Part 1 - Luna
Equestria, the nation of ponies, is a land renowned across the world for its friendly, warm-hearted denizens, its material prosperity, its fabulous climate, and above all, its utterly safe and secure nature.
The Princess of the Night, Luna, Mistress of the Moon, Duchess of Yoke, Viscountess of Maremansk, Thane of Whiterun, and majority stockholder of Lunesco Studios of Neighpon, Ltd. (creators of the famous Mecha Battle Dragon Suit Celestia manga and anime), sighed as she read the beginning sentence in How To Survive in Equestria on Five Bits a Day (Without Eating Ponies); a travel guide for griffons, published by griffons. In other words, this place is boring, the dark alicorn thought as she used her telekinetic magic to rapidly flip through the book's pages. She didn't even take the time to read the rest of the guide, but had already figured the rest of it would be equally bland. Not that I am unhappy with the peace and prosperity of mine subjects, for I am. Deliriously so, the princess thought as she lifted the book up with her magic and then floated it through the rows of the Canterlot Royal Library and sent it back to its appropriate shelf without even looking. But as nice as everything is now, even 'Tia would admit that boredom was seldom a problem when hydra attacks and griffon raids occurred every week. Now the hydras slink only in the wilds, and even the griffons have calmed down and settled into a more civilized state.
Luna shook her head, and then stood up from the cushion she had been lying on. All there is to do in this age is to keep the bureaucracy from becoming overbearing. The alicorn grimaced slightly as she moved off to wander through the various rows of shelving. Not that it is an easy task. It seems that as time hath pressed on more and more ponies take for granted the presence of the government and its supposed ineffability. Luna sighed again as she cast her memories back over the past two years since her redemption, hardly paying attention to where she was going and certainly not looking at any books or scrolls. There hath been so many changes during my time away, yet most of them hath occurred slowly, and the rate of change decreases every year. Stagnation is the first step to death for a civilization, yet what is there to do? Luna frowned as she contemplated the question. Celestia, though I love her, takes things too slowly for mine tastes. The work here in Canterlot grows tedious, and it wears upon my soul.
The only bright spots, she remembered, had been the two Nightmare Nights that had occurred since her return; the first only barely so, but the second had been much more enjoyable since she had learned the true purpose of the holiday. Candy, treats, and harmless scares, Luna remembered, smiling a bit as she recalled the most recent one only just weeks past. 'Twas much more enjoyable when everypony and myself were “on the same page”, as Twilight Sparkle put it. I sneaked in, played some pranks before anypony knew I was there, and then boom! Luna stopped in her tracks then and reared back, mimicking her movements from the holiday only just past. I appeared in a cloud of smoke in the town square, looking like Nightmare Moon and demanding candy!
The princess chuckled merrily at this as she settled back to all fours, and then sheepishly looked around once she had remembered she was technically in public, still. Nopony around me, though, she saw. Good. Although... where hath I gone? Luna asked herself this as she glanced around and realized she had moved away from the more common areas of the library, and had instead wandered into the spell research archives. Here, she knew, the unicorns of Equestria had stored their unfinished works and notes, hoping that one day somepony would continue and maybe even solve the issues that had kept the spells from completion. Of course, the more dangerous topics were locked away in secure vaults, but the common and/or more unfounded works were left in the public access section, where Luna now found herself.
“Hmm,” the princess hummed to herself, as a new idea sprung into her mind. Perhaps this might be the answer to my problem? A bit of spell tinkering to exercise the mind perchance might arouse me from my malaise. Luna smiled at the idea, and her horn lit up as she randomly grabbed several scrolls from the nearby shelves and then levitated them in front of her so she could read the titles. My, such odd things our little ponies attempt. “Advanced Hair Removal Techniques,” why would anypony want to get rid of their hair? “Enchanting Tongue Depressors to Taste Like Candy,” well, maybe if you want foals chewing on them. “The Apocalypse and You: A How-To Guide for Ending the World”... Wait, what? Should not this be in the restricted section? Luna unrolled the scroll in question and skimmed its contents. Several moments passed before she chuckled, and then rolled the scroll back up. Oh Doctor Core, you always did have such a strange sense of humor, she thought, and then returned the scrolls she levitated back to their proper places. This seems like a false avenue, the alicorn sadly mused, though she decided to press on and reached out with her magic to snag another scroll. “The Unreal Engine: A Gateway to Other Realities.” Luna raised an eyebrow at this, and then proceeded to unroll and read the lengthy paper. A smile slowly spread along her muzzle as she did, and within a moment of finishing her skimming she knew she had a project.
* * * *
The next night found Luna unhappily scribbling doodles on her notepaper as she sat at her desk and contemplated the issues that taxed her. Boredom. Tedium. And now this bloody spell.
Luna turned to look at the scroll she had borrowed from the library, and then shook her head again. “Why won't you work?” She asked of it, not receiving nor expecting an answer. This is a perfectly straightforward, if complex differential engine spell tasked with running a teleportation spell tied into a seeking/tuning algorithm along the sixth, seventh, and eighth dimensional axes. Yet every time I run the math it breaks down and loses cohesion. The alicorn grunted as she shifted on her cushion seat, moving from her haunches to eventually lying on her back in front of the desk. Luna's horn lit up as she used her telekinesis magic to bring the scroll in question over and had it hover above her head, face down so she could keep reading it. This “Grand Amusement” fellow had a great idea, but it seems he was deficient in some areas. If only he had another pony helping him, to cover his weak points and anchor his ideas in-
She blinked as an idea entered her head, spurred by her mental musings. After some consideration of it, Luna abruptly shifted until she was again sitting on her haunches, looking over the notes on her desk and the scroll, which she now laid back in its usual place. A quick burst of magical manipulation sent papers and quills flying around until they were all rearranged so that Luna could look over all of her theoretical runs while she worked on a new, empty piece of notepaper. Furious scribbling noises followed, and continued for some time as the dark alicorn worked through yet another trial, this time with an addition.
This went on for several hours, until finally Luna sat back and stared at her notes. “It works,” she said, and then grinned. “And I am going to test it.”
* * * *
The Princess of the Day, Celestia, Mistress of the Sun, Grand Duchess of Canterlot, Countess of Trottingham, Shogun in Absentina of Neighpon, and silent partner of the Equestria Daily newspaper, walked through the expansive halls of the Royal Palace in the waning hours of the day as she made her way towards her sister's apartments. It's not like Luna to be late, the solar princess mused to herself, as she made the last turn and spied the entrance to her sister's study ahead. Guards in the silver armor of Luna's personal guard stood on either side of the door, yet neither so much as moved a muscle as Celestia walked up to the double doors, and then raised a hoof and knocked. “Luna? Are you in there?”
A soft glow of magic enveloped the doors at that, and they swung open rapidly. “'Tia, come in! I wish to show you something!” Came the excited voice of the younger royal sister.
Celestia raised an eyebrow, and then glanced to the guards. Both of them broke their traditional stoic impassiveness to give her a shrug when she looked at each one, and then resumed their usual stance. The elder alicorn graced them with an indulgent smile for that, and then turned and walked into the study.
It was, predictably, loaded with books and scrolls. Three of the walls had shelving that reached to the ceiling to support the large collection, and the fourth only lacked such due to the fact that it played host to large bay windows that faced north. Already the first stars were starting to show in the dimming twilight, and these reminded Celestia of the purpose she had in seeking her sister. Fortunately, Luna was easily found sitting at her desk, which was located in front of the windows. Unlike her sister, though, the younger alicorn ignored the view and only concentrated on the papers sitting on the desk. The sound of golden hoof overshoes clacking on the floor, though, brought her head around, and Luna smiled at her sister. “Come hither, I wish thee to look at this,” she said, and then waved a wing to gesture Celestia closer.
The elder alicorn raised her eyebrow again, but obeyed the well-meaning summons and approached. “And what has you so excited, dear sister?” She asked as she reached the desk, and then looked over the various notes.
“This,” Luna said, as she used her magic to levitate an old-looking scroll from the corner of the desk and then brought it to hover in front of her sister's face. “It's an uncompleted spell I located in the Royal Library. Or at least, it was uncompleted,” she added, a big grin on her face. “I figured it out, though!”
“Really?” Celestia asked, a smile on her muzzle as she turned her attention to the scroll and took control of it from Luna's magic with her own. As she read it, though, her expression changed to one of surprise. “Luna, this is... brilliant,” she said, pride seeping into her tone.
Luna blushed at that, and then shook her head. “Most of the work was done by the original author, Grand Amusement,” she explained. “I just figured out what was missing to have the interlocking components function correctly.”
“An enchanted physical anchor to keep the spell from losing its originating coordinates,” Celestia said, with a nod as she glanced over Luna's additions to the scroll again. “It's still quite impressive. I think this may be the first fully-functional reality-hopping spell ever created.”
“I know, isn't it exciting?” Luna asked, her face lit up with joy. “I cannot wait to test it!”
Celestia lowered the scroll and gave her sister a concerned look. “Luna, surely you don't mean to try this yourself?” She asked, in a worried tone. “Even as well made as it looks to be, testing new spells is a dangerous prospect. They must undergo peer review just to make sure that the author hasn't missed anything.”
Luna frowned at that. “'Tia, thou art mine only true peer,” she said, with a huff. “And I hath spent hours checking and rechecking both the spell components and the math of simulation. I assure thee that this spell is as perfected as it will ever be, short of a genuine magic savant coming along.”
Celestia grinned at that. “And if one so happens to be my student?” She asked.
The younger alicorn momentarily froze, and then blushed. “Oh, yes, of course,” she said, sounding sheepish. Her countenance hardened soon enough, however. “But my work is still solid, dear sister.”
“I'm sure it is, Luna,” Celestia replied, as she rolled up the scroll and then floated it back to set it on her sister's desk. “It's just that I would appreciate it if you had somepony else double check it before you test it out,” she added. When Luna looked ready to protest, Celestia lowered her head and proceeded to widen her eyes. “Please?”
“Gah!” Luna exclaimed as she snapped her head to the side. “Cease that at once, mine sister! Thy “cute face” was not meant for mortals nor gods alike!”
The elder alicorn chuckled at this, and resumed her usual stance and appearance. “So you will hold off and let another pony double-check your work?” She asked, playfully.
Luna sighed as she returned her gaze back to her sister. “Very well. I shall see to it and ensure it is safe before I try it out,” she said, reluctantly.
“Good,” Celestia replied, a warm smile on her muzzle. “And now that is settled, I can get to the original reason I came to see you. Chiefly, you are late for our evening ritual.”
The younger sister rolled her eyes at this. “Must we continue the charade?” She skeptically asked, though she did rise from her seat and moved to join Celestia. “Surely our ponies do not need to be coddled with such fictions in this day and age?”
“Perhaps, or perhaps not,” the princess of the sun allowed, as she turned to lead her sister out into the halls. “But they still take comfort from it, and it reinforces our rule so we can continue to keep Equestria safe and prosperous.”
And boring and stifling of ingenuity and creativity, Luna thought. She refrained from voicing such ideas, though, as she had had such conversations with her elder sister over the past two years since her redemption. I love thee, 'Tia, but thou hast become overprotective in my absence. Luna felt a slight blush erupt on her cheeks at that, as she followed Celestia through the palace corridors. I know I am to blame for that, but hath not the time come for a little growth? And how can growth occur without an impetus?
This started the wheels moving in her mind once again, and Luna nodded to herself as they approached the throne room. So... What can provide that impetus? Challenges and crises work, but I am as loathe to inflict suffering on our subjects as mine sister. The only other source of such change is usually new ideas from an outside source, but Equestria has become the world leader in everything from food production to magic manipulation to industrialized cities, and new ideas are stifled here, as I hath observed.
Then what is needed... are ideas from beyond this world. At this, Luna smiled. Well 'Tia, I did say I wouldst not use that spell unless I was sure it was safe... But I hath checked it myself, and I am very sure.
* * * *
“And now this mark here...” Luna softy spoke. She was, of course, talking to herself, as nopony else was in the room. She always found her concentration oddly enhanced when she would let her mouth wander, though, so the alicorn simply repeated things to herself as she worked.
At this particular moment, Luna was making some final runes and spell marks around the anchor she had chosen for the “Unreal Engine” spell. Each one of the designs was made with spellcaster's chalk, which was a special mix of regular chalk and a plethora of ground crystals of various minerals that would, when exposed to magical energy, create a series of miniature ley lines to focus said energy into the drawn patterns. “And in this case,” Luna mumbled to herself as she continued to work. “There will be energy focused into the matrix right about... here,” she paused at that, and then made another symbol on the floor of her bedroom.
Several moments later, she stepped back from her work and then cast a hard eye over every single marking and line. Spellcasting is hard enough without misaligned thaumaturgical vortices stressing the delicate webwork required for this spell to function, the dark alicorn mused, as she confirmed that her preparations were complete and accurate. Much as the land shapes the flow of a river, so to do the marks direct the magical energy. Yet as a river may overflow its bank and take a new course, so too can magic overwhelm an ill-prepared runic circle. I must be careful. Luna nodded to herself at that, and then proceeded to double-check every notation, before then triple-checking it against the spell scroll, which she levitated in the air next to her as she worked.
Finally, she nodded and then sent the scroll to sit on her bedroom desk in the corner, along with the chalk stick she had been using. “Very well then, all is ready,” Luna said, and then fell silent as she contemplated what she was about to do. Even ones so mighty as Celestia and I hath never broken the bonds of this reality, she thought, as she sat down on her haunches to ponder. Even Discord, for all his vaunted power, could not do as I am about to attempt. 'Tis a heady feeling, to know that with this work completed, we might know the strange and unusual wonders that the Creator of infinity hath fashioned.
At that, Luna took a moment to look around her room; she knew nopony would be in there with her, but a bout of paranoia made her check all the same. Once she confirmed that she was indeed alone, the alicorn grinned. “Yay!” She said, and then brought both of her forelegs up to rapidly clap their hooves together in a gleeful outburst of joy. Said outburst only lasted a moment, however, and Luna cleared her throat as she regained her composure. Alright, now let us begin.
With that thought, the princess of the night stood up on all fours and then closed her eyes. The glow of magical energy appeared along her horn as she concentrated, pulling from from the moon itself stores of magical energy. Such use was not strictly necessary, but Luna was unsure of what would lie before her, and so she wanted to conserve her own, internal stores as much as possible. I must be careful, however, the alicorn thought, as she recalled her musings on magic flow just a few moments prior. Such ideas took a backseat, however, as she focused on crafting the spell and setting the thaumaturgical engine moving.
Time seemed to slow as the spell grew in power, and soon became self-directing. Luna continued to power it, however, and made sure to monitor its functioning as the variable-crunching algorithms drove the virtual machine. The teleportation spell, too, was charged, but it was held on standby as the seeker/tuner algorithm began to track. Luna almost lost concentration as it began to move along the unseen dimensional axes, the sensation unlike any she had felt before, save two particular instances. I felt this way both times the Elements of Harmony were used against me, Luna thought, as she recalled her banishment to the moon and the subsequent redeeming a thousand years later. The spells, however, needed tending, and so she filed away the nascent ideas already forming in her head, and instead returned to taking in the results of the seeker/tuner algorithm.
The engine spell churned rapidly now, as the seeker looked for a world with compatible environmental variables. Luna felt her mind boggle as image after image swept by, showing her strange places and stranger creatures. As time went on, however, she noticed a pattern that seemed to repeat itself over and over, at least in the beings of these other worlds. Why do so many of them look so alike? The alicorn asked herself as she took note of the similar, bipedal body structure that, despite its many variations, remained relatively unchanged from reality to reality. It was not the only one she saw, not by a long shot, and many times she caught images of quadrupeds, sextupeds, and other, more alien forms. Several times she saw ponies like the ones she ruled, and even alicorns similar to herself, but they were by far in the minority.
So, how do I choose? Luna asked herself as she tuned the thaumaturgical engine to slow its search. Which world, which reality? Do I speak with others like myself, or seek out the strangest things? And what of the oddly common bipeds?
So deep she was in thought, that she didn't notice when the seeker algorithm suddenly halted, seemingly on its own. Luna did notice, however, when she felt a tug on the spell, and a sharp tinge of fear ran up her spine as something seemed to latch onto the information stream of the seeker. Its presence was utterly strange, cold, and lifeless, yet Luna could feel a form of intelligence as it systematically probed and interacted with the seeker algorithm in a manner that was so fast even an alicorn like her could not keep up. “What is this? Who are thee?” She thought, using some of her magic to try and communicate with the other force.
“Error Code 1024: Unknown User”, a toneless, emotionless reply came. “Unauthorized interaction with the Liandri Tournament Teleportation Network is punishable by sanctions, up to and including death and/or forced competition in the Grand Tournament. Please enter your access code.”
Luna frowned at this, even as she focused some of her energy towards the differential engine in preparation to shut it down, if necessary. “I am sorry, but I know not thy words nor their meaning. I mean no harm. If I am trespassing, then I apologize.”
“Unauthorized User detected,” came the same, emotionless response. “Under New Earth Government Edict 20753: Corporate Rights and Responsibilities, the Liandri Corporation and its subsidiaries are allowed to enact proactive defense of all intellectual and physical property on offworld colonies not directly administered by the N.E.G. You are in violation of Liandri corporate policy, disengage now or face sanctions.”
She recognized none of the words and precious little of the concepts, yet Luna well understood that she had somehow butted heads with a bureaucracy. Right, there's no way I'm going to get anything useful out of this, she thought, and then used her mind to trigger the thaumaturgical engine's equivalent of an “off” switch.
It was to her credit that Luna did not immediately panic when the engine continued to run. Rather, it took a complete thought cycle of several long, agonizing seconds before the princess of the night felt her kidneys ache with the release of adrenalin. Oh no, no no no, what tomfoolery is this? She thought, and then threw her mind wholly into looking at the engine spell. It was then she realized that there was a flaw in her spellwork after all. The teleportation spell was still charged, and the processing matrix in the primary spell would not disengage without the secondary spell being properly deactivated. 'Twas only supposed to be a safety feature, to keep the teleport spell aimed and guided until it was completed! Luna mentally raged at the circumstances, but also at herself for not listening to her sister. 'Tia, you were right, I should have-
“Unauthorized User,” the cold entity interrupted her thoughts. “Under Liandri corporate policy paragraph 26 subsection 7 clause J, your violation of company property is considered a breech of the company's rights. Per Edict 20753 your rights as a free citizen are suspended pending any appeal to the N.E.G. Consulate. Teleportation hardware has been detected at your location, initializing transfer to holding area 17.”
Luna panicked. Again. She snapped open her eyes as she felt the entity reach through her spellwork faster than she could counter it, whereupon it seized control of the differential engine and set the teleportation spell into operation. As the energy started to coalesce around her, the alicorn alighted her eyes on the physical anchor she had chosen to tie into the spell; her bed. Maybe if I destroy it? She thought, and then gathered up energy to hurl a fireball towards her treasured, but still expendable furnishing.
She began to release the magic for the destructive spell just as the teleport kicked in.
* * * *
ERROR: Power Surge in Translocator Matrix 54-2z1.
ERROR: Targeting information corrupted. Parse failure: ***d*** ****-17.
INTERRUPT: New Competitor Deck-17.
ERROR: Empty Queue.
Code 11235: Queue refresh: one competitor found.
ERROR: Unknown condition. Requesting Cybernetic Input.
ID 407 “Gryph”: Just put the new meat into the game, you overheated spawn of a kludge lover. I'm not getting paid enough for this trivial crap.
NOTATION: User “Gryph” is irrationally hostile. Also is fat and smells bad.
ID 407 “Gryph”: That's it, I'm going to reformat you the hard way!
-Connection Reset by Peer-
Code 242: Notifying Liandri Authorities. “Gryph” recapture team is moving.
PROCESS: Initiating Deathmatch Protocol for Deck-17.
* * * *
Luna blinked her eyes clear as the teleport spell released her. At least, I thought it was a spell, she thought as she quickly looked around the tiny, gray room she found herself in. It almost felt as if something else took over halfway through. She soon pushed these thoughts aside, as her senses reported a bit more about her new location. To her eyes, it remained a small room, barely large enough to accommodate her, though now she noticed that there was a door of some kind set into the wall behind her. But no latch to open it from this side? She wondered, as she turned around to cast her eyes over every surface, though she saw nothing more interesting than the fact that the walls, ceiling and floor all blended together at the edges. It was her nose that told her the most of the room's purpose, as she could detect the wrenching scents of sweat, fear, and rage that filled the small compartment.
A musical tone sounded from behind her, and Luna turned to face the wall opposite of the door. A section of the wall had seemingly changed, and now the alicorn watched as images of some strange, large room began to show. “Welcome, competitor, to the Liandri Grand Tournament,” a female voice, pleasant and melodic, yet utterly devoid of emotion, seemed to come from the screen. “You have been assigned to an exhibition match on the famous Deck Seventeen. However, there are some issues: we have no records of your species or any training you may have. Do you wish a brief recap before the match begins?”
“What is this? I don't even-” Luna said, though she quickly halted and then took in a deep breath to calm herself as she closed her eyes. 'Tis time to assert myself, the alicorn thought, as she shifted her posture to look more regal. “I am princess Luna of Equestria,” she began, her voice loud and commanding as she opened her eyes and stared at the strange panel. “I demand I be released at once!”
“Subject name: Luna,” the strange voice said, with no change in tone. “The title of “princess” indicates a form of feudalism. What is the basis for your peerage?”
Luna frowned as the screen continued to only show the same, strange pictures, and the voice proved to be completely unmoved. “Now see here,” the alicorn said, resorting to using her booming voice. “We are Princess Luna, the ruler of the night, destroyer of the Shoggoths, Scourge of the Kobolds, the one whom even dragons fear to cross. Thou wilt release us from they grip or face the consequences!”
“Detecting increased levels of hyperspatial activity,” the voice replied. “Indication is that peerage is based upon personal prowess. This program has determined that you are capable for competition. Brief recap is as follows: You are only allowed to use ranged weapons or the shield gun for combat. Frags achieved using any physical advantage, such as with your horn, will not count towards your total. Your wings indicate a possibility of flight; true flight is not allowed in the tournament, though use of wings to assist in jumps and maneuvering is acceptable. Any extra-physical abilities can and will be dampened by a blanket quantum stabilization field. Your lack of manipulating limbs suggests an inability to use tools without assistance. Would you like a frame to operate your weaponry?”
The alicorn simply stared at the odd screen, unable to understand how her protests and words were so completely ignored, and yet fully understood at the same time. “Art thou even listening to me?” She demanded, lowering her voice down to a mere shout. “I am a princess! I am an alicorn! And I will not participate in any competition!”
A moment passed in silence, before a new voice, masculine and arrogant, spoke from the screen. “Listen up, meat, I don't have all day. The computer says you're being obstinate, so how about you answer me: are you able to hold a weapon and use one, or are you some kind of cripple?”
Luna felt her anger rise another notch at the impertinent tone and harsh words. “Wretched beast!” She snapped. “Give me a weapon and I shall show thee new shadings of that slur first-hoof!”
“I'll take that as a “yes”,” the voice replied. “Enjoy getting your ass handed to you, noob.”
“Match starting in five,” the female voice from earlier came on, speaking in its automatic fashion. “Four, three, two, one.”
* * * *
“Welcome back, viewers, to today's deathmatch exhibition special!” The familiar, exuberant voice of the anchorman rang in Malcolm's ears, as it usually did. The anchor sat only a few feet away, and spoke directly into the microphone sewn into his suit jacket, yet still added volume to his voice to keep the faceless crowd primed. The things I put up with for pay, the tournament veteran thought.
“Last for today is everyone's favorite, Deck Seventeen!” The anchorman continued, and then looked over to where Malcolm sat to his right. “Malcolm, you've competed hundreds of times in the old Deck Sixteen, and of course participated in the commissioning match for the current arena. What do you expect to see from today's fight?”
Malcolm smiled automatically at that, and gave thanks to whatever might be out there that the trademark sunglasses he wore kept the holocameras from picking up the annoyance his eyes would show. “Well Jim, I think today's match will be a solid show,” he said, sounding more friendly and engaging than he felt. “Now these are all low level competitors, so I don't expect anything spectacular, but anyone tuning in will certainly enjoy some quality, Liandri-brand tournament entertainment.”
“Speaking of which, the match is about to begin,” the anchor, Jim, added, and then turned back to face the main camera. Just as he did, though, the translucent eyepiece that extended from the headset he wore flashed and updated. “Well, I'm getting new information on a last minute entry. It appears to be a punishment assignment, so it will be interesting to see how this “Luna” character plays out, eh Malcolm?” He shot the question to his side with a glance.
The reigning champion shrugged at that. “Time will tell, Jim.”
“It certainly will,” Jim replied, and then nodded to the camera. “Alright, let's get to the feed and watch some carnage!”
The red light on the side of the holocamera winked out at that, though the green light remained on to let the two men at the reporting desk know that it was still primed for the director to switch back to at any time. Malcolm turned with Jim to look at one of the monitors set up for their benefit, and they watched the life feed switch to a split-screen image showing seven different views, each one focused on one of the combatants as they were teleported into the arena.
Malcolm let his eyes drift over the competitors almost automatically, already feeling bored. Robot, Cyborg, Nakhti, Hellion, Juggernaut, Mercenary, and- He blinked behind his sunglasses as his mental rundown ground to a halt when he looked at the last combatant. “What the Hell?” He asked, unconsciously.
“Seems there's a surprise in today's match after all, eh Malcolm?” Jim the anchor asked, a bit of smugness in his voice.
Snark all you want, little man, Malcolm thought, in a flash of irritation. If I weren't under contract I'd break your scrawny neck. “Seems that way, Jim,” the grand champion said, keeping his voice even, as the two were still providing commentary for the viewing public. He fell silent then as six of the combatants raced out into the arena, already seeking blood. The strange, seventh one, however, just seemed to stand there and blink in surprise as she – It looks like a she, anyways, Malcolm considered – seemed to work on regaining her bearings.
If he had to describe her, the dark skinned human would have called her a horse, or a pony of some type, albeit one with wings and a horn. Her dark blue coat nicely contrasted with her few articles of adornment and the markings on her backside, and the strange, flowing nature of her hair would be almost hypnotic in person, or so Malcolm reckoned. That and the strange, star-like winking lights in her hair indicated a being of considerable power, either through advanced technology or via simple genetic access to energy fields. It's a big galaxy, Malcolm mused. And stranger things have happened.
The feed changed now, and showed a simpler three-way split screen, with two views of the arena – both covering well traveled sections that were even now filling with players and weapons fire – dominating the available space, though the third, smallest one continued to focus on the strange quadruped. I guess the director knows when to milk the unusual, Malcolm thought, as he watched the pony – I don't think any other word really describes that thing – look around, and then notice the standard-issue tournament equipment belt around its midsection and the headset that fit snugly over both ears, despite her unusual form. Damn thing looks as clueless as it does adorable. This match is going to get real ugly if it doesn't get its head out of its ass.
* * * *
Luna glanced around nervously as she heard terrible sounds coming from down the two halls that led from the area she had appeared in. The entire room was built out of metal, which only helped echo the noise of explosions, screams, taunts, and other less identifiable noises, and it made Luna just what sort of beings had such wealth to construct such large environs out of such an expensive material.
The area she had appeared in matched one of the strange images that the panel in the last room had shown her. It was regularly shaped, with straight-edged sides and ceiling, though the floor was split, with the section she stood on the left being normal, while the other side was open to some sort of molten material, though a small ramp and platform went down almost to the surface of the red-hot fluid in the pit. On that platform some sort of odd device rotated, suspended in mid-air. Off to her left were what looked like old crates, as well as several, smaller items that looked to have been of recent manufacture.
What is going on here? What are those noises? Luna asked of herself, still unsure of what, exactly, was going on. Part of her wanted to call out, even to bellow in her royal voice, yet the sounds of suffering and war bade her to remain silent. I hath no idea what is transpiring, she reminded herself, even as her pride started to burn in her throat. I must be careful, and determine what, exactly, I hath gotten into.
A light tone sounded in her ears, then, which caused Luna to flinch in surprise. “Please note,” the emotionless female voice from earlier spoke. “That while camping during a deathmatch is technically within the rules, it is generally considered the tactic of a worthless, inbred, brain-dead, cowardly douche bag. Are you a dirty, rotten coward?”
Luna felt her temper flare at that, and she nearly growled as she spoke in reply. “Now see here you... whatever you are! I hath faced the worst demonic creatures that Discord himself spawned upon the land! If you dare-” She cut herself off then, as a bipedal creature ran into the area she was in, and then paused briefly.
It was taller than her, though not by much, and its general outline suggested some sort of femininity. Yet there was nothing feminine about its clothing, which was rough and mismatched, nor did the strange, tiny tufts of hair on her head suggest anything but clannish barbarism. Luna found this an appropriate observation, as she watched the creature's face split in a maddened grin. “Ooh, you're going to die good, fresh meat,” she said, and then brought up a large device she held in her hands.
Luna didn't know quite what to make of this development, but she did understand that the creature was wielding some form of weapon, against which the alicorn was unsure what would work as a defense. Thus, she quickly hopped to the side just before a beam of light lanced through the air from the end of the biped's weapon, and then impacted on the wall behind where Luna had been standing. Sparks flew from the impact site, and shards of metal pinged off of the wall under the weapon's furious discharge.
The alicorn, however, was not observing that too clearly, as she was more concerned that her nearly-instinctual leap had propelled her towards the pit to her right. She recognized instantly that if she continued on the arc she would end up in the fiery material, and so spread her wings and flapped once to extend her jump so she could land on the tiny platform that stood barely an inch above the molten material.
“Get back here and die!” The strange creature screamed from above, which only made Luna tense in a fear she hadn't known in ages. That voice spoke of weapons, where are they? She asked of herself, and then looked around to consider her options. The ramp back up was long and had nothing to shield it, and already she saw the head of the creature bob above the lip of the upper floor as it ran to cut off her escape. Luna considered flying out, but she knew that she would be a sitting duck until she gained enough speed, and the area she was in looked too small for flying, anyway. As she looked around, though, the alicorn spotted the odd device she had noted earlier, and the similarity of the general shape to the weapon the biped used helped her realize that it might also be a weapon of a sort. A large opening and several control-like buttons and even a curved lever of a sort indicated that it was supposed to be manipulated by a being with hands, rather than hooves.
A searing pain erupted in Luna's side just then, and she was shoved forward, over the rotating device on the floor and into the wall just beyond it. She yelped in pain and crumpled to the hot metal flooring, though she managed to quickly roll over to face towards her attacker.
The biped's grin was as maniacal as ever, as it halted on the ramp and seemed to take time to carefully aim its next attack. Luna felt a wave of panic wash over her, as she realized that only a truly powerful weapon could hurt a being such as her, and in that panic she reached out with her telekinesis for the spinning device between her and the biped. Her mental grip tugged the weapon up and out of some sort of energy field that felt similar to magic, but Luna gave it no thought as she snapped the open end of the weapon towards her attacker and then used her telekinesis to press down on every surface of the weapon that might be a control.
Fortune favored her, as one of the first things she pressed was the curved lever. The device savagely bucked in her grip as a cloud of searing hot metal fragments were blasted out of its opening and flew straight for the biped. Time seemed to slow down for Luna just then, as her mind kicked into an adrenalin-fueled overdrive that only heightened her already considerable mental prowess, and so the alicorn watched as an expression of fear washed over the other female's face in the split second between the time the metal fragments were launched and their impact into her soft flesh.
Luna watched in morbid fascination as the biped's body started to tear apart. Yet as she watched, her connection with the ether and her own light-fast mind showed some sort of brief ripple that raced over the biped. The alicorn had no time to process it, and only noted that after the ripple, the other female's face was now blandly neutral, and indeed all of its muscles seemed to begin relaxing.
They of course didn't have a chance, as the metal fragments finished their job and blasted through the being's torso, burning and ripping apart everything they touched, until nothing but an expanding cloud of red mist was left.
Time seemed to speed back up to normal as the threat passed, and Luna frowned as she saw the pile of gore and severed limbs that was once a living being. “What in the name of the heavens hath I done?” She asked, while she slowly stood up.
“You just scored your first frag,” a male voice, different from the one she had heard in the last room, spoke up. “You seem to be rather new at this, so let me give you some pointers,” he continued. “You're in a match where everyone is trying to kill you, and you are trying to kill them. Now-”
“That is barbaric!” Luna snapped, interrupting the voice.
“Of course,” the male voice snapped. “But it is what it is. Now, you can either participate, or you can sit in that corner and wait for Greith to come back and make you pay for killing her and interrupting her fun.”
Luna blinked at that. “Come back? As what, a spirit?” She asked, in a skeptical tone.
“She wasn't completely dead before the respawners replaced her body with a double and then fixed her up,” the voice replied. “She's already heading for your location right now. So unless you want to feel what it's like to be shot over and over and over again, I'd suggest you get off that ass of yours and go out and take the fight to the other competitors.”
The alicorn frowned at that, suspicious as she was becoming of everything in this strange and hostile world. Yet the throbbing pain in her side where the biped's beam weapon had hit her told Luna that it was a dangerous world even for one such as her, and her instinct told her that she should take help wherever she could find it. “Any suggestions, then?” She asked of the voice as she started to trot up the ramp.
“Keep moving, don't slow down, and shoot everything that moves,” the male voice replied. “The belt you're wearing has a matter formatting device that can store more weapons so you won't become overburdened, and the headset you're wearing has a brainwave scanner tied into it, so all you have to do is think of a number associated with a certain weapon to call it out and replace the one you currently have.”
“How would something like that work?” Luna asked, as she gingerly hoofed her way around the body on the ramp. She paused, though, as the weapon the creature had been using disappeared in a brief flash of light, and a slight “click” sounded in her ears.
“Just like that,” the male voice said. “Everything is made to be as automatic as possible, so that you can concentrate on fighting. Weapons and ammunition are picked up just by passing over them, and all of the weapons auto-load so long as you have ammo for 'em.”
An explosion sounded very close as Luna reached the top of the ramp, and she started and spun around in time to see burning fragments of flesh bounce from behind the crates in the middle of the left passage that led out from the area she was in. Before she could recoil in horror, a large bipedal creature – neigh, that is a machine, she realized – ran forward and into her sight. It seemed to spot her, and it turned and aimed a large weapon that had three openings towards her. “Flesh is a design flaw,” it said, its voice harsh and grating, just before a projectile erupted from the topmost opening of the weapon and streaked forward ahead a gout of flame.
Luna was prepared for this, though, and she dodged again, though this time she jumped high and to the left, using her wings to boost her height so she could land on one of the short crates sitting against the wall of the room. The projectile aimed at her slammed into the wall with and exploded, but she ignored it and instead aimed her large weapon and then fired. Once again, a cloud of metal fragments raced outwards, reaching for her opponent and ripping into its metal carapace.
“Flak cannons aren't so good at that range,” the male voice said over her headset. “Use the shock rifle you just picked up. Think of the number “four”.”
The princess of the night did as instructed, even as she dodged back off the crates to avoid another flame-riding projectile. The weapon in her telekinetic grip disappeared in what she would later describe as “ a slip perpendicular to reality”, and another one appeared in its place; the same weapon the first biped has used against her. It too had a curved lever, and Luna wasted no time in aiming its opening at the attacking machine and then firing.
A beam of cerulean light lanced out, which made the weapon buck in her grip. However, the effect it had on the machine creature was more profound, as it was shoved backwards and tripped onto its back over a set of stairs leading into the right side corridor. Luna didn't even think as she aimed the weapon and then fired again, and then again, skewering the machine until on the third beam it exploded in a shower of metal fragments and sparks.
“Well, looks like you have a killer instinct after all,” the helpful male voice spoke over the headset, sounding smug.
“'Twas only adrenalin,” Luna countered, as she breathed heavily. Yet, even as she spoke, a part of her felt a twinge of satisfaction at having bested a being that had attempted to destroy her.
“Oh, there's that too,” the voice added. “But we can talk about that and other things after the match. Right now, you've still got a battle on your hands, so you should really concentrate on trying to fight it.”
Luna frowned at that, and then opened her mouth to argue. However, the sound of footfalls from nearby reminded her of just the sort of situation she was in, and the alicorn decided that at the very least, she could remain on the move. I can analyze the situation later, she thought. At the moment, survival is paramount.
* * * *
“Hyena delivers another humiliating headshot to Rylisa!” The anchor, Jim, was saying as Malcolm walked back into the studio booth. The well dressed man at the desk shot the grand champion a dirty look, but otherwise showed no response to Malcolm's sudden departure or return.
Even that look was pushing it, Malcolm thought as he regained his seat behind the desk. I'm going to have a talk with the Liandri rep about the punks they stick me with.
“And Corrosion gets taken down again by the mysterious Luna,” the anchorman added. Malcolm looked to the match display at that, and he suppressed a smile as he saw the four-legged creature give an angry kick to one of the pieces of the destroyed robot's frame. Getting angry, good, he thought, as he watched the dark blue creature turn and abruptly switch weapons from the shock rifle to the rocket launcher. She still was only moving from cover to cover, though, not really searching for targets, but Malcolm knew that would come in time. This one is going to be interesting, he thought, wheels already spinning in his head as he watched Greith chase the quadruped down the upper corridor.
* * * *
“Die, bitch!” The biped from earlier was back, and the weapon it had this time spat out small bursts of deadly green flame. She seemed intent on filling the air with them, and Luna felt her flank burn as several of the bolts slammed into her upper leg. Fortunately, cover was close at hoof, and she dove behind a solid-looking crate to avoid being roasted.
I know that feeling, Luna thought, as she took a moment to catch her breath. 'Tis plasma, like the sun, or a lightning bolt. The alicorn grimaced at that, and wondered again just what sort of world she had come into that had such destructive weapons at hoof. Worry later, she thought, as she switched weapons to the “flak cannon”, as she remembered the device being called. “Have at thee!” She said, and then jumped back into the open side of the corridor.
She saw only open space, however, and then blinked in surprise. Understanding was only a moment away, however, as Luna heard a snicker behind her, and then spared a glance back to see the ugly biped aiming its weapon at her at a distance of mere inches. “Dodge this,” she said, and then fired a searing beam of concentrated plasma.
Luna screamed as the fiercely energetic matter tore at her, but being of alicorn constitution, she bore under it and survived, albeit singed. “My turn!” She yelled, and then bucked hard with her rear legs. Both hooves connected, and the biped went flying backwards and into the air, before her arc carried her to the the steps that Luna had climbed up not seconds ago. The hostile female bounced several times as she rolled down the stairs, and then groaned when she came to a stop at the bottom.
Luna snorted at that, and then turned to stand at the top of the stairs as she switched weapons again, this time pulling out a weapon she had only seen used by others so far, but that was enough for her to understand its purpose clearly. “And stay down!” She yelled, and then hit the trigger on the large weapon. A whine was heard as the several long tubes that constituted the majority of its mass started to spin, and a split-second later the weapon started to shake in Luna's telekinetic grip as it spat out hundreds of thousands of lead projectiles in a near-constant stream. All of which were aimed with careful, deadly precision towards the biped as she struggled to regain her footing.
The being didn't, of course, and Luna sneered as the body below was ripped apart by her weapon. It didn't last long, though, as the weapon clicked and ground to a halt within a second, and Luna spared a quick glance to the little, glowing red numbers on the side of the device. “000”, I suppose that is an ammunition counter, the alicorn thought, even as she switched back to the flak cannon. Part of her gave voice to the concern it had over the carnage she had so callously inflicted, and Luna sensed that a line had been crossed when she had finished the biped off instead of simply running away while she had an opening. Yet even as this crossed her mind, another voice reminded her that no matter what magic was in effect that brought these beings back to life, it was still a very deadly and painful game being played, and whether she liked it or not, she needed to play along. For now, Luna thought, and then turned to race up the corridor.
She had only gone a few paces when another being, this one dressed in some sort of stylized armor, backpedaled into the middle of the corridor from an exit set into the side wall. Its attention was focused back the way it came, and it was firing the same kind of weapon that had been carried by the biped Luna had just dispatched.
Briefly, she considered holding fire, but this thought was drowned by something Luna hadn't felt since being cleansed by the Elements of Harmony; bloodlust. Her eyes narrowed as she aimed the flak cannon, and then fired, and when the metal shards ripped apart her enemy, she grinned.
“Killing Spree!” A voice announced in her ears, which made Luna start a bit and scrabble her hoofs to a halt so she could look around her. Then she remembered the strange device on her head, and realized that this voice, while male, had sounded different from the earlier voices. Odd, why would it tell me-
Her train of thought derailed as the singed bulk of an armored, immense biped stormed into the T-junction, and then rounded on her with a snarl while her weapon rotated oddly. “You stole my kill!” The female bellowed – dear heavens how is that thing female? Luna briefly wondered – and then fired. Three rockets reached out for the alicorn, corkscrewing around themselves as they raced forward.
* * * *
“Ouch! Luna ends Hyena's killing spree just in time for Rylisa to end hers,” Jim said, his voice oozing excitement.
“It was a good play by Rylisa, charging her rockets up like that,” Malcolm chimed in, even as he kept an eye on Luna whenever she was shown on screen. “Seems she got a bit mad Luna took her kill.”
“You can say that again,” Jim added. “Speaking of which, Luna seems to be suffering from first-death shock. Let's see how she recovers.”
* * * *
Luna blinked as the odd feeling of the almost-but-not-quite teleportation spell released her. She looked around and wondered what had happened, and soon enough realized she was at the far end of the corridor she had just been in, facing the opposite direction she had only moments ago. Further down, she saw the immense bipedal female doing a series of curious hip-thrusts, and further yet she saw something that made her stomach churn. Heavens above, is that... me? She asked of herself, as various chunks of blue-coated flesh lay on the metal decking.
Something the male voice had said earlier came to mind just then. He called them “respawners,” said they took that Greith person and snatched her from certain death to replace her with a false body. Luna took in a deep breath to calm herself as she contemplated this. I am not dead. Not yet, anyway, she thought, and then looked around for a new weapon. She saw one sitting next to her, and she quickly picked it up with her telekinesis. And not a moment too soon, the alicorn thought as she saw the immense biped turn and spot her.
Luna brought the new weapon up and aimed it, but then blinked as she realized it had some sort of optical telescope on top. Some sort of very long range weapon? She asked herself. Such thoughts, though, disappeared when one of the rockets from the huge female raced in and then blasted a chunk out of the floor just in front of the alicorn. Right, fight now, think later, Luna mused, and then brought the weapon up further so she could peer through the telescope.
The figure bounding towards her, firing rockets, loomed large in the apparatus, but Luna held onto her nerves. Armor everywhere... but the head, the princess of the night realized. It seemed an odd oversight, but she did not pause to consider it before she moved the marked point in the middle of the telescope's vision over the charging female's head, and then used her telekinesis to pull the curved lever that triggered the weapon's discharge.
Once again, the alien weapon bucked in her magical grip, though this time Luna paid it no heed as a streak moved out faster than thought to slam into the huge female's head, which exploded in a shower of gore. “Headshot!” The third male voice spoke into her ears, as if to affirm the skill of the attack.
Another lead-thrower, Luna realized as she lowered the weapon after making sure her most recent opponent was indeed down. The accuracy of this weapon is most pleasing, the dark alicorn mused, and then nursed the thrill that raced down her back at the odd confirmation of her kill.
Before she could muse on it further, or even remind herself to keep moving, a loud horn sounded throughout the massive arena. It blared for a good five seconds, and then was replaced by an energetic female's voice. “Match over,” the woman said. “Hyena wins, first to reach twenty-five frags. All players are to lower weapons and observe post-game protocols.”
Luna once again found herself frozen in surprise and confusion, unsure of what to do. As she was looking around, though, a series of small lights buried into the floor and walls came on, and started flashing in a pattern that made them appear to move in a certain direction. The alicorn princess took only a moment to realize that the lights were meant to guide anyone inside the arena towards what she presumed would be the exit. Well, what else do I have to do? She asked herself, and then started to walk carefully down the long corridor, still levitating her weapon and holding it in front of her, ready to use at a moment's notice.
The winking lights led her to take a left into the opening where the two bipeds she'd last encountered has come through, and Luna paused as she emerged into a wide, cavernous central area that stretched several stories high. Multiple ramps, levels, and platform were spread out all over, creating a visually interesting and, Luna realized, tactically diverse setting. They called this a game, she thought as she followed the light trails down the middle ramp she walked on. Despite the terrible nature of it, I am beginning to see why they consider it so.
She tensed as she saw several bipeds pass through one of the lower corridors the lights were guiding her towards, but her worry was brief, as she saw that they were relaxed themselves. None of them had their weapons raised for use, and all of them walked almost casually, though the alicorn saw several shoot hateful glances at one another. Not a friendly competition, Luna realized, and then snorted while she resumed walking. We use weapons to kill each other, of course it's not-
Yet again, Luna had to pause, this time as her mind finally had a moment to catch up on all that had happened to her in what had only been the last hour or so. Oh... my heavens... She thought, eyes going wide as the memory of the battle just past played through her mind's eye. I fought, I killed, and towards the end... I enjoyed it.
Luna shuddered at that, and then turned her head to look back over her body. Aside from some superficial singe marks, she looked none the worse for wear, though it was not damage she was checking on, but whether or not the fearsome, black body of her past alter-ego had returned. The alicorn sighed in relief as she saw that she remained herself, though the relief quickly changed into fear. But if I am not turning back into Nightmare Moon, Luna worried, then how do I explain my bloodlust? My anger and desire for not just survival, but victory in a bloodsport I had not even conceived of barely an hour ago?
“Player Luna,” the emotionless female voice sounded in her ears via the strange device. “You are waylaying the cleanup crew. Please head for the exit.”
“Oh, now thou art polite,” Luna grumbled. She nevertheless started moving again, and then started to ponder on her situation, and specifically, how to return home. The Engine is supposed to have a recall function, else it would be a one-way trip, the dark alicorn thought as she automatically followed the lights, the weapon in her telekinetic grip merely hovering at her side, now. Hay, 'tis half the reason for the physical anchor in the first place. I do not think I managed to destroy it, but the spell was not completed properly, of that I am sure. A disturbing thought crossed Luna's mind at that, and she bit her lower lip as she reached out with her magic in an attempt to find the thread of thaumaturgic energy that the spell should have left connected to her.
Two things immediately became apparent from this attempt: firstly, the thread was nowhere to be seen, even to an alicorn's advanced magical senses, and secondly, there was a blanket of some sort of counter-potential field that was dampening anything magical that required more energy than simple telekinesis. I dost not think that I could even teleport out of here, Luna thought, and then paused in her movement yet again, this time to slap a forehoof across her face. Why did I not try that earlier? Why did I not leave this place, wherever it is, instead of playing into these demented beings' sick desires?
“Out of my way, meatbag,” a harsh, mechanical voice said from behind her. Luna broke out of her reverie at that, and then glanced behind her to see another machine entity, though this one looked more rounded and almost lifelike compared to the vaguely insectoid one she had faced during the fight. Luna then realized she had stopped in the middle of a doorway set into one of the outer walls of the combat arena, having unconsciously followed the guiding lights towards it. A glance to either side showed the alicorn that the door had been a hidden one, carefully disguised to appear like another part of the wall. It was narrow enough that only one being at a time could pass through it, though the corridor it gave access to was easily twice as wide.
“I said move, fleshling,” the machine biped said, its voice rising in pitch to show anger, even as it abruptly snapped a foot out and kicked Luna's rump. The alicorn was sent flying a few feet through the air and into the access corridor, and then landed belly first on the hard metal grating that formed the walkway.
Luna groaned in pain, and she heard the sounds of laughter from somewhere up ahead. Right, that's it, the princess thought, as she stood up on all fours again. A quick mental probe showed her that the strange magic-dampening field seemed to have trailed off with the distance from the arena, and she smirked as she turned and saw the machine biped advancing on her again. “Thou should learn some manners, wretch,” she said, her voice dripping with anger.
“You are inferior,” the machine calmly replied, even as it turned to walk around her. “I do not respect inferior beings.”
“Then respect this,” Luna said, as the aura of magic around her horn flared. A matching aura enveloped the machine biped, which was then lifted and had its limbs spread outwards until it was floating in the middle of the corridor, unable to move. It tried, of course, and its body made tiny whines as the strange devices that gave it motion struggled with Luna's telekinetic grip, but the dark alicorn was not so easily overwhelmed. Not now that I have time to assess and understand my foe, Luna thought, even as the anger from earlier rose in her mind again.
Mother always did say I had a bad temper, the night princess thought, even as a grin spread on her muzzle. “What is the matter, tool?” Luna asked, her voice now dripping with satisfaction at finally having gotten the upper hoof in the insanity that had overtaken her life. “No statements of superiority now?” She asked, as she levitated her weapon from where she had dropped it after being kicked, and then brought it up to point the business end at the metal monstrosity from a mere inch away. “No more derisive mockery of mine body from whatever thou uses as a speech orifice?”
“That's enough,” a voice said from behind her. Luna froze for a moment, as she recognized it despite having only heard it briefly before. She turned her head around to look behind her, and saw several bipeds further down the corridor. Most wore some sort of gray overall that covered their bodies, but one was dressed in green armor of a sort, and wore upon his head a beret and covered his eyes with sunglasses. “I'm sure Axon deserves whatever you want to do to him,” the latter figure spoke. “But I'm also sure that Liandri doesn't take kindly to off-screen fighting. They like to keep it in the arenas; cheaper to clean up that way, and easier to record for broadcast.”
Luna narrowed her eyes at the dark-skinned biped and considered his words for a moment. Then, without moving her gaze away from the new figure, she lowered the offending machine warrior to the deck and then released it, even as she brought her weapon back to hover at her side. “This Liandri,” she began, her voice low and coy. “I take it he runs things around here?”
“It's more of an it,” the biped replied, as he brought up his arms and crossed them over his chest. “But yeah, it runs things around here.”
“I see,” Luna said, and then turned to face the machine being she had so recently released. It had remained still and watched the exchange with the impassive detachment only a machine could maintain, and thus was an easy target when Luna shoved her weapon at it so fast that a crack was heard as it broke the sound barrier. The long weapon slammed into the mechanical being so fast that it cracked the outer carapace and sent it flying backwards, back into the combat arena. A loud thud announced the rude machine's landing on the decking, and Luna turned around completely to face the other bipeds head-on. “Then you can tell it that princess Luna of Equestria wishes a word with it.”
The dark-skinned biped smiled at that, and then reached up with a hand to remove his shades. “Tell you what,” he said, with a nod towards the princess. “It's obvious you're not from around here. How about I explain how things work here, and why going on a rampage won't get you what you want? And then after that, we can talk about what you can do to get what you want.” He replaced his shades back upon his head at that, and then crossed his arms again. “Sound good to you?”
Luna frowned as she considered the being's words. Should I trust this creature, despite the fact that this whole reality has done nothing but kidnap and try to kill me? She wondered. But on the other hoof, he did give me good advice in the arena, which undoubtedly helped me stay away from the worst ravages of the fight.
Yes, and encouraged you to fight back, as well, a voice argued inside her head. Wouldst thou hath felt bloodlust again, had thou simply hid and waited the battle out?
Yet at the same time, I need information about where I am. If I cannot find the spell thread leading me back... At the very least, I will need resources to try and find or create another spell to take me home.
After a few moments of thinking, Luna sighed, and then nodded to the creature. “Very well,” she said, and then took a few cautious steps forward to close the gap between them. “Let us speak of such things, mister...?”
“You can call me Malcolm,” the being replied. “Just Malcolm. Now, let's get out of here.”
* * * *
Luna took in a deep breath, and then let it out slowly, despite the tickle in her throat that urged her to cough. Such a dirty place, this is, she thought, as she gazed out over the sunset-lit cityscape below her.
True to his word, Malcolm had led the alicorn out from the massive complex of various enclosed arena stages, and then to one of the many observation decks that dotted the side of the so-called “arcology” that housed the Tournament's smaller venues. The view was less than inspiring to the princess of the night, as the city the arcology sat in stretched from horizon to horizon, with only occasional spots of green parkland to interrupt the carpet of concrete, metal, glass, and pavement. Much of the area that they could see from this platform was industrial, with large apartment buildings built in occasional clusters, though off to her right Luna saw the buildings grow taller and taller yet, as if to mimic a mountain range and its foothills. Even countless stories up, the noise of the streets reached their ears, and Luna had to fold hers back at times as a particularly offensive sound caressed them. Most such noise, however, came from the occasional flying machine as they raced through the air, flittering back and forth across the massive urban area.
“So, magic, huh?” Malcolm asked from Luna's left, where he stood leaning against the railing at the edge of the platform. “We tend to call it hyperspace warping or quantum probability fields, here,” he went on. “And we use machines to do it. But yeah, it's not hard to wrap my head around it.”
Luna sighed at that, grateful that the “human”, as she learned his race was called, seemed to believe her story. “Thou seems rather open to the idea,” she said, still suspicious of any ready acceptance. “Yet thee laughed when I first mentioned it.”
Malcolm shrugged at that. “Well, humans have stories of “magic” from in our ancient past. But that sort of magic was nothing more than superstition, slight-of-hand, and lies. When we developed science as a methodology, we tossed the idea of magic into the “kids-only” bin.
“But even so, we've developed a lot of stuff that people of the past would call “magic”,” Malcolm continued. “And in the last two centuries of interstellar flight, we've come across a lot of strange doings in the galaxy. Hell, you're not even the weirdest thing I've had a conversation with.”
“Thank ye, I think?” Luna asked, unsure of what to make of the comment.
“Take it as a compliment,” Malcolm added. “Though being different doesn't hurt, so long as you're not too different. A sapient like you can go far in the tournament just from novelty appeal alone, especially with a good team like ThunderCrash at your back.”
Luna huffed at that, and then turned to walk several paces away. “I believe we hath gone over this,” she said, speaking patiently. “I do not wish to partake in thy species' cruel games.”
“Then what do you plan on doing?” Malcolm asked, his tone slightly taunting. “You already told me you don't know how to get back home yet, you don't have any money here, and you're still so naïve when it comes to the technology and culture we got here.” He paused at that, and then waited for Luna to turn and face him before he went on. “If you play the game, and do it just as flashy as you were today, then you'll make a name for yourself. That will bring you money, which you can use to buy stuff that can help you find your way back home.” Malcolm paused again, this time as a growl emanated from Luna's stomach, and he smiled. “Plus, there's the whole feeding yourself thing, too.”
“Indeed,” Luna muttered, and then turned to look out over the city again. I detest this idea so much, the alicorn thought, as she mulled over the human's offer and suggestions. And not merely from the fact that it is barbaric. What I felt today was frightening, disturbing even. Luna suppressed a shudder as the memories of a few hours past rolled through her head. And yet... I do not quite feel the same as the time before I changed into Nightmare Moon. I did not, in fact, first taste bloodlust until well after my dark transformation all those years ago. Yet now I hath felt it coursing through me, narrowing my vision and coursing up my spine in the midst of battle.
She could not suppress the shudder this time, and Luna felt a frustrated confusion at the vague hints of mental pleasure that matched the sensation. Is this an effect of this world? Some sort of side effect of the strange events that brought me here? Or is it... something more primal? Something from deep within my own mind, from the subconscious? Again her memories cast back, and the alicorn thought of the way she had dispatched the biped called Greith. I did not merely want her to stop hurting me just then, I wanted to make sure she would never hurt me ever again. 'Tis the survival instinct, yet something about the situation, about the fight twisted it, perverted it, and turned it into a mental tool that let me do what was necessary.
Luna blinked as that thought ran across her mind. Wait, “necessary”? 'Twas not necessary to kill, and to do so in such a terribly vindictive fashion!
And yet... that little voice inside her chimed in again. Wasn't it, in a way? Whether or not death in the arena is real, it still hurts, a lot. And Malcolm did explain that the “respawners” aren't perfect; real death still occurs with regularity. Perhaps the survival instinct was twisted, but only because this is a twisted place, with twisted ideas. But if they are the rules of this reality, one must play by them, lest one become an outcast like Discord.
Some time passed as Luna further pondered her situation and feelings. Eventually, though, she blinked herself out of her trance-like rumination, and then cast a glance towards Malcolm. The human had seemed to understand her need to process the information, and had turned to look out over the cityscape as the daylight slowly faded into a purple twilight. Now that the alicorn pony had glanced at him, though, he turned back to her and gave a wan smile. “Thought it over?” He asked.
“Mostly,” Luna allowed. “There is but one thing I do not quite understand just yet. Rather, one immediately important thing.”
“Oh?” Malcolm asked, as he pushed off from the railing to stand fully erect. “And what might that be?”
Luna tilted her head and regarded the human with a look for a brief moment before she answered. “What do you get out of helping somepo- someone like me?”
Malcolm smiled again at this. Good to see the girl ain't stupid, he thought. “Simple enough,” he began. “You're new, you're interesting, and you're good at the game. If you join the tournament and improve, any team that has you will get all sorts of offers and challenges for games. And the more we play, the more we get paid for appearing, which only gets multiplied when we win. And ThunderCrash wins a lot. We've got some of the best talent around, but it never hurts to have more.
“So to succinctly answer your question, princess,” the human continued. “You're a novelty, but you also look like you have raw talent for the games as well. Combine those two and you'll be quite popular, and make a lot of money for yourself and whichever team you join.” Malcolm paused then to nod at the alicorn. “So we can help each other for our goals pretty well, I'd say.”
“I see,” Luna said, and then considered this for a moment longer. At the end of that moment, she sighed, and then proffered a hoof. “Then let the deal be done.”
Malcolm grinned again, and then took the pony's limb in his hand and shook it. “It's a deal, alright,” he said. “Welcome to the Tournament.”
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By the mighty hammer of Thor! UNREAL TOURNAMENT!!!
tracked for both Luna Awesomeness and unreal tournament
Aaaah, UT. The saga that marked my life. You can tell by my name, I guess.
Xan Kriegor is best pony, especially the ut2k4 Xan.
*Clasps hands together* "Time to read!"
Aaaand, done!
Gotta say, that was an amazing read.
...I do have a few complaints though.
It feels like Luna is getting adapted to this too quickly, and is far too agressive aswell. I particularly didn't like the scene were she tossed Axon around like a toy. I understand that she has "Alicorn magic" and such, but I don't think people would like seeing her going psycho after a match, flinging everyone around.
It's UT, you'd think that she would die more.
She comes out a little bit mary sue-ish sometimes, being so good at this "sport" despite not knowing anything, and the weapons that they use.
You're introducing a character to a WHOLE new concept here. It's really good, but make sure you keep it that way. Again, it's kinda rushed how she reacted, but it's fine nevertheless.
Seriously, I want this to be the best fic ever. Hell, I'll be your editor, or your servant, whichever.
A Luna with some spicy character development, a nice description of the events, and an excellent interpretation of the Tournament's 'verse. Mmm, we got something interesting over here, maybe even worthy of being on Equestria Daily.
366783
I wanted Luna to get into the game quickly, so I figured that she would get the bum's rush in reverse and then dumped into the middle of a deathmatch. To me she's the passionate one of the two royal sisters, since in "Luna Eclipsed" she had a rather nasty temper. So I used that, had her insulted and jerked around, which would tick off any being, but take one that's normally bowed to and treated with great respect and then heap insult after injustice upon them, and you've got a recipe for aggression.
As for how fast she takes to the game, there's two reasons: 1. As I foreshadowed early on, she and Celestia used to do a lot of hardcore battling against monsters and griffons in the distant past. A past that isn't so distant to Luna given she spent 1000 years locked in the moon (and canon hasn't established whether she was fully conscious and/or aware of what was going on back on the planet). And 2... Well, that's part of what I'll explore in the second half. Which is getting written, but be patient; it took me over a week just to write this part.
Die more? Maybe in the video game itself, but remember this is a story, and one must take some artistic license now and then if one wants to keep the story interesting. It would become rather annoying to read about being respawned every five seconds. And again, Luna is 1: a demigod-like being, and 2: again, foreshadowed that she's been in terrible combat before.
And finally, given the high-adrenalin, aggression fueled nature of the game, I think the occasional post-game scuffle is rather common. And it's not like Luna killed Axon, she just gave him something to think about.
oh mah gawd this is epic! i love UT i want more!
366783
I liked how quickly she was thrown into the situation and had to react to it. I think that is the best part of the "spirit" of UT that you can use to crossover with, the frantic pace of the game, and possibly the soulless nature of Liandri corp. I am sure that is for later though.
367119
I was hoping a little you would take even more of an artistic license regarding how death would work. The idea of respawning to me seems like it just doesn't work outside of video games, as it is so easy to start poking holes in it, or having to come up with all kinds of reasoning to back it up. If all characters effectively have a single life, you could add a lot of suspense to the matches. I am sure this is just my personal preference because it does afford you the opportunity to do other interesting things, like talking to her competitors after the matches
The darker side of Luna seems really interesting and I think you are doing a great job of describing her internal conflicts so far. Best of luck, I will be keeping an eye out for additional chapters in the future.
Oh also, I can't be the only one that wants to see Luna to just go ahead and launch of giant fireball down a hallway or something
...
GUSTA
370011
I did consider going for the more "Battle Royale" approach, as it would be more tense. But UT3 kind of did explain respawners a bit, even if it was somewhat forced. Also, I like the idea of being forced to endure death after death, feeling the pain of a mortal wound, only to be denied that final rest and be thrown back into the melee. There's something quite Hellish about that, like Sisyphus' punishment: forced to endure the same pain and suffering over and over again, with no release, only a lifetime of fighting until a respawner fails, or a post-game scuffle gets out of hand. In my mind it fits the violent, dystopian future of the Unreal-verse and makes the psychology of the combatants far more likely to become unstable and highly violent, which will be interesting to see in Luna later on, I hope.
OH SHIT~!
Turn your favorite UT music on, crank the bass to eleven, and pull out your Flak Cannon and Link Gun~!
IT'S GOING TO GET MESSY UP IN THIS BITCH~!!!
Liking this so far. While I hope Luna kicks solid amounts of ass here, I'd also like see her get some humble pie too. She may be a demigod-like being and has seen combat before, but as you already established, she's not invulnerable to weapons and the other combatants have plenty of experience as well so it's wouldn't be fair for Luna to be able to god-mode through everyone else. Besides it doesn't matter who you are, luck and the chaotic environments mean even the experienced get fragged a lot as well.
That said. Ponies in UT. Kick ass, mate!
not bad... it was interesting. but didnt luna buck one of them, and isnt melee not allowed in the game?
then there's the whole respwan thing i'd help if we had more info on how they work
I LOLed at "How is that thing female?"
I like the idea and it is a pleasure to read. Two small complains though.
1 The exposition doesn't fit the pacing of the battle. It feels as if the other players were paused while Malcolm explains how to operate weapons.
2 You had a minigun spitting "hundreds of thousands" of bullets... with a three digit ammo counter
DIS IS EXAWENT.
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!
SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!
MILK FOR THE KHORN FLAKES!!
Hmm. I didn't think it was possible to make much of a story around Unreal Tournament besides the Excuse Plot given in the game's intro. I think I'll keep reading.