AiE Chapter 16: Written In The Stars

Deep under the surface of Equestria lies a network of endless tunnels; these tunnels connect to various cities and towns; twisting and turning endlessly across the entire land.
The tunnels however are not natural occurrences, they were dug; through many years of searching by a race of dog like creatures that were intelligent enough to speak, and were self aware.
Diamond dogs were the name of these creatures, and within their endless network of tunnels sat Mark.
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[Mark]

Mark(M): *che!* No matter how many times I play it in my head the same thing happens."
>Mark sat in a small stone room; there was a large square on the right side that held a pile of cloth for sleeping, and assorted stones that filled the room with a dim glow.
>He was captured by creatures who later revealed themselves as the diamond dogs; one of the many diffrent races that exist in Equestria.
>The items that were originally confiscated by the diamond dogs were returned to Mark; his fedora, mysterious deck of cards, and semi automatic golden glock twenty sixes that were laying in a straight line as he sat beside them.
>All of Mark's respective item's were there and accounted for, but one thing was bothering him; actually, two things to be precise. There was his hat, which had been passed down to him by his father Jeremy Vinnie.
>His deck of black and gold playing cards that he mysteriously came into possession of after fighting a armored pony that could talk, but then again it seemed like everything could talk here.
>It was the last item's that were giving Mark bad vibes; the gold semi automatics that he had absolutely no recollection of at all. Mark picked up a pistol and ran his fingers across the slide until they stopped at the name that was engraved at the end.
M: "One has my own name, but..."
>Mark glanced down at the other glock that was laying on the floor, glimmering in the light of the stones. The other pistol had an engraving on the slide as well; the engraving was a name that made Mark's blood run cold every time he read it.
M: "Julie...just who is Julie? And what does she have to do with the guns?"
>Mark stopped dead as he realized what he just said.
>She? How did he know that Julie was a woman?
>There was a connection between Julie and the pistols that just didn't sit well with Mark; he couldn't remember for the life of him when he received the pistols, and he had no idea how long he had them; however, he couldn't bring himself to throw them away, and he knew how to use them perfectly, it was just that something about them gave him a bad feeling.
M: "Ugh! I'm getting nowhere with this shit."
>Mark cleared his head and tried to remember what had happened on his last day on Earth, but he could only pull snippets of information from the fog that was clouding his memory.
>He remembered a planned bank robbery, running from the police, and a small child talking nonsense; after that his memory goes blank and he's left more confused than when he started.
>Mark pounded the stone floor with his fist in frustration.
M: "Aaaand the same shit happened again!"
>It was going to be awhile before Mark could figure out what he had forgotten, but for now Marks other main concern was getting some cash; rock rooms and beds get old really fast.
>This required some thinking though; he had no clue where he was or how to get around, and after that little fight with Shining Armor he knew it was a only a matter of time before they came back to get him.
M: "Well I guess first thing I gotta d--"
>Mark was interrupted by a large grey coated diamond dog bustling into his room; this diamond dog had a dingy gray vest with a small pocket on one side, and a wore a black diamond studded collar.
>???: "Mr. Mark human! We need help in the tunnels, they gave way and there is too much rubble to clear by ourselv--."
M: "I'm going to stop you right there Fido and let you know in advance that I don't give a fuck about any problems you three dumbasses have unless there's compensation involved for my time."
>Fido(F): "Don't be so cold Mr. Mark human! There's also a little gold we don't want in the rubble that you can have if you like. We just want the precious gemstones!"
>Mark slowly turned around at the word "gold", maybe with some gold he could find some kind of place to sell it at for cash, or whatever currency was accepted here.
M: *sigh* Fine I'll help, just stay the fuck out of the way after you show me the spot."
>As Mark made his way through the tunnels following behind Fido, he remembered how this all started a couple of weeks ago when they first captured him.
>When Mark had his items stolen by some diamond dogs, he chased behind them until he found himself surrounded by a group of the same kind of dog creatures; after being arrested he was taken to "the boss", well, more like three bosses to be exact.
>The three bosses that tried his patience every other day with a deal Mark actually regrets having made sometimes. The clumsy, unorganized, and dimwitted leaders of the diamond dogs Fido, Rover, and Spot; upon meeting the three bosses for the first time Mark was able to persuade them with an interesting but simple deal:
>1) They would let Mark roam around the tunnels as he pleases in exchange for help with cave ins, debris, and other large obstacles that prevented digging.
>2) Mark was allowed to keep any other valuable objects, materials, and a small percentage of the gemstones found in the area he helped clear out.
>3) They would return Marks stuff to him in exchange that he promises to never use them on any diamond dog.
>It was a good place to start, but Mark wanted more; Mark wanted to be rich, famous, and powerful, and he didn't want to be tied down by laws.
>F: "Just up here Mr. Mark human, we can't clear this rubble."
>As Mark and Fido passed a group of diamond dog guards they came to a stop in front of a large boulder that had a chunk of gold ore around the side.
>Mark closely examined the side of the boulder; tapping the shiny material on the side with his pistol.
M: "Hmmm....alright, seems like legitimate gold; you've got yourself a deal, so stand the fuck back already."
>After shuffling around his pocket Mark withdrew a gold card from his right pocket; it was a six of diamonds card that glimmered brilliantly in the light.
M: "Good thing I drew this the other day."
>With his eyes closed and card in hand Mark cleared his mind and concentrated; focusing his energy on the card. The gold card suddenly emitted white electricity and began slowly changing inside Marks hand until a medium sized pistol magazine was left.
M: "Reloading."
>Mark ejected the old magazine from his pistol and watched as it turned back into a card and disappeared into the deck on his waist, then pushed the new clip into the handle of the glock until it locked in place.
M: "This might get a little messy, so take another couple of steps back."
>Fido got on all fours and sprinted back as Mark pulled the slide back until the pistol chambered a bullet, then released the slide and fired.
>The bullet that flew from the pistol shot straight into the middle of the boulder; Mark jumped back and released the trigger, causing the fired bulled to explode and completely decimate the large boulder.
>Chunks of rubble and smoke filled the tunnel as Mark walked away out of breath; heading back to his room to recover.
M: "*huff*...Fido, tell Rover that I want my percentage of gems and gold ore out of that tunnel and in my room by the time I wake up."
>F: "Uuuhh...ok I gotcha loud and clear. Alright you mangey mutts! Back to digging for precious gemstones!!"
>Mark made his way back to his room and fell on his pile of cloth; sweating and ragged of breath he held the deck of mysterious cards up to the light and stared at them.
M: "Just drawing a damn card takes a lot out of me, *huff* and using the card itself is a whole other fucking story."
>Mark had figured out some of the workings of the cards, but still had a lot to learn about the mysterious gift. For one he could only draw a certain number of cards a day; he had started with only being able to draw one card a day, but after a couple of weeks he moved up to three.
>The cards he could draw also took on a specific form based off the type of suit and number; for instance, the diamonds suit provided ammunition for his pistol that exploded when he released the trigger. Unfortunately for Mark he didn't find out that 'exploding' part until after he nearly blew one of his arms off.
>Lastly the cards demanded a high cost of his energy to use; it took a large percentage of energy to draw the card, and another chunk of energy to use it as well.
>Marks breathing calmed down as he turned to the side; laying the deck of cards beside him he smiled and closed his eyes.
M:."This deck is the key to everything, and I may not be good at using it but I will get better; then nobody can stop me from getting any and every little thing I want..."
>Mark's consciousness faded as he drifted off to sleep.
----

>Pp: "Cya later Anon! Remember that the party starts in one hour!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you in an hour."
Anonymous has just parted ways with Pinkie Pie after a long delivery in Canterlot; the once bright and clear sky had toned down to a mix of dark blue and purple while small twinkling stars shined in abundance across the atmosphere.
Anonymous smiled to himself as he made his way through town and towards Twilight's house to prepare for Pinkie's welcoming party.
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[Anon]


>The night air felt cool against your skin as you made your way past the central plaza; from the looks of it most of the stands had already packed up and left, all except a few who were still putting items away.
>As the remaining mares and stallions spotted you they all either waved or nodded in your direction, which you respectfully returned with a smile. It left a good feeling whenever you walked around and saw that most of the ponies here accepted you, despite being a different species.
>It reminded you of what the cloaked man said before coming to Equestria.
>>???: "What if I said that there was a world out there that wasn't anything like the world we live in? No killing, no wars, no crime, and everyone was treated kindly and fairly. Even someone like you; who would look nothing like them, would be accepted and treated almost like family."
>At first you thought the cloaked man's words were bullshit; you seriously doubted anyone in their right frame of mind would've believed him, but through the time you've spent in Equestria you saw that he spoke the truth for the most part.
>It seemed like there was no kind of war, crime, or killing; some ponies were a little crazy but they had kind hearts, and that's an uncommon trait among most humans.
>This place was almost perfect, but you couldn't help but feel uneasy; the fact that you were a 'black caster' and could even use fire at times made you more aware of the fact that you didn't belong.
>You didn't belong in any of this; you didn't belong in Equestria altogether.
>Twilight Sparkle(Ts): "Anon!"
"Huh?"
>Your train of thought was broken by Twilight, who was standing at her front doorstep. Twilight's mane was slightly frayed as she look at you with teary eyes.
"Woah, what's wrong Twilight?"
>Twilight ran up to you and examined you closely before sighing with relief.
>Ts: "I just got a letter from princess Celestia saying that you had a problem with the guards when you were trying to complete your delivery!"
"Oh...heh, that huh? Well me and Pinkie were trying to get in, but my name wasn't on the visitation list so they gave me hard time; although everything worked out in the end, me and Pinkie are just fine; besides you're supposed to be on bed rest."
>Ts: "I know, I know...it's just that I was worried because you came back so late I just thought something might of happened; I'm supposed to make sure you're safe, so don't scare me like that."
"You were worried about me?"
>You couldn't contain your laughter as you looked at Twilight, who stared at you angrily
>Ts: "And just what is supposed to be funny!?"
"Hah, it's just unbelievable..."
>Ts : "WHAT is unbelievable?"
"Nothing, don't mind me Twilight; I'm just having a moment."
>Twilight looked at you perplexed for a minute before walking back into her tree house.
>Ts: "I think you've been hanging around Pinkie too long."
>As Twilight disappeared in the tree house you shook your head while chuckling to yourself.
"It's unbelievable how something like this could even exist..."
>Ts: "Get inside Anon; you should take a rest."
"I would, but Pinkie is throwing me--"
>Pinkie suddenly busted through one of Twilight's windows with a drum, syllables, harmonica, and tuba all strapped around her as she played a tune.
>Pinkie Pie(Pp): "CONGRATULATIONS TWILIGHT AND SPIKE! YOU'RE INVITED TO ANON'S WELCOME TO PONYVILLE PARTY!!!"
>Ts: "Pinkie!? What in the name of Celestia are you doing!?"
>Pp: "NO TIME TWILIGHT!! I'VE GOT TO GET AN INVITATION TO EVERYPONY IN PONYVILLE AND SET THE PARTY UP IN ONE HOUR!!!"
>Ts: "Party?"
>Pp: "ONE HOUR! IN FRONT OF SUGARCUBE CORNER! BE THERE!!"
>Pinkie ran through the front door and disappeared just as Spike came down the stairs, saw the broken window, and walked over to you and Twilight.
>Spike(S): "Sup Anon, did we just get robbed or something?"
"Nah, that was Pinkie."
>S: "Last minute party?"
"Yeah how'd you know?"
>S: "You can still hear her breaking into ponies houses."
>You heard another window break outside as Pinkie entered another house.
>Pp: "YOU'RE INVITED TO ANON'S WELCOME TO PONYVILLE PARTY!!"
>"What's happening!?"
>"Honey get the kids and run!!! There's a pink burglar!!!"
>"Momma I'm scared!"
>"Sweetie come with mommy to get the guards!"
>Pp: "COME TO SUGARCUBE CORNER IN ONE HOUR FOR FUN, GAMES, CAKE, AND MORE!!!"
>"Help!!! Guards!!!"
>Ts: "What is Pinkie doing!?"
>Twilight ran out the tree house after Pinkie; leaving you and Spike standing at the doorway.
"So...should we help or what?"
>S: "No we would only get in Twilight's way, but we should follow just to make sure."
"*sigh* I guess your right; let's go then."
>You and Spike left the tree house in pursuit of Twilight and Pinkie; from the looks of things you were gonna help set up the party.
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>After just one hour of running around you found yourself at the Sugarcube Corner.
>You couldn't believe it, the sweets shop had turned into what looked like a rock concert as the whole town turned up for your party. Ponies that you've never even spoken to bothered to come to your welcoming; unicorns, pegasi, and earth pony of every color crowded around the party Pinkie set up.
>With help from Twilight every pony in Ponyville heard about the party; unfortunately it left Twilight at a nearby bench out of breath with a concerned Spike watching over her.
>With help from her purple friend Pinkie was able to set up the front of Sugarcube Corner so nicely it was hard to believe she did it all within one hour.
>Large rows of decorated tables held large bowls of punch, soda, and juice; while groups of multicolored balloons floated lazily back and forth as they were tied to the table.
>Ponies we're crowding around the tables that held numerous platters of different cakes, cookies, tarts, buns, pastries, and other kinds of differently prepared vegetables, and fruits, One cake in particular caught your eye by the sheer size of it; the pink frosted cake was as big as a three ponies standing side by side, and had the words "Enjoy The Party!" spelled out in gumdrops.
>While the ponies at the table dug into the cake and treats, you turned your head to the front where a small stage was built; long colorful streamers hung from the microphone stand, and a large blue banner had "WELCOME TO PONYVILLE ANON!" written in gold letters.
"Wow...Pinkie really outdid herself with all of this, and for me?"
>???: "Well of course! You can't beat first class parties from Pinkie!"
>You turn to see a small light gray unicorn filly with pale green eyes staring at you; as the filly smiled and nodded her curly lilac colored mane bounced behind her.
>???: "Hi, Name's Sweetie Belle!"
"Oh, hey my name's Ano-"
>Sweetie Belle(Sb): "I know your name Anonymous; after all it's everywhere you look!"
"Yeah...Pinkie made sure to get my name on every banner, napkin, and plate."
>Sweetie Belle giggled slightly and turned back towards the table; as she jumped up and down repeatedly you noticed that she was trying to get a piece of cake, but couldn't quite reach it and ended up falling on her back.
>Sb: "Augh! Stupid table..."
"Here, let me help."
>You grab a plate and scoop a piece of cake up; as you hand it it to Sweetie Belle her eyes widen and glimmer as she balances the plate on her head.
>Sb: "Thank you Anonymous!"
"Just call me Anon, and you're welcome."
>You and Sweetie Belle begin walking throughout the crowd as music was blaring from large speakers; when you looked down Sweetie Belle was eying you curiously before turning away quickly.
>Sb: "S-sorry, it's just that I've never seen a human before..."
"Hey, it's fine; I know I'm not like a pony, so feel free to ask me anything."
>Sb: "Really? Well...I was wondering how you stay so balanced walking on two hooves all the time."
>You notice Sweetie Belle was looking at your feet, so you stop and take off your badly worn out shoe and show her your foot.
"Well for one I don't have hooves; I have 'feet', and I only need two of them to walk steadily."
>You wiggled your toes as Sweetie Belle continued staring at your foot.
>Sb: "Wow...they look kind of weird though."
"I guess to you, but I've had these my whole life so they look perfectly normal to me."
>???: "Sweetie Belle! What are you doing!!?"
>You and Sweetie Belle look up to see Rarity emerging from the crowd of ponies, when she reached Sweetie Belle she gave her a long stern look while speaking firmly.
>Rarity(R): "Sweetie Belle don't harass Anon with such undignified questions!"
>Sb: "B-but I wasn't--!"
>Rarity bowed apologetically in your direction.
>R: "I apologize for my little sister's rudeness, she lacks proper manners at times."
"Oh no, no I said it was fine if she was curious about something and that I would explain; she wasn't rude at all."
>Sb: "Yeah! Anonymous said it was okay to ask questions!"
>R: "Even so you must remember to be polite Sweetie Belle, now come along with me."
>Before leaving Rarity smiled and nodded again.
>R: "Welcome to Ponyville Anonymous, while this town may not be the most high class of towns; it does have its own unique charm I'm sure you'll notice with time; I also have another set of clothing I think you may like waiting for you to try on at the Carousel Boutique."
"Thank you very much Rarity, I'll be sure to stop by soon."
>Sb: "Aww, bye Anonymous..."
>You found it kind of cute the way Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked when she talked as you smiled and waved at her while she walked away with Rarity.
"See you later Sweetie Belle."
>When Sweetie Belle and Rarity disappeared into the crowd of ponies you started making your way back to the bench you saw Twilight and Spike sitting on.
>It was pretty hard maneuvering around ponies chatting, laughing, and enjoying themselves at the party, but at the same time it was a nice site.
>You could count the number of times on one hand that you ever had a party in your name, and none of them compared to the size and liveliness of what was before you.
>The lights, the decorations, the food, and all the ponies that showed up; all of it was simply amazing to look at, but for some reason some things you had been thinking about started to bother you.
>For one if Luna would really show up or not; you really wanted to thank her for getting the guards off your back earlier, but you had no idea how to go about doing that.
>Then again Luna wasn't the only pony you owed a lot too was she? There was Pinkie, Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, Fluttershy, and that was just to name a few.
>Also the fact that you were an alien to Equestria yet in just over a month is being thrown a party in your name didn't escape you either.
>It just didn't seem real the way your luck turned around; from being at the end of your rope on Earth and losing everything; then suddenly being given a second chance in a new world with no strings attached.
>???: "HEY ANON!"
>You where so caught up in your head again you were about to pass Applejack without saying anything; the orange mare tipped her cowboy hat in your direction and smiled warmly.
>Applejack(Aj): "Howdy Anon, I was calling for you, but you just kept right on walking; everything alright?"
"Oh...sorry Applejack, everything is fine, it's just...I don't know...Pinkie didn't have to throw this big of a party, and so many ponies showed up too."
>Aj: "What do you mean?"
"I don't want to sound ungrateful, but it's just that I'm not used to this kind of thing; when Pinkie first said something about a party I had originally thought it would be something along the lines of ten or twenty ponies, but this is unbelievable. I'm honored that so many ponies would show up, but at the same time I'm also having a hard time grasping the fact that any of this is real."
>Aj: "So...ya don't like it?"
"Of course I like it! This part is awesome; but it feels almost like a dream."
>Applejack paused for a minute and rubbed her chin with her hoof; after a minute or two she sighed heavily before looking you straight in the eyes.
>Aj: "Listen Anon, I know y'all aren't from around here, and it may seem unreal to you that there could be a place like this, but we are most definitely real."
>Applejack pressed her hoof against your leg gently to emphasize her point.
>Aj: "See? You can see, hear, and feel us all. Ain't that enough for you to believe this is all real?"
"...Yeah...sorry Applejack; I was just stuck in my head a little too much."
>You recoiled in pain as Applejack playfully punched you on the side with her hoof, because it felt like someone threw a brick at you full force.
>Did Applejack lift weights or something?
"Augh!"
>Aj: "Don't worry too much about complicated stuff! I reckon you're just having a little trouble getting used to Ponyville, and we wantcha' to feel welcome here; that's the whole point of this party! To have the WHOLE town welcome you. Sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself, and don't mull over questions ya can't find the answer to right now."
>As Applejack walked away into the crowd of ponies you decided to take her advice and just go with the flow; eventually you would find out the answers you wanted, there was no reason to rush.
>After all, what proved that Earth was real is the exact same thing that proved Equestria was real; you could see, hear, smell, taste, and touch anything in both places.
>So why can't they both be real?
>You took a deep breath and dismissed the worries you had; for now you should just enjoy the party Pinkie put together on your behalf, and worry another day.
>Just then silence washed over the crowd as a amber colored earth pony stepped onto the wooden stage and tapped at the microphone that was sat up; as you looked closer the pony wore glasses, had sea blue eyes and a gray mane that gave the earth pony a professional appearance.
>You also noticed that the mare wore a white collar that would normally go on a shirt with a teal neck warmer in the middle: a scroll with a blue ribbon could be seen on her backside as she cleared her throat and began to speak.
>???: "Greetings Everypony, as you can probably guess we are all gathered here today to welcome a very special guest into Ponyville; and I'm sure that some of you have already noticed that he is a human; a believed long extinct race in Equestria."
>A wave of murmurs and whispers flowed throughout the crowd, and some of the surrounding ponies glanced curiously in your direction to which you sheepishly waved back.
>???: "However we are to treat him with the same kind of tolerance and respect as any other pony, and without further ado let us all give a warm welcome to Anonymous!"
>Suddenly the crowd around you began stomping their hooves as a path opened up to the stage; you walked up clumsily and stared into the crowd of smiling ponies.
>You had no clue what to say or how to say it, so you spoke the only words that you could think of at the time.
"*ah-hem* I'm not very good with this type of thing so I'll keep it short. Thank you so much for welcoming me so warmly; I truly appreciate it, and thanks to all of the ponies who went out of their way to help me; I can't even begin to repay your kindness. Finally to those who I haven't met yet I look forward to get to knowing all of you; um, that's all..."
>Just as you were about to walk off the stage every pony in the crowd erupted into cheers, laughter, and stomping of hooves as they all chanted in unison "Welcome to Ponyville Anonymous!".
>As you continued walking down the stage you couldn't help but smile widely at the site before you; while it may be true that you didn't know if any of this was real; it didn't seem to matter when you saw stuff like this.
>Whether Equestria or Earth was real or not; what is before you now was your reality.
-----

Anonymous was greeted by Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie as he made it off the stage; Anon could still hear cheering and stomping as he sat down at a nearby table with everyone.
>Pinkie Pie(Pp): "Alright Anon! It's time to party!! But first get a load of this!!"
Pinkie withdrew a small remote control and pressed a small red button on it; this caused a long stream of fireworks to shoot into the sky and burst into hundreds of strands of different colors.
Everypony and Anonymous all turned there attention upwards and watched the magnificent display Pinkie had prepared for the event.
>Twilight Sparkle(Ts): "It really looks great Pinkie."
>Rainbow Dash(Rd): "It looks AWESOME!"
>Fluttershy:(Fs): "Sooo pretty..."
>Applejack(Aj): "Looks alright."
>Rarity(R): "Simply Gorgeous!"
"Pinkie...thank you."
Pinkie grinned widely as she saw the look on Anonymous's face.
>Pp: "There's nothing I enjoy better!"
Suddenly a multitude of stars swirled around in the sky and started forming letters; the crowd let out 'ooohs' and 'ahhhs' as the stars spelled out the words "Welcome To Equestria Anonymous".
"Woah... Pinkie I didn't know you could do that!"
>Pp: "Huh?"
Pinkie looked curiously at her small remote and started passing it between her hooves.
>Pp: "I didn't do that one."
"Really? Hmm... I wonder who did?"
>Pp: "Ah who cares? EVERYPONY LETS DANCE!"
A white colored pony who was operating the music put on a song with a lot of bass and a catchy beat as Anonymous was drug out onto the center of the party to dance.
Anonymous lost himself in the party; unaware of a pair of sapphire blue eyes watching him from a distance.
The night was young and the whole town was in celebration as the mysterious welcome message floated above; written in the stars.
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End Of Chapter 16: Written In The Stars