//------------------------------// // The End... // Story: Equestrian Wars // by Saacsa //------------------------------// My eyes fluttered open as I let out a groan of discomfort. I seemed to be laying face-down in an endless black abyss. I struggled to my feet and shook my head to clear my mind. "Hello?" I asked. I was only answered by my own echo. "Am I dead?" I thought aloud. Again, silence. "Jack..." A faint, but wonderfully familiar voice came from behind me. I whipped around, but nothing awaited. I frowned in disappointment. "I'm so sorry..." A slow, but methodic beeping began to accompany the voice, "I never should have left you there..." A bright light the size of a doorway appeared in the distance with the silhouette of a mare I knew well. "Dinky." I breathed and began to walk towards the light. The closer that I got, the louder the beeping and the clearer Dinky's voice became. "Mommy is okay... She recovered quickly from Limestone, Cobalt, and Onyx's beating." I felt a hot tear hit my face, but it wasn't mine. "I-I'm okay too... Me and Twi got out just fine..." Another tear hit my face and Dinky sniffled. "T-Twi went back for you... After realizing that three hours were up..." I was so close to the light that I could feel its radiating warmth. "Oh, Celestia, please let him wake up!" She exclaimed and laid her head down on my chest as I burst through the light. My eyes fluttered open. They felt like leaden weights, and the harsh light wasn't helping to much. But I forced them to stay open. For both mine and Dinky's sake. "Dinky..." I groaned out in a hoarse voice, coughing twice. "J-Jack?!" She exclaimed after shooting up from the stool next to my bed. Her face was of relief and shock, but also hinted at hope. "Where am I?" I asked her groggily. "Ponyville. But you are also awake. And that's the one that matters." She replied with a smile and nuzzled me. I lifted my heavy arm and scratched her behind the ear. She seemed to like it. "You're not out of the woods yet." Twilight's voice came from the doorway. Well, shit. Admittedly, I kind of saw it coming. "You're on life support." She continued into the room and sat next to Dinky. My eyes widened in horror. "You have three options. One, we unplug you..." She swallowed hard, "And you die... Peacefully." Damn. She was the same old Twilight. Straight to the point. "Then I have two options." I said, making where I stood very clear. "What are they?" "You can go home.... Or, we can turn you into one of us." My heart stood still. "There is a catch though. To both. If we turn you into a pony, its permanent. We lost the reversal spell ages ago. Never thought we would need it, so we never looked when it turned up missing. If we send you back home, you'll be sent to the exact moment in time before I began my initial transportation spell that brought you here. The Time Matrix will heal all of your wounds and strip you of anything you acquired while you were here." She explained, "Including your memories..." She added darkly. I swallowed. Hard. I would be at the end of a barrel. Again. And this time, my fate would be a little more secured. Also, I couldn't bear to forget my new friends or Dinky. Especially Dinky. I was actually just getting use to the whole anatomy difference between me and her. Well, it seemed that I wouldn't have to worry about anymore. I laid back against the bed frame. "Twilight," I looked up at her, then over to Dinky, "Home is where the heart is. As far as I'm concerned," I took Dinky's hoof in my hand, "I am already home." I said with a smile. Dinky looked as if she was going to explode in joyful tears. "Besides," I added with a shrug, "I don't want to leave you guys alone to rebuild the mess the Chrysalias made." Twilight smiled at my decision. A sudden thought came to mind as she began to exit the room. "Hey, Twi?" She turned back to me. "Yes?" "Where in Equestria did you find a spell that turns humans into ponies?" I asked curiously, earning a laugh from Twilight. "The forbidden section of the Canterlot Royal Archives. Luckily, it was untainted by Chrysalias and her brood." She explained. "Can I choose between Unicorn, Earth Pony, and Pegasus?" I asked "Yes." She affirmed with a nod "Good. Because I'm going to miss these things." I said and lifted up my hands, shaking them a little bit. Everypony in the room let out a small laugh. "We will change you tomorrow. For now, get some rest." Twilight said with a gentle smile before trotting out of the room, leaving Dinky and I alone. "Not that I'm complaining, but what made you choose to stay?" She asked with genuine curiosity. "Weren't you in the crowd of ponies before the battle?" I asked. "No. I was with mommy, still answering questions and conversating with Zecora." She said. "Oh. Well..." I said and paused, wondering which reason to say first. "When I was on my planet. I was staring down the barrel of a gun with no way out. If I went back, I would have been dead." I said. Dinky looked a little relieved that I had chosen to stay here over dying alone, then began to look slightly heartbroken. "Oh... Was that it?" She asked. I knew what she was wanting. I just wanted to tease her. But, I might as well deliver now. I opened my mouth to speak, but Rainbow Dash sulked into the room. Her once vibrantly violet eyes were dulled and hazy, as well as red from tears. Her wings were folded loosely at her sides and her armor was gone. Her coat was dirty and her mane was matted, looking more unkempt than usual. Her hooves drug on the floor sluggishly as she came up to the bed where I was laying. She looked numb, broken, and dead inside. "Jack..." She paused and looked down. "She... She's not going to make it..." A tear squeezed itself from her eye and onto the bed sheets. "Chrysalias shattered her ribcage... Half of the bones punctured her lungs and ruptured her main arteries..." Rainbow convulsed, fighting the tears back down, "Sh-She is living on life support... They... They... They're unplugging her tomorrow, before you go home..." A pang of sadness stabbed my heart like a knife. "Dashie..." That must have cracked the flood gates, because her face hit the bed and she shook with violent tears. "I'm really sorry about Fluttershy... But I thought you knew that I, too, was on life support." I said. She perked up at that. "What? I knew that you were in a coma for a week, but I had no idea that you were dying..." She sniffed. A week, huh? "Did you know about my options?" I asked. "Options?" She furrowed her brow in confusion. Twilight must not have told anypony anything. I briefly pondered why, but pushed it away and focused on more important things. "I was given the choice to be unplugged and go peacefully-" I said, but was cut off by the cyan Pegasus. "Did you..?" She asked in shock. "No," I quickly answered. She sighed in relief. "The other was to go home. But it would have placed me at the exact moment that I was brought here. It would've been like I never left. Even to me." Her eyes widened. "You would be looking at death. Again." She finished for me. I nodded grimly. "The third option was... Shocking to say the least. But I chose it. To stay alive and well in a place where I have friends," I paused and looked to Dinky, "And loved ones." I looked back to Dash, who was mildly confused. "So, what was it?" She asked. I deadpanned, hoping that it would click. It didn't. "My final option was to become a pony." I said in near exasperation. Her mouth almost hit the floor in a comical manner. She was to shocked to even speak. "It will happen tomorrow." "Where? What time? How is it even possible to do that?" She asked rapidly after recovering from the initial shock. Her previous sadness only bit deep within her newly curious and excited violet eyes, and only there. "No clue," Was my answer, "Though, I do imagine that Twilight will explain everything to you and Rarity so there will be no confusion." I reasoned. "Yeah, hopefully. Where is the egghead anyways?" She asked. "She left just before you came it. I'm surprised that you didn't see her." I replied. "Okay, well, if she comes back," The sadness expanded from her pupil and over her being again, "Tell her that we need to talk." She said and started to walk out. "Hey, Dash." I said gingerly. She stopped mid-step, still looking towards the door. "It's a nice job you did, getting Fluttershy back. You've gone pretty far, kid. Keep on trucking." She turned back to me with a weak smile. "Thanks... The funeral for all three of them will be held tomorrow." She said and swallowed hard, "Fluttershy will be... Saved... from her misery tomorrow as well." She replied, "You better be at both." She added and left without another word. There was a pause before I decided to pick up where I had left off with Dinky. "Dinky, the other reason I choose to stay was because of you. I couldn't leave you alone after all this shit. It wouldn't be fair. Not to mention, I think we Zinged." I said with a light chuckle. "Zinged?" She asked. "Love at first sight." I explained. She smiled at the cliche statement. "To be truthful, I was kind of planning to stay anyway. The fact that Twilight found that spell means that our relationship will be smoother and a lot less odd." I said with a light chuckle. Dinky's smile widened. All of this shit must have softened her. I couldn't blame her, after all, she was only eighteen. "I'm glad you chose to stay." She said and began to walk towards the exit. "Get some rest, big boy," She added, her suave attitude returning. Okay, maybe I softened her momentarily. "You're gonna need it." She said. I hadn't realized just how tired I had been until she left. My eyelids felt like iron. I flipped over and I fell asleep instantly. ~~~ The next day was pretty eventful, and I have to say, I'm really glad I chose to stay. I woke up to the bright morning sun's gleaming rays warming my face as the heartbeat monitor beeped methodically. I sat up from the bed with a warm smile and stretched, groaning in pleasure as my muscles worked out their nightly kinks and my joints popped nicely. I looked around and saw Dinky's slumbering form at the side of my bed. She must have came in earlier of after I had fallen asleep. They must have pumped me with pain killers, because I didn't feel like shit. That morning was probably the best I'd felt all day. Everything was at peace. Birds gently chirped outside the window sill and the scent of freshly baked bread wafted into the small room. I inhaled deeply. My simple pleasures did not last, sadly. "You are a very brave man, Jack." A majestic, feminine voice said from the doorway. I turned my head away from Dinky and lazily to the pearl Alicorn entering the room with a warm smile on her face. "Celestia," I smiled back, "Good to see that you are up and about." "Same to you." She said and walked into the room. She spotted Dinky and giggled a little. It made me blush slightly. "Already making yourself at home, I see." She said quietly, stifling a small laugh. I let out a light chuckle. "Yeah. How is Luna recovering?" I asked, changing the subject. "Well. She drank the last vial of Ambroci that I had hidden away in the archives for extremities." She said. "Good." "I just wanted to thank you, for everything you have done for our land. Despite being from a different dimension. You risked your life to save us. You are truly a hero." Celestia said warmly. I let a little pride well in my chest. After all the shit I went through, anyone would. "You're welcome." I replied with a smile. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" She said, obviously done with the idle chit-chatting. And there went my day. "We will preform your transformation spell in the Canterlot caves in a few moments. I would suggest waking up your 'partner' before we do so." She said with a sly smile. "Already?" I asked, avoiding the other blush-worthy subject. "Yes. We have a long, sad day ahead of us." She answered briskly. I sighed deeply and lightly shook Dinky awake. Her eyes fluttered open gently and she smiled when she saw me. She leaned back and yawned while stretching. I heard her back pop a few times. Then she caught sight of Celestia, and froze mid-yawn at smile on the royals face. Her eyes widened and she jumped down, bowing. The pearl Alicorn lightly laughed. "No need to be formal with me, dear. After all, you are the Prince's marefriend." She said with a sly smile. "Prince?" I asked with surprise as Dinky rose up and sat. "Yes." Celestia answered, "After all you've done for us, it seems to be the appropriate action to take. That is, unless you do not wish to be a Prince?" She asked and raised a questioning eyebrow at me. "What? Yes! It would be my honor to govern this land along side you and your sister." Not to mention, I've always wanted to be a better politicion than those idiots back home. "Though I will be doing more of the repair work. Thank you." I said sincerely. The smile reappeared on Celestia's face. "It's us who are thanking you," She said, "Now, it's time." Butterfly wings tickled the lining of my stomach. I took a deep breath and steeled myself for the larching teleportation spell, closing my eyes as I did so. But I was greeted with something different. A warm, tingling feeling rushed over my body, and then a chilled air hit me. I opened my eyes to see Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Luna, Celestia, and human-sized purple lizard with green spikes. They were surrounding my bed in a circle with a small necklace on each of their necks. Except Twilight, she sported a golden tiara with her cutie mark as a gem on top. There were gems of cutie marks hanging form the necklaces also, but a bloon was on Celestia's, an apple was on the dragon's, and a butterfly was on Luna's, not matching their own cutie marks, especially the lizard, for he did not have one. But they did match the cutie marks of our fallen comrades. "What are those?" I asked. "The Elements Of Harmony. They are the key to changing you." Twilight answered briskly and to the point. I just nodded. The most amazing sight, however, was our environment. It was a massive cavern full of gleaming, colorful gems that reflected images back at us like sparkling mirrors. I felt that my mouth was agape and my eyes were wide. "Whoa..." I said and closed my hanging jaw. "Yeah..." Dinky's awestruck voice said from beside me. I hadn't even noticed that she was there until now. "Dinky," Twilight called, "Come over here, you'll be safe behind us." Dinky took one last look at me and then turned back to Twilight. She nodded and slowly walked outside of the circle, still taking in the sights. "Let's get started, shall we?" Twilight continued. "Yes. We have a long day ahead of us." Celestia chimed in. "According to the ancient, forbidden text of Darkwind The Fierce," Celestia and Luna both shuddered lightly at the name. They must have had some not-so-pretty history with this guy. "To change a human into a..." Twilight paused and looked up at me. "What do you want to be?" I opened my mouth to say something, but Celestia interrupted me with some rather shocking, but cool, news. "He is a Prince now, Twilight. You know what he should be. Unless he wishes otherwise." She said and looked over at me with an eyebrow raised. I returned the favor, but mine was more in confusion than curiosity. "Yes, of course, Celestia." Twilight said quickly. "Whoa, wait. What do you mean by that?" I asked with a little paranoia. "We are giving you another option. Alicorn." Twilight said. There goes any doubt or future regret about my decision. That way I could swim through the air with grace and use magic as I used my hands! I smiled in relief. "I think that Alicorn would be the best way for me to go." I said. Twilight nodded and looked down at the book. "Fire swirls in the dark," She began. The room darkened visibly, but Twilight kept steady, "Ravens rise to make their mark. Thou's loyalty was true, so let it be the blessing upon you." Light exploded from the side of me. I looked towards it with wide eyes to see Rainbow Dash's amulet spewing out beams of crystal-like light. She was hovering in the air with her eyes closed and her limbs spread out like a star. When her eyes opened, they were completely white, glowing like the sun. Twilight did not falter. "With the Elements Of Harmony. Laughter," Celestia's necklace did the same as Dash's, but the alabaster Alicorn stayed grounded as light poured from her necklace and eyes. "Honesty," The teenage lizard rose into the air as his necklace beamed with light. "Kindness," Luna straightened and a midnight blue swirl came from her eyes as light rocketed from her adorned necklace. "Generosity," Rarity floated up as the crystal light escaped her eyes and necklace as well. "And the last element will make this mortal human to an immortal Alicorn. The last element," The old tome fell to the floor and Twilight closed her eyes as a beam shot from her tiara into my chest. I gasped in surprise, but it was nothing to worry about. It just felt a little tingly. Light sprang from the other ponies and into my heart in a similar fashion, originating from the amulets. A rainbow coiled around each of them from Celestia all the way to Twilight from both sides. When it reached her, she snapped her eyes, which were now almost blinding white, open and spoke in a doubled over voice, as if she were possessed. "Magic." Upon uttering that word, a massive, rainbow colored beam shot from Twilight's tiara and into me. My eyes widened as the blast consumed me entirely. ~~~ My eyes snapped open and, again, I was standing in an endless abyss. Except this time, I felt warm and tingly. And the abyss was white; with grey, smoky tendrils fading in and out. And I was standing, not laying. Point being, I wasn't in a coma. "So, they found another human, eh?" A deep, but friendly voice echoed from behind me. I turned around to face the mysterious speaker, and was greeted by another human. He was dressed in a solid black suit and an angelic blue tie. Not a single jet black hair was out of place in his perfectly combed hair, which flowed down to his shoulder blades. He held a small, black walking cane with a golden wolf head on top that reminded me of a ring from a certain enjoyable video game that use to be my pastime before joining the military. His eyes were a deep and murky green that were warmly inviting, but also swirled with hidden mischief. His face was creased into a comforting smile as he twirled his cane. He was dressed all business, but had a friendly air about him. "Not exactly." Was my vague answer. His eyes sparked with curiosity. "Really? Where did you come from then?" He asked. "Uh..." I hesitated, wondering just haw trustworthy the man was. As it turns out, I didn't need to. He exploded in laughter. ''Y-You shoulda seen the lo-o-ok on your face!" He laughed out and wiped a humorous tear from his eye. I furrowed my brow in confusion. And worry. But mostly confusion. When he managed to calm down enough, he explained. "My name is Darkwind The Fierce, but my real name is Azuro. I monitor all of life on Equis. I've been watching you, in particular, very closely. I am here to congratulate, and reward, you. You have overcome endless challenges and suffering to end a war that wasn't even part of your own dimension. And then chose to stay and help rebuild. You are truly a specimen of life that everyone should aspire to be. Honestly, I would call you a savior." He said. Pride began to swell, but I cut it short. I didn't need more, or I would fuck up whatever else I was suppose to do. "But wait," I said as a question jumped to mind, "If you monitor all of Equis, why are you a human?" This time, he looked at me with genuine curiosity. Then looked down at his body and chuckled lightly in realization. "You've got it wrong. I'm not human at all. This is just my favorite form. In reality, I am the Interdimensional Lord of Equis. I can transform into anything I like. I even went into the world of Equis one time under the guise of a pony, Darkwind the Fierce. They still use some of the things I invented to this day. Such as the spell that brought you here." He said in explanation. He then bowed with a smile. "So you stay here and watch over the denizens of Equis all alone? Doesn't it get... Well, lonely?" I asked. "Nah," She said with a nonchalant wave of the hand, "Being an essence of the dimensions, I can split myself in two. I usually make the other half a dog. I was always fond of the little fur balls." He chuckled. "So... Where am I?" I asked. "You don't beat around the bush, do you?" He asked. I shrugged, causing him to sigh. "You're in limbo." "Does that mean that I'm dead?" I asked, panic spreading. He laughed again. I'm glad he found my predicament funny, because I sure as hell didn't. "No, no, no." He assured me. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. "You are unconscious. Right now, the others think this is just a small side effect of the transformation spell. To be more specific about your surroundings, you are on the highway to the dimensions. I have a little surprise for you as well." He said with a sly smile. "Really? What is it?" I asked with a little skepticism. "I can return you back to your world. Without harm. George will be alive. Your squad will too. The Arabs will have never found that little camp." He said blandly. It rocked me nonetheless. I went to sit down, and he snapped his fingers, conjuring a red velvet chair that I fell back in. After a few minutes of shock I looked up at him. "What do you mean? How did they find us in the first place?" I asked, still mildly shocked. "That would be the doing of myself." He said. I almost leapt from the chair and strangled him then and there. But I didn't. I just clenched my fists. "I did so to test you. To see where your loyalties lie. To see where mankind is and if my brother is doing a good job." "Why me?" I asked. "Because, Jack, you had proved yourself expendable on Earth. You had a few friends that you would dearly miss if you left, but no one that I couldn't kill without raising suspicion. So I did. I killed them all. And I planted the idea into Celestia's little head that you were the only one to save them from the Changeling horde. It was sheer luck that I was right." "This is all just a game, Jack. This was a test. You have proved yourself. So this is your reward. You can go home. Free of charge. Like nothing ever happened. You will retain your memories, Equis will be safe, and so will all of your friends. From both worlds. Or, you can stay on Equis with your new friends. Make more memories with them. Rebuild their fair society. You will become an Alicorn and rule Equestria alongside Celestia and Luna." "But your friends back on Earth will stay dead. You will be labeled AWOL. A deserter. And probably a murderer. Choose wisely, Halok. And don't disappoint." He said. The last part chilled me. But this was it. My ultimate decision. Everyone on Earth would be back if I went home. No casualties. Everypony in Equestria would be safe. But then there was the fact of leaving them. Sure, time would make them get over me. At least for the Princesses and what was left of the Elements of Harmony. Dinky would be a different story. I put my head in my hands and sighed deeply. ''Take your time. This is an important decision." Azuro's voice spoke from above me. I thought back to George. His wife and kid. Irresponsible for having a kid and marrying a woman in High School, but to join the military afterwards. They would be devastated to hear the news of his demise and of their 'Uncle' Jack's rampancy. I had to choose, my friends from one world, or my friends from another. It nearly tore me in two. To this day, I still think about what life would have been like if I chose differently. My friends. The ones who had endured so much pain. So much loss. So much devastation. Then my other friends. The ones that partied at midnight. Clicked beer bottles together and told dirty jokes by the campfire without a care. I decided which ones would need me more. I stood up and steeled my expression. "First of all, this whole thing that you did, was a complete dick move." He smirked, "I'm not saying thank you, but hell, you definitely changed my life for the better. I met the love of my life, new friends, ended a war, and brought peace to a torn world. I could have never done any of those things back on Earth. Except maybe the first one. Turn me into an Alicorn. Send me back to Equestria. And, by the way, I won't throttle you if you promise me one thing." "And what, pray tell, would that be?" He asked. Probably for his own amusement. He could easily overpower me. Being basically a god. "Tell George's wife and kid that I'm so sorry for what happened. And not to believe anything those bastards in the suits say." "I'll see if I can manage. Very well, Halok. Goodbye. For now." He smiled slyly. "And by the way... You passed the last test." The air around me began to swirl around with golden particles of magic that tingled warmly. "Brace yourself." He said. I tensed my muscles and bones for whatever was heading my way. I'm glad I did, because a second later, there was a bright flash and the warm tingle quickly turned into a burning heat. It felt like I was taking a high powered shower... In napalm. I screamed and clenched my eyes shut. Soon, it became involuntary and I passed out. My eyes fluttered open as soon as I felt a gentle breeze rustle the hair... On my neck. "Ugh." I groaned. My muscles were sore and weary, but I recognized the crystal cavern and the six ponies, plus a teenage lizard, huddled around me. I finally got a sense of direction and tilted my head up, but I noticed something blueish grey on my nose. I narrowed my eyes and was a little surprised to find that the splotch was my nose. I reached up with my hand to touch it, but was greeted with a hoof instead. I frowned in confusion as the top-heavy hoof touched my nose. "Looks like it worked." Said a weary smiling Twilight. And that was the trigger for me. My memories flooded back in my head and my eyes widened. I shot up from the ground, only to go much farther than I should have. I hit my head on the ceiling and fell back down, rubbing my throbbing head. "Ouch..." I groaned. This was going to take some getting use to. "Quit being such a wuss!" Rainbow Dash's cockiness came back into play, but it was more cold than anything. Her hooves wrapped around my mid-section and she heaved, sending me upright. "Thank... You." I grunted while trying to keep balance on the wobbly hooves. "You're welcome." She said airily and floated down, looking depressed. Well, depressed for Rainbow Dash. I took a single step forward, and fell into a light, lavender aura. One that was lighter than Twilight's. "Watch your step, big boy. You seemed to have forgotten that you have hooves there." Dinky laughed playfully. "Thanks. It's good to see that you've got that cute sense of humor in check." I said with a smile. She scoffed, then laughed, lifting me back on all fours. "Okay, lets try this again." I said to no one in particular and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, and, as I exhaled, took a step forward. Then another, and another, and another! It felt odd, but still pretty cool nonetheless. Soon, I felt myself speed up to a run, or I should say, gallop, as my confidence grew. I opened my eyes, took a deep breath, and laughed. I actually, whole-heartedly laughed. I heard a few giggles from back where the ponies were and jumped high. With a few flaps from my wings, I flew through a hole in the crystals and drifted on the hard part of my hooves when I landed, spinning me around in a 180. I took a battle stance and focused. It was time to see what kind of magic an Alicorn was capable of. I imagined a spiral of energy surging into a speeding ball of light at the tip of my horn that was to be shot from it and smash into the crystal barrier in front of me. I focused all of my energy into my horn and felt a massive surge flow as it left my body. I heard an enormous crack, followed by the tinkling sound of glass... Or crystal. Panting, I opened my eyes to see that a large, silver mass of magic was speeding in the direction that I had came from. It crashed into the far wall of crystal and burrowed half-way through before dissipating. Six surprised ponies, and a rather stunned lizard, peaked out from the side of the crystal barrier that I had hopped, then demolished. "You... Alicorns... Have some... Awesome power." I panted out. "Y-Yeah... We do." Luna said in shock. "What's... The matter?" I said, still catching my breath. "Nothing... I just didn't expect you to be able to do that sort of magic so... Soon." She said, still amazed. I shrugged, finally getting my breath back with a deep inhale. "It just sort of came as second nature. It was easy." I said nonchalantly. "Draining," I added, "But easy." "I suppose that you've got this down." Celestia spoke, "So, allow us to be on our way? This day is going to be long, so we might as well get started. What do we do first?" She asked me.