The Warriors of Harmony, Frienship is Magic
The classic fantasy tale of The Warriors of Virtue is retold in Equestria. Max nearly drowns in a sewer system after attempting a stupid dare only to awake in Equestria with the Warriors of Harmony who have been torn apart by unfortunate events, and a powerful foe threatens the land. Can he bring them together again with friendship and stop Nightmare Moon? Anthro.
***DISCLAIMER***
I do not own My Little Pony Frienship is Magic or The Warriors of Virtue, nor do I have any aphiliations with them, their producers or their benifactors and make no money on this work of fiction designed purely for entertainment purposes. Please support the official releases.
***DISCLAIMER***
Become a child again and relive the old classic story from oh so long ago of The Warriors of Virtue in a new world with the mane six!
Chapter I
Celestia sat meditating within a dark cave, so dank with waters and shadows that one could barely see. "I remember a time with no wars and no warriors... all that has changed, now I see a dying land and the enemy grows stronger..." she fingered her monk beads as she walked through the cave.
"Is there someone with the courage to step forward?" she squeezed so hard upon the beads that one shot out breaking the link and letting each bead fall down to the floor with its own omnious clank only to be followed in a cacaphony of duplicates.
"But I fear for him... as I fear for us..."
XXXXX
It was a bright and beautiful day in America as Max Geogeson's mother left the house towards her car, "Maaax?! I've gotta run honey! Be back around five, breakfast is on the table! Bye!" she called out as she hustled into her car.
As she reched the car, she dropped her many files and cursed as they hit the ground, the dog almost immediately tried to snap at them causing the woman much distress. "ugh! Hey, where's Max huh? Go! Go get him!" the dog ran off towards the house much to the mother's delight. "Make sure he eats his breakfast!"
When the dog reached inside the house, he hopped up on the table and snatched one of the sandwiches in his maw before plodding up the stairs.
Max sat in the bathroom reading through old comics of Kung Fu warriors, the twelve year old loved martial arts, but moreso, he loved the concept of a brave powerful hero rising up against all odds to defeat evil, the most classic of all conflicts in the Universe.
He could see the entire comic coming to life in his mind, he could hear the clanking of metal as swords colided between samurai, he could feel the impact of their arms and legs hitting and blocking eachother's strikes.
"Ya..." he breathed out when the dog poked his head in through the door and tossed a sandwich at him, "WHA?!" the boy exclaimed, "do you mind?!"
The dog whimpered before leaving the bathroom littered with comics and a distraught max to shake his head and sigh, "dog..." he mouthed before returning to his fantasy world.
But this wasn't the only place where he saw martial arts action...
XXXXX
Chun Yi flailed his laddle around as he sifted different herbs and powders into various soups and bowls in the kitchen of the local resturaunt.
Max watched in awe as oil was poured into a pan only to be lit ablaze as the chef sifted the flaming liquid through the air.
Fliping fish and twirling them through flower before tossing them into the scolding oil, whipping out a knife and cutting the sack of grain from the ceiling before catching it and simultaneously throwing the now cooked shrimp out of the skillet and onto a neaby plate.
Chun grabbed two egs lightly hit them together, and flicked in the drection of the pan while holding onto the shells, the yolky liquid soared through the air and straight into the black iron.
He tossed spoonfuls of rice behind his back and landing them perfectly within a bowl, never once missing a beat.
As Chun handed out the finished products to his customers, he smirked and called out to the boy thirty feet behind him on a stair well holding a bowl. "hey Max?!"
The boy smiled, "Ya?"
"To your right!"
Max held the bowl out to his right side as a scoop of rice landed perfectly on target. People applaud throughout the resturant.
Finally, Chun had a break and sat down next to Max, "have I ever told you about the real Kung Fu masters? They let go of their limitations Max..." he looked out towards the windows, "imagine a world beyond anything you've ever seen..." he looked back to the young boy, "a world of perfect bliss where anything can happen... a world defended by great warriors... no guns, no lasers, no morphing, they use the forces of nature as their weapons through mastering the Elements of Harmony. Through Honesty, Wood. Through Spirit/Magic, Indestructible Metal. Through Loyalty, Water. Through Generosity, Fire. Through Kindness, Earth."
They both stood up and leaned over the railing at the top of the stairs within the resturant as Chun continued his tale, "the warriors of integrity and honor bound by friendship, sailed upon their enemeis with the grace of a dancer and knocked them senseless... with a touch... a feather."
The story was cut short as a man came busting into the resturant screeming at one of the chefs.
Chun chuckled, "well, it's cooking time!" and with that, he departed.
Max frowned for a moment, "hey Chun?"
The man stoped and turned around.
"Are they real?"
Chun smiled, "ancient Chinese secret."
XXXXX
Max stood outside a football field as a game played, he watched with excitement as the youthful teenagers charged through the grass hogging the ball with fierce competition.
But alas, the one holding the ball in a desperate attempt to score a goal was taken down from behind with a full body tackle.
the crowd groaned their dissapointment whispering: "there's no way they can win now..."
The score sat at 16-20
"Time out!" the coach called out and began to assemble his team together and called out for Max.
"Coming coach!" he responded as he rushed over with water bottles.
"Alright now listen, we got time for one more play O.K.?" the coach said as his team gathered.
Max passed around the water bottles.
"Now we're gonna sweep left, no we're gonna sweep right, Jeff, you got the ball."
Butch scowled, "noway coach! That left tackle's been busting through the line all game!" he protested.
The coach turned to him with a stern look, "hey, I've played a few games in my day son, O.k.? I said sweep right, so we're gonna sweep right, now let's go!" the coach turned and left.
Max nibbled on his lip as he handed a bottle to Butch, "Butch, the right safety comes in on every running play, so if you fake to Jeff and then bootleg left you have a clear path to the endzone!"
Some of the team mates laughed, "oh look at the little coach!"
Butch took a swig of water into his mouth before spitting it on Max's shoes. More laughs. "Alright, ready? BREAK!" The players headed off into the field of play.
Max's friend and fellow water boy Jamal patted his back, "come one, let's go Max." they headed off to the side lines.
The players lined up and shifted his eyes around... "Blut 42! Down!" Sure enough, Max's prediction came true, "HIKE!" he faked the pass as the players slammed into oneanother. Slow motion seemed to play out as Butch ducked through the players heading for Jeff as the ball flew through the air towards him, once the offensive realized their blunder, they attempted to catch up with him but he sprinted like a bat outta heck towards the endzone.
Max's face slowly lit up, the fan's eyes widened and the coach's mouth dropped.
One man almost got ahold of Butch but he slipped out and charged on until atlast he scored touch down.
The crows went nuts and Butch's fellow players lifted him into the air and cheered.
But Max's celebration was overshadowed as his eyes sifted through the crows and landed upon Diane a pretty middleschooler with long hair died pink, if ever there was a young puppy crush...
But what Max also saw, was how she cheered for Butch, the star, the hero... but max... he was just a nobody...
Jamasl patted him on the back, "c'mon, let's go get some pizza." he said with a friendly smile.
Max chuckled, "thanks Jamal..." the two boys headed off.
XXXXX
Jamal and Max walked down the sidewalk while Jamal attempted to cheer his friend up, you got ripped man, it was your call!" he put a hand on Max's shoulder.
"What's the difference?!" Max whined as he shrugged the hand off and turned to face Jamal.
The taller boy sighed, "you! Man, that's the whole point, you made the difference!"
"WATCH OUT!" a man cried as a series of people nearly ran them over on bikes, the two boys quickly hopped out of harm's way, "HAY I'M WLAKING HERE!" Jamal yelled defensively.
Jamal scowled before calling out to the group of jockeys, "hey Butch! Max called you out when you payed!"
Butch spun around on his bike creating a grinding noise.
Max felt like dropping dead.
"Aren't you gonna thank him?!" Jamal ordered more so than asked.
Butch strolled up to him. Jeff caught up from behind, "did you say something or did you fart?"
Jamal turned towards the teenager, "Max called the play, you heard me." then he turned back to Butch and pointed a finger at him, "he told you exactly what to do."
Diane giggled from behind butch at the scene, "oh really Butch? I thought you said that was your ingenious idea?" she asked in an amused tone causing Butch to look at the ground and grind his teeth. Then he looked back up to Max, "bootleg left, clear to the endzone," he leaned in, "it was a great call man."
Max blinked in disbelief. Did Butch just... thank him?!
"Th-thanks!" he responded with a crack in his voice.
"Too bad you can't play ball... you're pretty smart." Butch said faking pity in refference to the brace around Max's right leg.
Jamal nodded, "c'mon Max, let's get lost."
"Wait a second." Butch stopped them, "you wanna hang out with us tonight?"
Max smiled, "ya!" he said almost automatically, first Butch thanked him, now he was hanging out with the cool kids?! Things were looking up!
Butch nodded and looked around, "cool... uhhh, we'll be around the Ornate Tunnel at around, eight o'clock?"
"Great we'll be there!" Max replied with a smile.
"Alright." Butch fist mumbed him. "you too up-chuck" he pointed to Jamal before biking off with his lackeys and Diane following in tow.
Jamal turned to Max with a glare, "you got a death wish Max?! I mean the guy's evil! Lucifer thinks he's a little extreme!" he stepped around Max, "he's up to somthin'..."
"So you're not coming?" Max asked in an almost dissapointed tone.
"I didn't say that... after all, you're the man, I'll see ya there." they did a secret handshake and parted ways, Max tossed the foot ball to his friend who caught it, "touch down! An incredible pass from my man simply known as, Max." he pointed at Max before heading down the sidewalk.
Max sighed as he looked down at the restricting brace around his leg... he'd never play sports... no matter how smart he was or how much he loved them... ever...
XXXXX
Max made his way into his dwelling, "hey mom..." he drawled out.
"Hey! Just the man I was looking for, dinner's almost served. I have a meeting in an hour so you'll have to eat alone."
'Again...' Max retorted in his head as he pulled a can of soda out of the fridge and popped it open before limping over to the dining table.
"How was your game?"
"We won, Butch got a touch down on the last play." he said as he took a seat. "I came up with the play..."
"Really? Hey, that's great!" His mother brought the plates of microwaved dinner over, "I'm very proud of you."
"Proud of what?" Max asked indignantly, "I didn't score the touch down..."
His mother frowned, "well that's O.K."
"Ya right..."
"No, it is! You're part of that team and it sounds to me like they wouldn't have won without you."
Max sighed, then he looked down at the plastic tray his mother placed infront of him... it... didn't even look edible... he looked up to his mother with an unsure face, "when's dad getting back?!"
His mother cringed before sitting down with a playful smile, "now are you saying that your father is a better cook than me?"
Max smiled, "no offense."
"hmmm..."
Max stabbed his fork into the... whatever it was and yanked upwards... the entire blob came with it...
"... ya, you're gonna need something else." His mother said before pulling some money out of her purse, "here's something for Mee's" she said as she tossed a twenty onto the table.
"Yi's! You've only been there like a hundred times!" Max said with a sudden defensiveness. He highly regarded Chun, perhaps more than he knew.
His mother sighed, "you mother is just losing her mind walking in and out of that freaking front door twenty four seven..." she sighed, "are you going to be there when I'm in a walker?"
Max flinched, but otherwise didn't respond.
His mother got up and sighed again before kissing his head, "I'll be back in a couple hours." the young boy looked down meloncholy at the unedible food.
XXXXX
Max entered into Chun Yi's resturant and searched for the man.
Max heard people shouting through the resturant as he made his way through calling for Chun, "Chun! Chun!" he almost bumped into one cheff carrying a platter of trays who then began to banter out at him in Chinese.
Poor little Max frowned in non understanding, "sorry..."
Chun sat on the other side of the room with a smile on his face as the cheff continued to scold the boy in Chinese about how he should watch where he placed his body.
"Look I'm sorry O.K.?!"
The cheff grumbled before turning and going around teh table only to slip on a table letting his plates soar into the air.
but just before the back of his head slammed onto the ground, chun's ankle cuaght him on the back of his neck and hoisted him up while catching the plates perfectly and spinning them around before landing them on the table.
The cheffs and waitors applaud as Chun dusted the man off, "I guess you should watch your step huh?" he laughed out.
"Chun!" Max called out causing the cheff to turn around and point an accusing finger at him. Chun waved the man off and ordered everyone ot return to their duties as they still had a resturant to run.
"Hey man! What's goin' on?" he held his hand out.
Max stood staring at it for a few depressed seconds.
"Come ooooon." Chun said enthusiastically.
Max smiled and they did their secret handshake. "Hey, what's got you sick in the blues eh?" Chun inquired.
Max shrugged, "nothin'..."
Chun nodded, "come one, I got something for ya."
"What is it?" Max questioned.
"Come on and see!" he guided him up the stairs to his Chun's temporary home away from home, he washed his hands off in a nearby sink while Max looked at the various trinkets and trophies along a large oak shelf, one of these trinkets particularly grapsed his attention. He walked over to see a jar with cotton balls lining the base and what appeared to be a cacoon within. "What's this?"
"It's a cacoon." Chun replied.
Max grasped the container in his hands and examined it more closely before limping over to the bed.
Chun sat down next to him, "I was on my way home from school. I saw it lying on the ground, just sitting there, moving around something inside. So I got down on my hands and knese and looked real close to see this moth struggling to get out... but he couldn't do it. So I reached down, and tore open the cacoon, and out he came, takes off into the air and flies away! But... then all of a sudden, down he came... into the ground... and dead..."
Max frowned as he looked into the jar, "dead? W-what happened?"
Chun looked down at the jar fondly, "I interrupted his journey. We all have cacoons Max, it's the struggle to free ourselves that makes us whole and gives us the strength to fly."
Max lookd down at his leg, "it's pretty hard to fly if you have a broken wing..."
Chun chuckled and scruffled Max's head, "always so certain of that aren't ya?" Before heading off to his drawer and retrieving an object which he then brought back to Max and offered it to him, "ancient Chinese secret remember?"
Max tilted his head, "a book?"
"A manuscript." Chun corrected.
Max looked down at the book to see five crystals painted in each of a different color and surrounded by a sun bede of overlaping golden pettals like a gilded lotus, the rest of the book's cover was a dull tan save for the back which had letters inscribed in Chinese, "it reads: the Elements of Harmony." Chun explained.
"I was like you once," Chun began, "always wanted to be better, never good enough, wanting to be someone else. But this?" he tapped the book, "this helped me become the person I wanted to be."
"A cook?" Max said with a bit of a mocking laugh before stadning up.
Chun shook his head, "no, myself."
He held up the book and put his hand over the symbol on the front, "this: is Tao. It means the way to something. To yourself. Being the person that you want to be."
Max turned away, "I got all the self help books I need from my mom already... she doesn't get it either."
Chun sighed, he grabbed Max's backpack and put the book inside, "this isn't like the books your mom got you..."
Max looked at the clock, seven thirty... "I gotta go."
Chun tossed the backpack to Max, "check it out, it's yours."
Max smiled, "I'll catch you later Chun" and with that, he limped his way out.
XXXXX
"Man this place makes me itch." Jamal said as he and Max sat infront of a tunnel leading down to the underground sewer system, "this is creepy let's get outta here."
"What?!" Max exclaimed as he grabbed Jamal's hand, "come on this is our chance, don't blow it!"
Jamal sighed as he sat back down.
"We're in!" Max reassured.
Some bicycle lights from down yonder caught their attention, they looked up to see Butch and his freinds arrive just infront of the two boys.
"So you boys decided to show up..." Butch said before dismounting his bike and leading over to the doors leading into a factory just above the sewer system; the doors were locked with chains but a jouvinile delinquent with a crowbar fixed that.
"S-so what are we gonna do here?" asked Max nervously.
Butch looked between the two and smiled, "we're gonna play follow the leader." then he snapped his fingers and two of his budies handed him flashlights which he held out infront of Max and Jamal, "you're the leader."
Soon the group was far below the factory inside the guts of its underbelly with tunnels smeared with slime and what Max and Jamal hoped was red paint from graphidie.
"We really shouldn't be her Max..." Jamal whispered out as they stalked through the dank cold tunnels.
"Just relax O.K.?" Max snapped.
"No, see I told you something was up! And I bet it's gonna get worse, I bet they're gonna carve pentagrams into our chest! Or their gonna make hot dogs out of our guts! Hot dogs Max!"
"Shut up!" Max snarled, hoping that Butch and the others weren't listening,
Eventually they reached a legitammit sewer vault several hundred feet down the tunnel, Butch opened it letting out a puff of steam as heat escaped into the freezing tunnel.
Max and Jamal stood over the vault and gulped. Jamal looked around, "me oh me oh my, you konw? I just remembered I have a Spanish test to take tomorrow, audios amigos!" right as he tried to run off, Butch and his friends snatched him by the jacket and pulled him back, "mm mmm!"
Once the group descended through the ladder, Max got a full view of a large cylindrical room with a railing along the edges, the center of the room several feet down held a whirlpool and a long one foot thick pipe connecting one side of the room to the other with breaks in the bridge alone the outter rim leaving the only means of crossing from one side to the other being the slippery pipe.
The walls were full of graphidie.
Butch tapped him on the shoulder, "to hang with us, you gotta be initiated."
Max's eyes widened as he stared down at the raging malestrom of sewer water.
"Alright, now this is simple," Butch began, "alls you gotta do is walk accross, and give us an autograph."
Max looked to the other side of the room littered with names, among which were Butch and all of his buddis, even Diane's was on there.
Butch shook a spray pain can up before handing it to Max, "make your mark."
Max gulped.
"Butch!" Diane exclaimed, "you said you wouldn't make him do it! He can't!" she pointed towards Max's leg brace.
"We all did it!" Butch yelled before turning back to Max, "you want in, it's up to you."
"Butch... don't..." Diane tried while Butche's other buddies began making chicken noises.
"Max, don't do it..."
Butch turned around, "hey!..." he looked back to Max, "fine, I'll meet you on the other side."
A series of ohhhohoo! filled the room as Butch stood on the pipe and balanced his way accross, the others began sending otu mocks and sounds causing him to yell, "shut up!" before focusing on the task at hand.
Some of his friends gasped when he almost lost his grasp, but finally he hopped off the pipe onto the other side and held his fists up in victory. Cheers sounded and Diane sighed.
Butch looked to Max with a smile, "come on Maxy! Come on." he egged him on like a dog.
Max looked down at the spray canister as he heard Diane from behind him, "come on Max, he's just making fun of you..."
Butch's buddies began chanting Max! Max! Max! Max!
"Come on man, this is stupid!" Jamal reasoned, "make like time and cruise!"
"Shut up Jamal! I can do this!" Max protested, "look, he did it!"
"Ya! But you're not him!"
Ooooh!s sounded throughout the room.
Max stared silently as he processed that. Not him... not the cool guy. Not a winner. Not a hero. Lame. A loser...
Max glared, he grasped the cannister and began shifting accross the pipe.
"No! Don't Max!"
"Come on dude!" Diane and Jamal attempted.
"Shut up!" Max replied as his handicapped leg made it onto the pipe with him.
"Come on... you got it..." Butch said.
"ooooh careful!" "Dont fall iiiin!" the others mocked.
"Guys, don't distract him!" Diane snapped.
The pipe bounced a bit from Max's shaking, he made it about one quarter of the way at a snail's pace.
"You're moving like a baby!" Butch yelled.
Max's eyes galzed over as he stared down at the raging whirlpool as if daring him to continue.
Half way through he almost lost his balance but regained it and took a minute to recompose himself.
"Hey!" Butch yelled, "you see that?" he pointed at another large open pipe facing the whirlpool.
Max looked to it. "You never know when it's gonna take a dump." Butch taunted.
Max's eyes widened even further than before. he tried hurring along with his braced leg, shifting by while voices carried through the room, "come on!" "come one let's go! Gotta be quick!"
A donging lug filled the room, Butch looked up, "huh?..." People around the room shifted eyes, "what is that?"
The large pipe above the pool shook before a torent of water shot out and struck Max sending him down into the whirlpool screeming for his life.
"MAAAAAX!" Diane and Jamal screemed out. Max flaied around in the water, he tried to swim but the torents threw him in every which direction, he tried to hold his breath but was smacked into the walls forcing air out of his lungs and replacing it with water.
Butch put his hands on his head, "oh my go..!"
Diane screeemed, "help him Butch!"
Max's eyes shifted around as he fell further and further down in the water levels, the shimering lights on the surface water grew dimmer and the distorted voices more faint... Until finally everything was silence... Lack of oxygen... he... he closed his eyes...
END OF CHAPTER