//------------------------------// // The First Coma and the Tri-Edge // Story: .hack// Pony Protocol // by Shaq-of-All-Trades //------------------------------// 9 Months Later Twilight was there when it happened. The day Fluttershy fell into a coma. The day she was PK'ed by somepony referred to as "Tri-Edge." The day everything fell apart so horribly, Twilight doubted they'd ever be right again. The memory hurt, and Twilight clenched her eyes shut. She wasn't going to cry. She'd already shed too many tears. She opened her eyes and looked at the large building before her. The Grand Hullz Cathedral, a church relevant to the game's lore (which had intrigued her so much initially), seemed to look back at her, beckoning her to enter. It had been one month, but the event that occurred here still left fresh wounds on her heart. Fluttershy, kind, benevolent Fluttershy, struck down by some strange ability, and never waking up again. Fluttershy, who never fought any of the creatures and somehow managed to befriend them. No manner of magic nor medicine had been able to revive her, and not long after, more and more ponies had begun falling into these strange comas. Twilight had done all she could, but their team, 'The Elements of Harmony,' had fallen apart. Now, only one thing was on Twilight's mind... Revenge. She burst through the doors, the sound reverberating through the empty halls. An ivory pedestal, with the mark of Tri-Edge, was all that greeted her. She strode in, her hoof-steps echoing endlessly in through the shadows cast by the eternal twilight of this place. She looked about, scanning for anything, anything, that would give her a lead to the pony's whereabouts. But there was nothing here, nothing, nothing, never anything. Nothing that first day, nothing the day after, and probably nothing since she'd given up 'The World' for the month. She looked everywhere, but only found simulated dust and shattered hopes. "Oh Fluttershy... I'm so sorry. I just, I-" she said piteously, when an eerie blue glow was cast. Twilight's head shot up, and she turned to see an orb of azure fire bouncing behind her through the air. Before she could react, Twilight was blasted away by a wall of flames, into the door of the cathedral. When she managed to get up, she saw a single pony standing before her. It turned and looked at her, and her vision began to turn red. "You..." she said slowly, the memory coming back in full force. The empty look in the pony's eyes seemed to focus on her. It tilted its head, as if unsure what to make of her. Twilight's vision began to blur through tears and anger. This was the pony who had struck down Fluttershy. THIS was the pony responsible for the tear in her friendship. This was the pony who ruined everything!. "I'll destroy you!" Twilight shouted, drawing her daggers and rushing forward. Time seemed to slow, as the pony drew two daggers which opened to reveal three blades each. Her temper flared at the site, and she struck out. Her blow was blocked with ease, and she struck out several more times, none being more successful. She leaped back, and put away the daggers, and drew her broadsword, the blades along it dancing. She rushed forward and struck, driving with all her might. Tri-edge simply stood there, not even phased. She pushed harder, and harder, when she was blasted backwards with a flaming strike. Her sword slipped from her grasp, and she noticed her health had dropped quite a bit. She looked at the pony as he calmly walked towards her. "Wha-what are you?" she asked. The pony said nothing, only coming closer. 'This pony,' she thought darkly, mustering up her strength, 'This pony hurt Fluttershy!' Twilight drew out her final weapon, a dangerous looking scythe, and prepared to strike when her screen flashed and her weapon broke. "Huh?" Before she could react, Tri-Edge placed a hoof to her face and blasted her with fire. She struggled to stay standing, her health nearly depleted. Tri-Edge held his hoof up, and light began to swirl around it. Twilight found that looking at it made her head spin. The lights slowly solidified, then formed what looked like a cannon. Several blades of light spun behind it, and it glowed darkly. Twilight felt a sense of dread, and tried to back away, but her controls didn't seem to work. An orb shot out, hitting her dead in the chest. Twilight screamed, her actual body ablaze with pain. her vision faded to black, and she passed out onto the floor, a strange warmth blanketing her... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Twilight awoke and noticed that she was still playing 'The World.' She took a moment to try remembering what happened, when she noticed her character. Something was wrong; something was horribly, horribly wrong. She was once more a level 1, and all her game addresses were gone. Her equipment, her spells, her abilities... Everything. Gone, like a fickle wind on an autumn day. Twilight turned off the game, and went to lie down. Something had happened, and she wasn't sure what. She thought about looking for Spike, but he was probably still in Canterlot, attending to a request from Princess Luna. It seemed that Celestia was feeling under the weather lately, and Luna wanted Spike to help with her recovery. She would have left to do something with her friends, but nopony wanted to really talk much ever since what happened to Fluttershy. They didn't say, but she secretly figured they thought her responsible since she was the last one with her while she was conscious. A sing;e tear fell down Twilight's cheek. "Don't worry... I'll figure something out," she told herself softly, before falling into a dreamless sleep.