//------------------------------//
// Chapter #... Exposition 
// Story: Meta Gamer in Equestria: The Blight of Bane. 
// by reflective vagrant 
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It had been months since I first arrived on Equis, in this relatively peaceful country of Equestria.  Despite being populated by most every kind of sentient creature except humanoids, the place was oddly similar to Earth.  It had one sun, one moon—though definitely not the same moon—gravity similar enough to where I couldn't tell the difference, and several of the same kinds of plants and animals.  They even had technology comparable to feudal era Earth, though with a lot better sanitation and some other improvements over feudal era technology due to the existence of a resource not discovered on earth: Magic.
Oddly enough, magic wasn't what brought on the war.  From what I could gather, creatures from another world were trying to pour through a rift in the desert to try to steal natural resources from this world to fuel their own wars.  This world was just the next on the pillaging list.  Magic might be on the pillaging list too, but I had no way of knowing until I met one of the invaders.
Strangely, the war was well contained to just one corner of the land, even though a relative stalemate was preventing them from ending it.  And so, life had went on for most the populace with only being a little worse for wear in spite of it all.  Hopefully, it wouldn't get any worse than that.
In some ways, I was glad I hadn't had the chance to see the invaders yet.   From what I was told, the invaders looked an awful lot like me.  I was even mistaken for one when I arrived, causing me to be imprisoned, magically interrogated and subsequently released.  There was still a lot of tension, as not all the natives were fully convinced that I was safe to not be kept locked up.   That's to be expected though.  The bias of the crowd isn't something easily quelled, nor would I want it to be in my particular case.  But that subject was for another time.
When I was finally released, I was put in the care of a pony that was to help me get along in society.  This was my Junior "Rehabilitation and Reintegration Escort Officer," or RRE Officer, Fluttershy.  We had come to be used to each other, and I had grown to love her kind heart as much as any animal she cared for.  There's a good chance I'd take an arrow for her, she's done so much for me.


And so here I was, staring at myself in the mirror, trying to clean up and think about what had gotten me to this point, all while trying to not dwell on what was proving far more distracting despite all the time I've had to adjust to it.  The thing right in front of me.  My own reflection.
I was still human, kind of.  It was a face I recognized as a character I once played as in a table top role playing game.  A water genasi.  A hybrid of a human and a distant genie ancestor.   Apparently the forces that brought me to this world used his character sheet as a model to mold my new form from, including his fin ears and water breathing.  I even had unlocked some of his abilities like his druidic shape shifting and his portent trick, though I had just come to call it my good luck charm.  His main abilities, however, remained largely locked behind a "sure you 'can' do it, but you don't know how and it's too complicated to stumble upon by accident," wall.  I mean sure, I was able to mimic some gestures I was shown to cause "something" to happen here or there, but I was being guided at the time and even then I still don't know if I did it quite right.
I couldn't really cast any spells, and he was a full on spell caster type.  That made my form pretty puny compared to if I had come as a muscle bound barbarian who just had to get angry to get to his full potential.


Even if I could choose, though, I'd still rather just have my old face back.  And that brought me up to the present, trying to get my self presentable for my first day at work since I had arrived.  After all the hard work of trying to get acquainted with local customs and such, I finally got a job.  A good one, too.
Fluttershy came to the doorway of the bathroom and called out, "Are you ready, Moss?"
With a nod, I followed her outside and she escorted me to work.  She didn't have to, but we figured it would be a good measure to take on the first day.





"Note to self:  Never, ever, ever use your maxed out luck charm on the job again."  I thought to myself as I used a small hoof towel to clean the oil off my hand.  I went to the front counter of the spa and turned in my headband brandishing the spa insignia.  My face would have been a beet red were it not for the permanent solid hue of green my skin had taken masking it as an only slightly different tint.
"I do not understand" My employer, Aloe, responded, "Minotaurs with their hands make excellent masseuses.  You passed your lessons with flying colors and Rarity specifically asked for you to support our choice in hiring you.  What went wrong?"
I could only shift my head slightly towards the room I had just left, then look down to avoid the stares of the patrons.  Discreetly, I picked up and handed her an extra towel then gestured her towards the room I had just left.
Even though I could just tell her, the front counter wasn't the place.  Out of professionalism, I had to quit.  To care to the needs and integrity of the customers, which was the top priority of the spa, I had to take the fall.  She'd figure it out when she tended to Rarity in a minute.
I marched back to Fluttershy's with as much composure as I could muster without being too obvious.  "They even knew what hands were too,"  I thought to myself.  I doubted I would find another job that would have fit my unique situation quite so well.





When I entered the room, I got through the condolences of the others I was living with because of the RRE program, as best I could.
As I finished going through the pleasantries, Fluttershy asked me, "So what happened?"
I looked straight into her eyes and spoke in a glum voice, "Please don't ask me that.  I can't tell you. Confidentiality."  I wasn't sure if the twitch to my cheek gave away that I was just trying to dodge the question or not.
Regardless, Fluttershy changed the subject.
"Well, I've been told your owl friend is done helping princess Luna and will be strong enough to finally come home to Ponyville tonight.  Do you think we can take him to the picnic with us tomorrow?"
I didn't respond to her question, save for a slight withdrawal and a bitter expression.
"Oh come now,"  She insisted, "You declined every chance to come with me to Canterlot and visit him since he came into your life.  You two need to get to know each other.  He is stuck here in a strange land, the same as you.  And besides that, he's your familiar."
"Not by choice..."  I grumbled, but I quickly changed my tune as I saw the fringes of "the stare" starting to form on her face.
"But I guess it's going to happen sooner or later.  Just don't expect me to pretend to be happy about it."


I mean, how could I be happy seeing the creature that was basically the whole reason I was kidnapped, transformed, and dumped here against my will?