//------------------------------// // Ch.4 My Name // Story: FF Inc. // by Emerald Shield //------------------------------// "Okay, what do we know about them?" Twilight Sparkle asked her five best friends. Her and her friends were sitting in the throne room of the crystal tree castle, debating on what to do about the unusual quintet that had arrived in town yesterday. "That big guy, Rasputin I think, is made of steel. I'm not even kidding! He didn't even flinch when I kicked him yesterday and my foot is still aching!" Rainbow Dash told as she pionted to her right foot. "The purple man, Griffin, had his right arm completely bandaged up. I can only imagine what could have caused that." Fluttershy said. "Him and Jaina seem to have horrible sense in how to style hair." Rarity added. She recieved deadpan stares from Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack, along with a laugh from Pinkie. Fluttershy stayed quiet. "What? Hair style is important to me." Rarity defended herself. "I will admit that that Jaina girl did have very long hair, unnaturaly so." Applejack could agree on that. "Anything else? No? I noticed something about Griffin. His magic felt..." Twilight said as she remembered the feeling that the puple man's magic had given her after he teleported them all. She fidgeted a bit in her throne. "His magic didn't feel right. Dark, even. To the point that I got a massive headache shortly after he teleported us all." She finished. "What kind of dark?" Applejack asked, not liking where this was going. "Darker-then-King Sombra dark. Not quite as evil, though." The purple princess told, a cold touch moving along her spine. "You mean he's evil!?" Rainbow yelled as she jumped up, almost falling back down as her foot acted up. "No that's not what I'm saying. I mean he could be a dark magician." Twilight explained. "What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Magic is devided into two main types: Light and Dark. Light Magic is stuff like healing and defending. While Dark Magic is necromancy, curses and attacks that destroy the soul. But Dark Magic is highly corruptive, as showcased by the late King Sombra." Twilight explained. "Sounds kind of evil to me." Rarity spoke. "Same here." Rainbow agreed. "They know. But Mister Wilson doesn't have a choice." A loud, male whisper said throughout the room. Shortly after a dark purple smoke seeped in through the skylight. Forming a muscly torso with arms and no legs. The hands ended in sharp claws, and the wrists were encased in golden shackles. The being had a long neck and purple eyes. Rarity promptly fainted and Fluttershy hid behind her seat. "What... are you?" Twilight asked through clenched teeth as she clutched her head in pain. "I am a Voidwalker. Sent by Mister Wilson to deliver a message." It said as it turned to her. "Why?" Rainbow asked as Applejack helped Twilight stand up. "Mister Wilson would like to formally greet you. He invites you all to meet him on a hill outside of Ponyville." The Voidwalker tells them all. "When?" Twilight asked as she did her best to not yell out in pain. "Now." The Voidwalker said as it dispersed into smoke. "Wait! How are we supposed to know what hill?" Rainbow asked. "You'll see." It said as it left through the skylight. "See what? A giant arrow?" Twilight said in frustration, that headache was doing a number on her mood. After a half hour of debating on what to do the six of them went outside. "I can't believe it. There actually IS a giant arrow." Pinkie says as she points to a flaming arrow pointing to a hill to the west of town. As the six of them moved towards the hill the arrow dissapated into thin air. "Where did the arrow go?" Rainbow asked as she flew up a bit, trying to get a better look. When the six friends arrived at the hill they saw Midnight, with all her ninja gear on, sitting in the middle of the open top of the hill. "So you've arrived. Good. Follow me." Midnight spoke as she opened a swirling portal behind her, flashing in all the colors of the visible spectrum. Without another she walked through the wormhole. "I don't think we've any other choice. Let's go." Twilight said as she to walked through. The rest quickly followed. In a whirlpool of colors, shapes and imagery they traveled through the fabric of space and time to the cave where the quintet of misfits found the sea giant yesterday. The main six were promptly dropped flat on their faces at the edge of the underground lake. "That's no way to arrive. Come on, stand up." Jaina spoke from the ceiling, which she gravity magicked to, as she was working on stabilizing the magical energy within the gemstones. The main six were promptly dropped flat on their faces at the edge of the underground lake. "That's no way to arrive. Come on, stand up." Jaina spoke from the ceiling, which she was gravity magicked to, as she was working on stabilizing the magical energy within the gemstones. "R-right." Twilight said as she and her friends stood up. "Wow." Fluttershy spoke as she laid eyes on the lake. "What is this place? It is simply divine!"Rarity spoke as she feasted her eyes on the massive array of gemstones lining the walls and cieling. "It is home to a tear in the fabric of space." Midnight told them. "Da." Rasputin spoke from where he was working on a mass stabelizer, even Jaina couldn't keep this much energy under control for long. "Which is?" Rainbow asked. "Not important, is what it is. We have it all under control." Griffin said from the middle of the lake where he was floating. He floated to them saying. "I don't believe we've formally met yet." He landed on the bank of the lake. "Princess Twilight Sparkle." He finished as he extended his taped hand. "I am Griffin Wilson. A pleasure." "I don't think it would be smart to shake your hand, dark magician." Twilight answered with a frown. "As keen as I have heard I see. Tell me, how did you figure it out?" Griffin asked. "A massive head ache and having experienced King Sombra's magic first hand are an excellent way of knowing." She replied with a knowing look on her face. "A head ache you say? I could have expected nothing less since you literally ARE the embodiment of Light Magic. The polar opposite to me." "What do you mean?" Twilight asks with a puzzled expression. "Let me show you." Griffin says as he takes of his coat and unwinds the tape on his right arm. When he finished he said. "As you can see... I'm no stranger to the darkness of this world." An array of emotions flashed through the faces of the six girls: Concern, disgust, worry, fear and even fascination. But at the end they all ended on the same basic idea. "How?" The six of them asked in perfect harmony. "An accident eleven years ago, took my arm and a good chunk of my life-force. But it changed my life beyond even that. As it was the aftermath of that accident that showed me what I really am." Griffin explains as he flexes his sharp claws that adorned his hand. "It took your arm, but you have two? And what do you mean with that last bit?" Rainbow asked, Griffin clearly still had two arms. "True, this arm was granted to me as a gift, from... Him. But that's a story for another time. As to what I am, that is something that will be revealed in due time." He wraps the tape back around his hand and puts his coat back on. "But for now, I ask you to not get in our hair. We have a job to do and I'd rather not be responsible for any of you ending up in a hospital." "Is... Is your job really that dangerous?" Futtershy asks with a shudder. "But of course, it's not up to normal people to fight, for example, Giants now is it?" "Giants? What're those?" Applejack asks in confusion. A Card shot out of Griffin's left sleeve and he showed them what it was. A humanoid made of magma. "This, for example is a Molten Giant." He spoke as he threw the card on the ground a hundred feet away. A torrent of bubbling magma spewed out of it and formed the forty foot tall Molten Giant. "There are also Sea, Clockwork and Mountain Giants." Griffin continued as the Molten Giant flowed back into the Card and returned to him. "Any further questions?" The six girls simply stood slackjawed at the display of Summoning skill. "All of us can do that, by the way." Griffin added like it was but an afterthought. "Yeaaaaaah. I think you broke 'em." Scarlet quipped as she appeared behind Griffin. "I think so." He agreed with a expression that said 'Crap'. "Jaina?" Griffin continued. "Already on it." Jaina said from above as she used her magic to splash some water in the faces of the six. "That is empressive. But... what is your job exactly?" Rarity managed to say. "Our team was asked, or ordered depending on how you look at it, by her Majesty Princess Celestia of Equestria to keep an eye on and if necesary research the Everfree Forest. As it has been growing more restless over the past few years." Midnight told them as she appeared beside Griffin. "Exactly Midnight. We are FF Inc. by the way." He says with an ever so small smile. "FF Inc.? That's lame, why didn't you pick some more awesome name?" Rainbow imlies with minor disgust to the name. "It is not supposed to be awesome, it's a memory. Fifth of February Incorporated. It is the date of the day when me and my sister were banished from Northern Griphonia. Where we were born. But that too, is a story for another time." Griffin says in a tone of 'Now you've crossed the line'. "Midnight, be a dear and send them back to Ponyville. We have a Rift to close." He commands as he turns his back on them and goes to help Jaina. "As you say, Master." Midnight replies as she throws the six girls into a wormhole and back to Ponyville.