Grey. There was a lot of it.
Actually, that's all there was. A rolling sea of grey, every shade imaginable, spread out in every direction. Looping and interlacing, they created a stormy cacophony before my eyes. At least, what I think are my eyes. I can't seem to close them. Or blink them. Or look around with them for that matter, I have to turn my entire body to see around me. They (it?) is (are?) giving me some information on what is around me at least, so there's that. I just wished it was a little bit more than looking into a storm cloud.
And then white. A small drop of white amidst the dreary palate. I move closer to it, and the greys begin to change their shades as I approach.
Light.
That's what it was, a source of light. Looking around again I saw the greys begin to form shapes in the grace of the spot. Waving oval-ish shapes, lots of them, on a darker line. A branch.
I must have hit my head pretty hard if I'm only seeing in shades. Pushing the fear of permanent eyesight damage a bit deeper into my thoughts, I continued towards the light. I seemed to be in between some bushes. Moving towards the light (and now pushing the fear of having died along with the eyesight damage) the greys begin to flatten. There are some very light shades further away, forming a patchwork wall. The greys closer to me level off, with a slight blur to them. A path in the woods I assume.
Was I in the woods when I got hurt? I don't know. I distinctly remember concrete. Was that just on the trip to the woods?
I stopped moving before fully clearing the bushes. Now that I was still, a sensation made itself known to me. Exhaustion. I was so tired. It wasn't a sudden rush either. This was an exhaustion that has lingered for quite some time. I knew that feeling all too well. How I was able to move to that point amazed me.
"..."
I wasn't hungry. I wasn't thirsty. Just tired. It's weird. I didn't feel my muscles ache, nor any pain. The mental strain though, that was what pulled me down. Worse than an all-nighter for final exams after pulling a double shift at work. I needed something. I couldn't get it by myself.
I need help. It came out as a whisper. Softer than a kitten's footsteps. It was as loud as I could make it.
"...attitude..."
Somebody. Please. Help me. I needed something. Something alive. It sounded as strange to me then as it does now, but that's the only way to describe the feeling. I needed something alive.
"...were so generous to let her around us, even though she's a blank flank!"
A voice. Someone who could help be. Two shapes approached. They looked...odd. Small, like children. But...hunched? Are they crawling? It didn't matter. They can help me. I reach my arm out...
Is that my arm? Another sliver of white, long and stringy, like a vine. It pulled closer to my face when I want to look at it closer, so it must be my arm. Reaching out again, I plea them to stop. It falls on deaf ears as they pass me by, not missing a stride in their ghostly steps.
No. I don't want to sleep now. If I sleep now I'm afraid I might not wake up. The fears I pushed down sprang up. The death took full control, throwing the sight to the side as if it were the wrapper on a prize.
Killed by an attacker? Not great, but I can deal with it. I would have taken him with me, or at the very least get some good hits in. Sickness? At least I would sleep through most of it. An accident? Anything. ANYTHING but not knowing how I got here! I can't just die for no reason. I can't die not knowing how! It just doesn't feel right!
No. As expected, panic began to flood the remainder of whatever reason I had in the face of what was presumed death. The greys began to darken again, and the white began to narrow. I turned towards the shapes moving away from me.
Stop! Just barely louder than my first cry. There was no way they could hear that.
One of the shapes stills. To my surprise, and unabated joy, it turned and waited.
I wasn't going to wait for it to question itself. Pulling forward with the nonexistent energy I had, the tendril that is my arm reaches for it again. I make contact...
I felt like I was going down a waterslide at Cedear Point...only going up instead of down. A moment of exhilaration followed by stillness, the exciting energy still rattling away as I lie there. My fear was gone, and my panic began to diminish. I was safe. I didn't know how I knew. The colors were still darkening, but I could tell I'm safe with...whatever it is that picked me up. I can hear some muffled sounds...like talking...
"Is there something wrong?" It was unusual for her friend to stop mid-rant.
"No..." her voice trailed off, unsure of herself. With a humph she turned back. "No, I just thought I heard something." She gasped as a hoof swung up to the back of her neck.
"Did you get bitten by a bug?"
"I had better not! I've already fallen into a pile of dirt today, I do NOT need to add bugs to it!"
"Turn around and let me see." Silver Spoon lifted the back of Diamond's mane to check the offensive spot. "No. No blood and no bugs."
"Ugh!" Her already bad mood, growing worse, Diamond Tiara stormed down the pathway again. "That had better not be the start of a pimple from the stress that city filly's given me!"
I couldn't call it "waking up." I was still able to see movement and hear sounds while I rested, but everything was blurred together. Whatever, I was sentient again. The tired feeling was gone and I was happy to still be able to see.
Wait.
COLOR!
I could see colors again! It was only a brief stint, but that world of grey was not one I wanted to return to in the foreseeable future. I just stare as I take in where I am, which is appropriate, as I have no idea where I am in the first place. A room (duh). White walls with a off-magenta wallpaper running halfway up them, with what looked like a crown of some kind etched all over it. A chest-of-drawers in front of me, with a few photos (I assume there are photos in those frames I can just barely see) and hairbrushes on top of it, in front of a large mirror.
I try to turn to see the rest of the room. TRY. I can't move. I try as hard as I can to strain a single muscle to twitch and nothing.
Great. I'm alive, but paralyzed from the scalp down, I say perhaps a bit more disgruntled than I should have. After...whatever happed to me yesterday, I should probably be considered lucky to still draw breath.
"Hmm...?" A sleepy sounding voice came from somewhere near me. Someone very near me.
Am I...am I in someone else's bed? Some girl's bed? WITH them?!
To my surprise, I sit up. I didn't try too. I didn't want too, even. I just wanted to move my head down to look at another wall. My eyes close and I can feel something soft rub against them. Yup, didn't want to do that either.
"Did you say something, daddy?" the voice calls out. When no answer came I jumped off the bed and landed on all fours. Odd. Walking over to the chest-of-drawers I pull a brush off the top and begin to walk to another part of the room.
Okay, fever dream, I'm game. What are you going to do next before I actually wake up?
A vanity rests against the wall I was trying to see before I inexplicably decided to sit up. That would be where I'm headed now. I climb up into the chair and look in the mirror. A horse is looking back at me. A female horse. No, to small for a horse. A pony. A filly at that. But this pony looked like it was put through Willy Wanka's bubblegum wringer during it's last bath. A cherry blossom colored coat. Grey-violet mane with white streaks.
Nooo....no more grey, please...
Her eyes. A subdued, but very clear shade of blue. I don't remember the name of this shade, but It has something to do with farming I think. Despite being unusually large, they were really quite pretty to look at. But still...
How the hell does a pony get this color scheme?
The eyes in the mirror got even bigger, and my sight spins to look at the rest of the room.
"Who said that!?" A mix of fear and anger was very clear in her voice. "Whoever you are, you had better come out of hiding! If you don't, I'll get my daddy in here and he'll make you come out!" This time the tone was arrogant. And well, well, practiced.
Wait.
Excuse me?
A shriek escaped the once cocky mouth of the pony, and she fell onto the floor.
Apparently I fell with her, because my side started to hurt once she landed. Two and two finally came up to four in my head. Oh shit...
"Who is it!? Where are you!?" Panic once again reverberated against the walls, only this time there was no anger.
Calm down little filly.
"How can you ecPECT ME..."
AS CALM AS YOU CAN THEN! She flinched, and I felt her ears twist back and flatten. Now, listen to me. Get back in the chair. She waited a moment. Once her shaking subsided enough, she sat down into the chair. Okay, now turn and look into the mirror. She did. Once she was staring at her eyes, at MY eyes, I figured I should take it from the top. Uh. Hi.
She screamed.
Author's Note
Okay, first chapter of a story that has been bugging me for the past month. And unlike the disaster that befell Side by Side, I have no intentions of being screwed over by a virus or internship with this one.
Many thanks to Narlepoax III for being my prereader.