A fic placed within the universe of "The Chess Game of the Gods"

I was a video game programmer.

My career revolved around taking an idea for entertainment, programming it into existence, and making sure it ran smoothly.
You see, a game is only entertaining when it has rules. Rules that define risk and reward. Rules that set boundaries. Rules that, under no circumstances, should be broken.

Even the most open of sandbox games still have limits and I suppose one might even consider 'life' the biggest, most rewarding game of all.

So imagine my surprise when my skill set rewards me with an extra-dimensional house guest appearing in my closet who wishes to take my troubleshooting ability to the most extreme definition.

You see, Discord has started a Game. A Game that involves hundreds if not thousands of humans (or other critters) being drawn into a world I had previously only believed to be fantasy. Each of these Pawns in turn have (more often than not) a patron deity, their Game Master if you would. The Pawns cause mischief or engage in heroism, the Patrons gain influence and power, there may be a wish involved, and Discord gets entertained. None of this directly affects me however.

What does affect me is The Watcher (my visitor) needing me to keep an eye on this world for him, for reasons I can't completely comprehend yet. For Discord to agree to my involvement, I must also deal with Rogue Pawns and their Uninvited Patrons who would disrupt and destroy his Game in ways even he dislikes, since he and the other Game Masters can't become implicitly involved. Apparently it gets messy when they do that.

My reward for complying with both of them; a new body gifted with fantastic abilities, and the chance to explore a world I had only dreamed of and watched from afar.

The price of my failure; the potential end of everything, including the Gods themselves.

I am Alif.

I am the Arbiter.

I can't afford to lose.

There was only one explanation. For all of it. All of the strange, erratic behavior. Her irrational fear of the sun. Her nocturnal habits of locking herself in in the dark and closing all the blinds. Wearing her sunglasses everywhere, even inside! It was time to invest in some silver, garlic, and a wooden stake.

Mort, also known as the Pale Pony (of Death), has been tasked to take time off from his rigorous duties of reaping souls. Seeking guidance, he is directed towards the town of Ponyville, to learn about the magic of friendship from Twilight Sparkle and her friends. All he needs to do is keep his true nature a secret. That shouldn't be too difficult...right?

Special thanks to Specter-Von-Baren and Pyrite Foolsgold for their help in proofreading and editing this story, as I really needed it. Additional thanks to Pilate, Chuckle5, Unimpressive Vagaries and Admiral Biscuit as well! Couldn't have done it without all their help!

Credit for the title card goes to Siansaar, AKA Carnifex.

For another excellent take on Mort, check out Sip's version!

Fantastic, I finally get to visit my favorite cast of awesome talking ponies to have one small thing keeping me from enjoying it to its fullest. I CAN"T FREAKING INTERACT WITH ANYTHING. I guess being a ghost in Equestria isn't the worst thing that could have happened, at least I can shadow my favorite ponies and see what going on in their lives. Heh, I guess I've become the ultimate stalker, I do miss having someone to talk to that wasn't me, myself or I though.

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Set before the events of season three.

Rated teen for now for safety, rating may change later on based on where the story goes. Characters will be added later if they get added to the story.

The human artist named Alice arrives in Equestria through somewhat odd means. Upon arrival she finds that she can't speak or read Equestrian. Because of this the girl has to find some other way to communicate, and if not through words then through emotion instead.

After Chrysalis failed to conquer Equestria, she was shamefully stripped of her title of "Queen of the Changelings".

Their people now leaderless, the Changeling race now finds itself in a unique situation. In the struggle for power, one Changeling seizes the attention of his people. Can he overcome his nature, and the nature of his people, to lead them into a better future?

So one day I was stuck at a friend's house, I was so bored that I wrote a fan fic on my iPod. It's silly, I recommend you just don't read it unless you're into really silly types of fan fics.

The latest scheme of a Townsvillain hurls the Powerpuff Girls to another dimension. In new bodies, and with different abilities each, the three must adjust to life in Ponyville. It helps that the locals are friendly. Maybe the Girls can have actual friends for once, rather than admirers...?

This was actually my first foray into MLP fanfiction. I wrote the beginnings of this long before I conceived of Pony Fantasy IV. So, enjoy my attempt at crossing Lauren Faust's two popular girl shows!

Image courtesy of GalooGameLady on DeviantART. Used with her permission.

[Complete!] When Rarity finds out how little Twilight gets out of the Library, things get out of hand as she decides to take it upon herself to teach Twilight the ropes of dating. As Rarity drags her around, Twilight begins to have a good idea of who she wants to ask out.

Pinkie Pie was working in sugarcube corner, as she always does, but on this particular day, a black coated, blue maned stallion walks in. Pinkie Pie thinks the world of this stallion, but this he seems to be acting strange. Why wont he talk to her? Why is he talking to these strange pony's? Why is he always waiting for trains but never getting on them? Only time will tell...