Equestrian Earth: The Changeling War
And so the game begins...
Author: Draconis187
A cool breeze blew through the city of Canterlot as overcast had finally set in the skies above. Rain wasn’t in the forecast for the day and so ponies went about their day as usual, with their noses stuck up so high they might as well have been in the clouds. In a small coffee shop that was nestled in one of the many streets of Equestria’s capitol, two friends were meeting for a drink… and a small disagreement.
One was a white Unicorn with wild, short black and red hair. His Cutie Mark was that of a controller for the popular Featherstation series of console platforms. He was wearing his favourite pair of black glasses. Strangely though, there was no glass in them, just strips of black plastic laid in a horizontal position in place of the lenses which allowed others to easily see his red eyes. Why he wore them was beyond any reason his friend could come up with.
His friend was a grey Pegasus with long teal hair, similar in style to a particularly popular disc jockey. He liked it that way despite it annoyingly got into his amber eyes from time to time. His Cutie Mark consisted of three yellow stars, which matched his name: Star Seeker. Strange name but his friend had something similar in comparison with his Mark: Joystick. Joystick worked in the local Foal Games and Comic store on Sunset Boulevard while Star Seeker worked in local observatory as an astronomer’s assistant, tracking Luna’s constellations and recording them.
“Aw, why not?” Joystick complained.
“It’s just a game Joystick and besides, you have a number of other friends besides me who can play with you and go ‘questing’,” Seeker replied nonchalantly as he took a sip of his black coffee.
“Equestrian Earth is the biggest MMORPG in Equestria at the moment. It uses virtual technology for Celestia’s sake! The reason why I thought you might enjoy it is because of its latest expansion. They’ve added an achievement system, overhauled the crafting system and players can explore the Saddle Arabian Desert. Here, look and see for yourself,” The white unicorn passed a small, thin box with the words: ‘Equestrian Earth: The Wrath of Queen Chrysalis’.
Seeker’s eyes bulged slightly at the title. Joystick was the only pony that was not only his friend, but was also the only pony who knew that Seeker was actually a Changeling. Not like those that attacked Canterlot during Chrysalis’ attempt to upset the throne of Equestria, he was one of the few Changelings that never wanted part in the conflict and were perfectly happy living amongst ponies. Luckily Seeker informed Joystick of his nature long before the invasion but it did cause some slight tension between them from time to time.
“What does Chrysalis have to do with this?” Seeker whispered irritably, “You want me to play a game where I go around killing Changelings as a pony? Do you not know me?”
Joystick scoffed and whispered back, “Don’t get your carapace in a knot, Seeker. The game has you fighting Changelings, yes that is true but you can also play as a Changeling. That’s why I thought you might like it. You can walk around the virtual world as you truly are, no hiding.”
Seeker pondered this for a second. He had told Joystick that being in near constant disguise is a little annoying, even more so when the invasion had degraded the majority’s opinion of him and his kin. Being able to walk around ponies as he really was without any fear of being attacked, even in a game might help ease his mind.
Star Seeker sighed, “Alright, I’ll give it a go.”
Joystick smiled broadly, “Awesome, I knew I could get you to come around! Come, I’ll get you the game. I need to clock in for my shift anyway.”
The two friends walked through the streets of Canterlot, ignored by the ‘higher class’ as they ventured through the city. They soon approached Foal Games and Comics, a store that did what it said on the tin. The usually quiet store was jam-packed as ponies were trying to get their hooves on the latest edition of Equestrian Earth. If the Royal Guards were as passionate as this about defending Canterlot as these gamers were about a game release, Chrysalis would have never stood a chance. Seeker and Joystick laughed a little as they saw a little filly fighting with a full grown stallion over who got to play it.
Joystick disappeared behind the store as he grabbed a tan jacket with a nametag with his name on it. His plastic glasses were gone but apart from that, he was exactly the same as when he walked in. He walked up behind the counter as one of his co-workers praised him for pitching as if he were Celestia herself.
“Everypony, listen up!” He shouted in a tone that was rare for the usually easy-going unicorn, “If you can form an orderly… or you can just ignore me.”
Which the crowd had already did as they continued to shove and argue with each other. Joystick looked down and began to search through a few drawers behind the counter, mumbling to himself. After a few minutes his eyes lit up as he found what he was looking for: a miniature air horn. It was a small round cylindrical canister with a red top with what looked like a funnel sticking out to the side. It was glowing faintly red as Joystick placed his hooves over his ears. Star Seeker did the same just as the top was depressed and an ear-splitting blast of noise came out of the air horn.
The crowd dropped everything: game boxes, groceries and the like as they threw their hooves over their ears. Star Seeker took the opportunity to grab one of the game boxes and placed it on the counter, the previous pony there was crouched in a foetal position on the floor, mumbling incoherently. Either the air horn destroyed his mind or the horde of gamers did something worse to him.
“Well, now that I have your undivided attention will you please for the love of the Sun and Moon line up in an orderly fashion. Otherwise…” He gave the air horn a little shake, making the group gulp in unison, “Sweet Celestia, this thing was the best 30 bits I ever spent.”
“Wouldn’t the owner be a little upset with your methods? You did almost render everypony here deaf,” Star Seeker asked as he handed over some bits for the game.
“Nah, he’s over there, arguing with his daughter of all ponies. All I’ve done was make him feel ridiculous,” Joystick laughed as he ran the purchase through the till and handed him a small bag with the item inside.
“It has a subscription fee though,” Joystick warned, “Not much though, 20 bits per month.”
“Good thing working at the observatory pays so well,” Seeker joked as he walked past the line of dead quiet ponies. You could hear a pin drop.
Thankfully for Star Seeker, Princess Luna had not scheduled any changes to the constellations for the next week. This gave Seeker time to indulge in his latest purchase. Opening the bag, he found two boxes: one was the original Equestrian Earth while the other was the expansion pack in question. A third item was the infamous I.P.V.: a device that allowed the player to enter the virtual world of the game. His had a teal visor with three yellow stars on the sides. Due to the colouration, it almost vanished into his mane as placed it on his head. This I.P.V. was custom made, usually they come in a variety of visor colours but the sides were always white and plain. Seeker chuckled to himself, Joystick knew he was going to play and planned ahead. He really was smarter than most gave him credit for.
He powered up a 45” television screen hooked up to a computer tower that stood as tall as a five year old filly. If there was one thing he was proud of, it was this monster of a machine. The case was a pale blue with blue lights running down the sides and around the various small buttons as well as around the front side ports. He pressed the power button as he picked up his wireless keyboard and mouse as his computer booted and fetched the operating system from the hard drive.
He sat down on a small cloud he managed to get from one of the local weather teams. It was a hassle to hide it from his landlady whenever she came around to make sure he wasn’t breaking the terms of his contract but sadly for her, Changelings were great at deception. Apparently she had a problem with a Pegasus firing off a bolt at a tenant a while back. His apartment didn’t cost as much as one thought, the real estate in Canterlot was depreciating in value over the past few years. He managed to get some green bulbs for his light fixtures, an odd request but ponies knew when to keep their noses out of somepony’s business, especially when they're friendly. Seeker’s apartment was fairly sized for the lone Changeling. He changed the original, thin blinds to some very thick ones that blocked out the sun. They were tan in colour while he repainted the walls white so that the light had more effect.
He bolted his door shut and checked the locks as a small green fire engulfed him. As it travelled across his coat, it ‘burned’ off the grey fur, leaving behind his original dark brown colouration. His hooves had multiple holes in them, travelling straight through and allowing one to see what lay on the other side of them. His eyes were entirely amber in colour while the chitinous plating on his back was the same, only with a glossy, smooth texture to it. He had a pair of tattered, pale green, transparent bug wings that buzzed as he flew to his cloud. A small horn jutted out from his forehead while his entire teal mane was considerably shorter, with several small holes in it as well. His tail faced the same fate. A pale amber glow engulfed the horn as his keyboard and mouse flew up to him.
He smiled as his operating system appeared on his Ponysonic television. He began to read the manual as the game downloaded itself onto the hard drive and connected to the I.P.V. He took a moment familiarise himself with the game’s combat mechanic as well as the character creation tool. Every player had to choose a class as well as a race. Griffons, Ponies and some hybrids that looked like they shouldn’t be possible were in the roster. Finally he came up to the Changeling section, before he could read further than the part about the race having divided into factions which was the reason as to why the player was able to choose to be one. He wondered what sane pony would want to be one of his kin after the Royal Wedding Incident.
After creating his class and appearance, he placed the device over his head and activated it. He tried to avert his gaze as his eyes were engulfed in a brilliant white light with lines of blue words that were most likely the game’s code, flying upwards at a terrifying speed in front of him. He opened his eyes to find himself standing in the middle of nowhere, looking completely out of place as he wondered what he should be doing next.
“Welcome to Equestrian Earth, Star Seeker,” A very female sounding voice said, causing the Changeling to jump and turn around.
He could only make out an outline of a tall, lean figure looking down at him. He tried to look up but the light decided to mock his attempts as it continued to try and blind him.
“Who are you?” The Changeling asked nervously.
“Not who, what,” The figure replied, “I am the central A.I. program that runs Equestrian Earth.”
‘So, she’s the game’s A.I.? She self-aware and yet prefers to be referred to as an object rather than a living being? How strange,’ He thought.
“So my little Changeling, which character would you like to load?” The figure asked as a single file popped into existence before the Changeling.
He looked at it and saw a perfect reflection of his Changeling self, except with longer hair. Under it was his name and under that was the class he chose: Engineer. It was a class that allowed him to keep out harm’s reach from most enemies and still be of use to any team.
“From here you shall enter a world of magic and friendship but,” The being began to warn, “The world is also fraught with many dangers. Keep your wits… and your friends close.”
“What can I call you though?” Star Seeker asked, getting a tad annoyed at the sheer brightness of the area he was in.
“You may simply refer to me as The Goddess,”The figure replied as Seeker’s vision went completely white.
“What is it with games and overly bright lights? Do I need to disable the bloom or something?” Seeker asked to himself as his vision returned, “Well, this is new.”
Seeker was in the middle of a street in a place he read about in the manual. It was called Aeroslida, the main hub of Equestrian Earth. It was a flying city that made Canterlot look like Appleloosa in comparison. The walls of the buildings shone from the sun’s rays. The Changeling walked through the streets, taking in the city as he went. Turned out the city was not levitating through some form of magic nor was it comprised of a base of dense cloud to keep it aloft, it had a pair of flying serpentine dragons under it. They effortlessly pulled the colossal assortment of structures on their backs through the air.
“Hey, Seeker!” Star Seeker turned around and saw Joystick.
His friend was clad in golden yellow heavy armour. A long, curved blade was resting on his left side while a round, maroon coloured shield rested on his right. The chestplate bore a symbol of an open book and a sun that closely resembled Princess Celestia’s Cutie Mark on it. The pauldrons had an intricate silver pattern along the edges, similar to a creeping vine.
He wasn’t alone if the two other ponies standing next to him were any indication. One was a grey coloured Pegasus similar to a particular ditzy mailmare who was responsible for the collapse of the western watchtower two weeks back. Needless to say, she got banned from ever returning to Canterlot.
The stallion had two intersecting wrenches with a cog in the centre on his flank. His mane was barely visible under the dark tan, old western hat but Seeker could make out a few black strands as well as notice that his eyes were a moderate yellow. Completing his look was the equally dark tan duster he wore. On his back was a contraption that Seeker had never seen before, it was made of an assortment of wooden and metal parts, one end of it had a slightly thick metal tube while the other end was a long block of wood. Seeker could only take random stabs in the dark to figure out what it was since he never managed to read the weapons section of the game manual.
The last one was a blue unicorn, clad in light silver armour that looked heavier than it did. The chestplate itself was black and had a crescent moon adorning the centre. Seeker couldn’t see the stallion’s mane as he wore a helmet that only left his eyes and muzzle exposed. The helmet had a white plume but his tail was brown, leaving Seeker guessing his true hair colour. He carried a staff with purple amethyst, shaped into a five-pointed star on the tip. As the three walked up to the Changeling, he noticed the unicorn had a thin alchemist’s vial crossing a crystal on his flank. What grabbed the Changeling’s attention was the scar under the stallion’s right eye. It seemed to complete his look but something told Seeker that this pony wasn’t as social as the two he was walking with.
Joystick walked up to Seeker and beamed, “Seeker, welcome to die!”
The Changeling rolled his eyes, “Are you going to introduce me or must I guess?”
“Fine. Stay awhile and listen! This here is Everlasting Solace,” The Pegasus nodded his head with a grin on his face, “And sourpuss over there is Mixer. Don’t worry, he’s actually more social than he looks.”
Seeker walked up to the blue unicorn, “My name is Star Seeker, pleased to meet you.”
“Mixer, I guess I can say the same?” Mixer replied curtly.
Seeker shook of the unicorn’s abrupt reply as he walked up to the Pegasus who gave him a hoofbump in greeting, “My name is Star Seeker.”
“Pleasure’s mine Seeker, just call me Solace since the rest takes too long to say,” The Pegasus joked slightly.
Joystick clapped his hooves together, “Well, Now that we are all acquainted with each other, let’s go questing!”
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Achievement unlocked!
Getting Started
The training wheels are off!