TOME:Terrain of Magical Equestria

by Xinrick

World's crossing

Rockcoon sat in Ponyville General, bandages wrapping every inch of his being as medicine was dropped into his body via IV.

He wished he listened to Aven. He didn't understand how he was in pain let alone that he now needed to eat, drink, piss and poop bit here he was.

Still, it wasn't all bad. The food was actually pretty good, the locals were nice enough and the little red maned devil filly that got him to blow himself up apologized for the excessive payback for destroying the barn.

To be fair, He should have realized it was a bad idea given how Granny Smith smacked him with that cast iron pan several times. That should have tipped him off that he wasn't in TOME any more… he doubted he was even on Earth any more.

"This sucks…" Rockcoon grumbled bitterly. "But…it could be worse…"

"Good morning mister racoon." Flying into the room was a gray Pegasus mare with a blonde mane, and one eye that was looking in the wrong direction.

Rockcoon was confused at her presence.

“Uh…hi there.” The racoon said. “Who are you miss?”

"I'm Muffins! But most ponies call me Ditzy or Derpy." She said. "I'm your volunteer caretaker."

“It’s nice to meet you Muffin.” He nodded. “I’m Rockcoon.”

"So, my main job is just to keep you entertained and happy. So, want a book or a magazine or something to eat?"

“A book would be good, mostly a History book cause…well, I’m new around here.” He admitted sheepishly.

"Okay." Muffin said, rapidly flying out and after a few minutes coming back with a book. "Here you go. One book of Equestrian History Recap." She said, placing the book on his torso.

“Thank you.” He said, carefully moving his one workable arm to open the book to get some reading in to figure out where the hell he is.

---

One of the many new duties Nylock had as husband to the Dragon Lord was to be inspecting the new Dragon Guard.

He had never been in a military position of authority. Or in the military at all, but his grandfather had.

We're his grandfather here, and alive, he'd be groaning in agony at the incompetence of these recruits.

“This…” Nylocke looks at his General. “I may not have been in the army…but even I know this is painfully bad…” Nylocke shook his head in disappointment.

"They're doing better than they did yesterday." His general, one of the older drakes who spent his youth in Equestria and had seen an army in action, replied. Clawthorn.

"My toe!" One of the recruits screamed.

"Now they're quoting Ninja Turtles…" Nylocke facepalmed. "Don't be a bitch and get over it!" Nylocke snapped at the dragon recruit.

"Do you actually believe these welplings can be a decent army?" Clawthorn asked.

"Anyone can be good if they practice and put in the time and effort for it." Nylocke answered readily.

"My other toe!" The same recruit yelped.

"You sure about that?" Clawthorn asked.

Nylocke could only facepalm again. "For the love of…" he groaned. "How are they this bad?"

"They are young. Arrogant. Prideful. More bark than bite. Lazy. Shall I continue?"

"And this is to help them not be…literally any of those." Nylocke answered.

"That will take time. Which we might not have much of." Clawthorn stated.

"My arm!" A different recruit yelled.

Nylock sighed, rubbing his eyes.

“Do you have anything you can suggest Clawthorn?” Nylocke asked carefully.

"Prayer?" He offered, earning a groan from Nylock and a chuckle from himself. "That Princess Luna is still here yes? Perhaps request some of the Equestrian guard to keep the barricades secure until our own guard is at least competent."

“That…would be a good idea.” The dragon knight nodded. “Hopefully she didn’t disappear suddenly.”

"I'm sure she's around."

"Ahhh! Both my toes!"

Nylock and Clawthorn facepalmed.

---

Flamegirl and Alpha ran through the cobblestone hallway, dodging darts and jumping over a pitfall trap before landing In a room filled with snakes and a giant snake head statue.

"Well, looks like these places keep to the theme." Flamegirl said, patting some dust off herself.

“Yeah.” Alpha nodded, dusting himself off as well. “The more Indiana Jones style dungeon…it just had to be snakes.” Alpha chuckled at the irony of the old movie series.

"Better than the spiders in my opinion." Flamegirl said, using some blasts of fire to send the reptiles slithering away. "Okay, next statue thing… how do we open it?"

“Hmm…” Alpha walked over to the snake statue, looking over the thing. “Has to be a switch here somewhere…”

Alpha felt around for a switch or something while Flamegirl examined the statue. She noticed the head had a few small holes on top.

She pulled out the small spider statue and the legs fit perfectly into it.

The statues maw opened and inside was a small snake statue and a stone tablet.

“Cool.” Alpha said, taking the snake statue and looking over the Stone Tablet. “Now what is on this stone tablet.”

The writing on the tablet was in a language neither Alpha or Flamegirl knew or recognized. With a shrug they placed the new items away, grabbed the spider statue back and left the dungeon.

---

Gamecrazed huffed as they hacked apart another monster. Their training as their real self, Sofdti, seemed to be improving their other form as well.

When not training their godly powers of creation with Luna, Gamecrazed was in the fields fighting the various monsters that now inhabited the dragon lands.

"The Shadows are…a lot stronger in this world…" The Shadow themed Morphological hummed, grabbing a monster that thought it was clever and blasting it with a Shadow Ball till it vanished into dust.

When the last of the monsters in the area were slain, Gamecrazed collected the drops and items.

Once they were all gathered Gamecrazed headed back to the dragon lands safe area.

"How was the hunt Sir Gamecrazed?" Luna asked as they returned.

"Lucrative, and…surprisingly easy." Gamecrazed answered.

"Your power is growing. It is to be expected."

"So, how have the others been doing?" GC asked, given they were so busy training they didn't have the time to check on their friends.

"They are all adjusting. Your friend Nylock especially but from what I have seen they are all doing well."

"That's good. They're a hardy bunch even if they're…" The Shadow slime waved a hand, trying to find a good word for her silly friends

"Non traditional?" Luna offered, smirking. "Seems the best hero's often are."

"Yeah, that tends to happen." GC chuckled.

"They each have a spark of that heroes spirit. Something all too rare these days. Before my banishment there were many more, of course, back then the world felt so much bigger. I suppose it grew with the arrival of these All Makers."

"I'm…still concerned about them…especially the one that called herself 'Void'..." The shadow of God shuddered.

"She certainly sounds like a foe worth concerning about." Luna nodded.

"She's…the one that corrupted the Goblin King…and create the bridge here…" GC sighed. "I'm just glad she's not apart of this besides that…it would have been awful…"

"For what reason she was withheld from this event. Be that for better or worse, is for time to decide."

---

"And that's how the Cheese Wars ended." Derpy finished her retelling on the last great war Equestria had.

The name did give Rockcoon a laugh but the story behind it was surprisingly dark and bloody…

"I…honestly still can't believe there was a war on cheese of all things…or for it to get that out of…hand? Hoof?" He asked, not sure if he should say it normally or what the ponies do.

"It was a pretty bad time for Equestria." Derpy nodded. "But that was also the last war ever fought with casualties. So that's good."

"Yeah, that is indeed a good thing." The bomber raccoon nodded.

Rockcoon had to admit, while the mare before him known as Muffins, or Derpy, was an odd sight at first. But as the day went on he grew to like her. She had this funny, childish nature that almost made her seem too pure to exist.

She was a tad clumsy given her eye, but he would be surprised if she wasn't a little accident prone with eye issues.

It did make him wonder though.

“Uh…is it okay if I ask about the…ya know…eye?” Rock asked nervously, hoping he wasn’t sounding insensitive to the poor lady.

"Oh yeah sure." She said with a smile. She raised a hoof up behind her head, gave the back of her own head a good thump, and out popped the eye onto the bed. Rockcoon almost screamed. "It's a glass eye. Perfectly fake." Derpy said, taking the false eye in her hoof and holding it up for him to see.

“Uh…what happened?” He asked carefully, even though the heart monitor spiked a bit due to that little jump scare.

"My dad was in the royal guard when I was a filly. It's a good job but doesn't pay all that well so mom also worked. Usually after school I'd fly off to his base and hang out, pretend fights some of the others stationed there. Well, one day a shipment of weapons came and in one box was a dozen sticks of dynamite. It wasn't closed right and some static electricity set the whole box off. Poor stallion moving it didn't make it and the shrapnel completely destroyed my right eye." She said, popping the glass eye back in. "Took a lot of surgery but the scars are barely visible under my coat and I've had a glass eye since. Unfortunately the muscles were also badly damaged so rather than holding it in place it just moves around up or down sometimes."

“I’m…I’m sorry to hear that…” Rockcoon said sadly. “I…know it happened when you were a kid but…that still really sucks…”

"Yeah… it hurt more than when I gave birth to my daughter Dinky, and sometimes it itches like crazy back there but I can't scratch it or risk tearing something." Derpy shrugged. "But I've learned to live with it and honestly it's got me a few fun stories to tell."

“Bet you're a riot at Halloween Parties.” Rockcoon chuckled. “Er…Nightmare Night I mean.”

"Oh yeah. I also leave it out when I need to leave Dinky alone. I told her I can still see out of it and that I'm always watching her." Dery said with a chuckle

“I mean…considering this world’s magic, I wouldn’t be surprised if you could enchant it to do such a thing.” Rockcoon said honestly.

"I could get it enchanted to let me see out of it like a normal eye but that's expensive and I don't think I'd ever be able to afford it. Besides, my lazy glass eye has become my defining feature."

“Eh, that’s fair.” He nodded. “Also I’d say your defining feature is your bubbly personality and you being a Cinnamon Roll.”

"Awh shucks you're just saying that mister Racoon." Derpy said with a waved hoof. "Oh, it's lunch time. Want me to grab you something specific from the cafeteria?"

"Anything that's not hay, I can't eat that as far as I know."

"Alright then. I'll be back." With a smile and nod Derpy walked out the room.

Rockcoon watching her trot away, her flank sway with each step…

He blinked, realizing what he had done and looked up at the ceiling, a million thoughts through his head but only one word coming out.

"Damn…" He sighed as he thought about the nice mare…and the surprising bubble butt.

---

Aven sat at his desk, reviewing the papers for people who were being sent to Equestria.

As he finished up letting the last player of TOME pass he came across someone coming from Equestria.

She was a tall, black chitin exoskeleton with a green membrane like hair, fly wings and predatory green eyes.

"Hello plebeian." She said. "I demand transport to this realm of TOME."

"And your 'demand' means little to me." Aven answered. "Now, who are you, why do you want to head to my world, and for what reasons?"

"I am Queen Chrysalis, rightful ruler of Equestria and I will plunder this new realm for the power I need to conquer Equestria!"

Aven put down his pen and looked at her, the true predator eyes behind the dragon bone helmet causing the queen to shiver. "Lady…why do you think your owed anything with a sales pitch like that?"

"My whole existence is eternal starvation, my species was created via an old coot wizard dumping all his potion and alchemy waste Into a dark magic swamp pond and the various species across Equestria execute or imprisoned my children on sight because of how we feed." She stated flatly.

"And how do you feed?" The griffon inquired.

"We take love and magic from others."

"To the point that it physically and emotionally impacts them, kills them, or just a little off the top?" Aven asked, pulling out a book and flipping through its many pages to find something about the creature in front of him.

"While killing them while feasting is possible that is both a waste as they can restore it later and just paints an even bigger target on us. No we just feed on them til either they go unconscious or house them in special pod with fluids that keep them alive, healthy and in a sleeping state so we can feed regularly while they remain alive and asleep."

"So…why didn't you try to tell any of the rulers how you feed?" Aven asked. "Cause it sounds like you just…did the 'spooky story' route and wanted people to be afraid of you while you hunted in the darkness…" Aven explained carefully. "Is your feeding leave anything permanent? Like a lack of love or personal injury?"

"To be fair my first few years of life I didn't have much of a mind, ran mostly on primal instincts and killed… a lot of creatures. A medium sized village once…" She said. "But as for leaving anything a constant feeding can leave one with a weakened immune system for a while as well as migraines. Physical Injuries, no."

"Okay…ah, here we are. Your a Changeling?" Aven asked, which she nodded in confirmation. "Alright…so why do you want to take over? Cause it sounds less like you being an asshole and more…you're just hungry and not desperate enough to ask for help."

"Feeding on love keeps my children alive and well, it's how I reproduce. And it takes a lot of love to keep my hives population up. Not to mention feeding it into the eggs, then raising the grubs into cocooning and making sure the cocoons hatch. It's just easier to take things over than working out some program. That and I hate paperwork."

"So you wanted a reliable food source with none of the actual responsibilities of it?" Aven asked. "Then…why did you want to take over an entire country when it would entail all the responsibilities of running a kingdom? Also…I hate how my world might just fuel you through the power of horny alone…" He shook his head at the parts where the shape shifting was…rather intricate and believable.

"Lust and love are two different things." She retorted. "And I'd only take it over so all the citizens can become my childrens pets or servants on top of being our food source."

Aven stared at her. "I must warn you though…you're technically not going to be in the 'real world'...so you might be wasting your time." Aven said, not sure how it would work going from a reality with magic to a video game but pretty sure it's her going to be nerfed to hell.

"If I can bring back tools and weapons I can use For my goals than I don't care."

"I doubt you'll find anything, or you'll probably get banned immediately…hmm, I do have to wonder what'll happen to you…" Aven hummed.

Once the passport was stamped the odd insectoid hoarse was off to TOME.

---

Zeto stood waiting out in the dragon lands danger zone. He sighed while waiting for his companion to show up.

"Come on…I know you hate being late…" Zeto muttered.

It took a while but eventually he spotted Kizuna approaching. He smirked seeing his old friend finally arrive.

"Good to see ya again." Zeto said. "How's it feel to be 'real' my fine gunner cat girl?" He asked, noticing that she did indeed get a cat tail her avatar didn't normally have.

“Where the heck are we?” She asked. “Did the Forbidden Power evolve or something?”

"So…we're on a planet named Equis, and this would be the 'real world' for our characters…as for that rat bastard…" Zeto sighed. "Sadly yes..he is the son of a Goddess from what I've learned…"

“Uhh… Maybe some more context would be useful because that sounds fairly crazy.”

"It is, especially when the both of us are considered Demi Gods." Zeto brought up. "So…it starts like this…" he sighed, as he started to explain all the wonderful and terrifying things he's figured out so far.

It took an hour or so, but eventually Kizuna was all caught up.

“Alright so… we’re pretty screwed…”

"Not entirely." Zeto said. "Cause I have a…source that told me about that rat bastard…and so far, as long as the Host stays safe and sound, he should be fine with the help of this worlds magics." Zeto explained. "But in the off chance, the Carrier is still by his side, and I've been crafting some…very special gear." He said, which Kizuna noted that Zero's robot arm did seem a lot more decked out.

“Hm… So, what do we do then?”

“Right now…” Zeto started. “For the first time…we actually have time.” Zeto said with a smile, Kizuna seeing a spark in Zeto’s eyes she hasn’t seen in a long time. “No more time tables…no more paperwork or panic…we can actually do something together after…how long?”

“Since… the beta tests honestly.”

“So years.” Zeto chuckled, standing up from his rock. “Now…what do you want to do now that we have all this free time? There’s supposedly dungeons cropping up around here we can investigate.”

---

“Release me at once you vial cur!” Chrysalis thrashed against the cage.

“No can do lady.” RubyRulez shook his head. “We’re still trying to figure out who you are, what you are, and how the hell you don’t have a single bit of code in your system.”

“And also, how you can cause players to get physically tired.” KinderSpirit frowned.

“I didn’t go through that idiotic customs to be stopped!” She yelled, kicking the bars again.

“Have fun breaking out those bars there missy.” Bitshroom said.

“All we’re asking for is basic information.” Exec answered. “And considering you’re technically an ‘alien’ by your own admission, and the fact that many players have had to log off due to ‘Headset pains’ out of nowhere, and by the dozens, I think we deserve some answers.”

“I was merely absorbing magic and emotions from them. A surprisingly filling feast I must admit. Your people are easy meals.” Chrysalis said.

Webmaster pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm…not even going to begin trying to figure out what you just said…but that didn't answer any of our questions, and that gives us more of a reason to get a friend of ours to detain you." He said, now hearing she did this maliciously. "And there will, most likely, be no going back on the other side of the border for you." He said, which made the queen stop for a second to think over those words.

“You can’t keep me imprisoned forever!” The queen declared, erupting in green flames. To the Webmasters surprise, she had turned into a house fly, flying between the bars and out of the room.

Webmaster sighed, snapping his fingers as he used Admin privileges to trap the now house fly creature in a jar as he held it in his hands. "I don't think you truly know who you're trying to mess with ma'am."

Another flash of green and the Queen was now bigger than the jar, clipping out of the jar rather than breaking it and assuming the form of a large black dragon.

The shock of the Webmasters gave her the opportunity to swat them all with her massive tail, sending them all flying before shifting into a different form and escaping.

“Alright…” The mushroom king of TOME huffed, as he teleported down to where Chrysalis was, which was now his Domain. “Now your in my territory ya stupid shapeshifting bug.” The mushroom said, as before Chrysalis could react a question mark box was suddenly in front of her and out popped a Star, a blinding flash of light appearing around it in an attempt to blind the queen.

---

“I see your visitor is causing you trouble.” Demon said, his tone making it feel like he was smirking as he addressed the Webmaster.

WebMaster held his chest lightly, the impact having actually hurt him in the real world somehow, even as he looked between the new visitor and the battle between his world designer and the strange shapeshifter. “Yes…she is being quite a handful even though we were asking her basic questions.” He said carefully. “Now…who are you, and what’s going on?” He asked, feeling a headache coming on from all the crap he’s going to have to tell Giga.

“An interloper, of sorts. I and my associate are taking an interest in your little computer world.”

“Well…I’m glad to know our little VR game is making rounds in the universe than…” Webmaster sighed. “So what’s really going on here? Does…this involve that bug with the Goblin King and our missing players?”

“Call that a new feature we installed.”

“And what is that feature? Cause we’ve dug as deep as we could and having found a single scrap of Code.” Webmaster brought up, very confused and worried about what was going to happen soon.

“Now, who said anything about it being a digital feature?” Demon said with a chuckle.

“Does this have to do with whatever that Shapeshifter is having crossed Border Patrol?” WebMaster asked. “Cause I’m pretty sure she’s now breaking some laws here by assaulting innocent people.”

“Definitely. I was the one that gave her the passport in her world after all.”

“Of course…” Webmaster sighed. “So, where do we go from here? Cause we can’t just…let more of these being’s into TOME, there’s innocent’s that could get hurt by someone thinking their above everyone else.” He said, seeing Chrysalis trying her best to fight against Bitshroom but it not entirely going well for the shapeshifter.

“Oh but my boy, that’s part of the fun!” Demon said with a cackle. “You see this little fake world and the one she is from are now connected and on a path towards an eternal entanglement. Course, once that happens this little world of ones and zeros won’t be so fake, and soon you’ll be seeing your avatar bodies bleed and breathe.”

Webmaster’s eyes widened at that realization. “Then…everyone would be trapped in this…we wanted to make a good game, not Dot/Hack damn it…”

“Oh no no no, see, they won’t be trapped in here, this world will spill out into the one your human body is.” Demon clarified. “And when it does, the chaos will be global.”

“So…it’ll all just…be the ‘Real World’?” Webmaster asked carefully. “And…I suppose the people of Earth will…have the chance to gain the Avatar’s of TOME when this…does work?” He asked, trying to think of this like a Game Dev lead cause boy howdy is he in way over his head with realities fusing together.

“That’s right and you~” Demon poked Ruby in the chest. “Would be the equivalent of a God when it is.”

The shapeshifting crystal man’s eyes widened. “R-really?” He asked in awe.

“Wait wait wait.” Exec said, immediately pumping the brakes on this. “We’re Game Developers, not ‘Gods’, so mind explaining how in the world that’s even possible?” Exec asked, and while technically they did create life that was thought to be impossible, that didn’t make them gods of any sort.

“Oh there is much you don’t understand, but tell me, when was the last time you checked on Sofdi’s room?” Demon asked, making all the Devs freeze. “Poor thing went and ran off. Having a blast in the other world really. Not surprising she ran away when her parents never visit.”

“No! That’s impossible!” Kinder Spirit snapped, checking the logs…as he took a step back in horror. “Wh-what did you do to her!” The angelic lady snapped, lightning crackling from her sleeves in a fit of anger at the loss of their baby. “And don’t you dare say that we never cared for Sofdti! She’s our daughter!”

“Really? Did you know she has been in a player avatar for years?” Demon asked. “Ruby approved the avatar, and she’s been making friends among the players for years. Has a lovely little friend group too.”

“Th-that can’t be…” Ruby shook his head, looking through the many, many logs. “I…I thought it was just a coincidence…” He muttered, seeing right there, the 1234567th player was named Gamecrazed.

“I…think I might know why…” Webmaster started, which made the other three look at him. “Not too long ago, a Moderator contacted me about a known trouble maker, known as Rockcoon, disappeared even when they were still considered logged in…there’s been other reports that I’ve found…does it have anything to do with these supposed Hacker incidents?” He asked, Demon being the only one to see Ruby flinch with worry.

“I thought those were already resolved?” Exec brought up.

“If hackers were involved…and if they figured out…” Kinder Spirit trailed off. “We…we need to tell Giga…this is so wrong…” The head sound designer and ‘Main Voice’ of TOME sounded choked up behind her avatar.

“I’m afraid no such luck.” Demon said, raising a hand. He snapped his fingers. The devs all saw their administrative privileges were… removed. “Can’t have you all ruining the fun now can I?” Demon added, another snap and suddenly the devs suddenly… felt. Smells. Touch. Sounds felt clearer and the graphics even looked… more real. “That should keep you all… still.”

“What did you do!?” Webmaster demanded, the group trying not to panic at the fact that they’re all now…technically people now.

“Oh just put you in your daughters shoes. You are all now ‘digital’ entities. Experiencing this world just like she did. And, keeping you from contacting that little agent. But just to be on the safe side…” Demon said, snapping his finger again. While nothing happened they the devs could see, they knew he had done something to Giga. “Don’t worry, while you aren’t in control over TOME’s systems anymore, your ‘powers’ are still at your fingertips.”

“Hey! Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?” Bitshroom called out worriedly as he had Chrysalis boxed in.

“A…lot is happening my friend…” Webmaster said carefully, staring at Demon. “Should we be preparing for our…trip to whatever this new world is?”

“If you wish.” Demon shrugged. “I will be here. Having fun.”

Webmaster rubbed his new temples. “And…since I’m sure they’re involved somehow, where’s Zeto and Kizuna?” He asked, feeling like the old Beta Testers were somehow involved as well.

“In the other world. That little thing, the Forbidden Power you called it, is there too. An associate of mine is… bringing them to their full potential.”

All of them felt a shiver of horror run down their spines at the thought of that monster being even stronger than normal. “It’s…it’s not going to happen.” Ruby said, trying to be sure that Zeto and Kizuna wasn’t fucking up their job’s and getting thing’s set up.

“It might.” Demon shrugged. “After all, when Pain makes a monster, she doesn’t hold back.”

“I hope that Anti-Virus is going to be strong enough…” Ruby thought to himself in horror, hoping that the work he spent behind his friend’s back’s wouldn’t become something…so much worse.

To be continued...

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Will this story still have that weird plot twist at the end of the tournament that I didn't like?

[Xinrick]

11405864
What plot twist? That Zeto was Kirb?