Equestria Route Zero

Chapters

Act 1, Scene II: Sparkle Farmhouse
Act 1, Scene IV: Timberwolf Mine
Act 1, Scene V: Sparkle Farmhouse
Act 2, Scene I: Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces
Act 2, Scene II: Lunar Church
Act 2, Scene III: Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces
Act 2, Scene IV: Museum of Dwellings
Act 2, Scene V: Everfree Forest
Act 3, Scene I: Whooves Residence
Act 3, Scene II: Interstate Sixty-Five Roadside
Act 3, Scene III: The Lower Depths
Act 3, Scene IV: Hall of the Mountain King
Act 3, Scene V: Where The Strangers Come From, Part 1
Act 3, Scene VI: Where The Strangers Come From, Part 2
Act 1, Scene I: Equus Oils
Act 1, Scene III: Timberwolf Valley

Act 1, Scene II: Sparkle Farmhouse

Act One, Scene Two – Sparkle Household

Whilst in this line of work, there was always one odd deal or delivery that was a little too good to be true. Had I’d offered to take all those Princess Celestia chairs from that old man, I’d have probably found out that they were really good looking copies & not originals. Hell, Granny Smith would've had my head had I gone for it & dropped my delivery at the time.

I got out of the truck, Winona following this time & not jumping out before me. I left the engine running; I didn't believe it to be much of a long stop. I pulled the old TV from the back of the truck, still questioning why I had this in my possession. Looking around the foot of the hill, a dense & eerie fog coloured my surroundings with an almost pale & yet opaque shade of brown. Closer to the hillside stood a lonely street lamp, its dim light shining out a beacon for my eyes in the soup of the fog. Walking to it, I noticed the silence of the area, only broken by the sound of the truck’s engine & the occasional hoot of an owl, just being audible above the low rattle of the engine.

“Pretty dark out here, huh Winona?” The dog sat by the lamp, taking refuge in the light. “Maybe you’d better stay down here where it’s lit.”

Looking around, I found a dirt path that looked un-trodden for many a year, leading up the hill. I followed, assuming the farmhouse to be located up on the hill. If not, I could use it as a vantage point & get a good look of the area to find the blasted place. To my surprise, it is up on top of the hill, its dark body appearing from the fog with each step I took. Located near the house are a peculiar mix of objects, a old rocking chair that Granny Smith likes to snooze on, a water pump that looks dry to the bone, a car that really needs a new paint job.

But what sticks out the most is the graveyard. Like all graveyards, it holds a horrible aura, a spooky aura, but not in a sense of great danger. Looking closer, the headstones appear to have been aged not too long but enough that they look like they have had hardly any attention over the years. The singular names of “Night”, “Velvet”, & “Sparkle” stick out like a sore thumb, as they are the only defining feature of each of the headstones.

“This place just gets weirder & weirder…” I thought. Taking note of my tired arms, I remembered the TV that I was here to deliver & grabbed back on the hope of finding the Zero. The front porch welcomed me as I went to the front door. I gave a slight knock to the door. No reply. I tried again, this time harder. No reply. With no doorbell in sight, I wondered if there was another way in.

Around the back of the house was a wooden staircase, looking as old as the house itself, it’s unnaturally white paint fading into the natural wood. Glancing upwards, there was indeed a second doorway into the farmhouse but this door was wide open, a curtain from the nearest window gently swaying in the breeze, caught in the tiny jet stream. Going in, all I could see was pitch black. I fumbled for a light switch, thinking, assuming that light switches appear naturally next to doors.

My hunch was right, the powerful light bulb hurting my eyes. I shielded them, to regain composure from the brightness & to remove the fuzziness caught in my eyes. Looking back up, the face of a young woman shocked me back to reality.

“I was just thinking what a lovely house we have. Do you like it? Have you been here before? Did you happen to see an owl?” Her quick speech caught me off guard, let alone the idea that she has probably been standing here for a long time without a single light on. Realising she was waiting for a reply, I answered the last question she asked with a slightly louder than usual gulp.

Unable to remove the lump in my throat, I said “Uh, I didn't see any owl.”

“I know. I saw it out the window once. Big, ugly thing. All sound & fury. Well, it’s gone now.” Looking at the girl, I guessed she was in her early twenties. She wore a purple sweater over a white shirt, a black skirt down to her knees, some smart white heels & a pair of glasses that accentuated her young features.

She continued her side of the conversation. “There used to be another house here. But we had it destroyed. & we built this one. It was very expensive & we got quite under water.” At least, I think it was a conversation with me.

“What do you do for work? Is it too difficult or do you like it very much? I was once a mathematician. Are you looking for something in particular here?” Her questions sounded like that of a genius. Heck, the old guy was right when he said she was a reader. Probably spends too much time in books, hence the number of questions she asked me.

“I drive deliveries for a small antique shop.”

She replied immediately. “I believe it’s hard times for a small antique shop. It’s hard times everywhere, even out here on our little farm. My parents stopped paying the bank a while back. I shouldn't even be here. But I just stayed.” She moved towards a window, her continually blank look gazing outside, as if waiting for something.

“I have some notebooks. I'm only a little bored. I might prefer to watch TV occasionally.” Mention of watching television bought me back to reality, or what ever I was currently involved in.

“Actually, I have a TV that I think belongs to you.” Setting it down on a nearby desk, the girl’s attitude perked up at the sound of it’s plastic body hitting the wooden tabletop, a hint of colour in her eyes at last.

“Will you please set it up? Then I can explain to you how to get where you’re going.” I look at her questioningly. “The Zero. I know.” Her blank gaze continued, this time at me. Could she be reading my mind? I shrugged the thought off & proceeded with the job at hand.

Being an older TV, it was a simple set up. I’d seen enough of the older models to understand what goes where. Looking out the window, I could see horses grazing in a nearby field, a huge battered barn towering over them. The TV sprung into life, the black & white image blare brightly onto the desk. An image of a cave was the only thing on.

“That’s not how it’s supposed to look. You've made a mistake setting it up. Is it a foreign object to you? Which of your parents wouldn't allow you to watch television?” Again with the questions. Although Ma used to say she heard voices in the static, that didn't sway me from missing out on the latest chart singles.

“I know how to set up a TV.” My annoyance couldn't be more obvious. This time, she looked me over.

“OK. I’m sceptical.” Really? She looked at the back of the set, to look at my work. “You have it all backwards. I’m not surprised; are you? Have you been paying attention? I don’t think you have. It’s time to start paying attention now. Look closely at the television.”

Pointing to the stagnant & unmoving image of the cave, I moved in to look. Nothing happened. Looking closer, I felt a slight twinge, something new. I lost all feeling, almost as if I were flying or at least floating. Everything started to dim the longer I stared into the growing void of the cave. Was this-

“Hey. Hey, wake up. You spaced out a minute there…”

Slowly, I opened my eyes, the girl’s voice arousing me from a slumber that felt like an eternity on my eyelids.

Blinking, I said in a coarse voice “The picture on the TV…”

“That picture is picking up the wrong signal. My brother Shining Armor would know more about it. He fixes TVs for a living. Well, he used to… I think the new models are giving him trouble.” I hope he isn't much trouble.

“So… I really need to get to the Zero.” I couldn't sound more desperate to leave & complete my job.

“Honestly, I'm not convinced you should bother with the Zero; I’d much rather you find my brother & fix my TV. But I’ll get you headed the right away.” For a girl into books, she really wants this TV back up & running.

“So, it’s pretty easy: get back on sixty-five heading north, then take the first right after the artificial limb factory. You should find a old mine in a hillside on the same road. From there, your arrival at the Zero is basically… inevitable.” The pause left me with a stale feeling. I made to leave with a stone look on my face.

“Nice to know you, Big Macintosh. Keep your eyes open. Especially in the dark!” Confused she knew my name, I turned to inquire. But she was gone. My superstitions were being answered quicker than I would have liked. Exiting, I descended the stairs more confused than when I climbed them. Reaching solid ground, I see that the car is now gone. Maybe not all of my superstitions about the girl have been confirmed yet.

Making my way back down the hill, the fog surrounding the farmhouse gets lighter & lighter as the truck comes into sight. & instead of an owl, I can now hear some traditional folk blues being played, the joyous voices of the singers piercing the still apparent fog, & lifting my mood slightly. I find Winona still at the street lamp, the old dog taking a much needed sleep.

“I just met the strangest lady.” She awoke to my voice. “She seemed pretty nice. I hope we see her again.” We make our way back to the truck, the vehicle still humming its own song in the darkness. Leaving the Sparkle Farmhouse behind, I drive north as the girl said, passing what I assume is the factory, turning right & arriving at an on-ramp with the road continuing into a rocky outcrop in the hillside. I pull in, hoping that I have at last found the Zero.

Act 1, Scene IV: Timberwolf Mine

Act One, Scene Four – Timberwolf Mine

It must have been nearly twenty years ago now that my parents passed on. Before then, the store was run by them, they knew the ins & outs of antiques better than anyone in the entire Equestrian countryside. But after they left, Granny Smith came out to look after us at the time while she kept the store running. Applejack took over the place after she had finished high school, & she bought the place back to life, like the original owners had never left in the first place. Now, I ain’t saying Granny destroyed the place but she wasn’t exactly great at bargaining sales. At the time she took control when I was off taking on odd jobs, & both Applejack & Applebloom were too young to start looking after the business full time.

My head was spinning. My ears were ringing. The darkness had taken me whole & was not ready to completely devour me yet. & then I heard him.

“HEY! Hey, are you alright? What the hell…”

Slowly, I awoke, my consciousness coming back to me. My head stung, the old P.A. system just a metre away from my head. Explains the ears, I thought. Coughing the dust out from my lungs, I struggled to move my legs. I looked down & saw a large cluster of rocks lodged together on top of my left leg.

Panicked, I cried out to Shining Armor, “My leg is stuck!” The young guy scrambled over to me past another set of rocks covering half of the now-only-exit from the tunnel.

“Shit. OK. I’m going to pull you out; we have to get you out of here.” With all his strength, he pulled me out from underneath the crushing weight of the rocks, the pain on my leg easing slightly. “There you go, OK. Are you hurt? Can you put any weight on that leg?”

“It’s fine.” I growled

“Just try to stand up. Careful. I’m right here.” Obviously, this guy had never met a member of the Apple family before.

Obviously, I didn’t understand the extent of my injuries. As soon as I attempted to step up off the ground with my left leg, I fell to the side, hurting myself more than I needed.

“Damn! Don’t worry, I’ve got you. That leg is in bad shape.” He looked around frantically. “Here, let’s get you onto the tram.” Just past the rocks that covered half of the mine tunnel, an old rusting tram sat on an equally rusting set of tracks, its obvious lack of use showing with layers upon layers of dust settling on it. On the top were some controls beside one seat. On the opposite side sat another seat, but without controls. Dragging my leg behind me, Shining Armor helped as I sat in the seat with the controls, seeing as it was nearest.

“There you go. Now, let’s see if this thing has power.” He moved to controls to the right of my seat, fiddling about with the few levers & switches the thing had. He pulled the biggest one, & the cart came screeching into life, the engine miraculously still held some fuel in it. “Well, OK. There’s some luck, right? We should be able to ride this tram right out one of the auxiliary exits. If there are any. I think there are.” He pointed up at the roof, a single cable leading into the mine. Every so often, a spark or two would appear, the only form of light anywhere for my eyes. I gussed it followed the cable to the outside.

“What about the onramp?” The reason I was here had suddenly reappeared in my head, replacing the pain in my mind.

“Look, we’ll find the exit first, & then figure out what to do from there. That’s our first priority.” He pointed out the controls necessary to moving the cart & we got moving, venturing into the depths of the mine. I could barely make out Shining Armor opposite me in the other seat; let alone what was ahead of either of us. Soon, we were out into a larger space, the light move obvious here than down in the tunnel.

“Oh, here we are. This may be hard to believe – it’s hard for me to believe myself – but this whole branch was underwater last I heard.”

“Is it safe?”

“I guess so. Looks like the finally drained it. Or maybe it just drained off on it’s own.” Shining Armor’s expression turned sour, as if something put him off about the place. “The water came in pretty fast, & a lot of folks got trapped in the tunnels. I only heard parts of how it went from there – sanitised for the bereaved… you know how these big companies are. But there was gossip too. The trapped miners couldn’t get the pumps going because the power was rationed, so they shut all the lights off. But even then it wasn’t enough. So I guess it was dark when they…”

His speech quietened, almost died. It was as if he was trying to avoid a subject that affected him greatly but it was not as if he wished to avoid it altogether. I thought I’d best check with him.

“Are you OK?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He dried his eyes, his emotions becoming the better of him. “It doesn’t matter now. Look, this old turntable is still wired up. The controls are dead but I can use my signal generator to switch tracks, if the water hasn’t damaged it too much. Or we can just keep heading down this tunnel.”

I looked past my feet, the outlines of the turntable just visible. This device was made of wood, with two single strips of metal laid across the top for the tram to traverse. This looked older than the tram itself, obviously having been installed into the mine at an earlier date than the tram system. Or at least the tram. Shining Armor spoke up again.

“All this junk hanging up around the turntable is from the company store. Just junk, you know? The miners would buy it & use it to decorate the place… or as landmarks, I guess. Hard to know which way is which down here. It’s all so dim & grey.”

He was right on both accounts. Despite the air in front of me being so opaque that it almost was a solid colour, I could make out a few objects that were foreign to such a place. On one side was a intact rowboat complete with oars. On another, a scarecrow. Whilst I was distracted by these alien objects, Shining Armor must have connected his generator to the turntables electrical panel, because we were soon turning at a steady pace. We quickly stopped turning so now we were between a pendulum type object & a casket.

“We’ll go down this tunnel first.” He pointed to the tunnel that I now sat in front of. “If that doesn’t take us anywhere, we’ll go forwards instead.” This time he pointed to the tunnel in front of himself. “If that one doesn’t work out, we’ll switch tracks again & repeat. Remember, we were on the track between the rowboat & animal bones.”

I punched in the controls, & we started to move backwards. This tunnel was short, as in, it wasn’t long before we found something. Before us stood a large wooden structure &, like everything else, hadn’t been seen or used in years. Large spider webs & odd sized chairs covered it. Nearby, I could hear a small chuckle from Shining Armor.

“Damn. It’s almost totally intact. I thought it would have been destroyed.”

“What is this place?” I said as I turned to face him.

“It’s a recording studio, basically. Kind of thrown together, but… When this mine was active, a couple of folk music archivists spent time here recording miners’ songs. Really academic, ivory tower types. None of the miners really talked to them much.” He continued with a sigh, as if he had told this story many times before. “So they stayed at the margins, observed, took notes, & then sometimes they’d get someone on their lunch break to sing into their microphone. Then I guess the power company got some kind of interest in the project, & gave the archivists some coal scrip tokens to pay the miners with for their songs.”

“Did you ever come down here?”

“Yeah, I came here with my parents once or twice. They used to play music here, even when those archivists weren’t around. It was a nice setup; kinda rickety, kinda dangerous, I guess, but… I don’t know. It had a good energy. It was warm, sometimes.”

We just sat there, taking it all in. Looking around, there was no way forward, so I followed Shining Armor’s instructions & went back towards the turntable so we could investigate the second shaft. Passing the junk landmarks, we moved into a smaller tunnel, the tips of my feet just barely scraping the edge of the tunnel wall. Again, this was another short tunnel the ended abruptly. This one ended at a cliff face, the rails hanging over the edge precariously. Had a well timed spark from the tram cable not light up the area, Shining Armor & I would be dead.

Deciding it best not to continue on, I moved the tram back to the turntable. The wires were connected up again, & this time we switched to the track between a bat feeder & the scarecrow. Going my way again, we reach another end of the line. With this branch, it appears the miners just stopped & never continued.

“Do you hear that? Kind of a muffled rumbling.”

I honed my sense of hearing. I was a definite low hum. “Maybe we’re near water?”

“Could be. There was an underground lake around here years ago. I guess that’s why they stopped digging so abruptly here.” Explains the sudden stop here.

We make it back to the turntable but on Shining Armor’s portion of the track, we’re unable to move any further. I try to push the tram into moving but it doesn’t. Looking up, I notice the single cable that helps power the vehicle only travels in the one direction. Looking ahead, the track is also broken, impossible to take the tram any further.

“The track’s all messed up here. The tram isn’t going any further.” Well done, Einstein. “I wonder what’s down that tunnel.”

As we were still on the turntable, we switched back to the original track, once again between the rowboat & the animal bones. It still bothers me that I don’t know what caused its death. Or what it even was. We followed through with the track & entered the final tunnel. This one was much larger than the ones we had been done before, & was designed differently. Eventually, a dim, pale blue light could be seen emanating from the end of the tunnel.

“Thank God. OK.” & I thought I was the panicky one at the moment.

“Let’s go.” I said. But I was the only one to go.

“Yeah, OK. I just… That tunnel where the tracks were broken. I’d like to take a look down there.” His body was closed to me. He held his arms close to his body, staring intently at the ground.

“Do whatever you need. I’ll just wait for you here.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” & he left.

Waiting is a game, & an interesting one at that. Soon enough, you can find yourself talking to yourself. As did I in that cave. As I waited for Shining Armor to return, I found myself getting distracted more & more by objects that littered the top of the tram. Thanks to the pale blue light, I could finally see, albeit if only slightly. The first thing that caught my eye was a birdcage, about half a metre in length. How I hadn’t seen it in before, I don’t know. Curiously, a paper tag was attached to it via a piece of string. On it read: CANARY 25 TOKENS.

Canaries were sold at the company store? Did they also sell respirators? No bones in the cage. The bird must have been set free. Or maybe the cage was cleaned. There are some cardinals at the Ponyville Zoo, I remember. & other birds: ostriches, eagles… emus… no canaries. Too common? Too small, maybe? But they have starlings. Starlings aren’t much bigger than canaries.

Next, my eyes wandered to a pile of tape reels jammed into the top of the tram, loaded onto what I thought was a loading bay. Clearly thrown on in a rush, the reels were unlabeled & the tape itself was decayed. An old friend of mine used to talk about music he liked made with old decaying tapes… something about… most bizarre taste in music. Weird, noisy, computer music. Probably heard it in Manehatten or college. Was a smart kid. Damn pity.

Now I was looking at some old notebooks. The one on top was labelled in black biro but it was smudged badly. It looked like it said “Horses”. Houses, maybe. Verses? It was a crude & hurried handwriting. Not like Applejack’s. She filled out the receipts for each order these past couple months – ever since a young couple complained about the handwriting on their order slip. Being carbon paper, it wears away over time anyway. If they were so precise about their records, they would’ve made to put it on a computer or something.

“I think this tunnel is getting to me.” I made for the exit, the pale blue light becoming brighter.

Outside. I was finally outside. I was out of the soup-like air of the mineshaft & back in something smoother. As I caught my breath, the cool air caught me, & together we basked in the moonlight. Nearby was a old wooden shack, a single chair poking out. I took this opportunity to rest my leg, although less pained than before. As I sat, I looked around the shack. It was lined with dusty shelves, stacks of reel tape & notebooks. Moonlight filtered in through the window, landing on the desk & highlighting three notebooks in particular. Like the notebooks earlier, these had labels on. One was blank but on the others was a single name: Sparkle.

Opening the first one, inside was a clutter of post it notes, hand written scribbles covering the pages both horizontally & vertically, even in the margins. Of all the pages, only a few were lined evenly & divided up into charts correlating seasons, lyrics, harmonies, coal hauls, & other items that confused me. Moving to the next notebook, I marvelled at how this one was so much tidier than its named counterpart. Inside, a collection of detailed charcoal drawings, most of them of rugged faces. IN the middle of the book, a large 2 page drawing of a young child in a miners helmet, playing amongst the minecart tracks & collecting pieces of wire. Behind them, another child sits nearby, studiously reading a book. Finally, I opened the third book. This was full of Greek letters & mathematical formulae. I skipped to the back of the book, & I saw what first looked like it might be –

“Oh yeah. This place.” I jumped to find Shining Armor standing behind, how long he had been there I don’t know.

“These notebooks are labelled ‘Sparkle’. Your parents are the archivists?”

“No. Twilight’s parents were the archivists. My parents were miners.” I recoiled despite his sombre tone. “How’s the leg?”

“I can walk on it, but it’s slow.”

“Well, I’ll try not to get too far ahead of you. You don’t mind my hitching a ride, do you? I kinda got a lift out here, & wasn’t sure if, uh – when I’d be heading back. I can drive.”

Quietly, I replied, “Yeah, maybe that’s best.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been driving since I was nine!” How is that relevant?

Wait.

“I still need to find the Zero.”

He turned back to me. “Well, it’s like I told you: Twilight doesn’t lie. If she sent you here to find your onramp, this is where you should be looking. Or maybe you just weren’t listening closely enough, & that’s not exactly what she said?”

He had a point. I wasn’t exactly happy when I left the farmhouse.

“I saw Twilight at my workshop. That’s up north by the lake. Back of a bait shop located at the bay with all the boats. Pretty glamorous, right? These are the times we live in. She’s either up there or back at the farmhouse. Whichever you want to head to first, just let me know.”

We left the shack, moving slow to account for my limp. As we turned a corner, I could see my truck in sight, & Winona running up to meet me, joy in her eyes.

“Winona, this is Shining Armor.”

Winona barked a friendly woof, Shining Armor raising a cautious hand in greeting. We got in the truck, Winona sitting firmly between us, & drove north towards the lake. The moonlight shone brightly upon it as we circled around it to the northern bay. Pulling up at the bait shop, a sign was planted in the ground which read:

LIVE BAIT. MINNOWS SMALL AND

ALSO LARGE FOR STRIPERS.

NIGHTCRAWLERS.

CHIPS AND BEER.

The store was clearly closed but, having left the truck in the parking lot, we entered a side door to Shining Armor’s workshop. Inside, the walls were lined with metal shelves loaded with vacuum tubes, awkwardly shaped metal casings & cans full of electrical components. At the back of the workshop was a desk covered in various TVs, all in different states of disassembly. All of them tremble into life as my companion flips a switch on a power strip.

“Where was it you saw Twilight?” Shining pointed towards a small security monitor on the table. All I could see was a black screen but on closer inspection, it were as if the image were fading in & out of different shades of black. Tweaking with the dials & knobs nearby did nothing to improve the quality of the picture. Staring at the screen felt weird, as if I were asking for something to jump out of the screen, to announce itself to the world. It was a cavernous black. Looking closer, it were as if it hummed & swelled at the pace of the tide. The workshop walls followed suit, heaving either a inch from my face or miles away. I felt adrift on water, black water, & travelling swiftly to a rocky shoreline. I think I said there should be a lighthouse or some buoys about here. Far too dangerous –

The image went completely blank. “Twilight isn’t here.” The angry tone of Shining Armor cut deep through my trance & bought me crashing back to reality. That means the only place left to look was back at the farmhouse.

Act 1, Scene V: Sparkle Farmhouse

Act One, Scene Five – Sparkle Farmhouse

When I was off doing my own thing, & Granny Smith was looking after the store, both my sisters were in school. Actually, Applebloom still is in school, but she’s almost finished. She became quite an artist with her pal Sweetie Belle but since both her & her sister moved to Manehatten, Applebloom’s artistic side hasn’t bloomed since. It hurts to miss your friends in the beginning. She’ll get over it eventually; everyone does when their friends move onto new things.

For the second time tonight, I found myself staring at the hillside with the single farmhouse atop its head. The familiar hoot of an owl rang out across the scene, evoking the same feelings I felt earlier. With Shining Armor for support, we limped up the hillside to the possible location of Twilight Sparkle. At the top, the graveyard continues to disturb me. Shining Armor must have caught my eyeing up of the sight.

“There’s nobody buried here, you know. It’s decorative, I guess… or it’s art or something, I don’t know.”

“A decorative graveyard?” My scepticism couldn’t be more obvious.

“Twilight’s folks were like that. Not morbid, I mean, but strange. Careless with tragic ideas.” He grunted, either from helping me or because of my simple mindedness. “Oh, & look at the headstone: Sparkle. I used to think that was for my parents. Now I don’t know.”

Leaving the grave site, we entered the farmhouse, again through the back entrance, up the rickety stairs with its decaying white paint. Inside, the bulb surprisingly still burning strong, the place was perfectly untouched from my last visit. Maybe Twilight hadn’t returned from wherever it was she went. I left the supportive embrace of Shining Armor to lean against the wall to catch my breath. Surveying the room, my companion spoke up.

“So, this is where she was? Yeah, makes sense. This was where Twilight & her parents lived. They took out a bunch of loans, you know, & they had this place built.” He turned to me. “Do you have any debts?”

I nodded my head to the side slightly, gritting my teeth as I did so. “I owe some people some apologies.”

“Well, you’re lucky that’s all you owe.” He moved to a stack of books, inspecting them one by one. “My parents were like that. Until the company store found a way to get to them. For my dad, it was the tokens to run the fans & air purifiers, & for my mum, it was the canaries. Two solutions to the same problem, but they sure sounded different.”

He sighed, turning back to face me. “Twilight had debt, too – a lot of it. All tuition.”

“She said she was a mathematician or something?”

Shining Armor nodded his head, a slight grin on his face. “Yeah, she studied some esoteric stuff about… something about using math to translate between Spanish & English?” A small chuckle left his lips, almost in a defiant ‘I cannot believe this’ way. “I think Twilight eventually put those maths skills to work on all the red numbers in the family check book, & got a clear sense of just how helpless their situation was. So she left. I guess she just drove away in the middle of the night – they woke up in the morning & the car was gone. Never came back. Until tonight.”

“Someone else told me to come here & talk to her.” That old man at the beginning of this journey may have had something to do with this, he did send me her after all.

“Huh. OK. I guess we two aren’t the only ones she’s been talking to.” His surprise couldn’t be more genuine. “Oh. That’s not something you see everyday.”

Pointing across the room, the old TV that I had delivered here on request from the old man was still here. “That old TV right there, well, that is a damned antique for you. I had a model like that in the shop once, but I had to sell it off to make rent. Most painful decision I ever made.” He moved towards it, inspecting it with more gusto that he did earlier with the books.

“Say, do you mind if I open it up? Looks like the dials are all corroded, & the screen is leaking light a bit. Come on – I bet Applejack would never forgive you letting a specimen like that fall into disrepair.” He’s right, Applejack would have my head if I left it in its sorry state. Shining Armor turned the set to expose the wiring to the open room.

“Oh yeah, these tubes are all messed up. Look like they’ve been in a swamp, or a cave or something – there’s moss growing on this one!” Admittedly, that was my wiring from earlier. I thought it was standard procedure for the which wires go where. Clearly not with this set. “That’s OK; I have a few spares in my bag here. Just needs to be re-calibrated a bit… OK, that oughta… should be seeing something now; are you seeing anything?”

This was dragging us away from finding Twilight. I tried not to sound impatient, but I didn’t want him to know I wasn’t happy with what he was doing.

“Hey, that looks dangerous, what you’re doing there.”

“Damn, OK… Here, I think the contacts are dirty. Now don’t go telling my customers I clean off old vacuum tubes with spit. There, just gotta turn it north/south, & -“

I couldn’t believe it! He straight up ignored me! I was about to raise my voice but something caught my eye. Looking out of the window, towards the barn, something seemed off. At the centre of the barn door, a flicker of light appeared, disrupting the air in front of it. I peeked a closer look, my face practically up against the window pane at this moment. The flicker appeared again, bigger than before, & then the entire barn began to flicker, like a dead TV screen! It disappeared to static, changing colours as it did so, & all too soon, the light show had finished.

In its disappearance was left a entrance. A cave entrance. The dirt road that had led into the barn now led into this cave. With it’s huge maw open like that, I was surprised the horses grazing nearby had not been eaten by it, or had been disturbed by the sudden disturbance. Maybe they knew more than me. Next to it, a large blue sign made of metal stood by, its words lighting a fire in my heart that had yet, till this point, to be lighted.

I had found the Zero.

END OF ACT ONE

Act 2, Scene I: Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces

ATTN: Octavia Melody

RE: Your application

Thank you for your application to the Corddis Trust for Imagined Architecture's annual fellowship. We received a record number of applicants this year – over one hundred in total - & regrettably we can award only one fellowship position per year. As you know, our review process included a multi-phase blind committee analysis of portfolio submissions, as well as a careful review by a panel of subject matter experts on each applicant's nobility & relevance in the field.

We must be extremely selective in our process so as to maintain the levels of standards we have established over our thirty five years in operation. Our panel did not select your application.

We encourage you to consider re-applying next year. Many young artists & architects re-apply for a few successive years before being accepted.

Sincerely, The Head Architect, Corddis Trust for Imagined Architecture.

sorry for the condescending form letter. love your work. unfortunately, I just organise the mail here. - your obt. svt., vinyl.

“Well, looks like I'm stuck here for another year.” said the young woman.

Octavia picked up the disappointing letter from her desk, folding it back up & placing it back in the envelope before placing it in her handbag. Her dreams were crushed yet again. After failing to keep her orchestra troupe together, she had spent the last few years working an office job, losing contact from all three of her fellow band mates. With a long sad sigh, she resumed her work opening the folder marked 'Proposals', & footnoted with the title 'Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces'.

“Right. Proposal one. Hospital closed due to sanitation violations. Auto dealership sanitation requirements lax. Small operation could be re-purposed into offices. Large cubicle-style administrative offices could be re-purposed into showrooms.” Octavia took a smooth breath through her nose, regaining her composure from the still recently read letter.

“At least this one makes sense...” Picking up a stamp, she rolled it in some dark red ink, & swiftly slammed the wooden object into the page. A large 'ENDORSED' now lay emblazoned on the crisp white paper. Moving the page to one side, she quickly began reading the next proposal in the folder.

“Proposal two. Distillery still active, but scaling down operations to less than half of site. Distillery built on top of graveyard originally. Hybrid distillery/graveyard could share resources. Chapel once re-purposed into bottling facility could be re-purposed for chapel again.” Octavia switched stamps.

“Makes no sense to re-purpose something that still works.” Followed by another stamp on clean paper, this time an 'OPPOSED' in black ink upon the page. Before she could move onto the next proposal, a rough feminine voice cut her concentration.

“Busy?” Octavia turned to the woman, her frown transforming into a small smile. In front of her stood her close friend & colleague Vinyl Scratch. Her trademark blue hair stood out amongst the greys of the office, & the dark clothes she usually wore to work. Octavia was always thankful towards Vinyl, after all, she was the one that helped out Octavia once her music career took on a steep dive all those years ago, mainly in helping her get this job.

She took a small laugh before she responded. “It's not important.”

“Oh, OK. Great. Really great. I mean, sorry, that' not what I meant... Um. Did you get my note?” Vinyl shifted nervously, looking at the floor in the process.

“About the proposals? I've almost finished them.” Octavia motioned to a large pile of folders in the top right of her desk, the tower threatening to topple at the slightest nudge.

“Oh, great, OK. I'll tell Jubilee. I think she was waiting on... I don't know...” Vinyl moved a step closer, still keeping her gaze towards the floor. “So... how did your application go? I was in the mail room & I saw you got a letter back...”

Vinyl finally removed her gaze from the floor, looking up towards Octavia. She jumped at the little smirk Octavia was giving her.

“Sorry, I don't mean to pry, I just... saw...”

Octavia took another moment to laugh quietly at herself.

“It's fine, Vinyl. I'm not going anywhere.” She motioned for her to take a seat. “How's your goldfish?”

Act Two, Scene One – Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces

“Didn't we just pass this place?” Shining Armor & I stood at a large building complex, on the corner of an intersection. The fact that an intersection this large was inside such a place was astounding. Apart from forwards, or backwards, to the left was a dead end, whilst to the right closest to us was a barrier blocking vehicle access.

“I don't think the Zero operates like the roads we're used to. I don't understand it either.” Winona poked her head out of the truck window, giving a sleepy yawn as we stood looking bemused. Shining Armor turned towards the building. “So, what is this place?”

“What do you think?”

“When I got my electrician's license, I had to go to this government building in Canterlot. Kind of low to the ground, a bit older... didn't really look like this place, I guess, but they all had that same feel. Bureaucracy in the air. Too much concrete.” He proceeded to shake his head. “This is weird, but... do you think we're inside or outside right now?”

I looked around. There was no one about to ask. Looking around also told me that street lights lit up the area. I took a look upwards, but all I could see was darkness. No signs of weather, no light from the stairs, nothing. Not even a simple breeze. Not even the moon.

“Inside.” I said firmly.

“Yeah, inside a cave, I guess. Just feels like it's still 'outside', since it's not man-made...” He thought about that for a moment. “Well, maybe someone around here has a better sense of direction...”

Shining went to move past the barrier. Obviously, the truck wouldn't be able to get past this. I followed suit, my limp not giving up on me. Eventually, we both made it to the entrance of the building but with no clear signs of life, it looked like another dead end.

“End of the line? Because it sure seems that way.” Quick to give up, Shining.

Looking into the building, I noticed that it was a lobby of some kind, with a reception desk. On the desk, a small bell sat asking to be ringed.

“Not for us, I hope.” I motioned for him to follow.

Inside, it looked exactly like the outside. The surrounding walls were exposed, the red bricks used to construct it not even covered by wallpaper or even paint. A single large light hung from the ceiling, illuminating most of the room. Still there was not one person about. As we neared the desk, I noticed an active computer screen down behind the desk on a table, a potted plant nearby. With how healthy it looked, I didn't think we were alone.

I took one last look around before hitting the bell. The ring reverberated around the room for a while, taking the silence before dying out completely. I looked around expectantly, turning to Shining Armor. All he did was shrug his shoulders before starting to make his way back outside.

“Ah! Here you are!” Both Shining Armor & I spun around to face a woman, dressed in a smart red suit, her hair done up in a bun. So there was life here after all. She looked at her watch, her face contorted into a sigh.

“Better late than never, I suppose. Just unload the whiskey by the elevator. I'll figure something out.”

“We're actually a bit lost, ma'am.” Shining had returned to my side, explaining our situation as he scratched the back of his head.

“You're lost. So you're not the...” A smile caught her face, as she waved her hand apologetically. “Sorry, honest mistake. We're supposed to have a little celebration here at the office, but the whiskey never showed up. I saw your truck & thought... but you don't look like one of the boys from the distillery, anyway.”

“What is this place?” I asked.

“Well, it's clear you're new to this territory. I expect you just mean to be passing through.” She took a seat at the desk.

“That's the idea.”

“It always is...” She stared absent-mindedly into space before typing into the computer. “You're going to need to talk to someone upstairs about that. One of the map clerks. But first, we've got to get you in the system, so you'll need an appointment with one of the ingestion clerks. Now, let's see...”

I decided to lean on the desk at this point, to relieve any tension on my limp. If we were going to be here for a while, might as well relax a bit.

“Vinyl is busy proof reading drafts all afternoon, & Twinkleshine's out on a site... Hmmm... Let me go make some calls & see is we have anyone free. There are some books over there in the waiting area. Or just take a look around.” She made to get up & leave before adding, “Have you seen our grotesques?”

Grotesques? I must have been mishearing or something. To the right of us, some screens in the wall burst into life, the only noise now to be heard apart from the departing receptionists footsteps was the static emanating from the speakers of the sets. Curiously, these were built into the brick walls & high up near the ceiling. On one, a cartoon was playing. A small bird was collecting things to build its nest: a scarf, a small plastic bag, pieces of little girls hair. The end result looked warm, but extremely fragile. On the other screen was a nature documentary of some sorts. A hermit crab was in a shell a bit too large for itself. It was rather comical to look at.

“Oh, good. I thought you'd left.” The receptionist was back, & like before had arrived without making a single noise. “People can be so impatient, you never know.”

I turned my back to the TV screens, facing back to her. Shining Armor moved closer to the desk.

“Well, I have you a meeting with Octavia Melody. She's a senior clerk & doesn't usually handle the ingestion process, but she's the only one with room on her plate this evening. My schedule says she's on the fifth floor, reviewing some diagrams.” She pointed behind her. “The elevator is just back to the left there. Fifth floor.”

With a smile & a thanks, we made our way to the back of the room entering the elevator. It was surprising to hear some of that elevator music playing.

“She's on the fifth floor, right?” Funny man, Shining. Looking at the buttons, there were only six to choose from.

G LOBBY

1 CLERKS OFFICES

2 CONFERENCE ROOM

3 BEARS

4 ARCHIVES & RECORDS

5 DIAGRAMS & DRAFTS

Pushing the button for floor five, the awkward elevator silence began to sink in as the cheerful elevator music continued to whine on. Once the doors opened however, a horrible sound began to play. While it was still distinguishable as music, it was the sort that the kids listen to nowadays. It wasn't loud but it was annoying. Stepping out, in the opening room was a single man at a single desk. His head peaked up to look at us.

“Can I help you? Don't answer that.” He quickly looked back towards his desk. My first thought was how curious a fellow this guy was.

“Is Octavia Melody here?”

“Um. No.” He looked back up. This guy couldn't make up his mind on his head position. “You just missed her, actually. She's probably back at her real desk now, on the first floor. She barely made a dent in these diagrams. Must have been distracted. Speaking of which...”

The man promptly put his full attention back on his work. How the music didn't distract him was beyond belief. Looking around, the cause appeared to be a record player, a kind that usually cropped up in the antiques store every so often. Looking closer, the record was stuck & after some fiddling, I removed the record from its continuous loop & reset it. On playing, calm soothing classical music began to play, accompanied by a quiet electronic beat in the background. With that mystery sorted, we both got back in the elevator, taking it to the first floor.

The doors opened once again, & immediately we were greeted by a young woman with electric blue hair.

“Hello? Are you lost?” She was a bit of a fast talker, & didn't look like much of a worker for the building.

“We're looking for Octavia Melody.” I made to get past her but she stopped both Shining & I in our tracks.

“Oh, no, she's much too busy. Let's get some of our junior clerks to sort your paperwork first, so we don't waste any of Ms. Melody's time. It's a pretty straightforward process. First you'll need to get a case number assigned. Talk to Clerk Daisy about that. She's just over there at the end of the room. Happy to help!”

With a quick jerk of her arm, she pulled me out of the elevator & pointed me to a far corner of the room, where a young Clerk sat at a desk with paperwork covering the thing. I limped my way over, Shining doing his best to keep out of the earlier clerk's grasp. On arrival, life seemed to spew out of the young girls eyes on seeing our arrival to her desk.

“Hi. How are you? Fine, thanks. I just need your ingestion card & a list of your last five permanent addresses.” I stood in stunned silence for a few seconds before answering.

“I don't think I've had five permanent addresses.” Now the girl looked down-hearted.

“Oh... My sheet has five address boxes, & it says to fill everything out...” She looked around the room. “Maybe if you fill out a “transient” sub-sheet, we can still get you processed. Go talk to Clerk Appleseed & he'll get you set up with one. Just over their in the corner. Happy to help!”

Leaving one corner to limp over to another, I couldn't help but think how similar this situation was feeling by now. On arrival, Clerk Appleseed did the same as the girl earlier, a face full of spark & life.

“Howdy! Here for a transient sheet? No problem... happy to help.” The life drained from his face as he frantically searched through the mountains of paperwork & folders on his desk. “Um. Looks like I'm out, but I know there are some back in the archive. You'll have to put in a special request with the Clerk there. She's the document czar. Straight back at the end of the office there, by the file cabinets.”

“This is just a run around. Where's Octavia Melody?” Shining's anger struck fear into the poor guy's face.

“Oh. No, it's... I mean... that's her right there. In the cardigan.” Following his gaze to the centre of the room, there sat a classy woman in a posh suit similar to one worn by the receptionist downstairs, extremely this was a slate grey. Having connected with my gaze, she spoke out.

“Having fun in the paper clip labyrinth? Well, you made it eventually.” She motioned for us to take a seat in front of her. Shining refused but I took the offer. This leg wasn't going to take too much more from walking. “I don't blame you, you do look exhausted.”

“I'm fine.”

“No, you're not.” Shining's gravelly voice took precedence in amongst the noise of the office.

“How stoic. Or is it romantic? Are you a suffering artist?” Octavia's voice was clean, crisp, almost regal. She turned her gaze towards Shining Armor, a curious look on her face. Shining followed up her questions.

“The receptionist said you could point us in the right direction.”

“This concrete bunker of an office is just a waypoint for you, I'm sure.” She turned back to me. “Where is it you're trying to go?”

“We're looking for '5 Timberwolf Drive'”.

Octavia opened a folder marked 'Addresses' & began to search through the listings.

“Hmmm... Timberwolf Drive... That's funny, do you know I used to live on a Timberwolf Drive? This was years ago. A grimy old house... basement full of insects, attic full of birds. We all worked at the university. I had a dog. I drank whiskey & beer, & made sculptures in my free time.” She closed the folder. “But that Timberwolf was a surface road. With a name like that, it would have to be. What are you doing on the Zero?”

“A gas station attendant told me that I'd need to take the Zero to get there.” I explained.

“A gas station attendant?” She said with a look of disbelief on her face. “I see. Friendly blind man, about my age, hangs out with an old cat, likes to pretend he's a poet?”

“I don't know his name, do you know him?”

She sat back in her chair, as if remembering something.

“Frederic & I used to work together. & we lived together... we were friends. But that was a long time ago. We haven't spoken in ages. Do you know why he's pointed you this way?” I shook my head. “It's because he's implicated you, quite inconsiderately. & in your condition, it's appalling. So, I'm very sorry for wasting your time, but I'm afraid you've been misled. Excuse me.”

I sat in disbelief. “But where's the Timberwolf Drive you lived on? Maybe it's the same one?”

“No, it's not possible. The Timberwolf Drive I lived on is now called 'Pale Timberwolf Drive'. They've renamed all the streets, you see. Too many streets with the same names. It was never a problem before but now we have these databases, & it's all too confusing for the computer.” She continued in reorganising her papers. “The computer has no sense of ambiguity, so it proclaims an error. 'Name collisions', they call them. But there could be one still just 'Timberwolf Drive'. Or so we might hope? It's really a matter of consulting records, of which we have an abundance here...”

“Do you have a record of those streets?” I stood up from the seat.

“I expect we must. They'll be up in Archives & Records. Fourth Floor. It'll be filed under 'O' for 'Odynyms', probably. Or 'G' for 'Generic', or maybe 'S' for 'Specific'. Depends on which part of the street name was changed.”

I thanked her for the help & we made our way back to the elevator, choosing the button that would take us to the fourth floor. On arrival, the doors opened once more & onto a scene of destruction. Everywhere we looked, boxes & books littered the floor.

“Damn, this place is a mess. OK. Hmm... take a look through the logbook I guess?” Shining Armor motioned to a book suspended by a single piece of string hanging off the nearby wall. “Maybe there's some kind of system to all these boxes. I'll just start digging.”

Shining Armor moved towards the nearest box & crouched down before searching its contents. I went for the logbook. It was a leather-bound book, & opening it found notes scribbled on all of the pages, most relating to documents that were checked in & out in a few days, mainly about sports. One entry detailed how documents relating to coal mining was checked both in & out, all in a couple of hours multiple times. On the back cover was a small note, reading 'Failing antique shops – folder missing, check pg. 63'. Upon checking the page, that particular folder had been checked out a few days ago but hadn't been returned.

“Nothing? Me neither. Half of these boxes aren't even labelled, & the rest are all from the first few letters of the alphabet. I couldn't find anything with an 'O' or a 'G' or an 'S'.” Shining explaining as he raised his eyebrows in annoyance. “Maybe that Clerk knows somewhere else we can look.”

“Nothing? That's unfortunate. Well, they must still be in transit.” I took Octavia some time before she registered the confusion on our faces. “You see, we've only moved into this new venue somewhat recently, & it's all a bit in progress. This was a cathedral not so long ago, can you believe it? & then the Bureau reclaimed it. The old congregation has been directed to one of our storage facilities for their activity. That's where you'll find the street name records, I expect. At the church. The receptionist can give you directions. Just come back when you have the files, & we'll begin the necessary paperwork to have the information analysed.”

She looked at me before continuing. “Oh, & while you're out on the road, you might want to stop & see Dr Whooves about your leg. He's a specialist regarding ailments of the joints & limbs, & I know he works at night. His home office is in a small neighbourhood on the east edge of Bowling Green.”

Octavia picked up her handbag & rummaged around in it before pulling out a small business card & handing it to me. “Here's his card. Do stop & see him. That leg is a miserable sight. Take care of each other.” Makes a change from “Happy to help.” being the last thing you here from someone working here.

Taking the elevator back to the ground floor, its cheerful music still playing, we found ourselves back in the lobby of the building. We walked towards the front desk again, this time the receptionist sitting comfortably on her chair.

“Get what you need?” She asked cheerily.

“Ms Octavia said you could direct us to the... church?”

“Oh, sure, the old storage lot. Just get back on the Zero & drive until you hit the crystal. Then turn around. It'll make sense once you get on the road. You can handle it.”

Left bemused by her directions, we made our way back to the truck, a sleepy Winona still poking her head out of the window. Shining Armor took the drivers seat as my leg was still playing up.

Leaving the area, we continued to drive through the Zero, passing strange landmarks along the way such as a TV screen, a lightening rod, amongst other weird things. We soon turned a corner & there stood a very bright, & very large, turquoise crystal. On following the receptionists instructions, we turned around, following the corner back again. In the view stood a large group of storage units that was not there when we passed it earlier. This was the 'church'.

Act 2, Scene II: Lunar Church

Act Two, Scene Two – Lunar Church

I've never been great with injuries. Had I'd ever injured myself in fixing up the truck & moving a large piece of furniture, I would keep it away from my family, Applejack especially. As soon as she heard of any sort of injury from any one of us, she would start to panic & attempt to do everything herself while keeping us all out of her way because we could be a liability to the business if we attempted to work while injured. Usually whenever I injured myself, she would panic the most & run herself ragged trying to do all these deliveries & pick ups & try to maintain the actual store itself. Dependable is a quality I would attribute to my sister, but she does out-do herself one too many times, & not necessarily for the better.

Before us stood a tall quadrilateral structure, built out of a series of storage lots stacked on one another. No curves or any circular shapes could be seen on the building as we drove up & stopped just off the road in front of it. At its feet, some stairs grew out from the ground, leading to a central floor. We followed the steps, & on arrival to the floor, two storage containers were open, one leading into the depths of the building, another looking like a disused shop window. In that one, a man was busy painting over the wall behind the counter of the old shop. Looking around, each lot was divided by a thick steel pillar, a light suspended to each one.

“Is that it... over there?” Shining Armor said, pointing towards the first open lot. The hum emanating from the darkness probably suggested otherwise.

“I don't see any congregation.” With a building like this, I couldn't see how this could be a church.

“Maybe it's after hours. Let's see what that guy knows, I guess.” Following his gaze, we moved towards the lonely man, our footsteps echoing off the floor & into the cave system.

“Ah! Here for the night mass?” The man asked unexpectedly.

“Where's the congregation?” I asked. He turned to face us, shaking his head with glee & a small bit of laughter.

“I guess this must look pretty strange: a church without a congregation. When they first moved in here, man, this place was packed. They had a mass every night, two on Sunday.” He continued on with his work. “But it got a bit awkward to fit everyone in, & the numbers quickly dwindled. Once folks started to see it as a thing that was falling apart, they lost their centre of gravity, & they just started... wobbling... Then the preacher stopped coming too, but he left his old tapes. Same with the organist. & I found some old acetates in the Bureau archives, photos of people in churches. So I keep it running.”

Turning back to us, his face now carried a more solemn look. “You do what you have to, right?”

“Right now we have to find some Bureau documents.” Shining Armor pointed out.

His face changed once more, a more inquisitive look this time. “Oh, you're from the Bureau. I moved all those documents to unit C315, to make room for the mass. It's down at the other end of the building. Same floor. I need to get the night mass started, but you can borrow my keys.”

He held out a small key chain covered in roughly twenty keys of various shapes & sizes. I made to grab them but Shining was quicker.

“I'll go, you wait here. Rest your leg, you're looking kind of pale.” & with that, he left following the floor around the storage containers.

“Nice bloke.” I nodded my head in friendly agreement with the man. “Well, I'd better get this running.”

From behind the shop counter, he pulled up an old tape machine, with various wires & cables trailing out of it to somewhere else. Upon setting it up to his requirements, he pressed the play button. A few seconds later & homily music began to play, it's tune filling the air quickly, drowning out the humming noise.

“Is your whole family religious then?” I said for the sake of conversation.

“Oh, no. We're not religious. I just watched & listened while the congregation did all this stuff, &... I probably don't understand as much of it as you might think. Anyway, I know how to run the overhead projector & the tape player. At least I know enough to keep it going, right?”

Again, I nodded my head in agreement. I turned my attention back to the tape player, listening in to the words of the preacher.

“On this day, we celebrate with the feast of the worker of the world. &, on this day, other workers are also celebrating, workers who do not attend mass, or even like it, even workers who do not attend a Church at all, but who toil with clarity, with dedication, with perspicacity, who do as we do here in our Church, inasmuch as they reflect the activity of the Creator. As we do, they cultivate the earth, &, at sundown, they call the fruit of their labour 'very good'.”

I bent down slightly to rub my injured leg. “My leg is killing me.” The man laughed again ever so slightly.

“I bet everyone's telling you to see a doctor. Hey, I get it: too expensive. My dad cut his arm pretty bad on a job, but he stitched himself back up because we didn't have health insurance. But then his hand didn't work very well, & he got pretty depressed, & he eventually just sort of...” His voice trailed off as if the memory put him off talking about it. He cleared his throat & continued. “Well, I guess I don't know what he should have done. Who knows, right?”

“So, this is like a... hobby?” I asked.

“If you asked me what my hobbies were, I'd say 'card games, science fiction & perspective geometry'. But I run the slideshow, & I play the tapes, & I don't get paid for it. I take it pretty seriously, but nobody's telling me I should. Is that a hobby? Seems like their ought to be a more serious word for it.” He stopped talking for a moment & the homily tape stopped, & the humming of the building returned. “OK, that's it. Next, there are some rituals that you & I aren't allowed to participate in, I don't think. & I don't remember them anyway.”

My turn for a small laugh now.

“Hi. Got it.”

I turned around to see Shining Armor standing behind me. I never even heard his footsteps. “Got what?”

“What? I found what we came here to get. The file on street name changes.” He held aloft a small blue folder marked 'Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces'' & moved closer to me. “You don't look... good. Let's get back to the Bureau & get this straightened out. & then maybe we should go see that doctor the clerk recommended.”

Shining Armor took a hold of my arm, helping support me as we began descending the stairs. That was when the lights went out. The cave suddenly became pitch black. A cacophony of noise followed suit, & I was on the floor again, my leg crushed. In the distance, I heard a voice.

“Big Macintosh! Are you alright? What the hell.”

Weakly, I said “I'm OK.”

“I've got you. You're alright. Shit, your leg is pinned. I'm going to pull you out; we have to get you out of here. There you go, OK. Are you hurt? Can you put any weight on that leg?”

“It's all messed up.” My head began to spin.

“Here, let's get you onto the tram. There you go. Now, let's see if this thing has power.”

I opened my eyes slowly, bright lights from every angle hurting my gaze. Above me stood both Shining Armor & the man who played the homily tape. Shining was busy tapping the side of my head.

“Hey, old man. Look at me. Can you hear me?”

“What happened?” asked the man.

“I don't know. He collapsed. I think he blacked out – he was mumbling about the old mine for a minute. The old mine where we met.”

“I think I need to see that doctor.” I said weakly, trying to get up.

Shining Armor stood up from his crouching position. “Yes, you do. How do we get to this address from here?” He gave the doctor's card to the man for inspection.

The man shook his head. “Um, I don't know. It's pretty tricky going back & forth between... you know: here & there.” He gave the card back. “The Bureau's the only way I know. Some of those folks do it all the time. 'Commuters'. Just go back the way you came. Find the crystal, & then turn around.”

Shining Armor thanked him, & he helped pick me up from the ground. The way down the flight of the stairs was longer than I remember going up. We left the church, & headed back on the road.

Act 2, Scene III: Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces

Act Two, Scene Three – Bureau of Reclaimed Spaces

“Back so soon?”

Having made it back to the Bureau, I hadn't felt like we had been gone for a short time, maybe an hour at most. The receptionist just stood there waiting for us as we made our way over from the parked truck.

“Can we talk to Clerk Octavia Melody again?” I asked.

“I'm afraid she left. In a big hurry, actually. Something happen with your meeting?” She replied, her cheerful manner not faltering one bit.

“She seemed pretty interested in a gas station attendant.”

“I don't know who that is. But she did seem distressed.” She took a deep breath & clapped her hands together in front of her chest. “Well. Heading back to the interstate? I can process you whenever you're ready to go back. Just let me know.”

“Now would be best.” said Shining Armor. He handed over the doctor's card to the receptionist. “Can you tell us how to get to this address? We're looking for Doctor Whooves.”

“Of course, this is in a neighbourhood just outside of Bowling Green. Get on Sixty-five going southwest. Take a right just past the observatory, just before the river. If you continue north, you'll be there shortly. Happy to help.” There was that old catchphrase again.

We made our way back to the truck & got in, Winona patiently waiting in between the two front seats. Shining Armor took a deep breath before speaking.

“Maybe you should get some sleep. It's a bit of a drive ahead before we even get near to the observatory. Get some rest, & that leg could rest up a bit before we start walking again.” Winona appeared to agree with this as she moved from her central spot, & onto my lap, crawling up into a comfortable sleeping position.

“Fine. Wake me up when we get near the nighbourhood.”

Dreams are a weird thing. I remember when I was young, when my parents were still around, I would always tell them everyday that I was going to be something, whether it was a famous scientist or a huge rock star, I was always adamant that I would make it big & wouldn't end up working for their 'stuffy & boring shop', as I put it all those years ago.

Of course, their dream was to one day have us, Applejack & I, take over from them when they were too old to continue doing so. Applejack couldn't wait to finish school. She loved what our father did for work, she always found it fascinating. No surprise that she is the one in charge. Because I didn't take as big an interest as she did, I'm not too great on all the technical business terms & anything business like.

Like I say, dreams are weird. As a kid, you can do anything, or believe you can do anything. You can host a banquet in honour of an esteemed toy, or you could be off fighting dragons in your backyard. By the time I was in school, my aspirations soon started to falter. Any ideas I had were quickly thrown aside because it was never easy or it was more complicated than it first sounded. For example, the dream of being a rock star was thrashed because it soon came to pass that I had a lack of musical skills. I wasn't 'musically entwined' or something, as my music teacher once put it. As much as I love to listen to music, I couldn't create & keep my own rhythm.

Same could be same about my later school years, & perhaps why I became a drop out. As I've mentioned, I spent a lot of time doing odd jobs before I stuck with the family business. Those jobs never came to anything, because I was told I wasn't entirely suitable for the work or I did something wrong that stopped my working.

When I sleep, my dreams usually take me back before my parents died, where I could get a second chance to do it all again. I suppose everyone does dream that at one point in their lives, about what could have been different. I came to realise the only place for me was home, & the family business. Why change for something foreign if your destiny lies at home? Or something like that, I don't know.

Like I said, dreams are weird.

I was shook awake by Shining Armor. We had stopped moving. Looking out of the cabin, it was still night but other than that, I couldn't much else with blurred vision.

“There's nothing here, Mac.”

I sat up in the passenger seat, & rubbed my eyes. Looking around clearly now, there was no neighbourhood. The only thing standing in the area was a large building marked 'Museum of Dwellings', itself in various stages of construction. & although I had only just heard it, it was raining quite heavily.

“Maybe the people working there knows what happened here? We can only ask.” I said.

We left the cabin of the truck, & moved as quickly as we could, with my limp, under an umbrella & into the museum.

Act 2, Scene IV: Museum of Dwellings

Act Two, Scene Four – Museum of Dwellings

The heavy rain had soon turned into a thunderstorm. Despite the building being in various stages of construction, only a small portion of the rain ever fell in. In the main room sat a front desk, but there was nothing distinguishable about it. Looking around, the foyer itself had nothing else in it. Looking past into the main room behind, the desk, I could see a series of structures that resembled houses.

Tape one, Raindrops daughter, you may begin.

“I heard the men talking when they first came in, but they didn't see me. He had his umbrella open inside.”

What were talking about it?

“The guy said his leg was hurting him. They were looking for Doctor Whooves, but he was already gone. But they didn't know so they kept looking around.”

I did my best in getting up from my crouching position. Winona was always good in staying where she was told to. Even though she followed us through the rain, I wasn't gonna send her outside anytime soon. At least if she stuck with us in this large building, she wouldn't panic. But then again, she hasn't panicked before when left on her own.

Tape two, Raindrops, you may begin.

“Oh yeah, he was talking to his dog. Guy was a weirdo.”

Doesn't seem that weird.

“You didn't see the guy. Tall, kinda stooped over, limping bad. Looked like an old drunk if you ask me. I bet they were both drunks; breaking in here looking for a place to sleep it off. I just feel bad for the old dog, getting dragged all over by a couple of drunks. Old dog like that should be sleeping on a porch somewhere. But that's loyalty for you. Well, they didn't stay long anyway.”

Moving further into the large building, the noise of the storm continued to pound away at the structure, with the occasional swathe of water finding its way in through cracks & open gaps in the roof. Looking around, people stood far & near, neither friendly or imposing, watching us closely. Some soon returned to their lives & continued on as if we weren't there anymore.

Tape ten, Dusty Hooves, you may begin.

“I just assumed they were from the power company. You know how they're always coming by unannounced & messing with this or that. I just shut myself up in my room to wait it out. No sense getting involved.”

They definitely weren't from the power company.

“Well I wouldn't complain if they were, really, with that storm going on. I know they have to do their business. Doesn't affect me. I've got my generator, but you know some of these folks around here: unprepared. Totally unprepared.”

We entered the main room of the museum, perhaps the only room. Judging from the inside, the room was about the same size as the building. All around, more people stood staring or simply ignored us. A collection of buildings stood around the edges, all different shapes & different purposes. Closest to us was a wooden cabin with two floors & outside stood a little girl, staring at us & holding a small teddy bear in her hand.

Tape fourteen, you may begin. Please, tell us what the people wanted.

“I was playing in that empty cabin, & they came by. They asked about Doctor Whooves. I know where he went, but I didn't tell them.”

Where did Doctor Whooves go?

“It's a secret. Misty told me, & I can't tell anyone else.”

Who is Misty?

“She's my age. She doesn't really live here. She's just passing through with her brother. First they're going to help us, but I can't say anymore than that. We have a lot of secrets. The other man asked me about my parents & I told them they were upstairs in the greenhouse. Do you want to hear a weird story?”

Of course I do.

“The blonde man asked me about the cabin. He said it looked like another house he knew, & he wanted to know where it came from. I told him nobody lived there, so he went inside. He took a long time exploring. When he came back out he told me all about it.”

Where was the other house he knew?

“I don't remember. He seemed sad.”

Was it the house he grew up in?

“Yeah, I remember: he lived there when he was my age. He was happy then, but now he's sad. He went upstairs & he also looked around the other rooms.”

What did he do upstairs?

“He looked in some boxes. He looked out the window. He could see the museum better than when he was downstairs – he could tell how it was all put together. & the cabin, too, he could see the shape of it better from up there. Now, the part that is weird. He said he went into the basement.”

That cabin doesn't have a basement.

“He said he found a stairway in the closet. Then he found a rope leading down a long pit, & he climbed down. It was so long, his arms got very tired, & he fell in the dark. He hurt his other leg, & he couldn't walk at all. So he crawled until he found a river. The water swept him around until he didn't know where he was, & he finally fell asleep in the water. He woke up on the floor of the cabin. He came back outside, & we said goodbye. & I didn't talk to them anymore.”

After some persuasion from Shining Armor, we left the cabin. I was so sure that cabin was an exact duplicate of the house I grew up in. He explained in the time that I had been searching the cabin, he had found a trailer nearby filled with papers & folders that contained lists of addresses & who had lived here. Opening the door to the trailer, we continued our search through writing.

Tape fifteen, you may begin. What were they doing in the trailer?

“I guess they must have gone through some folders here. It was in some disarray & a few folders were pulled our & left on the table. I mean it wasn't too bad; I only notice because Shine is such a stickler. She's real organised, I mean.”

What folders were they looking at?

“Yeah, uh... mostly stuff about the building site, I guess. They had a list of original residences before we levelled the neighbourhood. I'd guess they were looking for one of the residents. They pulled out a list of the folks who didn't take the offer, folks who moved elsewhere, but they filed that back – out of order – so I guess they didn't find what they were looking for there.”

Well, thank you for the information.

“Hey, uh, while I have you here... work's kind of slowed down, & it seems like – I know you folks know what you're doing, but it seems like the residents are just kind of... settling in?”

That's the idea.

“Yeah, I get that. Just – how about that roof, huh? You just write us a cheque & we'll finish it right up! I know you've got this museum thing going on, but you don't want to be slumlords, now...”

“Well that was a waste of time...” Shining Armor spoke for both of us as we left the trailer. Our search in the trailer had come up fruitless & we were still nowhere nearer to finding the doctor.

“Best continue asking these people then, right?” I asked.

Shining nodded his head, sighing as we moved to the next group of housing structures, a selection of camping places.

Tape eighteen, did they come by your residence?

“Yeah, they came by & knocked on the window, & we had a bit of a talk through the glass. I would've come out, but, you know: shady characters.”

They seemed suspicious?

“I already told you: weirdos. Walking around door-to-door asking about Doctor Whooves? This late at night? I told them what I know, but... in this weather?”

What do you know about Doctor Whooves?

“I told them: he moved in here with the rest of us when you folks bought up the neighbourhood, & then one day his house was gone. That's all I know about that. I don't want to talk about that anymore.”

OK, thank you for your information.

“I'm not saying that the people we've met before this weren't weird, but some of these people go off the scale.”

We moved from house to house, speaking to many a people, either telling us to move onto a different house or that they didn't know where Doctor Whooves was. Shining Armor's statement was just helping in driving the nail into the coffin. Having checked an entire side of the museum, our trail was drying up, & fast.

“We can't give up yet, we still have a few people left to ask. Someone has to know about him.” I said. & we continued, the storm also continuing.

Tape twenty one, please tell us what you know, Ms Bell.

“Do you know, at first I thought it might be Flash walking up to visit? I'd heard him working on his boat just a bit earlier, before the storm started. But then I saw the stranger's limping gait, & the younger guy with him, & I knew it couldn't be. I invited them in for a glass of bourbon, which they politely declined, so I just talked to them on the porch for a bit.”

What was the older guy like?

“He was in a bad way. He seemed confused. He was asking about the Equestrian Games... I thought he might be joking – after all, it's not the season. It made his friend uncomfortable, & he changed the subject. He asked about my house. Do you know, I don't believe either of them had ever set foot on a houseboat before? I don't know that the older man had ever seen an ocean, in fact. It has always been my fondest dream to retire on a houseboat. That's why I accepted your offer & moved in here. It isn't perfect, but what home ever is? I only wish the house would sway a bit – I find that it settles my nerves. Well, if we have another storm like that last one...”

After a few more conversations, we got word of more housing structures up on the roof, as the museum apparently had an outdoors exhibit. Where else would you put an outdoor exhibit, other than the roof? Following the directions given to us by an elderly gentlemen, a small lift at the back of the room took us up to the roof.

On arrival & exit, the storm continued to pound away at the surrounding area, the occasional flash of lightning making it hard to see at times with how bright it was. Looking around, more housing structures could be seen, larger than what there was downstairs & impressive at times. In one corner stood a greenhouse, & next to that, a yacht. On that, a man was working to keep his sails under control in the fierce winds of the storm.

Tape twenty nine, you were up on the roof when you saw them, Flash?

“Difficult to see or even hear, storm like that. But I was awake & alert, trying to sort out my rigging & that. I was looking at the week's forecast earlier, & I figured it's even out eventually.”

Did you talk to them?

“Yes, we had a short conversation. The younger man heard my radio crackling from the cabin & asked about it. The older guy was a bit disorientated.”

What did he want to know about your radio?

He thought he recognised the model, just from the noise it was making! I didn't even know the model myself. He told me many old radios from the period had badly designed circuits that caused a kind of resonant feedback in certain spots on the dial. Easy to pick it out, if you have the ear for it. Smart man, & I always love to chat with an artisan. Well, then they had to leave. Looking for a doctor, I think – the other guy was having a bad time. It was a short conversation.”

At the time, I thought it was just a trick of the lightning. Every time we moved from building to building up on that roof, I always saw something in the storm, in the distance, flying at great speeds around the top of the museum, & carrying large objects. It was huge, certainly not a bird I was accustomed to but – could you call it a bird?

“I saw you folks drive up! I like your truck! What kind of truck is it?”

Turning around, a young girl stood on top of a small metallic box, an innocent little grin on her face, & yet curious at the same time.

“I – it – it doesn't belong to me, I – I just drive it.” My leg wasn't doing too good, & I don't think I was at the time.

She jumped in jubilation. “Yeah, I knew you were a driver! What's the biggest haul you ever did?”

“I moved a pool table once, in that same truck.” I thought I'd play along, humour the girl.

“Me & my brother move whole houses, every night! That's a lot bigger than a pool table!” She jumped down from her box now & ran up to us, darting about to get a better look at us.

“Who is your brother?” I asked.

“Julian's my brother. He's a lot bigger & stronger than me, & he has more feathers than me, but he's still my brother.” Both Shining Armor & myself took a quick glance at one another, making sure we were on the same page.

“Wh-where are your parents?” Shining asked.

“Well, I don't know where they are. Me & Julian were looking for them for a while, but... Well, now we have a job to do: got to move these houses.” She looked a bit sad that we had mentioned her parents & had stopped moving about for a bit. I crouched down to her level, eye-to-eye.

“Do you know where Doctor Whooves is?” Her face pretty much exploded into a mess of colourful emotions at mention of his name & she was bouncing about again.

“Yessir! He's out in the forest. Me & Julian took him there a few nights back. He lives there all the time now. This museum is an OK place to live in the daytime, but it's no good at night. Folks just can't sleep in a place like this; or even when they do it gives them nightmares. So we take them back in the morning.”

I collapsed from my kneeling position into a sitting one. “I'm getting pretty tired myself.”

Shining Armor was quick to get me back on my feet, using his entire body weight to help support me. “He hurt his leg. We're looking for Doctor Whooves to help him out. Can you tell us how to get there?”

“You have to follow the Green River way out east, & then hop over the large lake! The roads don't go there but me & Julian can take you. We were just about to go anyway. I've just got to call him over.”

She ran over to her metal box & shouted out a string of bizarre noises.

Kuk-kuk-kuk! Kuk-hyyyy-aaaaa!

Seconds passed. Soon, a large bird came swooping in from the storm clouds, a flash lightning following its appearance from the cloud cover. Even in my drowsed state, I knew from first sight what it was. With the body of a lion, & the wings & head of an eagle, it could only be one thing – a griffon! It swooped as we stayed in awe at its magnificent size. It dived towards us, opening its claws, its sharp talons on display. A deadly screech followed soon afterwards, loud enough to cover the shouts of the storm. The last thing I felt was the cold floor of the museum roof before passing out completely.

Act 2, Scene V: Everfree Forest

Act Two, Scene Five – Everfree Forest

I opened the door to the cabin. Surprisingly warm, the front room seemed to invite me in, the scene looking homely. The centrepiece on one of the walls was a fireplace, with two large armchairs sitting at opposite angles towards it. A green, circular rug lay underneath the chairs. Opposite that scene was a kitchen, the wooden cupboards & green fridge looking eerily familiar.

Moving upstairs, an open door caught my eye. I opened it, an empty room greeting me. With just a single window, the room was featureless. I looked out of the window, getting a better view of the museum. It was definitely bigger than I had thought it was. There were more dwellings of various shapes & sizes than I had imagined that they could house in such a place.

Turning around, facing the door again, something on the back of the door caught my eye – a picture of some kind. Taking out the pins that held the piece of paper onto the wood, I examined it closely. It was a child's drawing, I think of their self & their parents. Flipping it over, my eyes widened.

BIG MACINTOSH, AGE 6

This was not possible. This was my drawing, from all those years ago. Was this my house? The exact house? A copy? Too many questions ran through my head the moment I saw those words. I dropped the picture, despite the sentimental value it held, & made my way back downstairs, as quickly as I could. Before long, memories of my parents came running back to me. How Dad would always sit at the fireplace after a long day's work up at the shop, relaxing by the roaring fire, & how Mum would begin cooking supper, the tasty smell of an apple pie that would fill the air in an instant.

Investigating further, I moved towards the cupboard, where the entrance to the basement should be located. If this was my old house, or indeed a replica, then they should have the stuff that is down here. Pulling away the carpet revealed the wooden floorboards, a door knocker exposed to the open air. Pulling it up took some effort but the stairs to the basement were revealed. & I descended.

Except their was no basement. I reached the foot of the stairs, & fumbled for the light switch to the right of me. A single bulb lit up, exposing nothing except a hole just in front of me. Attached to the edge was a large stake, a rope hanging from it into the hole. Someone must be here in order to have put that there. I began the climb down, the stake straining to stay in the floor.

After a few minutes, I couldn't see anything but the light filtering in from the bulb up top. Looking below, all I could see was darkness. I continued, but only for a second before an almighty snap & twang could be heard. I fell, further than I thought, & further than I had ever fallen before in my life. I landed on some dirt, landing hard on my other leg. Last thing I needed – another damaged leg. I lay there on the ground, the light of the basement bulb only just peeking in through the hole, catching my breath & trying to adjust to my new surroundings.

I couldn't see anything but the light from the bulb, & neither could I smell anything. I could only hear. & the thing I heard was running water. I crawled as fast as my legs would allow me, moving towards the sound. I made it to the bank of the river, & made to reach for some water. Instead of grabbing a handful of the stuff, it dragged me in, almost as if it had physically grabbed me with a hand or two in order to pull me in.

Without the use of my legs, I was hopeless in the water. I couldn't swim back to shore. The current picked up, the water pulling me under the surface. As much as I tried, I could not re-surface. This was it.

I don't know how long it had been since I had passed out on the roof of the museum but when I awoke, I was on flat ground, the grass tickling me face. Flipping myself over onto my back, towering sea green trees stood high above me, the moonlight filtering in onto the ground around me. I sat up slowly, still feeling woozy despite the passage of time.

“It's OK. Just take it easy.”

I looked about. Shining Armor was running over to me from a large log, where the young girl, Winona & Julian sat. I don't remember Winona following us around the museum so I can only assume Shining requested for her to be picked up. By the time Shining Armor had reached me, he was already helping in getting me off the floor, & taking me to join the others at the log. As I was helped over, I got a better look at Julian, our griffin taxi. He looked absolutely majestic in the moonlight. When a beast that size isn't swooping down at you, & is instead preening itself on a large log, you get a better sense of what they're actually like. Calm &, like I said, majestic. & the young girl was busy jumping about the place in front of me, introducing herself as Misty. I can only assume the others had to go through this as well.

Shining Armor sat me down against the log, my head resting upon it's curvature.

“I think I'll just... close me eyes” The walk had tired me out considerably. Shining took to a kneeling position next to me.

“I don't think that's a good idea. Just take some strain off your leg for a minute, & then we'll keep going.” He ran a hand through his hair before continuing. “Why is... Why is this delivery so important to you?”

I laughed quietly. “It's my job.”

“Yeah, OK. I get that. My dad used to say I was born with a soldering iron in my hand. It's just always been who I am.” He looked me over before he grabbed my arm & began picking me up again. “Come on, let's get you to that doctor.”

All of us began to walk, leaving Julian to stay at the log. Following Misty who knew her way around the forest, we passed many different kinds of flora, some new even to me. Blue flowers sprouted around one tree that Misty actively avoided for whatever reason. Before long, we soon passed a few houses, houses that Misty claimed she & Julian had taken from the museum a few weeks back.

“Shouldn't be much further now!” I could hear her shout. I motioned to Shining to put me down against a tree.

“These woods go on forever.” I took deep breaths as I sat down against the tree.

“Well, no forest goes on forever. At some point there's always a road, or something. A parking lot. Don't act so defeated, OK?”

I shook my head. “I just need to rest.”

“We're almost there. Doctor Whooves will have a nice couch or something you can rest on. &... some medicine or something, I don't know. Come on, up you get. Stay with me.”

We continued on, my leg was pretty much useless at this point.

“Do you have any family you're close with? Brother or sister? Kids?” Shining kept me focused.

“Just my family, I guess. The Apple family.”

“Oh yeah? Wife?”

I shook my head again. “Just me & them.”

“Oh. Well, family is family, right?” Shining smirked a little before continuing. “I guess I was always closest with Twilight. As close as someone can be with a girl like that. She was always on her own wavelength, but we were a similar age growing up, & everyone else was so busy. When she disappeared, I got pretty angry, & I guess I just stayed that way. I never really understood her, but I knew her. It's lonely without someone like that around.”

He paused himself, both in speech & movement. He shook his head & threw a loud chuckle. “Look at me. I'm sorry, it's... you're a good listener.”

I sat a small wooden chair, in a kitchen-like area. Behind me on a couch was both Shining Armor & Misty, staring at a TV screen. I looked back towards my front where an older man now sat in front of me. Doctor Whooves was a thin man, with short hair & glasses. For the time I had been sat here, I hadn't realised he had been talking to me.

“... & yeah, I think during that exit interview is when I realised how badly they had me. But how else can you pay for medical school? I have college friends with debts that... you can't expect to pay back unless you're planing to sell painkillers on the side or something. Or, you know, some kind of administrative thing? I don't know. Having seen what arthritis did to my grandmother, & my best friend in high school destroy his wrists building synthesisers – I mean he was, like, seventeen... ailments of the joints & limbs just seem important to me. I hope that answers your question.”

I asked a question? The doctor continued.

“Getting a scholarship with that pharmaceutical company had a lot of strings attached, but at least I have somewhere to practice, even if I have to follow their market trends a bit. &, hey, thanks to all those seminars I'm an expert on the medical uses of Neurynol TM. It's not so bad. So, how about that leg? What happened exactly?”

I grimaced as he pulled it up, laying it on his lap for inspection. “My leg was crushed by falling rocks.”

“Ah, crushing injury. Yeah, those can be pretty bad. Everything gets all compressed & there are a lot of little pieces to...” He waved a dismissive hand in my face. “You know what, nevermind. Let's take a look – how bad could it be, right?”

He began rolling up my trouser leg to get a better look. I moved my attention over to the group that had accompanied me from the log to this place. They were busy talking about the show they were watching. Glad to see that normality can be found in times of need. I turned my attention back towards the doctor, again finding him mid-sentence.

“...but it's nothing we can't handle. You might have a few things to look out for: be a bit gentler with the leg or the way you walk. But you'll be OK, I've dealt with similar cases before.” He grabbed a small bag from beneath his chair & starting pulling some small jars, vials & needles of it. “So, the anaesthetic we'll use is called Neurypnol TM. It's pretty experimental, but it's more appropriate in cases like yours. The way it works is: I'll count backwards from five & start the process, & then we'll just have a normal conversation as the Neurypnol TM takes effect. Then I'll get started.”

He stuck in the needle in my arm, & began the countdown from five. By the time he had reached 'one', the room was starting to spin.

“So, let's talk about billing for a moment. The pharmaceutical company I'm contracted with was recently acquired by an energy company that has some different standards for billing & revenue, so it's a bit complex now...”

His voice was replaced by a very loud ringing noise. I blinked a few times, & the walls of the house began fading out of existence. The floor began to start expanding lengthways, across the forest floor. Everyone else had now disappeared & all was left with now was the chair I sat on, the chair across from me, the rest of the furniture & the surrounding forest. I closed my eyes & opened them once more to find the tress had no started to disappear as well. I swayed from side to side before darkness enveloped me completely.

END OF ACT TWO

Act 3, Scene I: Whooves Residence

The light of the sun filtered in through the window, it's rays elegantly falling onto the kitchen table. The warmth of the morning sun was encapsulated by bird song, another tell-tale sign that it was going to be another lovely day in Equestria. The smell of freshly made tea wafted throughout the room, as I took my place at the table.

“Eighty-three & sunny now, looks like it's gonna get up to about one-oh-one by late afternoon in Trottingham & one-oh-three in Baltimare, not a cloud in sight so get out those parasols, ha ha! Major accident just ahead of the Dodge Junction exit, so if you're headed to work on thirty-one you are late, my friend, ha ha!”

The radio, as usual, was on. Every time I woke up for work, & made my way to the kitchen, it was on. It's cheery sounds always helped in perking me up, even if the tea didn't.

“Sugar?”

Looking up, my sister was opposite me, holding a cup of sugar in her hand. Even this early, Applejack wore her trademark Stetson. She never looked tired this early.

“As it is.” I said.

“That's what Dad used to say...” She now sat at the chair perpendicular to mine. “I had a dream about him last night.”

I nodded my head. “I heard you yelling – bad dreams?”

“We were up on a roof.” She explained. “Dad & I, & Mum. Eating a light supper. I was drinking sweet tea. Mum was reading. We were surrounded by other houses, closely packed. Huge side-walks, it must have been a... what's that word...”

“A subdivision?” I suggested.

“That's its. I'm sure. Below us, a group of people were gathered. A man was reading from a book.” She took a deep swig of her own tea before continuing. “I asked Dad about the weather. Would it rain on Tuesday or when would the sun set, something like that. He wouldn't answer me. Mum stood up, & Dad told her to watch her step, & then I remembered...”

Her voice petered out, replaced by a small sniffle. She held her head low for a short time & I reached to comfort her. As she looked back up at me, I could see a single tear running down her face.

“...Ah woke up before ah could stop him.” Her classy demeanour finally broke. It was good to hear her natural accent once again.

“Mum was alone on that roof.” It wasn't the first time that I'd had to remind her that it wasn't her fault.

“Ah guess she was.” She dabbed her eyes with her shirt collar, drying up the tears & regaining her composure. “She was so bright. Our friends said... what was the word...”

“Imaginative.”

“That's it. How could I forget...” Her voice faded away once more.

“It wasn't her fault.” I consoled.

“It wasn't anyone's fault, Big Macintosh. That's what we mean when we say it's...”

“An accident.” I finished.

“Sure.” She just sat there, nodding her head in agreement. “Well... We have a mail order delivery today. Might be a long drive. I hope the truck can hold up.”

Applejack stood up, taking a final swig from her mug before moving over to the sink, looking outside the window.

“They sent it in by mail?” I asked. Most deliveries I had experienced were pick-ups, so this was highly irregular.

“Maybe just a shut-in. I don't recognise the address. The order is all... I'm sure we can fill it.”

I got up from my seat, joining Applejack at the sink, but leaning against it with my back towards the sunshine.

“Guess that'll be the last.” I too finished my tea, & put the mug to one side.

“I guess it will be. The last act of Apple Antiques. The... oh, what's the word...”

“Finale.” I said plainly.

“...maybe... No, that's not the word. I just need to think a bit... More tea or something. Or I've had too much.” Applejack turned to join me, now facing away from the window. I put my arm around her.

“It'll come to you.”

“Maybe. I'm not sure anymore. It seems inevitable there will start to be words that I lose forever.” We stood there quietly, the song on the radio quietly filling the silence in the room. She sighed, & moved into the hallway, still being visible through the kitchen door. She soon returned, a inquisitive look on her face.

“What are those boxes you set in the hallway?” She asked.

Quietly, I said “Those are Dad's old books.”

A barely audible “oh” emanated from her lips, that sad look returning to her face before she shook it away. I explained to her that she had wanted to look through them once more.

“Thank you.” She said, a small smile etched on her face finally. “I'll take them with me. Applebloom should be here soon. Will you wait with me?”

I smiled lightly, a small laugh escaping from me. “Sure, AJ, I'll wait with you.”

& there we waited for the rest of the morning. The DJ was back, his cheery voice continuing to fill the silent void, like the song before it.

“There's your traffic & weather in the fives – that's every ten minutes – brought to you by the Consolidated Power Company. Stick around for “Old Equestrian Home” with Rarity, helping you turn your humble home into a mansion. After this.”

Act Three, Scene One – Whooves Residence

All I could see was darkness. I opened my eyes, but all I could see was an engulfing brightness, blinding me, forcing me to go back into the darkness. My hearing was enveloped in a cascade of noises, the sound of the ocean being the most prominent noise in my head. I shook my head, & slowly opened my eyes. The whiteness & the barrage of sounds slowly left. My hearing returned to once again find the doctor half way through another speech.

“...but that's only if you make a late payment on a follow-up visit; I think everything went well enough here that they'll only want to bill for -”

“Oh! He's awake!” Although slightly blurry, the blue hair of Shining Armor stood out in the sea of haze. “How do you feel, old man? All fixed up? Whooves says you might be a bit 'sleepy' coming out of it, so -”

“I was dreaming.” I interrupted. The doctor stepped in to view now.

“That's unlikely. Neurypnol TM is quite powerful. In fact, many patients report a sensation of 'lost time'. Do you feel like you've lost time?”

“I guess so.”

“It's been about two hours.” Shining Armor said, looking at his watch.

“Feel like I got some rest.” This was true, my leg no longer felt like a burden.

“Good. Now how about that leg? How's your leg feeling?” asked the doctor.

“Yeah, that's the important part.” said Shining Armor.

Blinking myself awake, I looked down to my leg. Except my leg wasn't there. At least, not my own. In it's wake was a skeletal leg - a glowing orange, skeletal leg. I shifted my body weight so I was sitting up straighter. It moved with me. I moved the joints & all responded as they should. I couldn't help in moving my hand to feel it. My skin touched the roughness of the bone, right up to the cuff of my jeans, as they had now been rolled up high on that leg.

“Well?” asked Shining Armor.

I looked at him, dread in my eyes. “This isn't my leg.”

In return, he blankly stared & said. “Not your – of course it's your leg!”

“It looks wrong. You replaced it.” I tried to sound calm.

“Hm. I haven't encountered this... reaction before. But it's not totally unheard of. I read a paper about something like this last year. It can happen for a lot of reasons: neurological, psychological, social... I'm sure it won't persist in your case.” explained Whooves. He took a chair from his kitchen set up & placed it opposite the sofa I was sitting up on. “Your thoughts & feelings are probably still a little nebulous, from the Neurypnol TM. That's totally normal. It'll pass. I wouldn't recommend driving, at least for another hour or two, regardless.”

I wasn't listening. I was too engrossed in my new leg, a leg of two possibilities. Either both the doctor & Shining Armor were just playing it cool & ignoring the fact that my leg was physically replaced, or this is just a side effect of the drugs.

“Let's talk about a few things you should be aware of: recovery, rehabilitation, & side effects.” he continued.

“I should have plenty of resting time coming up soon.” I said.

“Goof for you.” Doctor Whooves smiled brightly. “Vacation, or...?”

“More like unemployment.” I couldn't have put it more bluntly.

“Well, at your age...” He shook his head in dismissal. “I want to be clear: you should expect lingering effects of the injury for more or less the rest of your life. Don't immerse it fully in water. Avoid extremes of temperature. I'd stay away from dusty roads & mountain lions, as much as possible.”

He got up from his seat & put the chair back in its home. Both Shining Armor & I looked at each other, confused by the doctor's last comments. “Mountain lions?” Shining Armor had asked.

“Good advice in any context!” He shouted from across the room. “Best thing you can do is keep it clean & free of debris.”

“How often do I clean it?” With my drug-addled mind, I wasn't too sure if my leg was natural & not, so I thought best to ask, & to see if it could confirm my suspicions.

“I'd say about once a month. If you find yourself unable to avoid overly dusty or moist environments, you'll want to clean it more often. &, of course, have a doctor examine & re-calibrate it every twelve months or so...”

Re-calibrate? Did I hear that right? A headache was building in my cranium, because of the drugs – I don't know, but maybe because of this guy's quick speaking & piles of information. Finally, looking away from the leg, I saw Doctor Whooves standing completely still, a fishing rod in one hand.

“So. Do you have any questions? Anything about the bill that didn't make sense? I don't mean to rush you, but I have an early fishing trip.” Of course he did.

“I don't want to think about that bill right now...” I said, getting up slowly from the couch.

“Sure. Well, you can go over it later. If you have any questions, there's a number at the bottom of the bill where you can reach the Consolidated Power Company – they handle all the billing. I wouldn't put it off too long, if I were you.” Nodding his head, he made towards the door, about to grab the handle before stopping himself. “Oh, one more thing. Don't be alarmed if you experience any side effects of the Neurypnol TM. Typically, we see daydreaming, deja vu, pensiveness, fugue states, irregular perception of time... about fifteen percent of patients report a generalised sensation of 'lateness'. Nothing to be alarmed about. Just keep it in mind.”

“Thanks for your help.” said Shining Armor. & with that, the doctor left with fishing rod in hand. Almost immediately, Misty replaced his presence, jumping in through the door, with the doctor doing well to keep his balance on the way out.

“Julian's outside. We can head back to your truck.” she said.

On the flight back to the Museum of Dwellings, Misty had decided to 'hang out' with us, as she put it. She said that Julian was capable of moving the houses on his own. We didn't really question as to why she wanted to join us. By the time we had gotten back, the thunderstorm had dissipated, with only the high winds remaining. Still in one piece, the truck sat where it had been parked over three hours ago.

“How are the drugs treating you?” Shining had asked.

“I feel a little distracted.” I replied. It was true that the drugs that Doctor Whooves had given me were dizzying but I was still mainly focused on the glowing skeletal limb that was my leg. The only possible reasonable explanation was that this was a side effect of the drugs, but the doctor hadn't said hallucination was a side effect.

“You're probably tired, too. I usually feel more tired after a late night nap. Hey, you ever take anything for that? Caffeine pills, or...?”

“Never.” I said.

“Well, it's... common in your line of work, right? The company store had some pills the miners used to stay awake. My folks had a peculiar relationship with medicine.” He continued on with explaining.

“We almost never had a regular doctor, or health insurance, or anything like that. Our social stuff was a mess for most of my childhood, or something like that, so we only qualified for state programs in small patches before something or other would get contested, & we learned to just pile on dentists appointments & stuff in those short windows. If a cut got infected or her migraines were too much to handle, Mum would talk to so-&-so who knew so-&-so – usually another miner - & end up with some pills. & instead of medical advice, every pill came up with gossipy anecdotal warnings & superstitions. Like all this lore that came with it. Like magic. Dangerous. Mysterious.”

“Twilight's folks couldn't help?” I asked.

“Yeah, they had pretty good health care through the university for a while there. A couple of times, they'd swing something so I got a bit of whatever Twilight needed...” he said. “In high school, Twilight got some of these pills to help her focus. She was so smart, but always going off in different directions, mind racing, like five conversations going on in her head at once & you're lucky if even one of them is with someone in the room... you know. So she had these pills, & they seemed to help. I was struggling in school too. Failing my history class. She offered to share the pills.”

“Sounds dangerous.” My scepticism wore too thinly at times.

“Yeah. They seemed pretty harmless at first. I guess that's why I kept going with it. One day I was sitting on my bed, my notebook was open next to me on top of a textbook, & I was holding my pen in my hand. I remembered this moment from several moments before. It came up so suddenly, with such precision, I couldn't put it out of my mind. I felt I had to stay with it until I'd recalled the whole thing perfectly.” he continued. “It was just a tiny nothing moment – my mum patching up a side of a birdcage, winding some spare wire around the frame to reinforce it. I was fixated on that image, & that sound. The cage kind of bending & twanging as she worked on it, wrapping & knotting, scraping copper against paint like bowing a rubber violin with a rail-road tie. My parents came home from a triple shift & found me still sitting there on the edge of my bed, pen in my hand, delirious with thirst, patching that birdcage with a thousand yard stare.”

Silence fell on our group. Not even Misty was being her usual loud self, all of us interested in Shining Armor's story.

“So... what's the plan here?” asked Shining Armor, breaking us from our stupor.

“Er...” I staggered. “We should try to get in touch with that clerk.”

Shining nodded in agreement. “Yeah, OK. These files we got from the storage facility are all tagged & stamped – there's a phone number... Oh, it's long distance. Weird. Well, we can head back to my workshop & use the phone there. My landlord has a pretty good phone plan. He's always calling home to Saddle Arabia.”

“Sounds good to me.” I said, as we all piled into the cabin of the truck. Within moments, we left the parking lot of the Museum of Dwellings, with Misty shouting out her goodbyes to Julian at the top of her voice. I'm pretty sure that made Shining wince a little, if not disturb Winona from her slumber.

We headed north following the route around the lake that would take us to Shining Armor's workshop. But something didn't fell right. A cough. A splutter. The truck slowed slightly. I looked at the dash. I still had fuel, what was going on? Applying the brakes slightly, & putting the hazards on, I coasted the truck onto the side of the road & turned the engine off.

Act 3, Scene II: Interstate Sixty-Five Roadside

Act Three, Scene Two - Interstate Sixty-Five Roadside

The truck had come to a complete standstill. The spark of its life was no longer there. While the electrics still worked, as shown by the working flashing hazards & lights, the engine had completely conked out. As much as I messed with it, I couldn't figure out what the cause of the problem was, all hope draining away with each passing minute. Giving up, deciding that it was beyond my own skill, I pulled the hood back down & turned to face my companions.

In front of me was a downed tree, possibly struck by lightening during the storm we experienced earlier, blown down by the high winds, or both. Either way, the destructive power of the storm had caused it to get caught on some power lines. It was lucky the lines were even there, otherwise the trunk would be covering the entire road. Cones littered the scene, suggesting someone had already been here, but there was all there was of any evidence of recent activity. I could see Misty sitting on one of the lower hanging branches of the tree, Winona sleeping under her feet. Shining Armor approached from nearby, having seen that I had finished my work.

“Nothing to be done?” he asked.

“Just won't start up again.” I don't think I've ever sounded so sad.

“Damn. You had this truck long?”

“Dad bought it used, a way back.” I confirmed. Apart from the business, or my siblings, this was pretty much all that was left that I used or owned that had once belonged to Dad. Losing this truck was losing the final link to the past.

“I wonder how old it is then.” he mused. “Do you... Wait... is this why you always leave your truck running?” Every time I stopped on a journey, I did leave the truck running, as I had felt it was the sure-fire way to not cause any mechanical faults. It had worked, until now.

“First time it's just died like this.” I put my hand on the bonnet, the cold metal stinging my hand. I missed its warmth already. I heard a clap & turned to the noise.

“Well. Where's the champagne?” Shining Armor stood there, a cheeky grin on his face, rubbing his hands in delight. Catching my eye, despite the lack of emotion etched onto my face, he stopped quickly. “Um, anyway... Do you know this area? Anyone here that could give us a hand?”

“Looks like a road crew's been out here.” I suggested, pointing out the cones on the road.

“Hey, we should call someone. Do you know a good towing company?” Shining asked.

“Eyup.” I rummaged through my coat pockets, picking a handful of things from one. I pulled out a small business card, & put the rest back into the pocket. “Lucky Boot Collision & Towing. Here's their card.”

“Lucky Boot...” He took the card from my hand & inspected it. “Alright, I'll give them a call. I hope I can get a signal out here.”

Shining Armor pulled a large phone from his waist, the thing the size of a brick, & quickly punched in the numbers. He held the phone to his ear, & nodded at a ringing tone. I watched as he spoke into the receiver.

“Hi, hello. We've got an old, uh, I want to say diesel... old truck just stalled out... Did I wake you? Your card says 'open 23 hours a day'... Yeah, that's why I'm calling, exactly. That's all... No, it's OK, we just need to get to an auto shop & get this taken care of... Are you – is this a bad time? We, uh... we already are. As soon as you can get out here, we're off sixty-five somewhere, just kind of pulled up by this tree that fell over - ...that's actually a pretty accurate description of it, yeah. Hanging over the power lines just like that. Did you see it go down? I guess it doesn't matter. Well, thanks again. We'll see you soon, then. How long do you think you'll be? Hello?”

Between his last two questions, I could hear a radio in the background, loud enough to be heard through that receiver on his phone. It was sure big enough for it. On knowing the Lucky Boot was on his way, I left Shining Armor to his own devices & went over to Misty, still sitting up on the branch of the tree.

“Are you bored?” she asked.

I laughed & asked back to her. “Are you?”

“Yeah, most of the time.” She jumped off of the branch, back onto solid ground. “Let's play a game.”

“How about Twenty Questions?” I suggested.

“OK...” She looked down, staring at her shoes intently. “Got it. OK, guess.”

“OK. Is it a bird?”

“NO! You're guessing too soon!” She jumped up & down. I couldn't tell if she was worried or too excited about my guessing skills.

“Does it have a home?”

“It... hmmm.” She thought for a moment. “You could put it somewhere, & that would be the right place for it... Yes.”

I scratched my head. “Would I recognise it if I saw it?”

She nodded her head. “It would be like something you'd recognise, yeah. Yes.”

“Is it bigger than a dog?”

“No, a dog is bigger... except for one of those really little dogs. Or a puppy, I guess. Does a puppy count as a dog?” She stood for a moment. Rather still as well. “Alright, that's all your questions. What's your guess?”

“I think I get a few more.” A smirk had lodged itself on my face. Applebloom had pulled the same trick on me once before when playing this game.

“I wasn't counting, but I'm pretty sure that was twenty.”

With wide eyes, she stood there waiting for my answer. I looked around disbelievingly before answering with “Is it a... nest?”

With huge jubilations, Misty jumped up & down more than usual, her ponytail flying high up into the air.

“Yeah! A pretty small nest, like made for a small bird. It's empty & it's night time, & it just rained. It fell out of the tree & now we're putting it back together. Then we'll take it apart again. I was all ready for those questions!”

I looked down towards Winona, & I raised my eyebrows questioningly. All she did was yawn, & go back to sleep. I turned back towards Shining Armor but I could hear something. He could hear it too. Together, we rain to the edge of the road, the roar of an engine filling our ears.

The tree flew past as the motorcycle tore down the road. Aside from the noise the engine made, the unmistakable sound of electronic music could be heard. Attached to the bike was a side car, a passenger sitting in it. Both rider & passenger wore goggles, shielding their eyes from the air that rushed passed them, & both also had turquoise blue hair, kept tightly together with the bike helmets they wore.

“Is this the right way? I don't recognise these trees.” said the passenger, her concern of the way to their destination obvious as she looked around quickly.

“Of course it is.” said the rider. She shook her head, having had to answer this question before when driving down this road.

“Yeah, I'm sure you're right. Just... the trees are so quiet, right? Usually you'd hear birds, wind, a squirrel or something.”

“Doesn't seem so quiet right now.” The rider pointed to the radio. “Listen.”

“Yeah, you're right. Maybe I'm a little bored. I'll work some chord progressions in my head for a while or something Ha ha.” The passenger took a look behind them, watching the road markings fly past underneath them. “Is the bike kind of dragging a bit tonight?”

“If only we had something to jettison...” The rider mused quietly.

“You know you'd miss me.”

“I only miss you when I know you're coming back.” The rider took time from watching the road to look at her passenger.

“O-ho! We should write a song about it!” The passenger pulled from her coat a small notepad & pen, & began writing down some notes.

“A fugue for solo keytar.” said the rider.

“Ha. Maybe for an encore.” The passenger put the notepad back into their coat, their note-taking abruptly stopping at that comment. The rider then fiddled with the radio dials, changing the station & changing the song.

“Hey, yeah!” The passenger was incredibly upbeat again. “Didn't you play on this record?”

“This is Stoney's record.”

“Yeah, Stoney! Stoney. That guy is out of control. We should do a set with him.” suggested the passenger.

“He's a creep.”

“Yeah. That creep can play though!” The passenger looked at her wrist, only to find no watch to be found on her wrist. “What time is it?”

“It's late.”

“Blueblood's gonna flip out.” The passenger then went about trying to find her watch in the side-car.

“That old man was born flipped.”

The passenger re-emerged, watch-less. “I just hope we can scrape some tips. Hard enough when you get there on time.”

“Just play the keyboard, I'll figure out the rest.”

“I know, dear.” said the passenger. She looked ahead & saw a large box truck. As the pair zoomed past on their motorcycle, she got a good look at the people standing near it – what appeared to be two men, a small child & an animal, possibly a dog of some sorts.

“I think they had a dog.” she mentioned to the rider.

The rider shrugged. “I guess you could call it that.”

“Just some old dog bones with some fur draped over it. Poor thing. We still have all this useless bread from the bakery gig. It's stale, but...” The passenger pulled a small bag from underneath her & put it onto her lap, a few pieces of bread sticking out from where the zip could not fully zip up. “A dog won't care.”

The rider sighed in response. “Fine. Just for a minute to share some bread.”

“You're the best.” A large smile crawled across her face. “&, hey, maybe if they're not busy they can fill some seats at the gig. You know if no one's there Blueblood'll try & bilk us on our fee.”

“Maniacs. Are you OK?” Shining's concern for me was understandable. After all, I was the one to not move as a giant dust cloud had covered the side of the road after a motorcycle had flown by.

“Got a little dust in my eye.” I spluttered.

“Oh no. Here, I think I have some eye drops... They were in a hurry.” he said.

“Some folks are always in a hurry.” I waved away the offer of eye drops. Dust was the least of my worries, not for my eye anyway. I doubt eye drops would be able to clean my leg anytime soon.

“Not you though, huh?” He put the eye drops back in his bag. “You just keep drifting along & don't let anyone rush you. What is that? Is that patience? Something like patience. I guess that's what I like about you, old man. You know how to wait. I don't think I ever will.”

As I rubbed the last of the dust out of my eyes, the motorcycle that had only just passed us was back but at a slower pace than previously. & this time, it pulled up opposite the truck, the rider getting off from the main bike, the passenger remaining in their side-car.

“Stay here.” the rider said to the passenger. She turned to Misty, back on her branch. “Careful. She's wicked with strangers.”

“Ha, you - “ the passenger started but I had interrupted.

“You didn't have to stop, we've got a tow coming.”

“Hear that, Cloudchaser? We didn't have to stop.” She said louder than need be.

“Oh! Why'd we stop?” Cloudchaser had an unusual light blue hue about her hair, it may have been turquoise but it was hard to tell with the motorcycle lights shining in my eyes. She also looked confused constantly.

“That's a good question.” said the rider. “These folks seem to have a certain handle on the situation. So...?”

“Oh, we thought you were stopping to help.” I motioned to both Shining Armor & I, the confusion not etched onto our faces.

“Sure, sure, something like that.” The rider nodded her head quickly before continuing. “Listen: we've got two questions for you folks. What kind of people do you take us for? I mean, how do we strike you?” She held up her arms & did a twirl, showing off her outfit. While dressed like a biker, she too had a light blue hue in her hair.

“Probably from space.” piped up Misty.

“I always said you fell from heaven, dear!” shouted out Cloudchaser, agreeing with Misty's comment.

“Otherworldly!” shouted the rider back to Cloudchaser.

“It's unmistakable.” The rider rolled her eyes, ignoring Cloudchaser for a while.

“Now, here's another question for you: do you like music?”

“Do you like music?” chimed in Cloudchaser. She held her arm out of the side-car, Winona getting up & moving towards her.

“Applejack used to sing in taverns in the weekend.” I reminisced. “Beautiful stuff. Appl- “

“Of course you do!”

“Say, they should come to our gig!”

“What an idea!”

I held up a hand to seize their babble. “Well, we're waiting on a tow.”

“A tow! I won't hear it. This time of night, you'll be kicking your heels 'till dawn. We'll fix your truck.” She ran over, pulling the hood of the truck up & peering in. “Me & Cloudchaser are a couple of regular gearheads. Why, I just put a new cylinder block in that baby over there: the Sloth-on-wheels.”

“- that's what Flitter calls out bike.” pointed out Cloudchaser, holding out a piece of bread for Winona.

“We call it the Sloth-on-wheels.” said the newly appointed Flitter.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

“We'll get you fixed up quick, so you can come to the gig.” Flitter pulled her head out from the bonnet, & leant against one of the headlights. “See, we have a regular booking tonight &, well, we're running late.”

“Very late!” shouted Cloudchaser.

“That's what I told them!” Flitter shouted back. “Now the old man who runs this venue, Blueblood, is a notorious withholder. & if we don't get a few bodies in the crowd, well... he'll go all penny pinching on us. Just a short set, we only have one song prepared.”

“You'll come to the gig, won't you?” asked Cloudchaser.

“We really don't have time.” said Shining Armor.

Flitter ran back over to her companion. “Of course they will! Can you believe: we almost didn't stop?”

“Hungry, old gal? I think I've got a crust left for you...” Cloudchaser rummaged about once more & produced a thick crust for Winona.

“But that dog of yours is such a pitiful sight... Well, it's all said & done. We stopped, that's all that matters.” She walked back on over to the truck. “Our gig's at an old tavern called 'The Lower Depths.' It's over there by old Charlie Horse Highway, just east off sixty-five. We usually take a right off the interstate around the petting zoo. Cloudchaser likes the petting zoo.”

“I do like the petting zoo.”

Flitter clapped her hands together in delight. “Now, let's see about that truck of yours... I feel certain we can get it running.”

Act 3, Scene III: The Lower Depths

Act Three, Scene Three – The Lower Depths

How?

That was the question that ran through my mind during the entire journey to The Lower Depths. Somehow, Flitter had managed to fix the truck & here we now stood, outside a small dingy, wooden tavern, with the truck quietly humming away in the parking lot. She had bought it back to life & now we were in her debt. So, naturally, we followed them to watch their gig.

The Lower Depths, as I have already said, was a small tavern. Being out here though, you could guess why – there was nothing but miles & miles of open road on either side, & there were no other distinguishable landmarks. Just lots of sand. Hardly a great place to attract customers. A large blue neon sign hung from the front porch. “Hard Times served”. It swung slightly, almost gently in the breeze. Behind the building itself, one could see the last remnants of the storm passing over the mountains, taking the high winds with it. Shining Armor & Winona both came up to my side, whilst Misty went off with our new acquaintances into the tavern.

“Doesn't feel right. Feels dead here. Well, that's just a feeling. Right?” I turned to Shining Armor for something encouraging but both he & Winona just looked at me. He shrugged, she yawned. Together, we followed our hosts into the tavern.

Inside, it held a more rustic aesthetic than a decaying one. Continuing with wooden panels on the inside on the walls & the floor, wooden tables & chairs cluttered the place. It's no wonder the outside looked like a desert.

“Kind of late – are you sure they're open?” asked Shining Armor.

“Sure, they're open. This is one of those places.” Flitter replied. She pointed out the barman at the back of the room, a man who until we entered was the only person even in The Lower Depths. He looked up & nodded slightly, if only in a mood of sorts.

“'We are not saints, but we've kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?'” Flitter stood in an odd pose, holding her arm out to the barman.

“Ooo, that's lovely. Who said it?” asked Cloudchaser.

Flitter's stance slackened, & she gave a small sigh. A very audible sigh.

“A poet.”

The silence was deadly. In a few short minutes, everyone had gone off to do their own thing. Shining Armor had gone off to see the barman, now revealed to us by Flitter to be Blueblood, both she & Cloudchaser were at a corner stage setting up their tech & Misty was busy inspecting a jukebox in another corner of the room. I decided to make my way over to both Flitter & Cloudchaser, to learn a bit more about them, to prepare myself for whatever they were to present to us.

“Ma'am, I hate to say it, but the cupboard is bare.” said Cloudchaser.

“Have some vision, cricket.” Flitter began to count the numbers in the room. “We've got – one, two... four patrons.”

“Blueblood doesn't count.”

Flittter waved away the dismissal with her hand. “Well, we've done more with less.”

“What kind of music do you play?” I asked. Flitter jumped down from the stage, dropping her task & letting Cloudchaser pick it up in the middle of her own.

“It's like Cyrano Colt meets like Towner, but with a woman lead, & the keyboards are kind of ambient whisper-wave.”

“Little bit more reverb.” piped in Cloudchaser.

“There's some Holly Crown in there, too. Like the early stuff before she joined the Sheet Swingers.”

“Better drum programming, though!” Again, Cloudchaser managed to pipe in, despite the tangle of wires that had managed to get stuck on her arms.

“I don't know who these people are.” I admitted. I never was one for modern music, let alone anything without an old country guitar. Flitter gave another dismissal wave.

“Well, you'll hear it in a minute.”

I nodded in reply. In impressive grace, Flitter jumped back up onto the stage & immediately went to work in untangling Cloudchaser who by now had started to look more like a large wire herself with how many she had managed to wrap around her. I left the pair to their set up & made my way over to Shining Armor at the bar.

“All I'm pouring tonight is Hard Times Whiskey.” said Blueblood, answering a question that Shining had asked.

“Got any coffee going?” I asked. Blueblood turned to me & shook his head.

“No coffee. Hard Times Whiskey.” He pulled away from his leaning position & began shouting away towards the fire exit. “Say, shut the G.D. door, would you? I can't afford to run the A.C. all night!”

“Sorry, Blueblood.” Both Cloudchaser & Flitter had decided to join us as well.

“Oh, it's you two. Where have you been? Never mind. Listen, I can't keep this place open through the small hours of the night just waiting for musicians!” The yelling had been re-directed from the fire exit & onto our hosts.

“Gets lonely, doesn't it?” Flitter asked.

“It... yeah, kinda...”

“How about some music?” She asked.

“There's nobody here to listen to it!” Blueblood waved his arms about aimlessly. “I can't pay for -”

“We bought some people, Blueblood!” Cloudchaser pointed us out. We were the only people that had arrived this late at night.

“Yeah, but also I -”

“Don't you want to hear some music, Blueblood?”

“That does sound nice, after the day I've had...” He nodded his head in agreement. “But I -”

Before he could finish his sentence, both Flitter & Cloudchaser had left for the stage, continuing in their preparations. I shook my head in disbelief at the pair. Noticing Misty was still at the Jukebox, I made my way over to her.

“What do you think?” Her enthusiasm for the machine was interesting, I don't think she had ever seen one before.

“I don't know how to play this game.” She confirmed my suspicions. She really hadn't seen one before. But she continued on nevertheless, flicking through the selection scene, like it was still a game to her.

“How's it going out there? How're y'all feeling tonight?” Flitter had asked enthusiastically. All of us, excluding Blueblood up at the bar, had now gathered around the stage. Being a crowd of three people & one dog, I should think this has been the smallest gig I have ever attended, or will ever attend.

“Hey B! Can we get a bit more reverb in the monitors?” Cloudchaser stood in front of his microphone, tapping it. Blueblood ducked under his bar before sticking his head back up a few seconds later.

“How's that?” he asked. Cloudchaser proceeded to test it out vocally.

“Test. Test. One. One. Three. Fifty. Lamentation. La – men – ta – tion. Sounds good.”

Flitter repeated her questioning & then pointed towards me when asking: “Anybody had a real bad night? What about you, old man?”

I cleared my throat. “Yeah, real bad.”

“We'll try not to make it too much worse. This is a song I heard in a tavern many years ago at an open mic night. Me & Cloudchaser were out just riding around, you know – you like to drive around, old man?”

“That's my job.”

“Of course you do.” She diverted her attention from me & focused back on the entire tavern as a whole. “So we were out riding around & we passed this gaudy old tavern, I mean it was a real dive. Busted up façade -”

“- weeds in the parking lot -” Cloudchaser was now switching with Flitter over the sentence, the description of this tavern.

“- taps all dry -”

“- bats in the bathroom -”

“- & run by this freaky bag of bones, looked like the only thing keeping him awake was the fear of death. So glad to be back here at The Lower Depths.” Flitter finished, winking towards Blueblood.

“Hey, now -” he began before Flitter cut him off.

“So we stopped for an early drink, & there was a lady singing right here on stage. & the song she sang... well, it stuck with us, & now it's a regular part of our repertoire. Never got that lady's name, but she seemed like a sweet gal & she had a voice like scotch whiskey, & we just hope we do her song justice. So here it is: Too Late To Love You.”

I don't know if it was anything to do with the medicine the doctor had prescribed to me, but the stage seemed to transform before my very eyes. In a second or two, the lights in the tavern had gone out. All of them. & seconds later, they came back on, the stage having been transformed in a mere matter of moments. Both Flitter & Cloudchaser had gone through quick wardrobe changes. Instead of their biker gear, a flowing blue gown & white knee length boots were now being worn on Flitter, make-up now encasing her face, eye shadow matching her dress, & Cludchaser wore a full red suit, white highlights running down the seams & along the edges of the fabric, keytar now in hand. The music began to play, & the ceiling appeared to dissapear, revealing the night sky, the clear night sky with its twinkling stars & large full moon. Flitter soon began to sing a sad song that went something like this. I never was good with remembering the lyrics of songs.

I never should have met you on that awful day, I was happy then,

Until you stole my heart, & disappeared again.

It's too late to love you now.

It's too late, I've made my vow.

The hurt you left behind would truly never heal,

a hole where my heart knew there should be something real.

It's too late to love you now.

It's too late, I've made my vow.

In times I thought that somehow love would find a way

but you waited too long, darlin', it's too late.

It's too late to love you now.

It's too late, I've made my vow.

Another life came by & stole my heart away.

I wish I could take it back, but it's too late...

The song ended, & the ceiling returned. The lights dimmed slowly, going to total darkness the moment the song ended. They came back on, & both of them were back in their biker gear, as quickly as they had gotten out of them.

“Well, hope you liked it.” Flitter took to taking a seated position, her legs hanging off the edge of the stage.

“Kind of sad, isn't it?” I asked her.

“Kind of. Listen, we appreciate you folks sticking around for the show. There's nothing more wretched than playing sad songs to an empty room. We've just got to get our fee from Blueblood, & then we'll get you headed to the, uh, Zero...”

Both Shining & I followed the pair to the bar, except Misty who moved back to flicking through the jukebox collection.

“Well, Blueblood, I think that went pretty well.”

“I would say the crowd was into it... reverential!” joined in Cloudchaser.

“Rapt! I guess the usual fee is about right, & we'll let you get back to your... business.”

“Well, that's just the...” Blueblood stopped mid-sentence, & shook his head violently whilst looking down at the floor. “...dammit, I was trying to tell you two, I can't pay! They cleaned me out. I've got nothing left but a G.D. I.O.U. from the distillery.”

In response, Cloudchaser kept in simple: “An I.O.U.”

“Yeah, I traded them some... I traded them for some whiskey, & I guess I had some surplus credit, so I got this note to get some more from them later on.”

“Must have been a hell of a trade.” Cloudchaser managed to laugh out.

“I had to! Got to keep this place open somehow, dammit!”

“Watch your language, Blueblood.” She covered her ears in protest, jokingly I assume.

“Could you pay them with your I.O.U.?” I suggested.

“Well, I...” he stuttered, thinking it over. Flitter piped up with her usual enthusiastic tone.

“Very contemporary, very astute! How about it, B? Let's push some paper around.”

“Well, it's just...” His stuttering continued. “I can collect on it here when they bring up more whiskey. But for you to cash in, you'd have to go down to... you know... Down to the distillery. Down to Hard Times. &, you know, it's... you've got to take the Zero.”

“So that's what we'll do. How do we get there?” Flitter asked confidently.

“Are you sure you folks want to head down there? I've never been myself, but I hear... people hear things. Rumours.”

“It's where we've got to go.” I said.

“Well, I'll tell you then, then. But this is it, right? We're square?”

Flitter nodded her head. “Blueblood, you're alright.”

“If only.” he said. “You got a radio in your car?”

I nodded as proceeded to describe how to get to the Zero from his tavern. According to him, we had to tune our radio to the right setting, one he described as familiar but strange. Once we'd found that, we were to drive straight down the road & when the station cut out, as if we'd lost the signal, we were to turn around & only when it cuts out. No earlier, no later.

We thanked & made our wishes with Blueblood. Back in the truck, both Shining Armor & I fiddled with the dials of the radio until he heard one he didn't recognise. It was the sound of horses running, a race or something. There was no commentator but there was certainly galloping to be heard. Noting the frequency down, we told our friends on the motorcycle & they tuned theirs to the same. Together we left the tavern & went back out on the road.

A few minutes later, & the station did indeed disappear. & following Blueblood's instructions, we turned around. The familiar maw of the cavernous entrance to the Zero was in our view, replacing the road we had just travelled on. Horses trotted past us as we drove slowly into the Zero once again.

Act 3, Scene IV: Hall of the Mountain King

Act Three, Scene Four – Hall of the Mountain King

This iteration of the Zero only had the one road. Continuous & circular, the scenery never changed, not that it ever did in the Zero. Although we had made our way in, even in circling back we could never find the entrance we had taken. The Zero had trapped us, ensnared us in it's never-ending trap. Despite the situation, an open hole was the only constant landmark on the circular road, a warm & bright light shining from it's centre.

I pulled the truck over to the side of the road, if you could call it that, & together (minus Winona, who stayed in the truck) we ventured into the smaller cave. What greeted us was something I hadn't expected.

Inside the cave, a large wooden platform rose above us, crude wooden structures surrounding it with the occasional half-empty bookcase in between. In the centre of this platform stood a large roaring fire, its light illuminating the entire cavern. A few solitary figures stood around the edges & another, this one sitting down, nearest to the central blaze. How either he or the entire platform caught ablaze is still a mystery to me. He sat on a rocking chair, smoking an old pipe & half-singing softly to himself.

“...where the old green river runs, through hills & caves not know to us, down to that sunless sea...” He looked over to me, seeing as I was now close to him. His eyes grew large at me. “Oh! Who are you...?”

“Sorry, did we startle you?” Clearly, we had but it was best to be safe than sorry.

“I might say you did! I thought you might be one of them... Oh, no, you can't be. We've been patching their spy-holes. We keep the lights dim & the motors running softly, & we route the smoke out through... out through...” His arm was outstretched towards the ceiling of the cave, his train of thought leaving him. “...that is... what were we talking about?”

Flitter spoke up. “You were singing.” He waved it off.

“Oh, you've caught a verse of my absent-minded warbling. It's just a song from my... youth. Something a dear friend used to sing to herself as we hacked on crystal radios in the boiler room.” He began to sing, but not half-dedicated as he was last time.

In old Equestria,

where my love a lovely home did build for me,

& where the old green river runs,

through hills & caves not known to us,

down to that sunless sea...

“From there on, it's all meandering rivers & romantic greenery, &...” His absent mind returned. “...that is... what were we talking about?”

I got down to business. “We're a bit lost, actually.” His eyes widened once more.

“Ah, you came from the road. The Zero. No, you should stay off that road. Not safe. Bizarre topology. You'll never get anywhere. It just brings you right back here.”

“Back to this cave?” I pointed towards the ground, indicating the cave he sat in.

“Always back to this spot. It's a prison. An irrational prison... But I don't mind. Not anymore. This is where my life's work is. The computer. Right on the other side of the spire. It looks like a harmless old computer, doesn't it? Like some beat-up mainframe exhumed from a university basement & left in this cave to rot...”

Following his gaze, I saw an old computer set-up on the other side of the cavern, but only now did I see it. On closer inspection, I could see a miasma of old electronics throughout the cave, even on the fire blazing away in the centre. The old man continued.

“...or to flower! No, it's no ordinary computer. I've modified it extensively, & in some pretty experimental ways, believe you me! & that's to say nothing of the software, but...” He leaned forward in his chair, nodding his head towards Shining Armor. “You look like a technically-minded sort of person. Tell me: do you know the effects of mild growth on diffused-base transistor circuitry?”

“The mould would burn up.” He put it simply, clearly understanding what the rest of us couldn't.

“Exactly. It burns, & oh the sweet smoke that issues from it! But it also leaves a sticky residue to seep through the machine, forming new connections & creating new circuits. The computer is no longer the pure domain of language or mathematics, but entropy. Thwarted & feeble, we hammer on this derelict keyboard: MY NAME IS REASON, KING OF KINGS! But are we mere tourists in the ruins. Our keystrokes echo off into the tunnels... boundless & bare, the caves stretch far away. We are too late. Always too late...”

He looked down towards his feet, humming away to himself & began to rock his chair back & forth. Slowly, he looked back up, a face of wonder & bewilderment on him. “...what? Did you say something?”

“You were about to tell us about the software.” said Shining Armor, taking a kneeling position near to the old geezer.

“Oh, the software! My life's work... ZECORA. You've heard of it? Perhaps you've read it in a journal? It's been years since I published anything. ZECORA has evolved significantly since I explained its data structures in 'Literary Multitudes: Hyper Textual Narative as Postsructural Witness'. Evolved... & then deteriorated.” He took a long sigh & puff of his pipe before continuing. “I'm afraid you are too late, fellow hyper textual enthusiast. As the mild accumulated on the circuitry, ZECORA blossomed for a moment into something holy & enchanted... & then all the charm was broken. Do you have any idea any idea what it's like to spend your life building something, & then sit powerlessly as your work declines into ruin?”

It was true. I had. “I drive deliveries for a small antique shop, & we're closing down.”

“Ah, shuffling around the dusty ghosts of antiquity... Well, I have my own ghosts, & I keep them in there. In ZECORA. It's running on that glorious, dusty machine. Take a look if you like. Too late to do anything but smoke & reminisce, anyway... far too late to do anything.” & there he sat, smoking away, not speaking another word. Leaving Shining behind on his request, I crossed the cavern with the rest of the group up to ZECORA.

ZECORA was surrounded by machines older than itself, all of them old & decaying to a state of being unable to be used. Baffling control panels sheltered behind a wire tarp, nearby walls of knobs & wires looming in the near distance, all of them humming in one distinct tone or another. To me, the only recognisable piece of equipment was a typewriter, located at the front of the amalgamation.

“How do you think we get it started?” I asked. Flitter inspected it closely.

“This old thing? Maybe there's a hand crank around...” she joked. “Oh, it has a run key.”

I pressed the key on the typewriter that Flitter had pointed out. Soon enough, ZECORA had burst into life, if only barely.

Broken sentences formed along the screen, all of them barely making sense. An occasional word stood out from time to time but even then we were guessing. Clearly the machine had seen better days.

“Ha. This thing is in rough shape.” Flitter pointed towards a nearby switchboard of knobs & buttons. “Do these switches do anything?”

I flipped a random switch, hoping it would bring some form of intelligence to the old machine. If anything, I had only removed a few more consonants from its limited vocabulary.

“OK, that's... worse.”

“It kinda looks like a house.” Misty was jumping up & down in her usual way. Before her was a small TV screen, the image of a small shack being projected through it. I then attempted to continue the 'conversation' by typing HOUSE.

Closely watching both the screen & the typewriter, one word appeared in full more frequently than any other word. It was actually more of a name than a word - Octavia. Although not in full most of the time, the name was clear once you' seen parts of it a few times.

“Did that say 'Octavia'?” I quickly typed in OCTAVIA through the typewriter. Again, more indescribable nonsense that the machine thought were words appeared, scrawled onto the paper of the typewriter. Only this time, it didn't stop writing away. At least, not for a while.

“This is a lost cause... what a piece of junk!” Flitter's statement was highly agreeable. The possibility that the Octavia mentioned by ZECORA was the same Octavia that we had met earlier tonight was also high in its chances.

---

“Bizarre... & what was that about Octavia? Maybe Dusty knows how to clear it up a bit.”

Shining Armor had been kept interested from start to finish as I recounted the 'conversation' we had with ZECORA. Dusty, the old guy who sat by the fire, had been talking heavily about how the computer worked & practically poured its secrets out to him. As he had made his way over to us, we followed Shining Armor back to the old man, to see if we could find a lead onto the Octavia business.

“So. You've seen it for yourself, what's left of it.”

“Pretty busted.” said Cloudchaser.

“The chalky bones of a beautiful dream. But you can see what it once was, can't you? Can't you?” His eyes darted from one face to another, a small twinkle in his eye as he searched for recognition. “There was so much more to it: ornate labyrinths of memory, exhaustively-simulated parallel cave ecosystems. Real artificial intelligence built on sophisticated neural network algorithms! The birds in the forest could flock in three dimensions! The bats could learn to sing! & then it began to crumble, when the strangers came...”

The old man had now recoiled into his seat. What had been an almost proud sitting stance had now looked more like a coiled up cat, hiding away in the corner of a room. His face once filled with joy, & now replaced with a sense of infinite sadness, perhaps even fear.

“At first we only heard them: walking heavily through the caves, dragging things around, hammering & clattering their tools. Sometimes we heard working songs – never close enough to make out real voices, just their echoes cascading wordlessly in the tunnels. Then we caught a glimpse of one.”

Shining Armor had moved quickly, taking his kneeling position down beside the old man as before, & held his hand softly, in a comforting way. “What did they look like?”

“They look like...” He took a deep breath, calming himself. “No, it's too horrible. I shouldn't be telling you about this. They're dangerous, they're... strange. I should never have tried to outwit them. They were always too much for me. But it's too late now; if only I'd listened to Octavia, I -”

“Octavia? Octavia Melody?” Shining Armor nodded his head when he said this, helping the man understand. At least, I think that's what the gesture meant to him.

“Yes, of course.” Dusty replied matter-of-factly. “Oh, do you know her?”

“We're looking for her now.”

“No, she's gone now. She left. We built this together, did you know. Octavia, Frederick, & I. Octavia is gone from here but still in there.” He pointed his pipe towards ZECORA. “In ZECORA. I don't know where Octavia is now, or how to get there from here, or how to unwind that damned highway, but... ZECORA, before its ruin, was faultless as an oracle: a shrine to perfect simulation. Until... but maybe? Those weird interlopers destroyed my ZECORA. Perhaps they know how to fix it. It may be dangerous. I've spent many eager seconds to negotiate with them, to repair my masterpiece...”

Dusty took his pipe again, & pointed back behind him, to a collection of hanging plants. These were the only things to have colour in them, discounting the fire of course.

“Back there, that tunnel. Push back the vines. Crawl out into the darkness. Watch your step. After a while, you'll feel the terrain change beneath your hands & knees, from rock to crystal, & then to mud. Now leave me alone. I still have a bit of mild in my pipe, & a few dreams left.”

& so, we left Dusty to his devices. If a meeting with these Strangers was the only way we could leave the Zero, for a chance to meet with Octavia once again, then crawl we did. It followed exactly has he had described, the rock turned to shimmering crystals & once again into mud. Before long, a small light could be seen up ahead. What was on the other side was not what I had been expecting. But nothing can be expected on the Zero.

Act 3, Scene V: Where The Strangers Come From, Part 1

Act Three, Scene Five – Where The Strangers Come From, Part 1

The light, although dim, was blinding in comparison to the crawl space we had just travelled through. Slowly, we emerged from the crawl, into a crouching stance & finally, we were fully upright once again. Soft earth squelched under our feet, low hanging fog sat as it covered said earth. Looking around, it was hard to believe we were even near the Zero anymore, or even in the same network of tunnels.

“Well, this can't be right. Looks like an old church.” said Shining Armor.

He was right. Against a dark green backdrop, a barely standing wooden church stood in front of us, many a hole in its sides & roof. Surrounding in front of us were a number of headstones, all about Misty's height.

“Worth a look inside.” I suggested. A grunt was all I got in reply.

“I want to stay outside.” An unusually quiet voice came out of Misty then. I remember asking why. “I... I think I saw a lizard.”

“I'll stay with her.” Flitter said. She's also told Cloudchaser to go back to the vehicles before he could say a word. He looked disheartened on leaving but after Flitter mentioned Winona was waiting for him, his eyes lit up & his stride returned to his step.

“OK. We'll make it quick.”

An hour had passed before we exited the church. We returned with some news, & had walked right into the middle of a conversation between Flitter & Misty.

“Why do you dress like a punk?” Flitter laughed loudly in response.

“A punk! Ha ha. Now what's a punk dress like, kid? Can you tell me? I dress like Flitter, specifically.” She said, swishing her blue hair in the air.

“It sounds lonely.” Misty's answer was simple.

“Not for us.” Flitter explained. “You've just got to make choices & own them. You think I was born this foxy? I came off the assembly line about a half-foot shorter, & all grey. No eyes. They were going to have us clear out the old mine. Doesn't matter what you look like under all that rock & water: a bunch of grey shadows shovelling & hammering invisibly at the walls, draining the tunnels.”

She took a seat on one of the nearby headstones, not in a disrespectful way like a punk, but more like a guardian angel.

“Cloudchaser found some old gear – an old tape player. We hid away in an underwater cave & listened to it over & over, & we knew we weren't miners... We slipped out onto the road, just these two featureless shadows, & ever since that night we've been detailing. Colouring in. Specifying. I feel more life myself every day.”

Misty was quiet for some time before she said something. “I feel more like myself when it's just me & Julian.”

Flitter jumped off the headstone. “Well, there – now you're getting specific.” She tussled the kid's hair slightly, a small giggle emerging from their lips. Flitter stopped the tussle as she noticed our presence.

“There you are! What'd you find in there?”

Truth be told, we hadn't even bothered to speak up & interrupt their conversation. Nor did we speak up when asked a question. For a good solid minute we stood there, Shining Armor & myself, our mouths too dry to say anything. When Shining did eventually say something, it was dry. It wasn't even a full sentence.

“It wasn't...” he croaked.

“Hey, what's going on?” Flitter took a few steps closer. “You look flushed, old man.”

I was quick on the draw. “It doesn't matter.” Shining took hold his senses, regaining them.

“Right. OK. We got what we need. Let's go.”

---

We followed the trail back to Dusty's cavern, the memory of our recent adventure still fresh in both Shining Armor's mind & my own. Not even Dusty's soft singing could pull us from that blank trance we had etched onto our very being.

...trace an orbit around the road

& close your eyes with holy dread

For we on mould & whiskey fed

& drank from rivers down below...

“We found your 'strangers'. We know how to fix your damned machine. But I'm not sure it was worth it.” Shining explained to him.

“Oh! Soon, the visions will return!” Dusty joyously proclaimed. “What have you found?”

“They say you need to type in a specific phrase to restore it.”

“Oh... a bit of a poem to rally the illustrious spirit!” He joyously shouted to his heart's content. “Well, then: type away! By all means, do not hesitate: type away!”

& with that, we made our way over to ZECORA. Following the instructions of the Strangers, Shining Armor typed in DOME IN AIR. Sure enough, ZECORA booted up into life, almost normally for any machine to do so, even if this one was the weirdest one of the lot.

A building before you, built from brick.

A forest surrounds, just as thick.

ENTER: BUILDING

You find yourself inside, the dark no reason to cry.

An electric lantern sits, a sensible option nearby.

TAKE: LANTERN

Taken,

if I am not mistaken.

EXIT: BUILDING

ENTER: FOREST

Please reconsider.

That is not something I can enter.

GO: NORTH

The forest surrounds you.

A deep valley to the side too.

GO: SOUTH

The forest surrounds.

Escape is not bound.

GO: WEST

Soldering a small hand-made radio.

Octavia is making no ordinary stereo.

SPEAK: OCTAVIA

“Hi Dusty. I'm getting the strangest interference out here. I've been tuning the radio's circuits gradually as we go, swapping capacitor values & tweaking resistor networks. It was working for a while, but... everything I can pick up sounds so distant & muffled.”

The radio you are given.

This is not a vision.

“Well, maybe you'll have better luck. You're good at this stuff. Just don't forget to give it back!”

GO: SOUTH

A small kitten sits upon his back.

A Braille slate is all Frederick has in his pack.

LISTEN: FREDERICK

“Dusty! I was just transcribing your footsteps. Sounded like...”

Frederick runs his finger from left to right.

He can see the Braille easily in the night.

“'Long, weary song, drearily gone. Dearly gone.' You beat a melancholy shuffle through these woods, Dusty. Ha! I've been noting down the sounds of the forest – with an ear for speech. & an inborn filter for poetry, I suppose... so maybe it's me being melancholy, after all. I'm eager to see what the poetics sub-system makes of these punched cards!”

GO: NORTH

At the edge of a massive hole.

The darkness could only be made by a gigantic vole.

A computer tied to your back in the sun.

Slicked with sweat is no fun.

Over your shoulder is a rope of the pack.

Digging into the bones of your back.

LIGHT: LAMP

The lamp is on.

The darkness gone.

SHINE LAMP: HOLE

Down below the light only reaches so far,

But the rocks look like they give way to the tar.

TIE ROPE: TREE

The rope is tied to the trunk.

Let us hope it does not bunk.

DOWN: HOLE

Stable you are, as you descend.

Octavia & Frederick will also attend.

You are now in Bedquilt, holes covering the passage.

Octavia & Frederick help in setting up the baggage.

“That's the last trip. So everything's down here now...”

SPEAK: OCTAVIA

Awkward as it may seem,

a quick joke takes you to the next screen.

ASK: OCTAVIA: CAVE

“Having second thoughts? I don't blame you; it's... unsettling down here. Weird acoustics. Earlier, as we were climbing down, I thought I heard voices for a moment. Or... not voices themselves, but the echoes of voices, singing. Some kind of eerie, tuneless working song. I'm glad I'm not down here alone.

ASK: OCTAVIA: GEAR

“Sure, Dusty. We may as well take inventory. I've got the tape machine & the synthesiser parts we 'borrowed' from the School of Music. It's all tuned up to my voice so we won't have to type much. Frederick has his slate, & the punched cards he's transcribed from the poems we read him. He's got the typewriter & the paper tape reader. & you've got the CRT display. How's your back holding up?”

Fred looks up with feelings in him,

discomfort a part of his gym.

LISTEN: FREDERICK

“Hey, Dusty, can you help me, uh... wire up these generators?”

LISTEN: OCTAVIA

“I'll assemble the synthesiser. But I could use some help with the serial interface, if you have time.”

An unfamiliar echo resonates from the east,

the tunnel itself amplifying a small beast.

HELP: OCTAVIA

“Thanks, Dusty. I can never remember which colour lead goes to which pin... DO you think there are paintings down here? Cave paintings, I mean. Maybe some old pottery shards, from when the world was young & early men & women huddled in these caves to... Do you know, I think cultural fossils are the saddest fossils? Sadder than animal remains, I mean... We might come across a petrified mollusc, or a partial dragon footprint, & we say: 'there was a point of contact here, where a body touched the earth, & maybe there's a little bit of evidential garbage, but the life who owned that body never card & has moved on anyway'. & that's the end of it.”

“But suppose I shine my lantern on one of these walls, & I see a crude painting, thousands of years old. Two men & a woman. Charcoal & blood, on rock. Someone put that there, to keep something on the rock after she passed. A hope, a relationship, or a moment, a worry, maybe... a regret. She made a painting to keep something alive for her, but like that dead mollusc or the itinerant dragon, she had to move on. Whatever it was is gone, & now we're looking at this painting. This dangling copy, with no original.”

As interested as you may be in the talk,

a large scraping sound interrupts & makes you gawk.

Down the tunnel you all rush.

The sound has no intention to shush.

The tunnel narrows to a crawl,

the mud & crystals create a brawl.

The sound of water appears soon,

as you venture out into a large room.

Crystalline projections surround the cavern,

this is anything but a friendly tavern.

Strangers of weird structures are here,

mould from the crystals scrape & tear.

One looks over & opens it's beak.

It looks as if it's about to speak.

LISTEN: STRANGER

The skeleton reaches for a box, a button inside.

A voice gargles & splutters, no longer in hide.

It looks to its friends, & then back to you,

its confused stare etched on them too.

Frederick flees. Octavia flees.

Opposite directions. Like bees.

FOLLOW: OCTAVIA

Her headlamp lights up the walls as you run.

Shadows loom, escaping the fun.

You meet an end you could not see.

Cornered, the shadows cover all but ye.

LISTEN: OCTAVIA

“Who are they?”

COMFORT: OCTAVIA

You reassure that they could be harmless.

After all, skeletons can be armless.

“Are you... are you sure? Maybe you're right. It sounds like they've gone back to work. Alright. Let's try to pass them quickly, now. Don't make eye contact. Then we'll find our way back to the equipment.”

FOLLOW: OCTAVIA

Back to Bedquilt you make your way.

How they did not notice you, I will not say.

LISTEN: OCTAVIA

“Did they follow us? Where's Frederick?”

REASSURE: OCTAVIA

“I know, but... never mind. I don't want to think about it. We should... I guess we should wait for Frederick here. This is where he'll go, right?”

WAIT

Time passes & Octavia nervously follows the wall back & forth.

& yet the passage of time does not begin to morph.

WAIT: ONE HOUR

A fluttering sound grows.

Maybe Frederick shows?

Five bats fly past,

their wings give a blast.

SEARCH: FREDERICK

I didn't get very far.

Please be specific & on par.

SEARCH: TUNNEL: FREDERICK

The lantern illuminates footprints on the floor.

Identifying them is such a chore.

SEARCH: EQUIPMENT: FREDERICK

The computers & audio equipment turn up nothing in your search.

Maybe it's high time you found a church?

The rope moves from the hole above.

Frederick appears as quick as a dove.

LISTEN: FREDERICK

“That damn sound! Those damn voices! I don't even know what direction I was running. I wove through that network of tunnels. I ran my hand along the wall, always turning left, but every turn felt the same. For all I knew, I was running in circles! Finally, I ended up here. & I hid... I panicked. I heard you talking, but... I didn't think I could trust my senses. But, listen: there's one thing I have to tell you.”

“While I was lost there in the tunnels & caves, I came across the Zero, &... I had no idea. It's like a real place: they pick up garbage, they deliver mail, they go to work & to church... but it has an awful kind of emptiness. Wandering through, I heard terrible echoes. Weird images got burned in my mind's eye: a television, a scarecrow, a crystal, a feather, a sandwich... a CRT monitor, a bottle... an anchor...”

Octavia looks down,

her face with frown.

CONCERN: OCTAVIA

“Nothing. Just... Frederick, you sound... disturbed.”

LISTEN: FREDERICK

“Octavia, you've heard the same damn stories I have – it doesn't matter now. I'm leaving. To hell with all of it!”

DIVERT: FREDERICK

You shout about the project to your friend,

maybe this will lead to the end?

“You'll die in these damn cold caves! & what about those men? You know they'll come back.”

SUGGEST: HIDING PLACE

You suggest to go deeper to escape the fiends.

Maybe a fire can be started with the right means.

“Did you hear their voices? They're not... they'll find you. But not me. I'm going back to the surface.”

LISTEN: OCTAVIA

“Stop! Your stupid fight is ringing through the whole damned cave. Frederick is right: we can't stay here. I'm leaving, too. But I'm not going back to the surface. I'm taking my station wagon & I'm heading down the Zero.”

PLEAD: OCTAVIA

You plead with her to stay.

Her mind is made up today.

“I'll send you this tape when I'm done recording. I'll put it in the mail. & then you can see what your damned machine does with it.”

Both parties have now left you.

You are now in a one-man zoo.

Abandoned by your friends,

you wander alone to make your ends.

After what may have been years,

you stumble out of your worst fears.

A large cavern stands before you.

A large rocky spire is central too.

Your legacy stays & builds here.

A story long forgotten for those to hear.

Now is the time to continue your work.

With help, you have no reason to shirk.

As time passed, Shining Armor put in the necessary numbers to pass the simulation's days. In it, students from a local university were hired to help Dusty in the creation of ZECORA. As the time went on, many students were hired over the weeks & months Dusty had spent to put it together. One that caught Shining's attention & bought him out of his blank stupor was one named Twilight Sparkle. She had been studying at this university & taken up the job as soon as it was posted to her campus noticeboard. She managed to increase the machines output considerably & began widening to tunnels of the local caves via ZECORA itself.

Black mould grew over the circuitry of the computer, as Dusty had said it would. But before any real progress is made, the Strangers come along & remove all the black mould, undoing any progress we had made in a few weeks. On one occasion, Twilight had followed them into the tunnels. She never returned to help finish with ZECORA, but the Strangers never returned after that point. However, growth of the mould was incredibly slow, almost at a standstill. Shining Armor tried his best in speeding up the process by hiring more students or even quitting & starting over again. But ZECORA didn't allow it. Finally, he input one command:

WAIT: INDEFINITELY.

ZECORA's internal clock fast-forwarded at mach speed. The years flew by, assistants came & went like the years. The mould grew at a steady pass, & the Strangers never paid attention to it, not once. As the computer nears the end of it's task to create mould, visitors appear during one night. Outsiders. & soon, an old friend.

“You really did go deeper into the caves.” The typewriter had written out. The screen then cut out at 99% mould growth, only to be replaced with some text.

PREMATURE END OF FILE. PRESS ANY KEY TO QUIT.

“Huh.”

Stunned by the computer, we looked it over, its circuits covered in head to toe in black mould. The stuff practically fed off of it. Relieved that we had finally completed Dusty's task, we turned our backs on ZECORA to speak to the old man one more time. However, he wasn't alone. Against the backdrop of the roaring fire that covered the central spire, two figures stood looking at each other. Dusty was up & about, out of his chair, pipe no longer in his mouth or hand. His acquaintance just stood there, her slate grey cardigan standing out against the orange & red flicker of flames.

Act 3, Scene VI: Where The Strangers Come From, Part 2

Act Three, Scene Six – Where The Strangers Come From, Part 2

“You really did go deeper into the caves.”

Octavia Melody stood in front of Dusty, holding his hands in her own. Against the backdrop of the orange flames, this scene could be mistaken for the end of a romantic novel, where the two main characters finally come together forever & sail off into the sunset.

“Well, you were easy enough to find.” she joked. “I've met a few of your former assistants. One can't help but hear things. So, this is what became of our project.”

Dusty shook his head sheepishly. “Oh... I've made some additions. Frederick stole the data tapes for the first half, so I've had some blank spots to fill.”

“Yes, I know. He published his version, actually. I'm sorry to report that it's a bit tediously sentimental...”

“We've been looking for you.” Shining Armor was quick to pull me out of my daydreaming, as he stormed into my view towards the reunited 'couple'. Octavia calmly let go of Dusty's hands & placed her own toegther in front of her waist, before turning to face our company.

“So you've found the address data? Just pass it over to Dusty here.” She turned back to Dusty. “Dusty, will you be a dear & crunch these numbers? We're looking to sort out a street name collison. 'Timberwolf Drive'.”

“Wasn't the Bureau going to process it?” I asked.

“I insist.” said Dusty. “I have cycles to spare. I'll just pack my pipe & get to it. I should only be an hour or so. Steam will carry it over to...” He went off going about his business before we could hear the end of the sentence. By the time he was even speaking, he was half way across the hall, & already working. Octavia walked over to us.

“I'll be over at the Bureau for the rest of the night. Just mark it 'private materials for the attention of Senior Clerk Melody'.”

“& how do we get there from here?” I asked again.

“The Bridge!” Somehow, Dusty's voice had managed to make it to our ears from over on the other side.

“Yes. The Bridge.” Octavia agreed. “Through the gate over there.”

She pointed to one side of the hall, where the wooden platform extended out towards a large hulking gateway, which opened as soon as she lit the way for the next step in our journey. By the time the maw had swung open fully, Dusty had made his way back over to us, pipe lit & in his own maw.

“Now we, too, recede into history.” His sentimentality caught the attention of Octavia who turned back towards her old friend.

“Good to... Good night, Dusty.” She kissed him once on the cheek & gave him a long stare into his pale green eyes, rubbing the side of his head in affection. She lowered her head & walked towards the gate with us.

“Meet me at the Bureau, & we'll get you on your way. Head counter clockwise to the cathode ray, then turn around. Then it's just clockwise until you find the Bureau.”

We thanked her for the help, & waved one last time back at Dusty. By now, he had dragged one of his remaining assistants to his side, practically covering them in pieces of paper as he worked his magic. We knew he would send the details of the address with the poor soul he was now tirelessly working half to death.

We walked through the gate, & before us was a large chasm in the ground, the greenish glow emanating from its depths. Peering downwards, a single walkway that zigzagged from one way to the next was the only way down, towards The Bridge. We started the ascent & from somewhere we could hear the sounds of merry music, sweet bluegrass flying through the air. On the way down, we passed curious items along the way: a backpack, a tape player, a half collapsed bookshelf, a small monitor, & a lantern. I couldn't help but think these 'artefacts' may be the same ones present in the little game we had sat through earlier.

Soon, we made to The Bridge. Both the truck & the bike, as well as Winona & Cloudchaser, were waiting. Somehow they had changed location without knowing it, but it didn't seem to affect either of them. I doubt they even realised they had somehow changed locations. The Bridge itself was only half of a bridge, in fact. Both of the vehicles sat near the drop off, standing on the precipice of falling off.

“What happened up there?” asked Cloudchaser the moment she saw us descend from the hall.

“I'm not actually sure.” replied Flitter.

“Very mysterious, ma'am.” Both grabbed their helmets from their respective seats on the bike & started preparing themselves for the journey ahead.

“Thanks for waiting, old girl.” Winona yapped at my reply, a slight spring in her step. She quickly followed the rest of us to the truck, & we set off into the Zero once more.

Soon enough, we made it back to the Bureau. In the short amount of time that we hadn't been here, not much had changed. Except perhaps it was a little bit lighter than what it had been. Chances are by now it was getting closer to early morning. A lot had happened so far tonight.

Together, with Flitter & Shining Armor, we walked over to the reception of the Bureau & rang the Bureau. Surprisingly, Octavia herself answered the call.

“Here you are. Miss Coral has the rest of the evening off, so I'm minding the desk.”

“Any word on the address?” Shining Armor asked. By now, Dusty's assistant should have sent it over for processing. Sure enough, Octavia pulled out a file from a folder she was carrying. How the courier had delivered it before we made it was something of a mystery I never managed to figure out that night.

“Good news: Dusty & his assistants were able to sort through the noise. I had Vinyl cross-reference their results against some of our records. She found a corresponding mail stop, on the Echo River route. As it happens, a night ferry is scheduled to make its stop here shortly. The ferryman carries the mail & collects the garbage as well. I'm sure you can catch a ride out that way. You're welcome to wait here. I have to get to packing.”

& with that, she was gone. I called after her, “Thanks for your help!”

“Ha. 'Happy to help'.” she recited, but then she stopped in her tracks. “It's funny. I suppose we just repeat it until it's true. Safe travels. Try to stay out of the water. It's colder than it looks, & deep.”

We thanked her once more & made our way back to the rest of the group. After explaining the situation, Misty asked the question that a child could only be expected to ask.

“How long do we have to wait?”

“Oh, who knows...” Although he jokingly said it, Shining Armor wasn't all there at hat point. Like me, I think his mind was still focused on what had happened earlier in the churchyard.

“Alright, what happened?” Flitter asked.

“What?”

“In the church, at the graveyard.” Flitter has sussed it all out. “You two came out of there all weird. What happened?” Shining almost looked offended at the question. I waved my hand to get his attention.

“It's OK. You can tell them. It doesn't matter anymore.” I was right. It really didn't.

“Fine.” & so, he started recounting our encounter. “So, we were in that graveyard...”

“Well, this can't be right. Looks like an old church.” said Shining Armor.

“Worth a look inside.” I suggested. A grunt was all I got in reply.

“I want to stay outside.” An unusually quiet voice came out of Misty then. I remember asking why. “I... I think I saw a lizard.”

“OK. We'll make it quick.”

Leaving both Flitter & Misty alone to their 'lizards', we made our way into the church. The place was a husk, empty save for one single pew at the back of the room. Not even a altar was around. The only feature was that pew. Looking around was impossible, as there was nothing to search, nor interact with. The place was quite literally deserted of anything. Looking down, the floor was solid metal, weird boot heel scuffs had made dents in the surface. Even through our shoes, we could tell the floor was eerily cold. Even if there was no reason for us to stay, we both took a seat at the single pew.

“I don't know what I expected.” I couldn't help but agree with Shining Armor's statement. I honestly expected at last something that wasn't the internal derelict remains of a church.

“The Strangers, he kept saying.” I remarked. Shining merely chuckled quietly.

“Kind of vague already, isn't it? Dusty's a stranger. Hell, you & I are practically strangers.” He cleared his throat loudly, leant forwards & clasped his hands together, rather fittingly for a church. “Listen... earlier, in the mine, I didn't want to talk about it, but...”

“You don't have to talk about it.”

“No, it's OK. I want to. When I saw Twilight... she was on TV. I was testing a simple tube repair, flipping through channels to check the saturation, & she was just there. It was kind of horrible. I mean, I told you she disappeared? Suddenly? Ran away? But we thought...”

“You thought she was dead.” I bluntly finished for him. Shining took a deep breath before continuing.

“Yeah, I guess I don't like to say it. Dead. & then, the next time I flipped to channel two... Twilight. It's burned in my vision, now. She's standing in a room. There's tape on the walls, like markings. & desks... a classroom, maybe? The camera is in the corner so it's this sort of forty-five degree angle into the room, & there's Twilight right in the centre of the picture. I stopped turning the dial... hell, I think I stopped breathing. Eventually, she spoke, but there was no sound – just this awful hum. I read the closed captions. She said to go to the mine. Find something there. I can't remember her exact words. Whenever I try, I get... distracted. Fuzzy. I -”

He began coughing & continued speaking when he stopped.

“It's so dusty in here, right?” I nodded. “You'd think with all these holes in the ceiling - “

He paused, & sat upright. He looked behind him & looked towards me, a scare written on his face. “Did you hear that?”

“Must ha-” I was cut off before I could finish speaking. The pew shook violently, vibrating as if threatening to throw us off the seat. It settled momentarily, before slowly descending below. Looking to the side, a series of cogs & gears whirred under the metal floor. Before long, our pew joined with a load more pews, making a full set. In front stood an altar. It was as if the original church had sunk under the ground years before & someone had built a decaying husk over the top. Our eyes took a moment to adjust to the low light but sometimes, I wish it hadn't.

Walking down from the altar was not a priest in full frock. Instead, a tall skeletal being clambered slowly towards us, its bones clanging against the now stone floor. I don't know about Shining Armor but the thing that scared me the most was the colour of its bones – a glowing, neon orange. The same hue as my new leg. My first thought was how it could be possibly that my leg could look the same as one of these 'things'. But soon, I began to question the being itself, & to what it was doing.

I noticed that it was carrying something, a strap straddling its shoulder. Reaching back with its skeletal hand, it pulled out a tape machine & pressed one of the buttons. A crackly drawl entered the room, almost like static. The being opened its jaw, & stood there patiently. It almost looked as if it were smiling. Suddenly, a voice could be heard. It took us a moment to realise it was using the machine to communicate. A soft voice extended from either its mouth or the machine, I don't know.

“My regrets. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long; we don't see a lot of foot traffic these days. I guess you're here about the job. I'm afraid we only have one opening at the moment. Horrible business...”

Slowly, I stood us from the pew &, despite the strangeness of the situation, I explained the reason we had actually come to the church.

“We're actually looking for some information about an old computer.” Unfortunately, the Stranger ignored what I had to say & answered something else entirely. My guess at the time was that, using a tape machine, the being was limited in what it could say.

“Certainly, I'll tell you everything you need to know. I've only just met you, but I feel certain there's a place for you here. I'll just take you over to the dispatcher. Show you the trucks. Get you familiarised. We can converse as we go.”

It motioned for us to follow, & led us down a flight of stairs. Looking out, the room was much more than a church. In size, it looked more like a massive warehouse, what with the number of crates, boxes & trucks that lay strewn about the place. To my eye, this looked like a delivery company. Shining pulled me to one side as we descended down the stairs.

“What is this place?” He asked quietly.

“Well, it's not an old church.”

“I have to ask you to step in here a moment - “ It pointed towards a small side room. Looking inside, it appeared to be a small set of changing rooms. Why these Strangers would need to change was confusing – it wasn't as if they wore anything anyway. “ - this is for your safety. & adjust your outfits just a bit. There's some protective headgear up on the wall back there. Please remove your shoes & eyeglasses.”

We grabbed some helmets, the sort a builder would use, but didn't take off our shoes. We also explained we weren't wearing any glasses of the sort. Again, this didn't seem to bother the creature. Again, it told us to follow, leading us down another flight of stairs & into some sort of lobby area. In it, a series of computers with more Strangers were found, a series of numbers & odd symbols flashing in sequence on their screens. At the back, another Stranger stood surrounded by three teenage girls, all eagerly pointing at stuff. Despite the facial features, it looked quite distraught over the ordeal.

“Ah! More new arrivals this evening! Plenty to do. Got to relay the formula.” said our guide at seeing this.

“Sorry, what formula?” asked Shining Armor.

“Eh? Oh, The Formula! Changed our lives. Once, years ago, we were as prisoners to the intricacies of our debts here. We'd have to account for everything on paper. Compounding interest by hand, reassessing amortisation & leveraged asset distributions according to nightly merit decay...” Quite frankly, it had lost both of us with its ramblings. “Then, she stepped out of the dark caves, to show us the light of The Formula! She had a brilliant grasp of mathematics, & a saint-like way right through the numbers. Now, we just plug our daily numbers into The Formula, & run it all through the adding machine. We occasionally suffer some surplus drift, but she instructed us on all necessary adjustments. It was devastating to see our revered mathematician go, but she was needed elsewhere. Her legacy abides.”

Clear to both Shining & myself, the Stranger was talking about Twilight Sparkle. & as much as I would have liked to have found out what had happened to her, I pressed on with the matter at hand.

“We actually just need to ask you about a computer.”

“Hm? No, the orientation is all done by voice & rote. We don't believe electronics have a role in our company culture. Computers are tools. Plenty of interesting mechanical this-&-that ahead, though. Shall we move on?” It pointed us towards yet another set of stairs. Finally reaching the ground floor, a group of small open-air cars sat parked symmetrically.

“Here's the fleet.” it joked. “Ha ha. Oh, we just use these to get around internally. I don't, personally. I'm a copywriter, you see. Text on bottles & flyers, ad copy, that sort of thing. 'Discerning shades & heartsick lovers have long known the taste of Hard Times, & held it in favour of all other spirits!' That was one of mine. So, the trucks are just east a ways, in shipping. You can become acquainted with the dispatcher there. Give me a tap on the shoulder, if you see something that catches your eye. Always happy to show off the facilities. Sublime machinery.”

Together, we got into the nearest shuttle. The small thing was a bright yellow & was essentially brighter than any other lamp in the warehouse. The Stranger took the driving seat, & started the electric motor. Silently, it drove us about fifty feet to the left, into a packing area where more Strangers were busy loading up trucks with small boxes.

“Here it is.” It turned in its seat, facing us. “Now, I have to ask, as a matter of course: what kind of experience do you have driving trucks?”

“I drove deliveries for an antique shop, up until this last run.” I spoke truthfully.

“Aha, precious cargo... you'll do fine. & you can drive... safely, can't you? I haven't any doubt, now, it's only... after what happened with Teal this evening.”

“What happened with Teal this evening?” spoke up Shining.

“Well, the dust is still clearing, of course. Perhaps she closed her eyes a moment. Or simply hit a curve too devilish. I do pity ill-fated Teal – she was good company. & slow to anger. But, if we're speaking confidentially...” It shrugged its shoulders before continuing. “Well, with all that lost product to be repaid – bourbon & glass dashed across the interstate, & a few casks too – we're all just thankful she had no... next of kin. So. Let's see if we can ring up the dispatcher.”

Disembarking from the shuttle car, it took us to one of the trucks currently being loaded. Opening the cabin door, it then took hold of the CB radio, opening up a portal that let out a gravelly voice in commune with another.

“10-20 on that load, come back?”

“Up in the hummingbird cave, 10-12, city kitty.”

“This a good time, dispatch?” asked our guide. “We may have found Teal's replacement – thought you might like to get acquainted.”

“10-9, come again?”

Our Stranger looked over to me, & offered the handset of the CB radio. “Introduce yourself.”

I took it, cautiously. I pressed into the button that allowed the other end to hear me. “...Hello?”

“Tell dispatch something impressive about yourself – they're very well regarded here!” Still with that jaw open, the Stranger sat there in the cabin, expecting me to continue on with this charade.

“You folks know anything about a mouldy old computer?” I asked, almost shouted into the handset.

“99, wheel-holder, gotta pay the water bill.” & with that, there was silence on the other end.

“Ah. So. I'm certain they'll call back before long. Let's take a look around the truck, eh?”

It stayed seated but directed us instead. After pointing us to check out a numerous amount of things of this one truck, the dispatcher finally made a return call on the radio.

“Driver, come back.”

“Ah, there's dispatch. Now, tell them about your experience. Tell them the truck's in good shape. Tell them you'll start in the morning.” You could taste the eagerness on its crackly voice.

“I really can't...” I started. Shining Armor had cut in before I had even a chance to finish.

“Yeah, we've got to finish this delivery & a few -” Another voice through the CB radio cut through the conversation.

“10-33, dispatch, got two black eyes & a flock of crocodiles, come back.” Disptach answered.

“10-4, back down & prick your eyelids, driver. Come back, Lem.”

“10-4” said our Stranger, whom I had now started to call Lem after hearing dispatch say it.

“Come back, wheel-holder.” Lem held out the CB handset once more for me to speak into.

“Um... 10-4?”

“Got your eyes on? Good. Listen to this: -” But there was nothing to listen to. Dispatch went quiet. Lem quickly put the handset back in its holder, & jumped out of the truck cabin.

“So... I think that went well. Let's head back & seal the deal, eh? & I've got one more thing to show you...”

Again, we drove back to the lobby area, a distance we could have easily walked. I guessed these shuttle cars existed maybe because of their skeletal forms were brittle to the floor. It was a guess at most, but it was the only reason I could fathom having the vehicles. It parked the car back in its original parking spot & quickly got out of the vehicle.

“Hurry up, only so much time during the night.” Shining ran up & pulled its shoulder, spinning Lem around on the spot. It tilted its head in surprise, I guess, had to tell when there's no flesh to indicate anything.

“Wait, we... We only came here looking for some answers about this stupid moudly computer -”

“Oh, the old man in the cave, with the mouldy computer.” It straightened out its head, & appeared to take a deep breath. The sound could be heard & whether that was a part of the tape machine or not was not seen. “The black mould, it's drawn to whiskey, some of it inevitably evaporates into the air. The angel's share. It goes through the vents here & out into the caves. If we scrape that mould up, we can usually apply some pressure & cold to it – squeeze & condense their share back into drinkable whiskey. Every drop counts in this business! So we'd go down & scrape it off his equipment, just like any other place it grows. He kept sending his people here to drive us away! Paranoid. Truly paranoid. Well, now we have The Formula, so we don't need to go collecting mould. But we didn't do anything to his mouldy computer. He just forgot the password. One of his assistants shared it with me: dome in air. That'll get you going. I'm sure of it. So. Join me upstairs?”

We followed Lem all the way back upstairs, past the lobby & the changing rooms, & back into the church area. It motioned for us to take our headgear off. Perhaps these Strangers had some sense of decorum & understood when to be polite & what-not. After we had done so, Lem pointed a bony finger towards the altar. Atop the altar sat a small machine, an miniaturised analog computer, whirring away interested in nothing but its own business.

“This is our adding machine. This is where we come for our daily ritual: to calculate the day's interest & repayment according to The Formula. I usually do so at the beginning of my shift, so I know how many hours I need in order to keep up. Yes, I believe you'll do well here, sir. Happy to have you. Congratulations! You're hired.”

From behind the altar, Lem pulled out a glass bottle full of a liquid of some sort, as well as three glasses. He started pouring before any of us could interject.

“Wait, we can't -”

“It's customary here to start each day with a shift drink” Lem explained as he finished pouring. “Let's make it special. Mark the occasion. This is the top-shelf stuff, now! Single barrel!”

“He doesn't -”

“Down the hatch. Vinum memoriae mors!” & with that, Lem downed its own glass. Where the drink went was another mystery. It looked to me as I picked up my glass. While I didn't down it like Lem, I took a swig. It was whiskey.

“Decent enough. Welcome aboard!” Lem held out its hand, a welcoming hand shake on offer. Shining hit it back down to Lem's side.

“He's not working for you! We have to get back to this... our... he has a delivery to make.”

“What's this? Not working? Are you turning down this opportunity?” Lem's questions came hard & fast. Shining's interruption knocked me out of a stupor that the whiskey had pulled me into. That was my first drink in a number of years. I shook my head awake.

“He's right, I have to make this, um...”

“I'm... disappointed.” said Lem. “& I'm afraid this leaves us with a delicate problem. As I indicated, this is the top-shelf stuff you're drinking now. It isn't cheap. If it's not your first shift drink... Well, & there's the matter of this tour just now. My time & experience are billed at quite a premium! This is not good for you, my friend. You're in quite deep, by my back-of-the-envelope estimations. Well, we have that in common, I suppose. All of us. Yes, I'm afraid you'll have to work this off somehow. It's just the way of it.”

“What's happening right now?” asked Shining.

“You can start tomorrow. Take the time to settle your affairs. Of course, the interest begins to compound immediately, &... well, we'll go over The Formula when you get here. I should get back to work. See you tomorrow, then.”

“So. I guess I start in the morning.”

“I guess...” Shining couldn't help but agree.

“I'm confused.” said Misty.

“It's just the way things go, kid.”

After Shining had recounted the tale, Flitter had all but stood there, jaw gaping as he recounted our story of our meeting with The Strangers. This was the quietest I had seen her in the short time I knew her. Finally, she spoke.

“Huh. Well, that still gives us a few hours to roam, right? Where's that ferry?” & with that last question, she spun on her heels, facing the river that went right past the Bureau. In the distance, a foghorn could be heard. The ferry wasn't too far away now.

Silence encapsulated us for the next few minutes as the story sank into everyone who hadn't experienced it first hand. & soon enough, the ferry pulled up alongside the river bank. It was as Octavia described it – a barge carrying both mail & garbage. The most interesting piece of its cargo though wasn't the collection of boxes marked with the Bureau logo though – it was the full grown dragon that sat smack bang in the centre of the deck.

END OF ACT III

Act 1, Scene I: Equus Oils

Equestria Route Zero

Act One, Scene One – Equus Oils

My name is Big Macintosh. I work for the family antiques business, delivering goods to our customers & taking their antiques back to the store, should they wish to sell us any of their old curiosities if they’re a bit strapped for cash. Or, at least, I was. Since a routine delivery approximately three years ago to some backwater place in the middle of nowhere near to Baltimare, I haven’t quite felt the same.

I pulled up to the gas station on Interstate 65, the sound of crickets filling the air as I killed the engine of the old company truck, the life leaving it at a very slow pace. I keep telling myself to tell Granny Smith that we need a new truck but I never do, I could never replace Dad’s ol’ truck.

Opening the driver’s door, I struggled to get out as Winona, my sister Applejack’s pet dog, rushed to get outside before me, the stuffy air of the cabin combined with the smell of motor oil clearly getting the better of her more than me. I smiled at the old dog, she was past her prime but she was a good companion to me for these long journeys, especially ones like todays.

Looking around the nearby area, signs of life were minimal. The occasional commercial vehicle or touring family car sped by on the interstate every so often but the only person in sight available to talk to was an old man sitting comfortably on an old Princess Celestia armchair, one in very good condition too that any one of my family would kill to get their hands on it, considering how rare these items are & how profitable to the business they would be. But something was off: the old man hadn’t noticed my arrival, nor had he moved since I had arrived. Cautiously, I approached him.

“Hello?”

“Damn!” The sudden noise from the old man’s mouth caused both Winona & I to jump from our skins, the volume loud enough to deafen the old fool himself. He looked to me, his greying hair & dark glasses catching the sunset in the horizon.

“Did you hear that wreck?” He spoke as if continuing a conversation from a previous encounter. “Truck full of bottles – I dunno, beer bottles? Cider? Lost a tire or something, & spilled booze & glass all over the interstate!” I still don’t know what he was on about, as I didn’t recall any accidents whilst travelling along the interstate.

“What a mess! I hope they don’t come down here looking for anything; we blew a damn fuse & it’s all shut off!” He paused as I can only assume he came back to reality at this point. “Did I hear a dog? What’s your dog’s name?”

Composing myself, & glad for the chance to finally speak, I told him, “Her name is Winona.”

“Sounds like a sweet old hound. I used to know a dog like that. Hey, here’s some jerky for her. I made it myself! Didn’t turn out too well, but I bet a dog will eat it.” He threw the jerky in the general direction to Winona but she knew better than to accept gifts from a complete stranger, & a rather strange one at that.

“Getting late, right? I can feel the sun on my neck. I bet it’s just a few feet off the horizon.” Looking up, I could tell he was right & that I was cutting my delivery time close.

“I’ve been driving all evening looking for ‘5 Timberwolf Drive’”. The old man put his hands up in response.

“Hey, I understand: you have got to do the job you’re paid to do. Maybe have a rest in there; maybe have a drink. Then back at it. There’s something in that rhythm.”

“So, where is Timberwolf Drive?” The impatient hint in my voice had to have been heard at this point.

The old man leaned forward, pointing his finger towards the interstate. “Listen, you & Winona would’ve been driving up & down sixty five all night. Timberwolf Drive is on the other side of…” He stopped abruptly, his face going from his neutral state to a confused one. He leaned back into his chair, his face taking a slightly sinister hint.

“Well, to get there you’ve got to take the Zero.” My own confusion registered in him as he looked up at me, clearly noticing that I had never heard of the place.

“Tough route to find, but you can use my computer to look up directions. You’ll have to head down into the basement & reset the circuit breaker first. I’ll be happy to have those whining lights back up anyway; it’s too damn quiet out here. You can get to the basement through the back of the office. Appreciate your help, friend!”

I stood there a while longer considering his request. True, I was lost but why didn’t the old fool just tell me? Still, what faced me currently was better than what the guy suggested. I made my way to the office of the gas station, looking up to see the words “EQUUS OILS” dimmed out against the lavender skyline.

Looking around inside for a source of light, I noticed a few oddities that really looked out of place for a gas station office: a small, old fashioned TV sat in the corner, looking abandoned & hardly used, more Princess Celestia chairs that were placed in another corner for passerby’s to rest their feet or to catch some sleep. I found the light switch & flipped it. Nothing.

“Yeah, I thought that wouldn’t work…” The old man’s voice bought me to attention. “There’s an old lamp down by your feet. Should be some oil in it so you can get a light going.”

Looking down, sure enough, he was right. Picking it up & lighting it, I was surprised to see the thing was still capable of maintaining a light source. It looked a few hundred years old – a proper antique! With the light now aiding my vision, I could see clearly as to where the basement door was, along with closer inspection at the quality of the chairs. Mud was scrapped across the legs, the seat torn from misuse. Seems the only one worth saving was the one occupied by the old man.

I descended a spiral staircase into the basement, the lamp very quickly becoming more & more reliable to me in the darkness, even if it only penetrated the dark a few feet. Looking around on the way down, pipes of various sizes descended from the gas station into the depths below & a sign caught my eye on the way down. Pausing my descent, I took a look. It read:

THESE ARE THE RULES

No open flames near the gasoline
No consumption of beer or spirits on the premises
In case of sudden darkness, do not panic. Relax. Count backwards from five.
Strictly limit time spent in the basement to fewer than three minutes of every hour

Confused by that last one, I continued on. Once at the bottom, I looked up, the last light of the sunset peering in through the door tens of feet above me. I looked around & found instruments all around, & a table with a group of people sitting in the dark playing what looked an odd game, three girls all roughly in their twenties. Whatever it was involved maps, various sided die & some weird pieces of paper.

I approached the group & cleared my throat. “Have y’all seen a breaker box down here?”

One of the girls looked up from the table, & asked the closest to her “Hey, Bon. Did you hear something?”

“Uh, no. Sorry Lyra, I was looking at the rules again.” Bon did look confused, although I couldn’t blame her. I still didn’t know what game they were playing.

The third one now spoke. “It gets easier as you go. Look, you said you rolled a ‘five’, right? That means you get to pick up your marker & move it anywhere on the map.”

“So it’s your turn now, right Minuette?”

“Oh, yeah I guess so. Where’d you put that twenty-sided die?”

Lyra looked around the table. “I don’t see it. Did you drop it?”

“Uh… It should be easy to find. It glows in the dark.” Says the mare not even looking, I thought to myself.

I cleared my throat again, with no response. I spoke up. “Did you lose something?”

Minuette stood up. “I think it rolled off to the left there Lyra, but I don’t see it.”

“Well, I’m not going to go looking for it. It’s too dark down there.”

“One of you go down & get it, & I’ll just… study the rules here.”

At this point, talking to the three of them was pointless so I elected myself to find their die if they were so incapable of doing it themselves. I ventured deeper into the darkness, trying to spot the smallest object in the room. Minutes later, & I was on the verge of giving up.

“This is stupid.” I said under my breath, & turned on the spot ready to leave when a small twinkle caught my eye, the blue hint attracting me to investigate. I turned back & moved towards the area where I saw the flash. Still looking as lost as a dodo, I suddenly recalled the information one of the girls had mentioned earlier in finding the die. I turned the light in my lamp out & sure enough, the die shone a bright blue in the middle of the darkness, a shining beacon if you will.

Smiling, I picked it up, the number ‘five’ proudly presenting itself to the world. Turning the lamp back on, I made my way back to the group, expecting a few words such as “thank you” & “sorry for ignoring you earlier”. I looked towards the table, holding the blue die aloft… but there was no welcome party. Any clue as to the group’s existence was gone, no maps, no trace of any of their other die. & I thought it was weird earlier.

Looking up from the abandoned table, I could see the breaker box for the electronics just further along past the game table. Popping the die back in my pocket, I continued & flipped the lever. Almost immediately, the hum of the generators filled the room & light flooded in, blinding me momentarily. Once back to normality, I turned off the lamp & continued to look for the girls, but to no avail. I left in confused spirits.

Once outside again, I was relieved to be back to over ground. The sign for EQUUS OILS shone out bright & proud, shining the same brilliant blue as the twenty-sided die against the night time sky. The old man was still sat in his chair &, despite the now obvious hum of the generator below my feet, some crickets could still be heard here & there.

“There it is.” He said in a proud voice. “Just listen to those lights whine. Yep…”

I felt I should tell him. “There were some people in your basement playing some sort of a game. They’re gone now.”

He looked up at me, more confused than the last time he looked that way. “In the basement? No, I don’t think so.” He chuckled heartily. “Maybe that lamplight was playing tricks on you, huh?”

Realising I wasn’t playing his game, he recomposed himself. “Well, strange things happen underground, especially in the dark… So! Computer’s in the office. You’re looking for ‘Sparkle’. She knows her way around these roads; she’ll get you to the Zero. The password is… uh… damn.” His confused face did little to help me or the situation.

“I usually just feel it out. ‘Muscle memory’, you know? It’s kinda long, kinda like a short poem, I think. One of those short poems that really sums it up. You’ll figure it out.”

I made my way back to the office. Computers weren’t exactly my forte but I knew a poem couldn’t be a password for a computer. More likely the password for some mystical doorway in one of them old mares tales people read to their young. I hit a key & woke the computer from its reverie. The screen flashed to life, with the prompt of “PASSWORD” & a number of options. I chose & typed out the ones that stood out the most.

The stars drop away. The moon throbs. The lights whine.

“PASSWORD ACCEPTED” flashed up on the screen in bright green lettering.

“How’s it going in there? Figuring it all out? Sure you are.”

“Does this guy every shut up?” I thought to myself. Going through the address book, I found the reference for the Sparkle household true enough. The screen read:

Sparkle Residence

100 Macondo Lane

Head north east on I65, turn left as soon as you see that big ugly tree that’s always on fire. Look for the barn at the base of the mountain there; can’t miss it.

“Got it? Out there on Macondo somewhere, right? Yeah, that’s it.”

I scowled the man at his ignorance. Like I said, why didn’t he just tell me this stuff? I made my way back to the truck, opening the driver side door for Winona to jump back. Looking at the side, I read the company name in my head. Apple Antiques. Furniture, glassware & curiosities.

“Hey, look, while you were down there I loaded that old TV of mine into your truck. I borrowed that thing from Twilight Sparkle a number of years ago, & now that the power is all weird over here I can’t pick up anything but static & public access anyway.”

I still couldn’t believe that this guy wanted me to do stuff for him. I swore that I’d never come back to this gas station then & there. “She was always more of a reader, but maybe she’d want it back at home. It’s a nice TV!”

With disbelief still etched into my face, I got into the cabin & faced Winona.

“How’s it going, old girl? What do you think of this place?” I looked back at the old guy through the cabin window. “Seems like they’re really in the rocks. Take it easy, Winona.” I bought the engine back to life, ready for the drive to the Sparkle residence. It took a while but following the old guy’s instructions took me past the indefinitely burning tree & to the base of the nearby mountain. Looking up the route, there was indeed the Sparkle household that could help me in my journey.

Act 1, Scene III: Timberwolf Valley

Act One, Scene Three – Timberwolf Valley

I’ve been working for the family store for roughly ten years now. Before then, I took up a plethora of jobs that ranged from the mundane right up to the insane. All got me money but I never found happiness in them. Since I took on the delivery aspect of Apple Antiques, I’ve felt better than ever. I ain’t ever seen Granny Smith smile so much with how much work I put into it. I suppose that’s what family does to ya, you can’t help but feel great around them.

I looked out of the truck cabin window. The “onramp” as that Sparkle lady put it was more of a dilapidated sawmill than anything else. Sure, there were rocks everywhere & large cave entrances here & there but nothing that even began to resemble a highway. At least the low hanging fog kept clear of this place for me to get a good look at it. Judging by the starry sky, it was clearly night, the little lights shining proudly on display for my eyes only.

Leaving the cabin now, with Winona at my heels, I could get a better look at the ragged ruins ahead of me. With it’s rotting wood, red paint peeling off, it looked like it should’ve been in a horror film or something that Applebloom would watch with her friends late into the night. It’s looming structure did little to bolster my hopes of finding the Zero in this place. Slowly, I turned to Winona & brushed some dirt out of her ears.

“How’s it going, Winona?” Poor girl, I can’t blame her for sleeping earlier after waiting for me for so long. “Hey, you got something in your ear. Not sure the lady was right about the Zero though.” I looked around me, the wind picking up slightly.

“Better look around, though. Must be down here somewhere” I hated myself when I said that. My doubt about the existence of this highway was increasing by the hour. “Better hurry, though. Weather’s about to turn.”

I walked into one of the cave entrances. With the number of cables running into there, maybe I could find someone & ask for directions to the mysterious highway. As I moved further into the cave, I followed what looked like the remnants of a mine cart railway, that following the same path as the cables, burrowing deeper & deeper into the mountainside. The cave got darker, it enveloped me, it ate me. I turned on the lantern the old man gave me but even then I struggled to see past a few feet at most. That’s when I started to hear another man’s voice.

It sounded… pained. It was in conversation, but not with another audible being. Moving closer to the voice, I could make out another light source ahead around a corner, the light parting as a shadow crossed it. The voices became clearer.

“No, it’s fine, I’ll figure it out.” I say voices because what replied sounded like static or a really deep electronic voice that you couldn’t understand from where I was. The man’s voice continued “I guess she can’t kick me out for another week or two.” I turned the corner to find a man facing what appeared to be a foyer area large enough to hold at least twenty people, but in a cave. His back was turned to me & I could see now that he was in fact talking into a cell phone the size of a brick.

“Yes, & I appreciate that but – OK, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.” The man cut the call & put his phone away into a satchel bag. He turned to face me, yawning as he did so.

“Excuse me, sir, I saw the light was on & I’m looking for the onramp to –.” The man cut me short, his expression shocked by my being here.

“Are you here to kick me off the property?” His accusation made it sound as if he were expecting me or someone to ask him to leave said property but I really didn’t know what he was on about. Hell, did he even hear my sentence?

“Oh, no, no… I guess you don’t belong here either, do you?”

He continued with the accusations. “Do you work for the power company?”

“The power company? Oh, no, no. I once worked for an electrician for a few weeks, but I sort of drifted on before I really learned anything.”

He smirked at me. “I get it. You’re a nomad.”

Then I started smirking. “Ha. Well, I do drive a lot. Just me & the road mostly, when the sun is out.” What was this? We were talking as if we had been best buddies for a year & then some.

“You sound lonely.” He said this with a hint of compassion. It actually stopped my train of thought for me to even consider this statement. Was I lonely? I had Winona with me for the journeys, but when I wasn’t working, I had the entire family nearby for me. Was I lonely?

“Nah, I get by.” I straightened out & got back to the task at hand. “Here’s what it is: I drive deliveries for a shop called Apple Antiques, & I’m out trying to finish a job.”

“You’re making a delivery to the mine?” I don’t blame his confusion. I still didn’t know where I was going myself that night.

“Oh, uh… no.” I moved closer to the man. “I have a delivery for “5 Timberwolf Drive”, & I can’t remember ever seeing that address before. Now I heard that I need to take a highway called the Zero.” By this point, he was unfazed & still listening to me. Glad someone was in this place. “So I met this young lady, name of Twilight Sparkle, & she sent me this way, & so here I am. Uncommon place for an onramp, but that’s what it’s been like so far anyway with -.”

“What?” The accusation type of tone was back with a bite.

“Twilight Sparkle. Do you know her?”

The man laughed a single laugh quietly, almost in disbelief. “So you saw her. Tonight. I know Twilight. She was… she is my sister. I’m Shining Armor.”

He held out his hand, offering a handshake. I took it as I remembered something I was told by the girl. “Oh, you’re the one who fixes televisions.”

“That’s right. Did she tell you that, too? Of course she did.” He moved to the near wall, leaning against it, the look of disbelief still etched onto his face as he shook his head. He continued. “Twilight doesn’t lie. One time, when we were younger, she told me my dad had been in a terrible car wreck. There was crushed metal everywhere, & we’d be hearing it echo through the house for years, she said. I was very upset, crying, & then my dad walked in the door, just come back from collecting scrap metal to fashion into wind chimes.” He paused as he took a shaky breath, the recollection clearly getting to him.

“I was angry, but she said it wasn’t a joke, & it wasn’t a lie. At the time I thought she meant it as a riddle or a puzzle. But Twilight’s not a puzzle. She’s a mystery.” His gazed wandered off into the tunnels.

“So, maybe the Zero is down here somewhere.”

He considered this. “Maybe it is. Well, I won’t mind the company. I’ve got business down here myself.” He motioned to follow but stopped just short of the entrance. “I talked to Twilight earlier this evening, too. Or anyway, she talked to me; it’s hard to tell if she’s listening sometimes. Twilight told me I had to come down here to the old Timberwolf Mine. She said I’d find… something I’ve been looking for.”

I pressed him. “Where did you see her?”

“At my workshop. She just appeared. I hadn’t seen her since… a long time.” I took this as a cue that this was one subject that he was uncomfortable with discussing. “It’s not such a bad thing, you showing up now. All told, I’d rather not go down here alone. Your dog should stay up here, though. It’s no place for a dog.”

I hadn’t realised that Winona was still by my feet. Heck, the old dog had followed me into the mine without making a sound. I looked down at her. She looked up at me. I was not alone.

“This is an old mine. It runs pretty deep into the mountain & gets tangled. If we’re going to go down into it, find your onramp & whatever else, we’ve got to keep our bearings. I don’t want to get turned around.” He swivelled his waist, & pulled an electronic device of some sorts off the back of his belt. “I’ve got some gear here to measure conductivity, frequency response, stuff like that. Maybe we can find a way to put a signal out ahead, do some analysis & figure out what kind of topology we’re up against.”

“Topology. OK.”

He spoke proudly with his next sentence. “Topology. That’s the science of continuous space, my friend. That way this twisty maze of passages fits together.” Again, he motioned with his hand for me to follow him into the mine, the darkness of the tunnel eating him as I had been eaten earlier. I sighed & followed suit. This time, Winona stayed.

The cables continued, getting thicker as they went along, scaling the walls & ceilings of the tiny cavern. Every few tens of feet perched a speaker on a wooden pole, the dust sitting on their heads untouched for years. Eventually, the tunnel comes to a crossroad section, with the cables as splitting up, crossing each other as much as the floor of the cave network. Aside from the road we just came from, three others were present: straight on, right & left, although this one was blocked off by a rusted gate, a gate that looked in much more better condition than the wooden boards holding up the roof of the tunnel.

We paused here to decide our next move. In the dim light, I could make out a table & some chairs, unused for as long as the mine has been unused. On another table stood an old microphone, it’s own wire connecting with a system of other wires.

“That runs into the mines P.A. system. Do you think it still works?” Explains the cables, I suppose.

“Only one way to find out.” I leaned over the device, ready for my cue.

“Alright, give it a whirl.”

I cleared my throat. “Uh, is anybody down there?”

Silence answered. My voice was as quiet as normal. No amplification powered my voice.

“Nothing. Hm… Ah! There’s no power. Yeah, OK. Even when this mine was up & running it was tricky to keep stuff powered.” I said I was no electrician. Shining Armor continued his history lesson of the mine as he set to work getting the power up & running, cables being thrown about & put back into place in his wake.

“You know, the miners used to have to pay just to run the fans & the lights? Yeah, they got paid in these shitty plastic tokens – coal scrip, you know? & if you want to run the fans for a bit to clear the air up, well, you have to put a token in. My parents used to work here. I guess a lot of folks’ parents worked here…”

“Can we power it up?”

“I bet we just have to free up some power for the P.A. system. Everything is rationed. Here, set up that lamp of yours, & I’ll go unplug these ceiling lights.” He moved the untouched table towards the centre of the room & began to remove the bulbs.

In the light, I could finally get a good look at Shining Armor. He was around my age, & wore a striking white jacket with a pair of blue jeans that looked more of an antique than Granny Smith. Unable to think of anything to say, witty or otherwise, I cleared my throat, my nervousness getting the better of me even through that. The silence was then broken by the sound of the P.A. system blaring to life.

“I heard the speakers crackle a bit: it’s on now, right. Try something into the mouthpiece.”

I walked back to the microphone. “Well…”

We were hit by my own voice, the echo loud. Shining Armor was pleased. “OK, I hear you…” He pulled the device he’d shown me earlier & started fiddling with a few of the dials on its face. “We need to measure the echo time delay & figure out how deep the tunnels run. Just make some noises into the mouthpiece.”

Science was hardly my best subject in school, but I sort of understood the idea behind this plan. I rubbed my finger along the mouthpiece, the loud reverberations bouncing along the walls & ceilings. Shining Armor didn’t stop looking at the device. I hummed slightly, deeply. I moved it up into a whistle. Shining Armor’s device sprung into life, a sonar type sound protruding out of the tiny speakers on its back.

“Damn, that’s a long delay! These tunnels run deep. I bet some of them have ruptured or joined with a cave system.” He fiddled with the dials a bit more. “Alright, I set up my spectrum analyser, so just say something into the mouthpiece & we can get a sense of how narrow the main tunnels are. Don’t be shy, just say anything that comes to your head. Tell me a story about something – or what did you have for breakfast today? He looked excited for my part in this.

“Here’s a story.” The reverberations started again. “I used to work doing roof repair. We even fixed up a church roof once. It seemed like a big project, but doable. But I was too hung over & we ran late.”

Shining Armor nodded his head. “… Got it. Looks like the tunnels are pretty cramped… Yeah, low ceilings, hope you’re ready to stoop a bit. Eh, you’re probably used to it.” Admittedly, whilst I did slightly stoop normally, that was not because of actual stooping. Heavy lifting has it’s effects on the body.

He twiddled the dials once more. “One more test. We just need to know if the air is breathable, or if it’s too thin, or too dense. Just sit real close to the mouthpiece & breathe. I’ll measure the resonance of your breath with the air in the tunnels. Just try to relax. Try to breathe naturally.”

I calm myself down, & I close my eyes. Breathing as naturally as I can, I visually things. I think about the way that I sleep, the way that I rest & breathe in that time. I then think of myself, a younger version of myself, of how much fun I had playing in the fields out near our shop.

“Getting some pretty strong readings here. I think we’re in good shape, but keep at it for a minute!”

I continue my breathing, I think of a hot meal, a nice cold drink… I breathe a bit too heavily, a peal of feedback ripples through the cave, catching both of us off guard. I’m on my back when I notice the first rocks start to fall from the ceiling. What followed was darkness.