Dense

“Um, you wanted to see me?” Synth asked walking into the dining room. Luna was sitting down in her usual spot.

“Yes, we did. There were some issues we need to discuss,” Luna said.

“Well fire away,” Synth said.

“Firstly, we do not believe thou hast eaten, come join us in a late lunch,” Luna said. Sure enough, there were two plates set out for them, with empty plates scattered on the rest of the table.

“That sounds great, I’m starving,” Synth said, taking his seat.

“Then enjoy, we hope thou is satisfied with the food,” Luna said.

The food was a giant plate of salad drenched in ranch and covered in a variety of cut up fruit bits. The drink was a light yellow which Synth realized to be Apple Cider. It was all things Synth enjoyed, although he ate it pretty much every day. (Sounds healthy, right? It’s not. The ranch is pretty fattening.)

“It looks great, my compliments to the chef,” Synth said.

“We could retrieve him for thee, he is in the kitchen currently,” Luna said about take a bite out of the food.

“It’s a figure of speech, but it’s okay,” Synth said, rubbing his hooves together at the food.

“What is okay?” Luna asked, stopping her bite halfway.

“Oh, just that you didn’t know it was a figure of speech, it’s alright I understand,” Synth said, taking a bite.

“What do thou imply by that?” Luna asked forgetting the idea of food.

“Nothing, only… You’ve been gone for a thousand years, so I know it would take some time to get used to how the world is now,” Synth said, not noticing Luna’s actions. He continued to eat as the conversation progressed.

“We may have been gone for those thousand years, but our knowledge on the world remains intact. It is only our memories that hold us back,” Luna said defensively.

“Memories, what do memories have to do with your olden pony speaking?” Synth asked.

“You know of our speaking language? We didn’t see thee as a knowledgeable pony,” Luna said.

“Ouch, that hurt you know,” Synth said playfully.

“We are sorry, we did not know how else to rephrase that statement,” Luna said.

“It’s alright, I probably don’t look like it, but I have my fair share of brain power. Although, I only know about that olden pony language because I read a story about it a long time ago,” Synth said.

“What would that story be called?” Luna asked.

“I don’t really remember, it was a few years back,” Synth said.

“Oh well that is alright, what were we discussing again?” Luna asked.

“I don’t remember, I think it was something about this food,” Synth said finishing his plate.

“Oh yes, the food,” Luna said looking down at her untouched plate.

“You going to eat that?” Synth asked Luna.

“Yes, we are. We will need our strength for this coming night,” Luna said as she started to eat her food. Synth started taking sips of the apple cider they gave him. It was acidic, and Synth quickly realized that if he wasn’t careful, it could mess him up quick.

“Hey Luna… what kind of drink is this?” Synth asked, having to hesitate for a second.

“It’s the chef’s specialty, a home recipe if you may,” Luna said.

“It sure is… strong,” Synth said as he couldn’t find the urge to take another gulp.

“Yes, it has a special ingredient that the chef has leaked out,” Luna said smiling.

“W-What is… is it?” Synth asked.

“Royal Vodka if we believe correctly,” Luna said.

“Shit…” Synth said resting his head on his hoof. His vision was shaking and his throat was crying out for more.

“Are thou alright?” Luna asked; her plate half finished.

“You gave me… alcohol, and you expect me… to be alright?” Synth asked.

“We thought it would relieve any stress thee may be experiencing,” Luna said.

“Stress?” Synth asked. His vision wasn’t getting worse, but his body wanted more. Damn addictions.

“Our sister explained to us how she felt great power moments ago. We believed that Shade was let out. That should create some stress for you, should it not?” Luna said.

“Well, Shade was let out but… I didn’t feel bad until… I drank this,” Synth said picking up the glass cup to show the alcohol.

“Well, our apologies, we did not know it would have this effect,” Luna said.

“Give me a second to… clear my head,” Synth said. He rested his head on both his hooves and breathed at regular intervals while his head felt mixed up.

“We believe alcohol and thee do not mix well, is that so?” Luna said Synth couldn’t see that she was trying to lighten up the mood.

“No,” Synth said, trying to speak as little as possible.

“So our assumption is incorrect?” Luna said.

“No,” Synth said.

“No tis not, or No tis so?” Luna said.

“Shut… up,” Synth said, he couldn’t concentrate very well.

“Very dramatic, we will comply with thy request,” Luna said before gesturing a guard over.

“Are we certain that all the doors upstairs are firmly closed?” Luna asked the guard.

The guard didn’t know how to respond, and he just stared back. Luna nodded her head slowly before gesturing towards Synth who was still holding his head. The guard nodded and played along.

“Oh, yes princess, they are firmly closed. Although we ran into a situation, the doors let a draft through the bottom. We sent in experts to deal with the problem,” The guard said, with the straightest face he could use. Even though he was a guard pony, he couldn’t help by give a grin as he said this.

“Well we simply cannot allow a single thing through that would defeat the purpose. We need to keep everything shut out,” Luna said, nodding to the guard.

“Yes princess, we’ll make sure of it,” the guard said before walking back to his post.

“There Synth, your commands have been fulfilled. Might we add, thou still have two more wishes,” Luna said.

“Not helping…” Synth said.

“That reminds us, how is thy training faring? How much progress has been made?” Luna asked.

“Finished,” Synth said.

“What?” Luna asked, unsure if she heard him correctly.

“I finished,” Synth said less strained than he has been.

“But that was a highly advanced spell, it would take a normal pony weeks to learn,” Luna said.

“I’m not normal, am I?” Synth answered, slowly raising his head.

“Well, thou have a point there. But tis still impressive,” Luna said.

“Thank you and I’m proud I learned it fast, and even prouder of myself for not drinking more than half of that Royal Vodka,” Synth said.

“Yes well, now we may discuss tomorrow’s training,” Luna said.

“Tomorrow?” Synth asked.

“Thy final day here before thou may return home. Although it is difficult training exercise,” Luna said.

“Because all of the others weren’t,” Synth said sarcastically.

“They weren’t? Maybe we should have made them more difficult,” Luna said.

“Never mind that, what did you have in mind for tomorrow?” Synth asked.

“Ever since Comet was put off duty, he has not been there to train thee. So, we are giving him the opportunity to “spar” with thee. He explained it as an easy way to train thy final spell,” Luna said.

“Great, he’s going to kill me…” Synth said.

“We think not! If thou are so worried about such outcomes, we will attend the training as well,” Luna said, not getting the sarcasm.

“That’s okay Luna, you don’t have to…” Synth replied, not wanting Luna to see him fail against Comet. Even if he was supposed to be training, Comet would still hold a grudge.

“But we want to, it would be very entertaining. Watching thee progress was what we planned when we invited thee. Unfortunately, our sleeping schedule interfered with that and we improvised,” Luna said.

“That’s right; you usually sleep in the day. So, why are you awake right now?” Synth asked.

“Our sister took an early leave. She said she needed to prepare something early tomorrow, so we were granted permission to have a longer night,” Luna said smiling.

“That’s great, but I’m wondering what Celestia is planning,” Synth said.

“She is most likely preparing for thy departure, we will as well tonight,” Luna said.

“Yeah, sure she is,” Synth said. ‘Note to self, remember to keep my door locked,’ He thought.

“That reminds me though, I’m leaving tomorrow, does that mean I get to go back home?” Synth asked.

“Yes, it does. We are sure thou are most glad for that,” Luna said.

“Yeah I am, I’ve been missing my friends since I got here,” Synth said.

“Well, give them our regards. We will try to visit soon,” Luna said.

“Save all the goodbyes for tomorrow, I want a good dream tonight,” Synth said.

“Very well we must be going, our duty calls,” Luna said standing up.

“Okay I should get back to the others, they’re probably worried,” Synth said. He walked back towards the room he was training in. Before he entered though, he turned around remembering something, “Oh Luna, I need to ask… What do you think of Vera?” Synth asked.

“Vera? Well, we see her as being very intelligent. As well as, we see a lot of thee in her… and we’ve been told she has great ears…” Luna said.

Synth turned around quickly and hit his hoof against the door just enough to rattle it. He heard a small cry of shock, and sighed. He turned to Luna raising an eyebrow.

“Now, I wonder where she learned that…” Synth said sarcastically.

Luna didn’t respond, and instead magically opened the door and threw him through it. Synth slid about ten feet into the room before looking up. He looked up to find Vera rubbing her nose, and the three shadow guards with confused expressions.

“Um, hey guys. Did you miss me?” Synth said getting up.

“No, we were on our way out,” Silver said.

“Oh, where are you going?” Synth asked.

“It’s like midnight; I’m going to bed,” Split said.

“I’m on patrol on the east wing,” Slash said.

“You weren’t back yet, so I was going to take your sister to your room. She’s been dozing off since Slash started telling her his story,” Silver said.

“Speaking of which,” Split said. Synth turned to where Vera was, to find her eyes closed and she wasn’t moving from her sitting position.

“I’ll take her. You should get some sleep,” Synth said towards Silver.

“Nah, I’ll probably stay up all night reading. I don’t feel tired right now,” Silver said trotting out the door.

“He’ll be out in five minutes,” Slash whispered in Synth’s ears.

“What do you mean?” Synth asked, intrigued.

“Whenever he says he’ll stay up all night, they always find him in the weirdest sleeping positions,” Slash said, no longer whispering now that Silver was out of hearing range.

“Weird,” Synth said, shaking Vera to wake her up.

“Huh, what?” Vera asked as she woke up.

“C’mon, you need to get your rest. You shouldn’t sleep on the floor,” Synth said.

“But it’s so smooth…” Vera said sleepily.

“No buts, I guess I’ll have to carry you there,” Synth said.

He gripped Vera in his magic, and floated her on top of him. When she was on his back and not about to fall anytime soon, she was already asleep. Synth sighed and turned to leave.

“Bye, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Synth said. The pair said their goodbyes and departed to different areas of the castle. Synth was walking up the steps when he felt Vera shift.

“I’m sorry,” Vera said.

“Sorry? Sorry for what?” Synth asked.

“For eavesdropping, I know it’s not right,” Vera said.

“It’s okay, I’m sorry for the wakeup call, I didn’t know you were so tired,” Synth said.

“It’s okay…. So why did you ask Luna about me?” Vera asked. Synth was about halfway up the steps now, and he was feeling the fatigue of carrying a filly up thousands of steps. (He wasn’t sure he was over exaggerating, it seemed like there were more steps every time he used the staircase.)

“Well, I don’t know very much about you. I didn’t want to be biased towards you,” Synth said.

“Biased?” Vera asked, followed by a yawn.

“You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. Because of that, I don’t know if I’ve been treating you like a sister, or like another me,” Synth said.

“Well, you’re doing great… so far…” Vera said, before Synth felt her body relax.

Synth made it to the top of the stairs, and remembered not to trip on the broken staircase step. He made it to the room without problems, and placed Vera in the bed, where she preceded to take the entire blanket and sleep quietly on her side of the bed.

Synth took off his cloak and necklace before also laying down in his bed. He found it difficult to stay awake, but he did so long enough to think about some things. First, he thought about how he lost his memory of what happened when he learned his new spell. Second, he thought about how he had so much trouble with it while he was learning it, and now he could cast it effortlessly. Finally, he thought about how tomorrow would bring good and bad. ‘A blessing of pain,’ Synth thought.

Synth fell asleep before he realized, and his thoughts drifted towards the past, present, and even the future.
-------------

It was cold. Darkness as far as Synth could tell. The only light he could see came from above. Synth looked up to see the sun setting over the horizon. Its rays already receding into the darkness. Synth looked across the land from his vantage point. He was standing on a hill overlooking a city. The city looked peaceful, and barely established.

Synth caught a flash of light in the corner of the city. It started small, and then the light engulfed an entire house. It was a fire. The straw roofs were consumed as the fire spread from house to house. Synth tried to speak, but his mouth was shut firmly. He suddenly felt something warm brush his side. He turned from the blazing fire to the figure on his left.

The first thing Synth noticed were the eyes of the pony. She had green eyes that seemed to brighten up at the sight of him. She smiled towards him, which Synth unconsciously returned. She shifted her attention back to the city, and Synth looked as well. The pony’s voice was calm and serene in the silence.

“It used to be beautiful. The land used to be thriving with life,” The pony said.

Synth tried to respond, but his mouth didn’t follow his command.

“You might be asking yourself what this place is, but I’m sure you will find out in time. Right now, I want you to watch…” The pony’s smile faded as she watched the fire spread throughout the town.

The fire started in the corner of the city, but quickly it spread everywhere, even the landscape wasn’t spared as the fire spread beyond the city’s border. Eventually, the fire finished its job, and with nothing left to burn, it stopped. The entire scene happened without noise, but it was easy to know what could be heard. Screams and crackling as the fire spread faster than the ponies in the city could put out.

“Almost the entire population was wiped out. Even the cause of the fire did not know what his actions would do,” The voice said. Synth looked at her and raised his eyebrows. He was confused that she had used the word ‘he’.

“Yes, it was the result of a pony’s actions. But this wasn’t an accident; in fact he was quite pleased with how it turned out. Although, the fire did claim his life in the process,” The voice continued, not once taking her eyes off the city. Crumbling houses fell on streets, and the city was now half its original size.

“Such beauty, gone in a heartbeat. Revenge does more than dig two graves; it leaves a scar that will never heal,” The voice said.

Synth turned towards the pony, who now had tears in her eyes. Synth felt bad, and tried to move his legs to comfort her, but his body didn’t move. He couldn’t even move his head anymore. He was looking directly at her, when she turned and walked away into the darkness. Synth didn’t react as she faded into the darkness. Suddenly the city was gone as well, and the world went black once more.

Synth blinked his eyes and felt his eyelashes once again under his control. He moved his limbs around as they popped. He looked up and was startled at what he saw. Where there was once the pony he saw earlier, now he was staring at a pony in a black tuxedo, with a pure white face. The pony had no mouth or eyes, but Synth felt the pony was staring deep into his soul.

“Hello?” Synth managed to say. His voice sounded normal, and he realized he could speak again.

The pony didn’t speak and instead motioned for Synth to look forward. Synth complied, and was once again startled at what he saw. It was giant screen that was changing pictures. Synth’s mouth was left agape as the screen stopped on one picture. It was of Synth sitting on a train.

“Is that me?” Synth asked.

The pony nodded and moved his hoof. The picture changed and was now moving, as if it was happening in real time. The Synth on the train got up as the train slowed down. He lifted his head as the door opened and stepped onto the train station floor.

“This is when I went to Ponyville, isn’t it?” Synth asked.

The pony once again nodded and stomped the floor with one of his hooves. The picture changed to later that day, when Synth was at the party. Synth remembered this moment; it was when he had gotten the cupcake into his eye. The Synth watching moved his eyes so he didn’t have to relive the moment.

“Next please,” Synth said.

The pony nodded once again, and the picture changed. Synth didn’t remember this; it was while he was unconscious. The picture showed Shade atop the Elements inside the room where they defeated Nightmare Moon. Shade had disappeared from atop the Elements, and now Twilight was reaching for them. Synth watched as Shade hit Twilight away from them. She was sent into a wall, and Synth felt guilt well up inside him.

Shade stood above Twilight, his grin still on his face. “Before I kill you, let me tell you something. Synth there, he calls me Shade. And that’s because the truth is always covered up. SO IT’S ALWAYS DARK!” Shade said before sending Twilight into a wall.

“The truth… is covered up? What does he mean by that?” Synth asked the weird pony.

The pony stomped his hooves, and the picture changed again. This time it was after Shade was stopped. The picture was focused from Luna’s point of view at Synth. She was speaking to him, but Synth couldn’t tell what she was saying. The voice started to clear up, and Synth heard himself speak.
“Because… because I know that darkness can be destroyed…but it’ll just come back.” The Synth in the picture said. “To truly destroy darkness, you need to overcome it yourself…”The pictured Synth finished.

“I said that, didn’t I?” Synth asked the pony next to him.

The pony nodded and then turned away. He stepped into the darkness, and Synth watched him leave without a word. Synth blinked and the darkness was fading. His surroundings changed as the light increased. He could make out buildings and streets around him. This place was familiar, but he didn’t get any time to think about it. A pony wearing a light brown hood and cloak was walking towards him.

“Hello?” Synth asked the pony.

The pony stopped his approach and lifted his head enough for his face to show. His eyes were blood red. The hood was lifted enough for Synth to see the blue and black mane underneath. His coat was a light yellow. He looked straight into Synth’s eyes, and Synth felt a chill run across his spine.

“Who are you?” Synth asked, taking a step back. He almost tripped on a stone that was behind him.

“Do you really want to know?” The pony said. His voice was deep and slow. It sounded as if it was coming from all directions. What surprised Synth the most was that his mouth wasn’t moving when he talked.

“Not really… where am I?” Synth said trying to distract himself from the new pony.

“Home,” The pony said. Synth turned towards the buildings around him, to find most of them in ruins and falling apart.

“What?” Synth asked.

The buildings were fine a minute ago, but now they were wrecked. He could make out some faint screaming as the buildings collapsed on themselves. With the buildings out of the way, Synth could see the rest of the town. It was Ponyville, but half of it was on fire, and the other half was covered in ice. Synth was currently in the middle.

“Well, that was fun, but I need some shut eye,” Synth heard the voice to his right.

“Who’s there?” Synth asked.

“He can’t hear you,” The hooded pony said.

Synth watched as a white blur came out of the rubble. The figure landed onto a different pile of rubble and surveyed the landscape. A flash of magic appeared before the figure disappeared from sight. Synth looked around as well, and found the entire city being destroyed.

“What did this?” Synth asked the hooded pony.

“I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that it will happen. In due time…” The hooded pony lifted his hood off and showed his entire face. Synth could see cuts around the edges of his face, and the mane at some parts had been burned off.

“No remorse holds no recourse,” The hooded pony said before lifting his hood back on and walking away.

His figure changed to black as the surroundings dissolved and Synth was left in darkness again. Synth was confused, he’d met three different ponies, and he saw three different events. What could happen next?
------------

Synth woke up. It wasn’t a dramatic wake up, or even a peaceful one. He just woke up. He found himself standing at the door to his room, his hoof on the knob. Synth was wide awake as he stood there, still placing his hoof on the knob. There were only two things going through his head. Why wasn’t he using his magic to open the door, and why he was trying to open the door at all?

Synth remembered going to bed, and having the dream. He never remembered ever getting out of bed, or even putting his cloak and necklace back on. Synth looked around to find Vera still sleeping. The sun was starting to rise, as Synth noticed from the window.

Synth opened the door to his room, and looked outside. He noticed a shadow in the corner of the hallway. From the shadows came two eyes. They were red and reminded Synth of the pony in his dreams. The eyes closed and Synth shut the door to calm himself.

He heard Vera stirring from her sleep as Synth walked back to his bed. She got up and went into the restroom as Synth pretended like he just woke up. When she was gone, Synth sat on the bed to think about things.

‘Good morning,’ Shade said.

‘Yeah, sure it is,” Synth replied, careful not to speak out loud in case Vera was listening.

‘What’s up? You’re not acting like yourself,’ Shade said.

‘Like you would know how I act,’ Synth replied.

‘We’re one in the same. I can tell when something’s off,’ Shade said.

‘It’s just the dream I had was really weird,’ Synth said.

‘That sucks, too bad I couldn’t see it,” Shade said.

‘Yeah that’s a shame. I think you would have gotten along with one of the ponies I met,’ Synth said.

‘You met some ponies?’ Shade asked.

‘Yeah, two of them were weird. The first one though, she was… never mind you wouldn’t understand,” Synth said.

‘Your right, I probably wouldn’t,’ Shade said.

Synth heard a knocking on the door and walked towards it. He reached out with his hoof, and then felt silly and used his magic. The door opened to reveal Silver and Nova standing there.

“Hey Synth, you ready?” Nova asked.

“Yeah, I guess so. Vera is still getting ready though,” Synth answered.

“Well Comet doesn’t feel like waiting, he woke up pretty early for today’s training. You go on ahead, I’ll bring Vera,” Nova said.

“Wait, Comet will be there today?” Synth asked, still a little tired from having woken up.

“Yeah, today’s your last day. He wanted to make sure you practiced today’s spell,” Silver said.

“But I think he’s a little mad, I saw him punching the wall before I came to get you,” Nova said.

“Really? Is he still upset about me beating him?” Synth asked.

“I think it’s because you took him out of commission in one fight,” Silver said.

“Makes sense, but it’s not my fault he was in the way of winning the game,” Synth said.

“He still blames you though; he was one of the best guards. Now everypony knows he was beat by a unicorn from Ponyville. He’s a laughing stock in the royal guards,” Nova said.

“What’s wrong with Ponyville?” Synth asked.

“Oh nothing, it’s just not considered a very magical place. It was founded by earth ponies,” Nova said.

“I still can’t believe you’ll be staying there. It’ll be hard to find somewhere to practice these spells without drawing attention. I don’t think the town would be okay with you showing off your magic, not that you’d show off,” Silver said.

“It’s not completely void of magic, Twilight Sparkle is staying there,” Synth said.

“Oh yeah, I heard about that. Something about how she saved us from eternal night; not surprising for a prodigy of the princess herself,” Nova said.

“I might just have to visit, she’s pretty popular these days in town,” Silver said.

“I think she’s always had that kind of attention. Even before she saved the world,” Synth said.

“But it wasn’t always the good kind of attention. All I remember hearing was about her being an outcast, now she’s a hero. People change pretty quick,” Nova said.

“Yeah I guess, but is it always for the best?” Synth said unconsciously.

“I’ve never heard anypony changing for the worst, I think change is always good,” Silver said.

“Well, I think we should get going. Comet won’t keep waiting forever,” Synth said.

Together, Synth and Silver took the steps down. Nova stayed behind, and Synth was glad Vera wouldn’t be left alone. Silver offered little conversation as they neared the bottom. A guard was waiting at the bottom looking up to them. Silver nodded and they followed him towards the room Synth knew all too well. The doors opened to reveal the same grass and stone room he’d trained in the day before.

“Glad you could make it,” The voice said from Synth’s left, the opposite side of Silver.

“I wouldn’t want to miss out on a perfect day to train,” Synth said turning to Comet.

Synth noticed the bandages still around Comet’s chest. It looked okay, except for some bruising around the bandages. Synth questioned Comet’s state. He didn’t look like he was ready to train; he looked like he just lost a fight. Oh wait, that was Synth’s fault.

“We’ll start in five minutes, brief him while we wait for the others,” Comet said to Silver.

“Okay… So Synth today is the coating spell. It’s not too difficult, I’ve heard. Split doesn’t use it. He says it’s not very useful for him, so that’s why you’re as experienced as any of us today,” Silver said.

“Didn’t I already learn the coating spell?” Synth asked.

“No, that was a different coating spell. That was Traction, today you’re learning Endurance. It’s a little different. It makes your skin hard and smooth, like a rock,” Silver said.

‘I don’t think he’s describing the spell,’ Shade said.

‘Get those thoughts out of your head, we need to focus,’ Synth said back to Shade.

“Activating the spell isn’t very difficult; it’s how long and how much it can cover your body. To train that, we need to put you in a real scenario so that you can get used to using it,” Silver said.

‘I really think they’re just trying to find the best possible ways to get rid of you,’ Shade said.

Synth ignored him and asked a question that’s been bugging him.

“So by using the spells over and over again, I can make them stronger?” Synth asked.

“In theory yes, although it takes skill to cast most spells, so not everypony can use them,” Silver said.

“And when you say real scenario…?” Synth asked.

“You’re going to be going hoof to hoof against Comet, although magic is allowed,” Silver said.

‘This’ll be fun,’ Shade said.

“Fun,” Synth said.

“Don’t have too much fun, we want to say our goodbyes before you go today,” Silver said.

“I’ll try,” Synth said.

The doors opened, and the other two shadow guards as well as the other two dawn guards entered the room. Vera came after them, her eyes full of excitement. The others had eyes that looked like they wanted to go to bed, everyone except Synth and Comet. Synth felt ready to take on the world, and right now he felt like he would’ve had better odds that way. Comet looked itching to get the training going.

“Okay, we’ll start after you learn how to cast the spell,” Comet said.

Split brought the book over that contained the spell Synth would need to learn. He brought it in front of Synth’s face and Synth read the casting directions. It was weird, but not very difficult. Synth let his energy go free. Instead of forming the magic in his horn, he let the magic course through his body. Synth stopped the energy flow and the magic collected on the surface of his coat.

The collected magic hardened and turned a dark green that was a shade lighter than his hair. The coating was easy to move in, but Synth felt the magic wear out quickly. Synth activated the spell again with ease, and this time concentrated on his upper torso. The magic collected on his upper torso and hardened to form a chest protection. This time the spell didn’t fade out as fast, and Synth was proud.

“Okay, let’s start then,” Comet said.

“Let’s,” Synth replied, getting into a defensive stance. He remembered reading in a martial arts story that defense was better than offense.

Comet ran towards synth and synth attempted a side step, but trip over his hoof. Comet slammed his hoof at synth’s face and sent him flying across the room. Synth got up and held his hoof up to his head to regain his focus.

‘Fuck that book, time for plan b’, said Synth getting pissed off. Synth ran towards Comet and screamed in his head ‘ Leeeeerrrrrroooooooyyyyyy Jeeeeeeennnkiiiiinns’. (Editor’s idea: Blame him.)

‘What the hell are you talking about’ said Shade with a confused tone.

‘Shut up, I’m busy; I’ll explain it to you later’ said Synth as he was about to come close to Comet.

Comet ducked and twisted around to send an uppercut towards Synth’s chin. Synth activated his magic before the punch could make contact. He focused the magic on his hoof to block the uppercut. It was coated in dark green before the collision.

Synth could feel the impact as Comet hit Synth’s hoof. Synth’s hoof was knocked back a few inches. Comet pulled back his hoof and sent the other towards Synth’s side. Synth’s left hoof was still recovering from the hit, so his right parried his attack. When Comet’s attack made impact with Synth’s hoof, Synth turned his hoof to slide across Comet’s arms and then made a swipe at his neck.

Comet lowered his head instead of dodging and Synth was surprised to find Comet’s skull to be hard. He pulled back his hoof to find it throbbing. Synth almost didn’t notice Comet continue his attacks. Comet used a roundhouse kick towards Synth’s face. Synth dodged just as the leg came above his head. Comet stopped midway with his kick and sent it backwards back at Synth.

Synth didn’t see it coming as it his him in the back. He was sent towards the ground and rolled away before Comet could continue with his assault. Synth tried an idea, and coated his front hooves. He ran forward and when Comet put up his hooves to block, Synth stomped the ground. Cracks came out of the ground, and the change in footing caused Comet to lose his balance.

Synth’s other coated hoof landed a clean hit on Comet’s jaw. Comet let out a cry of pain as he hit the floor. Synth would have felt bad for what he did, but Comet got up faster than normal. He turned slowly towards Synth, and Synth could see his eyes was bloodshot. There was a small blood trail from Comet’s mouth. When Comet spoke, Synth could see Comet’s teeth were red and white.

“I’m not letting you get the last laugh…” Comet said before spitting some blood to the side.

“Because to me, this is all one big joke,” Synth said sarcastically. It wasn’t his best trait to be sarcastic, but there was no doubt it was there.

Comet ran forward, and if Synth wasn’t used to seeing things go faster when he used his traction spell, he probably wouldn’t have seen him as he charged forward. Synth dodged to the side as Comet ran by. When Synth looked back around, Comet was already charging again for another attack. This time, Synth activated his magic and focused it on his head. He was probably going to regret this, but at the moment it seemed like a good idea.

Synth charged forward to Comet and they collided. It was a stand still; they were both pushing the other with their horns. Synth’s magic was fading out, and he felt Comet winning the battle. Synth activated his magic and focused it on his font hooves again. He lifted them forward as Comet made another push with his head.

Synth hit Comet in both sides of the head, both his hits made contact. Synth was surprised to see Comet still standing, much less still winning his head battle. Synth jumped out of the way as Comet made one last push forward. Comet grazed Synth as they passed, and Synth felt the blood trickle slowly from his ear.

Synth put his hoof over his wound, and found Silver’s healing magic quickly working its way through. Synth felt his magic return to him, and the cut was gone, although the blood remained. He stood up and looked towards Comet who was ready to strike. Synth activated his magic as Comet charged once again, this time aiming for his legs.

‘I’m going to have to go all out, I’d never get to beat him otherwise,’ Synth said to Shade as he successfully dodged Comet and managed to get a blow to Comet’s side.

‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Shade said.

‘And why is that?’ Synth asked watching Comet charge at him again.

‘He’s not using magic, I think if you remind him he’ll start using it. Right now he’s probably in a blind fury and forgot about using his magic,’ Shade said.

‘That’s right, so I guess I’ll just have to keep training this spell for now. I’ll beat him when he’s worn out,’ Synth said. Comet’s horn managed to cut above Synth’s eye and the blood clouded his vision. Synth also managed to get a hit on Comet’s hooves and tumbled him to the ground.

‘It’s always about winning with you, isn’t it?’ Shade said.

‘What else is there?’ Synth responded as he felt Silver’s aura around him.
------------

“Shit, they’re going all out,” Silver heard Nova say when he entered the room.

“I’d say, Synth was already bleeding a few minutes ago,” Silver said.

“Is he okay?” Vera asked.

“Yeah he should be fine; he can take care of himself… I hope” Silver said whispering the last part. Vera heard it, but she didn’t question it. Synth had already done some difficult training regiments, so of course he could get injured.

The three watched as Comet and Synth would tackle each other only for the other to dodge, apparently neither had been trained in hoof to hoof combat. It was like watching two red bulls go at it. Synth would usually end up the wounded one, but Comet had his moments when he would get injured. Silver had to be fair and heal both of them every time one was injured. It brought back their magic supply and healed their injuries.

Silver had to call two time outs because of his magic depletion and because they needed to clean the blood to make sure Silver could tell when they were injured. Vera stayed quiet the entire time, while Nova gave his occasional cheer or grunt. It was always directed towards Comet, and Silver reasoned it was because he was technically still a Dawn Guard and needed to root his comrades.

Nova was starting to get bored. At first he was interested by how this would turn out, but other than Synth’s spell they didn’t use any magic. Nova knew they could if they wanted to, but he didn’t mention anything, because he knew Comet would get the upper hand in a magic fight. Nova stopped watching and sat down; standing wasn’t comfortable especially for an hour straight.

Things got more interesting when Slash and Split came in. They looked like they just woke up, but Streak trailing behind them looked like he was wide awake. They didn’t say anything when they entered, but after Streak went to the opposite side of the room, Slash began.

“Looks like they’re not holding back,” Split said. “I didn’t think Synth could take him on,” He finished.

“Well, they are holding back. Otherwise I think Comet would be dominating,” Slash said.

“What makes you say that?” Split asked.

“They haven’t been using magic,” Silver said.

“Except for Synth, he’s using the Endurance spell,” Shade said.

“Oh, why aren’t they using anything else?” Split asked.

“I don’t know, but I think it’s a good thing. Comet doesn’t have the upper hand this way. Synth might actually be able to practice his spell without many problems,” Nova said.

“I think you spoke too soon,” Slash said.
-------------
(Moments ago)

‘This is going better than I thought,’ Synth said dodging one of Comet’s hooves.

‘You just had to say that,’ Shade said.

‘What could go wrong?’ Synth asked. He got his answer when Comet’s horn started to glow.

“Okay, everyone’s here. We can start the actual show,” Comet said.

‘This is your fault, you never ask that question,’ Shade said.

Synth saw Comet’s horn shoot out a red bolt that Synth could barely dodge. The bolt hit the wall and fizzled out. Synth was glad that it didn’t actually destroy anything, but knew that the bolt wasn’t completely harmless. Synth tried to dodge out of the way of another bolt, but he couldn’t react fast enough. The bolt his left hind leg and the made him bend down from the pain. Synth activated his magic before another bolt could hit him.

Silver healed Synth while Synth kept his spell up. Comet didn’t stop shooting bolt after bolt. They would make contact but dissolve when they hit his coating. Synth was only covering his front side so he could keep the spell up for as long as possible. When the healing finished, Synth ran forward straight at Comet. Synth’s spell ended and he ducked to avoid a bolt.

Synth activated his traction coating and surrounded his body with it. He ran in a zigzag pattern that normally he would have lost his footing doing. Comet continued to miss each shot as Synth dodged them easily. Synth reached a distance he thought was good, and activated his Endurance coating. Synth neared Comet and held out his hoof to punch.

Synth’s hoof stopped directly in front of Comet’s face. Leaving Comet confused and relieved. Comet landed a direct blow to Synth’s gut and Synth couldn’t move as his body felt the impact. Synth’s body didn’t move, and Comet held his hoof.

“Fuck,” Comet said looking at his swelling hoof.

Synth could feel the stiffness fade away, and his body was slowly moving back under his control. He stood up and examined his hooves. They looked perfectly normal, but he felt a slight tingling sensation. Synth barely noticed a hoof from his peripheral vision, and dodged before it could make contact. Synth backed away as Comet pulled his hoof back.

‘Well that was weird,’ Synth said to Shade.

‘No, that’s just what happens when you mix two spells that are almost the same,’ Shade said.

‘And why didn’t you tell me that earlier?’ Synth asked.

‘I honestly thought you already knew that, or you weren’t dumb enough to try,’ Shade said.

‘Well, I guess I won’t be doing that again,’ Synth said watching Comet’s movements.

‘I never said that mixing two spells was a bad thing,’ Shade said.

‘What do you mean?’ Synth asked, Comet’s horn starting to glow.

‘Well, did you notice that you were practically invincible? The effects of mixing two spells aren’t always predictable so you got lucky,’ Shade said.

‘I don’t believe in getting lucky. You’re either born lucky or you aren’t,’ Synth said dodging another bolt from Comet.

Synth managed to escape the next three shots from Comet and then activated his traction spell again. Synth circled towards Comet and avoided two shots but the third hit his chest. Synth felt the pain in his chest, but didn’t stop moving. He made it to Comet and deactivated his Traction Spell. Synth sent a punch towards Comet who blocked easily.

Synth made sure his Traction spell was gone before reactivating his Endurance spell. Synth sent a second punch towards Comet, and Comet wasn’t expecting the force that came from it. He stumbled back from the hit to his chest. Synth tried to follow up with the attack but the spell ran out. Comet launched a counter strike and hit Synth in his chin. Synth was sent flying back towards the place he came from. Synth didn’t even hit the floor as Comet caught up to his flying body. Comet kicked Synth in his side while he was in the air and sent him flying into a 90 degree angle.

Synth crashed into a wall and he felt his leg crack. He pulled himself from the imprint of himself in the wall and fell to the floor on his back. He looked towards the ceiling as Silver’s magic once again covered his body.
------------
(Seconds ago)

“Think Synth has a chance now?” Nova asked the group.

“Yeah, he’ll live, but I doubt he’ll walk out of this unscathed,” Slash said writing something else down on his notepad.

“Maybe he’ll be able to walk in a few days,” Split said.

“C’mon guys, I’m making sure he won’t get too hurt,” Silver said activating his spell again.

“I think we all know that you’re overexerting yourself. When your magic is gone, who’ll save him? He wouldn’t last minute without your healing,” Split said.

“Then why don’t we call another break?” Silver asked panting from the effort of casting the spell.

“Comet’s not going to stop now. He’ll probably pretend he doesn’t hear you,” Nova said.

“Think we should ask around for another healer? Maybe there’s a new recruit that can take over for Silver,” Slash said.

“Healing isn’t easy to do. Only specific ponies can cast healing magic, as well as alicorns,” Silver said.

“Have we arrived on time?” A voice asked from the doorway.

“Luna?” Split asked.

“Tis us. We would like to view the progression of this training. May we enter?” Luna asked.

“Yeah good timing, we could actually use your help,” Split said.

“Oh? How may we be of assistance?” Luna asked Split after she walked over.

“I can’t handle healing them this much. They won’t stop injuring each other, and I need your help to heal them while I take a break to rest my magic,” Silver said.

“We will assist thee then,” Luna said. “We did come with the intention of over watching his progress.”

“Well Slash could show you his notes so far, but I think you can just tell he’s getting better,” Split said.

Luna looked towards Synth who hadn’t noticed her enter. He was heavily focused on his own situation. She also noticed the imprint in the wall his body made. Cracks came out of the imprint and spread far up the wall. She winced; it would cost a fortune to fix that.
-------------

‘I don’t get why you’re struggling,’ Shade asked.

‘This isn’t exactly a walk in the park,’ Synth said dodging another punch from Comet.

‘He’s not even using magic anymore, you should be equals,’ Shade said.

‘I can’t block his punches though, and when I try to dodge he stops me,’ Synth said sidestepping a swing from Comet.

‘Then use some magic,’ Shade said.

‘I’m almost out. I’m using it all to keep my Endurance spell up,’ Synth said.

‘What do you mean?’ Shade asked.

‘I don’t know, I feel I’m being healed but my magic’s not coming back,’ Synth said sending a jab towards Comet who dodged easily.

‘I feel good to go, my magic isn’t being drained,’ Shade said.

‘I’m not letting you out, you’ll send him back to the hospital,’ Synth said landing a hit on Comet’s side.

‘It’s either him or you,’ Shade said.

Synth didn’t respond as Comet countered Synth’s attack with his own. Comet’s punch landed square on Synth’s chin and he was sent backwards. Synth landed on the edge where the ground met the wall. The back of his head hit the wall and he gasped from the pain. He felt around his chest and felt burning feeling inside. He coughed up some blood before the familiar healing sensation went over him.

Synth tried to activate his Endurance spell again. He couldn’t concentrate enough to even activate it. Synth sighed; he wouldn’t be able to continue like this, so he reluctantly nodded.

‘Go for it, just don’t go killing anyone,’ Synth said letting his body go back under Shade’s control.

‘If it makes you feel better, I won’t,’ Shade said.

Synth felt for the brief moment that he was switching places with Shade that his necklace grew warmer. He dismissed it though, as he rested his thoughts on what was happening. He could slowly feel his magic coming back to him, but it’d be a good while before it fully returned.

‘How about my terms? I will only harm Comet, if you let me out until your feeling better,’ Shade said.

‘Deal…’ Synth said, his mind was still cloudy from the magic usage, but he could tell it wasn’t a trick.

‘Now then, let’s show this guard what it means to fight,’ Shade said stomping his hoof.
-------------

“What the…?” Slash said writing something down.

“What?” Silver asked looking at Slash from his sitting position on the floor. His head was throbbing from the training exercise.

“He’s using his magic again,” Nova said.

“So what’s wrong with that?” Silver asked.

“Luna hasn’t been giving them back their magic, so he shouldn’t have any left,” Split said.

“Well why aren’t you giving them back their magic?” Silver asked looking to Luna.

“She said she wanted to end this faster. Synth pretty much has this spell down, so she wanted to see if he could use it in a tough situation,” Split explained.

“And where is Luna now?” Silver asked looking around.

“She’s concentrated on the fight, looks like she’s thinking something,” Nova said.

They all looked at Luna who had a confused expression on her face as the fight progressed. Now Shade had the upper hand as the floor was changed to tall grass that surrounded Comet and made his movements slow and predictable. Shade landed blow after on blow on Comet and always had his Endurance spell activated.

Comet couldn’t react as Shade ran straight at him. Shade landed a hit on Comet’s chest that he followed up on. Shade landed a blow to his leg and face before Comet could fall backwards and roll away from Shade. Shade didn’t let him go though, as Comet was stuck in the tall grass during his roll. Shade jumped high into the air and directed fall onto Comet.

Comet managed to turn his head before Shade’s hoof could land on it. The ground cracked and then broke as Shade’s hoof hit it. There was an indent about Comet’s head that was left in the ground. Shade brought back his hoof from the ground and sighed. Comet got out of his range and backed away considerably.

“Shit, that was a close one,” Nova said.

“What does he think he’s doing?” Split asked under his breath.

“Why, isn’t he winning?” Vera asked Split.

“Oh yes, it’s just that Comet already hates him. Why would he try to make him angrier?” Split answered innocently.

Inside his mind, he was cursing Vera’s good hearing. He would need to be careful to keep Synth’s secret. Split was sure that Shade was in control now. Otherwise the Environmental Takeover would have ended, and Synth would be out of magic.

“Stop, this training is now complete,” Luna said.

“But we still have another two hours, It’s barely four,” Nova said.

“Synth has shown he is capable of using this spell. No more training is needed. The rest of the day will be used to say farewells. Guards, thou may take the rest of the day off,” Luna said.

“I’m out of here,” Streak said walking out the doors.

“I have better places to be,” Comet said walking slowly out of the door.

“I guess I’ll see you later Synth,” Nova said on his way out the door.

“Yeah, we’ll see you around Synth,” Slash said helping Silver out the door towards his quarters.

“Stay safe,” Silver said looking over his shoulder towards Synth.

“Oh I will, don’t you worry about that,” Shade responded.

“I think I’ll stay here. There’s something I want to talk about,” Split said watching the others leave.

When everyone left, Shade turned towards Luna and Split who were eyeing him curiously. Shade smiled innocently and looked to the right and left. He shifted his feet while he stood there under there watching eyes.

“So, what’d you want to talk about?” Shade asked Split.

“You,” Split replied.

“Well, this was a nice talk. If you don’t mind, I’ll be going now,” Shade started walking towards the open doors and they closed before he could get anywhere near them.

“You’re not going anywhere until you explain,” Split said.

“Explain what?” Shade asked.

“Why you’re here and Synth isn’t,” Split said.

“Oh that’s easy, he was almost knocked unconscious so we made a deal,” Shade said like it was an everyday question.

“What was the deal?” Split asked intrigued by the answer.

“Nope, can’t tell you. When I make a deal, I don’t tell anyone about the details,” Shade said shaking his head slowly.

“So then when is the deal over?” Split asked.

“Can’t say, I actually don’t know exactly but that’s why I want to get out of here. So much to do, but so little time,” Shade said starting to walk back towards the doors.

“So thou will not describe thy deal?” Luna asked.

“Nope, only Synth and I get to know that. If you want know, you’ll have to wait until he wakes up,” Shade said, and then suddenly stopped.

“Wakes up?” Split and Luna asked at once.

Shade didn’t respond and instead continued to walk. He was lifted telekinetically and brought back to face the two. He sighed, if he didn’t make the deal, he could have easily escaped but it would involve harming them both. He settled for giving them his best smile and playing dumb.

“What’d you do to Synth?” Split asked.

“What do you mean?” Shade responded.

“You said ‘wakes up’, so he’s not conscious?” Split asked.

“You’re right, I did say that,” Shade said.

“What have thee done to Synth?” Luna asked, starting to get annoyed by his attitude.

“I didn’t do anything, it’s that Meany Comet’s fault that Synth need to ‘wake up’, Shade held his hooves up like he was innocent.

“But he can’t wake up if you’re here,” Split reasoned.

“He can, he just can’t right now,” Shade responded.

“What does that mean?” Split asked.

“I don’t know, you figure it out,” Shade said.

“We think we understand,” Luna said lowering Shade from the aura.

“Oh do you?” Shade asked sarcastically.

“Tis a riddle. When one cannot act, if it is not because he is unable to; it is because he has no choice,” Luna recited.

“Good, you know some quotes, that’s pretty impressive,” Shade said sarcastically.

Split ignored Shade to ask Luna his next question. “So, what does that mean? Is he dead?” Split asked.

“No, Synth may not be strong enough to regain control. He could possibly if he had assistance,” Luna said.

“Oh, no. You figure it out. What will I do now?” Shade continued, his face was starting to bead with sweat. They were trying really hard to bring Synth back. Shade couldn’t think of a way to get them to stop except for being sarcastic.

“You know, I bet Synth doesn’t even want to wake up. He’s probably having the dream of his life right now,” Shade replied.

“Shut it,” Split said as he whispered something to Luna.

“Good idea, but it could possible turn against us. Should we proceed?” Luna asked.

“Nobody ever got anywhere without taking risks,” Split said.

“Where’d you get that, the back of a cereal box?” Shade said.

“I hope this works, I want him to shut up for once,” Split said.

Luna’s horn activated and she put her blue aura around Shade. Shade felt magic course through his veins, but he didn’t care. He knew that the magic was also empowering Synth. Shade gave up his hope and receded to the back of his mind in shame. Synth’s energy was growing stronger, and Shade held on to his extra energy as Synth awoke from his unconscious slumber.

Synth felt his body shake as magic both entered and left his body. When the magic stopped, he could only cough as his mind started to process everything he was seeing. It was all a blur, but eventually he managed to clear his vision. He looked up to see Split and Luna watching with frowns on their faces.

“Um, hello?” Synth asked.

“I don’t think it worked, should we just tie him up?” Split asked Luna.

“What? What’s going on?” Synth asked feeling confused.

“Synth?” Luna asked.

“What? Do I have something in my teeth?” Synth asked.

“Okay, maybe that is Synth,” Split said.

“Well yeah it’s me, who else?” Synth said.

“Shade was here earlier,” Split said.

“Oh, yeah. He didn’t do anything he’d regret later did he?” Synth asked.

“No, he merely explained his reasoning for coming out,” Luna said.

“Oh, well then where are we?” Synth looked around and felt stupid for a second. “Oh yeah, this place.”

“We believe thee will need to prepare. The chariot awaits” Luna said.

“Oh yeah, I need to go pack my invisible things, I guess I’ll see you guys before I leave,” Synth said turning to go.

“No I won’t be there, but I’m sure Luna will,” Split said.

“Oh, that’s too bad. Well, then I guess this is goodbye for now,” Synth said turning to wave good bye.

“For now?” Split asked.

“Goodbyes aren’t forever, we’ll meet again,” Synth said walking out the door.

“I wonder what Shade would say to that,” Split said also leaving. Luna turned to begin the fix of her favorite room.
------------

‘You sounded like a hypocrite right there,’ Shade said.

‘What?’ Synth asked.

‘Oh, nothing,’ Shade responded.
(A few minutes later)

“Okay, you ready to go?” Synth asked Vera who was holding her suitcase in her mouth.

“Uh huh,” She said without dropping the suitcase, although it came out as more of a grunt.

“Okay, first let me help you with that. Second, why is it so big?” Synth asked lifting the case with his magic.

“Our parents gave it to me. It had my favorite dresses in it, and it also had my comb, my mirror, my-,” Vera listed everything that she owned. Synth was surprised it all fit in the suitcase.

“Oh, well when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense,” Synth said.

“So, where’s the carriage?” Vera asked.

“It’s over here, I think we’re a little late,” Synth said spotting the chariot already ready to leave.

“Wow! It’s so cool,” Vera said looking at the gold plated chariot and the gold armored guards.

“We find it to also be ‘cool’,” Luna said coming up behind Synth.

“You sure it’s okay to use this? We could always take a train,” Synth said.

“Nonsense, we want thy experience here in the Castle to be delightful,” Luna said.

“Well thanks, I can’t wait to come back and visit,” Synth said getting into the chariot.

“That reminds us, we have something for thee,” Luna said levitating an envelope towards him.

Synth took the envelope and started trying to open it.

“Our sister advised thee to not open the envelope until the chariot has left,” Luna said.

Synth stopped trying to open the envelope and waved goodbye to Luna as the chariot raised and took them into the sky towards Ponyville. Synth looked back to the envelope and opened it after a few failed attempts. He opened the envelope from the side and slid a white note along with two yellow sheets out. He read the white sheet first.

Mandatory,

Have Fun

-Celestia

Synth looked over the white sheet before he heard Vera cheer.

“Two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Vera said loudly.

‘Shit,” Synth thought as he sunk in his seat. He started thinking about how far of a drop it would be if he flung himself off.

‘It won’t be that bad, will it?’ Shade asked the now depressed Synth while Vera happily laughed in the background.

Author's Notes:

Author’s Notes:
I can’t imagine Synth standing up and going “NOOOO!!!!” In the middle of the chariot ride. That would be out of character, so I didn’t do that. I could have though….
That Fucking Celestia…
Next Time: Return of the Hulk! Oh wait, they only look the same… except Synth isn’t strong… or wearing shorts.
------------
Chapter Update notes (Remind me to remove this in a few chapters):
(You don’t have to read this, it’s my way of updating people who care this much. Vidal that means you.)
1. Next few chapters will be One Chapter Per Day (OCPD)
I would have done this with earlier chapters but I was trying to stick to a schedule that failed miserably, so scratch that.
2. OCPD could range from a low 6k per chapter or a high 20k per chapter.
They can last as long as I feel they should. I don’t want to drag out chapters or end them too fast. Chapters are made on the fly, and aren’t thought of beforehand. The only exceptions to this are the first three chapters that I rushed. (Sorry about that, I just wanted to get the idea out there before I saw another story with the same kind of ideas.
3. I read a lot of Fanfictions.
This means two things:
a. I don’t have unlimited time, although I do spend a lot of my time typing. I usually play games when I’m not typing so my schedule can fluctuate with how I’m feeling that day.
b. I get a lot of ideas. I don’t steal ideas, I see something interesting and I change it to make it more original, while at the same time fitting into my story. Example: Some spells used I found from reading a lot of gory stories.

4. Multiple Sessions while typing.
I don’t sit down and do this all in one day. It usually takes me a few sessions to write 2k works, not to mention the time to go back and revised something. I think the longest sessions I do are when I re-read my story to check for mistakes before handing it to my editor who gives his “laid back editing ‘advice’ for my story, that I disagree with on multiple standings (I think I edit my editor at some points of our discussions).” That in itself is another long session that isn’t exactly enjoyable. (He’ll be making an account on Fimfiction eventually so when he makes one I’ll direct you towards him so you can complain to him about errors.)

(I’m not whining or bitching, I just don’t want to see any hate comments or messages from people who haven’t even read the story. Hell, the story is just getting to the good parts; these chapters were all introductory for the 20+ chapters to come.
Final thing: My thought process wasn’t right when I made the first few chapters.
Me being the acedia bastard I am, I decided not to fix it and just go along with it. I’ll be adding a ‘These are my fictional facts’ Section before the first chapter when I feel like writing it. (Acedia strikes again.) I still haven’t fully fixed the problems with the first few chapters (First comment would explain the big problem with them). The website’s being derpy and I can’t fix it fast enough before I lose what I tried to change. (If I remember right; I fixed the first and part of the third chapter before I raged and continued Checkmate. That’s also why it took so long and I ended with only 6k words.)
-Sly
*****
Hello Readers,
As you may have read from the authors notes above. I’m going to make a Fimfiction account soon, but I’m still struggling with a problem that prevents me from doing so. (Creating a unique username and a cool avatar picture.) I will probably have one by the end of this week.
-Sincerely, ‘Editor’