Smoke. Big clouds of black smoke. Humongous fumes emitting from the green, mysterious forest outside of Ponyville, a small town in the country of Equestria. That's how it all started.
As a firefighter, I always aim to protect the citizens of my hometown of Ponyville and keep them safe. Risking my life for at least one other pony is almost a mantra to me. The pay isn't that bad either; it keeps me and my son in a stable two-bedroom house instead of out on the streets. He's quite the bright young colt; good head on his shoulders, determined, athletic. I still wonder why nopony else wanted him back at the foster home. I could easily be his biological father just by the fact that he practically looks like a younger version of me: Short black mane, deep blue eyes, a beige-almost-grey coat. He wants to be a doctor when he grows up; that'll be the day. There's always this looming fear that I don't spend enough time with him, though. I've given him some medicine and anatomy books to study, which seems to take up most of his time actually. He sure likes to spend a lot of time in his room.
Enough rambling, though; you're probably more interested in the fire that broke out and how I ended up in a coma for a whole week. It all happened not too long ago. I remember it like it was yesterday...
The siren blaring inside the building. The rush and clatter of hooves and voices. I quickly make my way out of the break room, equipping my yellow-and-red jacket and helmet. Whenever a fire broke out, I could always feel my blood pumping with adrenaline; It was the most exciting part of my job, obviously. Seldom would a call for us fire-ponies ever come up in this small town, but we've all had our fair share of stories. Saving foals from burning buildings, digging old folks out of collapsed debris, you name it.
This time around, we got an order from the town mayor herself saying that a fire broke out deep inside the Everfree Forest. It was quite the gallop, but my crew and I managed to arrive at the location before any real damage was done to the forest. The unicorns had their spells and unicorn magic to put out the flames, and we pegasi had our rain clouds. Sometimes the earth-ponies would use hoses, but since the nearest fire hydrant was back in town, the earth-ponies were just there to rescue any wildlife.
Even up in sky, the smoke from the blazing embers was pretty noxious, so it was somewhat tricky trying to pour rain down at just the right spot. Nonetheless, I seemed to be doing a pretty good job, along with everypony else in the area. Once the fumes began to settle down, though, a whiff of something...odd came into my nostrils as I began to descent to the ground. It wasn't a threatening kind of smell, but there was something about it that seemed...sweet. That's probably not the best word to use, but it's close enough.
After a while, my whole body started to go numb. My ears were ringing. I was starting to get stares from these odd...blobs that tried to talk to me. I didn't realize it at first, but all of my senses began to stop working all together, save for my sense of smell, though. It was like being inside a barely lit room, surrounded by all these wonderful smells. I think by that point I had finally passed out; the last thing I thought about was my son. "Deft..."
I woke up. Vision was still blurry. After a few blinks, I started to regain my senses again; body felt less numb, too. I checked my body for any injuries, finding that I was missing my firefighter jacket and helmet. This...new world I had entered felt like a dream, which is odd seeing that whenever a pony dreams, even if it's a nightmare, they never realize it's all a dream until they wake up. I think it was because something just felt...off about this new environment.
I managed to stand up onto my hooves, adjusting my eyes as I scanned the area. White walls, soft white carpet, and a single door in front of me. The ceiling was missing, or at least I thought it was. It was all black, like I'd fallen into some abysmally large hole. I instinctively trotted up to the door, slowly pushing it open.
What I didn't expect to see next was the display of lush green fields and large acres of daisies, magnolias, sunflowers, and even daffodils spreading across like an endless sea. I swore I could hear a voice calling for me as I stepped out of the white room. "Water Wings...Water Wings...". I couldn't identify that voice at all, but it sounded so calm and smooth. Like a mother calling for its foal...
I was pretty far into the mirage-like field of flora when that tender voice suddenly stopped calling for me. I saw somepony...something walking towards me. It seemed equine-like at first. Its facial features were warped, though; long and distorted. Its eyes were sunken in. Black holes, staring into my very soul. Mouth agape with razor-sharp teeth. Boney and lithe, with off-white skin. I wanted to back away, but I was petrified in fear. Joints locked. Heart was racing. I was sweating bullets.
This...thing was basically torturing me at this point; slowly walking up to me, those eyes...those horrid, dark holes that were supposed to be eyes. They were like javelins; sharp, long javelins with the tips dripping with some sort of joint-paralyizing poison. It forced me to stare into them. I couldn't take it. I wanted to scream, but my jaw was locked as well. All I could do was silently pray that either I'd wake up from this nightmare, or die and end this misery.
The next thing I saw was white. Whiter than any white I ever saw before. Blinding, but not painful.
I woke up again.
My joints were unlocked now. That feeling of dread and panic I felt before was suddenly gone now. I was now resting on a large, round bed with red, velvet sheets. Upon further inspection, I wasn't the only being sharing this bed. Lying next to me was a slender allicorn; one of her fore-hooves brushing at my mane like a mare nurturing her child. Straight, long locks of silver resting at her shoulders. Lutescent coat on her body. Deep crimson eyes half-closed, reassuring. I'd never seen an allicorn up close before, but I had to admit that I was...mused by her appearance. I was still a bit shaken from my last encounter, though; backing away, sitting up near the edge of the bed. I nervously asked her, "W-What is this place? Who are you? How did I get here...?"
Once that mare flashed me a smile and touched her fore-hoof to my lips, I went silent. Her beam was beyond radiant. "You don't have to worry, dear stallion," She cooed to me. "My name is Mercury Road. I'm here to guide you." Her tone of voice was just as regal as Celestia's or Luna's, yet she seemed so maternal. I felt like a foal again, slowly grinning at the allicorn in front of me.
"Odd name for somepony like you..." I said to her, giving a puzzled look to the mare. "Usually allicorns only have one-word names. "Should I call you...Princess Mercury? Queen Road?"
She let out a small chuckle, patting my head lightly. "You don't have to worry. Just call me Mercury for now. What is your name?"
"Water Wings. Mind telling me where we are right now?" I asked, slowly scooting back up to the angelic-like equine. "Are you usually this...friendly towards ponies, by the way? Not that I'm complaining..."
With a giggle, she slowly rubbed at my upper-back. "We're in a safe haven right now. Far from danger, but even farther away from your final destination." I nodded slowly, eye-lids starting to droop. "And yes, I am a very...kind and friendly allicorn."
I tried not to become too entranced from her voice and soft, massaging hoof, though it proved to be difficult. Even though this lovely mare has me convinced that she had good intentions, I was still in a dream-like world, meaning anything goes. I gave a good look around the room: red accent walls and black carpet surrounding us. A small chandelier right in the middle of the ceiling, lit low. There was a bookcase facing the bed, a comfy chair next to the book-storing, maple object, and a medium-sized dresser to the right, facing an adjacent wall. If I wasn't mistaken, I'd take this for a master bedroom. Implications ran through my head, though I ignored them and explained to the allicorn, "I'd like to return home as soon as possible, Miss Mercury. My son is probably worried sick about me..."
"I see..." The allicorn replied, losing her smile and swapping it for a more determined look on her face. I then watched her quickly slide off of the circular bed. I didn't want to admit it, but she did have the flank of a goddess. As she trotted towards the black-painted door, I slowly scooted myself off the bed and onto the carpet, following behind Miss Mercury. "I hope you're sure about this."
The conversation was practically non-existent as we began trekking through this lavish mansion. Paintings of important looking political figures and other winged unicorns along the wall, sharing space with lit candles hung from the walls. There were various other artwork as well throughout the mansion: sculptures - mainly of her, vases and pottery with patterns of a similar allicorn tending to her citizens or fighting off evil beings, still life paintings of flora and, of course, her. I wonder if even Celestia receives this much fan art of herself and Luna. She probably does, actually, but then again I've never been inside her castle in Canterlot. "You have quite a lovely array of art, Mercury."
She grinned at that. "They were all gifts, along with this castle."
Mercury stopped at a pair of double doors crafted in black steel and various flawless jewels. I peered up to her face, wondering what she had in mind. She had lost her smile. With a sigh, she said to me, "Water, that monster you saw...there's more like it in this world. Horrible, corrupted beings that haunt this land." I nodded my head, saying to her, "I'd go through hell and back to get back home. Besides, with you by my side, I think I stand a chance against those monstrosities."
That seemed to bring a small smile to her face. She pushed the doors open, leading me outside to a courtyard. Coincidentally, the same flora from some of the paintings appeared in the beds of flowers surrounding the fine stone walkway we trotted along. The mansion looked more like a cerulean brick castle now, tall brick walls shielding the courtyard from the town it possibly looked over. The only thing missing from this palace was any sign of other ponies. Not even guards were standing about inside or outside of this castle.
I didn't expect the ghost town outside Mercury's castle. It was very much...barren and destroyed, like the site of a war zone. I wouldn't have been surprised if it was a war zone, quite frankly. As odd as it sounds, even the air around us felt 'dead'. Dry, but foggy. My curiosity got to the best of me. "Miss Mercury...what happened here? Where are all the citizens?"
"Those monsters...like the one you saw." she dismally sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek. "They turned all my ponies into...hellish beings." I could hear her sniffling. Her hoof wiped away her tears. "I...couldn't protect them. I failed...I'm no princess or queen."
I leaned my head against her neck, closing my eyes as I nuzzled against her. "I'm so sorry...that you have to feel that way, I mean."
Her chin rested on my head, tears dripping onto my hair. "Thank you..." She sobbed. "You don't know what it means to have another pony here with me. It's a shame that you have to leave, though."
Looking down at the ground, I felt torn. Ponyville needed me back home. My coworkers. My son. But leaving this poor mare all by herself...Even if this was some kind of bucked-up dream, I couldn't just leave her here. I made it my motto to help serve and protect, so I had to do the same for Mercury. "If you don't mind me asking...why don't you come with me back to my world?"
Wiping away her tears, the allicorn pulled her head away, staring down at me. "I...I feel like I'd be abandoning my citizens. Its my fault that this town is now a wasteland, and I...feel like I should be punished."
"Sorry if I sound blunt, but...all this self-harm and angst won't bring back your town," I retorted.
Her eyes scanned the ghost town, still looking uneasy. "I know..." She mumbled audibly. "Maybe this loneliness is getting to me. I just need somepony around again. Not to rule over, exactly, but just...some company."
Before I could respond, I felt a presence. Something wicked. Demented. Mercury seemed to've felt it, too, her eyes widening, tears no longer streaming down her cheeks.
It had those sunken, dark eyes. Abysmal, contorted facial features. Dark, flesh-colored coat. It didn't have that gaze of petrification, but I was still understandably terrified. I heard the bastard bellow at us, a horrid combination of a low roar and a high-pitched shriek from hell itself. My heart jumped into my throat.
Thankfully, the allicorn stepped in front of me, her horn blast pure light at the monstrosity. I heard it scream again, covering my ears with my hooves. I saw it disintegrate to the cobble road, turning into some ugly black pool of...blood? No, it couldn't be. It was more like crude oil than blood. It smelled awful, too, like moldy bread, burnt flesh, and rotten meat. I had to quickly shield my nostrils as she hurriedly galloped away from the now dead beast.
The trail ahead was nothing but gloomy. The grass was blood-red. Oily black sky. Crimson red twilight shining down onto us. Did those monsters turn this place into a hellhole? What happened to the beautiful green field from before?
What created those monsters, anyway? Was Mercury truly the only truly living thing inside this demonic plane?
Time seemed to move by quickly as we traveled, the allicorn having a seemingly keen sense of direction, even in this environment, where everything was either red, black, or any other shade of red. Oddly enough, we didn't encounter any other monsters for a long while. I was just about to ask Mercury about where and when those demons might pop up again, but then I disregarded that notion. That would be jinxing myself, and the last thing I needed was bad luck.
That's when I heard it; that low, tunneling sound below us. The ground started to quake. "Stand back!" I heard Mercury call out to me, though I was already backing away behind the mare. Before us towered a blood-red being. Lizard-like. Deep crimson trailed from its pitch-black eyes like tears. Long, black claws. Black tendrils protruding from its palms and spine. My guess is that it was a dragon that was...turned into one of these monsters.
One of its claws swiped at us. It was enough to knock her onto the ground, leaving me defenseless. Flapping my wings open, I flew up, doing my best to dodge those astronomical, sharp blades. The allicorn battled the demon with her pure light spell, which came to no avail. Suddenly, I was knocked to the ground with a large gash on my cheek and arm. It caught her attention, distracting her from the long tendrils rushing towards her.
She screamed at the monster as those appendages wrapped around her limbs and torso, lifting her up from the ground as she struggled within its grasp. I could only watch hopelessly as Mercury was raised up to its long, reptile-like snout. She writhed in pain as the tendrils binding her started to spawn black veins within her coat, as if injecting poison into her body. The demon opened its mouth for a bite. Blood-red teeth, shaped like spearheads. Gritting her teeth, the allicorn shot a blast of light right into the back of its mouth. The next thing I heard was a lowly, blood-curdling scream as Mercury was plummeted to the ground, the beast curling around itself after letting go of the mare.
I watched the beast tunnel back into the ground, hearing the allicorn gagging and coughing up...something as she twitched and writhed on the ground. I found my strength again, standing on my four hooves and trotting up to the allicorn. "Are you okay...?" I asked. The 'poison' seemed to be escaping her body orally, those black veins on her body disappearing completely after spitting up the...black substance. She stood up and shook herself up, answering with, "I'm fine...we're almost there." Beginning to trot forward, I followed behind Mercury like before, limping from the gash on my fore-leg. "Wait..." I heard her order me. I stopped in my tracks as she turned around. Her horn glowed, a white aura surrounding my body as my gashes began to heal.
"Thanks...I needed that," I said to the allicorn. She flashed another smile my way, lifting away any despair inside of me. I'll never know how she could do that with just a grin. Not to sound corny, but it felt like she was literally beaming at me. How could a mare so depressed and lonely make me feel so cheerful? I think I'm starting to ramble again...sorry about that.
A bright light, right up ahead. It glowed an ethereal white. I could see it at the top of that lone watch tower from a mile away, which we were. "There it is..." I heard Mercury say, then saw her eyes widen at the mass of monsters surrounding that watchtower. The ground, the stone walls, even the skies were teeming with these creatures. They were attracted to the light, which was odd...whenever Mercury used her light spells against these beings, they ran away or died. What made this light so special?
"That's a...portal to my world, isn't it?" I thought aloud. The allicorn nodded slowly, then said, "I believe so. I think I saw one of those portals nearby when I saw you being attacked by one of the demons."
"That...doesn't make sense. I woke up in an empty, white room surrounded by green grass and flowers and everything. I didn't see any light like that either."
She put a hoof to her chin, pondering my words. "The portal must've made that abandoned house you were in seem like it was completely white and empty. The grass and flowers...by the time I had rescued you from that creature, they were black and red. You were passed out at the time, so you wouldn't have noticed."
I nodded my head, then focused my attention at the portal again. "So...how are we going to do this?"
She put on a determined face again, staring ahead. "I say we should quickly fly up to the top of the tower while I blind them with my light."
"Wouldn't we be attracting them instead of blinding them?"
"No, the spell I use for light is much different from the portal's light. It has healing properties to it, you see."
I raised an eyebrow. "So wait...the same 'light' spell you used against those demons...was it the same spell you used to heal me with?"
She nodded. "Let's hurry, though. Who knows what danger they will cause in your world?"
With that we both opened out wings wide, her allicorn horn radiating that healing light around us as we leaped into the air. I had to squint, but we fleetly flew past the fleet of foes below us. So far our plan had worked. I then saw a rogue, kamikaze claw swing at the mare flying beside me, the light from her horn dimming as she took a hit to her wing. She started to descend, a bat-like monster clawing hard at her wing. "Mercury!" I called out to her, still hastily dashing towards the portal. She then blasted the demon with a single light, watching it disintegrate before her. Even with her damaged wing, she was still able to hover about.
"Go on without me, Water!" She ordered me, shining away at those bastards nearby. "I'll catch up to you!"
With that I galloped into the light, light ringing in my ears as I was soon engulfed in the angelic light. The ringing got louder, and my body was becoming numb again. I felt like I was falling back into reality; quite literally at that. Everything went black...
A familiar voice woke me up this time. It was my son, Deft. The ringing in my ears and numbness in my body suddenly disappeared, vision still blurry. I blinked a few times, smiling up to my son. "Hey pal...doin' okay?" I weakly asked him, giving a small grin.
"Thank Celestia you're alive!" I heard him almost cry it out. His forelegs wrapped around my body. He's a lot stronger than I thought. I gave out a small groan as Deft nearly knocked the wind out of me. Soon enough I gave out a chuckle, embracing my kin tightly. "I missed you so much, Dad..."
"I missed you, too..." I sighed, patting his back lightly. I then heard the door open, a mare's voice calling into the room: "Mr. Wings, is everything alright?"
I figured it was a nurse, but her appearance...straight, long locks of silver resting at her shoulders. Lutescent coat on her body. Deep crimson eyes. I had to take a double take. "Is...everything alright?" She repeated herself. Her voice even sounded similar. It was younger sounding, though, and hardly regal at all. I had to ask: "Ma'am...what's your name?"
"Uh...Guiding Light?" She responded. I figured she wouldn't have the same name. That'd be way too creepy.
I simply smiled at her, letting go of my son. "Has she been taking care of me?" I asked my son, patting him on the head. He nodded happily. I then turned my attention to the nurse, who looked slightly puzzled. "So, how long have I been out?" She hastily flipped through her clipboard. "Um...ah, here it is! Apparently you inhaled a noxious fume from some of the wildlife that was burnt. It was most likely...uh...Poison Joke. Local botanists are starting to do tests on it right now and..."
"Thank you, Guiding Light. You really live up to your name."
That made her blush. Bashfully smiling, she responded, "I...thank you, Mr. Wings. You know, I...we all should be thanking you and all those other fire-ponies for putting out that fire, though. I'm just some underpaid nurse-"
"Don't be like that," I chuckled, interrupting her. "Without ponies like you, I'd still be unconscious, lying around in the Everfree Forest."
She nodded slowly, still blushing, rubbing the back of her head. "I don't know what to say...well, you're free to leave anytime you want. So, uh...I'll be seeing you then." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her. Deft gave me an odd look on his face, asking me, "Uh...what's gotten into you, Dad?"
"I'll explain when we get home."
