Chapter 1
It’s amazing how much can change in just one month.
A month ago, if you’d told me that I’d wind up on another world, I wouldn’t have believed it. A month ago, if you’d told me I’d find myself caught in the middle of a war that would determine the freedom of an entire species, I would have laughed at you. And a month ago, if you’d told me that magic - not sleights-of-hand and parlor tricks, but real, genuine magic - was real, I probably would have called you insane.
And yet it came to pass that, exactly one month after that fateful day that I ascended into the mountains for a simple camping trip, I found myself on another world. I’d already been through a war to determine the freedom of another species. I’d fought for my life, killed more times in 2 weeks than most people killed in their entire life. And I’d seen magic. Real, honest-to-God magic. Fireballs summoned from thin air, levitation, teleportation, and even the disruption of time itself.
So why this came as such a big surprise to me, I have no idea.
“So… you weren’t kidding.” It wasn’t a question. More a statement of genuine disbelief. My arms folded as I glanced towards my travelling companion. “Like… Ponies actually control the sun and moon.”
As I glanced towards my companion, I was reminded once again of how similar these Ponies were to Humans, and yet at the same time, incredibly different. As a Pony, Luna’s form was similar to that of a young woman - graceful, perhaps a bit taller than average but nothing out of the ordinary. She was certainly thinner than most women, though that had more to do with recent events than her natural body type. Even so, she wasn’t nearly as thin as I had seen her a few days before.
Rather than skin, however, her body was covered by a layer of dark-blue fur. Though it had lost a lot of its lustre in recent days, I knew that once she returned to a healthy size that it would shine in the moonlight that streamed through the windows. A horn jutted from her head, the same color as her fur but made of a substantially tougher material - bone, perhaps. Her face was not flat as a Human’s, but had a small snout, much like a horse though not nearly as pronounced.
I raised an eyebrow as she chuckled. “Of course they do,” she replied. “How else would they move around Gaia?”
“What… by gravity, of course!” I exclaimed. Now it was Luna’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Like… Terra revolves around the sun, held in place by a perfect balance of momentum and gravity. And our moon revolves around Terra in much the same way. Physics, not magic.”
Luna cocked her head to the side slightly. “Really? How odd…”
“And controlling those celestial bodies by magic isn’t at all odd?” I paused for a moment as we turned into a narrow doorway and began to ascend the spiral staircase that lay beyond it. She went first, with me following behind, being careful not to step on the back of the pale-golden dress that dragged along the ground behind her. “I mean, you’ve got to admit, it sounds a little… sketchy. How is one Pony supposed to control something as big as the moon with enough finesse to keep it perfectly in orbit?”
“Well actually, Chris, there’s a whole group of Unicorns that -”
“And that’s not even mentioning the sun, which given how far away it is and how much bigger than the moon it is…”
“What? Chris, you do know that the sun is only a little bit bigger than the moon, right? And only a little further away?”
I froze there, halfway up the spiral staircase. Luna paused a few seconds later, looking back at me with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. “Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you knew nothing about how things work in our world,” she added with a smirk.
I shook my head and began to ascend the staircase again, a bit slower than before. “I’m starting to think that might be the case…”
“Well, it seems that you’ll have a while here to figure things out.”
“Don’t remind me,” I muttered, my mood growing darker. I could feel a scowl forming across my face.
Luna didn’t look back, but she must have heard it in my voice. “Well, it could be worse,” She retorted. “You could have been kicked out into the wilderness to fend for yourself.”
“True,” I sighed. “I’m just lucky I had you three to back me up.”
“Father will warm to you in time.” Luna glanced over her shoulder and gave me a smile. “Just wait and see.”
Yeah right. I chuckled under my breath and shook my head. Solaris had made his opinion on me pretty clear, and I had a sinking feeling that it wasn’t going to change soon. But Serenity and the princesses seemed to be enough to keep him tolerating me. So I suppose my best bet would, indeed, be to follow Luna’s advice, and just wait and see.
That was my basic plan, for the time being. Wait, if not for Solaris’ approval, then for something to change with the portal. See if something changed, or if some Unicorn somehow discovered the secret to interplanetary teleportation. The specifics… honestly, I had no clue. I had a feeling that I was going to be playing it by ear for the next little while.
The two of us fell into silence as we arrived at the third floor and stepped out into the hallway. This part of the palace was just as magnificent as the hallway we had just left. The ceilings were easily twenty feet above our heads, with chandeliers dangling down at periodic intervals. Normally lit with dozens of candles each, the flames had died down to a dim glow as the day faded to night. They were enough light to see by, sure, but not enough to reveal the details. Still, I knew some of the decorations by instinct now. Two busts of Pony heads on my left - one Unicorn, one not. A painting of a mare and a stallion working on a farm to my right. I knew these decorations.
I’d certainly seen them enough times.
Luna’s pace slowed down to a crawl in the middle of an intersection between two hallways. She glanced in either direction, then out the window directly across from her, then back towards me. “Which way was it again?" She asked.
“To the left. Third one on the right,” I replied. I knew this route by heart now. Sure enough, as we approached the room I had pointed out, I could tell it was the one. The one I had stayed in for near enough two weeks during the Minotaur’s occupation.
“Alright, Chris. Last stop.” Luna pulled a key out from around her neck and inserted it into the lock. The lock clicked open, and the door was pushed inwards, revealing the same room I had remembered. The four-poster bed centered against the opposite wall, flanked by two large windows. A single door leading into the bathroom on the wall to the right. A set of double door on the wall to the left, leading to a walk-in closet.. And bookshelves, lining the wall behind me and to my right.
“Rest up, Luna continued as she tossed me the key. I snatched it out of the air, slipping the string around my neck. “Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
I felt a twinge of uneasiness. The way she had said that… “... Big how?”
“Mother wants to do a few tests with you. Nothing invasive!” she added as I opened my mouth to protest. “Mostly just… running, lifting, that sort of thing. Testing your strength, speed, endurance. Physical tests that we never got a chance to do back at the camp. If you’re going to be staying with us for a while, she wants to know what exactly you’re capable of.”
“Your father wants to know, you mean.”
“...yes…”
I snorted. “One of the things he demanded in order to let me stay?”
“Chris, please… just… play along, alright?”
I snorted again, but nodded my head. “Alright. If it’ll give him some peace of mind I’ll do it. Just… be direct with me in the future, hm?”
Luna flashed me a sheepish grin. “I’ll do what I can. No promises though,” she added with a laugh. I couldn’t help but return the grin as Luna backed away and out of the door. “G’night Chris.”
“‘Night, Luna,” I replied. I heard the door click closed, and the muffled sound of hoofsteps fading away into nothingness.
Much like the first time I had entered this room, my backpack fell from my shoulders to the floor with a muffled thump. My shoes and socks were next, followed by my shirt. The bed beckoned to me, and I was happy to fall upon it. It was just as soft and comfortable and satisfying to lay on as the first time I had laid upon it. Perhaps more satisfying, now that I wasn’t planning on stabbing the castle’s owner in the back.
I couldn’t help but smile again as the full weight of the events of the past few days hit me. It was done. My mission had been a success. Adamant Will was dead, Equestria was free, Solaris and Serenity had been restored to their rightful place… The only downside to this whole thing was that I still couldn’t go home. But of course, I was still nearby. Still near the pool to keep an eye on it. If it opened up, I’d know about it pretty quickly. All in all, things had turned out pretty well. With these thoughts, I quickly found myself lost to sleep.
---
Pure darkness.
Darkness so absolute that I could not see my hand as I pressed it against my nose. I was weightless, floating through nothingness. Unseeing. Unknowing.
And then, it flashed to life. The sole source of light against the infinite blackness. It was blinding. I had to shield my eyes, wait as they slowly adjusted to the newfound source of light. Finally, I was able to discern the source of the light. A single candle. And yet, in the void that surrounded it, the light from that candle was blinding. A single candle was all that was needed.
All that was needed to reveal the beast.
Only its silhouette could be seen - despite the light from the candle, the shadows still clung to the beast. A draconic visage, with twin horns sprouting from its head. A serpentine body, slithering off into the eternal void. Two wings, far too small to physically be capable of providing flight. Two claws - short and stubby compared to the length of its body, but certainly long enough. Two legs, sprouting near the end of its body, on the very edge of the light provided by the candle.
The beast of my Nightmares.
My eyes widened as I took in its form, and it took all of my willpower not to scream. Yet, despite my arrival, despite the newly-created blinding light of the candle, the beast didn’t seem to notice me. It slithered around the light - never fleeing into the safety of the darkness, nor drawing too near to the candle. Darkness dripped away from the beast like a flame, shielding the beast from the light.
“The knight has fallen,” The beast hissed - a deep, dark, bassy hiss. Its voice was laced with disappointment, maybe even a hint of anger. “How… disappointing. It appears my opponent has discovered a new pawn. One that can resist me... This will require closer examination…”
“No matter.” The beast surged upwards, out of my sight, out of the vision granted by the light from the candle. A moment later, it descended again, wrapping itself around the light as a snake would wrap itself around prey. “My grip weakens, but is not broken. This new pawn will require careful monitoring, but is... insignificant.” The beast’s grip tightened, and the darkness followed the creature, squeezing against the light. I could feel the pressure building within the safety of the candle’s light. “My claw will stretch across this land, one way or another.” The squeezing became tighter. The pressure was almost painful now. My eardrums felt like they were ready to burst.
“And all will know fear.”
The beast’s claw finally descended upon the candle.
And with a final hiss, the light was gone.
---
“Chris?”
I bolted upright. My breathing was heavy, I was drenched in a cold sweat, my heart was hammering away in my chest. My gaze whipped wildly around me. Bed. Window. Door. Bookshelf. I was… in my room. “Just… just a dream…” I murmured.
“Chris? Are you awake?”
My head whipped towards the door. That had been Luna’s voice. Sure enough, a quick glance out the window told me that dawn had just broken. A new day. “Yeah, I'm up!” I called out. I hopped out of the bed and threw my clothes on - the same ones as the day before, save for a new pair of underwear. No sense in dirtying another set of clothes today.
After all, I had a few physical tests I needed to do...
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I literally started tracking the prequel, and you give me this? You are too good for us.
It's pretty obvious that who the villain is.
7851743
Celestia?
7851745
or
7851745 lolno!
7851831 definitely dissy
.....
is there gonna be any romance? :p
7851901 Check the tags, brah.
7851745 I'm going to say Nightmare. It makes sense to me.
7851831
7851877
7852109 while all are good guesses they don't exactly fit. The Nightmare would appear to Luna, also she is too young. Discord is a good guess, but when describing the creature the author didn't make it sound like our favorite mismatched draqueonnes. The creature seems to be symmetrical. I'm think it's some new threat. The author seems to be focusing on the story before Luna and Celestia take power. And most of the enemies in the show were only around during their early reign.
I could be wrong though, perhaps this creature is discord, the show does mention that he ruled the land before Celestia and Luna, perhaps he will overthrow the two sisters parents (probably killing them.) Then our human takes the two sisters and hides them, then they find elements of harmony or something and he helps them defeat discord.
Wouldn't surprise me if they somehow freeze Chris and he wakes up during the main show.
7852235 I was actually thinking that it was the Nightmare and it would take over Chris instead of Luna or fail to do so and Nightmare Moon will still happen.
7852241 well it's possible, but it's never actually been confirmed that there actually is some being called the "Nightmare" the show just says that jealousy drove Luna insane really. Nightmare really would probably just be an ethereal cloud like in the show.
Also the author seems to be following the canon story. Just with the way things are going currently. We will just have to wait and see.
7852235 Meh, your right. The description was a little different. And freeze him........ I dunno.
7852571 I'm working off the logic that the Nightmare is a type of magical parasite, so I'm gunna bet that the creature IS the Nightmare. Talking about the new pawn, the Nightmare is either talking about Chris, or Luna.
You could argue that if it was Chris, why would it give him these nightmares? Perhaps it's trying to break him down psychologically (as it was doing at the end of the previous story). Perhaps it's confident that its plan will work, and it gets some sick twisted pleasure from letting the creature it plans to posses know exactly what it plans to do to them, knowing they can't stop it. It states that the new pawn is insignificant. That could easily describe Chris in this world. Besides his knowledge of technology, he is weaker than them, and has no magic. Compared to all the other races of the world, he is quite insignificant.
Perhaps it is Luna, perhaps Chris is picking up on the Nightmare in his dreams has to do with how closely he worked with the Minotaurs, and more specifically, with Adamant Will while he stayed in the castle. We know that in the future, Alicorn Luna becomes Nightmare Moon, so it wouldn't be too farfetched to assume that if this creature is Nightmare, it is indeed talking about Luna. It states she would need to be closely monitored, and that makes sense because she is no longer in mortal peril and is surrounded by her loving family, so there isn't much room for negative emotions to come in and give Nightmare a chance to take over. It also states that she's insignificant. Currently, Luna is the youngest of the ruling ponies and, unless I am remembering incorrectly, isn't an Alicorn yet. Adamant Will had the Alicorn Amulet, making him extremely powerful and able to take an entire army of spell casters with a few foot soldiers. Comparatively, Unicorn Luna is quite insignificant.
These are my thoughts on everything. They could be partially right, or I could have no idea what I'm talking about. ^_^
7852758 Thats also a possibility!
This made the front page: Jan 9, 2017
My birthday!!
I love how this story is developing so far
BTW the description of "beast" that you gave us, (for me) it kinda "sounds" like Discord
finally binged on the first story and saw that updates were kinda sketchy. now i'm on this one and I don't wanna suffer waiting!
7857342 yeah, college life does that. Don't worry, though - most of the instability in my life has been ironed out. Updates will be every week or two.
7857655 So you say, but my narrative bowl is empty!
7946575 I knew someone would call me out on that eventually
Without going into too much detail, recent events have left me... otherwise occupied. I'm writing as I can, and the next one is actually nearly ready, but... yeah.
Sorry
7947226
I can already tell some of what happened last story let me guess? After Serenity found out how powerful weapons were on earth she closed the portal because she was scared the secret of Equestria could be revealed, now i know what you are think your saying but if she could close the portal then why worry about it? it's because the portal is like a Nexus it may close on one area but open in another, she is worried they might believe Chris and she doesn't want to tip off an army that would destroy them all so for the benefit of Equestria she closed it. thus the Nightmare circles and already knows tension can rise from anywhere if Chris were to find out and tell Luna then Luna might fall and become Nightmare moon. but darkness has more than one route but I am sure you all know who I am talking about. read it if you want but just in case I'm right I put spoiler on it now I am not 100% sure this is the case as the author can do what he likes but from where I am standing the portal closing seems too convenient to me anyways it's a theory but i am probably completely wrong....... maybe