MLP: Actualization Online

by Slendy

Quest - [Worlds Collide: Decommission]

"Get up. Get up, Get up! Get! Up!" A sudden flurry of air and the solid wood crashing against my muzzle was enough to startle me from my sleep, I had only gotten a little amount due to mine and Sky's...conversation, the whole talk had my mind at ease with a small sensation of anxiety, the thoughts and voices he mentioned were very real, now that image of myself talking back to me in Canternlot makes more sense

What didn't was the sudden shaking of...everything?

My body trembled with each hoof I placed on the floor, seeing Ruby dart around the room with a flurry of roses in my vision, Nox was adjusting her mask, eyes wider than her mask could allow, Silver was looking out the window, the frame all but broken and twisted by an unseen force that had applied itself like the wood under my shaky hooves. My ears could only make out rock smashing into rock, trees rustling in the harsh winds, and a mixture of Sky's pushy voice behind me.

"What...ugh, in Irene's, hurk - name is going on!?" Nox snapped, holding a hoof to her mask, eyes a sickly green with each step she took. Apparently, she had motion sickness. "Why now~?"

"We need to move, now!" Sky ushered for us to go towards the open window, and my unsaid question was given an answer from the sheer appearance of the town, now fractured and broken apart into thousands of floating and/or rising chunks of land, with some now resting upside down or at different angles from whatever had affected the once peaceful environment

*GROOOOOAN*

All of us yelped when the entire inn began to turn towards the right, forcing myself and Sky to fly into the air, himself armored again as he held onto Ruby and Silver, while I linked my hooves under Nox's own, seeing her head spinning slightly.

"T-Thanks -- ugh -- Rain." Just don't vomit inside your helmet, please. Flying out with our team, we landed on a floating fixture of land, seeing the inn rotating behind us as the landmass we sat on rose and fell gently in the air

"Okay, Sky, what's going on?" Not that I expected him to know, but it was worth a shot in guessing why the world was breaking apart

"Worst case scenario, the coding of the area has been tampered with, so the entire town is attempting to reconfigure to the new code added." Okay, his simple answer made a lot more sense than I realized, but that left one problem, making my ears twitch

"Harbinger...he must have done this, but why?" It was a skeptical guess and without any real rhyme or reason the world is changing under his thumb, so what could be the reason behind this? Suddenly, Ruby tapped my shoulder, pointing a hoof down the cluster of floating lands

"We need to move, if we can make it to the old fortress we talked about we could find answers there." She looked to the rest of us evenly. "If this world is a game, wouldn't there need to be a place an admin can access freely without needing to dig into the game files?"

Sky had his hand on his chin, rubbing it. "That's...actually right...heh, any doubters of you being our leader back home can eat their hearts out." That made her blush a little before Sky clicked his fingers. "So, all we need to do is find the fortress."

"Ugh...guys?"

"Yes/New plan in motion/We must move." Silver agreed as I nodded too, flaring my wings out

"Guuuuys~?" I saw Nox waving at us, her hoof pointed upwards. "I'm not a scientist, but if that hits us, what's gonna happen?"

All our eyes traveled up towards what looked to be a rocky spear of land currently descending, as warning signals flashed in my head to move, seeing it coming closer to the edge of the island. Yet none of us could go anywhere as no other islands were in view and only two of us could fly. So within seconds, the island was struck with a sharp force, causing the island to flip up over the spear mound and into the open air, flinging us onto separate sections, all of which were affected by the aftershock of those two islands colliding.

I groaned, rubbing my muzzle as I felt the island under me and Sky shake, before cracks split the crimson land around us.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding..." With a panicked sigh, I felt the metal hand throw me to my feet as we sprinted for our lives

The two of us leaped between islands as they were thrown into the air by the shockwave, causing some to fall apart, as a massive slab of rock cut off our route, yet Sky yelled, sprinting with his right arm drawn back, with a sharp punch he broke the top piece off with ease, allowing me to run over the top, with him before me, slicing down any debris that got in our way,

I pushed myself into the shadows with <<Shadow Moult>> snaking through the object as I appeared over Sky, running along a piece above him, while I watched him slide under another, kicking out to push a mound into the gap ahead of us, we both jumped from the island to the mound, feeling the rock begin to dip before leaping onto another mass, this one containing several enemies.

[Beowolf - lvl 42]
[Beowolf - lvl 42]
[Beowolf - lvl 42]

The three Grimm gnashed their teeth, breaking into feral sprints towards us, but with how unstable the region of islands had gotten we couldn't waste time, so I saw Sky channeling ice and fire into his hands and in doing so gave me a quick idea to do the same with my shadows, my wings pushing me to wrap my legs around his neck, placing my forehooves on his arms, giving the ice and fire a deepen tone of saturation.

"Alright then." Sky chuckled, smashing his hands together

[Unity Move - Fire-Shadow-Ice Dragon's Anarchy]

From his arms sprouted a mass of corrupted blue flames that were so cold their burned the Grimm on contact, freezing and devouring them within their own shadows as we ran past them, not bothering to finish them off as we burst through the tree line and onto the edge of an island beginning to fall apart from under us, while the rest were already across, looking terrified for both of us.

"Oh my God." Sky gulped, the two of us sharing an equal look of fear, his still hidden under his helmet

"RUN!" We screamed, dashing across the now collapsing space of rock, trees, and buildings

From under my hooves struck the lack of ground, my hooves flying over the increasingly widening gaps, as Sky slid over the top of a mound and onto an elevated chunk, while I jumped from the one he was on to another, pushing my body off it with my back hooves and wings. Quickly, I felt a hand grasp my hoof as Sky readied his bladed right arm as he pulled me up onto his back as he jumped over the final gap, plunging the blade deep into stone through the earth, feeling his body slip ever-so-slightly as I winced at the sight of the rock crashing into the wasteland below.

"Sky?" I whimpered, while he himself panted, using his sharp nails to claw up the cliff-face

"That...was the worst wake-up call...ever...of all time." With a final heave, we sat atop the stable mound of ground, having Silver, Ruby, and Nox greet us with concern, but ultimately relief. "Hey, Rubes, you okay?"

She sighed. "I've been better, you?" Sky shrugged

"Just another day under my belt."

"And another strand of white hair to my name." I coughed, seeing that the rest of the floating islands had settled. "Come on, we should find that fortress before something else happens."

"Agreed." Nox gulped, looking far less dizzy now that the area had stabilized, but that didn't stop her from glaring at us. "Mention this to anyone and I'll have your heads."

"Mention what to anyone?" Sky absentmindedly replied, making Nox snort and turn back to the rocky pathway created before us. Given how the last few days have flown in, it almost feels as though this whole ordeal could collapse at any moment if people from other universes are being dragged into this game, what could happen in weeks or months? Would MLP: Actualization Online even be considered a game by that point? Let alone a Death Game?

People would die and still are, the world is changing the more control Harbinger gains...I don't know if we can beat this, especially if Harbinger changes the game. With that slither of doubt, I remembered that White felt the same, I think we all do in our own way, but that might be why we're still trying because if we did give into that fear, Harbinger wins. With a smile, I pressed onwards, every step meant a lot, it said I was still alive, that I'll never take for granted again.

"Rain, hold up." I stopped when Sky stepped in beside me, seeing him eye the surrounding area with his eyes narrowed before they widened with surprise laced into the optic helmet. "Is that who I think it is?" His head was raised to one of the floating islands to the upper left

"Sky, what are you doing?" Ruby questioned with a hurried tone on her face, but Silver looked on as Sky did with that same expression of seriousness

"No/Death from above/Very bad." With a hoof raised high, all our eyes turned towards...what the? Standing with white talons sunk into the edge of a rock formation, draped in black cloth that was tattered and burned with white streaks of what almost resembled rose petals, sat a hooded creature holding the massive arch of a mirror scythe where the sun had been reflecting from, raised high above the body of the creature

"I-Is that...!" Ruby gawked at the sight, with my eyes finally adjusting to the tag floating above its head, crimson eyes narrowed towards us, more specifically, Sky with malice and a hungry growl

[Morana, Horseman of Death - lvl ???]

"Everyone, get out of here!" I couldn't begin to comprehend the unrealistically high level of the monster, one that not only stood like a human, but Sky and Ruby know it. But before long Ruby had grabbed my hoof and pulled me along with the rest, leaving me to see the creature reel its head back

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH*

Ears rang from the blood-curdling scream that decimated the once stable rock that we once sat on, a sonic blast from the monster's vocal cords throwing rock and grass everywhere, but Sky was thankfully alive, merely floating with his wings outstretched, arms rising to his chest. Whatever this was, Sky could obviously handle it, I know he could seeing as Ruby held no worry over leaving him to handle the fight, say for a small look back with concern.

"Sky...good luck," Ruby whispered softly, and he merely raised to fingers in a peace sign

"I'm counting on you, Rubes!" That was the last thing I heard as we descended into the floating fortress

---

[User: Sky Zaffre]

"Let's end this hunt, eh, Morana?"

"I agree...." His voice snarled through the clouds, whilst my visor was engulfed in a hue of white for a few seconds, the sounds of the floating rocks below fading out, as I finally broke through the clouds, and into the troposphere, far higher than I believe any player has gone so far

We both flew up gently, drowning out the noise of the world beneath our feet by the sharp wind, the clouds hung overhead, covering us in a gloomy sky in the pocket of open air. It was completely silent, only my breathing was making sound, other than my own hands rising, the blades on my gauntlets ready as the metal gently tapped against one-another.

Meanwhile, Morana raised his own weapon from under his cloak, allowing me to see the serrated feathers underneath, the body was scarred and burned from all the fights we've endured, how and why he was here didn't matter, not anymore. My gaze followed the dimensional blade, its black spine hanging in both his hands, his own fists tightening against the spine, whilst the near-white blade glowed brilliantly, even in the dim sky.

"You know I've beaten creatures stronger than the Horsemen now, Tabus and Una managed to change, so I'll give you that same chance." I raised my arms in preparation. "Stand down and leave."

At first, neither of us moved an inch, our eyes competing for the other to make a move, even under my helmet, it was like he was staring right back, daring me to blink, twitch, strain, anything to give him a reason to move. From his silence, I doubt he wanted that now. Good, neither did I.

...

...

Morana's eyes glowed under his plague doctor mask, before he flew to cover the gap between us in seconds, his scythe swung in a large arc from his right, but with a quick, fluid motion I spun the other way, the blade clipping the sides of my arms. Mid-spin, I brought my right arm down diagonally from left to right, slicing a piece of Morana's hood.

Ascending, I flew past Morana's face, before the Grimm gave chase, thrusting his wings harder, before I turned, swinging my left arm down, blocking the scythe's strike, then guarding my face, blocking Morana's clean left-cross, knocking both of us back, before we continued to fly at into each other, our strikes clanking in the air, dispersing the clouds in the area from the shockwaves.

I flew towards the exposed Morana, swinging my right arm down, striking the handle of the scythe, which was followed closely by a downward slash from my left, I turned my back towards Morana, spun in a helix, dragging the blades up diagonally to the right. Morana was struck, but his talons reached out, grabbing my shoulders and throwing me upside-down, and striking in a horizontal arc, causing my nerves to flare, a grunt leaving my throat as I felt the blade ripple and vibrate in my stomach.

Morana was frozen in place by this, so I did a barrel-roll, axe-kicking Morana across the jaw from the right, throwing his stance completely off, whilst I took a few feet backward to clear the space. When I looked, Morana was staring at his weapon, then at me, and I just chuckled once, tapping my right blade against the left arm where Cognitum would sit previously.

"A lot's happened since our battle at Haven, I am as one with Cognitum as it is with me." I replied, motioning for him to attack. "Come and get me, birdy."

*Screech*

With a sudden backflip, I avoided the sonic wave with a 360⁰ flip, yet my muscles tensed with my wide eyes when Morana tackled me, his talons latching around my waist, pushing us through a cumulus, breaching the other end with the sun above our heads, blinding us both. Taking this opportunity, I twisted my waist, throwing my body out of his talons, locking both my legs around his head, throwing the Grimm under me, allowing my vision to adjust. When I looked down, Morana's shadow shot past me, his both craning down with the scythe like a buzz-saw between his arms so I skated the blade away from me and into the open air instead.

Recovering, we turned to face one-another, striking out again, only to have the force of our blades knock each other back again, thrusting up I locked with Morana as our bodies spun slowly, my wings stabilizing me against the force Morana applied to his scythe. My right arm free, I brought the blade down in a vertical arc, striking Morana's chest, while Morana's claws dug into my abdomen, throwing me off his blade as the two of us went into a staring contest again.

Breaking the seconds of silence, we locked blades again, forcing sparks to fly from the friction as our gazes hardened, our heads close to clashing from how much strain we forced against each other's weapons. The two of us threw our guards, myself bringing them down on the scythe head again, and again, before Morana kicked out with his foot, throwing me into an uncontrolled flip. Regaining control I pushed back to slow my descent, charging fire dust into my right blade, the highlights beginning to hum with a bright red aura as I flew towards Morana with a war-cry.

Yet he was ready, Morana raised his scythe to his left shoulder, his hands tightening around the twisted spine. Then, he brought the scythe down on my own vertebrae with a single swing of the blade. While I watched the red shards rain before my eyes as I saw the 'Paralysis' debuff under my health, which came close to the amber now.

Thus kindly. You shatter

I grinned slightly, feeling the debuff begin to wear thin already as I fell beneath the clouds, guess it was a small effect of his scythe, but the Morana I fought now...it wasn't him. Rising back up to meet him, I saw his own gaze widen at the sight of me ascending without so much as a twitch in my movement, say for my right hand, but that was a personal injury.

"The Morana I fought hit way harder, had a more ideal purpose in a hunt. You?" I flew in from below his feet and before his eyes, himself caught off guard completely. "You are no hunter."

I swung my left blade in a horizontal arc, my body flying past Morana's attempt to block it, the blade sinking into the Grimm's chest with a thin line of ice. I then swung back in a diagonal arc to his left, spinning past Morana, before bringing my left arm down again through Morana's back. Morana lashed out with his scythe, the blade breezing over my head, before I lurched up, dragging the left blade across Morana's chest again.

[Sword Skill - Arctic Vector]

The result was the four strikes erupting from their points of impact, the ice shattering among the open skies, causing Morana to stumble in the air, the numbing of the ice beginning to freeze his movements, whilst the black mist slowly leaked from the wounds. Taking the finite opportunity, I generated the dust into my right gauntlet, its outline now a crystal clear purple.

One horizontal strike to Morana's stomach, followed by the same arm crossing from left to right, before I twisted my arm back, bringing it up diagonally to the left, before inverting its ascent, dragging it down roughly, the same eruption of dust catching in Morana's scream, the electricity rippling his body at my call.

[Sword Skill - Stormcaller's Retalliation]

I felt my muscles scream to stop, with my stamina slowly beginning to fade, but I pushed it all aside as I pulled my left arm back, thrusting the blade through the left side of Morana's chest, pulling down with my elbow then flying upwards, tearing the blade through his chest and straight through Morana's shoulder, spraying black mist into the clear skies.

With a final cry, I pulled his right arm back, the red dust resonating once more as I came barreling towards Morana, the blade piercing Morana's chest with a sharp ring of red light as his screams were drowned out by the flames that consumed him. Pulling back, I pressed my feet to Morana and shoved him down below the clouds, hearing nothing but the soft breeze as the clouds released the waves of red, yellow, white and black colors.

Alone in the air, I felt my lungs burn with each lungful of air, coughing as I did so. "That...was too close..." A tab opened up before me

Reward!
New Skill Unlocked
[Kindly Scattered]
A single, powerful horizontal move capable of bleed, stun, and darkness

"Well...that's interesting." The thought of the skill gave me a strange chill for some reason

"It was terrifying how similar he was to the real Morana." Iota was right, but as I dusted my hands off, I watched as a potion was absorbed by my armor, closing up the wounds under my armor

"Hmph, doesn't matter now." Suddenly, a large boom echoed around us, coming from far below our current position. "Shit, Penny, Iota, you two ready?"

"Always."

"Combat ready!" With that I folded my wings I fell from the sky

To Be Continued...

---

Update

Party:
Purplrain - lvl 37 [Stealth class]
SilverCrow - lvl 39 [Defensive class]
Noximillion - lvl 38 [Support class]
Sky Zaffre - lvl 68 [Offensive class]
Ruby Rose - lvl 65 [Offensive class]

Current Level: 68
Magic: N/A
Items: New Skill Available!

New Skills

[Sword Skill - Arctic Vector] - A Horizontal or Verticle square of ice fissures
[Sword Skill - Stormcaller's Retribution] - A lightning embedded attack with several wide arcs

[Unity Move - Fire-Ice-Shadow Dragon's Anarchy] - A unity of Ice and Fire and shadow, capable of massive elemental damage

Author's Note:

I'll be real, this Feathered Grimm has a persistent track record, doubt he'll be back after that. I thought I'd publish this since I've made you all wait so long, and I had the day off so why not? Hope you enjoyed this air combat, seeya in the next chapter if and when I write it!

Next Chapter: ??!!?!_?/* - [E_R@R]
System Error Detected///Patch Code_142 Analyized///Warning: Malware Threat High. Terra Generation Unstable.

Authors Notes: Just scratching over 100,000 words, I am both proud of this and depressed that I have written this many words about magical talking ponies, yeah...life well spent!

Comments

[keybounce]

If I did not like Sword Art Online (universe that made no sense; game that made no sense; reward that made no sense; etc), will I enjoy this? Is it just a pony version of SAO, or is there a better setup/world building?

I have a serious problem with the whole "can't log out" trope -- taking off your immersion helmet should be no different than waking up from a nightmare.

[Slendy]

9567497
It's really up to how you view the elements between this and SAO. For me, I like SAO (Since its hard for me not to like alot of things in anime) but I can see how people don't like that trope. If and when I update the rest of this small Arc, believe me, SAO and MLP: AO are more different than they seem.

The difference is something has taken the reins from the Admins. There are less than 1,000,000 players in this game. Pain is as real as you can get. And the characters haven't gotten to the end of the game by chapter 11

Still, enjoy it or not, that's up to you.

[Mix-up]

Well you're getting better at it and managing to write 100K of horse words is time well spent in my book and quite the feat considering that most people don't up in the time into it. You have made steady progress in your writing and you can most certainly be proud of yourself for that. Despite sometime being very critical of your work, and unfortunately at disparaging levels, I have been very impress for sticking to this story for so long so far, and I hope you will keep on writing this until you feel you manage to reach a satisfying end to it. The chapter felt like it had less energy to it, and maybe a bit short, compared to others, probably because there is a lot more description and subtext then there used to be, but it really made for it by being easy to immerse into the situation of the characters, with all the sensations there were described in the during the fight which were clear and easy to follow without the actions they did without skipping on the details. You didn't go overboard with the fancy special attacks at all and the more moundain ones felt more engaging. The characters a lot more subdued but alive I felt Nox and the others not at all cardboard cutout from earlier chapters despite not being that involved all that much and White felt more of his own character by the way he was reacting and felt more as part of a team then in the fight then before where he was hogging all the glory; he really has matured in that sense; it could even be part of his character development in a sense.

Keep up the writing, weather it is for horse words, another fandom or even your own original work I wish you good luck in that.

[Slendy]

9568009
Honestly, writing what I love can fluctuate with others, I can understand completely that people wish things could be driven more, like details, emotions and such, yet I write because I love it, its what makes me get up and deal with my not-so-thrilling job because I get back ready to write. Even if I can't always meet expectations I do what I can and I love what I do.

You've been great in helping me see the short-comings and I do attempt to evaluate what I write as a result. So thank you

[Slendy]

9579811
Damn Straight