Beyond Redemptionby Tender NinjaChaptersPrologue - GatewayChapter 1Chapter 2Prologue - GatewayM Tap tap tap tap tap ... The sound of rain always used to keep me calm, but this time waking up had a bitter taste, lacking any sort of pleasure. It was one of those times when you feel rested, you had no nightmares and nothing hurts, but somehow you feel like shit. Not like waking up the best thing ever, but still... This one sucked. My name is Jeffrey Bennet. I am 25 years old male citizen of Phoenix, and I work as a private detective. Cool stuff, you might say, and indeed, I do like my job. It's tough, sometimes even dirty and bloody, but the thought that thanks to your actions the world might be just a little bit better, than some people might live easier and safer life is something you do appreciate. Deciding to finally move my lazy ass, I got up, and for a few minutes I was sitting in a bed with a face of pure anguish. After those few minutes of mental whining and cursing the day that it dared to come, I jumped out of bed and walked towards the wardrobe in order to take some clothes. Here we go. Sleeveless shirt with the logo of Disturbed (BEST BAND EVER), pair of blue jeans and black socks. "I really gotta go to shop and get some new pants... Can't run your whole life on two pairs" I chucled to myself. I had three pair of pants in fact : two pairs of jeans, one black and one blue, the ones I'm wearing right now and the black, elegant trousers being a part of my suit. I didn't really like them – as long as I liked wearing casual clothes, those trousers sucked. On my way to the kitchen, I decided to take a look at myself in the mirror. Here we go. I had a black hair, now short, but when I was a teen my hair were reaching to the half of my back. Not like it mattered – they were always coupled into a ponytail. I had a dream of becoming a professional musician, and being the metalhead I am, my hair were supposed to help me with my epic headbanging. Long story short, no shit happened, and being irritated by senseless long hair of mine, I cut them off. Rest of my face was rather normal for a man, I even had grown a five o'clock shadow – gotta shave soon - one could even call me handsome. Except for my eyes. They were in a color of very bright grey or – as one of my friends called them - platinum. Usually, at least, cause now they resembled more a dirty steel rather than platinum. I had a bags under my eyes – courtesy of a week of almost complete insomnia. My body was rather fit : not too muscular, but I used to play a lot of handball when I was a teen, and even currently I enjoy match or two per week. On my right arm was a tatoo of a dragon. A man with a dragon tatoo (no pun intended). I sighed and turned away, entering the kitchen. 11 A.M... Dammit, I kinda overslept. Not like I had much to do, as I was on a vacation, but I wasn't used to sleeping to that late and now I felt overwhelming urge to just go back, close myself in my room and pretend that I do not exist. As I begun to prepare my breakfast, small rain outside evolved into a thunderstorm. I loved them, those outstanding, beautiful demonstrations of Mother Nature's raw power. The sound of rain furiously hitting the ground, the sounds and flashes of lightnings were always soothing for me, helped me relax. I sat down and begun to eat my breakfast. Nothing fancy, just a two sandwiches with cheese and some ketchup. God bless ketchup. Ketchup is the best thing ever. As I chewed, I started to rethink the events of two weeks. With my humble help, our police finally caught a drug dealer, which turned into war with his whole family and later with the half of the city. Asshole had been feeding his son with a meth to keep the kid from escaping. Not really smart move, considering that the police dogs ( no pun intended ) excell at sensing drugs. This case costed me concussion and two broken ribs, and kid, sadly, had died of the amount of drugs in his body. Kid was only 7 years old... I looked at my phone and noticing five unanswered calls. How is it even possible? Simple, I keep my phone muted ninety nine percent of times, turning the sound on only when I expect an important call. The mysterious guy called again, and this time I picked it up. "Yea?" I winced, hearing how throaty my voice was. "Damn it J.J! It would be nice if you looked at your phone just once!" - Ah, the voice I will recognize even when I will be dead. "Leah!" - I shouted, instantly feeling better "Dammit girl, I'm sorry, you know I don't make phone calls, so I never expect anybody to call me. And my phone is muted all the time, so..." "It's cool. Hey, do you have a while?" Leah asked sweetly. I couldn't say no. "Sure, did something happen?" "Something has to happen for me to come see my best friend forever?" Here we go... - "Or maybe you simply do not like me anymore...?" her voice dropped, and I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. "Hey, do not push yourself, kid! If you don't care about my home looking like if it was nuked, feel free to come." "Cool. See ya then, J.J!" J.J. I hated this nickname, and for no real reason. It originated from my initials, as my second name was John. Thank to whatever deity watches over us that my parents gave me a second name. Not like initials J.B would be something to be proud of. Most of my friends during high school and later used this while calling for me, but in talks they always called me by name, and I was grateful for that. In no time I heard knocking to the door. I opened it, and was greeted by a pleasant sight of my best friend forever, Leah Bryton. She looked as stunning as always. Her long, brown hair gently ran on her back, her face beaming, but focused as always. Her big, green eyes were scanning me from top to toes. She was wearing a black, leather jacked, a pair of jeans and black boots, and was carrying a big-ass, yellow umbrella with "ears". Kinda cute if you ask me. "Hello again." she said, unceremoniously walking past me and entering to my main room, when she insolently dropped on a coach and looked at me. "I'm happy to see you too. So, what can I do for ya?" I asked, walking to the kitchen for some cola. "I just came to see how do you feel. You didn't come out since the start of your vacation, after that cursed case with that drug dealer. You didn't even call. And I was worried." "Li, you don't have to worry 'bout me. I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself." I smiled. "Just like a year ago, when I had to drunk your drunk butt back home. You're totally responsible." she answered, smiling innocently, and continued "Anyway, that's now what I wanted to ask for. You want to talk about something, don't you?" I frowned "Where did you get this thought from?" "Look at yourself, Jeff. You look like a shit." I sighed "Maybe 'cause I feel like one." Something in her eyes flashed. Maybe it was concern. Maybe it was sadness. Maybe it was guilt. I really couldn't tell. I passed her glass filled with cola, and sat next to her. Leah was a person you could always count on. She was responsible, caring kind and honest. She always would tell you what she thinks about you, your actions and your words.Which was not always pleasant. She ... helped me to get out of a terrible gutter two years ago. I tried to find correct words to explain what's on my heart. "I feel... burned out. Like, I can't find any sense in what I do. I wake up in the morning, go to work, go back... But for who? I feel lonely. I have problems focusing on tasks. I don't care about what's happening around. Li, I... I feel like I'm going insane." "Go on." Leah whispered "Let it all go." I ran my hand through my hair, trying to collect my thoughts. "I feel... weak. Like I'm not enough to deal with my own life. Worst handicap ever." "Stop right there. Just because you have a moment of weakness, doesn't mean you're a handicap. Considering your childhood and events you have a contact in your everyday work, I admire you're still as sane as everybody else. You're a strong guy, but still, you're just a human." Since I was quiet, she continued. "You're alone with all your problems, it's not strange you finally broke down. Honestly... I feel responsible for this." "And where's your guilt in it?" I frowned. "I left you when you needed me. I was forced to, due to my parents moving from Phoenix, but I still feel guilty. Maybe if I was there, you wouldn't have tried to give up on your life." "I was stupid." I mumbled. "And I was sure we agreed to never talk about it again. Anyway... I feel better after telling you all this. Thank you for being a listener for such a grumpy like me. Leah smiled and hugged me. "Always, J.J.". She then looked at the clock and gasped. "My, it's almost 12 already? I apologize Jeff, but I have to go now. I have craploads of paperwork, and it really can't wait. I'll catch up on you soon though? I grinned. "Certainly. We're in touch. Would you like me to drive you back home?" She looked through the window and nodded. "If it's not too much of trouble. This storm is getting serious..." "Fear not, for I shall protect you from whatever lies ahead!" "Except of a few millions of volts running through your body." Damn, she's cute. It's a dangerous mix : a cute, beautiful young woman turns into a badass, bold chick after you know her for a while. She's a metalhead though, quite like me. The worst of all – she was able to outdrink me. Thrice. Never drink with a badass, metalhead chick. Especially if she's a friend of yours. As I entered back home, I walked back to the mirror and looked at my reflection. Nothing really changed, maybe my eyes were now a little less gloom, and a small smile appeared on my lips. "Lookin' good, Jeff" I said to myself, and I touched the mirror. The same moment, a thunder struck in my house, and I was greeted by a bliding flash of golden light, as I felt my body becoming heavier and heavier. I wasn't losing my senses, it was more like I was under the water. Then, I heard a woman speaking, propably to me, her voice, while rather soothing, had a strange accent and something sinister to it. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So wake up, Mr. Bennet. Wake up, and smell the ashes. I tried to speak, but I couldn't move a single muscle. Then, the golden glow was replaced by overwhelming darkness, as I passed out. Author's Note This is my very first fanfic ever. As you propably noticed, I'm not a native english speaker, I'm looking for a proofreader. Comment, rate and give me your feedback. ninja out Chapter 1[/ce The large, dark room illuminated only by a small, shy shine of torch stood before two humans. Black, seemingly closed door at the very end was their destination. Behind them lied everything. Their salvation. Their haven, the place of their safety, but also the place of their biggest curse, place of shame and despair. "I don't think we should do this... There must be another way. There always is." "If you're afraid, go back. It's not too late yet." "And you?" "For me, it is already. Smaller of the humans sighed. "Your humanity traded away... And for what? You want to fight with the monster by becoming a monster yourself?" "We all have to make our choices. I trusted in you before. Now it's your turn." The collosal door slowly opened, revealing nothing but pitch black, empty void. Even stanting next to it, the couple had a feeling like darkness was being poured into their very souls. All they saw was darkness. None of them noticed strange tendrils slowly merging with their bodies. Or maybe they did, but it was already too late. "Forgive me for what I did." The only answer was screaming. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Man, I really gotta stop with that whisky... When I woke up, I noticed two things. First, and most important : I was still alive, or at least my body was telling me so. No fractures, no lacerations, brain still inside skull, no blood. Second, I was propably no longer in Phoenix. I was in forest. Frickin dark, creepy forest, a forest that looked like it was cut out directly from some damn horror movie. Dark, far away from any civilization, and somehow unnatural. If you ever been in forest, you propably noticed that there is always some noice. Either it's animals running on leaves, wind blowing through the trees or some bugs buzzing. Here, there was nothing. Complete silence. I began to walk forward, just for sake of doing something. Staying in one place is almost never a good thing, especially in dark, creepy forests like this. See, playing MMO's gives you a life experiences. You can rely on this in situations of - I stopped. Before me lied a dead body, facing the ground. I took a deep breath, and felt ashamed for first thought that came to my head : turn back and run away. This girl might be alive, might need my help. Not like I could do much to a dying person – I'm not a damn doctor – but leaving her to a certain death wasn't my kind of thing. When I approached her however, she groaned and got up. I came closer and kneeled by her. "Hey. You okay?"I asked. She looked at me, and I could finally see her face in more detail. She was propably around 12 years old, somewhere in later classes of elemetary school. Her hair, purple and pink in color were reaching to her shoulders and were quite fluffy. Her big, dark green eyes were now full of confusion and fear. Her figure looked fragile, as she was slender and rather short, yet for some reason I felt like it's not a first time she's in trouble. "What are you doing here? It ain't a place for a kids..." I tried again. "I... don't really know. All I remember was that I was going back home and... Some guy hit me in the head I guess. And what are you doing here? Are you lost? I can't remember you from Ponyville..." her voice now had a hint of curiosity. Ponyville. Terrible pun. But if that's a town, then we're good. As long as it's inhabitants aren't some sort of wicked, horse/human hybrids I can live with that. "Name's Jeffrey, but you can call me Jeff" I said to the girl. " And now back to your question... All I remember was a thunderstorm back home, then some bright flash... I guess I touched my mirror or something." "Sweetie Belle, but Belle will do." The kid was looking at me uncertainly. "So... you're from another world?" "As impossible as it sounds... I think that's the logical explaination. So, what's this place anyway?" I asked. "This is Everfree Forest, and we shouldn't be there now. No, like, we should never be there" You don't say...? "I live in a town called Ponyville, next to the forest but I'm ... kinda lost." "Lost." I repeated. "Well, then we should try to find a way back, shouldn't we?" Belle nodded. We started to walk, and after a while, she asked me "Is this your cutie mark?" I frowned "This?" I said, pointing to my dragon tatoo, and she nodded, "No, it's my tatoo. At least that's how we called them back home." Belle tilted her head in a most adorable way possible to imagine "Is this the same thing as a cutie mark?" "I could answer, if you explained what this whole mark thing is." "Well," she started, "A cutie mark is a thing that appears on a person's arm when he or she discovers something that makes her special, a talent, you know. Your's is a dragon... Are you a dragon slayer or something?" she squeaked excitedly "That would be so cool!" I chuckled and shook my head "No, I wish I was a dragon slayer." Then I froze. Do they have the dragons here? "What do you do then?" "I'm a detective. I used to be, at least. So... what's your talent? Or a... cutie mark, was it?" Belle huffed and frowned "I don't have one yet! We're trying to find something that would make us special, but simply nothing works. And we're the last ones in our class to not to have one!" "We?" I asked, confused by the plural. "Yea, me and my friends. We're Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Beele annoucned happily. I nodded. In a while I was getting overwhelmed by Belle's whines about what she didn't try to earn her mark but everything failed. Could you believe that one day she and her friends made some strange potion that caused their teacher and some guy to fell in love in each other? This later lead to destruction of half of the town and almost got the two married. She seemed like a smart, resolute girl. I always enjoyed spending time with kids, and it pained me I had none. "Jeff?" "What's up?" I answered pulled out of my thoughts. "What do you think? Will I ever find my destiny?" "You certainly will. Maybe you're just doing a wrong thing... Do not try to force anything. Maybe you do have a talent that you don't know, or do not thing much about?" "Well, a lot of people says I have a nice voice and I should be singing... But I'm not sure if that's what I want to do in future. And I'm afraid of singing in front of a crowd, I can barely sing in front of my friends!". I chuckled "Belle, just cause you're good in doing something, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your life doing it. Having a certain talent doesn't force you to go a one way. You decide how your life will look like." I finished, smiling. Belle didn't seem like I convicted her, but she simply shrugged. "I just have to wait for it to happen..." Then she fell silent for a longer time, and I finally had some time to look around more carefully. The forest here was brighter, but by any means less creepy. The trees here, leaveless and dead, had their branches pulled out into the sky in a speechless cry for help. Sun was barely making its way through the thick veil of branches, vines and other things I would hate to recognize. It was some damn luck nothing came to eat us yet... "Jeff? What are those dogs?" Belle suddenly asked, standing much closer to me. "What dogs?" I turned back, and was greeted by a sight of a creature that could freely roam around one's nightmares. It was a dog, but none of those you can see on the streets. It was totally black, its skin looked like it was severely burned, torn out and then patched back. Some bones were stitching out of his body, and his eyes and mouth were nothing but a strange, red mist. It was standing in front of us, staring at us with those blood-red eyes, and I understood, that the only reason we were still alive, was the confusion caused by our sudden arrival out of nowhere. But this confusion, according to the furious, low growls, was slowly giving way for rage. "Belle... do exactly what I will tell you. It's VERY important." I started, slowly backing off, taking Belle by hand "When I will tell you, you will start to run. Forward, as fast as you can. Just run, do not look behind. Do you understand?" The monster was slowly coming closer, now I could see it's teeth. Two lines of yellow needle-like teeth. Nothing you would like to feel. Belle was close to panic "These dogs are evil, aren't they"? "Run!" As soon as I said it, the monstrosity jumped at us. I turned around and saw Sweetie Belle already in the run, so I quickly followed her. What a nice way to find yourself in another world. All was fine, I've made a first friend, and now this. I really wished that fate would at least once invite me to a dinner before it fucks me. Author's Note I feel like there is too much of a dialogues, and I apologize for that, but I blow at writing descriptions. Give me your feedback! ninja out Chapter 2When I woke up, I noticed I'm shackled to a hospital bed, and currently I'm en route to unknown destiny. The two guys that have been pulling my bed had masks on their face, that looked like they were stitched to their faces or made off of a human's skin. They were wearing a bloodied, white doctor's coats and white gloves, also covered in blood of unknown origin. I was in some sort of a hospital – or more like a sorry excuse of a medical facility. The days of this place's glory were far gone, the paint on the walls was peeling and falling off in big pieces, the windows were either dirty or missing, and whole floor was covered in blood, excrements and pieces of humans body. I noticed a wheelchair in one of many rooms, knocked back, rusty. It's wheels were still moving. Two men have pulled me into another corridor, this one much brighter. Now I could see that I was propably in some sort of mental hospital, sharing my current place of being with it's more or less sane inhabitants. I passed a girl lying on the floor, dressed in the same bloodied coat as mine. Her body was totally pale, her eyes blindly fixed on some far object, and on her face was terrifying expression of surrender. There was more guys and girls like her. I saw some guy looking at me from behind the bars with a sadistic smile. I saw a guy, rythmically smashing his head against a bulletproof glass, leaving a small trail of blood with each hit. I saw a girl being raped. I saw a terribly disfigured human being hanging from the celling, that followed me for a while until he met an air conditioner, ending as a few more limbs at the floor. I saw a mother, feeding her wounded, bloodied child. The kid wasn't crying. Maybe he didn't understand what was happening around him, maybe he grew numb to this hell. Or maybe he simply wasn't longer alive. We passed through another corridor, and before I was pulled into a dark room, I noticed a figure of a man, legless, wrapped into some twisted form of a walker. His head was covered in a black linen, his hands were missing its fingers, and the whole corridor was filled in his high, loud, blood-chilling screams, as he twitched, desperately trying to free himself. "So. You're here already." I was freed, only to be shackled to another bed once again. I was blinded by a flash of light, and after a while I got to take a look at the room I was trapped in. I was in some sort of an operation room, filled with tools which destiny's could only be bringing pain and suffering to those unlucky enough to be treated with them. I also noticed many people standing around me, all dressed in those cursed coats and wearing masks. One of the nurses had strangely familiar face... "Leah?" I whispered, trying not to cry "You have to help me. I want to go..." "Where do you want to go?" One of doctors asked, taking gloves on. "Home...?" "This is your home now. You're dead, remember?" I felt a surge of panic. Dead? No, this can't be, I can't be dead, I didn't die... "What are you talking about? I'm not dead, I want to go!" "Where do you want to go?" Doc asked again, looking into my eyes. His eyes were black and calm. "...home?" "This is your home now. You're dead." "I'm not dead!" "What are you then?" "I'm alive..." "So what are you doing here?" Doctor asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I... don't know" I started to sob. "This is your home now, Jeff." the nurse with the face of Leah spoke, in exactly the same voice as my friend. "We all want to help you. But first, you need to understand. You need to wake up." Leah nodded, and the doctor I talked to before leaned at me, holding a big-ass syrigne in his hand. He focused and pierced my skull with it. Immediately I started to feel like my whole head was filled with burning napalm. I tried to scream, but no sound came out of my lips. I started to throw myself in the bed, tears were flowing on my face, quiet sobs turned into a true cries of helplessness. Wake up Jeff. Wake up. It's time for a real nightmare to begin. _____________________________________________________________________________________ I opened my eyes, greeting the real world with a curse and a loud, long groan. My whole body, every single cell, every single muscle hurt, I literally felt like I just wrestled with a fucking tank. I looked at my body and yep, still everything in place. No limb lost, both eyes working properly, head still on it's place. I also noticed something more – all of my clothes were gone, except – praise the fucking lord – my boxers. I also took a closer look at my body. My torso was covered in bruises and cuts, some of them still bleeding slightly, so were my arms. Many of the cuts were sewn, but some were still open, covered in bandages. I tried to get up, but my head refused to do so, resulting in blunt, blinding pain, lose of balance and falling back into the bed. "Oh, you're awake. Thanks Celestia. It's about time." My speaker was wearing a white coat and a pair of black pants. He had dark grey hair, though he didn't look like he was much older than me, possibly in his early thirties. He was smiling at me, his voice was deep and soothing. Then I remembered all. The hospital, the screws being stuck in my head, the needle, the Leah speaking... "What? Who are you? Where am I? What do you want from me?!" I started to panic. I didn't want to have a repeat. "My name is Red Aid, and I am a main doctor in the Ponyville Hospital, where are you now. You were found in a terrible shape, with many major lacerations, cracked skull, a concussion and a serious blood loss. If it wasn't for Miss Sparkle who bringed you here, you would be six feet under right now. You were unconscious for around a week." I blinked. And then all the memories went back. The dog, our escape, that beast jumping at Sweetie Belle, me trying to protect her, shouting to her to run... Wait, where is she? "Where is Sweetie Belle? Is she okay?" I asked, wincing, as doc was right now cutting my bandages, and every touch of his hand resulting in a surge of sharp pain from my freshly healed wounds. Doc smiled. "If you're talking about that little girl, that jumped out of forest, screaming like a spectre, then yes, she's all okay. A few bruises but nothing serious. I believe she's at home now, as she spent quite some time here, waiting till you wake up." Doctor scratched his cheek "I also believe that Miss Sparkle would like to talk with you. She's waiting outside, so I can call her when we're done. If you feel like you can handle a longer talk." I chuckled, which turned into a hoarse cough. I looked at my hand and noticed a small splatts of blood. Crap. This ain't good. "I'll be fine..." Doctor nodded and said "Well, as soon as I'm done with your dressings, I'll call her." I slowly nodded "Tell me, doc, how did you manage to keep my ass alive? I mean, I guess I was in pretty bad shape." Doctor chuckled, wrapping bandages around my chest "Again, Miss Sparkle helped us here a little bit. She either likes you, for some reason, or you're a damn lucky dog. Magic does miracles." "Come again?" "Magic." Doc was done already. "So, that's it. As long as you won't get into a wrestle with a full-grown dragon or blast yourself with a crossbow, you'll be fine. You're recovering very well, mister..." "Bennet. Jeffrey Bennet." I said, trying to move my arms a little more. No problems, bones and joints working just fine. "You're recovering very well, Mr. Bennet, even considering the help of magic. I think that in a 3-4 you will be able to go back home." I dejected a little bit. "Yea, sounds good." Doctor took his gloves off and walked to open the door. "Miss Sparkle? Mr. Bennet here is awake, and he said you can enter." He turned to me "I'll leave now, as I have some work with other patients here. I'll send nurse by the everning to look after you. Good luck, Mr. Benned, I hope you'll get better soon." I smiled "Thank you, doc. Have a nice day" "Same." With a smile, doctor left my room, allowing a young woman outside to enter. I looked at her. She was young, propably in her very early twenties, or maybe in late teens. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved t-shirt, a purple, sleeveless vest, a blue trousers with a purple and pink belt and a pair of purple sneakers. Her hair was purple with a single, pink flock. She was also wearing glasses, that were giving her face more studious look. She was beautiful, I always found intelligent women attractive. Sure, glasses doesn't mean shit, but still... "So, you're back with us." Her voice was sweet, melodious, very pleasant to listen. She smiled a little. "I was worried we're going to lose you, you were hurt so badly..." I chuckled "It ain't so easy to bring me down. Still, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your help, I would be, as doc said it, six feet under. Miss Sparkle smiled again. "I didn't really do that much..." "Well, if saving one's butt isn't much, than I fear to think what might be considered as helping here. Maybe defeating some evil creature, god of darkness possible?" Miss Sparkle giggled, and I felt strange tingling inside my stomach. "That would be a good start, Mr..." "No need for formalities. Name's Jeffrey Bennet, but you can call me Jeff." I smiled. "Twilight Sparkle. Good to meet you, Jeffrey. Twilight said. I looked around, and then remembered something. "Twilight, do you know where are my clothes? It's a little uncomfortable, lying here almost naked when a pretty girl is sitting next to you" Twilight blushed, which made her look even cuter than she was already. "Everything was torn to pieces, so I guess doctor had thrown them away." I groaned, and Twilight quickly added "But that won't be a problem. We can get you some clothes from my friend when you're cured." "Uh-huh. But I'm not going outside only in my boxers. Hell, I'm not leaving this bed without clothes." Twilight giggled "You could ask doctor for some spare clothes. I don't know, a coat or something" Walking around, being wrapped in a coat, like a patient of a mental hospital. Bright future, isnt it...? I sighed "Guess that will do. For a while, at least." In the meanwhile, Twilight pulled out of her backpack a notepad and a pen. She looked at me and opened her notebook. "Would you mind me asking you some questions?" Twilight asked. "Not at all. Go on." Author's Note Writing while being ill rules. Again, give me your feedback, tell me, what should I change, what do you like, like and fav if you enjoyed! ninja out
Prologue - GatewayM Tap tap tap tap tap ... The sound of rain always used to keep me calm, but this time waking up had a bitter taste, lacking any sort of pleasure. It was one of those times when you feel rested, you had no nightmares and nothing hurts, but somehow you feel like shit. Not like waking up the best thing ever, but still... This one sucked. My name is Jeffrey Bennet. I am 25 years old male citizen of Phoenix, and I work as a private detective. Cool stuff, you might say, and indeed, I do like my job. It's tough, sometimes even dirty and bloody, but the thought that thanks to your actions the world might be just a little bit better, than some people might live easier and safer life is something you do appreciate. Deciding to finally move my lazy ass, I got up, and for a few minutes I was sitting in a bed with a face of pure anguish. After those few minutes of mental whining and cursing the day that it dared to come, I jumped out of bed and walked towards the wardrobe in order to take some clothes. Here we go. Sleeveless shirt with the logo of Disturbed (BEST BAND EVER), pair of blue jeans and black socks. "I really gotta go to shop and get some new pants... Can't run your whole life on two pairs" I chucled to myself. I had three pair of pants in fact : two pairs of jeans, one black and one blue, the ones I'm wearing right now and the black, elegant trousers being a part of my suit. I didn't really like them – as long as I liked wearing casual clothes, those trousers sucked. On my way to the kitchen, I decided to take a look at myself in the mirror. Here we go. I had a black hair, now short, but when I was a teen my hair were reaching to the half of my back. Not like it mattered – they were always coupled into a ponytail. I had a dream of becoming a professional musician, and being the metalhead I am, my hair were supposed to help me with my epic headbanging. Long story short, no shit happened, and being irritated by senseless long hair of mine, I cut them off. Rest of my face was rather normal for a man, I even had grown a five o'clock shadow – gotta shave soon - one could even call me handsome. Except for my eyes. They were in a color of very bright grey or – as one of my friends called them - platinum. Usually, at least, cause now they resembled more a dirty steel rather than platinum. I had a bags under my eyes – courtesy of a week of almost complete insomnia. My body was rather fit : not too muscular, but I used to play a lot of handball when I was a teen, and even currently I enjoy match or two per week. On my right arm was a tatoo of a dragon. A man with a dragon tatoo (no pun intended). I sighed and turned away, entering the kitchen. 11 A.M... Dammit, I kinda overslept. Not like I had much to do, as I was on a vacation, but I wasn't used to sleeping to that late and now I felt overwhelming urge to just go back, close myself in my room and pretend that I do not exist. As I begun to prepare my breakfast, small rain outside evolved into a thunderstorm. I loved them, those outstanding, beautiful demonstrations of Mother Nature's raw power. The sound of rain furiously hitting the ground, the sounds and flashes of lightnings were always soothing for me, helped me relax. I sat down and begun to eat my breakfast. Nothing fancy, just a two sandwiches with cheese and some ketchup. God bless ketchup. Ketchup is the best thing ever. As I chewed, I started to rethink the events of two weeks. With my humble help, our police finally caught a drug dealer, which turned into war with his whole family and later with the half of the city. Asshole had been feeding his son with a meth to keep the kid from escaping. Not really smart move, considering that the police dogs ( no pun intended ) excell at sensing drugs. This case costed me concussion and two broken ribs, and kid, sadly, had died of the amount of drugs in his body. Kid was only 7 years old... I looked at my phone and noticing five unanswered calls. How is it even possible? Simple, I keep my phone muted ninety nine percent of times, turning the sound on only when I expect an important call. The mysterious guy called again, and this time I picked it up. "Yea?" I winced, hearing how throaty my voice was. "Damn it J.J! It would be nice if you looked at your phone just once!" - Ah, the voice I will recognize even when I will be dead. "Leah!" - I shouted, instantly feeling better "Dammit girl, I'm sorry, you know I don't make phone calls, so I never expect anybody to call me. And my phone is muted all the time, so..." "It's cool. Hey, do you have a while?" Leah asked sweetly. I couldn't say no. "Sure, did something happen?" "Something has to happen for me to come see my best friend forever?" Here we go... - "Or maybe you simply do not like me anymore...?" her voice dropped, and I almost felt sorry for her. Almost. "Hey, do not push yourself, kid! If you don't care about my home looking like if it was nuked, feel free to come." "Cool. See ya then, J.J!" J.J. I hated this nickname, and for no real reason. It originated from my initials, as my second name was John. Thank to whatever deity watches over us that my parents gave me a second name. Not like initials J.B would be something to be proud of. Most of my friends during high school and later used this while calling for me, but in talks they always called me by name, and I was grateful for that. In no time I heard knocking to the door. I opened it, and was greeted by a pleasant sight of my best friend forever, Leah Bryton. She looked as stunning as always. Her long, brown hair gently ran on her back, her face beaming, but focused as always. Her big, green eyes were scanning me from top to toes. She was wearing a black, leather jacked, a pair of jeans and black boots, and was carrying a big-ass, yellow umbrella with "ears". Kinda cute if you ask me. "Hello again." she said, unceremoniously walking past me and entering to my main room, when she insolently dropped on a coach and looked at me. "I'm happy to see you too. So, what can I do for ya?" I asked, walking to the kitchen for some cola. "I just came to see how do you feel. You didn't come out since the start of your vacation, after that cursed case with that drug dealer. You didn't even call. And I was worried." "Li, you don't have to worry 'bout me. I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself." I smiled. "Just like a year ago, when I had to drunk your drunk butt back home. You're totally responsible." she answered, smiling innocently, and continued "Anyway, that's now what I wanted to ask for. You want to talk about something, don't you?" I frowned "Where did you get this thought from?" "Look at yourself, Jeff. You look like a shit." I sighed "Maybe 'cause I feel like one." Something in her eyes flashed. Maybe it was concern. Maybe it was sadness. Maybe it was guilt. I really couldn't tell. I passed her glass filled with cola, and sat next to her. Leah was a person you could always count on. She was responsible, caring kind and honest. She always would tell you what she thinks about you, your actions and your words.Which was not always pleasant. She ... helped me to get out of a terrible gutter two years ago. I tried to find correct words to explain what's on my heart. "I feel... burned out. Like, I can't find any sense in what I do. I wake up in the morning, go to work, go back... But for who? I feel lonely. I have problems focusing on tasks. I don't care about what's happening around. Li, I... I feel like I'm going insane." "Go on." Leah whispered "Let it all go." I ran my hand through my hair, trying to collect my thoughts. "I feel... weak. Like I'm not enough to deal with my own life. Worst handicap ever." "Stop right there. Just because you have a moment of weakness, doesn't mean you're a handicap. Considering your childhood and events you have a contact in your everyday work, I admire you're still as sane as everybody else. You're a strong guy, but still, you're just a human." Since I was quiet, she continued. "You're alone with all your problems, it's not strange you finally broke down. Honestly... I feel responsible for this." "And where's your guilt in it?" I frowned. "I left you when you needed me. I was forced to, due to my parents moving from Phoenix, but I still feel guilty. Maybe if I was there, you wouldn't have tried to give up on your life." "I was stupid." I mumbled. "And I was sure we agreed to never talk about it again. Anyway... I feel better after telling you all this. Thank you for being a listener for such a grumpy like me. Leah smiled and hugged me. "Always, J.J.". She then looked at the clock and gasped. "My, it's almost 12 already? I apologize Jeff, but I have to go now. I have craploads of paperwork, and it really can't wait. I'll catch up on you soon though? I grinned. "Certainly. We're in touch. Would you like me to drive you back home?" She looked through the window and nodded. "If it's not too much of trouble. This storm is getting serious..." "Fear not, for I shall protect you from whatever lies ahead!" "Except of a few millions of volts running through your body." Damn, she's cute. It's a dangerous mix : a cute, beautiful young woman turns into a badass, bold chick after you know her for a while. She's a metalhead though, quite like me. The worst of all – she was able to outdrink me. Thrice. Never drink with a badass, metalhead chick. Especially if she's a friend of yours. As I entered back home, I walked back to the mirror and looked at my reflection. Nothing really changed, maybe my eyes were now a little less gloom, and a small smile appeared on my lips. "Lookin' good, Jeff" I said to myself, and I touched the mirror. The same moment, a thunder struck in my house, and I was greeted by a bliding flash of golden light, as I felt my body becoming heavier and heavier. I wasn't losing my senses, it was more like I was under the water. Then, I heard a woman speaking, propably to me, her voice, while rather soothing, had a strange accent and something sinister to it. The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world. So wake up, Mr. Bennet. Wake up, and smell the ashes. I tried to speak, but I couldn't move a single muscle. Then, the golden glow was replaced by overwhelming darkness, as I passed out. Author's Note This is my very first fanfic ever. As you propably noticed, I'm not a native english speaker, I'm looking for a proofreader. Comment, rate and give me your feedback. ninja out
Chapter 1[/ce The large, dark room illuminated only by a small, shy shine of torch stood before two humans. Black, seemingly closed door at the very end was their destination. Behind them lied everything. Their salvation. Their haven, the place of their safety, but also the place of their biggest curse, place of shame and despair. "I don't think we should do this... There must be another way. There always is." "If you're afraid, go back. It's not too late yet." "And you?" "For me, it is already. Smaller of the humans sighed. "Your humanity traded away... And for what? You want to fight with the monster by becoming a monster yourself?" "We all have to make our choices. I trusted in you before. Now it's your turn." The collosal door slowly opened, revealing nothing but pitch black, empty void. Even stanting next to it, the couple had a feeling like darkness was being poured into their very souls. All they saw was darkness. None of them noticed strange tendrils slowly merging with their bodies. Or maybe they did, but it was already too late. "Forgive me for what I did." The only answer was screaming. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Man, I really gotta stop with that whisky... When I woke up, I noticed two things. First, and most important : I was still alive, or at least my body was telling me so. No fractures, no lacerations, brain still inside skull, no blood. Second, I was propably no longer in Phoenix. I was in forest. Frickin dark, creepy forest, a forest that looked like it was cut out directly from some damn horror movie. Dark, far away from any civilization, and somehow unnatural. If you ever been in forest, you propably noticed that there is always some noice. Either it's animals running on leaves, wind blowing through the trees or some bugs buzzing. Here, there was nothing. Complete silence. I began to walk forward, just for sake of doing something. Staying in one place is almost never a good thing, especially in dark, creepy forests like this. See, playing MMO's gives you a life experiences. You can rely on this in situations of - I stopped. Before me lied a dead body, facing the ground. I took a deep breath, and felt ashamed for first thought that came to my head : turn back and run away. This girl might be alive, might need my help. Not like I could do much to a dying person – I'm not a damn doctor – but leaving her to a certain death wasn't my kind of thing. When I approached her however, she groaned and got up. I came closer and kneeled by her. "Hey. You okay?"I asked. She looked at me, and I could finally see her face in more detail. She was propably around 12 years old, somewhere in later classes of elemetary school. Her hair, purple and pink in color were reaching to her shoulders and were quite fluffy. Her big, dark green eyes were now full of confusion and fear. Her figure looked fragile, as she was slender and rather short, yet for some reason I felt like it's not a first time she's in trouble. "What are you doing here? It ain't a place for a kids..." I tried again. "I... don't really know. All I remember was that I was going back home and... Some guy hit me in the head I guess. And what are you doing here? Are you lost? I can't remember you from Ponyville..." her voice now had a hint of curiosity. Ponyville. Terrible pun. But if that's a town, then we're good. As long as it's inhabitants aren't some sort of wicked, horse/human hybrids I can live with that. "Name's Jeffrey, but you can call me Jeff" I said to the girl. " And now back to your question... All I remember was a thunderstorm back home, then some bright flash... I guess I touched my mirror or something." "Sweetie Belle, but Belle will do." The kid was looking at me uncertainly. "So... you're from another world?" "As impossible as it sounds... I think that's the logical explaination. So, what's this place anyway?" I asked. "This is Everfree Forest, and we shouldn't be there now. No, like, we should never be there" You don't say...? "I live in a town called Ponyville, next to the forest but I'm ... kinda lost." "Lost." I repeated. "Well, then we should try to find a way back, shouldn't we?" Belle nodded. We started to walk, and after a while, she asked me "Is this your cutie mark?" I frowned "This?" I said, pointing to my dragon tatoo, and she nodded, "No, it's my tatoo. At least that's how we called them back home." Belle tilted her head in a most adorable way possible to imagine "Is this the same thing as a cutie mark?" "I could answer, if you explained what this whole mark thing is." "Well," she started, "A cutie mark is a thing that appears on a person's arm when he or she discovers something that makes her special, a talent, you know. Your's is a dragon... Are you a dragon slayer or something?" she squeaked excitedly "That would be so cool!" I chuckled and shook my head "No, I wish I was a dragon slayer." Then I froze. Do they have the dragons here? "What do you do then?" "I'm a detective. I used to be, at least. So... what's your talent? Or a... cutie mark, was it?" Belle huffed and frowned "I don't have one yet! We're trying to find something that would make us special, but simply nothing works. And we're the last ones in our class to not to have one!" "We?" I asked, confused by the plural. "Yea, me and my friends. We're Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Beele annoucned happily. I nodded. In a while I was getting overwhelmed by Belle's whines about what she didn't try to earn her mark but everything failed. Could you believe that one day she and her friends made some strange potion that caused their teacher and some guy to fell in love in each other? This later lead to destruction of half of the town and almost got the two married. She seemed like a smart, resolute girl. I always enjoyed spending time with kids, and it pained me I had none. "Jeff?" "What's up?" I answered pulled out of my thoughts. "What do you think? Will I ever find my destiny?" "You certainly will. Maybe you're just doing a wrong thing... Do not try to force anything. Maybe you do have a talent that you don't know, or do not thing much about?" "Well, a lot of people says I have a nice voice and I should be singing... But I'm not sure if that's what I want to do in future. And I'm afraid of singing in front of a crowd, I can barely sing in front of my friends!". I chuckled "Belle, just cause you're good in doing something, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your life doing it. Having a certain talent doesn't force you to go a one way. You decide how your life will look like." I finished, smiling. Belle didn't seem like I convicted her, but she simply shrugged. "I just have to wait for it to happen..." Then she fell silent for a longer time, and I finally had some time to look around more carefully. The forest here was brighter, but by any means less creepy. The trees here, leaveless and dead, had their branches pulled out into the sky in a speechless cry for help. Sun was barely making its way through the thick veil of branches, vines and other things I would hate to recognize. It was some damn luck nothing came to eat us yet... "Jeff? What are those dogs?" Belle suddenly asked, standing much closer to me. "What dogs?" I turned back, and was greeted by a sight of a creature that could freely roam around one's nightmares. It was a dog, but none of those you can see on the streets. It was totally black, its skin looked like it was severely burned, torn out and then patched back. Some bones were stitching out of his body, and his eyes and mouth were nothing but a strange, red mist. It was standing in front of us, staring at us with those blood-red eyes, and I understood, that the only reason we were still alive, was the confusion caused by our sudden arrival out of nowhere. But this confusion, according to the furious, low growls, was slowly giving way for rage. "Belle... do exactly what I will tell you. It's VERY important." I started, slowly backing off, taking Belle by hand "When I will tell you, you will start to run. Forward, as fast as you can. Just run, do not look behind. Do you understand?" The monster was slowly coming closer, now I could see it's teeth. Two lines of yellow needle-like teeth. Nothing you would like to feel. Belle was close to panic "These dogs are evil, aren't they"? "Run!" As soon as I said it, the monstrosity jumped at us. I turned around and saw Sweetie Belle already in the run, so I quickly followed her. What a nice way to find yourself in another world. All was fine, I've made a first friend, and now this. I really wished that fate would at least once invite me to a dinner before it fucks me. Author's Note I feel like there is too much of a dialogues, and I apologize for that, but I blow at writing descriptions. Give me your feedback! ninja out
Chapter 2When I woke up, I noticed I'm shackled to a hospital bed, and currently I'm en route to unknown destiny. The two guys that have been pulling my bed had masks on their face, that looked like they were stitched to their faces or made off of a human's skin. They were wearing a bloodied, white doctor's coats and white gloves, also covered in blood of unknown origin. I was in some sort of a hospital – or more like a sorry excuse of a medical facility. The days of this place's glory were far gone, the paint on the walls was peeling and falling off in big pieces, the windows were either dirty or missing, and whole floor was covered in blood, excrements and pieces of humans body. I noticed a wheelchair in one of many rooms, knocked back, rusty. It's wheels were still moving. Two men have pulled me into another corridor, this one much brighter. Now I could see that I was propably in some sort of mental hospital, sharing my current place of being with it's more or less sane inhabitants. I passed a girl lying on the floor, dressed in the same bloodied coat as mine. Her body was totally pale, her eyes blindly fixed on some far object, and on her face was terrifying expression of surrender. There was more guys and girls like her. I saw some guy looking at me from behind the bars with a sadistic smile. I saw a guy, rythmically smashing his head against a bulletproof glass, leaving a small trail of blood with each hit. I saw a girl being raped. I saw a terribly disfigured human being hanging from the celling, that followed me for a while until he met an air conditioner, ending as a few more limbs at the floor. I saw a mother, feeding her wounded, bloodied child. The kid wasn't crying. Maybe he didn't understand what was happening around him, maybe he grew numb to this hell. Or maybe he simply wasn't longer alive. We passed through another corridor, and before I was pulled into a dark room, I noticed a figure of a man, legless, wrapped into some twisted form of a walker. His head was covered in a black linen, his hands were missing its fingers, and the whole corridor was filled in his high, loud, blood-chilling screams, as he twitched, desperately trying to free himself. "So. You're here already." I was freed, only to be shackled to another bed once again. I was blinded by a flash of light, and after a while I got to take a look at the room I was trapped in. I was in some sort of an operation room, filled with tools which destiny's could only be bringing pain and suffering to those unlucky enough to be treated with them. I also noticed many people standing around me, all dressed in those cursed coats and wearing masks. One of the nurses had strangely familiar face... "Leah?" I whispered, trying not to cry "You have to help me. I want to go..." "Where do you want to go?" One of doctors asked, taking gloves on. "Home...?" "This is your home now. You're dead, remember?" I felt a surge of panic. Dead? No, this can't be, I can't be dead, I didn't die... "What are you talking about? I'm not dead, I want to go!" "Where do you want to go?" Doc asked again, looking into my eyes. His eyes were black and calm. "...home?" "This is your home now. You're dead." "I'm not dead!" "What are you then?" "I'm alive..." "So what are you doing here?" Doctor asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I... don't know" I started to sob. "This is your home now, Jeff." the nurse with the face of Leah spoke, in exactly the same voice as my friend. "We all want to help you. But first, you need to understand. You need to wake up." Leah nodded, and the doctor I talked to before leaned at me, holding a big-ass syrigne in his hand. He focused and pierced my skull with it. Immediately I started to feel like my whole head was filled with burning napalm. I tried to scream, but no sound came out of my lips. I started to throw myself in the bed, tears were flowing on my face, quiet sobs turned into a true cries of helplessness. Wake up Jeff. Wake up. It's time for a real nightmare to begin. _____________________________________________________________________________________ I opened my eyes, greeting the real world with a curse and a loud, long groan. My whole body, every single cell, every single muscle hurt, I literally felt like I just wrestled with a fucking tank. I looked at my body and yep, still everything in place. No limb lost, both eyes working properly, head still on it's place. I also noticed something more – all of my clothes were gone, except – praise the fucking lord – my boxers. I also took a closer look at my body. My torso was covered in bruises and cuts, some of them still bleeding slightly, so were my arms. Many of the cuts were sewn, but some were still open, covered in bandages. I tried to get up, but my head refused to do so, resulting in blunt, blinding pain, lose of balance and falling back into the bed. "Oh, you're awake. Thanks Celestia. It's about time." My speaker was wearing a white coat and a pair of black pants. He had dark grey hair, though he didn't look like he was much older than me, possibly in his early thirties. He was smiling at me, his voice was deep and soothing. Then I remembered all. The hospital, the screws being stuck in my head, the needle, the Leah speaking... "What? Who are you? Where am I? What do you want from me?!" I started to panic. I didn't want to have a repeat. "My name is Red Aid, and I am a main doctor in the Ponyville Hospital, where are you now. You were found in a terrible shape, with many major lacerations, cracked skull, a concussion and a serious blood loss. If it wasn't for Miss Sparkle who bringed you here, you would be six feet under right now. You were unconscious for around a week." I blinked. And then all the memories went back. The dog, our escape, that beast jumping at Sweetie Belle, me trying to protect her, shouting to her to run... Wait, where is she? "Where is Sweetie Belle? Is she okay?" I asked, wincing, as doc was right now cutting my bandages, and every touch of his hand resulting in a surge of sharp pain from my freshly healed wounds. Doc smiled. "If you're talking about that little girl, that jumped out of forest, screaming like a spectre, then yes, she's all okay. A few bruises but nothing serious. I believe she's at home now, as she spent quite some time here, waiting till you wake up." Doctor scratched his cheek "I also believe that Miss Sparkle would like to talk with you. She's waiting outside, so I can call her when we're done. If you feel like you can handle a longer talk." I chuckled, which turned into a hoarse cough. I looked at my hand and noticed a small splatts of blood. Crap. This ain't good. "I'll be fine..." Doctor nodded and said "Well, as soon as I'm done with your dressings, I'll call her." I slowly nodded "Tell me, doc, how did you manage to keep my ass alive? I mean, I guess I was in pretty bad shape." Doctor chuckled, wrapping bandages around my chest "Again, Miss Sparkle helped us here a little bit. She either likes you, for some reason, or you're a damn lucky dog. Magic does miracles." "Come again?" "Magic." Doc was done already. "So, that's it. As long as you won't get into a wrestle with a full-grown dragon or blast yourself with a crossbow, you'll be fine. You're recovering very well, mister..." "Bennet. Jeffrey Bennet." I said, trying to move my arms a little more. No problems, bones and joints working just fine. "You're recovering very well, Mr. Bennet, even considering the help of magic. I think that in a 3-4 you will be able to go back home." I dejected a little bit. "Yea, sounds good." Doctor took his gloves off and walked to open the door. "Miss Sparkle? Mr. Bennet here is awake, and he said you can enter." He turned to me "I'll leave now, as I have some work with other patients here. I'll send nurse by the everning to look after you. Good luck, Mr. Benned, I hope you'll get better soon." I smiled "Thank you, doc. Have a nice day" "Same." With a smile, doctor left my room, allowing a young woman outside to enter. I looked at her. She was young, propably in her very early twenties, or maybe in late teens. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved t-shirt, a purple, sleeveless vest, a blue trousers with a purple and pink belt and a pair of purple sneakers. Her hair was purple with a single, pink flock. She was also wearing glasses, that were giving her face more studious look. She was beautiful, I always found intelligent women attractive. Sure, glasses doesn't mean shit, but still... "So, you're back with us." Her voice was sweet, melodious, very pleasant to listen. She smiled a little. "I was worried we're going to lose you, you were hurt so badly..." I chuckled "It ain't so easy to bring me down. Still, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your help, I would be, as doc said it, six feet under. Miss Sparkle smiled again. "I didn't really do that much..." "Well, if saving one's butt isn't much, than I fear to think what might be considered as helping here. Maybe defeating some evil creature, god of darkness possible?" Miss Sparkle giggled, and I felt strange tingling inside my stomach. "That would be a good start, Mr..." "No need for formalities. Name's Jeffrey Bennet, but you can call me Jeff." I smiled. "Twilight Sparkle. Good to meet you, Jeffrey. Twilight said. I looked around, and then remembered something. "Twilight, do you know where are my clothes? It's a little uncomfortable, lying here almost naked when a pretty girl is sitting next to you" Twilight blushed, which made her look even cuter than she was already. "Everything was torn to pieces, so I guess doctor had thrown them away." I groaned, and Twilight quickly added "But that won't be a problem. We can get you some clothes from my friend when you're cured." "Uh-huh. But I'm not going outside only in my boxers. Hell, I'm not leaving this bed without clothes." Twilight giggled "You could ask doctor for some spare clothes. I don't know, a coat or something" Walking around, being wrapped in a coat, like a patient of a mental hospital. Bright future, isnt it...? I sighed "Guess that will do. For a while, at least." In the meanwhile, Twilight pulled out of her backpack a notepad and a pen. She looked at me and opened her notebook. "Would you mind me asking you some questions?" Twilight asked. "Not at all. Go on." Author's Note Writing while being ill rules. Again, give me your feedback, tell me, what should I change, what do you like, like and fav if you enjoyed! ninja out
