> The Proxy
>  by Eyesclops
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> CH01: The Awakening 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A bullet has been fired...

A life lost...

The victim, Leon, died approximately 3:20 A.M. November 4, 20** from blunt trauma to the back of the head after receiving a crippling wound to the leg.

...

The suspect has been detained.

Name: [Redacted]

Height: 6'2"

Eye Color: BRN

Other information: Has confessed to the crime. Claims he killed the boy after the victim had stolen his wallet.

The wallet's contents (found on suspect's body) have been reviewed, the man was lying. The boy's license was in it.

Update: The man is a confirmed serial killer linked to several crimes.

…

-Location Unknown-

I, Leon, was dead. Three days before my seventeenth birthday. Shot down and clubbed to death by some deranged psychopath for reasons completely beyond me. Did I mind? At that moment, no. Being dead was the least of my worries. I was naked, it was snowing, and I didn't have the slightest idea as to where my location was. All I saw was snow and endless black. I was floating in an abyss of nothingness.

My mind was flowing with questions, "Why is it snowing in this endless black void I am floating in?", "Why am I naked?", and, after I realized I was dead, "How come I couldn't have died in a cool fashion, like jumping into a tornado? Everyone would remember that, and it would have been pretty damn awesome."

So I sat there, pondering the near-infinite supply of questions that had appeared as to my current situation and whether or not this was truly an afterlife, when I opened my eyes and sat up.

-Just outside of Everfree Forest-

"A Dream... That is all it was..." However, that was incorrect. I was in the middle of an unusually colorful field. I stood up on two limbs, but found myself losing balance. Confused, I looked down, only to fall backwards more out of surprise than lack of coordination. I was part marshmallow-pony. I had a jet-black coat of fur, my tail was the same color, and a red tattoo of a question mark. Then, as I went to pick up my head, I realized I had difficulties.

Apparently I was also part unicorn.

So I began to squirm around in as many creative ways to remove myself from this predicament, and, almost comically, I flew forward out of the initial hole my horn was in and rolled along the ground, causing my horn to form a second hole in the ground and myself being in the same position I was in initially. After screaming at myself and a few more minutes of struggling, I managed to finally get free.

Now sitting down on my butt, I rubbed off my horn with my hooves to remove the dirt clung to it and searched for some sign of where I was, but I saw none. So, with no other choice but to wander, I chose the nearby woods to search for clues of where I was.

Aimlessly wandering, I began to encounter plants and creatures I had never even begun to imagine existed, and after having several near-second-death encounters I stumbled upon a tree-hut.

-Zecora's Hut-

*Knock Knock*

I rapped the door with my, well, hooves, and sure enough heard a voice from inside.

"At the door I wonder who it is, and what I wonder is their business?"

The door opened to an unusual-looking zebra who, as I would later learn, was named Zecora.

"Hello, was it you who was talking?" I asked her.

"Why of course, who else would it be, that would be speaking, other than me?" was her quick reply, I noted her odd way of speaking, but decided against interrogating her over her vernacular.

In slight disbelief that a zebra was even capable of speech, and hope that I was asleep, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. However, much to my disappointment at the time, I reopened my eyes to the same zebra I have seen before I had closed them. So, I asked her a few basic questions.

"Where am I at? What am I doing here?"

"Everfree Forest is where you are at, Your second question, only you can answer that."

I decided that a zebra would be no less informed about how I had arrived here, especially in this form, so I decided to rephrase the question to see if I could get other information.

"I am a human, a 'man'," I started to say, quickly noting her facial expression changed slightly to one of confusion, "and I was wondering, do you know where the nearest human settlement might be?"

"A human, to me, has always been fantasy." Zecora said, "I cannot say I know many things on man, but seek out Twilight Sparkle you can."

"Who?" I said with an odd expression on my face. Zecora merely pointed down a path I had previously overlooked. So I nodded my head said thanks, and wandered down the path, taking care to avoid all of the mysterious fauna and wildlife along the way.

Eventually, I exited the forest, and sure enough, I saw buildings in what looked to be a relatively small village.

-Ponyville-

I slowly walked into town only to be met by a pink pony who, as soon as she spotted me, gasped and dashed away before I could even react to her presence.

"Excuse me! I wa..." My voice trailed away as I realized I would to be able to successfully speak to her, and that I was wasting my time on such a pony.

"Hello!" I heard a voice call out from behind me, "Who might you be, I don't suppose you're new here, are you?" I spun around to meet a fairly kind-looking purple unicorn who had a large smile across her face."

Attempting to be as friendly as I could be, I said "Hello, my name is Leon, and yes, I am new."

"Well welcome to Ponyville, I'm Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you!"

A huge smile formed across my face, "Twilight! I was looking for you, some Zebra in Everfree Forest told me to come talk to you about some questions I have that she couldn't answer."

Twilight looked up for a moment, "Zecora couldn't answer them? Well they must be tough if she can't answer them, but I think she's smarter than even me. I guess its something not in her area of expertise," she jumped up in joy, "I cant believe Zecora sent someone to ME for information!"

She began to rant and hop around. "So she must be pretty smart I'm guessing," I interrupted her, "but I guess she isn't perfect either."

She stopped, "Oh... sorry about that." She half-chuckled in a vain attempt to lessen the awkwardness, "Why don't we head to the library and see if we can answer your questions for you okay? At the moment I live there, so you're always welcome."

She smiled and began walking down a street, I quickly followed behind, eager to have all the answers to piece together this unusual puzzle of what I was doing in a place like this.
> CH02: Inhuman
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Ponyville-

"Hey Twilight, who's this guy?" A rainbow-tailed pegasus flew from a cloud that had previously went unnoticed.

"He's new, says his name is Leon." Twilight replied. I assumed they were good friends based off of how they acted towards each other.

"Well then, nice to meet ya! I'm Rainbow Dash. Best flier in Equestria." She said, flying up in the air and posing in a way that would emphasize the fact she was proud of her flying skills.

I, still shocked by her appearance out of near thin-air, began to stammer, "Th-there are p-pegasi here too?" The winged pony's face, along with Twilight's, changed almost instantly to one of confusion.

"Well duh, I mean Ponyville may be made up mostly of Earth Ponies, but anyone can live here." Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Well, that isn't what I mean, but whatever..." I trailed off, realizing I hadn't yet explained my situation to them. "I'll talk about it once we're at the library." I wandered along the town, looking at everyone and everything I could, trying to take in the peaceful nature of the village.

"Hey, are you athletic?" Rainbow Dash soon inquired.

"Me? Well, a bit I guess." I replied.

"Well, the library is just around that bend over there and down the road a bit." The pegasus said. "How fast can you get there?"

"No idea until I try." I said. I was fairly athletic when I was a human, and had been learning about parkour, so I decided I would see how fast I could get to Twilight's library.

"Do you mind?" Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to the violet pony next to me. Twilight giggled and gave her approval of the one-pony race.

"Okay!" Rainbow Dash said loudly. "Ready? Set. Go!"

I took off sprinting at a speed I had never assumed possible, somehow finding myself leaping off a fence, then to a sign, and finally onto the roof of a home. I sprinted across the deceivingly sturdy rooftop and leaped back onto the ground, cutting off most of the corner and finally sprinting to the front of the tree that was the town library.

The pegasus was already there, of course. Flying does give an unfair advantage. Then Twilight appeared next to me. I guess teleportation is unfair as well.

"Out of breath, but pretty cool." The sky-blue pony said with a smile on her face.

"That was incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Twilight had exclaimed.

Surprisingly, I looked back and realized not only how much more coordinated I was than before I had arrived, but also how easy it was to breathe after such exercise. I, however, believed it was most likely because of the different body I had and that I had grown used to walking on all fours.

Smiling, I bowed in fake-pride.

"Crap! I forgot I was supposed to go to AppleJack's! Sorry guys, I'll see ya later!" Rainbow exclaimed in a hurry, and left faster than she had arrived. Neither me or Twilight even had a chance to respond.

We shrugged and walked up to Twilight's home and knocked on the door. It opened and a small purple creature opened it almost instantly. Twilight introduced the "baby dragon" as Spike, her assistant. He looked at me questioningly.

"His name is Leon, he's here to ask a few questions." Twilight said, and then smiling, she continued, "and judging by his cutie mark, I'm guessing he's pretty good at it."

-Twilight's House-

After sitting down at the library, or laying, I suppose, she began talking with me about many things, as if she were trying to just get me settled in. I simply nodded my head or agreed with whatever I could to reassure her I knew what she was talking about, even though I hadn't the faintest clue about most of it.

Finally, I decided to just get straight to the point. "I'm not a unicorn."

She turned her head in a questioning fashion, as if she didn't understand.

"I'm a human. I don't exactly know how I got here or what I'm doing here, but what I do know is that I was a human, that I died, and that eventually I found myself here."

She smiled, but said with a half-laugh that a claim like that was ridiculous. "Humans are a ponytale we tell little fillies about when they are growing up. They walk on two legs, can't use magic, and can't fly by themselves. They don't have the same talents as ponies, never get a cutie mark and yet they still manage to..."

I, slightly annoyed, interrupted her, "survive. Twilight, people are real. To me talking ponies were always a fairytale. Humans live by using technology. Magic is replaced with science. We can't teleport and we can't fly whenever we want to, we've needed to work together to do what we couldn't do alone. But you know what? Life for me isn't a fairytale... or your ponytale. Challenges always manage to come around every corner. Me? I was killed, Twilight. In my world, my life ended. I was shot by a gun in the leg, I couldn't move because of it. I was beaten to death by someone I didn't even know. When I came to, I was in a black space of nothingness. I don't know why, and I don't know how, but as soon as I arrived there, I was whisked away and the found myself here. I know the truth, and I guess if you don't want to accept it, I came to the wrong pony." My voice began to shake, so I got up and spun around, trying to hold in the tears in my eyes. I opened the door and began to walk away, a stray teardrop falling on the ground as I walked out, slamming the door behind me.

I walked as far as I could before breaking down in tears. I had just place all of my hope of finding answers on this one pony, and I was treated like a joke.

-Inside Twilight's Home-

Twilight was stunned. She had honestly thought the black unicorn was joking. She had not even begun to consider the claim of humans ever being a creature that could exist was possible. A claim that a unicorn once was one was even more ludicrous in her mind. Every book she had read spoke of them as fictional creatures, even going to explain the origin of the idea of where the idea of a "human" originated. It was utterly preposterous to think they existed. Still, this pony spoke in a way that showed he sincerely believed in what he said. She didn't know what to think.

Spike, who had been in another room, popped his head out wondering what the stallion had done. All he had heard was the slamming of a door.

"Twilight?" He asked, after not hearing her respond, he repeated it slightly louder, "Twilight?"

He entered the main room where the two had been discussing things, only to see Twilight staring at the door, dumbfounded.

"Twilight?..." he said quietly, touching her on the back. It was enough to cause her to break out of her trance.

"He came to me for help, and I just completely brushed him off! I'm so stupid!" She yelled and shoved her head into her hooves, which were now crossed in front of her.

She was quiet. Spike, though unsure about what had occurred, knew she needed time alone, so he busied himself with cleaning another room.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I made a horrible mistake. A strange unicorn came to me making a claim I had thought was outrageous. He had claimed that he was a human, not a pony. However, I thought this was a joke, and laughed it off. I didn't realize the consequences that my actions would have, and I ended up hurting his feelings. He had really believed that he was human. Now I've lost a chance at making a new friend, and in the process, I made myself feel absolutely terrible. I learned never to act without first placing myself in another pony's hooves, and to always take a moment to consider what they say, or you might lose the chance of making a good friend. I learned this the hard way today.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle
> CH03: God
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Ponyville, Nighttime -

So I sat there, alone. I had placed all of my eggs in one basket, in one hope, and it failed miserably. Twilight seemed so nice too.

Still, as I laid there sobbing, I realized I was an idiot. Nothing would get done by sitting in one place. I eventually found the strength and got up. However, all I did was find myself walking around with head hanging lowly and with no sense of direction.

"HEEEEEEYYYYY! HEY YOU! OVER THERE!" The pink pony from earlier was hopping up and down and was yelling at me. "You're gonna miss your party! C'mon!" She quickly grabbed my hoof and I found myself being pulled along by this overly-energetic pink pony toward the center of the town.

-Sugarcube Corner-

I entered the room and was immediately greeted by a bunch of ponies. All of them screamed "Surprise!" even though I had already known a party was going to occur as this pony, who introduced herself as "Pinkie Pie" had just yelled to me the fact a party for me was the destination. Still, what was this party for?

"Silly, its because you're new!" Pinkie Pie said when I asked why. "Now just have fun!"

That party brightened up my mood, I met many ponies, Rarity, AppleJack, and Cheerilee. All of them were nice, kind, and made me forget the fact I was disappointed with the information I had. I even managed to find out some basics of the land I was in, such as its rulers were Princess Luna and Celestia. That is, until the questions came.

"So what is with your cutie mark?" "Where are you from?" "How did you get here?" "Are you staying long?"

I stammered, I wasn't sure how to answer. What could I do? Most of them wouldn't believe me if I said anything about my past. I was already told it was a fairy tale.

"I... I don't think I can tell you guys..." I managed to mumble out.

I walked away from the crowd and said hello to Pinky Pie, who seemed to have stopped her prancing about. She was outside of Sugarcube Corner. "Hmm, that's funny," she said, "Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy aren't here!"

And then her tail twitched. Next thing I knew, I was underneath a yellow pegasus with pink hair.

"Oh there you are Fluttershy!"

"Oh dear... I'm so sorry... I.. umm... err..." Fluttershy stuttered.

I smiled, she lived up to her name. "Don't worry," I said gently, "I'm sure you didn't mean to do that."

"A sudden gust of wind blew me to the ground when I was coming here... Oh I'm so sorry."

I got up from the ground and smiled, "I forgive you."

...

...for...

..

forgive...

...

"AARGH!" I fell on the ground. A sudden jolt of pain went through my head.

I saw an image Twilight, alone in her library. She was in tears.

... forgive...

"!" I fell unconscious onto the ground even though I had lifted myself up only moments before.

-Location Unknown-

"Leon?" the voice rang in my head. It was a deep voice, but somehow it was comforting to listen to, peaceful even.

"Who is this? What do you want? Where am I?"

I was at the void again, in the space I had been when I first died. It wasn't snowing, however. It was raining. I was human as well, and I was naked as well.

The disembodied voice rang out, "I am merely another puppet in the great scheme of things. A god, so to speak. However, it is not your idea of a god..." The voice paused. "I am Equestria's keeper, guardian of this land, I prefer to keep myself hidden in the shadows..."

"Wh- what?" I cried out, not sure how to react to such a claim. At first I was going to not believe, but then I remembered what had transpired between me and Twilight Sparkle.

"The ponies do not know I exist, and I would prefer to keep it that way..." this 'god' said. "I am immortal, and I can change this land and its destiny, but my job here is merely to watch... I cannot directly change this land by itself..."

I was stunned, but this didn't distract me from my own questions. The voice seemed to be leading me away from what I had originally asked. "So, what do you want from me? Were am I?" I called out the questions again.

"As for where your mind is, it is in my domain, the room where I eternally watch the goings-on of Equestria..."

The darkness remained, but a fireplace appeared. In front of it was a black leather couch, a glass table with a chess set that looked to be made of glass (and trimmed with gold) and a window that seemed to have no wall. A floor also became visible, a circular light up portion of black and white tile being what all of these items rested upon faded out into the darkness. The chess game was half-played, and the window seemed to have no accompanying wall. The side of the window I was not on seemed to be looking out into the world from the sky, but none of the light from the window entered the area I was now standing in. All of the light came from the fireplace. The rain faded away.

I slowly realized I was no longer floating in the nothingness, but was standing on this floor, though when, and how, I did not know. I also found myself clothed in a red silk robe that looked to be impossibly expensive.

"This game.." This God began to say, "Do you see how it moves, how it works?"

I immediately looked at the chess set, pieces were moving near randomly by themselves, completely ignoring the rules of how pieces should normally move in chess.

"It is an impossible game, and I am only a spectator." This god continued. "And this one is almost over..." The black king fell over. "But I have only seen games that were small, insignificant. However, this next game isn't the same."

I was confused? After a moment's thought, however, I understood. "The stakes are higher. Correct?"

"Yes..." The voice said. "We Gods all abide by a code we cannot break. We have limitations placed on us restricting our interference of the world below. Even though I am forbidden from interfering directly on Equestrian affairs, I deemed this next "game" to be a time I needed to bend those rules. I needed a proxy. You are that proxy."

"So my death was..."

"I stole you from your God." The voice said.

I was stunned, during my life I had not been a remarkable person, I enjoyed parkour, but I was not talented in any sense of the word.

"Why did I choose you? I did it becau-" Static. At the worst possible moment, static.

The rain returned and all but the window, the robes, and the floor faded into nothingness.

... Forgive Twilight...

I now knew whose voice it was.

It was his first command.

"God. I will be your agent."
> CH04: Forgiveness and Explanations 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Ponyville Library-

*Knock Knock* Spike dropped what he was doing and went over to the door, wondering who it could be at this time of night.

"Hello?" He opened the door. Standing there was AppleJack and Rarity. My body was on AppleJack's back, unconscious and limp.

"Do you know where Twilight is? This pony fell unconscious during his party and we were wondering is Twilight would know how to take care of it." Rarity said in a worried fashion.

"Yeah, and we don' know what got inta the little fella. He was fine one moment an' then he jus' sorta fell over in pain. Twi' would know what ta do." AppleJack piped up. "The others are cleaning up after tha' party. Kinda fell apart after the guest of honor... well... ya know."

-Twilight's Bedroom-

Twilight had gone up to her room prior to this, when Spike came in she was laying in bed, he inhaled, just about to wake her up.

"I'm awake, Spike." He heard her voice say.

"Well, you're kinda needed downstairs. Somepony passed out and Rarity and AppleJack brought him here."

She looked up from her bed. "What's his name?"

Spike had hoped against all odds she would not have asked it. He knew whatever happened between them was not good, and that if she knew who it was before she went downstairs (where the presence of other ponies would prevent her from saying no) she would most certainly refuse. However, she had asked, and he knew he wouldn't be able to lie.

"Leon..." He said, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Oh... Well I can't not help a pony in need I guess..." she got up from her bed, and slowly walked over to the door. Somewhat quitely, she said, "Thanks for telling me Spike."

"Oh, no problem!" Spike said, not catching the trace of sadness in Twilight's words. He was too busy being happy Twilight didn't refuse to help out the poor unicorn downstairs.

-Downstairs-

"Oh there you are Twi!" The orange pony spoke up. "I was worried about you!"

Twilight quickly hurried downstairs. "Is he okay?" She looked at my senseless body, but couldn't see anything that would have caused me to become incapacitated.

"No idea, he's been out for about half an hour. I know it is late, but..." Rarity said.

She felt his forehead, it was burning up. "Owlicious!" Twilight called to her faithful nocturnal pet, "Can I get a cold towel please?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him here." she transported my body upstairs to a guest bedroom she had prepared after the slumber party with Rarity and Applejack.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of him."

-Location Unknown-

...forgive...

I just decided my fate. Whatever I was going to have to do, I would do it. An ornate wooden door appeared.

"When you are ready... proceed through the door."

I stood there for a moment, mentally preparing myself for what awaited outside of the door, and began to walk toward the door. It opened by itself, showing only a bright light on the other side. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and took the final steps forward, and when I opened them, I saw the one pony I needed to talk to the most.

-Ponyville Library, Guest Room-

I saw I was back to my pony form, lying in a bed.

She saw me, and then she looked down, almost as if she were ashamed of what had happened earlier. She had been sitting in the corner of the room, several books about herbal remedies and illnesses surrounded her. No doubt she was reading them because of me, a cold towel was sitting on top of my forehead.

"Sorry..." I said to her. She looked up, confused as to why I would be the one apologizing to her. "Listen, I was an idiot. I came up to you hoping I could get all the answers I needed, but I never really gave you the chance to understand what was going on. I brought it up so suddenly that I can understand why you acted the way you did. I shouldn't have been as angry as I was."

"No, it wasn't your fault Leon. If I were as afraid and confused... If I had place everything on one pony... If I had been let down like you were..." Her voice trailed off.

"I forgive you Twilight. Were you the one to take care of me?"

"My friends brought you to me, I simply tried to keep down the fever you had. In fact, you should probably get more sleep, its still only about midnight."

"No... I think I need to get up." I had a slight headache that got much worse as I stood up, but one of my legs had been laying awkwardly and it had fallen asleep, so I decided that standing was still the better option. I needed to wake it up.

"Huh? What's with y-" She began to say, with a confused look on her face.

Just then, Spike burst into the room. "Twilight, Pr- Princess Celestia is here!"

"WHAT?" Twilight looked shocked. "Here? Now? Why?"

"I-I dunno!" He stammered out. Twilight rushed out of the room, forgetting my existence almost altogether, Spike followed behind.

I stood there, unsure of what to think. She was the Princess of the Sun. How was it she was here at a local library? I exited the room and stood at the top of the staircase in front of the main room of the library. There stood the princess with ethereal aura about her. As I stood there, gazing upon this horse which had the characteristic wings of a pegasus and the unicorn's signature horn, I realized that Twilight was referred to as her "student". I had begun to listen in on their conversation.

The first words I comprehended were from Twilight, "Yeah, we did end up forgiving each other, but only after he lost consciousness at his welcome party. My friends brought him here ad I started taking care of him. I can't figure out what caused him to get knocked out, but I'm reading though all the books I can to figure it out. He just woke up a bit ago and he forgave me for what I did."

"Calm down," the princess quieted her student, "I assume that's him up there is it not? Why don't we ask him what he thinks about all of this. Right Leon?" She gestured toward me with one of her wings and smiled gently.

I wasn't sure how to react, so I stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face.

"Its okay, come join us down here." The princess urged. Twilight turned around and gave me a reassuring smile.

I walked down the staircase, and at the royalty's feet, I bowed, "Sorry for eavesdropping. I had no intention to."

The princess laughed, "Well I came here to talk with you. I have a few questions of my own to ask." She smiled, "And based on what my student Twilight's story, you have plenty to ask yourself. Don't worry about formalities, it is just us three, after all."

"Of course!" I smiled and got back up.

We settled down on the floor, sitting equal distances from each other, and began to talk.

Almost immediately after we got comfortable, I looked over at Twilight, "Do you think you could give me a chance to explain what has happened to me today?"

I began to explain how the day began as a human, and how I had lost my life to the hands of a stranger with a gun. Twilight interrupted me almost immediately.

"What is a gun? You mentioned it before... but I have no idea what it is." She seemed curious.

"It is a tool of death. It ends the lives of humans and animals with just the push of the button by making a piece of metal fly so fast it kills whatever it is pointed at." Twilight's face was one of complete worry, a tool like that would have horrible consequences if it fell into the wrong hands. She knew that this time one had, and she was horrified it had been used against another human.

"I'll let the subject of this end here." The princess said, a concerned look on her face.

I gave a reassuring smile. "I don't like the idea of it being in this world either, so I'll keep it a secret." I continued on with my story, cleverly avoiding the parts about the mysterious "god", and explaining all I had learned and saw in Equestria. When it finally ended, the princess sat there pondering the story for a moment. Twilight, however, seemed preoccupied with something else entirely.

"You didn't explain one thing. I get why your cutie mark when you got here, meant you didn't know much. That's why it was a red question mark. But why is it so different now? When I placed you in bed it was still the same. I was going to ask this in the room you were sleeping in before the Princess came." I was suprized, as was the Princess. I turned around and looked at my rear-end while the princess inquired to Twilight about my previous cutie mark. Instead of the red question mark from before, I saw several dark blue clouds just noticeable through my black fur, and among the center of them, a beam of yellow light coming through the clouds and fading away. I hadn't noticed this drastic change in looks until this moment. Then again, I rarely stare at my ass.

... you may... tell them... the truth...

I looked upwards, as if somehow I would be able to confirm with him that I was not hearing wrong. I thought I was supposed to keep it a secret...

...Do not worry, these two are trustworthy... You may find powerful allies in them yet...

"I left out a part of my story." They both stopped discussing what could possibly have cause my cutie mark to change and turned to face me.

"But it is so impossible, I'm not going to say a word until you both agree to believe what I say, even before I tell you anything."

Both mares were confused, but after what had occurred already, Twilight immediately consented. The Princess waited a moment, more out of pondering what I had to say than pondering her answer to the question, and then also agreed readily.

I took a deep breath and recited what I had seen and heard in the place that God resided.
> CH05: Reactions and Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Ponyville Library-

I had just finished speaking of the events that had occurred up in God's realm, and I looked at the faces of both Twilight and Princess Celestia. They both looked at me with a concerned expression on their faces. I knew what I had said something completely unbelievable by any stretch of the imagination, and as ridiculous as it was to them that I was claiming to be part human, claiming I met some immortal deity would be infinitely more challenging to attach any form of weight to. It would probably take the average pony a gallon of vodka before even thinking about trusting what I just said.

You Dumbass! Why'd you have to tell them all of this, they can barely believe you had a past life? Now you tell them you're a freaking savior?I mentally slapped myself for telling them all that I had seen in god's domain. I first claimed a critical event in Equestrian history was inevitably going to occur, and then I told them almost immediately afterward that I was chosen by some God as a champion to help save these... ponies.

Really? Why would they believe a total stranger who doesn't even in this world be chosen over a group of infinitely more talented ponies that have lived their lives in this world? I'm a total moron! Me telling them to stay quiet about this God sure wouldn't help the situation any either. The mood was surreal, a bit sad as well.

Princess Celestia stood up. She said seriously, "It's time I go home. I need to read through some books on human mythology and to get prepared for whatever is going to occur."

I looked up at her. She had believed me? No... she couldn't have.

Just then Twilight spoke up, "I think I'd better start reading up on humans as well. Princess, may I use your library at Canterlot later? I think it would be smart to read up on major events in Equestria's past. We may need it for whatever event is going to happen."

"Y-you actually believe me?" I spoke up, trying to hold in the joy of somehow convincing these two of the situation.

"It doesn't matter." The Princess said with a slight laugh escaping her lips, though it failed to change the mood, "We should be prepared for the worst in case it does happen. Anyways, we promised that we would believe you, no matter how outrageous the tale."

"Yeah," Twilight added, "I think we need to be prepared for the worst," she smiled at me somewhat sadly, no doubt an effort to try to smooth things over from my first visit to her home, "I would have believed you anyways, even without that promise. I just never expected something like this."

They're putting on an act. They have to be...I was thinking of how impossible I sounded, but both of the mares had acted as if every word that came out of my mouth was fact. "Listen, I'm sorry for what I just said. You guys can remove your facade. I mean, I might just be some mentally insane nut job..."

The mood instantly changed.

Twilight smiled, and then she laughed. "That's why I believe you!"

The Princess also laughed. "She's right. We believe you because you don't believe it yourself. You tried to tell us as if you weren't sure it happened yourself. You were speaking as if you weren't trying to convince us, but instead that you were just relaying the facts. To be honest, I think your cutie mark serves as the biggest proof of what happened."

She smiled, turned around, and walked out of the door. She smiled and waved with one of her wings "You're welcome at Canterlot as soon as you can get time!". I noticed two guards had been standing outside of the door.

Twilight closed the door behind the Princess and smiled. "She's a wonderful teacher."

I smiled, so that's how this little pony got an audience with the Princess so quickly.

"Twilight?" she looked at me,"... thanks... for everything..." It was all I could think of saying. I smiled.

"Well, its time for bed." The purple unicorn spoke through a yawn.

So we both walked upstairs silently, for Spike had already fallen asleep. At the top of the staircase, I hugged her.

"I really owe you a lot, and I know we got off on the wrong... hoof, but it really means a lot what you did for me. I really mean it."

She looked at me and smiled. "I really felt bad after you left. I had no idea... Today's been a long day. We'd better get to sleep so we can work tomorrow. Go ahead and use the room I put you in earlier."

"Thank you." I smiled. We split up and went to our separate rooms, I myself went to the room she had placed me in earlier, and she went to her bedroom. Even though I had been sleeping, I was still extremely tired. I laid down in the bed and closed my eyes.

-Location Unknown-

Naked. Dark. You know the routine. Still, this time, one major thing was different. I was next to a tall boy with black spiky hair. He wore Blue Jeans, a large black hooded sweatshirt and black tennis shoes. He smiled.

"So, I see you've been following what I've asked." The boy's voice was a normal one that fit his appearance, unlike the deep calm voice I had heard before.

I blinked twice. This boy was the immortal deity? That couldn't be right... "Looks can be deceiving. I'm exactly who you think I am." This boy said.

I smiled for a moment, and then, frowning, said, "Well, I'd rather next time you bring me here, you do it while I have clothes on. Floating next to you naked isn't exactly my idea of fun."

He laughed. The floor, couch, fireplace, window, red robes, and chess set returned. The pieces on the chess set looked to be in different position, the black king that had fallen last time had returned and was moving around as if nothing was wrong. The pieces, however, seemed to run around on their own accord, with no sense of direction.

We sat down next to each other on the couch, he sat with one leg on the couch and one on the ground, giving off as casual an appearance as possible. He pointed to a white pawn at the edge of the board, it was the only stagnant piece in the chess set. "See that? Can you guess what this piece represents?"

I looked at him questioningly.

"You. You are a mere pawn in this game here, off near the edge of the board. You aren't really part of this game." He looked at me and smiled. I didn't know why, I mean, he just told me I was useless. "But I didn't put you where are are for the sake of it. I did it for a reason." The pawn moved forward 3 spaces by itself. "You know what happens when a pawn reaches the other end of the board?"

I knew. It would become another piece, stronger than what it had been before.

"It becomes more powerful, no longer is it the dispensable piece it was before. However, you are a wild card. What piece you become when you reach the other end of the board..." The pawn moved along the board and reached the end, "is only decided by you..." It disappeared. I stared at this boy who appeared barely older than I was.

The this time the white king fell.

The board reset, a new game had begun.

"Is this it?" I inquired, worried I would have to face whatever task was ahead of me before being prepared.

The god laughed, and the corporeal form I saw slowly faded away. His deep, calm, disembodied voice returned.

"No, there are several more games to be played before your time will come... Do not worry quite yet... just learn about the world you are in... and determine who the king will be in your next game..."

I looked upwards, as if I were looking at him. The king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?

I knew I wouldn't be able to stay much longer, so I decided to re-ask the question that had been on my mind since the last visit. "God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?"

There was a low laugh, as if he were amused that I had mentioned this fact. "I chose you beca..." Static, yet again. The things around me began to to turn to static.

"No! No! No!" I grabbed my head with my hands and shook it. "Tell me God! TELL ME!"

It was too late. This world was fading out.

...destiny... ...surpass... li... ...

... Good Luck...

-Twilight's Guest Room-

I woke up gasping for air. I was sweating. I got up from my bed and shook my body. I wasn't fully adjusted to being a unicorn. I wandered out of my room and wandered downstairs. It seemed Twilight hadn't yet woken up. Spike and Owliscious were both still asleep as well. Not sure what else to do, I began looking through the shelves for a book. Eventually I spotted one I wanted to read. I climbed up the ladder, and at the top, I began to reach for the book. Then I heard a giggle behind me.

"That's for Spike silly." Twilight was covering her mouth with one of her hooves trying to keep herself from laughing. She lifted the book with her magic and lowered it to the ground. I fell off the ladder onto my back.

"Oh... yeah..." I mumbled, "I'm not lucky like you, I can't use magic."

Twilight laughed again.

"Well, good morning . I hope you had a good night's sleep."

She confirmed that she did and then asked, "Why up so early Leon? You were up even before I was."

"I guess I was just restless." I smiled, mentally praising myself for not getting my horn embedded into the floor. I twisted around and got back up.

Twilight smiled, and we just looked at each other for a few moments, unsure of what to say next. Then her expression changed to one of complete seriousness.

"Can I ask you something?" Twilight, broke the silence with a serious tone.

I looked at her, not sure what she was getting at. "Sure Twilight."

There was a short pause, the Unicorn took a deep breath.

"What would you say if I told you I think I saw your dream?"
> CH06: Checkmate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Ponyville Library-

I stood there, wondering what Twilight just said.

"You saw... my dream?" I said in slight confusion, "Are you sure? How do you know?"

She stood there, "I- I'm not sure, I closed my eyes, and then I saw two people. One with clothes and one without." I blushed as I remembered that I was naked in the beginning. She began to explain what had happened in my dream with extreme clarity, and I looked at her with a disbelieving face.

"You... you saw all that?" I stood there, curious as to why she was chosen to see this vision. "Well, I guess its just confirmation I'm not mentally insane I guess." I smiled and laughed. I heard a low rumbling noise coming from my new friend's direction.

"You weren't at the party last night, when was the last time you ate?" I smiled, "Because you're stomach is telling me it hasn't been in a while." We both laughed.

-Sugarcube Corner-

"Heeeeeyyyy!" Pinkie Pie hopped out of Sugarcube corner when we walked towards it.

"Hi Pinkie!" I said. Twilight mimicked my greeting.

She was bouncing up and down, "So whatcha here for? Cake? Ice Cream?"

"I'm not sure quite yet." Twilight responded, "I'm gonna go inside and talk about it for a bit."

"Everyone's in there ya know. Rainbow Dash, AppleJack, Fluttershy, and even Rarity!" Pinkie hopped around, "And now you and me and Leon!" I wondered how she had so much energy, she was easily the most energetic pony I had met so far. We walked into Sugarcube corner and sat down.

"Hey Twi'!" "Yo Leon!" "Oh... he-hello Leon..." "Twilight, you look absolutely delightful today!" We met the other ponies at a table in a corner of the room. I smiled, these ponies were so good-natured and sociable, it was enviable.

I smiled as we sat down and talked. "So what 'appened yesterday? Do ya know?" AppleJack inquired. Everyone else looked at me and Twilight wondering if there was an answer.

"We... really aren't sure..." Twilight stated, "Whatever it was, its all better now."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't happen again. It is quite troublesome seeing a friend suffer." Rarity smiled.

"Yeah, you cut the party short before I could ask you to show me some more of that running you did yesterday." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms in annoyance, "It was pretty awesome." She held her hoof out and we did a high-hoof. I smiled. She was my kind of pony.

"Maybe we can hold another party sometime!" Pinkie Pie leaped up in the air.

"No more parties," I backed up defensively, "I enjoyed it, but I don't think I can handle any more."

"W-well I hope you can spend some time here in P-Ponyville." Fluttershy quietly said.

I smiled sincerely, "Don't worry Fluttershy, everybod... everypony here is so nice. It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to leave." Everyone laughed. We spent most of the morning talking about random things, but slowly the group started to break up.

"I need ta finish some apple buckin' down at Sweet Apple Acres." AppleJack first said. Rainbow Dash also had to clear some clouds from the sky that morning. (Apparently they control the weather, and the weather doesn't work on its own.) Fluttershy decided to go back to her home to feed some of the creatures near her home, and Rarity had an outfit she apparently could not afford to "dillydally" on any longer.

Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and I stayed a bit longer, but then, soon enough, Twilight spoke up, "Leon, you think we should write a letter to princess Celestia saying we are going to go today? I have so many questions, but the books in the library aren't cutting it, I can't find anything on..." She stopped short. She couldn't tell Pinkie Pie. "I can't find anything on that creature."

Pinkie Pie hopped around some more, "What creature huh? Whatcha studying this time Twilight?"

Twilight paused and looked at me for advice on what to do next. "Humans. She wants to know about them," I said.

"Oh, that silly ponytale?" She giggled. A pain struck my heart after remembering the last time I heard that word. Twilight seemed to have a brief flash of irritation across her face that seemed to signify the same thing. Pinkie Pie was oblivious, and it was fortunate she was. I would rather not be pressed with any questions about why what she said would bother us.

"Well, we'd better go, or we won't make it to Canterlot today Leon." Twilight said.

"Okie Dokey! Have fun!" Pinkie Pie turned around and went into another room. I walked out of the door with Twilight.

"Well, I guess we're walking?" I asked her.

Twilight smiled, "No way! That's a bit ridiculous. There is a train we can take that is scheduled to leave in a little bit. We'd better head over there."

-Train to Canterlot-

Twilight and I sat next to each other on the train. "What do you think is gonna happen?" I asked the purple unicorn next to me. She smiled.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it is, I'm sure we can overcome it." She smiled. I did too.

Then an explosion rocked the train, and it came to a halt. Twilight looked to the front of the train wondering what caused it. Everyone around us began to panic. "Please stay calm! Nobody is in immediate danger. Stay in your seats and please stay quiet!" A female pony with a tan body, blonde mane and tail, and a blue train-worker's uniform tried to hush the murmurs. Nopony listened.

Nopony... These ponies are rubbing off on me! I laughed a bit to myself, and Twilight looked over. "Oh, nothing." She looked at me confused while I smiled to myself and got up from the seat.

"What are you doing?" Twilight looked at me oddly.

"I think I should check on what happened. Maybe I can be of some use." I turned to walk towards the front and noticed she was following me.

"It isn't fun sitting around doing nothing is it?" I said as I laughed. We were stopped at the front of the cart.

"It would be best if you return to your seat, sir," the female train attendant said. I looked at her and tilted my head questioningly. She seemed preoccupied with something.

"What's going on up there anyways? You sure seem like you don't want anyone up there."

"Oh... nothing... nothing at all..." She said to me. I looked at her, trying to see what she was hiding.

"Let's just return to our seats Leon." Twilight said, about to turn around. I smiled.

"That was a huge explosion, and such a quick stop, are you sure nothing is happening, because if I were to experience something like that I would think a lot would be going on."

The attendant looked at me. She stared at me. "So you are the boy..." I looked at her funky, as did Twilight.

*pow!* Out of nowhere, a hoof struck me across the face and I was immediately on the floor. That lady just hit me!

Everyone gasped. Twilight spoke up. "Hey! Sto-" another explosion rocked the train. The tan mare went to strike me again. "Twilight, get to Celestia and the library, we need to know as much as we ca- OOMPH!" I was struck in the gut by the remarkably strong mare. A unicorn somewhere in the crowd must have used her magic, because Twilight went flying against the side of the train and went limp. I tried to move, but even before I had a chance, the tan earth pony used her rear hooves to strike me across the face. Everything went black.

-Location Unknown-

God had taken his true form, a pitch black winged unicorn with light emitting from the area where he stood. A golden crown with a delicate ornate design that dwarfed that of either of the princesses rested upon his head. His wings were edged with a dark blue. However, most of this was difficult to see, he wore a hooded white robe with gold trim that covered his entire body, even his face.

He was standing over the chess board, carefully observing the board.

My white pawn was surrounded by several stronger black pieces. He closed his eyes and took a breath.

"So they know..." He said to himself, "I hadn't expected them to have found out so quickly about Leon... I had preferred they not notice him..."

The pawn that was my piece became the king. It fell over, instantly captured by the surrounding pieces, signifying the end of the chess match.

"I lost." The deity took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
> CH07: The Divine Resignation 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Leon's Mind-

I was remembering my previous life and how I had changed in two short days. Always the calm and analytical one, I scored fairly well on tests, even if I didn't study for them, though my laziness in school always prevented me getting all A's on his report card. I always tried not to be impulsive, and to think though everything I was going to do before doing it, it made me seem indecisive, but when I finally made a decision, it was almost always correct. I always tried to let logic rule my actions and keep my emotions from taking control...

Now, I let my emotions control things I did, not just logic. I acted a few times out of impulse. I even got upset with Twilight that first day. I was afraid to use logic, things in this world worked differently. Nothing I knew was right, and so I found myself to be unpredictable at times here. I was acting differently. I was acting afraid.

I still did analyze the situations around me, I still tried to keep emotions from controlling my actions... I... I wasn't as successful as I used to be. I even struck up a deal with god before I knew why he chose me. I didn't even think about that decision at all. I realized, since I had arrived, I was more of a wildcard than I used to be. It wasn't necessarily my fault, the new environment had wiped out the last traces of my security. And I was just starting to get it back.

I found I was sticking by the side of Twilight... maybe a bit too much, trying to figure out what was going on. Even after I understood everything... I began to think I was vulnerable without her. She had been that pony I could lean on all of the time I was here. I really needed her. She was the security I had while I was here.

She was why I was changing. Why I let my emotions control me at moments over my actions, why I didn't always sit there and think through things all the time.

I didn't mind.

I remembered the discussion I had with God about choosing a King for my chess game and what I had thought. "The king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?"

I made my decision.

I want to protect you, Twilight.

-Canterlot Castle, Celestia's Quarters-

Princess Celestia paced her quarters, as did her little sister, Princess Luna. Celestia had told her sister what Leon had recited the previous night. They had just been told a train from Ponyville to Canterlot had been stopped by an explosion on the tracks, and that a unicorn had been kidnapped by some other mysterious pony. Nopony in that room needed to ask a name.

"Dispatch as much of the royal guard as we can afford to without severely weakening the defenses here. Finding that pony is priority number one." Celestia instantly commanded some of her top soldiers to go find this pony. The guards were confused over her concern, but she refused to explain any further as to his importance. "Damn it!" She paced her room. The passengers had been moved from the train over to a large group of carriages and were due any moment. She had heard Twilight was injured, and had no idea what she could do to help her student.

"What are we going to do? This is absolutely ridiculous." Luna spoke up, "Who could it be? I mean, only you, Twilight, and I knew of Leon's secret, why would they, whoever "they" is, go after Leon?"

"It certainly is a problem." Neither the Celestia nor Luna recognized this male voice which had come from behind them.

"Who are you and how did you enter this room? There are multiple barriers, both physical and magical, that should make it all but impossible to enter here." Princess Celestia looked directly at the person, prepared to defend herself and her sister if need be. The other creature nonchalantly wandered over to a pillow and sat down. Both Luna and Celestia were about to act when they noticed something about the black pony with a blue trim around his wings. He was a winged unicorn and he had a crown more ornate than either of theirs.

"I broke too many rules, and here I am doing it again. He's alive, but he surely won't be for long." The Princesses knew who they were talking with now.

"God..." Luna bowed, as did her Sister.

"Oh stop with that crap! I don't need you bowing, it won't get anything done." Neither sister was used to such coarse language, but neither was going to argue with this supreme being. "Listen, I made a gamble here, that I could place an agent here without anyone realizing I had done so. I screwed up and now they have captured Leon. They're going to end his life before he can change the outcome of Equestria's next major event."

The Princesses looked at each other, "So what are we going to do? Do you know where he is?"

The black pony lowered his head, "I wish I did, but it's hard to find the location with several... other beings working against you."

There was a knock on the door, and the two princesses looked at each other.

"Come on in!" Celestia's voice called out, but Celestia hadn't spoken. She glared at the now chuckling stallion. Twilight entered the room in a slight limp, a guard helping her walk.

The guard gasped, "I told her she wasn't in any shape to talk with the Princesses, but she insisted that it was urgent. Seeing as she is your student, we brought her up here and..." He stopped short, feeling like something was out of place. However, all he saw were the two Princesses and Twilight. "You know, she's here, she can explain it herself." The guard let the purple unicorn down on a pile of pillows near the door and left.

"He didn't notice you." The Princess of the Moon said, looking at this... god. The stallion smiled.

"He didn't need to. As for you, Twilight, you probably can guess who I am, you saw me in a dream if I remember correctly. It may not have been your dream, mind you, but it was important you saw it nonetheless." Twilight looked at this being, as did the Princesses.

"I was here to tell Princess Celestia about what happened on the train and... does Princess Luna know what's going on as well?" Twilight asked.

The blue princess nodded her head confirming Twilight's question.

"Go ahead and show us, Twilight, the events on the train." The only male in the room spoke, so Twilight focused, and then made her horn flash a bright light. Soon, the two princesses witnessed the sequence of events up until she was hurt.

"I'd listen to his advice, all of you. About reading up as much as you can in the library." God spoke as if he didn't even care that Leon was in mortal peril, "I've lost my bets up until this point, and this is my last gamble. Twilight, that dream you saw of Leon's. I chose for you to see it in case something like this event had occurred. I need you, now more than ever, to become the second agent in this game." he acted as if all hope for Leon was gone and put out.

"Why not yourself?" The ruler of the sun spoke as if she were questioning his actions, "You outclass every other pony in Equestria, and could easily defeat any opponent. Why not you?"

"Because... I want what's best for Equestria at this point. By appearing to you, I have chosen... I will give up my rule over this domain." All three ponies now looked at him, shocked.

"I cannot... be able to help any more after this, as soon as I am found, I will be hunted down by other... gods... as Leon has been. I cannot be the one to save Equestria because of the sheer difficulty that even this causes upon my body. I cannot fight here, because we have little control over our own domains. Gods have rules and seals designed to prevents actions such as this. I have already broken several of both. I cannot save Equestria, because even if I did try, the obstacles would be much greater than they already are for you."

This being looked down to the ground, and let his crown fall off of his head. "My rule over this domain has been fun, but all good things must come to an end..."

"I have complete faith this game will be played, spectator or not. All I can hope for is that Equestria will be the victor." God smiled solemnly. "Twilight. The chess match that will determine the fate of Equestria rests in the hands of a few select ponies. You, the Princesses... even the now lost Leon..." He turned and looked at the balcony. "Luna, your moon looks very wonderful tonight... This will be the last I view of this land. Goodbye."

...I set up the board... Now play the game...

All three ponies stood there, feeling more vulnerable than they had ever been, even though the God had yet to leave their presence.

-A Cave, Location Unknown-

I regained consciousness and woke in a cave next to two ponies and a small fire. I saw the mouth of the cave, it was snowing outside. There was the tan mare, who had now discarded her train apparel, and there was a male white winged unicorn with a mane that was black, with a light blue mixed into it through the center of the mane and tail. Then I noticed. The tan pony was the same species now as the white one.

"You don't belong here. You never did." The mare spoke to me matter-of-factly. I looked directly at him, trying to give no hint as to what my emotions were. I knew fleeing wasn't a feasible option, they had already captured me with extreme ease. Running away would only get me hurt by these ponies even sooner.

"Gods are we?" I spoke confidently and raised an eyebrow, hoping to bluff my way out. I knew it was a long shot, but I didn't have any other ideas at the moment.

"And you are a mortal, a mortal that belongs somewhere else." The white pony spoke.

I looked at them and smiled, "You are quite right. I belong at Canterlot, but some odd mare on the train seems to have thought otherwise. So, who are you two?"

"We are the people who have placed Equestria back on the path to its destiny. Unlike the current ruling god here, of course."

I saw their cutie marks. The tan mare had an ornate shield on her rear-end, the white mare had a sword equally as elegant. "I was asking for your names..." I tried to keep up the small chat while sizing up my opponents.

"I am Ace, and the female here is Aria." I looked at the white pony who had spoken, "And it doesn't matter what you get from us when it comes to talking, you know just as well as I do you are outclassed here in pretty much everything. Period. Escape is a dream that only a fool would hope for."

I closed my eyes, knowing Ace was right, "So when have you two decided I am going to die?"

"As soon as I choose." Aria spoke, "If you annoy me or try to escape, you die right away. But for now, you'll live. The gods are deciding your fate as we speak, so your afterlife will not come until they decide how to deal with your interference."

I sighed, wondering how I would escape. I had to escape. I stared into the fire, and closed my eyes, hoping to reach God. Maybe... just maybe...

"You can't reach your God. It's completely impossible for any form of communication between you two with us here."

I closed my eyes and focused, trying not to believe what she had said.

"Because... I want what's best for Equestria at this point. By appearing to you, I have chosen... I will give up my rule over this domain." It was His voice. It sounded like he was talking to others... but somehow, I knew it meant it for me as well.

I sighed, I heard him, but it wasn't exactly what I had hoped to hear. I began thinking through the situation. The God's didn't know everything. They had flaws as well. I knew it.

I had just proven these Gods wrong after all.

With renewed hope I opened my eyes and stood up and remembered what I had heard from the deity I had pledged my loyalty to. "You know what happens when a pawn reaches the other end of the board?"

The two immortal beings looked directly at me, wondering what I was about to do. "What piece you become when you reach the other end of the board... is only decided by you..."

I heard God's voice again, this time not from memory, but from a place far, far away.

...I set up the board... Now play the game...

I wasn't used to acting on impulse, but that was just what I was planning on doing.

I was about to do a whole lot of stupid.
> CH08: The King And The Crowns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Celestia's Balcony-

... The ponies were silent, watching this divine being staring solemnly at the moon, the wind blowing through his mane. Tears were flowing from him.

The Princesses and Twilight knew God would be there for a while. All three understood he wanted to be alone, so they departed for the Canterlot Library, seeking the information they needed.

-A Cave, Location Unknown-

They seemed amused, "So what do you have in your mind little boy." Aria spoke to me with a slight note of disgust towards me. "You can't escape."

Three swords materialized in front of Ace, as beautiful as his cutie mark had shown. They floated around his body, possessed by whatever force emanated from his body. He smiled at me in a cocky fashion. "I've ended the lives or stronger and faster ponies than you. You'd better sit back down."

"What's the point? I'm going to die either way. So if you want to kill me... It just happens to be now or never." I looked at them in the eyes, prepared to meet my fate. Ace laughed, so amused he even let his swords fall to the ground. Aria herself seemed amused, but unlike her partner, who was rolling all over the ground in laughter, she kept her posture. She looked directly at me.

I started to walk towards her.

"It looks like I have a life to end today." Aria surged towards me at a speed I had only seen Rainbow Dash match.

-Canterlot Library *Third Person*-

The Princesses and Twilight had spent their entire time in the archives, reading through every book they could, but they weren't able to find anything. "What would he have wanted us to search for... if our labor was going to be fruitless, God would never have sent us to do it..." Twilight was exasperated. She had no idea what there was left to read. Her mentor and her mentor's sister were in the same position, every book on humans and every book on past equestrian disasters happened to either be on the floor or piled up haphazardly on one of several tables.

"Nothing... we found nothing..." Twilight looked defeated, "We don't have any clue as to what's coming up, and there aren't any clues as to what happened to Leon." She paced back and fourth around the room, not sure what to do next.

A book suddenly caught Twilight's eye, it was in a different section of the library from where they had been. It was the fiction section. It was titled simply as The King, and there was no author to speak of on it, but for some reason Twilight couldn't stop looking at it. It fell off the shelf and opened on its own to a random page.

There was an image of Leon on it, and next to him, a chess board like the one Twilight had seen in Leon's dream.

The princesses, wondering what the purple pony had been staring at walked over next to her, they both froze as well.

"Ladies, I think we found our book." Twilight turned around and said, trying to shine some happiness throughout the room with this new discovery. However, her voice, and her face, showed exhaustion.

"We may have found it... but it may be better to look at it with fresh eyes Twilight. We all need sleep." Celestia told her student.

Luna nodded in agreement. "We shall rest and meet here in a few hours. Twilight, there is a guest room right down the hallway you may use. Keep the book safe, will you?"

Twilight nodded, and all three ponies left the room, leaving the piles of books on the floor where they were.

-A Cave, Location Unknown *1st person*-

I knew the last moments of my life were upon me, Aria had summoned five beautiful dark blue lances that surrounded her like Ace's swords had with their owner. She closed the gap between us within a fraction of a second and was about to strike with her horn. With reflexes I had never had before in my life, I sidestepped her strike. I was moving by sheer instinct. Before I could even think, two of the lances began to lower themselves. Adrenaline rushing, I leaped forward toward Ace and rolled, the spears embedded themselves almost a third of their length into the hard ground.

Ace, by this time, had recovered, and prepared his swords. I decided to take a suicidal approach. The more unpredictable I was, the harder it was for them to take the offensive. I charged toward Ace, disregarding all form of logic. I sensed the other three spears of Aria flying toward me from behind at a speed impossible to outrun, I stepped off of a good-sized rock near me, leaped up in the air, and did a 360 degree sideways roll in the air as the lances flew underneath and past me. I landed and continued running towards Ace. He saw me, and began his assault as well. Doing a several rolls, leaps, and ducks, dodging every swing of the swords. The lances that passed me now spun around and speared the entrance of the cave blocking the exit with most of their weight. I would need to break them to leave the cave. I ignored that problem and focused instead on Ace, just moments away from tackling him, he rose up in the air and swept horizontally with a sword.

Everything entered a state of slow motion, I leaped onto the blade, just as I had during that race in ponyville, and grabbed onto his ankle. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. I rolled past him and grabbed a sword that had fallen when he lost his focus with my mouth. I spun around and threw it, twisting my neck to throw it as quickly as possible, it flew through the air at a speed not even Aria couldn't dodge. The hilt struck her across the face and she collapsed, unconscious, to the ground. Ace got up and looked at her, he spun around with anger being apparent over his face.

"You... you hurt her!" He was clearly enraged. His swords rose up from where they were, and pointing straight at me, flew at me with the clear intent to skewer me.

Immortal doesn't mean indestructible. I won't die to you. I refuse.

I turned and raced towards the lances blocking the cave's exit. I couldn't let this be the end. After reaching the lances, I turned and faced the swords, jumped, and did a front flip. The swords raised their trajectory, adjusting to my height difference. I closed my eyes. Now or never... My neck cracked as my horn struck the three swords at an angle. It swept the speeding swords into one of the lances. The lance, remarkably, didn't break, or even scratch, but the rock it was embedded into crumbled under the sheer force causing the lance to go flying and the entire cave to shudder. Ace realized what I had done and turned to move Aria away from some falling rubble. I was going to make the mountain fall on top of them.

I ducked through the opening the impact created and sprinted into the woods, the snow quickly covering up my tracks.

"Damn..." Ace said. The rocks collapsed quickly around the two gods. "Oh well, he's going to die from the cold anyways." He laughed and kissed Aria on the cheek, "Looks like our time is up."

He sat there, a sad smile on his face.

"Remember what they said, Aria? If our bodies die when we're in a world, its impossible to return again to that world. Looks like we failed, Aria..." He laughed and laughed, "and we were having so much fun."

The cave entrance finally cave, closing the only exit, "We won't be returning for you Leon. We had fun."

All I heard was Ace's laughter as I ran, with no real destination in mind, through the knee deep snow.

-Canterlot Library *Third Person*-

Luna was at the Library first and began re-shelving this books. She, however, was preoccupied with other things, so it was extremely inefficient. Twilight walked in.

Luna looked at Twilight and went to speak, she opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to tell her that... that. Luna closed her mouth again and thought for a moment. Finally, she gave up trying to find a good way to tell Twilight. "...the royal guard that my sister sent out just returned..."

Twilight knew they hadn't found Leon, she could tell from Luna's voice. "Where... where is your sister?" Twilight decided to try to change the subject to try to prevent her emotions of anger and frustration from seeping into her voice, even though the question itself almost brought her to tears. She had really grown attached to the black unicorn.

"I don't know, but she should be here soon... Listen, he'll be all right." Luna said this gently and put a wing over Twilight. She knew the second half of her sentence was empty words, but the Princess didn't know what else to say.

"I... I couldn't even protect him... I was right there, and... and..." Twilight began to cry uncontrollably, unable to contain her feelings.

Celestia entered the room silently. She had news she needed to share with both of them, but she noticed that with Twilight like she was, it would be difficult.

"Sister, could you please come over here when you get a chance?" Celestia quietly beckoned her sister over. Twilight was so busy crying, she was oblivious to the voice. Luna nodded her head and called fourth a blanket from her room. She laid it over the crying unicorn, and walked over to her sister.

Celestia immediately cast a spell, showing the balcony of her room.

She saw God, standing there in the same position he was left when they departed to the Library. He had become a solid white marble, and the floor underneath his hooves let out a faint shimmer. His crown had been the only thing exempted from this change, it was by the now-statue's feet, placed there by the Princess Celestia herself.

"Is that- Why is he- What happened?" Luna tried to form a question for the situation.

"... look closer..." was the only response.

Luna looked at the crown. In small letters, in the center of the crown was a single word: Twilight.

The lunar ruler closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Should we show her now?"

Twilight was still sobbing. "We'd better wait..." Celestia said to her sister.

-Leon's Location *1st Person*-

I had run a good mile in the snow, but I was soon running out of energy. I found that one of the swords had given me a gash across my right shoulder, I didn't know when I sustained it, the adrenaline had kept me from noticing, but it was apparent now. I stumbled through the woods until I found a hollow tree with a large opening. I walked in, collapsed, and immediately lost consciousness.

-God's Domain-

The fireplace, the floor, the window, the chess set, the robes. Everything was there.

I walked across the tile to the table and chess set. Everything was silent.

The white king had fallen, but the pieces continued to move. Who was the white king? Who...

Then I understood. It was me.

And so... does this mean my story ends here? I died? Already?

I looked down, and saw the white pieces surround the black king, and that king also fell. The white king shattered, causing an explosion that blew all of the other pieces all over the floor. I stepped back. The fragments of my piece had frozen in midair.

"... ... ..." I kept hoping for an explanation as to what had occurred, but God wasn't here. Expecting anything was idiotic.

All of a sudden, a memory washed over me.
"God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?"
...destiny... ...surpass... li... ...

The chess king's shattered remains flew toward the center of the board and formed a bright light.

God's voice rang out from the light, as clear as could be. "I chose you, Leon, to be my proxy for a single reason. You are a defect. You have no destiny. You are the wild card I needed for this next chess match. You can surpass all who came before you. You are limitless."

I stood there, looking at the light in awe.

"I am no longer here. I have given my last commands to my second proxy. Twilight. I no longer reside as a god, but only as a memory in the minds of a select few. This room will always be open to you, feel free to come and go. Just remember, the eternal game of chess will always be played. And as long as it will be played, it will never be understood."

The light faded. The king was there, my piece. It was surrounded by a crown identical to God's, with a single major difference. A single word was on it. Leon.

I picked it up with my teeth, but didn't dare wear it.  Twilight is his second proxy?I smiled, I didn't know anyone else who would be a better ambassador for god than Twilight, even when compared to me.

The ornate wooden door appeared, on it was etched a single phrase: "To the next guardian of Equestria, I wish you good luck."

It opened, the light consuming the entire room. I walked through with the crown in my mouth, back into the world.

Behind me, the chess set reassembled. Another game began.
> CH09: Located!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Canterlot Library-

Twilight got up. She finally had grip of her emotions, and while it had taken over an hour, the Princesses were still there, watching her patently. Princess Celestia let her cry, it was her loss after all. She had been sitting with her wing over Twilight.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like this, Princess Celestia..." The purple unicorn looked up at her teacher, and her teacher smiled in return.

"We all have moments like that Twilight. It was your turn. Sadness is a natural part of life." She looked over to Luna to signify that she was about to tell Twilight of the news.

"I have something I must show you, the book can wait for now, if you would come to my quarters. There is something there that you must see..."

Twilight wiped the last tears that were on her eyes, got up, and walked after Princess Celestia and Princess Luna out of the library.

-Leon's Location-

I opened my eyes. My wound had disappeared, but I was laying in a small pool of the blood that had dripped out. "Eeurgh!" I stood up quickly, hitting my head in the process. I noticed that on the ground, the crown I had taken from god's realm was there. I picked it up again. With my mouth, and left the tree. I began to walk the same direction I had the day before. Running no longer seemed needed.

After a few hours of walking, I realized it was no longer snowing, though when it stopped was beyond me. "I thought ponies controlled the weather..." I thought aloud to myself. "It must be like Everfree Forest here..." I looked up at the sky.

... I was wrong about it being like Everfree. A faint dot in the sky, a single speck, began to come into focus.

A pegasus...

"HEEEEEEY!" I jumped up and down, trying to get the attention of the flying pony. "HEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

The screaming finally worked, and the pony flew to ground level. It was a yellow pony with an mane and tail that looked as if it were on fire.

"And who might you be?" I asked the Pegasus.

"My name is Leon... I seemed to be lost, and was wondering if you-" I stopped, she was staring at the crown I had set down by my feet.

"Where did you happen to... to get that?" She asked with a hit of jealousy in her voice. She seemed tomboyish, but the crown seemed to have gotten the better of her.

"It happens to be someone else's. Don't worry about it. I was going to take it to Canterlot, but I ran into some... issues on the way. Where am I?" I tried to move it out of sight for the pony, who kept staring at it. She looked at me. It was clear in her eyes that she didn't believe a single thing I had said.

She eyed me down, "So how come your name is on it?"

Crap! I thought to myself. "Err... uuh... well, I'm not the only Leon in the world am I?"

"Actually, you're a first for me, and I've met a lot of ponies. Whatever your reason, I guess I don't need to know." A slightly disappointed look was on her face. "Anyways, you're near Cloudsdale, a bit north of it actually. Sadly, you cant go there, since it is made of clouds."

"Wait, I can't?" I looked at her, realizing I slipped up one too many times in the conversation.

"What is with you? Out in the middle of nowhere with a crown, you don't know what you're doing, and you forget non-pegasi can't walk on clouds?" She looked at me, trying to decipher the odd behavior that I was doing,

"Can you just please tell me where the nearest road is? Please? You haven't even said your name. Interrogating me is just rude!" I was trying to turn the tables on the conversation, to get her on the defensive. The less questions, the better.

Dang. It didn't work.

-Hallway in front of Celestia's Room-

"Guys, what are you doing here!" Twilight smiled as she saw five of her closest friends walking up to her. "Rarity! Applejack! Fluttershy! Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie!" She smiled and ran to her friends, who were being escorted by guards.

Celestia nodded her head and the escort disbanded, each returning to their original posts. "And what brings you here?"

"We came as soon as we heard about the big boomie on the train!" Pinkie Pie jumped up. She hopped around for a second, looked around and then finally asked, "Hey, where's Leon?"

Twilight looked down.

Pinkie didn't realize she had hit a sore spot, "So?"

Luna spoke so her sister's student wouldn't have to."He went missing after the train explosion. We sent out some people to look for him... but they didn't find him..."

All of the new ponies looked absolutely shocked, his disappearance wasn't mentioned to any of them.

Princess Celestia spoke up, "I have something I need to show Twilight Sparkle in my room, and to be honest..." She paused. She didn't know if she should tell these ponies about what had occurred. She looked at Twilight, who understood her question.

"I trust them, they're my friends." Twilight smiled. She turned to face them, "I have a long story to tell you, and I'm sure you're not going to believe any of it... I didn't at first either..."

She took a deep breath and recited the entire story, from when she had first met Leon to her sharing his dream. She spoke of God, and his recent resignation. She told of Leon's kidnapping, and the book in the Library.

"But there is one part not even you know yet, my dear student." Princess Celestia spoke up to Twilight as soon as she finished. "All of you, let's enter my bedroom."

The five ponies all stood there, taking in what was said. All of it was ridiculous, but even the Princesses were on board. None of the other ponies had actually noticed the change in his cutie mark either.

-Princess Celestia's Quarters-

"So, Princess Celestia, what is it you wanted to show m-" The magically inclined purple unicorn froze at the entrance of the room. The other ponies ran into her beacuse of how abrupt it was.

She saw exactly what Luna had immediately seen. The other five ponies didn't quite understand where her shock came from.

"God... what happened to him!" Twilight stood there silent, "He really is gone isn't he?"

"Who is this guy?" Rainbow Dash flew around the statue, "Gotta be important if you have a statue of him."

Luna clarified for the newcomers, "That.. was god. After his resignation... this happened. That really is him, so be careful around him okay?"

"He... he's stone!" Fluttershy said in her "shocked voice", even though it was still barely a whisper.

The five ponies murmured among themselves, that is, until Rarity spotted the most beautiful thing she had seen in her life.

"Wh-what is THAT!" She ran past the marble statue to the crown on the floor. "It... it's simply the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. The elegance! The grandeur! The magnificence! The... the everything! I- I- I love it!" She was beginning to stutter, analyzing every detail she could without touching it. The rest of the ponies, minus the two Princesses and Twilight, began to walk over themselves and take a closer look at the crown. Twilight, however, was still fixated on the marble figure that dominated the area. God stood there, staring up at the sky, looking almost as majestic as when he was alive. She felt bad for him, he had sacrificed his rule for the faint chance of the next major event in Equestria, whatever it is going to be, would turn out okay. She wondered what had become of him.

"Oh dear... Twilight, is this yours?" Rarity's voice called out. It was enough to snap Twilight out of her trance. The princesses looked at the crowd, wondering what Twilight's response would be.

"O-of course not! That crown was God's!" She walked over to the crowd and gasped. The book she had previously balanced on her back, The King, fell down. The book opened to two crowns. They were identical in all features but one. Leon. Twilight.

Twilight looked at the crown and saw what everyone else did. "My name? Wh- why?..."

-Leon's Location, North of Cloudsdale-

This Pegasus wouldn't shut up. Nag nag nag. I looked directly at her, "What's your name?"

"You tell me the truth." She retorted.

"I can tell you the truth, which you won't believe, or I can tell you a lie which you will. Which to you prefer?" I asked the question while beginning to walk, she confidently flew around me, being as obnoxious as she could while doing it.

"Listen punk, but I really don't think you know much do ya?"

I looked at her and smiled, "Nope! Not a single thing. Now can I please get some form of direction?"

She laughed, "I'll give you a hint, you're going the wrong way." I stopped.

"See, shows you how much I know." She laughed again. She wasn't as obnoxious when she was laughing.

"Tell ya what, if you tell be a little bit of the story behind that crown, I'll help you out with your direction problems! The name's Spitfire."

I stood there, "Wait, THE Spitfire from the Wonderbolts? Rainbow Dash back in Ponyville went on and on about you."

"Oh, her?" Spitfire laughed, "I like that pony, and to be honest, she'd be a great Wonderbolt. Too bad all our formations all call for a specific number of ponies. If we could, she'd be on in a heartbeat. She's better than most of our team to be totally honest, but don't tell anyone I said that." Spitfire at an angle, just slightly ahead of me. "The road is this way if you're wondering."

I walked on towards the direction Spitfire mentioned and decided the easiest thing to do was tell her a believable lie (as believable as I could make it anyways), though normally I was against it, questions would slow me down, and the last thing I needed were delays.

"I won this in a bet in Fillydelphia. Some goldsmith bet his skills and expertise against the gems that you now see imprinted on this crown. I obviously won the bet."

"What was this bet?"

"Well, it was a race across the town. Don't ask how we got into the bet, I don't exactly know. He made me this crown when I won. I told him I wanted to give it to the Princess Luna, who I think deserves more credit for her work, and just to spite me he carved my name onto it."

Spitfire laughed again, this time for reasons I was unsure about, "You sure tell a good story, even if you can't lie at all. I guess I'm not getting the truth out of you today. Maybe one day you'll let me know."

"Darn, you noticed," I said, "Well, I guess one day, I might be able to tell you." I smiled, "You never said I had to give the true story after all."

She smiled. Once she had laughed, she wasn't nearly as obnoxious. Either that or when I mentioned Rainbow Dash. Or maybe it was just me. I wasn't sure.

"I'll see ya around okay? I have a meeting with some of the other Wonderbolts soon, there's going to be practice. Besides, it's getting cold out here, " Spitfire called out as she flew up into the sky, I saw her destination, a city of rainbows and clouds floating in the sky.

Cold huh? I realized I hadn't been cold after I had regained consciousness. I shrugged, assuming some magical property of the crown prevented me from feeling the cold. It was the only thing that had changed since before I had went to God's domain. I shrugged and walked toward the road.

-Cloudsdale-

The couple of the Wonderbolts were at their practice area, nopony outside of them were there at the moment.

"So did ya all hear? There was an explosion that wrecked a train between Ponyville and Canterlot! Rumors from the wreck say one of the ponies on it went missing." Soarin' said to some of the other Wonderbolts around a table. Spitfire walked in just in time to hear.

"Who went missing?" Spitfire asked, she had heard of the wreck, but this was the first anyone had mentioned a missing person.

"Well its just rumors now, but a lot of ponies on the train say that one of the attendants knocked out a black unicorn and kidnapped him. There are also some rumors going around that Princess Celestia sent out some of her guard to find the pony, but they came back empty handed." Fleetfoot said with her feminine voice.

Spitfire paused, "Does the rumors say anything about what the pony looks like?"

Rapidfire spoke up, "The dude that got knocked out and kidnapped? Well he was all black, horn, mane and tail. They say his cutie mark was a... what was it again..."

Spitfire, remembering the suspicious pony she had just met, spoke up, "Did he happen to have Storm Clouds with a beam of light piercing through them?" They looked up.

"Yeah that's right. But how would you know?" Rapidfire looked at Spitfire.

"Tell the manager I'm going to miss practice today. Can one of you find someone who can contact Princess Celestia? Tell her I know where Leon is."

"Leon?" All of the other Wonderbolts that were present spoke simultaneously, looking at each other.

Spitfire zoomed out of the practice area, headed northward as fast as she could. She didn't know who this mysterious unicorn was and how he got Princess Celestia to be so interested in his well being, but she was definitely going to find out, one way or another.

-Celestia's Room-

Celestia had watched as Twilight had stared at the crown. Everypony around her smiled about it, except for Twilight herself, who actually seemed downright horrified. She felt she would be defiling God's work if she wore such a crown, not to mention the fact she did not have any position that entitled her to wear a headpiece, one this beautiful even moreso.

She backed away. "I don't think I can wear this, I mean, you can't exactly explain why I would have it to other ponies anyways..."

Celestia stepped forward, "Would you like me to move it to a secure storage area, Twilight? I personally think you should keep it, It was his gift to you after all."

Twilight considered the offer, but she also considered the Princess's view on the matter, "Okay, I'll keep it, but don't be surprised when I never wear it." Everypony in the room smiled and laughed.

Twilight spun around and saw the page in the book. She smiled sadly, remembering her lost friend, "So Leon has one too?" She closed her eyes and took a breath to keep calm. She decided to change the subject, "So where are you all staying?"

All she got in return was a group of ponies saying different forms of, "Uuuuh, we dunno..."

She sighed and looked at Princess Celestia, who covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled.

They all walked out, all except for Luna.

She walked over to the statue and spoke to it, "I'm honored that the last thing you saw was my moon, God..." She bowed to it, showing her thanks for what the Deity had done during its time alive. She also turned to walk out of the room.

A letter appeared in front her at that very moment, and judging by the parchment, it looked like it was written in haste.

She unraveled the string around it and straightened the paper out with magic. It was addressed, "To Princess Celestia and Princess Luna."

She read the contents and a smile came across her face. With a cheer, the royal princess jumped up and ran after her sister in the most unroyal of ways.
> CH10: The King's Words
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Leon's Location, North of Cloudsdale-

I had finally found the road. I stopped there, trodding through the snow was anything but an easy task.

"LEEEEOOOOOOONNNN!" I saw Spitfire flying through the air straight at me. She was in her Wonderbolt's uniform.

I kept walking, only a small distance and I would be out of the snow. *Bam* She plowed into my side and we rolled through the snow.

We came to the stop and I found her smiling, standing on my shoulders. "Umm... hello Spitfire?" I looked at her with confusion being the most obvious emotion on my face.

She was out of breath from the flying, but she did the best she could to speak through her heavy breathing. "I... I just heard you went... went missing and... and the princess was... was looking for you."

"Wait, what?" I looked at her.

"I heard rumors... a black unicorn got... got kidnapped... on some train going to... to Canterlot from... from Ponyville... and he... he looked like you... cutie mark and... and everything... and the princess was... was looking for him..." Spitfire continued to gasp for air.

"Well, we can talk about it in a moment, just get off of me okay? You should catch your breath." She got off of my shoulders, and I stood up. We both shook off the snow and faced each other.

"So what exactly do you know?" I said after Spitfire recovered.

"Not too much, but whoever you are, you must be important. Crown, Royal attention. Can I please hear the full story?"

I stood there for a moment. What is with her, why does she want to know this so badly? "Listen, I really don't know if I'm in a position to tell you what's going on... I really am sorry. It is quite important and all, but..." I paused, the pony looked at me with her face showing both emotions of disappointment and understanding.

"Don't worry, I guess. I told some of the other Wonderbolts to contact the Princess, and so if you don't mind, may I see if there is a way to keep you in Cloudsdale so the Princess knows where to find you?"

I looked at her as if she were crazy, "Look you know I can't get up there, and you know I can't stand on clouds even if I could.

"Well if there's a will there's a way!" She zoomed over to my crown and tossed it up in the air with her nose. "H-hey!" It landed gracefully on my horn, but before I even had the chance to move, Spitfire flew over to me, grabbed my front hooves, and took off for the city of clouds.

"Let go!" I yelled at her, the speed she traveled at made me feel like she was going to dislocate my shoulders.

"Don't worry, you're going to love it up here!" Spitfire yelled back, the wind made it hard to hear what was being said.

I looked down and saw the ground, "Never mind, don't let go..."

-Canterlot Castle-

The Princess had just finished assigning some rooms for Twilight's friends, it had been a simple matter of checking to see which rooms were and weren't available in the section of the castle devoted to Guest Quarters. She had just seen their items into their rooms and turned to let them get situated when Luna came stumbling down the hall in excitement.

"Sister! Look at this letter from Cloudsdale!" She tripped and fell on the floor.

"What is it Luna?" She magically took the letter that Luna had been carrying and read it. When Celestia had finished, her face wore a smile that was larger than any she had worn before, "I think we should let this be a surprise for our young student."

She went to her sister, "Can you prepare an escort for me to go to Cloudsdale, if anyone asks, just let them know I had some urgent business to attend to there." She smiled.

"Where are you going sister?" Luna asked, wondering what was on her older sister's mind.

"Oh, me? I think I should visit Twilight before leaving."

-Cloudsdale-

Spitfire had taken me to the rest of the Wonderbolts. More than slightly peeved, I was barraged with a large set of questions. "Was it really you that got kidnapped?", "How'd you get away from them?", "What did they want from you?", "How come the princess is so interested in you?", "What's with your crown?"

I was simply listening to all of them speak, but I didn't actually get a chance to respond before having several more questions thrown at me.

"Hey guys, break it up will ya?" Soarin' walked over, "He can't even stand anywhere yet."

He was right, I had been literally draped over the backs of the other Wonderbolts this entire time, and needless to say, it really wasn't fun.

"There's the hot air balloon you asked for!" Some brown pegasus called out. The blue and yellow balloon rose into view from beneath some nearby clouds.

Spitfire flew over to the balloon with me on her back, "See? A will, a way."

I did a sort of half-smile, "Touché"

Spitfire merely laughed and walked back onto the nearby cloud she had previously been standing on.

Rapidfire walked over, "I guess Spitfire will tell us what she knows, so you don't have to be bothered with questions, and if she doesn't know, well then we won't ask. She was the one who nagged at you first after all." He laughed and rejoined the other Wonderbolts.

I smiled and called out to them, "Do you know if there is anything I can eat? I am.. sorta hungry..." They all laughed. I didn't though. I hadn't eaten since the train ride...

*Growl* I looked down. There was no getting food now, it wasn't like I could just make it appear, and I definitely couldn't just leave the balloon and get it. "So I guess you guys can go practice then, it's not like I have anywhere to go anyways." I smiled, and they nodded.

"You owe us for having to delay practice!" Soarin' said as he flew off.

I sighed. Nothing to do but wait for the Princess to Arrive...

-Twilight's Room at Canterlot Castle-

Twilight was looking at the book, The King. It refused to turn its page. She didn't understand. The book would open to two pages. There was the page of the two crowns, and the page of Leon and the chessboard. She decided the best thing to do was to look over what was in front of her. She looked at the image of Leon.

She looked at the page of Leon and the chessboard. She tried to understand this page. "What good is a book that won't give us any information that we don't already know?" She let her head drop in defeat, not getting anything. She took a deep breath, "Maybe the other page..." She went to flip to the other available page in the book, and as she lifted up her hoof, words slowly appeared on the page.

"God! Tell me! Why did you choose me?"

"I chose you, Leon, to be my proxy for a single reason. You are a defect. You have no destiny."

Then they vanished as soon as they appeared. More words replaced them.

"Just remember, the eternal game of chess will always be played. And as long as it will be played, it will never be understood."

These words disappeared, and several more words appeared, but they were not like the rest. These were even more beautiful and elegant than the rest of the writing that had been in the book before. She heard Leon's voice fill her mind as she read this newest set of words.

"The king... The piece you want to protect... What... What do I... want to protect?

...

I want to protect you, Twilight."

These words, unlike the previous ones, etched themselves into the book. Twilight didn't know what to think, she sat there, both flattered and confused as to what she had just read.

*Knock Knock* The princess entering the room surprised the purple unicorn, who quickly hid her previous emotions. "Hello princess, what are you doing here?"

"Something just came up in Cloudsdale, and I'm going there now to take care of it," the Princess wasn't exactly lying, but she thought it might be best to surprise her. She had her friends in town, so she would be fine.

Twilight looked up, "What is it that came up there?"

Celestia looked at her, "It had to do with the train crash. A someone that was on the train is there that might have seen some things other passengers haven't, and in this case I think that it might be serious enough to warrant my presence there. How's the book going?"

"I can only see two pages right now, and I don't know why. The book just seems to reveal itself over time. It's like these words..."

The Princess looked at the book for a long period of time, no doubt reading the same things Twilight had. Her formal appearance softened and she gave off a calm aura of kindness all of a sudden, "You have a great friend in Leon, don't you? I'm sure he's fine, so don't worry about it."

Twilight looked at her mentor and smiled, "There is one other page I'm going to look at. I hope everything in Cloudsdale works out!" She turned back to the book, and her mentor smiled.

"I'll see you in a bit Twilight." On her way out, all the Princess thought about what the book had shown her,"No wonder Twilight had such a blush on her face when I walked in!"She laughed a bit to herself, and left for the escort to Cloudsdale.

-Cloudsdale-

I had been sitting in this balloon for a good 2 hours now and I was bored as could be.

"Not much you can do here when you can't fly, is there." He heard a voice from behind him.

"P-Princess!" I turned behind me, she was standing on a cloud. She was so silent, I didn't even notice her approach. I bowed immediately.

The Wonderbolts also came over, and when they did, they also joined in. The princess smiled. "Thank you for contacting me about finding my friend Leon. I do appreciate it." She turned to face Spitfire, "I am in your debt, if there is anything you need, just let me know." Inside, she was extremely relieved that somepony had found Leon.

Spitfire knew exactly what she wanted, "Well I do have a question, if I may?"

The Princess was caught off guard, thinking the usual physical gift would be requested. Not this time however, just knowledge. She looked at her, "Ask away dear Spitfire."

"So, I was wondering what is with Leon? He seems a bit... odd... Why exactly were you so worried about his well being?" The princess looked at me.

I took a deep breath, "I really don't know who at this moment is able to discuss this. I don't even know if the Princess really has the authority to disclose the information either..."

All of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire most of all, stared at me with jaws open. The Princess was the most powerful pony in Equestria! If she didn't have the authority to tell them...

"Then who does?" Spitfire completed their thoughts out loud.

"The only person who can disclose the information?" I looked at the Princess, and she returned my look. We shrugged.

"That person is no longer around..." I finally said, "and with his passing, well, it gets way harder to tell many people."

Celestia looked at me with an eyebrow raised, "You know? About his..." the winged unicorn thought for a moment about what the right word would be to use, "...his resignation?"

I nodded to her, and then returned my attention to the Wonderbolts, "I really am sorry we can't tell you. I wish I could, but... well there are certain complications with telling people things they can't unhear. The story is just... its something we really can't tell."

And then I realized something. Why is everyone who knows about the story so... apprehensive in telling others? We really haven't been told not to, I mean God told me to not tell people about his existence, but he... he really isn't even in the picture anymore. Still, its like there is a force telling me I can't do it... Why?

I closed my eyes, "I really wish I could tell you, but really, it isn't something I can tell others. I wish I could, seeing as I owe you so much and all..."

Celestia spoke up, "I understand it is confusing, but I assure you, if there is anything else you need, let me know. I promise I will do my best to see it through, though there are limits to what I can and can't do at times," she turned her attention to me, "Leon, we'd better go ourselves. There's some business at Canterlot you need to take care of..."

I nodded with understanding.

Soarin' recovered before the rest of the Wonderbolts, "Do you know when the next date we're scheduled to perform at Canterlot, Princess Celestia?"

She had just been about to move the balloon, she turned and faced them, "Well you're more than welcome to visit whenever you want, but performance-wise, I think it is a week from now."

Soarin' looked at her, "Why not take Spitfire here with ya? She's got the stuff we're going to do down perfect anyways."

Spitfire slapped him in the shoulder, but then realized what he was trying to do. She wasn't the only one who really wanted to know what was wrong with me.

Both Celestia and I knew exactly what their motives were, but I shrugged, "I guess if it bothers you that much, I'll let you have your chance to figure it out on your own... as long as the Princess approves."

She sighed, but then smiled, "Fine, I guess you can tag along. All the guest rooms are taken up at the Castle though, so you're either going to need to share a room with one of the other guests or you're going to need to stay at an inn or hotel in town."

Spitfire smiled, "Well I guess I can deal with it, I'll change out of my uniform A.S.A.P.!" She took off towards another section of Cloudsdale, but I didn't know where, she was out of sight almost immediately.

"Let's get you to your ride, shall we? Just give me a moment." Princess Celestia gracefully glided over several clouds and disappeared out of sight.

The rest of the Wonderbolts looked at me one last time, and every single one said a form of "See ya later" to me and flew off for some more practice.

I sat there for a moment, but only a moment. Celestia had already returned, several royal guards had a flying chariot behind them, and Celestia was standing in it. They pulled up right next to the balloon, "Well? Hop in!" The princess called.

"I... okay." I grabbed the crown in the basket of the Balloon and hopped onto the Chariot. Her facial expression turned to one of surprise as I jumped onto the chariot.

"How did you get that? I thought..." She looked at me with shock. Then, upon closer inspection, she noted the difference of the two crowns. "Leon..."

I looked at her, "Yes Princess?"

"Oh... nothing. Your crown just intrigued me is all." She smiled, though a million thoughts as to where this had come from zoomed through her head.

"HEY! Don't leave without me!" Spitfire had already returned, a small suitcase in her hands for her week there. She zoomed right next to the chariot, "Sorry for the trouble Princess, I'll just fly behind you to Canterlot." She smiled.

-The Birth and End of All Worlds, God's Location-

The area was a small plateau in the center of a lake of molten liquid that seemed to have a life of its ow, rising up around the area with unpredictable movements, though the plateau itself was never touched by the magma. In the center was a diamond table surrounded by 12 formless figures. On the table was Equestria's ex-god in his favorite form, that of the winged unicorn.

The Mysterious Figures spoke in unison, "So you have given up your rule? The land was destined to end, and you have interfered. Tell me one reason why we should keep Equestria, especially with no god. Its fate depends on your next words, so speak carefully."

God stood there, facing the scrutiny of these... these beings He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "This land, which I have seen grow from almost nothing, has become a place where love and joy has flourished. Balance, to you standing here, is the balance between Chaos and Harmony. Many of you believe war and evils are as part of a world's existence as is joy and happiness. I understand that. As judges of life and death, both of beings and worlds, I implore you to look beyond this black–and–white view of existence. Chaos is a lack of balance! Harmony, on the other hand is balance embodied! To ask of there being a balance between balance and no balance is an impossibility, even for you here today. I learned these things watching the world that took form below me." He closed his eyes, "You are all representative of a different aspect of existence. Life, Death, War, Peace, Hatred, Love, Truths, Lies, The Corporeal, The Spiritual, Sadness, and Joy." He reopened his eyes and with passion, began to raise his voice, "Prove to me that plunging a world to its destruction... that doing that would be balance in any way! Killing everyone would only be the opposite of Balance, it would be the embodiment of Chaos! It is worse than leaving it as is!"

He stood there, and as he did, two of the Mysterious Figures spoke up in their ethereal voices. "We are not destroying the plane of existence, you know that. Simply, we are purging it of all it once was and giving it a new beginning. You may, if you want, return to your rule after it is done. In all of the time you were the land's guardian, you obeyed us... until this most recent incident of course..."

"NO!" God yelled, "I refuse to sit by and watch this world be 'purged' as you so nicely put it!" His anger had taken a physical form, the diamond table, under his feet, cracked from the mysterious force that emanated from his body.

"Calm yourself, we are simply the judges of the world. You cannot override our decision. We must keep the balance of the worlds. Life must give way to death, it is an inevitable fate." Three other figures spoke.

"This is crap! Balance? BALANCE?" The god slammed the table with his hoof, it cracked even more, "I don't want to be a God of some land! Power! I will gladly relinquish that to save Equestria! I will not sit idly by and watch as Chaos rules. I have given them their opportunities in my land. I listened to you as you summoned Discord! As you corrupted Luna and forced her to become Nightmare Moon! I listened to you then! You fools! You are too narrow-minded to see the beauty that Equestria has become! You've been here too many millenia to remember why you came here! You all, even you Death!" His anger boiled over, and when he screamed the final word, the table under him, all except for the small section under his feet shattered into an innumerable amount of pieces.

The beings didn't react at all. They showed no sign of emotion. They hadn't in all of the eternities that they had ruled. "We will consider what you have to say... For now... begone." God's figure faded away, though where exactly to was a mystery.
> CH11: A Division And A Reunion 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Canterlot Castle-

Twilight had just worked up the heart to open up the second page in the book. She sighed. What the page of the two crowns would say, she had no idea.

She turned the page and looked at it. Nothing. She stared and stared. Just like the last page, she was not getting anything from it. Ten minutes went by. Twenty. Thirty.

"It likes to mess with me doesn't it? Oh well." She got up and decided to take a break.

Behind her, the voice of God called out to her.

I chose you two to be my proxies from the beginning. Do not think that because you exist, this land will be saved. I have vested my hope into this last gamble, and if I lose, I'm going to have to pay money I don't have.

Twilight, I have given you the gift of magic, of good friends, and of a brilliant mind. I task you with this: Help Leon grow, as Celestia was your teacher, help Leon learn the ways of this world. Who knows?

His voice paused, letting loose and audible laugh.

Maybe this world has hope after all.

...You only get one life in this world... but if live it right, you'll only need one...

And my message to you, Leon...

-Leon and Princess Celestia's Location-

I looked to the ground below me. It was no longer the cold, wintry environment that it had been. In fact, here, it was warm and summery, the trees below had bright green leaves, and there was a lake that glistened in the sun.

"So Leon, who exactly kidnapped you, and how did you escape?" The Princess looked at me and said. Spitfire was flying beside us at a leisurely pace.

"During the train ride, there were two involved. I'm guessing one stopped the train with explosives, the other was..." he looked beside him, Spitfire looked over, interested in this story as well.

The Princess spoke, "So? What about the tan earth pony Twilight said she saw. And wouldn't there have to be a third? She claimed to have been magically thrown against the wall when she was knocked out. That was confirmed by several other witnesses you know."

I looked directly at her. "The attendant wasn't a simple earth pony. She was the one who threw Twilight, I'm positive."

Celestia was confused, but didn't let it show on her face, "You know as well as I do it is impossible. The reason magic can be done is because of the horn, without it... an Earth pony is incapable of magic."

I looked at her, and said with a serious tone, "They weren't just ponies, Celestia."

Spitfire looked over at me, jaw unconsciously open. I had just spoken to the ruler of Equestria, mentioned her name, and didn't even use her title. It was, to her, the pinnacle of disrespect to do such a thing. Close friends and family members? Maybe. A total moron that was in the middle of nowhere? Unacceptable.

"Leon! Are you a moron! Refer to the princess by her title!" Spitfire said in a way that gave off a hint of anger.

"Don't worry Spitfire." The princess laughed and looked at her, "Leon is a friend, and though he isn't used to some of the traditional customs, he's very important to Equestria. I really don't mind it anyways. A lot of the traditions get old after a while."

Spitfire looked at the kind, understanding being, and her face softened, "Sorry Leon, I guess I'm not used to people talking as if the Princess were an equal. Still, it would help if you referred to her as such."

I laughed. "Okay, Miss Spitfire, I'll do my best. I never was one for formality among friends. I can't promise much though."

She rolled her eyes and flew on ahead. The princess turned her attention back to me, "So if they weren't Earth ponies, what does that mean? You know as well as I do changing from unicorn to another type of pony is a feat that has yet to be achieved. You can't be saying that..."

Her voice trailed off, "No, they haven't created a new spell. Let me give you a hint. When I came to, the tan mare who had kidnapped me was an winged unicorn, just like..."

She cut me off, finally understanding, "God was. So Gods were sent here... just for you?"

I nodded. There was a short pause before began to recite how I had escaped. Spitfire not listening at all, still peeved by the way a addressed the princess.

-The Birth and End of All Worlds-

The figures stood there, apparently silent and dormant. In all honesty, they could communicate with each other in some form of higher plane.

The Mysterious Figure of Death spoke, "Hello Ace, Aria."

They materialized in front of the figures in the form of two beings of light.

Aria immediately bowed, Ace however, looked around. "Whoa, what happened to your table? Its wrecked."

The Figure of Truths responded to his question, even though it was rude. "The previous Guardian of Equestria destroyed it in his rage."

The Figure of War spoke to them, "My two favorite servants, this was your first time failing an assignment we have given to you. Explain yourselves."

Aria spoke up, "We were unprepared, the boy was deceivingly smart. We... we regrettably failed because of the fact we underestimated him."

"So while we have tasked you with the capture of countless other Gods, you failed in the detaining of a single mortal boy?" The Figures of the Spiritual, the Corporeal, and Peace projected their voices in unison.

Ace decided not to give excuses. He smiled. "I liked Leon, and to be honest, for the first time ever, I'm beginning to question why you chose to eliminate him. Let the place have its chance. It was fun as hell there, to be honest, and I've been to hell." He laughed a bit to himself, and Aria hit his side.

"Do you want our spiritual forms to get killed! Shut the hell up!" Aria whispered to Ace.

"Let him speak." The Figures all spoke in unison, except for the ones of Hatred, War and Death.

"I went to that world with a single mission, to find the boy Leon and end his life. It was easy enough to find him. Aria knocked him out, and we took him to a cave a decent distance from everywhere else. I remember, though, seeing several settlements. The joy, and peace... All of it. Honestly speaking, I really began to question what you guys were thinking, planning on destroying it. It had its own sense of, well, awesome. Still, I decided that you guys had it right and so we went and caught your man." He laughed, "Let me tell you, he's a tough nut to crack. Aria said we underestimated him. Well, when he decided to leave that cave, I wasn't messing around. I saw him dodge one of Aria's lances, and let me tell you, that kid could dodge. Him killing us wasn't a fluke. I really think that. Aria's sense of duty is clouding her memory."

The figures sat there. They had been discussing, in their plane, as to what to do. Not just the ruler of the realm, but a god, who was only there briefly, began to question their thoughts as well.

"It wasn't until then I really decided the land deserved a chance to live. I mean, if you've ever fought, you understand what I mean. Sometimes, when someone is facing what could be their last moments, and they are willing to fight for their life. When you cross swords with them. Sometimes you see their feelings deep inside them. He wasn't going to give up, he really, truly cared about the land he was in, even though you said he's only been there for a few days. I could tell. I get it now..."

His paused, his next words would ring throughout the figures' ears.

"I finally understand. You guys always obsess over a balance between harmony and chaos. I figured it out, though, when I saw this land and Leon. Harmony is the balance, and chaos... well, its not." He smiled, and in the most cocky fashion he could, he finished saying, "I'm sorry, but I've decided I'm not going to be your dog any more." He smiled.

They were silent, both in the audible plane, and the one which they communicated. They, each, shocked as to the last thing they had heard. When he spoke that last bit, they felt like they heard Equestria's previous Guardian speaking as well. Both men, essentially had said the same thing.

Aria looked down. She had always been the serious one, the observant one. The goofball Ace saw this? In such a short period of time?

The figures, these superior beings, turned to face her. The figures of Love, Death, and Hatred all spoke, "And what say you of the land? How did you see it? Do you believe in its worth?"

She froze, but before she could speak, two more spoke up, "She never paid attention to her surroundings, and this time was not an exception. She always has focused too much on her targets. Asking her is useless."

Another spoke up in the circle, "We may never know until we try."

Ace realized what was going on before Aria, though she soon followed suit. The Enigmatic Beings had stopped working in unison.

The lava around the plateau began to become even more volatile than before. Amidst the argument, that was taking place not in the higher realm, they heard the beings say, though not nearly in sync as they normally were, "Begone!" Both deities faded into nothingness.

-The Land of Eden-

They reformed in a beautiful garden that seemed to expand indefinitely, trees and flowers perfectly planted, walkways and hedges lining where one should walk.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Equestria's God spoke up from behind them. They turned to face him. He smiled, "So you were the two who were sent after Leon... How did it go?"

Ace shrugged, "I guess you were right about Equestria after all, your little agent showed me that. I dunno what you said to the Figures, but whatever it was, they were off guard, and I think I just tipped them over the edge."

God laughed, he had talked with Ace before, and had spoken about his world. Ace finally witnessed what he had meant, and Ace had to agree.

Aria, however, was serious, "What are you two talking about? Idiots! The Figures, they're arguing! You two killed their eternal order! This... it is unacceptable!"

God smiled, "They never had order, it was always an illusion." Ace nodded. Aria was immediately disarmed, she looked to the ground.

"I suppose we might have gone a bit overboard. Right?" Ace asked.

"We didn't plan this, they brought it upon themselves. Being stagnant is a dangerous thing to do when everything around you is changing," God closed his eyes, "Things aren't going my way today, are they?"

"Yeah, Eden always has been a deceivingly beautiful prison. A punishment disguised as a reward." Ace smiled.

-Canterlot Castle, Twilight's Room-

Twilight just heard God's message to Leon.

And my message to you, Leon...

Your cutie mark is your destiny. Show Equestria the Light, Leon. That is how you will win this chess match. The King is Equestria, the King is Twilight, The King is You. Show the world you have what it takes to get a Checkmate.

The voice died down. Twilight turned back to the book. Two sentences adorned the page:

Leon, unlike me, you aren't just a bystander. You are the player.

A wind blew from nowhere, and a new page appeared. Twelve formless figures were sitting around a diamond table, on a plateau surrounded by lava.

"What is this?" She walked up to the book and sat down to observe the page.

-Canterlot Castle Entrance-

I walked up towards the entrance of the castle with the Princess, Spitfire, and my crown on my back. All of the guards near the entrance bowed as we approached, no doubt to their princess.

"Welcome back, may I take your luggage?" A single male blue earth pony came up to us.

Spitfire responded positively, giving her suitcase to the assistant. Celestia smiled as Twilight's friends came out of the castle.

"Hey everyone!" I waved as they came out. Their faces all lit up.

"Leon!" They all ran up to me and did a giant group hug. I smiled, these ponies were amazingly friendly, Twilight was lucky to have friends like these.

"We were just about to head to town, what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Then, from behind me, I heard Spitfire speak up. "Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked up and squealed in joy. "Spitfire? From THE Wonderbolts? YEEEEEEEEE!" She was so happy.

Celestia smiled, "Spitfire will be staying here for a week, but since all of you are taking up the guest rooms she's going to need to share with somep-"

"ME! She can share a room with me!" Rainbow Dash had jumped upon the opportunity before anyone else could.

Spitfire laughed, "Why not?" Everyone joined in with her laughter.

We all sat around and talked for a while.

"I'm going to check on Twilight okay? Princess Celestia, where would I find her?" I spoke up as we entered the castle. She smiled and gave me directions to her room. "Everyone, I'll see you in a bit!"

I walked down the hallway and looked for the corridor near the library, where Celestia said Twilight's room was.

Finally, I found it, I knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" I heard on the other side of the door. I opened it and entered. Twilight was sitting there, and without even looking up from her book, began to speak, "Welcome back Princess Celestia! I figured out what the second page, the one with the crowns says, and another one just showed u-"

I stood in the doorway. "Twilight, I know how much we look alike, but I'll never be Princess Celestia." I chuckled lightly.

She froze and slowly looked up from her book to me. Tears were in her eyes. "Leon? I thought.. I thought..." She smiled, tears of joy streaming from her eyes as she got up. She ran to me, and immediately, we were in each other's embrace.

Home is where the Heart is.

I was home again.