//------------------------------// // Prologue: The Gates of Truth // Story: The Mortal Sin // by Humanarian //------------------------------// "You have underestimated Edward Elric!" - the voice of Solf J. Kimblee rang in my mind before the Fullmetal Alchemist's soul has made a contact with the one of my host, separating us. I didn't have the chance to reply with anything intelligent. I could only scream as my world went white... What is death? It is supposed to be the end of life. The end of existence. That's why I couldn't understand the humans who kept praying for the souls of those long gone. Their lives had ended. It is supposed to be over for them. What is there to pray for? But... if my theory is true, then where am I now? And how am I able to think these thoughts? Everything around me is white, and I... I am in my natural form. Just a mess of shadows without a stable shape. Am I alone here? What is this place? "Hello," - the voice has called from the direction opposite to the one I was looking in. Is there even any direction at all in this place? I reluctantly turned around. What I witnessed was... me. But also not me. It was the same shapeless form, only white. But how could I tell it apart from the white world I was in? The question in my mind was obvious. "Who are you?" - I said before remembering the other question I also wanted to have answered, - "Where are we?" "Woah, not so fast now, please..." - my strange doppelgänger replied, - "I know you have just arrived, but it is about time you leave this place..." Before I could process what he said, I heard the strange sound behind me. The sound of the large gates opening. A second later, I felt being pulled back. "Your mistakes are not entirely your own, since you were created with his knowledge and shared his view on things... That's why I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. To live your own life, and live it as you want to." Before the gates pulled me in entirely, I could catch his final words: "Believe in yourself..." I opened my eyes. It felt like waking up from a really long dream, I suppose. Homunculi do not need to sleep, after all. Exactly like it felt when I had been created... A gentle breeze ruffled my hair. Hm... That is strange. I don't remember having hair on my side. And... does it mean I'm naked? I couldn't help but take a look at my side and... Honestly, I felt quite surprised. It wasn't something I could have expected: my body was a horse... No, a smaller one, a pony. And to make it even smaller, I happened to be a pony child, it seemed. My Ouroboros tattoo was on my flank that time... No, on both of them. The memories flowed back to me. The strange white place, the doppelgänger and his words. I looked around. The place where he dropped me wasn't that much different from what I'm used to. Just a forest, nothing special. Perhaps, a bit more colorful, yes. Who was that creature? What did he plan for me? And finally... why am I a pony? "Hello?" - I called with an innocent child's voice, mostly to make sure I am still able to talk. Even though there was no reply, it was satisfying to know that I can at least communicate as a sentient being. My next test was rather obvious: I needed to check if my powers were still in my posession. As if on que, I had noticed a falling leaf. A second later that leaf had been cut to pieces by my shadow. Good to know I am in tip-top condi... I had fallen on my face as I tried to stand up and make a simple step forward. Perhaps, my condition is not as perfect as I thought. Yes, I was used to being a child, but... I had no idea how to be a pony. It seems, I should take this one step at a time... literally. I stood up and tried to move once again. That was going to need some getting used to... "Believe in yourself..." I wonder what exactly he meant by that. Not important right now, better focus on the tast at the...hoof. By the time I had finally figured out how to trot without falling on my face, it was already an evening. Moreover, the forest around me had changed to an apple orchad. Hm... I had never really been to an apple orchad before. I could have simply cut down one of the apples and give it a try, but I knew better: having someone see me using such powers could lead to certain troubles in the future. Speaking of which... it hit me that I had yet to meet a human since I had woken up. I still had no clue where I was... It's an orchad, isn't it? Must be a part of some... Farm! That was it. I could see the farm from where I was standing. And the farm had to be run by someone. Now, what should my next step be?... "Hello there, partner!" - a strong voice called from the side. I was so focused on my own thoughts that I didn't even notice that... Pony? "What can ah do ya for?" - she called, trotting to me. So, she was a talking pony... so was I. Only she was adult. And orange. The logical conclusion would be that I was in the world of talking colorful ponies, however absurd it was. So... what do I do? The words of the strange creature echoed through my mind once again... "Believe in yourself..." I smiled and opened my mouth to reply.