//------------------------------// // Episode 1: In a New World, as a Pony // Story: My New Life as a Pony // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// "What's happening? My head. It feels...fuzzy." His eyes flickered open, whilst his body slowly began to wake up and started sending signals to his fogged up brain. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying on a flat hard surface. The second thing he noticed was some kind of light, that was shining right above him. This made him flinch and turn his gaze away from the ceiling. He let out a moan as he tried to reboots his brain. "Why do I feel so horrible?" He could barely remember who he was or what the last thing he did was. What was wrong with him? "Oh," a new voice cause his attention, "finally awake I see." He slowly turned towards the voice and forced his eyes open, allowing him to see what was around him. He didn't see anyone at first, but he was able to get a good look at the room he was in. An almost entirely dark blue void, with white pillars lining what he assumed were the walls. He then glanced down and saw he was laying on a stone table of some sort. "Who said that?" He finally asked, groaning as his aching body pushed him to sit up on the table. "I am over here." He turned towards the voice and finally spotted another occupant in the room. It was a tall woman with pure white skin and bright red hair, wearing beautiful robes. She smiled at him, this somehow filling him with comfort. "Hello my child." "Who...who are you?" "I am a friend," she assured him. "I mean you know harm. As for a name...why don't you call me Faust." "Faust?" He asked, "alright." He looked around, "where am I?" The look on Faust's face told him this was gonna be one of those 'it's complicated' things. "Well...to put it simply...you're dead." This got his brain to completely stop as the information was absorbed into his brain. And finally, it was completely processed. "I'M WHAT!" He leapt up to his feet, only to suddenly feel an intense pain shoot through his head. "AUGH!" He clutched his head as he fell to his knees, Faust gasping. "Careful. Your memories are starting to synchronise with you again. The information overload can be a little much." "You don't say," he quipped back before it happened. In the blink of an eye, he suddenly relived his entire life. Everything he had ever done flowed into his brain and information registered. "That's it. My name is Brad." He looked up at Faust, "Bradley Sengood." Faust nodded. "Indeed. Bradley Sengood. A sixteen year old boy who enjoyed playing guitar and having fun with his friends and family, but who has just lost his life in the world he lived in." Brad frowned as he looked down at the ground. "How? I don't...remember dying? The last thing I remember...I just left my house to go to school." "Yes," Faust nodded, "that's because of the nature of your death. It happened so suddenly, your brain didn't have time to process it before you died." "How...how did I die?" He asked, hoping it wasn't anything embarrassing. Instead of answering, Faust raised her hand and something appeared next to her. A Television. It switched on before he could ask what was going on and it began to show the image of a camera moving down a street, or at least what he assumed was a camera. But then he recognised the busy street it was going down. The same one he used to get to school. "Is this...what I saw when I died?" Faust nodded and Brad continued to watch his death from his own point of view. He arrived at a road and stopped at the lights. Several cars flew passed and Brad spotted a woman and her young child on the other side. The last car zoomed passed and the road appeared clear, with the next car several meters away. The light turned green and he stepped out onto the road, the woman and child doing the same. But before they could get fully across, a loud honking caught their attention. They turned to see the oncoming car swerving and not slowing down, the vehicle zooming towards them. And Brad quickly realised it was going to crash into the woman and her child. The video suddenly slowed to a crawl as Brad watched his past self run forward and push the two bystanders out of the way, both falling back and hitting the ground but were both out of the car's path. Unfortunately, Brad had moved into its path and turned to get only a glimpse of the vehicle before the screen went black. Brad couldn't believe it. "I...I saved them." Faust nodded. "You sacrificed your life and saved three more lives in your place." "Three?" "The woman was pregnant. I took a quick look ahead and it's going to be a boy she names after you?" Brad felt touched by that, but it didn't change the fact. "I'm dead." Faust nodded. "So what happens now?" He turned to her, "I'm I going..." He pointed up at the ceiling, "or..." He then pointed downwards, making Faust laugh. "You saved three innocent lives. You really think that doesn't earn you a spot in the good place." Brad smiled at this, "but that's not why you're here?" Now he raised an eyebrow. "Your life was unfairly cut short. You acted without thinking and were willing to throw away your own life for someone you've never even met. You're quite the hero, aren't you?" Brad frowned, "I'm no hero. Heck, I'd like to be. But I doubt I would have become one in my old life." "Don't be so sure. Real heroes aren't those who do big acts of courage or stop dangerous villains. A true hero is one who acts, not because they have to, but because they want to. You didn't have to save those people, but you wanted to. You could have lived a great life and helped many other people. But because you were willing to sacrifice it, you've earned a second chance." "What kind of second chance?" He asked, only for two doors to appeared behind Faust. "The door to my left leads to the afterlife," she explained. "There, everything you could ever want or need will be provided for you. You'll never have to worry about a thing ever again." He then looked at the other door, "and that one?" "That door leads to another world. Should you step through it, you will be reborn and get to live a completely new life." "Wait..." Brad thought about this before realising what this was, "you wanna isekai me?" Faust looked surprised, clearly not expecting him to know that phrase. "I've heard a few people talking about it once and looked it up. But that's what this is, right. You want to send me to another world, most likely one willed with magic and all that stuff. Right?" "Pretty much. Though it's completely your choice. You can chose to go to the afterlife, or be reborn. It's entirely up to you." Brad nodded, wondering which one to pick. "Don't feel rushed. You can have as much time as you want to make a decision." Brad nodded again. "But I must warn you. If you chose to be reborn, then everything gets reset. You won't be guaranteed a spot in the good place the next time you die. Everything you did in your previous life will mean squat to the final decision." "So if I do something truly horrible in the next life, I could end up..." He pointed downwards and Faust nodded. "That detail usually puts people off this reincarnation thing. So...what will it be?" Brad's eyes glanced from door to door, his gut turning. Risk losing his shot at heaven or spend the rest of eternity wondering what his new life would be like. In the end, he made his decision. "You're offering me the chance to see a whole new world. One that could be nothing like the one I knew." He smiled, "how could I refuse that opportunity." Faust smiled at this as he nodded, "isekai me." "Very well," she nodded back. "If that is what you want, what kind of life do you wish for?" This confused Brad. "If you want, I could make you the firstborn son of a king. You would have money and all the power in the world. Or, if you don't want that much responsibility, I could make you the son of a wealthy business owner. You'd still never have to worry about money again. Or heck, if you wanted, I could make you the child of a potato farmer." Brad laughed at this but then thought hard about her word, remembering what she said earlier. "You said I was a hero, but I never felt like one. But I'd like to be." He looked her in the eye. "So that's the life I want to live. I want to be a hero. A true hero, who does everything they can to help those around him." Faust smiled at this. "We were right to give you this chance. Very well. The life of a true hero will be waiting for you when you are reborn." Brad nodded and turned towards the door, then a thought occurred to him. "So...how's this work? Do I just go through the door and suddenly I wake up in the forest of another world? How am I supposed to live if that happens?" Faust laughed. "You won't just appear in this new world. You'll be reborn. Literally. You'll step through that door and then, you'll be a freshly born baby." "Seriously?" He turned to her, "you want me to spend the next few years unable to talk or control when I go to the bathroom?" Faust laughed again. "Relax. You won't be conscious of all that. All your former memories, including the ones of our meeting, will be sealed away until a certain point. Then, when you're old enough, you'll wake up and all your memories will be restored." "That makes sense," Brad nodded. "So...how long will my memories be sealed away?" Faust hummed at this before nodding. "Well...you lived in your previous life for sixteen years and a hundred and seventeen days. So you'll spend sixteen years and a hundred and seventeen days in this new world without your memories. That way, you'll be able to adjust to the new world without issue. On the hundred and eighteenth day of your sixth year in this new world, you'll awaken with all your memories of your old life in tact. How's that sound?" Brad nodded. "I can work with that. As long as I don't die before I get my memories back, it shouldn't be an issue." "Then let's get your reincarnated." She gestured to the door and Brad began to make his way towards it. "No matter what happens in your next life, just remember this. You are an amazing person and as long as you stay true to your heart, nothing will be able to stop your from attaining your heart's desire. The world is yours for the taking. Just remember not to take to much at once." Brad nodded and after taking a deep breath, he reached out and grabbed the door handle. Pulling it open, the door unleashed a brilliant light that almost blinded Brad. He stole his nerve and stepped forward, letting the light consume him. The bright light forced his to close his eyes and as he did, everything around him went dark and he suddenly lost consciousness. He wasn't sure how long he was knocked out, but when he came around he noticed a few things. The first was that the left side of his face was pressed up against something soft. The second was that something was wrapped around his leg. The third was that when he tried to wiggle his toes, he couldn't. And the final thing was a sensation he felt on his upper back, as if something that wasn't there before was moving. His body finally began to respond to him and he lifted his head before reaching up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, then felt that sensation on his back again. This made him look around and see what was causing it. A large orange feathered wing. "Wha..." Was all he could say at first, then look around and spotted a twin wing besides the first. "What am I?" He reached down and grabbed the covers before pulling them off him, allowing him to look down at his feet...which weren't there. Instead, he had a pair of hooves on the end of his legs. And wrapped around one of his legs was a long blue tail, which soon pulled itself free from around the appendage. He then reached up and felt his face, but sighed when he realised it was the same as before. But that sigh was premature, as he then noticed the sides of his head were missing his ears. "Hello?" he spoke, hearing the sound so knew he had something to hear with. And after a little patting, he finally located large pointed ears near the top of his head coming through his hair. He then looked around the room and found it was that of a teenage boy, with posters on the wall, action figures on the shelves and a few books and comics piled up on the floor. He then noticed a mirror on a nearby wall and realised he could get a better look at himself, so got up out of bed. He could, surprisingly, move quite well on his hoofed feet. Though that probably shouldn't be a surprise, giving he had already lived sixteen years as...whatever he was. He reached the mirror and finally got a look at the body he was now inhabiting. Strangely enough, he was met with almost the exact same face he had in his previous life. Literally, the only thing about him that was different were his ears. "I guess she decided to make it easier on me by giving me the same face." As he said that, something new happened. Once again, he clutched his head and cried out. "Ahhh!" He yelled, staggering back as he was suddenly bombarded with information and memories. It quickly realised what these were. His life in the world he lived in now. "I remember." Regaining his old memories had pushed his new ones to the back of his mind, but now they had flooded back and he could remember everything about himself. "My name is Flash Sentry. I live with my mom, Misty Vail, and my dad, Trail Blazer. Mom's a librarian and dad works as a town guard." He looked at the wings on his back, then at his hooves as he remembered what he was. "I'm a pony. Or...my species evolved from ponies. And I'm an Avian." Avian were humanoids that were descended from a group of winged horses named pegasi. Aside from Avian, there were also Magi, who were descended from horned ponies named unicorns, and Terran, whose ancestors were just simple horses with incredible strength and stamina. All were different races, but still part of the same group known as Equestrians. And they weren't the only creatures that exist in the world he lived in. He looked his body over and saw he was wearing sweatpants and a loose shirt, his usual clothing attire. He then moved over to a window and looked out into a large town with multiple houses of moderate size. There was a forest to west of the town and to the north was a long stretch of mountains. His village was the second most northern one in Equestria, the kingdom he lived in, only being beaten out by Rainbow Falls. Multiple humanoid ponies could be spotted, with some looking very different to him. Some were Avian, like him, who were flying around in the air or simply walking along the ground. He also spotted some Magi, who were walking down the street. Their horns were all glowing different colours, signalling they were using magic. Said magic caused things to levitate or change colour or any other thing the Equestrian using it desired. And, of course, there were the Terran. They were carrying heavy loads or pulling large carts filled with produce. On many of the Equestrian's shoulders, was a strange tattoo-like mark that was different for every pony. Those were their cutie marks The reborn human named Flash looked away from the window and sat on his bed, then looked towards his own shoulder and rolled up the sleeve. His shoulder was bare, signalling he didn't have a cutie mark. "Flash!" He looked up, hearing the voice of his mother. "Are you up yet?" "Err...yeah!" He called back, quickly getting up and going to a nearby closet. Opening it up, he saw a multitude of clothing he could wear that had holes so his wings and tail didn't have to be covered up. He picked a white shirt and jeans and put them on, then headed downstairs. It felt weird, walking through the house he had called home for the last sixteen years. It felt both familiar and very distant. And the same could be said when he entered the kitchen and spotted his parents. Misty Vail, a silver Magi with purple hair and eyes. Her cutie mark was a triquetra. Meanwhile, Trail Blazer was an older version of his son. He had a beard and his cutie mark was a map that was on fire. "Morning son," he told the teenager as he read the paper. "Err...morning," he told him before sitting down. With each passing second, more and more memories of his time with the two of them flowed into his head. The stories his mother would read him at night. The days spent playing with his father and the excitement he had whenever they took him out for a picnic or something. More feeling of happiness began to fill his heart as he felt a bond with them reforge. "What are you smiling about?" His mother asked as she walked over with three plates of food hovering around her, her reincarnated avian shaking his head. "Nothing. Just...it's a really good morning." His parents nodded as Misty put the food down, the three of them beginning to eat. "So, Flash," Trail looked up at him. "Have you given what we talked about yesterday anymore thought." Flash was a little confused by this, but then her remembered. The previous night, before his old memories came back, his parents had asked him about what his plans for the future were. Flash had replied telling them the same thing he always said, which would be his answer now. "I told you. I'm gonna be an adventurer." A frown appeared on both their lips. Flash knew why, but he was determined more than ever. Now that he remembered the life he wanted to live in his previous life, he knew being an adventure would be his best chance of being a hero. Adventurers were warriors, spellcasters or any other kind of RPG class that went exploring thought the realm. The kingdom of Equestria was vast and whilst some of it was populated, there were large chunks of the place that nobody...nopony had ever seen before. New areas were being discovered almost everyday, which was where the adventurers come in. They would explore these areas and discover their secrets. And it wasn't just that. Adventurers were also tasked with defeating powerful monsters that are causing problems, or finding certain items that might be needed for one reason or another. Being an adventurer was never boring, but there was just one small problem. "Flash," Misty sighed, "we want nothing more then for you to become an adventurer. But..." "But we just can't afford to send you to the Adventurer's Academy," Trail told him. The Adventurer's Academy was a school where Equestrians learned to be adventurers. Once you graduate, you instantly become part of the Royal Adventurer's Union, which was under the command of the ruler of Equestria herself. Celestia. There were five academies in Equestria. The closest one to them was just outside the city of Manehatten, but going there cost a lot of money. "So," Flash told him, "I don't need to go to the academy to be an adventurer. I'll just start as a freelance adventurer, like you guys did." The pair flinched hearing this. "Even if I'm not apart of the union, I'll still be able to get work and then I'll make a name for myself and eventually, the union will invite me to join them." "Flash!" Misty frowned, "you know how dangerous being an untrained adventurer is. One in ten don't survive passed their first year. We should know." Flash frowned, remembering the stories they told him. Misty and Trail had both been freelance adventurers, which was how they met, but retired after the pair of them almost died on a mission together. Despite surviving, the two were badly injured and couldn't do anything for months. On the plus side, that time recovering made them fall in love and chose to get married. "We're not saying you should give up on trying to get into the academy," Trail told him. "We just want you to have a backup plan, encase you don't." "It's not easy to get a scholarship," Misty nodded. "Your grades are good, but they'll need to be a lot better if want to get in." "Alright," Flash nodded, "I get it. I'll think of something else, but I'm not gonna stop trying to get into the academy. I'll study and train until it kills me if that's what it takes." He took the last few bites of his breakfast before getting up, "I gotta get going. I'm never gonna get in if I'm late for school." He left the table before his parents could say anything and headed back upstairs, going into the bathroom where he brushed his teeth, washed his face and combed his hair...mane. Once that was all done, her headed back into his room and grabbed everything he would need for school. Placing them in a backpack, he placed it on so it hung between his wings. "I'm off!" He called out before heading for the window, opening it up and jumping out. He feel a few feet and then spread his wings allowing him to glide down until he hit the ground. He smirked, loving his wings. He didn't know if Faust had mentally probed him to see which race he would want to be, but she had definitely picked the one he would choose. He spread his wings again and began to run before jumping up, the speed and lift of beating his wings pushing him into the air. He flew up and up and up until he was soaring above the town, allowing him to get a great look of the place. Despite seeing it a hundred times before, seeing it now that he remembered his old life made him smirk. He spotted the large wall that encased the town, keeping it safe from any scary creatures that lived in the woods and might try to attack it. "Alright," he told himself, "what do I know about this world?" He looked around and remembered everything he could. "The most important thing to remember is the magic system." He remembered when he was a kid, watching a bunch of kids shows with different magical abilities. In this world, the magic fell into ten categories. First there was the pony magic that depended on the type of pony you were. An Avian like him not only had the power to fly, but they could also walk on and manipulate clouds. All of the weather in the kingdom was created by Avians and handed out around the country. Terran magic allowed them incredible strength, stamina, whilst also allowing them to connect to the earth itself and determine what soil was good at growing what type of plants. Almost all the farms in Equestria were run by earth ponies. Then there were the Magi who, much as their names explained, had magical abilities. Most Magi could only use weak magic, such as levitation or basic household cleaning spells. High level magic could only be done by the most powerful of Magis, whilst standard Magi did what they could with their magic to continue their work. Aside from the species magic, there other magic in this world was Elemental Magic. There were six Elements, each given a specific name. Sky Magic allowed the wielder to manipulate the elements of wind and lightning, which was one many Avians tended to have. Land Magic allowed the wielder to manipulate the elements of earth and plant life, which almost every Terran could use in conjunction with their Terran Magic. Sea Magic allowed the manipulation of water and ice, whilst Blaze Magic allowed one to create and control fire. Then there was Lumino and Shadow Magic, which was the control of light and darkness. Then, there was the tenth and most special magic. Null Magic. Null Magic was also known as personal magic, since it was very rare for any two individuals to have it. Sometimes, Null Magic would be passed down from parent to child but most of the time, only one Equestrian could wield a type of Null Magic. Null Magic could be any kind of magic, whether it be an Avian with the ability to make a duplicate of themselves or a Terran that could turn anything they touch to stone. Null magic wasn't something everybody in the world had, but those that did usually had it because if was connected to their special talent. These ten types of magic were what made up Equestria's magical abilities. Aside from their Species Magic, everypony in Equestria had at least one Elemental Affinity. But some ponies had more than one. Flash, for example, had three Affinities. He had the Sky, Blaze and Sea Affinities, but no Null Magic. In very rare cases, Equestrians were born with all five Affinities but he had only known of one person with that. The Ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. She was a rare breed of pony that had wings of an Avian, horn of a Magi and the strength and stamina of a Terran. That breed of pony was simply known as an Omni, the most powerful type of pony there was. And her Null Magic allowed her to raise the sun and the moon, giving life and light to their world. She was also an immortal and many ponies considered her a goddess, although Flash had heard she didn't like to be called that. She and all the Magi had the power to use magic on their own with their affinities, whilst Avians and Terrans needed to use weapons and other magical items that were specifically designed to channel that magic in order to use them. That was why every Adventurer needed the best equipment in order to get the most out of their magic. If Flash wanted to be a hero, he would need to find a weapon that could handle all three of his affinities. But that was gonna be tricky for him. "What else to I know," Flash asked himself. "This world is a mixed bag technology wise. Things like fridges and cookers exist, along with large vehicles like trains. But they don't have cars, or any other vehicles that run on gasoline. They have electricity, but it all comes from magical sources." To prove his point, he looked down and spotted a Magi selling a green crystal to an Avian. He then sold a red crystal to a Terran, which was a crystal that radiated heat and was used to keep homes warm. "There's also no internet or phones, but weirdly there are video games." He flew passed the town's part and spotted some kids playing an arcade game, cheering as they got the high score. "I can work with this. Heck, with my new knowledge of a more advanced world, I could make a fortune if I figure out how to invent a computer." He then frowned, "but that's not what I want to do with this new life." No, his goal in this new world was to become a hero like he hoped when he was offered the chance to be reincarnation. "I have to work extra hard to try and get a scholarship into the adventurer's academy." As he continued through the town, he thought about everything he would need in order to get that scholarship. Since he was an Avian, he needed to be a really good flyer. He would also need to become skilled using weapons, as most adventures were experts with one particular weapon. Flash would either need to master one weapon for either close, mid or long range, or become a jack of all trades with them all. In that moment, he spotted the large building in the center of town that was its school. "We're halfway through the school year already, so I've got one and a half years to become someone worthy of being given that scholarship." He gulped, "easy." He landed on the ground in front of the school gates and saw multiple teens of different races heading into it. It might have been a small town, but every house in the town had at least one child of school age. Flash's class only had ten people, including him, with most grades being around fifteen students full. He spotted his classmates heading inside and took a deep breath. "Alright. Today's the day I start my serious work to achieve my dream," he strode forwards. "I will become a hero!"