"UGH!" - Twilight screamed as she twitched on the floor. She stroke her left front hoof, it felt like something sharp had gone through it.
"What in the--?" she said, getting up from the stone floor. "A... timer?"
On her hoof was a digital clock, gleaming bright red digits: 8:00. She wobbled in place, nauseous, and leaned on a nearby wall.
She stretched her wings and looked around her. "I must be in Canterlot," - she thought - "how did I get here?"
She rubbed her forehead with her hoof trying to remember, finding only gaps in regard of late events. Then she examined her head for any bumps or bleeding, "I could've crashed into something, maybe I felt ill during flight?
Twilight paced slowly about, to regain her blood pressure. The pacing soon became rapid and irritated, "Calm down, Twilight. Be rational" she said to herself. Six minutes left, "To what?"
Before she could place her thoughts in order, a shout echoed from up the street. Without wasting a second thought, she ran towards it-- It was certainly a cry for help. "I should stay on the ground for now," she thought, remembering the dizziness she felt as she woke up.
The screaming became clearer as it has less walls to bounce on. It was Fluttershy.
In a wide plaza laid Fluttershy crying, surrounded by strange black... things. Twilight didn't think twice, or once, for that matter, as she detected movement towards her frightened friend she cast a spell on the creatures, destroying the one it hit directly and scaring the rest away from Fluttershy.
Twilight aproached her:
"Fluttershy, are you okay?-" she paused, trying to catch her breath "-Did they hurt you?"
Fluttershy lift her head and looked at Twilight only to start crying again, not being able to utter a single word. What could've possibly caused Fluttershy to act like that? "This could be cause for alarm," Twilight thought "but then again, she is sensitive. Maybe she's just scared."
"What were those creatures? - Twilight asked, laying her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.
As the two ponies touched, a bright light enveloped them. They felt each other's heartbeat in their chests. Their life and thoughts linked for a split second and their whole view on the world shifted and turned lopsided and right side up again.
Twilight felt the joy and love of the forest and all it's creatures. The peace. The quiet. The kindest hearts belonged to animals, and only animals were incapable of harming her feelings. She felt loved by everything and she loved everything back.
Fluttershy felt the joy of fulfillment, the joy of purpose. Having a goal, struggling towards that goal, the guidance of Princess Celestia - the only truly perfect being in equestria - and the road to become a better version of oneself each day.
Both of them dived into intimate parts of each other and felt something that they've never stopped to think it could be as great as what they already had.
After seeing each other through the other one's eyes, both figuratively and literally, they returned to normal, proceeding to stare dumbfoundedly at each other for a few seconds until, in a distance, a second scream broke the silence.
Twilight snapped back into panic mode.
"Fluttershy, please, listen to me," She was talking slowly and carefully, "hide. Don't move. Stay out of sight until I come back. Okay?
Fluttershy started tearing up again. Twilight lost her calm "Please, Fluttershy! I need you to do as I say, please!"
Fluttershy nodded in agreement and, without wasting anymore time, Twilight turned around and lift off, flying in the direction of the scream. As she flew, countless books flipped through her head. Did she read about those creatures? Is any picture in her memory similar to the black silhouette she had sighted? What were they trying to do to Fluttershy? What ARE they?
As she looked down she realized she was flying closer to the ground and slower than what she had intended, so she continued on foot without giving it much thought. Upon reaching the alley where the scream came from, she saw more of those - things - gathering around a male pony.
"Help me!" - He shouted at the sight of Twilight, but it was too late. The moment she stopped to inspect the creatures, to gather any amount of information on their appearance, was at a great cost. They were already cutting deep into his skin with their sharp talons. Twilight felt a chill down her spine, the death of that pony would haunt her from now on.
She cast another spell, burning the creatures in the alley to a crisp, and ran towards the pony laying on the floor. He was already gone.
To her surprise, the pony was hollow, as if he was just a shell of skin and fur brought to life. Soon enough, the pony's body turned black and white and static seemed to distort his body. By and by he vanished into thin air, seemingly peacefully.
She took a second to digest what just happened. As she tried to form a better image of the creatures in her head, she remembered Fluttershy, and that she left her alone.
She jumped back in a spring and opened her wings, almost backflipping, and in the rush of getting to Fluttershy she crammed her right wing into the wall, which caused her to crash-land onto a pile of cardboard containers. She smashed through them and got up running faster than she thought was possible. This time, no books or scrolls went through her head, only Fluttershy's gentle smile, and the possibility that she had spent her last moments crying. "I don't care what the creatures are anymore, I just wanted her safe," Twilight thought, tearing up.
When she reached the plaza she was nowhere in sight. In fact, the plaza was empty and it's usually packed. How many ponies did those things get to? And what was Fluttershy doing this far from home anyway? Nothing made sense!
- Fluttershy! - She yelled, losing control over her own breath again - Fluttershy!
A soft sobbing sound was coming from a garbage can in the plaza, and Twilight's expression changed dramatically. She looked inside, and there was Fluttershy. Safe and sound.
She paused and took a deep breath to regain her senses.
"You did great, Fluttershy," Twilight said as she pulled Fluttershy out.
The feeling of relief was cut short though, for Fluttershy had no response other than to burst into tears as their eyes met.
"What's going on?..."
Like stepping on a nail, the sharp pain on her hoof returns. The timer stopped at 00:39 and apparently Fluttershy has one too.
"Whohoo!! Score one for us! We're awesome,"
A male voice was coming from one of the rooftops. It was on the borderline of highpitched male voices.
"Guess this week's players already owe us, huh?" A second voice. Twilight signaled Fluttershy to be quiet and rushed her beneath a nearby balcony, where they both stood and listened:
"Good thing we managed to solve that riddle in time. I don't remember the first day being so hard last time," the first pony continued.
Too much information-- riddle? In time? Was that what the timer was for? What was it counting down to? First day? To what? Are there others? Last time? There was a last time for them? Is this their doing?
"Maybe there's someone the Reaper-ponies really dislike playing this round," inquired the second pony.
Reaper... ponies? Playing?
He had a strange accent... Manehatten?
"Hehehe, maybe," the first voice continued "let's rest and gather some strength for tomorrow. We still have six days left, we have to be in top shape."
"Yeah. Plus we never know when we're gonna pass out again." - The voices were getting harder to hear as they walked away from the girls.
"I hate when that happens, remember when--" the rest was inaudible. And they left before Twilight could see any of them.
By this point, Twilight's head was burning up with the amount of different things that what they said could imply. She was rushing from one theory from another so fast that she couldn't hold on to any for more than a second. "Royal kidnaping? Doesn't explain why Fluttershy was here, and why would they kidnap someone and leave them in a plaza? Is Canterlot under siege? No, that doesn't explain the hollow pony," Twilight got increasingly angry at her lack of explanation for what was going on "Nothing explains the hollow pony!"
She grabbed a hold of herself, and with all the commotion gone, she finally turned her attention to Fluttershy. Having no words able to comfort her, she rest Fluttershy's head on head shoulder and let her cry as much as she needed. Each time she seemed like she was about to stop, she would look at Twilight and tear up again. After awhile, the crying became softer, turning into a gentle stream of tears running down her face. She held Twilight tight and continued sobbing for what felt like hours.
The next day, Twilight woke up on the floor next to Fluttershy. The soil was dry and packed with tiny sharp rocks. She got up and examined her surroundings.They were nowhere near Canterlot.
"We passed out?" - Twilight said to herself - "Why? When? And where are we?"
Someone had clearly moved their bodies while they were out, which could indicate that the responsible as a strong build, or wields powerful magic.
Twilight looked up at the sun. "It must be close to noon," she thought. "Did we sleep through the whole day? Magic has to be behind this."
There was no timer on her hoof this time, on any of them, which she made sure to check.
Twilight let out a long tired exhale and sat down, lowering her guard. Not having to deal with the meaning of the clock, at least for now, gave her some time to think. Re re-aligned and analysed the conversation she overheard from the balcony and reached a horrid conclusion: Players, riddles, timers-- Someone or some-thing- is playing with us some sort of sickly game.
As she wondered what happened to those who lost she felt all the hairs on her spine standing up stiff. "The pony in the alley..."
"Oh Celestia... Why is all this happening?..."
Author's Note
Thank you very much for reading my very first chapter of my very first fanfic! :D
Two things I'd like to say: please keep in mind that I'm not a native english speaker, so cut me some slack on the grammar corrections (they are very very welcome though); constructive criticism towards the actually storytelling and how I presented the scenes are what I'm primarily seeking, for they are what I learn more from for my native language writing. x)
I really hope you enjoyed reading my chapter, and I'm looking forward to adding more :D
"Say something, Princess," said Celestia.
"Oh! Um..." Stuttered Twilight as she steped forward to the balcony.
She cleared her throat.
"A little while ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia sent me to live in Ponyvile. She sent me to study friendship, which is something I didn't really care much about.
"But now," - Twilight signaled her friends forward - "on a day like today, I can honestly say I wouldn't be standing here if it werent for the friendships I made with all of you. Each one of you taught me something about friendship, and for that I wil always be grateful,"
"Today, I consider myself the luckiest pony in equestria. Thank you, friends! Thank you, everypony!"
A few hours later...
The three princesses were walking towards Celestia's chambers. It was a huge day for Twilight. A day that would change everything.
As they reached the entrance of the room, Celestia hugged her sister, as to say goodbye, then hugged Twilight. She had never before received a hug from the Princess. As she returned the kind gesture, she pondered about what it could've meant. As they parted, Celestia looked at Twilight-- an assertive stare. A congratulations? No... that wasn't quite it.
Twilight inspected Luna from the corner of her eye, she was looking at the floor, as if weighed by a great amount of thought.
"Walk with me, Twilight Sparkle," said Luna, as her sister closed the beautifully crafted double doors leading into her chambers. The sun was put to sleep, and it was the Princess of the Night's duty to watch over equestria until dawn.
Twilight nodded in agreement, and they both crossed the long tall hallways that made up the inside of Canterlot's castle. There was a heavy silence between the two ponies. Twilight stopped and looked out a window, there was a beautifully warm night outside.
"Let's go the castle's outpost. The night breeze is the purest there," Luna interveined, as if she read Twilight's thoughts.
The two ponies continued in silence down the hallways and up the stairs towards the outpost, not much was said in between, with the exception of a few of Twilight's attempts to break the ice that were blocked by Luna. It was obvious that she had something very important to say to her.
Twilight inhaled the fresh air from atop Luna's watchtower. The wind carried faint scents from foreign flowers. She thought about the ponies that lived on equestria before Nightmare Moon came to be, and how they could've possibly ignored the beauty and subtlety of the night.
But then again, maybe she appreciates it more because of what happened. Maybe if she had lived back then, she would've ignored it, just like anyone else.
"Twilight, there are not many ponies whom I can call a friend," Luna said, interrupting her thoughts. There was a sorrowful tone in her voice.
"Friendships last considerably less than princesshood."
It was clear as water now, what all this was all about.
"I understand." Twilight sat near the edge of the outpost.
"There are many things about friendship that you indeed do understand, Twilight Sparkle," continued Luna, "your vast knowledge about the magic of friendship was what allowed you to ascend," Luna closed her eyes, "This, I'm afraid. You do not.
"There's no greater pain than the loss of a loved one."
There was a force crushing Twilight's chest. The mere thought of watching her friends die-- no. She couldn't even think about such thing.
"You can't avoid the truth forever."
"But--" sobbed Twilight, "what am I supposed to do then?"
"You'll find a way to deal with the pain. My purpose bringing you here was to offer my shoulder and my wisdom." Luna paced towards Twilight and placed her hoof on her back "Ultimately, the answer must come from yourself. And it's best that you reach it on your own terms than to have it forced upon you when you're not prepared."
Twilight held back the tears were escaping from the corner of her eyes, "I will be prepared, when the time comes." She looked away into the night, "Thank you... Luna."
The two shared a long hug and proceeded to spend the night together, watching the stars, and talking. Twilight didn't want to sleep anyway. Not yet. And Luna had many stories to tell about ponies that she had loved... and watched wither away.
Twilight didn't realize it at the time, but that night was the night in which she mourned the death of all her friends.
***
There was a strong scent of apples and dirt in the air, which was no surprise, since it was basically all that was around them. Yellow-ish, brown-ish, orange-ish dirt and apple trees tall enough to block out the sunlight. It was surprising that anything was able to grew on that soil. Twilight concluded that they couldn't be in Sweet-Apple Acres, for the trees that grew there required plenty of water and a tender soil to grow. These were obviously a different species.
Bzzzzzt! The pain in the hoof returned, and this could only mean one thing.
"Fourty-five minutes," said Twilight, irritated. "To what?"
As she began to boil under the pressure of her own frustration, she noticed Fluttershy getting up, moaning softly as streched her limbs.
"Fluttershy, are you ok?"
She nodded, but was irresponsive otherwise.
At least she's not crying anymore... Twilight thought to herself.
"We have to work together to get out of this mess," Twilight began, with a cheerful and imperative tone, "first things first, we need to figure out what this timer is about."
Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane an awful lot more than what she used to, but still managed to show that she understood what she said. She got up on her back hooves and clopped her two front ones together.
An eerie, mechanical voice sounded inside their minds:
"Find the truth behind the voiceless pony. You have fourty-five minutes. Fail, and face erasure."
"The riddle!" Twilight yelped "That's what we need to solve before the timer runs out!"
Fluttershy nodded, still frowning.
"What else do you know about what's going on Fluttershy?" Twilight rose her voice, mostly out of concearn. She had to get them out of there, and she had to do it as soon as possible.
"Please, you have to tell me everything you know!"
Fluttershy turned her head down and avoided eye contact with her.
"What is the matter with you, Fluttershy? I've never seen you like this! Talk to me!"
In response, she began tearing up again. Twilight was suddenly aware of her tone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I didn't mean too--"
"--You should show more understanding," someone interrupted, "If you wish to help those who are hurting."
The two ponies froze in place and scouted the trees around them.
"Or maybe you're hurting as well?" The hooded figure reveled himself on atop of a tree. His brown cloak had massive pockets on the sides, filled to the top with apples,
"Tell me, Princess Twilight Sparkle--" he jumped down, landing a few feet away from them, "What brings you to the gates of Hell?"
The creature before them wasn't a pony-- it was a Zebra.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Shouted Twilight, hiding Fluttershy behind her, ready to zap the smirk out of that Zebra's face.
"Where are my manners, your highness? Kazir is what I am called." He bowed his head slightly. His mane was longer than Zecora's and had the same cut, but was combed to the side. It was covered by small, round wooden ornaments of many colors, but most of them were orange and black.
"Who'd knew the Princess who vanished would be in the Underground?"
His figure was heavily decorated. The ornaments he carried were strange, mostly exhibiting a heavy ammount of craftsmanship: the dozens of necklaces he had on his neck were woven together with colored string, leather and bits of wood that were sculped into tiny totems and figurines; the wood discs streching his ear lobes to at least four times their normal size had seemingly random circular patterns carved onto them.
"Vanished? Underground? What do you mean?"
"How unfortunate, it must be. To have that part of your memory as your entry fee. Someone must not want you to leave."
Twilight's horn stopped shimmering and she sat on the floor, hanging her head. "I just... don't know what's going on."
"I'm betting she does." Kazir nodded, pointing to Fluttershy. She remained silent, but her body language signalled she agreed with him.
"But... why--" Twilight stuttered, shoked at the fact that Fluttershy would hide something from her.
"--From the players, I would usually stay clear," he interrupted, "But one does not simply ignore royalty, so I must interfere."
"You're going to help us out of here?" Twilight asked.
Kazir shook his head, making the wooden disks on the lobes of his ears clop about.
"That I can't do, even if I wanted to. Come with me, disregard the time. It's only day two, you should be fine."
He turned about and started walking through the forest, signaling the girls to follow him. What were they supposed to do? Twilight let out a relieved sigh. That Zebra made her feel unneasy, or maybe it was the situation itself? Regardless, it felt great having someone willing to help them.
29:54; The clock was unforgiving. They must've lost at least ten minutes thanks to that Zebra. Feeling the pressure of time on her mind, Twilight began do distrust her new "Friend"
Maybe it's a trap?, she thought, if it is, I was blind enough to lead both me and Fluttershy right to it.
"We're here."
Kazir pointed to a natural cave to which a front wall made out of clay had been added. The wall had nothing more than a couple of windows and a makeshift wood door. He went inside and left the door open behind him.
She hesitated at the door, thinking to herself, This is it, Twilight. Your last chance to turn back and run.
She looked back at Fluttershy, and pondered for a short moment on returning. The feeling of dread and of nowhere to turn returned fast as a heartbeat. Where would I go anyway? If his intentions aren't pure, I'm sure he knows this woods better than us. He would find us if we ran.
Twilight swallowed hard and stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit, but was surprisingly clean and cozy. Colorful hoofwoven wool carpets decorated the floors and spherical glass doohickeys hanging by a thread dangled from the ceiling, holding some sort of light source within. A firefly, perhaps.
"I would offer you something to eat, but given your condition, I doubt you are hungry."
Kazir laid a plate of apple sauce on the table and sat down in front of it. He then signaled the girls to sit across him. Twilight sat on the chair that was furthest from the door, and Fluttershy sat on the other one. Her chair squeaked loudly, which made her jump a little in her seat.
"What do you mean by your condition?"
The Zebra let loose a hearty laughter, "You're in the Reaper's Game, my dear Princess! There is only one way in: lifeless"
"I'm dead?! That's absurd! That's-- that's more than absurd, that's downright impossible!"
"And yet, here you are. Surely you did not follow me to my home to question the knowledge I have to offer."
She paused, feeling her heart race. Her -heart- race, how could she be dead? She felt blood rushing through her veins.
Twilight calmed herself down... and lost it completely shortly after: When she placed a hoof on her chest, there was nothing beating inside of her. What she was feeling must be an illusion of some sorts, a remnant of the life she once had.
...the hollow pony... Am I... hollow?
"This can't be happening," she cried out.
Kazir was clearly getting impatient, which was funny, given his speach about pacience awhile ago.
I understand now. Twilight thought, this was what she was feeling yesterday, why she couldn't stop crying.
Rubbed her hoof on her forehead and signaled Kazir to carry on. This is it Twilight, gather as much intel as you possibly can. She arranged her posture and flicked her ears wide up. She was about to do what she did best, learn.
Kazir explained all that were to explain about the Reaper's game. It was a game where ponies who passed before their time got a second chance at life-- the one's who survived the game would be sent back home to their loved ones, those who lost were erased. Forever.
The game lasted for seven days, during which Players would race against the clock to complete the daily mission assigned to them. If any of the players completed it, all the players were safe for one more day, but if no one figured it out by the time the clock runs out-- pfft. Global Game Over.
He warned them, however, to never rely on others to fulfill the mission for them. As days go by, less and less players remain, and the missions tend to get worse. Today was a required exception to the rule.
The clock stung on the girls hoof. It stopped at 11:45, confirming Kazir's explanation. After the clock stopped, the Game Master could choose to set them asleep at any time.
Twilight's brain was in full throttle, assimilating new concepts and developing connections so fast that it was a wonder how her cutie mark wasn't about learning. She countered what she was being told by the little she already knew and had already seen, not only to verify the source, but also to give the much required explanation to the last twenty four hours that drove her half to madness.
The Game was supposedly hosted by "The Game Master" and the Reaper-ponies, who carried out his orders. He decided when, where and essentially if we woke up. He assigned the mission, he decided how much time we had, he was responsible for this, the Reapers moderated the whole affair.
Twilight felt conflicted. On one hoof, she felt like what this Game Master was doing was reprehensible, but on the other... he was giving ponies a second chance.
...well, if he can do such a thing, he should just give everyone the same chance, instead of handpicking someone like this, she concluded.
Kazir talked and they listened for a few hours. Fluttershy's seemed to be somewhere else during the entire time, but Twilight soaked up all that information like a sponge. As soon as the next day came, she would be ready for it.
Soon enough, without any warning, the girls fainted and vanished into thin air, leaving Kazir alone to his affairs once again.
He reviewed what he said briefly in his mind, and concluded that he did a decent job.
Good luck.
Author's Note
I -was- supposed to upload this on Friday, BUT, since I managed to finish it early and Friday I'll be up to my ear lobes in textbooks and birthday cake, I decided I should just go ahead and publish it 8D
Again, I hope you enjoy the second chapter of my very first fanfic and I'm looking forward to writing the rest! ^-^
If you completely lost interest at some point, or if there was something that REALLY turned you off, do me the favor and post about it in the comments so I can avoid repeating that mistake :D thank you<3
