//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: My Little Pony: Twilight's Requiem // by Pika53 //------------------------------// Chapter #1: Navigating through another test chamber, Jaden Kururugi savored the chance to once again challenge the halls of Aperture Science. He’d beaten the game many times before, but who didn’t enjoy playing through Portal 2. Grinning in amusement, he cast a glance at his clock and noted the digital readout indicating the time was 8:20 pm. Jaden was 18 years old, had dark hair, blue eyes, and a slim, muscular build. He was also dressed casually in jeans, gray sneakers, and a black shirt. In addition to working for his uncle’s air charter service, Jaden also attended classes at the local junior college. Fortunately it was the beginning of the weekend, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting up early for class and could focus on pursuing one of his favorite past times, playing video games. He was currently attempting a speed run of Portal 2 but had to admit he really enjoyed listening to the in-game dialogue. As he cleared Alpha Enrichment Sphere #2, Jaden felt a weird jolt through his fingers, but dismissed it as a side effect of the caffeine coursing through his body. He went on to complete the next few levels without incident; however, just as he entered Bata Enrichment Sphere #1, the screen suddenly froze up. Jaden blinked. He'd never seen this before. Quickly resetting, Jaden noted that the intro and the game's title screen were normal but as the first level began everything became horribly pixilated. This was followed by the screen going blank and the ending music being played. Then the two words, which all gamers fear, appeared on the screen. GAME OVER Jaden raised an eyebrow. That wasn’t supposed to happen. NEXT LEVEL? PRESS START “What the…” he muttered, shaking his head. After quickly rushing over to the computer and letting it power up, Jaden searched for Portal 2 glitch pages, or any help relating to the problem and found nothing. He drummed his fingers against his desk absent mindedly, before deciding to press 'Start'. Returning to the console, Jaden sat down and took a deep breath. This could wipe out all his data; then again, he could always start over. He pressed Start. Moments later, the screen began to flash erratically before glowing brightly. Dropping the controller, Jaden shielded his eyes from the blinding light and cried out in shock before the world went white. The next thing he knew, Jaden found himself sitting in a meadow of some sort; and it was daylight. He blinked. He'd been sitting in a chair moments before; and it had been dark outside. Letting his gaze drift, Jaden began to take in his surroundings. The meadow wasn’t really anything spectacular. Running a hand through the grass beside him, he noted that it didn’t feel quite like normal grass; more like astroturf. In retrospect the place looked an awful lot like something from a cartoon. A short distance away, laid a pair of unconscious mare ponies. Looking on, Jaden realized that both ponies had horns growing out of their heads and quickly realized they were unicorns. One had a mauve colored coat with an indigo colored mane and tail that had a pink and purple streak running along its length and was wearing some sort of saddlebag while the other had a light blue colored coat and appeared to be wearing a hat and cape of some sort. Something about the pair seemed strangely familiar; reminiscent of a show popular on the internet. Reflecting on the unexpected twists that had occurred in his life, Jaden, oddly enough, wasn’t surprised by this. His best friend Mack for example, not only shared a room with him but was also one of his cousin's. His cousin Diana was Mack’s twin sister. The pair were also anime fans and often compared notes when it came to their favorite shows in addition to their favorite monster movies. Although Mack was a more dedicated anime fan, Jaden had learned martial arts just to be more like his favorite anime characters. The fighting style he'd been studying was a fusion of the Kenpo, Ninjitsu, and Tae Kwan Do fighting styles he’d nicknamed Tai Kemp Aki. Of course, out of the three of them, Jaden could probably be considered the ‘normal’ one. He made average grades while his cousin Diana was a compulsive straight ‘A’ student. Mack meanwhile, had low grades but somehow managed to pull through in the end. Of course, it was also Mack who had become addicted to, and had subsequently forced him to watch on a $25 bet, the show involving the ponies. Jaden had thought it was cute but otherwise hadn't really cared for it. Naturally, his cousin Diana had thought they were both nuts. After letting the memories pass, Jaden focused on his current situation. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out how he'd arrived in this strange place. All he could do was shake his head in confusion as the two ponies began to stir. “Gah! Did anypony get the license of that carriage?” the light blue unicorn groaned groggily; slowly sitting up. “Who are you?” she continued, finally noticing him. “Well, I’m Jaden Kururugi, human, in case you're wondering; and I’m not exactly sure how I got here.” The mauve colored unicorn, which looked equally out of it, seemed about ready to comment when it suddenly gasped and rubbed its throat with a hoof. Moments later, it turned and levitated a bottle of water from the saddlebag and proceeded to gulp the liquid as quickly as possible. This was followed by a few minutes of sputtering and coughing before the pony groaned. “Ugh! W... what just happened? The last thing I remember is investigating a strange light at the old ruins in the Everfree Forest… and falling into a hole.” it murmured in a raspy, dazed voice. “What are you doing here, Trixie?” it asked, turning to the light blue unicorn. The light blue unicorn ‘Trixie’ seemed to glare at the other for a moment before responding. “Trixie was preparing for a show in Canterlot when Trixie heard a voice and was accosted by a strange light… then… I’m here.” [Flashback] /NEXT LEVEL? PRESS START / [End Flashback] “Could it be?” Jaden wondered aloud. He noticed both ponies staring at him and quickly explained what he’d been doing previously. “Where am I anyway?” Jaden asked. “This is Equestria. We shouldn’t be far from Ponyville, though I’m not sure how all this happened.” The mauve pony explained, gazing around the area. “Great! The sooner we figure out what's going on, the better.” Jaden replied, climbing to his feet. Both ponies seemed to mull the suggestion over briefly before nodding in agreement and clambering to their hooves. The mauve colored unicorn than glanced around briefly before choosing a direction. “We need to go this way.” she said. With that, the trio began walking. As they walked, the mauve colored unicorn suddenly turned to him. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, by the way.” she confessed meekly; looking embarrassed. “Nice to meet ya.” Jaden replied. A short time later, the trio arrived at a quaint little settlement. Looking around, Jaden noted that no one or rather nopony appeared to be in sight. The sounds one would normally associate with an active community were missing as well. Although the light and temperature were comfortable, there were no sounds of insects or birds. There wasn’t even a breeze. The situation was starting to become unnerving. It was as if no one had ever lived in the place. Twilight meanwhile, continued to lead the way. Soon the trio arrived at a rather grand building constructed out of a giant tree. Following Twilight inside, Jaden noted that the building was a library. As Twilight franticly raced around searching for something or someone, Jaden took the opportunity to study his surrounding more closely. Trixie meanwhile, stood beside him looking both annoyed and speculative at the same time. In addition to the many bookshelves that lined the walls, he spotted what looked suspiciously like a security camera from his world on the ceiling above one of the bookshelves to his left. Another security camera was positioned near a window in the upstairs loft area where Twilight was currently pacing around for the third time in as many minutes. Thinking back, Jaden was fairly certain he’d seen security cameras placed on many of the other buildings they’d passed throughout the town. Judging by the security cameras’ angles, Jaden guessed that anyone observing them had an unobstructed view of what happened in the entire library. Stepping further into the room, he saw a door in the back left corner that looked like it lead somewhere. Not far from the door was another staircase that led down. Quickly walking over, Jaden descended the staircase and passed through another door into what he presumed was the basement. Curiously, it was a bi-level and far larger than most basements tended to be. However, besides some roots, a few old dusty boxes, an ornamental grate of some sort, and another security camera, there wasn’t much there. Ascending the stairs back into the library proper, Jaden noticed that Twilight, who had once again returned to the ground floor, was pacing circles around a nearby table. “Where could Spike be? This doesn't make any sense!” the violet unicorn exclaimed. Casting a glance at Trixie, Jaden cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. The light blue unicorn’s face twisted in annoyance as she sighed and rolled her eyes. Moments later, she yawned widely. Stifling a chuckle, Jaden turned and investigated the other nearby door. This one opened into what appeared to be a supply room of some sort. In addition to the various mounds of items and materials, he spotted a chest that looked suspiciously like something from a popular survival horror video game series back home. Jaden could do little more than shake his head as he turned back to his companions. “Uh, Twi? What’s this?” he asked. “What’s what?” Twilight asked, coming to a halt and looking at him curiously. Jaden merely opened the door wider and stepped aside; pointing to the object in question. Both ponies trotted forward to get a better view of the object in question. “It’s a chest… what’s the big deal? Trixie has more important things to do than stare at other ponies junk.” the light blue unicorn grumbled, shaking her head. “I don’t remember owning anything like that.” Twilight murmured, blinking in bewilderment. “I suppose the same thing applies to the security cameras as well?” Jaden asked. Both ponies just stared blankly at him. Jaden quietly pointed out the location of each camera; stifling a yawn of his own as he suddenly felt exhausted as the events of the day caught up with him. “There’s a third in the basement.” he continued. Although Trixie seemed less than impressed, Twilight appeared to be gripped in a sort of half-panic mode. Her lips were moving as if speaking yet nothing came out. “I don’t know… but it might be a good idea to get some rest before deciding what to do next.” Jaden replied. Both ponies seemed to mull the suggestion over briefly before yawning and murmuring in agreement. After everyone was situated, Jaden leaned against a bookshelf and closed his eyes. Sleep instantly enveloped him. When he next awoke, Jaden felt refreshed. Glancing around, he noted that his companions were in similar states as they slowly clambered to their hooves. “Ok, let’s see what’s in the mystery box shall we?” Jaden said; getting up and walking toward the object in question. Twilight murmured an affirmation as both ponies followed him. Jaden fought back a chuckle as Twilight brushed up against his leg; just as eager to see what the chest contained. Glancing back, he noted that Trixie was standing further back with an equally curious expression on her muzzle. Realizing they would need more room, Jaden pointed to the chest then to the main room. Twilight nodded and moments later, her horn lit up with a soft magenta glow as she gripped the chest with what Jaden guessed was some sort of telekinesis. She then, gritting her teeth and grunting, slowly began to back out of the room. Seeing as Twilight could hardly lift it, Jaden stepped forward and began shoving the large chest from the other end. Together they managed to drag the heavy thing into the main room and over to a nearby table. “Geez, what's in this thing? Rocks?” Twilight gasped, perspiring lightly. Jaden shrugged as he opened the lid. Curiously, when he looked inside Jaden didn’t see anything in the chest. However, when he stuck his hand in Jaden pulled out what appeared to be a black tactical vest of some sort. “Just my size. That’s very interesting.” he muttered, placing the item on the table. Reaching in again, he pulled out a large bottle of water and placed it on the table. Moments later, he pulled out two more bottles and placed them on the table as well. “Well, it looks like we won’t go thirsty for some time.” Trixie scoffed as he reached into the box again. This time, Jaden pulled out what appeared to be a small camera mounted on a baseball cap. Jaden cocked an eyebrow at this. He wasn’t much of a hat person. “What’s that?” Twilight asked “It’s a camera similar to the ones on the ceiling. Your guess is as good as mine at what it’s useful for.” Jaden replied as he detached what appeared to be a small case of memory cards that seemed to be taped to the cap and placing the items on the table. On his next foray into the chest, Jaden pulled out a medium sized backpack. Opening the bag, he discovered of all things his personal laptop and Ipod. Jaden blinked in confusion at this as he placed the laptop on the table and pocketed the Ipod before checking the bag more closely. Curiously, the bag appeared to be fitted with enough padding to protect the laptop from any sort of impact related damage yet allowed adequate room for additional items. Looking up, Jaden spotted Twilight staring at the laptop in total awe. Trixie meanwhile, was once again less than impressed; prompting him to smirk. “That’s the thing I used to try and figure out why my game crashed before. I’m not sure what it’s doing hear though.” he said. Twilight turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. “What does it do?” she asked. Jaden launched into a brief explanation of what the computer was and how it worked. He was especially amused by Twilight’s reaction to the news that entire libraries worth of information could be stored on such a device. Trixie naturally, had cared little for the conversation and had made a special point of loudly clearing her throat to bring everyone back to the moment. Once again, Jaden had to stifle a chuckle as it became Twilight’s turn to glare bitterly. He half expected the purple pony to start interrogating him more about his race. “Don’t worry, it’s well sponged and runs on electricity.” he finished putting the laptop back in the backpack. The ponies stared blankly at him. “You guys don't have electricity?” They shook their heads. He sighed. “I’ll explain later.” Turning his attention back to the chest, Jaden reached in and discovered what resembled a magazine for an AR-15 style assault rifle. Moments later, he pulled out three more of them. “Oooookay… that’s new.” he murmured, shaking his head. Upon closer inspection, he noted that the magazines didn’t appear to contain any bullets and kind of looked like they’d been fused with batteries. Jaden cocked an eyebrow as he set them aside; keenly aware that his companions were scrutinizing him as he reached into the chest again. This time, he pulled out a stack of what resembled magazines for a handgun. This group of magazines appeared to have similar modifications to the first group. Jaden counted a total of four as he set the magazines aside; a questioning look crossing his face. Returning to the chest, Jaden next pulled out belt with holster and two additional handgun magazines. Reaching in again, Jaden blinked in surprise as he pulled out of all things a handgun. “It’s a 9mm.” he murmured. “What’s that?” Twilight asked, staring to the weapon curiously. “How to put this delicately… basically, this is a device that was specifically designed to bring death. In short, it blows holes in things.” Jaden mused, examining the weapon closely. Twilight seemed startled by the declaration. If Trixie was shocked; she didn’t show it. “You see, my race is a bit more violent than yours. We fight one another, each country fighting another, for trivial things. Early in our history we started out living in caves and using pointed sticks. From there, we progressed to swords, bows and arrows and then moved on to these.” he continued. “Do you remember that vest I pulled out earlier?” Both ponies nodded. “Believe it or not, that vest was designed to reduce the damage that one of these can cause.” Jaden explained. He turned to Twilight who was looking at him curiously. “All our technology. It's making us greedy.” Jaden commented. “What makes you say that?” Twilight asked. “Well, although I don’t consider myself a bad person I have received some specialized training… and am the only one among us that can use this correctly.” Jaden replied. Twilight continued to stare at him curiously. “My uncle once served in my country’s armed forces, which is a lot like the Royal Guard, during an unpopular war; if that’s even possible. Anyway, once he retired my uncle taught me and my cousins some of the things he learned.” Jaden said after a pause. Twilight continued to stare at him curiously. “I know we just met and everything but I hope you can still trust me.” A thoughtful look crossed Twilight’s muzzle. “We’ll see…” she replied. “After all, you don’t seem like a bad person.” “Thanks.” Jaden said. “You piqued my interest though.” Twilight continued. Jaden laughed. “So, what exactly do you do?” Trixie asked. “Well, in addition to studying at a local university I work for my uncle’s air charter service.” Jaden answered. “As you can see, we humans can't fly by ourselves. We don't have wings and such.” he continued. “Anyway, a hundred years ago, two brothers built a machine that could fly, called a 'plane'. Ever since then, people have been inventing better and better planes. But, they have to go forwards fast to take off.” “This 'plane' as you call it, can it do a Sonic Rainboom?” Twilight asked. “Only the ones designed to fight have that kind of speed and maneuverability. The ones I typically fly can’t do that.” Twilight nodded thoughtfully at that. “So, what now?” Jaden asked after a pause. “We should inform Princess Celestia right away and with my assistant Spike missing, that means we’ll need to go see her in person.” Twilight replied nervously pawing the ground. “Then let’s go!” Jaden said as he began to hurriedly ‘suit-up’; packing the remaining gear in his new bag and making sure his camera was active and functioning properly. Minutes later, the trio left the library and headed for the local train station.