> God of Rage > by ShadeBlitz > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > An Exciting Return > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, nahlok zin los fah riin... I thought to myself as I lounge around in the astral plane. You're probably wondering why I'm being lazy like this, but being stuck in stone without your magic to screw around with, so there isn't much to do in here, but let me tell you, this cloud is nice, and not having to eat is a wish come true for me. Anyways, it seems like im breaking free, I can feel hunger again and my cloud is dispersing. My eyes open the moment my stone prison explodes, squinting right after to sheild my eyes from the bright sun. "Geez, I remember the sun being bright, but never this hurtful." I say out loud, not expecting a response. "W-who a-are y-you?" I hear a voice say. My wings shoot open in surprise, did I mention I'm a Pegasus at the moment? Anyways, I look down, seeing a trio of fillies cowering in fear, one an reddish orange Pegasus with a purple mane and similarly colored eyes, another a alabaster Unicorn with a curly faded purple and greyish purple mane with emerald green eyes, and the last one is a yellow Earth Pony with a red mane with a pink bow and amber eyes, all three with no cutie mark. "My name is Shade Blitz - well, at least that's what it currently is - and I've been trapped in stone for 1,000 years, and lemme tell ya, the astral plane the most boring plane of existence. Anyways, what are your names?" I ask the trio, Shade Blitz is a grey Pegasus with a zebra striped mane, sea blue eyes, and a black lightning bolt with white wings as a cutie mark. "Ah'm Applebloom," said the yellow filly with a southern accent. "I'm Scootaloo," the excited, tomboyish Pegasus said. "I'm Sweetie Belle," The unicorn said. "And we are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" They annouced, making my ears fold back. Ow, and I thought Luna was loud. I thought. "You three seem a bit young to be here by yourself." I said. "We got separated from our group and got lost." said Applebloom. "Well then, lets see if we can find any guards or the start of this maze of a garden." I said, jumping down from the stone pedestal and walking away with the trio. As we were walking, I changed my form, becoming a anime character with amber eyes, dark red flattish hair with spikes, coal black wings with grey feathers, black undershirt, grey jacket, grey, light weight jeans, black skate shoes, black and grey headset, two necklaces, one with claws and another with a drill-like key, a handkerchief over my lower face, black fingerless gloves, and a four inch long red and amber wristband, a lot to remember, I know, so here's a picture. We eventually found a patrol of guards, who leveled their spears at me when the noticed me approaching. "Halt, creature! What are you doing on castle grounds?" One of them said. When they finally noticed the Crusaders, they moved closer to me. I motioned for the trio to go over to the guards and let me handle things. "No need to be so offensive, I'm only trying to help this trio get back to their group. Also, is there any chance that you could tell me where I can find Celestia and Luna? I'm certain that they'll be happy to know that I'm back." I said, before a popping sound came from behind me. I turned around to find that Celestia herself was standing there with a smile. "I'm back, just as I said I would." I said to her, arms open. "Alex!" She cried as she tackled me. "Oof! I know I'm hard to kill but my bones haven't changed much. Plus, my wings are being crushed." I said in an attempt to get her to laugh. It worked like it always does. "Hehe, sorry. I sometimes forget how heavy I am with you around." "Sooner we change the subject, the less likely I am to get my rear burned to a crisp." I said jokingly. I suddenly remember the presence of the guards and the Crusaders. "Hey Cely, have you met the Cutie Mark Crusaders yet?" I ask. "I have heard of them from Luna, I'm certain that they could learn a thing or two from you about construction and trajectory, why do you ask?" "It just so happens that they are here with us. Meet Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom." I say as each appears from behind the guards as their respective names are mentioned. "My little ponies, it's a pleasure to finally meet the three fillies that my sister constantly talks about." She said, trotting over and nuzzling the Crusaders. "Speaking of my sister," She said "I told her I let her know whether the disturbance that the guards told us about was friend or foe." "Something tells me that you want to surprise Lulu and that you know I'm all for it." I said, receiving a nod. "Would you three like to come with us?" I ask the Crusaders. "You bet your wings we would!" Said Scootaloo, as we began walking to the castle doors. Along the way, I began chatting with Celestia. "So, how do you think we should do this? Expected or unexpected?" I ask. "Definitely unexpected, and I'm guessing you already have a plan?" "Indeed I do. Here's what I have in mind, you tell Lulu that the disturbance was a prank, while I disperse into smoke, move along the base of the wall until I'm behind her, then I'll reform and jumpscare her. Sound good?" I ask. "Yes, leave it to you to come up with some good scares." She said, smiling. "I blame some old friends of mine." I said. We eventually arrive at our destination, and as I walk in, I notice a alabaster Unicorn with a blond mane and wearing a classy tuxedo, who appears to be in a heated argument with Celestia. As I approach, I begin to make out words. "Auntie, I still don't see why these lowlife commoners are inside the castle walls!" He whined. I tapped the Unicorn on the back, causing him to turn around. Add scared as heck to that list of features. "What in Celestia's name is that thing!?" He shouted, scared. Might be because my eyes went from white and amber to mostly black with a white dot in the middle. "Your worst nightmare if you piss me off, but a good friend if you manage to get on my good side." I tell him, my eyes changing back. "It talks..."he said, still scared. I look at Celestia and say, "Five bits says he runs of screaming like a filly when I turn into a Deadly Nadder." "You're on." She said. Dis gun b gud, DRAMATICS! I thought to myself, dispersing into smoke and reforming as a red and orange dragon with black tips on the spikes, along with amber eyes. I turn my head to get a good look at the stallion, seeing him running away while shouting, "DRAGON!" I look at the Crusaders, getting scared looks from two and an almost aggressive look from Scootaloo. I crouch down to look less threatening and open my wing towards the floor. "Looks like he's asking if you three want a ride." Celestia said, causing the Crusaders to get excited and run to get up my wing. Once all three were on, I slowly rose from my crouched position, splitting my attention between what I see, feeling for the Crusaders hooves, and managing how fast I'm rising. Once I've reach my full height, I walk over to Celestia, occasionally turning my head to keep from running into her. We eventually began walking down the halls to the stairs to Luna's room, soon reaching our destination. I look at Celestia with questioning eyes, Remember the plan?. "Indeed I do, it's rather hard to forget, after all." She said, opening the doors. I move to the wall, slowly sinking to the floor as I disperse. Once the Crusaders were safely on the floor, I began moving into Luna's room, seeing her talking to Celestia. Once I got behind her, I began reforming into my anime form. As soon as I formed, I began leaning over Luna until I got close enough for her to feel me breathing. She froze, then slowly began turning around until she saw me. One moment here, next moment gone and screaming. I looked up with a smug smile, seeing Luna on the ceiling. "Miss me?" I said, my arms open. She dropped from the ceiling, body slamming me and hugging me at the same time. "Alexander!" She said, tears of joy in her eyes. I hug her tight, as if I'm saying 'I'm not leaving anytime soon.' "I have a feeling that the sun is going down soon, so where do you three live?" I asked the Crusaders as I got up. "Ponyville." Applebloom said. I think for a moment, trying to remember any plots of land or towns named Ponyville. I look to Celestia, "Is Ponyville that plot of land to the west?" "Yes it is, and it'll be a good flight if you switch to Shadow Streak." She said. Shadow Streak is my Night Fury form, he's coal black with areas all over his body being a few shades lighter, has amber eyes, and if you look close enough, you can see a small fire within them. I disperse and reform as Shadow Streak and lower myself to the ground, waiting for the Crusaders to hop on. The moment they do, I cast an adhesive spell on their hooves so the don't fall off mid flight. I get up, walking over to the window as they wave goodbye to Celestia and Luna, who return it with a wave and a smile. I jump of the edge of the balcony, hearing screams from the Crusaders. I slowly begin opening my wings, my daredevil side taking over as I aim to miss the ledge by less that a foot. Success. I continue to open up my wings, receiving shouts of joy and excitement From the Crusaders. At this speed, any normal adhesive spells would've failed, luckily for me, my spells are a bit stronger than they usually are. I thought to myself as I fully open my wings. I notice a small town in the distance, right where that plot of land used to be. Must be Ponyville. Looks like a nice place. I thought to myself. We continued flying for the next 30 minutes or so before we reached the airspace above Ponyville. "There's my house!" Scootaloo said, having to shout over the wind as I angled my wings to slow us down. Once we were slow enough, I started gliding, aiming for the front yard. When I landed, Scootaloo hopped off, galloping to her door, from where she turned and waved goodbye as I took off. I began flying around Ponyville, waiting for one of the two Crusaders left to point out their house. "There, the one with the fancy looks is my house." I heard Sweetie Belle say. I slowed to a glide again, landing gently on the dirt road. As Sweetie Belle got off, I noticed a similarly colored Unicorn standing by the front door, except this one had a curly, purple mane and sky blue eyes. "Rarity! Sorry I'm late, Mr. Shadow Streak gave me a ride from Princess Luna's room." Said Sweetie Belle. I'm guessing this 'Rarity' character is her sister. I thought. Sweetie Belle turned and waved goodbye as I flew off, remembering that most Earth Ponies with southern accents tended to be farmers. Once I got high enough, I instantly noticed a huge apple orchard in the distance. Heh, that would give my mom nostalgia. I thought, smirking at the memory of the cornfield that used to be apple trees. I shot off in that direction, flying over buildings and alleyways fast enough to look like a blur if one were to look up. When we reached the orchard, I noticed a barn in the distance, so I lowered my altitude, flying a foot or two above the ground and going fast enough to make dirt fly. I slowed down when we got close, nearly throwing Applebloom off. When I landed, she hopped off, "Bye Shadow Streak. I hope to see you soon, that ride was fun." She said as I dispersed and reformed into my anime form. "Glad you liked it, I hope to see you again too, and tell the other Crusaders that I said bye. See ya later." I said, waving goodbye. I took off, intending to find a cloud to spend the night on. > The Next Day > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I woke up, I found rose colored eyes staring at me. I waited a few moments while not blinking before I said, "I shall never blink," startling the Pegasus, who turned out to have cyan fur, rainbow colored mane and tail, and a cloud with a blue, yellow, and red lightning bolt as a cutie mark. "What are you? A spy?" She said. Heh, if only she knew. I thought to myself. "Nope, I'm a human, right now at least." I said. "Ok, what is a human and what do you mean by 'right now at least'?" She asked. "First question, humans are a bipedal species ranging in the billions. If the species as a whole were set on doing one task, it would probably get done in a month or two, compare to a few years or more. Second question, I can transform by dispersing, my transformations ranging from dragons to creatures as small as cats, maybe a bit smaller. Also, my name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex. What's yours?" I asked. "I am the one and only Rainbow Dash." She declared, having taken the info dump rather well. "Well then, you make it sound like you've accomplished something spectacular, might I ask what it is?" I asked, left eyebrow raised. "Fastest pony in Equestria and first to make a Sonic Rainboom in years!" She exclaimed, showing off with a backflip. "Well then, after I get something to eat, why don't we race to Canterlot?" I asked, wanting to stretch my wings with a good race. "Prepare to lose." She said, getting hyped. I smiled, getting up and falling off the cloud. I spread my wings, heading to the nearby forest. "Don't go in there! That's the Everfree Forest!" I heard Rainbow Dash shout from behind me. "Why not? As far as I know, nothing in there has a chance against me, not even a dragon." I said with confidence. I continued to fly into the forest, looking for something to eat. I noticed a trio of cockatrices wandering below me. Gathering magic in my hand, I muttered, "Bound Dagger," causing a dagger to form in my hand. I performed a nosedive, gaining speed as I dropped. When I pulled up, I shot towards the nearest cockatrice, cutting it's neck from behind and dragging it with me as I pulled up to avoid being noticed. I pulled a sack out of my pocket, putting the cockatrice in there and heading in for another. I followed the same path, slicing it's throat and bagging it at cloud level. I did the same to the final cockatrice, head off in search of fruit after bagging it. "Why did you do that!?" I heard from behind me, turning to see Rainbow Dash following me. "So you didn't chicken out after all." I said, earning a glare. "Well, being a omnivore, a creature that east both fruits and veggies as well as meat, I often hunt cockatrices to meet my protein requirements. I don't eat the whole thing, just the muscles." I said, knowing she would freak out. She did. "You better not eat ponies, or we're going to have major problems." She said, getting in a defensive position. "Anything in the Everfree is on my list of foods. Now then, do you know where I can find any fruits or veggies around here?" I asked. "My friend Applejack might give you an apple or two, if you have the bits to pay for them." She said, having calmed down. "Ok, apples sound good, lead the way." I said, following her as she flew back to Ponyville. When we got there, she led me to an area full of market stalls, specifically a wooden, cart-like stand with an orange Earth Pony mare with a blond mane and a stetson stood. Must be Applejack. Texans and their stetsons. I thought. She finally noticed us, looking our way and flinching the moment she saw me before relaxing when she noticed that Rainbow Dash was with me. "Howdy RD, who's this critter ya found?" She asked. ...Nope, not being called an animal. "For your information, I can speak, and as to who I am, my name is Alexander, just call me Alex. Also, do you have a family member by the name of Applebloom?" I asked, earning a suspicious glare from Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "How do ya know mah sis?" Asked Applejack. "Tell me, did she mention a black dragon with red eyes last night when she got home?" I asked, being mysterious. "How'd ya know 'bout that? Were you following mah sister?" She asked, even more suspicious. "Nope. I was the dragon, I have the ability to disperse into smoke and reform as almost any living thing." I said as I put down my sack, dispersing into smoke and reforming as Shadow Streak, taking a seat on the exposed dirt. "AHH!" They shouted, attracting the attention of the whole market and causing me to transform into Shade Blitz. "Seriously? You had to scream?" I asked, sighing. "I swear, I'm beginning to feel like Casper the Friendly Ghost." I mutter under my breath, putting a hoof to my face. "Who's that?" Asked Rainbow Dash. I looked up at her, "Nopony important. How much for an apple?" I asked, turning my attention to Applejack. "Two bits." She answered. I put two gold coins on the table and grabbed an apple, taking a bite from it. My eyebrows rose in surprise, "Good apples you have here, best I've ever had." I complemented her. "Sweet Apple Acres does take pride in it's high quality apples." She said. I noticed that any previous commotion over Shadow Streak had died down and quickly dispersed and reformed as Norijiro, the actual name of my anime form. I picked up my sack, taking another bite of the apple when I remembered it was there. "Have ya met Pinkie yet?" Ask Applejack. I looked at her and shook my head no since my mouth was still full. "Ya will soon, ah can promise ya that." Ok, now I'm curious, who is this Pinkie? I thought to myself, not expecting a wall of pink to be in front of me as soon as I swallowed the chunk of apple. I obviously leaned back a bit. "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie. What's your name?" She said, almost too fast for me to understand. "Hi Pinkie, I'm Alexander, but you can call me Alex." I said. She reminds me of Surprise. Oh, the hilarity that ensued the days since I met that prankster Pegasus. I thought to myself, slightly smiling from the memories. "Tell me," she said, getting serious, "Do you like parties, cake, or cupcakes?" She asked, putting a cheerful face on again. "All three, pranks too." I said with a smile, earning one in return. "Make sure to be here for your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party!" She said, hopping off. Something tells me that I won't wanna miss it. I thought. "Ya don't wanna miss a Pinkie party, 'specially when it's for you." Said Applejack. Déjà vu. I thought to myself. "Welp, best be off, I gotta eat something that you two won't want to see. Tell Applebloom I said hi." I said as I flew off, looking for a cloud that's high up. I look up, noticing the sun is halfway across the sky. Welp, slept through breakfast, so this'll have to be lunch then. I thought to myself, finding a good sized cloud that is close to the Everfree. I cut and cooked the cockatrices, occasionally taking a bite out of the apple, until all that was left was cooked meat. I then made a plate out of clouds and began eating. After I finished, I busted the cloud, dropping the remains into the Everfree, and wiping my face with a spare napkin before burning it. I flew off in the direction of Ponyville in search of Rainbow Dash. I noticed a rainbow contrail in the distance performing various forms of aerobatics. Must be Rainbow Dash, she did say that she flew fast. I thought to myself. I flew over to her, "Hey Dash! Ready to race?" I asked. "You bet I am! Just so you know, you're going to lose." She said, acting very confident in her flying abilities. Won't be easy. I thought with a smirk. "Ok, on the count of three, we race." I said, pulling a couple clouds over for us to start on. "One," I said, getting in an athlete's starting position; left foot back, right foot forward, both hands on the ground. "Two," I said, opening my wings, adrenaline beginning to rush through my bloodstream. "Three!" I exclaimed, forcing my wings to fight the air resistance as I shot off with Rainbow Dash following a second later. she slowly caught up with me, "Not bad, you really are fast, but just how fast can you go?" I asked, noticing a rise in temperature, as well as a rainbow colored cone forming around Rainbow Dash. "I should be asking you that." She said, slowly picking up speed. I followed her lead, feeling the temperature rising even more. Ok, the reentry effects should be starting any time now. I thought, noticing a slight red tint in the air around my nose. "Coming through!" I shouted as the effects quickly became more apparent before two loud booms signaled that, not only have I broken the sound barrier, but Rainbow Dash did as well. If one were to look towards the sound, they would see a rainbow contrail flying next to a small ball of fire, slowly growing closer to Canterlot. Still surprises me with how this doesn't burn, but I'm beginning to think that it might have something to do with airflow. I thought to myself, slowly pulling ahead of Rainbow Dash as the fire surrounding me got more intense. Heck, I can't even feel the heat. I thought, noticing Celestia and Luna on a castle balcony in the distance. "It's already been three minutes? Meh, still gonna make it." I mumbled to myself, hearing grunts behind me. I looked back, seeing Rainbow Dash catching up. "Good work, you are one fast Pegasus!" I shouted back at her. "You're not so bad yourself, hot shot!" She said, grinning. "C'mon slowpoke! I'll give you one thousand bits if you beat me!" I said, urging her to speed up. "Maybe a year's supply of apple cider, too!" I said to her, getting a blast of air as an answer. Now that, is a demonstration of speed. I thought, shooting of after her. We eventually reach the castle, landing on the same balcony I took off from the previous day. "I *huff* win." She said, out of breath. I quickly slowed to a stop, landing next to her and summoning a large sack full of bits and a silver coin, faintly humming from the enchantments strength. "One thousand bits and a summoning coin that only summons cider and has three hundred and sixty five uses as promised." I said, handing her the items. "Thanks. That was a fun race, you nearly beat me, and it would've been the first time that I've been beat in years" She said, having recovered like a true athlete. "To be honest, I could've gone a lot faster, but it wouldn't have been fair for you." I said, getting a shocked look from the cyan Pegasus. "How fast?" She asked, still stunned. "Using all my magic strength, I could probably fly around the planet in... I'd say thirty seconds? Yeah, 'bout that, maybe a bit faster." I said. "Prove it." Said Rainbow Dash, eyes full of doubt. "If you insist." I said, placing two dark grey circles on the ground and holding up a small, dark grey bar. "One of these circles will display a hologram of the planet and the other displaying a timer, which will start when I take off and stop when I land. This bar is a tracker, it'll mark my location on the map as I fly around the planet, and it'll activate when the timer starts and shut off a few moments after the timer stops." I walked over to the same balcony I jumped off yesterday. "I'll be flying polar, so I'll end my flight at this same balcony." I said, pressing a button on the tracker that turned on the holographic projectors before putting it in my pocket. I then shot off, watching as the scenery blurred below me while somehow managing to breathe at the speed I was traveling. At this speed, my blood can hurt someone. I thought, watching as the sea below me became covered in ice. Static sounded in my ears, catching my full attention as I tried to place the familiar noise. "North pole just passed you by, spacer." Said a female voice. No... it can't be... but it sounds so much like her! > Introducing Artemis & The Stallions > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Artemis? Is that you?" I asked, hoping that my ears weren't fooling me. "Who else would it be? Your mother-in-law?" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Shut up. How much power do you have?" I asked, expecting it to be somewhere around %50. "Seventy-five and slowly rising. Equator's coming up." She said, breaking me away from my thoughts to watch the unfamiliar land below me. "Any life on this side of the planet? If there isn't, I might start a kingdom here, rather beautiful lands, I must say." I said, admiring the fields, meadows, and forests below. "I can detect some sentient life down there, but you might want to visit before you claim, in case there's a ruling body of some sort here, and if there is, maybe you can take a look around and see what can be shared between Equestria and this land." She said, causing me to space out again in thought. "Half way to the south pole. You are probably the worst pilot I have ever seen." She commented. "Like you've even seen an actual pilot, seeing as how you were built and programmed by me." I retorted, imagining an eye roll from Artemis. "So... How did Celestia and Luna handle your return?" She asked. "They nearly killed me with their weight." I said, noticing the mountain in the distance that Canterlot hung off of, having passed the south pole a few seconds ago. "Let's surprise them." "If you insist." Said Artemis, hearing silence in my ear afterward. I landed on the balcony, stopping the timer in the process. "How long did I take?" I asked Celestia. "One minute, you've gotten a bit rusty there, Alex." She said. "That reminds me," I said, acting like I forgot something, "someone wanted to say hi." "Long time, no see Sunbutt, I reactivated while hot shot here was flying around the planet, over the north pole to be exact." Said Artemis, causing Celestia and Luna's eyebrows to raise in surprise and Rainbow Dash to look confused "You must be Rainbow Dash, it's a pleasure to finally meet a Pegasus who can keep up with Alex." Artemis said, surprising said Pegasus slightly and causing her to become slightly aggressive and suspicious. "Show yourself!" She demanded, searching for Artemis. Ugh, these ponies are amusing yet frustrating, especially this one. "If you insist." Said Artemis, the holographic globe being replaced by a humanoid shape that appears to be a white female in her early twenties with long, auburn hair and armor that appears to be made from black dragon scales, as well as electric blue eyes. The figure looked at Rainbow Dash and said "Better?" with Artemis's voice. "What is that armor made of? It's way cooler than what the Royal Guard wear." Said Rainbow Dash, zipping up to Artemis to get a closer look. "Ebony and the blood of evil beings... that is, if it was real. What I'm wearing is a digitalized version, made out of binary coding, which you probably don't understand the meaning of, so I shall make the explanation simple. It's like DNA, or the stuff that makes you, you, but different." Said Artemis, earning a blank expression from Rainbow Dash as she attempted to process what she learned. "So Cely, Lulu, want to go see if the stallions are ready to reactivate?" I said, pointing down and gaining the attention of Rainbow Dash in the process. "Sure, it'll be a pleasure to see how well your anti-aging spell works on metal." Celestia said, causing us to get up and walk out of the room, which, in turn, caused Artemis to deactivate the holograms and activating a disguise program, making the projectors invisible. "Who are these stallions you mentioned? If they're anything like Artemis, then they are already awesome in my book." Said Rainbow Dash, having flown up from behind me. "Actually, they are a bit more independent than Artemis, but you'll be able to relate to one of them before I even wake them up. Also, why exactly are we walking? Teleporting is too much fun to pass up." I said, teleporting the four of us to what appeared to be a dead end in a hallway, surprising some guards in the process. I placed a hand against the wall and poured magic into it, causing intricate lines to glow bright red, resulting in the wall splitting and creaking open. "Someone hasn't oiled the doors in one thousand years." I said, looking at Celestia from the corner of my eye, earning a sheepish, guilty smile from her. I sighed, looking up once the doors were fully open. "Nevermind that, I'll see to it at some point. For now, let us see if they're ready." I said, leading the group in. "Are they the stallions you were talking about?" Said Rainbow Dash, pointing towards six gleaming, equine shapes. One was a light purple Unicorn with and indigo mane and tail that had a bright pink and violet streak going through both, as well as a starburst cutie mark, the one next to it was a white Unicorn with a deep purple mane and tail styled in a handsome manner - gay thoughts, leave me be - with three cerulean diamonds for a cutie mark. Next were two Pegasi, one being colored similarly to Rainbow Dash, and the other being a butter yellow with a pink mane and tail, along with three pink and blue butterflies as a cutie mark. After those two were two Earth Ponies, one matching Pinkie's color scheme, and the other matching Applejack's, including a matching hat on a table nearby. "Yep, meet Dusk Shine, Elusive, Rainbow Blitz, Butterscotch, Bubble Berry, and Applejack. All six of them are made of bio-durasteel, which is an extremely durable metal that can bend similarly to skin, as well as fake fur." I said, walking over to a handle that hung from the ceiling by chains, putting my headphones on. "If you value your hearing, then I suggest you cover your ears." I tell them, giving them a moment to do so before grabbing the handle and pulling as hard as I can, resulting in a deep, but very loud horn to go off, scaring the stallions awake. I let go, shouting, "Good morning, lazy-brains!", and taking off my headphones. "Why?" Dusk Shine deadpanned, clearly irritated with how he was woken up. "Because I felt like it and it was the closest thing that was guaranteed to wake you six up the first time, so deal with it. Now then, colts, since you have already met Celestia and Luna, meet Rainbow Dash, supposedly the fastest Pegasus in Equestria." I said, staring straight at Rainbow Blitz when I mentioned Dash's claim. "I'd challenge that statement, but I don't have enough magic and the filter you put over the doorway prevents very much from reaching this far." Said Blitz, staring back at me with an annoyed expression. "Then why don't we head into the hallway? There's plenty of magic there and we need to see if the repair system within all of you is still functioning correctly." I said, before noticing something nearby. On a nearby table, there were two swords that reminded me of black, thick katanas with golden Chinese dragons engraved onto their blade, and one runed, sharp disc with a hole in the middle that is mostly red with the runes being mostly black with a faint orange glow. I walk over, picking up the swords and taking a close look at one, noticing runes that seemed similar to what was on the disc. I poured magic into the swords, causing the runes to glow orange and the blade to light on fire. I took a few swings and performed a couple basic fighting maneuvers, stopping the flow of magic and replacing the swords with the disc, holding it in both hands and pulled as I poured in magic, causing the runes to glow brighter and the disc to duplicate itself before igniting along the edge. I threw the discs in a certain way, causing them to behave like a boomerang and slapping them together after catching them, causing the duplicate to sink into the original. After that happened, I stopped pouring magic and placed the disc near the swords before returning to the group, noticing an awestruck Rainbow Dash. "That was so awesome!" she fangirled, "What are those made of and how did you do that?" "Both are made of durasteel and they are engraved with runes meant to ignite whatever they are engraved on when powered with magic. I slightly altered them to only ignite certain areas. if they weren't engraved with those runes, they'd be plain durasteel weapons." I said, motioning for us to leave. Once in the hallway, I closed the doors, turning around to see that the stallions seem to be a lot more energized. I looked to Celestia and Luna before saying, "I think I'm going to have a better look around Ponyville for a few days. Starting tomorrow of course, just incase you two begin to worry about me." They nodded, seemingly understanding the reason behind my trip. "Ok, you have me curious. What exactly is so special about these stallions other than the fact that they are robots?" Rainbow Dash whispered in my ear. "Thought you'd never ask. Shall we?" I said, turning my gaze to the stallions with that last inquiry. They all nodded, steam bursting from certain areas of their bodies. The Unicorns' horns sunk into their skull, a plate replacing it, while their upper and lower jaw split and moved down the body, revealing a hole which respectively colored hands came from. Their legs followed the pattern, spreading out before sinking into the body, causing the hand to rotate and the mane and tail to sink into the body as well. The Pegasi shared relatively similar transformations, their whole torso splitting open, revealing various bits and pieces of tech, and causing their wings to sink into the body, legs to fold into a laying position, and head to rotate and bend back. The Earth Ponies had simpler transformations, their legs, mane, and tail sinking into the body, which in turn allowed the head to bend upwards and move down the neck, stopping at a 90 degree angle. All together, they looked like a set of metal armor that slightly resembled parts of a battle suit. I reached down to Dusk and Elusive, sticking my arms into the holes where their tails sunk in at, and flexed my muscles, causing the respective areas to bend in response. Following that, I grabbed Scotch and Blitz, placing their top ends together and sticking my head through the hole before closing them together, forming a layer of armor protecting my chest. Then I stuck my legs into the holes in AJ and Bubble Berry, bending my legs effectively. "Definitely no kinks to work out yet, but yeah, this is what they can do that makes them extraordinarily special." I said, finally noticing the shocked looks on all the nearby guards as well as Rainbow Dash. "Heh, you all need mirrors, your faces are too funny to describe. Plus, I always thought guards were used to anything... guess highly advanced robots don't count." I looked to Celestia and Luna, both of whom had very amused faces, Luna in particular was trying desperately to hold back what might be a booming laugh. "Jokes aside, where did AJ's hat vanish to?" I wondered aloud, looking around for said accessory. I heard a slightly scratchy voice nearby. "You mean this heavy thing? If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is also made of durasteel." said the new voice. I looked to the source, seeing a mismatched bunch of creatures. He's free? Huh... If Cely isn't making any moves against him, then I'll let him roam. I thought. "It's been quite a long time, Discord. I hope you are well." I said, being polite in the face of chaos incarnate. "Well, I am a bit disappointed that I am just now being introduced into this story, but oh well, can't do much about it now, can I? Other than that, I have been fine, thank you very much, Norijiro." he said, putting the hat on as he announced the name of my current form. "Norijiro? isn't that the name of the God of Rage? If you ask me, Alex here doesn't look like a god." said Rainbow Dash. "Apparently you haven't visited the castle gardens enough. Hey Discord, got any peach tea? Also, please stop breaking the fourth wall, you'll cause massive headaches and confusion, even though I find it funny when researchers and scientists attempt to solve the anomaly you create every time you do so. Explosions are glorious." I said, smiling from explosive memories. If only Starswirl was immortal, then things would be hilarious. Although I do have a feeling that I will soon meet one who is as studious as that Robertson-bearded Unicorn. Hehe. "Oh fine, you're no fun. Also, I do happen to have some fresh peach tea on me." said Discord, who was covered in what was probably said tea. "Really bro? I'd like it in a glass bottle, with only the peach tea." "Still no fun." He said, holding a glass bottle filled with a dark orange liquid. I grabbed the bottle, feeling a slight chill radiating off the glass. I opened it, hearing a pop from the lid, and took a sip of the delicious, mouth-drying tea. "Still as good as ever. Too bad Equestria isn't too technologically advanced." I said, summoning a random book, titled Adventures of the Rage God. Vol. 1. "So, where shall we go today Celestia?" asked Discord. "Well, I am due to be at Day Court soon," this caught my attention, making me close the book that I haven't really delved into yet, "So if you, Rainbow Dash, Alex, and Luna want to do something, then go right ahead." Celestia said, walking off and turning down a nearby hallway. I looked at the three of them with a mischievous smirk, getting equal smirks from Discord and Luna, and receiving a mix of confusion and frustration from Rainbow Dash. "Who's up for scaring nobles? I have a feeling that I will encounter that stuck up Unicorn from yesterday there as well." I said, still in the dark as to said Unicorn's name and finally getting a mischievous smirk from Rainbow Dash. "Oh heck yes!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, seemingly pumped for the future exploits. ----15 minutes later, Throne room---- "And that's why we shouldn't allow non-Equestrians to continue to have residence within our borders." A random noble said as he finished his proposal right as I cracked the door open. I threw the empty bottle of tea into the room, which Discord infused with chaos magic so it would explode. I appeared in the noble's face, using the explosion as a distraction. "Who the heck do you think you are? A racist idiot like Donald Trump? What insane reason do you have for Celestia to believe this? If I were you, I would leave right now, before things get ugly." I said, shoving him back. "Racist nobles, the lot of them." I mumbled before looking at the door and shouting, "If any of you are here to promote wealth amongst nobles or reject other races from keeping or acquiring residence in Equestria, then you are not allowed in this throne room!" in a slightly pissed off tone. "Why did you have to do that, Alex?" Celestia questioned as I turned to look at her. "Because that was a prime example of racism, and those who are racist piss me off greatly, as you should already know." I deadpanned. I walked up to stand beside Celestia's throne, still wearing the stallions. Discord and Rainbow Dash walked in, Luna having apparently left after I yelled at the nobles in the hallway. "Remind me not to piss you off." They both said in unison, seemingly too amused by what I did to care. I then noticed how empty the room is, which caused me to turn to Celestia. "You knew I'd join you, didn't you?" I asked, receiving a nod in return. Five rather positive proposals later, in walks the alabaster Unicorn from yesterday. I heard a sigh of exhaustion from Celestia. "Not him again. Why must Blueblood always attend Day Court?" she mumbled just loud enough for me to hear, obviously annoyed with the Unicorn. "I'll handle this one for you, that way there's a fresh view for whatever Blueballs has to offer." I whispered to her, receiving a grateful smile in return. "Hello Auntie, I'm here to propose a new tax layout." I swear, if he ignored my announcement, then we'll have major problems. "I suggest higher taxes for those in the lower classes, and lower taxes for us nobles. You see-" I cut him off. "Hold it right there. I've seen this before, and I know exactly how this will turn out. So if you don't want enraged farmers and other lower classes after your hindquarters, then I highly suggest you leave, Blueballs." I said, frustrated. "Just who do you think you are to insult a pony of higher class than you? I am Prince Blueblood, you hairless, ungrateful ape." "You. Me, Battlegrounds. Now." I said with force, receiving excited reactions from Discord and Rainbow Dash before amplifying my voice, "Day Court is postponed until further notice as a result of a match between Prince Blueblood and the God of Rage within the hour. Those of you who are interested in witnessing the supposed prince being shown his place may attend, as well as those with the opposite interest. Thank you very much, and have an excellent day." I announced before hearing muffled chatter coming from outside the doors. "You? A god? Oh please, A lowlife commoner could easily best you. But if you insist, I suppose I will show you your place instead." Blueblood said with a dismissive tone. "We'll see who is better when we commence our battle, Blueballs" I said before I teleported away. > Q&A Section 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What do you have planned for later chapters? A: I plan to end the story with an exciting outro, but have big fights along the way, some of the fights being returning villains. Q: Will there be more crossovers? A: It depends on whether or not I choose to make a certain accessory more than meets the eye, but it will only happen if I have enough weaknesses for Alex. Other than that, I might ask some other authors who are doing similar stories if they wanna do a crossover, so expect at least one crossover between stories, but many between animes and games. Q: When does it take place? A: Before Equestria Girls... oh god, that'll be fun... ugh Q: what weaknesses are there? A: Since I want to do this of a ranking system, there will be multiple levels for gods depending on importance. Alex is among the sub ranking of gods known as Emotion Gods. He is a Middle Central for both the regular scale and the sub scale, so he has a fair amount of power. Most of his restrictions will be mentioned in the next chapter, and they will increase in amount as the story goes on and I feel as if he's too OP for the story. Honestly, going back to the scale, if I were to rank Celestia and Luna, they would be a Lower high class, with Discord around Alex's rank, and the Elements of Harmony in the Upper low class area. Also, his magic use depends on what form he's in, in order to keep each form from being too OP Q: What are is strengths? A: Transformation, Dispersing, Chaos magic, Harmony magic, hardcore gamer's processing time (if you were to compare someone who plays many hours of CoD to someone who plays the same amount of Sims, there would be a 25% difference in favor of the CoD gamer. This was tested, look it up on youtube.) > The Royal Battle > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where is that disgusting creature? I thought, holding my weapon in my magic while keeping a rather bored posture. Probably realized how weak it is and ran off. Understandable, seeing as how I am closer to being a god than that thing can even dream of. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, Blueballs, but I was having trouble choosing my weapon." It said in a mocking, yet also sarcastic tone. "Well it's about time. I've heard of tortoises who move faster than you, ape." I turned around, seeing it standing there, foregoing both armor and weapon, but holding what seemed to be a purplish-blue ball of mist in both hands. "Why don't we skip the banter and begin our fight?" It said impatiently. "I agree." I said as I entered a basic battle stance. ----- Alex's POV ----- I cast my spell, summoning two translucent blades colored similarly to the spell. I chuckled darkly, catching Blueblood off guard, though choosing not to move. "What'cha gonna do Blueballs? You look rather scared." I mocked, causing him to adapt a new expression and scoff. "Your move." I said, not having moved an inch. He began circling, moving into what would've been a blind spot. I followed him with my eyes until he went out of sight, then switching to a mental simulation and closing my eyes to concentrate on my hearing. I heard a familiar sound from behind me, copying the expected motion in my head and reacted, turning around and redirecting Blueblood's lunge with one sword and striking him on the temple with the blunt side of the other, sending him flying a few yards as I opened my eyes. I leaped at him, reaching a height of at least 5 meters, or 16.4 feet, before turning the swords in my hands so that the blunt sides faced down, and slammed them into his sides, knocking the wind out of him and possibly breaking a rib or two. "Cmon, slowpoke. I thought you said a commoner could beat me. Where's your confidence now?" I pestered, causing him to get up and take a few wild swings, almost landing a good blow. "Curse you ape! I will have your head!" he threatened, which caused me to chuckle. "You wish. Now try to land an actual blow, would you? I'm getting rather bored." I said as I yawned, intentionally leaving an opening for him to strike. My eyes shot open as my body went cold, seeing a few blurred, dark red spots in my vision. I looked down, seeing Blueblood's sword impaling me through the heart. I heard a few ponies puke as he pulled it out and took a more swings, puncturing my lungs multiple times and severing important muscles. "Where is your confidence now, beast?" he said with a satisfied grin. my vision went blurry as he walked away. “Heh. Hehe. If only you knew." I said as I charged a spell designed for instant knock-outs. "Take this." I mumbled as I launched it at Blueblood, severing the muscle in the process. It landed, doing it's job as he collapsed. "Tie." I exhaled the last of my available breath, my eyes closing right after. ----- Celestia's POV ----- I continued to watch, eyes slightly bulging and face having turned a visible green when Blueblood pulled out his sword. As he walked away, I observed as Alex threw a red ball of magic at him, making him collapse upon impact, Alex seeming to have stopped breathing the moment after. He's died like this before, so there isn't any reason for me to worry... But I can't help it, he's my adopted brother, and it's only natural for a sister to care for her brother. I turned to Luna, seeing her wearing a similar worried expression as I must be before turning back as ponies gasped in shock. I watched as the pool of blood around Alex began to enter his wounds, causing them to slowly heal. But that wasn't what was interesting. So, that's where it went? Huh... I thought, as I stared at the glowing fire ruby in the shape of a rectangle with the corners cut off. I watched as it floated down and settled upon Alex's chest before the medics came and took him and Blueblood to the infirmary. I caught up to one of the medics, causing her to bow in respect. "Please leave the fire ruby with Alex, it's immensely important to him, and he will undoubtedly cause havoc if it is taken." I warned, receiving a nod in response before she galloped back to the other nurses, conveying the message. ----- 30 minutes later, Alex's POV ----- Ugh, I'm thankful that I can't permanently die when stabbed through the heart or after bleeding out, but the after effects suck. I thought as I slowly opened my eyes, hearing a paced beep from nearby. Heart monitor. Must be in a hospital or something similar. I rubbed my eyes, clearing the blur and having a better look around, seeing the usual setup for a hospital room, before finally noticing the gem on my chest. I picked it up, grinning when I remembered what it was. And you used to be part of a simple, silver ring, too. It's amazing what can happen when the dimension decides to butt in. I thought. "Finally awake, I see. Took you long enough. Your sisters were getting worried, slacker." Artemis said, slightly startling me. "Dang it, Artemis. You startled me. You know that might not be good for my health." I joked, receiving a light giggle from outside the door. The stranger knocked on the door, before it burst open, revealing Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, three strangers, the stallions, Celestia, and Luna. Pretty much in that exact order, though more crowded together. "Hey everyone, how are you? Hope I didn't scare you too much." I said, not wanting to be too rude. As they came in, I noticed that the newcomers seemed to be female versions of three of the stallions. If I'm right, then I should be able to guess their names through the use of synonyms... Welp, here goes. I thought before I asked, "Okay, before you three introduce yourselves, I wanna see if I can guess your names, is that okay?" and receiving a nod for all three. "Okay, let's start with you," I said as I pointed to the purple one, "Hmm... Is Twilight Sparkle correct?" I received a surprised nod before moving on to the next. "How about... Rarity?" I received an even more surprised nod from the unicorn before moving on to the final newcomer. "Hmm... This'll be hard..." I said, truly thinking at this point. Can't pull any synonyms from Scotch, so let's ditch the whole synonym thing and try appearance... Well, I can see butterflies as her cutie mark from here, and she is acting shy, so I think I have one part of the name down, but how do butterflies tie into this?... Actions maybe? It would make sense, seeing as how she is acting shy... Shy Flutter? no, that isn't right... Maybe. "Fluttershy?" I asked, getting extremely surprised looks from everypony, even the stallions looked slightly shocked. "H-how did you do that?" Twilight asked, earning a troll grin from me. "Ingenuity, creativity, and imagination that may be beyond modern ponies... Actually, I'm positive it is, because if I'm right, my species made their first manned space flight around this year, and made it to the moon and back. Heck, I bet that, over the 1,350 years since I came to Equestria, we've developed space travel into a civilian form of transportation... That, or we somehow managed to exhaust the planet of resources and had to move to a similar planet that was found while I was still there while the planet succumbed to the solar winds... Heck, there's even the possibility that I'm the last human alive after the Earth I was born on exploded from the sheer amount of war-caused chaos before we even got the chance to further develop space flight... No matter how you look at it, I steered the train straight off the tracks. I'm certain you have more questions for me Twilight?" I asked, finally getting off my soap box and noticing the stunned, and possibly fearful faces of the mares, minus Celestia and Luna. "Uh... Yes, actually. What kind of species are hoomans?" she asked. "First off, pronounce hu like you would when saying 'color hue'. Now, onto the answer. Humans are a rather violent race, and the only intelligent species on Earth. Like the ponies of old, humans were racist for centuries, maybe even millennia, but unlike ponies, our racism was based on color, seeing as how there were blacks and whites and tan hues in between. Even after racism was abolished, it was still seen throughout the country... Did I mention that I was talking about a nation called the United States of America? Probably didn't, but now you know. Anyways, racism evolved from being serious, to being more of a way to make jokes among friends. I'm getting off topic. Humans are violent because it's written in our past, but we are also inventive. In fact, we are so inventive to the point that new technology and new inventions were coming out almost yearly. How about this; Name one thing you think is impossible with your current technology." I said, once again leaving the soap box. "High speed travel through air and on land." said Twilight. I smirked, not even needing to think. "Jet-powered airplanes and bullet trains, both are high speed and can carry up to more than... I'd say 200 passengers? maybe 300, but I wanna say 500." I replied as I sat up. "I need something that I can really think about, though count out hovertech and teleportation." "Ok. Hmm. Infinite knowledge." Twilight offered with a smirk, thinking that she had me beat. "The most chaotic invention ever: the Internet. A place of wonder where you can find everything from info for a school project or stuff that shall never be mentioned... Try something with more physical destruction instead of mental." I advised, both hoping and trying to avoid talking about the most devastating weapon that was invented. "Physical destruction? Ok. What about the most devastating weapon invented?" she asked. Crud... I sighed, "Well... No matter what I tell you, promise me you won't hold it against me.", They all nodded, "Ok. Humanity's most devastating weapon that I can think of right now would be the nuke. Nukes are bombs designed to have a small frame yet deliver a huge amount of nuclear destruction. It isn't used often, but whatever places it's dropped on become almost inhospitable until the radiation dies away. In fact, we used it on a country called Japan and one element in the bomb has decayed but the other element is still there, but has gone through many half-lives, although it's probably not as harmful as it used to be, if it isn't already harmless. But yeah, that pretty much sums up a nuke and it's effects. Any other questions?" I asked. "Yes. What happened out there? Shouldn't you have died?" Twilight asked. "Well aren't you inquisitive. Yes, I should have died, and I did. But, when I die from bleeding out or getting stabbed through the heart, it's only temporary. Right now I'm in a stage I call permadeath. The reason why I call it permadeath is because if my brain is halfway destroyed or if this gem is destroyed, then I'll die and stay dead. To leave permadeath, I have to get mad enough to have a full body transformation which would replace most of my skin with dragon scales and cause me to grow a tail and wings to match. Although I can mostly bypass this by thrusting this gem into my body, which would pull me from permadeath into a similar stage I call comastate, which causes me to become almost completely immortal. It can be reverted by pulling the gem out of me, but doing so is very difficult. Also, entering comastate is like completely leaving permadeath but not as... drastic. Side effects are that I always end up with a shorter temper than usual during comastate. I know it sounds a bit childish, but that's the best thing I can think of to call my half transformation." I said, "Answering questions is fun and all, but I should probably get up before I get too sleepy." As I got up, Fluttershy came over, trying to get me back in bed. "That won't be necessary, Fluttershy. I know my brother well enough to trust his judgment in a situation like this, although he will need to eat soon." Celestia said. "And his eating habits may appear vulgar and disturbing, but his body requires it in order to function properly." Luna said as I summoned a pack of beef jerky, opening it and pulling one out. "Ew! What is that awful smell?" Rarity exclaimed, voicing the opinion of all the young mares. "Hey, I just opened the pack, don't go blaming me for killing a pig and turning it into delicious jerky." I said as I received green-faced, surprised looks from said mares, "Besides, I'm an omnivore, it's only natural for me to consume meat, as well as fruits and veggies, as Rainbow dash should already know. Also, how come you didn't react like this the first time?" I questioned her. "I didn't know you were serious!" she argued. "Well don't go expecting me to have meat cupcakes. I like my steaks medium, not charred." I said as I burrowed through the bag like a leech. After I finished it off, I summoned a small bag of mixed veggies and fruits, consisting of celery, broccoli, carrots, apples, grapes, and some cheese squares. "Happy now?" I asked, sounding slightly annoyed, "Now, who wants a three pound bag of caramel popcorn?" I said, pulling said bag from Pinkie's mane. "I have something good in store, so why not get two more?" I said as I pulled another bag from Celestia's mane and a third from Luna's tail. "What are we watching today?" Luna asked. I turned to her with an excited grin. "Why, that's easy dear sister! Comedians!" I said in a comedic manner. I teleported us to the throne room, summoning a large, curved screen TV and turned the steps into seats, one of which held Discord with his own bag of popcorn. I summoned magical constructs that prepared our popcorn as we sat down. I held my hands out, causing the tv to turn on and a holographic keyboard to appear. I typed in the name of a famous comedian before selecting a video that said 'gift basket prank' and letting it play. After all the laughs were had and the video ended, my mind went to thinking about any other things that they might find entertaining, which eventually led to me thinking about devices, such as gaming consoles. Oh, why not? What's a good co-op game that is fun yet doesn't have much gore? Hmm... Minecraft, duh. Wonder why it didn't instantly hit me. I thought before I summoned a PlayStation 3, four fully charged, wireless controllers, and the PlayStation home screen on the TV before asking, "Who's up for Minecraft?", receiving odd looks from the mares and looks of excitement from the stallions, Celestia, Luna, and Discord. "What's Minecraft?" Twilight asked, causing Discord and I to look at her with shock before speaking in unison. "Only the best multiplayer game in existence that isn't full of gore!" I then added, "I could summon up more setups for the rest of you to play, but keep in mind, the physics of Minecraft are more like my home world than Equestria. In other words, it's more along the lines of the Everfree, but less hostile." I received rapid nods from the stallions, Butter Scotch being a bit slower, and shrugs from Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie. "Majority vote. Three more setups, coming up!" I dramatized, moving the TV that Discord, Celestia, Luna, and I will be using to the top right, as well as the console, and summoning three more setups in the top left, bottom right, and bottom left positions before realizing that it would be better if they were all flat screens and changing them. "They should all easily connect to each other, so we'll play off a world I made." I said before we all opened Minecraft. The stallions showed the mares how to play, the unicorns and pegasi having a better time learning than the earth ponies for obvious reasons, but they all learned enough to be somewhat decent at maneuvering, but got better once I quickly teleported off and returned a few minutes later with a set of metal hands that I hooked onto Applejack and Pinkie, telling them that it would react according to what they wanted it to do, which Pinkie instantly figured out before helping Applejack with hers. 30 minutes after I gave Applejack and Pinkie the hands, we finally started playing, some of us in Creative in order to build and the rest in Survival in order to learn. Eventually we were all on Survival, having gathered and built enough for a jump start. "I still think you could've held back on getting diamond armor and tools before we switched, Discord, but hey, you're repaying us all by being our main defense until we all have a good set of armor and weapons." I said before whispering to him, "I still can't believe Fluttershy hasn't reacted to the fact that we are technically killing animals, while I'm also surprised Butter Scotch hasn't told her yet." "I agree, it is rather surprising, but you do have to take into consideration that she made a barn for the animals, stalls for the horses, and separate pens for the wolves." he said. We continued playing for quite a while before Celestia brought something to my attention. "Alex, there's 16 of us playing, but there is 17 players on the game. Why is that?" she asked, causing me to press select and search the list of 'Gamingos', eventually finding a familiar gamertag called 'Musicat64' "He's still alive? Time must move differently 'til I pull something over." I said as I summoned a headset that connected wirelessly to the console and TV. I edited the settings real quick, making it so that the sound plays over the TV as well as the headset before turning the mic on. "Hey, David! How you doin'?" I asked. "Not bad. What about you?" he asked. "Not too bad. In fact, I'm somewhere you won’t believe. Start guessing." I said as I started looking for him in the game. "Uh... Tokyo." "Nope. Somewhere more... crazy." I said, giving him a subtle hint. "Atlantis." he said. "You can get closer, David." I said, receiving a few moments of silence from him. "SAO or ALO?" he ventured. "Nope and nope, but it's close." I replied, encouraging him to continue. "Uh... I'm going to go off on a limb here and guess that it's some strange fantasy world with magic." "And dimensional portals, as well as Greek legends." I said, narrowing his options. "I've mentioned it many times before." I said, getting a reply not even a second after. "Equestria." David said, full of confidence. "Hmm, I wonder how you guessed!" I mocked, full of sarcasm. "Oh, shut up, and you're lying. You're down the street. I saw you a few months ago, so there's no way you're in Equestria." He said, attempting to call me out. "Wanna prove that theory with a video chat?" I asked. The TV fell mostly silent, with only the sounds of crunching grass emanating from it. After a minute I noticed a message titled 'Chat Invitation' in the corner of the screen. "Dusk, start a server. I'm going to prove David's theory wrong because why not?" I said, quitting Minecraft and accepting the chat invite. I quickly summoned a small video camera and hooked it up to the console before the chat started. The TV displayed a teenaged male around 5'8" with blonde, wild hair and eccentric green eyes that widened when he saw the ponies and draconequus that surrounded me. "Woah, you were serious." He said before finally getting a good look at me. "You look the same as you did when you got back from Anime Festival Orlando, just more... real." He said. "Two things... No wait, three things. One: where's your denial now?" "Shut up." "Two: That's because it is real, wings and all. And three: Remember that fake gem that I came back with?" I asked. "Yeah. What about it?" He questioned. "It's the reason I'm here. Apparently it got lost in the void between dimensions and ended up in the seller's possession before the magic here could reclaim it, and when it was finally reclaimed, it pulled me along with it. I fall from the sky as a big, fiery dragon and get temporarily knocked out when I landed. Woke up in a fit of rage and almost destroyed Equestria but managed to calm down before I did so. A few hours later, up comes Death from the pits of the mantle and I find out that this gem is actually a very powerful and picky artifact called a Rage Ruby. There's many like it but this one has far more power than the six gems that have recently defended Equestria, a power that can only be controlled by someone who is known to have a temper but also has a fairly good control over it, hence why it chose me. When it finds a being that is able to wield it, that being becomes the God of Rage. Basically, this gem kidnapped me and turned me into the God of Rage before forcing me to lay siege to this nation for three months before I was able to calm down. It's been 1,350 years since then. I'm off my soap box now." I said as I stepped down from a wooden crate labeled 'High Quality Hoof Soap'. "Nice lecture, I won't deny that, but was the huge explanation really necessary?" David asked, slightly bored. I stared for a few seconds before dispersing into smoke and reforming as a wolf with charcoal colored fur and white underbelly with red wind tribal markings as well as amber eyes. “Yes, it was very much necessary.” I said. “Now then, I do believe I must go, for I have set a bucket full of ice water above the doors behind you and I can hear somepony coming towards them.” I said, making a beeline for the doors right after. I jumped through them right as they opened, not having time to see who it was and barely missing the spilt ice water. When I landed, I turned, noticing the bucket sitting on the pony’s head and a familiar blonde tail as well as the blue and gold compass rose cutie mark. “Problems, Blueballs? Or is your eyesight just that poor?” I said in a mocking tone, hearing Discord, Luna, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and the stallions break out in hysterical laughter, minus Butter Scotch. He turned towards me with the bucket still on his head, which he removed a moment later to reveal an enraged face. This was before he noticed what I was, which caused him to run down a side hall, screaming like a filly. “The showers are down the other hall, nitwit.” I reminded him. He returned a moment later, slightly shivering. “I utterly despise you, cretin.” He said, and continued on his way to the showers. “Someone’s butthurt. Take it like a man, sissy!” I shouted at him. I walked back in, having jumped out for no real reason. I heard the sound of claws hitting the marble floor and turned to see a small purple and green dragon with a scroll come running in towards Twilight. “Twilight! There’s a message from Cadance.” he said. handing the scroll to Twilight, who took it in her magic and read it. “What does it say?” the little dragon asked as I came back into view of the console camera. “Cadance would like for us to visit her in the Crystal Empire. What do you girls say?” she asked as she turned to her friends. They all nodded their heads, some shouting in excitement. “Hey, wait. What about us? This sounds fun!” Bubble Berry questioned. Twilight turned to me. “I think that should be up to him, but I’m all for letting you all come as well.” she said, turning everyone’s attention to me, even David’s. “Why not? Only two days since I broke free and I’m already on an exciting adventure. Pack your bags, boys! We’re going on a road trip!” I said, earning cheers from the stallions and their respective counterparts before the mares left for the train station. > Alex meets Equestria Girls Part One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- We walked under the castle, having talked up a storm. “I feel like going for a high-speed flight right now… Meh, I can do that some other time. Pinkie seems to be doing something interesting over there.” I said to myself, getting the attention of the stallions when I mentioned Pinkie. “Yeah. I wonder why she would need to ball herself up like that.” Said Dusk Shine. We all turned to head inside, letting Pinkie be Pinkie, before I heard the iconic Transformer soundeffect. “Ok, who the heck invited Bumblebee?” I said as I turned around, not seeing a yellow, humanoid figure. Oh yeah, it was Pinkie. I thought, giving her a look that said ‘Really?’. “Who’s Bumblebee?” asked Twilight. “It’s not important. What is though, is that Pinkie is invoking copyright… But not in this country!” I said, using a tearable joke. It was such a rip off too… Meh, my puns are better. I thought, assuring myself that I will make them all laugh yet again. “Anyways, let’s get a move on! I wanna explore the castle.” I said, causing everyone to head for the door. -----10 minutes later----- “Well that didn’t take as long as I thought it would.” I said as we walked into the throne room. The guards pointed their spears at me, causing me to stop. “I’d say that this is quite the welcoming party, but crystal spears are worse that what the Royal Guards in Canterlot use to protect my sisters.” I said. “State your business, creature, before we take you to the dungeons.” One of the guards demanded. I dispersed before moving closer to Rainbow Dash and reforming as Shade Blitz. “Offensive. I’m here because I was invited. Next time, instead of pointing spears, just block someone’s path.” I said. Some guards took to the air to try and catch me, but I dispersed before they could, causing them to fly through me. I spread out, moving slowly to the ceiling, where I blended in enough to move towards the throne. As everyone watched the general area where I touched the ceiling, I sunk behind the throne, reforming as a Night Fury and hauling my head over the top of the throne in a stalker-like manner. “Oh hey! He’s being himself again! Taking every opportunity to scare someone.” said Bubble Berry, pointing a hoof at me. I stared at him, not too pleased that he blew my cover, before I finally noticed my sisters. I quickly dispersed a reformed as a human, summoning my wings and flying around with the sole pegasus guard in the room following me. I flew up towards the ceiling, hoping that the guard was following me before making a quick nosedive towards the floor. When I pulled up, I heard a crash behind me. I turned to see him face down on the floor. “Work on your reaction time and then try chasing me. Now then, would someone please call off the rest of the guards before someone else gets hurt.” I said, causing Luna to hold up her hoof, which relaxed the guards. “Thank you, Luna.” I said, deciding to land. “We have so much to discuss, but I can see that you all are tired from your journey. Now off to bed, all of you.” Celestia said, getting cheers from everyone while completely ignoring my stunt. “I swear, if you six clock out now, then I’m leaving you here.” I said, gesturing to the stallions. we all left in search of our rooms for the night. -----30 minutes later----- “Okay, does everypony know their rooms?” said Twilight. “We’ve gone over this for at least five minutes, Twilight. We all know our rooms and the stallions know that they aren’t getting any tonight.” I said, causing said magical robots, except Butter Scotch and Elusive, to groan. “Next place for you four is the SCP Foundation. Now man up and deal with it, you’re on guard duty tonight.” “I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took the God of Rage to the everything.” Bubble Berry said, earning a deadpan look from me. -----5 minutes later, Twilight’s room----- I watched as her wings burst open before laughing. “Oh! Oh dear lord! Sorry Twi, but that is too funny!” I said before continuing to laugh for a few seconds. “I sincerely apologize, but it’s just my personality. Anyways, here’s a tip. Try thinking of something that you like to do. The less attention you give to your wings, the sooner they’ll fold up on their own.” I advised, watching as her wings slowly began to close. “Thank you, Alex.” she said. closing her eyes and drifting off. “It was nothing. Just sharing experience.” I said before laying back down on the cloud I brought in from the window and falling asleep. -----3 hours later----- I woke up to the sound of the door creaking open. That’s strange. I’m a heavy sleeper and everyone else should be asleep or inactive. I thought as I lifted my head up enough to see the door, noticing a pony in a cloak walk in. This is interesting. I wonder who it is. The cloaked pony walked over to Twilight’s bedside, taking her element in their magic, accidentally knocking over the lamp, and replacing it with what seemed to be a fake. They went to leave before tripping over the young dragon’s tail, making a feminine grunt and waking the dragon. “Huh? What?” He said, which woke up Twilight. She yawned, before turning to the sound and noticing her crown. “My crown! She’s got my crown!” I heard faint hums and groans as everyone woke up. I hopped down as the mare ran out of the room and down the hall. “Stop! Thief!” I noticed the stallions poke their heads out with the other Elements of Harmony. “Cmon, boys! Double time it!” I said, which caused them to spring into action. I followed behind, managing to keep pace as their hydraulics and servos warmed up. “She’s stolen my crown!” Twilight shouted from behind me, causing the mares to join in pursuit. “This reminds me of Hot Pursuit from Rivals, but with me as a cop car instead of in my Sesto Elemento.” I said, briefly reminiscing. Twilight teleported in front of the thief. “Stop!” she demanded, but the cloaked mare only teleported past her, leaving her cloak behind and revealing an orange mare with red and yellow streaks in her mane a tail, cerulean eyes and a two toned sun cutiemark. This caused me to stop in awe of her appearance. Beautiful. What reason would she have for stealing the Element of Magic? I thought, being broken free of my awe by the shouts of Rainbow Blitz. “Hurry up! We’re gonna lose her!” He shouted at me as I resumed the chase. I was now too far behind to hear any exchange between the mysterious mare and Twilight, so I followed in relative silence, trying my best to up my speed. I watched as Twilight managed to trip the mare, causing the Element to bounce around the room and disappear into the lone mirror in said room. I ran in just as the mare jumped through the portal. “I have a feeling that I’ll be on the other side of that sometime soon.” I said. -----4 hours later----- “This is no ordinary mirror. It is a gateway to another world. A gateway that opens once every thirty moons.” Luna said as Pinkie placed her hoof on it. “Sparkly!” “It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, but when Princess Cadance took over the Crystal Empire, we sent it here for her to watch over.” Luna said, I heard a sigh, turning around to see Celestia approaching us. “I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would someday use it to return, to come back to Equestria, seeking my guidance. Obviously, this is not what has happened.” She said. “Twilight, you must use the mirror to go into this other world and retrieve your crown. Without it, the other Elements of Harmony have no power and Equestria is left without one of it’s most important means of defense.” Cadance said. Twilight stopped in front of the portal, staring at it with reluctance. I turned to the stallions, who were all looking at me, sharing the same thought that I have. No matter what we are told, we will follow Twilight through that portal. I smiled, the expression being shared between the seven of us. “Your crown does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home, and in her possession, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves.” Luna said, causing Twilight to adopt a thoughtful look. Out of nowhere, saddlebags covered in a blue glow settled themselves on Twilight’s back before Celestia approached her. “Do you understand the importance of your task?” she asked. “Of course.” “Good. Then you must go at once.” She said, causing Twilight to become determined. “Woah, woah, woah. If she’s going, we’re going with her. Right girls?” asked Rainbow Dash, getting affirmatives from the other Elements. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go.” Celestia said, getting shocked looks from all the Elements. “What!? Why not?” asked Rainbow Dash, clearly unhappy with the situation. “Well, if what my gut tells me is right, then the world beyond that mirror is like a mix between Equestria and my birth place.” I said. “ In other words, for all we know, there could be copies of you six there.” “Indeed, which means that Twilight must do this alone.” Celestia said. “Nope. I don’t care what you say or what you do, the stallions and I are on an adventure!” I said, getting a sigh of defeat from Celestia, knowing that there would be nothing that could change my mind. “Time is of the essence. When the moon reaches its peak in the night sky on the third day, the gate will close. If it does, it’ll be another 30 moons before you’ll be able to use it to return.” Luna said. Twilight got words of encouragement as we followed her to the mirror. She stuck her hoof in it, testing to see if it was safe. she pulled it out, turning to receive confirmation from Celestia that it was ok as the mares began putting up a fit about why the stallions get to go. I turned to them before saying, “Start recording once we’re through the portal, then edit and play it when we get back.” receiving nods in return as we began going through the portal, the small dragon running in a few moments after. -----Moments later, CHS lawn----- I heard groans from Twilight and the stallions as I slowly opened my eyes. “Uh, everyone?” “Spike? You’re not supposed to…” Twilight trailed off, noticing Spike’s new form. “Uh, Spike? Are you a… dog?” She said, surprised. “I think so. But I have no idea what you are!” He said, causing me to look at Twilight. She screamed before I could tell her to stay calm. “Listen Twilight,” I said, once she settled down, “You’re a human now, and there’s no need to freak out. Just walk like I do; Two legs, not four. OK?” I said, helping her up after getting up myself. She nodded. “Good. Now then, let’s head inside and see what’s up. Spike, in the bag.” I gestured to Twilight’s bag, causing her to unzip it and let him inside. “That’s a nice castle, although I don’t see any guards.” Twilight said, confused. “Looks more like a high rated school to me, to be honest.” I said, getting a good look at it. As we approached the doors, Twilight attempted to open them with magic, running into them right after. “Magic is just a concept here Twilight. In other words, the more you try to use magic, the more doors you’ll run into.” I said, getting a confused look in return. “But how do these ponies live without magic?” she asked. “I thought we already cleared this up. Technology and ingenuity, Twilight. Oh, and prepare for meat items during lunch.” I said as I opened the door. Looks empty… not sure if class period, or before school. I thought to myself, deciding to wander off after telling Dusk to remain with Twilight and help her if need be. The other stallions, although I guess guys would be a better term now, joined me on my endeavour around the building. We didn’t get too far before the bell rang and the halls began to get crowded. I was shoved into a muscular guy, who turned and slammed me against a locker. I noticed the guys rushing him and signaled them to stop. “You got a problem with me, stickbug? Or do you just find it funny to shove the toughest guy in school around?” he said, trying to intimidate me. “Your intimidation skills are so tearable, they’ve become a rip off.” I said, making puns to show that I’m not intimidated. “Grr, I oughta beat the lights out of you.” he said, threatening me. I yawned, having dealt with worse. “Look here, I’m tired, so if you want to punch me, be my guest. Just be prepared for what comes next.” I said as I noticed the halls begin to thin out. He nailed me on the nose, having dealt with my attitude for long enough. My nose was bleeding horribly, but that didn’t stop me from busting a certain asset, causing him to let me go. “What did I tell you? You buff guys are often complete idiots. Cmon, let’s go register for the school. Getting that Element back will take a while.” I said, earning nods from the guys. “Nurse! Man down!” I shouted, noticing the nurse’s office conveniently placed just down the hall. She rushed over after noticing the pained man kneeling over. We walked away, which slowly allowed me to gain some compassion, having lost it the moment that guy shoved me against a locker. So much for the toughest guy in school. It seems that there won’t be many who can handle a low blow like that and tough it out. I thought. We turned a corner and saw the principal’s office was just down the hall. When we entered, we noticed that the room was relatively dark. “What are your names?” Asked a familiar voice. Sounds like Luna… If I’m right, then Celestia is principal and Luna is vice-principal. “I’m Shade Blitz, and these five are Rainbow Blitz, Applejack, Butter Scotch, Bubble Berry, and Elusive.” I said. She looked us all over before adopting a look of confusion. “Why do I get the feeling that there is more to all of you than meets the eye?” She asked, causing me to shut and lock the door before turning back to her. “What you are about to see must not, under any circumstance until three days from now, leave this room. Understand? What we are hasn’t been seen in this world and the government may try to figure us out should the info become known.” I said, earning a very confused and suspicious look from her. I pulled out my Ruby, letting it float above the palm of my hand. “This gem is called a Rage Ruby. This is the only known one, and the location of its descendant is unknown. What I have managed to gather is that there is always a replacement that goes dormant once it’s 100 year growth is finished, and awakens once having fully absorbed the power of its broken ancestor. Also, they can only be used by a special individual that it deems worthy enough to use it. Said individual becomes the God of Rage, and this one chose me to wield it.” I said, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. “As for these five. They’re robots with self-aware AIs. There are six in total, with the missing one known as Dusk Shine. They work as either bodyguards for six important people who shalt be named, armor for me, or a humanoid combat robot when I need assistance in battle.” “This is rather shocking, and I can somewhat believe you being what you are, but I hold doubt for the five behind you.” She said. I turned and nodded to the guys, moving out of the way when they returned the nod so Luna may watch. The sequence was relatively the same as when I put them on after waking them, but instead of folding up, the plating on Rainbow Blitz’s lower arms and legs retracted up said limbs, exposing his internals. “I do believe that is enough proof. May I ask what brought you into my office?” She asked, having regained her composure. “We would like to attend this school. You see, we have reason to believe that a powerful artifact has been brought here after being stolen from it’s rightful owner.” I pulled out a holobar, having it display the Element of Magic. “This is called the Element of Magic. It was replaced with a copy with colors that weren’t as vibrant, but the thief didn’t even manage to leave the room before tripping. I am willing to help out in any way I can as payment for this inconvenience.” I said. Luna thought for barely even a second before giving me a serious look. “My sister was recently taken from our home and the local police say that they can’t find her. If what I assume is correct, then is there any way you can find her? Running Canterlot High is hard enough with the two of us. I’m afraid that I might get fired by the school board soon if she doesn’t return.” She requested. I turned to they guys, who are still in their transformed state. “I want the five of you to locate Dusk Shine, transform back, and help out Twilight as much as you can. I have no idea how long I may take, but I hope that I can make it back in time to head home.” I instructed. Blitz turned to me. “How are you going to get around town? I don’t remember you ever coming to this world before.” he said. “That’s easy. Artemis, look around on the web for any suburban home listings and a good car for high speed travel, specifically super sports.” I said, watching as a display appeared on my corneas. It changed rapidly as I left the office, then one side stopped on a black Lamborghini Sesto Elemento with red rims on the wheels. The specs showed that it had a high top speed, acceleration, durability, and strength. I call Rivals! I thought, noticing the rather costly price on it. The other side stopped, showing a picture of a small, two story house with a dark stone driveway that splits toward a closed garage or an open air one car parking area. The second floor had a balcony with a guard rail and I can barely see a bed in the left window. the front lawn looked well kept and I noticed that the listing had a good price “Excellent finds, Artemis. You honestly surprise me with how skilled you are.” I said, receiving a giggle. “I blame you for my personality, seeing as how you programmed me.” she said. “Oh hush. Can you call the dealership about that car?” I asked, hearing a ringing sound in my ears a moment later. “Hello, you’ve reached the Canterlot branch of Lamborghini dealerships. This is Violet Stars, how may I help you?” I heard once the ringing ended. “I’d like to purchase a black Sesto Elemento, if possible.” I said. I heard Violet typing on the other side. “You’re in luck. We are down to five Elementos, and while none of them are black, there is one that hasn’t gotten it’s paint job yet. If you can come to the dealership a few miles down the road towards the city from CHS, I can talk out any customizations or decals you may wish to have.” She said. I began my trek towards the city, now having a good idea of where the dealership is. “Thank you, Ms. Stars. I should be there in around 45 minutes.” I said before I heard her hang up. “Now onto the house. What company is selling it?” I asked Artemis. “That would be Millenia22. They appear to have a high percentage of successful sellings. This house has many potential buyers, but I’m certain you can out-price any of them with all the bits you have in your vault.” she said. “How much do you wanna pay?” “Out-price the highest amount by three. This will ensure that we get the house.” I said, watching as the numbers were typed in. “Done. I’ll keep a tab open on Gmail and check on it every so often. We might need somewhere else to stay for tonight.” she advised. “That is true, but let’s hope that isn’t the case. I did tell you to put a stupidly high price on that.” I told her. “Anyways, wanna play some checkers for a bit, then some 2048?” I asked. I watched as what appeared to be a 3D chess board formed in front of me, with small discs instead of chess pieces. What? I suck at chess. I thought as I broke the 4th wall. “I call black!” I said as I raised my hands in order for Artemis to register my moves. I moved my pieces into a defensive position, two diamonds, in order to defend the pieces that I had at the back and prevent my digital opponent from jumping me. Artemis recognized what I was doing, but was too slow to stop me. I slowly went on the offensive, losing some pieces but taking more as payment. My tried and functional strategy worked multiple times, since the defense was the only definitive part. We eventually moved on to 2048, with our score being 5 to 4. Neither one of us successfully received the 2048 tile that the game was named after before I reached the dealership. I walked in, noticing a metallic silver car in the maintenance area of the place through a window. I approached the counter, gaining the attention of the staff member sitting there. “I’m here to see Violet Stars about a Sesto Elemento.” I said. The staff member checked the logs, noticing an appointment scheduled with Violet Stars about customizing an unfinished car. “Is it about the unfinished car in the maintenance area?” I nodded. “Third door on the left.” was all the person said. I walked back, knocking on the door for permission to enter. “Come in!” I heard her say. I walked in, seeing a dark purple woman wearing a classic business suit and low heel shoes with a white moon with violet stars surrounding it. Her hair started as a sky blue and slowly transitioned to lavender. It appeared to be long, since it was styled into a bun on the back of her head. Her twilight colored eyes stared at me for a moment before she spoke. “I suppose you’re here about customizing your car? It seems I never got your name.” she said. “Shade Blitz. I’ve waited years to finally get an Elemento, and you have no idea how happy I am to be able to customize it’s paint job.” I said with a large smile. I am so putting a Rivals decal on it. Won’t feel right without a decal when the cops start chasing me. Heh. I thought to myself, discussing the paint job afterwards with Violet Stars. In the end, I went with black as the primary and red mirrored racing stripes as the secondary, with red rims and special tires that gave me an all terrain grip. The interior had red seats and a red leather cover was on the steering wheel. I took a good look at the engine and, with the help of Artemis, discovered that it was custom built for high speed and quick acceleration. I paid for it with bits, surprising everyone at the dealership, staff and all. “Alright. Now that the car is taken care of, how is the inbox? Any emails from Millenia22?” I asked Artemis as I got in the car and started it up. “Yep. Someone came close to out-pricing us, but we pulled ahead by 200,000. That house is now in your possession.” she said. I only have one word for that win. “Knowledge.” I decreed as I got on the road. “I need a route to my new home as well as a line to the boys.” “On it.” Artemis said. I watched as the word ‘Calculating…’ showed up as well as a ringing sound in my ear, which soon went away to be replaced by the sounds of a cafeteria or school hallway. “Hello?” I heard Dusk Shine ask. “Sup? I’m running around the suburbs in a sports car that I just bought to find my new house that I just bought. Tell me, what rhymes with Houdini?” I questioned. “Nothing I ca-” Dusk Shine said before he was cut off by a familiar voice. “Lamborghini!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “Where!?” I heard multiple students shout. I laughed, finding amusement in how fast Dash figured it out and what I imagine the reactions of the students to be like. “She got it! I have a Lamborghini Sesto Elemento now, and the house that I got should have enough room for all of us.” I said, pulling into the neighborhood. “And it looks like it isn’t too far from the school. You could even walk there.” “That’s good. So when do you start looking for the Principal?” Dusk asked. “As soon as I have the furniture and such taken care of.” I said. “First, though, is the fact that I have no idea what side of the road the house is on.” “Is Artemis guiding you? Shouldn’t she know what side of the road it’s on?” Dusk questioned. “While I have no info on what side of the road it’s on, what I have managed to find is that the house is on a cul-de-sac at the end of this road.” Artemis said. I sped up a little, wanting to get there sooner rather than later. “Well that helps. Might give us a good sized back yard.” I said. “Wait, what was that about the Principal?” I heard Applejack say. “Dusk, put me on speaker.” I said. I waited a moment to be sure it was on speaker before explaining. “Tell no one else, but apparently Principal Celestia has gone missing. Vice Principal Luna asked me to aid in the search for her. Expect her back in three days time.” I saw the house as I drove up on the cul-de-sac, pulling in and getting out while the girls processed the info I gave them. “How do you expect to find her?” I heard a hushed voice ask. “Artemis. You see, Artemis is a self aware assistance AI designed to help me out with things that I may not be able to do on my own. Think of her as the Internet mixed with a maid or guide.” I said, hearing murmur on the other side. “Anyways, I just pulled into the garage and-” I cut myself off, remembering something that would be amazing to do at the time. I pulled out a holodisc, activating its two way feature and turning my back to my car. “Here in my garage, with my brand new deditated wamborghini.” I said, hearing held in laughter. “You know what I like more than my wamborghini?” “Knowledge.” The guys and I said at the same time. “Wait, wait, wait. I have another one. Here in my garage, with my pasta linguini. You know what I like more than my pasta linguini?” “Knowledge?” Questioned Rainbow Dash. “Macaroni. I eat one box of macaroni every day. But you know what I like more than macaroni?” “Knowledge.” Said Twilight, attempting to guess what I was going to say. “Soup.” I said simply. “Now that I got that out of my system, who wants to see the house with me? Dusk, three-sixty.” I said, laying the holodisc flat on my hand, causing a hologram of the guys and their counterparts to show up. We toured the house, finding bathrooms, bedrooms, and even a pool. Once we were done, I hung up and searched for a nearby furniture store and bought beds, couches, chairs, tables, etc. Luckily for me, they just got a fresh shipment of everything I needed for the time being and delivered it a few hours later. Once everything was in place, I noticed that it was around 6:30. Frisco time! I thought, hopping in my wamborghini and getting a Frisco with extra bacon. -----A few hours later----- I was sitting on the couch, watching some Monday Night Football when I noticed the time. 9:54. Keep ‘er goin’ to that nice new bed in the master bedroom. Woo! Doesn’t beat a cloud but it sure does beat hardwood flooring. I thought as I got in bed, planning for the next day. > The Search Begins Part Two > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I pulled up to what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. “Are you sure this is where we should start our search? I don’t think these people will know much.” I said. “While that might be true, they may have enough to give us a lead.” Artemis said. I walked over to a nearby door, stepping through and seeing multiple people wearing loose clothing, with some at a nearby range with pistols or SMGs. One of them approached me, acting tough to try and intimidate me. “Why are you here?” he asked. “It’s simple, really. I need information on a missing person who works at Canterlot High.” I said. “You mean this Celestia that everyone’s been talking about ‘round the city, right? Yeah, we got some info, although the boss is the only one who stays updated on it. He’ll only see you if you catch his eye though, so don’t expect to be getting anything as easy as you think.” He said. “Alright, what do I have to do? Beat his best? Pay off something? I can do both with no complaints.” I asked as a new guy approached. He seemed to be respected around here, since every last person stopped what they were doing to watch. “If you do that, I’ll tell you everything I know about anything you want to know, but keep in mind, if you fail to do one of those things, then you get nothing. Butch!” he shouted once I nodded, causing a very bulky guy to walk up to him. “Beat him to a pulp.” This will be fun. Let’s just hope he can take more than he gives. I thought, smirking. He lead me to an open area that had a lot of dried blood all over the floor and walls. I took a good look around before walking to the opposite side of the room from Butch, turning to face him once I was a foot and a half from the wall. “Alright big guy, do your worst.” I said, watching as he ran towards me. Two ways this can go. He can be one of those near-mindless bull types and go for a strong punch straight off the bat, or he can be a smart fighter and try to sweep me off my feet. Best way to avoid both at the last second is a good jump. I thought, jumping right after. I heard a boom below me, instantly telling me what type he is. I landed behind him and taking off at a run towards a nearby pillar. I ran up the pillar, backflipping off and landing on one foot, the other bent in his direction. I nailed him in the back with my heel, causing him to reach behind to try and soothe the pain. I quickly planted my foot in the ground and hauled him over me by his arm. I cracked my knuckles, getting ready to take this somewhat seriously. Once he got up, I ran at him, intending to tackle him into the wall. I hit my mark, feeling the air rush out of him. “The bigger they are, the more fun it is for me.” I said, letting him fall as I walked away. I turned around right as he started charging at me, his red face visible from where I stood. I stuck my hands in my pockets, sidestepping and tripping him once he got close enough. “To be honest, I could actually fight like this, but it would still be unfair for you.” I said as I grabbed his ankles, hauling his weight in a circle until his chest was off the ground. I let go, sending him flying into a wall, making a crater where he impacted, unconscious from the blood in his head and the rough impact. “And that wasn’t even a fifth of what I could’ve done to him. Heck, I don’t think it was even a tenth. Is there anyone who’s stronger than him? Anyone? No? Well that’s a bummer. Ok, big boss, what needs to be paid off that you can’t do yourself?” I asked, bored. “The name’s Maverick, and we need you to help us get better equipment. Come back when you have the money.” Maverick said. I adopted a smug look. “I’m back with the money.” I said, causing him to turn around with a suspicious look. “I can prove it, too. Artemis, scan everyone in this building and find suitable equipment for each.” I threw down a holobar, watching the screen rapidly change, stopping only to purchase items before moving on. “Stick around. If the delivery comes, you’ll get your answers while we unpack. If it doesn’t, you’re dead.” he said. -----3 hours later----- There was a knock at the door, causing one of the gang members to open it, revealing a delivery man with ‘EPS’ on his shirt. “Delivery for Shade Blitz?” he said. I walked over and signed the delivery papers, somehow still remembering how to write with a pen. “Go ahead and bring the truck through the delivery door, it’ll be easier to unload that way.” I said, noticing Maverick telling some others to open the door and clear a space for the boxes. A few moments later, Maverick walked over to me as the rest of the group unpacked. “Ya know what Shade? I never expected for this to actually happen. Thanks.” he said. “Now, as promised, I’ll tell you what I know about Celestia’s kidnapping. She was taken a few days ago around midnight. No one knows who truly did it, but I suspect it to be an enemy gang somewhere in or out of the city and suburbs. Next place you’d want to visit would be a mob boss. I can direct you to one who knows a lot about kidnapping. I’ve heard that even the FBI has asked for his help before. Apparently some important government person went missing and they could only make progress with their help. He’s in an abandoned skyscraper on one of the upper floors.” “Thanks, Maverick. I’ll stick around long enough for everyone to get the equipment that Artemis chose for them, then I’ll head out.” I said, walking over to the unpacked crates, assigning each to their users. I finished with Maverick’s equipment. “Here ya go, Maverick, this crate is yours.” I said, placing the last crate down at his feet. “I’ll be going now. See ya!” I said, shaking his hand. I felt a hand on my shoulder right as I reached the door. “Take this so we can keep in touch, and if you’re ever in a tough spot, just give us a call.” Maverick said, handing me a strip of paper that had a number on it. I looked at it long enough for Artemis to record it for later use. I then nodded at him, heading out to my car a driving off. -----5 hours later----- To be honest, I thought I would be home by now, but it’s 5:26 and I’m still on the road. Celestia better not be farther than 9 hours from Canterlot or else I’ll teleport her to me… Now that I think about it, I could’ve done that from the start… Meh, these fights I may get into will be worth it. Hopefully. I thought, pulling into an abandoned factory. “What is this place, Honda? It’s huge!” I said, staring at the giant building for a moment before searching for a door. I eventually found one and entered, gaining the attention of everyone there. Next thing I knew, they were pointing guns at me. I raised my hands, attempting to look intimidated. “I don’t want any trouble, I’m just here for info about a missing person.” I said, causing one at the opposite end of the building to approach me. I decided to meet them halfway. “Who you after?” he asked. “A principal of a high school. Went missing a few days ago and the cops couldn’t find her. Name’s Celestia. Got any info on her?” I questioned, receiving a nod. “Heard some gang took her over to Crystal City. The reason why is something I don’t know. There’s another hideout along the road on the other side of Canterlot, the gang there might have more info for you.” he answered, giving me a new destination to drive to tomorrow. “Thanks, I’ll check it out tomorrow.” I said as I left. -----5 hours later, at home----- 10:35. I’ve been busy lately, that’s for sure. Time to rest up for tomorrow. But before that, let’s go over what we know. 1. We have allies here now. 2. Celestia is in a place called Crystal City. 3. I’ll have to make a 2 hour drive at the minimum to reach this other gang and get more info. 4. Twilight’s in my bed… wonder why. I thought, having traversed the house from the garage to my room, only to find Twilight in the bed. I stood there for a moment before shrugging and heading downstairs to the couch. Meh. I’ll ask her about it before I head out tomorrow. For now, lights out. Comfy couch, I must say. Almost beats the bed. > The Part That Took Too Long Pt. 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up to someone shaking me and the smell of bacon and eggs. Mmm, bacon… Wait. BACON! I thought, instantly waking up and running to the bar. “Where’s the bacon? Gimme some bacon!” I said, startling Applejack, who was currently cooking some eggs on the stove. “Settle down, doggie. Bacon’s in the oven. Also, we found Twilight sleeping in the school library and brought her and Spike here. Hope ya don't mind.” He said, pointing behind me. I turned to see Twilight with bed head. “*Snrk* Someone slept well.” I said with a smile. “That bed is better than the one at the library in Ponyville.” She replied. “I’ll say. Came home and found you out like a rock.” I said. I walked over and sat on the couch before staring at the tv, lost in thought. “Artemis, search online for some gaming consoles. I'll want some here if we return.” I said, watching AJ come in from the kitchen, holding two plates that smelled of scrambled eggs with bacon and bacon on the side. “The bacon has been doubled!” I said before turning to Twilight as she sat down. “So, how was your first taste of meat? Or did you skip out on lunch?” I questioned, grabbing a strip of bacon as Aj walked over to talk with the others. “Well, I didn’t get any meat a couple days ago, but Rainbow Dash convinced me to try some. Let’s just say, I was surprised that I didn’t puke, and I was surprised at how good it was.” She answered. “That’s because of your current anatomy. Right now, you’re designed to get your required protein by consuming meat, which can be substituted with tofu, but genuine meat is better than the fake stuff, I’m sure.” I said, grabbing my fork eating my eggs with bacon. “Anyways,” I began once I swallowed my fifth bite of eggs. “I’m heading out on what I think might be the interstate today. I was advised to go on the other side of Canterlot towards Crystal City and ask a gang that resides in an abandoned facility about Celestia’s whereabouts. Let’s hope I don’t beat the guys holding Celestia captive into a millimeter of their lives.” I said. “Don’t have too much fun. We’d rather stay at school than get you out of random situations.” Blitz said, getting nods of agreement from the other guys. “Too much fun is not enough fun. There can never be enough fun.” I said, finishing up my eggs and bacon. “Welp, I’m off. Wish me luck and have a good day at school.” I was closing my car door when I heard Twilight say, “What day of the week is it, Dusk?” “Friday, it seems.” He replied “Good! Monday sucks!” shouted Blitz, getting a laugh out of everyone. I influence those boys too much. What Blitz said is something I would expect from me. I thought, opening the garage and pulling out, heading towards the interstate. -----1 hour later----- City traffic, the worst stuff on earth. Ugh. I thought pulling into the warehouse. “Let’s get this over with. Sooner I can get to Celestia, the better.” I walked in, instantly grabbing attention. “Hold it, I’m just here for info. Does anyone know what gang or terrorist group has Celestia from Canterlot and where they are?” I asked, causing some to relax while the rest reached for what might either be a taser or pistol. “Info from us will cost ya” One of the gang members said. “Kay then, how much?” I asked. “Two hundred.” Said the same person. “You sure you don’t want three thousand?” I questioned. “Three thousand.” I handed over the money, pulling said money from random pockets. “She was taken captive by a gang who calls themselves ‘The Hive”. They function like a beehive, except the collectors travel in groups and the drones scout out places to visit in the future. They are in the top 5 for most wanted and best gang. You’d probably find them in the important areas of Crystal City, at least the drones. As for the hub, I’ve heard that there’s been high activity in Badlands for The Hive than anywhere else. Best place to find drones in the city is around banks or mansions. The more money, the more likely it is to find a drone.” He informed me. I nodded and left, instantly taking off the moment I got in the car. -----30 minutes later, Crystal City Vaults----- I walked inside, intending to draw out a drone with a big deposit. I waited for a while before finally getting called on by a teller. “I’d like to make a deposit of ten million, please.” I said. The teller looked at me with surprise before gaining a look of suspicion. “Alright, what is your name and account number?” The teller asked. I took a quick look around, seeing nothing suspicious. “Shade Blitz, A113.” I said. The teller typed away at the keyboard before turning to me. “I’m afraid you aren’t registered in our sys-” The teller was cut off by the sounds of the door bursting open followed by gunshots. “Everyone get down, this is a robbery!” The newcomers shouted. I turned around as everyone ducked down. “Well what’d’ya know? You all must be part of ‘The Hive’, correct? I was honestly expecting a drone, but collectors are more reliable when it comes to gaining info.” I said, watching as the people dressed in loose black clothing and blue tinted shades pointed their guns in my direction. “We said get down, so you better do it now before you get hurt.” One of them said. I yawned before whispering to Artemis. “Send a message to Maverick telling him to get his best fighters and meet me near Badlands on the road heading towards Crystal City.” I turned my attention back to the small group of collectors. “We can do this the easy way, the hard way, or my way.” I said, cracking my knuckles. “We warned you.” A different collector said, causing the others to fire. I reacted quickly, jumping to the side and narrowly missing the bullets. “Tiid, Klo Ui!” I shouted, causing my vision to be shaded blue as time slowed. I ran around the collectors, jumping over ducked people, before finally reaching their 6. “Fus, Ro Dah!” I shouted, causing them to fly back. One shout left before I have to recharge. What to use, what to use. Not Aura Whisper. At this speed, I could try Fire Breath, but they might have some resistance to it… Better safe than sorry. I thought, planning out how things might go if this works and hoping that I still had enough time to approach them before time sped up. I charged, jumping in the air when I got near and tilted my head down. “Yol, Tor Shul!” I shouted, sending a wave of fire at them, catching their clothes on fire as time sped up. I looked up as I passed over the glass barrier and braced myself as I crashed into a wall, pushing off once my momentum dissipated. I jumped over the barrier and pinned the collectors to the floor. “Where is your base? Badlands? Canterlot? Where?” I questioned. “Get off me, freak.” One said. I used some magic to increase my weight. “Where. Is. Your. Base? If you value your life, you’ll answer truthfully.” I threatened. “F-fine. It’s in Badlands. It's the largest abandoned factory, you can't miss it.” The same collector said. “Smart move.” I said, letting them go. I watched as they ran out before looking over the counter at the teller. “Cancel that deposit, please.” -----1 hr, 30 mins later, Badlands suburbs----- “Alright Maverick, I got some collectors to tell me what the place looks like. I have a feeling that it’s either closer to the city or here in the suburbs. Anyways, they say it’s the largest abandoned factory in Badlands. Now then, as for the battle plan. I need you and your fighters to cover me as I charge through them. I promised Celestia’s sister that I would have her back as soon as possible and I intend to follow through. I’ll be aiming straight for the center of the building, then I’ll find the most defended spot while fighting off any who try to kill me. As soon as you lose sight of me, you’re free to go crazy on them all.” I said. Maverick nodded, relaying the plan to the five others he brought along, one of them being Butch. “So, what do you plan on doing once you have Celestia?” Asked Maverick. “Simple, really. I’m gonna blow the roof.” I informed him with a devilish smirk. “Cool guys don’t look at explosions.” He joked. I shook my finger at him, thinking of how to say what was on my mind. “This is an exception, I kid you not.” I said. “Now then, let’s roll.” -----30 minutes later, The Hive----- We pulled up to the large factory, getting the attention of some guards out front. They approached us as we got out. “What are you doing here? This building is off limits to unauthorized personnel.” The one on the left said. “Would ya look at that. Someone took online school. Sucks that this is the last day you’ll live.” I said, pulling out one of my katanas from my jacket before cutting his head off and slicing the other’s trigger hand. “No thanks, I’d rather not die again. Too soon for that.” I said as I rammed the tip of my blade through his forehead. I turned, seeing Maverick and his group standing still in shock. “What? Never seen a guy pull an enchanted katana out of his jacket GTA style? What am I saying? Course not, this ain’t Equestria. I’ll explain later.” Maverick was the first to break out of the trance as I walked off towards the door. “Okay. Don’t know how or why that happened, but I have a feeling that I’ll need to get used to it.” He said, breaking the rest out of their trance. I cracked the door open slightly once Maverick and his group joined me, seeing a large amount of commotion inside. I turned my attention to them, counting down from three with my hand. I bust down the door, summoning a weak ward spell right after and charged in. I didn’t get too far before a bulky drone jumped at me, causing me to lower the shield to stab his heart. I decided to leave the shield down and see how rusty my reflexes were. I somehow managed to dodge most of the bullets and block a few more that were aimed for my head. I cut off more heads, crushed and stabbed hearts, and immobilized many drones and collectors as I looked around me. I eventually found what I was looking for and began running towards the group of guards. My streak continued, increasing in frequency as I got closer to the guards. I quickly pulled out my other katana and held the discs, having split the original as I pulled it out of my jacket, and jumped at the guards. I sent my discs to the two farthest from my landing point and stabbed the other two through the lungs and heart. I looked around, seeing that the attention on me was fairly light, and took the few moments that I had to grab my discs from their place in the wall and store them in my inventory. I turned to the now unguarded door, busting it down with a battering ram and jumping on the room’s lone resident. “Where’s Celestia?” I growled. The occupant, seemingly female when I took a moment to look at her facial features, stared at me unblinkingly with slit eyes. “Why should I tell you? You’re nothing compared to me. You have no name. No fame. Nothing but luck and those friends of yours. I am Chrysalis, Queen of The Hive.” She said. I stared at her dead in the eye. “You want to know why you should tell me? Because I will rip your heart out, eat it, then tear you limb from limb before burning you and dumping your ashes into a cauldron of acid then dumping said acid into a body of water. Or, I could paralyze you, find Celestia, plant bombs all over the building, then blow it up once I got far enough away to see the explosion in my rear view. Who knows, I might come up with some other way to brutally kill you and your subordinates. It can all be stopped by telling me where she is.” I said, activating the runes on my discs and swords. “Fine. She’s underground in a cell. The door is on the other side of the building.” She said, her voice laced with a some fear. “Smart move.” I said, getting up and deactivating the runes. I jumped over the desk that Chrysalis was sitting at and quickly made my way to the opposite side of the building, killing any drone or collector in my path. Once I got to the door, I kicked it with a couple tons of force, causing it to slam into the opposite wall. I ran down the stairs, skipping a few here and there, before I reached the bottom floor. “Celestia? Is there a Principal Celestia in here?” I called out, walking down the hall and looking in every cell I passed. “Who’s there? Please don’t hurt me!” I heard a voice similar to my sister’s down the hall. I dashed down the corridor, stopping once I heard a faint breathing. I had to rely on my hearing since the light was almost nonexistent because the last working light was yards away. “Artemis, night vision. Can’t see worth dirt here.” I said. I blinked, my vision turning green when I opened my eyes. I quickly looked around, seeing a pair of familiar eyes watching me a few cells down. I walked over and scanned the bars, looking for any kind of lock. Not seeing any, I held my hand out and performed a magic scan, finding that there was a magic lock covering the whole thing. “Celestia, I suggest you stand against the wall, or anywhere that isn’t in the path of the door if it was to fly off it’s hinges.” I advised, watch as her eyes widened as she quickly made her way to the nearest wall. I pulled out a blue glass bottle, popping the lid off and downing the whole thing before returning my attention to the door. “Fus, Ro Dah!” I shouted. The force of the shout broke the lock and sent the door flying into the back wall. “C’mon, Celestia. Your sister needs you and your students miss you. Plus, there’s a little problem that I’ll need to deal with when we get back to the school.” I said, leaning into the cell and holding my hand out to her, having sheathed my swords as I approached the door. “W-who are you?” She asked, taking my hand. I helped her up before staring at her in the eye. “Would you believe me if I told you that I was a god from another realm where I’m the only human in existence and where magic is as common as technology is here?” I asked, receiving a look of disbelief. “Well I am. The name’s Alex, God of Rage, Prince of Equestria, and brother to Princesses Celestia and Luna. Yeah, in Equestria, you and your sister are royalty. Also, sooner we get you out, the sooner I can blow the roof.” We quickly made our way to the door, with Celestia partly in the magical land of confusion. I opened the door and guided her along the wall, sticking close to the shadows. We eventually reached the door, with no sign of Maverick. I took a peek outside, seeing him and his companions fighting as best as they could. “Wait here and stay out of sight. I have a few friends out there who seem to be on their last legs in this fight and I’m about to go nuts on these creeps. You can still watch if you want to.” I told Celestia. She nodded, seemingly to have recovered from her confusion enough to acknowledge the world again. I flew out the door, having summoned my wings for the first time since I went through the portal. “Artemis, normal vision. Could’ve sworn I programmed you to be able to switch between the two when needed.” I said, watching my vision go from green to normal. I swung my swords in the style of Attack on Titan, slicing through multiple drones and collectors before I reached Maverick. “Get to the van and wait for me and Celestia. I can handle these mindless things without a problem.” I said. Maverick hesitated before succumbing to my serious look and signalling a fall-back. I turned my attention to my opponents, dividing my attention to the best of my ability in order to build up magic for a summon and defend Maverick and his companions as they jumped into their van. I continued to build up magic after they got into the van, thinking about what to summon. I swung my katanas out of their sheathes on my back, holding them out in opposite directions. “Ragnarok! Yolkendov! Awaken!” I shouted, resulting in the red eyes of the chinese dragons on my katanas to become realistic before the dragons separated and flew away from the blades, leaving the runes and black katanas behind. Fire engulfed the living designs, growing in size until they began flicker out, revealing two golden Chinese dragons flying around before returning to my sides. “I am Ragnarok, twin brother of Yolkendov. I have slayed thousands in my lifetime, and it appears you all are next.” Said the dragon on my right. “I am Yolkendov, twin brother of Ragnarok. I have incinerated and fought thousands in air and on land. Prepared to be cremated.” Said the dragon on my left. They both rocketed into the sky and within the clouds. I lunged at the nearest drone, activating the enchantments on my katanas with the magic I had left. I managed to slice through a couple dozen drones before Ragnarok dove from the sky like a bolt of lightning, burrowing into the earth and crushing the drones that didn’t dive to avoid it. Yolkendov came from my left and torched or crushed even more drones and collectors. “Get owned! Su, Grah Dun!” I shouted, my attacks increasing in speed. “Mul, Qah Diiv!” I shouted again, becoming surrounded in a blue, orange, and yellow set of transparent armor resembling a dragon, with my attacks instantly gaining more strength. “Mid. Vur Shaan!” I shouted as Yolkendov and Ragnarok passed in front of me at the same time. Their attacks quickly matched my speed. Before long, the whole group of collectors and drones were either dead, dying, or immobilized. “Hey you two, help me carry them inside. I would like to get rid of the evidence as best as I can by destroying the supports in the warehouse and crushing them. Also, explosions are cool.” I said. Soon enough, we had taken every last body into the warehouse, Ragnarok and Yolkendov returning to their original states on my katanas. “All clear, Celestia. Let’s roll.” I said, giving her a friendly smile, hopefully settling any fears she might’ve had about me. She reluctantly nodded before joining me as I returned to my car. Once we were buckled up, I did a U-turn and began driving away from the warehouse, Maverick and his group following behind. Once we got a certain distance away, I turned my attention to my rear-view and snapped my fingers. I watched as the warehouse was destroyed by the explosion. Celestia turned back when she heard the boom, seeing the explsion where the warehouse used to be. “Why did you do that?” She asked, turning to me. “One. Explosions are cool. Two. I’m a guy. Three. I’m not allowed to explode things back home at random unless it’s to protect Equestria.” I said. “You up for some music? It’s nothing classical. Actually, I think I have a travel playlist or mix here somewhere.” I said, pulling out an iPod and shuffling a playlist. A few moments into the song I looked over to see her silently moving to the beat with a soft smile. -----3 hours, 30 minutes later----- It was dark out by the time I pulled up to the school, Maverick having turned off to head back to the warehouse a while earlier. I got out and opened the door for Celestia. “So, how did you like the trip?” I asked. “It was certainly a lot more comfy than on the trip there.” She said, getting out. I saw movement in the corner of my eye and looked to see Luna running out the door. “Sister! I’ve missed you! The Fall Formal is about to begin. We must hurry!” She said, taking a moment to hug Celestia before dragging her inside. “Oh, one more thing. Thank you for returning my dear sister to me.” She said. “Anytime. Now, about that Formal.” I said with a mischievious grin. -----A short while later, CHS Gym----- “Attention Canterlot High. I am honored to announce tonight’s Fall Formal Princess.” Celestia said, getting cheers of excitement as an OK to continue. “And the winner is.” She cut off, increasing the suspense. “Hype! Hype! Hype!” I shouted from the crowd. That got a multitude of laughs and responses, both negative and positive, from those surrounding me. “Twilight Sparkle!” She announced. I turned around to see Twilight get glomped by Pinkie and Bubble Berry. Suddenly, the whole crowd burst into one loud gasp, some pointing to the stage, others standing in awe. I turned to see that someone decided to steal what I instantly identified as the Element of Magic, which began to transform her and surround her in a barrier of magic. Soon after, she burst from the ball of magic as a she-demon. I quickly took of for my car, signalling for the boys to follow. “I have an idea about how to stop this, but I’ll need parts that I don’t have. I remember seeing a few tech and metal factories down the road. I’m certain they’ll have what I need. Boys, on Blitz, ASAP.” I said. They did their thing and quickly hopped into the Elemento after me. I started the car and zoomed down the street, making a U-turn and heading back towards the city. We eventually reached the tech factory, which happened to be a few blocks down from the dealership, grabbed the tech that we needed, stored it into a hastily made pocket dimension, and made our way to the metal factory, doing the same as we did at the tech factory, and quickly made our way back to the school, where the events that were occurring inside the gym have made their way outside. I quickly located Twilight and her new friends. “Girls! Keep her busy! I need at least ten minutes to build what I have in mind!” I shouted to them, getting nods from a few of them, specifically Twilight, Dash and Applejack, who quickly relayed the message to the others. I instantly set to work, having the boys help me out. AJ and Blitz were carrying parts to the others, Dusk and Elusive were cutting parts to certain shapes, Bubble Berry and Butter Scotch were watching them to make sure they don’t melt themselves, and I was assembling the parts together. -----Ten minutes later----- It was finished, and all that was left was to flip a switch. I looked up, seeing that the she-demon was starting to overpower the girls. “Shoot, we have to move quick. Artemis, as soon as I flip this switch, I want you to prepare the best drop I have and link to the cannon” “Understood. The drop is ready.” She said. I quickly moved to put the backpack on that held the battery. Once that was on, I hefted the cannon onto my shoulder, grabbing the handle that went down to my belly with my left hand and holding the cannon steady with my right. I quickly used my left hand to flip the switch on the backpack before grabbing the handle again, which caused the cannon to whizz to life, certain parts lighting up, while the speakers gently hummed. “Alright demon, you ready to feel the beat? No? Welp, sucks for you. Artemis, power up the bass cannon.” I said, feeling the slight vibration in the cannon grow in intensity as Execute by Excision began to play. When the bass dropped, a blue beam of energy shot out at the she-demon, throwing her against the wall as the energy went to work destroying the transformation magic surrounding her. Meanwhile, Blitz flew in and grabbed the Element of magic, returning it to it’s rightful place on Twilight’s head. “Alex! You can stop firing!” Dusk shouted at me. Artemis paused the music as I cut off the power and lowered the cannon. I was to busy taking the cannon off and figuring out some way to store it in my new pocket dimension to witness Twilight and her friends use the power of the Elements against the weakened she-demon, as well as the events afterwards. I managed to turn around in time to see everyone heading back in and quickly joined them as we made our way to the gym. -----3 hours later----- I looked out the window to see that the moon was almost at it’s peak. “Twilight! We gotta go now or we’ll be stuck here.” I shouted. She looked to me then out the window, her eyes shrinking slightly. As she said her goodbyes to her friends, I made my way over to the boys, who were hanging out with some other guys. “Hey you six, we gotta go. Only a few minutes til midnight.” They quickly said their goodbyes before joining me as I made my way to Celestia. “Hey, I’m about to head home, can I trust you to take my car back to my house? I’d rather not leave it here because someone might attempt to steal it and I don’t have enough time to take it back myself.” I asked. “Sure. It’s the least I can do to repay you for reuniting me with my sister.” She said. I gave her the keys, saying my thanks in the process, and made my way out, the boys in tow. We say Twilight and her friends standing in front of the statue that disguised the portal. “Twilight, hurry up. We only have seconds until the portal closes.” I said as I came into earshot. She looked up, said her last goodbyes and joined us as we crossed through the portal. -----Moments later, Crystal Empire----- We returned to see the other Elements and the Princesses surrounding us, a particular sky blue mare having stopped pacing as we emerged. Twilight wobbled before falling onto her hooves. Her friends rushed to congratulate her on getting her crown back as I popped up next to my sisters, literally. “I hope things have been well? You didn’t miss me too bad did ya?” I asked. “Everything has been fine and we did miss you, although not as much as we were when you were stuck in stone.” Celestia said. I looked to her deviously. “I guess you can say that I was rather stoned for a thousand years. Let me tell ya, it was trippy.” I punned. This earned a facehoof from Celestia and a good laugh from Luna. “Then again, Luna was mooning them for about as long.” I punned again. It was Luna’s turn to facehoof as Celestia started giggling. “That was quite the glorious mooning, dear sister. Also, tell me again why I should lay off the cake?” Celestia trolled. “Because your’s is far bigger, Cely. After all, you are Princess of the Sun, so your rear should naturally be bigger.” She returned my answer with a death glare as Luna burst out laughing, gaining the attention of everypony else. “Is something wrong, dear sister? You seem to be in a fit of unlady like laughter. Oh I do hope you can settle yourself down before you embarrass yourself in front of so many.” I said in the best posh voice I could muster. This got even more laughs from her and some giggling from Celestia. I turned to everyone else, maintaining the posh voice. “Was it something I said? I’m certain I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. After all, my jokes come from sarcasm and impersonations, but I’m not doing any of the sort at the moment.” This got Celestia laughing as well as Applejack, AJ, Blitz, Dash, and Spike. I switched back to my normal voice before I spoke again. “Alright, alright. It was funny while it was, but I’m certain all of us are tired. Next stop, the dreamworld!” I said, getting some yawns as well as cheers. -----Next day, halfway to Ponyville----- “So that’s all that happened in the other world. If you’d like, we could record greetings for all of you that couldn’t come and share them with your respective counterparts, maybe even set up a dimensional connection so you may speak with them live.” Dusk said. The mares chose to go with a live conversation, which left me with the job of figuring out how to set up a dimensional relay. “Ok, now that that’s settled, how am I gonna be reintroduced to Equestria? Will it be spectacular? Or will it be so classic that it’s boring?” I asked. “Why don’t we change a few things and make it more exciting.” Celestia said. “Such as?” “Different music, different towns and cities, maybe a display of technology?” “Perfect. Look out Equestria, I’m coming home. Artemis, play the instrumental.” The rest of the ride was spent napping, eating, chatting, and having a good time. At least, until the shenanigans began…”Th-th-th-that’s a-all, folks!” > Of Potato Flashlights and Alicorn Exo-suits > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----Ponyville, 3 days after reintroduction, 1.5 weeks after EQG, 1 day since events of Ep. 1&2----- Ah, what a perfect day for an afternoon stroll. Still can’t believe how well that reintroduction went. I thought, having a flashback of the event, which isn’t included in this chapter specifically because of how boring it was. I was brought back to the land of the living by the sound of a certain trio shouting my name. “Mr. Shadow Streak! We have a question for you!” Apple Bloom asked, tumbling to a stop before she could hit me, but ended up face-planting when her friends ran into her. “Heh, you girls and your antics. Anyways, what’s the question?” I asked, helping Apple Bloom back to her hooves. “Our school has Show & Tell tomorrow and we didn’t have anything to show, so we thought we’d ask you if you have any ideas.” Said Sweetie Belle. I thought for a moment, allowing my mind to wander and come up with something unique. “I have an idea so simple, yet so unique, that it’s completely unheard of here.” I said. “What is it? Is it cool?” Asked Scootaloo. “In order: a potato battery. Yes, it’s very cool. Now then, let’s head to Twilight’s library and get started.” -----Next day, Ponyville Schoolhouse, a short while before Show & Tell----- I sat on the floor at the back of the room, since the chairs were too weak for me to sit on. I was catching up on some lost sleep since I stayed up late in order to get the setup just right for what I had planned. The potato battery consisted of the cleanest and freshest supplies I could get. The potato was less than a day old, the nails wouldn’t rust for a few days, and the copper was fresh from the delivery cart. I even built a functional light just for the heck of it. In short, there was a POTaTOS in the building. “Next up, we have the Crusaders and their… potato battery?” Said the teacher, their fur reminding me of cranberry juice and their mane and tail of the froth you would get if you were to vigorously shake said juice, and her cutie mark was three flowers with smiling faces. I got up when the Crusaders were mentioned and made my way to the front of the room. “Hi, my name’s Alex. I was the one who actually came up with the potato battery idea, but the Crusaders helped me put it together. Now, I’m certain you have questions about me as well as the potato battery, but let’s stick to the topic. How the potato battery works is that, through use of photosynthesis, the potato makes a chemical called Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP from a very similar chemical called Adenosine Diphosphate, or ADP.” I said, drawing diagrams of said chemicals on the board. “ATP is the chemical used by the potato battery. The process that makes ATP from ADP can be replicated using an external source of electricity, which will be demonstrated today. Basically, what makes ATP so important is that it stores energy in the bond between the second phosphate group and the third, which is released when it’s converted back into ADP.” I took a moment to look around the room, seeing that some of the occupants have become distracted. “Since this is apparently boring for some ponies in here, let’s move on to the actual procedure. Girls, here’s some safety goggles.” I passed some safety goggles to the Crusaders, who put them on without question. “Alrighty, let’s see just how well this works.” I rubbed my hands together before pointing my index fingers at the potato and charging lighting magic into the tips. I waited until I could hear a faint hum from the stored energy before releasing it at the potato. The room was bathed in light as the spell lasted for a couple of seconds before running out of lightning. “If the adults by the windows could shut the blinds for me, please?” Soon after, the room was bathed in darkness. I reached over and tapped the plastic cover on the flashlight, which quickly bathed the room in a bright light. “It worked!” the Crusaders shouted, causing me to smile in satisfaction. “Welp, I reckon that’s that.” I said, impersonating a certain Texan. I turned off the light as the blinds were opened. We returned to where we sat before the demonstration and settled in for the rest of the event. Some of the kids brought in their parents, others brought in their parents for help, and there were a few who actually did their project on their own. Needless to say, and true to my nature, I fell asleep when it got boring, although I hid it well. -----Later, Twilight’s Library----- “Yo, Twi, you interested in helping me out with something extremely techy?” I asked, watching as her head turned to me faster than I could fly. “What is it?!” She asked, clearly excited to be working on something far more advanced than what is common in Equestria. “It’s something that I’ve been meaning to build for Luna since a few years before she became Nightmare Moon, but I didn’t have quite the leeway back then like I do now. It’s kind of like the stallions, but without the life-like detail. A equine exo-suit, I guess you could say.” I informed her. “Why was leeway a restriction?” She asked as we made our way to the Ponyville train station “Because technology wasn’t as advanced then as it is now… and because I was taking a closer look at how the guys functioned because I pretty much built them without thinking about it too much. I was surprised when I found the metals they’re made of.” I said. “Oh.” She said. “So, where are we going exactly?” “Canterlot.” I said simply. -----30 minutes later----- “Welp, cave, sweet cave.” I said. “Follow me, I’m going to show you something that Celestia and Luna don’t even know about.” Twilight quickly caught up with me as I made my way to a dark corner of the room. I brushed my hand across the stone, feeling for any sudden and unnatural differences. Once I found what I was looking for, I pushed the hidden button, which caused the wall before us to move further back before splitting apart to reveal an sliding door. I slid it open and motioned Twilight into the darkness beyond. “Why is it so dark? It scares me a little.” Twilight asked. “Short circuit is my guess. This place runs on regular electricity, since magic can’t reach this far thanks to the rune barrier. Speaking of which, here’s a fun fact: Metals don’t have the ability to contain magic for long periods of time unless it’s surrounded in it. Since this place is cut off from magic, none of the metals inside have any magic signature. Downside of the barrier is that you can’t use magic within it unless hooked up to a machine that generates magic using electricity. Really tricky circuitry, lemme tell ya.” I said, summoning a small flame over my palm. “Is this machine really bulky?” “Actually, it’s just a bit more bulky than saddlebags, and not much heavier because of the light metals it’s made of.” I replied, leading her down the hall once I managed to seal off the stone door. “Cmon, we don’t have too far to walk.” -----A short while later----- “Here we are.” I said, as the walls and ceiling suddenly cut off. “Now then, the circuit breaker shouldn’t be too far from the magipack.” I quickly located the magipack, taking a moment to help Twilight put it on, then moved on to find the circuit breaker just a few steps from the pack. I opened it, which revealed multiple switches that were out of place. I flipped them back into place, which caused a dull hum to fill the room as the lights switched on. I turned to Twilight after I closed the panel, seeing her looking around in wonder at the various machines in the enormous, factory-like room that were meant for construction. “This was where the guys were built. Sadly, I couldn’t start them up until their batteries charged and their ‘skin’ was saturated in magic. It took five years.” I said, looking around with a neutral expression “Five years? How long will it take for this armor?” “If I can get my sisters to pump some magic into it, then hopefully six months at most to get it fully operational, five at minimum.” I said. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Unless someone is willing to lend a horn.” “Who?” I stared at her with an expression that said ‘seriously?’ “I’m talking about you, Twi.” I said. “Oh, then I would love to help in any way I can.” “Good. Over there is the machine that 3D prints the boards that make up the AI.” I said, pointing to a small machine in the corner. “Next to it is the machine that puts the copper circuits on the board. Once the board finishes printing, call me over and I’ll show you how to operate the other machine.” She nodded and made her way over to the printer as I made my way over to a nearby table with various tools and metals on and around it. -----A few hours before midnight----- After the circuit board was finished, I led Twi to a nearby workstation and gave her an instruction sheet on how to complete the circuitry and made my way back to the frame of the exo-suit. I did some more work, adding a support for two guns that would start near the flank and extend past the shoulder and an ammo storage on the chest. I yawned and turned to Twilight. “Hey Twi, I think it’s time for us to call it a day.” “I agree, working on this has tired me out. Sleep sounds amazing right now.” “Alright. Come over here so we can get that pack off you. We should be done with this whole thing in less than a week if nothing else comes up.” I said, leading her over to where the pack was when we came in. It didn’t take long to unstrap the pack and place it on the ground before we started making our way back up the spiral stairway that led back to the main cave, pressing the buttons that opened and closed the hidden door and made our way to our rooms for the night. > Future Rewrite > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Heyo! I know I haven't been keeping up and I've broken some promises I've made and I'm sincerely sorry about that, but on to the important stuff. That's right! I'm planning a rewrite some time in the future. I'll keep the basic appearance and personality of our favorite God of Rage, but his story will play out differently and he likely wont take shit from Blueballs a second time. The reason behind this is that, while I like keeping thing random, this story just turned out too random for my, now more matured, tastes. Also, to those who haven't read The True Me by lightningman, there will definitely be a crossover between this story and Merciful War and Destruction in the future, hopefully with some fanart but I'm not making any promises on that. That stuff is up to you all. Also, spoiler, there may or may not be a third story in the works based off an idea I had for MW&D, but I can't promise that It does exist or will be published anytime soon, and if it does exist and is published, it would likely be completely finished. Surprising, right? Me, the man who can't promise or finish jack, actually having a story finished? Pssh, yeah sure. But seriously though, don't expect anything for a very long time. I'll probably leave this up as the only published chapter as I do some work rewriting the current chapters and posting new ones. Again, I hate doing this to you guys, but I feel that if I plan on getting anywhere with this story now, then I have to rewrite it entirely. Please forgive me. One last thing though. If anyone is willing, it would be awesome if I could get some reference art for the possibly existing third story.