Into the Void

Into the Unknown

A crash of thundering sound, with a flash of brilliant light, and a moment later the two friends find themselves being abruptly dropped onto a cold stone floor. Star Dancer was the first to regain consciousness as she groaned, rolling over to sit up on her haunches. But when she was finally able to get the world to stop spinning, what she saw completely surprised her.

“W-where are we?” She nervously said, getting up to her hooves.

Gone was the familiar surrounding of the place she called home. For now she was standing in what looked like the ruins of some stone building. And to make matters worse… the portal which had pulled them through was now nowhere to be found.

“Rainy! Where are you!” Star Dancer yelled, as she frantically began to search the building looking for her friend. Eventually she located her still unconscious friend huddled into a corner with some debris from their own world partially covering her. “Thank Celestia you’re still alive!” Breathing a sigh of relief, Star Dancer quickly checked her friend over making sure she was not hurt, and thankfully aside from just a few scrapes and minor cuts, Rainy for the most part was uninjured.

Sky gave a few rough coughs eyes blinking blearily then shutting them tight from the bright light streaming in from the large opening in the wall opposite. “Ugh isn’t it too early for Celestia to have taken over court again?”

“I don’t think were are in Equesrtia anymore…” Star Dancer said as she walked over to the hole in the wall.

Cautiously poking her head out she took notice of the familiar field they had previously seen through the portal. Everything they had seen before was now surrounding them now. It was surreal. The stone room, the expanding field, even the bitterly cold weather was making itself apparent as she began to shiver slightly.

“We need to find shelter Rainy,” she said turning back to her friend. “It’s going to get dark soon judging by the way the sun is falling. We can’t stay here. It’s too open and somepony or something may come and see what all the noise was.”

“Right, right, Ugh. Never go drinking before finding an alien portal to another world Sky, everyone knows that. . .” She Grumbles, slowly standing up and walking over to Star, working hard on not throwing up along the way. “Think maybe this place would be good if we can build a fire? That might be faster than finding somepony else for help.”

“No, that’s not really a good idea. We don’t even know where we are Rainy! And what if the locals are hostile? We could be in A LOT of danger if we stay here. We have to find a more discreet place to hide until we know it’s safe to come out and make contact… that is if we even should!”

“Star how is this place not discreet enough? There’s no tracks, it’s covered, only seems to have one way in, and it’s fairly dry and clean aside from the leaves. Why I could probably make some cover to lay over this hole and you’d barely know it was here.”

“Rainy… Anypony within earshot could have heard the loud noise we made when we came over. And that’s not even including the light… I mean, just imagine if you saw an extremely bright flash of light just over the hill in the day time. Wouldn’t you be just a little bit curious to see what it was?

“And let’s not forget that we saw movement on the edge of the field just before we were sucked in. So that means we are close enough to something. We can’t stay here. It’s just too dangerous! How long can you stay awake possibly knowing that the very spot you are camping in is being watched?”

“We don’t have to stay awake the whole time just get some dry leaves from overthere,” Rainy says, pointing to a small pile of leaves. “And then spread them onto the ground. So that anything coming in has to step on them and we have a good alarm and if we set up the fire over there in the corner you’d have to be right here by the entrance to see it from outside at all.”

“Uhh… fine.” Star Dancer groans, shaking her head. “You can be sooo stubborn sometimes you know?”

“Only when it’s good for you.” Sky answers back, sticking her tongue out at Star.

Star Dancer rolls her eyes, flicking her tail at her friend, then walked off to collect the leaves as mentioned earlier as Sky goes looking for materials for a fire. After a few hours of hard work collecting the leaves, branches and other assorted materials needed to cover up the place they landed in, Rainy and Star were now sitting a bit exhausted around the fire they managed to get started.

“Maybe we should scout around Rainy?” Star Dancer said looking up through the open ceiling.” I mean there's still enough light out that we could fly around a bit to see what’s out there? What do you think?”

Sky stands up stretching out her wings to get ready to fly. “Sounds like a good plan Star, remember first things to look for are water and signs of civilization, Maybe that portal just sent us somewhere outside of equestria and we only have to worry about buying some train tickets and a long ride home.”

“I like your way of thinking.” She smiled standing up herself. “But how about you scout around, and I’ll make sure the fire doesn’t get out of control? After all… you are a much better flyer than me.”

“And you know why I am?” Sky chuckles giving her wings a few flaps to check her feathers are in order.

“Because you probably fly more than me… but that's only because I am afraid of heights! I can’t help that I feel more comfortable with my hooves firmly planted on the ground. In any case YOU are better suited for scouting… so make with the flapping already! You lightweight.” She giggled under her breath after saying the last bit.

“Ya ya, just because I can’t hold my cider. . .” Sky Grumbles starting to flap her wings harder and harder to take off finding it more difficult than normal only getting about four feet off the ground before stopping and falling back to the floor exhausted. “What the. . .hay I feel . . . like I was trying to lift two hundred pounds!” Sky complains panting.

“Are you saying you can’t fly now? Pfft… lightweight. A few drinks and now you are grounded.” Star Dancer then unfurls her wings taking a few test flaps. “Hmm… feels fine to me.”

But as she tries to simply hover a few feet off the ground she finds it extremely exhausting. Like she was trying to carry twice her weight. So with a tired exhale, Star Dancer promptly returns to the ground with a clop as her hooves connect with the hard stone floor.

“This isn’t good… I had a feeling this might happen.”

“What are you talking about?” Rainy asks sitting up.

“This world…  I think its affecting our ability to fly. I think it’s because its a different world and we are not acclimatized fully to the way magic works here. If it does at all.”

“That doesn’t make any sense though… No magic? How does the sun move, or the moon or the weather? How can it be nearly winter here without magic!”

“How am I supposed to know Rainy?” Star Dancer snaps back, throwing her forelegs into the air. “I am only guessing here! I don’t know what’s going on, but its pretty clear for the foreseeable future we cannot fly. So what does that leave us? We still need to scout and find food and water! So I guess we are hoofing it.”

“Well then what good are these things!” Sky shouts, flaring her wings, standing up and stomping over to the hole in the wall. “I may as well be a blank flanked freak then. . .” She mutters looking outside. “I’ll be back when I’ve found something or it starts to get dark. Stay warm by the fire and throw something heavy at anything other than me that tries to get in here.”

“WAIT!” Star Dancer quickly stomps out the fire. “I’m coming with you! I don’t want to be here alone now if we can’t even fly,” she says, catching up with her hippogryph friend. “Lead the way.”

****

Heading on out, Star Dancer and Rainy slowly cross the wide open field trying their best to stick to the treeline as they made their way out into the unknown world. The trek was mostly quiet save for the occasional conversation the two struck up as they passed something different from what they’d seen back home. Eventually their little scouting expedition ended when they emerged from the tall grassy field and found themselves staring down at the oddest looking stretch of what could be best described as a road.

“What the hay kind of road is this?” Star Dancer said, looking down at the long stretch of roadway spanning in one direction as far as the eye could see. In the other, a large metal structure could be seen erected over the road. She figured it was probably a bridge of some sort. Though the construction was of an odd design.

“Why would you even do this...  It tears right through the woods.”  She say’s looking one way across it then the other then leaning down to sniff at it, then quickly pulling her head away a second later from the foul odor. “Gah! Dear Luna that stinks...”

“Must be some kind of odd chemical or magic used in creating this surface.” She stepped back a little reluctant. “Umm… maybe we shouldn't try and cross it. It may be hazardous. I think we should look for another way around.”

She put a hoof to her brow scanning off into the distance, but sadly the road seemed to go until til the sky touched the ground. That way was a no go, but then she remembered the other.

“What about trying to cross under that bridge looking structure over there Rainy?” She said pointing to the large metal truss spanning the entire width of the road. “Maybe there’s a way underneath it?”

“I think that may be best, I think I see some animal tracks leading around down there so there has to be a path.”

Star Dancer nodded. “Okay then let’s get moving, but keep your eyes open. There’s no telling what may come down that road.”

Slowly and quietly Rainy and Star made their way down through a trench alongside the road until the finally reached the bridge. It was a massive structure that spanned over what looked to be a somewhat shallow looking stream underneath it. But the strange part of the whole thing was that when they got closer to the bridge, they noticed that the metal used in its construction somewhat resembled the steel they used themselves back home.

“D-do you think its steel that was used to make that thing Rainy?”

“Possibly, guess that show’s they have magic for certain you need either unicorn or earth pony type magic to work with the stuff after all.”

“Yeah, and that’s a good thing as well! It means we may be able fly once we get used to how the magic works here. But let’s not waste anymore time,” Star says looking up. “The sun is starting to set.”

Carefully the two eased their ways down the slippery slope leading towards the bank of the stream. It was small enough, though looking out towards the middle the water looked potentially deep enough to submerge oneself in. Not a good idea considering how cold it was on this world. Fortunately there was enough large rocks rising out of the water that it was of little concern, So with some tentative first steps. Rainy made her way across the stream, making it look easy as she walked along the rocks.

“It’s safe here on the other side you can cross,” Rainy said waving her paw.

“Alright here I come.”

As with Rainy, Star Dancers first steps were slow and nervous, but as she made her way across it truly was rather easy.

“I guess this world isn’t so bad afte-” Just as she was about to take the next step out onto another rock, a loud noise erupted over the bridge, looking up Star Dancer froze, terrified when she saw a large machine racing across the bridge. She was so scared from the sight that she missed the next rocked and slipped, plunging face first into the freezing waters of the stream.

“Star!” Sky shouts going back over the river to try find her friend in the cold looking water.

Bursting to the surface a moment later, Star Dancer cries out, gasping for breath as she scrambles to the safety of her friends waiting paws.

“Ahh!!! C-cold! I’m sooo cold!” She whimpers, shivering uncontrollably, her entire body soaked from head to tail with the icy cold water. “So… cold...” she mumbles.

“I’m here Starry I’m here.” Sky tells her wrapping a wing around her friend to share her warmth

“Can… can’t feel my legs. So c-cold.”

“Keep moving Starry you can’t stop now, gotta keep moving or that’s it. . .” Sky tells her repeating it again and again now truly worried they may not both make it home for the first time. “Should have just stayed by the fire. . .”

“Feeling sleepy… It’s hard to walk.” Star Dancer groggily looks up and out of her blurred vision she spots something. “There…” She sloppily half raises her hoof. “A barn… go there…” And with that Star Dancer passes out collapsing next to her friend.

“No Starry no sleeping!” Sky shouts in her face shaking her hard. Nearly crying after a few seconds of no response other than her slow breathing. Sky decides that she’d best keep moving even if Star couldn’t. Heading towards the barn she’d seen far off in the distance with her friend on her back the cold water slowly seeping into her own clothes. “Wake up you sleepy tail!” She shouts, giving hops and jumps into her progress trying to jar the unconscious pegasus to wakefulness again by any means she can.

“Uhhh…” Star dancer groaned as she felt each and every hop, skip and jump jarring her back to consciousness. She looked up, her vision still blurry, but she could see a large barn coming into picture.

“Y-you awake Starry?”

“So… c-cold… head to the barn… fire… start a fire.”

“N-no going to t-t-to find h-help. B-barn means fa-farmers.” Sky tells her, teeth starting to chatter from the creeping chill of the water soaking into her clothes and fur.

“Too… dangerous… Need warmth… Fire… start one… Please.”

“A-and b-burn down t-th-the barn around us?”

“Don’t care anymore… I am freezing to death Rainy! DO IT!” Star Dancer screamed, using the last ounce of her remaining strength, caring less about who heard her. She didn’t realize how well her voice carried as just off in the distance lights flicked on at the house just a little ways away.

“O-only if you promise not t-t-t-to d-die when I’m cooking under a burning b-b-b-barn.” She chuckles pushing her way through the unlocked barn door. “N-now I j-j-just need s-something to b-burn.”

“It’s a b-barn made of wood… I am sure you c-can find something.”

“N-not making p-pony under barn with h-hippogryph sssssouce Ssstarry.” Sky tells her as she lets Star fall to the ground softly and starting to look around for something flammable. “T-that’ll d-dooo.” She comments seeing an old broom against one of the walls. Quickly she grabs it and starts to snap into smaller easily burnable pieces and places them in a pile on a clear spot on the ground next to her friend.

Fumbling through her  pockets she pulls out her lighter and with a few flicks, she similes as the splintered wood quickly ignites, blazing to life with a whisp of smoke. “Th-th-there i-it’s lit you ha-have a fire Ssss-starry.” Sky tells her before lying down next to her friend feeling herself starting to slowly fall asleep.

Mcdulage home ten minutes earlier.

“Do you see that Stan? The barn! Someone is in our barn!”

“Yes Karen. I see it. Get the kids into their bedroom. Tell them to stay quiet,” he whispered, walking over to the closet and pulling out his pump action shotgun.

“What are you going to do with that Stan? Why not just call the police?” she says as she heads to the door.

“You know as well as I do at this hour it could take them forever to get here!” He reminds her loading a few shells into the gun. “I don’t want to put my kids in danger because some thief decides to hide out in my barn!”

“Fine… but I am coming with you! So you don’t do something stupid.”

“Get the kids safe honey, then meet me at the door.”

She nodded quickly disappearing into the hallway.

A few minutes later the two are slowly approaching the barn, It was dark outside so it was way too hard to make out  who was inside  as they approached. But just as they made it to the door. They began to hear voices…

“There must be two of them in there Stan.”

“I can hear that Karen. And it sounds like a couple girls. But what are they doing way out here?”

“Runaways perhaps?”

“Possibly.” He said, lowering his shotgun, and clicked the safety on. There was no more need for it now he figured.

“Should we go an see who it is?”

“Might as well… It’s way too cold out here for a couple of kids. They could freeze to death out here tonight.”

Karen nodded as the two pushed open the doors and walked into the barn, but as they stepped inside the sight before them was… shocking to say the least… Lying next to a small fire in the corner of the barn lay two small animals wearing what looked to be clothes tailored just for a horse. The one, an amber colored horse… or was it a pony? It had a light blue mane and tail. The other was ever stranger. A pony they figured, but it had paws and a cat like tail. And to put all reasonable belief out the door. Both of them had wings.

Stanley's fear of the unknown now returning, he slowly began to raise his shotgun towards the two laying in the corner.

“I don’t know what the hell you things are… but you are not going to harm my family!” He stood back cocking his weapon, the familiar sound of the pump action ringing in his ears as it smoothly loaded a shell into the chamber.

“Honey… I don’t think we-”

“Get back Karen! We don’t know what kind of diseases these things may have! That one looks sick!” He said pointing to the amber colored pony.

“H-h-heeeelp, c-co-co-co-cold!” Sky begs barely helping to keep her eyes open from the pain of the cold seeping into her very bones even through her fur.

Now this was a major turn of events. Both Stan and Karen’s mouth fell open.

“Did… did that thing just talk?” He sputtered out.

“Umm… Uhhh..” Stan was at a loss for words… What the hell was going on here? Laying in front of him was two what he could best describe as horses. And horses that could talk for that matter. “Excuse me?” He muttered, unsure how to respond to what that thing just said.

Karen being a bit more bold crept up to the two lying on the dirt floor and kneeled down by the blue looking pony… cat thing. Whatever! She was still trying to process what was going on.

“Did… umm… I mean, what did you just say?” She asked, her gaze locked on to Sky.

“Y-y-yes I did you w-walking . . .so-something. How can I insult y-you for not helping when I don’t kn-know wh-what you are? J-just help be-before Starry d-d-d-dies.”

“Starry? You mean that other pony over there?” Karen asks pointing over to the other pony.

“Y-yes haven’t you ever s-seen one b-before?”

“Well can’t say that I have… You don’t see talking ponies with wings around here very much. Infact never. Anyway you said your friend here needs help?”

“I-I c-could use a b-bit myself if you don’t mind.” Sky tells them the getting angry that the two whatevers have done little more than stare at her and Star as they lay there freezing.

“Okay…” Karen says standing. She then walked over the amber colored pony and carefully placed her hands onto her side. “Oh my god she’s freezing! Stan quick! Get some blankets! No... better yet, drop that stupid gun and pick her up! We need to get these soaking wet clothes off her and get her warmed up fast! She’s going into hypothermic shock!”

Not one to argue with his wife, Stan nodded laying his gun on a nearby shelf then knelt down and gently lifted the barely conscious pony up and carried her inside. Meanwhile Karen returned to the other pony still lying by the fire and took off her coat then laid it over the pony.

“Can you still walk? I am sorry, but I can’t pick you up.”

“I th-think I can... Ju-just a little h-help please?” Sky told her still shivering.

Karen smiled carefully wrapping her arms around the pony and helped her to her feet. “What are you?”

“I’m a h-h-hip-pog-gryph.”

Not sure what that even was, Karen simply smiled. “Whats your name?”

“R-rainy.”  She tells her leaning against the woman as she walks out of the barn with her.

Fillydelphia three hours later…

“Wow... You were right Twilight,” Spike said scratching his head. “Something did happen here.”

Standing in the park Twilight and Spike (now accompanied by a few local unicorns and medical ponies), were shocked by what they saw. A large blast mark shooting out in what looked like a somewhat horizontal fashion directly towards them.

“I can still feel a slight magical presence here Spike,” Twilight said, examining her surroundings. “I don’t know what is going on, but I plan on getting to the bottom of it.”

“Umm Twilight?”

“Yes Spike, what is it? Can’t you see that I am busy looking over all the details?”

“Well I think you should look again.”

“Why? Did I miss something?”

Spike nodded pointing towards the ground. Twilight gasped throwing a hoof over her mouth. Directly in path of the blast mark was a bunch of hoof and paw marks, and to make matters worse, it looked like whoever it was got caught in the blast.

“Spike… this is serious.”

“Yes, I know, but what can we do Twilight?” He asked looking back up to her.

Twilight looked at Spike then back at the marks in the ground, a look of determination on her face.

“Whatever we can...”