//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: A Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous World 
// by Wing Dancer 
//------------------------------//

	Taric, the Gem Knight, esteemed and well known hero of the League of Legends, was enjoying yet another peaceful day, traversing one of the many Valoran cave systems. His gem encrusted armor cast an eerie, blue light on the irregular walls surrounding the champion. A nearby pool of crystal clear water was disturbed by a drop falling from one of the many jagged stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Only by Taric's armored footsteps could be heard echoing in the tunnel.

The knight enjoyed exploring such fine caverns. He heard the call of gems deep from within, their magic speaking to him in ways others could only wish to experience. His vibrant blue eyes slowly took in the beauty of it all – people have yet to find this place and ruin it with their pickaxes, chisels and greedy hands. They did not understand the nature of earth and its treasures. Beauty should be set free and appreciated in its natural form.

As he ventured deeper into the darkness he whispered to his armour, causing it to shine brighter than  before. Everyone accused Taric of being a hypocrite – if gems were to be left alone, why did his armour contain so many and of such great quality? They did not understand his answer, nor were they even willing to hear it.

Gems held magic. A different, primeval type of magic. It served no man and no creature, evil or good. It lived its own life, an existence that originated during the birth of the very ground beneath. As such, it had its own mind and mysterious plans, some of which even the Gem Knight did not understand. It was apparently one of the magic's plans for a young Taric to wander one day into a cave and witness a cave-in that trapped him for two days and two nights in the darkness.


* * *


The knight was trapped for good. He spent most of his energy trying to budge any of the boulders, only managing to scratch and bruise his hands. During his struggle, especially at dawn and dusk, Taric heard a calling, something that compelled him to finally move deeper into his would-be tomb. In total darkness, he did not trip nor fumble once, as if led down a path by the mysterious sounds. As despair at his insanity slowly began to creep its way into the knight's heart, he saw a soft, blue light right around a corner.

The glow turned out to be something beyond amazing. In a pool of water so clear it looked like it wasn't there, there lay gems. Sapphires that hummed the same song that drew Taric into the cave. They called out to him harder than ever before, a tune that shook the very foundations of his being. They had the perfect form and shape, as if a master artisan worked on them for weeks on end. But why would such precious stones end up dumped into a forgotten cave?

Without a conscious thought, the knight reached out for a gem, the water around his hand cool and soothing. He lifted up a single sapphire, holding it gingerly between his thumb and index finger. Taric never saw anything as beautiful and graceful ever before in his life.

Without haste and with utmost care, the future Gem Knight deposited the gems into a pouch made from his shirt. It was not the most fitting of containers for such treasure, and Taric kept apologizing for such treating. As the last gem left the pond, the knight heard a shifting sound behind him and the earth beneath his feet trembled.

With the gems held firmly by his stomach, Taric returned the way he came, with a soft blue light shooing away the darkness before him. As he reached the collapsed part of the cave, he found that the boulders moved ever so slightly, but enough for him to squeeze through and towards freedom.

His body was bruised and blood leaked from the many scratches he had sustained, but he made every possible effort to keep the gems from harm. He escaped and lived to tell his tale, one that hardly anyone believed.


* * *


A cracking sound beneath his foot caused Taric to snap out of his memories. The calling was stronger here, somewhere inside the wall he was looking at. His armour resonated in response to the sounds, creating a beautiful song that very few could appreciate. The sounds were joyful, making Taric feel like he had witnessed two relatives reunite after a very long time. The knight came closer, closing his eyes and placing an ear against the solid, cool rock.

The symphony of sounds created a vibrant and colourful image in his head, with rainbows shifting in and out of sight. They reminded him of the night sky auroras, drifting through space far above the earth. Here, deep down underground, he could almost touch this fantastic phenomenon, feel it as cool air breezing through his senses.

Taric's moment of bonding with the earth was interrupted however by a different type of call. This one was more firm, majestic, blinding him with a purplish light that stroke from the heavens. It was a signal that the knight knew well, and welcomed with a gentle smile.

The League of Legends called upon him again. His shield would protect the weak against the wicked. His hammer would cause tremors in the hearts of his enemies. The magic of earth would erode the wall of resistance stretched before him, sending whatever foes he would face back from whence they came.

Before the purple light enveloped the Gem Knight completely, Taric managed to spare a single thought:

Hopefully I'll lead the charge with Ezreal again. He is truly, truly a remarkable hero.


* * *


Usually during a summoning, the hero felt nothing – it was like being cast to a void, only to reappear again with your feet firm on the cold stone of a summoning platform. This time, it was different. And troubling.

Taric felt as if he was being pulled somewhere upside down. There was no ground for him to feel or look at and the feeling of vertigo made him nauseous. He could not help but feel that he was rolling around, cast onto a purple stream that was neither hot nor cold. He could not breathe and felt his hands and feet give way to crushing pressure. His face was being sucked outside by an invisible force and his brain was trying to escape through a coin sized point on his forehead. His posterior was hurting and the knight actually got worried that at one point he might have done something undignified. 

The constant whirling and pain that seemed to last forever stopped abruptly, replaced by the feel of something hard slamming into his whole body. Usually things slamming into his frame wasn't a big deal – the magic of earth protected him, along with the best thick Demacian armour Taric could afford. 

The impact left the knight breathless. His whole body was sore and felt twisted, as if a carriage of many horses ran over him many, many times. The knight was afraid to open his eyes, if he even had those after this perplexing event. Where was he now? He did not hear the shimmering of the Summoning Crystal. These were not the Fields of Justice. Nobody rushed to his aid to see what was going on. There was only silence.

As his body regained its ability to feel again, it screamed with utter pain. The knight opened his mouth and cried out, the voice not his. Taric was proud of his deep, soft tone, sometimes referred to as a “balm for shattered nerves”. The sounds coming out of his throat now were not only ungraceful, but also slightly higher.

To Taric's surprise, another voice churned in, also screaming. It sounded like a woman in distress, which was the knight's speciality. In an instant he decided to put aside his current state and help the maid before anything else. That was his code of honour. Put the needs of others before his own.

With a valiant effort, the Gem Knight opened his eyes, immediately assaulted by bright sunlight and an unknown scenery. Squinting, he saw a wooden floor, walls with glass windows and books. Lots and lots of different coloured spines sporting some strange symbols. And closer, much closer, there were four horse feet. They were purple.

“Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh!” sounded a female voice from above. It was probably the steed's rider that was in trouble. 

The knight made another great effort and lifted his head. Staring right back at him were two lavender eyes under a storm of purple hair. Protruding from that mess was a horn of a darker shade of purple.

The horse opened its mouth and a voice sounded. “Ohmygosh, what happened?! The spell...deh,” gasped the voice, one that seemed to come out of the horse's mouth. 

Taric saw many interesting things on Runeterra and the Fields of Justice themselves. There were gods and demons, yordles and creatures from the deep sea. Yes, even unicorns, albeit usually white and a lot taller. A talking unicorn was a possibility, but Taric never heard of such a creature. Was it a mutation? Was it some kind of evil beast? Some kind of trickery magic?

“Are you alright?” finally asked the horse, taking a step back and standing on edge with a forehoof put to its mouth. “I'm really sorry, I-I don't know what went wrong! Spike!”

As the frazzled beast was looking left and right, Taric finally paid more attention to an urgent voice inside his head. He felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. He was butt naked.

With a jolt he tried to stand up, putting hands over his exposed privates. With a surprised yelp he felt hard objects collide with his jewels and posterior, right before he lost balance and loudly collapsed back to the floor.

“Sweet sun!” gasped the unicorn, taking a few steps towards Taric and putting a hoof to his face. “Are you alright? Sun and moon, I'm so sorry! I-I'll fix this, just let me-SPIKE!” called out the horse, its muzzle expressing confusion and distress.

The Gem Knight himself wore a similar facial expression. Slowly, he drew his hands to his face. For some reason a pair of pale hooves crept into view. They were covered in white fur. And, somehow, they obeyed Taric's mind when he ordered them to stop advancing. The knight stared at these strange appendages, a small spark of understanding rushing towards a motherload of explosive realization.

Dread and denial pushed his head to turn and look at his back. All the way from his neck, through his back and feet, there was white fur. Where he expected to see a muscular back and perfectly shaped legs he saw the curvy body of a horse, ending with another pair of legs with hooves. There was also a brown tail protruding from his bottom that was lying on the floor, unmoving. On one of his butt cheeks he noticed a tattoo – a blue gem with waves emanating from it. This was all too much.

Unable to decide whether to scream in panic, fear, confusion or rage, Taric's mind decided to shut down and deal with everything later. 

That was the first time Taric fainted in the land of Equestria.