1. Your Quest Begins
"Ah, come on! I almost had him too..." I groaned to myself as I flopped back on my bed and waited for
my character to respawn at the bonfire...again. In case you're wondering what's going on, I'll sum it
up in three words for you: Ornstein And Smough.
Yeah, just from that little tidbit you can probaubly guess what I was playing: Dark Souls. I kinda have a
love-hate relationship with this particular game. On one hand, it's awesome, but at the same time there
are moments that make me want to tear my hair out, punch a hole in a wall, or even leap out the nearest
window, screaming like a maniac.
So yeah...this game can do things to you. But hey, I'm a gamer, and games like this are right up my alley.
...Oh yeah, I should probaubly introduce myself before we get any furthur. The name's James, James White
to be exact. I'm nobody special, simply your average joe. Gaming, Snacking, and Surfing his days away on
the Internet. Standing about 5 foot, 11 inches, 200 pound frame and bit of a bulky physique. Fair-skinned
with short deep brown, almost pitch black hair and brown eyes.
Yes, despite my looks and hobbies I do have a degree of intelligence, having made it into college and
now working towards a degree. Personality-wise? Eh, I try to be the nice guy for the most part, treat
others with kindness and decency and hopefully get treated the same in return. I can be a bit of an idealist
but that doesn't mean I'm naive and I try to be honest when the situation calls for it although I can be a bit
snarky about it.
Also, I like to stand up for what I believe is right. An aspect of my persona that has...well, rubbed some
people the wrong way...but I'm getting ahead of myself.
Anyways, it was Friday evening, classes were done, and I was kicking back at home, chowing down
on some chips while trying to get past a certain Dragon Slayer and his buddy for the umpteenth time.
I was some glad my parents weren't home right now, because if they were, I be getting quite a lecture
for some of the curses I threw about.
Having had enough of getting my butt kicked for the time being, I saved and turned off the game than
booted up my computer, checking to see if there were any new episodes of a particular show yet.
What is that show, you may ask?
Why, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic!...Ok, ok, go ahead and laugh, get it out of your system, I can wait.
....You done yet? Good. Yes, I know how weird this is. To like a game as grim and eerie as
Dark Souls but at the same time to enjoy something as bright, colorful and cheerful as a show
about talking ponies. I can't really help it, ok? Those folks can keep their Call Of Duty and Battlefield,
I'll stick to what I enjoy, thank you very much.
What was I saying? Oh right, I noticed there were no new episodes up so I browsed a few fanfics
for a bit..and than I noticed the time in the corner: 6: 34 PM.
"Wow, look at the time!" I got up and shut off the computer. I was going to a friend's place for the
evening to have a MLP marathon and I was asked to help bring over some snacks.
Packing up several bag of chips, candy bars and bottles of soda, I locked the door behind me and went on
my way..
So there I was, walking down the street, watching the sun starting to slowly settle over the horizon...when
I noticed that the person ahead of me had dropped something on the sidewalk.
Being who I was, I ran and scooped it up. It was a simple black leather wallet, nothing special about it.
"Um..excuse me, Sir?" The figure simply walked onward, not paying me any attention.
I picked up speed and ran after her while calling out,"Excuse me! Sir! You dropped your wallet!"
"Hmm?" The man turned as I came to a stop before him, now that I was closer I could make out
his appearance. One thing that stood out about him is..well, to be blunt, he was old but not too old.
His skin was lightly-tanned and his face had an assortment of wrinkles all over it. There was the matter
of a small greyish-white beard covering his face. His attire was a clean, finely-pressed black suit, almost
like what a business man would wear, and black silk pants with dark brown shoes.
For some odd reason, he was wearing a fedora too, but that wasn't the oddest part, oh no. It was
his eyes, they were two different colors, one was blue, the other green, and..I can't put my finger but there
was something..off about them. Like if you stared into them for too long, they would swallow you up like
quicksand and you'd never be able to get out.
I quickly shook my head and held out the wallet with a smile,"Here ya go. You dropped this back there."
"Oh! My wallet!" The man graciously took it with a relieved look on his face and shook my hand,
"Thank you, young man. You've done me a great service."
I chuckled and waved it off,"Eh, it was nothing," Man, for an old guy, he certainly had quite a strong
handshake. I eventually managed to let go though,"Word of advice though, you might want to keep a
closer eye on your stuff. Some people see a wallet lying in the street, and they start getting ideas."
"True, very true indeed," The man let out a sigh, as if he knew what I was talking about. He adjusted
his hat and put on a simple grin,"You know, I was on my way to get a coffee, would you care to
join me?"
Ok, I'll admit, I was a little surprised by this. I return the guy's wallet and he offers to let me join him for
coffee? I didn't even know his name for crying out loud,"That's very nice of you, sir, but I really must get
going. I got a get-together with some friends to go to. Also, I'm not much of a coffee drinker."
The old guy in the suit gave a hearty laugh and patted me on the shoulder,"Come now, no need
to rush off. If it's about money, I got plenty of it. Besides, it wouldn't be right to let you go without
rewarding you in some way."
This fella was insistent, I'd give him that much,"You don't need to reward me. Your thanks is
good enough,sir."
"Such modesty!" The business man exclaimed as he kept that smile on, which I now must admit,
was starting to look a little creepy,"A rare gem you are, my boy. You return one's property and you
ask nothing in return. Truly a gem!" The Creep-O-Meter was starting to go up a notch.
"All I'm asking is ten minutes, that's it. If you're a little late, I'm sure your friends will understand.
After all, it's rare I get to meet someone like you." He was really buttering up to me, wasn't he?
I gave a relunctant sigh, seeing as this guy wouldn't leave me be,"...Ten minutes, and than I
really need to be on my way."
"Excellent!" He clapped his hands together,"You won't regret this, now follow me!" He led me
off to a nearby coffee shop with a skip in his step.
Why did I get the sinking feeling in my gut I was going to regret this?
A few minutes later, we'd bought our drinks and were sitting out at a table, enjoying the evening
air. The dude in the suit bought himself an extra large mocha latte with three sugar and three milk.
Yeah, that made me raise my own eyebrows too. I stuck to a simple chocolate frappe.
The old man took a sip of his drink, not exploding from the sheer rush of energy it should've given him, and
began talking,"Nice night out, isn't it?"
I nodded and sipped my own drink,"Indeed it is," I chose that moment to ask the obvious question,"So,
who are you exactly?"
My coffee buddy turned his head to me with a lopsided grin,"Who am I? The better question might be...who
are you? Than again...who are any of us? How do you know you are who you think you are? Have you ever
thought of things like that?"
I wasn't amused by his wise guy act and spoke up,"Ok, let me rephrase my question. What's your name?"
The man held up his mug and rotated it while inspecting it,"You're a curious one, is my name really that
important to you? For all you know, after we're done here, we may never see or hear of each other ever
again. Why not just sit here and enjoy ourselves with the time we have?"
Was this fella genuinely trying to avoid answering my questions? Or was he simply playing
with me? Either way, I was in no mood to play his kind of game,"I really should get going."
I went to stand up but he held up his palm,"Now, now, my boy. No need to go running off. If you
want your answers that badly, why don't we make a trade?" He had a mischevious gleam in his
eye as he said those words.
For a moment, I was tempted to walk out of there, but..I guess my curiosity got the better of
me and I sat back down,"What kind of trade?" I asked with a hint of suspicion,"I doubt I got
anything you want."
"Oh, I think you do," The man took another sip of his drink,"I don't need anything major from
you. A bit of information. You tell me a few things about yourself, your life, your hobbies, and I'll tell
you some things about myself. Sound like a deal?"
Now, as I stated before, I wasn't entirely naive and it was about time I made this weirdo know
that,"With all due respect sir, I'm not stupid. You're a complete stranger, and you expect me
to tell you my life story? How do I know you won't use what I tell you to endanger me or
anybody I know?"
The old geezer looked me in the eye as he sat down his drink and wiped the foam from his
mouth,"...I see you're not one who trusts easily. That's good...it might save your life one day.
I apologize if I offended you..in that case..let me ask a different question.."
He clasped his hands together and balanced his chin on them,"..What's your feelings on a
certain show called Friendship Is Magic?" At seeing my eyes widen, he smirked,"Surely you
can answer a simple question like that?"
"How do you know I even watch that show?" I challenged him.
The man gave a shrug,"Lucky guess, but judging by your reaction, I say you're familiar with
it on some level. Since you're carrying around that bag of snacks, and the fact you seemed
in such a hurry to go to your friends' place, is it ok for me to assume that you plan to have
one of those big marathons tonight? Or am I shooting the breeze here?"
I was starting to sweat. Who the hell was this guy?! There's no way any normal person can be
that perceptive...unless they had the gift of ESP. I started to have second thoughts on playing
the good samaritan.
I took several deep breaths and composed myself a little,"..In answer to your question..yes. It's
a very good show. I like almost all the characters, what lore there is I find genuinely intriguing,
the quality of the animation is top-notch, and while it's not perfect by any means...I still enjoy
watching it.." I checked my watch,"Can I please go now?"
The man looked rather amused by my attempt to keep my composure,"Now, now. Before you
go, it's only fair I uphold my end of the bargain..you see, I'm into the business of granting people's
deepest desires...a wish granter if you will.."
He got to his feet,"But I don't grant wishes to just any poor soul..no..they need to be the kind
of folks who..catch my eye.." He grinned at me,"Tell me, boy..would you like the chance..to
see the real Equestria?"
I took a step back, obviously not bothering to hide my fear anymore,"You..you're insane...that
place isn't even real!" I turned to go..only to see him right there in my face!
"Oh, but it is, my boy," His smile was now plain devilish,"And since you did me such a great
service, it's only fair..I grant your wish..to see it for yourself..consider yourself very lucky, child."
He laid a hand on my shoulder.
I don't know what made me do what I did next. Maybe it was impulse, my own fear taking over,
or maybe I was simply so pissed off by this guy, I needed to give him a piece of my mind,
"Think fast!" I chucked the rest of my drink in his face and beat it out of there.
I didn't bother to look back as I ran. My only thought was to get as far away from that weirdo
as possible.
I ran and ran for what felt like hours but was likely only minutes. I came to a stop and laid
my back against the side of a building, trying to catch my breath. I took a quick glance around
but I didn't see any crazy old men running after me. I was safe..
Or so I thought,"Well, that was certainly refreshing. Unexpected though," I jumped and turned
to see him standing next to me, looking no worse for ear. I went to run again but his hand came
down on my forearm and held tight,"Not so fast...I got plans for you,boy."
I tried to haul myself free but he wouldn't budge,"Let me go..I said let me go! If you don't, I'll get
you arrested!"
"Oh, don't be so difficult," He laid his palm on my forehead and..I'm not sure how but..suddenly,
all the strength in my body..vanished. I felt as weak as a newborn puppy,"Much better."
"You..w-what's..going on.." I muttered weakly.
"Like I said, I got plans for you," He began dragging me away,"You see I'm a...Observer, of
sorts, and there's a game I been watching for some time..extremely fun..and I felt it was time
to..toss my hat in the ring, if you will." He snickered as I felt my consciousness fading.
"Don't worry though, I won't send you in completely blind..if you survive long enough, you'll
find what you need..but from there..you're on your own."
As the last bits of my vision faded, his grin took on an unearthly quality,"Good luck,boy..you'll need it."
With that, all went to blackness...
It was a cool summer evening at Canterlot. For most ponies, work was done for the day
and they were gone to do whatever it was when they weren't at their jobs or at school. The
sun was just about ready to set completely and the moon was preparing to take its place
in the night sky.
A cool summer breeze was blowing and there was not a cloud in the sky. Luna stood on
the balcony of the castle as she observed her handiwork with some measure of satisfaction.
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up from behind her,"Another job well done tonight, Luna."
She turned and was surprised to see her sister stroding up beside her, wearing a smile
that was as warm as the sun she governed over.
Luna had to ask,"Dear sister, what brings you out here at this hour? I figured you be
getting ready for bed."
Celestia gave out a light chuckle and put a wing around her sibling,"What, am I not
allowed to stay up a while and spend time with my little sister? Or is there some
bedtime I wasn't aware of?"
The darker one of the two giggled in return and spotted a pair of mugs filled with
a particular beverage being levitated out,"Oh? Hot chocolate? And it's not even
winter time."
The older sibling gave a wink,"Well, even we members of royalty need to..indulge
our guilty pleasures once in a while,right?" Luna only smirked in return and they
sat together while sipping their drinks.
After a few moments, Luna spoke up,"So, we take it you are still recieving
friendship reports from Twilight Sparkle?"
Celestia nodded,"I am, one of the perks to her becoming a princess is we get
to see more of each other, so I get to hear them in person. They're always a
delight to hear."
"Indeed, perhaps you'll allow me to join you one of these days?" Luna asked
with a hint of hope in her voice.
"You're welcome to join us anytime. You need only ask." Her bigger sister
confirmed to her delight.
Suddenly, the wind began to pick up and the trees started to rustle. An act
that caught the sun princess' attention because she suddenly turned her gaze
outward.
This did not go unnoticed by her sister,"Celestia, what seems to be the
matter?"
The rainbow-maned alicorn furrowed her eyebrows,"I sense a..disturbance.
A dark presence.." Her eyes widened,"And it's getting closer!"
"Where is it?! Where's it coming from?!" Luna was suddenly all business.
Whoever it was best think twice before trying to hurt her sister..
Before she could answer, Celestia saw a part of the sky starting to twist
and distort itself before becoming a swirling blue vortex and from it fired out
a large black sphere of energy that rocketed through the night and toward
Canterlot.
"It's touching down in the royal gardens!" Luna realized as she turned to
leave,"I'll rally the guards!"
"Please do so," Celestia nodded before turning back..only to see the vortex
already sealing itself up. Focusing on the task at hand, she galloped off to
get her own guards.
Within moments, nearly a dozen ponies, made up of both the Princesses'
royal guard were stationed in the yard with their rulers. They waited with
baited breath as the object landed in the yard and slowly dispersed.
What they saw inside...was the last thing anyone expected...
Two things I felt upon regaining my senses. The first was the cold,slightly
damp surface beneath me. The second was the fact I could hear voices
all around me. Since I was still coming out of unconsciousness I could
only make out bits and pieces.
The most I got consisted of phrases like "that thing" or "how strange".
My vision was returning so at least I could get my bearings. What I saw
though...was nothing short of mind-blowing.
All around me were ponies..actual ponies...colorful ponies..some with
wings..some with horns..but all of them dressed in some fancy suit of
armor and wearing Roman-style helmets. Standing amongst them I
could make out a tall white pony and a shorter navy blue pony.
Both of them had wings and horns although the former had a rainbow
mane and the other a midnight blue one. Each were done up like
princesses..and it was that fact that made me realize where I was.
Equestria...holy shit..I was actually IN Equestria! And I was being
greeted by the two ruling princesses themselves! This was awesome!
...Wait, if it was, than why were they staring at me like I was Freddy
Kruger coming to eat their souls?
Oh right, best to introduce myself. I got to my feet and did the only
reasonable thing I could think of:
I did the Vulcan Hand Gesture from Star Trek,"Greetings, denizens of
this world. Live long and prosper."
Some of the knights actually yelped and backed up a step,"It spoke!
The creature spoke!" Wow, they were that surprised by the fact I could
talk? I wondered if they would have heart attacks if I showed them I could
cut meat?
Celestia rose her hoof for silence than looked me in the eye,"Visitor. Would
you be so kind as to tell us your name and what you are exactly?"
I did a polite bow to her,"But of course. My name is James White. I am a
human from the world called Earth," I straightened while smiling,"By the way,
you wouldn't happen to have seen an old guy around here, dressed in a
business suit and fedora? I kinda need to punch his face in."
Once again, the guards were unnerved by the way I spoke as I swore I
saw a couple throwing nervous glances at their weapons.
Luna raised a skeptical eyebrow,"We have not seen anyone by that
description..do you have business with them?"
"As a matter of fact, I do," I nodded in confirmation.
"And do all members of your kind dress as you do?" She asked while
tilting her head.
"What you talking about? Of course we.." I went to grab the hem of my
leather coat..only to grab a piece of drag instead,"What?!" I glanced down
and let out a cry of horror.
I was so thin it bordered on unhealthy. What skin I had was a faded short
of grey and instead of the clothes I been wearing earlier, I was now donned
in strips of rags and cloth. I than saw my face in the reflection of the guard's
gold armor.
My face was pale, my eyes were sunken in and while I still had my hair
it was all messy and raggedy with only a faint tint of dark brown in its
coloring.
I shook my head in denial,"No...no, this..this isn't right!" I swore I looked
more like a ghoul that just climbed out of his grave than a living human.
I bared my teeth in frustration,"What did that old man do to me?!"
I turned to the princesses,"Please..Lady Celestia..Lady Luna..you need
to believe me. I'm not this..this thing!" I took a step toward them as panic
began to set in.
The guards got in my way and one has his spear out,"Stay where you
are, creature! Take not another step toward the princesses!"
Judging by the looks on their faces, the two sisters were equally
unnerved by my presence but were doing a better job of keeping their
composure.
Celestia looked at me with an expression of pity and sorrow. Luna
looked to her sibling,"Sister..he looks just like...one of Them..."
"Them?" I spoke up,"You put emphasis on that word, so what do you
mean by Them?"
The elder sister nodded,"He does indeed.." She stared at me,"Forgive
us for this, lost soul..but until we are able to do something for you..you
will need to be detained...guards, take him away."
"Wait, what?!" The guards were on me almost instantly,"No, let me go,
you need to believe me!"
The sound of clinking alerted me to the fact cuffs were being put on
my ankles and wrists,"If you still have even an ounce of sanity in that
mind of yours, please don't make this harder than it has to be."
Celestia said before turning to leave. One of the guards roughly
shoved me,"Get moving!"
"No! Tell me what's going on!" I protested but was quickly led away.
Out of earshot, I could hear Luna's voice,"I genuinely pity this one,
but than again, all those like him are pitiful in some way."
Celestia only nodded as I was hauled away,"Yes...to think that one
came all the way here.." They walked inside as I was led away.
I was led down several sets of stairs and into the bowels of what
looked like a medieval dungeon. One of the guards walked ahead
of me and open a door set in the wall. The guard removed my cuffs
and shoved me inside.
The door was slammed shut and I was left there,"Sorry about this but
it's for your own good." The guards than walked away.
I looked around the dank prison and took a seat on a stone bench.
What was I to do now? I wasn't even in Equestria for ten minutes
and already I was being treated like a criminal. What did Celestia
even mean I was "one of them"? Why did that guy turn me into this
thing?
There was a mystery here...and I intended to solve it...
No matter what.