A Gamer In Equestria

by The Dark Brony

Chapter 24 - Never trust your Shadow

As I fall back into my equestria and mutter “What the fuck Church” I then look up to see that I have landed in Canterlot to be more specific the statue garden.

“What are you complaining about human?” A dark male voice sounded from behind me. A cold sensation surrounded the air sending chills down my back.

I then quickly look up and turn around and say “who are you” As I continue to look around I find nobody and say “better question.. where are you.”

From one of statutes, I see the shadow that the stone object move and warp. It stopped, rising from the shadow was a dark figure similar to wolf’s including size. His fur was black and his eyes seemed to glow a crimson red. As his form ended he stood up straight with his chest puffed out. “I’m right here”

I stare into his dark red eyes. His form was menacing enough. “Who are you?” I asked resting my right hand on the hilt of my sword.

“A Canis…” He quickly answered, taking a step back. His features were hard to tell due to the black fur that clung to his body.

I continue to keep my eyes fixed on the large Canis. “I meant your name.” I said, strengthening my grip on the sword.

“Faur’shadow… Now that I have answered your question. What is your name?”

“Craig” I answered as I began to slowly move my hand away from my blade.

“What are you doing here… We were not supposed to encounter, not at this very time?”

I then stared at him in confusion and say “What do you mean by not supposed to meet yet?”

He turned his head to his left and quietly muttered to himself, Ignoring my question.

I then began to get more annoyed from being ignored as I reached towards my Bolter Pistol “Don’t push me, I’ve had an awful hour so don’t test me.” I said though gritted teeth.

His train of thought was interrupted by my gun being pointed directly at him. He looked back at me, unimpressed by my action. “And he points a gun at me, do you see this...” He said to no one in particular. “We were not supposed to meet, that is all.”

sighed and put the gun back to my side and said “I’m sorry just a bit stressed over everything.”

He turned around and started to walk away. Going up to one of the statues he examined it with little emotion. “Is it because you were push out of a world with no reason by a friend” He grinned, still staring at the gray textured stone.

I then look at him in shock and say “Wait, how did you know that?”

“Are you that clueless?” He asked, his ear twitched as he directed his attention back towards me. “My name could be the answer!?” He pointed at himself with his paw.

“Faur’shadow?” I then begin to think as I ralise “Wait you're saying you're like my shadow, basically you’ve been following me.”

“I can be in anyone's shadow… but no, and no, I have not been following you.” He started to walk around me, circling me. “I can… Somewhat tell the future” He grinned.

I then smile and say “observing me through your gates, you have.”

“And mind set,” Faur’shadow explained.

“World’s best stalker” I muttered to myself.

“So… Human, how was it that we meet now?”

“I got sent back from another reality by as you said a friend… Although i’m starting to question how friendly he actually is… although I expected to arrive in Ponyville, not Canterlot”

Faur’shadow hummed to himself. “Well, you're here now. What do you plan to do?”

“Honestly I have no idea. it’s still early so no need to head home yet... I guess I’ll just look around here for a bit”

“-How is elder?” He quickly asked, lifting his head higher.

“Elder? Who do you mean?”

His eyes widened, but soon returned to their normal size. “I’m sorry!” He chuckled, disregarding his mistake. “She must have changed her name. What I meant was, how is our leader?”

“Oh you mean Alpha. Don’t worry she’s doing fine.”

“Good!” He smiled. “Good.” He repeated, walking close to me as we ventured around the garden.

As we reached halfway through the gardens I look at two statues and say “They look familiar.” I then walk up to the first one then read what I assume to be the name and read it out “Kirito, The Twin Blade Swordsman, The embodiment of courage.” I then look back at Faur’shadow and ask “So you know anything about this statue?”

“Yes, but only from my kinds archives. A tragic event took place before he became a hero.” He said with venom in his mouth.

I then look at him and ask “What did he do and why do you dislike him?”

He thought for a moment, looking at the ground with searching eyes. “He stole my idea of colors” He laughed at his own hatred. “That... and many other things!” He chuckled.

I then look at the statue and say “From what I remember black was his color scheme from the Manga and Anime back home…” The realisation then hits me “He was a Displaced. He must have gone to a convention of some kind dressed as Kirito… but something seems off” I then look at how he looks and says “His face looks like I’ve seen it before but i can’t place it.”

“Another human?”

“Yeah” I then look towards the other statue and say “This one looks like Asuna from the same setup but she’s a bit taller than I remember and she also looks familiar”

“And this means what?” He said looking unimpressed by the seemingly strange event.

“This either means they know each other or by strange coincidence they were tricked by the same guy… but why this reality and not one closely based around Sword Art Online?”

Faur’shadow dramatically coughed. “I have no idea!” He sarcastically said aloud.

I then look at him and say “Am I missing something?”

“No”

I then look at him in confusion then proceed to look at the other statue and read what it says “Helen AKA The Berserk Healer, Embodiment of Compassion. Fell defending her son.”

“So what are your theories?” He chuckled, reading the written text as I was. “They some-how turned to stone for protecting this world, the stones are memorials in their honor, or they were turned to stone by travel and placed in this garden for entertainment!?” He laughed at the last option he gave. “I think the last!”

However Craig just mutters the words “Helen… Fell defending her son” Over and over again until he shouted “Mum!” He then looks at the other statue and says “And if that is my mum then that's Daniel… My brother… How the hell did this happen!?”

As I sat there, staring at the statues. I hear the flapping of wings followed by heavy breathing. “FAUR’SHAN!!!” The sudden scream had me fall to my knees and cover my ears. I could hear loud ringing in said ears.

The Black furred Canis next to me was suddenly lifted off the ground and thrown into a nearby tree by a bright white figure. As his body made contact with the tree the branches and stump cracked in two.

I turned towards Faur’Shadow, stunned by the scene before me. “What the hell?”

The black dog laid curled-up on the floor, laughing maniacally. His body twitched and rolled as his laughing fit became louder.

I begin to back away, the same chills that fell down my back from before reappeared. “Something's wrong with you... Very, very wrong!” As I walked further backwards, my spine hit against the abnormally soft chest of Alpha. I turned around to find that her face was contorted to fierce anger and fury.

Alpha gently pushed me aside with her right wing, stepping closer to the insane dog. “How dare you make contact with this monster!” She yelled at me as if I were the cause of this strange situation.

She ignored my look of confusion and ran towards Faur’shadow with flaring nostrils. With each step she took the ground under her paws cracked and crumbled and the air did not hesitate to move out of Alpha’s path. Her hatred towards this one Canis was obvious and clear like glass.

“What are you on about Alpha!” I shouted, motioning my left hand at the curled up dog. “I arrived back and Faur’shadow found me, that's all!?”

But she did not listen to me. Alpha rose on her hind legs and brought her fourlegs down to crush Faur’shadow. But before his upper body could be crushed by the shear strength of alpha, his body morphed into the ground and disappeared from sight.

I then look at where he was a minute ago and then close my eyes and break the fourth wall then understand what’s gone on between them, I then mutter “He’s a murderer!” I then grab ahold of my sword and Bolter Pistol and then shout “I’m going to stop you, you won’t hurt Alpha” I then push off from the ground and landed next to Apha and say “I’m with you, he won’t kill anymore of your kind… I won’t allow it!”

As we look around Alpha opened her wings and from the inside of said wings, a light formed, drowning the surrounding area in white flash. A dark shadow moved across the ground with speed and swiftness, passing trees and branches with ease.

I then look around to where he was and then take one shot predicting his movements a moment later the first bullet pierces his front two paws causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

He smiled at the crimson that seeped from his wound. He lifted them up and tore them away from ground. He placed his left paw on the soil and drew a large circle with a strange symbol inside with his own blood.

I then look at him and mutter “Blood Magic” I then sheath my sword and throw a fireball towards him that exploded covering the majority of it in dirt and sand and in essence stopping him from completing his circle. I then shout “No, bad dog”

He was unfazed by the blast and angrily growled at me. But his unhappy emotion soon changed to a smile. He ran to the wall next to him and quickly drew another but instead of his left, he used his right paw. He tapped the blood circle with the tip of his claw. The circle glowed red and rising from the circle was a strangely shaped warhammer. The end of the hammer was made of a canis skull wrapped in barb wire, the handle was made of tree bark, and the streams of what I thought was string, was actually fur. He clench the war hammer with his teeth, turned around and charged us.

Alpha quickly stepped back with hesitation. She opened her wings and flew up towards the sky with fear. “Craig! Get away!” She was concerned for my well being and warned me.

I then turned to her and asked “why?” However seconds before impact I jumped back as the Warhammer smashed into the floor.

The spot where the warhammer had slammed down darkened the grass and sent a shock wave 10 meters away. It hit me, but thankfully nothing happened other than getting pushed back by the blast. The hammer emitted a dark energy with the color being dark purple. I could hear chanting coming from the weapons skull. The dark pit of the eyes glowed purple with the sound of wisps yelling and screaming. He started to lift the Warhammer from the ground.

"Not this time!" I shouted. I clapped my hands together to form one of my ice spells. A blue shard appeared in the palm of my right hand and quickly grew in size. I threw the ice shard towards Faur'shadow in hopes of him abandoning his weapon to dodge the oncoming projectile. Thankfully my plan worked. The first effort he made to take the Warhammer with him failed due to it's shear size and weight. The second attempt ended in him letting go of the Warhammer, dropping from his mouth. He eventually fled, dodging my ice spell.

He watched the blue shard turn the surrounding ground into ice. He opened his mouth and a black sphere formed in front of his body. A static of yellow lightning moved across the black spheres surface. He aimed it towards Alpha.

I then turn my head to see what’s about to happen and say “I don’t think so.” I then place two fingers on my forehead and shout “Instant Transmission” and then as soon as I appear shout “Kamehameha!” as a blue beam of pure energy collides with the oncoming attack.

The black orb that came into contact with the blue beam and absorbed the energy. The black sphere shrank as it absorbed said energy, it disappeared from sight like melting ice.

I then shout “I should have put a bullet in you the second I saw you!” I then begin to mutter “this is my fault for being too trusting.”

"Yes... Your fault for being too trusting" he grinned, giving off an evil stare.

I then close my eyes then telepathically say “Celestia evacuate Canterlot… get everypony to safety… me and Alpha will handle this threat just get everyone out of Canterlot.” I opened my eyes and found Faur'shadow leaping towards me with sharp claws and teeth pointed at my chest.

I thens shout “I don’t think so Fus Ro Dah!” with that he begins to fly backward as i then shout “No more games!” my hair then begin to change from black to blond and floats upwards defying gravity. I then begin to glow and then shout “Strun Bah Qo!” Seconds later a massive thunderstorm appears above us as lightning come crashing down towards Faur'Shadow.

He quickly morphed back into the ground with his shadow magic, trying his best to avoid the lightning. But the lightning eventually caught him and gave him a nasty shock. His body reappeared on the surface of the ground, motionless and still.

I then look at Alpha and put my arm out in front of him and say “He’s playing dead to lure us in, don’t fall for it.”

"Do not worry" she lifted her paw up. "He's fooled me once, he shall not fool me again!"

I then feel a strange energy appear behind us that begin to rapidly approach as I say shout “Alpha Move!” With that I push Alpha out the way as what feels like dagger burrow themselves into my back piercing straight through my armour as I begin to scream in agony and collapse onto my knees. I was then brought backwards, as large yellow teeth took a bite out of my shoulder.

"Remove your Daemed teeth from Craig!!" She bellowed. She shifted her right wing back and threw them vertically upward towards Faur'shadow, cutting him in half.

Both leg and torso fell on the floor with a thud. He was amazingly still alive, his left eye weirdly moved to look at mine. "Enjoy the bite... And thank you-" He coughed violently, black blood dripped from his muzzle. "For the clones..." He laughing maniacally once more before his skull was gradually crushed by the paw of Alpha. She repeated this motion over and over again, not stopping until there was mashed meat.

I then see some figures appear behind Alpha and splutter “Alpha... look out… behind you” I then begin to slowly use my sword to steady myself as i begin to try and stand and i scream “Even if i die today… At least… I know i died fighting for something i believe in.” I then scream “You shall not pass” whilst smashing the tip of my sword into the ground.

The black dogs vanished as the wave of light hit each one of the clones. They dissipated and faded. Some even cowered at the large white shock wave tiring to retreat to safety, but the wave of light slowly caught up to them and killed them.

Seconds later my legs buckled as I drop the sword and begin to fall to the floor coughing up blood along with the oozing wound on the shoulder that left a puddle of blood appearing around my body.

"Cra-" She reached for me with her paw but quickly retracting it after spotting my gaping wound on my shoulder. She shuffled backwards, afraid to touch me.

I then mutter “Alpha… what's… wrong?” This was the first time I had ever seen her so shocked.

She shakily nodded her head at the wound on my shoulder. "You're infected," She gasped.

“Infected… with… what?” I asked beginning to feel weaker and weaker.

She quickly backed up, creating distance between us. "Craig! I need to find Tel'den and have him aid you!"”

“Ok Please hurry… I don’t know how long i have before I…” At that very moment I fell flat on my face unconscious.

---

After what seemed to be only a few momments I opened my eyes before looking around me to see a black void around my body before a orange light appeared infront of my face with the word, 'reset' infront of me.

I then sighed before saying, "So, I died again, I guess it's time to start again, maybe i'll have better luck this time?"

It was then I pressed the button infront of my face before the whole world around me seemed to burn away infront of my eyes before I too seemed to fade from existance

Author's Note:

I have decided to use this unnatural end in a way to enter into a reboot of the story as a second story, most of the start will be same up to around here with this chapter changing from where he was killed.