Deals and Drugs (1)

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"Let me get this straight, just so everything's clear." I said, waving my hand for emphasis. I sat on my comfy leather chair next to my desk. My computer monitor was showing the pause menu of an online game I was playing at the moment. In front of me was a man in a pitch black suit and red tie sitting in a chair similar to mine. His skin was a pasty white, almost like Voldemort. His hair and eyes were pitch black, it almost seemed like the light was being absorbed into them. His nose stuck out from his gaunt, skeleton like face. I wondered if he actually ate anything at all. In fact, the man could've been mistaken for Slenderman if he closed his eyes and mouth.

"You're the owner of a gaming corporation that is testing out a new virtual reality game system that's still in the beta phase." I saw the Man nod at this, so I continued, "And you need a test subject to work out the kinks for you?" The Man nodded again, "My only question is, Why me? There are professional players that could play your game better than me. Hell, I’m just an average nerd with a gaming passion."

I half expected the Man to scowl at me or tell me that I either take the offer or die but instead he smiled, "At my company, we take extensive measures to ensure the best quality of all products. When we saw your personal background, we knew we had our perfect candidate.”

'Okay, that’s really creepy. But what do I have that others don’t?' I immediately crossed off ‘looks’ from the potential reasons list in my head. I had graduated from college a few years ago so they probably aren’t looking for experience. But what did I do that would catch their interest? Was it the potato minigun that I built as a school project? I racked my brain but couldn’t find the right answers. The Man saw my distress and smirked.

“Let me put it this way. You have certain experiences along with a particular personality that I believe could help improve the game play immensely.”

'I take back what I said. This guy is a fucking stalker!' Coupled together with his Slenderman appearance, it’s possible he’s a pedophile as well. I was sorely tempted to give the guy directions to the nearest elementary school and then go watch the news to see how long it would take for him to be caught.

“I’m not a pedophile. Children are just easily corruptible.” He said with a bit of irritation.

'And he can read my mind. Quick, hide the dirty images! And how does that statement mean he’s not a pedo? He practically shot himself in the foot with that.'

“Pedophiles rape kids. I scare them half to death”

'Uh-huh. Riiiiight. You’re still a creeper. And how are you readin-'

“I’m good at reading people and you are an open book. Now can we please return to our original discussion? I have places to be.” He said impatiently

'Touchy.' “Fine. So what’s the game that I’m going to play? Halo? Gears of War? Call of duty?” I asked. 'It better be a decent game at least. Otherwise I’m going to just ruin everything for everyone. Myself included.'

The Man chuckled softly, “I’m afraid not, boy. You see, this game system we built also has a built in game my associates and I like to call: Chess Game of the Gods. It’s a magical world filled with many real and fantasy creatures, most of which that talk. This is also a multiplayer server which is set in real time. There will be other players that were championed by my associates inside the game as well. Some of whom have been in for a while so you won’t be the first. All I’m asking is that you be my champion in this game.”

'Hmm. Chess Game of the Gods…that sounds pretty interesting.' But still there were some things that I had to know about this game. “So how does it work, exactly? Like what’s the goal? And what abilities and weapons does the game provide?”

“The goal?” The Man said with a mocking innocent tone, “Why, the goal of the game is to play to your heart’s content and overcome any and all obstacles you encounter. The storyline of this game is similar to one of your Create-your-own-adventure books.” He reached over to my book shelf and pulled off said book, twirling it in his fingers before returning it. “As for abilities and weapons… I will explain those to you when you’re in the game when the time is right.”

This game was getting more and more appealing as I thought about it. It sounded a lot like the Fable series I sometimes played. Creating your own adventure was fun, especially when you could go back and change all the choices you make to see the end result. Sometimes you save the world, sometimes you watch it burn, and other times you just don’t care. Hell, sometimes I played it so I can see the NPCs I hate the most die over and over again. I’m pretty heartless when it comes to video game trolling.

“What kinds of enemies and monsters will I encounter in this game?” I asked. 'I swear to God, if any of them are like the Flood, then people are going to get hurt. Those bastards are really annoying to kill.'

“Well, if you intend on making everyone your enemy…let’s just say that all you’d have a challenge to deal with are dragons, Gods, bandits, authority and other players.” The Man said, counting the things off on his fingers, “Maybe a couple random encounters. But nothing you can’t handle.”

'Seems legit.' “Okay, I have two more questions. First, What’s the line between Virtual and Reality? As in, what’s going to seem real and what won’t be real?”

He smiled, “Ah, I wondered when this question would come up. I can tell you that our game system is quite realistic to all the senses, so you can feel the objects in the game, smell the air, and even taste the food you eat. Your body will be in a special suit and placed in a zero-gee simulator. The suit will simulate all experiences you feel to the fullest degree. And don’t worry about bodily functions, we have that taken care of. Don’t ask me for the details though.”

'Daayyum. They went all out on this system! I was a bit worried about the bodily functions part but if it’s taken care of, then I’m not gonna ask or complain.' “Alright, second question. How will I know when I’m done, like is there a final boss or something?” 'Gotta know when to quit.'

The Man frowned for a moment before answering, “I’m not entirely sure, but since I will be watching your progress closely, then I will probably throw a few bosses your way as a challenge. I’ll think of a good final boss to signal the end.”

“Can’t ask for anything more.” I said, grinning. 'Every good video game has to have at least one good boss fight.' At that thought, something clicked in my mind, “By the way, what’s the combat system like?”

He raise an eyebrow at me, “I thought you said only two questions? Nevermind, I will answer this one as well. The combat system is like fighting in the real world, where you are directly fighting your opponents. It gives the game a certain…adrenaline rush for those who like to fight.”

My mind shut down for a moment as the information was too much to take in. After a quick reboot, I thought, ' A direct combat system? Holy Shit! That's a hell of a system! I wonder how much it took to make it? Eh, whatever. If I can fight in a video game for myself, then I don't care. Maybe I can use the combat techniques I've learned over the years to help me.'

“I take it from the glazed expression you had on your face that you really want this, yes?” The Man asked. I nod eagerly. He chuckled, “Good, now before we seal the deal, as it were, I must ask this: Any last questions?”

I thought about anything I missed. 'Virtual reality borders? Check. Body stasis? Check. Game plot? Check. Combat mechanics? Check. Weapons and abilities...half check. What else? Oh, I know!' “When I get in the game, what am I going to be? Like, will I be a human or what?”

The Man smiled, “You'll see.” he said sinisterly. Something told me I wasn't going to like my character at all. The Man kept speaking, “Now with that out of the way, do we have an accord?” He stuck his pale hand out to me.

Okay, now normally I’m not a superstitious person but I had this nagging feeling in the back of my head telling me that this would be a life changing experience. Unfortunately, it didn’t say if it was for better or for worse.

...

And yet, I still wanted to do this. To be able to say that I tested out the beta phase of this game system would be pretty awesome. That and I loved strategy and RPG games, plus the real time factor would give it a nice challenge. Fuck it all, I shook the Man’s hand with gusto.

He smiled, “A wise decision.” He stood up (I found out with a small shock that he was about 6’ 6”) and pulled out a small bag that held a white pill, “Now, due to secrecy, I’m going to need you to take this.” He tossed it into my lap, “It’s a sleeping pill. When you wake up, you will be already immersed into the game, ready to play.”

'Someone's been watching the Matrix too many times' I thought. I obediently took the pill out of the bag and put it in my mouth. As I was swallowing, another question came to mind. “By the way, I never caught your name.” The pill was working fast as I began to feel very dizzy. Darkness encroached upon my vision as I saw the man lean forward and give a small grin.

“Call me Erebus.” And then I blacked out.

Tutorial (2)

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5….

4….

3….

2….

1….

Game start….

I woke up to the light of the sun shining in my face (I was always an early riser even if I stayed up a bit late). I lifted up my hand to block out the sun and I saw a shocking sight. My entire arm was a tendril of black mist and my hand was comprised of long, black, bony fingers.

“AAAHHH!! WHAT THE HELL?! What the fuck am I?!” I quickly jumped up and looked at myself. I was made of a dark mist like substance from head to toe that made me look like I was a walking cloak. I found that I barely retained any semblance to a human form from what I could tell of my ‘arms’ and ‘legs’.

'Okay, calm down.' I thought, 'What do I know?' I searched my memory for last night for any details of drunken debauchery and voodoo magic but was instead met with memories of striking a deal with a Games Master named Erebus.

'Erebus. Why does that sound familiar? Well, at least I know what happened last night, but that doesn't answer what I am. Guess I'm going to have to experiment with this new body.'

I began the experiment with my body movements, starting with the ends of my arms. My fingers still functioned normally and on closer inspection, my fingertips had been replaced with wicked claws. 'It feels the same but they don't look strong enough for punching. I suppose I could use a palm attack style, like Negi Hyuuga does. Though I would have to be careful of the new claws. It'd be kinda awkward to scratch without hurting myself.'

I then began on trying to use my nonexistent legs to move around and found out quickly that it was going to be harder than it looked. I could still feel my legs, but I couldn’t really use them at all. It was like they were fused together into one solid, or in this case, ghostly, appendage. 'What the hell did the developers do to make my legs stick this way? I bet it’s a glitch in the system.' I wondered.

I bent down to look at my legs and found myself moving forward. “What the-!” I yelled as I jerked back up and came to a stop before I could hit a tree. I thought about the sudden changes and felt a sense of déjà vu. I searched my mind for the familiar feeling and after a few moments, recognized it as the time I once tried a Segway. That thing was hard to control at first but after controlling your balance and making small adjustments, I could move it around easily.

'So I move around by shifting my center of gravity...I give props to whoever came up the idea. Still not sure if it’s a glitch though.' I thought. Grinning at this, I applied the familiar feeling and controls to my movements. Soon enough I was floating around the clearing like a pro, though I had to keep this movement in mind. I briefly wondered if it was possible to get my legs back, not that I was complaining, but I still liked my legs.

I push aside the thought to take note of my surroundings. I was in a small patch of shaded clearing surrounded by jungle trees and bushes. I barely see a white, sandy beach off to my right and a cluster of hills to my left, further inland. It didn't look like there were any monsters nearby, but thinking it was safe is a quick way to get killed.

'Right now I need to prioritize and plan my next move.' I thought as I began to make a list of priorities that came to mind.

1. Find out what the hell I am.

2. Find food (Do I even need to eat?)

3. Find out where the hell I am.

4. If this is an RPG, then lvl up quickly.

5. Survive. Don’t Die.

6. ???

7. Profit to the infinite degree.

“Okay, the best way to learn about this game would be from the pause menu. The question is, how do I access it without a controller?” I thought aloud. 'Wait, how the hell did I talk if I don’t have a mouth?' I lifted a hand to my face and felt my mouth, surprised to find that my teeth were now all sharp, jagged canines. I felt the rest of my head and noticed that I didn’t have a nose or ears. ‘Note to self: Look for a mirror later.’ I thought about the game mechanics and tried to figure out a way to get to the pause menu. After discarding several ideas, I decide to go with the simplest solution to see if it worked.

I took a deep breath and shouted, “Pause.” Sure enough, my surroundings darkened and became blurry as if I was looking through a fogged up window. In front of me, a black rectangle appeared and words flickered into existence on it. It seemed to be a touchscreen, which I confirmed as I began to touch the different tabs that lined the side. My curiosity sated, I returned to the main screen. It showed me the other tabs, a mail notification, and my current objective: Get to the Mainland.

'Okay, so that means I’m on an island of a sort. Unfortunately, it doesn’t say how to get there. I hope there are people on this island that can help me.' I thought. I decide to take a look at the mail notice. Touching it, the screen changed to message reading format as words began to appear. I begin to read, hoping that this message will clear up some of my questions.

Dear Player,

If you’re reading this, then I assume you have already woken up inside the game and already have a multitude of questions for me. Assuming I’m correct, I will answer some of them for you. Your first question is most likely: What am I? Well my dear player, you are currently a Night Shade (a.k.a. a Wraith), a creature of darkness, a dark ghost or living shadow, if you will.

As a Night Shade, you have three inherent abilities: Consumption, Fade, and Shape Shift. You can receive additional abilities as you level up but for now, I will explain these three. Consumption is an ability that doubles as an attack and your method of feeding. To use, simply bite down upon victim and drink. Night Shades feed upon the life force of others, so you are only able to eat plants and animals. For maximum energy intake, feed upon victim while it’s alive. Anything dead, will only give you less than the original life energy.

I stopped reading and reread the explanation about several times. ‘Holy. Shit. Badassery levels just skyrocketed on Night Shades. I can take down enemies with ease by just biting them! Not to mention the intimidation factor on groups. Enemies would be less likely to fight after seeing what happened to their buddy.’ I thought before I continued reading.

As a Shade, you can fade into the shadows as if it was an alcove cut into the wall and travel along them. This ability is useful in hiding from enemies and having a safe place to rest. With practice, you can travel long distances almost instantaneously provided that the shadow path is unbroken. Be warned, only you and any items on your person can meld into the shadows, which means other creatures will not enter with you.

'Okay, I half expected this ability to come up, considering I was a darkness creature. No surprises here, but I’m going to have to remember about the warning about mass objects.' I thought.

Your final inherent ability, Shape shift, is actually a subset of Consumption. Your current, humanoid form is your Base form. Don’t try flying in this form, you can only get up to about 25 feet above anything that's a solid state of matter, so don’t try to cross the sea without a boat or airship, you won’t get far. You can change into any enemy you have previously consumed and each animal you turn into requires a different amount of life energy. You can check this in the Consumption tab of the pause menu. Remember, keep feeding and keep an eye on your energy levels or you WILL DIE.

“So shape shifting is possible with this body...Interesting. After I get some food, I’m going to have to practice this so I can get used to it and be ready for any enemies. Question is: what kind of creatures will I be consuming?” I mused aloud.

Now your next question is probably your location, right? Well currently you are in the middle of the Zebriconian Islands. Your main objective is to make it to the mainland, so start island hopping. Hint: Your best bet would be to flag down a passing airship and get a ride from them if possible.

“Zebraconian Islands? That’s an interesting name. I gotta look at the map later. Wait. Did he say airships? Like a blimp? Oh, I’m gonna have fun with this world’s technology.” Technology, real or fictional has always fascinated me. I loved to think up new ways to use tech to solve problems, be it killing the enemy or opening that stupid pickle jar cap.

“It’s dangerous up ahead, take this!” This is too true for this world, so you will need a weapon. You don’t have it now, but you will receive it upon your first battle with instructions. For now, you'll need to improvise.

While I was excited to get a weapon, I wasn’t eager to look for a fight in case the weapon I get would be ineffective against them.

Those are the only questions I can truly answer now. Any other questions must be answered by exploring or experimentation. Before I go, I will leave some advice: Keep an eye on your energy levels, Try not to piss off certain people unless you’re a smooth talker or a fast runner, your Harry Potter books will come in handy later, and don’t do anything incredibly stupid. Ta-ta for now.

Sincerely,

Erebus, God of Darkness

I reread the advice and even then, I was still confused by what he meant. “How would Harry Potter help me?” I wondered, “Does he mean Latin-based spells? I remembered when I read the series that I got really interested in Latin and started to study it a bit to make my own spells. My English paper was actually about Latin, now that I think about it.” I looked back at the signature at the bottom, “And, Erebus is a god? Doubt it. It’s probably a code name or something for political purposes.”

I closed the message and returned to the menu screen. I looked at the other tabs I could access: Inventory, Consumption, Weapon, Map, Data, Quests, Achievements, Skill, and Options. I started to go down the list. My current inventory: nothing. Consumption levels: enough to last me a few days if I can stretch it. I couldn’t open Weapon. Map only showed me what I’ve currently seen. Data had nothing yet. Quests only had my current goal: Get to the Main land. If Achievements was anything like a normal video game, then I would have to save it for later when I have time to look at it. Skill showed me at level one with my current skills. I decided to come back to that later. Options was pretty standard in terms of choices. It was similar to that of a normal game's Options screen except it only had HUD options (mini-map, health bar, weapon icons, tips, notifications). I turned on everything and left it alone for now. Seeing nothing else that could aid me, I went back to Skills.

The skills menu was basic for an RPG. There were seven skills that each needed to be practiced in order to level up: Endurance, Speed, Strength, Combat, Stealth, Marksmanship, and Magic. Currently they were all at level one but I intended to change that soon. I noticed that the next level increase for all of them was at 50 XP.

'Elder Scrolls style, eh? This should be easy, but then again, it never is.' I thought wryly

I close out of the menu and noticed that the sun hadn’t moved in the half hour that I was in the pause menu. I guessed that it was about mid-afternoon, probably about three or four. I also noticed the HUD that appeared in my vision. My health bar coupled with an image of my current form was up in the upper left corner of my vision and a mini map in the bottom left corner. Apparently I was now facing south west. A reticle appeared in the center of my vision. Unfortunately, there was no indication of a weapon, yet.

“Let the games begin.” I thought aloud.

Looking around, I decide that the best place to start searching would be the coastline and then make my way towards the center of the island. I start heading out towards the coast, quietly observing my surroundings. There wasn’t much besides the occasional bird chirping and the sound of waves crashing. The plants and land really stood out to me. It was a simple, yet realistic animation with vibrant colors and outlines, like it was out of a kids cartoon. The thing that really surprised me was that I could feel it. I could feel the soft grass under me and the breeze that passed by.

“The Game developers really outdid themselves on this one. If I didn’t know this was a game, I could swear I was in another dimension, but that’s impossible.” I said, smiling at the surrounding landscape.

I reached the beach and stepped out into the bright sun, only to jump back into the shade yelling in pain, “GAAAHHHH!! SONUVABITCH THAT HURT!! I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID! THE DEVELOPERS SUCK!” I felt like I had just stepped into an oven covered in gasoline. My essence was being burnt away slowly and I knew it because my health bar dropped a bit. “Quick! Stop, Drop and Roll!” I began rolling around on the ground, trying to pat out the imaginary flames and slowly, but surely, the pain subsided.

“Owowowowow.” I moaned. A message appeared in my vision, showing my Base form and the sun: Your base form is weak in sunlight. Shape Shift to travel in the light.

I sighed, “I should have expected that. Well looks like I have to stick to shade for now and check the island out at night. Maybe I could make myself some clothes to go out in the light with until I can Shape Shift?” I sat up and looked at myself to see my form was looking really withered. I needed a pick-me-up to get over being burnt, NOW.

'Wait, didn’t Erebus say something about this?' I remembered the message from before about how I was to feed. I glanced over at the palm tree nearby; I could almost see the life energy flowing through it. I licked my lips in hunger. I opened my mouth, leaped toward the tree and bit down on the bark with a satisfying crunch. I closed my eyes and began to drink as if I had bitten into a juicy fruit, the life energy of the palm tree rushing into me, rejuvenating me and replenishing my health bar and then some. I barely registered that the palm tree’s energy tasted like coconut milk.

When I finished, the last of the energy I had to squeeze out like a juice pack, I opened my eyes and was surprised at the sight before me. “Dafuq?” The healthy palm tree had now been reduced to a brown, dried husk; its fronds all bent and colored a sickly yellow, and the coconut fruit now looking like rotten grapes. It looked like it could turn to dust just my touching it. I poked a claw at the rotted wood and the tree collapsed upon its own weight. “Whoa!” I jumped out of the way into the shade of another palm tree. When the dust settled, the once beautiful tree was now a pile of wood chips and sawdust.

“Damn. Erebus wasn’t kidding when he said that it would get mummified. I’m going have to conserve my energy if I want to stay alive. Plus I’m going to have to keep these hunger pangs under control when I find other people. It’d probably be bad if I made contact with civilization only to have to eat someone on the spot.” I looked around for a moment, “Can’t stay here for long. I have to keep exploring. Now Erebus said that I can hover in this form and he hasn’t proven wrong so far, so I guess it’s time to test it out.” I gather myself together and I leaped forward into the air like a snake.

When I saw that I didn’t immediately fall to the ground, I also noticed that the rest of my body trailed behind me like a smoke cloud. It was almost like I was swimming through the air. Hell, I was swimming through the air! I flew past trees as fast as I could, leaving a black contrail behind me. I weaved in between the trees, bobbed up and down around branches, and did barrel rolls a few times.

“WHOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!” Stray branches passed through my body, but I barely felt them. All I wanted to feel at the moment was the adrenaline rush. On impulse, I pulled up hard and flew up as high as I could, about 30-40 feet, before careening back to the ground. I met the ground with my face but I couldn’t feel the impact, just the feeling of a solid barrier, kinda like a gas. Oh wait…

I laid there and glanced at my health bar. “Fuck! Well so much for energy saving.” My health bar had dropped to the levels I had when I started out. 'I have to be more careful or else I'm going to die quickly. Maybe if I could complete some achievements and try to extend my energy endurance? Okay, new list!'

1. Level up/increase endurance

2. Find Civilization and try to make friends

3. Find monsters or info about monsters

4. Get weapon

5. Get off island

6. ???

7. Profit

Content with my new list of priorities, I began to make my way to a place I could make a shelter when I heard some movement nearby. I moved toward the sound as stealthily as I could. I sneaked past some bushes to come face to face with an animal. It was a zebra that wore gold rings like the African tribes and had a crew cut Mohawk on its head. I noticed it had a mark on its ass (flank?) that looked like a pair of tribal drums. We stared at each other in bewilderment for about a minute. I decided to break the silence first and opened my mouth, “Sup.”

I noticed the Zebra’s eyes bulge a bit and he began to run away screaming.

First Contact (3)

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“Was it something I said?” I said as I watched the zebra galloped away yelling his head off. Something clicked in mind as the zebra ran. ‘A zebra is usually considered prey and any predators on this island may attack the zebra due to the noise it’s making. I don’t know about the local predators, so there’s a chance that whatever eats them could also eat me.’

…

‘I’d be damned if I was going to let myself get killed because of a stupid zebra.’

I flew forward and quickly caught up with it. Using my claws I grabbed the zebra’s hind legs. The zebra fell to the ground dazed. I used the moment to secure the body in my grip before I lifted it up into the air and brought its face up to me. The zebra kept thrashing in my grip, its eyes practically bulging out of their sockets, desperate to get away. I couldn’t blame him considering my appearance. Hell, I would probably do the same thing in his spot.

‘God, his squirming is getting on my nerves now.’ It’s not easy holding up a horse. Luckily he wasn’t very heavy, but still. I was about to smack him when he did the most unbelievable thing. He began to talk

“Don’t eat me! I never did anything wrong! So I lied about breaking my mom’s favorite pot. It was just a lie I made on the spot! Pleasedon’teatme! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleeeaaaassseee!” He bawled. I could tell he was about to shit himself, and virtual reality or not, I didn’t want to know what zebra crap felt like. I had to calm him down. Fast.

I did the only thing I could at the time. I shook him like a ragdoll while yelling, “Will you SHUT UP!” He stopped talking but he was still shaking in fear. “Thank you. First off, unless you give me a good reason, I’m NOT going to eat you. Okay?” The zebra gave a skeptic look, not believing my words, “and secondly, YOU CAN TALK!?”

The zebra gave me a look of confusion and indignation, “Of course I can talk! I’m not some colt who just learned to walk and what makes you think I’ll believe you? Every word you say is far from true.” he said angrily. The way he spoke was weird, like he was talking in two languages at once but one was muffled, plus it had a heavy African accent. It would make sense since it was a zebra talking.

‘Racist.’ I sighed, “Okay then, let’s make a deal. You give me what I want and I won’t eat or severely hurt you. Hmm?”

The zebra looked at me suspiciously, “What exactly do you require? I want to know what you desire.”

I laughed darkly, “Well, for starters, I want to see the entire world burn, but right now I need information.” If was going to be stuck on an island, I may need a local to tell me what’s what and what’s where.

The zebra shrunk back at my burning comment but perked at my request for information. “What knowledge from me do you seek? There is not much I could possibly know, so to speak.”

I smirked and got in close to his face, “You’d be surprised at what I can find out.” I said softly enough to make him listen. I pulled back and returned to normal volume, “I want to know a pace where I can see the entire island but it must be out of the sun.”

He looked at me dumbfounded, “That’s it? Just that little bit?”

“Eeyup.”

He pondered my offer for a while before replying, “Okay, I shall do as you say.”

“Good choice,” I muttered, “Now, I would like to know your name so I don’t have to keep calling you zebra.”

“Swift Grass is my name, though my speed isn’t quite the same.”

‘Swift Grass? Sounds fitting for a tribal name. Speaking of which, if there’s one zebra here, where’s the herd?’ I thought. "I'm Gunhaver." I decided to use my gamertag as my name in this world. “Well Swift, I’m going to put you down now and don’t try to run, since I can easily catch you.”

He nodded meekly. I set him down, still ready to catch him if he decided to bolt. I don’t like to take chances. “Now where is this view point that you know of and no tricks. I don't take kindly to those.”

Swift nodded again, “We have a plant called the Sky tree. From there, everything you’ll see.” With that, he started off into the trees. As I followed him, a message appeared in the top of my vision:

Achievement unlocked: First Contact- gained 20 XP

“Hey, earlier you seemed like you know quite a bit about Night Shades, why?” We had been trekking through the forest for the past ten minutes in silence. It gave me plenty enough time to come up with some potential questions.

“A foals tale it be, a creature like you to eat me. From Tatarus you come to feed, our life energy you need. But with the sun rise, you hide or receive a nasty surprise.” Swift Grass said darkly.

'Tatarus, eh? This must be a Greek era based world. That explains a lot. I'm going to have to brush up on my mythology when I can.' I thought.

“So what do you do in your tribe? You don’t look strong enough to be a fighter.” I gibed.

The zebra gave a flash of irritation, “An apprentice to the shaman elder I am, to be a shepherd to the lamb. I also brew potions to drink and tell stories that make you think. But my true talent is my mark, to play our tribe’s dances is my spark.”

“Interesting.” A nagging thought popped up in my mind, “Do all zebras rhyme or is it just you?”

The zebra stopped and gave me a confused look, like I just sprouted an extra head. “What do you mean I speak in rhyme? I speak normally all the time.”

I facepalmed, “You’re speaking in rhyme right now! How do you not notice this?!” Either this guy was just so used to rhyming that he didn’t notice it or he was just really oblivious.

“The only thing I notice is the way you talk. You speaking fluent Zebrican was quite a shock.”

I tried to from a response, my mouth opening and closing several times before I groaned and threw my hands up in frustration. Swift Grass just took up the lead in silence again. I tried to understand how we could understand each other even though we each thought the other was speaking our language. The argument in my kept going in circles until I was completely confused to the point I was surprised I was still upright. I desperately tried to find something to distract my mind.

“So what were you doing before I found you?” It seemed like a good conversation starter. Plus I was a bit curious as to why he was so far from home.

“Collecting herbs for medicines I was tasked. Of this, my teacher and elder asked.”

“Oh? What kinds of medicines?” I asked. 'Maybe I could squeeze a couple from him. You never know when you could get sick or hurt. Wait, can I get sick?'

“Brews for fevers, stings, rashes and more. This is why we must maintain our store. If somepony came down with the flu, then we’ll be ready with a healthy stew.” He explained.

I thought for a second. “Hmmm, after we get to this Sky Tree, maybe I could help you gather some of these plants. Y’know as thanks for helping me.” Maybe I could find some useful poisons as well.

Swift’s brow furrowed and he bit his lip for a moment before replying, “You are strange for a Shade, to be so quick to offer me aid.”

“Just because I look evil doesn’t mean I am completely. I thought you were a stupid horse trying to get me killed until you started talking.”

Swift gave me a hard glare, “I'm going to ignore that, though I will say you are as ugly as a vampire bat.” he retorted.

“I've been called worse.” I said smugly

We continued on in silence for about hour or so before stopping at our destination. Swift Grass wasn’t kidding about it being a tall tree. This thing was fucking huge. I guessed its height at about a hundred twenty meters, give or take a few.

Swift gestured to the tree, “Here’s the tree as I said, from the top you’ll see your path ahead.”

“Thanks.” I floated towards the tree, ready to climb. Then I looked back at Swift, who was sitting there watching me anxiously. 'Wait a minute,' I thought, 'that little bastard's trying to get rid of me so he can make a run for it. Heh, clever but not clever enough.' I went back over to Swift, “Have you ever seen the view from up there before?” I asked, pointing a thumb up at the top.

“No. Why should I try? I don’t have wings so I could never fly.” His hurried tone made it evident he wanted me to leave, but I'm not that easy to get rid of.

“There's a first time for everything.” I said and before he could react, I leaped toward him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Swift kicked and protested as I turned around and climbed my way up the tree on the shaded side, using my claws to give myself purchase in the thick bark.

I did rock climbing before at the local gym and to do it now without legs feels really weird, but it felt natural to use my claws to propel me upwards from branch to branch. I made sure to keep Swift out of arm's reach of any branches as I climbed. I felt Swift tense up in my grip and I glanced to see that he had curled up into the fetal position and started to mutter prayers under his breath.

A cruel grin made its way onto my face. I held Swift out at arm's length and let my arm drop before jerking it back up as I shouted, “Saved your life!” Swift screamed in fear at the sudden movement. When he realized what happened, he glared harshly at me.

“Your humor has poor taste, if you think it funny to turn me to paste. As I wish to avoid such pain, I ask that you not do that again.”

“What? You mean this?” I said feigning innocence, as I sadistically gave Swift another jerk.

“YES, THAT!” He yelled desperately.

“Yes?” I said in mock ponder, “Yes. Do it. Okay!” I gave Swift several more jerks while he kept protesting. Once I got that out of my system I continued up, carrying a limp, nauseous Zebra.

I soon reached a limb near the top that would support both our weight (or at least Swift’s weight) and was in the shade before stopping. I set Swift down on the limb, he immediately clutched it for dear life, eyes shifting from the ground below to closing, and I went out to take in the view.

The ground before me was spread out like a canvas. The jungle below was a plethora of different shades of green. Beyond it to the north was a grassy plain; I could barely see a patch of brown dots which I assumed was the Zebra tribe’s home. There was a small clump of rocky hills to the south and off to the east, I thought I could see a hint of another island but I wasn’t sure if it was a mirage or not. I lost focus on updating my map and wanted to stare at the sight before me. I never traveled much but when I did, I went to places with a good view (and a nerd convention nearby).

Achievement Unlocked: Bird’s Eye View- gained 20 XP

I glanced back at Swift and smacked his head, “Dude, you’re missing one hell of a view here.”

He stayed clutched to his spot, eyes clenched shut. “I would love to see the sight, but I have discovered my fear of height.” He said before losing his breakfast over the side.

I recoiled at the sight, “Dude, that's gross. But, hey, suit yourself.” I continued taking in the scenery before me.

After a few minutes, I tapped Swift on the shoulder, “Hey, I’m gonna take a better view around. Try not to fall.” I snickered. He clung onto his branch for dear life but this time he kept his eyes closed. I moved around the tree, sticking to cover to get a good view of the rest of the island.

‘Looks good for an island. I could make my base somewhere in the jungle or find a cave in the hills. Hmm, maybe I could find some gems to sell later? I may need the money to buy stuff.’

I continued to enjoy the view before me while making plans on places to hit. The sun dropped in the sky, nearing the horizon when Swift spoke, “It’s time to descend, I suspect. I still have my herbs to collect.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Hold up, let me get over there.” I said as I began to make my way back up.

I was only a few branches away when a shriek pierced the air. The two of us looked up to see a bird-pony hybrid (it looked suspiciously like a harpy) drop out of the sky and fall straight towards Swift Grass, hunger apparent in its eyes.

“Oh no, you don’t.” I raced towards Swift to try to pull him out of the way but the harpy reached him a split second before me and tore him off the branch as I barely grabbed his leg. The three of us flew gracelessly into the air; I could feel the sun burning me, though the pain wasn’t as intense as before. The harpy looked down and glared at me as if I was trying to steal his meal before giving us a shake.

Unfortunately, my grip wasn’t as strong as I thought and I went plummeting towards the ground.

Angry Birds and Stupid Pigs (4)

View Online

“Son of a BIIIIIIIIIIITCCH!” I yelled as I fell to the canopy below. The ground was a lot farther than when I was up in the tree but that didn’t stop it from happily rushing to meet me. I crashed through the branches and leaves, cursing and muttering all the way down.

“Ow. Watch it. Coming through. That was my face! Gonna need stitches for that. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY BRANCHES?!” After what seemed like an hour, I finally reacquainted the ground with my face. It was quite a touching reunion.

Achievement Unlocked: Long way down- gained 10 XP

You are now at level two

‘Don’t patronize me.’ I thought as I laid there. The recent memory flashed through my mind and I felt the anger rise in me.

“That harpy is so dead.” I whispered to myself as I began to plan its horrible demise. Call me possessive, but I absolutely hate it when people take my stuff without asking. A bully tried to take a book of mine in middle school and I almost got him sent to the hospital.

I flipped myself over and stood up, dusting myself off and checking for any damages. Surprisingly, I was unharmed, though my health meter dropped a bit but I felt a bit stronger as well. ‘Maybe it’s from the level up?’ Once I was done, my vision blurred and a screen appeared before me.

New Quest: Fowl Play

Rescue Swift Grass from clutches of the harpy before he gets eaten.

Bonus XP Challenges:

Complete quest in 10 minutes-15 XP

Do not let zebra get harmed-20 XP

Reward- Unknown

Accept/Decline

“Unknown reward? And why is there a decline option? Whatever, as long as I can kill the harpy.” I hit the accept option and the screen disappeared. I noticed a green dot on my mini map that appeared and began to move. It had to be Swift Grass, but I couldn’t hope to catch them at that speed.

But that didn’t stop me from trying. I turned myself around and took off in the direction of the dot. I was a blur as I raced past the trees, using my claws to cut away the underbrush that attempted to block my path. Keeping an eye on the path ahead, I glanced at my mini map to see it was updated from the view point on the tree. The dot was moving towards the rocky outcrop from before, possibly the nest’s location.

I picked up my speed, even using my claws to propel me forward at this point. The clock now had about eight minutes left and counting. Each disappearing second urging me forward even more. I reached the tree line and had to stop before I left the safety of the shade. I looked to the skies where the dot would be and saw a winged speck coming in for a landing deep in the outcrop. I searched the terrain for any feasible shade from the setting sun but didn’t find much.

'Okay Gunhaver, think! We have a hostage kept deep in potentially hostile territory. You have no weapon and there’s not much shade to get you across safely. What other options do you have?'

Scanning…

Scan complete. One potential solution found. Open file?

…

Use magic.

I faceplamed at the obvious solution. ‘Of course! Why can’t I use magic to solve all my problems? Except, how do I use it? Wait, Erebus said something about remembering Latin. That might be the key. Thank god for Harry Potter and my college English professors!’ I had to cut my celebration short seeing I only had seven minutes left and I had a long way to go.

Glancing at my health, I knew I needed a spell that got me there quick but didn’t consume much energy. 'Probably a speed spell would work best here; I’ll work on teleportation later. Okay a word for speed…not velocity…can’t use quick…how about accelerate? Accelerate... similar to accelerando (thank you band nerds), so the root would have to be…accelero? It'll have to do.'

I put myself on the ground in a runner’s stance, eyes focused on the winged speck that just disappeared behind some rocks. I cleared my mind and took a few deep breaths before yelling “Accelero.”

Achievement Unlocked: Alright, I wanna cast a spell- gained 20 XP

I felt a bit of fatigue but the world blurred past me as I sped forward like a rocket. I jumped from cover to cover making my way to the harpy’s nest on my map. I felt the sun’s rays on my back and, strangely enough, it only felt like I got a light sunburn. 'Maybe the sun’s position affects the damage it does to me?' I thought idly.

After weaving past several hills, the entrance to the nest came into view. It was perched in a large alcove high on the hill. The nest itself was made of a menagerie of materials. I could see the harpy toss Swift into the nest and watch its prey squirm like a cat toying with a mouse. Fortunately, it was too distracted to see me reach the bottom of the hill and begin my ascent, but it also worked against me as I wanted its attention off of Swift. Luck is funny like that.

I let the speed spell dissipate and grabbed a good sized rock. Giving it a good once-over in my hands, I chucked it at the harpy’s head. The rock flew through the air and it connected with its target in the back of the head. The harpy tore its gaze from Swift, looking for the offender who harmed it. Its eyes locked onto me and it stared me down, judging as if I was worth its time.

“Hey bitch, remember me?” I don’t know if it understood me or if it had already made up its mind, but when I flipped a double middle finger at it, it jumped at me. It crashed into me and we both went tumbling to the bottom of the hill. Along the way, I took the liberty of scratching it up as much as I could in its vital areas. We hit the bottom and jumped away from each other. We stood there, pacing around in a circle waiting for the other to make the first move. I took note of potential attacks it could use: air assault, leap attack, tackle, or an unknown ability. I made a quick plan for each attack it could use, taking variables into account. We stopped , the harpy flared its wings and pawed the ground, I lowered my body and flexed my claws.

Some rocks tumbled to the side. The harpy took the signal and made the first move, leaping forward, using its wings for additional speed. I let it come at me, ready to embrace it and enact my adrenaline-fed battle plan. I jumped back and let it chase me into the shadow of a large boulder.

“Toro, toro.” When it was close, I dropped into the shadow like it was water and the harpy crashed into the rock, dazing itself. “Ole!”

I took advantage of the moment, knowing that my tactic probably wouldn’t work again, and grabbed it around the neck. As I was about to bite, I felt something collide with my face hard enough to loosen my grip on the harpy.

“Huh? The fuck was that?” I said once I gained enough coherence. I felt the harpy stir under me and suddenly take to the sky. “Oh, shit!” The harpy flew around, performing loops, twists and dives to shake me off. If I wasn’t fighting for my life at the moment, this would be the best rollercoaster ever. Of all time. I glanced at my clock and saw I that had ran out of time. I was disappointed at myself, since I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to missions and challenges, but now I didn’t have to worry about it anymore so I could take some time for this.

“Giant Harpy to ground control. We’re coming in for a landing. Over. Roger that, you’re good and clear.” I acted to myself before grabbing the harpy’s head and forcing it to face the ground. The harpy resisted but it soon changed direction and went careening into the ground. We hit the ground with the grace of a fat man off a diving board and I got to be the one between the fat man and the water.

'Apparently physical attacks don't affect me in this form. Good thing too, otherwise that would be so painful right now.' I thought as I crawled out from under it and looked at the harpy. It was breathing slowly so it was probably out cold.

'Damn, these birds are tough or I’m that weak. Seriously gotta train when this is over.' I noticed my health bar had dropped considerably since I used the spell. I glanced between the HUD and the harpy before giving an evil grin. 'What time is it? Feeding time!'

I opened my jaws and bit down on the harpy’s neck. I felt the life force flow into me and it was a lot more than what the coconut tree gave me. I felt myself be healed and energized enough to do a marathon and this time I watched the process unfold. The harpy’s thick flesh began to shrink like a deflated balloon, the skin becoming wrinkled and stretched over the bones. The feathers on its wings lost their color and began to fall off. The harpy’s mouth was opened in a wordless scream and its eyes dried up and fell back into the skull. The body shifted as it curled up into a fetal position and shrunk in size. After a few moments, I was done and the body was now a pile of bones held together by the barest of skin. If I hadn’t seen it (or eaten it) I would have said it was something out of an archaeological dig.

Scanning…

New form attained: Harpy

New spell: Trans Form- use to change into your different forms

Achievement Unlocked: Say Please...- gained 15 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Tastes like chicken- gained 20 XP

Achievement Unlocked: I didn’t train to be a pilot – gained 10 XP

Achievement Unlocked: The Matador- gained 5 XP

Combat multiplier: 3

Quest complete- earned 50 XP

1 / 2 Challenges completed – 20 Bonus XP

Additional XP: 70 XP

Total XP- 330 XP

Reward:

Nest contents

New weapon

You are now at level 3

I held my arms at my side and put on a tough face, “Fuck yeah.” I picked up the body and began to loot it out of curiosity to see what I could find. All I could really salvage from it were the eight bones that made up the arms and legs. I didn't know what to do with them, I just wanted a little trophy. I'd probably find a use for them later anyways.

I left the body and made my way back to the nest. My health bar was more than full, extended from the level up and the feeding. I now had a small, blue mana bar latched under the red one like a parasite. The icon of my form was flashing from my Base to the Harpy, indicating my new form. “Life is good right now.” I mused.

I rounded a bend and found Swift sliding down the hill and collapsing in a heap. I made my way to him as he tried to shakily stand. I picked him up and set him up straight, “You okay?” I asked.

Swift looked a his left foreleg, which he was holding up tenderly, “I may be a little worse for wear. I believe some of my muscles received a small tear.” He looked up at me, still holding his leg up, “You came to my rescue all the way from the tree, so I must ask, why did you come to help me?”

“A few reasons,” I said, “One, I'm not done with you yet, and two, I don't like it when others take things I'm using. Besides, I got some exercise and a meal out of it.”

Swift nodded slowly, trying to understand what I said. “I never thought I would say this but, thank you. I don't think I could fight off a harpy that appears out of the blue.” he said gratefully.

“Stop trying to get rid of me and we'll call it even.” I held out a hand. Swift sat back on his flank and put his good leg in my hand.

“Deal.” he said as we shook.

I broke it off, “Good, now I want to try something.” I said as I backed away, “Trans Form.”

The icon of my current form flashed and moved to the center of the screen. From it, came a web of empty circles except one, the harpy. “Harpy.” I said. The base icon flashed and the light traveled along the web to the harpy icon before flashing once and returning to its corner, the image now a harpy.

I felt myself begin to change like I was melted wax. It felt weird, not unpleasant, just weird. I dropped to all fours and my neck and face elongated while my arms and legs shortened. I felt two stiff rods jut out of my back, probably my wings, and my fingers retract into a fist. One of the strangest sensations was feeling the feathers grow out. They each started from my skin and just pulled itself out, like pinching and pulling taffy. After of few more moments of this, I finally stopped changing.

I took a look at myself and saw what I had felt. My upper body was that of a horse and from my midsection down, it was a bird’s body. My feet were now sharp eagle talons and my wings extended about my body length. I was still all black like before though, so camouflage wouldn’t work well except at night, though the intimidation factor would make up for it.

I reared up, kicking my forelegs in the air, “Fuck yeah, I look like a badass! Time to test these babies out!” I yelled before running up to the top of the hill to a high ledge. “Ready for take-off.” I ran forward and jumped off the ledge, stretching my back to get the wings out.

I was in the air for a second before immediately crashing face first into the ground. Unlike crashing in my Base form, I could actually feel the pain of my face meeting the ground. “...Ow.” I said. I righted myself up and saw Swift on the ground gasping for air and clutching his sides in laughter. “Oh, fuck you Swift.” I changed back to my Base form.

I was about to give him a piece of my mind when I noticed a strange looking rock out of the corner of my eye. “What's that?” I asked. Swift was still laughing so I asked again and he calmed down enough to look where I was pointing.

“I don’t know what it is, I swear. It had just appeared in the air.” He said as he limped over to the object. “While you were locked in your fight, its appearance was a strange sight.”

The object was a twisted stone shaped like an L. In the crook of it was a small hole that looked strangely familiar. “It couldn’t be…could it?” I picked up the rock and held the short end in my hand. As my grip tightened on it, glowing red cracks formed in the stone and quickly enveloped it, a black smoke rising from them. After a moment, the stone broke apart and fell to the ground, leaving my suspicions in my hand.

“What could it be? It look like a tool from what I could see.”

“It’s a M1911 semi-automatic pistol. It fires about seven .45 caliber bullets. More if you have the right parts. My brother gave me one as a graduation present when he was on leave from the Marines.” I raised the pistol up and loosely aimed at a nearby rock, my reticle, now four lines, didn’t come close together for precision. I frowned, ‘Looks like I’m going to have to increase my accuracy’. “This is my weapon.”

My brain stopped functioning at that last statement, “Wait a minute. This is my weapon? This cruddy little pistol?” I raised my head and waved my pistol as I yelled, “Erebus, you douchebag, what the hell?! You couldn't have given me some amazing sword or enchanted bow, at least? Why do I get a crappy weapon? You didn't even give me extra ammo for it either! This thing better have some good perks or I will personally hunt you down and whip you with this thing!”

Swift Grass gave me a concerned look, “I think it's time to go to bed. You don't seem alright in the head.”

I scowled, “I'm fine. Just fan-fucking-tastic. You go ahead and get back home. I'm going to stay here for the night.”

Swift nodded, “When comes the absence of light, there are thing that lurk in the night. Now, I must search for the herbs I need, but I also must return home with speed.” he said.

“Do what you want. I don’t care.” I turned to Swift, “So, see you tomorrow?”

Swift furrowed his brow, “I suppose so. I will be in the jungle at mid-morning, just so you know.”

“Good, I like to sleep in when I can.”

Swift nodded and then began to limp away. I went through my memory for a certain Latin word “Hey let me get that for you.” I said and I pointed at him, “Medico.”

A small orb of light flew from my fingertip and straight to the sprained leg. It touched the skin and then sunk into it, winking out of existence. Swift stared at his leg and put it down gently. He gave a small gasp and trotted around on his healed up leg. He looked up to me with a smile, “Thank you for healing my leg.”

I shrugged, “I just like things to be in top condition. Oh, and if anyone asks, nothing happened today. You just gathered your plants and saw no one.” If the villagers act the same way as Swift, I don’t want them knowing about me.

Swift gave a small nod, “I understand. Even if someone does beg, today was completely bland.” he said before galloping off into the evening.

I climbed back up to the nest and jumped in. I turned onto my back, and gazed at the darkened sky. The stars were coming out in full bloom tonight, probably due to little to no light pollution. The full moon hung in the sky like a huge silvery-white disk, lighting up the world with its glow. I reached the nest and searched it with the moonlight as aid. The nest didn’t yield much aside from bones, some gems and a couple accessories such as ribbons and clothes, even a bag. Deciding to investigate tomorrow, I rearranged the nest so that the morning sun wouldn’t burn me but just wake me instead. Satisfied with my quick building skills, I curled up and went to sleep.

‘Huh? Where am I?’ The space all around me was total blackness except for blue lines cutting out a grid network. Lights moved around in an orderly, yet chaotic, fashion, going in all different directions. I looked at myself to see I was human again.

“Enjoying yourself so far?” I shot up and looked at the voice. Erebus stood in front of me, hands behind his back, gazing down at me with an amused expression.

“Yeah, for the most part.” I said, “But I have two questions for you.”

He waved his hand, imploring me to go on. “Why the hell did you give me a pistol and why does Swift think I’m talking in his language?”

Erebus chuckled, “I’ll start with your second question as it is easier to explain. As a Night Shade you can understand and speak all languages, no matter how obscure or incomprehensible. After all, darkness is a universal language.”

“Huh? I’m confused now. Swift thought I was speaking his language and I thought he was speaking mine.”

“In a sense. If you were in a room with five other people who each spoke a different language, then you could understand everyone and vice versa, but they wouldn’t understand each other.”

“Oh, well so much for private chat.” I said, “Now about my weapon… “

“That’s no ordinary pistol.” Erebus smirked, “Your weapon is called an Omni-Rifle. It can change into four different weapon classes: Pistol, Assault, Sniper, and Heavy. You currently only have the pistol class, but as you level up your marksmanship, your accuracy will improve, the other classes will unlock and your weapon becomes more powerful.”

‘Yeah, I’m definitely training that skill. The Sniper rifle will be mine.’ I thought evilly.

“However, there are some draw backs to this weapon. First, only the pistol has unlimited ammo. Ammo for the other modes is finite and when empty, you must wait for your stock to replenish itself. Each mode takes a different amount of time to replenish its stock. Luckily, there is no limit to how much ammo you can carry but the Rifle operates like any other gun and must be reloaded frequently.”

“I can live with that.” I was starting to get a bit giddy with excitement.

“Secondly, when you picked up the Rifle, you formed a spirit bond with it. In layman’s terms, you can’t lose your weapon. Ever. You may get it knocked away from you, but it will return after a short time.”

‘Oh good. I don’t want to lose this weapon in a fight. That would suck balls, especially during boss fights.’

“And finally, you can’t kill other players or certain characters with it.”

‘Wait, what?’

“What do you mean by that?” I said with confusion and irritation. “This is bull crap! I wanna shoot people!”

Erebus’ face turned into a cold, disapproving frown as if I just insulted his ideas. He looked like a he could extinguish me with a snap of his fingers. I wanted to curl up out of fear but my body wouldn’t respond. My throat constricted and it started getting harder to breathe right now. “You will listen to me, boy. I said that you can’t kill them with your Rifle. However, as you and the other players are important to the game, certain characters are rather important to this world, despite how annoying some could be. Killing them is allowed but it is highly frowned upon by the other Game Masters. Also there are about four of my associates who go as royalty and the gods of this game’s world.

“If you wish to know who is who, remember this. Players will appear with a silver aura around them and VIP characters will appear with a gold aura around them. If you attempt to use your rifle on them, it will only fire red paintballs. Everyone else, however, will receive bullets. Understand?”

I let his words sink in. ‘So this game is friendly-fire proof, that’s good in case I accidently shoot an ally. But red paintballs? I could have some fun with that, especially when I get the sniper rifle. Plus if one of the players messes with me too much, I can always make his life in this game a living hell.’ I nod my head.

Erebus lightened up and I could feel myself breathe easier, taking deep breaths. “Now that you have started your journey in this game, I feel it’s appropriate to tell you some information regarding your situation.” He said with a smile.

I felt a dark chill go up my spine. “W-What do you mean?”

Erebus’ smile increased, as if he was laughing at a joke and I was the punch line. “For starters, this game simulator isn’t like others where you get in, play and get out. In here, the Game Masters choose players to go into the Game and when you come in, you stay in until you die.”

I narrowed my eyes, “What happens when I die?”

“Your mind is connected to the game, so when you die, your mind will perceive your death and you will fall into a temporary coma. Be warned, your safety is not guaranteed when you die in the game.” he explained flatly.

I fell on my ass in shock. My mind scrambled to formulate an explanation to what I was hearing but all that came up was, ‘What…the…fuck?’ I grabbed my head as if it could keep it from exploding from the pressure. My thought’s raced, ‘I can’t get out? I could go into a coma? Why didn’t he say this before? Unless…this is more than just a beta testing.’ I looked up at Erebus with cool anger on my face.

“Anything else, you need to tell me?” I spat venomously.

Erebus just smiled again and tapped a finger against his chin. The casual gesture made me hate him even more. “Well, I suppose there is one thing, but it’s not that important.”

“Tell me.” I needed all the information I could get.

“What do you know about the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?”

I honestly wasn’t expecting that answer. “Well, I have a friend who was interested in it and talked about it a lot. I tolerated him, but mostly because he could kick my ass half the time in a Deathmatch game.”

“You’d better recall what he said. This entire world was based off the show.”

“…what?” I said dumbly.

“We needed a template for the Game and this one seemed the most entertaining.” Erebus smiled, “Now I’m afraid our time is up. Goodbye.” He snapped his fingers and the world turned black.

S.S.D.D. (5)

View Online

I blinked my eyes open and sat up. I looked to see that it was about an hour until sunrise from the light tinge on the horizon. It was still pretty dark but I could see like it was daylight. I was already wide awake, so I went through my morning routine popping all my bones which I somehow accomplished despite my Base form being a spirit. As I was doing that, everything from yesterday came rushing back to me.

“Goddammit.” I muttered, “What the fuck did I get myself into? I should've at least asked more details about this game, maybe look at the fine print in the contract. Then again, he probably would've hid those details from me anyways.” I kicked at the nest in anger, but my foot couldn't make contact because it was a mist at the moment. It just made me more frustrated.

I sighed, “Deep breaths. Meditate.” I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. I held up two fingers in front of my chest. It was a specialized technique I had developed based off of some stress relief books a few movies and TV shows and some mangas I read. I called it The Candle. I took a deep breath and focused all my rage on the tips of my fingers like a candle flame. When it was all together, I held it there for a moment as my anger dissipated.

“Much better. Now what do I know?” I scoured my memory for any useful information. “Fact: if I die in the game, I could possibly die in real life. I'm going to have to level grind like hell and make sure that doesn't happen then. I may have to get as high as I can here before I move on to more difficult regions.” I said to myself.

“Fact: this game is based off a little girl’s show that grown men watch.” I frowned slightly, “It definitely explains why Swift was able to talk and will probably explain any other pony species I meet. Surprisingly, it hasn't been too bad...yet.” I snorted, “I'll tolerate it for now, but the second I hear about some magical artifact about love, friendship or some cliché idea...it won't end well. What else…”

I listed off the facts I knew and the more I did it, the more I wondered what else Erebus had hidden from me. I began to formulate my plan to survive in the game, taking in every variable I could think of. When I glanced again at the sun, it was starting to peek over the horizon. “Time to get moving. I better start practicing that new form.” I jumped out of the nest and slid to the base of the hill.

“Trans Form Harpy.” I shifted into my harpy form. It still felt weird to have wings on my back, or be a harpy for that matter.

‘If I’m going to be a flying creature, now would be a good time to start learning how to fly. It’ll come in handy for midair transformations.’ I thought. I began flexing my back muscles, slowly opening and closing my wings to get the feel of it. I did this for a good half hour or so to get used to the feeling. Once that was down, I held them open and moved them in a circular motion to find the range of it for about another half hour.

I gave few test flaps but gravity decided that I wouldn’t be flying just yet. “Ah well,” I said, dusting myself off, “I can work on that later. What else can I do?” My mind wandered to the harpy’s nest. “I guess I could try to loot it.” I scrambled back up the hill and stepped into the nest.

Apparently, the harpy was a collector because there were a lot of different objects scattered throughout the nest. I pulled out some rough fabric that was the bedding and fashioned it into a small satchel by making a few cuts here and there. After that I began stuffing it full of anything I could use while making a mental account.

‘An emerald, two sapphires, and a ruby, some fabric strips, and some small bones.’

Satisfied, I secured the bag around my neck and jumped out to the base of the hill. Out of curiosity, I went back to the spot I left the harpy corpse. As I rounded the hill, I saw that the body was missing. I crept closer to the spot the body had laid and, using all the crime solving skills I learned from CSI, I could not find a trace of the body being dragged away. Dismissing it as the game mechanics, I turned away and made my way to the shade of the jungle trees.

Meanwhile, a figure hid behind a boulder cursing softly. "Damn I thought he wasn't coming back." He pulled out his notebook and flipped through the pages. "Something's changed..."He snapped the book shut, "Hopefully he'll think it's just the game mechanics." He opened his notebook again, "Speaking of which, I need to oil the squeaky door in the Luna's bathroom."

At the tree line, I figured it would be a good time to start practicing my skills. I went into stealth mode, my reticle turning into the faded eye from Oblivion, and crept from cover to cover searching for Swift.

I trekked across the jungle quietly, my sneak skill slowly increasing the entire way. After about an hour, I found a blip on my map. I headed towards it and it turned out to be Swift picking some plants and stuffing them in his saddlebag. I dove into the tree’s shadow and waited for him to get closer. Once he was close enough, I reached out and grabbed his leg. “Gotcha!” He yelped and jumped several feet in the air, almost dropping his bag. I rolled on the floor trying to catch my breath from laughing so hard.

“You gave me quite the scare for me to jump so high into the air.” He scowled at me. I calmed myself down enough to talk somewhat coherently.

“Sorry, …but it…was too good…to resist.” I barked out.

Swift still scowled but I could see some grudging amusement in his eyes. “Well now that you’re here, we have plants to find. I must make up for yesterday. The Elder has put me in a bind.”

I stopped laughing and got up. “What?” I asked seriously.

“Your appearance yesterday stopped my hunt. So you must help me, if I may be so blunt.” he deadpanned.

I thought about it, “Hmmm. One condition though,” I said, holding up a finger, “You have to show me any poisonous plants on this island. Specifically, Datura plants.”

Swift frowned and huffed, “Fine, if you can help me during the day, then that shall be your pay.”

I fist pumped, “Yes! Now let's go and find your stuff!”

-----------------------------------------------

“Uggghhh, I wonder if I can shoot myself just to pass the time?” I muttered. It had been a few days since I agreed to help Swift and I was beginning to regret it.

The whole thing was boring. Methodical, but boring. It didn't help any that most of the poisons that Swift could find had to be ingested for the effect to take place. The ones that didn't only had minor, annoying effects, like the Poison Joke.

The only plus was that I could practice my skills in my spare time.

One day, Swift and I were at a clearing, gathering more herbs. I picked up a rock and tossed it at a tree, “Carpe.” The rock halted in midair. “Retract” The rock flew back towards me. I barely caught it before it hit my face. Not that it could hurt me, I just did it out of reflex. I held up the rock facing away from me, “Depulso”

CRACK!

Achievement Unlocked: The Force Is Strong In This One- gained 25 XP

The rock shot away and embedded itself in the tree’s bark. I went over to pull it out, but failed when I couldn’t get a good grip on it. A notice popped p in my vision, telling me my magic ability has increased. I turned to see Swift stare at me in wonder.

“That is strange magic you use. Whoever fights you would surely lose.”

I chuckled, “Probably. Unless my enemy also uses magic or I miss my shot.” A thought occurred to me. If the power of one word could do that much damage…how about multiple words? I put together various words to try and picked the most interesting one first to test,“Hey, watch this. Deflect Lumen.” I saw Swift’s jaw drop to the ground at record speed. I looked down at myself and saw that I was invisible, or more like the light was bending around me. “Interesting. Very interesting.” I dropped the spell and returned to visibility. “Okay, that was cool.”

Achievement Unlocked: Now you see me…- gained 15 XP

Swift shook his head at it all and went back to picking the herbs. I went back to help him, when I started to feel a bit hungry, probably from casting the spells. I wasn’t in desperate need seeing that my health bar was still fairly big, but I guess it was the human part of me that was craving food. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I going to get something to eat.” Swift nodded and returned to his work. Time to go hunting.

I searched the area, keeping Swift’s dot on my map and moving from shadow to shadow. I climbed through the trees searching for any critters but to no avail. I moved around quietly, but I couldn’t find much of anything.

'Why the hell can't I find anything?' I thought. After about fifteen minutes, all I found was some lizards and a bird with a broken wing. It was a good snack but I needed something more. I remembered watching some survivor shows and how they caught food. I pulled out a bone from my bag and a stone from the ground and began to whittle away at it, fashioning it into a knife.

When the knife was done, I went over to a nearby stream and waited. I crept along the banks until I found what I was looking for. A small group of fish swam by in the water, unaware of their impending doom.

“Here fishy fishy.” I whispered as if it would bring in the fish closer. I lifted my knife and aimed for the biggest one of the group. I struck and stabbed the fish, my knife going all the way through. The other fish scattered but this one stayed flopping on my knife. I took a bite and enjoyed a satisfying lunch.

I returned to the clearing Swift was in and stopped, Swift was digging up the roots to some orange plant but was oblivious to the massive Black Mamba right above him, sizing him up and waiting for the right moment to strike.

I pulled out my gun. “Swift. Don’t. Move.” I said carefully. He looked at me with confusion seeing me pull put my weapon, my eye on the target above him.

Curiosity got the better of him and he traced my eye sight to above him, where he could see the giant snake, about to strike. He panicked and ran but the snake had struck, biting him on the neck.

New quest:

Save Swift from dying

Reward- 50 XP, increased magic abilities

Accept/Decline

…

Accept

“Shit!” I took aim and fired at the snake, placing each bullet in the snake’s body, careful not to hit Swift. I pulled out my knife, stabbing it the head of the snake and consuming the body for good measure. Swift laid on the jungle floor, twitching and jerking, blood flowed out of the bite wounds on his neck.

The lifeless bodies strewn across the ground. The blood seeping out of them slowly. I stood by and watched.

I snapped out of the memory and found myself kneeling on the ground, my hands clutching my head. “NO! Dammit! I don't want to remember!” I yelled. I repressed the memories and looked up to see Swift was hardly moving now. “Shit! I gotta do something!” I rushed over to Swift's side.

“Swift! Do you have a cure for this?” I spouted out. I am NOT going to stand by and lose him.

Swift shook his head, tough I could barely tell from his jerking. I grabbed my head in frustration, “Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!” Without a cure to purify the blood stream, Swift would die soon. I jerked my head at the thought.

Purify the blood stream.

Purify the blood

Purify blood

Loading…

Load complete…

I placed both my hands on the bite wound and yelled, “Pura Sanguis!” A flash of white emanated from my palms and extended into the wound. Swift’s body seized up as it touched and shook almost imperceptibly. After a minute, the light stopped, but he was still bleeding.

Swift started breathing normally and I was feeling out of breath. My mana bar was nearly depleted from the last spell and I felt hungry again since I used my recently consumed energy.

Quest Complete- earned 50 XP, magical abilities increased

My mana bar refilled and extended itself a bit. I looked over at Swift, “That’s twice I’ve saved your ass. I’m going to stick to you like glue if this keeps happening.” I said, control seeping back into my voice. 'Fucking universe can never give me a break.'

I got up, taking out some of the strips of cloth and wrapped it around his neck like a tourniquet, taking care not to choke him. I silently thanked my brother for teaching me about combat medicine.

“We’re going to have to get you back to your home now. You’re in no condition to keep gathering ingredients.”

Swift struggled to get up but failed and laid back down, defeated, “Take me back home then, but keep out of sight. I don’t want you to give the tribe a fright.”

“Of course not.” I picked him up and placed him under my arm. I flew back to the tree line gently so as to not reopen the wound. It took the better part of an hour and a few wrong turns but we made it to the grasslands safely. I stood on the edge of the shade watching for any movement.

“Aquila Oculus” My eyes blurred and the huts in the distance zoomed towards me. 'God I love magic.' I scanned the village to see many zebras out and about, going about their daily tasks. I noticed that the houses looked more or less the same, small abodes made of dried mud and grass.

I cut off the spell and shook Swift, “Hey which house is yours?”

Swift blinked his eyes open and looked around blearily, “Let me go. I'm strong enough to walk you know.” he said.

“You sure?” I asked. I set him down when he nodded. He stood shakily but stayed on his feet.

“Thank you for your aid. May you stay safe in the shade.” Swift began to walk off.

“I'm not leaving yet. Deflect Lumen.” I turned invisible and came up next to Swift. “I'm going to see you get the rest of the way home.”

Swift turned to my voice and raised an eyebrow, “What is with this concern? Your reasons to help me I cannot discern.”

I looked away, not answering immediately. “I don't wanna talk about it.” I said flatly.

Swift shrugged and continued forward. I hovered behind him, occasionally checking all around for any potential threats.

We reached the village outskirts where Swift suddenly stopped. I took the moment to look at the village. Zebras trotted around everywhere, foals ran around with sticks in their mouths playing some sort of game, their parents working on making food or something. It was something you’d find in a small African village. The resemblance was actually kinda cute. Nothing really feminine about it at all.

Swift spoke, not turning his head, “This is where you must leave. I can make it back to my home, I believe.”

I frowned. There was something about Swift's tone that he was hiding something. “Are you sure?” I asked.

“Shhh!” he said, “I have made it this far and I don't want the tribe to know what you are.”

I thought about it. 'Seems legit. Probably wouldn't be good to scare off the locals...yet.' I dropped my voice to a whisper and spoke into Swift's ear, “Fine by me. I'll meet you at the Sky Tree clearing later.”

Swift walked on and I headed back for the tree line. When I got to there, something stepped out from the bushes and almost gave me a heart attack. It was a withered old zebra covered in colorful, beaded necklaces and bracelets, smoking on a pipe and staring off into the distance. I looked closer to see that his eyes were glazed over. He was blind and hopefully hard of hearing as I crept past him and deep into the jungle.

-------------------------------------------

I dropped the spell a a minute after I hit the trees and made my way back to the nest. It was now mid-afternoon and I already had a hell of a day. I stopped at a small clearing to catch my breath. With my returning breath came all the emotions that I had been repressing.

“AAHHH!!!” I curled my fist and punched the nearest tree out of rage. The tree shook a little but the nearby animals all ran from my voice, feeling my rage. I stood there, breathing deeply and practicing The Candle, but it still left me shaking.

“Come on, it’s just a video game. It’s not real. He’s just an NPC. They’re a dime a dozen.” I assured my self.

But it was too real. The feel of his blood. His jerking body.

“It wasn’t real. It’s an advanced simulator that gave the illusion such realism.”

Your only friend in this world almost died. All because you were reckless enough to leave him alone. You know the laws of the universe. You remember what happened last time you did this?

“Don't remind me.” I growled.

You knew there could have been a possibility but you still left him. You’re lucky you were able to save him. Unlike the last time.

“Shut up! I don't want to remember that!” I shouted, punching the tree again. “Besides, this place isn’t real. Why should I even care? I could watch it burn and sit back with a lawn chair and some popcorn for the show!”

Are you sure? How do you know that this isn’t real? The pain from the sun, the feedings, the sights, the sounds, the sensations…can you deny them as being the makings of computer animation?

“Well…technology and animation have become a lot more advanced recently.” I answered weakly. I sighed, “…Why am I arguing with myself? I guess it was just from today’s events.”

I never liked to be really emotional, aside from having fun. Emotions usually got in the way of things, muddling judgment and such. I always bottled up my emotions until the job was done, but sometimes the bottle didn’t hold it all or it broke from the pressure.

I sat under the shade and meditated until I could calm myself down. Once I had fully calmed down, I noticed that the sun had dropped considerably. With my mental ranting now out of my system, I could think much more clearly. I began to plan. I had to be better. I had to become faster. I had to get stronger. I know what I needed to do. And with that thought I made for the rocky hills with a new determination driving me.

Slaughter the world SPOOF

View Online

A Mare with a yellow coat and a brown mane and tail trotted along with a small colt beside her and one in a saddlebag. They stop in the road and the colt looks toward a bush with a butterfly on it. Suddenly an ebony long hand bursts out and grabs the colt’s face. There was a flash and the mare looked down to see just a leg left of the colt, the bone protruding from the end. She gives a yelp and a dark misty creature came out singing.

“Excitement abounds. I almost can’t wait!” He brings her close, “Relax, I don’t want your baby I already ate.”

He pulled the foal out of the bag, “Though I do tend to generally kill, kill things that” He tosses the baby aside, the mare chasing it, “don’t fight back.”

Gunhaver comes upon a picturesque village with the name of Ponyville, “I see this village. What does it hold? What shall I butcher them with fire or cold?” His hands lit up respectively.

A brown stallion saw him and ran away yelling. “Coming from me, sure you’ll think, ‘He’s a pathological, homicidal, bloodthirsty maniac!” Gunhaver sang as he melted several nearby ponies’ faces off.

Fluttershy came by with several pets in tow. Gunhaver gazed at her and pointed at her pets, “I kill kittens and puppies and bunnies.” Each one exploding in a fountain of blood. Fluttershy’s eyes turned to pinpricks as the blood covered her.

Gunhaver went over to the school house. Colts and fillies of different ages played in the yard. Gunhaver picked up two random ones by their heads. “I maim toddlers and teens and then more.” The children turned to ash.

Gunhaver skipped over to Sugarcube Corner where Mr. and Mrs. Cake were minding the counter. “You see a wife, I see a widow.” Gunhaver ripped Mr. Cake’s head off and tossed it to her, “but what then? Can’t you see? I’d kill four.”

Gunhaver stood in the town square, “I want to incinerate and decapitate. I want to melt, want to melt some faces.” He ripped the faces off of Flitter and Cloudchaser and floated to the nearby grave yard.

“Watching the peasant, Oh what do they call it? Ah, grieve.” He walked away and casually tossed a fireball at the weeping ponies.

Gunhaver picked up a small puppy, “I suppose being undead, there’s not much to life. A soul is needed for loving, feeling. How does this not make me, oh what’s the word?” He dropkicked the puppy straight to Appleoosa, “Heave.”

Gunhaver set a home aflame revealing the ponies hiding inside, “You’ve nowhere to hide,” The ponies run in to the tree library, which suffered the same fate. “You’ve nowhere to run. Your village will burn like the heart of the sun!” Gunhaver’s hand were covered in fire, “With infinite glee, it’s going to be me that slaughters the wooorld.”

Gunhaver Stood next to some ponies, holding AppleJack, “How can I stare into these eyes and then not stab them?” He took two fingers and gouged her eyes out. He held them up in front of his own, “How can I glare at their loss and then not laugh.” He squished the eyes and brought Big Mac up and drew a blade against his throat.

“I’d cut him in half and then I’d graft his head back onto his shoulders. Or after I’d lop it” which he did, “I’d make a puppet, on top of a stave” He placed Mac’s head on a stick.

Mayor mare spoke in Gun’s voice, “I am a lord that is sometimes bored.” Gunhaver’s arm appeared below the neck, his hand inside the skull. “Have some urges and need to fulfill them.” He pulled her head off his hand and held it.

“After my mayhem I simply don’t, what’s the word? Care!” He tossed the head over his shoulder and kicked it away into a pile of heads behind him. The town square was now the center of destruction, with bodies lying about in mangled poses in interesting forms of death, and ponies locked up awaiting their fate.

“The stench in the air, the smell of the gore, a carnage far greater than any war!” His fist raised to the sky. He sighed and lowered it, “My legacy. Death becomes me. I’ll slaughter the world.”

High above, Rainbow Dash was performing a stunt when she was suddenly zapped by lightning and she corkscrewed down into the ground.

My First Dungeon (6)

View Online

I looked around the clearing. It was a large depression set in deep in the stone hills. Small rock pillars littered the area, making it look like a tower balancing contest. Many had been shattered or toppled.

“Targets at thirty, seventy, hundred forty, two hundred twenty and three hundred thirty degrees.“ I muttered calculatingly, “Wind speed is irrelevant. Marking possible vectors and trajectories....marked. Let's rock.” I whipped out my pistol and fired the first three shots at the targets in front of me as I jumped to the left.

Two of the towers were obliterated while another was clipped by the bullet, causing it to shake and eventually fall. I turned and fired at the last two towers. They suffered a similar fate.

Marksmanship level increased- gained silencer (Umbra)

I stared at the carnage I had wreaked upon the defenseless stones and sighed, “It's not enough. I need something more than stones to hit.”

It had been two days since the attack on Swift. I had been training my skills and practicing my magic and my abilities to extent. I had gotten as far as level four, now on the border of the next level up. It was a lot harder than I had thought to level up.

I noticed some movement above me and saw a sparrow sitting on top of and out crop, pecking at the ground. Out of boredom, I brought my pistol up and aimed at the bird. I fired the shot and the body disappeared in a puff of feathers. At least I had gotten the experience from it.

You are now at level five

You may now pick your class

Possible classes:

Nightblade- +10 Magic, +10 Speed

Battlemage- +10 Combat, +10 Magic

Assassin- +10 Stealth, +10 Marksmanship

I stared surprised at the sudden level up but didn't complain. I scrolled through each class description. The Nightblade was a cross between a mage and thief. Specialized in using spells and shadows for reconnaissance and dispatching targets. Battlemages was the cross between mages and warriors. It's specialties were for the players who like to get up close and personal. Assassin was just as it said. Stealthy and lethal at long range.

“Hmm, I already know combat from sparring with my brother and the martial arts clubs I joined, so Battlemage is a bust. That just leaves Nightblade and Assassin.” I mused. I went back and forth between the two classes' descriptions, weighing each value, “Magic and Speed I can easily level grind on the island here. But Marksmanship is going to be a problem without any good targets.” I bit my lip in concentration, “Well my main weapon is a gun and I may need the accuracy more. So, Assassin it is.” I selected the Assassin class.

Stealth level increased

Marksmanship level increased

New weapon mode unlocked – Activation word: Mars

Pistol upgraded – Dual wield (Gemini)

“OH FUCK YES!” I yelled in joy, “Gemini.” Shadows covered my pistol and it split into two identical copies. I held each aloft and emptied both clips into the rock wall. “Me Gusta.” I said as I reloaded them. “Now, Mars.” The pistols joined together and transformed into one of my favorite guns ever. The Halo Reach DMR.

A problem has been encountered and your mind has been shut down to prevent damage to your sanity.

rebooting...

…

Loading…

Enter password: **********

Welcome

'Whoa, what happened? I kinda blacked out for a- Holy shit! Is that my gun?'

--------------------------------------------------

Once I had gotten over my nerdgasm, I started heading toward the Sky Tree to meet up with Swift. I stopped once to eat a tree for breakfast. I kept eating plants to a minimum in case a developer was an environmentalist. God forbid I offend him for eating some rare virtual plant.

I found Swift sitting next to the massive tree's roots, mixing some ingredients in a bowl. I called out to him and he quickly packed it up and trotted over to me. “So what will we do today? Nothing dangerous, I pray.” he asked hopefully.

I gave him a blank look, “I promise nothing.” I said before moving into the jungle, “Follow me. We're going to explore.” Swift followed with a dejected look.

We trekked through the forest for the good part of an hour, moving to the northern part of the island. It was around the border between the rocky hills and the jungle forest. We didn’t find much at first until we stumbled across an old harpy nesting area.

It was a small hollow nestled between a few hills. There were several nests but they were derelict and some had fallen apart from the elements. It looked like it had been abandoned a long time ago.

“Jackpot.” I said. If there’s one thing I learned about history from video game, it’s that ruins and really old places have some of the coolest loot. “Swift, you take that side and I’ll start here. Yell if you find anything.” I picked a nest at random and began to ransack it. Swift had done the same on his end.

After going through about half the nests, we hadn’t found much. I had started to think that someone may have gotten here before us until Swift called out to me. I went over to his position, “What do you have for me?”

“I found some items as you can see, but the rubble it’s buried under is too heavy for me.” He gestured to a pile of sticks and stones next to him. Under that, I could see a twisted piece of ragged leather. I almost mistook it for one of the sticks if it wasn’t bent so oddly.

“I got this. Terra.” I raised my palm at the rocks and they shifted apart to reveal a torn leather satchel. I picked it up and dumped out the contents. There was just some broken twigs, pebbles , a torn up book that had been eaten away, and a small, battered metal case.

I picked up the metal case and inspected it. It was two pieces clasped together with a hinge on the end, but it was rusted shut. “Reparo.” I said. The rust fell off, the dents popped out, and the case seemed to shine. I opened it and it turned out to be a butterfly knife. I spun it around and flipped it shut.

“This is so mine.” I snatched up the satchel and put it on, “Beaten up, but still usable.” I started stuffing my inventory inside it.

Swift was still next to me, “What did you get? Something useful, I bet.”

“Just a bag and a better knife to use. Come on let’s keep looking.” I said, diving back to the other nests. It was about afternoon when we finished searching the nests. Our total loot was the bag, the knife and some potion ingredients that Swift took.

“Well that was a fairly good haul for this place. Where else can we go?” I asked, mostly to myself. At that moment, my vision blurred and a screen appeared in my vision. It was a Quest notification. I quickly looked it over.

New Quest:

Explore the cave

Reward-New form, 200 XP, Cave contents

Accept/Decline

…

‘Explore a cave. Okay, I’ve played enough of Fable to know that there’s more to a simple quest than that. Most likely it’s something bad that will end up with me injured or worse. Plus, caves have a nasty tendency to hold traps and dangerous creatures, but sometimes they did have treasure and that was only worth the trip half the time.’

…

‘Hey, I got to do some cave exploring sooner or later so I might as well get some done now. Besides, I get a new form and maybe some cool treasure. I swear if it’s cursed or booby trapped in any way, shape or form, someone’s going to get bitch slapped. Hard.’

A nav point appeared in my vision and my map. I turned to Swift, “Hey, I know where we’re going next. Follow me. Trans Form Harpy.” I turned to my harpy form and half run, half flew to the nav point. Swift was behind me telling me to slow down while he caught up.

After a minute, I reached the point and it disappeared, leaving me with a featureless rock wall and some overgrown bushes. Swift arrived a minute later, out of breath.

“Dude, you need to work out more.” I said jokingly.

Swift gave me a glare and kept panting. He went over to the bush to lie down against it, but as soon as he put his weight on it, he fell through with a surprised yell.

I stared at the bush, “Well that’s one way to find a cave.” I went over to the bush and pushed it aside.

It was a sizeable hole that two people could fit through with room to spare but was surrounded by some berry bushes that managed to breach the rough soil with their roots. There was a small overhang that covered the entrance from eyes in the sky and the ground was sloped and covered in gravel to a degree that you would need careful footing lest you slip and fall further into the cavern. This was a cave built for adventurers and monster dens.

I took a step closer to the edge of the slope to get a better glance inside. I couldn’t see much despite my enhanced vision, though I could see plenty of spider webs. I wasn’t really afraid of spiders, except the poisonous ones…and the really big ones. I remembered that Spider silk is considered stronger than steel. ‘I could try to fashion some to suit my projects and it could come in handy. Plus, I want to sling webs like Spiderman.’ I thought.

“You okay, Swift?” I asked, my voice echoing against the walls. I got a loud groan in return. I leaned forward some more to get a better look at Swift.

As I was peering inside, the ground gave way beneath me and sent me down into the cavern. As I fell, I somehow managed to hit every rock like a pinball machine. At one point, I thought one of the rocks had flipped me back up the slope to hit another one. I landed in a bruised heap on my head at the bottom, my wings splayed out and ruffled.

‘I probably should have transformed before coming down. That would’ve been smart.’ I chuckled at the thought and winced in pain, ‘God, it hurts to laugh.’

“Medico” I felt myself heal and my mana bar dropped a notch. “And Trans Form Base.”

I got up and turned back to my Night Shade form. ‘Why is it so dark in here? I give it points for realism but they could have at least put in some ambient lighting. Fuck it, I got magic.’ “Lumen”

A small orb of light appears in my palms. It looked like a cluster of LEDs shining. I lifted it up to light the way only to jump back in fright. “OH JESUS, AN ANGEL!” I scurried to the farthest wall, making sure to keep my eyes open and on the statue in front me.

Most people are scared of snakes or spiders, even roaches. Me, I’m scared of statues. Realistic statues of people, animals and creature. Why? Two words, Doctor Who. Ever since I watched that episode of the Weeping Angels, I’ve never been comfortable around statues. It’s a good show, but some of the monsters creep me the fuck out.

The statue in front of me, in fact, wasn’t an angel but a zebra stallion. His face was wide-eyed in shock and fear like he just saw a monster. ‘I want to say it’s a huge boobed gorgon but since this game is based off a kid’s show, I doubt it is….but I can still hope. There’s always some perverted artist trying to sneak in some dirty image in a game.’

The petrified zebra must have been here a while because he was covered in cobwebs. A little more and he would’ve been in a cocoon. I got up and brushed the webs off the statue, wrapping them up and placing them in my bag. I shifted the light and I found Swift lying behind the statue, covered in several bruises and cuts.

no one will ever find the body here

I jerked back and looked around. 'The hell was that?' I thought, 'Is someone down here?' I shifted my light around but found no living soul aside from Swift nearby.

“Must've been my imagination. Then again, I have been known for being very imaginative.” I turned back to Swift, “Medico.” Swift's skin healed up. “Come on we got a cave to explore. Stay frosty.” I pulled out my pistol and held it ready for whatever made the noise earlier.

Swift stood up and jumped at the sight of the statue when he bumped into it. “Oh, no. We are in the cave of a cockatrice.” He said shakily.

I stopped, “A what now?”

“Cockatrice. We must leave or we’ll pay the price.” he explained.

I shrugged, “If the nests from before are anything to go by, then it's probably dead by now. Besides, I'm scarier than anything in this cave.” I started moving forward, taking the light with me. Swift stuck especially close to the light, casting about a nervous look and jumping at shadows.

Before long, the tunnel opened up into a massive room with a small depression on the far end. Here, I saw many other statue victims. If it wasn’t for the looks of fear on their faces, it would be a strange statue garden to a hermit sculptor. There were all sorts of victims in here. From small critters to zebras and a large harpy, they all suffered the same fate. The sight made me uncomfortable but as long as they aren’t angels, then I was good.

I looked around the cave, still gathering webs, and found that there wasn’t any hidden treasure to my dismay. Luckily for me, neither the monster nor whatever made the noise was here. Unfortunately, that also meant it was only a matter of time until it came back. And according to Murphy’s Law, it would be soon. Very soon.

“Can we leave now?” Swift asked nervously, “We spent more time here than I would allow.”

I took one last look around, “Yeah, there’s nothing here besides these statues.” Swift gave a sigh of relief and started heading for the entrance.

As the universe would have it, I heard some slithering noises echoing down from the entrance. It was home. “Swift, hide!” I hissed. I extinguished my light and then jumped into the shadows near the entrance. “Nocte Oculus” I whispered, my vision turned green and the entire room lit up. I saw Swift's tail poking out from behind the harpy statue. The slithering noises were getting closer and some hissing was coming out as well. It was hard to tell the size of the creature from the echoes but I assumed it was roughly my size, give or take. It was almost at the opening. I tensed myself, ready to strike as it came out.

What I saw stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a chicken head. A chicken head attached to a snake body with little flippy, useless wings. It stopped just out of the opening as if it sensed something was off but it kept moving forward, though slower now.

I stepped out of the shadows. “That is the stupidest monster I’ve ever seen.” I said with a frown,

The chicken-lizard thing turned and looked at me, trying to give me the evil eye. “I’m sorry, but if you don’t look scary, then the evil eye doesn’t work.” I said out of pity.

Its stare was getting annoying, so I decided to end this and began to reach towards him, only to find that my body wouldn’t move. I saw my arm was slowly turning to stone. Even slower since I was just a shadowy mist. With my appendages out of commission, I did the only thing I could do. I closed my eyes, “Lumen.” A bright flash of light appeared in front of me and I heard a squawk of pain. I opened my eyes to see that I was no longer stone and the cockatrice was rolling on the floor in pain. I grabbed the creature by the neck and hoisted it up in the air.

kill it

'With gusto.' The creature started to thrash in my grip, using its tail and beak to injure me. “Sorry but that don’t work on me in this form.” I felt up its face, looking for a certain facial feature. Once I found the eyes, I gouged them out, taking out its main weapon. Then to add insult to injury, I snapped its wings in half.

The cockatrice let out an ear piercing screech of pain. I almost dropped it to cover my ears, but I took the next step and punched the wind out of its lungs, breaking a rib in the process. It coughed and wheezed from the blow, but I didn’t give it a respite. I grabbed the tail and swung the cockatrice around in the air like a sling. I let go and let it crash into the far wall, leaving a chicken sized dent, looney toons style, before crashing to the ground.

I followed after it and pressed it into the ground, keeping its face away from me. I whipped out my knife and stabbed its tail, nailing it to the cave floor. It gave out another screech but I wasn't in the mood to care.

“Yo dawg, I heard you like stones.” I grabbed its head and slammed it into the stone several times, not hard enough to kill it. I yanked my knife out none too gently and lifted the limp but breathing body up to my face. It was now a blue and bloodied figure, the face disfigured beyond recognition.

“Too easy.” I clamped my teeth around its throat and feasted. The body shriveled up and my health bar was restored, though I still wanted more.

Scanning…

New form acquired: Cockatrice

Achievement Unlocked: More than one way to get stoned- 20 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Junior Spelunkers- 20 XP

Quest complete- earned 200 XP

Combat multiplier – 10

Additional XP- 100 XP

Total XP earned – 2140XP

You are now at level seven

Reward;

New form

Cave contents

I felt myself get slightly stronger at the level up, but I was still a little miffed that the quest was so easy. Anyways I should probably read up on these creatures.

I paused the game and clicked the data tab. Selecting ‘Monsters’ I browsed until I picked out ‘Cockatrices’ and read the data entry

Cockatrice

A creature with the head of a chicken and body of a reptile. This creature is infamous for turning its victims to stone by eye contact. They are usually found in dense jungles, the Everfree forest, or large caves. The cockatrice is a solitary creature until mating season comes around when they go off in search of a mate.

When you encounter one, the best choice is to run. If you are unable to run, then stare the cockatrice down and don’t back off, but advance upon it. Cockatrices aren’t known for their bravery.

'They aren’t known for their bravery? Well that explains the chicken half. Whatever, I still have some leveling up to do. I turned to leave. Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?'

A groan and the sound of rock crumbling behind me caught my attention. I turned around to see the statues from before begin to crack, revealing the creatures underneath. They were waking up.

'Oh. Shit.'

Nice Guys Finish Last (7)

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The statues crumbled to dust, leaving the creatures inside to stumble around drunkenly in the dark. From what I knew of Petrification, it was similar to Cryo-sleep or suspended animation in which the being can still be alive after reawakening, albeit a little disoriented and hungry. Then there’s the other side effects.

'Okay, I’ve got a bunch of new zebras and creatures on my hands. Options?'

'...yeah I got nothing. The only problem is contact if my first contact with Swift is anything to go by. The zebras would panic and nothing would get done.'

I looked around to see that most of the zebras were either on the ground or nearly there, but some were getting up as well. I had to knock them out without physical contact.

'Okay, sleeping spell. Let’s see…insomnia means ‘a state of no sleep’ so if I take off the ‘in’ and the ‘ia’, then what’s the root? Hmm… how ‘bout this?'

“Somnus” I whispered. Almost instantly, every living being (except me) fell to the floor unconscious. Since most of them were drowsy, it didn’t take that much energy. It’s amazing how often other gamers forsake the simple subtle spells for the outright powerful ones. To kill a tree, it is easier to chop the roots rather than chainsaw it down, even if it’s powered by a truck engine (School project. Don’t ask).

I was about to call out for Swift when I saw him snoozing on his back next to the harpy. I facepalmed, “God dammit.” I grumbled, “Always got to make things harder on myself, don't I?” I went over to Swift's side and pulled out a bit of spider silk. I twisted it into a small thread and gently stuck it inside his ear. I kept putting it in deeper until he shot up and rubbed his ear, trying to rid himself of the uncomfortable feeling.

“Wake up buttercup. We got work to do.” I stood up.

Swift looked around wide eyed, “So the cockatrice is finally dead.”

“Yup and we have some zebras who woke up from a long nap. Any suggestions?”

Swift pondered a moment, “First, we should have them fed. I have no doubt they have an empty belly. Then we need to give them aid, as their legs may feel like jelly.”

“Yeah, you do that. I'll go and fix this place up a bit. Lumen.” I sent up a ball of light and let it hang from the ceiling. With proper lighting, I turned off my night vision and began to pick through the bodies. I ate the small critters and arranged the zebras into rows, organizing the patients by gender, age and size in neat rows, leaving them on their sides. Swift began preparing some mixes for the zebras when they awoke.

I went out occasionally to get more ingredients and making sure to bring the lone stallion near the entrance to the pile.

In a few short hours, we had enough of the healing mixture for everyone when they woke up. Swift and I were discussing how to break the news of me saving them when the first to awaken was a lithe zebra mare with a long dreadlocks and a small bird on its flank.

She groaned and opened her eyes slowly. Swift reached her before I did with a bowl of the mixture, already pouring it down her throat.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. You shall live to see the day.” He said calmly.

“What’s your name?” I ask her.

“Little Sparrow” she said before passing out again.

Swift and I were silent until I broke it, “She seems nice.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

An entire day. That’s how long it took for everyone to wake up. Note to self: Either work on spell control or refrain from using Somnus again. God, it was annoying to wait for them to get up. I took a nap in the shadows of the tunnel (it’s surprisingly comfortable) while Swift stayed up all night tending to the patients. Kinda reminds me of my college roommate back at my apartment who pulled a bunch of all-nighters.

I went out a bit for hunting and to show the harpies the way out when they woke up. I gave them my nest after I removed my stuff and moved my residence to the cave.

I was nomming on some fish I caught while I half listened to Swift try to explain to the zebras why they should stay put. It wasn’t going well. The big warrior stallions demanded that Swift stand aside while some of the younger ones were trying to huddle together.

I sighed and picked the fish bone clean before tossing it at a particularly burly stallion near me. The clatter of the bones got thier attention.

“Your bickering is really starting to irritate me.” I growled from the shadows, making sure everyone heard it. They were silent as a pin drop. “Now Swift, would you please introduce me.”

Swift coughed, bringing everyone’s eyes onto him, “Please do not have cause for alarm. He really means you no harm.”

I stepped out of the shadows in my base form. My appearance elicited several gasps and a few small yelps. Perfect, this will make it easier for them to listen to me.

“Sup.” I said, “Look, since you’ve all been healed and depetrified, I assume you want to go back to the village and resume your lives right?” Several heads nodded, “Well, that’s the problem. You can’t.”

They began to protest but I held a hand up, silencing them, “Listen I know you want to get back home but you all are suffering from Post Petrification Syndrome.” I made the name up but the theory is fairly true. The Zebras gave me confused looks.

“Look around you and tell me who you recognize from your village.” They did so but none seemed familiar though one or two had friends with them. “None? Well there’s your problem. It’s a long explanation so you might want to sit down.” They all did, still eager to hear my explanation.

“When a creature is turned to stone, their body is put into a form of suspended animation. In layman’s terms, that means your body is still alive despite not functioning. So when you are turned back from stone, you still retain your age and physical appearance.” A few zebras didn't get it but I wasn't about to repeat myself.

“Unfortunately there are some side effects to this process. You’ve already experienced the disorientation and nausea from the stone seals breaking but there’s a worse side effect.” The zebras stared at me in expectation. I kinda pity them; even if they are NPCs.

“While it seems like it was a blink of an eye during your imprisonment, it may well have been days, or months, years even since you were turned to stone. Most likely, everyone you know and love are probably dead.” There I said it. No turning back now.

It was a mixed reaction among the group. The foals started to cry and were comforted by some of the mares. Only two of the stallions broke down crying, the others just stared at me shell-shocked.

Swift walked up to me, “Why can’t they return? After being imprisoned, it is something they yearn.”

“Because don’t you think it would be odd if all of a sudden a bunch of zebras appeared out of nowhere because the local cockatrice just happened to keel over that day and you just happened to find them as they awoke? I’d doubt that they’d believe that you took on a cockatrice by yourself.” I said flatly. “The tribe will begin to ask questions and sooner or later I’m going to get found out and probably chased away.”

“Well I can vouch for you. I will show the tribe that your word is true.” he offered.

I gave him a flat stare, “What make you think they won't run away screaming like you did?.”

Swift opened his mouth to reply but grumbled in defeat at the folly in his logic. Then he perked up, “What if you were in your harpy form? It would set you apart from the Night Shade norm.”

I mulled it over. “Seems legit. Probably the best bet we have so far. Worst case scenario: we get run off from the village.” I turned back to the others who had quieted down considerably, “Listen up, I'm going to lead you back to the village safe and sound.”

“How can we trust what you say?” one of the stallions called out, “The lies you speak are as clear as day!” A few of the other stallions started to join the first, each protesting against me.

“Umbra.” The zebras instantly shut up and they became quickly surprised at the loss of their voice, even if it was temporary. “Listen closely.” I said, dropping my voice, “I don’t have to help you. I’d leave you here for all I care. I’m only offering help because it’s polite. If you don’t want my help, then feel free to try to get back to the village on your own. I have no reason to lie to you. You get to return to your home, different as it will be, and I get some experience out of it. Everybody wins.” I spread my arms wide.

The stallions still glared at me, doubting my words. One of the colts stepped forward from the grasp of a mare and stood in front of me. “Um...Spirit,” he said nervously, “What experience are you getting from helping us?”

'Shit. How would I explain XP to them?' I thought. I crouched down to his level. He flinched at the sudden closeness but stood firm. The colt has balls. I had to give him that. “Well, to put it simply, I will gain knowledge.”

The colt seemed confused, “Why would you want knowledge?”

I grinned, my teeth caused the colt to stumble backwards in surprise and fear, “Knowledge is power and I intend on acquiring as much as I can.” I chuckled, “Now do you want to go home or not? I'm going to leave for the village, with or without you.” I about faced and started moving down the tunnel, my ball of light trailing behind me.

I heard the furious stomping of hooves on rock as the zebras rushed after me, not wanting to stay in the dark for long. 'Brother, you have taught me well.' I thought, remembering a time when my brother pulled that trick on me. 'I hope you're doing better than I am right now.'

Bury them alive. No one will hear their screams

I stopped. There it was again. One of the zebras bumped into me. “Why did you halt? We want to leave this dark vault.”

I turned to him, “Did you hear that?” I pulled out my pistol and aimed it down the tunnel.

“I don’t know what you heard, but getting out of this cave is much preferred.”

I snorted and kept moving forward with my pistol ready to shoot. We reached the entrance slope but it was too steep for some of them to climb. “Hold on, I got this.” I floated up to the top, but made sure that I was still in the shade. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the spider webs I had collected. I wrapped them around my hand and pointed the sticky clump back down at one of the zebras.

“Arania Carpe.” The silk shot out like a snake at the zebra and covered him in webs. He yelped at the contact and tried to rub it off, but I wouldn’t let him. “Retract.” The silk grew taut and the zebra shot up in the air as the silk dragged him to me like a fly in a spider web. Once he was at the top, I let him go with a quick “Relinquo” and tossed him outside. I kept repeating the process until everyone was out. The mares and stallions had similar reactions to the first zebra but the foals acted like it was a carnival ride. They even asked if they could go again and seeing the look on their faces I obliged their request and used them like yo-yos.

After the little bit of fun, I turned to my harpy form and lead the way to the village with Swift right behind me. He was talking to Little Sparrow like any guy would when they meet a girl they like. I couldn’t help but listen in on the conversation.

“Sparrow, since you have no place to bed,” he said nervously, “would you like to stay at my home instead?”

Being in front I couldn’t see her reaction, but her voice was enough. “Are you sure I won’t intrude. I don’t mean to be rude.”

“N-no it’s perfectly fine, I have a nice spot where the sun does shine.”

“I’m not so sure. Your offer could be a lure.” I could feel the teasing intent from where I stood.

“Yes, I mean no…or um…”Swift quickly lost control of the situation. Sparrow laughed. I silently chuckled.

“It’s okay. At your place I will stay.” She said reassuringly. I’m not sure what happened next because I heard someone stumble and get right back up.

Tear them apart. They don’t need it. Love is for the weak.

I slowed my pace a bit as I searched for the source of the voice, but I couldn’t find it. I just kept moving. Each step more warily than the last.

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It took almost an hour to reach the tree line bordering the grass plains. I exited the forest shade, still in my harpy form and with two of the foals who wanted to ride on my back. I couldn’t help it. I liked kids a lot and they were being adorable when they asked.

“Almost there everyone.” I shouted back to the group. They gave a cheer and picked up the pace, eager to see home again. I envied them a bit, since I was stuck in this stupid game, unable to go home unless I won or somehow survived my “death” and I wasn’t about to test the latter.

As we approached the village, I saw that the villagers started to notice us, dropping their tools and congregating at the side of the village to see who we were. They stared at us with curiosity but I drew most of the attention, being a pitch black harpy with two foals on my back. We were several meters away from the villagers when a burly stallion with a pair of crossed torches on his flank came forward from the crowd. 'Great, who's this joker?' I thought.

“Stop and state who you are. I will decide if you should be barred.”

“Name’s Gunhaver and these zebras behind me came from the cockatrice cave up in the stone hills.” I said nonchalantly, “I'm just bringing them back to the village.”

The stallion huffed angrily, “You think me some sort of knave? For all I know, they could be your mind slaves.”

I was taken aback, 'How the hell did he come to that conclusion?' I tried to form some response. “Um...no they aren't. I'm not sure how you got that idea. I don't even know how to do that.” Yet.

He continued talking, “You are a fool to think me one of blind faith. Now leave my village you Wraith.”

'I try to be nice and this is the thanks I get? Wait a minute...how does he know I'm a Night Shade?' I thought. “Look buddy, I went out of my way to help these zebras. Can't I get some damn gratitude?”

“The only gratitude I'll show is when you leave us in peace. I shall see that your lies and tricks will cease.” he added a glare for emphasis.

I was starting to get a bit pissed at this guy. Swift chose this moment to step between us and face the stallion. “Two Torch, I must implore. Stop your fighting. I do not wish for anypony to shed gore.” But the zebra wouldn't listen.

“Swift? So this where you've gone every day? It seems that you couldn't keep this creature's lies at bay.” Two Torch turned to the villagers behind him, “Somepony bring the Shaman here now. If anypony can dispel lies, he knows how.” A zebra detached from the group and ran back to the huts. Torch turned back to me, “Now your lies will be gone and you will flee, Tatarus spawn!”

I just kept a cool stare on him. Without looking back, I removed the two foals on my back. 'Just one. That's all I want.' I chanted in my mind. I stepped forward with malicious intent seeping from my posture. Two Torch didn't seem afraid at all, in fact he seemed...smug. Just like Erebus.

Maul him! Flay the flesh from his body!

I felt something inside me snap. I surged forward, intent on beating the smug grin off his face. Swift yelled something at me but I didn't hear. I was two meters away from Torches' face when, suddenly, green lightning appeared around my body and electrocuted me.

I fell to the ground, screaming as the electricity coursed through me, “GAAHHH!!” I could hear distant yelling and saw Torch standing above me, the stupid grin on his face. Pain wracked my body as I tried to stand up but the shock kept pressing down on me. I felt weak. I saw my health bar slowly drop and I knew I had to get out before I died.

I stood up as best as I could and pushed my arms into the ground below my body. “De..pul…so” the force of the kinetic shockwave dug into the ground and back fired, sending me sailing from the lightning. I landed and crumpled into a heap, feeling too exhausted to move. “Son of a bitch.” I muttered. I cracked open my eyes to see that the zebras were starting to come for me, especially one in particular.

Over all the noise being made I could hear Swift yell, “Gun! Run!”

Best advice I got today. But I was really exhausted from the shock and could hardly focus enough to cast a spell.

”Keep moving! You can rest when you're dead!” I could hear my brother say when we played airsoft for the first time. 'He's right. I have to keep moving. I am not going to die this soon.' I shakily stood up on my feet and began to move. Slowly at first, but my speed increased. I began to flap my wings for acceleration. I didn't dare look back to see how far behind the zebras were. I kept running and flapping until I couldn't feel the ground below me any more.

'What the...?' I thought. I looked down to see that I wasn't touching the ground at all. In fact, I was flying a few meters above the ground. I almost dropped to the ground out of shock but, remembering what was behind me, I kept flapping until it hurt. I rose up to the top of the jungle canopy, often brushing stray branches in my way.

Soon enough I flew past the jungle and into the stone hills. I searched for the entrance to my new cave home. “Come on, where are you...” I muttered to myself. I noticed a familiar bush cluster below. “Ah, there you are. Now how do I land this thing?” I tried to adjust my wings like the flaps I saw on an airplane but it wasn't working out so well.

“Fuck! No, no, no, stay with me here. Don't fail me now.” I adjusted where I could but stability was failing. I started to lose control over my wings. Luckily my experience with flight simulators gave me the navigational instinct I needed to pilot myself right into the bushes and down into the cave.

I crashed into the ground and blacked out.

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I opened my eyes to see that I was back in the grid where I met Erebus in the game.

“Having fun?” said a familiar voice. I turned around to see Erebus standing there with a pipe that he was trying to light.

“What do you want?” I demanded.

Erebus laughed darkly, “Many things boy, but right now I want you to answer a question for me.” He lit his pipe and began to puff out smoke rings, “I chose you for your...cold, uncaring nature. So why is it that you haven't killed off the tribe and that sorry sack of meat you converse with. Speed, was it?”

I was really getting tired of his shit. “His name is Swift and the reason why I haven't is because I don't work that way. They've given me no reason to harm them, so why should I do it?”

“Ah, but they did. That tribe leader ran you out of the village after you waltzed up and handed him his ponies on a silver platter.” he said.

I could tell by the tone that he was trying to get a reaction from me. “The zebra knew I was a Night Shade and he was trying to protect his tribe. I can't get angry over that.” I said coolly. Sorry, but I'm too cold to give you a hot reaction. Try and read that, bitch.

“Well then,” Erebus smirked, “that just makes the little addition I made all the more entertaining.”

I felt a weight drop into my stomach. Something was off and I wasn't going to like it one bit. “What are you talking about?” I asked cautiously.

“Oh, nothing much.” he waved a hand in dismissal, “Just the voice in your mind telling you to kill those pesky zebras.” he said as if he was talking about the weather.

I was taken aback, “Why the fuck would you do that?” I felt my anger begin to heat up.

He still had that smug grin on his face, “Because it’s so entertaining to see the human mind in conflict with his morals.”

“Bastard.” I growled.

“Please, I’ve been called worse and congratulations, you are the six hundred sixty sixth human to call me that.”

I brushed his comment aside. “How does this thing work?” It was a long shot but I had to ask.

Erebus’ grin grew wider and that unnerved me a bit, “That voice will just keep talking and talking until you snap. When you do, you will go on a rampage, hunting down and killing your allies and those you care for, particularly innocents.”

“I don’t have much of a choice then.” I would have to make this work to my advantage somehow.

Erebus smiled, “That depends on how you see the situation.”

I glared at him and smirked, “Challenge accepted.”

He chuckled, “It seems that my Chess piece is stronger than I thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do, places to go, mortals to torture. I shall see you later.” He snapped his fingers and I blacked out.

There's Charlie In Them Bushes (8)

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It was dark in the Stone Hills. The moon was a waxing crescent and high in the sky, lending little light to the three zebras on the ground. I watched them huddle behind a pile of rocks and peer out at the cluster of bushes covering the cave where their target hid every night and day.

The zebra in the middle stood up and lit a torch. “Now keep up your chin, we're going in.” he proceeded to march to the cave only to be stopped by his buddy's hoof on his tail.

“Have you lost sense in your head?” he hissed, “Don't you know that Wraiths grind bones for their bread?”

“Actually,” I said behind them, “that would be giants.” The zebras froze and turned to see the source of the voice, afraid to confirm their suspicions. Much to their dismay, they were right. The Wraith they had been hunting that night towered above them. Their single torch cast ominous shadows on my body. The zebras gasped in fear of seeing their deadly quarry in front of them.

I took a step forward and the zebras took a step back. “Now, Night Shades, or Wraiths as you call them, are much worse.” I explained. I slowly pressed his advance as the zebras slowly retreated in fear. “They'll make a suit from your freshly peeled skin,” It tugged at my essence as a demonstration, “shave your liver, squeeze the jelly from your eyes!” Then I stopped and thought aloud, “I wonder what that would taste like?”

The zebra holding the torch had a sudden impulse of bravery and waved the torch in my face, trying to be as threatening as he could, “Back! Back foul beast! Tonight, we shall not become your feast.” He put on as brave a face as he could.

I smiled at them like a parent would at a child's antics. “Aqua.” I whispered and grabbed the lit end of the torch, causing it to extinguish and leaving us in darkness. The zebra's face turned from bravery to a forced smile that said 'Sorry we intruded upon your territory. We would like to leave alive and with our body intact please.'

I raised my hands menacingly and yelled, “RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

The zebras screamed in fear, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

“-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRR!”

“-AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGHHH!” Once quiet, the zebras stood there paralyzed in fear. The ground below them was considerably wetter than before.

I leaned in close and cupped a hand around my mouth as I whispered, “This is the part where you run away.” The zebras, finally gathering their wits, gasped and sped off into the night back to their village.

I stood there laughing at the sight of the zebras running before returning to his cave. “That's the fourth time this week. These zebras are really persistent on wanting me gone.” I mused. It had been several days since I had escaped the village. For those days, I've done nothing but level grind as hard as I can. I found out at level ten that I get perks every ten levels. I received the Predator perk, which gave me heightened animal instincts. In other words, I could hunt better and find prey easier like the actual Predator.

It was easier to level grind since Swift hadn't come to see me in that time, leaving me with no distractions. But I was still pretty lonely with no one to talk to, except for the damn Voice.

Consume them! Let the tribe hear their dying screams!

“Fuck off.” I muttered. I had tried umbra to silence it but it didn't work. Luckily I could ignore it like an annoying fly. The only problem was that I didn't know how long it was going to be that easy.

“Well, now that they're gone, I can get some sleep.” I went back to my cave and fell asleep on the leaf bed I crafted.

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I woke to the sound of pebble shifting and sliding. Someone or something had entered my cave. I got up and pulled out my pistol as I waited near the tunnel. I heard the sound of a body hitting the floor and then hooves clopping against stone. I relaxed a bit. It was one of the zebras, not some random creature. But what was a zebra doing down here?

Once the first hoof came into view, I immediately grabbed it and hoisted the zebra into the air. I got a good look and was a bit surprised. “Swift? What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to see how you are. Trying to get away from my watches was a bit hard.” he said. I set him down. He wore his bags, bulging with ingredient he had been collecting. “It seems you've been doing fine. You even had time to make this cave shine.”

I had been cleaning up the place recently. Leaf bed in the corner, Magic torches in the walls, a small table for me to work on my experiments and plan my future survival, and my bag hung on a rock that jutted out of the wall. “What? I need something to do. Come in and sit down. We have a lot to talk about.”

We sat down at the makeshift table I made from stones I found. “So what happened at the village that day. Who was that guy? How did he know about me?” I gushed out.

Swift held up a hoof, “Hold on my friend, I will tell you everything from beginning to end. That was Two Torch you saw. He is tribe chief and his word is law. His talent is leading, of which he is very effective. However, this leads him to be a bit...overprotective. I found out from him that the Shaman elder mad a prediction. A Creature of darkness had awakened on the island, sharp teeth and claws was his depiction.”

'Nice to know he got it right.' I thought idly.

“When you brought the others back. I should have warned you not to attack.” he said guiltily.

“No shit Sherlock.” I deadpanned. “What was that thing that zapped me?”

“It was a ward that our Shamans have always set. It keeps out any evil or spiritual threat.” He explained.

“Sooo, it's a bug zapper and I'm the bug”

“I'm afraid so. It's why I had you not enter the village that one time, you know.”

I thought back to when Swift didn't want me going into the village. 'So there was another reason other than scaring his people. Makes sense.'

“So how are the zebras I woke up?” I asked.

“They are getting along fine. There's not a moment where they aren't in the sunshine.” Swift said happily.

“Good to hear.” The conversation dwindled to various topics after that. Swift was going to ask Sparrow to be his marefriend, Torch was trying to get the stallions to come and kill me but with little success, and, to my surprise, the foals were asking about me. Apparently they thought I was more fun than scary to them. I probably overdid the yo-yo trick on them. I told Swift that if they want to meet me, they have to bring me fish to eat. I wanted to see how many would actually do it.

After a while, Swift had to leave before his tribe became suspicious of his location. We said our good byes and I went back to level grinding for the day. Level seventeen, here I come.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I blinked in surprise, “Huh. You actually did it.” I said as I stared at the large pile of fish in front of me. Behind it was not only the foals I had rescued from the cave, but also from the village, though they seemed a bit more nervous than the former.

“Swift told us what you said,” one of the colts spoke up, “so we caught these fish to keep you fed.” They all looked at me expectantly. I humored them by grabbing the biggest one in the pile and eating it.

“Ah, you've no idea how much I needed food recently.” I said gratefully. Despite my Predator perk, it had become a lot harder to find animals to eat. I wasn't eating that many to make a dent in the population, so I assumed that they somehow knew about my presence. “So what do you want?” I asked as I grabbed another fish and ate it.

The foals stared in awe of my eating habits. One snapped out of it and spoke up, “Um could you play some games with us? We promise not to make a big fuss.”

I couldn't help but smile. No matter what species, kids were always so damn adorable. “Sure, what do you want to play?”

This time a filly spoke up, “I know what to play! How about you make a silk swing, like that day?”

Yeah, I've spoiled them, but I didn't care.

Remind you of anyone? Someone in particular?

I tried to keep the scowl off my face. ‘Shut the fuck up and STAY OUT OF THAT!’ The Voice just laughed at me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Days passed and I was starting be on edge. Nothing was happening. By that, I mean there was no way off the island that I could find. I know Erebus said to hitch a ride on an airship, but there hasn’t been one since I got here. I asked Swift to keep an eye out and tell me if one arrived but he hasn’t seen one yet.

Not that I didn’t mind having my own personal island, I just wanted to get on with this game. I made it to level seventeen before I had to stop due to inadequate training resources. I thought about making a raft but I didn’t want to risk drowning in the ocean half way there and flying off wasn’t much of an option either. Oh well, good things come to those who wait.

It was a little more than two weeks since I woke up on this island. I was napping in the shade of a rock over hang when I heard the sounds of yelling coming from the village. I dismissed it as a ceremony or ritual, since I didn’t really know their culture that much. It went on for about an hour before it quieted down.

Now I was a bit curious. I wondered what kind of celebration would only last an hour. I turned to my harpy form and took to the skies. Just after I took off, however, there was motion in the foliage. Swift suddenly burst out, running like the devil was chasing him, and a strange form followed.

It looked like a massive greyhound on steroids but different. For one, it wore a vest and a bandolier with several small knives. Secondly, it burst out on its hind legs, holding one of the knives in its front paw. It chased Swift with a hungry look in its eye and drool coming from its mouth.

Swift looked up and called out to me, but I already knew my part. I closed my wings and dive bombed the dog. Needless to say, he definitely wasn’t expecting a hundred pounds of bird muscle dropping out of the sky.

“Bad dog, no biscuit for you.” I said, sitting on top of his back. I could feel him breathe below me but I doubt he was going to wake up any time soon, especially with his head, half way into the ground. I turned to Swift who was trying to catch his breath. Hey, I told him to exercise but he didn’t listen. “Care to explain this?” I asked.

“Village…attacked…slavers…are back.” he wheezed out. My vision fogged up.

New Quest:

Save the zebra tribe

Reward: 750 XP, Diamond Dog Airship Contents

Accept/Decline

...

Accept

“Show me.” I said.

We raced to the tree line near the grass lands. The village was practically overrun with the Dogs. Their massive airship hung above the village, providing shade over most of the village. “Aquila Oculus.” My vision zoomed forward and I saw that there were only a few Dogs on the ship itself while most of the crew was on the ground. A thought occurred to me.

“Hey Swift, I thought you said you had a barrier to protect against evil like this?”

“No. It blocks creatures like you, an evil soul. Anything else can take a pleasant stroll.”

I scowled. “Racist.” I watched every detail and started to formulate a plan. I motioned to Swift to huddle up close. "Okay, here's the plan..."

Swift's POV

‘I can't believe I was talked into this. Why was I talked into this? Oh yeah, Sparrow. Gunhaver said that if this goes to whatever plan he's thought up, then the village would be safe and we could live happily together.’ I smiled, remembering the kiss we shared and that we were now colt and marefriend. A nearby growl shook me out of my thoughts. I froze, not daring to move a muscle and listened for the dogs to move away before continuing on to the village.

‘This is the stupidest thing I've ever done. But here I am, sneaking to the village, mindful of the diamond dogs prowling around. This plan had better work Gunhaver or I'll make a potion that will knock you into next week!’

I met the end of the grass and poked my head out. I saw no dogs around and the one on the ship couldn’t see us thanks to Gun’s invisibility spell. I darted over to the decorated posts that formed the focus for the spiritual barrier and knocked it down, allowing Gunhaver safe entry into the village.

I scurried to nearest home and peered around the corner. All the villagers had been rounded up and stuck in chains. The foals were held together by a net, each one crying or whimpering. There were a few that weren't chained, but they laid on the ground motionless, even the tribe chief. I held back my tears and muttered a small prayer for their souls. After this ordeal, they will be given a proper burial so they can return to the earth in peace.

The diamond dogs were another story. They surrounded the zebras, some giving jabs with their spears to those who won't be quiet, some giving leering looks at the mares, but most of them stared at their leader, who was speaking to some underlings, awaiting orders. I began to count the numbers as instructed; there were about thirty five in total, save for any blocked from my view. Some had vests that held strange vials of liquids. A few had some net launching contraptions but most held spears or swords. Gunhaver said it was important to get all the details to him.

‘Now for the stupid part of the plan where it could all go wrong.’ I thought. Gun’s spell dissolved, leaving me clear in the open. I stepped out from my cover and shook my flank at the dogs while yelling, "Come and catch me if you can! I bet you're the slowest in your clan!" All eyes locked on to me. I felt a stab of fear in my heart. The leader yelled and the closest diamond dog charged after me. I took off and ran around the village to the meeting point.

I could hear the dog's paws slowly gaining on me. Its panting breath was nearby, but so was the meeting point. I put in a burst of speed and ran straight for the home that was hidden from the dogs view. I stopped in the shade of the home and the dog caught up and cornered me. His mouth was slobbering with drool.

He chuckled, "Hehe nowhere to run now stripepony." He lunged and I braced myself but the attack never came. I looked up to see the dog held up around his throat by a familiar black set of claws that rose from the ground in front of me. A billowy figure followed and Gunhaver stepped out of the shadows with a malicious grin on his face.

"Didn’t your mother tell you it’s not nice to play with your food?" He said before he latched his teeth into the dog's neck. I shuddered at the dying yelp the dog gave before it turned into a withered corpse. I suppressed the urge to throw up. I'm never going to get used to him doing that.

Gunhaver turned to me, eyes expectant, "Swift, sitrep now."

‘A what?’ I gave him a confused look and he put his claws up on his face.

"What have you found out?" He said with an exasperated sigh.

‘Oh.’ I told him what I saw and he absorbed it. His red eyes showed that he was planning something big. I only hoped that it didn't involve me anymore. I'm not cut out for fighting. My talent was with the Shaman Elder.

My ears perked up at the sound of dogs approaching. Gunhaver must have heard it too because he tossed the corpse away and dove back into the shadows. I stayed where I was. ‘Why do I have to be the bait?’ Two dogs stepped around the corner and looked surprised as they couldn't find their comrade, but that didn't stop them from charging.

I stood there, unmoving while Gunhaver leaped out of the shadows, knife in hand and stabbed the dog on the right in the throat. He snapped the dog's neck and began to feed on him. The other dog saw this and began to back pedal away. He didn't get far before Gunhaver lifted his 'pistol' and growled. The small weapon changed, extending itself and then it jerked silently. The dog fell to the ground with new holes in its body. My eyes went wide at the destruction his weapon caused.

Gunhaver spat out the corpse and smiled, "Down, dumb dog."

Gunhaver's POV

Did you know that Diamond Dogs taste like chocolate? Both of the ones I nommed on tasted like dark chocolate, though I think one of them had a taste of orange to them. I wonder if they all taste slightly different. Either way, they were delicious.

‘I have to hand it to Swift, he's got more balls than I thought, being the bait like that.’ I used him because he knew the tribe layout better and he trusted me to save him. Now I have intel on the enemy and they're probably alerted to my presence. Not ideal, but you have to make do with what you got.

I quickly made a snack of the last dog and then set my plan into motion. "Trans Form, Diamond Dog" I felt myself change like molten wax, my arms and chest became thick and furry while my lower body turned into the legs of a dog. I felt my face extend into a muzzle and my ears shift to the top of my head. ‘Yeah, I'm going to need a custom set of clothes once I get out of here. I got a few designs in mind.’

...

What? Even nerds like me know how to have style.

I turned to Swift, "Okay, I'm going to take it from here. Regroup back with the others and await my signal. I'm going to play with the puppies." I said as I reloaded my pistol. Swift nodded and scurried into the tall grass and out of sight.

Kill them all! Strip their flesh and let the blood spill! Carve them up! Make them your slaves! Kill!

I made my way to the village center, not even trying to hide now. On the way, I double checked my gun, knife and my projects I brought with me. I turned the corner and saw everything as Swift described it to me, though minus a few dogs. I saw the leader, a tall, steel grey, barrel-chested dog point at me, "Who are you?"

“Name's Gunhaver. Assassin class. Number seven-two-two." My brother always told me to only give name, rank, and serial number to the enemy.

"You do not smell of our kind. You cannot be a dog. What are you?" Okay, so I haven't taken a bath in a while, at least I don't smell bad...I think. Maybe I should check on that later.

I held up my hands, "Okay you got me. I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Well, that was only half true.

The leader clicked his tounge and six dogs surrounded me, all pointing swords or spears at me. ‘Bad move, Fido.’

"It matters not what you are. You will work for us all the same." I’m calling bullshit on that.

I turned my head and fixed my guards locations in my mind before facing the leader. I only had one shot at this, "Yeah, how about no? Duo Tri Depulso!" I raised both my hands and spun around, pointing them at three Dogs each.

TH-THUMP

My six guards dropped their weapons and cried out in pain. They clutched heads, chests and necks where a shaft of white bone protruded, and they all fell to the ground whimpering in pain.

That was one of my projects that required bones. I took the long bones such as arms and legs and fashioned them into an aero dynamic bolt with my knife. After that, I enchanted them with Armor Piercing (Aeternum Lacero) and a few other special enchantments as well. I could easily store it out of sight and in my arms and no one would ever know it was there. Unfortunately, now I only had two shots left.

The Dogs and Zebras looked at me in shock. The Dog leader spoke up first, "GET HIM!"

I watched them come at me and I began to sing as I fought. Music helps me concentrate in stressful situations.

Two dogs with spears came at me first. "Run up! In slow motion kick a guy in the head" I jumped and curb stomped the right one's face to the ground.

Another Dog came at me and stabbed with his spear, I expertly dodged his attack and pulled out my knife, "Stab his friend, spin around, roll off. Punch a face." I put my knife away for now as another spear dog attacked and I stunned him. He let go of the spear as he fell.

"Start out in slow motion first then use a speed hack." A sword Dog attacked the ground I was just at when I spun around with my spear and impaled him in the chest before he could defend himself. Unforunately, the spear was stuck to far and I couldn't remove it. Leave it for now. Just fight.

"Grab a sword use it to deflect. Stab him in the back." Another sword Dog swung wildly at me, but I dodged his attack and grabbed his paw, bringing it up and using his sword to fight off a spear Dog before putting the sword in the owner's back.

A Sword dog came at me from the side and I barely had time to react to his side swipe. "Get down just in time and slap him in the face." I took my claws and gave the pooch a few new scars. Honestly, the cuts were an improvement to his look.

Two dogs decided to get smart against me. One came from behind and held my arms down while another came at me with a spear. I pulled a move my brother taught me. I Bashed my head against my captor, which caused him to lose his grip. I slid out and put the confused pup in the way of the oncoming spear. His friend stabbed him in the heart. "Friendly Fire's on, apparently."

‘Wow. These Dogs are NOOOOOOBS!’ I didn't even have to pull out my gun or use magic for the next two. "Why unsheath your blade? Make 'em use their own."

What was left of the Dogs kept their distance from me, knowing they could be killed if they came too close. The ones with the makeshift guns and vials were readying their weapons. A few were set and about to shoot or throw at me. "Time out, lemmme get my Weaps... IN SLOW-MO!" I pulled out my pistol and emptied the clip on them, killing some and incapacitating others.

More dogs decided to rush me. “Multi” My rifle turned into a pump action shot gun. I unloaded rounds into their faces. “Boom, headshot!” I bashed one dog in the face with the butt of my gun. “Killing Spree!” I took my knife out and threw it into the next dog’s throat, piercing the wind pipe, “Running Riot!” I grabbed the last dog and fired a bone bolt into his heart, “Killtacular!” I ran and jumped off of his falling body towards more dogs. In the air, I spread my body as far as it could go, “I’m Batman!”

I grabbed the next dog, ready to kill him, only to have an arrow pierce his body. I jumped back and turned to the arrow’s origin. “Fuck, I forgot about them.” The dogs on board the ship were readying more bows and arrows. I ran to the nearest bit of cover and pulled out my gun. I popped in and out, firing shots in their direction, ducking back when their arrows flew towards me.

“Ha, can’t touch a sniper!” I suddenly had an ominous chill go up my spine. “I feel like I should run now.” I turned to see a massive hammer slam me in the gut and send me flying across the village, into one of the huts. I stood up shakily. “Damn, this game hurts. How the hell do they program the pain sensors on this thing?” I looked up to see the dog leader from before, now holding a massive hammer in his paws like a Brute Chieftain.

“Oh, fuck me.” On the bright side, it wasn’t a gravity hammer.

“I will show you who is stronger here, puny dog!”

I gave him a flat look, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The leader charged and I dodged out of the way, letting him crash into the hut and collapse it. I made a mental note to apologize to whoever owned it.

I heard an angry bellow from the village center, “COME OUT, YOU COWARD! FIGHT ME!”

I circled the village searching the place for a good spot to leap out from and catch the leader by surprise. He kept on yelling for me to come out and face him. I had found a spot where his back was turned to when he stepped over to the net that held a colt and his mother who clutched him tightly. The dog ripped the colt from her grasp and knocked her out with a backhanded blow. He then took the colt far enough away and yelled again, “COME OUT NOW OR THE VILLAGERS WILL DIE! STARTING WITH THE FOALS!”

I stood there frozen in shock. Memories raced through my head. Memories I never wanted to see again.

They laid there in a heap. Their bodies twisted and mangled. Blood covered the entire scene. I stood there and watched. I should’ve said something. I could have prevented this. Their blood is on my hands because I didn’t say something. IT WAS MY FAULT!

Anger, pain and rage swirled inside me like a fire. “I can prevent this, at least.” I said vengefully. I stepped out from my cover. “I’m right here.” I said coldly, my voice echoing across the village. The leader turned around with a malicious grin on his face.

“So it seems the only way to get you out of your hole is to threaten these people.” He held his hammer up high, “Now you will fight me!”

I kept my voice even somehow, “Put. The. Colt. Down. Now.”

He smirked. God, I hate that smirk. It reminded me of Erebus, which made me even more enraged.“Of course.” He then drew his arm back and chucked the colt straight at my head.

Without flinching, I caught the colt and set him down. “Go hide.” I told him. He nodded and scampered off. I faced the leader once again. “If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get. Trans Form Base.” I felt the Dog form fall off of me like a snakeskin. My body returned to its original form. The Dog leader's smirk disappeared at the sight of me and he tightened his grip on his hammer.

“Now,” I said, “Phobos Sonor.” I inhaled and let loose the most blood chilling, ear piercing scream of all time. It was the kind of scream that promised pain. Lots of pain.

PAIN! GLORIOUS PAIN! LET THE BLOOD FLOW! YES, TASTY TASTY BLOOD! STRIP THE FLESH OF THIS WEAKLING! CONSUME HIM! FEAST ON HIS SOUL! RIP HIS BODY APART! HEAR HIS SCREAMS OF AGONY! KILL HIM SLOWLY! MAKE HIM SUFFER!

When I was done, the Dog didn't seem fazed. Either he wasn't afraid or he was good at controlling his emotions. Time to end this. “Music a memoria.” I wanted him to know how he was going to die.

“Na-a, Na-a.” I knew how I was going to kill him. “NOW!” I rushed forward, claws at the ready.

“I can feel the animal inside

My resolve is weakening”

I charged forward and darted to the right as the Dog swung his hammer into the ground.

“Pounding at the doors of my mind

It's nearly overpowering”

I jumped at him, claws outstretched and tried to swipe at his head only for him to duck below me.

“I cannot begin to describe

The hunger that I feel again”

That was true. I felt hungry and I needed to eat something. Something big and with lots of blood. I tumbled to the ground and jumped to the side before the Dog smashed the spot where I was. I recovered and set my sights on him again.

“Run if you intend to survive

For the beast is coming to life

Taking form in the glimmer in this tainted moonlight

Death approaches on this night”

I charged him again. Ducking when he tried to swing his hammer sideways at me.

“For the animal's soul is mine

We will be completed right before your eyes

I have no control this time”

With his momentum keeping him off balance, I attacked his wrists, slashing them and causing him to drop in hammer in pain. I muttered a quick “Depulso” to create some distance between him and his hammer.

“And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight”

I picked up a few nearby swords and strung my spider silk around the hilts.

“I can hear it calling again

The primal need is filling me”

With my new weapons in hand, I advanced upon the Dog, who was just getting up. I noticed that some of the dogs from before were coming out, possibly to back up their leader. Nope.

“Changes are about to begin

And now my blood is boiling”

I threw my swords at the first grunt, letting the silk uncoil from my body. I pulled the ropes taut and swung them in midair towards him like a whip. He tried to duck behind the hut, but I let the rope extend and catch the edge, flinging the sword around the corner. The sound of a yelp and metal on flesh confirmed a hit. I continued this sword flurry on the other grunts.

“I can see the fear in your eyes

But you can't bring yourself to scream

Time to shed the mortal disguise

For the beast is coming to life

Taking form in the glimmer of this tainted moonlight

Death approaches on this night

For the animal's soul is mine

We will be completed right before your eyes

I have no control this time

And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight”

The rest of the survivors and the wounded were getting up, trying to run back to the ship. I wasn’t about to let them. I pounced on the closest one, who had a limp leg. I quickly fed on him.

“We begin the hunt and I

Feel the power course, as the creatures take flight

For the kill is close and I will be satisfied

For the smell of fear tonight

Wakes an ancient lust that will not be denied

You're mine”

I had fed on the last of the wounded. Now the Dog leader had taken up his hammer again and was preparing to charge me, oblivious of the carnage I had unleashed.

“For the animal's soul is mine

We will be completed right before your eyes

I have no control this time

And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight”

He swung wildly, and I dodged it with relative ease. ‘Time to put this puppy down’ I thought. I slashed at his wrists again and then swooped under him and sliced his hamstrings. He yelled in pain as he tumbled to the ground.

“For the animal's soul is mine

And the world around will never hear your cries

An unholy crime

And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight”

I grabbed the Dog by the neck and lifted him up. He now showed absolute terror on his face. “D-d-don’t h-hurt m-m-me.” he begged, “J-just let me get back to my ship. Please!”

I glared at him and then glanced at the ship above us, “My ship now.” I growled.

The Dog had pretty much pissed himself by now. “Fine! Your ship! Just let me go!” He shouted desperately.

I gave a cool calm smile. “You’re right. I should let you go.” I reassured him.

He sighed in relief, “Thank you so-“

“To Tatarus. Requiescat en pace.” I watched his face turn to a look of horror before I tore his throat out with my teeth. Feeding on him felt good.

Yes! That's it! More blood! Feast upon them all!

I wanted more. The taste of blood was...sweet. Like a special kind of fruit. I needed more. But where? The tribe? Yes, they could provide so much more for me. I could-

I punched myself in the jaw. 'What the hell? Why would I think that? I-I think I'm going to be sick' I hunched over to heave out my stomach, only to find out that I couldn't. It was like throwing up but the bile wouldn't come out. I managed to stutter out a few words. “Trans Form Harpy” As soon as I changed, I threw up properly.

I don't know how long I was laying there in blood and vomit. I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was Swift. He gave me a concerned look, “It has been a rough day. Are you okay?”

I took a deep breath and practiced the Candle trick. When I was calm, I spoke,

"Free the others. Tie up the wounded Dogs and treat any with injuries. I need them alive for questioning." Swift nodded and left me alone.

Achievement Unlocked: Dog Eat Dog World - Gained 20 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Crouching Toby, Hidden Ezio - Instant level up

Achievement Unlocked: Pwning da noobs – Gained 30 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Beast Within – Gained 50 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Mortal Kombat – +5 Combat

Quest Complete - Earned 750 XP

Combat Muliplier - 17

Total XP Earned – 17,000 XP

You are now at level 21

New Perk Unlocked: Part Time Job – +25% chance of bonus rewards.

Reward:

Diamond Dog Form

Airship Contents

'God Damn...I haven't fought that hard since my brother came back during his leave from the military.' When he came home, I always had to be on guard from him and his attacks. Since he was in the Marines, he usually wiped the floor with me but I learned and made sure to work out so I could be ready for him next time. Now I won about half the fights we got into. But I still panted from the intense work out I had just now.

I watched the zebras make quick work of the mess I left for them to clean. I'd help but I'm too tired. The stallions roped the wounded Dogs together, binding arms, legs, and muzzles like a hog. The mares were freeing the tribe and helping them with any wounds they recieved. The few foals were doing their part by pulling the wounded zebras over to Swift and Sparrow who were quickly making medicine for everyone. But they all kept a safe distance from me.

...

It seemed quiet. Stallions were grunting, Mares gossiping, Foals chatting, but something was missing.

...

The Voice. It was quiet. For the first time in a while it was quiet. No. It was still there, just muted. I had to strain to hear it but i could barely make it out. It'll be back soon enough, but now it was not yelling at me. So I guess that brutally murdering others instead of being diplomatic could act as a temporary solution to calming it. There's probably other ways but for now, it will have to do.

...

'I should probably help them clean up. At least drag away the dead dogs so I can eat and restore my energy. I wonder how strong Dog bones are? They'd have to be fairly strong to support the muscle. Eh, I'll find out later. I should probably find any stragglers.'

Scanning my memories, I found some words to help. "Adversa Bio Locus" I felt a new awareness in me rise up. I could sense the land around me but more importantly, I could sense the location of the wounded Dogs I had fought. More importantly, the ones that were on the ship. They were weak but still there.

I looked up at the airship. Yeah, definitely a freighter. I could even see a pulley system on the side with a hook that I assume would have lifted the heavy cargo, in this case the would be zebra slaves. Now that I have a closer look, I could see that it was on it's last legs with all the damages.

I sighed. Well, looks like I'll have to upgrade on the way there. Great. But look on the bright side, I could now custom fit this thing to my advantage. My engineering skills from college and imagination started to kick in, already making plans for my future ship as I stroked my non-existent beard evilly. I could see it now. I would have the most fearsome ship in the world. Maybe I could make a fleet? I would rule the skies then. For now, I'll just stick with one ship and focus on maxing it out first. Then we'll bring in the others. Baby steps first.

"Trans Form Base." I was too tired to fly so I wrapped my spider silk around my last bone bolt and aimed in the general direction of the main deck. “Depulso.” The bolt shot towards the ship and landed with a solid thunk in the wood. “Retract.” I slid forward and up into the air as my body pulled in the silk.

I made it to the deck of the ship. There were a few wounded Dogs as my senses told me before. There wasn't much on the main deck except the pulley system and the doors to the cargo hold. There were stairs leading up and down to the other levels and some doors that probably lead to the captain's quarters.

I went over to the doors on the deck only to find it locked tight with out a key. I could shoot it open but I could also look for another entrance and explore the ship on the way. That and I don't want to fall in. Knowing my luck, I'd land on my face. Yeah, I'm going to explore. I went to the stairs, humming a familiar song

What will we do with a drunken sailor?

Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,

Early in the morning!

Shave his belly with a rusty razor,

Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,

Early in the morning!

Put him in a long boat till his sober,

Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises,

Early in the morning!

I kept looking around the ship, not really paying attention to my surroundings much, until I found a chained and padlocked door. 'Now what could be so important that they had to keep it locked?' I wondered.

I go up to the padlock and try to pick it open with my claws to see if I could do it. All I got was an unopened lock and sore claws. Now I know why cats and dogs hate having their claws cut. Guess I have to practice that skill.

"Fuck this." I pulled out my pistol and unloaded the clip on the lock. Excessive but the thing did hurt my claws. Now the lock and the door behind it looked like a metal/wood swiss cheese. The lock hung there for half a second before falling off, bringing the chain with it. I kicked the door open with my foot and stepped into the room.

I stopped. 'Okay, I wasn't expecting this.'

My Motley Crew (9)

View Online

“Wow. Didn’t see that one coming. Though, in hindsight, I probably should have expected this.”

Now I see why the ship was so big. The ship was, in nerd terms, a long range sweeper. It was designed and built for long expeditions to bring back a bigger haul than what the smaller ships bring in. It takes more time but the reward is great if successful and judging by the storage space, I guessed that this island was the last stop before heading home.

How could I tell? It was obvious when I pieced together the ship size, the possible distance from its port of call and the cargo in front of me. The cargo bay was packed with dozens of other creatures. Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Griffins, and even other Diamond Dogs. Each one specifically chained to keep them from any possible escape. Apparently, the Dogs don’t discriminate when it comes to slaves, so long as their alive and able to work. I think I can even see some foals, pups and chicks. Considering the attack earlier, I don’t see why there can’t be any.

'I have to say, I respect the developers in basing the Diamond Dogs off the human aspect of greed and ingenuity. The need for more and the know how to get it. The Dogs need workers, they get slaves. They need more slaves, so they make transport and weapons to get them, but as smart as they can be, they’re still pretty stupid.'

I was broken from my train of thought as I noticed that everyone’s eyes were on me. I opened my mouth to speak first but I was beat to the spot by a lime green Pegasus stallion with a light brown mane and eyes and a ghost as his mark, “Wh-who are you?” The looks on everyone’s faces ranged from fear to despair. Not to mention, that they look half-starved, their faces gaunt and their ribs beginning to show.

“Name’s Gunhaver. How long have you all been in here?”

A light grey unicorn mare with a silver mane, and sky blue eyes with a lightning bolt mark answered, “S-some have been here for weeks, others for days. Most have lost count by now.”

“How many are there of you?”

A wizened orange normal horse with a white scraggled mane, silver eyes and a green check mark answered, “By my last count: twenty Diamond Dogs, eighteen Griffins, fifteen Earth Ponies, sixteen Unicorns, and thirteen Pegasi.”

I did the math in my head. I came up with eighty two captives. I whistled softly. “Where’s the keys?”

“The leader usually has the keys on his belt.”

I face palmed. Of course the leader would have the keys to the ship. I was going to go back outside anyways, so I might as well add this to the list. I sighed, “Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back.”

I quickly went back up to the main deck and glided to the ground using my harpy form. The noise of the village lowered to a dull roar when they noticed me, all eyes following my movements and making me feel a bit self-conscious. I ignored their stares and strode over to Swift, who was tending to a couple. The couple, recoiled in fear of me but I didn’t really care.

I tapped his shoulder, “Hey Swift. How much medicine and food do we have to offer?”

Swift finished applying a salve on the stallion before turning to me, “I have plenty for the tribe to be treated. Even more for when it’s later needed.”

“Well, we have near a hundred more wounded on the ship. Dogs were going to make this the last stop before heading home. Most of them are starved out. I need to find the keys as well.”

Swift bit his lip, “You go find the keys and then I would like you to show me the others please.”

“Sure, finish up and meet me by the ship.” The dead leader’s body was in the spot I had left it. It seems that whoever cleans up the messes hadn’t tried to take anything yet. I grabbed the keys off him and waited for Swift to come by. He arrived with his medicine saddlebags, filled to the brim with his tools of the trade.

“Ready?” I asked. He nodded and I crouched down to let him onto my back. He hopped on and we flew up to the deck. I turned to my Base form, “They’re down below. Follow me.”

We reached the Cargo Bay, the door still hanging ajar and every one of the captives still in their spot. “Sup guys, told you I’d be back.” I said, twirling the keys on a finger. Swift immediately went to work, starting on one side of the room.

“Great! Now let us out!” someone yelled. Everyone’s face lit up with hope.

I stopped twirling the keys and grinned, “I suppose I could let you out…for a price.” That dashed their hopes a bit.

“What do you want?” one of the griffins asked cautiously.

“Oh, nothing much. Just an arm and a leg.”

I couldn’t keep a straight face when I saw their horrified reactions. “I’m kidding. I already ate.” Now they were really freaked out. “But seriously,” I said reverting to a businesslike tone, “Let’s make a deal. From what I can tell, you require freedom, food, and a way home, correct?” I paused as they nodded, “Well, I can give you those, including protection for a fair price. What I want from you is a crew to pilot this pile of junk of an airship back to your home and a few sparring partners.”

“What if we refuse?” A griffin cried out.

“I don’t have to let you out, you know.” I deadpanned. The griffin shut up. “As I was saying,” I gave a glare to the griffin, daring him to interrupt me again, “It’s not a bad deal. We both get what we want and when get to the mainland, we can go our separate ways. Deal?”

The slaves looked pensive until someone said, “Deal.” A few more said it and soon enough, everyone agreed.

“Good. Now here’s how it’s going to work. I’ll let you out and you can go and get some fresh air. Tonight, I’ll assign posts to each of you. Tomorrow, you all are going to get back on this ship and help me sail it to the mainland as my crew. ”

I went over to the ones Swift had checked out, he was about halfway done now, and let them out first.

I unlocked the chains on the pegasi and they all rushed out the door, eager to feel the air and stretch their wings. The unicorns were next. The earth ponies whooped and cheered as they bucked off their chains and rushed the door. The dogs moved slower but they still got out. The griffins jumped and stretched their wings on the spot before leaving.

I turned to Swift, “So no severe injuries on them?”

“None I could tell, except for hunger, most were quite well.”

“Good, I want them in peak performance when we set sail.”

Swift frowned, “Are you really going to leave? Or will you go out to find something to retrieve?”

I snorted, “Don’t worry. I’ll visit when I can. I just have to find something to help me.”

Swift smiled, “I wish you all the luck, my friend. It would be a shame if you met an unfortunate end.”

I laughed, “That’s not going to happen any time soon. And if it does, then I’m going out with a bang and as many enemies as I can.”

Achievment Unlocked: The Liberator- gained 20 XP

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I sat on the bow of the ship, watching the scene before me while eating on the dead Dogs from earlier before they were cleaned up by the game. The sun was a lot lower in the sky, hanging in the air like a lemon drop just out of reach. The griffins and pegasi had taken to the skies immediately and hadn’t come down yet. I think I saw a few resting on clouds. The Dogs had taken to running around or sun bathing well away from the village. The unicorns, earth ponies tried to help the zebra tribe clean up the mess while the foals were all playing together in their corner of the village.

I tossed away the last corpse and began to harvest them for their bones. I took my knife and peeled off the skin, which fell away like paper. I took out a femur and began to test its density against other objects. I swung it against the railing and the wood crumpled like cardboard. I checked the bone but there wasn’t a crack on it. ‘Wow, Diamond Dog bones must be really dense if it can withstand that impact.’ Satisfied with the results, I harvested all the bones I could use. Arms, legs, even some of the ribs.

It took about an hour to get through all the bodies, but now I had a nice pile of bones to use. Why bones? Well bones are strong as, if not stronger than metal. They’re quick to craft into bolts and I can grab them whenever I kill an enemy. With my new pile of bones, I disposed of the bodies by burying them in the ground below with a few quick spells. I gathered the rest of the bones into my body and flew back up to the ship, eager to explore my new home.

I started with the balloon. I went up the stairs and into a room filled with stoking fires. I could see some anvils and pieces of metal strewn around the place. This must be the forgery where they repaired the weapons. The fire even double as the one to keep the balloon heated. I skirted away from the fire, not wanting to get burned. I left before my OCD forced me to clean the place up.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to meet a burly Earth pony and Dog talking about something.

“-designs did your kind use?” the Earth pony said. He was Pepsi-brown with a soot black mane that looked like it was burnt several times before and ember red eyes. His mark was flame and a hammer. Probably a metal worker.

“We used metals fused together to make a hardened steel for our swords and spears.” The Dog said. He was tall and lanky but underneath the fur spoke of hidden strength. His fur was charcoal with a grey underbelly. I could see several scars on his arms and paws. His eyes were black as coal, set in his head like two gems.

“Ah, interesting. I would like to see, so I can compare it to pony forging.” The earth pony said.

“Hey, what’re you guys talking about?” I said. The two of them looked at me, surprised at my arrival.

“Oh, well we were just discussing about forging techniques. Name’s Flamehoof.” The pony said quickly.

“Nice to meet ya. Name’s Gunhaver if you didn’t catch it earlier.” I turned to the Dog, “What’s your name?”

The Dog stared at me for a moment. “I am Flamel. I have not been so long gone from my clan as to forget my name, unlike others.” He said with a sad smile.

“What do you mean?” I asked, now curious.

Flamel sighed, “When Dogs are captured for too long, we forget our names since there is no need for them in the mines.”

“Well, whoever doesn’t have names, will receive new ones. I got to have something to call them by. Anyways, what were you two talking about?”

Flamehoof spoke up, “We were discussing about different forging techniques. Flamel says he knows a bit of alchemy as well.”

“I dabble. It is an interesting topic to me.” He shrugged, seeing my look of surprise.

“Seirously? That’s amazing!” I said excitedly. Alchemy is practically the basis of chemistry, except it uses magic as well. I could use this. “Hey, how about you two head up stairs and start working the forge. You might need to clean it a bit though. I’m expecting both of you to make any armor and weapons we need for the ship. If you need materials, then we’ll go hunting for some.” They nodded and rushed up the stairs. I could hear the sound of metal banging against metal. I may have to soundproof that room.

Blacksmith acquired

Alchemist acquired

I continued my exploration. The bridge was in the back, exposed on the top deck. It was like a classic ship bridge with the helm in the center connected to steering ropes. Yeah, that needs to be fixed. It’d be too easy for snipers to take out the navigation and steering crew. I followed the steering ropes down to the propulsion engines. The ship was propelled by two rudimentary propellers, powered by basic boiler, like from a train. Actually, I think the boiler is from a train. ‘Well, I give them an A in resourcefulness but the thing is still pretty pathetic. I need a new way to get this heap of junk moving faster.’

Still a deck below the top, I went to the bow to find the kitchen and mess hall. It was sizeable though it wouldn’t fit the whole crew. I heard pots and pans clatter along with some muffled cursing from the back of the kitchen. I opened the door to see a tan Pegasus with a tangerine mane and eyes with a falling star on his flank.

“Stupid Dogs, Why can’t they have any food?” he said, rubbing his head.

“Aren’t they supposed to? They had a crew to feed.” I said, causing the Pegasus to jump and glare at me.

“Yeah but there’s only gems and some…ugh…meat. The only food they gave us was some half rotten fruits and hay. And that was when they were being nice.”

“Ah. What’s your name and talent?”

“Star Streak, expert star chart maker.”

“Well, Star Streak, We’ll stock up on enough food for the ponies to get us to the next island. Then we’ll get as much food as we can there before heading on.”

He nodded and frowned, “Where are we going exactly?”

I hesitated, “Um…to the mainland?” Star Streak raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Okay, fine. I don’t know which way. Wait, idea! You said you make star charts right?” He nodded. “Well, I want you to be the navigator for the ship. Go figure out our position and try to find a map to plot a fast course to the mainland by island hopping.” Star Streak saluted and sped off to his task.

Navigator acquired

I looked through the pantry and found stacks of gems and meat, the gems assorted by type. ‘Huh, so I guess Dogs are strong enough to eat gems. That explains the dense bones. They must have a hell of a bite. I wonder if they can eat metal? Whatever, I need to find some cooks for the herbivores and the carnivores.’

I went back through the ship to find the sleeping quarters on the same deck. I took my room in the far back where the old captain’s quarters were. It was small and cozy, enough to walk around and still have room to store things in the built in cabinets, where I stashed my bones to work on later. I even had a hammock to sleep in. Sweet!

There was a small mirror on the wall. I was surprised at my reflection. My eyes and mouth were crimson red like some demon from hell. My teeth were sharp and jagged like a shark and had the color and texture of obsidian. ‘Holy hell, I look like a Dementor’s cousin!’ I thought. I messed around with my reflection a bit before I turned away and resumed scanning the room.

I found a stash of gems and a weapons rack. On the wall was an old wanted poster. It was an image of a griffin in flashy dragon scale armor with a massive black sword on his back. Something seemed off, the image of the person was glowing with a faint silver aura. Something clicked in my memory.

'Silver aura. Silver aura. That meant something important. But what?'

Loading…

Load complete.

'That’s right! Erebus said that people with a silver aura are other players.' I looked back at the poster to see what his In-game name was.

‘Griffin the Griffin. Not very original is it?’ I thought. I began to scan his picture. You can tell a lot about a person by their image alone in a game. ‘Well he has a wanted poster which means that he’s not one for laws and he either sucks at subtlety or he wants attention.’ Those kinds of players are fun to troll.

‘He’s a griffin, so if he did pick that race, then he may prefer aerial combat and hit and run tactics, but I could be wrong.’ Assuming things often got you in trouble or worse. ‘Judging by his sword, he’s probably a Heavy type player, though he might use magic to boost his skills. His armor may have been bought or he actually crafted it after killing one. So, he might be a good player…or just another overpowered, cheating noob. At that point, I will have fun beating him down.’ I rubbed the poster paper, ‘This poster look old, so if he still has a bounty, I could catch him and turn him in for the money and to piss him off.’ I smiled maliciously, ‘I'm going to enjoy this game.’

I looked out the window to see the sun was starting to set. 'Time to go and get the crew.'

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I stood on the edge of the village near the ship in my Base form with all my new crew sitting in front of me. The moon was out and we had some torches set up for light. “Alright, you’ve had your fun today, but now I have to assign posts to you.” They all stood at attention, even the little ones doing their best to imitate them.

“When I give you your post, please step out of the group. Star Streak, Flamel and Flamehoof, I have already given you your posts.” I searched the crowd for a certain earth pony and pointed at him, “Hey what’s your name?”

The withered orange earth pony from before spoke up, “I’m Check Mark, Captain.”

“You had an accurate count on how many were captured, right? Are you good at taking account?”

He nodded, “My special talent is recording things. I worked in the Canterlot Scribes guild recording the castle’s finances most of my life.”

“Well, then you’ll be our bookie. You have to record our finances and our inventory and make sure we don’t run low on anything necessary.” Check Mark saluted and stepped away.

“Good, now you. What’s your name and talent?” I pointed to the grey unicorn. She stood up.

“Storm Cloud’s the name, Lightning is my game.” She proclaimed proudly.

“Hmm, you’ll be in charge of powering the engines and keeping the ship up and moving. You’ll have others to help as well.” She saluted and stood back at attention. “Those skilled with building and engineering are to report to Storm Cloud” Some heads nodded in the crowd.

“Ah, you. Name and skill.” I pointed to the lime Pegasus.

“I’m Camoflauge. I’m good at sneaking around like a ghost despite my colors.”

“You’ll be our scout and in charge of gathering Intel. In other words, you’re our eye in the sky.” He saluted and stepped away.

“Now who’s good with medicine?” A banana yellow unicorn with a short brown mane, yellow eyes, and a syringe mark spoke in a soft voice.

“Me, uh…Captain. I’m Inject Vial.” She kicked the ground nervously, “I worked in a hospital before I was captured.”

“Well, you’ll be in charge of keeping us alive and patching us up when we get hurt.” 'Wait, does she use needles? I hate needles. Focus! Now what else do we need?...' I thought about any potential positions.

“Hey, just curious, are any of you musicians?” A unicorn mare and a pegasus stallion jumped up. They both were honey brown with blond manes and brown eyes. The unicorn had a guitar mark and the Pegasus had a drum set mark.

The unicorn spoke up, “I’m Honey Almond and this is my twin brother, Crunchy Almond. Together we’re,” She paused and threw her hooves in the air, “Sugarland!”

Crunchy looked at her quizzically, “I thought we were the Almond Brothers Band?” Honey bopped him in the back of the head.

“I told you that only works if we’re both stallions! Last time I checked, I don’t have anything between my legs!” she shouted.

“Ya still act like you do. Ow!”Honey kicked him in the shins.

“It’s fine you two.” I said. I can tell it’s going to be a fun trip already. “Do you have your instruments?”

Honey gave a glare at her brother before replying, “I’m not sure. We were caught on our way home from a gig in Las Pegasus with them but I don’t know if they’re on the ship.” She said worriedly. I know that feel. I played violin in high school and I once nearly lost it at a concert.

“Well, you’ll find it eventually. When you do, you’ll be on morale duty and keep everyone happy” they gave their salutes, Crunchy’s was a bit more pained, and stepped away.

I searched the crowd, “Now, I need to know if there are any foals, pups, or young griffins here.” A small red furred pup, a lithe griffin and four foals, two unicorns, a pegasus and a earth pony strode up. “You six have to help where you can, but keep out of trouble. You can play if you want, but you have to stay out of the way while the others work.” The six of them gave a groan at work but brightened up at the mention of play time. “Now step out.” They each gave a salute, though some were giggling, and ran to the growing crowd on the side.

“So, who knows how to cook?” Three hoofs and a paw shot into the air. “You four are to report to the kitchen to make food for everyone here. Try to remember we have herbivores and some omnivores here. When you get back on the ship, take stock of what we have for food so we know what to get.” They saluted and stepped away.

“Hmm, that’s all I can think of for now. However, an important issue I must bring up is Combat.” I saw a few Dog and Griffin eyes twinkle with excitement, while most of the ponies were still a bit uneasy at the prospect of fighting except for a few. They probably lived in some crime-free, non-violent society or close to it. Well too bad, there’s going to be a lot of fighting from here on out. “I said before that I would ask for sparring partners but I would also encourage you to learn as well. The trip back to the mainland may not exactly be smooth sailing. In the event we are attacked by something, I want you to be able to defend yourselves and the ship from whatever we come across.”

I shifted my stance to feet shoulder width apart and with my hands behind my back. “I will be training with you as well and help some of you polish up your skills and find your style of fighting. Flamehoof, Flamel, you’ll also be working on armor and weapons for the ship and crew. I will help where I can with that.” They all nodded, some in reluctance.

I tried to think of anything else I forgot but drew up a blank. “Well that's all I can think of for now. If I didn't give you a post, then work where you can help best.” I clapped my hands together, “I have more to say but they can wait for tomorrow. That’s it for tonight. I suggest you get a good night’s rest because we will leave in the morning for the next island. Pick a room and bunk together. My room is in the far back, just so you know.” Everyone got up and headed back to the ship, some racing to find the best room first. I watched as they flew or climbed the ropes up, some helping the ones who couldn’t climb easily.

I walked a ways from the village and stared at the stars. They were beautiful tonight, along with the moon. I wonder if it would be possible to reach it in this game?

“For a creature of the dark, the contrast is stark.” I turned to see who had snuck up on me. It was a wizened old zebra with an assortment of bracelets and necklaces on his body. He had dreadlocks that were covered in beads, feathers and some pieces of metal. I saw on his flank that he had a mark that looked like a cluster of medicine herbs. What really caught my eye was the scars over his glassy eyes. He was blind.

“Who are you and what do you mean by that?” I asked. I’ve learned from experience that old people can be crazy but always have something important to say.

He chuckled, “My name is Tall Tree, I am the Shaman Elder if you can’t see. I say what I mean. These senses of mine are very keen.” He pointed to his head with a hoof.

‘Yeah, he’s senile.’ I thought. “Um… I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but you’re blind.”

He chuckled, “My sight I cannot use, but I can still see different views.”

I had to ask, “A-are you using the Force?”

He frowned, “I know not this ‘force’ you speak. It is the power of nature that gives me a peek.”

I believe that’s called the Force, but I’ll humor him, “Fine then, what do you see about me?” I relaxed and waited for his reply. ‘This ought to be good.’

The Shaman pulled out a bowl from nowhere and threw some plants in. He ground it up in his hooves and then muttered under his breath. The plants ignited and turned to ash, the fumes rising up into the Shaman’s nose. He breathed deeply and shuddered before speaking. “Another being you are, a…human, that is your kind. A species that changes by nature’s design. You appear to be a threat, yet there are memories you to want to forget. You travel this world seeking adventure and fame. But to keep your sanity, others you must maim. Your divine master has bribed you into his plays. The truth and lies are twisted in what he says.” He gave a final shudder, “That is what I see. All you wish to be free.” He picked up his bowl and turned back to the village leaving me with one thought going through my head.

‘What the actual fuck?’

Bonding time (10)

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‘How could he tell I wasn’t a Night Shade originally? How did he know that I was trying to forget? And what did he mean by the truth and lies?’ Questions ran through my head trying to explain themselves but no logical answers came up. I slapped myself to calm down before my head exploded.

I paced around as I compiled this new information into my head. ‘Okay think. I’m in a game and I just had an NPC talk to me as if he knew my life story. It doesn’t make sense! NPCs shouldn’t be aware of what I am and yet, the Shaman knows. Unless…unless Erebus had the game scripted that way to mess with me. But, how did he find out about that? Then again, he might have hired a detective to uncover it.’ I stopped. ‘Wait, why would Erebus script the Shaman to tell me that I was lied to?’

I tried to think of a logical explanation nothing seemed to fit and anything that came relatively close sounded like something out of a bad science fiction story. ‘Something’s not right. I can see a HUD, I can level up and I can go on quests…but why does it feel like it’s a facade?’ I shuddered remembering the blood from Swift’s snake bite. ‘Ugh, I’m missing some key element here. What is it that could possibly explain this?’

I racked my brain frantically until I was burnt out. I looked up at the moon to see I had spent a few good hours thinking and dawn would be arriving soon. “I’ll just pick this up tomorrow.” I flew up to the ship and collapsed in my hammock.

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“Prepare to disembark!” There was a flurry of activity aboard the airship. The crew was taking shifts in eating breakfast, or whatever food we could find, Dogs and Griffins climbed the rigging to tie off any loose ropes and let the sails down. The ponies went about in their tasks, getting the ship underway for travel. Unicorns used their magic to heat up the balloon’s air, Earth ponies pushed boxes and barrels into corners to be out of the way, and Pegasi cleared the skies of any suspected storm clouds.

I was on the ground in my harpy form, saying my goodbyes to Swift, since he was the only one to come up to me. “So long, my friend. I hope to see you again.” He held a hoof out.

I fist bumped him, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back some day.” I said in my best Terminator impression. I giggled, “Try not to get yourself killed while I’m gone.” Swift chuckled.

“I’ll take your advice to heart. Tomorrow, my strength training should start.”

“Y’know, you could have always trained with me.” I said, “Just saying.”

Swift smiled awkwardly, “I didn't want to intrude. It would seem rude.”

I shrugged, “Meh, I wouldn't have cared.” I looked past him and raised an eyebrow, “Hmm? What do they want?”

Swift turned around to see the rest of the tribe, those who weren't very injured, led by a bandaged up Two Torch. The tribe leader stepped towards the two of us, though he kept a bit of distance from me, and spoke.

“I was told of the events that occurred while I was given aid. I was...surprised to hear that it was you who had defeated the raid. We've never seen eye to eye, so I must ask your reasons why.”

“I never knew about the raid until Swift here found me at my cave. I had heard some noise but I assumed you were celebrating something.” I said wryly, “I helped because I kind of owed it to Swift and I wanted a good challenge.” 'Among other reasons.'

“I see. Well then, I'll leave you be.” he said before trotting off.

“Not one for gratitude, is he?” I said to Swift.

“For the tribe, his heart is pure, but his mind can be stubborn. That, I'm sure.” he said sagely.

The next person up was the Shaman. He stopped in front of me and pulled out a necklace made of intricately braided grass threaded through several colorful beads and a small jagged, triangular stone that had a star carved into both sides. “Take this when you go. A talisman of the tribe I do bestow. A sign of protection and respect I did inscribe. It will deem you a friend to the other tribes.”

I took the necklace and brought it over my head and let it fall around my neck, “Thank you for the gift.”

The Shaman nodded and moved away. I was about to say something to Swift when I was suddenly tackled to the ground by a swarm of foals. I had to work to get them off of me. When I did I was met by a plethora of sad eyes.

“Are you not going to stay? Will we no longer play?” a filly asked sadly. This brought on a chorus of complaints and protests of me leaving them. I could feel my heart explode at the sight.

“Don't worry. I'll come back to visit sometime. Maybe even a few stories to tell.” I said. This brought smiles and cheers of joy. I heard a shout from the ship.

“Captain, We’re ready to set sail!” I think it was one of the Diamond Dogs. I gave him nod and turned back to the tribe.

“Well, time for me to leave. In the words of the Doctor: Allons-y!” I took off towards the ship. I landed on the front end of the ship and turned to my Dog form just as Check Mark arrived.

“Ah, there you are Captain. We’re ready to make way to the next island.”

“Good,” I said, striding to the ship helm, “What do you have to report about the ship’s stock?”

He shook his head, “We barely have enough food to make it to the next island, so we need to travel quickly. Most of the food is for the Dogs. Any for the rest of us isn’t enough.”

“All the more reason to get to the next island faster. I want you to start cataloging the supplies we currently possess, even the weapons. Have Flamehoof or Flamel to help you with that.”

“Yes, Captain.” Check saluted and trotted off to the stairs. I reached the helm to find Star Streak pouring over a crudely drawn map, marking locations and muttering under his breath. I came up next to him and looked over his shoulder.

“How’s the course coming along?”

“Just dandy.” He huffed. “With these maps, I’m surprised the Dog’s even got anywhere. There’s no scale, legend or even accurate drawings! Just directions with a supposed distance and landmarks to look for. I need to get better quality maps or make my own so I can adjust them to the stars easier.”

“We’re not going on an elaborate expedition. It’s a straight course with a few corrections here and there.” I put a paw on his shoulder, “Hey, when we get to the mainland, we’ll get the best maps money can buy.” 'Yeah, swing by the local library and steal the books.'

Star Streak sighed grudgingly, “Fine. Let’s get this show on the road so I can sleep. I work easier at night.”

“Sure thing. Is there any form of communication to the engine room?” I asked, looking around for a pipe or lever to tell Storm Cloud to get us moving.

“Not that I could find. You have to go and tell her yourself.” Star Streak explained, still looking at his map and marking it.

I facepalmed, “Okay, it’s official, this ship SUCKS! First chance I get, I’m going to rebuild this thing into the greatest ship the skies have ever seen.”

“Be careful what you wish for.” Star Streak grinned.

“It’s not a wish because I haven’t thrown you off the side.”

Star Streak gave me a suspicious look, “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well,” I explained, “Aren’t you supposed to wish upon a falling star?” I laughed at the baleful gaze he gave me. After a moment he began to laugh as well. Out of breath, I spoke, “I…need… to get back…to work….see ya…later.” I shakily walked out of the room, Star Streak was just recovering as well.

I jumped down the stair and into the engine room. Storm Cloud and a handful of Dogs and ponies were adjusting pipes and turning valves, calling out changes to the system. The boiler rumbled like a hungry oversized stomach, demanding its next meal of fire and water. I found Storm Cloud near the mechanisms that turned the propellers. I called out to her, “Sup.”

Storm Cloud turned her head, she had a frustrated look on her face, “Hey, I have something to ask you.”

“Shoot.”

“Why did you put me in charge of this? I said I was good with lightning, not boilers. I can hardly understand half this junk here.” She said, casting her hoof about.

“Ah…Well…um…” I stuttered. I had hoped she knew what to do. Guess I was wrong. “Well, I was hoping you could use your lightning to power the engines.”

She gave me a flat look, “Lightning. As a power source? That’s stupid, not to mention impossible.”

'Huh, I guess they don’t have electricity in this world. This boiler system may be some of the only and most advanced technology in this world. Looks like I need to tap into my engineering skills and build my technology from scratch. Should I go with Steampunk style or Space class tech? Maybe both?'

I gave a snort at her comment, “You’d be surprised by what’s possible and what isn’t. Especially, when I rebuild this ship. Look, I’ll help you where and when I can, but try to figure out how to start the propellers and keep them going until the next island. Okay? If you can’t do it, I’ll just get someone else who can.”

Storm Cloud pouted, “No. I’ll figure this out faster than you can say ‘Princess Celestia’.” With that, she turned back to the boiler with a look of determination on her face.

“You do that. I’ll call you up when I need you.” I jumped back up the stairs off to the main deck. On the main deck, I could tell, everyone was excited and anxious to get to the next island. It was practically tangible in the air. I felt the floor under me shift and a cheer rise from the stairs. Seems like she got the propellers moving. I need to change that system badly. We could be easily overtaken by any enemy airships.

I cupped my hands around my mouth, “We are underway to the next island!” The crew gave a cheer. I felt happy, not just for them but that I’m finally on my way to adventure. I went up the stairs into the balloon where the forge was. I heard the sound of bellows being pumped and metal being hammered.

Inside, Flamel was pumping the bellows and Flamehoof repeatedly pulling pieces of iron out and giving them a few taps before putting them back in. Sparks flying and flames dancing about like gypsies. “Hey guys, what’re you up to?”

Flamehoof ignored me, too intent on his work, so Flamel answered, “We are just fixing up any broken tools in case we need them. The previous crew were careless in making sure they didn’t rust or break.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Are you smarter than most dogs, or was the last crew just really stupid?” If there’s one thing that really bugs me, it’s natural stupidity or lack of common sense.

Flamel grimaced, “Sadly, most dogs are strong but few are actually smart. The ones who are both are the pack Alphas. The rest of us have a pack mentality that makes us follow the orders of our Alpha, so not much brain is needed unless you are a leader. I had to hide my talents or I would be suspected of trying to overthrow the Alpha of my pack and be executed.”

I smiled, “I like you. It's nice to meet some intellectuals who take pride in their mental work. As long as you are on this ship, I want you to keep working your skill as far as you can take it. I hate to see good talent like yours be wasted. With your talent in alchemy, you’re gonna go far if you just keep practicing it. ”

Flamel gave a toothy grin, “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“No problem. I like to see others who pursue intellectual paths, as I do myself.”

Flamel raised an eyebrow, “What do you do?”

“I've studied a lot of things but my strength is in engineering. I like to build things, usually to blow other stuff up.” I said, chuckling at some fond explosive memories.

“Huh. I never took you for a builder.”

“Swift thought I was going to eat him when we met for the first time.” I grinned wryly, “All I can say is don't judge a book by it's cover.”

“Y'know, I’d like to have some more heat in the fire.” Flamehoof said. I saw him stare impatiently at the two of us. The fire in the forge had cooled down to a glowing red.

“Right, sorry. I’ll be going now.” I scooted over to the door. “Oh, by the way, I'm gonna call everyone together later, just so you know.” I slipped out and headed back to my room to work on my projects until lunch time.

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“As I said before, I have one other announcement to make so there's no confusion from here on out.” I stood on the deck of the ship with the rest of the crew sitting in front of me or hanging from the ropes. It was past lunch and we had already spotted the next island and made a beeline for it. We were only about two hours away. “But first, I want to ask you a question. What do you think I am?” I was currently in my Diamond Dog form. Aside from my Base form, this one feels the most comfortable by far. Plus it gives me a tail. Fuck yeah.

I got several confused glances from the ponies and griffins. The Dogs looked at me more intently. They were probably on to me from the start. One unicorn raised his hoof, “Aren't you a Diamond Dog?”

“Am I?” I turned to the Dogs, one in particular, “Flamel, do you think I'm a Diamond Dog?” I raised an eyebrow at him in mock question.

Flamel stared at me for a moment, eyes narrowed, before speaking, “No, I do not. You don't smell like any Dog I know, much less any creature.” 'Seriously, what the hell do I smell like to them?'

“Exactly!” I turned to the crew, “He's right. I'm not a Diamond Dog. I'm actually...”Pause for dramatic effect while I turn back to my base form. Good thing the balloon blocked the sun for the dangerous part of the day for me. I finished turning, “a Night Shade.”

Everyone gave me wide eyed stares with a couple dropped jaws here and there. Oddly enough, there wasn't a single scream of terror from my appearance. Interesting. This must mean: A) Night Shades are only part of Zebra culture, B) They're too terrified to do anything, C) They don't know their Monsterpedias that well, or D) Any other explanation.

'Ten bucks says it's B'

One of the unicorn foals spoke up, “What's a Night Shade?” His face full of curious innocence. 'Damn, how do I lose to myself?'

“I'm a creature of darkness, also called a Wraith, that lives off the life force of others.” This brought expression of fear to their faces, including those who tried to hide it.

An earth pony held up a shaky hoof, “Um. W-What d-do you...eat?”

“Technically, I can eat anything alive, plants and animals, regardless of species, and it allows me to transform into them. My Diamond Dog form I received when I ate one of the Dogs that attacked the village.” Most ponies scooted back a few inches, the griffins were a bit tense, as well as the Dogs. “However, I try to restrict my menu as best I can.” They weren't so reassured as I hoped.

“So...have you...um,” Inject Vial stuttered out, “eaten another pony?”

“Unless you include harpies, then no, I haven't.” Not yet anyways. I started to wonder what they would taste like.

She sighed in relief, oblivious to the thought I just had. Some others did the same but many still held fear of me. It was starting to irritate me a bit. “Look, I'm not going to eat you. I promised to take you back in one piece. So just calm down okay?” They calmed down a bit, visibly at least.

Storm Cloud raised a hoof, “Wait, so if you're a creature of darkness, then why would you help us?”

“Why not? I needed a crew so I made a deal with you.” I mentally winced at what I said. 'Freaking zebra rhymes are starting to rub off on me. This better not become a thing.'

“So why do you need to get to the main land?” she asked, still confused.

I was about to respond when I actually thought about her question. 'Why the hell do I need to get to the mainland?' I frowned as I tried to formulate a legitimate reason, but I kept drawing blanks and I couldn't really say that I was just told to do it. “Honestly, I don't really know.” I shrugged, “I just wanted to see something other than the same island every day.”

She nodded, “I can respect that.” A pegasus mare spoke up next.

“Are you evil?”

“If by 'evil' you mean a sadistic, cruel, blood thirsty monster hell bent on destruction, then no. I don't do that crap.”

“Really?” Now most everyone was a bit shocked. How often would you come across a creature from nightmares that doesn't kill for no reason?

“I see no point to it. Besides, I'm more of a 'mad scientist' evil. It's so much more fun.” I said, giving a dark chuckle.

I silently debated whether or not to tell them of my...condition, but seeing as they were a lot more relaxed with me now, I decided against it, not wanting to make them fear me every second. “Anything else? No? Well, that's all I really had to tell you so let's get back to work. We have an island to get to.

There was a mad scramble to get back to work with the thought of food on their minds. I sat upon a barrel, watching the scene unfold. I felt a tugging on my robe and looked down to see the six young ones, “Yes?”

The unicorn from before spoke up, after a nudge from his friends. He was small, about knee high, with a dark blue coat, a short green mane and emerald eyes. I noticed he had no mark. “Mister Gunhaver? My mama told me that shadow creatures were all evil and would gobble me up if I did bad things. Is that true?”

'Ah, kids. So easily frightened and full of naïve innocence about the world. Kinda makes you want to give it a squeeze and mess with their heads, but I need their trust now.' I smiled, “That depends. I''m not going to hurt you but that doesn't mean other shadow creatures won't and if you do bad things, I would let whoever takes care of you set the punishments. Okay? Now anything else you need?”

The griffin chick spoke up. She was bigger than the others but definitely smaller than the adult griffins. Like the others, her main body was golden brown fur and her head was covered in white feathers. Her wings were a bit small and it seemed that her feathers were almost done growing in. “Yeah,” she said in an eager voice, “Do you know anything fun we can do on this ship?” I can tell she's a hyper one.

“Of course, sit down and tell me your names before I do.” They all sat down in a semi circle.

“I'm Astrid.” said the griffin.

“I'm Stepper.” Said the dark blue unicorn colt.

“I'm Airsoft.” said the neon orange pegasus colt. His mane was a bright yellow and he had saphhire blue eyes. No mark as well.

“I'm Sanctum.” said the violet earth pony filly. She had a magenta curly mane and violet eyes. No mark either.

“I'm Steam Tail, but you can call me Tails.” said the dark brown unicorn filly. She had a blue-gray mane and maroon eyes. No mark as well. I gotta ask what those marks mean later.

I looked at the pup, waiting his answer. When he didn't speak up I asked him, “Don't you have a name?”

He dropped his head in shame, “I don't really have a name.” The others gasped.

“What? Everypony has to have a name.” Sanctum said.

“It's alright Sanctum.”I said. I turned to the pup, “I'll give you a name then. How about...Red Rover?” The pup did have a red-orange fur with yellow eyes.

He nodded happily and I smiled, “Now that you've been named, let's start the fun. Tell me, have you ever wondered what it's like to be a yo-yo?”

Rest, Relax, Restock (11)

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“Alright here's the plan.” We had anchored the ship above the island, I was with the crew on the deck. “Camo, take the pegasi and search the trees for any fruits we can eat. Flamel, take the Dogs and scout the island for any valuable resources such as ores and gems. Take some spears or weapons and keep an eye out for any dangerous creatures. Flamehoof, take the Earth Ponies and gather any foods on the grounds. Storm, I want the Unicorns transporting everything from the ground to the ship and have them run quality control on the goods. I don't want any nasty surprises or useless material on board. Make sure to let Check Mark take inventory of what goes on.” I pointed at Inject who jumped and shrank with nervousness, “Inject, search the island for medicinal plants, I'll assist you later in picking them out.” 'Thank you Swift for the knowledge.' The five of them saluted, Inject still trying to shrink herself down.

I searched the crowd and picked out a griffin at random, “You, what's your name?”

The male griffin was fairly big and strong-looking. He had an air of intelligence and calm which made me single him out, “Name's Jun.”

“Well Jun, I want you to take the griffins and go hunt for meat. You might want to take a couple of the net launchers from the armory and use them to go fishing.” I gestured to everyone, “I'll be going around and checking everyone's progress. Now let's gather as much as we can so we can feast and celebrate our first day of freedom!”

We all cheered and the crew practically jumped off the ship to get to work. I turned back to the young ones and grinned, “So who's up for some exploring?” They all raised an arm and I gave a slightly evil chuckle.

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“So why are we doing this?” Astrid huffed angrily. “This is all junk!” She tossed a small piece of metal onto the pile.

“Because we are looking for anything useful. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure'.” I said with a smirk. We were exploring the obscure parts of the ship and trying to find anything we could use, kinda like the dumpster diving I had to do for most of my school projects. It was mostly for my interest and the youngsters were kinda entertaining. So far we had found some old armor that Airsoft and Stepper had put on and started to act like knights, wrestling and jousting around. I found the irony of the concept hilarious.

Astrid looked confused, “How can this junk be treasure? Treasure is shiny and glitters like gems and gold. This stuff is nasty and grimy, not to mention ugly.” She gestured to the piles around us. Rover was in the corner gnawing on a shaft of wood. Sanctum and Steam Tail were poking around the piles, pulling out random parts and tossing them about.

“Simple,” I pick out a bent bar of metal and held it up in front of her, “See this? What comes to mind when you see it?”

“A stupid metal bar.” She deadpanned.

“Well, I see a club, a sword, a bracelet, a replacement leg, tongs, a poker, a spear, a hook, a monkey wrench, a bolt, and more. You just need a use for it.” My dad used this trick on me when he introduced Legos to me.

Astrid now stared at the pipe with confusion and awe, as if expecting the bar to transform but she wasn't seeing it. “C-could it really do that?”

“Sure. It can be whatever you want it to be. Here, I'll let you have this one.” I tossed it to her and she caught it and held it like it was the most precious thing in the world. Astrid, still holding the bar dove into the piles with a new vigor.

I returned to my pile and kept digging. I found three black cases at the bottom of the pile. They were instrument cases, probably Honey and Crunch's instruments. I opened them to show a single snare drum, a worn acoustic guitar and a small violin. I closed the drum and guitar cases and set them aside. I pulled out the violin and examined it. It looked it hadn't been used in a long while. It was still in good condition, though the strings would need some tuning and the bow cared for as well. I set the violin back in the case and closed it.

“Hey guys, I need to do some other stuff. I'll be back. Stay out of trouble. Astrid, you're in charge. Don't make me regret the decision.”

Kill them all. Start with the foals. The others won't hear them scream until it's too late. Ah, such wonderful screams of agony.

“Yes, sir!” Astrid saluted. She's got the makings of a leader.

I picked up the cases and went to my room first to drop them off before heading to the top deck. I went to the rails and looked into the forest. New island may mean new monsters.

I pulled out my pistol and checked my HUD. Full clip. I paused and went to my weapons tab to see that my Rifle mode currently had four clips. I un-paused and held up my gun.

I put the gun on my back, and turned around to face the other side of the ship. I ran straight for the rail and jumped out as far as I could. I hung in the air like I was in slow motion and looked down, starting my free fall. “Trans Form Harpy” I turned to my harpy form and flew out to the center of the island.

I watched the scene below me. The Pegasi and Earth Ponies had amassed a huge pile of food and the Unicorns carefully went through it. The griffins were hanging near the ocean and river, hauling in large amounts of fish. I couldn't spot the Dogs though. “Locus Flamel” A Nav point appeared on my map and in my vision, and I made a beeline for it.

I dropped into a clearing where I found Flamel and the other Dogs digging up holes in the ground. “Sup. How’s it going?”

Flamel kept digging, “We found a few good ores in the ground and also some gems to eat.”

“How do you find the ores and gems?” I asked, a little curious about the Dogs abilities.

“Diamond Dogs have an innate sense of smell that helps us distinguish certain rocks from others. It helps us find metals and gems in the mines and some dens use a trail of ore for directions in case a Dog gets lost.” He said this matter-of-factly, still digging in his hole.

“The more I learn about dogs the more I want to be one.” I said wistfully, “Anyways I just came to see how you were. I got to find Inject. See ya later.” Flamel gave a grunt in reply as I turned away. “Okay, Locus Inject Vial.” Another Nav point appeared and I took off towards it.

I found Inject picking some flowers out of the ground and I was about to say hi when I saw a snake slither down a tree behind her with a hungry look in its eye. ‘Deja vu. Fuck you.’ I turned to my Base form, pulled out my DMR and lined up my reticule with the snake's head. “BYYYEE!” I said in my best Mr. Popo impression. Inject jumped and squealed when she saw me with my weapon pointed in her direction.

CRACK

I saw the snake's head explode in a shower of red and watched the entire body fall limply from the tree.

Achievement Unlocked: BOOM! HEADSHOT!- gained 30 XP

“Try to ambush my friends now, bitch!” Inject had dropped unconscious from the gunshot. I picked up her body as gently as I could and glanced at my map to see the inland river not far off. I quickly took her over to the river and removed her bags. Once off, I dropped her into the water. Now I know what my brother felt like when he did this to me on that camping trip.

Inject immediately woke up from the liquid shock and began flailing about. “Help! I can't swim! Somepony! Anypony! Help!” she yelled. I pulled her out. She hung from my hand like a wet towel, water dripping from her body.

“Therma” The water disappeared and Inject turned into a giant fluff ball. I hugged her, “Warm and fluffy, how all things should dry.” SHE WAS SOOOO SOFT! It was like hugging a warm stuffed animal. I held her out again, her coat now all mussed up, “Feel better?”

She looked at me dumbly before anger grew on her face, “What was THAT for! You scare me half to death with that...thing and then you dump me in the river and turn me into a cotton ball!”

I said nothing but set her under my arm and grabbed her bags and went back to the snake. I dropped her in front of it, giving her a good view of the carnage, “That's why. I nearly lost a friend because a snake bit him from behind and I almost didn't save him in time. Like hell, if I was going to let it happen again. Next time, bring a buddy with you.” I'm going to have to enforce the Zombie Apocalypse rules from now on if I want to prevent this from happening.

Inject looked shaken from it all, but she composed herself as best she could and turned to me with sad, guilty eyes, “Sorry about that.”

“S'okay. I just came by to assist you so let's continue getting some plants.”

“Oh, right.” She threw the bags back on and we began to compare notes of the Zebra methods I got from Swift and Pony methods as we picked out plants for the next hour or two. I think it's safe to assume we learned a great deal from each other. Turns out she's not shy at all when she gets into her element.

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It was evening now and everyone had finished their jobs. Inject was in her room trying to turn it into a makeshift medical bay. Flamel was up in the forge organizing his alchemy stuff. The kids were in their room with their pile of treasure they collected. Everyone else was hanging around the ship or doing some small tasks, the cooks were getting food ready for the party. Me, I was sitting on my hammock working on my experiments and fiddling with the pause menu.

My inventory showed just my butterfly knife, the spider silk, necklace and my specialized bone bolts. ‘I should probably upgrade this stuff sooner or later. Maybe make another weapon. I wonder if...No. How about...Naaah. Maybe...why did I even think that? Or...That could work. I will have to begin experimenting soon. Muahahahahaha. I'm such a horrible person.’

I checked my Consumption levels to see that I had enough for almost a year now thanks to my endurance building. I skipped Weapons since I saw it earlier and went to the Map. Most of the world was fogged up except for a small streak that led from my current location to the island I started on. I took a glance at Skills to see I needed to work some more on my Strength and Combat. Quests showed the ones I completed and ones I’ve started.

I scrolled through this tab for a bit. Apparently the quests are named by what happened during it. There were a couple side quests too like gathering plants and races I did for the extra experience. Those didn’t appear like the normal quests. They were more like random encounters.

I went to Achievements next and was a bit surprised. I had about thirty five achievements so far. They were styled like Xbox achievements, like ‘I wanna cast a spell’ showed a Lumberjack Dwarf casting a white ball of energy. I scanned through some of the descriptions and went to the locked ones to see what I needed to do later. The locked Achievements didn’t show any requirements. Hell, I couldn’t even highlight them to see the name. I guess these things are made up on the fly.

Last one, Data. This tab was organized into different information categories. Magic listed the words and spells I knew, Hazards showed monsters and enemies like harpies and Dog slavers, and so on and so forth. There wasn’t much here that wasn’t review. ‘Maybe if I get I book, I could download info off of it. I wouldn’t have to carry them around as well.’

I closed out of the menu and went back to my experiments and plans. I had some ideas for my new airship, though I was considering a single light fighter. I need to know more about this world’s tech first, but then again, I have magic at my disposal.

‘Ehh, I’m bored. I wonder if they’re starting to eat yet.’ I grab the drum and guitar case and head up to the top deck. “Locus Honey Almond” I followed the point to the side of the ship where I found Honey lifting the fruits into the hold. “Hey Honey, look what I found.” Honey saw the instruments in my hands and her face turned to joy.

“Oh,Celestia! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She cried out as she tackled me with a big hug. She grabbed the case with her magic and opened it to check her guitar for any damages.

“No problem. I found it when I was searching the ship. When you’re done, I want you and your brother to play us some songs.”

She gave a wide grin, “Sure thing!” She put her guitar away with the drum in the corner and got back to work, moving the cargo even faster. I walked around just seeing what others were doing. Everyone was conversing with one another, different races mixing in some spots.

The strum of a guitar and a drum beat got all our heads turned. Honey and Crunch were sitting on some boxes and were tuning their instruments. After a minute or two, they got to playing a song and some of the crew had gathered around.

When I finally finished school

It was the first thing that I did

What every townie foal dreams of,

I packed and started west

A thousand bits I had saved

And my sister's two cassettes:

The Dead from Fillmare East

And Otis Redding's Greatest Hits

Coffee and Cigarettes

As simple as it gets

Of all the things I think I'll miss,

There's staying up with you

Coffee and Cigarettes

Then, I commit with some restraint

To a colt I thought might care

It didn't work but I found out soon

And never dug roots there

Been a lot of places since

But nothing else compares

To easy times and easy eyes

To meet you in a stare

Coffee and Cigarettes

As simple as it gets

Of all the things I think I'll miss,

Staying up with you

Coffee and Cigarettes

When I finally finished school

It was the first thing that I did

What every townie foal dreams of,

I packed and started west

Coffee and Cigarettes

As simple as it gets

Of all the things I think I'll miss

Staying up with you

Coffee and Cigarettes

Staying up with you

Coffee and cigarettes

Coffee and Cigarettes

Staying up with you

Coffee and Cigarettes

'Damn, they were good.' Now everyone was getting into the music. Some danced and others were wall flowers. I rushed back down to get my violin and tune it before coming back up with it.

“Okay, my turn.” I began to play one of the greatest classics of all time. That's right, Zelda.

I started off slow to get a feel of it and then ran straight into the song. I had practiced this song so many times, that it's muscle memory to me. The notes and keys were ingrained into my ears as I listened for any wrong notes.

Achievment Unlocked: Old Habits Die Hard – gained 20 XP

I finished and gave a bow. Honey came up to me, “Didn't take you for a violin type, much less one who could play.” she said with an impressed tone.

I shrugged, “Some of the best music is played on violins. Guitars are good too but violins can be just as awesome. I actually know some good songs you could play.”

“I see. You're going to have to show me some time.”

“Of course.” We continued playing songs between the three of us as the crew danced and ate on the sides. The youngsters were having a hell of a time dancing all around the deck.

Soon enough, some of the crew began to wind down and start going to their bunks. Some mares were getting the foals to bed though they protested through yawning mouths. Honey and Crunch packed away their instruments and started to go down to put them away. I slowly finished up my song and began to play a more soothing one that would take them to sleep. Eventually all the crew was gone except for Star Streak.

Star Streak was wide awake and ready with a piece of paper and a pencil in his mouth. He looked at the night sky for a few seconds before jotting down some markings on his paper. I packed away my violin and went over to him, “Nice night, huh?”

Pencil still in mouth, he replied, “Mmh-hmm” he jotted some more dots and drew some lines for the constellations.

We sat there in silence. I enjoyed the sight while Star Streak worked. The scratch scratch of pencil on paper and the soft breeze making the only sounds on the ship.

“Well, see ya around. Night.” I said, breaking the delicate peace with my voice. I grabbed my case and went down to my room to drop it off. I then walked casually down to the room where the prisoners were kept. I had the Dogs I captured put aboard soon after I released everyone. I didn’t want them to get chewed out by their former captives until I was done with them.

The door was in the back and bottom of the ship. It was a big closet but it held all of them easily. I looked up to the beams. I had the dogs tied tightly up so they couldn't escape easily. I floated myself up to the closest one and woke him up with a sharp jab. He gave a muffled yelp and opened his eyes wide at the sight of me. Particularly at the evil grin I had on my face.

“You and I are going to have a little chat.”

Repression (12)

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I looked upon the crew who sat around the middle of the deck. Some were doing little jobs here and there like repair or cleaning but the rest had their attention upon me in my Dog form. “I told you all I was going to do it and here it is. Welcome to Combatives. Here you will spar with me and learn to defend yourself from attackers and how to fight back. Even if you don't want to participate, at least watch closely. I’ll start with hand to hand combat.” I held my paws up to show, “In a fight, this is your last line of defense and determines whether you win or lose. I’ll teach you grappling and some basic kicks, punches and blocks. Any victims, I mean, volunteers?” I said with a smile.

Some of the ponies looked nervous and the griffins seemed indecisive. The Dogs sat there stolidly. “No one? Okay then, how about….” I scanned the spectators and chose one at random, “you. Come here.”

The Dogs I pointed at stood up and came forward. He was taller than me by half a head and sported some big muscles in his arms and chest. His fur was a pale gray, almost white and had light grey eyes.

“What’s your name?” I asked. The Dog said nothing but instead gave a deep throaty growl. It sounded like a rumbling diesel engine through a bass speaker, but my universal translator let me understand him.

“I cast aside my name long ago. It means nothing to me. I have no name.”

Another Dog stood up. He was similar to the one in front of me except he had a darker gray coat. He spoke with a Russian accent. “Pardon my brother, he does not speak much aside from growling. He assumes everyone can understand him. He said-”

“I heard what he said.” This dog looked surprised, “I can understand any language.” I turned back to the nameless hound in front of me. “Well, it’ll be hard to remember you without a name. How about…” I searched my memory for a good name and then recalled a certain character who growled as well, “Meta?”

He stared me down, judging me and my suggestion and growled again, “It shall be suitable. For now.”

“Good, now I want you all to pay close attention to this. Ready, fight.” Not hesitating, Meta pulled his arm back and threw a wicked right hook at me. I dodged to the outside and grabbed his wrist. Without missing a beat, I placed a hand on his shoulder and kicked his legs out from under him, forcing him to the ground. Meta hit the ground with a loud thud, surprising him and everyone watching.

Still holding him, I spoke, “Can anyone tell me what happened?” A griffin raised his claw.

“You dodged and then pushed him to the ground.”

“Close.” Camouflage raised his hoof.

“You used his momentum to your advantage.”

“Correct.” I let go of Meta and helped him up. “Meta put his whole body forward into his punch. While that gives him power, it puts him off balance and makes him easy to take down. Another point is that his wind-up was completely unnecessary. It was simple to read and therefore avoid his attack. An effective punch should be quick and sharp. Again, Meta.” I turned to him and from a stand still position, my entire body shifted into attack mode as he lunged forward. I dropped my center of gravity and threw a solid punch into Meta’s diaphragm, doubling him over, and pulling back to my standing position, all in a few seconds.

“All I threw was a simple punch but Meta was almost to a knee.” Meta got up and shook himself, but seemed winded. I had to hand it to him. He took the pain well. “Thanks Meta, take a breather.”

“I can’t wait to spar again. I promise to return the favor” He growled eagerly before going back to his spot.

I laughed, “I expect nothing less.” I turned to the ponies in the crowd, “Now I'm more adept at bipedal combat techniques than quadraped techniques so learning for you ponies and griffins will be as fast as I can learn, so to speak. In the meantime, try to learn from experience and I will help polish your fighting styles where I can. So who’s next?”

“Me.” I turned to see Storm Cloud enter the ring. “I want to know how well you can fight. For all I know, you could be really weak.”

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I didn't take her to be a fighter, then again, I don't really know her. Plus she could be scripted that way. Who knows? “If you fought me with my weapons, you'd probably die. So I won't use them to give you the benefit of the doubt. Someone give the call to start.” I set my self in a low, wide stance. She lowered herself and pawed the ground a few times, pointing her horn at me.

We stared each other down like one of those old western movies. Each of us prying for a weakness in the other's defenses. A bell rang and Storm Cloud moved first, charging me head on and ramming into my stomach with her hooves and knocking me back a few feet.

I took a deep breath to replace the one she kicked out and jumped over her before she could buck me where my balls were. As real as this game is, I do not want to feel that. I tucked in and rolled on the ground, cushioning my fall. I quickly got up and barely dodged another charge from Storm Cloud.

Kill her. Impale her with your bones. Carve out her skull. Drain her body. Let them fear you!

I felt my arms come up and aim at her, the words ready on my tongue. I realized the movement and quickly thumped my head on the deck, passing it off as an accident. ‘Dammit, I'm not trying to kill her. We're just sparring!’

Call it what you want. You should still kill her.

‘No. I will not kill her!’ I was shaken from my thoughts by a pair of hooves connecting to my face. I flew back and crashed into the wall. ‘Damn, she's got some strong legs.’

I pulled myself from the dent I made, “Screw this. Trans Form Base.” I turned back to my Base form and turned to Storm Cloud, who was still in the ring, “Ha! Try and hit me now!” I challenged.

She took the challenge and charged me, except this time she passed through my body and into the wall I just crashed in.

I stared at her in surprise. ‘Damn, I knew I couldn’t be physically hurt in this form, but she went through my body! I don't know if I should feel impressed or violated.' I made a mental note to experiment with this new discovery.

I flew myself over to the ring, wanting to distance myself from her. I spread my arms wide, “Now, what you gonna do? Hmm? You can't touch me anymore.”

I could see Storm's face darken with frustration. I giggled to myself at her expense. 'I love this form. Not only can I join shadows, but I'm impervious to any physically attack. Best. Ability. Eve- Why is she smiling like that?'

Storm Cloud now had a malicious grin on her face. Like she just got a good idea and it involved some one getting hurt, namely me. Suddenly, I felt very scared now for my health bar.

“What are yo-” Her horn gave off a few small sparks. My eyes went wide as I realized what she was going to do. Magic attack. Now that I think about it, I'm probably weak against it since I can't be physically hit in this form. To top it off, I don't think I have any magic defense either. Fuck my life.

“No.” Storm's horn began to pick up and give off more and bigger sparks. “No. No. No.” Her horn was now glowing an icy blue light, arcs of electricity trailing in the air. “No No NONONONONONONONONONO! FUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!” I said, as I barely dodged the lightning beam coming at me.

Storm Cloud lit her horn up again and fired, repeating this process like a semi-automatic gun. I recalled upon the best advice I knew for this situation: Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive, and Dodge. So far she hasn't hit me yet.

I moved to the side to avoid a bolt to the head, only to take a glancing blow to my side. I felt the electricity course through my body like the time I stuck my hand in the electric socket and yelled “Chidori!” before having to let go. Shut up. I was thirteen at the time.

“HRRGG!” I grunted in pain. My health bar dropped a few days worth of energy from the attack. 'Dammit, I need to retaliate! Quick, What do I know about electricity?'

Electricity moves along a set path

'No shit Sherlock, but how's that going to help me? It's not like I can change it's direction...Oh, that's what you meant. This is going to hurt, won't it?'

I kept dodging the attacks, formulating the plan and spell I needed. Storm Cloud had done a number on the innocent walls and rails with her attacks. The spectators from before had scattered so they wouldn't get caught in the cross fire. I had to stop her before she sets the entire ship alight. I dropped from my running a few meters away from her. She locked her gaze on me and charged her horn. I got one shot at this.

She fired and time seemed to slow down. I watched the lightning bolt race towards me, intent on giving me pain. I raised my hand and caught the bolt. I felt the intense, burning pain course up my arm to my body. As it reached my chest, I spoke my spell, “Reflect.” The lightning continued on down my other arm, the pain not letting up. I idly wondered how many amps she put into this attack as it reached my hand. The lightning shot out from my hand, which was pointed at Storm Cloud, and flew back to it's owner.

Storm Cloud didn't react fast enough and was hit full on by her attack. He body flashed and sparked like an epileptic X-ray display, showing her entire skeleton. When the electricity dissipated, Storm stood shakily, her mane and tail all frazzled and a bit singed. After a moment of shaking, she fell over dazed and moaning.

Achievement Unlocked: That's gotta Hertz- gained 30 XP

Magic level increased

Combat level increased

I went over to her, “Medico. You okay?” She got on her hooves slowly and steadily.

“Shockingly, I'm still alive. That last bolt took a chunk of energy to make. I'm surprised neither of us are ashes right now.”

'Was she trying to kill me?'

“Just curious, if you could fight like that, then how did you get captured? And where did you learn to fight, like that?”

She grimaced, “The Dogs got the drop on me and my father taught me how. He's a prized heavyweight boxer in Stalliongrad. The magic was part of my training as well.” She gave herself a shake, “But, you're alright if you can last against me, even if you ran like a little filly when I started to zap you.” She laughed at that.

“Shut up. I'm not very strong against magic attacks. I was just making a tactical withdrawal.” I said defensively. 'Note to self: finish projects and find a way to increase magic defense.'

Storm waved her hoof dismissively, “Yeah, yeah, you still ran away. Still, we should do that again sometime. I haven't had that good of a fight since I found my colt friend cheating on me.”

I thought about it, my mind shooting off ideas in a web of tangents. 'Storm Cloud a good fighter and has plenty of potential. She is a unicorn that is good at lightning magic. Lightning is considered a plasma. Plasma is used in Energy Swords. Said swords are used by the Covenant Elites. Ergo, Storm Cloud could become an Elite. My logic is completely sound.'

I grinned, “Sure thing.” I held out a fist and she bumped it. I turned to the others, who were peeking out from their hiding spots, with a manic grin, “Who's next?”

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The rest of the week passed with the roughly the same day to day schedule for me: Get up, practice skills, eat lunch, practice combat with the crew, play with the kids, play few pieces with Honey and Crunch, work on projects until I fell asleep.

Methodical, organized and simple to remember. Very efficient and flexible for any changes.

But like any organized system, there's always a monkey wrench lying about in the gears. The Voice had been getting stronger since the fight with Storm Cloud. That night, I had to take some extra measures when interrogating the Dogs.

“Umbra. Crucio.” I said to the Dog in front of me. He silently squirmed in his ropes, trying to escape the unbearable pain I was unleashing on him as I listened to the Voice slowly fade away. I normally can't stand torture after listening to some of the stories my brother told me when he came back from his tours. Unfortunately, this was the only way to slake the Voice's blood lust. But that wasn't the worst part.

As I watched the Dog be tortured by my spell, I felt...complete. Like I found the missing element in my life and that this pain is what I lived for. This was my purpose. I wanted to hurt it. Just for being a dumb mutt. I was in control of its life and I could snuff it out on a whim.

It terrified me.

Yes, glorious pain. Let him suffer more. Make him beg for death but do not give it. Yes.

I felt dirty and nothing I do would ever make me feel clean again. This virtual reality is getting a bit too real for me.

When it was done, I mercifully killed the Dog, giving it a “Requiescat en Pace” before feeding upon him. I incinerated the body and then secretly disposed of the ashes on the next island we passed two days later, giving a quick funeral. I always respected the dead, but it reminded me too much of the funerals I've attended.

I didn't want to remember them.

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I was sitting on the bow of the ship, huddled in my Base form, munching on some fish the day we left the island I buried the Dog on. I tossed the bones in a small pile as soon as I finished them. When I was done, I just sat there, staring out into the horizon. I don’t know how long I sat there but I was broken out of my trance by the sound of hooves and a filled mug sliding in front of me on the railing. “Drink it, you’ll feel better.”

I blinked in surprise and looked to the origin of the mug. It came from a dark caramel colored Earth pony mare with a curly blond mane and a mark of a beer mug next to a smiling face. “I feel fine.” I said.

She gave a snort, “Gun, I’ve been a bartender for fifteen years. I know when somepony is having problems, no matter how much they try to hide it. Now drink it.” She pushed the mug closer to me.

I picked up the mug gingerly and held it to my mouth. I wasn’t entirely sure I could drink it since I had found out that objects could pass through my body. I took a sip and the drink spilled through my mouth and onto the floor below me. “Sorry, I can’t drink it.” I handed it back to her, “What is this anyways?”

“This is my special rum recipe. Name’s Rum Runner by the way.” She held out a hoof and I bumped it.

“Rum, huh? Isn’t that made by fermenting the ingredients?” I asked, and she nodded. “I suppose that I could eat the ingredients before you process them.” I said idly.

Rum Runner put her hoof to her chin. “Yes I think that could work.” She then sat down next to me, “Anyways I thought I’d try to help. I’ve met a lot of other ponies who have had plenty of problems that they want to drown in alcohol. If I had to guess, you have some bad memories you want to forget. ”

‘Can everyone read me like a book?’ I thought. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You sure? Talking about it could help.”

I gave a cynical laugh, “Ha, that’s what the doctor said, but they were only trying to pick apart my brain so they know what happy pills to give me.” I scowled again, “Bastards can heal everything except what's really broken.” I muttered.

Rum placed a consoling hoof on me, “Look, I know it’s not my place but it sounds like you've been put through a hell of a time.”

I gave her an icy glare, “You have no idea.”

“Maybe not, but keeping it locked up won't help you in the slightest. It'll only make things worse. Trust me. I've seen it happen, even to the best of ponies.” she grabbed the mug and trotted back up to the deck, leaving me back in my solitude.

I sat there in silence, at one point dropping the bones over the side to clean the mess. I huddled up into a corner, tucking myself into the cold comfort of the shadows. “I could really use some help now, brother.”

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For the rest of the week, I struggled to repress that memory and quiet the Voice like a personal vendetta. I was still afraid of it but just a bit less now. I had plenty of projects, training and crew members to help distract me during the days.

With those under control, I could worry about a bigger problem that was looming on my mind. I tried to keep this one secret from the crew but as we kept traveling from island to island in peace, my paranoia about it increased even more.

I was practicing my marksmanship with my DMR (silenced) on the port side of the ship. I took some pieces of useless junk I found and tossed them as far as I could and sniped them out of the air. Flamel was with me, he's a great person to converse ideas with, and we were discussing random topics as I practiced. It helped me distract myself from certain trains of thought.

“Have you ever tried mixing sodium with water?” I said as I pulled the trigger. That's a hit.

“No. What would happen?” he asked as I picked up another piece.

I chucked the piece and looked down my scope, “It makes a pretty nice explosion. I did it once out of curiosity and almost blew off my arm.” I shot the piece. I noticed my ammo was down to three clips, so I switched to my pistol to conserve it.

“Sound's pretty bad.”

“Yeah, but it was funny at the time.” I turned my back on the rail and leaned against it. I dropped my voice to a whisper, “Speaking of bad, I talked with Star Streak last night when he was still making his star maps. He said that on our current course and rate we would reach the mainland in about a week from now. Four days if we pushed it.”

Flamel gave me a confused look, “How is that bad? Arriving home is good isn't it?”

I waved a hand at him, “Yes, it's good that we get there, but my concern is what happens in the meantime.”

“What do you mean?”

“Haven't you noticed how peaceful it's been since we disembarked? Not once have we encountered any pirates or sea monsters or raging dragons. It's been too easy.”

“Maybe luck favors us this voyage?” He said skeptically, “What makes you thing something bad is going to happen?”

“Because nothing is ever easy. There's always a trial or some sort of obstacle in the way and judging by how peaceful it's been, it's going to be something big. Very big. The problem is, I don't know when it's going to happen. Most likely it'll happen some time before or after we hit the mainland.”

“You're just being superstitious. Nothing is going to happen.” He said reassuringly. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that his ear twitched and he turned his head to look out over the ocean. “Hmm?” He lifted a paw to block out the sun and after a moment, I see his eyes widen. “Uh-Oh.”

I had a smug grin on my face, “Told you so. Now don't tell me, We're about to be attacked by a huge ass monster?”

He nodded dumbly, “Two red dragons.”

“Sharp teeth and claws?”

“Most likely.”

“Bring it on.” I said flatly before yelling, “BATTLESTATIONS!”

This is why we can't have nice things (13)

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“BATTLESTATIONS!” I yelled. I had given everyone instructions on where to go and what to do in the event that we were attacked on the way to the mainland. Unicorns would go below decks and fire off spells from the portholes with the Earth Ponies guarding them. Pegasi and Griffins would be flying around the main deck pushing off any boarders. The Dogs would stay on the top decks as the main battle group. There were a few exceptions as to who went where, of course. We practiced drills until everyone could get to their posts as quick as possible. It wasn’t much, but it was something to give them a sense of security until I could upgrade this ship. “We have two dragons incoming!” I pointed at the growing specks on the horizon.

New quest:

Protect the airship

Challenges:

Do not let the ship take damage- 100 XP

Use no weapons to kill the dragons- 100 XP

Reward- 1000 XP

Accept/Decline

…

Accept

Everyone stopped what they were doing and focused on the specks for a second before rushing to their posts. I rushed down to my room and grabbed two of the prototypes I had built. Time to test them out. I flew back up to the main deck to see everyone was more or less in place. “Jun, Emile, Dante, Silvia, on me.” Four griffins landed in front of me. Jun had a face of unbreakable calm on. Emile, a griffin with a scar through his left closed eye, was tense like a lion waiting for prey. Dante, the oldest of the four with some burn marks on his arms and legs, had a look of nervousness about him. Silvia, a slim but surprisingly strong griffin, stood with an impatient mood. They each had a small spear, except for Emile who had a short sword.

“You four are coming with me to help stop the dragons. Put this on.” I pulled out one of my prototypes. It was a small gem set into a curved band of metal large enough to fit on the wrist. It looked like an oversized wrist watch. I held up four of them and they each grabbed one and put it on their wrist while I talked. “This is a gem communicator. It will allow you to communicate with each other as long as you are in range. To use it, just press the gem and talk into it. Everyone will hear what you have to say. Now let’s go, I’ll tell you the plan on the way.” I ran and jumped off the ship and turned into my harpy form. The others followed suit and kept the pace I was setting.

We raced forward to the ever growing specks, which were becoming more definitive by the second. “Aquila Occulus.” My vision zoomed forward and I got a better look at the targets. The one on the right was bigger and had a lot more muscles on it. Its figure was sharp and stream-lined, like a jet plane. The left one was smaller, slimmer, and had a certain grace to its movements. I dropped the spell and called to the others, “Okay we have two dragons ahead of us. One male, one female. Here's how it's going to work: you four are going to take on the male and distract him. If he's still set on the ship, then try to stall him for as long as possible. I'll try to take out the female as fast as I can before helping you guys.”

“Why do we get the bigger one?” Dante asked nervously, “Can't we take out the smaller one first?” Of course he would ask that. He was cautious to the point of being a nervous wreck waiting to happen.

“Who cares? I want to take down the stupid beast already.” Emile said anxiously. I swear, that guy is a twenty four-seven adrenaline junkie. He's one of the few who put the most hours in combat training. Hell, he's probably the best fighter out of all the griffins.

“Because, Dante, when fighting against multiple enemies, you have to take out the weaker ones first. Otherwise they'll cause trouble for you when you aren't looking.” I said.

“But why the female?”

Silvia spoke up, “Because, feather brain, boys are stupid and easy to distract. Girls are too smart to be tricked so easily.”

This got a collective “Hey!” from the other guys.

“Actually, I want to take her out because she’s probably faster and harder to handle. The male is more of a powerhouse with less speed. So that means you need to get in close so he can’t use his fire on you easily. Avoid his claws, teeth and tail and stay in his blind spots if you can. His nose and eyes are probably the only soft spots you can hit, unless you want to become an early lunch. Any questions?”

“Yeah,” Jun said, “How are you going to kill them? Our weapons aren’t going to do much damage.”

“I have a few ideas.” I couldn’t use my rifle in this form due to lack of fingers so I have to improvise. I looked ahead to see that we were almost to the dragons. “Okay, on my mark, we split. Ready?” I waited for a few seconds to let the distance close some more. “Mark!” I broke off to meet the female as the others continued their course. The dragons seemed a bit surprised in our tactics but kept moving forward.

“Music a memoria” I need my battle soundtrack. I rushed toward the female who regarded me with cool eyes. She began to open her mouth, but I was ready. I spun to the right, dodging the incoming flames. I felt the fire’s heat blaze past me in a rage. I got close to the mouth and lifted a hoof as I selected the bolt I wanted.

“Depulso.” The bolt flew out of my arm and landed in the gums. The dragon stopped breathing fire and screeched in pain as she clutched her jaw. “Torture bolt, bitch.” I cackled and sped off behind her. She spun around and flicked her tail, catching me in the back and sending me flying until I regained control.

“HOW DARE YOU HARM ME, INSECT!” She roared, “I WILL DESTROY YOU FOR THAT!”

“Ya gotta catch me first, fat ass! Accelero!” I yelled back before speeding off in the direction she had come from. The dragon gave an enraged roar before she began to pursue me. I flew as fast as I could but she began to close the distance between us. I could feel her approach through my enemy detector spell. I kept my eyes ahead and focused on not moving in a straight path so she couldn’t hit me as easily. I pumped my wings furiously and strained to get some distance for my next attack.

Chancing a look back, I barely had time to change direction before a fireball screamed by my face. She was only a few hundred meters away, but it was enough. I needed to time this right or it wouldn’t have any effect. “Fortis Protego.” I felt my body harden into steel and then let my wings snap out and catch air to slow me down. I dropped the speed spell and curled into a ball, “Ignis Depulso.” A blast of fire exploded in front of me, the force sending me straight into the dragon’s face.

Using my wings, I adjusted my trajectory and landed right between her eyes.

THWACK!

'And that is why physics is one of my favorite subjects.' After the impact, I was sent careening on behind her. The impact shook my focus and the spells I cast stopped. My form started to ripple and I began to turn back to my base form. I didn’t have my robe on me at the time, so I was at the complete mercy of the sun’s rays which began to eat away at my health bar. The burning pain intensified until I could focus enough to turn back to my harpy form. I looked around to see I was wedged between two of the spines on the dragon’s back. The dragon herself was starting to bring herself together.

‘Damn, she knows how to take a hard one to the face. Time to change my attack…once I get out of here.’ I struggled to get out but the spines were pressed hard against me. I started to push the spines away from me but the movement was caught by the dragon who snapped her head around and locked her eyes on me. I could see a small dent in the place I hit her.

I doubled my efforts to escape as I saw her reach a clawed hand toward me. Her claws were almost within reach before I dislodged myself from her back. I jumped out of the way and ran up her back. I bobbed in between her spines as she tried to catch me. I ran over her head and onto her snout, using it as a spring board to propel myself into the air. 'Commence Operation: Icarus'

“Ignis Depulso.” I cast the spell again and launched myself straight up. When the spell died and gravity began to take over, I was already a few hundred meters above the dragon. She looked up and narrowed her eyes at me with a look of pure hatred before ascending towards me. I flapped my wings hard to gain altitude. As I rose, I panted heavily. Taxed with exhaustion but still running. As I greedily drew another breath, I felt my mouth turn bitter and my nose overwhelmed with a noxious fume.

I stalled for a moment as I coughed and hacked, trying to get rid of the disgusting taste. 'What the hell? What's this? Smells familiar. Wait, is that...' I sniffed again, 'Sulfur?' A roar cut through my thoughts and I looked to see the dragon was gaining on me. “Oh shit!” I continued my ascent while looking for the source of the smell. I turned in the air, scanning the water below until my eyes locked on to a nearby island. The island had smoke rising from one of it's three peaks. I could see the top of that particular mountain glow a burning red. 'That's probably where the Dragons came from. Hmm, I've got an idea.'

I kept ascending until I thought I was high enough. 'Commence Phase two' “Trans Form Diamond Dog” My wings drew back into my body as it shifted into the bulky form of the Dogs. Needless to say, I dropped like a rock. The Dragon was coming up fast, her teeth gritted in anger. I pulled out my DMR and lined up the reticle with my small target. I had only one shot at this. I fired a few shots a her nostrils, one or two went in an struck soft nasal tissue. She roared which is what I needed as I flew towards her mouth. I fell in, barely avoiding the claws coming up to her nose. Once inside, I stabbed my claws into her tongue To keep from falling any further inside.

“Trans Form Base.” I dispelled my current form now that the sun couldn't get me in here. Bringing myself closer, I opened my jaws and bit into the tongue. Honestly, I wasn't expecting the taste of dragons. I thought it would taste like steak but instead I get the taste of lemonade mixed with the energy kick of a hundred Red Bulls. Then again, I didn't expect the Dogs to taste like chocolate. 'I wonder what griffins and ponies taste like? Chicken? Fruit?'

As I consumed the energy, I had to hold on tight as the dragon flailed about and tried to get me out. At one point, I had to put up some shield spells to block the incoming fire. But I kept calm and continued feeding. It took a lot longer due to the size but I waited until I was done.

Scanning...

Scan Complete. New form Acquired: Dragon

“Now that's what I'm talking about! Trans Form Dragon!” The creature web appeared again and selected the Dragon form. I felt the familiar waxy feeling engulf my body as it began to grow. My skin hardened into black scales, webbed wings grew out of my back, my face elongated into a triangular muzzle, my spine grew out of my back into spines and the bottom of it extending out into a long sinuous tail. The claws, talons and sharp teeth were nothing new to me. I was roughly the same size as my Dog form but a tad bit bigger.

“Holy crap! I feel so awesome right now! But , why do I get the feeling that I'm forgetting something?” I said before I felt my stomach rise from gravity. 'Wait, if the dragon's dead, then she stops flapping her wings and if she stops flapping her wings, then that means...oh fuck.' I flapped my wings and used my strength to push open the jaws of her mouth. Once open, I almost was pushed back by the sudden turbulence of the wind rushing in. I pushed the jaws open some more and jumped out, nearly cutting my wings on the teeth.

I snapped my wings open and started to fly watching the body fall to the ocean below. “Uh, no. I'm not done with you yet.” I closed my wings and dropped down to her tail. “Arresto Momentum.” I said, remembering the spell Dumbledore used. I felt my magic seep out and dissipate the dragon's kinetic energy. I grabbed the tail and began to spin the body. Slowly at first but then I began to pick up speed until the dragon's weight was throwing itself. I caught a look at the volcano island and quickly calculated a trajectory. Timing it right, I let go of the tail and the body flew back to the island. “BACK TO THE KITCHEN WITH YE, FOUL BEAST!” I yelled as her body soared through the air as gracefully as an eagle piloting a blimp.

I watched it land on the near edge of the island and raised my arms like a football referee, “And it's good!” I heard a muffled sound come from the bag at my side. I reached in and pulled out the gem communicator I kept for myself.

“-could use some help here ya'know!” It was Silvia's voice. I looked back to see that during my fight, the others had stalled the dragon but he was still heading for the ship, now a lot closer than before. I don't even think he noticed that his girl is dead. I did notice something was a bit strange about the battle. I pressed the gem and spoke.

“Not to be rude or anything, but why aren't you guys using magic to stall him?” I couldn't see them use a single bit of magic to aid them.

Jun answered, “We don't have magic.”

My brain stopped for a few seconds to process what he said. All that came out was: 'Dafuq?'

“You guys are magical creatures for crying out loud! How do you not have magic?” I yelled.

“We can't use magic.” Jun deadpanned.

“By that, do you mean you're magically inept or you just don't know any spells?”

“Um...both?” He said with an unsure tone.

I face palmed with enough force to rattle my mind a bit. 'Goddammit.' I pressed the gem again, “Fine, I'm on my way. Just keep holding him back. Any casualties?”

“Nothing much except a few singed feathers, though I think Dante is a bit shaken from the fire blasts.”

“Good. Stay frosty.” I let go of the gem and pumped my wings furiously to get there. The dragon form was a lot faster than the harpy but it was taking more energy to maintain and the distance was about a kilometer away. “Trans Form Harpy.” I switched back to my harpy form and cast a spell I had thought up but was afraid to use in case it broke the physics engine or me, “Sonor Accelero!”

I flapped my wings and by body shot forward, breaking the sound barrier. The G forces were pressing hard on my body, making me regret changing to an unprotected form. I couldn't cast a spell to protect myself because I was going to fast for the sound to make the spell and the pain was too much to focus on it. I endured it as best I could but I was starting to blackout. As I approached the other dragon, a thought crossed my mind, 'If I can't cast a spell to stop myself in time...this is going to hurt. Damn you, Newton. Damn you to the blackest pits of hell.'

I twitched my body and brought it down to bear on the dragon, not caring where I hit. The others must have seen me because they scattered when I got close. I braced myself for the pain I was about to endure.

FWAP!

I made contact with the dragon's wings and sent both of us into a spin. As we spun about, I slipped out and fell, only to be caught by Dante.

“Glad you could join us.” He said nervously, “We've been trying to stall this guy but he's too strong for us.”

“Let me take care of him. The rest of you get back to the ship.” I commanded as I righted myself in the air. Dante saluted and repeated the command through the gem communicator, before heading back.

The dragon had gotten it's wings under control and regained it's altitude. I saw a nasty looking bruise where I had hit him and the wing was slightly limping. His slitted eyes locked on to me and he spoke, “YOU! YOU MANAGED TO HARM MY WING AND FOR THAT YOU MUST PAY!”

“Uh-huh,” I retorted, “That's what your girl said before she got fucked over.”

The dragon stared at me before his eyes widened and he searched around. Seeing nothing, he gave an ear-bleeding roar and brought his rage filled eyes down upon me. “YOU HAVE KILLED MY MATE! I WILL NOT ONLY DESTROY YOU BUT I WILL MAKE SURE YOU SUFFER GREATLY BEFORE YOU DIE!” He lashed out at me with a swipe from his claws.

I dodged that and got in close to his lower jaw. I turned around and kicked my legs out, “Depulso!” The force of the spell knocked the dragon's head back long enough to give another shot at his throat. This time the dragon clutched his neck as he wheezed. His scales were the only thing protecting him from a crushed windpipe.

Enraged even further by my attacks, he kept lashing out and started to push me back to the ship. I was using every spell I could think of to defend my self. “Deflect Ignis. Protego. Deflect Ignis!”

The dragon was nearly on top of the ship. 'I have to get him out of here. I will not have my ship broken by this overgrown lizard!' I thought desperately. “Lumen!” A bright ball of light appeared before his eyes effectively blinding him. Unfortunately, that also caused him to lash out further. His tail swung by and punctured a hole in the balloon, it wasn't big, but it was big enough to cause a problem.

I turned to the ship, “Jun! Get some griffins and pegasi and patch that hole up before the air's gone!”

“Look out!” Someone cried. I felt a massive scaled hand enclose on my body in a vice grip. I looked up to see the dragon grinning at me in victory.

“ANY LAST WORDS?” He asked.

'Okay, I'm getting tired of this. Time to end it.' I thought. “Yeah, Alpha. Mike. Foxtrot.” I yelled before muttering a quick “Depulso” to escape and launch towards his face. I landed on his snout and transformed into my Dog form.

“In other words,” I said as I latched on to a spot near his eye and pulled out my other prototype. It was a small cylinder of metal with a ruby embedded in the top. “Adios, Motherfucker! Lumen Armus!” The gem glowed and out came a three foot shaft of solid, crimson light. I impaled it into his eye, but not enough to damage the brain. The dragon let loose a wail of pain and tried to scratch me off but I had carved his eye out and crawled inside it, already draining his life force.

Quest Complete:

Gained- 1000 XP

Combat Multiplier- 7

0/2 Bonus Challenges Complete

Achievement Unlocked: Wife Beater- gained 66 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Too Close To The Sun- gained 50 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Faster Than You Can Say...- Speed increased +5

Achievement Unlocked: May The Force Be With You- Magic increased +5

Achievement Unlocked: Sith Apprentice- Combat increased +5

Additional XP- 1009 XP

Total XP Earned – 8125

You are now at level twenty five

This time, the body didn't shrink all the way like the others. It actually deflated and the scales began to look like they were a few sizes too big for him. Once I was done, I dragged the body onto the ship's deck, causing the airship to sink a bit. I was still going to loot the body, no matter what any one said. The crew stared at me and the body in disbelief that I had actually killed the dragon. Some of the ponies were poking the body to see if it was truly dead instead of playing possum.

I was in my harpy form up near the balloon where griffins and pegasi were trying to stitch the hole back up unsuccessfully against the escaping hot air. “How bad is it?” I asked to no one in particular.

“The fabric is fraying and making it harder to patch up. We won't last much longer in the air at this rate.” Dante replied frantically, “We're going to die out here!”

I bit my lip in thought. 'Fabric's messed up so Reparo would be a waste of magic...Shit...I've come so far and now it's going to end here? No. I'm going to fix this thing one way or another. This is MY ship!' I began to formulate a quick remedy for the problem.

“Listen up!” I yelled to the griffins and pegasi in the air. Their eyes turned to me. “There's an island nearby but it's still a ways away.” I pointed to the island's location, “I want some of you to stay here and bring some unicorns to help mend the hole. It doesn't have to be perfect, just enough to stem the flow. The rest of you will help drag this junker to the island with me. Understood?” Everyone's head bobbed in agreement, “Move out!” They all rushed to follow the orders. Some griffins grabbed some rope and tied it around themselves and the front of the ship and began to pull. The rest held up unicorns on their backs up near the torn fabric. The pegasi were all pushing on the back end of the ship.

I went down to the helm where a Dog was holding the wheel. I landed next to him. “Hey , turn this ship hard to port.” I said and he gave me a confused look. “That's the left.” He understood and spun the wheel to the left. The ship banked and tilted at the sudden direction change, groaning and creaking in protest, but it held together. Once it was turned, I gave the Dog some instructions on what to do and then flew off to the back of the ship to join the pegasi.

They struggled to pump their wings and get the ship moving in addition to the propeller’s energy. I picked an empty spot in the middle and began to push with my hooves. “Accelero.” I said. The effect was immediate as the ship propelled faster than it had before, not by much though. I didn't use any other spells in case it harmed the ship.

Despite using magic, I still pushed as hard as I could. I continued using 'Accelero' whenever I could spare some energy. After about twenty minutes, I noticed that the ocean was a lot closer than it used to be. 'Damn, how much farther?' I thought. I took a break and peaked around the ship to see that we were half way there. 'So close. Gotta hang in there.'

I noticed some of the crew, trying to throw the dead body over the side to lighten the weight of the ship. I flew up to them and spread my wings menacingly, “You throw this over, I throw you over. Understand?” They nodded and immediately stepped away. “Good.”

I returned to pushing the ship. My wing muscles were burning but it didn't matter now that I knew how close we were to the island. After about five more minutes, some of the pegasi were dropping out from exhaustion.

They returned to the ship deck to get rest but now we were beginning to slow down and the ocean was still inching towards us. “We're almost there! Keep pushing!” I yelled, “Don't let up!” Most of the remaining pegasi and griffins got an adrenaline boost from my words but some were still dropping to the decks. We were down to fifteen of us pushing the ship and about three hundred meters above sea level. We kept moving forward at what seemed to be a snail's pace as we dropped even more.

Soon enough the ocean was about fifty meters away and it was down to just me and five pegasi and griffins. I looked down to see that the ocean's hue was getting lighter. We were above the shallows! It wasn't far now. “Accelero.” I said for the last time. The ship's speed increase a small bit and I called to the others, “Get back on the deck!” They stopped pushing and followed me back to the deck where the others were. The ship was nearly at the coastline. I stepped on the dragon's body and called out to the crew, “Brace for impact!”

The ship hit the canopy first, knocking the trees down out of it's way. The ground came next, jarring the ship and making it hard to stand up. Behind us, the ship had carved out a path of broken trees and churned up dirt. Bird and animal cries were lost in the rumble of the ship's passing. After a few more seconds, the ship slid to a stop.

It was quiet, aside from the birds we woke up. We began to get to our feet. “Sound off, who's not dead?” I got a bunch of groans in reply. They were fine. “Alright, I want the injured to get immediate treatment from Inject Vial. Everyone stay here and if you have to go anywhere, then go with a buddy. Flamehoof and Check Mark, you two check for all ship damages. Meta, Camouflage, Jun, you three are coming with me to explore the island.” I jumped off the ship rail, and glided to the floor below. The three of them soon followed.

“Let's go.” I said as I led the way into the jungle. 'Now if I was a dragon den, where would I be?'

Mistakes part 1 (14)

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“So what are we looking for?” Jun asked as he swiped a branch out of his face. The jungle of this island was really hot and humid, though I suspected most of the heat came from the nearby volcano.

“We’re looking for the dragon’s den.” I said. I had turned back to my Base form to conserve energy and because the jungle provided excellent shade.

“What! Why would we do that?” Camouflage said worriedly.

I gave him a flat look, “Because dragon dens usually have some really good loot and if we’re lucky, we can find something to repair the ship with.”

“How do you know we won’t run into another dragon?”

“I doubt it. This island looks resourceful enough for two dragons to live here in comfort and the two we met were mates.”

“Your point?”

“If you and your wife had a peaceful and beautiful island to yourselves, would you share with anyone else?”

Camouflage opened his mouth to respond but all that came out was, “Oh.”

“Besides, if there were more dragons, wouldn’t they have joined the first two?” I finished. I swiped my claws at a clump of vines in front of me, neatly slicing them down.

“But why are we searching the jungle? Dragons don’t live in the jungle.” Jun asked.

“What do you mean?” I asked as I cut down some more vines.

“Dragons usually take up their dens in the caves of mountains. Preferably somewhere with heat nearby.”

I stopped and gave them a flat look. “You couldn’t have told me this earlier?”

“You never asked.” Jun said.

I winced as I realized my own mistake. “Dammit,” I muttered, “Camo, go up and search for the nearest mountain.”

Camouflage nodded and shot up through the canopy. A few seconds later he came back down. “Nearest mountain is about a mile and a half that way.” He pointed the direction.

“Let’s go then.” I set a brisk pace that the others easily kept up with. Soon enough, the trees cleared to show a massive mountain. Its sides seemed slick with almost no handholds to grab onto. Next to it was the smoking volcano and another peaceful mountain. “Camo and Jun, you two search this mountain and the other one over there. Search for any caves and report back as soon as you find one. Meta and I will take a look around the volcano for any clues. If you find anything, contact me with the communicator I gave you. We'll meet up at the volcano base. Also, keep your eyes open. Now that the Dragons are gone, some other predators might start popping up.” Camouflage and Jun took off towards their task. I turned to my Dog form and Meta and I made for the volcano ahead.

It was a silent run, but it didn’t matter much. We stopped at the base of the burning mountain. From what I knew from my Earth science classes, this seemed to be an active, Cinder cone. Smoke and ash billowed out from the top like a smokestack. There seemed to be a few veins of lava trickling down the side of the slope. I quickly put some Latin words together, “Occulus Therma.” My vision turned into a thermal imaging. I could see the heat around me. I could see the pillar of heat located in the center of the volcano. Lava veins, above and below ground, appeared to me, even ones that were cool enough to seem like stone.

“Okay, so we have an active volcano spewing lava. Chances are the ground’s probably unstable so we’ll need to be extra careful.” I noticed one vein in particular that was a little too close for comfort. “Whoa! Do not want!”

I quickly pulled Meta and myself a safe distance away. When we were away, he growled, “What did you see?”

“Lava run. It was a few meters away from us.” I picked up a rock and chucked it at the cooled lava and watched as the rock sunk into the hot sludge. “It was too cool for either of us to feel it.”

Meta just stared at me as if I grew two heads. “How could you tell it was there?”

“Magic.” I quipped. At that statement, a thought struck me. I turned to Meta, “Hey, Meta. Can Diamond Dogs do magic?

Meta raised an eyebrow and growled, “Magic? I have not heard of a Dog using magic. Why?”

“Well unicorns can do magic but that’s a given since they have horns. I can do magic but I haven’t met another Night Shade so I don’t have anything to compare myself to. But when I was with the zebras, they could do magic and they don’t have horns. So I assumed that every species could perform magic.” I explained, “But during the dragon attack, Jun told me that he couldn’t do magic, so I’m wondering what species can or can’t do magic.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.”

I glanced at Meta. Gears began to turn in my mind as ideas were being formed. I picked up a rock from the ground and tossed it to Meta, who caught it and glanced questioningly at it.

“How would you like to be the first to learn magic? As an experiment of course” I said.

Meta stared at me and then shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

“Good, now I want you to hold the rock up in your hand and say ‘Depulso’.”

“Depulso” The rock didn’t budge an inch.

“Hmm,” I said, scratching my chin as I thought, “Try focusing all your attention on the stone. Drown out all outside distractions. There is only you and the stone. When ready, speak the word.” It sounded cliché but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment. If this didn’t work, I don’t know what will.

Meta practically glared at the rock, as if he could make it explode on sight. After a minute, he growled and the stone jumped in his hand. It was only a few inches, but it was enough.

“Yes!” I cheered as I fist pumped in the air, “It worked! Take that, Universe!” I continued jumping up and down in excitement while Meta just stared at his paw as if it turned to gold.

“...How?” was all that came from him. I just shrugged.

“Not a clue. The only explanation is 'Fucking magic'.” I giggled, “Fucking magic, meet fucking science.” I was so high off of ideas right now, that I could be considered under the influence. I barely noticed Meta slowly back away from me.

I don't know how long it took to calm myself down but when I did, I saw Meta was a lot farther away from me. I glanced at the ground around him. “Uh, Meta? Unless you want to be a hot dog, I suggest you not go that way.” Meta stopped and looked back behind him to see the stream of cool lava trailing along like a snail. He quickly cam back closer but still kept his distance from me.

“Now that that's done, remind me to teach the others magic when we get back on the ship.” I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. Oh, the experiments to perform! The tests to do!

We kept walking around the base of the volcano, skirting any lava runs and jumping the ones we couldn't avoid. We didn't find much of anything, though I did pick up some nice obsidian shards laying around. After an hour, my gem communicator crackled to life.

“Hey, Gun.” It was Jun. “We finished the first mountain. Not a single cave in sight. Plenty of claw marks though.”

I tapped my gem. “Good, start on the next one. Meta and I haven't found anything yet either.” I frowned, “Well, that's not entirely true. I found out that Diamond Dogs can do magic. Ergo, you can probably do magic.”

There was silence from the gem for a moment until Jun replied, “What?”

“I said that I just found out that unicorns aren't the only ones who can do magic. I'll explain later. Now get back to searching.”

“Uh...sure thing.” he said. The connection was cut and Meta and I continued our search.

After almost another hour of finding nothing and picking up more rocks, we nearly completed a circuit around the volcano. I growled in frustration, “Dammit, I guess finding a den was too much to hope for.” I pressed the gem-com, “Jun have you found anything either?”

“No. Just more pockmarks in the mountain side. Almost thought we found a cave once though.”

I spun about and began pacing. It helped me think sometimes. “Where the hell is this den? You said they'd be near mountains, yet we didn't find them. We already searched the volca-” I paused as I saw a strange feature in the rocks Meta and I passed. It was a large cluster of boulders and crags when we went by, but behind it was a large crevice dug underneath the stone. The boulders hung over the entrance, providing excellent cover from above and two sides. I jogged up to it and peered inside. It extended inwards for a ways before making a sharp turn towards the volcano.

I facepalmed. “It's always behind the corner.” I muttered to myself.

“Um..what?”

“We found the cave. Meet us by the volcano. It's a cluster of rocks sticking out of the ground if you need a reference.”

“A cluster of rocks...yes that really narrows it down.” I could almost taste the sarcasm in his voice.

“Just get over here.” I grunted. I cut the connection and turned into my harpy form. I turned back to Meta, “Hey, cave's here. I'm going to take a quick look. Flag the others down when they arrive.” He nodded and I glided down to the cave floor. Well, tried to. I got down a few meters before a thermal vent forced me to crash into the overhang above me.

I tried to pry myself loose but I was stuck. “You whore!” I yelled at the cave. I kept trying to get my arms free. I needed that out first. I squirmed and wriggled around for a bit until I was able to pop my right arm loose. “Ha, I win!”

“Having trouble there?” I turned to see the others staring at me. Jun and Camouflage were trying to hide their laughter. I scowled at them.

“Go fuck yourselves.” I slammed my arm into the rock near my back. “Depluso.” The rock exploded and I fell down to the floor. I tried to spread my wings to catch some air to land safely, but I hit the ground too fast to do anything. I pushed myself out of the rubble. “It's going to be one of those days, won't it?” I asked no one in particular. “You guys can come down now. The dirt tastes fine.” I yelled back up to the others.

Jun and Camouflage dive bombed in with more grace than I had. Meta scaled his way down, jumping from rock to rock sometimes. I stood up and brushed myself off. “If anyone asks, I glided down with the grace of a bird.”

“A dodo bird.” Camouflage snickered. I bit my tongue to hold back a retort.

“Why couldn't you turn back to your original form? You could've gotten out faster.” Jun said.

“...Shuddup.” I said and strode down deeper into the cave as I changed myself back into Base form. The others followed, Camouflage still laughing.

It wasn't long until I had to throw up a ball of light to show us the way, and several more along the tunnel ahead and behind us. Even if the world was based off a kids show, I wasn't going to take a chance that creepers existed.

“So what was that you said about unicorns and magic?” Jun asked.

I grinned, “Ah, yes. Meta care to show them?” The others looked at Meta who pulled out the rock from before and held it in his palm. He waited about a minute before growling. The rock jumped about the same height but Jun and Camo's jaws dropped farther.

“H-how?” Camouflage stuttered out. I explained my theory to him and he got a curious look in his eyes. “So what kind of magic is this? Since it's obviously not unicorn and I doubt it's zebra.”

“Energy focused and directed by Latin vocals. Same magic I use.” Their eyes widened a bit at the last part. “What? It's not like it requires your soul or anything. Jeez.” I rolled my eyes and kept moving down the tunnel.

We turned the corner and the cavern opened up into a massive room. I didn't need my light because the room was lit by the glow of the lava pool in the back with a steady stream flowing into it. That was what produced all the heat in the room. The cavern floor was quite spacious and stalagmites were well dispersed amongst it. My eyes were instantly dragged to the massive pile of glittering gold and gems in the center. “Jackpot.” The four of us scattered around the room. I went straight for the main nest. If dragons were anything like the myths, they usually kept the good stuff next to them for safekeeping.

I almost didn't recognize the nest because it was a large indent in the gold pile. I climbed up and slid inside, scanning the area for anything worthwhile. I saw gold, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, topazes, quartz, and even gems I didn't recognize. My fingers twitched in anticipation to gather it all, but I reminded myself to get the goods stuff now and come back for more later. I jumped onto the first pile of gems I could find.

Several minutes later, all I had found was some high quality gems. I glanced over to the others to see how they were doing. Meta was reclining and chewing on some gems, Camouflage was literally swimming in gold and Jun was picking out gems and chunks of gold. Seeing Meta, I became curious. “Trans form Diamond Dog.” I turned into my furry form and picked up a small gem. I popped it in my mouth and tried to chew. It broke apart under my teeth but I couldn’t taste anything. I spat the pieces out, “How do they like this?”

I started to go through a pile of what seemed to be ores when I noticed something sticking out of the gold. I went over and pulled it out. “Holy shit.” It was a red dragon scale about the size of my head. I tapped it a few times and found out with a bruised finger that Dragon scale was extremely hard.

“I'm so using this.” I said to myself. My inner mad scientist squeed with delight when I saw more scales laying around. I picked them all up, scrutinizing each one carefully for any cracks or defects. This went on until I had about thirty something scales. I picked up another and was about to scan it when I noticed something dreadfully wrong with it.

It was pink.

The dragons I fought were red.

Mistakes part 2 (15)

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I called out to the others, “Hey guys, is it possible for dragon scale to be bleached in any way?” I asked. I hoped to god that I was wrong.

“I don't think so.” Camouflage said, his voice echoing across the room, “Why?”

I felt a lead weight drop into my stomach. “We may have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?” Jun asked. He came over to me, curious as to what I was talking about. I flashed him the scale. His eyes widened as he came to the same realization I did.

“There may be another dragon in here, but I’m not sure.” I said.

“How do we know it is here?”

“Only one way to find out.” I said. I spread my arms out. “Bio Locus.” A wave of magic spread out like an inflating balloon. As it passed Jun, I could sense his life force. The ball expanded to fill up the room, showing Meta and Camouflage as well. There was no one in the room with us, but the wave kept expanding until I sense another life force. A big life force.

I turned towards the source. I could sense that it was behind the wall, but I couldn’t see an opening from where I stood. That's when I noticed that one of the crags on the cave wall seemed at lot closer than the wall behind it. I moved to the side to see that its position didn't change while the wall's did. There was an opening back there.

I turned back to Jun and motioned for him to be silent and the others as well. He nodded and casually went back over to them. I crept over to the wall and hugged it as I moved closer to the dragon’s hiding spot. Every part of me was screaming to run away, but I had to confirm something. I was about half way there, my adrenaline increasing my senses and my heart pounding in my chest, when I noticed something else was off.

The Voice was silent. I couldn’t hear a whisper of it.

My mind raced through possible explanations and recent memories to find out why it was gone. Did I somehow lift it? Was it a glitch in the system? Or, to my fears, did I do something evil unknowingly? I took another step. Another step. Another step. Each one putting a further sense of dread into me.

After what felt like hours, I made it to the opening. I tried to take another step, but I couldn’t. My body wouldn’t obey me. ‘Come on,’ I thought frantically, ‘Just look around the corner. Maybe whatever’s there is asleep or at least has it’s back turned.’ Slowly, my body obeyed my commands and I peeked around the corner.

There was nothing there. It was just a pitch black empty cave. Confused, I stepped out from my cover. 'The hell? Could’ve sworn there was someth-' I was cut off as a massive form shot out from the darkness and slammed me into the wall. After the shock passed, I got a good look at my assailant.

It was another red dragon, but this one was smaller than the ones from before. He was about as big as I was in my Dragon form. Triangular snout, strong arms, sharp claws, slitted eyes trying to vaporize me, ribbed, leathery wings, and... well, the works. Smoke poured out of his nostrils as he breathed heavily into my face.

I coughed to clear the smoke from my mouth. I never liked smoking. Breathing in the shit of fire sounds nasty and after seeing the pictures of black lung disease...I tried to keep a cigarette at least twenty feet away from me. When the smoke cleared and I could breath easily again, I regained enough sense to panic properly. “Can I help you?” I asked. My mind began to run through the possible scenarios of the situation, calculating the best course of action.

The dragon growled and pressed his face against mine. 'No homo, man.' My mind thought as he spoke. “Yes. You can help by dying.”

“Right,” I said with a strained smile, my arm slowly reaching for my weapons, “I'll do that in abou-” I cut myself off as I drew my prototype saber up, “Lumen Armus!” I watched the saber flicker once and then shatter in my hand. My mind stopped all processes as I took in what just happened. “Of all the times you could break, it had to be now?” I asked coldly to no one in particular. The dragon's snort brought me out of my frustration. I smiled awkwardly at him. 'Fuck my life.' I thought.

The dragon yanked me out of the rock I was embedded in and threw me across the room. I reacted quickly, “Trans Form Harpy.” I spread my new wings and stopped myself before I could hit the wall. Unfortunately, the universe disagreed and I turned around just in time to see the dragon body slam me into the wall again. Why do rocks like my body so much?

I barely notice the others try to attack the dragon holding me down. The dragon brushed off their attacks, sending a spout of flames to scatter them off. “Guys! Run!” I manage to yell out from under the dragon's claws. They stared at me as if I was insane. I usually am. “Go! I got this!” They acknowledged reluctantly and sprinted for the tunnel. I noticed the dragon breathe in, preparing another fireball to send their way. “Depulso!” I yelled aiming my arm at his jaw as best I could. The force of my spell knocked his head aside, sending his fireball way off target.

The dragon recovered and glared at me. I took the moment to hurl a spider silk loogie in his eyes. He recoiled in surprise and brought his claws up to his face to wipe it off, allowing me to escape. I darted over to the other side of the room, trying to make distance between the two of us. I flew up and perched myself on a crag on the wall. I watched the dragon recover himself like a hawk as I planned my next move.

...I had no idea what to do. I could defeat the other dragons by using their bulky bodies against them, even jumping into the female's mouth. But this was different. This dragon was smaller, compact, and a hell of a lot faster. I was willing to bet that the scales would be too hard for bullets to penetrate and shooting the eyes was out of the question with his speed and target size. I had no way of beating him short of collapsing the cave on top of us. My only option was to duke it out and hope I could knock him out. “Fuck my life.” I muttered, “Trans Form Dragon.”

The dragon finally cleaned off the silk from his eyes and searched the cave for me. His eyes locked onto me when I finished transforming. I jumped off my ledge and dove towards him, claws outstretched. He swiftly dodged under me and grabbed my tail as I flew past him. He then swung me over his shoulder into the ground like a hammer, knocking the wind from my lungs. He repeated this motion several times, slinging me around like a rag doll. Once he was done, I could barely move due to the pain that wracked my body. The dragon took the moment to jump on top of me and start whaling punches at any place he could reach. I instinctively went into the defense forms my brother had taught me.

I blocked most of the punches though I was clipped several times. At one point, the dragon tried to choke me and that’s when I struck back. I grabbed his arm and snaked my leg around his, locking him in place. Before he could react, I lifted up with my hips and flipped him over onto his back. I pinned his arms and legs with mine leaving us both unable to attack or defend.

I was about to strike back when I heard a gasp from behind me. I whipped my head around to see a small pink dragon peeking out from behind the corner that hid the side passage. She, I assumed it was a she from the color, seemed to quiver in fear at the sight of us fighting. I wondered why she wasn’t helping him when the dragon below me shouted, “Pearl! I told you to stay hidden!”

“I’m sorry brother, I was worried about you.” She said meekly.

Her words rung in my head. ‘Brother…’ My mind slowly clicked as it processed this information. ‘She said brother so then that means she’s the sister and judging by their size and attitude, she’s younger of the two.’ My eyes darted between the two of them at connections were made. ‘So if these two are siblings, then that means…’ I felt a ton of lead drop in my stomach at the realization, ‘I killed their parents.’

I could hear the Voice cackle in my head, It’s just like before, except this time it WAS your fault.

That was why the Voice was so quiet. I had just orphaned two young dragons out of the self-defense of my crew, not even giving a thought to them.

Police officers walked the scene. I stood on the side, still shell shocked from the event. Some tried to give me warm comforts but I was too numb and cold to feel it. I watched the covered bodies be lifted into the back of the ambulance. I wanted to wake them up, but I knew they would never wake again. It...it's all my fault. I killed them.

As the memories tried to pour back out, I felt my anger rise. “No.” I whispered. The dragon below me gave me a look of confusion. “No.” I said, louder this time. The dragon shrunk back slightly, fearing my new anger. “NO!” I yelled, before bringing my fist back and towards the dragon. The pink one gave a yelp at seeing my fist rocket towards her brother’s head. My fist made contact and the rock below exploded into fragments. I kept pounding away, picturing my target in my head. I didn't stop until I was too exhausted to lift my arm again. I barely noticed that my fists didn't bleed from the beating I just gave them.

I breathed heavily, letting my anger seep out of me. The dragon below eyed my fist which rested right next to his face. He glanced between the fist and me, unsure of what happened. “I’m sorry.” I said softly. I crawled off him and muttered the spell to turn back to Base form. As I shambled away, the pink dragon rushed past me to help her brother.

I was at the entrance to the tunnel when I heard the dragon call me out. “Why did you not kill me?” he asked.

I stopped and gave him a weary look, “Because your sister needs someone to care for her. Your parents can’t do that anymore and you can’t either if you’re dead.”

The dragon blinked in surprise, “But didn’t you come to kill us?”

“No. I came to loot the cave of dead dragons, not annihilate a family. I already did that once and I don’t want to do it again.” I shuddered slightly.

“Why did you kill our parents? What did they ever do to you?” he asked.

“I killed them because they were attacking my ship and crew. I was sailing peacefully until they came along.”

The pink one, I forgot her name, spoke, “So..you weren’t trying to kill us for sport?” her voice laced with confusion.

“What? No. Why would you think that?” I asked.

“Well that’s what that strange creature told us. He said you were going to attack us and destroy our family.”

‘Strange creature?’ I thought. “What did this creature look like?”

The red one spoke, “He was about your size but looked like a bald monkey. His skin was mostly black except for his head and claws. Those were pale white.”

“And he seemed really cold and I mean REALLY cold.” The pink one piped, “The lava in the room seemed to cool when he appeared.”

I stared dumbly at them. I briefly scanned my memory for what I wanted and held up my hand, palm up, “Project Memoria.” An image appeared in my hand. It was Erebus when I met him for the first time, sitting in my room. “Like this?”

“Yes! Exactly like that!” the pink one screamed.

My eye twitched and I crushed the image in my claws. I took a deep breath to calm the rage that was building up inside me. 'Erebus,' I thought, 'You. Are. Dead.'

“Do you know him?” the red one asked.

“Oh, I know him alright.” I said, my voice dropping into a threatening growl, “His name is Erebus and he's been the cause of most of my problems lately. He's the one who sent your parents to their deaths and set me up to take the fall.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I don't know, but it's really starting to piss me off.” I took a deep breath and performed the Candle. Once I was relaxed, I could think a whole lot clearer. “Look, we both got off on the crippled foot here. My name is Gunhaver, in case Erebus didn't tell you.”

“Magnus,” the red dragon said, “and this is Pearl, my sister.” he pointed to the pink one.

I bowed my head, “Nice to meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances.” I said grimly, “I am truly sorry for what I did. I know all too well what it's like to lose someone close to you.”

“Do not be.” Magnus said, “We knew that they would pass away soon. It was only a matter of time before they did.”

I was now intrigued. “What do you mean?”

“Dragons can sense when their time to die will come. Our parents told us this days ago and prepared to turn responsibility of the family over to me when they passed on.”

“I see.” This was fascinating to me. I wondered what else I could learn from dragons. A thought crossed my mind. “If it make things any better, I can show you their bodies. I had kept them from falling into the ocean.”

Both of the dragons lit up. “Yes that would be nice. I thank you for doing that for them. The sea is not a place meant for dragons to rest.” Magnus said.

“Yeah, sure.” I said, glad that I omitted the fact that I had originally kept the bodies so I could do a makeshift autopsy and tear it apart to use as materials for ship repair and future experiments. What they don't know won't hurt me.

Aftermath and Answers (16)

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I found Meta, Jun and Camouflage waiting just outside the cave entrance. They were a bit frightened at first by the appearance of Magnus and Pearl behind me but I was able to calm them down and explain what I could, minus the parts about Erebus. They weren’t sure about my explanation but if the Dragons weren’t going to kill them, then it was good enough for them. I made a note to explain about Erebus soon to the crew. I can’t go on much farther by leaving them in the dark about it.

After introductions were made, we headed off for the ship, making sure we kept to ground so we didn’t spook the others. However, I did send Jun ahead to inform the others about our new guests and tell them not to tamper with the bodies aside from moving it.

Most of the trip back was made in silence. I bounded along in my Dog form as I led them, keeping the course back by using my mini map. Meta stoically moved from tree to tree. Camouflage kept shifting his eyes nervously at the two dragons, their teeth and claws in particular. Magnus made a clear point of keeping himself between us and his sister. When I had to cross past him to stay on the path, he stopped and shifted himself subtly aside, like a shield in front of Pearl.

The silence was getting a bit unbearable, if a little awkward, so I had to think of something to break it. I decided to expand upon my magic theory after a bit of pondering, though mostly out of curiousity. “Hey Magnus, can you do magic?”

Magnus raised an eyebrow, “Magic? You mean our fire breath?” He puffed out a small flame as demonstration.

“No, I mean like actual magic. Like this.” I lifted my hand up and aimed it at a nearby tree, “Depulso.” In an instant, one of my bone bolts embedded itself in the trunk. I turned back to Magnus, “Can you do that?”

Magnus seemed slightly surprised. I don’t know why, it was the same spell I hit him with. “No I can’t.” he said though I could see a hint of intrigue in his eyes.

“That’s what the others said. Still proved them wrong.” I smirked at him, “How about you give it a try?”

Magnus stepped forward and lifted his hand up. “Now focus on your hand and say ‘Depulso’.” I said. He stared intensely at his hand for a few seconds before saying the word. When he did, the air warped for a brief second before a massive shockwave burst forth and obliterated the thick tree in front of him. We shielded ourselves from the flying debris, though Camouflage got whacked with a small branch. Once the dust settled, I took a full assessment of the damage done.

The thick tree that was previously there had a trunk about the size of Magnus. Now, the trunk was shattered and ripped apart like an octopus wielding chainsaws went at it. I whistled in amazement.

Achievement Unlocked: The Force is strong in this one- gained 30 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Not a fan of Nature- gained 20 XP

Magnus stood stock still, eyes wide at the damage he did. “Di-Did I just do that?” He said

I could only think of the implications of what I did. On one hand, he could defend his sister better and for that, I felt glad. On the other, he could kick my ass easier whenever he wants to. ‘Good thing it’s just one spell.’ I thought, ‘Then again, that one spell could kill me.’

“That looked amazing!” we heard Pearl cry, “I wanna try it!” She immediately aimed her hand at another tree and yelled, “Depulso!” in a high pitched squeak. It was quite cute to see her try, until the shock wave back fired and sent her sprawling across the ground, leaving the tree only rustled.

“Pearl!” Magnus cried. He rushed over to her side and checked her. “Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?” He grasped her shoulders and glared at me, “What happened?!” he growled menacingly.

“Calm down. What happened was that she didn't focus before releasing the spell.” I said matter of factly, “That caused the spell to backfire in her face. That's why I said to focus first before using the spell. Other than that, the spell was a kinetic energy type spell, so she shouldn't suffer anything more than a few bumps and bruises.”

Magnus stopped growling but kept his piercing glare on me. He snorted and helped his sister up onto her feet. Once she was settled, we kept on moving but not before Magnus came up to me and whispered, “The only reason you're still alive is because you're showing us our parent's bodies. If you even try to harm a single scale on Pearl, I will personally end you.”

“I expect nothing less.” I reply. I had to be careful around this one, he's a loose cannon. Just like how I used to be.

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We made it back to the ship without further delay. Just about everyone was off the ship, moving supplies off and around. The body of the dragon was placed well away in a heap down along the path of destruction. Upon seeing this, Pearl sprinted over to the body but Magnus stayed behind.

“Where is my mother's body?” he asked in a dead serious tone. I could see the anger begin to boil in his eyes.

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, “Yeah, about that. I don't really know where it is. Now hold on, let me explain.” I said before he could strike at me, “I threw it to this island and watched it land, but since I had to get back to defending my ship, I don't remember where it landed so you're going to have to search for it on your own. Okay?”

Magnus snorted, blowing smoke into my face before joining his sister. I sighed in relief, until I noticed Flamehoof come up to me with a serious expression on his face.

“We have a big problem.” He beckoned with his hoof and I followed. He led me around to the other side of the ship where there was a small tunnel dug into the ground. Some Diamond dogs were going about moving some of the dirt out of the way. Flamel was overseeing the project as well as handing pieces of timber down the hole. He nodded in acknowledgement to us before going back to his work.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

“When we were checking the damages, we needed to check the bottom of the ship. Flamel got the bright idea to check it by using the dogs to dig under and support the ship up with timber.” Flamehoof explained, “The damages we found…you might want to see for yourself. It’s not pretty.”

I nodded and leapt into the hole. There was a unicorn with his horn glowing to provide some light, but it was enough for me to see everything clearly. Dogs were digging and shoveling dirt away with their paws as some set up the beams to hold the ship up. I skirted past them and checked the damages on the hull as I went along the tunnel. Flamehoof was right and I was getting frustrated. “Son of a bitch.” I muttered, sweeping my claws against the demolished wood. My HUD took a log and showed me all the damages on the ship as I passed them.

The hull itself was a mess. Pieces were missing from rocks smashing against it. There was a tree that had pierced a hole on one side and had done some internal damage as well. Strips of wood were peeled back like bananas against the soil. But those could easily be repaired, not, however, like the major damage staring right at me. The keel was shattered in two points and the friction from the ground had worn it down in some places. From what I knew about boats from my brother, the keel was the back bone of the ship. If it broke, you’re sunk. “It's just one thing after another isn't it?” I muttered.

I whistled loudly and everyone’s eyes snapped to me. “Hey, thanks for the work. Go and take a break now.” I said jerking my thumb to the tunnel entrance. They all slipped out and I followed once everyone was safely outside. I beckoned Flamehoof and Flamel over. “I saw the damage. It’s too destroyed for me to even try to fix it with magic and since it's the keel that's broken, the only way to fix the ship is to rebuild it entirely. So it looks like we’re not going anywhere for a while. I don’t suppose we have any ship builders?” The two of them shrugged and shook their heads. “Dammit. We're officially shipwrecked until further notice.”

“What are we going to do?” Flamehoof asked.

“For now, get the supplies off the ship and set up camp. I’m going to try to figure out how to get us off this island, one way or another.” My pride as an engineer won’t settle with any problem unsolved, especially the ones that concern me.

“What about those dragons?” Flamel asked, “I doubt they’ll want us to stay on their island, especially after what happened.”

“You let me worry about those two. Tell the others, and get camp set up. If you need me, I’ll be somewhere on the ship.” I said. I walked off and climbed up the ship side to the main deck. As I proceeded to my cabin, I thought to myself, ‘Challenge Accepted.’

I closed the door behind me, reverted to Base form, and began to think. I took every variable into account that I could think of and tried to fit it together, but I couldn’t. For hours, I paced, I sat in a corner, and finally ended up in my hammock out of frustration from not coming up with any ideas. There was no way that I could build a ship from scratch without any knowledge of making one. The only option was to wait for a passing airship to come by and rescue us, and from my experience on the zebra island, that could take a long time. Time enough for Magnus to kill me and the others out of spite or hatred. Time enough for the crew and me to deprive this island of its resources and resort to cannibalism.

I needed a solution and fast.

I was about to take a nap to rest my head a bit when I heard knocking on my door. I got up and opened it to see the kids staring at me with sad and curious eyes. “Is it true that we’re going to be stuck on this island?” Steam Tail asked.

“Yes.” I said bluntly, “The ship’s broken and until it gets fixed, we’re going nowhere.”

“B-but you can fix it right?” Astrid said, “You can fix anything! The other day you fixed the doors on the ship and make them work even better than before.”

I sighed, “I can’t fix everything. This one’s too hard for me to fix.”

“Then we’ll help you get it fixed!” she said enthusiastically. The others puffed out their chests as far as they could and held their heads high, ready for any task.

I chuckled, “I appreciate the gesture but I’m not sure you can help, unless you happen to know how to build a ship from broken parts.”

“Well, why don’t you use the broken parts to repair it?” Astrid asked.

“Using broken parts….for repair.” I said flatly.

She smiled sheepishly, “Well you told me that you can make anything out of junk, you just need a use for it.” She pulled out her iron bar, which now had a wrapping around one end. “I chose to make a sword out of this bar, once that pony blacksmith will make it for me.”

“Astrid, it’s not like I can...” I trailed off as what she said sunk into my mind. I stared at the bar she held up proudly and mentally pictured it as a sword. ‘Could it really be that simple?’ I thought, ‘Only one way to find out.’ I held out a hand, “Astrid, may I see that bar please?”

She cocked an eyebrow at me but still placed the bar in my hand. “What are you going to do with it?” She asked.

“Fix it. Now go and play with the dragons.” I said before closing the door. They stayed for a while before trotting off down the hall. I looked at the bar of metal in my hand. “Now,” I said, holding the bar up, “Show me what you can do. For science.”

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Magic level increased

I panted from exhaustion. Too tired to do any more. Luckily, I was done with my work. ‘Five hours. That’s all it took. Five long hours of experiments, testing and documentation.’ I thought, and then I glanced at my HUD. ‘A good chunk of my energy depleted, but it was worth it.’ I picked up the final product in my hands and turned it around. It was a simple short sword but instead of a normal straight edge, this one was serrated with hundreds of little teeth on each side. Every one of them very sharp, as the accidental cuts on myself led me to believe.

I grabbed a small fruit and tossed it into the air. With a quick strike, the fruit fell to the floor in a torn up mess. As I picked up the fruit and ate it, I watched the juice run down the sides of the blade, dropping slowly from tooth to tooth. ‘If this sword could cause that much damage to the fruit, then what damage would it do to flesh?’ I thought.

My mind began to click, slowly at first, but gradually gaining speed. Like a ratchet tightening up a bolt, ideas and concepts began to click into place. Simple ideas evolved into complex mechanisms. The complex ideas were broken down and picked apart to be modified and adjusted. Weapons, defenses, support, vehicles, medicine, energy and more, they all flooded my mind like a tsunami. Every conceivable piece of technology, benign and malevolent, appeared and sorted itself, ready and waiting to be built and used.

I had just discovered the pinnacle, no, the dream of all engineers. I knew how to create the impossible. I knew how to construct the unthinkable. It all lay together in the palms of one spell.

My spell.

I laughed. Not just at the joy of discovery, but at how I discovered it and no one else knows it. I could build my forces and make my own empire. I can take the entire world by storm. This world would burn to the ground at a whim. No one would be able to stop me!

After a few minutes, I calmed myself down. I could still feel the raw potential run through me, but it was starting to settle. “Now,” I said to myself, excitement burning away to seriousness, “I can repair the ship. I’m going to have to store up a crap ton of energy to do it. Not to mention all the supplies I need and limitations to take into account. Hmm, maybe I can ask the crew what features I should add to it? Ah hell, discovering the spell already took a lot out of me. I might as well get some shut eye.”

And with that thought in mind, I promptly crashed onto my hammock, the still swimming ideas lulling me to sleep. There was nothing that could ruin my mood now.

Achievement Unlocked: Full Metal Alchemist – Gained 777 XP

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My eyes fluttered open to see streaks of white moving. I was about to fall back asleep when I noticed the disturbingly familiar look to those white streaks. My eyes shot open and I shot up. I was back in the Grid and if I was here, then Erebus isn’t far behind.

“Too true, my little Chess Piece.” I whipped around to see Erebus behind me, holding a rolled up newspaper in hand this time. “It’s been a long time. How have you been?” he said, in a way eerily similar to GlaDos.

“How have I been?” I asked numbly. Every painful memory of the dragons appeared in my head, each being a reminder of who caused it. But I wasn’t angry, not even furious like I should be. No, I was happy, excited even, to get my revenge. “Just peachy.” I said before rushing Erebus head on.

I quickly reached him and started to rain down as many blows as I could before he could defend himself. Kidney punch, Elbow to the face, Uppercut the diaphragm, Chop to the neck, Strikes all around. I was quite surprised to see that Erebus didn’t even raise a finger to defend himself. I just increased my attacks even more.

I don’t know how long it took, but when Erebus said, “Enough” I was flung backwards through the air. I landed on the ground with a thud and quickly recovered. Once I got up, to my dismay I saw that not a single blow I landed had made even a scratch on him, even his suit was unwrinkled. ‘Fucking God-mode hack.’ I thought. I prepared to charge him again when I discovered that I couldn't move my body. I was locked in a kneeling position. The only part of my body I could move was my head.

Erebus chuckled, “That, my boy, is one of the reasons why I like you. You’ll go all out relentlessly on those you believe have wronged you.”

“You have wronged me, bastard.” I spat at him. I scanned his features, looking and waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

“Oh?” Erebus said curiously, “and how might I have done that?” He face showed mock concern to me.

“Liar!” I yelled, “You know what you did!”

“Of course I know what I’ve done.” He scoffed, “My question is: What do you think I have done?”

“Don’t play dumb with me! You set me up to kill those dragons! You made me orphan Magnus and Pearl!” I bellowed, “You put me in this stupid Game of yours in this stupid simulator! I know something’s up. I know that this is more than some game.

Erebus smiled and then he laughed. Laughed like it was some joke to him! When he was done, he spoke “Ah, you humans never cease to amaze me at how intelligent, yet extremely naïve you are.”

“Wha-” I began to say when Erebus cut me off with his newspaper.

“First off, I will say that you’re right. There is more to this Game than meets the eye.” He grinned evilly, “But I’m not going to tell you what it is. It’s more entertaining to see you scurry about trying to solve it.”

I growled my dissent but he ignored me and continued. “Secondly, I never set you up to do anything. My original intent was to give you a challenge before you make it to the main land. I sent the dragons over to harass you with a little twisted truth on their minds. If you lost, well then, I would just have to find another player and it would be more hassle for me, but if you won, then those two dragonlings would be left alone on their island to starve to death, with no one to protect them from anything.”

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. “What?” I breathed shakily.

“I never intended for you to find them at all. When I saw that you were heading for the island...well, I finally understand what my old colleague means when he told me 'Chaos is a wonderful thing'.” He laughed darkly.

As for me, I was stunned. 'I...was wrong? No! I couldn't have been wrong! He's messing with me! ' I thought, 'But....what if he's telling the truth?' I always had to take every situation into account. It was the only way to be sure. I was going to prod more on the subject in my head but Erebus' laughter was dying down. I assumed he had more to say and I had to pay close attention to this.

“Now,” He said with his smug grin on his face, “that brings me to my third and final point. You remember that little curse I placed upon you? You also recall how you must perform acts of evil to quell that little voice in your head?” I gave a slight nod. “Well now that you've performed quite the act of murdering parents, I feel I should mention a little...side effect of that curse.”

“What effect?” I growled, “What did you forget to tell me now?”

“ I never forget a single thing. Those topics...slipped my mind at the moment. This effect, however, I withheld until the time was right.”

“Get on with it.”

“My, my. Quite the impatient one, aren't you? Fine, then. It's not much of a side effect, but more of the nature of the curse. When you perform acts of evil, the voice in your head quiets down because it feeds off the evil like a parasite. The more evil you feed it, the more it will...mature.”

“...What do you mean by that?” I asked hesitantly. I definitely wasn't liking where this conversation was going.

“Simply put, that voice has been acting like a demonic kindergartener from Tatarus. With you killing those dragon's parents, you practically drop kicked that child into a young teenager. It will be much more intelligent than before and a bit more subtle about what it wants you to do. Not by much but it's a start.” he said proudly.

My jaw dropped. I felt like I got hit by a semi truck, and that was one feeling I never wanted to know, much less remember. But it did explain why it always went silent. I guess that the Voice was taught not to talk with it's non-existent mouth full. I kept glaring at Erebus.

“Joke's on you Erebus. I'm done with this crap.” I smirked, “As soon as I wake up, I'm going to give myself a proper suicide. I'm considering burning everything off in a massive spell. How's that sound?” I gave a demented laugh of my own.

To my surprise, Erebus joined in as if I told a joke, “Oh, that would be wonderful! To see a massive fireball or shock wave, anything to destroy that island and everyone on it. Ah, the screams would be a delight to my ears. You know, I haven't had a proper genocide since World War Two. Heh, Hitler was one of a kind. He had much more finesse than that moronic Stalin.”

I stared in shock at what he said. This guy was sick in the head. Wait, how the hell did he work with the Holocaust? He must be at least eighty years old. Whatever treatments he takes, he hides his age well. He doesn't look a day over 40. What the hell is going on?

“Anyways,” Erebus snapped from his trip down memory lane and focused back on me, “Your attempt to defy me is cute, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that.” He snapped his fingers and an image appeared beside him. It showed a Marine in full combat uniform patrolling down a street. His M16 held loose but ready to aim at a threat. He was chatting up with another buddy who was cut off by the image edge but no sound came through. I noticed the name on his chest and I got a good look at his face.

It was my brother. I'd recognize his face anywhere. “How did you get this?” I said softly. There was no way in hell anyone could get this kind of image on the Marines.

Erebus waved his hand dismissively, “That doesn't matter. What matters is the choice you get to make.”

“Choice?”

“Yes, you can stay in the game as my player and your brother will continue his merry campaign in that water-godforsaken desert. However, should you decide to end your pathetic life and make me have to start my work all over again...well, a lot of things can go wrong on the battle field. A stray bullet, a lurking ambush, a waiting mine...all sorts of things.” Erebus said this casually.

I wanted to call his bluff, to prove that there was no way he could do that, but something stopped me. I don't know what it was but it told me that if Erebus wanted it so, then so it shall be. If I called it, then my brother would die. He was the only family I had left, and I'd be damned if I was going to kill him too. “Fine. I 'll stay.” I said reluctantly.

“Wise decision.” Erebus said. He snapped his fingers again and the image dissipated. “Now, If you'll excuse me. I have places to go, things to do, and people to torment. Ta-ta.” He snapped his fingers again and the world went black.

Revelations (17)

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I floated silently through the trees of the jungle. The moon's light cast down through the canopy, enough to let me see clearly, despite the foliage. After I woke up, I had to get outside to escape the claustrophobic feel of my room and get some fresh air. Once I was outside, I didn’t have much of a desire to return to my hammock, so I decided to take a midnight stroll through the woods to clear my head. Nothing could go wrong with that.

I swatted away a branch that was in my path. I didn’t really need to, but I got to pretend the branch was Erebus. That left a lot of mutilated branches in my path.

My thoughts swirled inside my mind, trying to make heads or tails of who, or what, Erebus is. This thinking started to go into circle logic and I had to shut my mind down and focus on the scenery before I got a headache. “Nothing makes sense anymore.” I muttered for what seemed like the thousandth time. I’m an engineer. Things had to make sense for it to work, even things like the chaos theory or the butterfly effect, those had their own weird, twisted rules.

I tried to go farther without thinking about it, but it was futile. My mind kept listing the facts and tried to piece them together. ‘I’m stuck in a game where the inhabitants and the scenery are disturbingly real.’ I thought, ‘Virtual reality technology couldn’t have gotten that far so fast. Even if it did, why would they waste it on a political game between these “Gods”? Shouldn’t they be using them for battle simulators or something? How big is this Game? What are the stakes put on the table between the Hosts or whoever runs this damn thing?’

My mind then turned to my host in particular. ‘And Erebus. Who exactly is he? How could he be able to talk so casually about Hitler and Stalin like they were drinking buddies? There’s no way he could have known them and still be alive to talk about it, unless he’s got some sort of voodoo magic that keeps him alive and kicking. How much power does he have to be able to threaten my brother?’ I briefly wondered if Erebus was a Templar from the Assassin’s creed game. It would explain the insane amount of political power he has. Plus, if he had one of the Pieces of Eden, it would explain the illusion of the game. The only problem is that I can’t prove it in here.

I grabbed the nearest tree and smacked my head against it, hoping the force would knock some sense into me. It didn’t, nor could I feel the impact either. So I settled with a very hard facepalm. When my head stopped shaking, I heard a faint sound coming from the trees. It wasn’t a sound you would usually hear from the jungle at night. This one seemed…sad. I kept quiet, hoping to pick up the sound and pin point it back to its origin.

Moving around in order to get a better pick up, I was able to follow it through the trees. I crept closer to the sound, flitting from shadow to shadow, not wanting to scare the source away. The sound grew louder as I came closer and I could now tell that the sound was a song of some sort, a very sad and mournful song. I still couldn’t tell where it was coming from though.

After a few more minutes, I found the origin of the sound in a clearing. I peeked past the bushes and instantly found the source of the song. It was Pearl who was singing. She and her brother were lying next to the corpse of their mother. I could tell it was her because the body was near the ship. Pearl was singing her song as she nuzzled her mother’s withered face. Magnus just laid on the ground, eyes closed. I couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or not.

I looked back at Pearl, and without the distractions of fighting or emotions, I was able to get a good look at her. She was a lot smaller than Magnus, probably small enough to completely hide under his wings. She looked a lot like him, with a triangular snout and sharp claws, everything that made a dragon a dragon. What surprised me was that she didn’t have wings. I didn’t know if that was what she was born with or if she would grow them later on

With nothing better to do, I stayed and listened to the song. It was quite beautiful, almost hauntingly. The song felt like a simple lullaby, but the way Pearl sang...it was so much more.

When she finished, I found myself standing out from the bushes I was hiding in. Since I was already out, I might as well say something. “That was a beautiful song.” I said. Pearl jumped at my voice, clearly not expecting me. I glanced over at Magnus, who stayed where he was but his eyes were now open and locked on me.

“Oh, um thank you…” Pearl blushed at my comment, “It was just a song that my mother had taught me when she…” I could see tears start to spring up in her eyes and she started to sniff. I had to do something. I moved a bit closer and sat on the ground near her, well as close as I could with Magnus’ increasing glare on me.

“Pearl.” I started, “I’m sorry for what happened. I really am. But what’s happened is past and there’s nothing I can do about it. If I could, I would go back and fix a lot of mistakes I made.” Memories started to come back up but I barely made an attempt to keep them at bay this time. “Fate tends to have a cruel sense of humor.” Pearl kept trying to blink back tears unsuccessfully. I continued, “Listen, I understand how you feel right now.”

“You do?” she said between sobs.

I nodded. “Most of my family is dead already.” Pearl gasped and Magnus raised his eyebrow in question. I bet he was wondering how I, as a Night Shade, could have a family. “I felt the same as you do, if not worse since I blame myself for what happened.” The memories I usually kept repressed were breaking free one by one. I braced myself for it as best I could.

“What happened?” Pearl asked.

“Well, first off, I wasn’t always like this.” I gestured to my body, “I was a different species entirely. I was a human.” I could see the impending questions wanting to come out of Pearl’s mouth, “A human is... well, like an oversized monkey minus most the hair and tail.” It was the best I could do. Trying to explain your own species to a different one was a lot harder than I thought it would be. “Basically, more or less what Erebus looked like when you saw him.” Magnus’ eyes hardened even more at the mention of the name, Pearl just stared at me in fascination and wonder.

“Now as for what happened,” I sighed, “I normally wouldn’t talk about this but you two deserve to know.” I steeled myself for the trip down memory lane, “I was with my mom and little sister. It was the first week of summer and my birthday was coming up soon so we were celebrating a bit by playing at the park. My mom was like an angel. She would go out of her way to make me and my siblings happy, even if it meant going behind my dad’s back a few times. My sister…she was a year younger than me. She was full of joy and she always wanted to be outside. The two of us loved to play tag and hide and go seek in the playground a lot.”

I remembered her trying to find me. Always coming close but never quite there, until I started to laugh at her attempts. More memories emerged as I spoke. “It was getting late and we had to go home. The three of us walked to the street corner to cross over. At that moment, I noticed my shoe was untied, so I bent down to tie it again. As I was doing so, my mom and sister decided to cross without me. I tried to hurry up but…” I stopped. The emotions were becoming too much for me to bear.

“You don’t have to keep telling us,” Magnus said, “if it hurts that much.”

“No. I want to get it off my chest. I’ve never really had anyone to talk to about it aside from my brother.” I replied before continuing my tale, “There was a loud noise down the street, I looked to see a huge semi-truck.” Seeing the confusion on their face, I explained, “It’s like a large metal cart used for carrying things. Any ways, I watched the truck come barreling down the street. I saw that my mom and sister hadn’t fully made it across, nor had they noticed the truck. By the time they did, it was too late.”

“What happened?” Pearl asked, mostly out of concern but I could see a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

“Let’s just say that a ton of metal moving at fifty miles an hour is very unforgiving on the flesh.” I said, sparing her the details. She seemed content with that answer. “Later when the police arrived, they discovered that the person driving the truck had died of a heart attack in the middle of the street.” I felt old bitterness and anger rise up like bile. “About a month later, my dad decided to abandon my brother and me by chugging a bottle of whiskey and playing a rigged game of Russian roulette.” I remembered walking into the room seeing the blood splatter on the wall, the gun and bottle in his hands and the faraway look in his dead, glazed eyes.

“Do you know what that does to a kid?” I snapped at them, “To lose two of the closest family you have to fate, and then to lose another because he doesn’t care about us? He didn’t even say goodbye, or even leave a note. He just killed himself while my brother and I were at school.” I calmed myself a little before moving on, “My brother was left to take care of me, despite that we had moved in with our uncle. He almost had to drop out of school and take multiple jobs to even pay for our up bringing since our uncle was only giving us shelter. We almost never had time to be together and play like we used to. Whenever I wasn’t at home or at school, I was with doctors that tried to make me feel better but I didn’t want them.”

I remembered how my uncle gave me a bunch of video games, mostly to get me to stop crying and being a pest to him, and started my passion and distraction from life. “When we did have time together, he always strove to comfort me and tell me that everything was going to be alright in the end. Eventually, once I was old enough to take care of myself, my brother joined the military to help me pay for my college fees. I haven’t seen him since.”

I felt a sudden tightness around me and looked to see that Pearl was hugging me, though barely due to my current form. I whispered the spell to turn into my Dog form to give her something to hold onto. She hugged me even tighter, still sobbing. I stroked my paw down her scales soothingly. Neither of us spoke, not wanting to break the silence.

“How do you handle it?” Pearl whispered, “The thought of never seeing them again?” She nuzzled her head into my chest as she spoke.

“I couldn't.” I replied, “Not by myself, at least. If it weren't for my brother...I don't even know how I would have ended up.” I brought her face to look at mine, “They may be gone but you still have your brother to take care of you, just as he has you to take care of him. But promise me this, Don't ever forget them. I spent half my life trying to forget what happened. All that's left is a face, a name, and a few memories of them.” Pearl nodded eagerly as she wiped away her tears, trying to put on a brave face.

A second later she had a nervous look, “Um, Gunhaver...would it be okay if...” She trailed off in a mumbe.

“I didn't get that last part.”

She gulped. “...if...I could be your sister?” Her eyes widened, “Not that we're actually related or anything bu-” I stopped her with a finger over her mouth.

“I would love that. Thank you.” I heard a loud cough to the side, I looked up to see Magnus still glaring at me. He jerked his head to the side, signaling that he wanted to be with me, alone. I complied, setting Pearl on the ground, who promptly went over to her mother and curled up to sleep. I allowed myself a small smile at the sight before having to follow Magnus when he gave a grunt to get my attention. When we reached the spot he wanted he immediately pressed me up against a tree, albeit not really effectively seeing as I could easily slide out of his grasp. I half expected this but I let him do as he pleased, not wanting to anger him further.

“I don't like what you're doing.” He growled menacingly, “You may have Pearl fooled but not me. I swear on my parent's grave that if you hurt her, I'l-”

“You'll end me in the most horrific and degrading manner possible.” I interrupted in a sarcastic tone, “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just skip the fluffy death threats and get to the damn point already. I know you hardly trust me with what's happened and as much as I would love to try to earn it back, I really don't want my time wasted.”

Magnus gave another growl, “What exactly is your connection to Erebus? You said you knew him. How?”

The million dollar question. “I'll tell you but you have to hear me out first before you make a judgment call.” Magnus snorted his displeasure, but agreed with a quick nod. “Good.” I explained to him how I first met Erebus and how he screwed my life over, omitting the Voice. I still wasn't ready to let that cat out of the bag. I'm hoping I can somehow get rid of it quietly. No one would ever have to know about it.

When I was done, Magnus seemed to be letting the new information I told him sink in. About five minutes later, he spoke, “So what exactly is this game you have to play?” he sounded unsure, but he wanted to know more.

“Beats the hell out of me. It's some political game between him and his buddies. I don't even know what I'm supposed to even be doing, except that my orders are to get to the mainland.” I said. “By the way, can you let me down? This is starting to get a bit uncomfortable.” Magnus let go, but he stayed tense, waiting for me to make a move.

“This 'virtual reality', was does that mean?”

I hesitated for a bit. How would a character react if he learned that his life is a product of computer designers? I quickly checked around to see if we were alone, double checking every nook and cranny, before speaking in a whisper, “You can't tell this to anyone. NO ONE must know. Then again, I'm not so sure on it myself but still, this must remain secret. Understand?” Magnus stared at me in confusion, like I had just lost my mind, but he slowly nodded his head. “Okay, A virtual reality is, essentially, an artificial universe, meaning everything here shouldn't be real.”

A series of emotions spread across Magnus' face. Shock, confusion, pondering, and finally, concern. “What do you mean 'shouldn't'?”

“I came into this game assuming everything wasn't real, that I would be fine no matter what happened. But lately, events have me questioning how much of this is virtual.”

“Erebus may have been lying. He did tell my parents that you were hunting them, though you say you weren't.” His tone said that he still didn't really trust me on that. However something he said clicked in my mind.

'Wait a minute.' I thought, 'Why would Erebus need to physically go and talk to the dragons? Why didn't he just have programmed them in the first place? Unless...he couldn't program them in the first place. The only reason he couldn't be able to do that would be if..they were real.' I growled in frustration, clawing at my head for answers. “Why is nothing ever easy?” I muttered to myself.

“Is there no way for you to find out?” Magnus said. For a second there, it seemed like he was genuinely concerned about me. But, that's too much to ask for.

“How would you test to see if your world is real?” I deadpanned, “It's not like I can try to wake myself up from a dream when I'm already awake.” I rubbed my face, attempting to take the mental strain away. I looked up at the night sky, hoping that the answer to all my problems could be deciphered from the stars.

I blinked once. Twice. Then I shook my head from the pain of the massive face palm I performed.

“...wat.” Magnus stared at me as if I had gone completely bonkers. If I wasn't in so much pain, I would have to agree.

“I'm an idiot! I can't believe I forgot about the ceiling!” I said. Every game has a “ceiling” or the limit to how high a person can go. If there was no ceiling...there was only one way to find out. I grabbed a rock about as big as my head and handed it to Magnus. “Take this and follow me. Trans Form Harpy.” I quickly shape shifted and rocketed off into the sky, leaving Magnus to catch up. The two of us rose up high into the night sky, racing to the stars. As we went up into the higher altitudes, I was surprised to find that I couldn't feel the normal cold winds associated with this altitude. But Magnus and I had to stop eventually because the air was starting to get thin, and I didn't want either of us passing out so I cast “Ventus” to keep us supplied with fresh air as we stayed up here.

“Okay, Magnus, I want you to point that rock at the sky and use the spell I taught you. Try to make it a big one.” He nodded and took time to concentrate while I kept the fresh air coming. As he was doing so, I looked down to try to get an estimate of how high up we were. The island below was a small speck, only visible by the moonlight and the camp fires below. I did some quick calculations with a few rough estimates and was shocked at our potential altitude. We were about three miles, if not more, high in the air. If this wasn't the ceiling, then I don't know what is.

After about ten minutes or so, Magnus lifted the rock above his head and yelled “Depulso!” The result was a projectile skyrocketing at what seemed to be mach speed. The two of us watched it dissappear into the inky blackness of the night sky. A minute later, we both caught sight of a small shooting star. Magnus gave me an expectant look “Soooo....”

“Honestly, I don't even know.” I said, “I was hoping for something but, now that I think about it, missiles aren't exactly the best testing equipment, since they can pass the ceiling.”

Magnus gave me a flat look, “So we just wasted our time up here?”

“Not entirely,” I said, starting to make my desent, “I did find out that the ceiling at least three miles high. So there's still the possibility of it not existing, or being higher than we can reach.”

“Is there no way for you to know?”

I pondered the thought for a few seconds. “Erebus said that some of his cohorts are in this world as well. He said they would be gods and goddesses here. If I can find them, maybe I can get an answer.”

The two of us continued dropping to the island below. I passed the time by thinking. “Assuming this world is real, which I'm still having trouble believing,” I said, voicing my thoughts aloud, “Then how the hell did Erebus take me from my world to my own?”

“Maybe he has some godly powers?” Magnus said jokingly.

The gears in my head turned, processing this possibility. I could have sworn my mind went ding when it was done. “No way.” I said, “Humans don't have magic or powers of any kind.” As I said that, the possibility still lingered in my mind.

But as this information buzzed in my head, one question remained. “What was I going to do?” But I already had the answer as soon as it was asked. It was the only way I could get to him on my terms.

I'm going to win this Game of his and I will have my revenge.

The Idiot's Guide to Alchemy and Airship Building (18)

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Everyone of the crew stared at me in shock for a moment before bursting out in cheer. I allowed myself a small smirk of satisfaction as they hugged each other with joy on their faces when I told them they we weren't going to be stuck on the island for much longer. After a little while I tried to get their attention, but was unsuccessful, until I fired a few shots from my pistol. THAT got their attention quickly

“I know you're all excited, but save that energy for later.” I said, “Right now, I want Astrid to step forward.” The griffin in question stepped forward, wondering what I called her forward for. She stopped right in front of me with an expectant look on her face. She actually looked a bit nervous.

“This isn't about the hole is it?” she said with a guilty look.

I frowned, “What hole?”

“N-Nothing!” she said quickly with a nervous grin, trying to keep her eyes on me.

I wanted to know more but it could wait until later. “Anyways, credit is where credit's due. Everyone needs to thank her because she gave me the idea on how to fix the ship.” Everyone lit up with praise and glee. Astrid seemed a bit uncomfortable under the new attention.

“And for your help, I give you the first piece of my work. Remember that iron bar?” I said. Astrid nodded and I pulled out the saw tooth sword from behind my back, flourished it in the air and then presented it to her, the sword spread across my paws. “Here's that weapon you wanted. Just don't cut yourself.” Astrid slowly grasped the hilt out of shock. She held it up at different positions and inspected it carefully. Then she gave a grin that threatened to split her face in half

“THIS IS SO COOL!” she shouted, before swinging it around a few times. I had to move my arms back to avoid injury since I wasn't in my Base form at the moment. She stopped swinging and I used the moment to hand her a quick scabbard I constructed from wood. It wasn't much but it was something to keep her from cutting herself when she wasn't playing with it. She tackled me with a big hug and a thank you before running off to play with her friends. Only now did it occur to me that I just gave a kid a large knife to run around with.

I turned away to go back and rest in my cabin and plan how I was going to design the ship, but I was stopped by a familiar hoof. I looked to see Rum Runner staring at me in wonder. “You seem different.” She said.

I frowned at her, “How so?”

“You were all depressed and mopey before, even when you didn't show it. Now you seem happy, or at least less depressed.”

I mentally sighed and swore to every god, spirit and deity in existence to work on my poker face. “Your point?” I snapped.

“Well not every pony changes like that overnight. I just want to know what happened.” She gave a smile.

“Okay, one, I'm not a pony,” I silently thanked Erebus for not turning me into one, “and two, I'm not telling you. Why do you even want to know?”

“Because I'm a bartender, I can't help others unless I know their story.”

“How about this? A mare tries to find out out a story but never will get it because I don't want her help. The end.” I said coldly

Rum frowned, “Well that's not very nice.” she said in an admonishing tone.

“News Flash! I don't care!” I said with sarcastic enthusiasm before speaking in a regular voice, “I'm not telling you and that's that. Lecture me all you want about keeping it bottled up but I prefer handling my problems on my own.” I swiftly went inside the ship before Rum could say another word.

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I scratched images into the air, my mind generating the pictures for me. I made a mental note to get some paper as soon as I hit the mainland. 'That design wouldn't work. Too bulky.' I thought before crossing out another idea. 'I don't like the shape' Another idea gone. 'Engines would get torn off' Idea gone.

I frowned as I contemplated what to do. I had my new spell but there was only so much I could do with it. But my inner engineer squealed with delight at this new challenge and I couldn't stop for anything.

Ah, It's feels good to be back

Well, almost anything. 'Get the fuck out. Right now. I'm not in the mood to put up with your bullshit.' I mentally yelled.

Suddenly, I could see a small humanoid figure in my mind. It was completely white but it was outlined in black. It wore no clothes that I could see and the only feature it had was a wide toothy smile on it's face. It looked like the lovechild of Slenderman and a dentist. It held up a hand to it's chest. I'm shocked that you would be so hateful to me. Did you not miss me at all?

'No. Beat it before I beat you'

That's not how you should treat old friends, much less children like me. Didn't your mother teach you better?

That was it. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” I roared. I tried to imagine myself throttling the figure but it was no use. It was always out of reach. Seeing my efforts were fruitless, I calmed myself down a bit, but I stood tense, ready to pounce on the little bastard. “What do you want?” I said, rage filling my voice.

The thing put a finger to it's cheek. Hmmm...what do I want? It mused to itself. Ah, that's right. I wanted to ask you a question. The thing put its hands behind its back and rocked back and forth on its feet as it said in a childish voice, Watcha doin?

The question caught me off guard. 'Umm...what?'

Need I repeat myself? it asked in an impatient tone.

'No. I'm just surprised that you would ask that.'

Am I not allowed to be curious? Now answer my question.

'Well...I'm trying to rebuild my ship but I need a good design for it. I don't want any design, I need a design that can be easily defended and can strike hard and fast when I need it to. Plus it needs to be streamlined and efficient. I don't want anything important to be easily broken off when I need it the most.' I went back to crossing out a few more ideas.

Can I help?

I paused, '...why?'

Because it looks like fun

I was instantly suspicious. The pest wouldn't help me just for petty entertainment or help me at all, but then again, he was created by Erebus, the guy with weird entertainment tastes. 'How can you help?' I thought with contempt, 'Do you have an engineering degree?'

No. But I can just search your memories. Suddenly, the figure jumped and disappeared from my mind. I began to panic a little. I would rather have that pest where I could see it. As I tried looking for the thing, there was a knock on my door. My heart leaped up into my throat. How long have they been there? Did they hear anything? I nervously opened the door to see Flamel staring at me.

“We need to talk.” he said bluntly before pushing the door open and shutting it behind him. 'Make yourself at home why don't you?' I thought bitterly as he stood in the middle of the room.

“How are you going to build the new ship? You can't possibly have enough magic to build an entire airship from scratch.” he said.

“I don't,” I said, wondering what he was getting at, “In fact, I'm not going to be using a lot of my magic at all.”

“Then how?”

“Simple. I thought about my shape shifting spell and I thought 'If I can use that on myself, why can't I use that on other things?'. Astrid gave me the inspiration for that and I figured out how I could go about this. Instead of using some giant complex spell, I could use a simpler one based on the basic laws of Physics and Chemsitry, thus with magic, I get Alchemy or my version of it.”

“Laws?”

“Yes, the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy together are the basis of this spell. I'm taking the original material's mass and turning it into something else with the same amount of mass. I can change the volume of it but the mass will stay the same no matter what. I could take a small piece of wood and turn it into a long pole, though it would be very brittle. I can also do the reverse to make materials denser than they normally would be.”

“How could you have enough magic to do that? Much less for an entire airship.” Flamel said incredulously.

“I don't,” I said, “heck, with my magic, I think I only have enough magic to make a small skiff and that's pushing it.”

“Then I assume you are going to use the unicorns?”

I paused at this idea. “Now that you mention it, I may have to.” I said, “But regardless, magic is only going to be the catalyst. The volcano is the thing that's going to power my spell.” Seeing Flamel's confusion, I explained. “There are many types of energy in the universe. One of the most prevalent ones is heat energy. Heat is the transfer of internal energy and normally can't be used for convenient purposes but if I can harness the heat from the volcano...” I trailed off, letting Flamel figure it out. Judging from the look of slow realization on his face, I'd say he got it.

“That's...quite possibly the most ingenious thing I've ever heard or the most foolish. I'm surprised no one else has come up with this solution.”

“Well, obviously, they keep their scientists and engineers occupied.” I said, waving a hand lazily, “Half the stuff I think up comes from bored curiosity. So why did you want to know?”

Flamel hesitated, only for a fraction of a second, but I still saw it. “I was curious. I saw that sword you made and heard you say it used to be an iron bar. I had to know.”

“Understandable.” I said, “Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to designing the new ship.” Flamel nodded and left. I waited as I heard him pad down the corridor outside my door.

He's hiding something.

'You think I didn't notice either?' I thought, and a bit relieved now that the pest was back, 'Now what did you find?' I was still annoyed at the privacy invasion.

Oh, right. I found this one. It looks nice. It sent an image to me and I looked it over. It wasn't bad, in fact it was pretty good. There was only one problem.

'How am I supposed to build this type of structure? I can use my spell, but I doubt any of the materials on this island can withstand that support.'

The thing grinned at me. Well, when in doubt, look to nature for answers. He then sent another picture over. My eyes widened. It was the dragon corpses.

'No. I'm not doing that. You can forget it.' I thought, tossing the image away.

It grinned even more. Ah, but think for a second. Dragon scale is one of the hardest known substances in the world. Not to mention the special effect it has.

'Special effect? Do tell.' Okay, now I had to know.

Dragon scale is known to reflect magic attacks.

I let that piece of information sink in for a moment before my nerd side went nuts. If I coated my ship in dragon scale....I'd be almost unstoppable. Any mage chess pieces or magic weapons of this world wouldn't be able to touch me. Even if it was a melee fighter, they would still have to breach the hull. My inner engineer and nerd squeed in delight at the prospect. Until it hit me at what the cost would be.

'I'm not going to defile their graves just for my own personal gain. As much as I want to use the material, I'll have to say no for now.'

I never said you were going to defile their grave. It said smoothly, In fact, this would be a more fitting grave than being buried in the earth. To let them soar in the sky once more. They would be able to protect their children once again if they came along as well. Just think, you would be able to have your ship and they can be with their parents once again, after a fashion. Everyone wins.

I stared at the thing in stunned silence. 'I...I need some time to think.' I quickly stepped outside into my Dog form and decided to run around for a bit to distract myself, but it was futile. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded about the ship which in turn reminded me about what the pest said. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was right. I could have my dream ship and I wouldn't be hurting anyone at all. I could make it into an homage to them as a bonus. Besides, they aren't going to use it and it would be a shame to waste such good building material. The strong, durable, magic reflecting material. Plus, I'm sure Magnus would agree that it would be a better grave to soar in the sky than rot in the ground. Yes, that would work quite well.

“Trans Form Harpy” I took to the sky and spoke my next spell, “Locus Magnus” A dot appeared on my HUD and I made a bee line to it. Soon enough, I ran into Magnus. Remembering what that pest said, I decided to talk to him. “Hey Magnus, I need to discuss something with you...”

Harder Better Faster Stronger (19)

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New Quest:

Build your airship and take to the skies

Challenges:

Build the airship without direct help from ponies- +10 Magic

Complete the ship in less than 5 hours - +10 Endurance

Reward- 3000 XP

Accept/Decline

…

Accept

I stood at the lip of the hole and peered inside. Below was the pile of gems and ore of the Dragon's Den along with whatever we happened to dig up over the past week. Outside, sitting at the bottom of the slope was the broken remains of the ship. We had to break it apart to carry it all the way here as it was too heavy to take as a whole. Sitting next to it was some piles of fresh timber we retrieved from the forest and the dragon corpses. I'm still surprised at myself at how I was able to convince Magnus, despite his obvious dislike and distrust towards me. I recalled the event as I stared at the corpses.

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“Are you going to bury your parent’s bodies?” I asked, preparing myself for the incoming argument.

“No.” Magnus replied rather bluntly. I blinked in surprise.

“Really? Not even a single funeral rite?” ‘This may be easier than I thought.’

“No.” he said, “Before they left, they transferred a portion of their power to us, should anything happen to them. As for burials, it doesn’t matter much. They will return to the earth one way or another.” He sounded like he was quoting a teaching. “Why?”

‘Interesting.’ I mused. “Well, as one who respects the dead, I was going to offer a suggestion on how they be honored.” Magnus said nothing but instead gave a suspicious look to me. I had to tread carefully now. There was no going back. “Instead of letting their bodies rot on the ground here, why not have them fly once again?” I said as smoothly as I could.

Magnus narrowed his eyes at me, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that I can, and want to, give them a grave that does them justice for their deaths.” I said, conviction flowing into my voice as I spoke, “Erebus has pissed on the both of us and I want to show him that I'm not taking his crap anymore. I want him to know that I'm coming for him with everything he's done to me.”

“And how would you do that?”

“I want to use them to help build my new airship.” I asked with a, hopefully, unfaltering smile, “It would give them a chance to fly again, in a way, and it would show Erebus that I won't be stepped on anymore from him.”

Magnus’ eyes held their gaze on me, not giving away any emotion. He snorted, “Why can’t you just use the trees of this island? I’ll even give you some of the ores from my den. They should provide well enough for repairs.” He asked, avoiding the topic.

“Because, Magnus,” I said in a controlled tone, “There might be a chance that Erebus will send another dragon, or worse, and we may not see it until it’s too late. All that work would go up in smoke and the others won’t be able to go home at all.” Magnus hummed to himself.

“Then defend yourself like you did against my parents. You seem like you could do it.” I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

I waved a hand in the direction of the ship, “I swore that I would take them home and I can’t do that if the ship they’re on crashes again. We were lucky enough to not have severe injuries. Next time we may not have that luck.”

Magnus kept his steady gaze on me, his eyes piercing into mine. Seeing that he wasn't budging, I had to try a different approach. “If you would like, I can let you take part in the process. You can help create their shrine, give them honor after death.” I said smoothly. I think I saw his face twitch. “Also, after we're done building it, I extend the offer of letting you come along on my journey to hunt Erebus down.” I glance casually at our surroundings, “It's not like you have much going here for you anyways. If you kept living here, it wouldn't take too long until you ran out of food.

“Dragons can go for long periods of time without food.” He protested

“Then what? Both you and Pearl would both starve eventually and I doubt you know the way to find more food. Your parents left you with protecting your sister and you can’t do that if she dies of hunger.” Magnus seemed to falter a bit. I pressed my attack. “And what if a raiding party comes by? You would barely have the energy to fend them off and they could take Pearl away as a slave. Maybe even kill her for her scales. Would you want that for her? If you come with me, I can teach you how to better defend yourself so you can protect Pearl. Also, you would both be close to your parent’s grave at all times. Pearl would like that, wouldn’t she?”

The Voice snickered. Physics and politics are more alike than they seem. Sometimes you need a bit of leverage.

Magnus stared at me, working over the offer in his head. After a few moments, he raised a single claw, “One condition though, I want to be there when you fight Erebus.”

I silently cheered as I bowed my head to him, “Of course.”

Achievement Unlocked: A way with words- gained 100 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Priceline Negotiator!- gained 100 XP

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For more than a week, I experimented with my working materials and designed the new ship as the others dragged the pieces to the volcano. Incidentally, I also found out that I don’t require as much sleep as I used to, running about three days on a four hour nap. I also took the time to show Magnus how to use the magic to make the ship, or at least to power me as I make the ship.

“Remind me again, why are we here?” Storm cloud said. She stood next to a group of unicorns who proved to be the strongest out of the bunch.

“Because I may need your magic if I want this thing to work.” I said. Not necessarily, since I was sure that the volcano's energy and my power were sufficient, but hey, better safe than sorry. I only have one shot at this and I'd rather not mess it up. “But for right now, you're going to be passing the energy down to me. Just be ready when I need you.” They nodded and went to their positions on the side of the volcano.

We set this up carefully for today. The pegasi gathered all the nearby clouds and placed them above where I’m going to work, with a few making sure it didn’t disperse. I was currently in my Base form, not wanting to waste any energy on my other forms. Magnus stood at the top of the volcano where he could channel the heat energy down to me. It was a good thing that his scales were very resistant to heat, otherwise the entire procedure would become much more difficult and risky. The unicorns were strung out up and down the side of the volcano. Their job was to pass the energy from Magnus to me. Everyone else was on the far side of one of the other mountains in case my spell somehow back fired and caused the volcano to erupt.

I tapped my gem communicator, “Magnus, everything ready on your end?”

There was a bit of static but I could make out his voice, “It’s hot and ready to go.”

“Alright then, light it up!” I raised my hand in the air and spun it in a circle, signaling the start of the process and causing a five hour countdown timer to appear in my HUD. The unicorns tensed up and started to activate their horns. I could hear Magnus’ shout over the communicator. “Extractum Therma!” I could almost see the wave of energy flow down the mountain, jumping from horn to horn like a frog. Finally, it reached me and calling that a power boost was a severe understatement.

MOTHER OF GOD, THE POWER! IT FEELS AMAZING! I felt like I had upgraded from AA batteries to a nuclear generator! I had not expected such a rush of energy from the volcano. The power of heat itself! How much could be done with this? How much energy was wasted on fossil fuels when we could have used heat itself? If only we could have tapped into this source sooner. We would have had less energy and environmental problems to deal with every day.

I was snapped out of my epiphany by the sound of Storm Cloud calling out my name to start the procedure. “Oh, right.” I said. I raised my hands and pointed them at both piles. “Trans Form Materia!” I shouted.

I felt a pang of regret as the sweet, powerful energy trailed down my arms and jumped out of my hands with a tingle. The energy shot out and latched onto the lumber and the bodies. Instantly, they both started to change in to a liquid state of themselves and flowed into the air. The bones of the dragons came out first in a trail of white from their mouths. As they left, the bodies slowly collapsed like a bouncy house without the air turbine. I flicked my hands up and the glob of liquid bone rose into the air. I split the glob into two equal masses and started to craft my ship. As I did so, I hummed to myself.

‘Work it, Make it, Do it, Makes us.’

Using one blob, I reformed the spine and ribs of one dragon, and used the rest of the bone to add some extra ribs along the lower half. When that was done, I flipped it upside down, thus creating the bottom hull of the ship. I held that in place as I worked the other blob into a similar shape and placed it above the other, creating a sort of cage in midair.

‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.’

“Keel and structure are set.” I said to myself, crossing the step off my mental checklist. That was the easy part. I glanced at the clock to see that it took half an hour to mold the bones. “Now I have to glue them together.” I grabbed at the timber and turned all of it into a gelatinous wooden mass. The organic matter rose up like a tree growing in fast forward and raced between the gaps in the ribs. Once it was all inside, I put all my concentration into the next step of the process. I molded the wood like play-doh, spreading it all around the inside to the cage, filling in all the gaps between the bones. I subconsciously bit my tongue as I tried to make sure every part had an even amount of wood material. Others may say I'm OCD. I prefer the term 'perfectionist'.

‘More than, hour, our, never.’

“Hmm, not too much here. Wouldn't want to disrupt the weight balance, now would I?” I thought aloud to myself as I worked, “I suppose I can take a bit off here. Just a little bit.” I worked meticulously, trying to set the bones in the wood just right. I knew I could adjust it later when I added the metals, but for now I wanted it to hold fast until then in case I can't finish. Four hours, ten minutes left.

‘Ever after, work is, over.’

Once the hull was set, I began working on the different decks from the blue prints I had ingrained into my memory. Starting from the bottom, I laid down the structural supports and then laid down the flooring and walls for the rooms. One the bottom deck was done, it was just a matter of fill, design and repeat. I tried not to look at the clock as I worked, knowing that it would only stress me out and stress was the last thing I needed now.

About three quarters of the way through with the wood I heard Magnus' voice on the communicator. “Gunhaver, it's starting to get a bit difficult in pulling out all this heat. How much more do you have to do?”

I glanced at the clock to see I had a little over two hours left for the challenge. I knew it was just a challenge, but challenges were my drive. I'll be damned if I lose to a simple challenge like this. “Almost done with the wood. I just need to set in the metals, scales and the propulsion system. Anything else is free game if I can get to them. Just keep going, It shouldn't be much longer until I'm done.”

“Hurry, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up.” he said. I agreed as well, noticing my mana bar had dropped considerably despite the energy stimulus. I quickened my pace in my building as much as I could without sacrificing quality. Luckily, it wasn't much left, according to my mental blueprints, and I was able to finish with two hours to spare.

‘Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger.’

Now came the hard part. The metals. Over the past week as I studied them, I had to design this part carefully. I had plenty of gold and gems, and there were some nice iron and carbon deposits I could use for steel work. However, my pride came from one ore in particular. It was unbelievably strong, not even an explosion made a scratch and the only way I could cut it was to use my spell. I showed it to Flamel and he confirmed that the ore was Adamantium, one of the extremely rare and strongest ores of the world. When I asked Magnus where his family got it, he said it was from a raid and said no more about it. There wasn't as much of the ore as I would have liked, so I had to use it carefully.

‘More than ever, hour after, our work is never over’

I spun what little of the precious metal I had into long, thin rods. When each rod was made, I then placed them in key areas of the bone structure. That way, I could be sure that it wouldn’t fall apart under its own weight or from external shocks. My hands flicked back and forth as the rods were set in place. One in the bow, one in the aft, two in the middle, repeat for the top half. Oh, I have some left over, well then one more right here, two in those joints there, move those over a bit. Another twenty five minutes gone.

“Gunhaver!” Magnus yelled through the communicator.

“Don’t rush me!” I yelled back, “Just hang in there. I’m almost done.” I gathered up the iron and carbon material and began to mix them like cake batter, taking care not to add too much carbon to the mix. Granted I was no expert on metallurgy and the only things I remember about chemistry were from the lectures back at college. Luckily I didn’t have to remember them by myself.

“Flamehoof!” I shouted. The pepsi colored stallion popped out of a shallow ditch and trotted over to me. I held the metal mixture in the air with an outstretched hand and pure heat in the hand drawn back near my face. Flamehoof stopped next to me and stared at the sight before him.

“Alright, now what you wanna do here is to heat that sucker up until it’s as hot as you can get it.” He said. I nodded and began to cram as much heat as I could into the mix, pushing my hands together. The orb started to glow a dull red, then quickly lit up to a bright orange yellow, and then finally a brilliant white. “Good,” Flamehoof said, “Now cool that bucker quick!” I started to draw out the heat by the kilojoules and soon enough, the orb was back to its cooled state.

‘Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger.’

“Now light it up again, but this time, get it to a dull yellow.” He said. I did as he said and after it was reheated and cooled a few times, it was ready to use. “Should be workable now. I gotta say, this isn’t the way I expected to forge metals.” He said with awe, “Now if you need me, I’ll be in my little hole there.”

‘More than ever, hour after, our work is never over’

I had almost an hour left. I had to work harder now if I wanted to get that achievement. I immediately set to putting the tempered steel in the ship. I lined the hull, creating cross braces at the bones and strengthening the supports. I did this for every part of the ship I could reach. I worked frantically, every glance at the clock forcing me to work even faster.

“I’m not sure if I can keep this up.” Magnus said, “The heat’s getting harder to drag out and I think the magma's almost cooled down and solidified.”

“Dammit!” I swore, “Magnus, just keep digging for it. Heat should always rise to the top from the convection currents.” I had to finish this in time. I quickly wrapped up the steel works, leaving some for later use. I glanced at the clock once more. There was only thirty minutes left, and so much left to do. I growled my frustration as I was forced to switch to plan B and kick things into overdrive. I snatch up the scales in my magic and drag them onto the ship, having them overlap each other as I attached them to the hull with a quick “Insero” to each one.

‘Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger.’

“Okay, last part. Just hang in there Magnus!” I shouted. I grabbed the two dragon bodies, or what was left of them and began to tear them apart. I clipped off the wings of both and attached the sets to the sides of the ship, each with ropes holding them in place. Then I took the rest of the skins and formed two fleshy balloons out of them. I quickly put them in their spot in the top part of the ship and attached it to the hull proper. When that was done, I pumped as much heat as I could into the bags of flesh, expanding the gasses inside them until they could support the ship.

I glanced at the clock and sighed with relief as I barely had two minutes to spare. “Okay, Magnus. Let go of the spell, we're done here.” I could hear him sigh with relief as he let go of the heat and fell to his knees from exhaustion. The unicorns themselves were sweating up a storm from all the magic straining. One by one, their horns winked out and they too collapsed, most of them asleep before they hit the ground.

Finally the ending wave reached me and I whined in protest as the wonderful, blissful energy left my body. What I would give to feel that power again. I fell as well, not feeling the impact through my Base form. My eyes flickered to see that my mana bar was drained completely and ate away into my health bar to almost dangerously low levels. “Damn, this spell took a helluva bite out of me.” I huffed, “Good thing I brought a snack.”

I wearily dragged myself up and crawled over to the pit I had some of the dogs dig earlier. I pulled myself up to the edge and peered over at my food. Inside was the rest of the Diamond Dog prisoners I had left alive. I already got what I needed from them, so why did I keep them alive?

Because you get hungry some times.

Oh, right. “Well then, eenie meanie mineie you.” I grabbed one of the dogs by his tail and bodily pulled him up. I was a bit surprised at my current strength, pulling up a hundred twenty pound weight with a single arm alone like it was a sack of apples. My only disappointment was that I had no muscles to show it off. I would be so ripped right now.

Smiling at my mental image of my muscular self, I bit into the dog's tail and drained the energy out of him. It felt so refreshing to have a nice cool drink of chocolate milk after lots of hard work like that. Once I was done with that one, I picked out another and drained him. I repeated this process until all of them were nothing but mummified corpses.

I descended into the pit and began to dismantle the bones out of their bodies, leaving the furs for later. Maybe I should make a rug or a blanket out of them? Would go for some nice coin to the right buyer. I pondered these thoughts as I ripped the bone from the cartilage and put it in my satchel. I made a mental note to repair or replace the worn out bag when I could. 'Heh, maybe I could use the dog skins as replacement leather.'

When I was done and all the pieces of the dogs that I wanted were in my satchel, I climbed out of the pit and sat on the edge, where I could get a good look at my creation hovering in the air. It was as long as the previous ship and a bit wider than before. Staying true to my promise to Magnus, I made the ship look like two dragons in embrace, one with their back to the sky the other to the ground. The wings were a nice touch to it too. The red scales glinted off the setting sunlight in a spectacular manner. I could see the small gap between the two dragons where the main deck was. The posts attaching the bottom to the top looked a lot like the arms and legs of the dragons. Sadly there was no tail as I needed the spot for the steering mechanisms, but I could fix that later. I sat there, taking in every aspect I could of the new ship.

“She’s a beaut, ain’t she?” I looked over to see Flamehoof sitting next to me.

“That she is, Flame. That she is.” I said.

“I see you went with plan B.” he pointed to the wings, “Not enough energy?”

“Something like that.” I grumbled.

Flamehoof laughed, “You really wanted to build those engines didn’t you?” I had showed him my original designs during some planning sessions.

“Are you kidding?” I said, turning to him, “I spent a week working on that design and I can’t even use it yet! Makes me feel like a government worker.” I pounded the ground, “I would have been the fastest bastard in the skies!”

“Really? Even faster than Rainbow Dash?” he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Who?” I was curious now. Was this supposed to be some hot shot racer?

“This mare who claims herself to be the fastest flyer in Equestria. I’m surprised she hasn’t joined the Wonderbolts yet.”

“I see.” I lied. I was very curious now. If I could find this Dash mare, maybe I could get a race from her. “Anyways, I suggest you go and get the others over here now. Should be safe since we practically used up all the heat in this volcano.” Flamehoof nodded and took off to the mountain where the others were. I laid back on the ground and kept admiring my work as my HUD flashed notifications.

Quest Complete:

Gained- 3000 XP

Gained- Custom Airship

2/2 Bonus Challenges Complete

Gained +10 Magic

Gained +10 Endurance

Achievement Unlocked: Full Matter Alchemist- instant level up

Achievement Unlocked: If you want something done right…- gained 500 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Last Rites- gained 250 XP

Total XP earned – 3750 XP

You are now at level twenty seven

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It took a while but soon enough, everyone was gathered under the new airship, many of them staring at it in awe. I stood next to Magnus and whispered to him, “Told you I could do it.”

He kept his eyes on the ship. “It’s…amazing.” he said breathlessly.

“I know.” I said with content. I stepped away from him and whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. When all eyes were on me, I spoke, “As promised, I've rebuilt the ship and a way off of this island.” I pointed to the ship, “I intend to keep my word and take you all back to the mainland.” Everyone cheered at the news. I swiftly silenced them with my next words, “But this is MY ship now and as its owner, I’d like to make a deal with you.” I put my hands together, only making contact with my claws, and spoke in a dead serious tone, “As it is, I am in need of a crew, a proper crew. You all are just passengers working off your stay. Now, I recently discovered that the dogs who captured who came from Ruby Hollow in Gem Fido. I will take you home after I make a quick detour there to thank them for giving me a ride off my island. You have until we reach Canterlot to decide if you want to be part of the crew. I promise food, shelter and protection. If you don't wish to stay, then so be it.” I returned to a more cheerful voice, “Now, welcome aboard the Spirit of Vengeance.”

On the road again part 1 (20)

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‘This is nice.’ I thought as I slowly swung myself in my hammock, ‘Built a kick ass ship, got two new crew members, and smooth sailing from here to Ruby Hollow.’ I kept swinging. ‘Yup, this is really nice.’ I gazed around at my cabin. A large work table in the corner with the organized chaos I called my projects. Some wall hooks near the door, one holding up my ragged satchel. Below it was a pile of Dog skins I saved for repairing the bag later. A small nightstand sat near my hammock with an old, spotted mirror above it. The Wanted poster of Griffin tacked up on the wall next to the mirror. A few charged gems emitting a soft light were embedded into the ceiling to make up for the lack of windows, simple to activate on command. The only thing left was me and my hammock in the corner opposite my work desk. Beds were nice but hammocks were cooler and they moved as well, plus it keeps all of me in when I sleep in my Base form.

After a few more swings, I came to a conclusion, ‘Bored now, need something to do.’ I got up and looked around my new cabin for something to occupy my time. The answer came to me in the form of my work table and the projects on top of them.

“Meh, might as well get something done.” I muttered. I jumped out of my hammock with another swing and went over to the table, looking at the organized mess I left. A pile of stacked schematics occupied one corner, all of it alphabetized with the top one being half drawn upon for a weapon I planned to build when I had the resources. I smirked, knowing that not only did I have the resources now but the means to build it as well, though I still needed the design. I frowned as I saw what currently occupied the center of the table.

The prototype lightsabers I had built from some charged gems and an improvised cylindrical metal frame. Once they were part of my pride but now they lay broken and unusable. I grabbed one and peered in from the top to get a glimpse of the inner workings, but I couldn't see anything. Snorting, I pried open the tube to reveal its contents. I whistled in amazement. The gem inside was intact but the inside was fractured beyond all reason. Even the fractures had fractures. Out of curiosity, I tried to charge it with a dab of energy, only to have the gem explode in my face like a frag grenade. Luckily, most of the pieces went through my body and thus leaving me unharmed.

“Well, there goes that idea.” I said, tossing the destroyed piece and its twin off the table. I pulled out the schematics and wrote “On Hiatus until further notice” up in the corner. As an engineer, I didn't like to throw away anything that could be improved upon unless it was completely worthless. I placed the schematics back in its proper place and pulled out a blank piece of paper, tapping it with my piece of charcoal as I began to think.

‘I need a new melee weapon. I can’t use the light sabers unless I can find some better material to work with and the only way I can do that is to learn more about this world. But how?’ I began to ponder this problem until a memory came to mind. ‘Wait, Checkmark said he worked with the scribes back in his home. Scribes means archives. If I can get him to let me tap into those archives, I could find out a lot more about this world, its people and its monsters. I‘ll have to ask him about it later.’ I started to form plans on how to infiltrate the archives should I be denied access, but set them aside for later.

I idly began to sketch a weapon, letting my mind wander. 'Claymores, war hammers and battle axes are out of the question. Too big and slow for me to use, despite the massive damage. Regular axes and maces are fun but only for that one time. Staff weapons were awesome, but horrible at close combat. I need something with an edge, but easily usable.' I stared at my sketch, only to find a childish scribble. Grunting in frustration, I scratched it out and turned it over.

For a while, I sat there at my desk, pondering at designs. Not just weapons, but anything I could build, anything to keep boredom away. I pulled out some of the schematics I had for the ship that I had planned to add during the construction. I wanted to build them, but after seeing what happened to the prototype lightsaber, I was a bit leery about it.

Why are you afraid? Don’t you want to build it?The Voice said, appearing in my mind’s eye.

‘Yeah, but I don’t want to destroy my new ship. I just built the damn thing.’ I replied.

And? You can build it again, and again. It’s what you were trained to do.

‘No, I’m trained to build things efficiently and effectively, cutting out the useless and unnecessary.’

The Voice smiled,Then why don’t you get rid of the weak crew members?

I mentally turned to him, ‘Alright, listen up because I’m only going to say it once. You live in my head, so you have to abide by my rules. You can suggest all you want about killing others but I will not go through with any of it unless I give consent. Also, anything you suggest will not harm the crew, directly or indirectly. Got it?’

The Voice was silent for a moment before giving a reply, Yes, I suppose I can work with that.I had expected him to put up more of a protest but as long as he understood, I didn’t care.

‘Good. Now shut up and let me work in peace.’ I thought before snatching up my schematics and going to the storage rooms to get some supplies.

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Astrid’s POV

I sat curled up in my fortress of stone, waiting for those pesky pony heroes to come and attack me. They’ll soon find that I’m not that easy to beat. I heard the sounds of clopping hooves and peeked out. They had arrived. A group of four ponies stood outside my fortress walls, awaiting entrance that I’m not giving.

One stepped forward and spoke up, “Ahem, Empress Astrid! Your days of fortress hogging are over! Give us the treasure!” Tails, the dark brown unicorn druidess said, pointing with her staff, “Oh, I mean, give it to us please!” She had gone all out on her appearance, braiding her blueish grey mane and tail, carrying a small staff and bag.

“Yeah,” said Stepper, the unicorn warrior, “We want some!” He'll will be easy to defeat, even if he had that helmet on with his green mane sticking out. I could see his dark blue legs shaking from here.

“Never!” I said, “The fortress of Astridonia will never fall!”

“I thought we named it Emerald city?” said Red Rover, my faithful maroon minion. He sat beside me, poking his snout out of the fort window he made.

I glared at him, “I’m the leader, so I can name it whatever I want and I say it’s Astridonia.”

“I wanna name it Sanctum city.” said Sanctum, the violet archer filly. Well, as close to archer as you can get with a slingshot.

“It’s Astridonia.” I huffed, “Can we just get back to playing?” Seriously, this was getting annoying.

“Fine,” Tails said. She brought herself up to her full height, which wasn’t much. “We ponies of Canterlot hereby ev- uh, evi-, er…kick you out!”

“Believe it!” Airsoft, the neon orange pegasus said. He was the ninja of their group, to sneak behind enemy lines. He tried to look the part by wrapping some cloth around his muzzle but only succeeded in getting it tangled in his blonde mane.

“Only if you can defeat me!” I yelled defiantly. I turned to my other minion, “Sic em!”

“But I don’t want to hurt them.” Pearl whined.

“I’ll give you some of the treasure.”

She perked up and jumped out of the fort, “I’m a dragon, so like, rawr and stuff.” She puffed out a tiny flame before charging the ponies, “OMNOMNOMNOMNOM!” Seeing the attack, the ponies tried to dodge, but Sanctum stumbled and was caught by the dreaded pink blur.

“NOOOO!! Stop! Th-that tic-kles!” She shouted in between gasps of air. That was one down

I looked at Rover, “You too, fur ball.” I picked him up and threw him at the two ponies on the ground as they were recovering. His loud yelp alerted them to his incoming presence but it was too late and Stepper was taken out like a bowling pin, leaving only the unicorn.

“Drat.” I cursed. Now I had to deal with that Tails and- where’s Airsoft? I heard a rattle behind me and spun around to see Airsoft reaching for the treasure chest. He hung upside down in the air, with his wings flapping rapidly to keep him from falling. I pulled out my sword, not my actual one since that was against the rules, and threw it at him, hitting him in the wing.

He hit the ground with a thunk, “OW!” he cried as he hit his head. Tears began to spring up in his eyes as he rubbed his head and wing, “That hurt!”

“It’s supposed to.” I said, “Now get out!” I chucked him out of the fort by the tail. I smirked at my victory, only to have it wiped off by the feeling of a staff hitting me in the side. I looked to see Tails levitating her staff in a blue glow.

“You will pay for that, you bully.” Tails swung her staff at me and I blocked it. I then jumped and picked her up, flapping my wings. She yelled in fright as I took her back to my fortress.

“Haha, now I shall finish you once and for all.” I dropped her onto a pile of blankets and she disappeared in the crinkled mass. “Victory is mine!” I cackled.

A knock sounded on the door and it opened to show another griffin. It was my sister, Silvia. “Is everything alright in here?” she asked as she looked at us. I took a good look too, seeing almost every one of us in a tangle of limbs or laying on the floor. I glided over to her.

“We’re fine, sis. We’re just playing around.” I said.

“She won’t share the treasure!” I heard Tails shout behind me. Tattle tale.

“I’m not supposed to!” I shouted at her, “You have to get it from me.”

“Astrid, share with your friends.” the griffoness said in an admonishing tone.

“But, Silvia!” I complained.

“Am I going to have to take the treasure away?” she asked.

I huffed, “Fine, I’ll share.” I turned back and jumped over to my fort.

“Now play nice and don’t forget to go to bed soon.” my sister said before shutting the door.

I stuck my tongue out at the door and pulled out the treasure chest. The chest itself was more of a clay jar than an actual chest. I opened the lid and took out a piece of the ‘treasure’ within. It was a pile of cookies that we borrowed from the kitchens. We totally didn’t steal them. I inspected the cookie in my claws to see if it had any defects like not big enough or not enough chocolate chips, things like that. As I inspected it, I was mobbed by everyone else in the room, who scrambled to get a piece. I barely made it out with my feathers.

Once everyone got a piece, we sat in a circle, eating our prizes. It was really quiet but we’re not supposed to talk with our mouths full.

I finished my cookie first, “Why am I always the bad guy?” I asked the others.

“Because you’re bigger than us?” Stepper said.

“I thought it was because she drew the short stick?” Sanctum wondered aloud.

I thought about it for a bit. “Well, since I won, I say that Tails is the bad guy next time.” I said before grabbing another cookie.

“How about a girls versus boys battle?” Tails suggested. I reached in for another cookie only to find we ate them all.

“Not until we get more cookies.” I said, “Let’s go get some more from the kitchens.” The others agreed and we all snuck off to the kitchens to stea- I mean, borrow more of the tasty treats.

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Flamel's POV

I opened the door to my new room and shut it behind me, locking it for safe measure. I didn't want anyone to intrude upon my time alone, though I doubt that a simple lock would stop Gunhaver. My ears twitched at the memory of those loud sounds when the door to the captive's hold was blown open by that strange weapon of his.

I sat down at a small writing desk I had acquired for my work. On it was a tall candle with a small, singed wick. Though light shined through the window, I needed more light for my work. I started to rub two of my scars on my left arm, each with a different claw. I pressed firm enough to take off skin, but not enough to puncture the flesh. After a dozen rubs or so, I had what I wanted. With practiced precision, I carefully wiped the two claws onto the wick and into the shallow depression in the wax, mixing the powders.

The two substances sat mixed together and after a few seconds, a brilliant green flame appeared on the wick. Satisfied, I reached into my mouth and yanked out one of the wisdom teeth set in the far back. It didn't hurt as much as it used to but it still felt strange after all these years. Holding the fake tooth in my palm, I unfolded it. Once, twice, and on until it became a small journal wrapped in enchanted oilcloth. I took out the leather bound book and flipped to the last page where I had recently taken notes on a certain creature of shadows.

Once again I found myself staring at the page, reading all the notes I had taken. None of it made sense to me, but it might make sense to someone else. I placed the parchment on the table and flicked out a claw. Setting the two together, I began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I realize it has been a while since my last letter to you. This was due to my capture by a Diamond Dog ambush. Do not fret as their intent was to use me to dig in their caves and feed their pack leader or the dragon that they deal with. They did not realize what they had truly captured and they never will. However, as much as I would love for this to just be another conversational letter, I must discuss with you how I escaped.

I was going to wait until the ship was stopped above Gem Fido or Equestria to cut the chains and escape but apparently fate had other plans. I, along with the other slaves in the cargo hold, were suddenly freed by this strange…creature. It He apparently wasn't expecting to see us, but he offered us a chance of freedom so long as we worked the slave ship we were on.

As we all were enjoying our freedom, I discovered that the creature was protecting the zebra village. I asked a few of the villagers who he was and received mixed results. Most said he was a monster, some said he was a savior, and many of the foals said he was a friend. In my own observations of him, I say he’s…odd. He acts very different from what you would expect from a “being of darkness” as he put it. He keeps himself aloof from the crew but protects us all on a promise to see us home. He works hard to see his promise fulfilled when he could easily abandon it at any time. What confuses me is how intelligent he is in science and engineering. Apparently he follows it with a passion and keeps himself working on a project every day.

However, that’s where things get concerning. I’ve seen what he’s made and what he can do. He uses a form of Alchemy similar to my own, yet so very different. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem that his methods could possibly produce…you know. But it still worries me every moment what he would do with it if he had it.

This creature, Gunhaver, could possibly be our greatest ally or our most dangerous foe. I will have to keep close to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless with his power.

Your faithful student, scholar, and servant,

Nikolai Flamel

I signed the paper and rolled it up. Once sealed, I set it alight with the candle flame and watched the ashes fly out the window. Now there was only one thing left to do.

On the Road Again part 2 (21)

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Meta’s POV

I set my stance wide as I watched my opponent and raised my fists up in front of me. Even if he was my brother, I couldn't go easy on him. He stood sideways to me to narrow his striking area. Clever, but he wouldn't get much power from his punches that way.

I struck first, swinging in a right hook to his head. He blocked and struck back with an uppercut only to hit air as I dodged to his right. I swung a kick to his side, causing him to gasp in pain. It seemed those Kidney shots Gunhaver showed us really worked. I pressed my attack, using both my hands to bash him out of the ring, but only succeeding in knocking him down.

My brother countered from his position on the mat by tripping me up with his legs. As I fell, he used that moment to get himself straightened out. He pounced on me, using his weight to pin me to the ground and proceeded to pound me with his fists. I brought my arms up to defend as Gunhaver taught us. It amazed me how much these simple tricks worked when applied correctly. If only I had known of these moves earlier, it would have saved my hide from being captured.

My brother kept raining down blows on me, not letting me get a punch in edgewise. With my arms up in defense, I could barely time his blows enough for me to strike sharply at his legs with my elbows. He howled in pain as I hit a nerve center in his thigh. I seized the moment to toss him off of me and out of the ring. I won the match.

The two of us panted heavily. “Good fight, brother.” I growled to him.

“Same to you, Meta.” he replied.

Meta. That name. What did it mean? When I asked Gunhaver, he said it meant something about “above and beyond” but also said it was the name of a warrior I reminded him of. I had more or less forgotten what my old name was, if I ever had one to begin with. The only thing I was called before was “Slave” or “Dumb Mutt”, hardly a fitting name for anyone. But now, I had a name, even if it didn't mean anything, and no one is going to take it away from me.

“Oh, Meta!” I heard a familiar voice said in a sing song way. I felt my blood run cold as I looked up to see Gunhaver staring at me with a shark like grin, a lot like the one he wore when he showed me that strange magic of his. It made it even creepier when he was in that misty form of his.

“Yes?” I growled cautiously to him as I stood up. Something told me I wasn't going to like the reason why he was smiling.

“I made this for you and I want you to test it out to see if it works.” He pulled out this strange object from behind him that made me wonder how I didn't notice it before. It was a circular container with a handle above it and tube sticking out from the piece. Below the tube was an elongated piece of metal and a smaller handle, making it look like an upside down snail. But what really stood out on it, was the massive blade attached to the underbelly of it. It was wicked looking, jutting out from below and flowing up to the back side of it.

“What is it?” I asked as I took the weapon in hand. It weighed a lot but it wasn't too hard to carry.

“It's called a Brute shot.” Gunhaver said proudly, “Try it out on that target over there.” He pointed to one of the sparring dummies across the room. After a few minutes of learning how to hold it and use the firing mechanism, I aimed as best I could and fired.

FWIIISH!

BOOM!

Click Clack.

My jaw dropped as I witnessed the event. A streak of orange flew across the room and straight into the dummy. When it made contact, the dummy exploded into a burst of flames and pieces of padding. The shock wave knocked over some of the other training dummies. Next to me, a certain creature jumped for joy.

“YES! IT WORKED! I'M A FREAKING GENIUS! YES YES YES YES!” He continued to celebrate and praise his own intelligence and masterpiece. I just stared at the weapon in my hands. How could he take such joy in creating weapons of destruction? Why was I enjoying the sensation of seeing that explosion? I don't know why, but it just felt right to hold it in my hands, like it was meant for me to use it.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Gunhaver speaking to me, “Wait here, I'll get some more ammo.” He flew out the door and down the hall. When he was gone, I turned to my brother.

“I fear no Dog, but that...thing, it scares me.” I said.

“I don't even want to know what goes on in his head.” he said, agreeing with me.

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Camouflage’s POV

I stared at the pieces of metal they held up in front of me. “You want me...to wear that?” I said incredulously. Flamehoof and Gunhaver stood in front of me, holding up some pieces of armor that seemed fresh out of the forge.

“Well, yeah.” Gunhaver said.

“What's the catch?” I said.

“Nothing,” he replied, “Just put on the armor and see if it fits.”

I pointed to Flamehoof, “Why don't you make him wear it?”

Gunhaver sighed, “Because we made it in your size and you're more likely to fight than he is.”

“Oh.” I had signed up to be part of the crew yesterday. I know I was missing home, but I wasn't missing what was waiting for me there. I'd rather go back to being captured by the mutts if it meant staying away from them. Besides, this place wasn't too bad. It even had a few good looking mares to hit on. I hear they like a stallion with a few scars on him.

“Fine, hoof it over.” I said. They gave me the armor and helped me into it, setting the straps on snugly. When they were done, they stared at their work and I stared as well. I know I looked good to mares, but now, I looked bucking amazing. I had a chest plate around my barrel, with holes for my wings, and guards on my flank and neck. There were a few vambraces on my legs but none of it was constricting, giving me ample range of motion. The best part was how light it felt on me. It wasn't heavy enough to keep me from flying, but it still had it's weight. 'Guess I'm gonna have to do some exercising.' I thought.

“Heh, Mares love a stallion in armor.” I joked. I turned myself around for show, strutting my stuff.

“Good, now to test it.” Wait, what? I snapped my head to see Gunhaver pull out that weird weapon he carries and put it up to his shoulder, pointing it at me. I tried to protest but his weapon flashed and cracked. I instantly felt a massive force hit my side and send me spinning into the air, almost making me hit the wall. I crumpled to the ground in shock.

“Hey, how you feeling?” Gunhaver called out to me.

I turned over and kicked my legs in the air at him, “Good enough, to BUCK YOUR MOTHER!” I yelled back. I got shot at again. I know it was a bit uncalled for, but the nurse has nice flanks. I'd inject my vial into her anytime. Bow chicka bow wow.

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Rum Runner’s POV

It was a slow night tonight, well, as slow as you can get on an airship. There were ponies, griffins and dogs sitting at the tables and the bar. Some were gambling, others shared stories, and some just came to drown their sorrows out until morning. I stood at the bar, wiping down the counter and cleaning some of the mugs while some of the other cooks were serving the customers. Honey and Crunchy were on the stage playing some music, until Gunhaver came to replace or join them.

A strange one, that thing is. Then again, every thing has been strange since her release from captivity. Dragon attacks, the airship building, Gunhaver's promise, and just about everything she hears from the ponies she serves. Mentally sighing, I went back to cleaning up some of the used mugs as I listened in on some conversations.

“So what are you going to do, eh? You gonna join the crew?” one griffin said. He, a Dog, a pegasus, and a unicorn all sat at a nearby table, nursing their mugs as they talked.

“Nah, I got family back home who need to see me.” the unicorn replied before taking a swig, “I haven't seen my wife and kids in months. They'll probably want to see me again.” Several others had stories like his. I couldn't blame them for their choice. Family should always come first.

“I'll probably stay.” the Dog said, “It's a pretty good gig. Good food, warm bed, and all the fights I can get into. I couldn't ask for more.”

Next to speak was the pegasus. “I don't know. I always wanted to see the world but I don't want to die in the process.” he said nervously. He took a shaky gulp of his drink.

“That's what the training rooms are for, featherbrain.” the griffin said, “As for me, I agree with fur face here. It's a lot better than being back in Dominion where I could get captured again.”

After that, their conversation descended into who could drink the most or whatever it is that males enjoy. Most conversations about that topic went that way. Some had families, others were unsure, but it was usually the Dogs and the griffins who stayed for a new home or the fights. Personally, I didn't really care where I was, so long as there was a bar, drinks, music and plenty of gossip, I was happy.

The door opened and one of my regulars trotted up to the far end of the bar where he always sat. I fixed up his drink like he wanted it and slid it down the counter to him. “How's it going, Star Streak?” I asked. The tan pegasus barely glanced at me as he took a sip. I had to respect the guy, he could definitely hold his alcohol, considering how much he drank almost every night.

“Same as always.” he said, “Set the ship's course enough for me to take a break.”

“How much longer till we get to that Hollow place?” It had been quite a while since we had left the island we crashed on. We've reached the main land since then, but in the general direction north of Canterlot.

“I'd give it about three days, unless some dragon decides to take a peek at our ship.” he said. When we hit the main land, we immediately entered the Dragon badlands since it was the quickest way to our current destination. Strangely enough, not a single dragon bothered us. I don't know why, but I suspect that Gunhaver had something to do with it. “Now leave me be.” he said grumpily as he took another swig.

I laughed under my breath as I went to wake up the grey bum on the counter. “Storm, wake up.” I bopped unicorn on the head a few times, even knocking on her horn. She sometimes slept on the counter after a hard days work. She blinked an eye open.

“Mmmsorry.” she said blearily as she got up and stretched, a string of drool connecting her mouth to the counter top, “Just been working a lot lately. Training and working on Gun's weird projects of his. Got any coffee? Decaf, please.” I whipped up a batch and handed her a cup of it.

“So what exactly have you been doing?” I asked, trying to hide my eagerness for gossip.

“Well,” she sipped some coffee, “mostly doing combatives and training, My dad would be pissed to see me slack off and get captured like I did. Gun's definitely taken a liking to my magic, wanting me to charge up random things for him. He even asked me to zap these blocks of metal and line them up in a row.”

“What for?” I was a bit intrigued.

“Heck if I know. He also wanted me to charge up some gems along with the other unicorns. Said he was making some sort of engine for the ship.” She paused and tapped her hoof on her chin in thought, “I wonder if he'll put me in charge of that?”

“Why would he?” I asked.

She snapped back to me, “Oh, I joined the crew a while ago. Figured it was the only job I could get where my temper won't get me fired.” She barked a laugh at that. “Anyways, I can't wait to kick some flea bag butt when we get there. That'll teach them to mess with a Storm.” Still laughing to her self, she chugged the rest of the coffee and left the room. I wiped it down and put it in the sink for later.

I sighed, “I love my job.”

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Gunhaver’s POV

“Interesting.” I whispered to myself as I stared. Hanging onto my claw like a piece of blue cotton candy was a strand of...well, I'm not entirely sure but I twirled it around my fingers, letting snake around and in between my digits. I glanced at the sea gull before me on it's roost. It sat there, switching it's gaze from me, to the floor, and then it went back to preening itself.

I played with the strand, creating little images in the air for my mind to see. Once my fun was done, I looked back at the bird and touched the strand back to it. The strand shot towards it like iron to a magnet, flailing wildly before it was all the way in. After it disappeared, the gull screeched and took off around the room.

“Very interesting.” I whispered again. I watched it fly a few circles around the room, tracing it's pattern. “Arania Carpe.” I said and spat out a string of silk at the bird, catching it by the feet. The gull flew around in a panic as it tried to free itself, but it was too late. I slurped up the silk like a noodle, drawing in the bird like a fish on the hook. When it was close, I bit down on it. Hard. I tried to pretend the crunching of bones was really the sound of pretzels breaking. It helped that the gull tasted like it too. Satisfied with my meal, I grabbed another gull from the cage and began to experiment on it.

The Voice just laughed all the while.

Achievement Unlocked: The More You Know... - +1 Magic

Searching for Diamonds in Ruby Hollow(22)

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“Steady as she goes.” I commanded. Star Streak nodded and made some course corrections as he navigated the airship through the mountains of Gem Fido like reefs in the ocean shallows. The plan was to come in low and fast, take the entire den by surprise while we attacked. Along with my little projects I built on the way here, they wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late. Damn, it feels good to be me right now.

I left the bridge and made my way to the main deck where many of the crew members waited. I was a bit surprised by how many joined officially, granted it was mostly the griffins and diamond dogs but I had a good handful of ponies as well along with both Magnus and Pearl. Honestly, I didn't think most of them would stay, but I'm not complaining.

They all waited, scattered about the deck. Most of them peered over the rail to try to get the first glimpse of our destination. Over the past few weeks, I had taken the time to prepare them for this moment, training them in the military knowledge given to me from my brother, and suiting them up for battle. Unfortunately I didn't have all the materials for the designs I wanted, but that will come in time. At least I was able to get SOME of my ideas out.

I stepped up to the bow of the ship, watching the mountains pass by, bringing us closer to our destination. As I watched, I heard the clinking of weapon checks and armor being put on. I made a mental check of how much longer from our destination from what I gathered from Star Streak and the prisoners. “Almost there, everyone. Ten minutes ETA.”

We passed into a low cloud bank. I signaled the pegasi to scout our path in front of the ship, calling out to let us know where any other mountains were. Flamel came up next to me, “Why are you doing this?” he asked.

I glanced at him, “Two reasons. One, I get to loot the place and two, it tells them not to try and take slaves anymore.”

“This is foolish.” he said, “Some of them could die. The ones you promised to take home.”

“I know,” I countered, “which is why I'm only letting those who officially joined me go down. If they joined, then my promise to protect them until they reach home is null and void, because they are home. Besides, they had the entire trip to train and get suited up for this attack. I can only protect them to such extents with my armor and weapons. It's up to them if they want to survive.”

We can always use more cannon fodder. I rolled my eyes, 'Shut up, you.'

Flamel grunted as he walked off, “I hope you know what you're doing.”

“So do I, Flamel. So do I.” I whispered under my breath. I kept my eye on the clouds parting before the bow of the ship. Almost there. Just as soon as we entered the clouds, we came out in the full glory of-

“Mother of god.” I said, witnessing the scene before me. From what I had gathered from the prisoners, Ruby Hollow was a sort of Greek style columns and trenches on the surface with the main den tunnels all underneath the mountain. What I saw was completely different. The entire place was torn up like the asshole kid in the sandbox who destroys the castle you try to build before lighting half of it on fire. There was only one visible entrance to the den though it was partially hidden from the numerous scorch marks on and around it. “What the hell happened?” I asked to no one in particular.

“Dragon.” Magnus said, suddenly coming up next to me. Man, I must really be out of it to let him sneak up on me like that. “From the looks of it, it may have been a young adult, if not a full grown one.” He pointed to the side of the mountain at long gouges in the rocky soil and the patches of burnt rock, and rotted bodies, “They must have done something to piss them off for damage that big.”

“But why?” I said, facing him. Magnus shrugged but this time Meta answered. I immediately made a mental note to make a life detector for myself later on.

“Number of reasons. Could have been a simple dragon raid or they tried to capture one and failed. Some dens are known to pay tributes to dragons for protection or work and they may not have paid their last tribute.”

“What do they give for tribute?” I asked.

“Depends on the den's Alpha. Some give gems and others give up some of their slaves, regardless of race. Most perform the latter from what I hear.” he said.

New Quest:

Explore the cave system and search for survivors

Challenges:

Find 10 survivors- 1500 XP

Explore the entire cave system- 750 XP

Reward- 3000 XP

Accept/Decline

'Seriously, why do they even ask me anymore?' I wondered. Because, legal issues

Accept

I whistled in amazement. “Damn. Well this changes everything.” I turned to the crew who was waiting and looking at the scene I just saw, “Change of plans.” I shouted, “Jun, Camo, I want you to take the pegasi and griffins into the skies. Half of you on watch duty, half on ferry duty. I don't care how you split it.” They nodded and took off with those under their orders.

“Flamel, Meta, and Storm Cloud. I want you three to take all the dogs and any pony who wants to go, down to the ground. Secure the area and await further orders.” The deck burst into a flurry of activity as dogs tossed over ropes to slide down and the ponies used the cargo winches. “Inject Vial!” I shouted.

The banana unicorn jumped into the air from fright and scurried over to me. She put a shaky salute, “Y-y-yes?” she stammered nervously.

“Get the medic bay up and on standby`. We may have a lot of casualties.”

She looked confused, “C-casualties? But wasn't that den taken out by a d-dragon?”

“Just because it was attacked doesn't mean there aren't any survivors.” I said, “I know we may be too late, but it doesn't hurt to check. Now get it ready. On the double!” She jumped and zipped off the deck and down the stairs. I searched for the last person I needed.

“Flamehoof. Gather what's left of those on board and arm the weapons system. If we encounter hostiles, I want them taken out.” He saluted and led some of the ponies away. I was about finished when I caught Magnus about to jump over the rail. I sped over to him and grabbed his shoulder, “Sorry, Mag, but I'm going to need you to stay up here.”

Magnus whipped his head around to glare at me, “What?” he growled.

“As much as I would love your help, I don't think that anyone we find will take too kindly to another dragon.” I explained, “I want you up here to watch over Pearl and her friends.” Magnus just grumbled and plodded his way to the lower decks as he called out for his sister.

I sighed, 'What am I going to do with him?' I wondered. Keep him on a tighter leash, perhaps?

I shook my head and jumped over the rail as I spoke the spell to turn me into a harpy. I glided down to the ground where the dogs and ponies were clustered near the main entrance, weapons bristling. I landed in the center of them, changing to my Dog form a few feet from the ground. Damn I love this spell. “Alright, listen up!” I yelled like how my brother's drill sergeant did, “You've had weeks to train on your own time. I even took the time to teach you all about tactics and how we operate in the field.” That was a slight exaggeration, since it was only second hand training. “Normally, proper training would take a bit longer, but we haven't exactly had time for that. Nonetheless, I believe you can pull off a simple Search and Rescue mission.” I looked each of them in the eyes. I saw dogs and ponies that were either nervous as hell or eager to get into the den. I made a quick count of who all was here. All twenty Dogs, about ten Earth Ponies and same for Unicorns. About forty in total.

“Okay, we go in by squads of eight. Each squad will have four dogs and four ponies. If you have to split up, I want one dog to one pony. Never go anywhere alone. Rules of engagement, do not fire unless fired upon.” I split up the group into five squads, making sure that each one was balanced. “Any questions?”

A dull maroon Earth pony with a beige mane and tail raised his hoof, “Why are we rescuing these mutts? Aren't they the ones who were going to enslave us?” he said gruffly. A few of the dogs gave brief glares at him. What's up with this racism? I know the zebras were afraid of me and justly so, but at least the ponies had the tact of hiding their fear of me.

“Yes, Yes they were,” I said smoothly, giving him a death glare of my own. What was his name? I believe it was Grim Lock from that padlock mark on his flank “But tell me this, Suppose I decided to break every bone in your body for the same reason the dragon who attacked this den did and I left you for dead.” I slowly advanced toward him and he stepped back for every step I took forward, “You're dying and your only hope for life is a potion that a passing diamond dog has. Your life depends on his decision on whether or not you are worthy of his potion.” I remembered some of the horror stories my brother told me of what he saw and did during some of his tours as I got into the pony's personal space. It made me a bit sick, knowing that there were those who would let people die, even killing them personally, because they were different.

“So tell me, would you want to be abandoned in your moment of need? When you're broken and bleeding on the ground or dying for drink and food?” The pony shrunk back, his ears flattening as I pressed my face into his. He shook his head slightly, “I thought not. Everyone deserves a chance to live, even those who least deserve it. Now get in there and search for survivors!” The pony jumped and rushed into the cave, the rest of his squad following quickly after him.

“That was a bit harsh, don't you think?” Storm Cloud said as she passed me.

“I never said I was a nice person.” I replied before striding into the cave. Unicorns were spaced out along the groups, lighting their horns to a dull glow. The light was reflected back by the black burn marks along the walls of the tunnel and the shadows of those around them made for fearsome creatures. It didn't help that there were some bones strewn on the sides and amongst our feet. I turned back to my Base form and sped to the front of the group as I jumped from shadow to shadow. It gave a few of them quite the scare.

We followed the tunnel for a few minutes until I opened up into a massive cavern. The light from the unicorns showed multiple tunnels hewn into the rock. Gems embedded into the wall gave off a dull glow as they reflected the light. The entire room reminded me of a honeycomb. Now I know what a bee feels like.

“Split up. Use the gem communicators I gave you to report in every ten minutes. Contact the others if you find anything. If you find survivors, bring them up to the surface for the griffins and pegasi to take on board. We'll leave supplies for later when we've gone through everything. Also, if you can, try to find out what the hell happened here. Move out!” Everyone scattered for the tunnels, going in their designated groups. I picked the tunnel that seemed to travel the deepest into the mountain and headed down it, turning on my night vision spell as I did.

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Another dead end. “Let's turn back.” I ordered before going back up the tunnel with my squad. I was stuck with Meta, Canis, Fallout, and Dirk Arm. We had been Dungeoneering the warren for the past two hours. Clearly we had underestimated the size of this place. From the main entrance, all of us scattered into the various tunnels, but caves tend to have a nasty habit of making a lot of smaller tunnels branching off from the main ones. So far, it's been the forty of us searching an area the size of New York, but underground. Thank god I had a mini map in my HUD. I may have a good sense of direction, but this place was a freaking labyrinth. I wonder if I can find a Minotaur like that one Greek hero did?

I floated up to the fork in the tunnel and marked the passage we searched as a dead end and passed through. As I marked it, my communicator crackled to life. Most of the reports were of finding more tunnels and homes, but one stood out.

“I think we found the armory to the den.” one of the voices said, “Should we bust it open? Over.”

I tapped the gem, “Go ahead. See what's salvageable so we can come back for it later. Feel free to pick a few bits for yourself. Over.”

“Roger that, over.” The sound of banging metal came through the GemComm once before cutting off.

“How much farther do these tunnels go?” Fallout asked, panting a bit, “Feels like we'll never find anything at this rate.” He was pudgy, bright yellow unicorn with a short, jet black mane and tail and neon green eyes. His mark was the warning symbol for radioactive materials. When I had asked, he said he was good at working with dangerous magic and disposing of it.

“We can dig tunnels for miles if we want.” Canis said. Canis was, as I learned from their inseparability, Meta's brother. Unlike Meta, he was a darker shade of grey, almost like a black Labrador. “Worst case scenario, we trek for days without reaching the end.” Seeing the distressed look on the pony's faces, he hastily added, “But I'm sure it's not that bad. It'll probably take all day at most.”

“I hope so, I didn't bring any food to eat.” Dirk said rubbing her growling stomach. She was a lean, dull brown earth pony with dirty blond mane and tail, both tied in a braid. Her mark was a pair of crossed daggers, matching those she wore strapped to her shoulders. She and her two sisters were an odd family amongst the ponies, with their marks related to violence. They called themselves “Sisters in Arms”, or something like that. Dirk, like her name, was the smallest of the bunch. The more I learned about these ponies, the more it made me wonder how they got caught in the first place.

Meta chuckled, “Too bad pony doesn’t taste good.” The ponies just stared at him with blank looks.

“What did he say?” Dirk asked. It was easy to forget that not everyone understood him.

“He said you need a smaller stomach.” Canis replied with a straight face. I had to strain to keep mine.

Dirk made an “Oh” before registering what he said, “Hey!” she said, frowning.

“Come on you guys,” I said with the occasional snicker, “We got a lot more ground to cover.” We descended down the other tunnel. This one was much steeper, making it almost challenging to go down without falling. After half an hour, we made it to the bottom. It opened up into a small cave, slightly smaller than the training room on the ship. It was a bit nondescript as far as caves go, just the occasional gem sticking out or patch of mushrooms growing near the pile of rocks. Of course, there was no further way into the cave. Another dead end.

Fallout panted, “Can we-,” he wheezed, “take a break now?”

I rolled my eyes, “Fine, but make it quick.” I wanted to get that exploring achievement.

“Good,” he said, plopping himself down on the pile of rocks. Dirk trotted over to look at the mushrooms next to him.

“Hey, I think these are edible if we cook them right.” She said.

“We don’t exactly have a kitchen here.” Canis deadpanned.

“Yeah, but I can save them for later.” Dirk grabbed the cluster of mushrooms in her teeth and tugged, “Cmmph mmn, myuo shhtupid planmth.” With a swift , sharp yank, she dislodged the shrooms from their spot. “HA! Tonight! I feast on glory!” she said, waving her prize in the air. He victory was cut short as a small rumble echoed throughout the room.

“Dirk,” I said cautiously, “Please tell me that was your stomach.” To my dismay, she shook her head. Suddenly there was a shout as rocks tumbled in the cavern.

We all braced for the cave in, but when we opened our eyes, we were surprised by what we saw. Not a single rock had fallen out of place, nor had the floor been disturbed. So what was-

“Uh, guys, little help here?” Fallout called out to us. It seemed he was a lot farther away from us and I soon found out why. The pile of rocks he had been sitting on collapsed below him, opening up a new tunnel. Apparently, those mushrooms were the only thing holding them in place. Fallout himself laid half buried under the pile of rubble.

“Can't you just magic those rocks off?” Dirk suggested.

Fallout face hooved, “Oh yeah.” he pointed his horn at the rocks, but nothing happened more than a few sparks. “Huh?” He tried again and again but with the same result. “What in the name of Celestia is going on?”

I crouched down, peering in, “Hmm.” I jumped down and pointed my palm at the rubble, “Terra.” The rocks made little movements, but not enough to remove them from their place. “Huh, that is strange.” Dismissing it for now, I bent down and began to lift the rocks off of him. Soon enough, the others jumped down to help me uncover the trapped pony.

Fallout sighed in relief, “For a second there, I thought I was a goner for sure.” he kicked off the last of the rubble and began to rub any sore spots he had.

I opened my mouth to make a comment, when I suddenly heard a soft, almost inaudible, purring noise farther down the tunnel. I whipped around and scanned the mouth of the tunnel, but to no avail. “Did you guys just hear that?”

“Hear what?” Canis said.

“A purring sound, from down the tunnel.” Canis tilted his head towards the tunnel, his ear flicking about trying to catch the smallest sound.

“I hear nothing.” he said, “Maybe it was a breeze?”

I looked down the newly discovered tunnel. Was it that big before? “Maybe you're right, but I still want to see what's down here. Come on.” I hefted up my rifle and slowly advanced down the pitch black maw into the earth.

Achievement Unlocked- Diggy Diggy Hole- gained 100 XP

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Flamel's POV

'So far, so good.' I thought as I clambered past a pile of rubble and bones. I didn't know what made Gunhaver think that there could possibly be any survivors here. This den has obviously been abandoned for quite some time.

“I don't get it,” Storm Cloud, my partner for this mission, said, “How in the blazes does that Shade think we're going to find a single damned survivor in these caves?” She kicked over the pile of bones I passed.

“Maybe he sees something we don't?” I suggested.

She grumbled, “Well, I don't like this place. It doesn't feel right to me.”

“Why? Because it was the den of the diamond dogs who tried to kidnap and enslave you?”

“No, well yes, but not really,” She gave me a serious look, “I just got a feeling that something feels...off about this place. Like there's something we're missing and we should get out before it pops out at us.”

“So…like a ghost town?”

“EXACTLY!” she shouted, pointing her hoof at me. I winced at the noise, theses caves weren't built for acoustics. Storm apologized and we continued our, bound to be fruitless, search of the caves. Eventually, we reached the end of the cave, which was cluttered with even more rubble. Did these dogs have no sense of cleanliness or safety for their own kind, but then again, it had been a long time since dogs had maintained these walls. It was only by Celestia's grace that the entire thing didn't collapse on top of them.

Storm Cloud groaned, “I swear by Celestia's white flanks, that if we hit another dead end, I'm going to go back to the ship and get a bite to eat. I'm hungry.” I had to agree with her, this was getting tiresome. What I would do for some gem seasoned meat right now. Maybe I should ask that dog cook for some when we get back?

“Let's go find another tunnel.” I said. As we left, I pictured the smell of ruby encrusted chicken in my mind. I blinked and sniffed the air again. Could it be? I got down on all fours and tried to track the scent. Storm Cloud noticed my behavior.

“What's wrong?” she said, smirking, “Did Timmy fall down the well?” I glared at her briefly before resuming my hunt. The scent lingered in the air, leaving a tantalizing taste of its source as I followed it back into the cave we just left. Soon, I found myself at the dead end, pawing at a small crevice as big as a newborn pup's fist. Unfortunately, it was more rock than dirt, and despite my heritage, I can’t exactly break through solid rock. However, that was the least of my worries as I thought back to the unicorn with me.

'Should I risk it?' I wondered, 'It could be survivors, but then I'd have to explain how I did it. No, I can't let Gunhaver find out. Not yet at least. What if I-' My train of thought was cut off as Storm Cloud unceremoniously shoved me out of the way.

“Let me show you how it's done, ya mutt!” Instantly, she lowered her horn towards the wall and charged her horn. It went from a dull glow to blinding light as lightning arced from it, twittering like a strange bird call. She let the bolt fly towards the wall. My eyes widened and I ducked for cover just as it hit

CRACKABOOM!

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Gun’s POV

“Nocte Oculus” I whispered. That was the third time in half an hour I’ve had to reset my night vision spell. I considered setting up lights along the way but I didn’t want to ruin my night vision or warn anything ahead of our arrival. The others alongside me moved quickly, despite the lack of light. I was glad I could teach the crew a few rudimentary spells to help in various situations like this. Unfortunately, their spells were having worse technical difficulties than mine at the moment.

“Gaaahh, dammit.”Dirk said, “Gun, these spells aren’t working. Are you sure those were the right words to say?”

I sighed in exasperation, “I’m absolutely sure.” A thought struck me. “But if they continue, Arania Carpe.” I weaved my silk into a sturdy rope, connecting the four of us. “There, now, we’ll stick together better.”

Dirk wasn’t pleased. “EWW! That’s disgusting!” she shouted as she tried to remove the offending silk from her body. Although, I think I may have hit her mane by accident. I rolled my eyes and adjusted the silk around her barrel to a more comfortable position before she would be willing to move.

We continued our journey down the eerie tunnel. As we moved, there was some tacit agreement made that the further we went, the quieter we had to be to the point where we could hear a pin drop. The darkness of the cave was oppressing at this point, almost like it was inches away from strangling us. Every alcove in the walls seemed to be hiding something that jumped away when we approached, only to return to its spot the moment we passed it. But all of that paled to one disturbing fact, this ominous feeling I had as we moved closer to the end of the tunnel.

I felt like I was coming home.

The Tragedy of Ruby Hollow (23)

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Flamel's POV

I coughed as the dust cleared up and the rocks shifted across the ground. “Dammit *cough* Storm Cloud! Are you trying to collapse the cave?!” I shouted, which only ended in a coughing fit. I could hear her coughing as well, so at least I’m not the only one.

“At least *cough* I broke through!” she retorted, her throat hacking at the sudden intake of dust.

I blinked my eyes open to assess the damage, only to be amazed at what I saw. What rock wasn't blown away by the blast was half melted and burning hot. Storm Cloud spared no expense on that single attack. Past the red-hot rubble, I saw, to my surprise, a small family of dogs huddled in the corner and shaking in fear. I stood up and brushed myself off before slowly making my way over to them.

“Hello. My name is Flamel.” I said in an assuring tone, “The others and I had discovered this abandoned cave and were searching for any possible survivors. Are you alright?” One of the older dogs stood up to me. He was about as big as me though a bit burlier, and from what I could tell, and smell, he had been through some tough times recently.

“We are fine.” he said gruffly, “Name Druel. My family here. We have been hungry for many moons. Den running out of food for us and others. Not many dogs left alive.”

“Don't worry,” I assured him, “We'll get you and your family some food and treatment. Come, follow us.” I beckoned them and they cautiously came across the cooling rubble. Druel smiled and me and murmured his thanks before walking up the tunnel. I took the moment to tap my GemComm, “Flamel here, we found survivors. I repeat, we found survivors. We're taking them back up to the ship now. Over.” Others acknowledged my orders, except Gunhaver. I raised an eyebrow at that. 'Huh, I thought he would be the most relieved at the news,' I thought, 'Guess I was wrong.'

We trekked back up the caves and tunnels towards the entrance. Wanting to pass the time, I struck up a conversation with Druel. “So what happened here?”

Druel grimaced, “Long story.”

“We have plenty of time.” I said. Druel considered this and sighed, preparing himself for his tale

“We used to be strong pack with bountiful mines.” He said wistfully, “Ponies and dogs worked to dig out gems, not as slaves but paid in hearth and home. All was well, until the dragon attacked.”

“I can tell from the scorch marks.” I said, but Druel shook his head.

“No, different dragon. This one flew in and ate Alpha. Then dragon demanded food or gems for their lives. One of Betas took post of new Alpha. To please dragon, he gave a small hoard to him. Dragon left with gems and we prayed he wouldn’t come back but he did. Many times.” Druel shuddered, “We lost much of den hoard and Alpha became desperate. He consulted elders and they spoke of powerful object deep in mountain.” Druel suddenly seemed gaunter and weary, “New Alpha made everyone work to find it. Our hearth and home were gone and we were left with scraps for food. New Alpha sent out ships to gather as many slaves as he could find to sate the dragon’s hunger and work to find the object. We became miserable and our people started to die from starvation and exhaustion.”

“I’m sorry. No one should have to live through that kind of suffering.” I said. I had seen enough in my lifetime to know that even the highest point of prosperity could come crashing down in an instant.

Druel smiled weakly and continued, “We came close to finding it but then, while giving dragon tribute one day, griffin pirate came and killed dragon. We wanted to have hope, but some of us knew that another dragon would come. Then, that Griffin,” Druel spat on the ground, “He takes away the ponies, claiming us dogs were all to blame for their suffering and that he was saving them. We suffered alongside them down in the mines! Why were the dogs to blame?!” Druel growled his discontent.

“Some are quick to judge and blame entire nations for the acts of one person.” I said, “For actions speak louder than words.”

Druel looked at me with a curious eye, “You would make great Elder for a pack.”

I smiled wryly, “I'm only a scholar, nothing more, nothing less. Please, continue your tale.”

“Right. Where was I?” Druel scratched his head in thought, “Ah, yes, as I was saying, the damned griffin stole the ponies and gems, destroyed our remaining airships, and killed the dragon. Then the bastard had the nerve to offer us help! And yet, he did not give us the secret to kill dragons unless we served him. He said he was going to conquer all of Gem Fido.” He spat again.

“He is no better than the dragon that enslaved us. The Alpha said that now was the best time to work. If there was no dragon, then we could find the object faster. The faster we found it, the faster we would return to prosperity and gain our revenge on that griffin,” he spat again, “So we dug, and dug, and dug, down below the mountain's base. Down to where the caverns sprouted out strange plants and animals. We kept digging until we found it. A massive cavern with a small stone table in the center. On that table, was the object we sought. No one knew what it was or what it could do. What we did know is that those who tried to touch it...changed.” his voice became more frightened near the end.

“Change?” I asked, now very intrigued, “How so?”

Druel shivered slightly, “One who touched it fell down. When we checked him, he was alive, but he looked dead.” Druel's hackles started to rise, “As if they were just a living corpse.”

“I see.” It sounded like a defense mechanism to keep unwanted people from touching it. Those who laid a paw on it would have, as it seemed, their soul drained or their mind broken. It was hard to tell without looking at the bodies.

“The Elders and the Alpha studied it and declared that a only being of power could open it. Dogs could not do it, so we caught a few unicorns, but the same thing happened. We tried pegasi and Earth ponies but they 'died' as well. Not even a griffin or a minotaur or one of the spare zebras we kept could do it. Failure after failure, the Alpha became even more desperate, until he gave the order to capture a small dragon. We captured and brought the dragon down with some difficulty. The Elders made the dragon touch the thing and everything went to Tatarus.” he winced but continued.

“The dragon went berserk and flew back up the caves, killing everyone in his path. Once he was out he torched all those outside for good measure before crashing and dying like the rest. Many died, including the Elders and the Alpha. I was one of the few Betas to live. After we buried the dead, we sealed the entrance to the cave where the thing laid. Then we all just went home and stayed there. We had no Alpha, no miners, no Elders, nothing. We all stayed home, only to come out for gathering food for our kin. When the stores ran out, some left to move to other dens, but most stayed out of weakness. This was the only home we had. We could not simply get up and leave. Where else could we go? Who would take us in? Eventually we stared to die from starvation or cannibalism.” Druel sighed wistfully and hung his head, “we used to be a pack in the tens of thousands, now reduced to mere hundreds, last time I checked.”

I put a paw on his shoulder, “Fear not, for now you shall be fed and taken care of.” We turned the corner and found ourselves in the main cave where we had all split up. A thought prodded the back of my mind. I tried to ignore it until later, but this thought did have a good point. “Druel, which of these tunnels lead to the object you mentioned?”

Druel was staring at the exit cave when I asked. “Hmm? Oh, that one. Why?” he pointed at the tunnel mouth, set at a slight downward angle in the wall. I couldn't remember who went down that path during the initial pandemonium of the search.

“I'm going to see this 'object' of yours.” I said, “Don't worry, I won't touch it.” I added when I saw the look of worry on their face. We lead them outside, where they squinted against the bright sunlight. We waved down some of the griffins and pegasi who carried the dogs up to the ship to eat. I turned to my partner,who was about to wave down a griffin for herself, “Looks like food will have to wait.”

She whipped around in shock, “What! Why?” she whined. I gave her a stern look.

“We need to go and warn anyone who went down that cave about that 'object'.”

“Well, that's easy,” she said, lifting up her foreleg with a Gemcomm strapped around it. She tapped it, “This is Storm Cloud to all units, who went down the-” she covered the gem and looked up at me sheepishly, “Which tunnel was it?”

“Third from the left.” I said. She whispered thanks and uncovered her gem.

“-third tunnel from the left at the main entrance? Over.” She held Gemcomm closer to her ear as if hoping to get the news faster.

Most of the responses weren't sure and some didn't even know but, one came through clear, “I think I saw Dirk go that way, along with Gunhaver. Don't know who else though. Over.” That was Dirk's sister, Machete Arm.

“Thanks,” Storm tapped the gem again, “Gunhaver, we found out what happened from a former Beta that we found. Over.” We waited for a reply but none came. Storm tried again and again but no success.

“We need to find them.” I said, “If they come across it, I fear what may happen to them.” Also it would be a bit embarrassing to have the captain of the ship die on the first mission, when we were so close to home.

Storm bit her lip and switched her gaze between the tunnel and the ship, the mess hall, if I'm correct. She sighed, “Fine, but after this, we eat and I'm not returning to the caves until my stomach is full.” She turned and took off at a gallop down the cave. I followed quickly after, my stride keeping pace in this terrain.

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Gunhaver's POV

“The hell?” I said. We had just stepped into this massive cavern to find a strange sight. The cavern itself was roughly circular and in the dead center of it was a stone pedestal that looked like someone cut the top off a stalagmite. But it wasn't the room, nor the pedestal, that gave us pause. It was the thing on the pedestal.

From this distance, it looked like a cube of some sort, but I couldn't make out the finer details. I silently signaled the others to fan out as I cautiously approached the pedestal. The object was, in fact, a cube, but a strange one. It was about as large as my head, and its colors shifted from carbon black to gunmetal grey every half second. The surface had strange engraved runes covering every inch, leaving only millimeters or clear space. Small bits of the cube jutted out at random points like awkward Lego studs. The most eye wrenching part was that it constantly shifted, often in seemingly paradoxical ways like an Escher painting. The entire thing was a tiny car crash, it hurt to look at it but I couldn't tear myself away.

What did tear me away was the sound of purring ringing in my ears again. This time it sounded a lot closer, almost too close for comfort. I whipped my head around, looking for the source but I couldn't pin point it. 'What the hell is that noise?' I wondered, 'It's too high pitched to be a cat.'

Maybe it's your stomach? The Voice said, appearing in my mind's eye with a smirk on his face.

'Wow,' I deadpanned, 'That was so funny I forgot to laugh.'

Really? Then I'll teach you. First, you have to have a sense of humor. Once you find that, I'll help you with the next step to your recovery.

I threw him a mental middle finger, 'Fuck off.'

I would but I don't have the parts for it. He said with a shit eating grin. It took all my patience not to yell right there. I distracted myself by staring at the cube again. It was so strange, to see the surface move like shifting rods, almost like something was inside of it. But that would be silly.

“So what is that thing?” Dirk asked coming up to me, the others were closing in as well.

“I have no earthly clue.” I responded, not taking my eyes off the cube. I heard Fallout hmm and then a brief grunt.

“Damn, I still can't do magic.” he said.

“Why not?” I said, “Do you think it's because of this?” I pointed at the cube.

“Well, maybe. There have been records of artifacts known to cancel unicorn magic. But that's not the point. I was trying to do a scan to see if there was any dangerous magical energies in the air or around that thing. We may have just walked into a Magiactive room with out any protection on.”

I shrugged. “So we lose a few years off our lives or become mutated and get superpowers. Could be worse.” I could feel Fallout's glare on me.

“We should go. I have a bad feeling about this place.” Canis said nervously.

I glanced at him, “What do you mean?”

Meta answered, “This place feels...wrong. We should not be here.” I frowned. How was it wrong to be here? I know some people are superstitious but I couldn't feel what he felt. In fact, I felt the opposite. This place felt right. Like I was meant to be here. This was where I belonged, not on my ship, but down here in the sweet, enticing darkness of the cavern deep below the surface. The cube was like a beacon in the dark, calling out to me, telling me to come closer. What freaked me out was that I wanted to give in. To go towards that light and stay there like a moth to a flame. I shook my head to try to dispel such thoughts but they still lingered in the corners of my mind.

“Fine, you four head back up to the main cave if you want. I'm going to try to see what this thing does.” I said. The others nodded and loped back over to the tunnel. Meta and Canis gave me one last look before disappearing into the dark. I turned to the ever shifting cube again. “Now, reveal your secrets.” I whispered to it before grabbing it off the pedestal.

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. The Voice chuckled out as he appeared next to me, floating in the air and looking over my shoulder.

I instantly felt a surge of power course through me. It felt like it was empowering me and draining me at the same time. The cube shifted rapidly in my hands as if it couldn't decide what it should look like. I rubbed my hand over the surface and it seemed to calm down. The power surge lessened as well. Now the surface shifted and changed, creating a series of lines and markings on the cube. The lines created a three by three grid on each side, each square with a different mark in it. It kinda looked like-

“A Rubik's Cube?” I said aloud. The colors hadn't changed but if it weren't for the symbols I would never have guessed. “Hmm, I wonder...” Clutching the side of the cube, I twisted it and it turned like a regular cube would. I kept turning each side, one by one. I silently thanked my brother for the Rubik's cube he bought me when I turned fourteen. It was a great way to pass the time between classes at school and I got the hang of it after a while. 'Right side up one, middle block left two, Flip, Left block up two, bottom block right one,...' I thought as my fingers worked their magic.

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Flamel's POV

Storm Cloud and I took the left path, following the signs of a dead end after we learned from the first time. Along the way we kept trying to reach Gunhaver through the Gemcomm but to no avail. However, we were hearing more reports of survivors being found. At least that was good to hear.

“He’s still not answering.” Storm Cloud said behind me. I led the way down since I could see the marks in the walls better.

“This does not bode well.” I muttered. Down the middle path this time.

“What do you think the object is?” Storm Cloud asked.

“Honestly,” I said, “I don’t know. But from what I could gather, it’s not something that should ever see the light of day.” I made a rather forceful turn on this curve.

“Well, whatever it is, I hope- wait.” she stopped. I looked back to see that she cocked her head, listening down the tunnel. “Do you hear that?” I turned my ear to the tunnel as well. With my hearing, I picked up the sound of someone approaching. More survivors? No, it was the sound of two sets of hooves. It may have been those that went this way earlier. Their voices trailed up the tunnel.

“D’you think we’re lost?” one said.

“No, we just need to follow the markings.” a gruff voice said. That sounded like it belonged to a Dog. Storm Cloud and I waited until the footsteps came closer. When they were right on top of us, the owners of the voices appeared from behind a turn.

“Canis? Meta? What are you doing?” I said. The mentioned two and two ponies who appeared right after them jumped at the sound of my voice.

“We were going back up to the main entrance.” Canis said, pointing to the tunnel behind me.

I frowned, “Why?”

“We already hit the end of this branch and found nothing much to take back. Plus Gunhaver told us to.” he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him, “Where is he now?” Canis pointed down the tunnel behind him.

“All the way at the end in some strange cave we found.”

“This cave didn't happen to have a strange object in it, would it?” I asked nervously. 'By Celestia's pearly flanks, Don't make my day any harder than it should.' I winced when he confirmed my suspicions. “Okay, go back up to the main entrance and try to help anyone who needs it. Storm Cloud and I are going to make sure Gunhaver doesn't do anything stupid.” On that note, we parted ways. However, Storm Cloud and I took a much faster pace down the tunnel.

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Gunhaver's POV

Turn, turn, flip over, turn, switch, flip, turn. On and on it went as I shook the rust off my cube solving skills. I still didn't know a thing about it and yet I was playing with it like a toy. For all I knew it could be the key to the apocalypse or worse, teen pop stars. I just calmly kept on trying to solve the cube. I barely took note of the increasing sounds coming from behind me.

A gasp, “Gunhaver! STOP!” I whipped around to see Flamel and Storm Cloud, both panting from running. Flamel held a hand up at me in warning.

“What are you two doing here?” I asked. I was sure they had taken a different path. Once again I was reminded that I didn't have a proper motion detector on me. Flamel shifted his gaze down a bit and his eyes widened. I followed his eyes to the cube in my hands. I looked back up at them with a confused look, “What?”

Flamel pointed at the cube in my hands a few times before finding his voice, “T-that cube is very dangerous. You shouldn't have touched it.” Okay, now I was really confused.

“Why not? It's not like it's going to drain my soul or anything.”

“Actually, it does.” Storm Cloud said. The silence that ensued was more awkward than that one time in college I caught my roommate and his girlfriend in my bed naked. I bit my lip and looked down at the cube in my hands. ‘So if this thing drains souls,’ I thought as I glanced at my health bar, ‘and I didn’t feel a thing, does that mean I’m ginger? I’m pretty sure I didn’t have that color hair last time I looked in a mirror.’ I shrugged, “I feel fine.” I went back to trying to solve the cube.

“Gunhaver,” Flamel said nervously, “What are you doing?” He stared at me with wary eyes.

“Skinning the cat.” I said. My calm and contradictory answer took him off guard. He was about to respond when I answered for him, “You know how they say ‘Curiosity killed the cat.’? Well this is me, skinning said cat. Fallout said it was making his magic act up so I wanted to know what it could do, but when I touched it, it acted weird before turning into this puzzle cube that I’m trying to solve. Maybe if I solve it, I can find out what it does.” A few more turns and then I’ll be done.

“Gunhaver, I’m a Diamond dog, so I should know that when odd things are buried this deep into a mountain, there’s usually a good reason for it.” Flamel said, “Why don’t you just put it down, and we can all go on with our lives without any trouble from that thing.”

I paused, two turns away from completion. Part of me wanted to finish for the sake of the task while another wanted to see what it would do. However, Flamel did have a good point. Why else would this thing be hidden away deep in an abandoned den where no one would find it? What if it was as dangerous as Flamel said? I mean, if I had a dangerous object that shouldn’t see the light of day, I would try to destroy it or put it where no one could get to it. Obviously, whoever put this here didn’t think of that. I wonder why, though? Was it indestructible or simply an enchanted box from a wizard long ago who liked puzzles? As much as I wanted to know, I had to put it back.

I sighed, “I suppose you’re right Flamel.” As I turned to set it back in its proper place, the Voice spoke up. Just like that?, he said with a frown, You’d put it back because you don’t know what it is?

‘Do you?’ I said, secretly hoping he would know the answer. He laughed.

No, I only know what you know as I see and hear what you do. But my question is: What if it was a way out?

I froze, my hand an inch away from setting the cube back on the pedestal . ‘What do you mean “a way out”?’ The voice smiled.

Simply put, a way out of this game. A way to meet up to Erebus at the end. It could be the start of some important quest that could take you to the end. The Voice shrugged, But if you want to just live your boring life, searching in vain for Erebus, then be my guest. He vanished.

I brought the cube back up to my face, the symbols staring at me. ‘Could it really do that?’I wondered as I shifted the cube in my palms, ‘It would save me time, having a straight path to him, but what would the consequences be?’ I still had two turns left to do. ‘I came into this game to play. Erebus has thrown crap at me since the beginning. I play to win and that’s the only way to find Erebus and get my revenge.’ I placed my hand on one side and rotated it into position.

Cli-cli-cli-cli-clack. One more turn to go. I barely registered Flamel's protests in my ears. “I'm sorry Flamel,” I said, “But this thing may be my only chance.” I rotated the final piece.

Cli-cli-cli-cli-clack.

Letters to the Future (23.5)

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Dear Gunhaver,

I want to thank you in advance for your cooperation in our request for more information. We were disappointed that your forces have reported a significant loss on most of the escaped prisoners you have been tracking. We had hoped that you could capture one of them who could shed some light on the situation. I know that your agency has enjoyed a high degree of freedom with little scrutiny during your employment. It is not our intention to disrupt your progressive military program, but instead, to find a way to work together in a manner that befits all our responsibilities. I am certain you will agree and look forward to making this process as painless as I possibly can.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

While I am obligated to assist you, I ask that you not waste my time with irrelevant questions. My agency is usually unconcerned with directives, such as troop reassignment. Except, of course, in the most critical of matters.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

Due to your busy schedule, we have begun interviewing members of your staff. I'm certain you will let us know if this bothers you. Our debriefings keep coming back to a single subject in both mine and your territory. Can you explain what this matter is and what your plans are for it?

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna

Rest assured, I have this situation under control. While the prisoners are proving to be an elusive enemy, my agents are already closing in on them. I expect, and hope, that this incident will reach a conclusion soon and I will be able to return to my research. Hopefully, without further interruption.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

We can all understand that a shift from Mercenary to Royal Guard can be a difficult adjustment for anybody, but especially for someone of your standard. In that spirit, we have attempted to accommodate your brief explanations to our serious inquiries. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to inform you that even our trust has it's limits.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

As I've told you before, the prisoners are simply entities seeking to increase their power in these confusing days after their release. In my perspective, that seems to be a very common occurrence at the moment.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

Your Program was granted the use of some of our top scientists and resources for your military experiments. Yet, records show that some of these resources have gone missing or simply not appeared in the projects you are working on and my little ponies do not recall any details about this. Surely, this must be a documentation error or that it means you have some potent alcohol stored and they have severe hangovers the next day from drinking all night at your base. We anticipate proper records soon.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

I understand your concern for your precious subjects and that increased activity would bring increased risk in this work. However, my fail-safes are simple, but fool proof. A drunk or ill personnel's beacon will automatically notify the medical staff to retrieve them and they will be on the scene immediately to secure them and make sure they receive treatment.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

I feel you are avoiding the question. If the staff are able to acquire this alcohol on a regular basis and suffer these horrid hangovers, why are you not restricting their intake? Would not that verify, as indicated earlier, that your base now runs unsanctioned experiments with this missing resources? If so, where are these resources going and, more importantly, how are you using them?

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

My records in this matter are impeccable and I will refer you to them. It is true that I was granted the use of these scientists and resources, yet with special condition to conduct my experiments. That is all I was allowed to do, and that is all I have done. Of course, I'm sure that we will agree that the core mission of any scientific endeavor is to find creative solutions to unexpected problems.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

Do your “creative solutions” include circumvention of safety protocols that every member of the military and science fields must follow? If they do not, then I fail to see how these experiments of yours have managed to secure not just our, but several sources of materials for your projects. Protocol is not a guideline, dear Gunhaver, it is doctrine, and no one is above it's rules.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

I, too, hold protocol in the highest regard. The doctrine keeps all safe during any experiment. If you are insinuating, ma'am, that I violated it in anyway or that I was derelict in my duty to you, then I suggest you be direct and tell me exactly how I did so.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

My laws are not designed to cover every possible infraction that may take place. However, this edict of the law is clear: Blatant disregard for the safety and well being of citizens in any form will always be a punishable offense, regardless of how well or by whom that offense has been just.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

While I appreciate your concern, allow me to correct you in one area. I value all subjects well being, but I revere above all else our ability to continue as a species, our ability to survive. No committee, no bureaucrat, will ever convince me otherwise.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

Please do not attempt to recast this investigation as some type of personal vendetta. My questions to this point have been fairly standard, your reactions have not. As such we will secure all your records and logs by my authority granted as Goddess of the Night. Now I shall see what exactly it is that you have to hide.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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Dear Princess Luna,

I imagine this investigation of my program is providing you with the attention that politicians crave so much. How very predictable. What has surprised me most about mankind, ponykind, and every species I've met so far, is not the ability to adapt to the new arenas of conflict, but our willingness in victory, to so quickly return to the old.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

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Dear Gunhaver,

It is clear that your agency and primary program, Project Freelancer, have abused the trust and freedoms that I have provided you. Your abuse of the staff and resources will now become the subject of a criminal investigation. I'm sorry, but you have seen the end of my patience.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

Goddess of the Night

Co-Ruler of Equestria

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Dear Princess Luna,

I don't give a damn about your investigation or your opinions of my work. Have you forgotten that we will be going to war? A fight with an alien race for the very survival of our species? I feel that I must remind you, that it is an undeniable, and I must say fundamental quality of life, that when faced with extinction, every alternative is preferable.

Sincerely,

Gunhaver

The FuckMothering Night Shade

Director of the Freelancers

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I sent the message on it's way and sighed. This indeed was hectic times for me ever since I arrived here. I pulled out my Codex and began to write down more ideas when a voice interrupted me.

“Director,”

“Not now, Phyllis. I'm busy.” I said impatiently.

“Of course Director, but one of our agents in the field has reported in. They said they've found the Spire and that the targets are congregating around it.” I stopped writing.

“Phyllis, I want you to print out that report. Then I want you to have the Vengance, Daedalus, and Achilles prepped for battle.”

“Yes sir, anything else?”

“Notify the crews that we will be going with two contingents of SPARTANS, ODSTs, and Commandos.” I closed my book and put it away. I stood up and floated over to my personal armory.

“But sir, wouldn't it be wise to take the Leviathan instead?”

“No, It's not entirely ready yet and I'm saving it for emergencies.” I clipped on my satchel and filled it with supplies.

“Would the Spire not count as an emergency?”

“Trust me Phyllis, I'm saving it for the End and this isn't it. I've seen it. However, have it on standby and ready to move at a moment's notice, should it be necessary.” I attached two bandoliers to my robes and placed my rifle in it's holster.

“Yes sir.” she said before disappearing.

I sighed before leaving the room to go down to my ship, “And so begins the end of everything.”

Author's Notes:

For those who don't understand, this is my Visions of the Future chapter. This takes place way farther down the line of this fic.

I still have the orginal visions chapter along with another rewrite and i will soon post a link to it or directly into my blog, should you want to see it (please comment)

Oh, and there's a massive reference here in this fic. If you can find it, i urge you to reread this chapter in those voices.

Speaking of Voices, one of my readers took the time to make an audio of a comment i had made long ago. It's a startling likeliness of what i imagine Gunhaver's voice would sound like . So all praise The_Foreman, send him all your money.

Also I'm currently looking for an Editor to help with the quality of my work. If you would, PM me and give me some examples of how I can do better. Thank you.

Highway to Hell (24)

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Cli-cli-cli-cli-clack.

The cube did nothing for a moment before the lines started to slowly disappear like sand on the beach. Once they were gone, the glyphs faded away as well, leaving only the cold dull surface behind. “Is that it?” I wondered aloud. I spoke too soon, for at that moment, the cube began to morph. The surface of it rippled like water as it expanded in my hands. Bits and pieces jutted out randomly as they did before, poking into my hands. There was a greater power surge than before, arcing between the cube and my hands. It almost felt like the time I was tazered in high school by my brother after I lost a bet. I recoiled from the shock, immediately dropped the thing back on the pedestal where it belonged. The cube expanded until it was bigger than my head, like some weird sea monkey on steroids. I slowly backed away from the cube until I rejoined Flamel and Storm Cloud near the wall.

“What did you do?” Flamel asked as he watched the cube. I couldn’t answer his question, for at that moment, the cube stopped changing. I cautiously floated up and towards it to get a better view. It was definitely much larger than before but so far that seemed to be the only change to its appearance. But then, the top of the cube began to cave in like a sinkhole, starting from the center and ending at the corners. I floated closer to get a better sight of what was inside.

As I peeked over the edge, my mind frantically searched for an answer to what happened just now. Did I open a legendary treasure chest? Maybe it was the container for some beastly servant at my disposal? What the hell was inside? I peered down into the hole, more like into an abyss as I could not see the bottom of the cube. I didn’t find anything when suddenly, a geyser of strange creatures sprung out of the cube like a bat out of hell. They rocketed to the ceiling, splashing and buffeting against it like water as they followed the stone walls around the room. As they spilled out, they rejoiced in a noisy chatter.

“Freedom!” “Free at last!” “No more tight corners.” “More room!” “Let me through!”

They were a strange manner of creatures, but looked familiar. They all wore thin, ragged crimson robes that covered their bodies. Some had claws while others had hooves but they were all frail and thin as if they were starved for months with little to eat. From what I could tell, there were griffins, dogs, ponies (all types), some cat-like ones, and I think some weird pony-bug things. I think I saw a dragon or two but I couldn't be sure. I slowly made my way back to the others, trying to not draw attention to myself. Unfortunately, luck has a cruel sense of humor.

“Who are they?” “Did they release us?” “Can we feed on them?” “That one looks familiar.” “Could it be?” “I wonder....” “It's not possible!” “The Queen's Champion? Here?” “The Queen!” “Where is the Queen?” “She comes!”

I made it back to the others and as soon as I did, I reached into my satchel and pulled out a big handful of gem grenades I had designed after my little lightsaber experiment. I pressed them to Flamel along with a small box. “Take these and place them all along the tunnel. When I give the signal, detonate them and run like hell. In the mean time, get everyone out of the caves and on the ship”

Flamel grabbed everything he could into his paws. “What about you?”

I unholstered my pistol and split it into two with a quick “Gemini.” I glanced over my shoulder to them, making sure to keep an eye on what was still happening, “I'm going to have a serious diplomatic talk with them and try to convince them why they should stay here, if necessary. If I'm lucky, we can arrange a date for tea later.” I said calmly, flashing them my pistols.

Storm Cloud stared at the spectacle in wonder and fear. “That's gonna take a lotta convincing.” she said.

“Don't worry,” I said as I reloaded my guns, “I'm a smooth talker. Now if you don't mind, I would like to speak in private with our new guests.” Flamel and Storm Cloud dashed back up the tunnel. I positioned myself in front of the entrance, discouraging any of the creatures who tried to come close. Soon enough, the room was getting quite crowded (for a cavern the size of an airport, that's saying something) and it was becoming harder to keep them away from the tunnel. I even had to fire a few shots to scare them.

Suddenly, they all became flustered, screaming and wailing up a sonic storm that threatened to shake the entire cave down on top of us and annihilate my eardrums. They all backed away to the walls as far as they could from the cube on the pedestal. I couldn't tell how many there was but I knew that it was a fuckton of...whatever they were. Then, just as quickly as the noise came, it stopped. All attention was on the cube. The silence that followed rivaled the vacuum of space.

I peered at the cube, when a clawed hand like mine slowly reached up and grabbed the edge of it, finger by finger. Another appeared just like the first and then a head, followed by a body as it pulled itself out of the cube. This one was much different from the others. Instead of the standard issue crimson rags, this one had relatively nicer rags than the others. It was decked out in a pale white with gold trimming that seemed to give off a ghostly aura. It was quite beautiful, until you saw the thing's face, or lack of one that is.

Welp, there goes my boner

'…...I don't even know how to respond to that'

Shush, you don't have subtitles on so I can't understand what they're saying. Not a moment too soon, because the new arrival began to speak.

“Sisters! After many centuries, we have finally been set free from our prison!” she said with a massive cheer following it. I could tell it was a woman from the voice. The cheers died down and she continued, “It is likely that the denizens of this world have forgotten us. But now, let us go forth into this world and make them remember the terror of the Banshees!” Well that's not harmful to anyone at all. Nope. Global Warming is more deadly than that.

One of the Banshees, a Dog from the look of it, stepped forward, “But my Queen, what about your Champion?” It was a female from the sound of it.

“Don't worry, we shall release him from his prison soon enough, but first we must gather the energy to do so.”

The Dog Banshee looked confused. “Wait, if the Champion is still imprisoned...then who is that?” she said, pointing at me. All thousand demonic eyes (and lacking pair), locked onto me. I raised my hands in defense.

“Oh don't mind me, I'm just here for the free drinks. Please, by all means, carry on.” I said.

“And who might you be?” the queen said. If she had eyes, they would be boring into my skull.

I placed a hand on myself, “Moi?” I said in mock question, “I’m just the neighborhood friendly Spiderman. I also happen to be the one who opened your little cage.” Accidentally. “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but when I release a being from their prison, don’t I get three wishes?” Okay, not the most original idea, but I had to stall somehow. The Banshees started to make a fuss. “How DARE you speak to the Queen like that!” and other such cliché drivel. Honestly, can developers make any new material? Speaking of material, where have I heard of Banshees before? I know I fought them in one of my games, but which one?

The Queen raised her hand, “SILENCE!” The screeching died almost instantly. She turned to me, “Correction, that is for genies and djinn, however, for being so kind enough to release us, I shall grant you one wish. Now, out with it, so we may be off.”

‘Why are you in a hurry? It’s not like you’re going anywhere soon.’ I thought maliciously.

Careful what you wish for, boy. You just might get it. The Voice cackled and vanished once again.

I scratched my chin with a spare finger, “Hmm, I wish…” I smirked at her, “For you to go back to the pit of Tatarus where you belong.” I aimed my pistol at her and fired. My aim was true as the bullet went straight for her head, however the Dog Banshee took action and used herself as a shield. The bullet struck home and the Banshee vanished in a burst of smoke and a shrill scream. In that split second before all hell broke loose literally, one thought went through my head.

'Missed it by that much.' Then it was, 'Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit!' as I retreated back up the tunnel, shooting at any banshee behind me.

Optional Quest added: Escape Ruby Hollow in thirteen minutes- +5 speed

“Accelero.” I sped up, dashing up the tunnel while shooting blindly behind me. Once I reached a bend, I took cover behind the rock wall as I fired pot shots at my followers. I knew this was serious but I couldn’t help but try to make light of my situation. Last thing I needed was to panic and get myself killed.

My Name is Cuban Pete,

I’m the king of the Rumba beat.

When I shake my maracas, they go

chick-chicky-boom, chick-chicky-boom.

Unfortunately, the Banshees weren’t as fond of my singing as they tended to vanish when I shook my ‘Maracas’. “Oh come on, I don’t sing that bad.” I said as I abandoned my position for higher ground. At different points, I switched between my pistols to my rifle and sometimes to my shotgun. All the while, I just kept taunting the Banshees trying to attack me.

“You hungry? ‘Cause I’m gonna pump your guts full of lead! Don't follow me! Think fast, chucklenuts! Now I know what those teen pop stars feel like. Peekaboo, bitch! Piss off, ya bloody wankers! Bet you can’t outsmart a bullet! WHAT YOU GOT BITCHES? WHAT YOU GOT?!” I cackled maniacally as I retreated, shot and repeat. It was almost too easy as these Banshees went down on the first shot. I even pistol whipped one in the face and she went down in a blur of mist and robes. Another one turned the corner. “Oh, Hi there!” I said sadistically before firing a shot into its chest. The Banshee recoiled in pain…but it didn’t die.

I paused. ‘What?’ I thought, ‘It should’ve died from that!’ It charged me again, breaking me from my shock. I fired another shot and this time, the banshee died from the attack. “If they’re getting stronger,” I thought aloud, “then it’s time for me to get the hell out of Dodge.” I turned, facing up the tunnel, “Accelero!” I rocketed up the cave system passing the marks in the walls I made earlier. I tapped my Gemcomm, “Flamel! Get ready to bring the place down! I’m almost at the entrance!”

I could barely hear Flamel’s reply, “We’re not ready yet. Too many survivors and crew in the caves still. We need more time!”

“I don’t care if you have to drag them out by your teeth! GET THEM OUT! Double time! I got a lot of hostiles on my tail and they’re NOT happy. Also, tell Magnus to get his scaly ass down here. I need reinforcements!”

“Understood. Over.” The gem clicked off and I stopped at a small cross road about a fourth of the distance from the entrance. Checking my HUD, I still had five minutes left and my Rifle ammo count was nearly depleted. I probably only had four full clips left before I would be forced to use just my pistol. Looking around, I started to make plans for an ambush.

I lifted myself up and placed a hand on the ceiling, “Terra Armus.” The rock rippled and a multitude of crude stone weapons dropped down like wax dripping off a candle. I left the hilts just barely in the stone and attached silk strings around the room so if the banshees came through, they’ll bring down the weapons on top of them. I heard a faint screeching down the tunnel. They were almost here. I pictured one of the walls in my mind, “Project Memoria.” Instantly an image of the wall appeared over the tunnel entrance that led up to the surface. I touched it and the image rippled slightly but held. I sunk into the shadows of the floor, went under the image and popped up on the other side. Now I had to wait. The screeching was becoming louder now.

Soon enough, the first Banshee, a Dog, came through. To my dismay she didn’t trigger any of the traps as she phased through the silk. I silently facepalmed for not taking that fact into consideration. Luckily, there were still plenty of shadows around so I sneaked back past my image to gather some of the silk triggers. As I did so, my image seemed to work, because the Banshee was utterly confused.

“What? Where is the exit? There should be an exit in these caves. Foolish Dogs. Letting a cave collapse. If I had enough power I could escape easily.” That didn’t sound good. I would've liked to know more about my enemy but alas, it was time to part ways. I yanked a cord and a stone mace dropped down, crushing both the Banshee and itself from the force. The Banshee dispersed in a poof of mist while the mace became floor scenery.

Achievement Unlocked: Bringing Down the House – gain 100 XP

I stared at the pile in contemplation. ‘If they had enough power?’ I thought as I grabbed another string, 'I suppose that means that this isn't their final form then. Hell, if I want to know what that is.' Some more Banshees filed into the room only to meet the same demise.

Achievement Unlocked: No One Listens to OHSA Regulations – gain 300 XP

I couldn't help but grin at that last achievement. But that grin soon faded when I saw that I didn't have much time left for the optional quest. In fact, I don't think I could make it unless I used Accelero. 'FUUUUUUUUU.....okay, calm down. I'm sure the game will let me get out and still beat these banshees, but for now, I need to stall while everyone gets out.'

Suddenly, I heard the sound of scraping rock. I whipped around, pistol at the ready. I barely managed to keep myself from shooting Magnus in the face. However, I was a bit displeased that he broke my illusion spell when he walked through it.

“What's with this place?” He said, looking at my silk strands attached to their traps, “Hello? Anybody here?” I sighed in relief and brought myself out of the shadows. Needless to say, Magnus flinched at my sudden appearance. After the initial shock, he kept a wary eye on me, “So I hear I'm needed for something?” he muttered something else but I couldn't catch it nor could I care much about it at the moment.

“Long story short, I opened Hell and I need you to torch shit. So just stand here and burn everything that comes out of that hole.” I said, pointing to the tunnel the banshees exited from. Magnus grunted and positioned himself in front of it, taking deep breaths and spewing out a few test flames. The screeching became louder. “Here they come!” They rounded the corner, and ironic as it was I had to yell, “FIRE!” and, hot damn, did those suckers burn!

As Magnus put the heat on the Banshees, I tapped my Gemcomm, “Storm Cloud, give me a sitrep.”

“We almost have everyone out. The Pegasi and Griffins are doing all they can but getting them on the ship is slow going.” she replied.

“Just get everyone out of the caves and away from the entrance. Once Magnus and I are out, have Flamel detonate the charges. Over and out.” I said, tapping the gem again. Glancing at my HUD, I could give them about a minute before I had to book it out of here to make the deadline on time. I decided to pass the time by taking potshots at any Banshees I could, though it wasn't many. When it seemed enough time had passed, I tapped the Gemcomm again, “Storm Cloud, is everyone out?”

“Just got the last ones.” she said.

“Good, we're coming up.” I grabbed Magnus' shoulder, “Come on, let's make like a tree and get out of here. Use Accelero to speed up.” Magnus nodded and gave off one more burst of flame before following me up the cave. “Accelero!” the two of us shouted and we rocketed back up the tunnel. We followed the twists and turns until we hit the main cave. Remembering that I was still in Base form, I quickly turned to my Dog form.

'Almost there.' I thought as we ran through the entrance tunnel. Light began to show from outside and suddenly, the wall of the cave changed to open air. “HIT THE DECK!” I yelled as Magnus and I ran from the entrance. We dove and hit the ground just as a series of explosions rattled the air and shook the ground. I gotta say, I make some nice bombs. Once it was over, I coughed out some dust that flew into my mouth as it settled, “Sound off! Who's not dead?” I yelled, still hacking the dust out. My reply was a bunch of groans and moans. I looked around to see a lot of Diamond Dogs laying on the ground. I whistled in amazement, 'That's a lot more than ten.'

Quest Complete:

Gained-3000 XP

Max Combat Multiplier- 40

1/3 bonus challenges complete

0/10 survivors found

Explore entire cave system-X

Escape den in fifteen minutes- gain +5 speed

Achievement Unlocked: Hellraiser – gained +5 Magic

Achievement Unlocked: Journey to the Center of the Earth - 300 XP

Achievement Unlocked: Mistaken Identity - +5 Stealth

Achievement Unlocked: Quick Draw McGraw - +5 Marksmanship

Total XP earned- 7350 XP

You are now at Level 30

New weapon mode unlocked- Sniper – activation word “Aquila”

New Perk unlocked: Prodigy- 15% bonus XP after quest if all challenges are met.

My eye twitched. 'You. Have. Got. To. Be. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME!' I sighed, 'Damn developers and their words. Figures that I would have to find them myself. Well, at least I was able to finish the quest. Those Banshees aren't going anywhere anytime soon.' At that moment, the Universe took a dump on me as the ground shook again. I looked back to the den to see the side of the mountain implode. I blinked in shock as holes opened up and Banshees began to pour out like a broken faucet, screaming like...well, Banshees. I swore that if I ever got out of this game, I'm going to go mass murder every developer that worked on my part of the world. “FALL BACK! Protect the Survivors!” I yelled as I whipped out my rifle and began firing.

Screams and shouts filled the air as we scrambled back to the ship. Some ponies threw some ropes over the rail and Dogs soon scurried up them like large rats. “Flamehoof, I need you to target the spots with the most hostiles.” I said into the Gemcomm. A moment after I spoke, several blasts rang out from the ship as the cannons I had salvaged fired their volley at the mountain. Sure, they weren't the heavy stuff, but it was something until I could make upgrades. Explosions peppered the mountain side and more Banshees died, but it wasn't near enough to stem the tide.

I heard some high pitched screaming to my right and I looked to see several Banshees heading for a small group of pups, but that wasn't the strange part. What was bizarre was the Banshees were plowing over full grown adults and even themselves to get to them. The only thing standing between them and their goal was family members using themselves as shields.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Pegasi and Griffins hung suspended in mid-flight, Dogs and ponies stood stock still as if frozen in ice. Then the Voice appeared in front of me. I frowned. Was it me or did he seem to be slightly taller than before? Well, isn't this a touching sight? he said gesturing to the pups, A parent protecting their child from an inevitable demise. Too bad that they won't survive. he giggled. I tried to speak out but I couldn't say a word. It was as if my throat was clogged up. The Voice continued, wearing the same mocking grin Erebus had, The best part is that it's all your fault. Just like when you were a child and witnessed your family's death. You always manage to get someone hurt from your actions or lack thereof.

I growled and I was able to find my voice, “You're the one who convinced me to open that thing! This is your fault!” The Voice tutted and walked towards me.

When did I ever tell you to open the cube? I only said that it might lead you to Erebus. He poked me in the chest, It was your decision and yours alone. You could have disregarded my words but instead you chose to follow them for your own selfish gain. I keep to my word when you asked that I won't coerce you into anything unless you agreed. Now you must pay the price and watch this family be torn apart just like yours was. he grinned, Unless you want to prove me wrong. Prove to me that you can take responsibility for your actions and defend them from the same injustice you suffered through. The only question is: are you strong enough to do whatever it takes? he giggled one more time before vanishing again. Time sped back up from the crawl to normal speed.

I raced forward. “Trans Form Dragon!” My body shifted as it took on its new shape. I felt the power course through me as I reached the pups and snatched them and the parents out of the way before the Banshees caught them. “Yoink!” I snapped open my wings and pumped them upwards towards the ship. As I flew by, I tossed them all on board and dropped down to the battle field in search of more pups. “Thank you for flying Dragon Airlines.” I turned back to the carnage and scanned the area for my next target.

“What's this?” I found a Banshee chasing a crying pup on the outskirts of the group like a wolf singling out its prey. “Yeah, I don't think so.” I folded my wings in and dropped onto the enemy, crushing her under my weight. I grabbed the pup and raced for others I saw. As I flew, I noticed that most of the Banshees oddly ran away to the nearby hills instead of participating. Those that were fighting were being disposed of as my armed crew drove them away from the survivors, though not without trouble. ‘Hmm that’s strange. Why won’t they attack us when they clearly outnumber us?’

I stopped that train of thought as I noticed my health bar quickly dropping. I returned to my task at hand, swiftly grabbing as many pups as I could and throw them onto the ship. After a few strafing runs, I managed to get them all on board. With the pups out of the way, the Banshees seemed less inclined to fight and began to retreat.

I smirked, “You’re not getting off the hook that easily. Trans Form Base. Aquila.” My rifle began to change, elongating itself and expanding until it became a Halo Sniper Rifle, complete with a full clip and twenty extra bullets. I had to save my excitement for later. Steadying the rifle against the ship’s rail, I picked out targets and started raining down fire on the escaping Banshees. “Boom. Headshot. Run, run, as fast as you can. I’m still gonna kill you.” Once I depleted my stock of ammo for that version, my gun changed back to Rifle mode. With the range limited, I turned my fire down upon the Banshees attacking my crew and the survivors and started to deplete this ammo count as well.

Soon enough, the Banshees had either dispersed or died and we pulled everyone on board. It was quiet except for the sound of panting and groans of pain. From the casualty report Check Mark gave me, we had no deaths thankfully but many bruises, broken bones and concussions. “Is that...everyone?” I panted out, tired from the massive exertion catching up to me as adrenaline wore off.

“Seems so.” someone said.

“Good. Star Streak, set a course for Canterlot immediately. Storm Cloud, I want you to fire up the new engines. Everyone else, go about your duties and get some rest.” I commanded.

Storm Cloud came up to me, “Are you sure you want to turn them on?” she said nervously, “I worked on that thing with you and I'm not sure if it's ready.”

I smirked at her, “Consider this the test drive. Now get down there and light those engines up. It's time for Prometheus to shine.” Storm Cloud nodded and scurried below decks. I sat down next to the rail, holding my pistol lazily in my hand. “Damn it. What did I get myself into this time?”

Yes, it seems to be quite the predicament.

I blinked. 'Did my gun just talk?!'

Dealing with a Devil (25)

View Online

Flamel’s POV

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing to inform you of today’s catastrophe. Before Gunhaver had promised to take us all home, we said that he would make a detour to a den in Gem Fido, Ruby Hollow. The dogs there were the original owners of this ship and the ones who captured me and the others. Gunhaver’s mission was to, and I quote, “teach them a lesson”. However this was not the case as we arrived. We found the den in shambles and half burnt as though a dragon had made a raid some time ago and successfully killed them all. A dragon had indeed come by, but not in that manner as I will explain later.

Seeing this, Gunhaver changed his mission from an assault to a search and rescue. He assembled the crew to find any survivors even though the chances were very slim. I joined the search as well, mostly to find answers as to what happened to this den. We all ventured inside and split up through the caverns and tunnels. For a while we had found nothing but an old armory and spare supplies. Needless to say, we uncovered plenty of bones. But by a stroke of luck, I managed to discover the first survivors, along with a reason why I should never anger a unicorn who specializes in lightning magic.

The survivors were emaciated from their almost nonexistent food supply. Their leader, or what was left of the Betas, told me what had happened as we traveled back to the ship to feed and care for them. However, there are more pressing matters at the moment so I shall save that story for another time.

According to the Beta, there was a cursed object of power beneath the mountain. I was skeptical at first at its validity but curiosity got the better of me. As it turned out, Gunhaver took the tunnel that led down to the object. Upon entering the chamber, I discovered Gunhaver fiddling with it as if it were a toy. I managed to convince him to put it down, but at the last second, he opened the thing, saying something about not having much of a choice.

I’m beginning to believe the object is most likely a prison from Tartarus. The reason I believe that is according to my calculations, we may have been less than five hundred meters from the pits of Tartarus. I could even feel the dark energies emanating from the walls themselves. More than once, I actually began to feel my age.

The point I am trying to make is that Gunhaver unleashed some evil from that prison. I believe he is fully aware of his actions and regrets them, because he stayed behind to kill off as many of the creatures as he could. Unfortunately, neither his nor the rest of the crew’s efforts were enough to stop them from escaping into the world.

We are currently on our way to Canterlot to drop off any who wish to leave. I believe Gunhaver intends to meet you but with all due respect, I don’t think it wise for you to face him, for fear of how he might react. Instead, send your sister. I believe their personalities might be more compatible due to their strange sense of humor.

Your Faithful Student, Servant and Scholar,

Nikolai Flamel

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gunhaver's POV

I practically slammed the door behind me and soundproofed the room with “Nego Sonor”. I jumped into my hammock as I tried to come to grips with recent events. I blinked and stared at my gun. After a moment, I managed to gather enough courage to ask, “Tell me I'm not hallucinating.”

You're not hallucinating. said my gun. I noticed that it was a female voice, one that sounded like flowing water.

I sighed in relief, “Oh, good. I thought I was delusional for a second there. Now for my second question, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING?!” I yelled.

No need to shout. she scolded.

I rubbed my temples in frustration, trying to pull my wits together. “Sorry, it's been a long day. Just give me a minute while I keep myself from falling into sheer insanity from all this.”

Of course.

I took a few deep breaths as I performed my Candle technique, burning away the stress from today. After about ten minutes, I was still stressed, but soothed enough to take things one at a time, to avoid another mental train wreck. “Okay. I think I'm ready now.” I said. I held up my gun, which was still in Pistol form, in front of my face and asked politely, “Please explain why my weapon is talking.”

The reason why is that your strange 'weapon' is made from Stygian Iron, a special material that comes from only one place, The River Styx.

I let the information seep into my mind. “So it’s a sentient metal?”

No. The river itself is sentient. The metal is only part of the river, which means … she trailed off, letting me come to the conclusion on my own.

“You’re the River Styx.” I said, “But how?”

Well it seems that whoever forged this weapon from my iron, also stole the metal while I was distracted. I had found out later but I couldn’t sense its location. However, when you came near Tartarus, I was able to reattach my consciousness to the metal.

I blinked as I sorted through the info. “So you were the one making those purring sounds?”

…Don't ask

“Um...okay. So I guess you can explain what the hell happened back in that cave?”

Hell is exactly what happened. You opened up one of the many prisons of Tartarus. Don’t ask me what you unleashed. The Warden knows more than I do about the prisoners.

I sighed, “I see.” Then it clicked in my mind. “Wait, if you could tell I opened up one of the prisons, then could you detect the Banshee locations?” It was a long shot but if it worked…I could only pray.

Since this weapon is only made of a small fragment of Iron, I can sense them but only to certain extents. From what I can tell in this fragment, I can sense if a prisoner of Tatarus is within one kilometer of your location, but only a vauge direction. If they are within a closer distance, I can give you a better direction. Also, since you had this fragment in close proximity to the Banshees, I can single out their energy from other prisoners. I’ll notify you when I can if they are nearby.

I felt some hope rise in me. “Okay, it’s a start. Not the best tracking system, but it’s still pretty good. Do you happen to know which direction the Banshees fled to?” I asked hopefully.

I sensed that they escaped to the south and south east of that position. They split up into two groups. I’m afraid that’s all I know.

“No, no. That’s perfect.” I started to plan, jumping out of my hammock and pace about as I waved my pistol around, “One of the groups is going parallel to our path to Canterlot. That means we just need to speed up and cut them off unless they take a different route. If I have enough time, I can try to get into the Canterlot Archives and find out what I can about these Banshees. If I’m lucky, I can find some ideas to stop them. Perfect.” I rubbed my hands together, smiling gleefully, “Now, Let’s get dangerous.” I grabbed my stack of schematics, which I had recently fashioned into a crude book I called my Journal (until I could figure out a better name). Turns out my claws make great hole punchers. As I flipped through the pages, a thought occurred to me, “I never really got your name.”

Styx. My name is Styx.

“Ah, well do you mind if I call you something else? Styx reminds me of a musical band I know and I wouldn't be able to take you seriously.” I said.

If it makes it easier, then I don't mind. But nothing ridiculous.

I scanned my mind for a possible name, “How about Victoria? It means Victory, and with this weapon, I'll make sure it is worthy of the name.”

How poetic. she said. If my pistol had a face, I could have sworn it smiled.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I heard the whine of the engines die down behind me. I glanced to see if there was a malfunction, but instead it was just powering down and slowing the ship’s speed. “Are we there already?” I wondered aloud. Ever since the incident at Ruby Hollow, I had been working diligently to complete my designs, be it arms, armor or the ship itself, but especially the ship since it was not even half way completed. Currently, I was going over the ship engines with Storm Cloud and Fallout, making sure it was still in working order and trying to fix any kinks or anomalies.

My Gemcomm came to life and Star Streak’s voice flowed through, “Gunhaver, you might want to come up here.” I was a bit confused. It’s not an attack, since the alarms didn’t sound and if we’re stopping, then did we hit some obstacle this high in the air? I tapped my gem.

“What’s going on? Are we not at Canterlot yet?”

“Oh, we’re there alright.” He said reassuringly, “But the Princess is coming aboard.”

‘The top brass? This soon?’ I thought, ‘I was expecting to meet them later.’ I tapped the gem again, “Okay, I’ll be up there in a sec.” I cut the transmission and turned to my coworkers, “Looks like I have to go play the good host once again. You two stay here and keep trying to figure out how to make the engine more efficient.” They nodded and I double timed myself up to the main deck, changing to my Dog form along the way.

I quickly reached the door that led to the open deck. I cracked it open and peered outside. Those who were working here were doing their jobs, though they kept staring and bowing in the same direction. Following their gazes, I saw a large pony, but it was different from the others I met before. It was a midnight blue mare with not only wings but a horn as well. She was tall, slender, and graceful and carried herself with an air of authority that seemed to match the gold aura radiating around her. On her flank was a dark, ink stain splotch with a crescent moon that matched the regalia she wore on her head and neck. She was surrounded by four personal Pegasus bodyguards with armor matching their ruler and leathery bat wings instead of feathers. I also noticed that she was smiling, not the fake smiles nobles wear, but a true smile of laughter. Looking down, I saw the source of her amusement in the forms of the children who were gathered around her as if she had brought a massive candy bag. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

The Voice appeared above me, wearing his shit eating grin, Pedophile! he sang. I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

‘Welp, time to go to work.’ I thought before opening the door and striding onto the deck. “Captain on deck!” someone shouted. The crew stood at attention and I waved them to at ease as I walked over to the princess. Luckily for me, Check Mark was able to tell me a bit about the Canterlot nobility during the trip. Going off what Erebus told me, they were also Hosts for the Game as well. I knew Celestia was a pristine white, so this had to be…

“Princess Luna,” I said respectfully, giving a small bow, “It’s an honor to meet you. To what do I owe this occasion to?” If there’s one thing I learned from my brother, the top brass love respect and flattery. Her guards locked their eyes on me, waiting for, almost daring, me to attack.

She gave me a blank stare and a once over look before speaking, “I presume thou are the commander of this vessel?”

I nod, “Your presumption is correct. Now, if you will, please answer my question.” I said, keeping my tone respectful.

“Very well,” she said, “Your…peculiar ship had caught the attention of the guard. They assumed it was a mighty dragon, so I came forth to try and convince the dragon to leave.” Damn, not even a second into the city and already I get in trouble. Must be a new record. She continued, “Upon closer inspection, I see that the watch was wrong.” She craned her neck around, “I must say that this is a fascinating airship, where did thou acquire it?”

Memories flashed in my eyes of the entire event, but I pressed them back, though not without trouble. I smiled wryly at her, “It’s a long story. Listen, I have some matters of importance that I need to discuss with you. Please follow me.” I led the way back into the ship towards my room. The sound of metal clopping told me they were close behind. Once we reached my room, they all filed in, the guards first so they could check for traps, though there were none. I closed the door behind us and before I could speak, Luna swung around and pointed her horn aggressively at me.

“Now reveal thy true form, creature.” She spat. He guards took up a hostile stance at me. I merely sighed, as I half expected this from a VIP, “Of course. Trans Form Base.” I shifted to my true form and held up my hands in mock surrender, “Happy now?”

Luna didn’t pull her horn away from me, “Who are you and what are these matters you wished to discuss?”

I mentally rolled my eyes, “My name’s Gunhaver, though I would have thought that you knew that. As for what I need to discuss, I wanted to get those who wished to go home, back to their home first. I had promised them I would take them home, and it would be easier if you can take them the rest of the way.” Plus it could screw with the government a bit.

“It shall be done.” Luna said, still keeping her horn trained on me, though a bit more loosely now, “Anything else?”

“I would like permission to access the Canterlot Archives.” I said, “I need to know if there are any documents about Banshees.” Luna blinked.

“Banshees?” she said, “Why do you need to know about them?”

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly, “Yeah, I may have accidentally opened their cage and released a few hundred of them.”

Luna blinked in shock. “What.”

I held my hands up defensively, “Look, I’ll explain more in detail later. Right now, I need to find out what I can so I can track them down and kill them. So may I please access the Archives?”

She pointed her horn back at me and lit it up like a glow stick, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just blast you from here to Tartarus.” she said venomously, “For all I care, you should pay for what you’ve done.”

This time, I did roll my eyes, “Oh my god,” I muttered, “Did you not even hear what I just said? I swear you sound like Two Torch and at least he listened to me before he kicked me out.” I held up a hand, pointing a finger at her, “Yes, I released some bad creatures. Yes, I’m sorry for what I did. Now will you shut up and let me clean up my fucking mess?!” I shouted. I was starting to get really pissed off at this bias against me. I loved being a Night Shade, but all the hate gets annoying.

Bad move, as it was clear that the guards didn’t take too kindly at me for shouting at their ‘Princess’. They showed their opinion about it by charging at me, a menacing look (as menacing as a pony can look) on their face, but their advance was halted, when Luna held out a leg signalling them to stop.

“‘Tis all right, my dear guards. I assure you that he meant no harm, is that right?” she looked at me, and I gave a nonchalant nod, partially sad that I couldn’t fight these guys, but another part of me was glad, since a fight here could have pretty much destroyed the ship.

“Now,” Luna kept her scowl on me, “Do you swear you intend to fix your mistake?” she said cautiously. I barked a laugh.

“So far, it’s the only mistake I can fix.” I gave her a flat stare, “Of course I’m going to fix it. Right after I get into the Archives to find out more about these Banshees so I can find them more easily. So once again, may I please access the Archives?”

She stared at me, contemplating for a moment, “Hmm, I suppose you can, but I shall escort you to make sure you don’t try anything like that annoying Bugbear, Celt.” I raised an eyebrow at this. Celt? Sounds like there was another player in the Archives before me and probably made a mess too. “Oh? What did this Celt do?” I said, intrigued.

Luna gave a small grumble, “He broke into the Archives during the Grand Galloping Gala two weeks ago. We’re still trying to fix all the damages he made.” My eye twitched a bit in annoyance over that entire sentence. ‘Grand Galloping Gala?’ I thought, ‘And just when I was starting to think this world was actually kinda legit for a universe based off a little girls show, they pull that out.’

Aww, what’s the matter? the Voice said in mock concern, Did you miss your chance to dress up as a pretty princess? It took everything I had to keep a straight face from all my rage and sock the Voice in his face.

“Wonderful.” I said in a strained voice, “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just let me wrap things up here and make a note to brutally hurt Celt, before we depart. Wait for me on the main deck where we met.” I’m an avid reader, so it irks me a bit when books get destroyed by carelessness or intentional reasons. But because the books in question were part of the Archives and possibly had notes on the Banshees, it pissed me off even more. Luna nodded and left the room. As soon as the door closed, I grabbed my satchel, hid my Journal and snatched up a few prototypes that I wanted to test out if I had the chance.

I tapped my gem, “Attention crew and passengers, please report to the mess hall for an important announcement.” I repeated the message once more before making my way down there. When I opened the doors, the place was packed with little room to spare. I had designed this room to be big, but this many people would make a Fire Marshal scream bloody murder. I let out a piercing whistle to get everyone’s attention as I floated in above everyone’s head. Another Night Shade bonus: Not having to need a seat in a crowded room.

“Listen up!” I said, projecting my voice, “As promised to those before, I have brought you back to Canterlot and I arranged with the Princess to have them take you home the rest of the way once you step off the ship.” A lot of ponies gave a cheer at that and excited talk filled the room. I gave them a minute to let it out before continuing, using another whistle to get their attention.

“Now for those of you who said you wished to join my crew, think of this as your second chance. This ship will be at Canterlot for three days while I do some research on the Banshees from Ruby Hollow. After that, we’re leaving to go hunt down the Banshees that escaped.” Now worried murmurs sprung up at a whisper, but I kept talking, “The Banshees are creatures of Tatarus, so it would be wise to think twice about it. If you wish to go back to your comfy homes, I won’t hold it against you. I don’t even expect most of you to come back here. However, if you think you have what it takes to kill a Banshee, then feel free to stay. I could use the assistance. But know this, if you join, you may have to be killing more than just Banshees.” I said darkly. I let that linger in the air like a miasma.

“Diamond Dogs from Ruby Hollow,” I said, “I extend the same invitation to you. I heard your story and ask you to consider the offer. Those Banshees are what would have escaped if your Alpha had opened the cube before I did. This is my mess, but I still ask for your help. Unlike the ponies, you are truly without home or food. I will provide this for you. Should you wish to leave, I can try to arrange for Luna to give you asylum here. You all have three days to decide. Choose wisely.” On that note, I slipped out of the room like the Shade I was. I floated my way up to the main deck, changing back into my Dog form along the way.

Luna stood patiently upon the main deck, waiting for me. When she saw me, she spoke, “Are you ready to go?” I half expected a screen to appear with options to go or stay, but it didn’t appear.

“I’m good. Let’s go.” I said. Luna nodded and spread her wings. She flapped into the air and I just jumped over the rail as I turned into my harpy form. I don’t care what you say, but that trick never gets old. I flew after Luna as she led the way to the regal buildings of Canterlot. Now that I was flying above actual buildings, I could see why city birds liked to fly here. It was like an obstacle course and sightseeing tour put together. I could smell fresh foods being baked for lunch time. Ponies rambled about, going on errands or simple strolls. Vendors hawked their wares while street corner performers played music and shows. Maybe after I do my research, I could spend some time on the streets.

You’d better make it last, boy. The Voice said before giggling maniacally at some inside joke. I shrugged it off, but made a mental note to be more cautious around him.

After a few minutes of flying, we stopped at a large, institutional building. Part of the building had scaffolds around it and a large hole with scorch marks in the side. I hoped that was not where info on Banshees was. Luna spoke as we landed, “Here we are. The Canterlot Archives.” She led the way, doors opening for her as we passed by. For convenience of walking, I turned to my Dog form, not wanting to trust my Base form around the other ponies.

We traveled down several corridors until we reached a pair of old wooden doors. From the dust and lack of care, it seemed this room wasn't used often. Luna's horn lit up and encased the doors with a blue glow. They slowly opened with a loud CREEAAAAKK. I winced a bit at the sound, wishing I had some grease to put on those hinges. Luna stepped in first and I followed. As soon as I put my foot down on the floor inside, torches set in the walls lit up with flames, shedding light on all the bookshelves. I noticed, with relief, that this wasn't the area with construction going on.

“This is one of our oldest libraries.” Luna said, “It contains documents from hundreds of years ago, even recovered documents from times before I was banished.” I raised an eye brow at that but said nothing as I picked up the closest book gently and blew off the dust. It read A Field Guide to Ancient Ruins. I set it down and turned to Luna.

“So where might information on Banshees be?” I asked. Luna's horn glowed and several books came flying off the shelves from near and far.

“I apologize in advance if this is not enough information,” She said, levitating a tall stack of books. Tartarian creatures aren't exactly easy to document without harm.”

I grabbed the books out of her aura and set them on a nearby desk. “No no, it's fine. I understand. I'll piece together what I can find out from here.” I said grabbing two books off the pile and flipping through them. I took a brief pause and glanced at her, “You wouldn't happen to have personal experience with them, would you?”

She shook her head, to my dismay, “Alas, I don’t know enough to give much input. Though from what I do know, Banshees had a nasty trick. There was a rhyme too.” she cleared her throat, “Banshees, Banshees, on the fly. Come down to villages to make children cry. Be wary to defeat them, should you try...” she trailed off, “That's all I can remember. Tis an ancient poem, so I'm surprised to remember so much of it.”

I grumbled a bit, wondering if she was holding back the information on purpose or not. “Well can you please try to remember when you can?” I went back to flipping through pages. Luckily, this book had alphabetized entries. “Banshees…Banshees….Bansh-ah, here it is.” I muttered, “Let’s see, ‘Larger than a griffon, Looks like a spirit in rags’ yadda yadda yadda…Do not approach, blah blah blah, and nothing useful whatsoever.” I closed the book and picked up the next one. This process repeated itself for the next several books. Though I didn’t find much information on tracking them, I did pick up some other tidbits. Things like, ‘Banshees are thought to be the lost souls of females’ and ‘Banshees voices are akin to Siren songs’. I wasn’t sure if I agreed with that last bit, considering my experience with them.

As I flipped through another book, Luna’s voice broke me out of my concentration. I had almost forgotten she was still there. “Tell me, Gunhaver, why are you doing this?” she asked.

I gave her a confused look, “Um, I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to clean up the mess I made.” Luna shook her head.

“No. I mean, why is a foul creature like you, helping others? You rescued ponies from becoming slaves and brought them back home safe and sound when you could have kept them in chains. Surely you must have some ulterior motive to all this.”

I rolled my eyes and went back to looking through the book. “The only real motive I had was to get off the island I was stuck on. Don’t ask why, I don’t even know myself. But yeah, I could have kept them in the slave hold, but then who could crew the ship after I killed the original one? I can’t exactly pilot a ship that size all by myself. Now I just hope that some stay with me to help hunt the Banshees.”

“I see. So what are you going to do while you hunt them down?” she asked. I opened my mouth to answer, and then frowned. ‘Now that I think about it, what am I going to do?’ I thought, ‘I need some form of income to support a ship and crew.’ I scanned my mind for any possible solutions and one stuck out as the most suitable , and most possible, for me. With a grin I turned back to Luna.

“How about we make a deal?” I said, putting my fingers together in a steeple.

Luna looked at me suspiciously. “What kind of a deal?”

I gave her a dismissive wave, “Oh nothing big. It’s just a simple business proposition. Seeing as I am currently jobless and on a hunt and you own the hunting grounds, I wanted to make things easier for the both of us.”

“Explain.” she said tersely.

“Here’s my deal. You let me have access to the nation’s material resources that I need to hunt down the Banshees such as information and supplies, with due pay of course, and I will freely submit myself and my crew to you and your commands. This way, I can hunt freely while you can keep a leash on me. Think of it as having your own unofficial, personal mercenary group. You can send me on missions that you wouldn’t risk the publicity or your own soldiers for. It’s a win-win.”

Luna hmmed as she tapped her hoof on her chin in thought, “I suppose you’ll want some form of payment?”

“Damn straight. Gimme all the money!” Is what I really wanted to say, but I had to force myself to say a polite, “Of course. Though for simplicity’s sake, How about I bill you the supply fees? As fun as it would be to abuse that power, it would be much less costly than to try to send me the money.” Thank you, economics class and real time strategy games. And people say Games don’t apply to real life.

Luna just stared at me for a few moments before speaking, “One condition: You need to send me detailed reports about your progress with the Banshees.”

I bowed to her, “If you wish, then so be it.” Luna's horn glowed for a second and a stream of light circled around me.

“There, now I can locate you anywhere in the world should I require it.” she said with a nod. I nodded in agreement, but deep down I was a little miffed that a Host could track me at their leisure. What was that she did? Some sort of program insertion? Is that possible to do on other players? Speaking of which,-

“Oh, I just remembered something!” I exclaimed, surprising Luna with my outburst, “I needed to ask you a question. Do you-” Blink. Luna had a confused look on her face.

“Do I what?” she asked. Now it was my turn to be confused.

“Do you what, what?” I said, tilting my head.

Luna frowned, “No, you were about to ask me something and said 'Do you' before stopping. Now what's your question?” She seemed to get a bit irate at me. I, however, was still confused as hell.

“I was?” I scratched the back of my head, “Funny, I don't seem to remember needing to ask you something. Must've been a slip of the tongue.” I shook my head and returned to the books on the desk. There was only two books left and I was in the middle of the second to last one. I kept flipping through it and closed it a little more harder than necessary when I couldn't find any new information. I picked up the last one.

''Bump in the Night.' Cute.' I thought as I opened it. I followed the table of contents to the correct page and began to read. “Let's see here...” I muttered as I read, “Same stuff as before. No new information here. Any idiot could have guess that. Aaaand another bus- hmm?” My eye caught an entry of unfamiliar words from the other books. I began to read it only to not understand it. I turned to Luna, “Hey, what does it mean by 'innocence'? Because, apparently, that's what the Banshees eat.”

Luna trotted over and looked at the entry I was reading. “Ah, it means ‘purity of the soul’.” Seeing what was probably my ‘dafuq’ face, she explained further, “When a pony is born, their soul is covered in innocence like an eggshell. As they grow up and learn more about the world, that innocence is chipped away bit by bit until almost none of it is left. That is why Banshees target younglings above all else, to absorb innocence.”

I remembered the Banshees escaping from Ruby Hollow, “That explains why they did suicide runs to reach the pups.” I muttered, “So this innocence is their source of power…which means they’ll probably target places with high amounts of it.” Seeing no new information, I closed the book and bowed to Luna again, “Thank you, once again, for the information. I’ll be doing what I can to defeat the banshees. For now though, I need to resupply my ship and let the passengers decide if they want to stay as permanent crew members.” I said as I started out the door.

Luna nodded, “Good luck to you on your mission then.” She closed the door behind us and locked it before disappearing in a flash of light. I whistled to myself as I strolled out of the building, planning my next thing on my to-do list.

‘Hmm, what should I do now while I wait?’ I wondered. I gazed around and my eyes fell upon a large hedge maze. I smirked, ‘Maybe I’ll take a walk. A very enthusiastic walk.’

Very Enthusiastic Walks (26)

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“What to do, what to do…” I muttered to myself as I walked through the maze. I had seen pictures of hedge mazes online but this was the first time I had ever been through one, even if it was in a simulator. The place kinda reminded me of the maze from the Harry Potter movie, but much brighter and without the monster plants. I drifted through the maze lazily like a ghost. Just because I’ve never been in a hedge maze before in real life, didn’t mean I couldn’t find my way out. All I have to do is just stick to a wall and follow it to the end, I could fly out but where’s the fun in that? For now though, I just wanted to relax and try to sort things out.

As I walked, I came upon a clearing with some trees, benches, a large pond and a few scenic rocks. Looking around, there was no other life but me and a quick ‘Bio Locus’ made sure of that. I went to one of the shaded benches and laid down on it.

“Now that I got some time to kill, what should I do?” I wondered aloud. I idly searched my mind for something to occupy my time, hoping the answer would pop up like magic. “I got a job to help pay for hunting Banshees, so that’s done. The crew or what will be left of it, still needs to decide if they’re going to stay aboard and help me.” That struck me the most. Why did I let them go? Aren’t they AI to help me whenever I need them and be fodder for my own entertainment? Why am I being so lenient on them as if they were real? This bugged me to no end recently.

I shook my head to dispel the thoughts before they consumed my mind and distracted me. “Anyways, I need something to do while I wait, but what?” This was a bit aggravating to me. I have so much to do, but at the same time, have nothing to do. I racked my mind for a hint at my next activity. “I could do some building for the ship, but I still need some more materials. I’ll have to ask Luna where I can get some metals.” I thought aloud, “I suppose I could go back to the Archives and look for some more info about the world. Hmmm, maybe tomorrow. I guess that leaves me with testing my prototypes or evaluating some of my skills so far.” I blinked. “Eh, why not? I could use some spells to try out.” I said, “Pause.” My vision darkened as the familiar pause screen appeared before my eyes. I scrolled down to Data and opened it.

The Data tab had filled up quite a bit since I first joined this game. It was organized by several categories like People, Places, Monsters, etc. I chose the Magic category and a list of words I used so far appeared. I was able to organize them by alphabet and method of discovery.

“Let’s see…so far I have…” I counted up the total words I have used thus far, not including combinations, “a little over forty words.” I whistled in amazement at myself. About a quarter of the words, I remembered from the Harry Potter games and movies, well the ones I could get to work at least. A third of it I was able to derive from everyday words using this little trick I learned from my world history class in high school, ‘General German, Fancy French’, since most everyday words are from Anglo Saxon origin, but the elaborate ones come from French Latin. That’s one of the few things I clearly remember from that class, though the teacher was kinda funny as well. I gave a small chuckle, remembering the little ‘field trips’ he would take us on, but I digress.

I shook my head to refocus myself and gazed at the list again. The rest of the words I discovered came to me by leveling up, common sense or dumb luck. Seriously, even a fetus would know that ‘Tri-‘ meant three and ‘Aqua’ meant water. However, the first time I used ‘Project’, I accidentally conjured up an image of a Weeping Angel in the cockatrice cave on my starting island and nearly crapped myself. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of words I needed to discover and I’m not exactly an English professor, which made discovering that many Latin words a personal achievement. I sighed, “Oh well, I can still use these words at least. Good thing I can combine them like in Magicka. I wish there were more games with that kind of combo system.”

I resumed the game and sat under the tree, wondering what to do next. I remembered the other option and reached into my satchel to pull out one of my prototypes. It was an extremely crude version of a sonic screwdriver that I had built out of boredom and curiosity. Remembering the one from the show, I figured I could try to replicate it. It was a piece of carved wood that had a metal tip and a gem embedded at the top. It had a similar activation key to my Gemcomm, which was engraving the words onto the metal bindings of the gems. Originally, I was just labeling them so I would know which gem had what spell. Turns out that it works the same as saying it out loud when I give it a tap of the finger.

You do realize that you’re trying to copy advanced, not even fully explained, alien tech with sticks and stones, right? the Voice deadpanned.

I shrugged, “Not gonna stop me from trying, at least. Besides, worst case scenario, this thing blows up in my face like the other ones.” I didn’t even know how that was possible with the non-explosive inventions I made, but it happened. I looked around for a possible test subject and found a rock near the pond about the size of my head. I went over to pick it up and got a surprise. The rock was much heavier than I expected, about ten pounds or so heavier. I hefted it up to my chest. ‘Why the hell is it so heavy?’ I thought, ‘I mean, the metal in the arms and armor I built weighed a decent amount, but my strength should be more than this. Must be a glitch in the game.’ I tried shrugging it off as faulty software, but it still didn’t sit right with me. I need to stop getting distracted.

I held up the rock in my arm and pointed the proto-driver at it. “Alright,” I said, “Alto Sonor Vibrato.” In a split second, I dropped the rock and clutched my ears as a high pitched buzz pierced the air. “OH FUCK MY EARS ARE BLEEDING!!!” I yelled along with some other choice sentences. After several seconds, I was able to turn it off. I rubbed my ears in pain. “Owww. Sonuvabitch that hurt! Now I know how a dog feels when it hears those whistles. Ahh, God that hurts. Stupid screwdriver!” I tossed the prototype at the rock I held earlier. It cracked and I paced about grumbling at how stupid my idea was. The Voice just laughed at me mockingly all the while, adding to my frustration.

'Damn prototype. Why the hell did I think that was a good idea? I might as well go eat glass to see if my stomach could digest that!' After several minutes of pacing, venting, and cursing, I stopped and looked at the cracked invention. 'Even if it did work, what use would I have for a sonic screwdriver? It's not exactly a sonic blaster...' My train of thought slowed for a second as it processed this idea. 'It's….not a sonic weapon, but it did work well to incapacitate me.' My mental gears began to grind, faster and faster as I started to pull out everything I knew about sound waves, frequencies, and such. It all piled up and I sorted through it, disassembling the screwdriver in my mind and building it into...

“A dubstep gun.” I said softly to myself, “An actual DUBSTEP gun...” I chuckled a bit at this revelation, “It's perfect! A sonic weapon that can disable enemies with high range hearing and if set at certain frequencies, it could shake buildings apart.” Well, if it was strong enough, of course, but that's the wonder of a new idea, being able to set a benchmark for the boundary between the possible and impossible.

I filed away this new idea for later development and stuffed the failed prototype back into my bag. I pulled out my next invention, which was supposed to be a portable water cannon. Long story short, the plants got wet and nothing was destroyed, unless you count mud being made. Then again, water helps plants so would that be negative damage? I don't know, but this will probably be useful for fighting fires or any flame atronarchs if I come across them. Next one!

I pulled out a small, pen-like object. It was a laser pointer, like the ones used to make cats run in circles and into walls and the laser dot sights on weapons. I made it for the ship as a possible targeting device, since my brother told me much about how lasers were used to guide rockets and track targets. This laser pointer was similar to the lightsaber I tried to build, but a bit smaller. It was a tube with lenses and a small ruby set into the center. I could have used an emerald to try to reproduce a green laser, but I wanted to see if lasers were even possible at first. Baby steps before sprints.

I activated it and shined it onto the rock. I closed my eyes and braced myself for an explosion, hoping it didn’t take out too much of my health this time, but it never came. I cracked my eyes open to see a small red dot on the rock. I blinked in surprise. ‘Holy crap. Advanced tech and it didn’t explode on the first try.’ I thought as I began to move the dot around. I chuckled as I began to draw imaginary shapes on the face of the rock. ‘Well, two out of three ain’t bad and I still have that other one to try. Actually, it’d be one and two halves since the water cannon’s useless and the screwdriver just gave me a new-Is something burning?’ I suddenly had smoke fill my nostrils and looked down to see that my laser was burning up a patch of grass. “What the hell?!” I shouted before using the water cannon to douse the fire. Didn’t think I’d need that one so soon.

I crouched down and lightly touched the charred grass, then looked at my pointer. ‘Damn.’ was the only thing that went through my mind. I was surprised it worked without blowing up, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting that. I probably put too much energy into it or used the wrong combination of words. I checked the engraving: Lumen. Nope, that was correct. I wondered if it was because of the lenses I used. ‘Maybe I should work on this later…’ I thought after the shock dispersed, ‘I wonder…’ I began to think but soon shook the thought away, ‘No. If I start now, I’ll be here all night. Speaking of which…’ I looked up to see that the sun had set and the sky was tinged with the rays of twilight.

“Shit, I better get back to the ship.” I thought aloud. I’d rather not be stuck in a hedge maze during night time. Who knows what prowls the corners and crannies of this place? I took the trail that led me to the clearing in the first place, following it as best as my memory could serve me. ‘Left here, right there, second on the right, fourth on the left…’ I thought to myself. Soon, the path became unfamiliar to me and I began to question myself. ‘Wait, I don’t think I went this way. I don’t remember that column being there before.’ I thought as I chose another path. Sure I could’ve flown out in my harpy form, but my pride as a gamer wouldn’t let me cheat unless I absolutely had no other choice.

Somewhere along the way, I turned back to my Base form, mostly so I could move faster along the shadows. I even put a hand out and imitated the Jaws theme. I’m not the only one who does stupid stuff when no one’s looking. Anyways, after I entertained myself with that for a few minutes, I turned a corner and froze in my tracks, my blood running cold. “Oh shit.” I cursed. In front of me was a large fountain, but that didn’t scare me. What scared me were the four Pegasus statues that had out stretched wings and looked like they were crying or playing peekaboo. I made sure to keep them in my eyesight as I muttered, “Don’t blink.” over and over like a broken record. Then, as if the universe wanted to make things worse, I blinked. “FUCK!” I yelled but I didn't run, running was not an option at this point. I hauled ass out of there like my brother taught me. I shot down the leafy corridors, making sharp turns everywhere I went, even flying straight through the hedges at one point.

I turned one more corner and made it out of the maze at last. I would have jumped for joy, but instead I screamed in terror. Why? Because I ran into another statue garden. They all stood, frozen in time, but unlike the cockatrice cave, they were supposed to be pieces of art. Although, I don’t know why anyone would make the statue in front of me and call it art. It was a long snake like body with the leg of a goat, tail of a dragon, paw of a lion, an eagle’s claw, leg of a gator and head of a pony with an antler and a horn. It’s body was coiled as if it was trying to stop something from attacking it, and it’s face frozen in fear. It would be almost humorous if I wasn’t terrified by the statues. Seriously, those things scare the hell out of me!

“Trans Form Harpy!” I shouted and I was off the ground before I finished changing, and I made a beeline for my ship, not daring to look back. “Don’t follow me!” I muttered repeatedly as I flew. Before I even hit the deck of the ship, I turned back to my Base form and rocketed down the halls of my ship towards my room. I slammed the door behind me and took up residence in my hammock as I kept my rifle, now in automatic shotgun mode, trained on the door. It was a long while before I got any sleep.

A knock on my door roused me from my fitful slumber. Still on edge from last night, I slowly approached the door. I put the barrel of my gun against the wood and spoke, “Who’s there?”

“Flamel.” I heard the person say. I wanted to sigh in relief, but the angels could still be out there. In a flash, I opened the door and yanked the Dog inside before slamming it shut again. “Did anything follow you? Did you see anything strange on the way here?” I said, making sure the door was closed.

Flamel stared at me in confusion, “No?” he said unsurely, “Is something wrong?”

I shook my head dismissively, “Ah, forget it. It’s not important. It’s some personal paranoia.” I said, hoping he would buy that, “Anyways, What brings you here?”

“I came to ask what you found so far about the Banshees.” he said, “Any luck?”

Oh good, something to take my mind off the statues. “Actually, I found quite a bit.” I said, then proceeded to inform him of all the info I discovered yesterday. “Unfortunately, that’s about all I could find.” I finished up, “If we’re going to find out anything else, we’d have to meet the Banshees personally.”

“I see.” Flamel said, “How are we going to find them? They scattered after leaving Ruby Hollow.”

“I’m working on a proper tracking device, but for now, I can find them through my weapon.” I said, holding my rifle up, “It’s made of Stygian iron and can detect the Banshees over a certain range. However, once I can build a tracking system, then I should be able to locate them almost anywhere in the world.”

“Well, that’s good.” Flamel said, pleased with the progress, then strode to the door, “I’m going to be walking around Canterlot today. What will you be doing?”

I shrugged, “Eh, this and that. Whatever takes my interest at the moment.” I said vaguely, “But for now, I think I’ll do some work on the ship.” Just another day at the office. For a moment, I wanted to ask about the rest of the crew, mostly to know who was left, but I decided against it. If I knew, then I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my work.

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Magnus’ POV

I laid across the top of this...'airship', basking in the sunlight. Most dragons preferred sleeping in caves over their cold, metal hoards, but I liked the sun's warmth. It was so soothing to feel the rays heat my scales and because of them, I couldn't get sunburned. I let out a sigh of content, happy to just sit here until-BOOM! that happened.

I opened my eyes with a groan. 'This is the fourth time that's happened in the past hour.' I thought grumpily, 'Just what is going on?' I gave a frustrated snort of smoke and swore to the stars above that whatever was keeping me from sleeping was going to be in much pain for such a crime. I spread my wings and flew down to the deck. I moved towards the source of the noise, those I passed on the ship made themselves scarce upon seeing me or simply moved around me.

I finally reached the source after another explosion gave away the location again. I opened the door, only to duck out of the way of a flying piece of metal. I heard someone shout, “Watch out!” shortly after my reaction. I looked to see it was some of the ponies and, of course, the ever mysterious Shade. Despite all this time that I've known him, I still don't know what to make of him. He killed my parents but only to defend himself. I can't fault him for that because if I were I in his position I probably would have done the same. However, I'm still unsure about his relationship with Erebus. If Erebus lied to my parents, what's to say the Shade isn't lying either? Pearl may trust him out of the pureness of her heart, but, as her bother, I need to be ready if he breaks that trust.

“What are you doing?” I asked stepping over pieces of wreckage, some still smoking. As interesting as some of these inventions may be, I didn't want Pearl to play with them in case they exploded like they do most of the time.

Gunhaver laughed sheepishly, “Heh, sorry about waking you up. I really need to sound proof this room or something.”

I blinked in confusion, “How did you know I was sleeping?”

“Your eyes have the look of a half asleep killer, hell bent on whatever woke you up.” he said casually.

“Oh,” I shook my head, “Well, what are you doing that's waking me up?” It had better be worth the trouble.

“Oh, some work on the ship and all that.” Gunhaver said and then he waved a finger at me, “Actually, I need your help with something.” he said, “I assume you've been practicing the spells I taught you, right?”

“When I can, yes.” I replied. It felt strange, learning this magic, but I needed every advantage I could against Erebus and, if necessary, Gunhaver as well.

“Good, I need you to help test out this armor.” he said, “It's a defense against the Banshees. Well, a start of it, at least.” He held up a piece of metal in front of himself, “Alright, hit me with your best shot.”

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it as I held up a claw, “Impulsus.” A burst of energy shot forth from my claw at the armor. If there was one thing I was practicing, it was increasing the speed of my attack spells. There may come a day when I would need that extra second to charge a spell. The blast hit the armor and crumpled it. Gunhaver was thrown to the wall, but in that form of his, he simply dissipated and reformed.

“Aw come on!” he shouted, “That's the fifth one! What the hell are we doing wrong, Flamehoof?” It soon dwindled down into a debate about metals and designs that didn't interest me. I slipped out of the room and since I was too awake for a nap, and I decided to take a walk.

Soon enough, I found myself in front of a familiar door. Behind it, screams and shouts sounded and so did the crashing of furniture. It sounded as if someone was being murdered. I opened it gently to find Pearl and her friends playing on an obstacle they built out of whatever they could find. Three of the foals were leaping from pad to pad, the chick was crawling through some tubes and Pearl and the others were climbing ropes. Currently, Pearl was zooming along the ropes as if she was born on them. She giggled as she climbed circles around the others.

“No fair.” the Pegasus foal whined as he struggled to pull himself up, using his wings to help, “You’re a dragon.”

“Nyeh.”Pearl said, sticking her tongue out, “Then grow some claws, featherbrain.” She then grabbed a loose rope and swung around the room, squealing with delight. I smiled at the sight. If Pearl was happy, then I was happy. I would hunt down and destroy anyone who dared to make her cry. She was the only one left of my family that Erebus didn’t kill and I intend to keep it that way, even if it cost me my life.

Seeing that she didn’t notice me from the fun she was having, I silently closed the door and went back up to his spot on the top of the ship. I padded around in a circle a few times, making the space comfortable before laying down on the warm scales. With eyes half lidded, I gently stroked the surface beneath me. ‘I will avenge you one day.’ I thought, ‘I just hope I will be strong enough to do so.’ On that thought, I closed my eyes, hopeful to get some sleep this time.

BOOM!

I grumbled in frustration. ‘Son of a bitch.’

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Gunhaver’s POV

I leaned against the rail of my ship, looking up at the night sky. Today had been a fairly productive day. I made some sort of progress on a set of shock absorbing armor, though most of the pieces crumpled in the process. Thank god I had my 'Trans Form Materia' spell, otherwise I'd be spending too much time and money on more materials. On top of that, I managed to reduce impacts by at least thirty percent. Go me. I get a stronger crew.

I sighed in content, “God it's good to be me right now.” I hummed some random song to myself as I moved away from the rail, pacing around the ship's edge. “Tomorrow morning, I set out with whoever stays with me.” I said to myself, “Hunt down the Banshees and get some work done.” I tried not to worry about tomorrow morning. What would I find left of the crew? I know several ponies and a few Dogs and griffins were going to stay, but was that it? A skeleton crew on a half built ship, hunting down a legion of monsters from Tartarus itself. Well, it's not good, but it's better than nothing.

Suddenly, my vision, or more accurately, my HUD, flickered.

New Quest:

Catch the thief. Locate his loot.

Challenges:

Catch him alive- 375 XP

Do not use firearms- 350 XP

Do not be detected- 100 XP

Reward: Loot, 350 XP

Accept/Decline

I know it was late, but hey, it’s a quest that gets me money, so I’m not complaining. A red dot appeared on my HUD’s map. I followed it to the rail to see the dot leap from the bottom of the mountain base to the edge of the hanging city in three leaps. Whoever this was, they had strong legs.

“Trans Form Harpy.” I said as I leaped off the rail. I spread my wings and glided towards the figure highlighted by the dot. It looked rather humanoid, to say the least, but I didn’t get a good look as it was shrouded by the dark of the night. What surprised me was the silver aura surrounding the creature. Another player like me. Suddenly, the person took off from his position, jumping to the nearest rooftop in a single leap.

Jack be nimble. the Voice said with an interested tone.

“Trans Form Base.” I ignored him and followed the person. He was agile, jumping from roof top to roof top, but going in some direction, possibly to his next target. I swerved through buildings and around corners, using every racing advantage I could to get closer without being detected. So far, it didn’t seem to notice me.

Jack be quick.

One thing I did notice was that the player never touched the ground. He even had to throw something beneath him at one point so he didn’t hit the cobblestone streets. Maybe it was a personal phobia? I didn’t care much but I was still curious about it. The player jumped over a small tower and I flew straight through it.

Jack jump over the candle stick. the Voice sang with creepy enthusiasm.

I kept following the player, beginning to wonder if he was actually going for a target or leading me on a wild goose chase. The player vaulted over a massive mansion.

Jack jump high, Jack jump low.

By now, I wasn’t making much progress, so I decided to pull out my prototype that I left untested. It was wrapped around my wrists like a vambrace. I aimed my palm, wrist up, at a distant tower ahead and curled my middle and ring finger onto the gem trigger. In a flash, a long string of spider silk shot out and it latched on to the tower like an arrow. Once it made contact, it reeled me in towards the tower. I tapped the gem again and the silk detached and returned to me. I barely contained my joy as the invention I had been craving to build finally worked and so far, it worked well. I was Spiderman now! I had to keep from shouting my joy as I swung from tower to tower.

I quickly closed in on the player, using my new momentum. However, the player suddenly stopped and turned as if he (I assume it’s a guy from the lack of boobs) sensed me. Luckily, I had over shot my last swing and flew over his head just as he turned around. I didn’t know if I should be angry at my poor calculations or glad I screwed up.

I landed ahead in a small crevice between buildings, just out of sight from the strange player. ‘Shit, that was close.’ I thought, ‘Way too close for comfort.’ I waited until the guy turned around, but instead of continuing his path, he squatted down and then made a massive leap straight up into the air. My jaw dropped as I calculated his height. ‘The dude must be at least six hundred feet in the air. DAAYYYUUMM!!!’

As I watched the figure reach the peak of his jump, I thought, ‘I want that form now.’ But I shook the thought from my head as I faded into the shadows, crawling towards the spot where he might land. The figure was falling quite rapidly now and since he didn’t have wings, he couldn’t maneuver in the air beyond shifting his weight and air drag, unless he was trained in skydiving. From what my brother told me, it was a hell of a lot harder than it looked. In fact, the player’s body position showed me that he relied on his powerful legs to absorb the shock. Now I really wanted that form. I quickly shot out several web strands, creating a trap around his landing site.

Jack jumped over and burnt his toe.

I barely finished before the player landed right into the trap. Spider silk flew from their positions, ensnaring the poor victim and immobilizing him like a fly on a web. The player was surprised, obviously not expecting such a trap to appear out of nowhere. He struggle to escape (I could now see that it was a guy, due to his ragged clothes and muscles), but to no avail. I pulled myself out of the shadows, slowing moving towards the prey.

“’Welcome to my parlor.’ Said the spider to the fly.” I said, my voice dripping with malicious intent. Wait, why would I say that?

“Who the fuck are you?” the player screamed at me. I silenced him with a quick shot of silk across his mouth.

“No one you need to concern yourself with.” I said, “I’m just collecting taxes, and you need to pay for the things you stole. Now, are you going to tell me where your stash is or will I have to force it from you? Trust me, you don’t want the latter.” I blinked mentally. When did I become so mean? I know I’m intimidating the guy, but still.

The player just yelled at me through his gag. “I’ll take that as a no.” I said, “Hmm, now how to go about this?”

Why don’t you just search his mind? the Voice suggested, It would be much cleaner than any torture you could make yourself perfom.

‘You mean thatspell?’ I asked in surprise, ‘But that was tested on in-game animals. How would that affect players? They’re not programs or AI.’

You’ll never know unless you find out.’ The Voice said teasingly before disappearing. I bit my lip as mixed emotions welled up inside me. On one hand, it would be useful to know if that spell works. On the other hand, if it did work, how would I know if it didn’t harm them in the end? I sighed in defeat.

‘Dammit, he’s right.’ I thought, ‘I won’t know unless I find out.’ I lifted up my hand, up against the player’s face, extending my claws towards his forehead until they barely touched. “This is going to hurt me a lot more than it’s going to hurt you.” I said. “Carpo Memoria.” My claws glowed an ethereal blue as they plunged into the player’s skull like soft clay. The player gave a wordless scream as he watched them enter and tried to pull away, but I grabbed his head and held him still as my other hand began to pull out a clump of blue wispy strands.

I had practiced pulling out memories on birds and animals to the point where I could pull out specific memories with slight difficulty. I held up the strands and let go of the player’s face as it went limp once I pulled the bundle out. Slowly, I went through it, strand by strand, by lightly touching it to my own forehead. When I did that, it gave a general idea of what was in that strand. Since this was the first human I tested, I didn’t know what to expect. However, I did know that each strand had relative memories. A strand with a picture of a house would show who owned it and what was in which room and so forth.

After about fifteen minutes, I was beginning to get frustrated by the lack of substantial evidence. Each strand tossed away immediately returned to their original host, wriggling into his temple like a worm escaping a bird. ‘No, no, no, definitely no, nuh-uh, nope, ew, no, not you, go away, you’re no help, n-ah there it is.’ I let go of the other strands as I pressed this to my mind. Location, hoard size, everything. “Perfect.” I said. I kept the strand there for a moment longer to imprint the knowledge in my mind. I've still yet to be able to make exact copies for my own purpose but once I find the treasure, then I can forget it.

I let go of the strand, “Thank you for your cooperation.” I said to the unconscious player. I turned to leave when the Voice spoke up behind me.

You're just going to leave him like that? he asked curiously. I stopped and turned around to see the Voice leaning against the player. After all that work, you’re just going to up and leave like nothing happened?

“What do you mean?” I asked.

The Voice stood up and slowly circled the player. Well, think about it. What would happen after you let him go and got your treasure? Hm? he said, You’re both humans and therefore have the same base reactions. Do you honestly think he would let bygones be bygones?

I thought about what I would have done in his position. I shook my head slowly. I thought not.

“What would you have me do then?” I asked, crossing my arms. The Voice grinned sadistically, making me regret asking my question.

Kill him. he said as if he were talking about the weather.

I stared at him blankly for a moment before mentally screaming ‘WHAT!?’ I didn’t want anyone to investigate my shouts.

Oh, come now. Don’t be like that. the Voice said reassuringly, It’s not like it will hurt you.

“Yeah, but what about him?” I pointed to the player, “Erebus said that if we die in this game then it’ll do damage to our minds, possibly kill us!”

The Voice laughed, Is that what you think? he clutched his sides as he was bent over laughing at me, Erebus has lied to you and toyed with your emotions. What’s to say that he didn’t exaggerate the consequences of dying? Hmm? For all you know, you might emerge out of this game in full healthy condition with a slight headache.

I tried to argue but the Voice had a serious point. What did I know other than what possible lies Erebus told me? Also, if I did let the guy go, what’s to stop him from getting revenge on me? I sighed in defeat, “Fine. What do you want me to do?” I asked as I cursed myself.

The Voice put a hand to his chest, What do I want you to do? Actually, it’s more of what you want to do. he pressed a finger into my chest.

“W-what do you mean?” I said unsurely.

The Voice grinned, I’ve been through your head, boy. I know what you know. I do know that there’s a certain trick your brother taught you that you’ve been dying to try out.

My eyes widened, “Bullshit.” But he was right. My brother taught me much about fighting. More than once did I wonder what it would have been like to perform those actions myself.

Don’t lie. Remember, I know you well. I’ve been through your head as you scurry about with your tasks. the Voice said as he stroked the player’s head. Suddenly the player looked like a corpse to me. So go ahead and do it. Hear the sounds you wanted and know how the experience feels with your own hands. It’s the only way to truly know. The Voice came up close to me, inches from my face, And besides, wouldn't it be a mercy to him? To not have to experience this cruel game? he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

My mind raced as it tried to find a way out, but deep down, some animal instinct caused me to cave into my curious temptation. I took a deep breath, then another one. 'He's right,' I thought, 'I'm doing him a favor. I can't escape this game, but that doesn't mean I can't help others out, right?' I tried to convince myself of that but the hollow words seemed to wash away like sand. I went up to the player slowly. Each step seemed heavier than the last. I grasped the player’s head and smacked him awake. His eyes fluttered open and gazed on me as I held his head up.

“It’s nothing personal, really, but when you meet your host or whoever the hell brought you here, tell them ‘Fuck the Police’.” I wrenched my hands like a whip and with a sickening crunch, the player’s head was turned around completely.

The Voice appeared again, placing his hand on my shoulder, Good, good. Now take his form. I know you want to.

My mind went blank as I bit into the player’s flesh. I tried to ignore the sweet taste in my mouth. Only the thought of the loot I could find kept my mind aloof from my feeding.

New Form Acquired: Springheel Jack

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The statue gardens were silent, like they were almost every night, except for the occasional party. No, not even the wind blew tonight. It was a dead night. As if everything was turned off, even the moon's movement in the sky. That is what surrounded Discord's statue. It would have continued if it weren't for the figure suddenly appearing from the darkness of the night's shadows. He stepped slowly towards the statue.

“Why hello, old friend.” Erebus said, breaking the sacred silence like a hammer through glass, “It's been a long time since we last met.” Had anyone else been present, they wouldn't have seen nor heard a thing.

The statue didn't move. Of course not, it was a statue. However it did project the thoughts of the host. “Not long enough it seems.” Discord said, his voice oozing with contempt for the Dark god, “And I had such a good streak before you had to ruin it. Over a thousand years, too. Now I'll have to start over again. Maybe counting by ice cream flavors, this time, perhaps?”

“Why must you be so...stone cold to me?” Erebus chuckled, “Deep down, Discord, I know you missed me. Even after all the fun times we had.”

If the statue could glare, it would have been shooting daggers at Erebus, though knowing it was a Chaos God, it probably would've likely been rubber chickens as well. “Hardly.” he said, “It was your fault that my relationship with Celestia was ruined. You're the one who had me turned to stone by them. Now, I'm asking with every ounce of my patience. What do you want?”

Erebus gave a shark like grin, glad to get down to the brass tacks, but he danced atop them instead. “Oh, I just came to tell you a funny story, really. I assure you, it's quite humorous. I believe it might suit your tastes.”

“Get on with it.” Discord said gruffly. He may be a fun-loving god of Chaos, but when it comes to Erebus, one needs to be on their toes.

Erebus smirked as he spun his tale, “Well, once upon a time, A naïve draconequess of a god decided to play a game.” he said, making a verbal jab that wasn't missed by the statue, “He figured that by bringing in the most volatile race ever to exist into a peaceful world, then much fun could be had. Eventually, word got out to the other gods and they decided to join in. Imagine my surprise when I found out about it. I was positively thrilled” Erebus' eyes held a malicious gleam on that last word, but it disappeared as he continued, “You know me, I did my research and found quite an interesting candidate for myself. It's been very amusing thus far.”

Discord would have glowered at Erebus if he could, “So who's the poor soul you tied up in your barbed strings? Some human with a desperate past, no doubt.”

Erebus simply smiled, “Close but no cigar.” he said, “And really Discord, strings? Your time in stone has left you oblivious to the machinations of humans.” he waved his hand dismissively, “Strings are so Dark Ages. Unlike you, I've advanced with the Humans and their interesting technology. It's given me some good ideas as of late, but I digress. I'll have you know that I'm not using strings, instead I took it a leap further and programmed my victim this time.” Erebus had a very smug grin on his face.

“YOU DID WHAT!?” Discord roared from his cage, “I knew you were a dick, but this is a new low, even for you.”

Erebus looked at his fingernails, ignoring the petrified god's protests, “Please, all I did was put his mind into a certain perspective. Once that was set in, I inserted a virus into his soul, one that will prevent him from asking unnecessary questions and steer him in the direction I need him to go. If all goes well, I believe he'll become a fully-fledged Night Shade within the year. His human soul will be crushed and recycled into a darker soul, fit to work his body to its maximum potential.”

“What's your game, Erebus?” Discord asked, “I know you have some ulterior purpose to this.”

Erebus raised his hands in surrender, “Alright, you caught me.” he said, “I'll tell you what my plan is. Step one, Ensure that he survives by any means possible until the end. Step two, kill off the weak fodder the other, ahem, 'spirits' decided to pull in. Step three,...” Erebus trailed off, then smiled, “That's a secret for much later.”

He pulled back a sleeve on his suit, revealing a bare arm, “Well, Look at the time. It seems my Piece is about to make his first kill. I really must be going.” Erebus turned to leave then stopped and looked over his shoulder behind him, “Oh and don't worry, I'll take care of that precious fat flank you called a girlfriend.” Erebus cackled and vanished as Discord roared once more.

Author's Notes:

Thank you Reaper1543, Thardoc and JJMalcom for helping me with this chapter.

Sorry about the wait, but I've been dealing with Scholarships and school things that have taken up my time, not to mention creativity being a bit low. Honestly, I tried to break this one up, but I couldn't find the right spot.

This chapter also brings up a glaring point in the chessverse. For you authors who want to contribute but aren't sure how to make a lasting story like the canon authors, then make an OC and kill them after five or ten chapters, maybe more. Heck, send me the details of an OC (name, species, appearance, and cause of death) and I'll do it for you (if I can fit it in). There's no rule stating that the pieces HAVE to live. It's your choice. I will post a blog soon about the full details of this project once I get them all down.

Oh and first one to find the reference in the chase scene gets a cookie.

Truths Be Told (27)

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They say that only a true killer could sleep easy at night. I’m glad that I couldn’t sleep, if just for that, but I wanted to wash away my crime in my dreams like sand on the beach. I laid in my hammock ever since I got back from bringing all that treasure from the little hole in the wall at the base of the mountain. It was a good pile; even had some nice jewelry I could sell, but every time I looked, the gold was covered in blood. I stared at the ceiling, wondering if this was what it felt like for my brother when he took his first life. He told me about it, how he threw up after the first mission in which he made several confirmed kills, but now that I did it, I had to wonder if he was downplaying his experience.

Anyone who’s played a violent video game that ends up killing people or monsters take it for granted that those they ‘kill’ aren’t real. They feel justified and secured that they haven’t actually committed murder, even in self-defense. Even if Erebus was a lying bastard, there was no way he could have possibly brought me to some new world like this without putting me in a virtual reality simulator. I mean, I know I just killed another player like me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the action was much more real than it seemed. I snapped his neck, rotating the head like an owl, and extracted those memories almost like it was nothing. The scene played over and over in my mind as I tried to make some sort of sense of it. My only relief was that the Voice disappeared, but even that worried me. Did I do enough evil to keep him quiet or was he sleeping like a baby because it was naptime for him? This pondering of mine only generated more questions than answers, but my biggest question was that if I was so disgusted by my actions, then why did I feel so satisfied with them as well?

The Voice was right. I did want to know what it felt like to kill someone and if someone asked which way I would do it, I would say by snapping the neck. It was clean, quick, and simple. No need for poisons or bullets when you can just twist the body around like a ragdoll. I never thought I would actually do it one day. But holding his head in my hands, where I could feel each bone pop out as I turned, that scared me as it sounded so much like the satisfying popping I do to my own bones. To think that I was inches away from snapping my own neck when I felt the cracks sound out, despite the relief it gave me. I’m no doctor, but that doesn’t sound good at all.

I kept repeating these thoughts through my head for hours. The same questions getting the same answers or lack thereof. Nothing new could be found unless someone showed me, but who could I ask? I was jolted out of my thoughts by a rapping on my door. “Who is it?” I asked once I composed myself. I slowly sat up in my hammock. Well, ‘sitting up’ being the relative term with my Base form.

“Princess Luna.” the owner of the voice said before opening the door. She walked in with a regal step, her mane flowing beside her, moving in some unknown wind. “I came to see thou off and finalize some details of our bargain. For the records of course.” she said, then stopped and looked me over, “Did thou not get any sleep last night?”

“No. But it doesn’t bother me much since I can go long without sleep.” I said, not wanting to talk about my problems to my employer. Luna seemed to buy it.

“I see. Well, I shall have to ask thou a few questions to start off.” she said, “Firstly, what is the name of this mercenary group?”

‘Group name?’ I thought with a bit of surprise, ‘Actually now that I think about it, I never really had that. Hmm…a name…’ I scanned my thoughts for a fitting name. I need something that represents us but not something cliché or utterly ridiculous. I wanted it to be short, simple and direct. I thought over several, but none of them seemed to fit. The only ones that came relatively close were only for short term, not meant for years on end if I needed it. Damn, names are harder than I thought. “Can I get back to you on that?” I asked with a sheepish grin, “I don’t exactly have anything at the moment.”

Luna nodded, “If thou wish, but I will need that name for the record. Now what is thine title in this group? Captain, I would presume?”

I grimaced, “Eh, Captain just sounds too weird for me.” I said, “Captain Gunhaver. I feel like I’m coughing up a furball when I say that.” Luna gave a small chuckle at my words, but I wasn’t joking. It really sounded weird. I tried several other words in front of my in-game name, but they just didn’t roll off the tongue like I wanted. I was still hesitant to use my actual name, in case another Host like Erebus decided to do that weird full profile research on me. Besides, what sort of dumbass uses their real name for their game name?

I shifted my thoughts back to my new title. ‘Perhaps just the title itself?’ I thought, ‘It worked for the Doctor, so why not me?’ I repeated my process. Once again, some titles didn’t feel right and others just didn’t fit me at all, but there was one that I did happen to like. “The Director.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, “Director Gunhaver?”

I waved a hand, “Yes, but I'd prefer it if you addressed me by either my name or the title itself, 'Director’.” Simple, self-explanatory and slightly sinister. I love it.

“Very well then, Director.” she said, “Now, what symbol shall be representing thou?”

I bit my lip, “Um, I’ll have to get back to you on that as well.” I said, then she gave me a flat look, “What? I never thought I’d actually be doing this so I never really had time to think about it. I would have gotten around to it eventually.”

Luna sighed, “Fine, I will give thee time to think upon thy names, but I will need them by the end of this week.”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“I hope so.” She unloaded several more questions about me, my ship or my group. Little things mostly, such as the name of the ship, it’s current armament (which was mostly the crew’s personal weapons and the ship’s dragon scale hull), and the possible course I’ll be taking in my hunting. As she asked and I answered, I hoped there was one question she wouldn’t ask. I wasn’t afraid of the question itself, but what the answer to that question might be. To my dismay, she asked it regardless.

“How many are in your crew?” she asked.

“That...is a very good question.” I said, and then sighed in defeat, “To be honest, I don't even know who's left. I kinda gave them a chance to leave and go home back to their friends and family. Considering what’s all that happened to them, I won’t be surprised if most of them are gone. All I do know is that a handful are staying. I don't much care what their reasons are, so long as I have people to help back me up.”

“Well, shall we go find out?” Luna suggested, pointing a hoof to the door. I nodded, though a bit reluctantly, and lead the way to the mess hall where those who stayed to be in the crew would go for breakfast. I stopped at the doors and gripped the handle, not opening it yet. I took a deep breath and opened the door, bracing for the sight of a skeleton crew.

I blinked. ‘What. The. Actual. Fuck?’ I thought as I looked into the room. The place was packed with dogs, ponies, and griffins, every one of them talking and eating food. I was too stunned at the sight to make a proper head count. Eventually, my shock was broken by the sound and sight of everyone coming to attention and turning their eyes on me. I gave a cough to clear my throat, “Where is Check Mark?” I said, projecting my voice.

“Right here, sir.” a voice nearby said. A chair was pushed back and I heard the sound of hooves on wood coming towards me. Once the familiar old orange pony came into sight, I gave a wave to everyone else, putting them at ease. They immediately went back to talking and eating.

Check Mark trotted up to Luna and I and bowed before her, “Hello, Princess.” he said respectfully. Luna bid him to rise and he did as he turned to me next. “How can I be of service?” he asked.

“What’s the final count on the crew who will be going?” I crossed my fingers behind my back and silently prayed for a good count.

“Unless somepony comes crawling back while we’re talking, we have three hundred forty three crew members, myself included.” He said stoically. I whistled in amazement, and then frowned.

“So how many actually left?” I asked. I didn’t know the number of dogs we took aboard at Ruby Hollow, so I’m not sure about the net gain of members.

“Thirteen.” he answered, “Most of them were going back to their families and the safety of their homes.”

“Ah, well that’s much better than I had anticipated.” I said, “Back to your post then.” Check Mark nodded and turned away, trotting back to his food. I moved out into the corridor with Luna following me. If I had legs at the moment, I would have had an extra spring in my step from the good news.

“I take it from your excitement that you are ready to begin your hunt?” Luna asked.

“Of course.” I said, spinning around to face her, “We shall be ready to leave within the hour. Now,” I clapped my hands together, “I have some questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

If Luna was surprised at my request, she didn’t show it. “Ask away.”

“Is there anyone I should keep an eye out for?” I asked, “I’d hate to accidentally maim a colleague or someone of importance. Plus I haven’t exactly been caught up with the times around here.” I had to ask this in case there was another player who was some influential person in the game. It would be really awkward if I killed them and caused some war or destroyed a country. If my brother were here, he'd never let me live it down too.

“Indeed there are several.” she said with a nod, and then lit up her horn. An image of an insect-pony-thing with a large guitar that had rainbow colored strings appeared. I noticed it had a silver aura around it’s body. “This is Sir Knightmare. He is, for lack of a better term, your counterpart.” I assume she saw the confused look on my face when she continued, “He works for my sister as you work for me.” The image changed to show a large creature with an ugly face and a metal arm and cross bow. He had a silver aura as well. “This is Celt. Although he isn’t under employ of the crown and has caused some trouble recently, I won’t mind if you give him a beating.”

“You sure? Because I think the ugly stick beat me to it.” I quipped. Luna tried to give me a glare but her mouth threatened to break out into laughter. She gave a cough and changed the image to a tall wolf that stood on two legs. He (which I assume from the clothes that it was a guy) had a red eye and a blue eye and carried a sword at his hip. To be honest, he looked like one of those wandering swordsmen from Japanese manga and anime. I had to wonder if the guy was a legit swordsman or some wannabe waving a sharp stick. Also, I barely noticed a silver aura around him due to his fur. ‘Is every one of these people a player like me?’ I wondered.

“This is Aoi. He’s quite an interesting fellow to speak to from what I’ve heard.” she said. I made a mental note to ask this guy a few questions if I ever met him. Luna changed the picture again to a small black dragon, about the size of Magnus, though maybe a bit smaller. She too, had a silver aura. “This is Ember. I suggest you stay clear, or at least cautious, of her. She can certainly put up a serious fight when provoked.”

I frowned, “I’ve already had enough dealings with dragons. I don’t want to put up with that any more than I have to.”

Luna gave me a brief questioning look before she changed the picture again. I had to bite back a protest when I saw the familiar image form, silver aura and all. “This is Captain Griffin of the Griffin Pirates.” I had to hold back the urge to facepalm through my skull.

‘Is he an egotistical narcissist or just has no fucking originality?’ I thought, but then something else came to mind. “Wait, does that mean he doesn’t have a bounty on his head anymore?” I asked.

Luna shook her head, “No, he was pardoned for his deeds a while ago.”

I grimaced, “Welp, there goes my revenue plan.” Seeing the confused look on Luna’s face, I explained, “I had a bounty paper of him and I was going to bring you his head on a platter. No, not literally. But since there’s no bounty, I got no reason to bother him.”

Luna still gave me a suspicious glare, “That is for the best since Griffin is working hard to free slaves from the Diamond Dog dens and create a new nation for the griffins.” Okay, I couldn't help but recall the story Druel told me on the trip here. If this Griffin really was as noble and heroic as Luna made him out to be, then I'm going to punch the bastard in the face for being the two-faced hypocritical asshole he is. Unlike most kids my age, I watch the news, mostly out of request from my brother and to see the progress of the war overseas, and seeing those politicians lie through their teeth about their actions or events really pisses me off. I had to contain my displeasure and keep a poker face up.

“Whoop de fucking do for him then.” I said unenthusiastically, “Now, if you don't mind, can we continue?” In all honesty, I give it ten years tops before Griffin's little “enterprise” collapses. Hell, I might do it myself just to spite him.

“Of course.” Luna said, changing the picture. This time six mares appeared, each covered in a golden aura. I swear I felt my eyes bleed a bit from the sight. The ponies I've put up with on the way here were pretty legit, but these six were femininity incarnate. There was a unicorn colored in probably every shade of purple imaginable, a blue pegasus with rainbow hair, a neon pink earth pony that looked like it spent too much time playing with static electricity from the looks of her hair, a yellow pegasus with a pink mane (Okay, I'll admit, she was kinda adorable), a pristine white unicorn who had the air of a fashion diva, and an earth pony with a stetson hat that made her look like a cowboy. The irony is strong in the last one and now that I think about it, she doesn't really look feminine at all.

“These are the Elements of Harmony: Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and AppleJack.” Luna pointed to each of them in turn, “They are Equestria's national heroes.”

'If these are the heroes, I wonder what the Army looks like?' I thought. “Do they live here in Canterlot?” I asked.

“No, they all currently reside in Ponyville.” Luna replied.

“Huh, you'd think national heroes would live somewhere more fancy.” I said to no one in particular. After those images, it was a blur of even more players and important ponies. Some mental zebra, a winged wolf, an anthro cat person, a black and green wolf thing, and several other strange creatures all had the silver aura. I made a small note of their appearance at least to remember them by.

Now there were a few with a golden aura. Some princess and her husband, and a large white alicorn like Luna. The rest didn't have the aura I noticed that there wasn't many important griffins, zebras or Diamond dogs. Did they not have VIPs or were ponies just that racist to not acknowledge them?

“Is that it?”

The images disappeared, “Yes, unless you wish to learn about the nobles as well.” Luna said, almost threateningly.

“Nope, I'm good.” I gave a quick shake of my head. Luna chuckled.

“Do you have anything else to say or do before we make this official?” she said, putting on an air of authority.

I was about to say no but there was one little detail poking at the back of my mind. “There's something I need to do first.” I said before floating off. I arrived at the bridge where Star Streak was poring over some newer looking maps. Seems like I wasn't the only one who went to town. I dismissed him after he stood at attention when we appeared. I moved over next to the wheel and grabbed a gem on a wire. I flicked a switch and spoke all over the ship. “Attention all crew. Report to the Main deck. I repeat, report to the main deck.” I turned the comm system off and glanced at Star Streak, “You too, Star.”

Star nodded and left his work on the table. Luna and I followed him down to the main deck where everyone was congregating as ordered. Star melded into the crowd and Luna and I stood at the front. I waited a few minutes for most everyone to appear. As the numbers grew, so did the noise of murmurs of questions on what was to happen. I silenced that with a piercing whistle.

“Listen up,” I said, projecting my voice, “I want to commend you all on your will to stay. However, I believe it's long past time I point out the giant skeleton in the closet.” Most of the dogs were confused but those I saw of the original crew started to realize what I was about to do.

“I heard your story through Druel.” I started off, “I know what you've been through and what your previous Alpha did. However, his actions had some unintended effects. One of the ships he sent out to round up workers happened across my island. The Dogs tried to capture the Zebra tribe there. Unfortunately for them, I was guarding the tribe.” Some of the Dogs were starting to realize what I was saying, so I continued, “I did my duty to the tribe and protected them. That meant I had to capture or kill the invaders.” Gasps and small protests sounded through the crowd, once again silenced by a piercing whistle. Good thing I wasn't in my Dog form, otherwise that would've hurt.

“Let me finish!” I shouted, “Yes, the Dogs are dead, either from the attack or on the trip to your den. I took the ship they used and eventually turned it into the one you stand upon.” Upon saying that, many of the Dogs stared at the floor and ship as if they stood upon a hot plate, about to get burned to a crisp. “I intended to attack your den in retaliation for attacking the tribe and taking the slaves, but upon seeing your own misery, I felt that fate had already taken it's toll on you. You had so much taken from you that attacking you would make me no better than those who rounded up the workers.” One by one, the Dogs began to perk up and look at me, almost in a new light.

“I've seen much worse than what you've been through.” I said, remembering the images my brother sent me every month. It was never fun looking at those pictures of the carnage of war, but I'm glad my bother sent them to me. It showed me how well off I was and how my brother was going to protect that. “I almost wish I felt worse than what you've been through.” I tried to become desensitized to those pictures but for some reason, it never worked past the gruesome physical injuries of the innocent bystanders. Every time I saw them I could almost feel the pain in my own body, forcing me to put it down and look away, but the memory stayed fresh in my mind. Luckily, I've forced myself to forget most of them.

I was breathing pretty heavy now as I spoke, “I do not regret killing them to protect the tribe and free the workers.” I said calmly, “My only regret is that I didn't know the full story. Taking care and protecting you all is my redemption for that mistake. That is why I'm going to make this company. To cast off and redeem ourselves of past mistakes.” Most everyone had their full attention on me. Some glad, others shocked and several, to my surprise, giving a cheer here and there.

“Lumen Project.” I whispered as I pulled out my butterfly knife and moved it through the air, creating a contrail of light. I created a circle as I spoke out, “We accept anyone, regardless of race so long as they don't bring harm to us.”

Next was a chevron but with one half pointing straight up, “We guard and protect the innocent and weak by any means necessary.” Some dogs and griffins started to cheer while a few ponies stamped on the deck.

I drew another chevron, but this looked like a mirror image of the first, “We finish the fights we start and complete the jobs we take unless it comes to harm the group or the innocent and weak.”

The last chevron I drew was in a normal position, sitting under the fist two and completing the image, “We will always become stronger, every second, every day. Should we be beaten, we come back twice as strong!” By this time, everyone was cheering and I had to shout, pointing my knife to the center of the symbol in the air.

“And such is our creed. WE ARE THE FREELANCERS!”

"OO-RAH!” the entire crew shouted.

Luna stepped forward and turned to me and conjured a medallion with my group's new symbol. She flipped it around to show an image of a crescent moon. “Gunhaver, do you and the Freelancers swear to protect my homeland, Equestria? Do you swear that if the time rises you come to our aid? Will you and your company help keep the peace where others cannot? Do you swear that you will not break the law, unless it cannot be avoided? Will you answer my or my sisters call in our darkest hours?”

“I so swear.” I said over the noise.

Luna ignited her horn, “From this moment on, I do commission The Freelancers and its Director, Gunhaver.” she announced as she touched the tip to the floating symbol. The symbol compressed into a ball and split into two bolts of light that shot out and up the sides of the ship.

“Your symbol is now engraved onto the side of your ship and upon thine flag.” Luna said.

'Flag? What flag?' I thought but Luna continued, “Use this symbol as a part of my authority, but only when necessary.” she said warningly, “I will find out if you abuse this privilege.”

“Of course, ma'am.” I replied, taking the medallion. I then reached into my pocket and pulled out a spare Gemcomm that I keep on me in case of emergencies. “Here, you can communicate with me personally by this. Just tap the gem and speak. Granted, it's a prototype, so you may have to put some extra power into it.”

Luna scrutinized the bejeweled band, “I see. This is quite the interesting piece of technology you have here.” she said.

I shrugged, “I try.”

“I wish you good luck to your hunt.” Luna said as she spread her wings to leave.

I gave a small salute, “Thanks, I'm going to need it.” Luna left, and I saw the crew start to disperse with a new energy. “Let's roll.” I said to myself.

Shore Leave (28)

View Online

Dear Flamel,

I know that thou are not as familiar with us as my sister but in the brief time we have met, I agree that you are the best one suited for this job. As we must attend to our annoying necessary duties to Equestria, we cannot monitor everything that happens. I wish for thou to keep a close eye on this Gunhaver character for me. Something is not right with him, but I can’t put my hoof on it. I was rather surprised that he has such conviction for making amends for his past deeds considering what he is. Nonetheless, he has shown determination and aptitude for leadership and that can be a dangerous thing. Also, I urge thou to find out where and how much he knows about Rune Crafting. The strange communication device he gave me is disturbingly similar to the devices made before my banishment.

Sincerely,

Princess Luna

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“Alright, we’ve got a lot to do and little time to do it in. I don’t plan on staying in this town longer than we have to. We need to start searching for signs of the Banshees as soon as possible.” I said. I was up on the bridge with Flamel, Storm Cloud, Check Mark, Star Streak, Magnus, Druel, and Meta, all of us around a table that was littered with maps that Star picked up in Canterlot. Right now we were parked just on the outskirts of Ponyville after our commission in Canterlot. I pointed to an enhanced version of a map of Ponyville on the table that Star Streak provided.

“Druel, I want you to take about fifty of the Dogs and search around the village for anything we can use. Lumber, ores, food, and things like that. As long as we don’t have to purchase it.” I pointed at certain locations along the borders, “Try the forest here and Rambling Rock Ridge. The quarry looks good as well.”

Druel stared thoughtfully at my suggestions. “We still have a few miners that can work that, but my concern is other possible dens. I doubt they would like any intruders on their land.”

“Hmm, good point. We don’t exactly have enough time to teach you all the life detect spell I have so you’ll be going in blind.” I thought for a second about any other possible solutions. “Go there and when you dig, try to keep an eye out for any signs of life. You should probably take on of the unicorns along as well to do a detection spell if they can.”

“And if we come across another den?”

I tapped the map a few times as I thought aloud, “We have some basic weapons and armor in the armory. Granted, I haven’t been able to acquire more than swords, bows and spears, but it’ll have to do. Grab some of that and if we get some good resources I’ll be able to expand the armory.”

“That’s as good as it’s going to get, I suppose.” Druel said, “I’ll bring along several of our fighters. I know there’s a handful still able to wield a blade.”

I nodded and silently wished for more people like Druel. Straight to the point analysis. He’ll make a good officer. “Make do with what you have. When you get back, be sure to have Check Mark here catalog it.” I said, “Now, Storm, I want you and Flamel to go through the town and pick up some more supplies. Sweet Apple Acres looks like a good place for grocery and they might have some rope and basic construction equipment. Most farms do. Rack up what you can and I’ll handle the bill.”

Storm chuckled, “That’s never a good idea to say that to a mare unless you have the bits.” Then she became serious, “On that note, do we have enough money? What about the other stores?” she asked.

I turned to Check Mark, “How much money do we have?” Funny, you’d think that after living on this ship since its creation, I’d know how much money is aboard.

Check Mark, who was wearing an old brown vest covered in straps and pockets pulled out a small notebook and quill. He flipped through a few pages before stopping on one that was filled with markings I couldn't read from my position. “I'm no pawn jeweler but I made an estimate that the gold and gems that we picked up from Magnus' den here, we have, at the very least, approximately fifty thousand bits give or take five grand.” he said, then gave me a flat stare, “Also, it doesn't help our finances if you keep dipping into the gems for your little experiments.”

“Hey, at least I told you first.” I grumbled, “I don't see you complaining about Magnus, or the crew for that matter, eating them.”

“That's because it's part of their diet, not yours.” Check said, not faltering in his gaze or looking away as he stuffed the notebook back into his vest.

I rolled my eyes, “Whatever, Storm, Flamel, both of you take a small chest of the stuff and any crew that can help carry and go get supplies. Check Mark, go through the supply list we have and list what we'll need for a long voyage with a crew this size.” The three of them gave a nod and set off to complete the order. I now turned to Meta. “I want you and your brother to start training the crew in combat. Get as many healthy dogs as you can into the training rooms. Go over the hand to hand combat I've taught you and try to get in some sparring, with and without weapons. I want them to be ready to fight on a moment's notice.”

Meta grinned, “Time to break in the fresh meat.” he growled with a chuckle.

“Just don't dislocate their shoulders this time.” I said warningly, “Go easy on them.”

Meta just shrugged, “What? It wasn't my fault that he didn't cry uncle.”

I rolled my eyes, “Don't do it again.” Meta nodded and turned to leave. “Druel, go help him pick out trainees. You know your pack the best.” I said. Druel nodded and padded out to catch up with Meta's stride.

“What would you have me do?” Magnus asked.

“I actually don’t have much for you beyond ‘keep training’.” I said, “Do you need something to do?”

“Anything to stave off boredom.” Magnus said with a snort, “As much as I’ve been training, I need something else to do.”

“Why don’t you go play with your sister? I’m sure she’d like that.”

“Depends if I can get her away from her new friends for today.” He grumbled, “I haven’t seen her a waking moment without one of them.”

I had to laugh a bit, “Magnus, the big strong dragon, is afraid of his sister’s friends?” Magnus gave me a growl, but I was too amused to care. “Just go and spend the day with her.” I said, “Small towns like this have a few good places to eat and play.”

“I’ll think about it.” Magnus said before walking out of the room.

When Magnus was out of earshot, Star Streak spoke up, “I don’t know about you but Magnus seems like a loose cannon about to blow.”

“He’s a teenager. Of course he seems that way.” I replied dismissively, “Add on that he’s had the responsibility of protecting his sister suddenly thrust upon him can put on a lot of strain.” I felt the memories of the event come back up with bile so I looked back at the map to plan my day with a forced intent. I could feel Streak’s eyes on me, but I tried to ignore it, letting the silence hang in the air.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He said eventually, “You couldn't have possibly known.”

“If I knew then what I knew now, I wouldn't be here and none of this would have happened.”

“Yeah, well life sucks like that.”

I gave Streak a flat glare, “You really know how to make a person feel better, don't you?”

“I'm an astrologist, not a psychologist.” he deadpanned, “Feelings aren’t in my job description.”

“Touche.”

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Pearl's POV

I jumped up and down in excitement at the news my brother had given me. We were going to see the pony town! I never seen anything like it before since I was never allowed to leave the island. What would it be like? Do ponies live in homes made of sticks or rocks? What kind of games did they play? Ooh, were there any dragons among them? This stream of questions was cut off as I was grabbed by the tail and hoisted upside down in the air, soon facing my brother.

“Maggie!” I said, using my nickname for him, which he didn’t like, “Put me down!” I tried to reach up and pry his claws off my tail. Unfortunately, due to the universal laws of big brothers, he was stronger than me and I didn’t have a chance of escaping, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying.

“I can see you’re excited but you need to calm down a bit.” he said, ignoring my attempts, “I don’t want you running off and getting lost again. Remember last year?”

I stopped trying to escape and pouted, “Hey, I was just trying to play with that bird and I almost had it too.”

“Nonetheless, I want you to stay close to me when we go.” He said sternly, “Promise?”

“I promise.” I swung myself forward and gave him an upside down hug around his neck. A thought came to me, “Hey can I ask some of my friends if they can come as well?” I asked. Maybe one of them live here? I never really asked where they were from. Then again, we were too busy playing to ask questions beyond names.

Magnus gave me the Look of Thought where he hmms and thinks about my request. Usually that Look led to the Smile of Acceptance where he lets me do as I asked. Why do older siblings and parents do that if they’re going to just let me do my thing anyways? Are they trained to do it or is it a part of being an adult? Why do they make so make funny and weird movements with their faces? Like that one look when Daddy and Mommy looked sleepy but they were active enough to play around with each other. Adults are strange.

Magnus finally gave me an answer after he Hmmed enough. “Only if their family will let them.” he said. The answer was a slight blow to my hope, but that was still technically a “yes”.

I grinned, “YAY!” I shouted with glee and scampered off to find my friends, not noticing that my brother had let go of my tail. After some running around under the adult’s legs and asking questions, I managed to get Astrid, Tails, and Airsoft. Rover was busy playing with the other pups and showing them around the ship, especially the obstacle course and the some of the secret places we found. I couldn’t blame him wanting to be around his own kind, especially now that there were a lot more. Stepper and Sanctum were in time out after they stole extra snacks from the kitchens. They were cheered up a bit when I promised to bring something back for them. The four of us swiftly got off the ship and went into the town.

It. Was. Amazing! There were so many sights and sounds and smells. It was much different than back home or what I saw of that fancy pony city from the ship. I noticed a statue in the middle of the road up ahead and used my tail to tap my friend’s shoulders. “Last one to the statue is a rotten egg!” I said before taking off on all fours. It was the only way I was going to have any speed over the others.

Soon enough, to my dismay, Astrid was flying above me, gaining speed. “Nyeh!” she jeered at me playfully. However, she was the next to be surprised when she was yanked back. I chanced a glance and saw Airsoft grabbing onto her tail and pulling her behind him. He always resorted to those tricks when we played. “No fair!” Astrid cried out as she tried to right herself.

“That's for the wet willies you gave me!” he shouted back.

“I already told you! That was Rover!” she screeched

“Yeah, just like how he ate my snacks as well.” They bickered for a bit, slowly forgetting the race.

“I think Air has gone soft for Astrid.” A voice said next to me with a giggle. I nearly stumbled and turned to see Steam Tail had caught up to me...and was not even touching the ground. She just giggled at my surprise, “When you guys started calling me Tails, Mister Gunhaver told me about some creature with the same name and how he could fly. Look!” I gazed up to see her horn glowing maroon and a similar aura covering her tail which was spinning rapidly, holding her rump aloft. I felt a bit sad. She was about my age and she could fly. Tails isn't even a Pegasus! I wished I could grow up there and get my wings. As much as I liked running, I wanted to fly on my own. Maybe even have Mommy teach-

I slowed to a stop, letting Tails get ahead and win the race. Astrid and Airsoft broke out of their argument from Tails' victory cheer and sped ahead of me. I watched them play up ahead at the statue, completely oblivious of me. I gave a small sniffle.

“Is something wrong?” I heard my brother's voice appear above me. He was big and strong. How did he cope with it? I've never seen him cry over it at night. I pushed back my sorrow and shook my head. “No, I'm fine.” I said despite how I actually felt. He raised an eyebrow of suspicion at me, so I gave him a hug around one of his arms, “I’ll tell you later.” He seemed to accept that. I was about to catch up with my friends when I heard voices cry out nearby, “Is that a DRAGON?!”

I turned to see three colts about my age run towards me. Startled by their appearance, I stumbled backwards with a small yelp. I was soon surrounded by a lean white Pegasus with a messy brown mane, a grayish blue Pegasus with a short windswept mane, and an Earth pony that was white and covered in brown spots with a short brown mane.

“Way to go, Feather. You scared her.” The gray Pegasus said to the white Pegasus.

Feather looked away sheepishly, “Sorry, I just got a bit excited there.” He started fiddling around with the camera around his neck. As those two started to argue, the Earth pony pushed them apart, “Oi, the two o’ you need to break it up.” He said then extended a hoof to me, “Th’ names Pipsqueak. Pip for short. These two blockheads are Rumble,” he pointed to the blue Pegasus, “and Featherweight.” he pointed to the white Pegasus, “What’s your name?”

“Pearl.” I said quickly.

Pipsqueak grinned, “That’s a nice name, though ya look more like a gem than a pearl.” I felt heat rise in my face when he said that. I barely registered Magnus giving a snort of smoke above me along with a growl. “Woah!” Pipsqueak yelped in surprise, just now noticing my brother, “’Ello gov’nor. Are you Pearl’s brother?”

“Yes.” Magnus growled.

Pipsqueak giggled, “That figures. Ya didn’t look old enough to be ‘er dad. I read about that in a book once.” He said proudly, then turned back to me, “Hey, are you two new in town?”

I nodded, “Yes, but it’s not just me. My other friends are here too.” I noticed that they were making their way back to us from the fountain. Astrid flew over first. “Hey, Pearl. Who are these ponies?” I quickly made the introductions between them. Once that was finished, Pipsqueak spoke up. “Since you all are new. We’ll give you a tour around the town. Follow us!” They sped off and we followed.

For the next few hours, the three colts showed us around town. My brother just hung back close behind us, watching like a hawk, never letting us out of his sight and ready to intervene. We saw the school house, the meadows, and some of the candy stores where we got a few treats thanks to this strange pink pony. As we walked, Pipsqueak struck up a conversation, asking us questions as we walked. We talked about where we were from and what kind of things we liked to do and what adventures we've had recently. Basically, the important stuff kids talk about. Pipsqueak was very surprised and excited when we told him about the ship we traveled on, but was a bit sad when he found out we weren't pirates. Regardless, he kept asking about us. “So are you all gonna stay 'ere or jus' passing by?” Pipsqueak asked at one point.

“Passing by.” I said, “We're going to hunt monsters!” At this the three colts stopped and turned to look at me in shock and awe.

“Really?” Rumble asked, “What kind of monsters?”

“Do they live under a pony's beds?” Featherweight asked nervously.

I shook my head, “I don't know. I only saw them for a little bit. They looked too big to fit under a bed.”

“Are you kidding?” Astrid interjected, “Those things gave me the creeps, the way they burst out of the ground like that. Not that I'm scared of them or anything. They were creepy.” I glanced behind her to see Airsoft smile mischievously before he grabbed Astrid on her hind legs with a loud, “Banshee!” Astrid gave a yelp, then blushed furiously and proceeded to chase Airsoft around the street.

The rest of us ignored them, but the three colts exchanged looks for a second. “Know what that means?” Pip asked, “We need to find out how to hunt these monsters! To the library!” He led the way as we scrambled to the library. We reached our destination (which was a tree!) and realized a big problem, none of us could reach the handle and Astrid was still chasing Airsoft. Pipsqueak took the first action by pushing Rumble and Featherweight around until they made a pyramid. “Alright, somepony has ta go an' open the door. We'll hold you up.”

Tails seemed a bit nervous to go, so I went instead. I placed a claw on Rumble's back, careful not to scratch him, and then pushed myself up and on top of them. After a few seconds of finding my balance, I grabbed the handle and pushed. At that exact moment, the door started to open and a voice emanated from within, “Hey, Twi. I'm gonna go and see if Rarity needs help with-” he was cut off as our little pyramid was pulled forward, causing us all to tumble to the ground.

I heard my brother’s heavy foot falls as he came towards me, “Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” I said as I recovered from the tumble. It’s a good thing Dragons have hard scales, otherwise it would’ve hurt a lot more. I squirmed out of the pile and saw that I had fallen on top of not a pony, but a dragon like me. He was about my size with purple scales and green underbelly and spines. Right now, he lay lying on his side, facing away from me. I gasped, “Oh my gosh! A dragon!” I yelled as I leaped off of him. He slowly got up and looked at me. He blinked, “Huh? Who're you?” he asked.

I grinned, “I'm Pearl. What's your name?”

“Spike.” he said bluntly as he looked at the colts just now getting untangled. I giggled a bit. “What?” he asked.

“It's a funny name.” I said. Spike sputtered as his face turned a bit red, “No it isn't.”

I only nodded, “Uh huh. It's like being called 'Leg', or 'Arm'. What kind of dragon names their hatchling after a body part?” Spike grimaced.

“I wasn't named by a dragon. I was named by a unicorn filly.” he grumbled. Now it was my turn to blink in surprise.

“Huh? How come?” I asked, “Where are your parents?” I wondered briefly if he suffered a fate similar to mine. ‘That would be terrible!’ I thought. I suddenly felt really bad about what I said.

Spike, however, just shrugged, “I was born when Twilight got my egg to hatch during a test. Never really knew where my actual parents were and Twi’s the closest thing to a mom, so it’s not that bad.”

“Oh. That’s good, I guess.” I said. A small awkward silence filled the air between them, but it was soon broken by Rumble. “Hey Spike, do you have any books on monsters?” he asked, pulling his last leg free of the pony pile.

Spike gave him a confused look, “Yeah, but why do you need them? Nightmare Night won’t be here for months yet.” I wondered what this ‘Nightmare Night’ was. Stepper and Sanctum mentioned it once but didn’t really elaborate much on it. I’ll have to ask later.

“We know, but she,” he pointed a hoof at me, “said that they’re going to be hunting monsters.”

Spike’s eyes turned straight back to me, wide as ever. “Really?” he asked incredulously. I felt a bit of heat rise to my face from the sudden attention as I nodded. “Awesome!” he shouted, “What kind of monsters?”

“That’s wot we came ‘ere for, Spike.” Pip said, “We need to find out wot we can so we can help them hunt the monsters!”

Spike gave him a skeptical look, “Hunting them, but wouldn’t that be dangerous?”

“It’ll be fine. My brother can scare off any monster.” I said proudly. It was true too. He fought off Gunhaver until they stopped for some reason. Of course, Gunhaver wasn’t trying to attack us. He was tricked by that big meanie Erebus, just like my parents were. I just hope the two of them can catch the meanie like they promised.

“Brother?” Spike asked, and then he was suddenly enveloped in a cloud of smoke. I gave a glare at my brother that said I didn’t want him covering my friends in smoke. He just gave me a smirk, whatever that meant. I need to learn more grown-up face talk. Spike coughed a bit as he tried to disperse the smoke. He turned to look at the origin of the fumes and recoiled in surprise, “Whoa! How did I miss him?” he wondered aloud.

“Spike!” A voice called from above, “Did you burn something?”

Spike rolled his eyes, “No, Twilight. You have safety spells for that, remember?”

“Then why do I smell smoke?” Twilight asked. ‘Is that the pony that took care of Spike?’ I wondered.

“It wasn’t me! It was the other dragon!” He yelled. Twilight’s laugh rang from above.

“Nice try, Spike.” she said, “Crack a window open. I don’t want other ponies smelling smoke on the books, much less myself.”

Spike’s eye twitched, “But- I-He…ugh, fine.” He said before walking over to a window nearby and opening it as told. ‘This Twilight doesn’t sound very nice.’ I thought. Spike came back over to us, “So, I’ll go find the books and we can plan the whole hunting thing over at the park.” he said. The rest of us nodded. This was going to be the best hunt ever!

The Hunt is Afoot! (29)

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Gunhaver's POV

“Can it be done?” I asked.

“Well, it's certainly an...interesting request.” the mare in front of me said.

“You're avoiding the question, miss.” I said with a flat glare. My patience was starting to wear thin as I didn't want to be in this building longer than necessary. I was starting to consider taking my business elsewhere but I needed a tailor, not a retail store and I doubted I could find something in Canterlot that wasn't expensive.

The mare bit her lip and looked back at my request that she had written down. “It'll be difficult. Certainly nothing I've ever made before.”

“Who said I was letting you make it for me?” I said curtly cutting her off, “I just need a professional opinion on this design as this area of work isn't my forte. I'm building my own set of it, you can make the rest for your own personal profit.” The mare had an indignant look on her face, slightly confused as if wondering whether to be complimented or insulted. I seized the moment by leaning in closer to her, putting my fingers into a steeple. “How about this, Miss Rarity? You make the design and I can give you the credit and copyrights for you to sell the product as you wish, but I want a share of the profits, forty percent should do.” Hey if I had an idea for sale, I might as well get some money out of it. Besides, it's another stream of steady income. I should probably set up a bank account somewhere or something.

Rarity sputtered a bit, trying to regain control. “I...buh..wah...f-forty?!” she took a deep breath to compose herself, “No, I cannot allow that. I believe ten percent is better. This 'universal' design may not be a hit so I wouldn't want to inconvenience you with a product that doesn't sell.” She gave a false grin, hoping I would buy it. I didn't.

I smirked, “The only reason it wouldn't sell is if the designer does a poor job of their work and from what I see in your store, you do an excellent job.” Of course I wouldn't actually wear most of it, but I can still appreciate a job well done. “Thirty five percent.”

“How dare you!” Rarity huffed, “My fabrics and designs are so fine that even nobles from Canterlot come flocking down to buy them. Fifteen percent.”

'I'm enjoying this more than I should be.' I thought. “Really?” I asked, “I didn't seem to hear mention of your name when the ponies talked of fashion designs.” Not a total lie. I never actually left the ship much after the night in the statue gardens. “This design is made for any species, and thus a bigger market than petty nobles. Thirty percent.”

A few hairs from her purple mane sprung up, “W-w-what?” she stammered, “B-but...” I swooped in to take damage control.

“Listen, I'm only trying to help.” I said reassuringly, “If, no, when this takes off, your name will appear far more often. You might even be able to open up chain stores in other cities.” 'Damn, I could make a slip n' slide out of these words.' I thought smugly, ‘When did I get so good at this?’. The white mare bit her lip in thought and was silent for a full minute before speaking. “Twenty five percent and not a bit more.”

I smiled and nodded my head, “Of course. Pleasure doing business with you.” I said, “When can I expect it to be done?”

“Give me a few weeks. I do need to come up with more than one design.” Rarity put a hoof to her chest, “After all, one does not simply rush perfection.” My respect for this mare went up a few notches.

“I expect nothing less.” I turned to leave, “I’ll return in a few weeks if my job allows me.” I waved goodbye and left the store. I had been walking around making payments and a few orders. Small towns often had unique stores and I couldn’t pass up the chance to look around. It reminded me a bit of the times my family strolled through my hometown, always going to that ice cream store next to the playground, good times. I strolled around the town in my Dog form, but in my human form down memory lane. It was nice, seeing a peaceful village with normal day to day happenings. They didn’t know the terrors of the world outside their own home. Those that did only came here to settle down and forget about it.

After a while, I heard some yelling and turned to see a group of kids on a small hill out in the open. Looking closer I saw that it was Pearl, Astrid, Airsoft and Tails, along with some faces I didn’t recognize, all gathered around some object of interest. I saw Magnus resting in the shade of a tree near them with eyes on their every move. I had nothing much else to do so I went over and sat down next to him. “I thought you were going to play with Pearl today?” I asked casually.

Magnus gave a snort of smoke, “I was, but she wanted to bring along her friends to play. How could I say no to her with the large smile on her face?” he said not moving a muscle, “as long as she’s happy, I’m satisfied.” I nodded, accepting the answer.

“So what are they doing?” I jerked my head in the kid's direction.

Magnus gave a small grin, “They're going to try to hunt down Banshees and monsters. They've started by trying to get info out of a book. I'm supposed to be their bodyguard.” I grinned as well.

“You're not going to let them hunt, are you?”

“Nope.”

I chuckled and fell silent, enjoying the view of the children playing together. It was peaceful to see as it reminded me of what few memories I hadn’t lost of playing with my family as a child. If I closed my eyes, I could almost see it. The playground where I would hide and my brother and sister would try to catch me, the nearby lake filled with noisy ducks, the tree with the thick branches to climb up on, and, most importantly, the worn wooden bench where my mother would sit and watch us play. My entire family was alive once more in that moment. I savored the memory like a sweet candy before I had to return it to the back of my mind.

I smiled as the nostalgia washed over me, the stress of everything just draining away in that instant. I don't know how long I sat there in my meditating silence, but eventually I broke it for a thought. “Hey Magnus, do you still hate me?”

“...What do you mean?” he responded.

“For everything that I’ve done to you, your parents, and your sister.” I said, “I won’t hold it against you if you are, but I’m surprised that you haven’t made an attempt on my life yet.”

Magnus was silent for a moment then he sighed, letting off a stream of smoke through his nostrils, “To be honest, I don’t even know.” he said, “Part of me wants to be mad and kill you, but my parents knew they were going to die before you even came. Not to mention that we both got duped by that Erebus bastard. But then again,” his voice got a bit softer, “I haven’t seen Pearl this happy before. She always wanted to see the world outside the island but our parent’s wouldn’t allow her. It was ‘too dangerous for a young dragon’. Said the same thing to me as well. Pearl never really accepted that and always tried to play outside when she could. Heck, I usually had to help her get out of trouble or burn off the tree sap that she sometimes get's covered in.”

“She really means the world to you, doesn’t she?” I glanced at Magnus. He had a faraway look in his eyes.

“She means everything.” he said, “My parents would have died eventually, by old age or another dragon. I knew they would die before me and I've accepted that. Pearl, however, still has a life to live. I want to make sure that she survives to enjoy it.” He turned his head to me, “To answer your question: I still haven’t completely forgiven you for my parents, but I’m glad that Pearl gets her wish.” He shifted his gaze back to the children.

I nodded in understanding and locked my gaze on Pearl. ‘At least he still has a sister’ I thought a bit enviously. I silently left and returned to my work, leaving the children playing on the hill.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can do it.” Camouflage said.

“You ain't got a snowball's chance in hell.” I replied, walking alongside him down the street. It was well past sunset and Camo and I were walking around in Ponyville's nightlife, to a casual observer that is. In reality, Styx had warned me of a faint detection of Banshees earlier, but couldn't pinpoint the direction due to some strange energy disruptions. I put the crew on high alert and set out some patrols, but made sure not to bring attention to ourselves in case the Banshees would turn away. Jun and a few other griffins and pegasi were hidden up in the clouds or watching from the ship, ready to notify those on the ground of any activity. So far, so good. Now to pass the time by messing with Camo.

“Horseapples.” Camo said, “I bet that I can pick up any mare you point out.” I gave him a sidelong glance.

“Camo, remind me again, how many times have you been rejected by Inject? Your last attempt at Canterlot was thirty two, I believe? Not to mention all the other mares on the ship.”

“Thirty one, but who's counting?” he grumbled, “Now pick!”

I raised my hands in surrender, “Alright, alright.” I began to search the crowd for the perfect candidate. I grinned and pointed at an Earth pony sitting at an outdoor table at a cafe. “Try her.” Camo swelled up in ego and confidence before marching over there. I couldn't help but count. “Three. Two. One.” SMACK I failed horribly at holding back a grin as Camo came back nursing a black eye from the mare's boyfriend (or whatever term this place has for them).

Camouflage glowered at me, “You knew...”

I looked away, “I don't know what you're talking about.” I stifled a laugh. The two of us continued on. I could have healed his eye with a quick spell, but I found after the event at Ruby Hollow when I was trying to help the wounded that healing spells drain my energy a lot more than any other spell, so I only use it for emergencies. Besides, I can just use simpler spells for healing like fire to cauterize a wound. Plus it serves as a lesson that Camouflage will probably forget in the next twenty four hours. The two of us continued walking around, making small talk and running into other patrols occasionally. As we passed by the school house I noticed something strange.

“Something wrong?” Camo asked, facing the same direction I was, peering into the moonlit night.

“Not sure.” I said, then muttered the words to turn back to my Base form as I moved silently across the grass with Camo close behind. I reached the corner of the school, dipping into the shadows, and peered around it, searching for the movement I saw. There! Some foals were trotting along and it was way past their bedtime. “Camo, check this out.” I said, pointing at the sight. My HUD flashed a notification.

New Quest:

Follow the foals

Challenges:

Don’t lose track of them- 70 XP

Don’t lose a single one- 150 XP

Reward- 300 XP

Accept/Decline

…

Accept

“Maybe some late night pranking?”

“In single file and walking like zombies?” I gave him an incredulous look. I turned back to the foals and watched them march into a rather creepy looking forest. I tapped my gemcomm, “I think we got something. Five foals moving towards the forest. Looks like they're hypnotized or something, but whatever it is, it's likely the Banshees are luring them in somehow.”

“Which one?” Storm Cloud spoke up, “There's the Everfree Forest and Whitetail Woods.”

“Which one's creepier?”

“Everfree.”

“That one. I want the three nearest patrols and two scouts up in the clouds to converge on me. Meta and Canis, I want you two here as well. Meet up in five.” Camo and I silently rushed up to the edge of the forest, following the foals hoofsteps. I turned to Camo, “You said your talent was being hidden?”

“Yes, sir.” Wow, feels weird being on the receiving end of being called 'Sir'. Not sure if I like that.

“Good, I want you to stay hidden as you try to follow those foals while the others arrive. I don't want to lose that trail.” Camo began to protest but I cut him off, “Yes, I know I said we need to stay in groups of two at the least, but right now we need to keep onto that trail. So use that talent of yours and don't get caught! Go!”

He nodded and ran straight into the bushes, his green coat perfectly blending in with the foliage and the dull shriek of the forest wind muffling his steps. I scanned the surrounding area for the incoming backup. True to their training, the others I called for came as soon as they could. They were a group of two griffins, four dogs, and four ponies. “Emile, Dante, take those clouds and follow us from above. The rest of you follow me and keep quiet.” I led the way down the path Camo did. It didn't take long to catch up to him.

“Any sign of them yet?” I asked Camouflage, but he shook his head.

“Nope, but I think we’re getting close.”

“How can you tell?”

“Listen.” He gestured a hoof around us. I strained my ears (or whatever I have for ears) to catch any sound but only heard the shrill wind passing by, which I now noticed was slowly increasing with volume as we moved forward. I told Camo that but he gave me a knowing glance, “Where’s the wind?”

I stuck a finger in the air and blinked in surprise. The wind was dead still. “Okay, what the hell?” I said, “How’s that happening?”

“Pegasi are born knowing about weather. I also used to be part of a weather patrol.” Camo explained, “We’d know if wind is blowing and if I had to take a guess, it’s the Banshee’s doing since the volume’s been going up as we’ve followed the foals.”

“Fascinating.” I murmured in awe, then turned to the others, “We’re getting closer. Meta and Dirk, take the left flank. Canis and Machete, take the right. Wait for my signal, but don't let them try anything.” They nodded and split off into pairs, still moving forward stealthily. I looked at the remaining dogs and ponies, “You four, what are your names?” I had been trying to make a habit of learning the crew’s names. It was easier with some like Dirk and her sister’s Machete and Claymore, but I saw them often in the training rooms.

One of the dogs, an amber female Shepherd spoke up first, “I am Diana.” she said then pointed to the darker amber Shepherd next to her, “This is my brother, Arden.” Both of them wielded spears crafted by Flamehoof and I. The two ponies, both unicorns, stepped forward.

“I'm Mirage.” the off yellow mare with a baby blue mane said. Her mark was a shimmering image, which probably meant that she does illusion magic.

The other was a light orange stallion with a light green mane. “I'm Pierce.” His mark was a silver arrow. My guess, he makes sharp magic or he's got a really pointy horn.

“Alright then, now that introductions are out of the way. Arden and Diana, take point and stay in front of the unicorns.” I glanced at said ponies, “No offense but I haven't seen either of you in the training rooms much. I'd rather you not get hurt more than I can help.”

“Eh, I kinda slept in a few times.” Pierce said, “I've not been one for exercise.”

“That's going to be changing very soon.” Before Ruby Hollow, the 'training' I was teaching was mostly basic stuff that any noob should know such as checking corners, watching for traps, and hit and run tactics. The natural fighters, I actually taught grappling and some punches and kicks, but that was for the off chance that we needed to go into the den itself and fight off an entire army. I wasn't planning a full scale invasion, just a big scare show, but that's in the past now. “Pierce, I assume your magic follows your name?”

“Sort of, mostly magic darts or sharpening kitchen knives. Haven't used it much beyond my job or for fun.” he said.

“Then sharpen their spears and use your darts to stun the Banshees if you can. Aim for the face or hands.” I turned to the mare, “Mirage, assuming you have illusion magic, try to make it look like there's more of us than there really is. If not, then just get creative however you can. We're going to lose them so come on.” I spun around and zipped forward through the trees, jumping from shadow to shadow with the others close behind.

We followed the foals for several more minutes in silence before they came out into an open clearing. The shrieks of the nonexistent wind were very loud now. I raised a closed fist, ordering the others to stop moving. We didn't have to wait long before the targets in their tattered robes slunk out of the trees and surrounded the foals. I murmured a soft “Aquila” to change my rifle to the sniper mode and hefted the gun to my shoulder, following the Banshees with the barrel. I noticed another figure. It was some misshapen, hunchbacked creature, like Igor from that mad scientist movie, but with tentacles for arms. I also noticed a silver aura around it. A player. I already knew what I was going to do with him.

So what I miss? An all too familiar Voice said. 'Nothing.' I thought back to keep him from digging around in my mind, 'You're just in time for the show.'

Tango Down (30)

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The Banshees circled the foals ominously, sizing up their prey and maybe trying to decide how to split it up between the four of them. The foals just stood completely oblivious to the threat around them. Instead they seemed entranced by the horrible noise the Banshees made. I know that some kids have a taste for screamo, and heavy rap (neither of which I can understand how they're called “music”), but I never pegged these foals for liking the ear splitting noise. Maybe they only hear static? Either that or they're hearing something else.

“Carpe retract sonor” I whispered. It was an eavesdropping spell I made that pulled sound waves towards me like a gravity well. Unfortunately, it also drags in all the noise around and behind it no matter how much I narrow it. In other words, it would be impossible to hear a quiet conversation when the targets have a loud rock band behind them. Given what I know, it was the best I could do. I'll just have to make do with it for now.

The screeching died down until it was just ambient noise. One of the Banshees spoke up, facing the others, “Well done, sisters. For the first time in over a millennium, we can feast on the precious innocence again!” This one was a pegasus. I'm going to call her Airhead.

“Yes.” A unicorn Banshee said. She shall be Horny (pun very much intended). “I can't wait to eat!” She made to grab one of the foal but was slapped away by an Earth pony.

“You've waited this long, then you can wait a bit longer.” Earth said, “Besides, you don't get first dibs.” The two growled at each other but were silenced by the last one, a griffin.

“Both of you, shut up.” she said, smacking them both, “Now, we need to thank this nice young spawn for assisting us with our meal.” she gestured to the player, who chuckled and rubbed his tentacle arms together. Seriously, what the fuck is he? Some eldritch spawn?

“Oh don't mind me,” he said, “Just get on with your feeding. The less I see of these ponies, the better.”

The griffoness nodded, “Glad you see it that way. Now,” she turned to the foals, “Which one?” she circled around for a bit before picking up a rather chubby camomile foal. She lifted it to her face and opened her beak.

BANG!

The griffoness didn't even have a chance to scream before the bullet took off her head, effectively killing her and dropping the dazed foal to the ground. “GO GO GO!!” I shouted and all of us charged out of the foliage. I raised a hand “Tri Depulso! Arania Carpe!” Three bone bolts shot out along with a spider silk net, effectively ensnaring the player before he could escape. “Emile! Dante! Grab the foals and take them back to the village!” I heard a swoosh of air as the two griffins dropped into the clearing and then leapt out again. I lined up my sights with another Banshee and fired...only to have the bullet pass straight through its head. “What the-?”

The other Banshees had all taken their hands and covered their faces like a certain terrifying statue and turned transparent. Suddenly, fog appeared and covered the ground up to our ankles. The ground trembled as several black, misshapen creatures emerged from the ground. Each one was about knee high and carried tiny toothpick swords. Alarm bells went off in my head as my brain struggled to remember why these guys were so familiar.

'Banshees. Can't be touched. Summon annoying little bastards.' I thought frantically, 'I Know these enemies. Wait a minute... they couldn't be touched as the creatures came out...OH! It's THAT Banshee! Fable 2, as fun as you were, your enemies were annoying as fuck.’

“Get rid of the ankle biters!” I cried out, “Once they're gone, we can hit the Banshees!” I switched to dual pistol form and shot at one of the creatures in front of me. Of course, now that I knew what they were, I also knew that a single bullet wouldn’t be enough, so I unloaded the entire clip on the bugger. For good measure, I grabbed it and chucked it at another of its friends that was about to sneak attack Arden. There’s no kill like the overkill. “Curl up and Die!” I shouted at the things as they twitched on the ground. I whipped around to attack another one, but I stopped. “What the-?”

The next creature was visibly no different from the others before but something was definitely off about this one. I couldn’t tell right away because the bugger leaped at me, sword flailing around. Luckily, I was still in my Base form so it passed through my body. Once again, I was glad to be a Night Shade, but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having stuff go through me. I reached back behind me and caught the thing in midair. I whipped around and got a good look at it. “Okay, that’s not supposed to happen.” I muttered.

The creature was still ugly as hell but now it was twice as big and just as ugly. It hissed and spit at me as it swung its toothpick of a sword. “Hmm, I wonder…” I glanced behind me towards the others, “Hey Meta! Pull!” I slung the vile creature up into the air and a second later, it burst apart in an explosion. However, I wasn’t watching that. Instead I watched the nearest creature suddenly grow in size along with all the rest.

“What’s going on?!” Pierce cried out as he barely avoided another attack. He jumped out of the way for Machete’s short sword to parry and cut the creature. She followed up with a powerful buck, knocking it into a tree. “This is bucking ridiculous!” she yelled.

“The more we kill, the bigger and stronger they get.” I shouted, “We need to kill them faster! Meta and Canis, keep an eye on the Banshees. As soon as one removes their hands, hit them hard!” I took a quick look around. Arden, Dirk and Diana were currently facing off against three buggers, with each one holding their ground. Canis was holding off two at one time, making sure to use them against each other. Machete just pinned hers to a tree with her sword and started to buck it repeatedly. Meta was raining blows with his bayonet while keeping close to the surrounding Banshees for a point blank shot. Pierce ran around flinging spells every which way as he was chased by one of the things. Mirage and Camo…wait, where’d they go?

‘Now’s not the time to worry. They're probably around here somewhere.’ I thought. I jumped back into the fray, literally. The bugger chasing Pierce didn’t even see me coming as I landed on him and unloaded a clip into his skull. “Surprise!” I said gleefully. It died and the others grew. “Pierce, go back up Machete!” The stallion gave a nod and ran off to her. “Aquila. Canis, duck!” I shot off a round, knocking one of the buggers off Canis’ back.

“Thanks” he said as he quickly dispatched both his assailants on the ground. The others grew to almost full human size now. Canis looked up and ran towards me, “Give me a boost!” I quickly turned to my dog form and cupped my hands, bracing for the weight. Canis stepped and leaped over everyone’s head, twisting through the air with his knife in paw and landed on one of the Banshees, stabbing her in the chest. Her minions were dead. She materialized fully and died with a ghastly shriek, but there were still two left.

“Show off!” Diana shouted at Canis, “Come on, Dirk. Let's show these boys how to really handle the bastards.”

Dirk grinned, “Sure thing. Hey, Sis! Catch!” She sidestepped the creature in front of her and bucked it over to Machete. With barely a glance, Machete raised her hind legs and gave a powerful kick, sending the thing flying back over to Diana. “It's all yours!” she said, before stabbing her opponent again and finishing it off.

Diana lifted her spear and braced it into the ground. The still growing creature fell back down and impaled itself on the spear tip. “That’s how you do it.” She said proudly. A spear flew past her head and impaled another creature about to strike her down. She jumped back in shock and turned to the origin of the spear.

“Don’t get too cocky, Di.” Arden said, “Else I might start to think you’re my brother rather than a sister.”

“Shut up!” Diana said, slugging him in the shoulder. An explosion tore through the air and we all turned to see Meta firing shot after shot at another Banshee that materialized. One left and there was two more of the creatures left. The two of them were big and burly, their tiny swords had turned into war hammers and they brandished them menacingly.

“Alright, this is the final stretch so don’t crap out now.” I said, back in my Base form, “Meta and Canis, keep an eye on the Banshee. Make sure she doesn’t escape. Pierce, stay back and sharpen our weapons with your magic. Everyone else, just pick one and fight.”

“Fine by me.” Dirk said before gripping her dagger in her mouth and charging the one on the left. She ducked under the creature's swing and slid under its legs past it. The creature bent over to follow but was promptly knocked over by Dirk's following buck. Soon enough, Machete and Diana joined the fight, which left me, Arden and the other bugger.

“So...” I asked him, “You want to go first?” The two of us watched the creature, waiting to move.

“You're the leader, don't you get first dibs?” Arden replied.

“It's polite to ask.” Sure, because the red shirts always die first 'And that's why I'm not going to put that color in the uniforms.' Still not going to stop the grunts from dying 'Fuck off.'

“I'll pass.”

I chuckled, “Just don't chicken out and let me do all the work.” I charged the beast, taunting it, “Hey, ugly! You couldn't hit a dead turtle!” The beast snorted and came up to meet me. It raised its hammer above its head and brought it down. I tried not to flinch as it passed through my body and slammed into the ground. “You missed.” I grinned and pointed my palms at the hammer, “Arania carpe.” More webs shot out and tied the hammer to the ground. The creature tried to pull his weapon back but it was stuck fast, but it wouldn't be for long. “Your turn, Arden.”

“Right.” Arden rushed forward, using the hammer's handle to run up and kick the monster in the face, causing it to lose its grip on its weapon. Arden jumped onto the creature's shoulders and spun his spear around, slamming the blunt end into the skull, further confusing it. The creature stumbled around disoriented, with arms flailing about to regain balance, but Arden held onto his spot on top. He grabbed the creature's face and yanked it up as he drew his spear hand back. In a flash, the spear went straight down the monster's gullet, turning it into an upside down shishkabob.

“Took you long enough.” Machete said. They had their opponent pinned to the ground with their weapons and Diana had just crushed its head with the hammer. From the looks of it, they were done well before us.

“You had more people to help.” Arden replied, “Doesn’t count.” Diana started to respond but I cut her off.

“Cut the chat. We’ve got more important things to do here. Now that these guys are dead, where’s-“

Shhiick! BOOM! BOOM!AAAAAAHHHHH!!

“That’s better.” I turned to see a half blown apart Banshee cut in half. The fires of the explosion burnt the remains of the Banshee to dust. “Now we’re almost done here, only a few things left to take care of. Has anyone seen Mirage or Camo?”

“Haven't seen either of them since the fight started.” Dirk said, “Maybe they ran off?”

“Seems likely. Mirage doesn't seem the fighter type.” Machete concurred.

“Even so, I'm still responsible for her and all of you.” I cupped my hands and shouted, “Mirage, where are you?”

“I'm still here.” The disembodied voice of Mirage squeaked out. We all looked to the source, but only found a large rock stuck in the ground. Suddenly, the rock dissolved to show the form of Mirage standing over the unconscious foals, her horn glowing with magic.

“Clever girl.” I muttered, “But we're still missing Camo.” I tapped my gemcomm, “Camo, where are you?” Bushes rustled nearby and the form a green pegasus popped out, dragging something behind him.

“Hey guys, look- OW!” he yelped as Dirk socked him in the shoulder, “What was that for?!”

Dirk punched him again, “For bailing on us. Where were you?”

Camo shot her a glare, “I was scouting the area for any more Banshees. I didn't find anything until I came across this thing.” He stood aside to show the weird hunchback thing from earlier, all tied up and covered in bruises. It was small, about the size of a go kart and had tentacles for limbs. His body was a misshapen mass of flesh as if a sculptor just crushed his clay model halfway back into a deformed ball. The silver aura still shone around him, almost covering his mottled yellow green skin. Judging from the remnants of my webs, he broke free and tried to make a run for it.

I stepped up and crouched down to face it. “Karma's a bitch, ain't it?”

“Fuck you.” he said.

“So why did you help the Banshees?” I heard the Voice giggle in the back of my head. Twenty questions, my favorite game.

“Because I could.” he said bluntly.

“Did you know what they were doing? Why they needed the foals?”

“Yeah, what's it to you? Are you their mum or something?” he laughed mockingly, “Oh that's rich!”

I smirked, “No. Just an unofficial guardian.”

“I don't give a shit what you are. I don't even give a fuck about the damn foals!” he shouted, “What the fuck did those little dipshits ever do for me? Nothing. These Banshee bitches promised me money for helping them. What's a kid's life for a fuck ton of gold?” The Dogs growled at him, but he pretended not to notice it nor the angry glares of the ponies. I was trying to keep myself from strangling the guy's neck, if he had one.

I'd suggest snapping his neck, but anatomy dictates that he doesn't have one.

'Not going to stop me from hurting him.'

You're bound and determined to make him pay, aren't you?

'He equates the value of life to money. He doesn't know what it's like to lose a life. How priceless it is to see people alive and well. It's not like you can pay someone to make a new one.'

I beg to differ. There's hookers not on birth control Okay, I had to laugh at that.

'Touche, but my point still stands. This bastard doesn't value life as it should be.'

If you're so adamant about punishing him, I have an idea.

'Does it involve me physically hurting him? I'm not doing that.'

Far from it. In fact, it's just as you said earlier: Karma's a bitch. On that note, he retreated to the depths of my mind. I reflected on his words, turning them over as I searched for the meaning of it. As I thought it over, I barely registered the others asking to move the player or what to do. I gave enough conscious effort to hold them off as I thought. I ignored the player's taunts to me and the others, only keeping my gaze on him.

Then it hit me. 'Oh. OH!' I thought, 'But what exactly could I do? It's not as if I can be protected from the FBI or whatnot if he actually dies in his simulator. Oh wait, I'm in a game held by a bunch of psychos. There's no way this is possibly allowed by the government by any standards. If we do die, they'll probably dump our bodies somewhere or burn them. Then again, I don't have to kill him, at least not now. In fact, he might be quite useful.'

I grinned, “What's your name?”

“Why should I tell you, shitsack?” he jabbed back. I just chuckled casually.

“Well, if you're not going to tell me, then I guess I have to come up with one for you. I can't always be calling you 'You'. How about...” I stroked my nonexistent chin in thought, then gave him a manic grin, “Test subject number one.”

His shit eating grin faltered, “What do you mean?”

“Let me put this in a way you can understand.” I said, steepling my fingers, “I don't give a shit what you are. What the fuck did you ever do for me? Nothing. What's a player's life for a lot of questions, answers and experiments?” I grabbed his face and smiled, “We're going to do so much...for science. Right now, sleep. Somnus.” The player fell limp. I stood up and turned to Camo, “You said you were tracking Banshees. Any sign of them?”

He nodded, “Yeah, heard some more shrieking deeper into the forest. However, they aren't staying still. After tonight, they'll be wanting to hide and gather strength.”

“Right. Mirage, how are the foals? Can they travel?”

Mirage poked the foals, checking for injuries, “They seem alright, but they're out cold. Emile and Dante are taking their sweet time coming back.”

“Hmm.” I tried to think up a plan to return the foals and chase the Banshees at the same time, but it would be hard to do both at the same time. Wait, why can't I do both? “We'll take them with us. I have some questions to ask them and after we clear the Everfree, we'll return the foals as soon as possible.” I tapped my gemcomm, “All Freelancers, return to the ship and make for the Everfree Forest. I repeat, return to the ship and make for the Everfree Forest.”

“What about the others?” Arden asked, “Not everyone can fight like we did tonight.”

“Of course not,” I replied, “But that changes tonight.”

Interrogations and Organizations (31)

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If I ever decided as an April Fools Prank to mark each room on the ship with the wrong labels, everyone would know which one would be the medic bay. Why? Just follow the sounds of shouting and look for the mark on the wall that was made on the opposite of the door from every time that Camouflage tried to hit on Inject Vial. I swear, that girl is either bipolar or constantly in that time of month and trying to not act like it half the time. Luckily for the rest of us, she only acts this way when she's working on something medically related.

I just reached the hallway where the medic bay was located when I heard yelling. “Careful! That Medical grade glass is very expensive and very fragile!” Yep, that was Inject. I rolled my eyes and entered the room to see said pony and her two Diamond Dog assistants helping out those injured from sparring, or the sick and elderly from the Pack itself. Right now, I had a few certain patients in mind who have been asleep for the past two nights. I found Inject wrapping some clean bandages around one Dog's shoulder and tapped on her shoulder to get her attention.

She sighed without turning from her work, “Emma, for the last time, you can't eat food in here. It'll contaminate the equipment and when we have to treat somepony, their injury might get infected.” She said in exasperation as she finished tying off the bandage with her magic. At that very moment, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a female Dog enter the room and slowly backing out with a sandwich in hand. “There, all clean and should be healed up in a few days.” she said reassuringly to him, “Try to be more careful now.” The dog gave her a smile and nod before leaving the room. I smirked and leaned in a bit.

“Ten bits says he'll hurt something else in the next three hours.” I said casually, but it was enough to make Inject jump in the air with a yelp. She whipped around, horn lit up and holding several syringes, filled with various liquids. When she realized it was me, she lowered them, but not by much.

“Oh, it's you, sir.” she said with a glare, “For a second I thought I was going to have to sedate Camouflage for a few days again.”

I chuckled, “Don't worry, you'll get your chance.” my tone turned to business, “How are the foals?”

Inject led the way to the far end of the room that was curtained off. She drew back the curtains to show the three foals that we had picked up after the Banshee fight in the Everfree, all of them asleep on the same bed to save room for other patients. I was able to contact Luna to let the parents know that they were in safe hands and I only needed them to know how the Banshee's worked. However they've been unconscious since then and it's been almost three days.

“Still asleep, as you can see.” Inject said, “Lately, I've heard the occasional sound so I think they'll wake up soon, but Pediatrics isn't my area so I could be wrong.”

I nodded, then frowned, “I never actually asked, but what do you do?”

“Hematology, though I dabble in Toxicology and a few similar disciplines. Blood usually freaks out most ponies, but I find it fascinating. I mean, it's what keeps us alive, so why should anypony be scared of it?” she said with slight excitement.

I, however, grimaced at the unintended sting of her words as they pulled up bad memories, “Because it's supposed to stay in the body. If it's out then someone's hurt or dead and no one likes that.” If she noticed my tone, she didn't show it.

Instead, she just shrugged, “I suppose that's true as well.” she said, but I tuned her out. My attention was drawn onto the small pile of sweets on the bed next to them, all wrapped up in a bow and a get well card that was crudely made. I pointed at it, “I thought you said no food was allowed?”

“Huh? Oh, that.” Inject said, “Yeah, the little pink dragon came in here a few hours ago to give that to them. Normally I would have stood to standard medical rules, but I couldn't bring myself to stop such a sweet gesture.” She smiled, the look on her face showing that she was replaying the memory.

“I see...” I trailed off, ignoring her once more as I stared at the foals. I couldn't wake them up with my magic in case it did damage to them somehow, so I went for the next best thing. Shock Therapy. In less than a minute, I had a bucket of cold water ready and dumped it all over the foals despite Inject's protests. If my brother can do it to me, why can't I do it to them?

The foals were wide awake and sopping wet in an instant. “C-c-c-cold!!” they all stammered out as their bodies shivered violently. I laughed in my mind with only a smirk to betray my thoughts. However, I wasn't so heartless to let them freeze to death so I pulled the water off with magic while Inject gave them something to drink with the box of sweets. Once they were comfortable I sat down on a chair facing them. “Alright, we have a lot of questions for each other and not much time for it. I just have a few to ask you and then you can ask me whatever you want. Understand?” The foals nodded. “Good. Let's start with something simple. What are your names?”

“Featherweight.” the left one said.

“Rumble.” the middle one said.

“Pipsqueak.” the right one said.

“Nice to meet you three. I'm the Director, but you can call me Gunhaver.” I said with a small smile, “Now explain to me what happened a few days ago.”

“Days?” the foals said simultaneously as they gave me confused looks. I silently cursed as I recalled that it wouldn't seem like days to them since they were asleep.

“Let me rephrase the question. What is the last thing each of you remember?” Their faces scrunched up as they tried to think. It was quite adorable. Kids never cease to make me smile. Just like...No. No. No. Don't think about that. Focus on now.

“I think I was about to go to sleep after my family had a late dinner.” Featherweight said, “I had filled up on hayloaf and hay fries. I went to my room and fell asleep to somepony's singing from outside.”

“You too?” Rumble piped up. We all looked at him and he blushed at the sudden attention. “My brother, Thunderlane had gone out with his marefriend and left me home alone. I was doing some stargazing on a small cloud when I heard some really beautiful singing. It was so...nice” He said the last part with a slight daze. I turned my gaze upon Pipsqueak, looking for him to answer now.

“I fink I 'eard some singin' but tat was in me dreams last night.” he said a bit unsure.

“Interesting...” I muttered, “What did it sound like? Were there any words?” The colts went silent as they tried to remember but they all said the same thing in the end.

“I don't remember.”

“Very interesting...” I scratched my chin as I tried to process this information. The victims and observers don't hear the same sounds. They hear singing while the rest of us only heard bloody screeching. It seems that said sounds also induce a trance like state that can be heard even when the victim is unconscious. The Banshees are Pied Piper hunters, luring in their prey with sound. This is going to be troublesome. There's no telling what else the Banshees can do, but at least we know how they lure in their prey. We can use that. I don't know how, but we can figure something out.

As I brooded in my thoughts, I became aware of someone calling for me. The colts. I blinked, “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, where are we?” Rumble asked.

“Aboard the 'Spirit of Vengence'. I had you brought here after we rescued you three from the Banshees.”

“Banshees?” They all tilted their heads in confusion.

“Nasty creatures that feed off the innocence of children. Remember the singing? That was them luring you into their trap. You're lucky we noticed it, otherwise you might not even be here.” I said. It took a moment for it to sink in, but when it did, they all paled. I think Featherweight made a new shade of white.

“B-bu-but what about our parents?” Featherweight sputtered out. I put my palms out to try to calm them down.

“Don't worry. I've made sure that Luna contacted them and told them that you are all in good hands.” That tactic only did little to alleviate their hyperventilation and shock. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the imminent screaming, but was only met with three dull fwumps. I opened my eyes to see the colts all asleep and sprawled over the mattress. Above and behind them were three syringes hanging in the air by magic. I gave Inject a grateful look. “Thanks. I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't done that.”

Inject simply shrugged it off, “The foals just need to take time to adjust. I gave them enough to be awake in time for dinner.”

I nodded and sighed as I stared at the colts sleeping peacefully. “I don't know how I'm going to make it up to them for taking them from their families.”

“You saved them didn't you? That's repayment enough.” Inject said as she levitated the used syringes to a sanitizing station.

“But if it wasn't for me, they wouldn't have been targeted by the Banshees.” I rubbed my face, trying to maintain focus. Everyone on the ship knew about the strange cube back in Ruby Hollow. When the Banshees appeared on my tail, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. The only reason they weren’t utterly outraged at me was that the cube was from Tartarus and even they couldn’t fully comprehend what it did to everyone who saw or touched it. “Why did I ever open that stupid box?” I muttered to no one in particular.

“Well, why did you?” Inject asked, “You could have left it there.”

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have known if it could have helped me or not.” I mutter under my breath.

“Helped you with what?” she inquired with a confused look. Damn, these ponies have good ears sometimes.

I shook my head, “Nothing. Forget about it.” I stood up and left the room. As I left, Inject called out to me.

“We’re here to help, you know. I thought that was why you hired us.”

I sighed, “That’s true, but there are just some things that only I can do.”

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Pearl's POV

I skidded around the corner, my claws scrabbling for purchase as I slid across the floor. Behind me, Sanctum was hot on my tail. The other foals and I were playing hide and seek tag and I was the last one to be caught. You can guess who was 'it'.

“I've got you this time Pearl!” Sanctum shouted at me as I ran.

“Never!” I cried defiantly. I pushed harder to try to gain some distance between us. We ran through the labyrinth of hallways on the ship. I saw a corner that I could safely hide behind and made a sprint for it. I had only seconds before the filly behind me saw where I would hide. Just as I was about to turn, I collided with a wall of white, brown and blue. “OOF!”

I found myself at the bottom of a pony pile, each one of us trying to pull ourselves out. As I finally got free, I felt a tap on my arm. “Gotcha.” Sanctum said with a giggle.

I frowned, “No fair!”

“It is so!” Sanctum said, “I tagged you!” Just as I was about to respond, a voice behind me spoke up.

“Oi! Wot's goin on?” I spun around and gasped to see my three friends from Ponyville awake and all better. I instantly forgot about Sanctum's cheating and tackle hugged the three of them around the necks. “Omigosh! You're all awake! I was so worried that the Monsters did something to my new friends, that I couldn't sleep!” Rumble choked a bit as he tried to say something. “Hm? What is it?”

“Can't....breathe!” He gasped again and I noticed all of their faces turning slightly blue. I dropped them on the ground and quickly apologized, “Sorry!” The three of them coughed as they tried to fill their lungs with sweet, delicious air.

“Hey, you're Pearl!” Rumble said as he was the first to recover, “What are you doing here?”

I tilted my head in confusion, “What are you talking about silly? I live here.” The three colts perked up at that.

“You live here?!” Pipsqueak shouted exctitedly, “You live on a pirate ship?” His grin threatened to split his face in half.

“Pirates? I don't know what that is, but we're mercenaries!” I said, “We work for that pretty blue pony princess!” At that point, all three of the colt's jaws dropped to the floor. Sanctum and I giggled at the sight of the stunned colts. I half wondered how much candy I could stuff in their mouths like that. Maybe I could try that later?

“Are these the colts you played with at Ponyville?” Sanctum asked.

I nodded, “Yeah, they were really fun too. We tried to hunt for the Banshees but we couldn't find any for some reason.” As soon as I said that, the colts snapped out of their trance.

“Banshees?” Featherweight asked, “The Director said something about that. What happened? Why are we here?” The other two nodded in agreement.

I gasped again, “Oh! Mister Gunhaver said that they found you three captured by Banshees! There were some others as well but they only had enough time to get you home. He also said he wanted to try to get info from you three about the attack.”

“The Gov'nor already did.” Pipsqueak said, “Said they were about ta 'eat our souls' or somefing.” Pipsqueak sure does talk funny. I wonder what other words he knows?

“I think it was innocence.” Sanctum said.

“Yeah, that.” Pipsqueak nodded and a small silence fell over them. I don't like it being quiet, especially when we're about to have fun or eat food. 'Speaking of food...' I thought.

“Hey, did you like the sweets I left you? I tried to get some that didn't have gems because ponies don't eat gems since they're not dragons.”

“You left those?” Rumble asked.

“Yup!” I said with a grin, “Whadya think?” Each one of the colts told me it was good, which was great. I would have felt terrible if I gave them something bad. Especially if it affected them while they're here. Wait a minute...“Hey! Since you're gonna stay for a while, do ya wanna see the rest of the ship?” I bounced a bit in place, excited to show them everything that me and my friends found. It would be like Ponyville, but in reverse since the colts are in my home.

“Yeah!” the three colts chorused. I giggled and began to rattle off places and things as I spun around to lead the way through the ship.

“We found several good hiding spots to play hide and seek. Ooh! We should play that later! There's also the kitchen where the nice ponies give us some extra sweets from time to time. I love the brownies, so full of chocolate. Astrid and Airsoft found this awesome place for fliers to perch and it gives them a cool view of the ground. They just have to be careful of the wind sometimes. Oh, and there's this one place where...”

As I spoke, the three colts and Sanctum quickly followed alongside, preparing themselves for what was going to be the greatest adventure ever. But first...

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Flamel's POV

“Why do you think we were called here?” Druel asked me. The two of us and several others of the crew sat, or stood as the case may be, on the bridge of the ship. Gunhaver had called each one of us here for something, but none of us knew what it was.

“My guess,” I said, “Possibly whatever information about the Banshees that he found out from the colts he brought on board.” I didn't agree with interrogating children but, as circumstance would have it, they were the only way to learn anything about these Banshees. Whatever Druel was going to say was lost as the door swung open to reveal a familiar shade. I watched carefully as he clapped his hands together with a serious look on his face.

“Seems like everyone's here. Let's get started.” he said.

“Started on what exactly?” Storm Cloud asked. She was looking around at some of the console's instruments that Star Streak had to repeatedly push her away from just to keep her from touching anything delicate.

“Assigning positions.” Gunhaver replied, “We are a military organization. We need officers and ranks to organize ourselves.”

Storm gave a bob of her head, “Fair enough.” Gunhaver stepped forward and pulled out a sheet of paper from that ragged stachel of his.

“Alright, I've been thinking long and hard about this.” he said, “I've had to go off what I do know of the Marines back home to make this.” Marines? Home? Every time he speaks, his words become more peculiar. Most unlike a Night Shade, or whatever in Tartarus he is. I was snapped out of my thoughts as he spoke again.

“We have three hundred forty three, including us, on board this ship. About ten percent of us are unable to fight, the children and elderly, but can still help about the ship. That still leaves a good amount of us left. I've divvied up the rest into four platoons: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta. Each one will have seven squads each. There'll be about ten troops per squad.” Gunhaver said all this as he pointed at his paper, covered in marks, “Each platoon will have an equal mix of each race, or close to it, to keep a balance. The squads, however, will be seperated by similar abilities so no one is hindered by each other in the field or in training.”

“Similar abilities?” Storm Cloud asked, “Like what? Who can run the farthest?” Everyone else, me included, gave similar comments. Gunhaver just held up his hands in defense.

“Hold on, let me explain.” he waited for the talking to die down a bit before continuing, “I meant that griffins and pegasi will be put together since they can fly. Dogs and Earth ponies are better suited for ground work and are heavier built for it. Unicorns are the wild cards though. Some will be working the ship while others can go into the field, but that depends on several factors.”

Jun nodded, “Makes sense. Us griffins can patrol the skies for those Banshees while directing the ponies and dogs on the ground.”

“Exactly. You can also double as air support to airlift wounded or civilians out of the area so we can get through easier.” Gunhaver said with a grin.

“What about that 'ten percent' you spoke of?” Druel asked in concern, “What will they do?”

“Don't worry, the children will be kept safe and out of the Banshee's sonic range. And as much as I don't want to over work the older crew members, I might find them simple jobs such as radio control, planning and signal work. Anyone else is going to have to work their position, like Star Streak.” Gunhaver gestured to the aformentioned pony who was drinking from a coffee mug.

“Eh, fighting's too much work,” the orange pegasus said inbetween sips, “And it's not in my job description. Just piloting this ship is enough for an old navigator like me.” After that, he took a long draught of the drink.

“Whatever the job, they'll have to do it if we want this thing to work properly.” Gunhaver said, “But we're going to be needing several officers to establish a chain of command.”

'So that's his game.' I thought with a smirk, 'Clever. Reminds me of when Princess Celestia accepted me as a scholar in Canterlot. Good times.' I shook off the nostalgia and began to speak, “If that's the case, then who's going to be in what position?”

Gunhaver smirked, “Glad you asked,” he said, “Each of the platoons needs a Lieutenant as their commanding officer. The squads are lead by the staff sergeant or corporal. Everyone else is a private, unless they prove themselves. I'll give out the higher positions and then let experience and time decide who gets promoted.”

Storm Cloud tapped her hoof on the table to get everyone's attention. “I just have to ask. Camo isn't going to be an officer, will he?”

Gunhaver smiled, probably at some inside joke of his, “I know why you're asking, and no, he won't.” Storm seemed greatly relieved, as did the other mares in the room. “In fact, he'll be under your command, Lieutenant Cloud.”

Storm Cloud did a double take, “What? Really?”

“You know how to take charge of a situation.” the smiling Shade said, “You'll be in charge of Charlie Platoon.” He handed her a piece of paper, “This is the list of everyone in your charge. I trust you can pick qualified sergeants.” Storm Cloud grabbed the paper in her magic and began to read it over silently, still in half shock of the promotion.

Without missing a beat, Gunhaver turned to Jun, “I know you can keep a cool head during a stressful situation. You're the Lieutenant of Delta Platoon. I give you the same trust as Storm.” He handed him a sheet of paper.

Jun chuckled, “Cool head? I barely kept it together when we sparred. Not fair if you can throw bolts out of your arm like that.”

“Nothing's fair in a fight.” Gunhaver said sagely. Jun took the paper and read it with a wry grin. Gunhaver then turned to me and Druel.

“Flamel and Druel, you two will be Lieutenants of Bravo and Alpha Platoons respectively.” He handed us a list of names. He went around the room, giving a few more necessary positions, but I tuned him out.

Me? An officer? I'm certainly not a fighter, even though I've had my fair share of scuffles over the years. I assume Gunhaver based his decision on my intellect rather than my military skill. If that's the case, then I'm not sure if I should be flattered or doubt the Shade's reasoning. On the other hand, it does keep me close to him for proper observation as per Luna's orders.

When it was all said and done, I went back to my room. Luckily, I was able to have one all to myself and not have to share with another. It made my work much easier. I pulled out some parchment from a cabinet and rubbed my scars again, using the powder to light the candle on my desk. I began to write in the light of the green flames.

Dear Princess Luna,

As of yet, I have not seen much more of these rune crafted devices beyond the gem communicators and a few of the weapons. However, I have seen Gunhaver tinkering around with the ship usually with a bag of gems in tow. I shall try to find out what I can about this.

In other news, Gunhaver has recently made some of us officers of the crew. I am to be a Lieutenant of Bravo Platoon in this company. While I have not the slightest military experience, it does allow me to get closer to Gunhaver. I can use this opportunity to observe his actions and report as necessary. Although I would appreciate it if you can send me a few tomes about warfare and general things I need to possibly know please. I will contact you again when it is safe to send them to me. I do not want to arouse suspicion.

Speaking of fighting, I trust that you know about the Banshees near Ponyville a few days ago? After the attack, Gunhaver took three colts along with us to question them. I do not know if he mentioned them, but I just wanted to let you know of this just in case.

Also, Gunhaver's behavior is becoming quite strange. He makes mentions of concepts and ideas that even I have not thought possible. I keep wondering how such a creature could hold such knowledge. I've heard several mentions of a possible military background and a brother. Maybe he was the product of a dark experiment gone wrong? Nonetheless, I cannot act without further information about him. What I have is too erratic and inconsistent, mostly due to Gunhaver's strange words.

I will do my best to keep an eye on him.

Your faithful servant, scholar and spy,

Nikolai Flamel

I rolled the paper up and let it catch on the candle, sending it straight to the princess. In the meantime, I had to plan my next move.

Author's Notes:

Special Thanks to Reaper1543 and Thardoc.

Sorry it took so long to update this thing. I had finals and tried to write but that ended up in a 1.8k chap in which half could be used for now and the other half for the next one. I could go on and on, but i'm just going to summarize it all up in three words.

Finals are trippy.

Oh, and one more thing. We here in the Chess Game of the Gods group have recently made a wiki for all chessverse knowledge. Weeeman started this wiki after the first attempt crashed and burned. It's still majorly unfinished and not all of us have the time to update it as much as we'd like to. ~~Mostly because we're lazy asses~~

With permission from Weeman, I'd like to introduce you all to the wiki and ask you to help us build this knowledge for everyone to use. However, keep in mind that we ARE watching so don't try to pull any trolling crap and screw up our hard work. If you have questions, please feel free to ask us.

Wikis are cool

Everfree Training Montage (32)

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Gunhaver'sPOV

It was quiet. No birds chirped. No animals played. Only the sound of the wind whispering through the trees as the entire forest held it's breath. Yes, it was too quiet.

Perfect for an ambush.

I watched from the shadow of a cliff face, gazing out with a thermal vision spell to find ambushers and targets. Griffins hid in the clouds and tree tops, waiting with their bows at the ready. The Dogs stayed low to the ground or even under it, like a trapdoor spider. The ponies were scattered about, each prepared to perform their own designated task. I smirked. Both parties were almost on top of each other. It was only a matter of time now.

Hehehe, let the fun begin! The Voice cheered.

The first few Dogs stepped out of the foliage cautiously, scanning the area for any hostiles. It was all clear for them...until half of them were shot in the head by the griffins in the sky. I winced as each of the bodies crumpled to the ground and chaos erupted throughout the area.

“Squad one, Move up and flank them!”

“Cover me!”

“Hostiles on your six!”

“We need air support at Sierra!'”

“I need reinforcements!”

“Hold this position!”

“Frag out!”

I studied the battle carefully, taking in every aspect that I could and watching certain soldiers as they worked. I soon dropped from my position on the cliff face and jumped to the nearest shade of a tree, hissing in pain as the sunlight hit my misty body. I had waited too long and misjudged the shade's reach. Live and learn I guess. My health bar flashed red in my HUD as it dropped from the exposure. I hunkered down and watched the battle up close as I pulled out some snakes from my satchel that I caught earlier.

As I ate (Snakes taste like Twizzlers. Go figure.), I watched a unicorn nearby levitate a branch to bop the hostiles in the back of the head. Unfortunately, he never saw the pegasus drop behind him as she bucked him into a tree. I winced a bit at the sight. It was too close to where it counts.

Not like he was going to get laid with a horn like that.

'…..I don't even....Just shut up.'

Make me.

Further along, I saw a few Dogs and ponies working brilliantly together to take out the enemy. A unicorn would set up flash light traps and after the hostiles were blinded, the Dogs would rush in and take them out, provided they weren't blinded as well. Some pegasi and griffins threw down tear gas to blind the Dogs and ponies on the ground before running away to safety. They kept up these harassing hit and run tactics to slow down enemy advancement.

In the end, it doesn't really matter.

'…?'

Well, they all going to die. And you know what the kicker is?

'I don't want to know and yet you're probably going to tell me.'

Your Banshee enemies aren't going to do it. It'll be you, giving the order for them to willingly 'sacrifice themselves for the protection of the innocent'. More like lambs to the slaughterhouse.

'And this is the part where I'm going to ignore you.'

Only because you know I'm right. I said nothing and kept watching the battle before me.

On and on this went for a few more hours. Both sides would gain the upper hand for a short time before they were flanked or stopped by hostiles. Eventually, Bravo platoon surrendered to Charlie platoon, making the score for today two to one.

I floated out of the shadows, clapping my hands, “Well done, Bravo. You win today's skirmish again.” After I had sorted out the platoons, I made a training regimen. Two platoons would stay on the ship to do drills and physical training while the other two platoons stayed down on the ground and held small battles with various scenarios and other simulations to increase their experience and build teamwork. Every other day, the platoons would switch out and there would be a different combo on the ship and the ground. Of course, we still kept hunting for Banshees in the meantime, but I wanted them better prepared.

I gazed upon the bloodless battlefield and spoke, “Excito.” Every soldier that was 'killed' began to get up and walk about, stretching their limbs after lying still for so long. The trick to making these skirmishes seem realistic was something I came up with. On everyone, there were pressure pads under their armor in vital spots that, when hit hard enough, it would make the body go limp as if they actually were dead or unconscious. It took several tries to get it right, and don't even get me started on the calibrations. They work, and I'm happy with it.

I let out a piercing whistle, “Alright everyone, regroup!” I shouted. Almost instantly, every crew member stood in a wide arc in front of me. “Good game everyone. You're all still improving splendidly. I trust you've learned from any mistakes you made this time around. Coby, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. You're almost always one of the first few out because you don't pay attention. A mistake like that will cost you out in the field.” The young pup I was addressing had his ears back in embarrassment with a few sympathetic glances sent his way. I couldn't entirely blame him. Fighting does give one an adrenaline rush and those unused to it lose track of what's going on. However, it's my job to keep him, and everyone else, alive, and if I had to play the big bad drill sergeant, so be it.

Nah, I couldn't pull off a drill sergeant. I never had the badass grandma that they somehow do.

Even if you did, she'd still have more balls than you.

'I got more than you.'

The Voice sputtered, What? No you don't!

'Oh really? I seem to recall you admitting you not having any back at Ruby Hollow.'

....shut up And with that, the Voice disappeared, probably to go sulk in the back of my head. At least I didn't have to deal with him right now.

For the next half hour or so, I kept pointing out places they need to improve or remember, as I did after every simulation. Everyone can learn from their mistakes in here and if they knew what they did wrong, then they can fix it along the way. Coby was only one of many. Heck, even I was learning from it.

After I pointed out the majority of problems, I wrapped the session up. “You guys worked hard so you have an hour's break until I want you working on team work sessions. Lieutenants on me. Break.” The group dispersed to go find their personal stores of food and water while some wandered off to the stream nearby to wash up. Flamel and Storm Cloud converged on my position. “Having fun?” I asked jokingly.

Storm joined in, “I only wonder why I never did this stuff sooner in my life.”

Flamel just snorted, “Hmph, I do not see how you can call this training of yours fun. If we are training just to eventually die, then forgive me for not being so eager to participate.”

“Aww, you're just mad because you lost again.” Storm said, playfully slugging him in the shoulder. Flamel just gave her a brief glance but otherwise ignored her jibe.

“Nonetheless, Flamel,” I said, “I just want everyone safe. I cannot do it all on my own as I did on the way to Ruby Hollow. I'd literally run myself to death if I tried.”

Storm Cloud raised an eyebrow at that while Flamel's face remained impassive. “Really?” she asked.

“Eh, it depends.” I responded. I quickly changed the subject, “Anyways, the reason I called you here was to know how well you get along with those under you.”

Storm Cloud just shrugged, “There's a couple of them that don't always see eye to eye with me, but they know I can kick their flank into next week if they didn't follow my orders.”

“While I do not resort to such methods,” Flamel said, giving a disapproving glance to Storm, “I find that most, if not all of them follow me. It's quite surprising really. I never expected them to listen so well. Even after we lose, they don't discourage easily.”

“Just shows what a good leader you are.” I said. I was about to compliment him further when I suddenly heard the sound of a child giggling nearby. It couldn't be Pearl and her friends since they had to stay on the ship at all times in case Banshees appeared. I turned to try to locate the noise but I couldn't pin it down. “Do you guys hear that?” I asked the Lieutenants.

“Hear what?” Storm asked.

Another giggle. “That.”

“I hear nothing.” Flamel said. I frowned. I know I was hearing this. How could they not? I waited until the next giggle before rushing off in the direction of the sound. I barely registered the protests of the others as I left. “Where are you?” I asked around me. I scanned the area, keeping out of the sunlight as I searched.

Another giggle. I bolted to it. As I approached the possible source, I could hear something else. It sounded as if someone was trying to speak but it was muffled beyond comprehension. And yet...I felt as if I heard it before. I stopped under the shade of an oak tree that looked like it had seen better days. I strained to hear the voices speak and for once, I could catch something.

“I'm gonna find you, Laura!” I felt my heart stop for a moment. There was only one person who dared to call me by that nickname.

“No...It can't be..” I saw a blur of movement to my left and tried to follow it but it was too quick. Another blur followed by a childish giggle. It sounded as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at once. I tried to track the movements but it soon became too much. Too many to follow and none at all.

I don't know when it happened, but I found myself on the ground clutching my head. “S-stop! Go away! You're dead!” I screeched. My mind felt like it was cracking under some unknown pressure as if the universe suddenly decided to lean on me, hoping I could hold it up like an armrest. Images of my past flashed before my eyes, so real that I wondered if they actually were. I cried out in pain, but I was too far for anyone to hear me.

It seemed to stretch on forever but when it finally stopped, it was already night time and only a few hours had gone by. I got up and brushed myself off before making my way back to the ship. There was no motion blurs nor sounds of laughter, just the breeze carrying itself through the trees. I floated in the air feeling hollow after the painful headache. I tried not to think about it, but this forest provided as many distractions as a desert.

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Time seemed to flow strangely. One moment I was between two trees in the forest, next I was between two walls on my ship. The sudden transition shocked me as I couldn't remember how I came there. My thoughts were broken by the sound of laughter again. I seized up, preparing for another wave of pain when I realized the sound was coming from the door just up ahead on the right.

I peeked in to see that the laughter was coming from the children playing in their room. Some tossed a ball around while others played with pillow forts. A few were scattered about doing their own thing, such as trying to read a book. I saw one of them try to sneak a cookie without anyone else noticing. I couldn't help but sigh at the sight.

They knew nothing of what our job is nor what we must do. If they do, then they choose to ignore it for the sake of having a little fun. I suppose it's a natural instinct. As one might protect themselves from harm, their innocence tries to keep them sheltered as best it can before they eventually learn the truth. After all, childhood is the most precious time of one's life, so that innocence does have a right to protect them and keep them playing until they need to grow up.

If only I could redo my own....

I shook my head and entered the room, “Alright kids, Lights out.” I was met with a chorus of “Aww”s. I gave them a stern look and they reluctantly went over to their bunks. This entire room was not only a playroom for them, but their bedroom as well. Their hammocks all lined the wall, out of the way of their play area.

I was about to close the door when I heard Pearl's voice speak up nearby. “Um, Gunhaver? Can you tell us a story?”

Okay, that was new. “Me?” I asked dumbly. She nodded and I had to ask why.

“Well, my mom used to tell me stories to make me fall asleep.” She said with a hint of sorrow, “And Magnus tried to continue it but he's not as good as her. But since Magnus isn't here, I was wondering if you could do it?” She looked at me with hopeful puppy dog eyes.

I hate when she does that. I sighed, “I don't know what to tell you though.” I said as I went through my memories, “I don't know many stories that you would like.”

Her hopeful look went south at the statement. “Aww.” Curse myself for being so susceptible to kids. I'm going to have an early heart attack if I keep hanging around them. I was about to give up my mental search when I came across an old song I heard as a kid and loved dearly. “Well, I don't have a story,” I said, “But I do have a song. Will that be okay?”

Pearl stared at me. “What kind of song?”

“It's a bit sad. Are you sure?”

She nodded, “Please?”

“Fine, I'm sure you'll like this one.” I said with a grin, “Project Memoriam Musica.” The sound of a gentle acoustic guitar strum filled the room. A few of the other kids peeked over at the sound. Now I couldn't sing this one properly worth a damn, but I put the actual song with the voice into the spell so I could get away with lip synching.

….what? I sing tenor-baritone level. It was one time at orchestra camp...long story. Just before the lyrics came in I conjured up some childish mental images to fit the story as well.

“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,

Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff,

and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Oh ”

Pearl and several other kids who weren't asleep already stared at the sight of a playful green dragon and a little colt playing together. They were entranced at the sight while the calming music slowly closed a few eyelids.

“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail

Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail,

Noble kings and princes would bow whene'er they came,

Pirate ships would lower their flag when Puff roared out his name. Oh!”

I saw Pipsqueak get a bit excited at that part but he just crawled back into the hammock and fell asleep with a wide grin on his face.

“Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys

Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.

One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more

And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain,

Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.

Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave,

So Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave. Oh!

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee,

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea

And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee.”

Pearl was a bit sad near the ending but she didn't cry. I suddenly regretted playing the song, since it could bring up bad memories of what I had done to her. But instead of my expected reaction from her she just smiled at me. “Thank you.” she said before curling up and falling asleep. When I looked around, she was the last one to do so.

I stepped out into the corridor, gently closing the door behind me. I felt sick to my stomach. Everything I had done was willful even if Erebus pulled strings to make me do it. I wish I could have gone back and stopped myself from even accepting that damn offer. How many people would still be alive? Then again, what would have happened to those that I had saved?

My mind went around in circles and the mental breakdown earlier wasn't helping. So many questions, but never enough answers and all the time in the world to find them. I hoped I found them soon.

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Storm Cloud’s POV

“Move it, you wimps! I’m not getting a workout here!” I shouted at the ponies and dogs behind me. Groans rose up as they pushed even harder to run the laps around the training room. For the past two weeks, I have been leading my platoon's physical training sessions. I just thought it was funny that I got the same position as I did when I left the Stalliongrad Police Department.

I could hear the exhausted pants behind me while I was just now breaking a small sweat as we made it past the mile and a half point. ‘I must be really out of shape if this is getting to me now.’ I thought, ‘Dad was right. Leaving the force made me soft. Why did I ever leave?’ Before I could pursue that thought, I heard some muttering behind me.

“This is bucking ridiculous. Why do we have to do this, dude?” I could tell from the voice that is was Crunchy Almond. Good stallion, if a bit lazy, but I’ve never known a musician that wasn’t. At least he’s not as hot headed as his sister. Sometimes I wonder if those two were born the wrong gender.

“Because it’s part of the training, dumbass. If you don’t want to do it, then why did you stay? Just go home.” the other voice was Camouflage. I pity any mare that has ever fallen for his so called “charm”. If it wasn’t for Inject, I might be the one giving him a beating.

“It’s…complicated.” Crunchy said hesitantly, “Besides, my sis and I figured we could go on an unofficial tour and make more money with our music just hitching a ride on this boat. The only reason I’m putting up with this is to make sure she stays out of trouble.”

Camo just chuckled, “Well, do what you want. I’ll just enjoy the view from back here.” I disregarded his words, but then I remembered that I was practically right in front of him.

‘…That bastard.’ I slowed down enough to come up next to Camo. I barely registered that everyone else scooted away from us, fearful of what’s to come. The asshole himself had that stupid smirk on his face like always. “Enjoying the view, huh?” I asked coldly.

“What can I say? Your flanks look good in a workout.” he said smugly. I almost bucked him into the wall. Almost.

“Since you enjoy the view when you run, you can do three more miles by yourself!” I shouted at him. Then, in a flash of movement, I slid behind him and pointed my horn at his tail. Soon, I was arcing electricity right to his flanks. He yelped and moved forward, but I was faster and came up with another lightning arc.

“Not so much fun when it's your flank is it?” I taunted.

I barely caught his last words before he yelped and ran away again, “Worth it.”

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Gunhaver’s POV

I twitched a finger, gently removing another blue strand of memory. In my hands was a large ball of them, all of it belonging and still connected to Number One who currently was laid out like a patient awaiting surgery. Ever since I had captured him, I pulled out his memories and sifted through it, trying to figure out what he knows and test some things with memory strands. As it turned out, it’s a rather harmless process (from the lack of screaming on the test subject’s end) and whenever his memory returned to him, he was disorientated as if he had a hangover. I assumed that was from his mind reorganizing itself. However, I had more important questions that his memory may answer.

Unfortunately, the only useful info I discovered about Mr. One here was that he was a computer programmer, a hacker in fact. He was attempting to send out a virus to shut down several large businesses before he was brought into the game. I had never done much for computer software aside from replacing computer parts and installing games, but with this memory, it was never too late to learn. The only problem is where I could apply it. Eh, I’ll figure it out eventually.

However, there was one thing that bugged me. When I took a peek at the memory when he was brought into the game, I couldn’t find out the name of his Host nor a face, but I did see that the guy was brought in right after a SWAT team raided his apartment. Shots were fired, the vision went black and he suddenly appeared in this world. This only brought me more questions than answers about this world. I’d have to find someone else, hopefully someone nicer, to explain everything.

'Ugh, this so much to think about.' I thought, 'I need to calm down.' I put the memories back into their owner and then grabbed the old violin propped up against the wall. After a bit of tuning, I played some notes. Nothing fancy, just something to get my mind off of things and sort it all out.

'I wonder...'

Operation: C.A.N.D.Y [Children Are Notoriously Devious Youngsters] (33)

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Flamel's POV

I stared at the door, listening and waiting for any sudden movements. Shadows flickered in the green candle light, dancing off the walls in sync with each movement of the flame. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and turned back to the paper on my desk, keeping and eye and ear on the door while I wrote.

Dear Princess Luna,

I write to you in a sense of urgency about the state of Gunhaver's being. To put it simply, I believe his mentality is depreciating. During a training session, he claimed to have heard sounds in the forest, then sped off to find them. I tried to follow but I couldn't keep up with the dense foliage in my way. On one time that I was able to do so, I found him curled up muttering about someone dying or not existing along with several other irrelevant and incoherent phrases.

His behavior has become quite erratic as of late. Phantom sights and sounds that he claims to percieve. Seizures that leave him on his knees. Most commonly, he appears distant as if daydreaming. These mental attacks happen about once, maybe twice, a week. I do have to give him credit, if whatever is plauging him is as bad as it seems, he does a good job of hiding it from the others. As of now, I believe I am the only one who truly notices these things about him. Anyone else either doesn't notice or doesn't care, which may be a blessing in of itself.

I ask that you search his dreams in hopes of finding evidence as to who he is and what he plans.

Your faithful servant, scholar, and spy,

Nikolai Flamel

I burnt the paper into the flames and watched them fly towards Canterlot's rulers. Quickly repacking my journal inside my mouth I left my room to do some more digging, hopefully to find someone to help my cause.

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Gunhaver's POV

My clawed hand reached out gently towards the wall, before striking it like a cobra, claws digging into the wood like fangs in flesh. Each digit trailed down in unison, leaving furrows and gashes in their wake to complement the multitude of similar markings surrounding it. As I pulled away, I stared at my hand as if it was a deadly snake, ready to bite once more.

“What is happening to me?” I whispered aloud in the dark confines of my room. My back arched once more as pain spasmed throughout me. This wasn't the pain of beatings or bruisings or broken bones. This pain was one of slashing, searing, and scratching. It felt like I was being torn apart in multiple ways. I screamed in agony but I knew that no one would come and investigate after I had sound proofed the room.

I don't know how long it was but the pain eventually subsided, just as each attack had before it. I had tried to record the times but there was no consistent span between them, ranging from several minutes to several hours. The only consistency was how much the pain grew each time.

I laid there on the ground for a bit, staring at the ceiling. “Why is this happening?” I mused, “What the hell did I do to deserve this?” I groaned as I finally got up and crawled over to my desk. In the midst of my spasms, I somehow managed to not knock it over and spill it's contents everywhere. I was glad for that because cleaning and reorganizing my design log would have been fuel to the flame of irritation that's been building up recently.

Over the past few weeks, we had barely seen hide or hair of the Banshee group that came this way from the den. While that gave us more time to train and prepare, I don't know how we could possibly lose a group of that size. If they spilt up, then my job is only going to get harder. For now, I had ordered a retreat of a sorts to Trottingham, a town close by. If the Banshees slipped by us, then we should at least protect this town.

I tried to distract myself with working on designs and experiments until I hear knocking at my door. I opened it to see Flamel. “Yes?” I asked.

“We're almost at Trottingham. We'll be there within the hour.” he said, his eyes flickered briefly over my shoulder so quick that I wasn't sure if he did.

“Good. Good.” I replied, “Go ahead and get some teams together to get supplies and start patrolling the area once we land. I'll try to deal with the local authority and government to get their approval and maybe some extra help.”

“On it.” Flamel turned away and strode down the hall to carry out the orders. I went back into my room and laid on my hammock for a bit, thinking over plans for possible Banshee attacks or in case the town isn't so friendly. I sighed, “What the hell did I get myself into?” Before I could follow that train of thought, the ship shuddered slightly as it came to a stop.

I got up and went out the door to deal with the officials while part of me screamed to just lie back and sleep in as others dealt with the problem. “Something tells me this is going to be a loooong day.” I muttered.

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Pearl's POV

My ear was pressed against the door along with some of the other foals. We listened for any steps nearby but hear nothing. Astrid, who was standing on my back, cracked the door open enough to stick a claw holding a mirror out. A few tense seconds later, she called out, “All clear.” while opening the door all the way.

Me, Astrid, and several other foals and pups immediately rushed out, heading for the nearest corner with Astrid taking point. We planned this trip for days after Pipsqueak told us about it. The best candy store in Trottingham! Now after the Everfree Banshees, us kids were banned from touching ground, which didn't leave much to do besides run around. From what Mister Gunhaver told us, we can only go down if there's no Banshees and we have adult supervision.

Pffft.

We may be kids but we knew what would happen. As soon as the threat of Banshees is dealt with, then we'd have to move on. Banshees were a big deal to the adults, and with something that big, then they can't possibly have fun. That's what us kids are for. It's our job to make sure that this crew has fun.....or was it to have good snacks in the kitchens? Hmm, Tails would know. She seems the most mature...or is it manure? I need one of those Thesyaruses or a Dishonary.

It was a good thing my thinking stopped, because Astrid did too as she checked the hallways for any of the other crew members. I crawled over near her and peaked around the corner as well. Some of the Dogs were chatting on one side of the hallway and it looked like they weren't moving anytime soon. Drat.

Astrid waved a claw, “Alright Stepper, you're up.” She backed away to let the dark blue colt through.

“O-ok.” he said nervously. His horn lit up as he concentrated. Down the hall, a terrible screeching sounded out as metal vibrated throughout the pipes. The dogs looked up in confusion and worry. They immediately left, saying something about getting the mechanics to fix it. Once they were gone, Stepper stopped and tipped over in exhaustion. Using that much magic at a distance took a lot out of him. Being the helper that I am, I slid underneath and let him ride on my back. It felt good to help carry others, even if they were a bit pudgy.

“Nice job.” I whispered. Stepper mumbled some sort of thanks but we were already off to go to the drop off point. A few more hallways and more than one close calls later, we made it to the front of the ship. Phase one of the plan was almost done. On cue, three pups came forward with rope that Astrid swore she borrowed from the cargo bay and tied it securely around some iron rings nearby. After that, they tied one end to a heavy rock before throwing it over the rail. We heard the impact on the ground and made sure no one was hurt or noticed, then we each took turns sliding down.

“Wheee!” Sacntum squealed softly as she slid, “I'm a firepony!”

I frowned, “What does being on fire have to do with ropes?” Unfortunately she didn't hear me. I'll have to ask her later. I had Stepper securely lashed down on my back and when I jumped overboard, I had to make sure my claws didn't fray the rope on the way down. “Alright, let's- WOAH! That's a long way down...” Is this how Airsoft or Astrid feel when they're in the air? I don't think I want my wings juuust yet. I looked up and saw that the rail was only a few feet away, but it seemed much farther. Down below, it was a massive drop. My body clenched up and my head started to feel a bit dizzy as I hugged the rope for dear life. “Too far.” I repeated as I shut my eyes.

“What are you doing?!” I heard Astrid whisper harshly at me from above.

“It's too far down!” I said.

“You've got to be kidding me...” she deadpanned, “Just slide down. You'll be fine, you big baby.”

I shook my head furiously, “Nuh-uh!”

“Hey! This was your idea. Don't you dare get chicken on me!”

“I'm not chicken!” I shouted up at her, opening my eyes enough to glare at her peeking over the rails.

“Shush!” Astrid put a claw over her beak, “Do you want to blow our cover? We've got one shot at this, so don't mess it up! We're the last two to go, so move it!”

My newfound fear was just as strong as my desire to continue the mission. I looked back from Astrid to the other pups and foals waiting on the ground. I was about to call it in when Stepper spoke up. “Pearl, just do it like a band aid. Quick and easy. Don't worry about it too much.”

I bit my lip in frustration. “Alright. On three. One-” I didn't get to speak before I felt hooves tickle my sides. I gasped and let go of the rope to deal with the attacker on my back. Little too late did I realize what I had done. By that time, I was hurtling towards the ground, pony first. “Gah!” I yelled as I reached for the rope. My tail coiled around the line and I found myself upside down, my face a few meager inches from the ground.

“There...” Stepper wheezed, “That wasn't so hard.” His voice snapped me out of my shock, letting me turn my head so I can practice my heat vision on him. But alas, Dragon's don't have that power, so I had to resort to letting myself down before swatting him with my tail. He yelped in pain but said nothing as Astrid came sliding down and led us towards the town.

Form then on, it was all a matter of dodging the rest of the crew and avoiding any patrols. It was quite easy when your not that bigger than the average pony's knees. However, it was more difficult for me because I had to cover for Stepper as well, since he was still pretty exhausted. Before long, we had made it to the gates of the city and snuck in on a cart. After we were well inside the walls, we jumped off and settled on the corner of a street.

“Alright, kid. Where now?” Astrid asked Pipsqueak.

“Wait a tic, I need ta think. Been a while since I was last 'ere.” he said, tapping a forehoof on his chin as he stared down the streets. “Hmm. Not sure 'bout 'ere. We'll need ta go deeper. Follow me.” Pipsqueak trotted off and everyone of us followed.

As we walked, I noticed that many of the ponies walking around had some sort of instrument. A few were even playing on the street sides with their hats on the ground. Why would they do that? Doesn't that get them dirty? My question was answered as I saw some ponies put bits into the hats as they listened to the music. The music played as we passed varied from upbeat dancing tunes to calm lullabies. I briefly wondered why there was so many music players on the streets but my mission for sweets refocused me on my goal.

This continued on for several more blocks until we suddenly stopped, and by that I mean crash piled into each other when Pipsqueak stood still. “Oi! There et is! The Chocolate Factory!” Pip said after he climbed out and pointed a hoof across the street. I followed it to see a rather large building with the front designed as a chocolate bar. The window itself was filled with a wide variety of colors of stacked candy. Next to the stacks, there was a unicorn who was lifting a ladle from a pot in his magic. Gooey caramel dripped back down as a victim of gravity. With each ladle-full, he covered a row of apples with sticks in them, letting the sweetness glide over the hard surface.

“Um, Pearl? Can you stop drooling on me?” I looked down to see Sanctum below me, her mane had a splotch of clear liquid that connected to my mouth. Realizing this I wiped my muzzle and apologized as I tried to clean up my mess. Once that was done, the others were already halfway to the store. “We gotta catch up!” I squealed before taking off faster than you could say “Candy”. By the time Sanctum and I could catch up, the others already made it to the store. It's pretty hard to run when you have a dead weight on your back. Speaking of which... “Hey, can you walk now?” I asked Stepper.

“Um, I think so. Why-Whoa!” He was cut off as I cut the ropes holding him onto me.

“Ahh, much better.” I said as I stretched my limbs out.

“A little warning would be nice.” Stepper said. Oh Really? I gave him a flat glare.

“Yeah, warnings are nice.” I said before entering the store. On the way, I may have accidentally slapped him with my tail again.

“Ow! What'd I do?” I heard him say behind me. Boys. I stepped into the store and all my anger and frustration melted away as I gazed upon the walls of candy. Unable to keep my excitement in, I scrambled from wall to wall, trying to take in all the sights. On one run, I found myself jerked to a stop as Astrid grabbed my tail.

“Calm down, sugar queen. Let's find the owner and get our loot quickly.” she said before stepping up to the counter. Using her wings, she hopped up to the counter and used the pommel of her knife to try to get somepony's attention. “Hey, who owns this joint? We wanna buy stuff.”

Not long after, a pony came out of nowhere, scaring Astrid right off the counter with a screech. He was a unicorn with a pale grey coat and a short oiled mane. He wore a large brown top hat and dark glasses. He spoke in a rather high pitched voice. “Now, now. You shouldn't make such a racket. You'll disturb the Jelly Babies and it's quite hard to get them ready when it's so noisy. Just like real babies, they need their rest. Heheh.”

I leaned over to Pipsqueak who happened to be close by, “Is he serious?”

Pip shrugged, “No one knows. Just go along with it.”

“Oh. Okay then.” I said, still unsure if the stallion wasn't completely loco in the coco.

“Now then kids,” the strange stallion asked, leaning over the counter, “What's your fancy? Perhaps a Jawbreaker for the griffin to keep her from breaking anything else? Ooh, maybe a Hot tamale for the dragon for a good firey sensation?” As he said this he pulled out two different candies and chucked them into our mouths with practiced precision. I chewed on mine for a bit, finding that it tasted...kinda spicy. No, wait. Actually it was more than 'kinda', it was getting really spicy. I felt like my mouth was on fire and it was not pleasant. I wanted to spit it out and rub my tongue to get the hot feel off but that would be rude to the Candy Stallion. So with as much courage as I could muster up, I swallowed the candy unchewed. “Hot hot hot hot hot!” I shouted as I tried to search for something to cool my mouth off. Before I could do any more, another piece of candy fell on my tongue and instantly, I felt coolness seep into my mouth. “Aaahhhhh. Much better.”

“Oh dear.” the stallion said in concern, “I think I may have given you the Desert Dessert instead. Good thing I had some Arctic Mint or your face would be as dry as a prune.”

“Who are you?” I asked once my mouth cooled down enough.

The stallion smirked, “Only the greatest chocolateir in all of Equestria. The name's Willy Wonka. Now what kind of candy are you looking for?” Before I could answer, Astrid hopped right back onto the counter, or more like hung off the edge, as she pulled out a few small diamonds. Wait, where'd she get that?

“Haow muffch can ffwe get fwith this?” she asked, the Jawbreaker still in her beak.

“Hmm, diamond eh?” Wonka said, “I say this will get you, hmm, twenty pounds at most, but that depends on what you pick.” Twenty pounds? That's like...so much candy! “Tell you what,” the crazy chocolate maker said as he pulled out some bags, “Take these and go walnuts.” Everyone of us grabbed a bag and dashed to the nearest candy jar.

It was a feeding frenzy as ponys and pups ran around collecting candy for themselves and the others back on the ship. As for myself, I couldn't decide what to get. There was sooo many delicious goodies, except for the spicy ones. 'Let's see,' I thought, 'Lollipops, Licorice, Lemon Drops....AAAHH!!! Why do they all have to look so delicious?!' My thoughts were interrupted by a cough next to me. I turned to see Stepper nervously shuffling his hooves as he tried to make eye contact with me. Behind him, I could see Sanctum staring at us, or more specifically him with the look that my mom used to give when I had to apologize for something and made sure I did so.

“D-do you need help deciding?” he asked. My smile flattened out as I turned back to the candy assortment before me. “No.” I tried to keep my mind on the candy but Stepper's presence was distracting me. This went on for a few moments and just when I was about to tell him off, he spoke.

“I-I'm sorry.” he said, “I was just trying to help y-you down earlier.”

“Yeah? Well you almost got yourself hurt doing that. I was trying to make sure we both got down safely and then you go and pull that stunt.” I said curtly. Stepper's ear's pinned back and his head bent down in shame.

“I-I d-didn't know that you would let go like that. I-I figured your grip would loosen enough to slide down the rope. S-sorry about that. C-can you f-forgive me?” he finished with a pleading look in his eyes.

I hummed in thought. 'He shouldn't have done that, but then again, we wouldn't be here if he hadn't. I want to forgive him, but I kinda don't... Grr, why does he have to make this so hard?' I looked back at Stepper who was still awaiting my answer.

“Fine,” I grumbled, then gave him a small hug, “But only if you carry my candy bag back to the ship. Now help me pick some candy out.”

Stepper hugged back in joy. “Alright!” The violet filly behind him nodded and walked off, her eyes already trying to devour a few nearby jars.

Several minutes later, our window of opportunity was closing and we would have to get back to the ship before nightfall or someone notices, whichever came first. We all bought our bags and, as promised, Stepper carried mine.

“Aw crap!” Astrid screeched, looking at a nearby clock, “We won't make it back in time!”

“Don' worry,” Pip said as he crunched on a hard caramel, “I know a short cut! This way!” Pip dashed off and we all followed his movements, twisting and turning around pedestrians. We all ran down for a few blocks before turning down a side street, then several more blocks before another street and after a few minutes, we were all scampering down an alley when a few stallions suddenly blocked our path, causing us to skid to a halt. Each one of them wore ratty clothes that matched their gross fur and manes, not to mention the smell. I almost threw up on the spot from it. If that wasn't enough, the air that they gave off was far from friendly.

“Uh oh.” Pip said.

“What d'ya mean 'uh oh'?” Astrid whispered harshly.

“Oi, I 'aven't been round 'ere in a while. Things have changed.” Any further conversation was cut off as the greasy stallions spoke.

“'Ello kiddies.” One with a toothy grin said, “Wotchu doin' round these parts, eh?”

“It's not safe 'ere y'know?” Another stallion with a dirty mane said, “Where're your mumsies? Off ta th' stores?”

“Don't worry, we'll take good care o' ye.” the last stallion said eagerly. The three of them slowly advanced and a few more stallions appeared to cut off the way we came. The last stallion to speak reached a hoof out towards us menacingly, but then there was a flash of silver and the hoof retracted with a shout of pain. Astrid had pulled out her short sword and held it up in defense, “Run!” she shouted, “I'll be right behind you.!” She swung again and made a small gash on another pony's face causing all of them to retreat out of surprise of the wicked blade's appearance.

“This way!” Pip shouted as he ran down a side alley. He didn't need to tell us twice as we nearly stumbled over each other in an attempt to get away. Everyone of us leaped over and scrambled past garbage piles, trash bins, and all sorts of junk while trying to use it to block the mean ponies' path. We knew that there might be a point where the adults from the ship found us and we would have to lose them so we could make it back before we got in trouble.

Astrid whistled shrilly, “Alright mutts, gouge 'em!” The pups looked back at her and nodded at once. Together, they fell back and spread out as they used their paws to tear out chunks from the path and surrounding obstacles to make the big ponies behind us step more carefully unless they want to fall on their face. In seconds, tiny potholes peppered the path behind us and several pieces of trash, including materials from some buildings, forms hazardous obstacles. Yelps sounded out, indicating the success of some of the improvisation.

“Wot tha blazes?” one pony called out before faceplanting as he stepped into a pothole. “Eungh, my nowwse!”

“Trot it off, ya pansy. They're gettin' away!” another called out. We all heard the hoof beats increase again, farther away, but slowly gaining. We tried to keep going but everyone was starting to pant from the effort. Astrid gave a worried look around then shouted, “Everyone, scatter! Try to lose them!” Our last ditch resort.

I immediately turned and skidded into an alley that led towards one of the streets. It looked so far away, but it was my only chance. I ran as fast as my tiny legs could carry me. 'Curse you tiny legs!' I thought. I heard the sound of the mean ponies about to come around the corner. Thinking fast, I dove under a pile of broken crates, letting my scaled protect me from splinters and rusty nails.

It was quiet for a bit after I got my breathing under control, but the slow hoof falls came closer to me with each step.

“We know you're 'ere~, poppet.” I heard, “Come on out. We promise we won't 'urt you.” I tried not to shiver from the evil in his voice. A trash can nearby was kicked over and a cat hissed as it ran away. My eyes widened as I realized that they were almost on top of me.

“You're quite valuable to us, poppet. You and your friends. Quite a lotta gold for ye pretty little things.” Another trash can, even closer. I shifted my self around to see if I could glimpse them going by and know when it was safe. A small gap in the wood let me see, but only what was in front of me. 'I'm sorry, brother. I'm sorry.'

“The gold calls t' us.” I tried to look out the gap when the stallion's face jumped into view. “'Ello poppet.” I screamed. I screamed from fright, the pain in my tail, the sudden weight upon the crates, effctively trapping me. I cried too. I would never see my brother again nor my friends if they escaped. They might be captured too, so I cried. I cried in horror for what was too come.

I was too much in shock to hear the sudden arguing outside, nor feel the weight being lifted above me. The only thing that snapped me out of it was the feeling of my tail being pulled and thus, dragging me along with it. Too late did I try to hold on to some thing and soon I was faced with the most freakish thing I ever saw.

"Oooo~, what have we here? Hello! Why were they fighting over you, hmmm?" It spoke.

Embrace the Darkness, Carpe Noctem

by musicman722

Deals and Drugs (1)

Tutorial (2)

First Contact (3)

Angry Birds and Stupid Pigs (4)

S.S.D.D. (5)

Slaughter the world SPOOF

My First Dungeon (6)

Nice Guys Finish Last (7)

There's Charlie In Them Bushes (8)

My Motley Crew (9)

Bonding time (10)

Rest, Relax, Restock (11)

Repression (12)

This is why we can't have nice things (13)

Mistakes part 1 (14)

Mistakes part 2 (15)

Aftermath and Answers (16)

Revelations (17)

The Idiot's Guide to Alchemy and Airship Building (18)

Harder Better Faster Stronger (19)

On the road again part 1 (20)

On the Road Again part 2 (21)

Searching for Diamonds in Ruby Hollow(22)

The Tragedy of Ruby Hollow (23)

Letters to the Future (23.5)

Highway to Hell (24)

Dealing with a Devil (25)

Very Enthusiastic Walks (26)

Truths Be Told (27)

Shore Leave (28)

The Hunt is Afoot! (29)

Tango Down (30)

Interrogations and Organizations (31)

Everfree Training Montage (32)

Operation: C.A.N.D.Y [Children Are Notoriously Devious Youngsters] (33)

A/N Need to Know