//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Spacetime Journey // Story: Equestria's Martial Warrior // by Charson //------------------------------// Loading a box in the back of a white delivery truck, a young man heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally, the last box... Time to clock out and head home," he said to himself with a content smile on his face. At an average height of 5'10, the young man sports mediocre looks, being fairly unnoticeable in a crowd. Wearing a somewhat messy undercut of black hair, and graced with a pair of blue eyes, he wiped his forehead of all the sweat from lifting the boxes into the truck all morning. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. Due to working this laborious job, he was fairly well off physically, sporting a lean yet well-built physique. Although he wasn't big, he gets the job done without much hassle. Being at the ripe age of twenty contributed as well. Opening his eyes and gaining focus once again, he looked around the warehouse. It filled with other coworkers, boxes, and forklifts scattered around. All of them fulfilling a purpose, no matter how small. Eventually, the young man's eyes land on a woman in particular. She was dressed in a uniform that makes it easy to distinguish them from the rest. Taking somewhat quick strides in an attempt to get home quicker, he closes the distance between them. "Ma'am, just wanted to let you know I finished loading up and gonna clock out." He states, doing his best to leave no room for discussion. The woman, with a somewhat short and stocky appearance, turns around to face the young man. "Alright, thanks for letting me know beforehand, Leo," she says in a very business-like manner. Waving his goodbyes, Leo quickly makes his way to clock out, not wanting to draw much attention to himself. However, things don't go quite according to his plan as a female co-worker of his slowly paces up to him with a scowl. "So, how're you gonna fix this prick?" If looks could kill I'd be dead for sure. I feel like she gets off at making my life less enjoyable. "What the hell are you talking about?" Leo's home-bound grin instantly fades into a grimace, as he knows he might not be leaving soon. Shaking his head, he looks at her like she's crazy "You were supposed to cover for me, but now I have to work instead of going out with my friends! Meanwhile, you get to go home and wallow like a loner!" She lays out her first-world strife, perhaps trying to scrounge for any sort of sympathy she can get from the poor sod in front of her. Never mind, she IS crazy. "Listen, I don't have time to listen to you whine about not being able to eat out your girlfriends tonight just because of work. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my bed, and let's face it, we both know not to keep a girl waiting," he says with the biggest shit-eating grin he could pull off. Shamelessly, he moves her aside from the computer, punching in his numbers in faster than a blink of an eye. Opening the exit door, he turns around to the insufferable woman, taking in the features on her face as they scrunch up in anger. Finally, he exclaims, "GOODBYE!!" Out of the woods, Leo gets to his car, an old but well-kept Toyota Corolla, and, unable to stifle his laughter, finally bursts out. "Pffft... AHAHAHA. She seriously thought I would work just so she could PARTY? What a joke HAHAHA. Maybe I should have told her to do stand-up!" he jokes to himself while pulling out of the parking lot. "Maybe I should pick up some food... Ehh, I'll just grab whatever's at home." The scenery as Leo drives around isn't too noteworthy, just the everyday landscape of the suburbs. Thankfully it isn't rush hour whenever he gets off work, giving him an easy drive home. About 20 minutes later, Leo pulls up to his apartment complex's parking lot that's filled to the brim cars. Finding a place to park, he then gets out and slowly makes his way to his room number. The apartment complex is a fairly nice place, with clean sidewalks, healthy trees, and well-trimmed grass. It also had some nice, trimmed hedges here and there and a swimming pool not too far off. Appreciating the view, he finally makes it to his destination. Unlocking the door and opening it he's greeted by the scent of familiarity. Not the cleanest scent however there was one word for it, home. Walking in, the apartment is fairly well-kept, with little to no dust on anything. It was a studio, a one-room apartment, so Leo didn't have to take care of anybody but himself, which he very much preferred. However, that also made it lonely. To the point where the apartment was only filled with necessities, besides the things in his room. It was a very minimalist setting, to say the least. Approaching the kitchen for his dinner, Leo is overcome with a slight dizziness, one that he has never felt before. It wasn't fierce but rather soft and oddly comforting. However, it went away as fast as it came, confusing him in the process. Shrugging it off, he grabs some leftover pasta from the night before and throws it into the microwave haphazardly. -Ding! Once done, he scarfs it down, not even giving himself time to enjoy the mediocre dish. After all, no one was watching and he was excited to be home. Putting his plate away in the wash, he lightheartedly whistles on his way to his room. Unlike the rest of his apartment, his room wasn't nearly as barren, filled with posters of different bands and artists of varying genres from rock, to metal, to pop-rap. A black guitar is sitting in the back right corner, worn with age and use, was sitting on a stand. The strings and neck, however, are very well taken care of in contrast. Next to it is undoubtedly an amp with pedals for said guitar, with stickers all over it from different bands such as "Pink Floyd" and "Dragonforce."Along with them was also a simple-looking keyboard sitting on a stand. In the other corner to the left was a PC setup on a desk with subwoofers hooked up to it underneath included with a chair in front. The rest of the room was fairly clean, with only a set of casual clothes strewn across the bed. Finally, at the foot of the bed are some weights, mostly dumbbells with a few plates. I could use some music right now, maybe some weed as well. Leo changes clothes from his workwear before anything else. It's nothing but a collared shirt and jeans, but it gets somewhat nasty with the constant sweat. Plopping on his chair, he opens up a drawer in his desk, inviting a somewhat rank smell into the room. Looking into it, he pulls out a grinder and opens it up, revealing the treasure of already ground marijuana. Grabbing a pipe that's in the drawer as well, he loads up a bowl into it. Finally, he gets the lighter in the stash and lights the bowl, taking a nice pull. Maaaaannn, this is some nice flower. After finishing, Leo turns on some music to play and sing along to on his guitar. Being in the mood to sing more than anything, he turns on "Asia - Who Will Stop The Rain", one of his favorite progressive rock songs. This song never gets old! Leo spends most of his afternoons like this, usually playing music, messing around on his PC, watching an occasional anime, or reading web novels and manga. It was mostly a lonesome activity with occasional activities with friends here and there. However, he liked it this way since it was familiar and he didn't need to listen to needless drama. This mindset led to Leo being very particular about friends, having only a handful. However, this handful was very close-knit, leading to close bonds between one another. Family, on the other hand, was something Leo had distanced himself from, being because of mostly mismatched values and expectations. This, however, unfortunately, lead to an intense estrangement between them. He hoped someday they could see eye to eye, but for now, it was like talking to a wall so he decided not to waste his breath. Time slowly passed into the evening, with the sound of music filling the room. Seeing it get dark, Leo decides it's time to get some much-needed sleep, beings that he was quite worn out from lifting boxes all morning. Crawling into bed after he strips down to his boxers, he gets nice and comfy. However, that same feeling of dizziness and comfort cover him once more, but even more evident, startling Leo. It was bizarre because the body seemed to welcome this outside force, frightening Leo even more. Ultimately unable to do anything, he decides to get it checked out tomorrow, hoping it won't affect him while driving on the way to the clinic. "Nighty night Leo," he whispers to himself before losing consciousness. ///Next Morning/// BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! "FUCK," Leo screams, "YOU RUINED MY BADASS DREAM!" Hitting his alarm to make it shut up, Leo raises his body, revealing his terrible case of bed head. Early bird gets the worm or whatever hehe. Leo goes through his usual morning schedule of working out, eating cereal, showering, hygiene, and dressing up. Thinking he'll be out for a bit while he gets this dizziness checked, he decides to bring his charger and headphones along with his usual phone and wallet. I think that's everything! Leo makes his way to the door, checking his pockets on the way just in case. Grabbing the doorknob, Leo is suddenly swallowed up by that same feeling of dizziness from last night. However this time it's different than before, very different, as though he could fall asleep right then and there. Without warning, he's flung through the ceiling into the air, constantly accelerating upwards. The sky, beautiful as it was on that bright sunny day, passed through his vision like a blur. Leo's face contorts into one of disbelief. What the hell is going on!? Leo is experiencing extreme speeds, heat clinging to his body. He's constantly speeding up going through first, the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, then the thermosphere. Once past the thermosphere, one of the last atmospheric layers, the heat encasing him begins to dissipate. Suddenly, he reaches an abrupt halt, all of this happening in a split second. Looking down, he's terrified. HOW IN THE FUCK!? I DIDN'T TAKE ANY DRUGS, I SWEAR!!! Under his feet is nothing, however, he can see the whole Earth, as though he's on the moon! If anything was comparable to the view, it would be those pictures of Earth as astronauts do a spacewalk. Floating in space, Leo is completely taken aback. There, he slowly floats around, taking in the view. Am I just stuck like this?! Suddenly, Leo is sucked back, even faster than before, into his body. Scared of what's to come, he's speechless. After all, this isn't exactly his first rodeo, having taken DMT a few times. Then, there's a sort of rubber band effect. Flung so fast into space, he has no time to even take in what's happening around him. The space-time around him is physically warping from his speed, causing the things in his vision to visibly warp and contort into an almost incomprehensible way. The only thing he can think of causing this is that's he's somehow moving faster than light. The lights then morph into a tunnel of ever-changing colors, a rainbow, where he's then being stretched and thinned out from his speed. The tunnel itself, colors as it was, was almost indecipherable, like an optical illusion in the way the colors change from changing through the process of a wave to it changing instantaneously into different colors. And, although Leo could only see the surface, he knew there was so much more he wasn't seeing just because of how fast he was moving and his perception being as small as it was. Like an ever escaping dream. Leo was in there for what felt like a few minutes, but in reality, was a split second. FUCK, it hurts but yet it's so damn beautiful! I don't even know how to feel! The colorful tunnel then leaves his vision, only for a giant shape to come into sight. Leo sees what he can only presume to be a fractal, a deep dark red, the same color you'd find on the bottom of a butcher's bucket, one that brings an instinctual fear, one he's relatively fast approaching. A never-ending spiral, constantly drilling through space. It was a truly magnificent sight, with complex maroon shapes that were swimming in the sea of blood with indescribable directions, splitting off as the fractal drilled further and further. However, as he approached the center of the fractal, it broke apart to reveal more and more layers. It just kept going, and going, and going, and going. Like petals upon a rosebud. His eyes are filled with the red scene of impossibility. The maroon geometric shapes come in and out of perception, leaving even more unanswered questions. He was stuck descending the bloody gorge in space for what felt like hours. Realizing this could possibly never end, Leo starts to panic. Is it going to keep going? Am I going to be here forever? Why did this have to happen now? Is this it?! Is this how I end?! Stuck?! GOD DAMMIT! As Leo is overcome with hysteria and indignation, the space around him begins to shatter and crack. The red scenery falls like glass, transforming everything into a vacuum of space, devoid of anything. Completely and utterly black. Like an abyss, all-consuming. He felt his very soul quake, his pupils waver. Slowly, eyes start to appear everywhere, looking into the deepest depths of Leo's soul as he's caught in possibly the most vulnerable moment of his life. They look down on him, as though he is merely dirt. He can feel his ego slowly crumble under the intense gazes. I'm scared. They won't stop looking at me. They won't stop. Why? Why?! Just leave me alone like everyone else! STOP! In the ensuing insanity, Leo slowly caves into himself, feeling as though he is becoming something he isn't. It mattered not how sinister or virtuous, but that the thoughts were different than the norm. A horrifying feeling, having the mind overcome with thoughts unwanted. However, Leo suddenly has a train of thought that's saved him through situations like this. Leo, it'll be okay, it's temporary. Breathe The eyes are still there and are staring, but Leo "removes" himself from his mind through his breathing. He focuses on simply taking in what is around him and nothing more. His stray thoughts were as loud as before, if not more so, but it was perceived as white noise to Leo's consciousness. Unneeded information. As he approaches the never-ending space of watching eyes, he witnesses it morph. The space is filled with a bright white light, the eyes closing themselves from the radiance.The light envelops an image of what looks like a celestial fox. A god. It was like looking at the sun with how bright it was. A god.... fox? As the celestial being graces Leo with its appearance, Leo swiftly approaches the fox, a feeling of warmth bathing his body all the while. The heat slowly becomes more intense, rising to an unbearable temperature, forcing Leo to bite his tongue just to keep conscious. He wants the pain to end so terribly, that he feels the moments reach a point of becoming an eternity. Closing the distance between the two, Leo notices the fox begins to form a more solid body, taking on a soft white coat of fur, pulsing and burning like a white-hot sun, with the ends of its limbs tinged with red flowing flames. Behind the fox, Leo becomes aware that there are nine white tails, each with the same red tint on the ends as the other limbs. Suddenly, he's brought to a stop within an arm's reach of the fox. As he stares at it, the god slowly moves its gaze towards Leo, sending shivers down Leo's body from the sheer pressure of the diety. Then, it speaks. "North." A fathomlessly powerful vibration distorted the space-time around Leo. The word carved itself within Leo's very being. Just one word. However, Leo didn't need anymore to understand what it wanted. After speaking, the divine fox quickly fades out of existence like a blur. However, right before it fades completely, Leo makes out a weird expression on its face, almost like a smirk. Once completely gone, Leo is all alone once again. This is so crazy man hahaha. Leo thinks to himself as he laughs internally from the stress. Suddenly, the void is filled, the black background is replaced by a breathtaking view. Looking around, he sees all these beautiful nebula clouds, something that simply couldn't be experienced in any other setting. The clouds were of a golden sheen with a purple and green backdrop. The view was ephemeral. There, he accelerates once again through a multi-colored space-time tube again. However, at the end of it, he can see Earth. The only thing Leo couldn't seem to put his finger on is why the planet looked so vibrant compared to before. It was both familiar yet completely different. I just don't understand...Maybe it's drugs, but I didn't take any. Even if I was on any, it should've been just as vibrant before as it is now... Life lesson, don't ask questions I guess... Stagnant above the planet, Leo begins to feel the same warmth from the godly being from before, but this time it starts to get hot. Uncomfortably hot in fact. Wait why does it BURN SO MUCH!! DAMMIT, IT'S SO HOT!! Slowly advancing towards the planet, Leo begins to lose consciousness from the immense heat attacking his body and mind. He can feel the heat in his muscles, his bones, the marrow of his bones. A truly excruciating pain. It was like he was being burnt alive. He feels as though he is becoming ash itself. To maybe combat the heat, his body forces his eyes shut, but this just makes his mind shut down that much faster. Leo's mind slows down, so much so that it comes to a halt. Just.. why... is.. th..is.. ha...pp...e...n...i...n.....g...... Completely out cold, Leo leaves the will of the universe to take care of him.