Chapter 1: Dealt the Wrong Hoof
The sun was high in the sky when the six friends gathered in the library. Excited by the revelations of the day before, and ready to brave the realms beyond today, they could hardly sit still. Silence found them all when Twilight rose up, holding the mystic book in her magical grasp as well as a few note cards.
“Okay, today marks an important day in history. We six friends—”
“Hey, what about me?” interjected Spike.
“Oops! Sorry Spike. Seven friends... will travel to untold lands for the sake of Ponyville. No, for all of Equestria!”
“No need to make it all sappy Twilight. You’re just wasting time,” interrupted the blue pegasus.
“Well, excuse me for trying to make it exciting.” Twilight responded, flicking her tail at Rainbow Dash.
“Not ta burst yer bubble, but it already is excitin’. Besides, if we skip this whole speech, we’ll have more time to explore the unknown and what not,” added Applejack. Twilight threw the note cards she had prepared on the ground in frustration.
“Fine, let’s get started. Applejack please step forward.” Applejack didn’t step forward. Instead, everypony else took a step back. “You are the first to travel to the other worlds with this spell. I don’t know what will happen so I want your full attention. First we need to select a destination.”
“Anywhere.”
“Applejack, this is serious!”
“Ah don’t know, Twilight! Anywhere that ain’t Equestria.”
“Just look through the book and-”
“Tha first one!”
“Are you sure, Applej—”
“You said pick and ah did! Ah wanna go to tha first place in tha book.” Applejack stamped her foot in frustration, which Twilight responded to with a snort.
“Okay. So are you ready?” Twilight circled around Applejack, sizing her up. Even though she had seen her friend plenty of times, she was mentally preparing to use the new spell.
“Ya bet yer apples, ah am!”
“Hold still.” A strong magical aura surrounded the Earth Pony lifting her from her hooves. Light was building up swiftly, and a deafening boom erupted in the room. All the ponies took cover from the apparent explosion.
“Is everypony alright?” asked Twilight looking around. The spell must have failed. I hope everyone is okay. She did a quick headcount. Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike. That’s everyone. Everyone except for… “Applejack! It worked! It worked, it worked, it worked!” Twilight chanted as she danced around while her friends recovered from the blast.
“Ugh, my head hurts,” Rainbow groaned. She was in the air when the blast occurred, and the force pushed her into a bookshelf. Pinke was bouncing on a stack of books that Fluttershy was hiding behind, and Rarity was fixing her mane with Spike’s help. But Applejack wasn’t there, just as Twilight stated. “Where is Applejack, exactly?”
“That’s easy. According to the book, she’s on Mars.”
“Wow!” exclaimed Spike in amazement.
“Mars? Where is that?” Rainbow had an uneasy feeling welling up in her chest.
“I don’t really know, but it can’t be bad if it’s in the book. Right?”
“How do you know?”
“Don’t worry, Rainbow. There’s some kind of settlement there that can support life, or at least that’s what the book says,” Twilight replied. She opened the book and turned back to the first chapter, hoping to reaffirm her findings for Rainbow Dash’s sake.
The whole time she did, Rainbow Dash’s gaze didn’t falter from Twilight. I trust your skills Twilight, and I trust Applejack’s wit. But I’m still uncomfortable with this. “Okay, she’s safe. But do we have any way to contact her wherever she is?”
“We just… just… hmm. How do we talk to her?” Twilight continued searching through her book with Rainbow Dash over her shoulder. Every page that she turned seemed to increase her friend’s agitation.
“You mean you didn’t take the time to figure that out!?”
“Oh my gosh, what if she’s in trouble!” Pinkie cried.
“Calm down, Pinkie, I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I know Applejack can take care of herself, but I still want to be sure, darling. We all do.” Twilight looked at all her friends staring at her, their eyes tense and full of questions.
“Okay, keep your hooves on, all of you. I’ll find out how to get in contact with her. In the mean time, I have some things I need from the Quills and Sofas shop if anyone wants to help me.”
“You want us to go shopping for you? Not cool,” replied Rainbow with a big frown on her face.
“Okay, fine. I didn’t want to say it this way but you asked for it. Get out! If I’m going to find answers, I want to do it in the most calm and stable environment.” Rainbow’s frown lessened in magnitude, but it was still there. Fluttershy trotted up so quietly that Twilight didn’t notice her until she felt the gentle tap on her shoulder.
“Umm, Twilight. Rarity and I will take care of those groceries.”
“Absolutely! I need to stop by the fabric shop anyways.” Twilight pulled a small scrap of paper with a list of supplies on it and a sack of bits. Rarity gladly accepted the list, but she wouldn’t take the bits. “Don’t worry, Twilight. You focus on that book, we’ll deal with this list. Let’s go, Fluttershy. Bye ladies.”
“And I almost forgot! I need to watch Sugarcube Corner for Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Bye!” Pinkie was gone in a flash. Spike opened his mouth to say something, but he changed his mind and quietly slipped upstairs while Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash.
“I guess I’ll just go take a nap. Have fun reading, Egghead.” Twilight ignored Rainbow’s last comment. With nothing more to say, Rainbow Dash left Twilight alone in the library.
Twilight hopped onto the couch beside her and placed the book in front. Happy to begin reading, she couldn’t help feeling a little worried about Applejack.
Applejack’s head was ringing like a bell, a clear signal that something had happened. Most of Twilight’s spells do that, she thought to herself as she stood up.
She took a good look at the environment she had been sent to. It was a huge area enclosed in a glass case like a fishbowl. The terrain was a rusted reddish color, and the sky was black with millions of stars overhead. It’s real. There are other worlds out there, not just Equestria. This one looks kinda weird though.
A heavy rumbling broke her train of thought. The first thing that came to mind was earthquake, but the next thing Applejack saw quickly disbanded that thought. A small cargo vessel flew overhead, shaking the ground underneath.
“What the hay is that!” Applejack shouted. She backed up into the door of a larger structure. The cold touch of the steel door made Applejack jump, before she turned around to see the obstruction. The door had a blue light in the center that spun around. It stopped spinning and the door slid open, but Applejack stood frozen. She wasn’t a pony to be considered a scaredy-filly, but this strange new environment shook her right to the core.
Another ship flew by. This one landed right next to the structure she was standing in front of. The roar of the engines died down, followed by the hiss of a hatch opening. She didn’t think twice about entering the structure behind her now. With the hoofsteps rapidly approaching, she darted inside to avoid being seen. She quietly made her way to a small window. Things were getting off of the vessel, but they weren’t ponies. They stood on two limbs, and were covered in metal.
“What did ah get maself into?” Applejack whispered to herself. She was trying to stop herself from shaking as waves of panic and terror came over her. The metal monsters approached her hiding spot and came to a stop right in front of the window. A mechanical whir was heard, and the metal began to shrink away, uncovering fleshy faces on the two creatures in front of her. “They… they ain’t metal, but they’re still some kinda critter ah haven’t seen.” Applejack uttered in pure shock.
“I’m glad we finally got this shipment,” said one figure to the other.
“Yeah, I didn’t think I would ever be able to cross it off of my to-do list.”
“We should go check in with command.”
“Yeah. While we’re there, we can ask them what the USG Kellion is doing here.” One of the two motioned to the structure Applejack was spying from. “Must be an engineering fix or some other shit like that.”
“I don’t see why they don’t just decommission some of the older ships. The USG Ishimura is on it’s thirty-fifth planet cracking mission.”
“Thirty-five planet cracks already? I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what they’re fixing.” They walked away toward the large buildings to the center of the station, leaving a very confused Applejack behind.
“Planet cracks, engineerin’? This place is gettin’ too weird. Ah need to get out of here.” She looked around frantically before stopping to think. Wait… Twilight didn’t tell me how to go back. What if ah’m stuck here forever!? A new wave of panic was slowly washing over her with the realization that she was stuck, but her thoughts were interrupted by a chime coming from a strange looking device embedded into the wall next to her. The chime was followed by a very calm female voice.
“USG Kellion crew report to your ship. Shock-Gate coordinates set to Aegis VII for emergency engineering mission. Shock-Gate will begin realigning the Shock Ring in thirty minutes, takeoff procedures should begin in ten minutes followed by initial launch. Thank you for using the CEC Mars Shock Point Facility. Safe travels.”
That didn’t make a lick of sense. ‘Kelling crew, takeoff procedures, Shock thingy facility?’ Ah just wanna go home. She look out of the window again, and noticed a group of those things standing at the door to the structure. She counted five, but that wasn’t her concern. She climbed into a locker, and watched all of them get on the structure.
“Chen, Johnston,” boomed a loud and commanding voice. “Prep the Kellion for flight. Kendra, get on communications. Isaac, check navigation.”
‘Yes, sir!’ resounded from all of them, and they all got to work on glowing screens.
A loud hiss was heard followed by a dull hum of the engines coming to life. The vessel shuddered lightly, awaiting takeoff. Applejack opened the locker door just enough to see the things standing before her.
“Kellion prepped and ready. Awaiting orders.”
“Good.”
“Navigation coordinates set to Shock Ring, sir.”
“Excellent, Isaac.”
“Comms set up. We’re getting a green light from the control tower.”
“Thank you, Ms. Daniels. Make a direct route to the Shock Ring. We need to shock out before the next coordinates are set in.”
Applejack didn’t want to give her hiding place away, so she stayed in the locker quietly, waiting for some hope of getting home. Twilight. Ah hope yer doin’ something to fix this mess. Because ah don’t like the way things are lookin’.
As the ship approached the exit to the Shock Point Facility, Isaac Clarke leaned back in his chair thinking to himself. I’ll be there soon, Nicole. He opened up a video that he had received from his girlfriend just a day ago. Same thing I always see. The video displayed Nicole Brennan sitting and talking to a video recorder. Before he started the playback, he held on tightly to the seat while the USG Kellion exited the artificial gravity being maintained by the Shock Point Facility. Once the ship transitioned out, he let out a sigh and began the video.
“Isaac, it’s me,” started the video. Isaac followed along word for word. “I wish I could talk to you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry about everything. I wish I could just talk to someone. It’s all falling apart here. I can’t believe what’s happening here. It’s strange, the little things—” And it cuts off there. He sat for a moment watching the static before he was approached by Kendra Daniels.
“You’re watching it again? Isaac, you gotta stop, it’s gonna mess with your head.”
“I know. I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“Don’t psych yourself out. We need you at your best.”
“Okay, I get it.” Isaac started the video clip again, but before Nicole started talking, Kendra swiped the video away, cancelling the playback.
“Isaac! Just stop doing this to yourself,” Kendra scolded, grabbing Isaac by the shoulder and shaking him.
“Sorry. I just can’t help it. I’m worried about her.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. You need to believe that she is.”
“She’s right Clarke, you have to hope for the best.” A black male walked up placing a hand on Isaac’s shoulder. “You have to leave that for later because I need you now.”
“Sure, Hammond. What do you need, sir?”
“Right now, I want you to perform a full scan of the ship. I want to make sure everything is in order for when we pass through the Shock Ring.”
“But Hammond, we’ll be in Shock Space for at least an hour. Can’t we do it then?” asked Kendra.
“We could, Ms. Daniels, but one can never be too careful. I want to make sure there aren’t any problems before we leave, because we won’t be coming back until the Ishimura is repaired. Better safe than sorry, right? Clarke, run a complete check.”
Isaac gave him a firm nod, and with Hammond over his shoulder, he began the full ship diagnostics. Engines, check. Electrical, check. Gravity stabilizers, check. Fuel lines, check. That’s everyth—
“I said complete,” Hammond interrupted, “check life support too, Clarke.”
“C’mon Hammond. If life support wasn’t online, we’d be dead.” Isaac couldn’t suppress a smirk with that comment which was met with a sour scowl from his commanding officer.
“Better safe than sorry, Clarke. Run the check.” Isaac wasn’t about to ignore a direct order, so he tapped a few keys starting the bio-scan of the ship.
“Life support at one hundred percent. Oxygen levels high. There’s nothing out of the ordinary.” A quick message flashed on the screen. Isaac paused before stammering the message. “Hammond? T-this can’t be right. The bio-scan is picking up… six life forms?”
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes to the sunlight that surrounded her. A good cloud nap is the best way to pass the time. She stretched out her cerulean body and wings, ready to return to the library. I’m glad I decided to nap right above it. I’ll have to fly on down and see if Twilight has found anything. She dropped from the cloud and glided safely to the ground.
“Okay Twilight, what have you got?” Rainbow called out after opening the door. A quick glance around revealed that her other friends, minus Applejack, were already there, and apparently discussing something important. Fluttershy trotted to Rainbow Dash giving her a small hug.
“Rainbow, thank goodness you’re alright.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“When Rarity and I came back to Twilight’s, she told us she found the spell she was looking for.”
“I told them to go find you and Pinkie. Pinkie was at Sugarcube Corner, but we couldn’t find you at any of your napping spots. We were about to start an entire search of Ponyville to find you.”
“I was right above the library.” Rainbow pointed a hoof to the ceiling, though the gesture was effective, it wasn’t necessarily needed.
“Well since you’re here, now is as good a time as any to tell you what I’ve learned.” Everyone gathered around Twilight’s podium once again, keenly awaiting what information she had gathered about their friend. “I found a spell in the book that lets us find her wherever she is. As soon as I find her, I can bring her back easily.”
“That’s good news, dear. Find Applejack and bring her back,” replied Rarity. Twilight started the spell with a small spark of her horn. The lavender aura grew as quickly as the wind that swirled around her. She focused the energy in front of her, and a small tear in the air was being made in the middle of the library.
“Almost have it.” Twilight struggled to expand the portal in front of her, but when she did, she relaxed at the sight of the saddlebag-sized hole. Everyone gathered around, peering into the hole, delighted to see the orange mare.
“Applejack!” shouted Pinkie. With her attention drawn to her friends, Applejack made a motion with her hoof for them to remain silent.
“Applejack, I’m gonna get you out of there.”
“Just don’t be too loud. Those things are outside of this here locker,” she whispered. What things? Twilight asked herself, not hesitating to start the spell. Applejack cracked open the locker door enough for her to see out of it. “Hurry, Twi! We’re about ta go into that big hole in tha sky.”
“What the hay are you talking about, Applejack?” Rainbow blurted out rather loudly.
“Uh-oh. Ah think they heard ya. Twilight get me outta here!” pleaded Applejack. The fear in her voice made Twilight’s panic levels rise, breaking her focus even more.
“Applejack… hold… on!” I feel her in my grip. Just pull her out. In one strong tug through the portal, Applejack’s head popped into the library for a few moments before being sucked back in. Just before she could try again, the portal closed abruptly, leaving behind only the hat of their farm pony friend.
Chapter 2: Enigmas & Emergencies (UNFINISHED)
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Chapter 2: Enigmas & Emergencies (UNFINISHED)
The air in the library was heavy with anxiety. Everypony was at a loss for words, unable to grasp what had just happened. Their friend was right before their eyes, and then… gone. Eyes shifted between each other and Applejack's hat on the floor, but nopony moved. They sat frozen for a few moments before Rainbow Dash finally mustered enough strength to walk to the hat.
"Applejack…" she whispered, before picking up the hat. She then turned to Twilight. Rainbow Dash was pleading for answers, but the confused look on the lavender alicorn's face wasn't very reassuring. "What happened, Twilight?" she asked sincerely.
"I-I don't… know… " struggled Twilight, unable to take her eyes away from the hat.
"We'll never see Applejack again!" sobbed Rarity exaggeratingly. Rainbow shot her a quick glance before rolling her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Rarity. You know that's not true." She looked at Fluttershy. Tears were pooling in her eyes. Please don't let Rarity get to you, Fluttershy. It breaks my heart when you cry.
"What if she's right, Rainbow? What if she's gone forever?" Oh crap. Rainbow Dash's heart sank at the sight of the tears streaming down the yellow mare's face. She knew Rarity was being overdramatic, but Fluttershy's tears were genuine. Both Rarity and Fluttershy were crying on the floor, so Rainbow Dash trotted over to them and lifted them up before wrapping her hooves around both of them.
"Cheer up you two. She's not gone forever. Twilight will have her back here and bucking apples before you know it. Right Twilight?" She looked at Twilight begging for something uplifting, but all she got was an empty gaze. It was as if Twilight was thrown into some sort of trance, and that wasn't what Rainbow Dash needed right now. "Twi? Hello? Equestria to Twilight Sparkle."
"Huh? Oh, sorry Rainbow." Twilight got up and started pacing around, with the book levitating in front of her. "What could have gone wrong?" The pages flipped wildly as she looked for anything to help her. Rainbow had set the other two ponies on the couch, and was now flying over Twilight's head, trying to keep up with the pages.
"Maybe the spell just, I don't know, ran out of time?" she commented. Twilight stopped for a moment before she continued pacing.
"That can't be. It isn't exactly a 'timed' spell, so to speak. Or at least the book doesn't say that it is."
"Well look again. Maybe the book can tell us what went wrong."
"Okay, okay! Don't get your mane in a tangle." Twilight flipped back to the spell in the book, reading intently, desperately looking for any information. "Aha! I found something." All eyes fell on her as she stated her findings. "According to this paragraph, there are a couple of possibilities as to why the spell went haywire. One, Applejack is in some place where my magic can't reach her."
"That's not it. Unless your magic doesn't work on lockers," snickered Rainbow Dash, earning a bitter glare from Twilight. "What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood."
"Two, there is something, wherever she is, that is blocking my magic."
"Okay that one is more believable, but we can't be sure of it. Right?"
"I suppose it's a possibility. But if there was something blocking my magic, I wouldn't have been able to cast the spell in the first place." Twilight's pensive gaze quickly turned grim as she read on. "T-three… Applejack is d—" A lump managed to rapidly form in Twilight's throat. "She's dea—" I can't say it. I don't want to say it. I know that's not it. She fought desperately against the thoughts that were storming through her head. She closed the book and turned to her friends.
"W-when will Applejack be here?" asked Fluttershy hopefully.
"I uh… m-maybe we…" Twilight tried her best to put together a sentence, but Fluttershy's wide teary eyes tore through her like bullets of guilt. This is my fault. What do I do? What do I say? "I can't say when right now, Fluttershy. But I want you to know that I will keep looking for answers."
"We all know you will, Twilight," said a voice that was apparently coming from the kitchen. "Applejack needs help, and if there's one pony can help her right now, it's you, smarty pants!" Pinkie Pie bounced out holding a tray of freshly baked cupcakes in her mouth.
"Pinkie? How did you— Where did—" Don't question it, Twilight. It's Pinkie. She probably has cupcake ingredients stashed all over Ponyville like she does eyepatches. As for talking while holding a tray in her mouth… I don't really know. "Right. Applejack is counting on me." Twilight held her head up gallantly, but that was short lived. Her head dropped suddenly. "Where do I even begin?"
"Might I suggest using the spell again?" Twilight looked up to see a more composed Rarity. It was as if that exaggerated despair was replaced by brimming confidence for no apparent reason.
"Right now? Like, right now, right now?" Twilight questioned, slightly taken aback by the idea. Her eyes shifted hurriedly among her friends like she was just accused of something.
"Why ever not, darling?" countered Rarity.
"It's just that… I think it's too soon to try again." Twilight lowered her head sheepishly. That's not what they want to hear.
"Okay. I completely understand, dear. But it wouldn't hurt to try would it?" Rarity urged, trying to spur at least an attempt out of Twilight.
"Yeah, Twi. Just one shot. If it doesn't work, we can wait," Rainbow supplemented earnestly. She gave Twilight a warm smile, hoping not to discourage her. Twilight's eyes shifted among her friends again, and they all had the same encouraging smile. Everyone except Pinkie Pie. Her thoughts rang true, as the pink pony was too busy devouring the cupcakes before her to notice what they were all talking about.
"Okay," she sighed. "I'll give it one shot." Her friends cheered gleefully, fueling Twilight with the energy to cast the spell. The wind swirled and the magic smoothly flowed out of her horn. The magical portal, to Twilight's surprise, was opened wider than the last time. Everyone rushed to look in, while Twilight held her magical grasp over the portal to ensure it would stay.
"Applejack, are you in there?" Pinkie called into the hole. There was complete darkness inside.
"Anything Pinkie?"
"No, Twilight. I guess you're right. We should try again later," Pinkie stated.
"Okay, then meet me back here after sunset. I'll keep reading. For now just… do what you'd normally do." Twilight bid her friends farewell, and they all walked out of the library; everyone but Rainbow Dash.
"Um, Twilight? What do we do if Applejack's family comes looking for her?"
"Tell them—" What should we say? "Tell them... that she's helping me with my studies."
"You want me to lie?" Rainbow Dash frowned. "It doesn't feel right."
"You won't be lying. She is helping me. Just… in a different way." Twilight put her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow nodded slightly and left hesitantly, still frowning. What to do, what to do? I just hope Applejack is okay. Twilight thought, pacing intently. Only one thing would answer everypony's questions. Time.
***
The USG Kellion shuddered violently as it transitioned into Shock Space. Isaac held on desperately to the arm of the chair, but he lost his grip and slammed into the wall. A loud blast seemed to emanate from the other side of the ship. Red light bathed the interior of the ship and an alarm began blaring along with a cool female voice from the speaker on the wall.
"Stabilizers offline. Autopilot offline. Electrical Systems offline. Please contact your nearest CEC Repair Station."
If all that went out in Shock Space, we are royally fucked! Isaac thought frantically. He glanced around at everyone else. The pilots, Chen and Johnston, were attempting to get the systems started again with Hammond barking orders behind them. Kendra, on the other hand, raced to his side.
"Isaac!" she shouted, her voice almost drowned out by the alarm. She knelt down next to him. "Are you okay?"
"Will you two please shut that damned alarm off!" roared Hammond over the alarm, making Kendra flinch in fear.
Isaac could feel something warm trickling down the back of his neck. His hand instinctively reached back, and it was met with a sharp pain on the back of his head. This damned alarm is going to split my head in two. he thought as the alarm hammered into his eardrums. The alarm finally died down and was replaced by the dull hum of the electrical systems turning on.
"Electrical Systems are back online!" cheered Chen from the pilot's seat.
"Get started on the Stabilizer, I'll work on the Autopilot," replied Johnston smoothly. Isaac turned his attention away from the two pilots and onto his hand. He pulled it back and held it up to the light. It was covered in a crimson liquid that was clearly his blood.
"Isaac, you're bleeding!" gasped Kendra.
"I'm fine, Kendra. Don't worry about it."
"'Don't worry about it' my ass, Isaac. Hammond, toss me that medkit." Hammond turned to the plastic container with a red cross that was set into the wall and pried it out. He then hurried over to Isaac to lend a hand.
"What's wrong, Isaac?"
"He hit his head." She pulled out a tube of cyan gel, and pulled Isaac closer to the light. "It looks pretty bad. Hold still Isaac, this is gonna sting a little." Kendra squeezed the shimmering light blue gel on to the wound. Searing pain surged through Isaac's head, followed by a strange but pleasant coolness that washed over him.
"Thanks Kendra," said Isaac, but she ignored him. She stared intently at the RIG on his back. The health monitor displayed low vital signs flashing two blinking yellow bars of light that only filled half of the meter. The light changed from a dark yellow to a light blue, and two more bars appeared filling the meter. With Isaac's RIG now showing high vital signs like everyone else's, Kendra's stern gaze was replaced with a warm smile.
"Don't mention it," she finally replied. She helped him to his feet, but Hammond quickly waved his hand to get them back down. Everyone's attention was drawn to a lone locker that was rattling wildly.
"Isaac, Kendra, stay down," Hammond whispered with a mix of authority and anxiety. He picked up a Pulse Rifle and handed it to Johnston. "Take a position by that locker, and wait for my orders."
"Sir." The pilot stood right by the locker, weapon ready to obliterate whatever was inside. Hammond cleared his throat.
"This is Chief Security Officer Zach Hammond. Come out with your hands up or we will open fire."
"Hammond!"
"Not now, Isaac." If he opens fire, we'll be blown out of Shock Space. He's gotta be bluffing. Isaac's eyes were glued onto Johnston. The pilot's fingers tapped devilishly at the rifle in his hands. Isaac had only known him for a short time, but he knew that Johnston had always had a tendency to shoot first and then shoot again to make sure he hadn't missed.
"This is your last warning. Come out or we'll shoot." Time felt as if it slowed down when Hammond raised his hand. Isaac heard his heartbeat pounding in his ears, watching Hammond count down with his fingers. Three. Two. One… And Johnston opened the locker. An orange creature stumbled out onto the floor. What the hell is that?
"It's just a damn dog," Johnston answered, apparently reading everyone's mind.
"Dog? Ah ain't no dog!"
Did it just… Johnston brought the butt of his rifle down on the head of the creature, and it sprawled on the floor, unconscious… or dead.
"Goddamn it, Johnston," muttered Hammond.
"What is that thing, Hammond?" asked Kendra.
"I don't know, Ms. Daniels. We might have found out if Corporal Johnston hadn't subdued it." Hammond gave a chastising glare to the pilot.
"What? Was I supposed to wait for it to attack?" retorted Johnston defensively. His Pulse Rifle was still loaded and ready to fire, and Isaac took note of that, seeing him tighten his grip viciously.
"How do you know it would have?" Chen responded.
"No sense in arguing about it now. We still have a job to do. Chen, what's the estimated time of arrival to the Ishimura?"
"Thirty-seven minutes, sir."
"Hammond."
"Isaac, how are the systems looking?"
"They're back to normal, sir."
"Hammond!"
"Good. Johnston can you—"
"HAMMOND!"
"What!?" hissed Hammond. "What do you want, Ms. Daniels? Can't you see I'm busy trying to do my job?"
"What are we going to do about… it?" She motioned to the mysterious creature that was either unconscious or dead on the floor.
"I was going to deal with it myself, but since you've shown so much interest, you do it." Kendra was taken aback. Her eyes shifted nervously from Hammond to the orange creature.
"I— You— What?"
"That's an order, Ms. Daniels." Hammond turned around and continued giving his orders to the pilots while Kendra's confusion was slowly replaced by a burning anger.
"What a hardass," she grumbled quietly, almost wishing he would hear her. He didn't, but Isaac did.
Isaac chuckled slightly before walking over to her. "Hey, Kendra. Do you want some help with that?"
"Sure, Isaac. But what exactly do we do with it?"
"Make a cage?" he questioned quizzically.
"And how would we go about doing that, smartass?" Isaac could hear the bitterness that dripped from her response. He thought about saying something else brash, but decided that living would be worth more than a chuckle before she killed him.
"I'm an engineer. I can handle this."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, just, uh…" Isaac took a quick look around. "Hmm… do we need a cage or a coffin?"
"Not funny," she answered harshly.
"I'm being serious. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Can't you check its pulse or something?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. Eyes that said, 'Please don't make me, Isaac.' "Fine, I'll do it." He walked over and placed two fingers on what appeared to be the neck. At first, he felt nothing, but after a moment, he felt the slow rhythmic pump of blood.
"Okay, this thing is still alive."
"So, what do you need?"
"I have a hand torch, I just need some steel bars."
"I think I saw some in a supply crate by the lockers."
"Good, I'll get started. I wonder if this thing is gonna wake up before we get to the Ishimura."
***
Applejack's eyes sprung open. She was coughing and sputtering with water dripping from her mane. She looked up with fire in her eyes to find who had doused her, but another splash of water met her and the flame was extinguished. Before she could open her mouth and scream at the top of her lungs, a harsh voice rang out from in front of her.
"It's about time you woke up," Applejack shook her head, to get her mane out of her eyes. Her gaze locked with a pair of cold brown eyes glaring at her. They belonged to a stout man with a moustache who looked angry. "Question is, what are you? And why should I not blow your goddamn brains out right now?" he spat, moving toward her menacingly, his fingers tapping evilly at the strange metallic object in his hands. Applejack opened her mouth to reply, but she didn't know what to say. What the hay is that crazy contraption? What do ah say to him? What if he don't like what ah say? Will he kill me? She made an effort to close her mouth, but she let out a small 'eep' in the process. "What's the matter? Scared? You should be, because I'm going to end your miserable fucking—"
"Johnston! What the hell do you think you're doing!" came an authoritative voice from behind the terrifying man.
"I'm just taking out the trash, Hammond," the man replied to the voice. A black man walked into view pointing a considerably smaller metallic object to the other's head.
"I told you to wake it up, nothing more. Now get out of here before I have you in that cage for not following orders." Johnston's gaze remained locked with Applejack's for a split second, murder apparent in his eyes. Then he turned around and walked out of the tiny room. Shock finally wore off, and Applejack realized that she was hyperventilating.
"Thank Celestia," she muttered weakly, turning to her savior… or was he her captor? He stood before her, but she didn't feel the same malice that was present around the other one. He had a much warmer gaze—which wasn't saying much considering that he was glaring at her—but she felt different with him watching her. She felt safe. The black man walked over to the cage and knelt down beside it. What is he looking for? Does he think ah'm gonna do somethin'? Applejack pondered.
"What are we going to do with you?" he thought aloud. "I guess I can't decide right now, but since you're awake I don't want you in here alone." A rock started to form in Applejack's gut. Please don't bring him back in here. she pleaded mentally, hoping that by some strange miracle he would hear her. "So I'm moving the cage." He held out his hand and a light violet glow emanated from the palm. The cage was lifted into the air, also surrounded by the violet glow. They have magic here?! He led the way to back to the main compartment of the USG Kellion where the other four crew members were working.
"Oh! Hey Hammond, I was wondering—" started a skinny man with short black hair and brown eyes. He looks kinda like tha other one. 'Cept he's less mean-lookin' and less… moustache-y.
"Stay back, Chen," instructed the black man keeping his focus on the cage. "Look alive everyone. We have a guest with us."
"What the hell, Hammond! I don't want that damned dog in here." It's him! Applejack saw the moustached man sitting in the pilot's seat with a very bitter scowl on his face.
"The way I see it, you don't have a choice, Johnston. Unless you want to take my last offer, and switch places with it." Hammond retorted with a smirk. Johnston snorted viciously and turned back to the computer behind him. Hammond set the cage down and turned to a woman close by. "Kendra," She turned to the two. "Take care of our guest, will you?" Am ah a guest or a prisoner? Ah think ah'd rather be a guest anyways… not that ah have a say in it.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked, looking warmly at Applejack. Either ah'm goin' crazy, or she's smilin' at me. Applejack thought, puzzled by the woman.
"Give it some water," Applejack's heart skipped a beat when she heard the word water. The first thing that came to her mind was Johnston cascading water onto her, then she thought about how thirsty she actually was. Water sounded like a pretty good thing right about now. "And keep an eye on it. We'll decide what to do with it when we get to the Ishimura."
"Speaking of which," interrupted Chen, "we'll be out of Shock Space in fifteen minutes."
"That soon? Okay then. Isaac, start the De-Shock procedures. Chen, Johnston," they both turned around. "Stay alert. We don't have this system charted out, so we could come out into a shitstorm." Everyone nodded and started tapping away at different controls. Hammond took a seat and began working as well. Applejack turned to Kendra who was filling a little bowl with water. She walked over and placed the bowl in front of Applejack.
"Here you go," Kendra said softly. She waited for Applejack to drink the water, but Applejack didn't move. "Aren't you thirsty?" she asked. Oh, ah'm thirsty. Just get away. "I'm not going to hurt you." She stared at Applejack with big brown eyes that radiated sincerity. Applejack moved forward slowly. The closer she got to the bowl, the bigger the smile on Kendra's face got. Finally giving in, Applejack lowered her mouth to the bowl and began to drink. Kendra took advantage of the situation and reached out a hand. She gently touched the back of Applejack's head, and AJ leaped back in pain. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she gasped, staring with apologetic eyes. If ah didn't know any better, ah'd say she really cares, but why in tarnation did it hurt so bad when she touched me? Applejack reached up and touched the back of her head, wincing as pain shot through her skull. Pulling back her hoof, she saw a small stain of fresh blood. Kendra was up and searching about the cabin. "Hey Isaac," she called out. "Do you know where I left the medkit?"
"You left it by the fire extinguisher," he answered, not turning away from the monitor he was working on. "Why do you need it?"
"No reason." Kendra picked up the kit and carried it over to the cage. Applejack watched her fish out a tube of glowing cyan gel from a box with a little red cross on it. She squeezed the glowing gel into her hand and leaned closer to the cage. "C'mere. This is for your head." Applejack moved her head closer to Kendra's hand, but kept it just out of reach. "It'll help you feel better." Applejack moved into her reach, but Kendra's hand hesitated. "This is gonna sting a little." She wasn't kiddin'. The gel burned at the wound on Applejack's head, sending twinges of searing pain and heat down her spine. Then the pain quickly dissipated and was replaced by a cool numbing pleasure. Kendra squeezed out more of the gel into her hand. She reached over and started rubbing it over Applejack's cutie mark. She watched it for a moment, waiting for something to happen. "That's weird, those three red marks aren't cuts. They're actually a part of its fur. They almost look like… apples." Applejack's ears perked up. "Apples. That's really unusu—"
"Wow, you're really taking good care of that thing."
"Jesus! Isaac, you scared the hell out of me," sighed Kendra turning to the engineer. Applejack looked up at him, observing him intently. He had piercing green eyes that almost matched her own. It was a bit unsettling, but not unpleasant. She ripped her gaze off of Isaac and turned back to Kendra who was now sitting next to the cage. "Hammond said to take care of it, and I am."
"You remind me of a kid and its dog," he chuckled.
"Only I'm not a kid and it's not a dog," she replied.
"If it's not a dog then what is it, Ms. I-Know-Everything?" he asked with a smile. Kendra playfully slapped him on the leg.
"I'm serious, you ass. Look at it." It was Isaac's turn to observe Applejack. His eyes scanned over her, making her feel exposed under his gaze.
"Okay? What am I seeing?"
"Well, look at the yellow hair on its head and in its tail. It doesn't match its orange coat."
"Yeah, so?"
"Well I can only think of one animal that looks even remotely like that. A horse." Isaac's eyes widened a little at hearing this revelation, blinking madly as he made the connection.
"Holy shit, you're right!" he stated. "It's like a horse, or… more like a little horse. You know, a pony." Applejack looked up at Isaac when he said pony, and he noticed. "Is that it? Are you a pony?" Applejack wanted to nod, but felt it was better not to. Instead she continued to stare at him quietly. He crouched down next the the cage, and held out his hand. Applejack moved away, making Isaac frown. "I guess it doesn't like me."
"Well, it's not your fault that it's not too fond of men. It has spent a few minutes with Johnston." Kendra commented rather loudly. Johnston turned around and glared at the three of them.
"You know what? You can all fuck off," he growled. "In fact—"
"De-Shock in twenty seconds," shouted Chen, working furiously at the monitor. "Everyone buckle up tight!" Isaac moved to his chair and strapped in.
"You might wanna sit tight. It's gonna get a little bumpy," Kendra whispered before she ran to her chair. What's she mean bumpy? Applejack thought, and she quickly learned the answer.
***
Isaac looked over his shoulder just in time to see Kendra strap herself into her chair. And not a moment too soon. The Kellion began its transition out of Shock Space with a violent lurch forward. Blinding lights flashed by the windshield, and before they knew it, they were safely moving through space. Chen turned on the autopilot and the Kellion began its charted course through the debris field they had emerged in.
"There's Aegis VII." Hammond motioned toward the red planet in front of them. "This was the last place the Ishimura was deployed to. If the Ishimura is gonna be anywhere, it's gonna be here. And it will probably be near the planet's surface, so keep your eyes peeled." Isaac kept looking around for a glimpse of the massive planet-cracker that was the Ishimura. After moving past an asteroid, the Ishimura was finally in view.
"Impressive," Kendra commented. "The biggest planet-cracker in the CEC. And it looks like the cork has been popped." This was true. The massive vessel had the gravity tethers attached to a giant chunk of the planet, lifting it high into the atmosphere.
"Just think. When that huge chunk of the planet is released by the gravity tethers, that planet will be reduced to an asteroid field." Johnston chuckled. There was a hole on the surface of the planet where the chuck was obviously extracted from.
"It's hard to believe we've come so far in time," Isaac thought aloud. "We've gone from killing animals with arrows to destroying entire planets." Johnston looked at him with amusement.
"Technology, Clarke. It's not that hard to believe." Johnston turned to Hammond and Chen who were sharing the same puzzled look. "What's the matter?"
"A communication blackout and a power outage? A thousand people on board and no one can pick up a phone, something's not right here," Chen answered.
"I agree," replied Hammond. "Move us closer and boost the power on our comms relay." Chen nodded and quickly set the comms relay at full power.
"USG Ishimura, this is the USG Kellion emergency maintenance team responding to your distress signal. Come in Ishimura. Ishimura do you copy?"
"Nobody's home." Isaac chuckled.
"That's a problem, Clarke. Considering that this is a ship with no less than a thousand crew members and there's not a single one answering."
"Hammond, I'm getting a signal."
"Play it." Chen set the signal to play. At first they heard nothing, but then lots of unintelligible noise came through—most of it was grunts and guttural sounds.
"What the fuck was that?" Johnston grunted.
"That, Johnston, is a busted comms array. It's gonna take at least forty-eight hours to fix. Right Isaac?" Kendra stated. Isaac turned to her, still thinking silently. Forty-eight sounds about right for a busted comms array, but why's the power out. It's gonna take at least a week to fix that too. Also, I need to check up on Nicole. I haven't seen her for six months.
"Yeah. Let's just hope the power isn't out." With the distance now halved, the Ishimura was looming over the Kellion. I don't like the looks of that. Isaac turned to Hammond who was obviously thinking the same thing. "Hammond. We need to find an open hangar to dock."
"Roger that, Clarke. Chen, take us to that open hangar." As soon as he finished his sentence, the Kellion shook dangerously and the alarm went off. "What the hell is going on?"
"The hangar’s gravity tethers activated and there's seems to be some damage. We're being pulled off course."
"Fuck this, Chen. Turn this damned thing around before we end up as a stain on the side of the Ishimura!" Johnston shouted over the alarm. Chen glanced from Hammond to Johnston, unsure of what to do.
"Negative, Corporal. Activate the blast shields and turn off the autopilot. Take us in."
"But sir, the gravity field—"
"That was an order, Corporal!" Hesitantly, Chen turned the autopilot off.
"You're gonna get us killed, you damned fool!" Johnston roared. Chen ignored him and activated the blast shield. Metal panels slid over the windshield, and a video display of their trajectory was projected. They were headed right for the hangar, but they were moving too fast. The screech of metal grinding against metal echoed in Isaac's ears. He fell to the ground and caught a glimpse of the blast shield being ripped off of the Kellion before he blacked out.
***
"Isaac… wake up Isaac," whispered a melodic voice in his ear. Isaac opened his eyes and his gaze fell upon the silhouette of a face. The features weren't distinguishable, but they were definitely those of a woman. He kept his gaze glued to the face, wishing his vision would clear, but something caught his attention. Blond hair? Only one person came to mind.
"Nicole?" he questioned, lifting his hand and gently touching the woman's cheek. His vision lost some of its blur and he saw her brow arch in confusion.
"Nicole? No, Isaac. It's me, Kendra." The hair's blond color melted into a dark brown, and the face was now clear. Kendra had an expression of worry and confusion plastered on her face. "We might need to send you to the Medical Deck. I think you've hit your head one too many times." She stood over him and lifted him to his feet.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine." Isaac said. The first thing that struck him was that he was no longer on the Kellion. Instead, he was looking at the wreckage of the Kellion from a walkway right next to the burning ship. "We survived that?!" he muttered with a hint of astonishment.
"Yeah. I'm surprised that the only serious injury was Chen's broken arm," she replied.
"Speaking of which, where are the others?"
"They're trying to open the door to the flight lounge." Isaac looked to the end of the walkway, where Hammond and the pilots were working on a door with a seemingly broken terminal. Kendra walked closer to Isaac. "Hey," she whispered quietly, "do you still have your hand torch?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I need it to break Apple's cage."
"'Apple?' You mean the horse?" he chuckled. "You named it 'Apple?'"
"Well, it needs a name doesn't it?" Kendra stated defensively. "Do you have the torch or not?" There was a fire in her eyes that was not to be trifled with, so Isaac complied.
"Yeah, just don't kill me. Here." He relinquished his tool to Kendra, and she hugged him tightly before taking off into the wreckage. Smiling like a schoolgirl, and for what? A weird orange pony? I guess a pony is a pony no matter what color. I wonder if she ever wanted a pony when she was young… Think Isaac, you need to buy her some time. Go help Hammond with the door. Isaac stretched out his sore muscles before walking across the walkway. Hammond was the first person to acknowledge his presence.
"Ah, Isaac, you're awake. Could you give us a hand with the door?"
"Sure thing." Isaac walked up syncing his RIG with the door to hack the locked red terminal. "Hey, Hammond," he called back, "what happened to the Kellion?" Hammond looked out to what was left of the Kellion and took a deep breath before responding.
"Well, the gravity tethers pulled us off course. Chen managed to direct us toward the hangar, but part of the Kellion hit the edge of the hangar. We lost some power to the starboard booster—"
"We lost the whole damn starboard booster sir!" Johnston interjected through clenched teeth with plenty of pent up anger.
"Right… we lost the starboard booster. The crash destroyed the blast shield and about forty percent of the hull."
"Okay... One question. How the hell did we not die?"
"I'd have to say it was a miracle, but I have my own question. Why the hell hasn't anyone come to help us? We've been here for almost half an hour and still no sign of any mechanics, paramedics, security, or even any surveyors. Hell, I'd even be happy to see a damn unitologist by now." The light on the door changed from red to blue and a small ping escaped the terminal.
"Ha, got it!" Isaac cheered proudly.
"Good job, Clarke. Now we can see what the situation of the flight lounge is."
"Give me a second, I'm syncing everyone's RIG to the Ishimura's electrical system. That way, we can access any doors… erm, well any doors that aren't on lockdown." With a quick swipe of his hand, the holographic display confirmed a successful synchronization of everyone's RIG. He gave Hammond a swift nod and looked back at the Kellion, waiting for Kendra to emerge… with her friend.
"Johnston, open the door," Hammond instructed. Johnston tapped at the terminal , and their ears were met with the dull sound of grinding gears. The door opened wide and the two pilots moved in. Isaac watched in awe as Chen marched in with his broken arm in a makeshift sling, and his other arm supporting his Pulse Rifle. He had held a Pulse Rifle and knew how heavy it was. Carrying it with one arm has to be extremely difficult, if not totally impossible. Chen and Johnston turned and motioned for him to enter. He took a couple of steps in and immediately felt himself choking on the smell of the fetid, stifled air that hung heavily in the flight lounge. With his eyes now watering, he activated his RIG helmet, the whirring metal catching everyone's attention. Johnston looked at him with a dirty grin on his dirty face.
"What's the matter, Princess? Can't handle a little musty air?" he chuckled darkly.
"It's musty in here? I couldn't tell. I thought I just smelled your breath again."
"Knock it off, you two," Hammond interrupted. Isaac and Johnston shared a venomous glare, but quickly broke eye contact. They all moved in further to the room setting off the automatic lights, which flickered on to reveal the lounge.
"Looks like everyone tried to pack their shit and go," said Chen, nudging a half packed suitcase on the floor.
"No security detail, no crew, I'm not picking up any RIG broadcasts. Did everyone just vanish?" Hammond glanced over to a blinking security console behind the reception area. "Clarke, get on that console and give me a status report." Isaac nodded and went to the active console. There was an almost inaudible hum that came from the vent to his right. Who turned on the a/c? As he began sifting through the information on the console, Kendra walked into the lounge.
“Hey Hammond, I got what I could out of the Kellion. What’s next?”
“Ah, Ms. Daniels, glad you could join us. I need you to—”
“Why the fuck did you let that thing out Kendra?!” bellowed Johnston. He pointed his Pulse Rifle where his eyes were looking, at the orange creature standing beside Kendra. She quickly stepped in front the barrel of his rifle and pulled out her Divot pistol.
“Put the gun down,” she let out gravely.
“Johnston, stand down,” commanded Hammond
“Why? You know, I should shoot you and your damned dog right now!”
“Stand down now, Corporal!”
“Then fucking do it you coward!” Isaac observed cautiously, noticing that Johnston’s finger was slowly tightening on the trigger. Hammond also took note, and pulled up his Pulse Rifle.
“Corporal Johnston. If you don't lower your weapon right now, so help me God, I will paint the flight lounge with your blood!” Johnston’s finger ceased its advance and he lowered his rifle. He took a step toward Kendra and took hold of her collar.
“I’m not gonna pull the trigger. I’m gonna be the bigger man and let you do your job. Wanna know why? Because the sooner we get done here, the sooner we get home. And believe me when I say I’m retiring after this damn mission, and I won’t have to put up with any of your bullshit ever again. You got that?” Kendra nodded timidly and he let her go. She stumbled back and tripped over a suitcase, falling to the ground. Kendra got to her feet and brushed herself off while muttering something under her breath. Sounded like ‘asshole.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.
“Okay, now that we got that out of the way, what did you get—” The lights suddenly shut off, interrupting Hammond. “What now?” Isaac could only see the light coming from the RIG’s and the very faint shape of the people that had them. A small yellow light began to flash in the room. The light was too dim to give much clarity to the dark room, but a cool voice came in over the intercom.
“Contaminant detected in the vents. Sterilizing.”
“It’s the quarantine system, Hammond. It must have activated after the ventilation started up,” Isaac answered.
“Well, how the hell did the air turn on?”
“That was my bad,” replied a voice near the wall.
“Damnit Chen. I guess we’ll have to wait for the quarantine to end.” Everyone stood patiently, listening as the quarantine system cleaned the vents of whatever was contaminating the air.
Suddenly, a crash was heard near the wall. It was the sound of metal breaking under force. What the hell? Isaac squinted his eyes trying to get a better sight in the near pitch-black lounge. He immediately found the source of the noise. Chen, who was near the wall, had his RIG facing a near by vent that was apparently broken, but Isaac found his gaze frozen on a ghastly form standing right behind the pilot. It was almost humanoid, standing on two legs, but at the same time, it was grotesquely deformed. Isaac stared in horror as the beastly intruder lunged at Chen.
Chen’s blood-curdling shriek pierced the air, and Isaac could clearly see the vital signs on his RIG drop rapidly. Yellow. Red! SHIT! Everyone’s head turned to the sound of the shriek and the flatlining RIG. Kendra shined a flashlight over to Chen, but the intruder was nowhere to be seen. The pilot’s body slumped on the wall with a savage and clearly fatal wound on his neck.
Before anyone could get over to Chen, another heavy crash sounded out. The flashlight’s beam was quickly placed on the entrance of the flight lounge and the thing that was in the light. As soon as the light hit the creature, it jumped up and disappeared into the vent above it. The door terminals regained power but the lights were still off. Hammond, Kendra and Johnston moved toward a locked door, and Isaac backed into an open door on the other side of the flight lounge.
“Kendra, get this door open now!” ordered Hammond
“I can’t, it’s locked! Isaac is the only one who knows how to hack it!” Everyone turned to Isaac, and he quickly began working on the door from across the flight lounge. His RIG began making progress, but it was moving rather slowly.
“How’s the door, Clarke?” asked Johnston. Isaac looked up for a moment, taken by surprise by the sincerity and the panic in his voice.
“Just a little more… Got it!” The door slid open and Kendra and Hammond rushed inside. Johnston turned toward the door, but a vent burst open and the creature dropped down right between him and the door. Without thinking, he pulled up his Pulse Rifle and began firing but that didn’t seem to have any effect. Isaac saw the light of the rifle illuminate the room. The creature dashed forward, and with one quick swing of its arm, Johnston’s head came clean off. The sound of another flatlining RIG attacked Isaac’s ears and burrowed deep in his mind.
“ISAAC RUN!” ripped Kendra’s voice through the split second of silence, snapping Isaac out of his trance, but it also attracted the creature’s attention. Isaac opened the door behind him and took off down the narrow hall.
He sprinted past several doors and glanced back down the hall, but… There’s nothing there?! Where did that thing— There was a bend in the hall that he failed to notice, and his thoughts came to a grinding halt along with his body after slamming into the wall. With some time to breath, Isaac picked himself up and dusted himself off, looking down the hall that lead to a small elevator. He took a deep breath and glanced back down the hall to the flight lounge. The sound of the pilots' RIG's flatlining echoed in his ear. No one deserves to die like that, not even Johnston… I hope Kendra and Hammond are alright.
Isaac’s RIG suddenly picked up a stray signal being broadcasted from the direction of the flight lounge. He started toward the elevator and boosted his RIG’s comms signal to receive the broadcast. Static was overpowering the voice that came through, but Isaac did manage to make out bits and pieces of it as well as the voice coming through. “Isa… are you… come in….”
“Kendra? Kendra! I’m here. I just—” The sound of another vent breaking echoed from the other hall, followed by some bestial growls. Isaac shut his mouth and stood motionless, listening to the sound of footsteps moving away from his position. As the seconds ticked away in silence, he tried to use his pulse to count them away, but his heart was beating too erratically to even try. Don’t make any sounds and it’ll leave in no time… maybe. I just hope it can’t hear my heart beating out of my chest. The sound of footsteps faded and Isaac exhaled, almost certain he was alone.
“Communication signal disrupted.” The voice from his RIG shattered the heavy silence and made Isaac’s heart race. He heard a growl and swift footsteps coming right for him. You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me! There was no point in trying to be quiet anymore, so Isaac took off toward the elevator. He could hear his own heavy footsteps pounding on the ground as well as the hurried footsteps of his murderous pursuer at his heels. As soon as he was close enough to create a link, Isaac opened the elevator doors with his RIG and he barreled in, furiously mashing the down button to close the elevator. His view of the creature on his tail was gone thanks to the doors finally coming together. He let out a lofty sigh, knowing he had just narrowly escaped death.
“Thank god,” Isaac muttered. He glanced at the floor indicator, but it wasn’t changing. The elevator, it seemed, was held in place. Why the hell aren’t you going down!? Suddenly, two arms began to forcefully pry open the elevator doors. This is it. Game over. Isaac thought defeatedly. There was nowhere to go, and Isaac had nothing to fight back with. He looked at his soon-to-be killer with anguish, and only one thing crossed his mind. Nicole.
***
Prologue: The Mysterious Book
Twilight sat up in bed with sweat streaming down her face. Wow, I haven't been this sweaty since I competed in the Running of the Leaves. She briefly reflected on that day, letting out a big yawn. She didn't move a muscle, listening to the soft pattering of the rain on the window. Twilight laid back slowly, excited to let the sound of the rustling leaves lull her back to sleep. Just as she closed her eyes, a sudden clap of thunder jolted Twilight out of bed and to the window. The rain came down in a smooth and steady stream on the glass pane, but Twilight's attention was drawn past the rain and onto something else. A shadowy figure was out in the rain, on the road below. It stood motionless at the base of the library. What is that? Twilight thought to herself as she observed the figure. It looked up to the window with eyes shining white and a gaze that completely unnerved Twilight. A flash of lightning illuminated the area, and the figure was nowhere to be found.
Was it just my imagination? she pondered. Quietly slipping by the sleeping baby dragon, she trotted carefully down the stairs avoiding all of the squeaky steps and arrived at the front door of the library. As she reached for the door, her hoof froze merely inches away from it. A lump was forming in her stomach at the thought of what she had seen. It was nothing, Twilight. Stop freaking yourself out, she commanded, but her body didn't respond. Going against all of her sense, she stealthily crept to a window and peered out of the corner, looking for the thing that she had seen, but there was only the light rain and the darkened streets. With her courage mustering and the fear receding, she opened the door to the library.
"Hello?" Twilight called out, not expecting an answer other than the gentle breeze gliding past her. "It was probably nothing. I better get back to sle-" she stopped. There was a book, on the doorstep. "Oh, what's this?" Twilight wrapped the book in the lavender aura of her magic lifting it up to get a better look. It had no name, no author, no anything. Twilight rifled through the pages of the book several times to make sure she wasn't imagining it, but it was completely blank.
"This is really strange. First I see a strange figure, then I find a blank book. Could tonight get any weirder?" Twilight touched the book which was unsurprisingly wet. "Since, it's empty. I might as well use it for a planner or something, but I'll have to dry it off." She cast a heat spell, and warmth radiated from the book, drying it in an instant. She set the book down on the nearest table, leaving it ready for use tomorrow. "That's enough adventure for one night. Time to get back to sleep." Twilight climbed back upstairs without looking back, closing the door behind her as she entered her bedroom.
"Twilight, Twilight!" called Spike, waking the alicorn from her slumber. She fell out of bed taken aback by the sudden yelling.
"What is it, Spike?" she yawned looking at the door to the bedroom. This better be important. she thought, getting up and stretching out her lavender body.
"Library. Downstairs. Trouble."
"I'm coming." Twilight shot to the door, scooping up the baby dragon on her way to the lower floor of the library. Shock paralyzed her the moment she was in view of the the main room. "What in the name of Celestia happened?!" The library was completely ransacked. Books were spread all over the place, desks were overturned, and a window was broken.
"Did someone break in, Twilight?"
"Evidence would suggest as much, but I can't be sure, Spike. We'll have to clean up first. That way, we'll find out if anything was taken."
After nearly an hour of reorganizing, Twilight and Spike managed to rearrange everything to the way it was before. Twilight had a checklist of books in front of her, while Spike confirmed the presence of all of the books.
"Lastly, Zebra's Guide to Zoology."
"Check. That's all of them. Nothing was taken, so why was the library a mess?"
"I don't know, Spike. Maybe it was just an accident."
"Wait, what about that?" Spike hopped off of his stool and picked up a black book. It was the same book that Twilight had found earlier that morning. "It's the only thing that doesn't belong."
"I found it last night. It was on the doorstep, but it's completely blank." Spike opened the book and started reading the text inside.
"Umm, Twilight. This book is full of words." He held up the book exposing the pages that were all filled up.
"That can't be! It was wet and blank when I found it." She took the book in her hooves, looking it over again and again for answers.
"Maybe it was written in invisible ink, and the water made it show up."
"Don't be silly, Spike. If it was written in invisible ink, it would have been wiped of words when it got wet."
"Oh, right. Maybe… the words disappear when it's wet."
"Spike, that's not very likely."
"You never know Twilight." Spike shrugged and walked upstairs. That statement had the alicorn's attention. As much as she wanted to read the book, Twilight wanted to learn the secret of its disappearing text first. Maybe I should try getting it wet again. Twilight never thought she'd see the day when she… thought that thought.
Twilight ran to the kitchen and poured herself a big glass of water. She then returned to the book lying on the floor of the library. She levitated the cup over the strange book eager to see the outcome of her experiment. Carefully… Carefully…
"Heya Twilight."
"AHHH!!!" Applejack opened the door at that very moment. Twilight dropped the cup on the book, dousing it in a lot of water.
"Applejack! You ruined my experiment!" She glared at the orange Earth Pony standing at the door.
"Ah'm sorry, Sugarcube, but uh… what experiment?" Applejack looked around, searching for said experiment she ruined.
"I was about to wet this book."
"Now why in th'hay would ya wanna do that?" She glanced at the wet book on the floor.
"To inspect the words inside. I think it's a magic book."
"Well okay then. Ah just stopped by to ask if ah can borrow yer measurin' scale. Granny Smith wants ta make her special Triple Apple Pie and she wants exact measurements. Or at least ah think that's what she said." Twilight trotted off into another room to fetch the scale. Applejack trotted over to the book, interested to know what was so magical about it.
"Hey Twilight!" she shouted into the other room.
"Yeah?"
"How exactly did ya plan on inspectin' this here book? It ain't got no words to inspect."
"WHAT!?" Twilight charged out of the other room with the scale in her magical grasp and practically tackled the farm pony to the ground. She dropped the scale and looked at the now blank book on the floor. "SPIKE, YOU WERE RIGHT!" Twilight shouted to the baby dragon that was upstairs. "This is uncanny! A book that loses its words when wet."
"What the hay was that about?" barked Applejack. She was rubbing her nose from were she had crashed into the floor. She was about to start into a rant, but Twilight clearly wasn't paying attention to her. "Well, ah gotta go, Twi. Thanks for tha scale… and tha damaged nose." Twilight gave a sheepish smile as Applejack turned to walk out of the library, but before she made it out of the door. Twilight called out to her.
"Applejack, wait. Look at this." Twilight quickly dried the book and set it on the ground. They both stared intently at it for about a minute before Applejack got frustrated.
"I don't think that tha book is gonna do anythin' special, Twi-" She stopped mid sentence as the book glowed with a bright light. It rose into the air spinning wildly before letting out a pulse of energy, knocking books from shelves and flipping desks. Applejack and Twilight dove for cover as the book slowly fell to the ground.
"Twi?"
"Yeah?"
"Did that book just..."
"Uh-huh." They rushed to see the book that was now covered in words. Twilight was flipping through the pages, and Applejack looked around at the mess that was just made. "This book it amazing! I can't wait to read it!"
"What about tha library? Don't cha need to clean it up?"
"I can do that later. Right now, I have a book to read." Twilight picked up the book and trotted outside with Applejack behind her.
"You have fun with that. I gotta get this scale back to Sweet Apple Acres, and maybe stop by Ponyville Emergency Care. See ya later." Applejack waved good bye and trotted on home. Twilight carried to book to the park where her favorite reading bench sat beneath a beautiful willow tree. There she opened the book and began to read.
The sun was starting to set on Ponyville when Applejack finally found Twilight. Applejack was joined by the rest of her friends, all of them interested in what was inside the mystic book.
"Hey, Egghead!" shouted Rainbow Dash as they neared the bench were their lavender friend was resting. She looked up from the book that held her attention.
"Oh. Hello, girls."
"Darling, were you here all afternoon?" questioned Rarity.
"Huh?" Twilight looked at the setting sun, unaware that the time had gone by so rapidly. "I guess I was. It's just that this book is amazing!"
"Really!? What kind of book is it? Is it a super fantastical fantasy book? Or is it a sciencey science book about science?" asked Pinkie as she bounced around the group of ponies.
"Honestly, Pinkie, it's both."
"What do you mean, Twilight?" Fluttershy picked up the book, but she quickly put it down. "It doesn't make much sense to me."
"It uses a bunch of big words, but believe me. It's amazing. Let's go to the library, I have to write about this."
Twilight traveled with her friends back to the library to talk about the mysterious book. Fluttershy opened the door to the library and the six friends entered. Spike was waiting for them, with a clean library.
"Hey girls, what's up?" he asked, placing a book on the shelf.
"Spike, did you clean this mess up alone?"
"Yeah, it was nothing."
"Of course it wasn't, Number One Assistant. We're just here to talk about this book." Twilight lifted up the book, but Spike didn't pay attention.
"Yeah, Twilight think's that there is something awesome about it, but it's just a book. Books aren't awesome, I am."
"Very funny, Rainbow, but you won't be saying that once I tell you about it."
"Well go on, dear. Don't leave us in the dark."
"Yeah! I'm so excited, I could scream! Or bounce, or eat cake. Anything really."
"Well take a seat everyone, because you'll all be blown away, by what I'm about to tell you." They sat down on the couches while Twilight put the book on her podium. "Okay, this book is amazing! Why, you might ask?"
"We've been askin' that since ya told us that it's amazin'." answered Applejack.
"This book is about…"
"Fashion?"
"The Wonderbolts?"
"Cake?"
"No to all of those. It's about universes." she finished, waiting for a response from her friends. They all sat quietly, until Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
"That's it? I thought you said it was awesome!" she yelled.
"So, there's nothin' special about it?"
"I think it's special, Twilight. Umm, unless you don't think it's special. Do you?"
"Girls listen, you aren't understanding me. We all know about Zebrica, Saddle Arabia, and the rest of the neighbouring countries, but this book is saying there’s more than that. Other countries, other worlds even." The other five ponies collectively gasped as Twilight's words finally sank in.
"You mean, there are worlds other than this one right here!?" questioned Rainbow Dash
"That's what I said!"
"That is so awesome!"
"OHMYGOSHTHATISTHEBESTTHINGIHAVEEVERHEARDWENEEDTOHAVEAPARTYONANOTHERWORLD!" Pinkie was bouncing off of the walls, while Rarity walked over to Twilight.
"That sounds delightful, but how do we even get to these places?" Rarity picked up the book. It was upside down, but even if it wasn't, Rarity wouldn't have been able to make any of it out. "This looks like gibberish to me." she commented to Twilight
"There's a spell in the book. Right there." She pointed to a very distinct scrawl on the book, surrounded by many equations. "The only problem is that I have to test it on somepony. It'd take some time for me to test it on myself." Applejack's ears perked up and an idea buzzed into her head.
"Well, what if ya were ta test it on somepony else. Would that speed things up a bit?"
"I guess scientific data gathered from a test subject would be more effective."
"Ya know what? If ya need a test subject, then ah'd be glad to volunteer to be the first fer this." Applejack puffed out her chest as everyone's eyes fell on her.
"Me too! There are other places that need to know the name 'Rainbow Dash.'" Rainbow piped up.
"Oh! Oh! Pick me! PICK ME!" screamed Pinkie.
"What about the fashion? Doesn't anyone care about the fashion?"
"I care Rarity, but you also can't forget the critters."
"Ah wonder what other worlds're out there?"
"I can't say no to volunteers, if you're all willing. I'm sure we can start tomorrow. Spike, take a note. I'm going to test the new spell tomorrow afternoon, and since you were the first to volunteer, Applejack, you get to go first."
"Yee-haw!" Applejack reared back, waving her hat in excitement.
"Done. I can't wait to see what other worlds are out there."
"I know Spike, I'm so excited, but we should all get some rest. We've got a big experiment ahead of us." Everypony said their good nights and went home, eager to return tomorrow.