//------------------------------// // The Maker // Story: The Powers That Be // by fieeesh //------------------------------// I was supposed to die. Might as well throw that out there now. My story begins on Earth in the middle of December on a snowy highway in the middle of a forest. The scene around me was picturesque in it's beauty, the kind of forest you would see on a post card with the words "Wish you were here!" written on it. I was driving down the road listening to the radio when I heard something whisper. "I have a proposition for you Matt." I looked around my car for the source of the whisper, but couldn't find anything, deciding that I was just tired I began to look for a rest area to take a nap. About a mile down the road I heard a car honking it's horn from around the bend, taking the turn I came face to face with a semi truck swerving to stay on the road, it lost control and flipped I jerked the steering wheel to get out of the way but couldn't get any traction on the slick road, the truck came crashing down upon my car, crushing me. I could feel my blood begin to pool beneath my body as I lay on the asphalt, looking up I saw a man in a trucker cap and thick jacket looking down at me, he grabbed my arms and pulled on me only to realize I was stuck under the car. He ran back to his truck to call for help but I was already too far gone. I closed my eyes for the last time and slipped into the warm embrace of death. And was abruptly awoken by a freezing wind blowing past me, looking around I saw that I was in some kind of gothic throne room. Several feet away sat a literal cloud of darkness, concealing any kind of distinguishing marks, except for a pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to be filled with disdain. The cloud spoke in that same haunting whisper I had heard on the road except much more clear. "I have a proposition for you, Matt Linwood of Earth. Do you accept?" I stared at the cloud in confusion before speaking. "How do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I? What proposition?!" The cloud chuckled at my panic. "I've been watching you Matt. I know plenty about you, but you may call me....The Maker. Now you are in my castle after I saved you from death. For your final question; long ago my throne was usurped by two so called "Princesses" who stole my artifact. Now I am stuck within this dreadful castle waiting for my banishment to end. But my banishment won't end for several thousand years and even then if the Elements have new wielders they can simply send me back here. But you can help, I will send you within a couple thousand years of my return and you will return my artifact to me and help me conquer Equestria." It's eyes seemed to gleam with sick desire as it ended the story. I took a step back and replied. "So someone stole your throne and now you want me to get your artifact and help you conquer a nation? How I am I supposed to do that? I don't have any outstanding skills that can help me." The cloud seemed to nod. "Yes. But I will provide you with several 'abilities' to help you on your mission. I will also provide knowledge on what your new abilities can do." I shook my head and sat down. "I don't really have a choice now do I? It's either this or death and I'd prefer not to die today." "I'm glad you see it my way." The cloud extended a tendril and grasped a nearby jar. "This is a pithos; a storage jar. This will give you your powers." It handed me the pithos, looking inside I saw a dark red liquid sloshing about. Steeling myself I brought the jar up and began to drink deeply. It tasted like cranberries mixed with blood. I coughed and spit as I dropped the jar. "What the fuck was that? Also I just realized how am I going to live for a thousand years? Humans don't live that long." "The liquid was a combination of pomegranates, cranberries, and alicorn's blood. The blood will help in the living regard." My vision started to get narrower as my head felt like it was being hit with a hammer. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" I felt like I was simultaneously being burned alive and crushed with a steamroller. I began to black out and as I fell I saw a golden bell in my vision."This is what you must retrieve." and I blacked out. I came to laying on a balcony attached to a large castle, looking inside the room I saw a prominent 'Night' motif, from behind me I heard a gasp, I spun around and came face to face with a strange combination of alicorn and human, I knew it was an alicorn due to the wings and horn, I always was a mythology nut. The woman, painfully obvious due to the breasts, stared at me in shock before saying. "How dare you try and attack us! Thou shalt pay for your crimes assassin!" Her horn glowed a deep blue and I felt myself being flung into her room. I looked up and saw her fire a beam of energy at me. I knew I couldn't dodge it, so I did the next logical thing, bring my left hand up I extended my middle finger in her direction. The beam hit me and I felt my body begin to turn to stone, I tried to move but was unable. She looked at me and smiled. "We think that thou shalt make a glorious addition to mine abode." She then picked me up in her magic, as I could only assume the energy was magic, and deposited me next to a window overlooking a large hall. She then did something I found completely unexpected. She stripped her clothes off and went to bed, just like that, no gloating, no nothing. I felt kind of insulted, truth be told. I must have sat next to that window for two years, and I swear I saw the weirdest shit. Luna, as I would later come to know was her name, would come in with what I assume were guards and have sex! She wasn't even considerate of me, not even a blanket over me so I wouldn't have to watch, and I swear she must have frigged herself a hundred times. Anyway on my third year in Equestria Luna came over to me and just started telling her problems to me, I could tell she was crying, but why tell me? I couldn't help, this went on for the next couple of years until one day I heard a crash from the Royal Hall (I learned a lot from Luna's complaints) and saw who I assume was Celestia flying after a much more evil looking Luna, I didn't see much else except for Celestia returning to the hall without Luna. After that I never saw Luna again, luckily the magic calendar I had been using to keep track of the date still worked. I waited in that room for one THOUSAND years, yeah you heard me right, I guess The Maker was right about the whole immortality thing. One day though the door to the room was broken down by a fist and in walked a large centaur with The most metal horns I had ever seen. The centaur spoke up when he saw me. "Hmm. What is this? Another enemy of the Princesses, Luna to be exact." He bent down so that we were face to face and studied me. "What is your name?" I didn't respond because I was still a statue. He ran his finger across the top of my head and brought it to his mouth. "Ah lunar magic, quite refreshing. Now how about we see about getting you free." He opened his maw and sucked the magic encasing me off, he gave a slight burp afterwards but seemed nice enough. "So creature will you assist me in usurping the lunar and solar tyrants?" I stood up and stretched before responding. "Sorry but I already have someone I'm working for. Plus I wouldn't be of much use seeing as I don't know how my own powers work." He seemed okay with my response when he replied. "I see. Well I do hope we meet again you are quite the peculiar creature, and I do suggest you work on your powers else your employer cut you loose." He then trotted out of the room leaving me alone. I quickly looked around to see if there was anything I could use to find the nearest settlement, digging through the drawers only rewarded me with woman's clothes and some intimates, one of which I shoved in my pocket for an epic prank if I saw Luna again. I quickly walked outside into the forest only to be greeted by a dense canopy of trees, racking my brain I remembered that one of my powers granted me flight, smiling I began to work on figuring out how to fly. Several hours later I screamed at the sky. Five hours I had been working on flight, and what did I have for my patience? Nothing but some bruises, I had even tried several clichés like "Up, up, and away!" but still nothing. At some point I had an idea, if the ponies flew with their wings why can't I? I then decide to test my new idea, visualizing to large wings appearing on my back I visualized myself taking flight. I was stunned when I saw the ground far below me, looking in the distance I saw a small village overshadowed by a massive castle situated on a mountainside. I decide to try my luck with the village, turning in it's direction I started my flight.