//------------------------------// // Chapter III: Disillusion // Story: Elements of Another Kind // by TitanXpony //------------------------------// Elements of Another Kind Chapter III: Disillusion [Insert clever disclaimer that no one reads] “And apparently this is happening” Isaac said as the pink earth pony bounced around in front of him. “I’ve finally succeeded in completely losing my mind.” “You lost your mind?!” Pinkie Pie said, eyes growing wide “where was the last place you had it? I didn’t know humans could lose stuff like that, although I didn’t even know humans existed until Princess Celestia told us about it and the sun exploded.” “Princess…..sun exploded….what?” Isaac said confusedly “can someone please tell me what’s going on here?” The old man, who had been watching them with amusement, began to chuckle and opened his mouth to speak. “All in good time Isaac” he said good-naturedly “we must wait for the others to wake up first. But I do believe that you are forgetting something.” He gestured toward the five remaining ponies who were still eyeing him warily. The lavender unicorn pony was the first to step forward and began the introductions. “My name is Twilight Sparkle” she said, her suspicion beginning to ebb “you’ve already met Pinkie Pie. The white unicorn is Rarity, the orange earth pony is Applejack, the yellow pegasus is Fluttershy, and the blue pegasus with the rainbow mane is Rainbow Dash.” As they were introduced, they each responded in their own way. Pinkie grinned widely, continuing to hop around energetically as she did so. Rarity gracefully curtsied; smiling politely as she briefly became the center of attention. Applejack tipped her hat, a neutral expression on her face. Fluttershy squeaked and ducked her head, peering from behind her hair at the human who looked over to her. Rainbow Dash held her head high and flared her wings dramatically, a confident look on her face as her name was announced. “It’s very nice to meet you all” Isaac responded “but I’m still confused as to why we are here. And no offence to you all, but if I told anyone that I saw talking ponies they would commit me to the nearest mental institution and throw away the key. Not to mention the fact that I just disappeared during a freak electrical storm after I made a monumental scientific discovery that would, to say the least, not help my case if I were to try to prove my sanity.” Twilights eyes lit up at the mention of a scientific discovery, and she quickly positioned herself in front of Isaac. “What exactly was the discovery you made?” she said with a look of intent curiosity on her face “I would love to hear about what types of things humans desire to learn about.” Isaac hesitated for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he should tell them his findings. “If I tell you, do you all promise not to think I’m crazy?” he said cautiously. They all nodded in agreement as he built up enough courage to begin speaking. “I discovered a way to prove the existence of magic” Isaac said as he looked around to judge their reactions. They looked at each other for a moment, then, after realizing he was serious, they all broke out into simultaneous laughter. “Do you mean magic like this” Twilight said as she levitated her saddlebags over to her “everypony knows about magic.” Isaac was stunned, his jaw hung open as he attempted to register what he had just seen. “How did you do that?” he said as his mind halted in its attempt at a full system shutdown “the most I was able to do after hours of effort was raise the temperature of a glass of water. You just levitated an object to you without even breaking a sweat.” The lavender unicorn eyed him curiously. “Of course, I’m a unicorn” Twilight said “do humans not know about a unicorn’s ability to use magic?” “No, they don’t know” Isaac said shaking his head “to us, unicorns and magic are simply a myth. I was in the process of proving the existence of the latter when I woke up here.” A noise from behind caused them to break from their conversation and look toward the source. The other five people who had been lying unconscious were beginning to wake up. One was a tall, thickly muscled man with black hair and an unnaturally dark complexion, assumedly from spending long periods of time in the sun, and a large gleaming hammer lying next to him. The second was a young woman with pale, freckled skin and chestnut brown hair clutching a pink wood bow in her hand. The third person was a man of average height with sandy blonde hair and a long, gnarled staff that was somehow standing upright beside him. Next was another woman. She had long dark hair with a rich caramel skin tone and a wicked looking polearm leaning against her prone form. The last of them was a large man dressed in military garb with brown hair and a long, dual edged sword imbedded into the floor adjacent to him. They all watched as the five humans began to rise one by one. “I see you’re all awake now” the old man said, causing the six ponies and Isaac to jump at the unexpected outburst “after you’re all up, and additional introductions are made, we can get down to business.” After the initial shock of waking up in a strange place with colorful talking ponies wore off, the five humans who had been asleep began to introduce themselves to Isaac and the ponies. About a half hour passed before the humans and ponies were through with their introductions. They all stood facing the mysterious man who they assumed had brought them here as he began to speak. “Please excuse my rudeness in withholding my name” the old man began “I have been known by many names over the millennia. To save you all some confusion, you may call me by my most well known name of Zeus, wielder of the magic thunderbolt and king of the human immortals. Alas, I am the last of my kind, but under the circumstances that hardly matters.” The group was listening intently as Zeus paused to take a breath and continued speaking. “You have been brought here because both of your worlds are in danger” Zeus said gravely “and for the fact that all of you have something in common between you. You are all champions of your worlds, chosen by the Elements of Harmony to defend them if something poses a threat to their existence. The ponies already know this, and have had experience with using the elements. As for you humans, you must learn to use the tools given to you and you have very little time to do so. In order to speed up the process and so that you may use the Elements to their full potential, you will be paired up with the bearer corresponding with which Element you possess.” The humans and ponies stared at each other as Zeus began to speak once more. “The purpose of this pairing is not only to speed up the learning process” he began “but also because of the nature of the human and pony Elements. The ponies’ Elements are meant to be used as shields, while the humans’ are weapons. The virtues which they represent have two sides to them, both as offence and defense. For example, kindness can mean treating others with respect and affection, but there is also a piece of kindness shown when an injured animal is put down so that it no longer has to suffer a slow and painful death.” He looked toward the girl with the pink bow and the yellow pegasus, addressing them directly. “Kristina and Fluttershy, you would do well to remember this as your Elements represent this virtue” he said “you will be training together from now on, and I suggest you get to know each other better.” The two nodded and stood next to each other as Zeus continued speaking. “The virtue of honesty has the same duality” he said “honesty can be pleasantly direct, but it can also be blunt and hurtful. It is necessary to be honest for harmony to exist, but remember the difference between the two.” He looked toward the man with the hammer and the orange earth pony as he paused to let his words sink in. “John and Applejack, your Element represents the virtue of honesty” he said with a slight grin on his face “you will be paired together in a team, just try not to butt heads too much. The bearers of honesty tend to have a distinct stubbornness, so I’m giving you both fair warning about this trait and implore you to do your best to work together.” John and Applejack stared at each other for a moment before they finally walked over and stood next to Fluttershy and Kristina, slowly attempting to become accustomed to each other’s company. “The virtue of generosity can also be two-sided” Zeus continued “it can mean giving someone the clothes of your back, but it can also mean sparing the life on your enemy even when they did not do the same for your comrades.” Zeus stared at Rarity and the young woman who was holding the dark polearm resting against her side as he spoke. “Emile and Rarity, you two are the embodiments of this virtue” he said coolly “and you will be working together for the time being. Just remember the true meaning of generosity. Provide what you can to each other and to your comrades, but also respect your enemy.” The white unicorn and Emile respectively walked toward each other and smiled politely as they joined the other two paired teams. “The virtue of laughter is a personal favorite of mine” Zeus said with a chuckle “the two sides of this virtue are essentially the same but they can affect those around you differently. The first kind of laughter is when friends are laughing together during a joyous occasion; the second kind of this virtue is laughter in the face of fear and uncertainty.” Zeus was staring at the pink pony and the man who was twirling a long staff theatrically, at which Pinkie Pie was giggling hysterically. “James and Pinkie Pie, you two bear the Element of laughter” he said with a smile “as if it wasn’t already obvious. And of course you will be working together, but it doesn’t seem like either of you will have a problem with that.” Pinkie Pie and James were already standing next to each other, both grinning widely as they heard the news of who their training partner would be. “Loyalty is a virtue that can be hard to define” Zeus said regaining his serious demeanor “it differs in the object of a person’s loyalty. There is loyalty to family and friends, which is the most common form of this virtue, but there is also the loyalty to more abstract things such as a belief or an ideal.” He looked toward the rainbow-mane Pegasus and the soldier holding the long, shimmering sword. “Robert and Rainbow Dash, you share the virtue of loyalty” he said “and you must learn to work together so that you may benefit everything and everyone you have pledged your loyalty to.” Rainbow Dash and Robert looked at each other briefly before joining the others who were lined up a short distance away. “That just leaves the Element of magic” Zeus said with finality “while magic is not in its self a virtue, it is created by the will of those who wield it. Because of this, it can be used in two ways. The first way it can be used is by creating a barrier to protect the user and/or their allies. The second way it can be used is as a weapon to attack one’s enemy. Twilight Sparkle and Isaac, you will be working together to keep a balance between the two kinds of magic. You will also be tasked with supporting your allies in the battles to come.” Isaac and Twilight looked at each other with an expression of resolve. They were the last of the group to line up as Zeus turned to face them. “Before you begin training,” he said “I have a few more details that I must share with you. One such detail is that although we are in the Void technically, we are not located in the rift between worlds. Rather, we are in a place of my own design, and any accommodations that are needed will be provided by me. For example, look behind you.” The group turned around, and where there was once nothing but a black abyss, a house now stood. It was rather large, enough to accommodate the six humans and six ponies with relative ease. The house had a simplistic brick design, with red trim and grey shingles on the roof. The only thing that distinguished it from a normal house was the fact that the door was made for use by both ponies and humans, with a latch that slid sideways to open it instead of a doorknob. “Another detail that I should mention is that time passes much more slowly here than it would on Gaia or Equestria. In fact, a month here is equivalent to roughly three seconds there. Although I would say we only have about four months’ time in this place before the being that is threatening your worlds succeeds in its plan to close the rift and release all of the evils sealed away in that place upon a newly formed world of humans and ponies.” Zeus paused and let this knowledge sink in as he made his way to the house he had created. “Now, if you will follow me, I will get you all acquainted will your home for the next few months” Zeus said warmly “I’m sure you are all tired and hungry after what you have been through, and I have just the thing to raise your spirits.” The group walked inside and closed the door behind them. The interior was furnished with a variety of cushions as well as a couch and two chairs arranged in a circle in the middle of the room. There was a hallway at the far end of the room that led into twelve separate rooms, each suited for the individual who would reside within it. The kitchen was located to the left of the living room, complete with a stove, sink, refrigerator, and a large table lined with twelve chairs. Zeus led the group into the kitchen and motioned for them to sit at the table as he opened one of the cabinets beside the refrigerator. He extracted an unfamiliar bottle that was made of a silvery material lined with gold trim. On his way back, retrieved twelve glassed from another cabinet and placed one in front of each of them, filling the glasses full of a mysterious amber liquid as he did so. They all took a sip from their glass, their mouths beginning to tingle as the mysterious substance touched their lips. They felt warm but pleasantly cool, both energized and completely relaxed, every pleasant sensation imaginable washed over them with every sip of the glorious liquid. “You are sampling a largely diluted form of Ambrosia” Zeus chimed in as they drank “it is known in legends as the food of the gods. If any mortal was to taste of it in its purest form, they would fall into a deep sleep from which they would never awaken. But in this form, it will simply help you to fully recover before your training and rid you of fatigue afterwards.” The group was speechless as the drink took effect, and they all began to drift off into a peaceful sleep. Zeus transported them to their beds and smiled as he spoke once more. “Rest well my champions. You will need it for the days to come.” A dark being, chained to anchors attached to the fabric of the Void, began to gather the energy that had been growing within it for millennia. The bonds that had been holding it were steadily weakening with age. The time had come to break free of its prison and once again spread destruction across the worlds. The being opened its eyes. They were deep red, radiating with an intensity that could melt stone, and were accented by a snake-like pupil that seemed to be made of pure, undiluted darkness. Its body was thin and bony, with abnormally long fingers that ended in razor sharp claws and jagged spines protruding from its back. It opened its cavernous maw, filled with numerous finely pointed fangs, and let loose a booming roar that echoed throughout the rift. A large number of creatures that had been sealed in the rift began to assemble in front of the being. They had answered the call and were patiently waiting to find out why they had been summoned. “The…time..is..now” the being rasped in a deep, growling voice “we…..will….be free….soon…my brethren.” Releasing the power it had been gathering, thick strands of magical energy shot forth from the ends of the chains on its arms and legs. They attached themselves to the barriers that separated the rift from the two worlds as the being began to pull, drawing the barriers toward it as it did so. The barriers stretched slowly inward as the being strained with effort, cracks forming around the points where the magical bonds were attached. The being was beginning to lose strength when, with one final roar, the bonds that were restraining the being shattered. An enormous wave of energy crashed against the barriers, causing them to develop further cracks as the being began to laugh icily. “I am finally…..free” the being whispered as it examined its limbs for the first time in centuries. Its eyes sharpened as it peered through the darkness at the army that had assembled in front of it. Dark energy surrounded it as it gathered strength once more. The other creatures began to pour their power into the spell, causing the black aura to intensify and grow larger with each passing minute. Once it had gathered enough power, the being focused on condensing the aura into a dense sphere. Waves of power rippled from the sphere that was now clutched between the being’s claws. With a quick movement it released its hold on the object, followed by a massive explosion. As the shockwave struck the barriers, what little strength they had left was compromised; the barriers shattered, and the vacuum of the Void drew the two worlds together into one. “This…is just the beginning” the being hissed “they…will know….the true…meaning…..of TERROR.” Author’s Notes: The antagonist of the story has been introduced, and the path of the heroes has been set. Now you can all sit back and relax as the main events of the story begin to unfold. As always, I much appreciate any and all feedback regarding my writing so that I may improve the quality of my work. If you have any comments on the story so far, feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Also, much thanks to the ponies who are following my story and to my proofreader PHOENIx102 for all of his help in the editing process. The next chapter will be out soon, and in the meantime I hope you enjoy the story. - TitanXpony