As I check my gear for the fifth time tonight, I think over the last few days of chaos. Running from the local inhabitants, getting assaulted by royalty. There probably isn't much I haven't gone through yet. I'm sorry, im getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning, I was about to arrive at the playing field when suddenly...
<6 days ago>
My phone rang with startling volume, I quickly silenced the outburst by flipping the phone open (yes I have a flip phone, got a problem?)
"Hello?" I asked, using the age-old start of conversations.
"Hey Calvin," replied a male voice I've heard for over 7 years. "You coming or not?"
I chuckle inwardly as I remember my friend's signature impatience. "I'm almost there, Ezra, hold your horses."
"Way ahead of you."
"What?"
"Nothing," the reply was faster than necessary, causing me to believe Ezra was hiding something. "Just meet me at the range when you get here."
"Will do, bye."
"Bye," I hang up and resume driving on the busy streets of Atlanta. Even on the outskirts is as thick as syrup, runs like it too. I weave my way through the cars parked on the side of the road (will people ever learn to use their driveways?) I catch sight of a stylized flag flying a few hundred feet in the air and I smile. Before I move on in the story I should probably say that this is airsoft, one of the best competitive sports in the world, and yes it is a sport. I've been playing since I was a little kid, it has always interested me and I have spent well over $30,000 in my whole career on this game. Hope that cleared any bumps along the way.
As I approach, I make out many features, an olive green tent serving as the main building, wooden fences everywhere, multiple vans and trucks parked all willy nilly, and literally a metric shit ton of people standing about, all wearing military uniforms. I park my old pickup in the designated parking zone, one of the only people to do so, and head to the range, a simple settup of sandbags and archery targets down range. I spot a familiar short guy with long, black hair, standing in to open wearing a dark blue uniform.
"Ezra!" He jumps at the sound of my voice. However once he realizes it's me, he runs over carrying all his gear in various packs.
"It's about time you showed up, the match is about to begin."
"Yet you're not even ready," I pointed to the packs.
"Oh, this isn't for the match. Well, it kind of is. It's- you know what, I'll just show you." He put down one of the camo bags and opened it, making sure I didn't see inside. He rummaged around for a bit before his hands emerged, holding in each hand something that looked like a light blue crescent moon with wings.
"What is this?"
"The NLR," I gave him a blank look, "the New Lunar Republic. I made us an official squad. I even made matching uniforms," with that he pulled out a second uniform similar to the one he was wearing.
"Okay, I know you and I are best friends, and I respect everything you like, but what the fuck is the New Lunar Republic shit about, we never liked squads."
"Oh, I decided we could give it a try."
"And where did you come up with the name, definitely sounds original." Ezra cringed at this. Oh no, this is what he was hiding.
"Yeah," he started off slowly. "I got the name from a fandom."
I didn't know how to respond to this, first he goes against what we have been doing for many years, and now he's paying attention to fandoms?
"Are you a part of this fandom?"
"Yes," then he hesitates, bad sign. "They call themselves bronies."
"What the fuck is a brony?"
He pulls out his phone and pulls up a picture of a group of coloured cartoon horses, there was a cyan one with wings and a rainbow mane and tail, a pink one with a bouncy pink mane and tail, obviously very hyper, next was a purple unicorn with a dark blue mane and tail with a pink stripe running down the center...
"And that's Fluttershy, that's Rarity, and this one is Applejack."
"Okay, they are just a bunch of characters, I don't see the big deal."
Ezra seemed to relax a bit. "Oh, well you better get dressed, match begins in 15 minutes."
"Yeah, good idea." I pick up the spare uniform and head to the restrooms.
<a few minutes later>
We stand in the middle of a wooded area with a few dilapidated buildings in front of us. Ezra and I are wearing the matching uniforms with the moon emblem ironed on to our right shoulder. We both hold M4A1 standard issue assault rifle with a few attachments mounted on. We don't look badasses, but we sure as hell feel like ones.
A loud blast of a siren signaled the start of the match. Everyone heads out in different directions. Ezra and I sprint out into the open, seeking cover on the front lines. We dive into cover just as the BB's start flying, catching a few unprepared players out in the open. Some where hit, calling out medic and putting their arm in the air.
"Newbies," I chuckle to my self. I risk a peek over the brick wall we are hiding behind and I see an enemy squad flanking us. I pull up my weapon and let loose some poorly aimed shots, scattering the group. Ezra however, didn't notice this, instead he was staring up at the sky.
"Those clouds are moving overhead fast."
"Focus Ezra," I say as I slide in a new clip. "We still have a job to do."
"Yessir."
We get up and run towards a building which hasn't fallen down from the elements yet, and set up a line of fire towards the general direction of the enemy base.
"You see anything?"
"Nothing. Let's advance," Ezra goes to get up when I pull him down just as a round flies where his chest was a second ago. "Horey shit, how did you know he was there?"
"I didn't." A distant shout signaled someone was out of the game, having already been healed once.
"Ready?" I ask. Ezra nods, gripping his M4 hard. "Let's go." We run off in separate directions, zigzag-ing between cover, moving closer to the sniper, who tries to take care of us both, only to be taken out by a burst from Ezra's gun. We meet back up and sprint out in the open field, a killzone for anyone.
<Enemy player, 3rd person>
Ramel couldn't help but keep looking at the clouds, he noticed they were different that normal storm clouds, faster, darker, and lower. He tried to focus on the game but his vision kept slipping skywards. Luckily he never ran into an enemy.
Ramel looked out into the field he was overseeing, he drummed his fingers on his bolt-action rifle, waiting for some unlucky soul to charge out into the open, where many of his fellow teammates were aiming, creating a deathzone.
His wish came true as he spotted two players in dark blue uniforms charging his position. Ramel lined up his scope to take a shot at the two idiots when something unexpected happened.
The air became thick and warm, almost like someone turned on a huge conventional oven in a small room. Next, Ramel's hair stood on end and his skin began to tingle. Finally in an overdramatic conclusion, a huge lighting bolt flashed across to sky, hitting the two people down in the clearing. The bolt was bright enough that everyone watching the two were momentarily blinded. Ramel recovered before anyone else and was met with a sight that frightened him.
The two players were gone, and in their place was a giant crater, flaming in spots. Ramel cried out, in a voice louder that anyone else's the entire game. "Cancel the match!" Which no one has ever said out loud on this field, causing an uproar from the officials.
<Calvin 1st person>
I awaken to a splitting headache and a cold hard floor. I try to get up but find my limbs too weak to use. I'm able to turn my head and look to my side, finding Ezra sprawled out on the floor as well.
"Ezra, you okay?" I get a groan as a reply. I turn my head back and think about what just happened. Last thing I remember is me and Ezra charging across an open field, bright flash, then numbness.
As I try to wrap my head around these events, I am greeted by an angry feminine voice. "Why art thou on the floor?" A pause. "And why must thou carry deadly weapons!" I feel myself leaving the floor at an alarming rate (as if floating off the floor was normal) and turned around. I am face to- err... muzzle with a dark blue horse with a horn and a pair of wings. Most interesting of all was her hair, which looked like it contained all the stars in the night sky, and moved on its own, in a gentle flowing motion. Next I was thrown backward, hitting the wall behind me, and got knocked unconscious.