> Space Magician Cat > by Switchlock > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Crash Landing > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I awoke with a jump. Alarms were blaring all around me. I was seated in some kind of swivel chair mounted in a single spot. In front of me appeared to be an assload of navigation systems, all of which were blaring red warning signs. None of them made any sense. Not because of what they said, but because I couldn't read any of them. They were in a language I didn't know. A very curvy language with paw print letters, it seemed. I started hyperventilating. All of this was so confusing, I didn't know how to react. Worse, whatever I was in started to shake and heat up. Was I in a starship? What was happening? Was I about to crash? All of these questions soon answered themselves when the warning signs vanished, showing me the realm outside the window before me. My eyes widened as I recognized the atmospheric entry. I've seen enough sci-fi movies to know what was about to happen. Yet not how to handle it. I sat frozen even as an electronic voice shouted at me in some unknown language to do something. It sounded feline. Then I saw a series of control panels rise up to me. A part of me started to function, and I could understand everything now. The language, the controls, what was happening… I took the joystick in front of me in my paws- "paws? Wait no. Focus." And I started to steer the ship. To keep it stable, I had to maintain a firm grip on it so the rushing atmospheric winds didn't push my ship into a tumbling tailspin. I grit my teeth as I could feel the stick tremble in my paws, trying to move this way and that as the ship rocked. I held firm. "SAIL! Please tell me we have enough power for an emergency landing!" I shouted. I don't know why. Something pushed me to say that. I even recognised saying it in that strange alien language. But I got a response. "Captain, the ship's generator is damaged. All power is currently being used in the gravity stabilizers and life support systems." The electronic voice informed me. So I have a ship AI. That's good to know. Looking out the window, I saw past the intermittent clouds to see a settlement on the surface below. There was a whole city on a mountain, next to a massive castle that seemed to defy gravity somehow. I grit my teeth as I aimed my vessel towards that mountain. I could get medical attention there after I crashed. I'll need it. "Divert all power to the engines. We need to soften the landing as much as possible." I commanded. If this atmosphere supported life, I trusted it not to kill me. I felt a rush of air in the ship as power was moved, and I felt a change in gravity too. But I also felt my confidence soar. Now I could save the ship… I waited as the mountain drew closer and closer. I needed to pull this off at the last possible second. "Crash landing imminent in 10 seconds." SAIL informed me. I glared at the mountain harder, trying my best to ignore the pain that was beginning to blossom into my awareness in my torso. Maybe those life support systems also stopped me from bleeding out. Was I wounded? It didn't matter right now. I needed to save the ship. Without it, how would I get home? "... 3… 2… 1." I pulled up on the joystick, sending my vessel into a vertical spin, but stopped it as I pulled a lever to initiate a landing procedure. Five seconds later, I felt the ship land with a heavy thud, throwing me out of my seat and onto the floor. I gasped as pain completely filled my senses, and I clutched my guts. I felt blood. So I am wounded. I coughed a bit as I felt some blood block my windpipe, and out came spewing a mess of blood. "... Okay. Now you can move the power back to life support… and please open the door… I need medical support. Soon." I rasped to the AI. But nothing happened. As I looked around, I saw nothing on the ship was on. The power was gone. I even saw some wires hanging loose. I could tell what this meant as my consciousness began to fade. That landing had knocked the last speck of power out of this rig. I let myself go limp. "Shit…" Princess Luna was NOT having a good night. Lately many ponies have been having nightmares. Many nightmares were about the world coming to an end. Others were about a creature filled with more malice than even King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek combined. A creature made of hatred, and bearing enough tentacles and infectious matter to corrupt even a god. Worse still, despite all the research into this creature she and the other Princesses have conducted, there were absolutely no results on whatever this thing might be. Luna sat exhausted in the dreamscape, watching a foal play with her parents to try and cheer up. And it was working. At least until she became aware of several dreams in Canterlot suddenly coming to an abrupt end. Including her Sister's dream. Luna roused herself from her dream walking to investigate, climbing out of bed and heading to her balcony. Outside, she already saw her sister awake and on her own balcony, gazing up the mountain. Luna turned her own gaze to follow. And what she saw astounded her. Something had crashed into the mountain, leaving a smoking crater in its wake. Luna was at a loss for words. Nothing like this had happened before. She looked to her sister, and saw the message clear as day. They needed to respond. Together, the two of them took off, flying to the hole in the mountain. From above, they could see a strange object emitting the smoke. It almost looked like a strange metal cat, but several plates of metal were broken off, revealing the wires inside. The back of the ship appeared to have some kind of short rocket on them, as did the paws beneath the ship. What most concerned Luna however was the sight of a figure lying in a pool of blood inside of the windows at the front of the construct. "Luna!" Celestia called out. "I see it, sister. It is injured." Luna replied. "Do you think it might have something to do with those nightmares?" Celestia asked curiously. Luna focused, taking a moment to cast one of her favorite spells, Augury. The spell was designed to ask Fate itself a question. Generally, you only get specific answers if you ask vague questions. In this case, Luna had asked Fate if this creature was tied to this figure in her ponies dreams. The spell came back positive. "Without a doubt. We must save it." Luna replied. The two of them dived at the structure. Once within range, Celestia's horn lit up, casting a remote teleport on the feline inside and getting it out of the structure. Now that they could see it clearly, the creature shared a resemblance with the Abyssinians to Equestria's south, but with three key differences. This feline had two tails, no fingers on her paws, and had a pair of mammaries on her chest. This one seemed to have torn armor of some sort with damaged gemstones embedded in it. Luna frowned, filing that observation away for later questioning. She picked the cat up in her magic and started flying back to the castle. It took a bit before I realized I was dreaming. But even as I did, I still let my memories play out before me. When I became lucid, I stood in a room. It was back in elementary school. I remember it vaguely. I was a hell of a little shit back then. And that was because I found out crying was a good way to subvert their punishments. The scene before me was exactly that. My younger self stood between the teacher and the "behaviour chart" where I was refusing to let her turn mine red. I don't really remember what the teacher or even the other students looked like, which explained why they were all blurry. But I couldn't help but laugh at myself. The scene faded. The next memory played out. It was middle school. I could see myself sketching an anthropomorphic leopard on one of my old loose pages. I remembered the drawing fondly. It was my best work in art ever. It was also my only genuine attempt at art. But some positive reviews from the other students had given me the confidence to share my creativity with the world. The scene skipped around a bit as it showed myself sharing the picture, adding more to it, and sharing it again before skipping to the last day of school when I had, with a dispassionate expression, let it fall into a trash can. I sighed at myself when I remembered that. It reminded me I was often one to quit when I lose interest in something. The next scene cut in quickly, and at first I was alarmed by the amount of shadows moving all over the place. But then I recognised the halls of my high school. I frown as I remember this place. This was where I let myself fall into a pit of obsession. I turned towards my other self, confirming my suspicions as I saw the imagery settle on them. He was sitting next to a garbage can in the hall, a plate of food next to him and a laptop plugged in at an outlet just a few inches away from the garbage. I sigh as I lean down to my other self, looking at his screen. On it was a word document, as expected. And on it were the first pages of Celestial Disposition. Ironic how one of my funniest stories came from one of the darkest points in my life. The grin on my other self's face told of the joy I felt while writing it, but… the way everything else was covered in shadow showed just how much I shut out the world while I dived into my obsession. The scene changed again before I could say anything to my double. Now I was looking at myself staring down the barrel of a gun. A robber had broken into my family's home, intent on taking every scrap of worth we had. All of our expensive technology… all the things we'd worked so hard to afford over the years… I remember being infuriated more than scared. I sat back as I watched my other self pull the oldest trick in the book. "Oh shit, behind you!" I had said. The thief turned away for the barest moment, and my past self reacted, swiping the gun from him and shooting him in the leg. "Get out. If I ever see you again, next one's going in your head." As dead cold as I sounded I remember the adrenaline pumping through me at the time. I still remember acknowledging the fact that I got lucky. If I hadn't been so lucky and hyped up on action movies, I very well could have died trying that. The next scene slid into my memory a bit more smoothly. My time seeing a therapist went by so quickly. It almost didn't feel real. What I learned was I didn't really need one. After that, I saw my past self approaching the police station in my city. Not to report anything, but to apply to join. Cut to a few years later, and I could see myself proudly wearing their badge. I smile as I see myself joining the ranks, and improving as a person. I remember the words that got me into training too. "Anyone can be a better person, if they just try. This is me trying anything properly for the first time in my life." And I got in. This proved to me that even a worthless meat sack like me can still become something great. I owe a lot to the chief. He was the one who gave me a chance, and pushed me to finish what I started. My memories stopped showing after that. I held them carefully in my palm, just smiling at the little ball of black and white. This was what made me who I am. I paused as I felt something odd though, and raised my other hand to look at what was in it. It was another orb, but this one was a lot more… colorful. Was this… More memories? Suddenly the orb expanded. I had to shield my eyes as I was consumed by the brightness. I started to hear something odd. It was like some kind of meowing language. At least, I think it was a language. Opening my eyes, I saw something odd. A pair of bipedal felines toting over a litter of kittens. These cats had two tails each, and were built in a digitigrade stance. The mother was a Tabby, and the father seemed to be an orange-coated long hair. The moment I saw them, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see another cat, this one looking like an aged up version of one of the kits, only ethereal. She had the same nostalgic face as I did just earlier. Was she also reliving her past? "Sonya." The father's voice said. It was the first coherent word I'd heard from this memory. Was that this cat's name? Sonya? She looked at me, nodding. "I saw your life. It's only fair you see mine now, Arris. I'll do my best to share my language with you too, so you can better understand my memories." Sonya told me. I was confused. I thought I was dreaming? Since when did I have someone else in my head? The questions were swept aside as the next scene played out. Sonya was in some kind of school setting. She was sitting in front of an authority figure, being scolded for something. "When I was young, much like you, I was a troublemaker. I often was scolded by the Magister for clawing up the furniture or practicing magic outside of the guidelines they set." Sonya explained as she sat before her young self. She couldn't seem to stop herself from trying to boop her other self. She giggles as the digit - I noticed she didn't have fingers. None of these cats did - passed right through her double. "Magic? What kind of system was it?" I asked curiously. As I did, the memories made a quick fast-forward, moving us to a class room. "Same as that Dungeons and Dragons game you played. We had Cantrips, and spells for spell slots. Along with the typical schools you could fit them under. Conjuration, Abjuration, you know how it goes." She stated as she gestured to her younger self holding up a barrier of mystic force. I observed that it might be the Shield Spell since it was being used to block a Firebolt from someone else. "I take it you had a favorite?" I asked. She chuckles as she rolls her eyes. She seemed to take a good minute to think of an answer. I thought back to what I know of the spell system. Among the different schools, there was Evocation, which was the offensive "battle magic" most D&D players use at some point. The next most well known or obvious one was the Illusion school. Specialized in tricking the target's senses. Enchantment wasn't like turning an item into a magic item, but rather manipulating the target's mind to suit your needs. Which, in my opinion, is far more evil than necromancy. Necromancy, in that regard, is basically manipulation of life force. There's a reason Resurrection spells are classified as necromancy. On a lighter note, Conjuration was a nice school. You literally just summon shit. Like a sparkly Mana sword. Or arrows. Or bullets if you're that far in the technological era. On the less well known side, Transmutation was also a fun school for me. After all, it contained Polymorph! And that's one of my favorite spells, if only because I enjoy transformation so much. And then lastly, there was Divination, that one school of magic you use when you need information. Information such as "okay, where the fuck did that asshole go?" Or even "Hey god, is this a good idea, or am I about to die?" Fun stuff. "Abjuration. The idea of protection appealed to me. I liked feeling safe. I figured others do too. Although I know it's not quite enough, so I dipped into Evocation too, for the offensive spells and healing spells." Sonya explained. I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I feel ya. In my early games, I always had Mage Armor and Shield on my Sorcerer characters." I said with an appreciative nod. She chuckles. "Ah, speaking of sorcerers, that's pretty much what my entire race is. Pantheromata are natural Spellcasters which is why the schools on Mawryn are so strict. Can't have the wrong person trying to bend the wrong spell. Trying to use a certain form of… I think you called it Metamagic? Well, trying to use them on a spell it doesn't like can end disastrously." Oh. Now I had two more names. The name of her race and homeworld. Interesting. The scene stopped scrolling through her life, stopping at graduation. I stopped to listen as the Magister handed a pair of scrolls to Sonya. I heard him say one was a permit of casting, and the other was a license for a starship. "Oh, bullshit. You got a driver's licence on graduation?" I shouted in disbelief. Sonya couldn't help but giggle. "I did. Sucks that you had to pay for yours, but that's the price of capitalism. Pantheromata still use the classic trade system, but only on-world. There's a credits exchange program, but that's pretty much only for off-worlders. I'll admit, it took awhile for me to get used to the Credits system, but that's only because I got away with using the old system for so long." Sonya said. As she spoke the scene jumped to various shops Sonya seemed to have visited. "Turns out, a lot of people don't mind doing things for you if you do things for them. Like giving you that Manipulator Module you wanted in return for dealing with some insane fuck-tard shooting up that other store on the opposite end of town." She remarks with a sly grin. The scene started turning grey as Sonya fast-forward through her memories. "Wait… what's going on now?" I asked, getting concerned. It kinda felt like we were dying. "We don't have a lot of time. So I need to jump forward a bit. I need to show you how we both got where we are." She answered. She held her hand out to me. I took it, only noticing after I did that my memory orb or whatever was in the hand I took it with. Both of our memories began playing out on a split screen. On my side was a convention. On her side was a space battle with some crazy looking tentacled horror that took over an entire ship. Sonya seemed to grit her teeth as she revisited her side. I kept looking between the two. Watching as I, dressed as a Pantheromata, approached a stall that had this creepy aura to it. I watched as Sonya's ship got damaged. I understood as I bought a Matter Manipulator. I was horrified as Sonya's ship was pierced, destroying her heart as a tentacle ripped through her. I felt my face twist in terror as I saw myself fade from existence on my side. And then I fell to my knees as I saw my soul being thrust into Sonya's body, repairing some of the damage, and saving Sonya. "I… I'm you?" "One and the same. You created me. My entire life, even. And that Merchant allowed us to meet. Not quite in the best of circumstances, but… Well. I had a good run. Now it's your turn." She told me. I frowned in confusion. "Wait. My turn? What do you mean?" I asked, feeling dread in my heart. She looked away. "I died, Arris. My body may have been saved, but I've already passed. I can't go back. So… all I can ask is that you do your best with my life behind you. I'll still be here, but… I can't even use my body anymore. Since I'm kinda dead. And I never learned any Necromancy so I can't do anything about it." She looked a bit dejected, but at least satisfied. She walked up to me, placing a paw on my shoulder. "At the very least, I should thank you. Thank you for giving me a good life." I looked up at her, a torrent of emotions pouring through me. I felt… Perverse for being thrust into her body. I felt sorrow that she got killed. I felt regret for the things I put her through. But most of all, I felt helpless. I felt like I needed a hug. Sonya seemed to pick up on that, and pulled me into an embrace. I almost didn't notice a third participant in the hug. But… seeing midnight blue wings and a deep blue star-filled must waft overhead, I felt safe. I looked to the owner of the wings. Much to my surprise, I saw Princess Luna, in tears. The alicorn princess of the night, ruler of the starry skies, and mover of the moon. In tears, hugging me and Sonya. I had many questions, but I just accepted the hug. Being hugged by a big fluffy kitty and best princess helped me feel safe. I'm not sure how much time passed in the hug, before Sonya pulled away from the hug. "Since we have a guest, I suppose we should see what they came to find out. It's not often you meet a dream walker." Sonya said, looking at Luna. Luna nodded as she too broke the hug. I looked at her knowingly. "That's right. My name is-" "Princess Luna. It's an honor to meet you." I interrupt, going into a bow. I look back up at her, to see her expression twisted into shock. "How… do you know me?" She asked with uncertainty. I let my memories come forth regarding the show and the many fan animations I've watched. They formed a hall of windows as they scrolled past. "Your corruption and Nightmare Night episode got televised. Lauren Faust made your world a kid's show in my world." Though you weren't the main focus. Twilight was. I know most things that happened early on, but also what happens when the threats from the past come back to haunt you guys. Sombra, Tirek, Grogar, the whole sinister Six. There was even a Nightmare Rarity in the comics." "They ALL return?!" Luna's jaw dropped. "Well, yeah. That's kinda what happens when you don't kill them. They come back for revenge again and become somebody else's problem. And even then, high level necromancers make even that hard." I laid it out. "Kill?!" Luna was shocked. I shrug. "Well I don't know about you, but I'd rather not have to let my children fight your mess." My call-out left her sputtering for something to say. "On the bright side, I'm fairly certain Celestia was the one who made the decision to make it somebody else's problem. You, I'm sure would have no problem dealing with it yourself." I tell her. Sonya nods. "Often I had to deal with criminals too dangerous to lock up. It was on me to decide if I kept them held in a very escapable cell, or kill them where they stood. I chose to believe they left me no choice." Sonya explained, backing me up. "That's a troubling thought. But… I suppose you're right. Grogar, Tirek, all of them… they never deserved to live. Especially since they chose not to reform when given the choice." Luna said with a sigh. "Ah. Yes. I almost forgot Discord. You may want to keep an eye on him. He doesn't truly give in to reforming until after Tirek betrays him." I warned. "Noted. There was one more matter of business I wanted to settle with you. Many ponies lately have been having nightmares. Nightmares I can't purge. They show this." Luna uses her magic to summon up visions of other dreams. Sonya seemed to recoil in horror at the sight of it, but I stood frozen. Because I knew what it was. Those tentacles weren't here for Hentai. They were here to bring Ruin. "...So you know what it is." Luna observed. I sighed. "Yes. And you can forget about your planet having any kind of future as long as it exists." I stated with dread in my tone. Both Sonya and Luna looked at me in concern. "Why is that?" Luna asked. "That is the Ruin. By all rights it's a god of extinction, since it hates any and all forms of life. It doesn't help that there's a cult entirely based on helping it out because they believe it won't touch humans. They're wrong though. It won't stop until nothing else exists. And even if you destroy the primary core, it'll just grow more out of other planets." I sigh. "This is the beginning of an infinite war. Something none of us will finish in our lifetimes." "Are you sure? I am immortal…" Luna pointed out. "No, you're ageless. Not immortal. One day something will kill you. True immortality is a curse because of how many times you get killed just doing your damn job." Sonya protested. That made Luna pause, looking at Sonya in surprise. But instead of responding to that, she saw the edges of my dream starting to collapse. I could see it too. "Your dream is ending. I suppose that means they've managed to resuscitate you. I will see you in the waking realm. But… do try to keep any scathing remarks about my sister to yourself. As far as I've known her, she can be very sensitive to insults such as that." Luna advised. I simply nodded as everything faded to white.