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// Chapter 1: Music is Magic 
// Story: Equestrian Musician 
// by Jason Monroe 
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???’s POV


I woke up and looked around as I saw that I was in a forest of some kind with trees all around me. I stood up and picked up my fedora before putting it back on. I tried to remember how I got here and all that I could remember was a deal and a game as well as the rules. I tried to remember who I was, only for my mind to pull a blank. I was about to start freaking out before my mind was filled with more information than I knew what to do with.

In an instant I knew everything about my new body as well as my new powers, though I was extremely curious about how I was supposed to use them since they were all based around different instruments, with the exception of an ability called metronome. Metronome forced anything that could hear my music, whether it be instruments or singing, to move in sync with the music unless they wanted to be frozen in place. I knew how to play the instruments, but at the moment it seemed that the only instrument I had was the music box inside my chest that was playing a slow lullaby.

While I was thinking my chest opened up like a door before the music box came out, revealing that it was almost over and needed to be wound up again. I took some time to wind it up enough for it to last me a day at most. Once that was done, I put the music box away before my chest closed.

“It seems that I am some sort of robot. That is...concerning.” I said out loud to myself before I heard what sounded like a woman scream. I quickly ran towards the scream without thinking and what I saw terrified me.

There was a woman with waist-length gold hair cornered by what my limited memory called a manticore. The woman wore a beautiful set of white armor with a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. On the center of the shield was a symbol of the sun and moon while on the right pauldron of the armor was a symbol of a halo and wings surrounded by a golden light. But the thing that made my eyes go wide in shock was the horse like face and feet as well as the horn protruding from her head and the white fur that covered her body.

I heard the woman shout for help as she held back the manticore using her shield to block it’s tail and what I can only call light magic to block the beast’s swipes. The shout knocked me out of my daze and, without even thinking, I grabbed a leaf from a nearby tree before rolling it into the shape of a Slek or Leaf Flute. Once the Slek was made I ran up to the two before starting to play a song that appeared in my mind.

As I played the song, vines started to grow from the ground and wrap around the manticore, rendering it immobile. When the woman saw this she just stared at me with wide eyes before trying to run in and decapitate it, only for her body to freeze in place. I stopped playing for a second and shouted.

“You have to move with the music or my powers will prevent you from moving!”

Upon hearing my explanation, she nodded as I went back to playing the song. She started gracefully moving with the music before getting close enough to decapitate the manticore, which is exactly what she did. The head fell off of the manticore’s body as I stopped playing the flute, causing the vines to go back into the ground with the manticore’s body falling as well. I let out a sigh of relief before looking at the leaf in my hand as the woman approached me.

“Thank you good sir. I appreciate your assistance though if I may inquire, what was that magic you used? It reminds me of nature magic but it didn't start until you used that strange leaf.” She said while pointing to the Slek in my hand. I went to put the Slek in my pocket before a compartment opened in my midsection, causing the woman to jump back a bit while I just shrugged and put the Slek inside it. The compartment closed and I smiled at the fact that I gained a new instrument.

“I have a new question for you. What are you?” The woman asked while standing in a fighting stance. I sighed before taking off my fedora and bowing.

“I am a metallic individual that runs on the soul from my original body. This body was designed to look similar to the species of my original body, though I cannot remember the name of it. You may refer to me as a robot and, while I do not remember my real name, you can refer to me as The Music Man.” I said with a happy smile on my face before standing up and putting my fedora back on.

The woman stared at me with slight fear in her eyes upon hearing that I was merely a soul tied to a body, though she did not loosen her stance.

“You do realize that your very existence falls under the category of dark magic known as necromancy, right?” She asked while her horn began to glow.

“Oh yes, though I don't believe there was any magic used in my creation. You see while I may not remember everything about my past I do remember how I came to be what I am. In short I died in my universe and was given a choice by a man that called himself The Hated Saint. The choice was simple. I could pass on and go to the afterlife or I could play a game with him. Since I would require a body to play the game he would give me one and the game would start. It's a simple game of hide and seek. If I find him I get my original body back as well as my memories and the chance to return to my universe the morning of my supposed death. That's the basics of it at least.” I explained while still smiling as I kept thinking about ways to acquire more instruments.

The woman just stared at me for a couple of seconds before reaching out and touching my face, only to pull her hand back quickly. Her eyes were wide but went back down to their normal size, though they were filled with many emotions ranging from pity to sadness.

“Umm. Would you like to come stay at my house for the night? I know we just met but consider this payment for saving my life.” She offered before her eyes widened in realization. “Ah! I haven't even introduced myself! My name is Angelic Light. It is a pleasure to meet you sir Music Man.” She said with a bow before standing up straight. I smiled before shrugging and fixing my fedora.

“Thank you. I think I will take you up on that offer. Please lead the way Miss Light.” I said with a smirk while straightening my rainbow tie.