//------------------------------// // Ponyville // Story: M.L.P .hack// Xth Vol 1 Awaken // by GundamBrony //------------------------------// A fuzzy static was showed to his mind as once it start to clear up, he found himself in a bed. A bed inside of a room with bookshelves, drawers, and a table with a strange screen with few buttons device attached to it and a device that looks like a goggle with something that attached to the device. Before he can figure out what it is, the memories start to fuzzy up everything........... Then in flashed, words came from his mind and flooded everywhere, filling out information of stuff that he somehow knew. Like he recognize them. The World Aura Epitaph of Twilight Force Era R : X R : 2 Tri Edge Dot Hackers So much information that flooded that he unable to learn of this event. These words......I remember them......but from where........his thoughts pounder of it and before he can remember, a bright light flashed the darkest abyss and consume everything. His eyes started to stirred a bit as he felt something wet from his muzzle. Drip by Drip of something wet as he open his eyes from his slumber. He rubbed his eyes a bit and saw that Night had fallen asleep. Smiled at this, he decide to take a stroll a bit, being careful not to wake her up, and start walking around; he think of these words that flooded his mind as he kept walking. How did it happen? Did the book release information when I used it? And those statics......could that means my memories is........ However his thinking is interrupted when he saw a bright light on a opening. Realize that must be the opening of the cave, he trotted to it as he found the scenery. It was beautiful.....takes beauty to the next level. A waterfall was crashing down to a beautiful lake, the light of the sun flashed to it, creating a sparkle that his eyes has obsession to the amazing scenery. He found himself to be behind to the waterfall as he found a path and walked to it as he want to look more of this scenery. As he found himself to be out of it, he found it be where the forest was but yet even the trees still have the jungle look, the beauty of the lake and the waterfall is enough. Felt that his mouth is dry, he drink some of the water from the lake. It was refreshing, yet cool to replenish his dry lips and mouth at the same time. His ear perks up of hoofs clopping to him as he sighed and wiped out of the drips of the water. "You know, my hearing is very high. And I'm know your trying to scare me, aren't you Night?" he said, not taking his eyes of the gorgeous lake along with hearing a chuckled from her. "Not trying to. But I just checking on you.", she replied coming to the reflection of the lake on his side. "Just to make sure nopony ever see you." "Hey, Night," he turned to her with a confuse manner "I was wonder, why you kept saying 'nopony, everypony, and anypony'? Not to be rude but just wondering." "I was wondering when you going to say that, along with my question of why you kept saying 'anyone' and 'everybody'." she replied as she look up, gazing the clear blue skies "It's usually the ponies language of Equestria and we only say it to all ponies except Griffons, Buffalos, you name it to any mythical creatures." "I see." he look to the same direction as her. It was peaceful here in this new place that he can say his home. His home at this beautiful lake and waterfall and an exiled mist - like princess who saved him from being drown while he's at a comatose. He then gaze back at his reflection of the lake as it ripple to revealed himself in his new attire. The one with the Data Drain power that his right leg had that wrapped around like a bracelet. Wait......bracelet? Now I remember parts of this information that the book did to me! This belong to that bipedal creature wearing the same attire as me! "Twilight Bracelet." he muttered to himself in which Night might already heard him, snapping out of her trance of the skies. "What?" She then walk to his side, confused as he then look to her and showed to her arm, revealing the Data Drain arm mode. "This is the Twilight Bracelet." "What is this Twilight Bracelet?" she asked him. "I don't know but......" he trailed off to find the right words and the scraps of memories and information that the book transfer to him "But when the book transfer this new power I gained, it somehow transfer a huge amount of information into me too. As I remember, this Bracelet has the power it holds either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user. But this bracelet.......it belongs to Kite." "Kite?" "Yes, all I know that the book gave me.....is he's the first one to used it to save a friend that was under a coma....... that's all I know; the rest are still fuzzy up in my head." He then let his 'bracelet' disappeared from his right legs and face her. "So shall we get some breakfast? I'm getting hungry from gazing at the lake." She nodded as the two now headed into the forest to find food for breakfast. In the Golden Oak Library, the book now covered in a pinkish glow as it attempt to turn the pages and revive the words of each pages, but so far, it turns blank, slammed it tightly, and fall down to the floor. "Arggh...this book is something.....my magic can't even revive the words of it...!!" Twilight grunted, panted from using her spells. While the others tried to attempt to use any means to get the words right, the book sealed it tightly (even Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's strength to open it). Since they took the mysterious book to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna in Canterlot, they tried to use their spells they can tried to muster, but so far the book remained shut. Believing that it might had to do with the strange tremor and the caused of the stone cased timberwolves, they decide to appoint to find other ways to revive the words on the pages of the book to find some clues. But so far, even with the elements of harmony and Discord's dark magic, the book still remained closed with no effect of any magic. "Ah c'mon! We tried everything that we can think to revive the words on this stupid book and still remained closed?!" Rainbow exasperated by this. "What kind of book that doesn't work with any magic?!" "M'ah thoughts exactly! No matter how much we tried, we can't it get the words in!" Applejack groaned along with the others too, getting tired "It's like this book doesn't want any of any darn Equestrian magics!" "Girls, I know that this book is seemly......impossible, but we can't give up." Twilight said as she flipped more pages of other books from the bookshelves "There's got to be any spells that can work!" "Darling, I understand that after you got back from getting your crown back from Sunset Shimmer, you want to find the caused of these strange anomalies and deal with it, but we can't just get rid of it in a month or two. We need to find all of the facts first before we can handle it. Beside we do need to rest a bit before we can get back onto research." Rarity pointed out as the others agree with her. Twilight sighed in defeat as she levitate the remaining books back into the right shelves and put the mysterious book down on the table. "Yeah, your right; guess I was upset that we now had to deal with stranger things around in Equestria." "We all understand this, sugarcube. We all worried of these strange anomalies as you do too; unlike the ones we dealt with in the past, this is all too new to all of us." Applejack reassure her, patted on her shoulder. "Still as long that we got each other, we can handle it." Twilight nodded as the others now exit out of the library to get some fresh air and some break time from finding a spell to revive the words of the mysterious book, unknown to them once they left, the book start to static a bit. "So are we going to eat grass for every course meal along with water?" Night asked him who he holds a wooden bottle to store some water and attach it to vine shaped belt. Since they been walking around in the forest for an hour, John decide to at least collect some woods and dry rocks for a campfire in the cave for warmth and grass for rations. "Looks like it. Consider that I can't even find other type of food." he look around for any more of woods and dry rocks. "Beside, I know that ponies are vegetarian, so they don't eat meat. But I don't know if they eat seafood too." "Well, rarely but not too much." Night replied, store some of the stuff they need. "We don't want to go upsetting our diets on seafood." "I see." he picked up the last of the wood and store on a basket that he made then suddenly he got an idea. "Is there a town near to a forest, Night?" Shen then placed her hoof to think about it before facing him. "Well, there is.....but unfortunately.....since the evil princess ruled Canterlot......" "The town near hear might be under their ruled too, right?" he guessed it which she nodded and he sighed. "But we can see what town it is; we just can't enter it." Night replied which he nodded as they continue trekking around the forest until they saw an opening. Wasting no time, he trotted to it and saw the town. He found the town to be......well friendly loving and peaceful. Towns were seen were magnificent with some unique design; from the design of what to appear to be carousel, a gingerbread house, and a tree house (well literally a real real tree house). Next to others, a tall building was seen and by his knowledge he guess that's a town hall. Then he saw other ponies doing their daily business around town with their cheerful happiness and smiles. This town is so......peaceful......with so much.......happiness and joy.......he sighed after having a mental thinking, not taking a view off the town. "You shouldn't run off all of time, John." Night said with a stern tone. "Who knows that if anypony that see us, we might be in deep trouble." "Sorry" he rubbed his head in embarrassment then returning to his gaze of the town. "I just had a habit of seeing new places." Night then return with her usual calm expression as she also joined in view the town. "Ponyville." "Huh?" He turned to her with a confused expression. "That's the name of the town." she turned back to him. "The one that I told you before." "Oh." he lowered his head a bit with a sadden expression. This is the town that was under the ruled by them......the evil princesses. his thoughts made him having a little scowl. "Night," he turned to her which she looked at him "Can you at least tell me the unique places they have? The one shaped differently?" She nodded as she start explaining to each of the unique places. "To start with, the carousel building is called the Carousel Boutique where they made special clothes, " she pointed to the carousel house then turn to point the gingerbread house "next is the Sugarcube corner where it's a bakery which holds a huge amount of sweets; kinda of a sugar zone place, " she then turn her head to the direction of the tree house "the tree house that you saw is called the Golden Oak Library; it's just a library nothing really special, " next her eyes focus on the apple farm that's right on the far right corner "and lastly there's the Sweet Apples Acres; a apple orchard that grows the most irresistible apples of Equestria." "Carousel Boutique, Sugarcube Corner, Golden Oak Library, and Sweet Apples Acres....." he muttered to remind of these special places, then he look up and saw a cloud like town place. "What about the cloud town place?" She then look up to the direction he pointed at. "That's Cloudsdale; nothing really special only to pegasus ponies live there and Earth pony can't walk on clouds otherwise...." "They fall to their death?" he guess it in which she chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that's right. Which is why they need a unicorn to perform a cloud walking spell to go to that place." she said, feeling somewhat happy with him then a tone change which he notice it. "What's wrong? You sounded like each of the places belong to......", his sentence was interrupted by her turning back to the entrance of the forest. Realize that she got something in her mind, he decide to headed back to the cave which he called it home, reminded her to train with his new founded powers once they fulled up. At the cafe, while asking the waiter of each of their orders, Twilight and the others start to chat of their usual days, not mentioning of the strange anomalies and the mysterious book. While the waiter handed out of their respective meals and the girls began to enjoy the meals, Twilight perks up her head and gaze at the Everfree Forest, staring at it as if she start to see something or rather.......heard something that only she can hear. She heard a girl's voice, echoing to her head, The book. The book is the key to unlock of his memories. Memories of who he is. And to find his destiny. Find him..... "Twilight? Twilight!" Rainbow Dash's voice snapped her out of her stupor and saw her friends, giving odd looks at her. "You ok? You just space out, staring at the Everfree Forest." "The book." she muttered which the others giving confuse expression and a collection of 'huh?' "I heard a girl's voice." she explained to them "Saying the mysterious book is a key. A key to unlock his memories." " 'His'? Are you talking about the new guy, Flash Sentry that we saw him before when you came back from the mirror world?" Pinkie piped up which caused her to having a pink flushed kissing her cheek. "No. I don't think he's the one....." Twilight said, thinking about the girls voice. "Then, who? Who told you that?" Fluttershy asked her with a hint of concern. "I don't know.......", she replied, lowering her head down a bit. "Maybe you just need more rest from studying of that darn mysterious book." Applejack suggested "Beside, if you keep this out, you'll be anxious over anything." Twilight nodded as the waiter brought their food in, the girls and Spike chow down onto their meals. At the waterfall, a cockatrice was petrified half of the animals with a evil grin. Since some of the timberwolves were turned to stone, it can petrified whatever it want and nothing will stop but had to do it quickly before the rest come. As it continue to find more of it prey, it heard of rusting from the bush on the side. Thinking it might be one of the animals , it now into its pounce stand, with a huge glare, getting ready to petrified its prey. Suddenly, a hoof thrust out of bush and gripped his head, blocking its red eyes from gazing from its victim. With a hard gripped that this pony got, it struggle to break it out, but the more it tried to squirm out of it, even biting it, the hoof kept crushing its head. This pony that gripped it like a dragon is even worst than the yellow pegasus' stare. Then it saw a bright pink star magic appeared in front of its face as a massive surge of power begin to surge on to the star. Panicking that it might blast it to ashes, it squirm crazy to get the hoof off its face. But as a battle cry was heard, a massive wire of data burst through and impaled the head and a purple data shot out of its body, then absorbed back into the hoof. Then half of the animals were petrified by the cockatrice were free from it as for the cockatrice, it being turned into stone. Then with a massive amount of strength, he breaks the head off and threw it to the tree, breaking it into ashes. "There you can be free......in Tartarus!" John coming out of the bush in his orange attire, and cursed the remained ashes of the cockatrice. "John, language! We ponies never used that such a tone!" Night came out with him too, scold at him which he turned to her with a guilty expression. "Sorry. Just don't like that thing turning innocent creatures into stones." he faced her still retain his calm tone "I did it as a redemption for the timberwolves." Wasting no time to ask why, she changed the subject. "Anyway it's seem that your Data Drain power is going smoothly. Seems like you can reverse the effects on your opponents. But if you want not to turn your opponent into stone, you might need to focus on changing it consider that you don't like to take a life away. As for the side effect, I can try to cast a spell to eliminate the side effect but it might come back if you keep using your Data Drain power. In other words, you need to cast a spell to cure of the side effect before it can get worst." "Yeah but," he let his bracelet disappeared along with his orange clad clothes too and focus on her "I only used it as the trump card. I might need to work on to it to find away to change the effect of my bracelet as for the last question, I don't know any of spells that I know to prevent it. So I was wondering if you can also teach some of the 'easy' spells that you know by tomorrow?" She nodded in approval as they now headed back to the waterfall cave and start to work on the fire. Finding a spot that isn't wet from top to bottom, he laid down some of the collected woods and some dry rocks on the dry middle section and began to create a spark of it. Once he got the sparks set on the woods and the woods start to burning brighter, he and Night began to eat some of the grass quietly.He start to thinking of the tone that Night told him of the special places he asked about Ponyville. She acted like mainly because of the evil princesses? No something else.......maybe who ever works or live there might have a connection to it. He decide to break the silence and turned to her. "Hey Night?" "Hmm..." "Do you remember when you told me about the special places that Ponyville have? The one that I was fondly curious about?" he asked her which she was surprise about it. "Yeah?" "I can hear of your tone." he looked down in worried expression. "You sounded like each of the special places is run by who ever lives or work there. Like their part of the evil princesses." She lowered her food, covered in magic, and sighed. "Your right because the ponies that live or work on those places are the evil princesses most faithful subjects." "What?" his eyes widened in shocked. "You see, when I tried to take the kingdom back by myself, the evil princess have the 5 faithful subjects to defended her. Each of them have a traits that they can used the Elements of Harmony. With that, I wasn't able to handle them and one of the evil princesses have the sixth trait to use the final Elements of Harmony to help their subjects to defeated me." she explained which his shocked expression turned to guilt. It made him want to help her more than ever to get her kingdom back from them without anypony to help her. "Don't worry, Night." he said with a determination "I'll protect you and help you reclaim your kingdom back. If I can learn to control my powers, I can.........." his sentence was cut short when felt a warm embrace as he look and saw Night hugging him. He rub his lime green mane in embarrassment and having a crimson blushes on his cheek. "I'm grateful for you, John." she said sense a relief of happiness. "But, I need to answer this, John. In your honest and your heart speak." she removed her embrace from him with a hint of seriousness gaze onto him. "Sure." he nodded. " There's a legend before the three evil princesses came into power. The Legend of the Nightmare Moon." she explained to him like she became a storyteller. "You see there was an dark entity that corrupted one of the princesses, the princess that raise the moon. She became a shadow to the princess of the sun while the ponies of Equestria were bathed by her sun, they were shunned by her moon raised each night. The princess of the moon refused to lower the moon and the princess of the sun tried to reason with her. But with the anger and jealousy that clouded her judgement, she transformed into a evil mare that want to engulf Equestria into a never ending night, Nightmare Moon. The princess of the sun forced to use the elements of harmony to banished her to the moon for a thousands years and with that she then forced to raise the sun and the moon. However after a thousands years of banishment, Nightmare Moon return and resume the goal of a eternal night. But with the help of six mares who are the now the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, she was purge out of the darkness, reverting her back to the loving princess of the moon. However sometimes after that event, the remnants of the darkness rise from the moon along with the evil forces and plan to resume to do what Nightmare Moon promise them : an all out powerful kingdom and that's means conquer Equestria. But to make sure that the Elements of Harmony won't be used again, they kidnapped one of the wielders and corrupted her, making her another vessel to the Nightmare forces. However with the princesses and the Elements of Harmony, they able to save their friend and purge the darkness out of Equestria. With the Nightmare forces defeated, the remnants of the Nightmare Moon is no longer exist. However, there're rumors that the remnants might hidden somewhere in Equestria, laying in dormant and waiting for its revenge. But there's some point that due to being a dark half of the princess of the moon and being defeated by the Elements of Harmony as well as being exposed to it, it or rather 'she' begun to have a 'heart' and the emotions from the princess have. As she continue to understand of those heart and emotion she had, she also having struggle to her dark and evil side of her, making her follow her hoofstep like the princess of the moon, even to make up lies of those evil princesses that were actually the good princesses all along and using him as a pawn! " Her voiced raised so much that she didn't care that he flinch a bit. John was speechless of this story that she told him about. A darkness that was created by anger and jealousy that the princess of the moon had transform her into a.....monster. A monster that want to envelop the world into eternal darkness and being defeated by the Elements of Harmony twice. Now this monster start to become......a living pony who also struggle to fight her darkness that want to do what she done as a monster before. "I need to know, do you hate Nightmare Moon? Do you ever shunned her of her past that everypony told you about it? If you ever encounter her, would you ever........destroy her?" she asked him turning away from him, to hide something that she never felt before........her cheek feeling wet; she was........crying. This was it though, her mind raced. If he founds out that I'm that monster, would he......hate me......kill me.......? "I don't hate Nightmare Moon." That all he said with a sympathy tone which she turned with a hint of surprised tone to it. "What? Why? After all that she been through as a evil and selfish monster......" her sentence cut short when he wiped the tears of her face. He knew that she was that monster from that story. His eyes already known who she actually she is! That calm and gentleness of those azure eyes. "Because, I know that she was alone. Alone with nopony to have her as a friend and family to care for her. She made a few mistakes in the past but every life deserve a second chance, maybe even a third chance and so forth. She maybe a monster at first but what I see so far is she becoming a pony who needs a friend. A friend that never leave her side for infinity and beyond life. As long as I'm here, I won't let any life suffer. Even it may cost a few life or may even mine, I'll rather do it for those who were suffering." his eyes shimmer with a spark of hope along with a tone of gentleness and kindness added to him. "If your that monster, I find a way to remove that dark half of yours and give you life so you can amends of the past. Even if the ponies are still against you, I'll protect you to my life end." All of his vow, no, his solemn promise, to be a friend to her, a monster of a dark entity that threaten the universe become a living pony with a heart and emotion that suffer so much sadness and loneliness that she suffer from the princess of the moon did, was too much for her heart to be gifted with something that she want to find for all of eternity........hope. Hope that you when your alone, you realize that there're others who willing to care for you, and he's the hope. Her hope. She can no longer contain her growing tears, dripping from her eyes, as she hugged him so tightly that he allow him to give her some comfort, hearing growing sobs from her, dripping from his neck yet just keep holding a sadden smile. After what to be 10 minutes, she finally calm down and feeling little guilty. He told her that he's going to get dinner for them as he headed out and picked up some water from the waterfall and some grass near to the lake along with getting huge leaves from the trees. Once he gather, he return to the cave and made plates out of the huge leaves and serve with the grass and some water made out of the remaining leaves. "John......" she whispered trying to find the right words but stammered as she looked to his eyes with conern. "I.......I......." "Don't. Eat." he said with each one sentence passing the plate to her and to himself. "But...." "You were suffering right? From your darkness?" she nodded slowly, still lower her head. "That's all I need to know." He start to eat his meal while she look to hers and eat it in silence. As the fire still dancing around the flames, the two ponies finished their meals as John put the platted leaves away while Night stared at him, getting ready to sleep as he laid down on his back and gaze at the cave ceiling. "John", she asked him breaking the silence as she laid on her back too near to him as he look to her. "How did you know that I was........" she mumbled before saying that she despise to say. "Nightmare Moon?" "Well......I heard you while I was sleeping yesterday." he then return to gaze back at the ceiling. Night widened her eyes at it. He already heard him speaking with her dark side all along about the plan that it forced her to do?! "You see, I had some uneasy sleep because of some of the side effects that the book transfer me , so I was about to get something to drink when I heard you talking to your dark self and the plan that it forced want you to do you don't want to do. I didn't tell you this because if I did.....then........" "I might abandon you already?" she replied which he nodded. "Yeah, so I decide to keep it in the dark, to make sure I don't lose the only pony that saved me from drowning and........." he turn to his side and face her. "my friend." "I see......" she muttered, feeling guility. "Night...." "Hmmmm...." "Tomorrow, I going to get some stuff from Ponyville. Anything for me to prepare for my mission." he said. "Mission?" she asked him curiously. "To steal the Elements of Harmony. And to create a body for you and purge the darkness out of you." She winced at this, jerk her head back up. "What?! Why?!" "Because I don't want you live in this cave all by yourself in your mist form. Once I use anything that I going to find, I'm going to make sure that you'll get a second chance to redeem for your mistakes in the past." he explained. "So even if I turned into a criminal, I'll rather not let you suffer." "John......." she whispered worried of this. "We'll talk about this by tomorrow. It's getting late." "Ok, good night." she said. "Good night." John repeated. As both turned to their side, Night begun to think about herself, John.......that's what my dark side want you to do........and if that happen........then.......all ponies will be....in grave danger........ She then almost lost herself into a sleep before her words echo to her head, In order to protect everypony and you.........I............