// "A new day dawns; what will happen may be destined, but what you choose to do with it is up to you" ====================Begin Day Two==================== "Nngh..." moaned Twilight as the complete darkness from her vision was cleared. She could make out... a tunnel? Artwork? Looking over to her right, Twilight could see a pony standing, staring into space. "Dawn?" She called out. Surprised, the other pony flinched, before calming and shifting to face her. "T..Twilight, don't startle me like that!" (What's up with him?) Twilight thought to herself. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?" "Uh, where exactly are we?" "Oh, I think this is the underpass by Ponyville Train Station" (Strange... How did we get here?) Twilight's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the arrival of a scroll, again burning its way into existence right in front of her. Finishing its dramatic appearance, the scroll fell on the ground, as did the gazes of Twilight and Dawn as they again experienced a slight shock in their hooves. "Timer's back" Dawn said, picking up the scroll and reading it: "Set the cursed statue free. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure. ~The Reapers" "Erasure... they can't be serious?" Twilight said, rubbing her hoof a little. "You saw what we did to those frogs, if we don't finish the mission, we'll be erased just like them!" (Sounds illogical... but... maybe not completely.) "So... statue..." started Dawn, focusing on their immediate problem at hand. (We did erase those frogs...) "They must be talking about the statue of Hachipo in the town square!" (How did we even get here anyway?) "But then what's the curse? ...Twilight?" (I remember us passing out, maybe somepony dragged us here?) "Twilight!" Dawn exclaimed. "Try and pay attention, please." "..." Twilight looked at Dawn, not sure what to make of the situation. "TWILIGHT!" Dawn shouted, breaking her trance. "..sorry, Dawn. Kind of drifted off a little there. Anyway, how do we get started?" "Time to go find Hachipo!" Starting off at a brisk trot, Twilight and Dawn started their way to the Ponyville Town Square. ((That guy...)) Twilight stopped for a moment, looking at a shady pony in a red hoodie. ((Where have I seen him before?)) "Twilight, c'mon!" ((...)) "Twilight, if you do-ARGH!" Dawn's sentence was cut off short, as he recoiled from hitting a seemingly invisible object. Twilight stared in amazement, as the area of impact created a blue hexagon image, quickly fading and radiating out to reveal a wall, made up of similar blue neon hexagons, which then faded from sight. "A wall?" Twilight pondered, turning the notion around in her mind. "So we're trapped in here?" Dawn panicked, looking around quickly, as if searching for a solution. "We'll never finish the mission now!" "Why not?" Twilight questioned. "Because Hachipone is that way." ((...we need to get through.)) Twilight thought to herself, letting her mind wander, until she again fixated on the pony in the red hoodie. "Twilight, what are you looking at?" Dawn followed her gaze, also staring at the pony in red. "That pony, you know him?" ((...who is he? He's just standing there. Perhaps I should try reading his mind.)) "I'm going to try to read him." Twilight said. Clutching onto her player pin and reaching out with her mind, Twilight explored the darkness and emptiness of the underpass. The pony in red, she felt a spark there, a presence. But she couldn't read him. Feel him, certainly. But read him? No. She could also feel something else there as well, something... unpleasant. Unnerved by this feeling, she backed out. "...hmph." Twilight said. "I can't read him.. maybe the rules have changed?" "MaybeeeEEE!" Dawn replied, with a distressed look taking over his face. "What's wrong?" Twilight exclaimed, alarmed. "He.. he's coming right towards us!" Dawn said, backing away slightly. "You." The pony in red simply stated. "Scan and erase all noise in this area." "What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, seeing he didn't mean harm to them. "I don't see any noise here!" Turning away, the pony in red simply said "The world is more than what you see.", trotting back into his original place, and resuming his silent stance. ((He's strange... and definitely part of the game.)) Twilight thought. "He's gone.." Dawn said. ((Perhaps his kind can't be scanned? A master of the game, perhaps?)) "More than what you see, huh?" ((These may be the conditions to pass that wall. That 'other' presence that I felt while scanning, could that be the noise?)) "Hey." Twilight said. "Let's erase the noise." "But they're not here!" Dawn again exclaimed. "Yes they are, we have to scan for them." Twilight explained. "You think?... Let's try it." Both clutching their player pins in their hands, they opened their minds. Feeling around, Twilight felt that strange presence again. She could see a red symbol, with her mind's eye. Focusing on it, she smiled. "Ready?" She simply asked, not waiting for a response before dragging it in. Opening her eyes, she reached for a pin. Seeing the frogs once again, her hoof landed on a pin. Bringing it into view, it was grey, with a crescent arc depicted on it. Feeling a certain braveness, she focused on the pin, seeing a certain shine appear under her hoof. Knowing what this must mean, she smiled, charging at the frogs. 3 of them, there were. The first jumping at her, she quickly sidestepped it, lashing out with a slash of her hoof, making a wide silver arc with her hoof. Needless to say, the frog never made it back to the ground. Turning around, Twilight narrowly escaped being hit by another frog, stumbling backwards. Having an small advantage in numbers, the other frog jumped at her, its spiked feet kicking off her leg. Yelling out, Twiliight slashed at it, making it disappear into a field of static. Turning around to face the other, she was about to strike, but it suddenly disappeared, from some unknown source. Blinking, she felt herself slipping back into a normal state, with Dawn by her side. The neon blue hexagons, suddenly blinking and flashing out, provided the pair with the route they needed. Smiling at each other, they walked onwards, victorious. Grinning, the reaper smiled to himself, waiting patiently. Not bad.. not bad at all. These two would make for some lovely fame. The more they blossom, the harder they will fall, and the more recognition he would get for erasing them. He would be an officer in no time. Then he would put his plan into action. Proofread by Deathstrider