I awoke with a start in bed, which was strange considering that I had just been at a restaurant eating lunch when a nuclear warhead exploded.
A wave of heat.
Then….
Nothingness.
.
.
.
.
I drifted in that nothingness for who knows how long. As I drifted, knowledge and memories were downloaded into my memory.
Wielding a massive six section sword against monsters of all types.
Casting spells using small glowing orbs the size of marbles.
The feeling of using weapons both familiar and alien.
Facing down men who fancied themselves gods.
Memories of fighting on hostile worlds against insurmountable odds.
Then, there was a feeling of intense pain as a green substance was infused into my body, making me stronger, faster, and more resilient.
Sitting up, I looked around the room. Off to one side there was a desk with a computer and a couple of manilla envelopes sitting on it. On the other side of the room was a tall five drawer dresser, a closet door and an electric guitar sitting on a stand next to an amp.
Carefully getting up, I walked over to the desk. Picking up the envelopes, I sat down in the chair before opening the first one.
The first envelope contained what were apparently my identity papers.
'Talisman Stryke huh? Not to bad as far as names go.' I thought as I read. Looking at some of the other paperwork, I discovered that I was a teenager again, currently seventeen. 'So 30 going on 17. I'm all for second chances, but having to do high school again is going to suck.'
Another set of forms revealed that I was an emancipated minor, having been in the foster care system since shortly after birth, I had shown that I was responsible enough to strike out on my own early, though I did have to finish high school. Again.
'Well this is going to be a bother.' I thought as I fired up my computer while pulling out more information, such as my driver's license, bank information, information on a trust that was set up after my parents died in a fire while out for the evening. I also discovered that due to not having any relatives, I was placed into the foster care system. Despite being bounced between different families for one reason or another, my history showed a well adjusted young adult that was capable of being independent. I also found my employment information for the job I would be starting at a small book store in town this coming weekend.
The other folder was a welcome packet that had been provided for my new school, Canterlot High.
'That is a horrible pun. But new world, new history.' I thought as my computer loaded. Locating and pulling up the web browser, I looked for a search engine. Thankfully, even though I was in a new world, Google was still Google.
I quickly began searching subjects like world history and current events, as well as searching for my new school. One link cause me to groan. Pulling it up, I was brought to the school's MyStable page.
Looking at the title of the page made my eye twitch, so I scrolled through the posts.
Most were normal posts for the school regarding past and upcoming events, but what caught my eye was a video post from a student on the page from an event labeled "Battle of the Bands".
I watched the video, shot from a cell phone judging from the movement and quality of the video, and was intrigued. Either it was a very well done piece of special effects/video editing or magic was a thing at the school.
'Well this might make things more interesting.' I thought as I switched tabs to the history searches.
Fortunately, other than the names, world events seemed to basically line up with my old world. Wars, disasters, and technology advancement were almost completely parallel with my world's history.
'That is a relief. At least I won't make a complete fool of myself.'
Getting up from the computer, I began to check out my new house.
Kitchen, living room, dining room, and bathroom were pretty well standard and stocked.
The surprise was in my walk in closet. Looking around, I discovered a recess that when pressed, caused a hidden panel to open revealing a set of stairs.
Hitting a light switch, i descended the stairs.
Reaching the bottom, my jaw dropped.
In front of me was an armory that any special operations team would have killed to have.
Rifles and handguns of all calibers. Shotguns that were pump action, semi and fully automatic. Grenade launchers, body armour, and enough ammunition to take down a small country were laid out in front of me.
One section caught my eye though.
Hanging on the wall was the Buster Sword from Final Fantasy VII as well as bracers and what seemed like every piece of Materia in the game.
'Well, that makes things even more interesting. At least it there are magical threats, I can assist in containing it.' I thought before heading back upstairs, turning off the lights and securing the panel as I exited the hidden basement.
Heading to the bathroom, I began to get ready to get the day started. Looking in the mirror, I noticed that my eyes were glowing.
'Should have expected that after seeing all that Materia and the Buster Sword.' I thought as I pulled my hair out of the braid it was in, letting the long hair fall free, hitting just above my waist.
Stepping into the shower, I began the process of washing the nearly two and a half feet of hair. A bit of a pain, but I like the long hair.
'I have got to be in shock or something. Yesterday I was a thirty year old guy just grabbing a bite to eat and now I am back to being a teenager. Should be freaking out at least a little bit about this, military bearing be damned.' I thought.
Maybe I was just so apathetic to the world that leaving it didn't really affect me.
'Truthfully, I kind of wished for something like this. A new start in a world that wasn't as messed up as mine. As far as I can tell from the little bit of research I did, terrorism really isn't a problem here. It is more localized and the groups are put down quickly instead of being allowed to fester like we did.'
Finishing my shower, I brushed and dried my hair before braiding it.
I had just finished getting dressed when there was a knock at the door. Raising an eyebrow, I headed to the door.
Opening it, I saw an older woman with reddish brown hair and grey skin in a police uniform.
"Hi Talisman. How are you doing today?" She asked with a smile.
"Doing fine Officer Shield." I replied, moving to the side so she could come in out of the weather.
"I've told you to call me Aegis.' She said rolling her eyes as she removed her jacket.
"Well forgive me for having respect for an officer of the law." I said with my own eye roll as I shut the door.
Aegis laughed as she sat down.
From the files I was given, Aegis Shield was assigned as my case officer that would stop by periodically to do welfare checks. Whether or not she knew about the arsenal below our feet, I did not know and I was not saying a word.
Discretion is the better part of valor after all.
"So ready to start classes next month?" She asked.
"As ready as I can be. I was going to go out and pick a route since I am walking at the moment." I replied.
"How about this? I can show you the quickest route and we can grab something to eat." Aegis said.
I thought about it for a moment. "Sure. You buying?" I asked.
Aegis laughed. "Sure. Let's go."
Soon enough we were on the road, crawling along due to the snow that had fallen during the previous night.
"This is so going to suck walking in. Would you mind taking me car shopping next time you are off shift?" I asked Aegis from the passenger seat of her patrol car.
"Actually, I had gotten off shift before I came over. So after we get something to eat, I can take you to one of the better dealerships. A friend of mine is a salesman. Might be able to get you a better deal." Aegis replied.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
"Thank you. You've been a big help since I came here." I said after a moment.
"Not a big deal for me. I can see that you have a good head on your shoulders and you won't abuse the privilege. Plus, I know that you haven't had it easy in life. So long as you do something productive, I will help you all I can." She said.
"Still, thank you. It means a lot." I replied.
"Hey what are friends for?" She asked with a smile.
I smiled back as we pulled up to the school.
It was a nice building as far as schools go. Nice rotunda in the center with two twin story wings on either side of it. In front of the main entrance was a statue of a mustang, rearing up on its hind legs.
"Looks like a nice place." I said after a moment.
"Yeah it is. Went there myself before I went to Canterlot U to get my psychology degree." Aegis replied.
"So that would explain why a cop is my case-worker." I said with a smirk.
"That and I am good with teenagers. Something that a lot of the case-workers aren't too strong with. Most of the time by the point that teenagers get to them, a lot of them are either too new to handle a willful almost adult or just to burnt out to care. I volunteer to help out when I can. Take the load off on the easier cases." Aegis explained as she pulled away from the curb.
Soon enough we had pulled up to a hibachi restaurant.
Once inside we ordered our food and sat down Aegis spoke up.
"So seriously, how are you handling things?"
I shrugged. "It's day to day really. I know what I need to do and I was going to be at this point in about a year anyways. I will be fine. Most people are when they hit adulthood." I said in reply.
Aegis nodded. "Feel free to give me a call if you need anything, even if it is just to chat." She said.
"I will." I said as our food arrived. Soon enough our discussion turned to my upcoming vehicle purchase.
Later that evening, I pulled up to my house in my newly purchased SUV. While not the most fuel efficient, it did have a large cargo capacity, and most importantly four wheel drive and a good ground clearance. Thankfully I had enough in the bank to purchase it out right rather than having to take out a loan for it and still have plenty left over. Even the house was mine out right.
Grabbing a few clothing and entertainment purchases I had made, I went inside and dropped them off. Checking the time, I saw it was still early so I decided to take a drive and get a feel for the town I was now living in.
The sun had set a while ago. I was driving slowly through the streets as snow began to fall again. Coming up to a bridge over the Canter River, I saw a girl with red and yellow hair standing by the guardrail on the footpath next to the bridge.
'What a minute. Is she on the outside of the railing?' I thought to myself as I pulled over. Parking the truck and turning on the hazards, I got out and slowly made my way over to the girl.
"Cold out tonight." I said as I leaned against the railing.
"Go away." She said, her voice strained with hurt.
"Not gonna happen. Not when you're hurtin' something fierce." I replied.
"How do you know what I'm feeling?"
"Well the fact that you are on the wrong side of the railing is a big clue. That and I don't see a rope around your ankles, so I doubt that you are out here for a little late night winter bungee jumping." I replied, eliciting a small giggle from the girl.
"You're not going to leave are you?" She sighed after a moment.
"Nope." I said, popping the 'p' sound. "Not until you are on this side of the railing and some place safe."
She shook her head ruefully. "Sad that a stranger cares more about me than my own friends did." She said quietly, almost lost to the wind.
"Sounds like they must not be some very good friends then. Because in my experience, friends don't push you to the point where you wind up making the decision to make a very permanent solution to a temporary problem." I replied.
"Doesn't look very temporary from where I am."
I sighed. "It never does. I know, I've been that low before. But I had good people around me who cared enough to help. If you would like, I can be that person for you." I replied.
She turned her head, showing her sapphire eyes, full of pain and hurt. "You'd do that for me? Someone who you don't even know? Know the things that I have done?"
I gave a sad smile. "We all do bad things darlin'. But as long as they are in the past and you don't plan on going back to those ways then they should stay buried." I replied. "Now, do you want to come off that ledge and maybe have a cup of tea with this old wolf?" I asked, holding my hand out to her.
Slowly, her hand came off of the railing and settled into mine. I could feel the chill on her skin, making me look at her clothing. "Come on darlin', we need to get you somewhere warm. Just looking at you makes me cold." I said as I helped her over the railing.
She blinked, as if just noticing the cold and snow before nodding once her feet were solidly on the sidewalk.
"Come on. Let's get you inside." I said as I lead her to my truck.
After helping her in and then climbing in myself, I spoke up.
"The name's Talisman Stryke by the way." I said as I put the truck into gear and pulled away from the bridge, turning off my flashers.
"Sunset Shimmer." She replied as she held her hands in front of the vents.
"Pleased to meet you Sunset." I replied as I drove towards my house.