Conventions. They can be good or bad, depending on which one you go to. The one I was at that connects to my story is somewhere in the middle, not to crowded, nor did it have a small amount of people.

I went dressed as Valus Mau'ual, or, as many call him, John Cena. Ugh, why must that be a thing with people, giving nicknames to AI enemies.

Regardless, there I was in a pretty good outfit of Mau'ual, though it was missing one thing, and that would be the rocket pods he gets when you kill his bond brother, I forget the name, before him, essentially giving him a Colossus' rocket ability with his usual melee. I had wanted to have it on my costume, but I didn't have enough time to make it.

So, to my happiness and surprise, a guy dressed as Xur had those at a table nearby, and I wanted them, so, against my common sense and better judgment, I walked over to the guy, gave him sixty bucks for those rocket pods, and then strapped them to my back.

It wasn't until about thirty minutes later that I noticed something was wrong. I was just walking around, looking at the various booths, as well as the outfits people came dressed as, even getting a few compliments on my own costume, when my back began to feel heavy, and I myself began to feel tired, and it was around noon.

I began to make my way to my room when a hole opened beneath me, and I fell into it. I began to black out, but one thing I did see was, for the most part nothing, but I did see some pinpricks of light. Space, maybe? No, wait, I'm a brony and I know what this is. I wonder which Equestria I'm going to. Hopefully something boring so I can have some semblance of peace.

. . .

I just jinxed it, didn't I? Yeah, I did. Well, I blackout upon thinking what the ponies would see me as. Well, guess I'll see you guys later.

I woke up, I assume, what was a few hours later in a forest on my back, looking up at they blue sky. The weird thing about my view? I had text rollouts in what I guessed was, given my circumstances, Cabal, though I was able to understand it. I got up, and brought my left hand to my head, as I did have a slight headache, and felt, not exactly to my surprise, the huge ass shield thing used in the melee attack for the in-game Mau'ual. Again, not surprising, given my current circumstances. I maneuvered my right hand to my back, and felt the rocket pods. Unfortunately, I had no way of knowing where specifically in Equestria I was, nor even when I am.

"Why must this happen to me?" I asked, noticing that my voice was deeper and in English, and that, where as Cabal mouths were sideways, mine felt more like a human's. "Well, might as well try to find out where and when I am," I said to myself. Celestia, or, rather, Luna, knows that's gonna be difficult. Any way, I got up off my ass, noticing that I was as tall as some of the trees, and began what was going to be a very boring, very long walk towards civilization.

Or that's what I thought, at least until I began to hear the sounds of battle. Steel clanging against steel, cries of pain, the works. It was probably my new Cabal mind, but I decided to make my way to the area. It was a short jog there, and what I saw made me question even more what Equestria I was in. Well, the first side of the battle, anyway.

This side was composed of ponies, anthro ponies, mind you, and changelings, all in normal clothing, with dented chest armor and rusted swords. Al of the ponies were mares, by the way. The other side explained why.

The other side, which had pristine armor and swords, were Caribou, all of which were male, or what ever the term is for them. So, I'm in a version of Fall of Equestria. Yeah, the Caribou are now fucked. For those who have not heard of this version of Equestria, here's a lesson: The Fall of Equestria is an alternate universe that takes place sometime after season three where Caribou, a patriarchal society, have taken over Equestria, essentially turning all but well hidden mares into sex slaves, and most, if not all, stallions have been brainwashed into accepting the Caribou's view, and the entire royal family, far as I know, are involved. Too bad I'm not my Guardian, or it'd be buckshot season for Caribou.

Still, shit must be bad if the mares who are free are with changelings. Well, guess i should help them out, as they are getting their asses kicked. So, I began to walk towards them, behind the caribou. Somehow, no one saw me, but I'll attribute that to the battle. Just as I arrived behind a Caribou, I saw him raise his sword against a mare on the ground. Before he could bring it down, I grabbed his arm in my hand, and yanked him into the air, then turned him around to face me. "I suggest right now you and you compatriots leave before I get mad," I said in a calm tone.

"Or what," the guy said, a confident smirk on his face. "Only pathetic weakling side with sluts."

"Then shouldn't you be on your knees," I said as I slammed him into the ground before I drove my left arm, and the shield, through his chest, creating a bloody mess. I then looked at the rest of the combatants, who were now all staring at me. "And the same goes for the rest of you Caribou," I said. "Stop fighting, and I'll let you leave this clearing alive."

Like the idiots most things on this planet are, one of the Caribou uttered a guttural roar and charged me. As he got closer, I wrapped my hand around his neck. "You want a piece of me?" he yelled.

Calmly, i replied, "No." I then yanked him up and grabbed both his legs in my other hand, and began to pull. "I want two." With that, I ripped the bastard in half, blood and guts raining down onto the forest floor. Under my helmet, I looked at the Caribou, who were slowly backing up. "Release what ever females you have with you now, and I'll let you live."

They actually showed intelligence, and fled. Once I was sure they were gone, I began to turn away before a mare said, "Wait. Can we at least know your name."

I turned to look at the speaker, and was surprised to see Fleur De Lis. "Why?" I asked.

"Because we were hoping you'd help us," she said, to which the mares and changelings, them, I just noticed, being of both genders.

"And why would you want me helping you," I asked, crossing my arms. "I just killed two living beings in cold blood. Not that I could care, but I thought you ponies were against death."

"We were, once," another mare said. She had beige skin and red hair and tail, with one dark and light streak of purple in her hair. "But, when the Caribou took over Equestria, we had to kill just to remain free."

Well, it looks as if a resistance is in the works, and everyone in it has definitely hardened into a soldier. "Enlighten me as to the full situation, then," I said. "I would like to have as much intelligence before deciding. Just because I'm against the Caribou doesn't mean I'm with you."

Both Fleur and Moondancer, the second mare, sighed. "It all started about three years ago," Fleur started. "The Caribou first landed at Lindisbarne. The ponies there welcomed them like any other city would, but, eventually, the Caribou had somehow turned every mare there into sluts, for lack of a better word, and brainwashed stallions. They were able to take most other cities and towns quickly, with few mares getting away."

"Ponyville and Canterlot, along with the Crystal Empire were the last to fall," Moondancer said, sorrow on her face. 'Not even the princesses were able to escape. Only we were able to because we had left before and hid ourselves, and eventually made our way to a changeling hive. They actually treated us well, and most other mares who got away were already there."

"So you decided to start a rebellion," I said, "with no training what so ever, hoping to liberate your friends and family from a nation of sex freaks with an inferiority complex and who are probably trying to compensate for something. Do you even have a means of communicating with other groups of your hopelessly outmatched rebellion?"

"No," Fleur said. Wow, do they need help.

"I shall join you, but under the condition that you follow my orders. You need formal combat training, and i can give it to you."

"And just what can we call you," Moondancer asked.

"Mau'ual," I said.