> Discord Should Not Have Taken Thee! > by Im So Sorry > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Intro: -Press Start- > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Sis, it’s been an hour since I told you it’s time for dinner. Please call me back when you get this.” A young boy says to his phone. He clicked the red button on his phone before letting out a heavy sigh. He brushed his hand against his messy black hair and put the phone in his jeans pocket. He hadn’t an idea on where his sister had gone, or why she had gone in the first place. He was about ready to call the police to see what they could do. But not right now, he thought he would give his sister another hour. The boy laid down on the couch beside him, hoping that his sister hadn’t gotten herself in some kind of trouble. But, maybe he was just worrying too much. Maybe his sister had simply left her phone off because it was on low charge. The silence in the room was soon interrupted by the boy’s notification tone, which he assumed was his sister telling him she’d be home soon. The boy checked it anyway, and in no way what he assumed was correct. The instant message read: “Good sir or madam, It has come to my attention that Discord has gained another pawn on the playing field. Well, more rather, “a chip of the bargain”. It has also come to my attention that thou is related to this “chip of the bargain” and your help could be required. If thou desires to see thine sibling again, thou could retrieve her and save a kingdom from desolation. Respond steadfast, for time is of the essence.” The boy has never seen this number before, and perceived this message as a sick joke. Whoever wrote this must be have the worst sense of humor imaginable. He thought he might as well call the police right now, as far as he was concerned he had found his culprit already. But, he decided to give this person fair warning before he called the police. After all, this person could just return his sister and he could just pretend the whole ordeal never happened. So, he responded likewise: “I’m sorry for however I pissed you off, but I just want my sister back. She means a lot to me. So, if you don’t tell me where she is in ten minutes, I will call the police and you will be arrested.” There we go, that ought to do it. So, the boy waited and waited until ten minutes were up. He got out his phone to call the police. As he clicked the emergency call button, there was a knock on the door. That must be the creeper, he thought. He prepared himself to answer the door. Went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, in case he needed to defend himself. He took a deep breath and opened the door, only to find his sister behind it. “Sorry I’m late, I didn’t get your message.” She said. “You worried me sick, you know that?” The boy said as he leaned in to give his sister a hug. “I know.” She replied. The siblings went into the kitchen to get their dinner. The boy heated the dinners up in the microwave as his sister sat down at the table. She seemed a bit… distant. She didn’t talk about the “adventure” she had that day or why she was gone that late. The boy decided to ask anyways. “So, how was your day, Rose?” The boy asked. “Fine, I guess.” His sister responded. “Did anything happen?” The boy asked. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” Rose said. Anyhoo, it was getting late, so the boy decided to get to bed. It had been a long day of keeping his sister in check and defending her from creepers. Typical brother stuff, he assumed. So, he wished his sister good night and he went to his room and laid down to rest. As he was almost asleep, he received another instant message that genuinely freaked him out. It stated: “Take me in a joking manner, does thee? Tonight thou shalt see the error in thine ways.” The boy decided not to fuel the fire more than it is already. A fire without fuel will eventually die out. So, he decided not to let the disturbing message bother him. He decided to put his mind to rest and go to sleep. Of course, nothing is that simple. As the boy awoke, he noticed something in the corner of his eye. It looked like… a GUI? That’s strange, very odd indeed. He also realized that he was not in his bed, or in his home entirely. He wondered if this was the work of the person who messed with his sister. He was lying on some kind of regal carpet. Looking around, it looked like a castle straight out of a video game. Confused, slightly frightened, and tired, all he wanted to do was sleep. “Does thou still take me jokingly?” A female voice said. It sounded demanding but calming in the same manner. The boy stood to see who this person was, but then fell onto four legs. Then, he realized what had happened to him. He has been changed into.. something. He had curious red hooves and a messy black mane. He looked up at the bearer of the voice to find a black unicorn with wings and a mane of stars. “What have you done?!” The boy said, sounding very concerned. “I’ve given thy the chance to save thine’s sister. Whether thou chooses to take it or not is thine own decision. But, I would ask of thee to hear me out before making the decision.” The pony with the mane of stars said. The boy sighed as he realized that he had gotten himself into something that wouldn't end for a long time. He needed to know why this pony contacted him, and why he contacted him. Most of all, he needed to find out how his sister is involved. > Level One- Aint' That a Kick in the Head > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “I must ask of thee, hath thine sibling been acting the slightest bit.. off recently?” The pony with the mane of stars asked. “Well, yeah. She’s been kind of distant as of late? How’d you know that my sis has been acting weird?” The boy asked. “That thing outside is not thine’s sister. It is something we call here a changeling. It can assume the form of anypony. Therefore, thy’s sister must be in this reality.” The pony with the mane of stars responded. “You mean, the thing I was talking to today wasn’t my sister?” The boy asked. “Thou is correct.” The pony with the main of stars responded. “So, how do I get my sister back?” The boy asked her. “Thou must complete the game. The end goal is to save thine’s sister and the six Elements of Harmony from the menevolant Discord.” The pony with the mane of stars said. “So wait, you forced me into a game?” The boy asked. “Of sorts. I decided to work with thine’s strong suitors. How else does thy explain the health bar, experience bar, hunger bar, and inventory and start menu buttons in thy’s vision?” The pony with a mane of stars asked. “A fair point. Anyhoo, where do you think I should go from here?” The boy asked. “I would advise thee to take these bits and explore the town. You can find some quests from different townsponies, gain thyself a paltry sum, and gear up for the upcoming battles ahead. Here, I shall give thee a quest that shall tell you how to complete the game, weather thy chooses to take the quests from ponies in need of a hero’s assistance is thine’s choice and thine’s alone. Thou shalt be able to view quests from the start menu.” The pony with the mane of stars explained. Suddenly, in the lower corner of his eyes, he could see the words “Quest complete: ‘Aint That a Kick in the Head. New quest gained: The Tyranny of Chaos.” and he thought he was going crazy. He clicked the Start Menu button in the upper right corner of his vision with his hoof to see a complete start menu come up before his eyes. He messed with the settings for a bit before the pony with the mane of stars spoke again. “If thou ever needs help, contact the Mare in the Moon. Thou shalt know how soon enough. But, before thy takes his leave, might I ask of him a name?” The pony with the mane of stars asked. “Mage of Breath. You can call me the Mage of Breath.” He said to the Mare in the Moon. “All right, young Mage of Breath. A balloon is waiting outside for thee that will take thee to thy’s destination.” The Mare in the Moon said. The Mage of Breath boarded the hot-air balloon to his destination with one thing on his mind. He was determined to find his sister, no matter the cost. She did nothing to deserve her fate, or at least, to his knowledge she had done not a thing. Anyhoo, it didn’t really matter. He needed to find his sister and he needed to do it soon. But, a odd hissing noise interrupted the silence. Wait, hissing? What could be…? Putting two and two together, he realized that the air balloon was going down. Frantically, he ran around the vessel trying to see what he could do to keep it from going down. There was a hole in the balloon and the air that was keeping the vessel afloat is now leaking out. Eventually, the hot air balloon gave in and started falling through the sky. He held on for his life as he braced for impact. The hot air balloon eventually made it’s decent to the ground. It went down hard, as you can imagine. The red-coated Mage of Breath emerged from the rubble that used to be a hot air balloon to see a little town in the distance. His right hoof was injured from the fall, which was thankfully all that was injured. The health bar indicated that he had two hearts left. He figured it was best that he tried to go into town to patch himself up. He went towards the town to see what he could find. The sign beside it said “Welcome to Ponyville”. He walked into the town holding his hoof up off the ground. Eventually, somepony’s voice reached out to him. “Oh Celestia, your bleeding!” A mare called out to him. “Yeah, kinda. You know where I can find a doctor?” The Mage of Breath called out to the mare. “He just left with his companion, I’ll see what I can do about your wounds. Come in.” The mare said. The mare sat him down on her couch as she went into another room. The Mage of Breath wondered how he could've gotten himself in such a mess. As he looked around, he saw that bookshelves lined the walls. A fireplace sat in front of the couch with a picture of three ponies on it. They seemed happy at that moment in the picture. “Do you me asking how in the nine hells you got that gash?” The mare said. “I have a gash?” The Mage of Breath asked. The mare pointed the huge gash on his stomach with her parchment-colored hoof. It was bleeding, granted. The question is why he hadn’t noticed it before. The parchment-colored mare had that same question on her mind. She scratched her inky black mane with her hoof before she grabbed the duct ta-... Uh.. bandages! Yes, before she grabbed the “bandages”. “Oh, yes there is a gash there.” The Mage of Breath chuckled. “Yeah, right. Anyhoo, how do you suppose you got that?” The parchment-colored mare asked as she began to patch the Mage of Breath up. “I was riding in a hot air balloon when it crashed.” The Mage of Breath said. “Well, that would explain it. What that doesn't explain is how you didn’t realize you had it until now.” The parchment-colored mare said. “Yeah, isn’t that weird?” The Mage of Breath said. “Anyways, since you have no place to go, I guess you can spend the night at my house.” The mare said. “Do you mind me asking who the ponies in the picture are?” The Mage of Breath asked. “I’ll tell you tomorrow, get some rest.” The mare said. > Level Two- A Mind Reader As Well > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Let me welcome you to my domain.” The Mare in the Moon said to the Mage of Breath. The Mage of Breath found himself on a balcony of some regal castle with the pony who called him here in the first place. The balcony had snow white floorboards that lead into a castle. There was a golden fence that separated the balcony from the ground. In the sky were thousands upon thousands of stars brightly shining on the ground below. “How’d I get here?” The Mage of Breath asked, totally killing the mood. “This is the dreamscape, my domain and the way I called you here. You fell asleep and I am the keeper of dreams. Thus, I have come to your dream.” The Mare in the Moon said. “Ah, okay.” The Mage of Breath said as he sat down next to the Mare in the Moon. “I’m sorry for my rudeness up to this point, it’s just with the stress of…” The Mare in the Moon said before she was interrupted. “It’s fine, really. There’s no need to apologize.” The Mage of Breath said. “I’m also sorry for calling you here under these circumstances. This kingdom needed a hero, and you were the only one available at the time.” The Mare in the Moon said. “Beats being at home by a long shot.” The Mage of Breath said. “What is the turmoil going on at home?” The Mare in the Moon asked. “My parents are divorced, them constantly fighting has me in my sister centered right in the middle of it. Not to mention my sister being constantly harassed by other kids. Poor kid.” The Mage of Breath responded. “I too know of turmoil within the family. In fact, my own sister banished me to the moon.” The Mare in the Moon said. “Really? What happened there?” The Mage of Breath asked. The Mare in the Moon told her tale of her and her sister under the starry night sky. They talked and chatted until the stars decided to come up. Eventually the moon hid away and the sun had shown it’s face. As they chatted, the Mage of Breath felt something for this mare. It was an odd feeling indeed, almost alien. Was it how her mane shown in the light of the night sky? Was it her elegant voice? Wait, what about that voice? Didn’t she speak in old english? “Hey, didn’t you speak in old english?” The Mage of Breath asked. “Only on official business. Anyhoo, you should be waking up soon. I’ll have to take my leave by then.” The Mare in the Moon said. “One more thing. Do you think I could ask you of your name?” The Mage of Breath asked. “It’s Luna. My name is Princess Luna.” The Mare in the Moon said. The Mage of Breath just stood there smiling. And then, he awoke from his dream smiling brightly. There was somepony in the kitchen who had made herself some breakfast. She thought she would be hospitable to her guest and make him some too. It’s the least she could do for him after what she had done to him. “Good morning, how’d you sleep?” Pageturner asked. “Good, very good.” The Mage of Breath responded. “I made you some breakfast. Eggs and toast.” Pageturner said. “Thanks.” The Mage of Breath said as Pagemaster took a seat at the chair beside the couch. “So, there’s something we need to talk about.” Pageturner said. “And that is?” The Mage of Breath asked. “I may or may not have… kind of… accidentally on-purpose looked around in your mind a bit with some magic I read about. So, I was wondering if it was true.” Pageturner said. “If what was true?” The Mage of Breath asked. “If you were from somewhere else. You know, like really far from here.” Pageturner said. “I guess you could say that, why is this any of your concern?” The Mage of Breath asked. “Because maybe you have some untapped magical power! I know a guy who has been working on something that can allow earth ponies to use magic like unicorns. But, nobody has gotten it to work. Maybe you could get it to work since you may have more magical aptitude!” Pageturner said excitedly. “Me? Sorry, I ‘aint no wizard. I don’t have anything ‘magical’ about me.” The Mage of Breath said. “How do we know if we don’t try? Plus, keep in mind who is keeping you fed and provides a roof over your head.” Pageturner said. The stallion sighed as he inched away at his toast. He was thinking about how things are going in real life. Is he still sleeping? If so, how long has he been asleep? Will he ever wake up? He wondered how he was going to react if this all was a dream. After all, it is kind of nice being here. He just wished it would be under different circumstances. Suddenly, a voice interrupted the silence that had allowed him to think about such things. “You okay? Something wrong down there?” Pageturner asked. “Oh, nothing. I’m good. Did I do something?” The Mage of Breath asked. “Nah, you were just being kind of quiet. I was wondering if something was wrong.” Pageturner said. “Ah, okay.” The Mage of Breath said. “So, how’s life where you came from? Do you have any friends or family?” Pageturner asked on the initiative to chase away the awkwardness. “Mind if we not talk about that? Kind of a sore subject.” The Mage of Breath responded. “Okay, sorry. Anyhoo, I’ll go see if I can get my friend over here to see if you have magical powers.” Pageturner said. “Have fun with that.” The Mage of Breath said. “Don’t destroy the house while I’m gone.” Pageturner said. “I won't!” The Mage of Breath chuckled in response. The Mage of Breath sat there wondering about things to come. He wondered why Luna seemed so fond of him. Was it just because he was the person she called to be hero? Also, what about her sister? How is she involved with this affair? He also wondered as to if he was to ever see his sister’s face again. So many questions left unanswered, but so many more to be asked. But, now is not the time to be sitting around asking questionsns! This is a video game for pete’s sake! > Level Three- Something Familiar > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been awhile since Pageturner had left to discuss with her friend. So, the Mage of Breath decided to survey his new surroundings. He wandered around Ponyville aimlessly until he saw something that looked familiar. Could it be possible? Yes, it is! It was a game cabinet with the words “Insert Credit” on it. Yes, something familiar for this stranger in a strange land! He rushed over to it to see the cabinet a bit closer. It said “Moon Invader” and had a picture of Luna on it. He noticed the three golden coins left on the ground, the problem was on how to pick them up. He had hooves, and besides grabbing it, he didn’t have any bright ideas on how to pick it up. Well, that’s very misfortunate. He sat down on the nearest bench and sighed. Soon, a pony with an ebony mane with a streak of brilliant gold came walking by. She smiled as she grabbed one of the golden coins with her hoof and pressed the start button to launch a strangely familiar game. She was actually quite good at it, blasting past stage one in a matter of minutes. Although, stage two marked the end of her run. She picked up the two credits on the floor and sat on the bench as well and sighed. “You did pretty well at that game.” The Mage of Breath said. “Thanks, I didn’t get as far as I usually do though.” The mare who was playing the game said. “I used to be really good at that game. I could get all the way to the fifth level on one credit.” The Mage of Breath said. “Really?” The mare who was playing the game asked. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago.” The Mage of Breath said. “I can usually get up to level three, but I have a lot to think about right now.” The mare who was playing the game said. “What’s the problem?” The Mage of Breath asked. “My parents keep on ranting on about how I play too many video game and I don’t get outside as much as I should. But, I get outside all the time! Can’t you believe it?” The mare who was playing the game said. “I used to have the same problem. That’s why I joined a band, so I have an excuse to go over to my friends house and play video games.” The Mage of Breath said. “You have a band?” The mare who was playing the game said. “Yeah, it’s called Sex Bomb-Omb. We’re pretty good.” The Mage of Breath said. “Cool, what do you play?” The mare asked. “I play bass, William plays the guitar because he’s the talent and Emily….” The Mage of Breath said. Emily, this mare was an awful lot like Emily. Emily had some issues with her family and she loved to game like her. In fact, she was excellent at it. She always beat him at literally every game they played besides Rock Hero. The resemblance was frightening, almost. Only, the appearance was much different. Emily, unlike her, had freckles and changed her hair every three weeks. “Are you alright?” The mare said as she waved a hoof in front of the Mage of Breath’s face to make sure he was conscious. “Uhh.. yeah… I’m fine.. I was going to ask you if you were from a different universe but then I realized how dumb that would be.” The Mage of Breath said. “Okay. Well, I gotta leave soon. Can we do this the same time tomorrow? I would love to challenge you to Moon Invader.” The mare who played the game asked. “Yeah, sure. But, before you go can I have your name?” The Mage of Breath asked. “It’s Ebony Blaze.” She said as she ran off. The Mage of Breath soon returned home to find two ponies awaiting his arrival. The first, Pageturner looking a bit nervous. The Mage of Breath did not see this as a good sign. The second, a stallion with crimson eyes and a purple mane with a black stripe in it. He was holding a box that looked intricate. It had a steel ball in the middle of the device. “This is my friend, Shadowed Moonbeam. He thinks that you actually have the potential to learn lunar battle magic!” Pageturner said. “Doesn’t he know that I have no idea on how to accomplish such a thing?”The Mage of Breath said. “Oh, he is well aware of that.” Pageturner said. “Why do you call yourself a mage then?” Shadowed Moonbeam asked. “Because I already know some magic. Here, give me some cards and I can perform a quick spell.” The Mage of Breath said. “Why I ‘oughta buck you all the way into tomorrow..” Shadowed Moonbeam said. “Try it. He’ll kick you right back. And harder, too. Preferably into next month.” Pageturner said. “I would like to see him try.” Shadowed Moonbeam replied. “Actually, now is the perfect time for a good fight. It’s a good way to test if your machine works.” Pageturner said. “You're right, actually. Not only is it a good way to test my invention, but it’s been way too long since the last time I had a good fight.” Shadowed Moonbeam said with a confident smirk. “Then it’s decided! Mage of Breath, you shall fight Shadowed Moonbeam with this.” Pageturner said as she tossed the Mage of Breath the box. “Wait, what?” The Mage of Breath said as he stood there holding the box close to him wondering what was going on. Then, Shadowed Moonbeam came at the Mage of Breath with godspeed. The Mage of Breath thought fast and dodged the attack and hit Shadowed Moonbeam in the back of the head with the contraption. “Hey, that’s expensive!” Shadowed Moonbeam said. “You’re not supposed to use it like that!” Pageturner said shoving some popcorn in her mouth. “Well excuse me, but I never exactly got the full instructions on how to use this thing!” The Mage of Breath replied, dodging another one of Shadowed Moonbeam’s punches. Just great, one day in and a pony already wants him dead.