> Key of The Guardian
>  by Blacklight Brony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the middle of a blizzard, a large female figure slowly became visible. It was difficult to tell what she was since her entire body was covered in a blue flight suit and a thick, red scarf covered her head. She marched through the frozen land as ice and snow crunched underneath her feet. Her arms crossed in a vain attempt to warm herself despite the fact she didn't need to, but her flight suit didn't do much for keeping the body warm. Soon after her appearance, she tripped over something buried underneath the snow. 

She was at her wit's end with the current situation she found herself in. She thought to let off some steam by shooting whatever tripped her with her sidearm, only to see a frost-covered arm stick out of the snow. Her anger disappeared as it turned to concern for whoever was there. Ignoring herself and the biting cold, she began to dig up the body of whoever was there in an attempt to save them. Luckily for her, they were still alive, even if they were extremely frostbitten.

She could tell it was a male primate from his physical appearance but seemed to have less fur than what she experienced with her previous team's long-term enemy. His hair was black and his limbs were quickly turning black and expanding rapidly as parts of his clothes were tearing from his expanding skin. Much to her surprise, he was still breathing but was unconscious.

"Damn it, he needs help." The figure said as she lifted him into her arms. She took off her scarf and wrapped it around him to keep at least a part of him warm. Her head was cold, but it was better than letting someone die because she wanted to be comfortable. 

Now that the scarf wasn't covering her face, she was now able to be seen for what she was. She was vulpine in appearance with blue fur covering her body with a patch of white on her face and going down her neck. The vulpine holding the primate only emphasized how much taller she was compared to him with her being almost two feet taller.

She looked around for a bit, trying to find a safe place to take the guy so he could start recovering, but she knew that they would have to amputate the limbs at this point since they'd be unusable after he wakes up. Unfortunately, she found nothing and continued to march through the tundra with her new plus one she carried around. She almost immediately praised herself for the idea of what little body heat the primate had helped her a bit. She could only imagine how it would feel after he recover and had a normal body temperature. She didn't see the black whisps coiling around the blackened extremities and the frostbite slowing down and even healing completely in some places, but nothing noticeable.

The primate opened his eyes for a second and caught a glimpse of the vulpine before closing them again and falling asleep and apologizing to her for the inconvenience; even if she couldn't hear him. He subconsciously melted into her arms after a while with them being his only scores of heat, but he couldn't help but get nostalgia. It felt like he was a kid again in the arms of his family as his dreams became memories of the time he spent with them.





The vulpine eventually found a cave for them to stay in while the primate began to recover. After a day of sleeping in the cave, the vulpine began to notice that the primate was getting better, but it was more like he was reversing the damage on his body. It freaked out the vulpine so much that she left the cave for a day under the excuse that she was getting food. When she got back, the fire was out and the primate was completely healed, but he was still resting. 

That day turned into a week as she was starting to get accustomed to taking care of him. It was only the two of them so it was easy to separate food evenly between the two even though the primate was still asleep and needed less food than her. Still, she gave him enough food to survive and to prevent any bodily functions from happening. She didn't think he had any spare clothes and didn't want to treat him like a sleeping newborn.

That week turned into a month as the vulpine completely check him over for any sign of frostbite. Nothing could be found anywhere on his body and found out a few biological differences from the usual primates she used to fight beside and against. His legs were longer, his torso and arms were a bit smaller, and his canine teeth weren't as sharp. What immediately stood out was that he had almost no fur on his body except for a few places such as a thick patch on top of his head and the stubble of a mustache and beard. What caught her attention was how she could easily find the reproductive system since there wasn't anything to cover it. Something completely different than what she read about in all the biology books when she first began her studies to understand the larger scope of the universe after joining her previous team. She made sure to cover his waist before the next few checks. Another vulpine creature began to rest near the primate for one reason or another but seemed content just lying near him. She was put off from seeing a lesser evolution of her; it felt weird for her to see it.

After three months with no response from the primate, she began to repeatedly check his pulse every few minutes with the rare exceptions when she'd go hunting for food. She was beginning to think that he was never going to wake up and whatever she did was pointless if nothing was going to change, but those thoughts vanished after she came back from hunting and saw that we moved a bit. Whereas he was lying on his back with his limbs right beside him, now he had the scarf tightly clutched in his hands. She began to put more effort into her care for him seeing that he could wake up soon The creature would move away from her when she got close and would growl when the vulpine got close to the primate. After the first few times, the creature didn't mind the vulpine, but it was clear that it was a tolerance rather than an acceptance.

After four months, she began to look through his pockets to find anything that might be useful to them, but only found a phone, earbuds, a mask, and a wallet. She tried to take the opportunity to learn his name, but everything, except for a few cards, was destroyed. Both ID cards suffered heavy water damage and when she tried to learn what she could through his phone, she found it had a password. She slapped herself after thinking that he didn't have a password on his phone, but was happy that she could finally tell where his species was at in terms of technological development. The vulpine and creature grew closer with a mutual worry for the primate after he was officially a nameless creature to them as well. The creature would lie near the vulpine and would nuzzle her hand. The vulpine got used to the creature and gets a little extra food for it.

Within the fifth month, she decided to leave the cave she had taken the primate. She could tell he was getting better, but she had to get him to professionals to get him checked out. The vulpine pat herself on the back for taking care of him even if what she did to do so was only learned through medical drama shows and what research she did. However, she can't do any thorough checks on him without the proper equipment or training. Even if the blizzard did let up in several months, by far the most bizarre weather phenomenon she ever saw, it was better than doing nothing. Luckily for her, she didn't have to travel far. The creature followed close behind before hopping on the back of the vulpine and hanging over her shoulder.





"Halt!" A commanding voice yelled at the vulpine making her pause for the voice. She knew it couldn't have been the wind or something stupid like that. "State your name and business!" The vulpine hesitated for a second, not wanting to give her name to someone she can't see, But even she knew she didn't have a choice with the comatose primate on her back.

"M-My name is Krystal! I just came across this area on accident! Please help me, he's been asleep for several months!" Krystal yelled in a bit of hope before two figures walked through the fence blizzard and stopped before the now named Krystal. Much to her shock, there stood two snow-white arctic foxes holding metal spears with the blade being infused with obsidian.

They pulled the primate off of her and dumped him in the slow without emotion on their face. One placed the tip of the spear over the primate ready to skewer him. "You can come in, he stays." Krystal pushed them away and pulled her gun on them. "He's not a fox. The sins of the outsiders will taint our species purities; I don't expect a water fox to understand, but we will make an exception since you have some artic fox in you. Be grateful for this opportunity vixen." Krystal didn't have to see them well to understand that they were ready to attack.

"Stay your spear, guardsmen." A female voice said before a gust of wind cut through the blizzard. 

Krystal was amazed by the sudden use of this strange power and how it helped her, but what took her breath away was the large city that eclipsed what she's seen at her home; however, it was the form of another vixen in robes and a glowing staff that stole her attention. 

It was oddly revealing for something religious, but it covered the important areas making Krystal think that they had more self-control than she thought or that they haven't found the importance in wearing something more modest yet. Yet the vixen's smile held a warmth that put the blue fox at ease. "My name is Aurora, High Priestess of the Arctic Foxes. You don't have to tell me your name, Krystal, I was able to hear it." That gave Krystal a bit of relief; she didn't want to keep saying the same thing again. "What's the name of your friend?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know." Krystal apologized as the guards tightened their grip on the spears. "I found him buried in snow with extreme frostbite. Somehow, he healed, but has woken up in the past five months." Aurora's smile became a little more shallow. Aurora had heard a story like that before, it was why her people were so distrustful of outsiders. 

She didn't want to be tricked again and walked forward. "I will have to check. Please, do not resist until my examination is complete." Krystal didn't know when she meant until she found that she couldn't move at all. She took Aurora's advice, if only to prevent another incident, and watched with a mixture of anxiety and disdain. Aurora just placed her staff on his head and immediately found out what happened. "His mana circuits have just been overloaded. They're repairing themselves, but it could be an option month or two before he wakes up." The hold on Krystal dropped and she just took a few seconds to collect her thoughts. She had no reason to attack Aurora, but she wasn't okay with losing her ability to move.

"What does that mean?" Krystal watched as the primate lifted into the air with some odd aura around him. Even if she attacked, she knows she'd lose.

"We'll figure out what to do with him when he wakes up in a couple of months. Till then, you and your Carbuncle can stay. We'll arrange a house for you to stay in." Krystal didn't understand why she was being so hospitable but doesn't look the gift horse in the mouth. Soon another guard appeared and whispered something to her. "Already? Damn it, they have too much coverage." The religious vixen sighed before giving a weary smile to Krystal. "When you're friend wakes up, he'll be put on trial in front of the Parliament. I'll see what I can do to work around their inevitable harsh judgment. In the meantime, make yourself at home." Aurora was disappointed in a flash of light.

Krystal didn't bother trying to understand, the speed of everything being way too much for her to understand. She just wanted to sleep in a bed for the first time in months.





"Princess." The voice came from a male Equine standing on their hind legs. He wore a doctor's coat with a button-down shirt underneath along with khaki pants. "There has been a surge of magic, but it was unnaturally dark. We have reason to believe that Dark Magic might be involved or a desperate outburst of negative emotion. Either way, it came from a creature." The Equine said as he stared at his princess.

The princess had an air of authority around her that also seemed to carry the unconditional love of a mother. She was pure white with a pastel-colored rainbow mane that flowed in an invisible wind. Her form was slender and the dress she wore accented her natural curves. "Thank you for looking into this, Looking Glass. Do you know a more general area of where the surge is?"

"The Wendigo's Eye." The princess sighed knowing looking into it further would be fruitless. Very few have managed to come back after the first few days. Some say they can hear voices while within; believing that they're the spirits of the Crystal Empire or the souls of those who died exploring the unnatural storm. However, in recent years, the idea of the poor souls of the Crystal Empire haunting their home vanished after it came back. "It seems similar to the one that brought her here."

"Thank you again. I'll see about using sensing to figure out the cause." Looking Glass began to walk away before stopping, remembering the other bit of news that would bring her dread. He was just glad the princess's sister wasn't there.

"Celestial Mana Degradation occurred again... I'm sorry Princess Celestia." With that, he left. The guards in the room were left confused but didn't break attention. 

Celestia clenched her hands into fists. She hated getting that news, but they were now happening every six months then once every century as they used to one thousand years ago. "Damn, another star fades from the sky." She pushed the dark thoughts out of her mind and began to use Mana Sense to look around the dense mana climate to find the cause of the surge.
> Chapter 1: Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Please hurry, but decide with a calm mind. The door is opening and it must be locked.'

I opened my eyes to a dark void surrounding me. Looking down, I found a beautiful stained glass tapestry with a white fox in front of a cathedral. Behind both was a sky blue sky with writhing black tendrils coming from behind the cathedral. While the tendrils disgusted me a bit, it just caused an uncomfortable chill to go down my spine. I was glad that I was on the fox. In front of me, more like surrounding me, were three podiums with an object hovering above all thee. Directly in front of me was a sword, to my back right was a shield, and to my back left was a staff. 

'Step forward, move to get used to the new area.'

I took a step and immediately realized that the gravity felt heavier than what I was used to. It was a battle to just take a step, but my determination kept me from falling to the ground. It was odd that I was so determined, I would have normally just given up, but this was new or maybe because it felt like a dream that I had this confidence. I only knew this fact was because of the few lucid dreams I had recently. After a minute or two, I was able to walk somewhat comfortably.

'Good, this will help you when you awaken, but not by much. The gravity will be almost ten times stronger than what it is now, but this should give you at least some movement.'

I'm so fucked.

'Don't sell yourself short young one. Now attempt to jump. This should allow you to gage how strong the gravity is.'

Me being me, I did it and fucked up the landing to the point that I did a split. The pain was indescribable, but it was the kind of pain that kept you from screaming. It took a minute before getting back to the voice chuckling softly; no doubt they thought I couldn't hear them. I did, I very much did, but I let them have this since I couldn't blame them. I'll be joking about this later.

'Now, onto business.' The voice suddenly became quiet as the atmosphere instantly became heavier. 'A power sleeps within you. If you give it form... it will give you strength... Choose wisely.'

I looked around, no doubt the voice was talking about the sword, shield, and staff. I wandered what would happen if I chose one over the others. Once again, this still feels so unreal to me so I could be imagining an RPG-esque scenario. I began to think of my style when I play action RPGs before I walked forwards to my chosen object.

'The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Is this the power you seek?'

My fighting style was always DPS heavy with use of close, quick melee and long range, heavy hitting magic, but it was mostly melee if I can help it. If I could stun the enemies in game, then it meant that I'd be safe for a moment. It fits me pretty well with how blunt I am in real life... when I'm not behind the walls of anxiety.

After thinking about my own style, I nodded with a fond smile on my face. It was in credible to think how little I changed from my first run in Dark Souls, my first RPG.

'Tour path is set. Now, what will you give up in exchange?'

I get it now. I naturally have all three, but I need to choose one to focus one and one to use to empower my chosen path; sacrificing that path entirely. That maybe only for the time being at the very least. Anyways, I already know what I was going to give up. 

'The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. You give up this power?'

I nodded before making my way back to the center to await my next instuction, still expecting to wake up at any moment.

'You've chosen the power of the Warrior. You've given up the power of the Guardian. Is this the form you choose?'

I hesitated a bit, knowing that I'd most definitely get hurt more without the extra armor, but some times a good defense is a good offense. Time will tell if I regret this decision; however, this is my choice.

'Your path is set.'

The area changed into a something similar to the last one, but the stained glass was depicting me behind the fox. The tendrils were now coming from behind me with the sky chaining into a royal purple and a maroon. It seemed more cryptic than the last.

'The path you chose will be one of pain an hardship, but in time that same pain will be your strength. Never forget that nothing is done alone, even if it seems to be that way at first. Adapt and overcome with the aid of others. Should you heed my words, the pain will be infinity more bearable knowing you have others to share in it. This moment you may forget, but the consequences of your choices will still appear. Use them as you see fit and as you're strength. Remember, even the most evil contraption can be used for good. You're life was spared by simple luck, but it may be fate that you're not the only one. Find her and you'll understand why fate has brought you here. Goodbye for now, but we'll speak again.'

I was a little curious what the voice meant, but my attention was taken elsewhere as a light flashed from behind me. I sighed, thinking this must be end. I was anxious, but after remembering what the voice said, I knew it couldn't be death, but a gate into the future... The cast, unknown future.

I'd be lying if I said that didn't scare me more. Unfortunately, it was the only way I could walk. What a bull shit metaphor for life.





BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Did someone change my alarm sound to an actual alarm clock. I set it to the Kingdom Hearts 1 theme for a reason. Whoever did that, I'll kick their ass... okay, I'll be lenient and give a stern talking too. Wait, way do I have a tube on my arm. 

I opened my eyes and looked at my arm. I couldn't believe that I got another IV and was in another hospital. Oddly enough, this isn't the first this happened to me. I looked around once more to get a hold of my surroundings and figure out what happened. I don't remember getting hurt, but people can forget events if it traumatic enough.

I looked at my arms and I couldn't have been unconscious for long since my muscles haven't atrophied. It was kind of weird to be in a situation like this when I felt perfectly fine. I looked away from myself and to the door. There wasn't anything that would allow me to call a nurse and I was in a patents gown so no phone. When I tried to say something, I found my voice was dry and incredibly difficult to speak.

"Videamus quomodo facere." A voice said before the door opened and the strangest thing happened. What walked in was an anthropomorphic arctic fox in a doctor's coat walked in. If it wasn't obvious from the foxes body, its clothes and general look seemed female. What caught me even more off guard was how she seemed to have an outline around her as if she was in some kind of cartoon. "VIGILANTIA!!!" That caught me even more off guard since she was speaking in another language.

I couldn't speak so I could only lie there in anticipation for the consequences of her yelling to come. Her look at me was negative so I'm understandably scared. The fact that I couldn't understand her and can't speak well meant that whatever I did would probably be useless. I moved back a bit in fear as the fox took the IV out of me before pulling me off the bed.

Armored foxes walked in and took my arms as if I was a man being dragged to prison. They were literally lifting me off the ground and were close to breaking my arms as I kicked, by throat was still dry and I didn't know if I could hurt myself if I tried... Plus, I was a generally a quiet person so I doubt they would of heard me. 

They just ended up throwing my towards a door that sent me through a a pair of doors which hurt like hell. What waited for me was a room with about 100 foxes that are, what I could only assume, posh aristocrats high off their own money and power. In front of them was another fox with blue fur. She was standing before these guys and immediately came to my side. I checked myself to see if I was fine and found that I now had a broken arm which fucking sucked.

"Oh no, are you okay?" She asked which was a breath of fresh air to finally understand someone. I made a drinking motion showing that I needed something to drink. I just needed moister to talk. This only confused me more since I was apparently injured, asleep the entire time, didn't atrophied, and can't talk.

She had a bag on her and pulled out a water bottle before letting me take a sip. It was oddly refreshing. "What's happening?" I asked... my arm was numb so I could focus of the crowd. 

"A trial." I looked at her in confusion causing her to sigh. "It was either this or you get killed." She helped me to my feet before we face the foxes which upset my shyness.

I took a step back only for my body to crumble to the ground. The gravity was so heavy, everything hurt, and I could barely move. That's not counting the hell my lungs were going through just to keep up with the pressure. I was gasping the entire time and it was made worse when I could feel my bones flex inwards. I think the only reason why I didn't notice it before was because I was panicking.

"What are you doing?" The vixen asked as I struggled to look at her. She was definitely not happy and I think that'll be worse when I tell her why.

"Can't... Move... The gravity... is... Too strong... It hurts..." I responded, gasping for air between words. From the upwards view I had, I could see 20 more Foxes above the initial 100. About half looked like guards, but what confused me was an additional vixen off to the side of them. 

"Members of the Parliament, please excuse him! His body isn't adept to handling the pressure from the gravity like we are! He cannot stand on his own!" The group continued to speak in that odd language. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, but what ever they said, it pissed off the blue vixen. "He is communicating perfectly, but he hasn't adapted to this planets gravity! The medical scans from my MSD, showed that he is from a planet that has 20 times less gravity! I implore you to remember that even I am from another planet!" I looked at her with a little shock after she said that, then I realized who she looked like. "Planets and life come in varying sizes and those who developed life adapt to that specific plant! He's on a planet that could be bigger or denser than what he's used to! We cannot simply say he's unfit and execute him for something beyond his control!"

I tried to stand, only to have my back hit the ground once more. Silence rained over the room as I rolled myself over and tried to push myself to my knees.

SNAP

"SON OF A BITCH!!!" I yelled at one of my forearms snapped in half. The good news was that I was on my knees. The bad news is that my face plunged to the ground.

I felt a hand on my back as gasps rang out from around the room. A feminine voice came from behind me. The blue vixen then spoke again. "He doesn't know how to use his mana? Is the translation spell still active?" A singular word was said by the new voice. "Can you fix it? I still can't make heads or tails of this magic thing."

The next thing I knew, my arm was fixing itself and the weight on my body became less intense. I looked at my arm and saw black wisps coming from it.

"Dark magic... Quite the innate element. Very few are born with the ability to wield that." I able to get on my knees a little easier and not break an arm. It was still a struggle, but it was better than nothing. "Should you desire, I will give it a name."

Of course I gave it some thought. It was quite a dire situation I was in so be acknowledged as something other than a criminal was refreshing. 

"Priestess Aurora! You are over stepping your limits with such a declaration! Have you gone mad?!" Something welled up within me; an overwhelming desire to be a complete asshole to them. How could I deprived myself of such a compulsion.

"Y-yes." I said, my voice breaking as I struggled to not face plant on the ground.

"His innate ability seems to be something quite beneficial to him; I'll call it Adaptability!" Aurora said as a smile adorned her lips. It seems like this could be quite beneficial to me in the long-run, but that could also just be me reading into things too much.

"Young Priestess! Why would you conduct such a sacred ceremony with such a loathsome creature?!" One of the foxes from, what I assume, Parliament asked before the voice responded.

"The teachings only say that the ceremony should be done by those who lack the power to open their circuits! I'm only following the words of my ancestors!" I could feel the smugness in this priestess's voice. Technicalities have become my favorite kind of exceptions. "Also, how would the public react if our Parliament put someone to death who had no way to defend themselves?! Who's to say the people would want to tear down the Parliament in favor for the Council gaining more power?!" Oh, she's playing dirty... I like that. She's acting the same way I wish I could.

A small fraction of the foxes on the Parliament, can't believe I was right, began to whisper amongst themselves. They were planning something. Those who were whispering to one another passed it to the rest of the Parliament.

"We have a proposition! Seeing as his death would cause an uproar amongst the Council, we'll have him prove his drive to survive! He must become a candidate for the Guardian Trials! Should he fail, he'll be executed!" I wonder if anything realizes that the acoustics in this room allow them to talk to one another without yelling.

"What?! That is next to impossible! There are candidates for becoming candidates and you can only become one by getting a recommendation from one of the trainers! Not to mention that there are only 16 slots for the candidates and they're chosen amongst nearly 10,000 per trainer!" Wait what?! The Priestess is only making things worse for me! I don't care about the near death thing, I'm trying to figure out this anime BS!

"That's only a 0.01% chance of survival!" I yelled. Just because I noticed the anime BS doesn't mean I wasn't scared for my life. Also... Yeah, I did the math. 

"It's clear that he already has the intelligence for it! Tell us, young creature, what is the highest form of education you have?!" The apparent leader of the Parliament asked. Seriously, this girl's been talking for everyone.

"I-uh... I... I have a... High... High school diploma." I tried to avert my eyes for them.

"Of course he'd be shy." The blue vixen said as she planted her face into a palm. Don't worry girl, I know I'm a disappointment.

"Priestess Aurora, why did you give his innate ability such a name as Adaptability?!" I have an idea from context clues.

"His ability allows him to adapt much quicker than most. We can only presume his mana created this hasty ability due to the strain on his body from the higher gravity. I predict that it'll go away when he's fully adapted to this world." Well damn, that sucks. I mean, cool, I have a chance to live, but I'll loose it later. "I recommend that we go through the Choosing Ceremony before he fully adapts to our world. This will allow him to be on equal footing with those who haven't had a weapon before the ceremony."

"Do as you wish, he's proven that he will be able to skip the study times, but it is up to him to train during those times. To make it fair, should he fail as a candidate for Guardian, he shall be spared. There are other ways for him to be pardoned, but that requires great heroism or incredibly strength." Anime as hell. This honestly feels like foreshadowing. "We have come to an agreement, correct?"

"We have."

"Then this meeting is adjourned. We'll reconvene if something were to happen." With that, everyone in the Parliament began to pack up their notes and paperwork before leaving. 

Is it odd that they didn't ask me if I wanted this, I mean... I did, but they could have asked at the very least. It also turned out more empathetic than I anticipated. A little xenophobic at the beginning, but slowly became more rational halfway through. I still get fucked, but at least there's a chance...a very, very small chance. 

"This could have gone better. At the very least, we managed to buy you time for... about a year. We'll commence the choosing process immediately. The sooner the better." The Priestess said as as the blue vixen pulled me to my feet and helped me to my feet. I sighed, I felt bad that they had to do this for me. This was just how I was even if it didn't make sense, but it was just me being me.

"Thank you." I mumbled as I stumbled on the floor beneath me while the pressure starts to get worse. 

"Don't worry, I've been helping helping you for a while now." The blue vixen said as I looked at her, my confusion was blatantly obvious after that statement. "You were unconscious for several months before I brought you here, so I took care of you for that time." Damn, that's kind of terrifying. "My name is Krystal by the way, what's yours?"

"My name's... Call me Nova." I know that lying to them was wrong, but I didn't want to trust them right away. Also, if I fail, I can leave and use my actual name somewhere else. The Priestess started walking backwards to face me. I couldn't help but notice that height difference between me and these two.

"Okay Nova, My name's Aurora, High Priestess of Snow Drop." I looked up at her with my usual blank expression, but the small smile on my face conveyed all it needed. Aurora seems nice and I know who Krystal is, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions without more time. Sure they helped me, but I'd like to see if they did this for me or themselves. Yes, I'm a little paranoid.

"A pleasure to meet you." I wasn't too sure where we were going, but I knew it wouldn't be good considering nature of the conversation prior. Might as well ask. "Where are we going?"

"To get you the necessities before sending you to the barracks to prepare for the Weapon Summoning Ceremony tomorrow." I nodded, not knowing how to respond. So many concepts were thrown at me at once. I was kinda missing the simplicity of basic for once.

I ended up tripping on something, maybe the gravity pulling my feet down sooner, and fell face first. I sighed, hoping for the pain to end.





(Canterlot-Third Person)

Celestia sipped on a cup of tea. It was a special imported tea, but it was one of her favorites. She made it a point to buy it whenever she got the chance. It was one she and her sister loved the tea which gave the tea a special feeling that no other kind had. It was also one she loved to introduce to other dignitaries and royals, but she only drank it on special occasions and when she had a stressful day. However, she brought the tea for a special friend.

"It's a pleasure to see you're enjoying yourself Cheryl and I'm happy that you could make the trip." Celestia said as her gaze landed on a female human with slightly reddish-black hair and light blue eyes. She looked as if she was in her mid-thirties and had a slightly frail body. She wore a white shirt with light purple stipes, dark blue jeans, and slip on shoes with a small design of a pink flower.

"I'm fine, Celestia. But the treatments are getting longer and longer... and I hope that we can find a way back to my world." Cheryl said as she looked into her tea before taking another sip. "I'd be lying if I said this wasn't an incredible experience, but I miss my children. One of them just graduated from military basic training, another is starting another year as a veterinarians technician, and my youngest is almost eighteen and is about to graduate high school."

"You're married? I don't believe that you ever told me that you had children either. I guess that's mom and dad had you watch over us." Cheryl chuckled as she looked out of Celestia's window at a couple in the royal garden. She gave a little wave to them as the wife looked up to them.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I remarried three times after my first husband." Celestia looked down at the same couple before looking away with slight embarrassment.

"Usually it's the other way around. Males usually take more than one wife with exception of royal families." Cheryl nearly choked on the tea she was drinking. She had to correct Celestia's misconceptions. 

"N-no. We got a divorce. Most cultures on earth are monogamist." Celestia nodded with a slight sigh. She was self-aware enough to notice her mistake.

"I see. I apologues. I'll try to be more considerate." Cheryl wave her comment away.

"Don't worry, I understand."

"I'm sorry to ask this, but do you mind coming with me to investigate something. I was able to sense the rise of dark magic within the frozen north."

Cheryl sighed, but new that she wouldn't be called if the strange dark creatures didn't appear. "I will, but I have to ask that I'm given proper clothing. I don't have fur like you so I'll need time to prepare." Celestia nodded, understanding the situation.

"It may take a while, but I believe that we can accommodate you Mrs.Cheryl. It may be a long while before we can get you suck clothing so I hope you'll patent."

"Don't worry. These past three and a half years has helped me develop my patience." The two began to talk about Cheryl's family, since it was a new topic. Cheryl hadn't been that happy since before appearing on Equis.
> Chapter 2: Cursed Hands
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(First Person-Nova)

It still hurt. I'm not accustomed to the gravity, but I can tell it's ever so slightly better than it was yesterday. Maybe my ability responds to trauma and adapts my body accordingly in an accelerated manner instead of gradual adaptation over several generation. Damn, I'm flexing those biology memories pretty hard for an internal thought. Then again, it's not like this isn't new.

"Good morning, Nova." I strained my body to an upright position to see Krystal standing in the doorway of my barracks room. She wasn't too thrilled about waking me up, but saw it as a necessary evil. I asked her if she could before entering the barracks. It was a little insurance incase I didn't wake up when I was supposed to. 

"Good morning, Krystal and thanks again for helping me. I really appreciate it." I responded as I slowly lowered my feet off the enormous bed and on to the ground. I could just fall off like I usually did at home, to man potential injuries. It wasn't my best moment, but I'm still on house arrest until I can properly move around without much help.

"Don't worry about it, but you should read the news. Due to your appearance, the Guardian Trials have been postponed for the foreseeable future. Aurora had to pull a few strings to make sure you can stand a fighting chance." I nodded and made a mental note to thank her when I get the chance. I couldn't imagine what it was like to have to deal with someone who could barely function without your help... actually I could. My mom often helped with special needs children when I was in middle school... off topic, but the point is that I feel bad that I have to burden her for so much.

That's when I noticed a distinct issue; clothes. The fact that I could withstand such harsh temperatures yesterday is an anomaly. Who knows. Maybe they'll keep the bare minimum until I can handle the extra weight. I'll continue with what I have now or until told otherwise. In that case, I'll do whatever training I need to do indoors until I have the proper clothing and can move without the crushing weight.

I think I'm overthinking this. They're larger than me by a sizable margin so it could be a challenge to make clothes for someone who's so small. No, then their children won't have clothes either. It could be that they can't pinpoint my age. That's not counting the time and capital needed to make them. That includes the labor to make or gather the materials, finding someone who would want to help an outsider, and the general time it would take to complete them.

Damn it, I said I wasn't going to overthinking this. They could have simply not bothered. Get out your head, it only leads to bad. Pulling myself into a downwards spiral could make things worse for me and I'd be declared unfit for the trials and executed. They're society may not have anyplace for mentally unwell people. People barely brought attention to it on Earth so why would a society that seems to be less developed.

"You've been silent for several minutes. What's on your mind?" I froze for a second before catching up to her. Apparently, we had been walking the entire time. This wasn't something new and a habit I developed after being diagnosed with depression. Now I use it to think while on the move, but my spacial awareness still needs a little work.

"I'm just... Concerned. I could die soon for something beyond my control. It's hard not to think about and focusing on anything leads to my possible death. I can barely walk without pushing myself beyond what I thought imaginable. My mind is forcing me to see the only option as cutting my losses and get somewhere safe, but there isn't anywhere that I know that fits what I need."

"I'm nineteen, I still have my whole life ahead of me, but it's being threatened simply because I'm different. I'll admit, I'm scared. Everything could end so easily if I'm not good enough. I'm scared that... That no matter what I do, I'll fail. Damn it, no matter how you look at the situation, I'm cornered."

Krystal remained silent as she listened to my venting. Maybe I'm just complaining, but I still don't know how much time I have to prepare. Everything's just been confusing since I woke up the first time. More concepts, old societies, and even fucking sci-fi; my mind just can't get a break.

"You thought about this a lot, haven't you? I won't say that you're going to be fine, you clearly don't stand a chance now, but maybe in the near future. That special ability is having you adapt quicker to the gravity of this world. The first leg of your journey is to to just walk and let your magic do it's thing." The two stopped before Krystal looked at me once more, her face showing a bit of concern. "You're thinking too far ahead, slow down and take it piece by piece. From what I can tell, you're smart so use that brain of yours to the fullest extent."

"Yeah, that's what I'm told. Normally, I do a bit of both, but this is different..." I couldn't see Krystal's face, but I guarantee that she could see mine. "I'm terrified." I didn't know what to do now. Fresh out of basic and I'm still trying to adjust to making my own decisions again. 

I was essentially an infant entering the world for the first time. I guess I pretty much am. Waking up for the second time in a strange new world. It's still a little much to process right now.

How did I get here in the first place? What happened? How is everyone doing after I appeared here? Are they looking for me? So many questions and so few answers. No point wishing for them, they won't be granted.





(Third Person)

Krystal looked at the terrified human. Despite the smile on his face, his eyes showed nothing but terror. She didn't know what he was thinking about, but she couldn't help but agree with his unwilling thoughts. 

He was put in an unwinnable situation with almost all odds stacked against him. With so little time to train and learn. It could he said that he's on death's door.

However, he was still giving an attempt. It was something that she could admire. Despite his fear he still pressed forward. There was something she had to know something.

"Hey, Nova..." Krystal began. He had stopped in his tracks and looked at her. He still looked scared, but his eyes seemed as if he was ready for anything. "Why are you still pressing forward? You said it yourself; you'll fail."

"Because..." He paused. He looked down and back up. His smile was wider, as if to reassure her. "I don't know. Maybe it's just not in my nature to roll over and die, or maybe because quitting would be like spitting in the face of my Drill Sergeants. After all, the third line of the Warrior's Ethos is 'I will never quit'."

An Ethos? Krystal had never thought that he had words to live by. And if it's a Warrior's Ethos, did that me he was a soldier of some kind. He seemed for weak when she met him properly for the first time, but hearing him talk made her realize that there was a lot more to him than they thought. It only made the saying of never judge a book by its cover more real for her.

"That sounds stupid when you say it out loud." She commented as the human just chuckled. Even she had to admit that her words were poorly chosen, but he seemed to brush it off. "But I wish I could think like that. No reason to keep walking forward."

"You shouldn't put yourself down. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but it's not like we can't change." The human yawned, his drowsiness still affecting him more than he thought.

"Inspirational quotes aside, I'm guessing you know what we're doing today?" Krystal walked past the man. He wasn't entirely sure. Having just woken up, his mind was still pretty foggy. It was one of the only reasons he seemed to not be affected by his anxiety when he talked to his video game wifu. He didn't care if someone made fun of him for it.

"Not a clue. Kinda doing as I go." Krystal sighed as she somewhat expected him to say that. With so much thrown at  him at once, he didn't know what was happening.

"Apparently, they call it a Choosing Ceremony. A weapon will find it's place at your side." Both knew she was just repeating what she heard. It didn't change the fact that he didn't have a choice wether he was or wasn't going to do it.

"Got it, pulling shit out of my ass." He wasn't able to stop that one from coming out. He just knew that his sas was going to get the best of him at one point. Either way, Krystal laughed it off. 

Despite the initial look of horror he had, he couldn't shake the smile that grew on his face. It was followed by a few lite chuckles before he burst out laughing. He joined Krystal's laughing fit as let the small moment of levity over take them. With all the stress of the day before, the far of the early morning, and finally the pressure of the ceremony; Nova was glad that he could talk to someone while Krystal was just happy to know that she was still able to talk to him.

The laughter soon began to die down. Krystal was the first to recover as she whipped a tear from her eye as Nova bent over to help stifle it. He has begun to use Krystal as a way to keep himself from falling. He ended it with a few deep breaths as he began to recover. She then looked up and breathed in deeper; still using Krystal as a crutch to stand.

She took the time to breath as he did. Laughing as hard as they did would take the Air out of his lungs. It was a small moment of levity that he desperately needed.

"Anyway, how has that Carbuncle?" Krystal asked, confusing him.

"Carbuncle? You mean the summons from Final Fantasy?" He responded. 

Krystal didn't understand what he was saying until she realized something. Based on Nova's response, he never knew the Carbuncle. This made her wonder what made the creature form an attachment to the human.

"... I'll introduce you to her later." Krystal said with a little worry. "Let's wait until after the Choosing Ceremony."

"What exactly is the Choosing Ceremony?" Nova asked.

"It's an event where a weapon chooses a wielder." Nova looked at Krystal, his expression showed that he was still a little confused. "The weapon is based on viewing into branching timelines for all weapon types and determining the best possible future for the wielder. Whichever weapon type will give you the best future will float to you. It may not be immediately clear how good your future is, but it'll make sense later. For all we know, the weapon you get may only allow you to put up a good fight." Krystal looked at Nova with a raised finger. "Just so you know, you may not be able to pass even if you get your weapon. Not even High Priestess Aurora will know if it'll save you. All you can do is train as hard as you want." She stopped and crossed her arms before sighing. She looked at him with a worried look. "I've only seen it once and this explanation is based off of old records I read or what I was told my the High Priestess Council."

"That helps, Krystal. I appreciate you explaining this." Nova smiled at her which she returned. However, no matter what they showed, it was clear that both of their smiles were uneasy.

"Either way, we should be getting to the Ceremony Site soon." Krystal and Nova continued to walk to the location.





(First Person - Nova)

I stared at a huge crowd circling around a weapon rack. Several weapons lied on the wooden construction ranging from daggers to staves to revolvers.

"Wow, I didn't expect there to be guns." I said as I reached out to them. Many off the citizens here began to mutter as I played with one of the revolvers. I say played, but it was more of disassembling and reassembling. I learned how to do it when I was still really obsessed with firearms and took apart the weapons we had. "Looks like it's chambered in .357 Magnum."

"You know this stuff." A male voice said, causing me to look at them. The fox that spoke was a massive guy that seemed to stand a full foot and a half over the males I've seen. He was holding a massive metal axe that looked more ceremonial than practical, but with magic I doubt that's an issue.

"Yeah, I used to be a gun nut, but it's not what I'm used to." I checked the sights and preformed a functions check. "I may not look like it, but I am a trained soldier... Well, I trained with rifles and not pistols."

"I guess that doesn't help much since you're on a planet that has a stronger gravity than what you're used too." Krystal said as she walked up too us.

"Why are you talking like an NPC?" She recoiled after my statement.

"I'm trying to explain to the Raynard about your situation and you call me an NPC!" The male fox laughed as Krystal blushed in embarrassment.

"You have quite the mouth on you kid! And quite the Vixen as well. I pray for your prosperous relationship!" He said before walking away from us. "Call me David, I hope to see you in the finals!"

"Yeah, I hope so too!" I yelled back with a wave. "Mostly because I don't want to die." That last part was whispered, but with how sensitive their hearing might be, I'm pretty sure he heard it.

Krystal definitely heard what I had to say. She looked visibly sadder than she was before. I guess I opened up the can of sad with that comment. Not much I can do now so I might as well go with everything and do what I can.

"I see you already had a look at the weapons. Found any favorites?" A female voice said, making both the human and vixen to look at the voice.

"None yet, High Priestess. I'm just familiar with this one." I said while putting the revolver back. "Besides, it's better not to get my hopes up."

"I can see that you know how to prevent the feeling of disappointment, but it's it a good thing to get excited about something even if it doesn't come to be?" Aurora asked.

"Where I'm from, that could happen and then it could be cancelled. I remember waiting for a few years for a movie to come out only for it to be cancelled because one reviver said it was offensive. It eventually got released and even the offensive scene made it into a special feature." I moved away from the weapon rack. My Dark Magic is doing good since I'm mostly okay walking around now. "Twitter tore into that guy hard."

"I don't know what a Twitter is, but it can't be good if they ripped someone apart." I looked at her questioningly before it clicked in my mind.

"He means that others sent several angry messages to them because of the reason for the delay. It's more akin to harassment." Krystal explained, unintentional doing me a favor. "Social media isn't too common here so he might use vocabulary and slang you aren't familiar with like how I was before I became more mindful."

"I see. Thank you, Krystal." Aurora said with a patient smile. "I hope the Ceremony falls in your favor." 

"You understood how this works right?" Krystal looked at me as I walked to a location a decent distance away from the weapon rack. I didn't know how the Ceremony worked, but I'd be damned to get cut by a floating weapon.

"Nope." I answered simply.

"You told me you appreciated my explanation!" Krystal glared at me while I was relaxed.

"I said I appreciated it, not that I understood." Krystal grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently.

"You're an asshole!"

I could feel my brain hit every corner of my skull as Krystal shook me. I was definitely going to need headache medicine after this. I'd like to not start today with a bad headache.

"If you'll excuse me, Krystal." Aurora said over her friend's yelling. "But we must continue the Ceremony." Krystal stopped shaking me after realizing that someone was talking to her.

"What?" Krystal questioned absentmindedly before realizing that all eyes were on her. "Oh my gosh." Her squeaking voice after realizing what she did sounded incredibly cute to me. Not to mention that her ears flopped down and her tail was pulled in front of her face to hide her embarrassment. It was adorable.

"Alright let's begin." Aurora summoned a pure white staff. It looked like it was made of two poles coiling around one another before separating towards the end. The ends curved around an orb of pure light before reconnecting at pointed tips. "Goddess of Creation; Cuncta, Goddess of Destruction; Ruina; hear my call and grant this young warrior with his destined weapon!" 

As if on que, the weapon rack began to shake mildly as the weapons vibrated. Many fell off as if they weren't we're the correct ones. I looked over at Krystal as she looked at me. She shrugged showing that she didn't know what was happening. Maybe others were far more clear with what they were supposed to have.

"Yes, we praise thee, our beloved goddesses for your thoughtful consideration! Thou judgement shall not be questioned for we trust in it!" I looked at Aurora as she seemed to be going full zealot here, but I had to remind myself that I'm literally looking at god's will right now... Or is it goddess's will?

"I'm suddenly feeling unsure about this." I said, a slight but of fear entering my voice. I took more steps back as more weapons began to fly off the rack; some just fell off while others flew in random directions.

The weapon rack began to rumble more violently as more weapons flew off it. It was almost as if it was getting frustrated. This seemed so surreal even in this world of magic.

Eventually, the weapon rack stopped shaking entirely as the final weapon fell. No one said anything as the long Ceremony finally came to an end, but not in my favor. Not a single weapon was chosen for me. Not even the firearms.

It should go without saying... I was distraught.

"What... This doesn't make sense." Aurora said in disbelief. I'm guessing this is a first for her; someone not getting a weapon.

"Quite the show the Goddesses gave us." A familiar voice said as my arms were restrained by arcane binds. "However, you cannot continue with the deal, so our hands are tied." I looked towards the voice to see who it was; the head of the Parliament.

"Damn it, Aurora, What should we do?!" Krystal yelled, her voice holding concern as a fox approached me; sword in hand.

"I don't know." Aurora responded. It was faint, but I could still hear it. 

But what can we do? Even if I do get a weapon, I still have less experience and training. It was still a longshot.

"Talk about cruel." I said. "Pulled away from my home, nearly froze to death, and still getting executed because I'm not from here." I chuckled before I looked Aurora dead in the eyes. "Aurora, don't take this personally. You've been trying to help me from the beginning, but... THIS PLACE SUCKS!!!"

"Vulgar creature!" The head said as the fox with the sword raised his sword.

As the sword came down, something broke the executioners blade. A loud boom echoes as the snow on the ground cover the object and I in a snowy vail.

"What is the cause of this rebellion?!" The head yelled.

'I said we'd speak again.' A familiar female voice said as the binds disappeared from my wrist. 'Take up your sword, for it will guide you to victory.'

As the snow started to settle, a large great sword taller than me had pierced the ground meer inches from me. It was almost pure white and gold with chains covering the guard. The gold formed various crosses going up the blade while the white portions acting as the background to the gold. The blade itself was a bright silver as gold acted as a second coat on the guard. In the center of the guard was a blue gem with a silver circle around it with silver X over it. The handle was pure white with the pommel having a second blue gem in a gold diamond.

Without time to waste, I gripped the sword. And it completely changed in color and design. It was incredible to see as black tendrils snaked down my arms and infused itself into the sword. Maybe my ability corrupts objects. If it corrupted people, then Aurora would be different; same thing for Krystal.

The blade stayed the same color as the previous color scheme, but the white portions turned black and most of the gold turned red. The design of the gold on the blade formed to look like three red tridents connecting to each other down the middle. The closer the newly red designs got to the guard, the smaller thy became. It looked like a fourth was going to form, but it seemed as if the material ran out. The red designs and black back ground seemed as if it was creating an abstract depiction of fire.

The white on the guard and handle turned black as well with the gold remaining untouched. The white turned black as expected with the blue gem turning red. The same color scheme affected the handle and the gem at the end. The chains around it linked to the bottom and at the end formed a black crown with three points.

I lifted the sword with ease, the black tendrils of energy linking my arms to the great sword. As the slow began to settle, I saw the silhouette a single fox with a sword in hand preparing to charge. As it cleared I could see it was the head of the Parliament.

'Can you feel that. The absence of your anxiety. Without their words clouding your ears, you're able to focus more.' I slung the sword to my side, getting ready to swing. 'In time you'll learn to focus only on yourself and your opponent. For now, use the silence to block against your greatest weakness. Now...

STRIKE!'

With a powerful step, the ground cracked underneath my foot. The following bound sent me speeding towards the fox faster than I could comprehend. Out of instinct, my feet dug into the ground and I swung my sword.

The look of shock on his face at my sudden appearance made my day. He raised his sword to block, only for his blade to break immediately upon contact with mine.

'Twist your wrist!' The female voice yelled.

With the only conscious effort I made since grabbing this sword, I twisted my wrist; hitting the fox with the flat of the sword. Following through with the swing, he was sent off the ground and into the awed crowd where he was caught by a mage.

'From here on out, you will have to act alone. My Champion of Dark, get stronger and improved your skills. You acted on instinct and your reflexes are superb, but it won't be enough for you to win.' The tendrils disappeared and the weapon got several times heavier as did the gravity. 'Even if you fail to become The Guardian, continue fighting. This world needs you even if it doesn't know yet.'

'Farewell.'

My body collapsed to the ground. I was exhausted from the use of the burst of strength. Despite that, I managed to land on my knees and not fall face first.

"That bastard!" The head said as he struggled to get back up. "You'll pay for that!"

"N-no. You just counted me out and instead of revising the contract like a professional; you skip straight to me not fulfilling my end." I struggled to my feet while using my new sword to prop myself up. "I'm guessing you brought everyone out here to watch me fail like that'll make me loose my confidence." I smiled. "Guess this backfired on you. Because I had to deal with this for most my life! Tell me I can't, IT'LL MAKE THE SATISFACTION OF PROVING YOU WRONG FEEL EVEN BETTER!!!"





(Third Person - Canterlot)

"Cheryl, are you alright?" Celestia asked as she walked towards her friend. "You've been worried all day an now you're fine."

"It was just a feeling, Celestia. But I do understand why you'd be concerned." Cheryl responded before smiling at her friend. "You'll be happy to hear that I didn't feel worried anymore. If anything, I feel pride."

"Odd." Celestia placed a finger to her chin. "Almost every mage could feel an overwhelming surge of Dark Magic not too long ago."

"Are you saying that I might be connected to the recent surge?" Celestia nodded with an apologetic look. "I can assure you that I did not cause it."

"I'm not saying you caused it, just that you might be connected." Celestia gave her human friend a small smile. "The cause could be a family member or a close friend."

"A-are you saying..." Cheryl looked up at the alicorn in disbelief.

"Yes, the culprit behind the surge may be someone you knew." Cheryl felt tears welling in her eyes as her face broke into a smile. 

"Thank God. Please... Please let it be one of my babies." Celestia felt her ears twitch. She didn't have the heart to tell her friend that they might have to fight them if they become hostile. 

"Rest up for today. I'll see if we can hurry the preparations so we got leave as soon as possible." Cheryl nodded before Celestia looked to a guard. "Would you please make sure that Mrs.Cheryl makes it to her room please?"

The guard saluted, assuring that Cheryl would make it to her room. The guard de-summoned her weapon and let the human use her as support.

"Let's go, miss." The guard said softly. She had seen the entire event and understood that Cheryl needed some time to calm down. So the guard couldn't talk how she was trained to; loud and clear.

"Thank you." Cheryl responded with a low tone. After hearing that the surge could've been done by someone she knew, she held hope that she could live a slightly normal life. She couldn't wait until the time came to venture towards the surge. "Could you tell me your name?"

"Winged Spear." The guard didn't say much as she helped the unwell human.

"May I call you Spear for short?" The mare glanced at the woman before giving a small smile.

"Of course, miss."

With Celestia, she didn't have the same hope as her human friend. Ger expression was far more serious as she walked to the throne room.

"Mother, Father; we need to talk!" Celestia announced loudly.

"If it's about that surge, sister; don't worry, I already told them." A dark blue alicorn said as stood before the king and queen.

"Yes, we're aware of the concerning surge. Even Luna was pulled from her sleep." The king said before standing. "We'll mobilize out forces immediately-!"

"The cause of the surge is connected to Cheryl." Celestia interrupted. This caused the king to pause before he sat back down.

"And that complicates the matters. Depending on who this cause is, then humans may not longer be endangered." The queen commented as she put a finger to her chin in thought. "Celestia, do you have an idea who it might be?"

"I don't have many guesses, but she has told me that she had five children, two of which she isn't related to and one belonging to another husband she had." The fact their human friend was a mother and a wife surprised most of them. "That about as much as I know. Since she felt satisfaction, we can infer that it could be one of them."

"Very true, if it were her parents, she would have felt worry. If it was lust, then it was a lover." Luna said as she looked up to her parents as if to confirm her statement.

"You've been paying attention in Star Swirl's teachings." The king praised, not wanting Luna to go unnoticed for her knowledge. "This gives us more options. We may be capable of reasoning with this Catalyst of the Dark."

"Celestia, continue watching over that area and scan for anything specific. If we can narrow down the location, then we can save several days of our travels." The queen ordered.

"What of our transport?" Celestia asked.

"I guess I have more information than you for once sister." Luna boasted, earning an amused smirk from the older sister. "Our transport is secured. Sombra was able to aquire everything we need. We're just waiting for the accommodations for Mrs.Cheryl."

"Thank you Luna." Luna beamed at her sister before Celestia bowed to her mother an father. "I will take my leave. I will do as you ordered and thank you for hearing me out."

"Don't worry, Celestia. We'd never shut our daughters out." The queen said as Celestia left to complete her task with Luna following her. Luna was going back to sleep to prepare for the night. She needed to adjust her sleep schedule if she wanted to take on the responsibility of raising the moon.
> Chapter 3: Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Barracks - First Person)

"So even after the ceremony, you still can't access that power?" Aurora asked. I didn't even know I had that capability to do that, but maybe it was forced activation. That voice seemed too confident that I'd be okay.

"It's crazy, but I really can't." I responded. I looked at my arm to examine the new addition to my body.

It was the chain connected to the handle of my sword. Soon after I said my piece, the weapon vanished in a flash of light with exception of the chain. It coiled around my arm and under my sleeve before fusing with my arm.

"The weapon might be a catalyst for you magic then. However, the fact that OUR sacred sword is now linked to you may cause issues." Aurora said with a sigh.

"I mean, you can still use it. Even if it does act as a catalyst, I'm still going to wait until I can handle the gravity before I wield it." I responded, but she shook her head.

"You're the rightful wielder of Storm Splitter so I can't take it from you. Even if we did take it, it'll come right back to you. Most weapons like this usually have that interesting effect." I sighed knowing that I'd have to go to important events now. Crap, I'll have to order new Pinks and Greens.

"Seems like it's lively in here." Krystal said as she opened the door. "I recommend that you leave soon Aurora, the other Candidates are getting jealous."

"It does look like favoritism if we keep meeting up like this." I commented. After all, Guardian's job isn't just being a normal soldier or being guest of honor at events, but also to guard the current acting High Priestess.

"Fine, but I'm assigning Krystal to live with you." Aurora said as she started to walk out the door. "I'll be seeing both of you soon."

As the door closed, Krystal looked around my room with an impressed look.

"It's surprisingly clean." She commented.

"It has to be. I don't know if we get room inspections and I don't want to be caught off guard." I responded. She then looked at me with a serious look. 

"What are you planning to do for training?" I lied down with a blank look. I already thought of this immediately after the ceremony.

"I'll be training on a Crawl/Walk/Run system by order of precedence. Of course, first is adapting to the gravity, next is figuring out how to summon my weapon, then more adapting training with my weapon, and finally magic training. If I aim for a month in each, then it'll give me an extra month to work on anything I need to work on. Even if I go over my projected time, that extra month with be my cushion." Krystal looked at me with surprise as looked at the ceiling. I only saw her out of my peripheral vision.

"That takes care of your adjustment and weapons training, but what about being chosen?" I couldn't help but smile after my little research I did prior

"That's the best part; only one person per weapon category is chosen. For great swords, there's only nine others. If I can improve in a short time, that'll impress the great sword instructor enough for me to be considered."

"You're one hell of a schemer." She sat at the end of my bed with an amused smile.

"I have to. Even in terms of my peers, I'm the weakest. I make up for my lack of brawn with intelligence." I raise my arm that the chain fused with. "I guess that's going to change soon."

"More like you don't have a choice?" I didn't respond. "Here, I found this in your pocket." A familiar device was held out in front of me.

It was my phone. I haven't had time to see if I still had it or even ask if it was even on me. I thought it was broken or lost since I didn't have it when I woke up. This will make training a little more effective.

"Perfect!" I yelled. I immediately began setting an alarm for 0530. I set a couple more for five minutes before and five minutes after. This would help wake me up and keep me up. Finally, I added all the dead lines for the training sessions. "Finally, organization."

"I don't know how it will help, but you're welcome." Krystal said. I nodded before finding a place of the floor to sleep.

"You can take the bed. I don't need to sleep on it." The best thing you learn in the military is how to sleep anywhere.

"Fine... as long as it doesn't affect your performance." Nova nodded before taking an extra blanket provided to him. He found a comfortable place to sleep and lied down.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. His sleep was mostly normal. There were days when he would wake up or fall asleep later. He was seeing his medical provider to make his sleep schedule more consistent.

Krystal watched him fall asleep. She didn't know about his sleeping conditions, but could tell that he hadn't slept well in a good time. She sighed as she walked over to him and picked him up. She noticed how light he was compared to other races that were a similar body structure.

She then placed him in the bed and got in with him. The bed was big enough for the both of them to sleep comfortably. It didn't stop him from using her tail as a stuffed animal and nuzzling into it.

Krystal blushed a bit from the unfamiliar sensation of someone touching her tail. It was often seen as a taboo for someone to even acknowledge someone's tail due to it's connection to there behind. However, she didn't mind it since Nova wouldn't know about the taboo. She let it slide on this occasion, but would educate him later on.

Krystal was about to fall asleep before she felt something move up her belly to the top of the sheets. She saw a lump in the sheets move accordingly to what she felt before a familiar head popped out from underneath the covers.

"Where have you been?" Krystal whispered as the head belonged to the Carbuncle that stayed with Nova. The Carbuncle nuzzled her neck before falling asleep. "I guess it doesn't matter too much." It didn't take long for Krystal to follow in both the human's and Carbuncle's example.

The next day would be a first for all three of them.





(Third Person - Head of Parliament Office)

"A Carbuncle?" The Head of the Parliament asked as he looked at a gray fox vixen. "Why would a holy creature connect themselves to an outsider."

"I'm unsure Minister Marmor. We initially believed that it was connected to Lady Krystal when they first appeared. But on review from others of the Secret Police, we discovered that it was the Carbuncle that blocked your blade." The vixen then Placed a paper in front of Marmor with a short thesis. "We reviewed the saints and pastors after revealing the details of the event. They're conflicted between the old traditions, socal norms passed down, and the appearance of the holy creature."

"They're conflicted? He's an outsider of a species we know nothing about. How can they not see the danger!" The vixen didn't flinch at his yelling. 

"It's because of the information and technology he had on him. We do not know if he came with others or not, but the fact that he had technology similar to Lady Krystal leaves a lot of questions for us." She then showed drawings of his tech compared to a drawing of Krystal's. "Both are made for communication and hold nearly limitless information. For all we know, he could be in, as Krystal called it, a first contact situation. Meaning we're the first intelligent species he's encountered other than those he already knows."

"Shit, meaning that he's technically a diplomat. However, similarities don't matter. Of course, even I can tell that his technology is far less sophisticated than Lady Krystal's." The vixen nodded in agreement.

"With the working theory of Lady Krystal's end being him as a space faring race. However, app evidence is pointing towards him being brought here though magical means. His lack of understanding, initial response, and inability to control it shows that magic was at least heard of, but not possible. He may be one of the first of his kind with magic in a long time." The vixen paused before pulling out a small notebook with notes written on it. "However, most of this is speculation based on the facts and behavior we've seen so far."

"Yes, I understand." The Head of the Parliament sighed before rubbing the bruise he got from Nova's sword. "The Founder's Cursed Sword reacted to him... Maybe the curse will kill him."

"The curse?" The vixen asked.

"Ah, yes... you wouldn't know if it. You must swear an oath to not say a word about this. No one other than I, the current High Priestess, and the High Priestess Council knows about it's existence."

"I swear in my very life and the lives of my family that I won't say a word." The vixen knelt while placing a hand over her heart.

"Rather confident in your sealed lips, aren't you." Marmor stood before offering a hand to the vixen. "The curse attracts the Daemons of Shadows." The Minister pulled the young fox to her feet.

"Daemons of Shadows?"

"There's a reason we kill everyone who comes in. Many millennia ago, the Equestrians were close friends. One day, a well known hero pony name Stygian entered our village and released the Daemons after his body turned into a black abyss. The Founder of our village had fought against these creatures, but was no match for them. When he was close to death, a sword of incredible power appeared." He walked back to his desk and sat in the black cushioned chair. "He said that even if he was given the weapon, it was supposedly destined for another yet born. Unfortunately, due to the presence of the sword, Daemons attacked until it could be properly sealed in the Founder's Treasury; a hidden horde that even the dragons envy. The Daemons kept attacking even after the sword was sealed. In an attempt to keep the village safe the strongest mage created the blizzard we live in today. That mage would become the First High Priestess. This feat of power caught the eye of Cuncta and granted her with immortality that would be passed down the generations."

"Why weren't we taught this in the schools? It feels like important history." The vixen moved closer to the desk with a hint of anger in her voice.

"The truth is disturbing. The Daemons promise power in return of your obedience. The more you understand, the easier it is to fall." The vixen's anger died after hearing that. "The outsiders that came in before Nova have all tempted foxes to fall to Darkness. However, the Water Foxes have been more than helpful with providing us meat from the ocean, so we allowed Krystal to enter regardless as a favor. Had we known she was an Extraterrestrial, she would have had the same treatment as Nova. Now she's invaluable to our community and extensive magic checks shows she has no connection or knowledge of the Daemons of Shadow."

"So why the hostility to Nova?" Marmor began to usher the vixen out of his office by leaving himself. 

Just as he left, he looked back at the vixen; her anxiety of the subject was clear. She seemed to agree with the side that wanted Nova to survive. He couldn't blame her, this was a difficult situation even for him. He even cursed his previous hastiness. He had to at least provide some closure to the young fox.

"I fear that he's the one Destined to wield the Founder's Sword." Marmor said as the door closed.





(Third person - Nova's Room)

The alarm on his phone went off as he felt something soft nuzzling into his neck. It was warm; warm enough to be uncomfortable.

"Milo, it's too early." Nova said, half awake before his eyes opened. 

His sight began to adjust to the environment around him as light assaulted his vision. He could feel the strain as his eyes adjusted to the light. The next thing he noticed was the smell of pork; specifically, bacon. The sound of the meat sizzling in a pan finally registered in his ears.

He sat up in the bed with his eyes still adjusting. Having experienced the grogginess plenty of times, his body tried to go through it's routine of the usual stretches and popping of joints. He raised his arms to stretch and found that they had a lot of resistance against them. It felt familiar yet still easier in some way.

He looked around his room as his vision became less blurry until he could see perfectly. His scanning of the room ended when he saw Krystal at the stove, cooking. He looked at his still blaring phone. He then found the Carbuncle sleeping where he was before. It was clearly trying to wake up.

"What the fuck did I wake up too?" He said to himself as he slid his legs off the bed.

Just like that he found another mystery to think about; his current sleeping area. The last thing he remembered was sleeping on the floor to let Krystal sleep on the bed.

"You're up." Krystal said as she put a couple slices of bacon on a plate before doing the same to two others. "I'll be handling the cooking until you adjust to the gravity here. You can't do much if your body suddenly gives out and you hurt yourself."

"... Good point. I probably would have brute forced this." Nova said as he stepped out of bed. He felt the ever present gravity oppress him as he stood to his full height. Nova noticed that it felt lighter than it did the previous day. 

"That's way too reckless." Krystal immediately began to make more food for herself.

"Yeah, but I also can't stand the idea of burdening others because of my inability to do things." Nova sat at the table and picked up a fork with a little difficulty. Nova took a bite, but wasn't expecting the taste. "Holy-! That's good."

"It's just some basic cooking I learned from my time in the military." The sound of sizzling batter told Krystal to flip her pancake. "The military cooks are better than me at this."

"I wish the DFAC was as good as this, but it isn't. I have no idea how they managed to undercook pasta." Krystal chuckled. She was happy that he was focused more on other things than just her.

"Yeah, well... Let's focus on keeping you alive first. What's your plan to get ready for the trials?" Nova stopped eating before looking up and closing his eyes.  "What are you doing?"

"For some reason, closing my eyes helps me focus more."

"Sounds like ADHD." Nova gave her a thumbs up, confirming what she said. After a few minutes, he developed a plan.

"This month's training is just walking around and doing basic exercises. After an hour of "light" PT, we'll just be walking around and sight seeing."

"That's it?" Krystal quirked a brow as she sat down behind a plate. 

"If I do more than an hour, then I do more harm than good. Sight seeing will allow me to adjust to the cold and continue my gravity training. It also pays to know the layout of the city to understand how we can take home field advantage if we're ever attacked." Despite that, he held a prideful smile as he explained his reason for sightseeing.

"You're trying to justify laziness."

"Shit, she figured it out."

Krystal chuckled at that. She had to admit that it was nice to talk to him again after taking care of him for several months. She was initially irritated with his attitude, but quickly saw that he was a caring person who just liked to have fun and make other laugh. Sure, the way he did it was weird, but she didn't have to worry about him being evil.

"However, I will say that what you said has some marit. We'll go sightseeing until we find a map." Krystal compromised with Nova's request. The Carbuncle hopped onto the counter and sat near the other plate and ate.

"Thanks..." Nova said as he ate his food. He had to get prepared as soon as possible and he had to admit that he was a little scared about failing. Luckily, the Carbuncle let him pet it to help calm him down.

"By the way, your clothes are in the closet." Krystal pointed in the direction of a door near the bed.

"That would have been helpful yesterday." He commented, but he didn't really notice the cold the day before.

He got dressed fairly quickly, but then realized that despite the extra weight, the warmth around him felt the same. The thought the adaptability kept his body from feeling uncomfortable regardless of the temperature.

Not only that, but he noticed that he felt much lighter. The gravity was still very oppressive, but if what Krystal said was true, then she should've been dead. And yet, he was still standing and living. His adaptation must be helping his body pump blood. After all, humans can only survive roughly four and a half times Earth's normal gravity.

"I think it's better for us to leave now." Nova said as he walked to the door. "You want to come with us Carbuncle?" The creature immediately hopped on his shoulder.

"I'll do the dishes when I get back." Krystal said as she grabbed a satchel.

The walk out of the barracks was uneventful with the occasional glare from the others within the Guardian Trials and a few cat calls to Krystal. Nova paid no mind to them and Krystal made a mental note to report the unprofessional behavior to non-military personnel. It would've been an easy walk...

"Would've" is the key word.

"Outsider, what gives you the right to walk beside a Water Fox or leave your room?" A tall Reynard with bulging muscles ordered. Nova didn't answer before walking past the fox. Said fox grabbed his arm and threw him back to where he was. "You stop before a superior, 'Soldier'."

"Jason, we have plans today. Not to mention that regardless of rank, all Candidates are equal." Krystal said in Nova's defense.

"Krystal, don't bother." Nova said before he walked past him again. "He's just pissed that I even exist."

"No shit, but pulling rank because of a personal problem doesn't sit well with me." Nova hung his head with a sigh.

"What's happening?" The Reynard asked.

"Shut up, you're not in this." Nova responded before the fox backed away. "Wow, he couldn't handle that?"

"Nope." Krystal responded. "They haven't had an armed conflict in nearly ten thousand years. The will of the High Priestess Council and Parliament have been absolute."

"I guess the training I got would be better than whatever they're using now. Tactics and equipment must've changed." A thought then crossed his mind. "I wonder if they have mechs like Mobile Suits or Armored Cores. God forbid an Evangelion." 

"I did preliminary scans before landing and the planet seemed to regress in terms of technology. Outside of the Foxes, the most any other civilization has are muskets." She then brought out her tablet from a carrier on her hip. "There is evidence of Dragons being telepathically linked to another being much larger to control it. Looks like they would go berserk and destroy a lot of things regardless of the link."

"It is just an Evangelion!"

"Alright, what is an Evan-whatever-it-is?"

"A very depressing TV series... About giant flesh mechs." Krystal sighed. She knew that he wasn't lying, but only giving the very abridged cliff notes of cliff notes of cliff notes version of it. Not to mention her telepathy allowed for her to read his mind and see if he's telling the truth. "Let's go!"





(Crystal Empire - Third Person)

"Empress Umbra, we've received another update request from Lady Cheryl!" A guard said as he kneeled before the black mare. 

The mare he spoke to was pitch black in color with a curved horn what ended in a red spike. She wore a royal purple dress that hugged her from. A slit ran up the side of her leg with black crystal heals on her feet. On her back was the royal red cape passed down to her from father who had passed many years prior.

"Again? Send back the same response as the last one. We still need to prepare for the expedition." Empress Umbra said with an annoyed expression. The guard back out the room after giving another bow of respect.

"You should think this out better, my love." A pink alicorn said. She stood to the side of the throne where she could give advice to Empress Umbra if needed. 

The mare was much taller than the mare in the throne with a similar dress that had lace trimmings and was white. On her feet was a pair of white crystal heals. She wasn't a member of the royal family in Equestria, but a close friend to the king and queen since they left their homeland together.

"You heard the reports, this dark magic source could be one of her children. She's anxious about their safety." The Empress sighed, her annoyed expression faltering.

"I know. With the Nobles pushing for my abdication from the throne since we can't produce an heir to the throne and the recent frequency of Deamon appearances, I'm a little warn out." She motioned for her wife to come closer. When the pink alicorn bent down, she was met with a passionate kiss from her wife. "I wish I could do that more than can. You meir touch is enough to squash any annoyance left behind from the visitors, Empress Amore."

"I couldn't agree more!" Empress Amore pulled Umbra from her throne and into a hug. Her body begged her to do it the moment Umbra's lips met hers, but she was able to hold off her desire until the perfect moment. "However, I have news worth celebrating."

"What is it?" Umbra blushed as Amore pressed her head into between the alicorn's breasts. She was a little worried that another visitor might enter and see them in a less than appropriate situation in a less than appropriate location. Then again, she loved the feeling of her wife hugging her that way.

"We had found the materials stashed in an old expedition cabin to our west. With the materials, we can speed up the preparations and finish within the month." Umbra's eyes widened. "Twenty-three days, maximum."

"That's incredible!" 

"Exactly, don't you think that's reason enough for us to retire to our room early for today." Amore smiled at Umbra with lecherously. The Empress began to sweat.

"I think we-"

"Too late!" A sudden pop from Amore's teleportation spell was the last sound to echo through the throne room. 

And an other pop of teleportation magic sounded from the guard's desk that had new orders and a new message.

...

Unfortunately, he wouldn't see it for another three hours as he was forced to deal with the sudden and early closure of the Royal Court.