The Adventures of Trotter Grey

Anything

“Gazer!  Gazer!  Get back here!”

It was pointless.  Gazer had already disappeared into the endless thicket of the Everfree.  He had mistaken one of the many strange sounds of the forest as a cry for help from his sister.  Trotter had tried to catch up with him, but Gazer was quicker than a colt his age should be.

The forest around him was terrifying.  Worse than any of the other parts he had seen before.  The trees here seemed dead and lifeless.  They bore no leaves of any sort and they all had roots that seemed to reach out and try and grab him.  Though they had no leaves the branches of trees created a thick canopy, blocking out all light.

Trotter had only been in forest for maybe an hour, but he had no way to tell the time.  It seemed like it was night, but when he left it was still midday.  Trotter had needed to cast a weak light spell in order to see where he was going, though this only made the forest that much worse.  The shadows his light casted formed terrifying shapes and outlines.

Trotter wished there was somepony there with him, but all of his closest friends were away or busy.  The Doctor was busy doing some maintenance on the TARDIS and then he had some other business that he said he needed to take care of.  Twilight Sparkle and Spike were in Canterlot doing some royal business.  Rainbow Dash was in Cloudsdale on a date with Soarin.  Fluttershy and Applejack were in Appleloosa helping with a rat infestation that was eating all of their apples.  Rarity and Pinkie Pie were in Manehatten doing some fashion show, party thingy…Trotter actually didn’t know the details on that one.  Any one of these ponies Trotter would have wanted here with him now, anything to not be alone.

“Gazer, please…”  Trotter was begging now.  He needed somepony here so he wouldn’t be alone.  “Come back, it’s dangerous to be here alone!”

It was pointless.  Trotter was alone.  Alone with the horrid blackish brown trees and the endless thicket of thorns and vines and who knew what creatures stalked him.  Trotter fell to the ground and put his hooves over his head.  The light from his horn slowly began to fade.  Memories of Hollow Shade flashed in his head, memories of his family and friends and….

They all screamed at him.  He was alone and nothing he could do would change that.  He would be here forever, trapped alone with this awful forest.

“Are you just going to leave Gazer alone?”

Trotter lifted his head.  She was right.  He couldn’t leave somepony like Gazer alone in this forest.  The light from his horn regained its formal brightness, recasting those terrible shadows, but he ignored them.  He stood up and started for the direction Gazer ran off in.

“Gazer!  Come on!  We need to-” Trotter turned around a voice called him from a bush behind him.

“Trotter Grey…”  A dark blue mare with an even darker blue mane walked out of the bush.  Part of her mane fell in front of her face, covering half of her face. She stared at Trotter through her mane with her cold, light blue eyes.  A very blue pony all together, the only thing not blue about this pony was a red gemmed necklace she wore loosely around her neck.

Trotter took a few steps over some roots towards this mare.  “Are you Gazer’s sister?  Did he find you?  Did you find your dad?”

The mare closed her eyes and smirked.  “You’re not very smart, are you?  I don’t see what’s so great about you.”  Her voice sounded strange.  Almost like a soft echo, like there were two voices speaking in the same tone at the same time.

“I agree…I don’t see why father thinks so highly of you.”  A new voice said from behind Trotter.  This voice had the same echo tone to it, but this time it sounded younger, like foal’s voice.

Trotter turned and there stood Gazer.  Something about him was different though.  He wasn’t that sad colt Trotter had met before, he seemed…indifferent.  He had no facial reaction at all, just an unimpressed gaze.

“Gazer…”  Trotter started, “What’s wrong?  Is this your sister?  Did something happen?  What happened to your voice?”

“Heh, you’re so pathetic.”  Gazer said bitterly, “You really are the most pathetic and idiotic pony I have ever met.  It may be a mystery to me as to why Father is so interested in you, but what’s more confusing is why you still go on living.  Ponies like you should be dead.”

Trotter took a few steps back.  “Wha-What?”  He tripped over a root and fell onto his flank.  He didn’t flinch though, he kept eye contact with Gazer.  “Gazer…why would you…”

“That’s another thing I hate.”  Gazer looked up at the branches and began to move towards Trotter.  His head swayed to the left and right as he slowly went forward.  “You still think that’s my name.  How stupid could you be?  What do you think, Nightmare?”

“I think you’re right.”  The mare agreed, “Though, I think you should careful to questions Father’s judgment.”

Finally Gazer’s face had a touch of emotion, but this…this was worse.  He was smiling, but this smile was the most sinister thing he had ever seen and then there was his eyes…His eyes seemed to glow in the dark of the Everfree.  “Ha, you would never tattle on me!  You know what happened to our other siblings who did!”  Gazer snickered a bit, “And the ones who just annoyed me.”

“O-of course…”  Nightmare stuttered.  She seemed more afraid of Gazer than Trotter was.

“What’s going on?”  Trotter asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

“You know…”  A new voice said.  Trotter couldn’t tell where it came from, but it sounded familiar.  “Light, you should really watch your mouth.  You know I hate it when you talk about your siblings like they’re not your family.”

Gazer looked around the forest.  He looked terrified, more terrified than Nightmare looked when he threatened her.  “Y-yes, I’m sorry, father…”

“That’s my boy!”  The voice replied loudly and with great enthusiasm, “Now then!  Trotter, it’s been awhile!”

“No….”  Trotter whispered, slowly realizing who was, “That was j-just a dream.”

“Hahaha!”  The voice laughed, “I still owe you a game of chess, but that’s not important now.”  The voice grew darker, it had morbid tone to it.  “We need to go now…”

“Go?  Go wher-?”  Trotter grew faint, tired.  His sight became blurry.  Staying awake became more and more difficult.  “Wha-what d-did you do t-to me, me?  Where a-are we, are we g-going?”

Trotter fainted or fell asleep.  It was impossible to tell.  He wasn’t dead, he knew that.  He split in and out of consciousness.  He could feel himself being carried or rather…dragged to somewhere.  Only faintly could he hear the chatter of four ponies around him.  They were talking about a new brother or something.

There was something else though.  There was another voice.  It wasn’t a voice around him, it was a voice in his head. Something in the back of his mind.  A mare’s voice…a friend’s voice.

“Come on, Trotter, let’s go!  It’ll be fun!”

“I don’t know, I’m kinda scared.  Could we just walk around town?”

“Noooooo!  There’s nothing to be afraid of.  I’m here with you and I’ll always be there for you.  You have nothing to worry about.”

“Alright…if you say so.”

“Come on, let’s go!”

****

Trotter awoke from sleep in a complete daze.  Everything was still blurry and his head was throbbing.  His entire body ached, almost like he had fallen down a flight of stairs.

Wherever he was it wasn’t the forest.  As his sight slowly returned to him the more he could get a feel of where he was.  He was in some sort of old hallway, maybe it belonged to a castle or old keep?  It was defiantly a stone passage of some kind.  At least that’s how the floor felt.  The passage was completely black, Trotter could barely even see his hooves.  The only way he actually knew it was a passage or hallway was the echoing of hoof beats coming from further down this corridor.

“Hello!”  Trotter called out weakly.  He quickly discovered that his throat was aching and dry.  “Please!”  Trotter let out a barrage of coughs, “Please-help!”  Trotter spat out what he could only assume was blood onto his hoof.

“Oh Trotter…”  A familiar voice echoed down the hall, “Trotter, Trotter, Trotter…”  There was slight chuckle at the end of each of his sentences.  “I didn’t expect you to have this reaction, especially after how you handled it last time.”

Trotter slowly stood up.  His entire body shook.  His front left hoof was badly hurt, he could barely stand on it.

“Please…”  Trotter coughed, “I’m hurt, please can you help me.”  Trotter said as loud as his dried voice would allow him.

“Oh I am sorry.  Light can be so….hmmm, how would you put it?  Rough.”  The voice let out a laugh that sent a chill down his spine, “Haha, oh I never know what he’ll do next!  But if you really can’t stand the pain than here!”

The pain in Trotter was suddenly lifted.  It was although it never existed.  It wasn’t magic, there was no sign of a colored light from a spell nor was there any sign that something affected his body.  It was like it was never there.

When Trotter spoke again he found dryness in his throat had left him.  “T-thank you!”  Trotter called out, “But who-how did you-?”

“Oh yes, introductions!  They should come first!  I never really introduced myself last time we met.  Though in my defense our time was limited.  At least now we can have a proper chat.  I’ve got a question that needs answering!  It’s very important, at least I think so!  You might have a different opinion!”  The voice and its footsteps took a long pause.  There was what seemed like a seamlessly endless silence.

It finally came back to Trotter.  The voice.  Who this pony was.  It was that bandaged pony he met weeks before when he first met the Doctor.  The one from his dream, the one he played chess with.

“You’re-!”

“WELL!  AREN’T YOU GOING TO ASK WHAT THE QUESTION IS?!”  The bandaged pony yelled from the dark interrupting Trotter.

Trotter jumped back, surprised at the sudden increase in his volume.  “Oh, um-uh….what’s the question?”  Trotter asked nervously.

“AH-HAHAHAHA!!!  You’re a funny one, Trotter Grey!  I like you!  I really hope I don’t have to kill you!  That’d be a shame, but then again I’d only kill you if you disappointed me!  And the only way you could really disappoint me is if you answer my question wrong!  So I think your odds are in your favor at the moment!”

Something about that phrase caused Trotter’s stomach to churn.  Not so much the killing him, but rather the question.  Something about that caused him to stir.

In most situations a regular pony would be terrified of this entire predicament, but Trotter knew better.  During his travels with the Doctor he had faced many dangers and he had learned that in these situations it was best to keep a cool head.  He knew that of course…but then again…it was so much easier said than done.

“So…”  Trotter said quietly, “What’s the question then?”

There was another long silence.  Trotter stared into the darkness, hoping his eyes would adjust and the identity of the bandaged pony would be revealed.  He had no such luck however, this darkness was eternal.  It was then Trotter remembered he still had his light spell.

With a wince and a grunt an orb of light appeared above Trotter’s horn.  The bobbing orb of light quickly revealed the passage.  It was made from a greyish cobblestone.  A few loose bricks and other debris decorated the hall.  There a few spots along the wall where bricks were missing.  Filling that emptiness was only more darkness that his light failed to reveal.  Even with all of this revealed the bandaged pony’s face remained a mystery.

“Heh heh heh…oh Trotter, you mustn’t always do as your told.  You’re missing the big questions!  Ask those!  Please try again!”  He replied in a mocking tone.  “Oh, and while you’re thinking about questions to ask feel free to explore.  You might find something that interests you.  Then again, you might not.”

“What?”

His voice grew grimmer this time, it wasn’t the cheery tone that it usually spoke in.  “I said go for a walk and think about a different question.  You’d be wise to ask quickly.  You won’t get a chance like this anytime soon.”

This time Trotter didn’t hesitate.  He quickly galloped down the hall, his hoof beats echoing behind him.  Over his hoof beats he could hear the pony’s laughter, obviously pleased that he had managed to scare him.

After a couple minutes of galloping Trotter was finally out of breath.  Galloping had never been one of his fortes and usually caused him trouble when traveling with the Doctor.

Slowing down, Trotter was able to catch his breath and think about a question he could ask.  It also gave him chance to think about why this pony wanted him here and what he was possibly planning.

“Heh, okay…you want a question, I have few, heh…”  Trotter said out of breath, “Where, where exactly are we?”

“Ha, not a bad question.  You’re somewhere sa-.”  The voice had once again returned to its cheery yet sinister state.  “At least I think you’re safe…I hope you are.  You should be safe.  I told Light to keep you safe, but, well…you met him.  He can be very…unpredictable.”

“But...?”

“As for where you are now…you’re in the same place you were when we met.  Well, not the same place, but the same place.  We’re in your head, but this place is one of my memories.  You remember that spell, don’t you?”  He sighed, “Don’t feel like you have to answer that.  There are still a few questions I want you to ask.”

“I-if you know what questions you want me to ask, why don’t you just answer them for me?”

“Oh, that’s a bad question, try again.  I’ll give you three more chances before I ask mine.”

Trotter gulped.  Something still bothered him about the question he needed to answer.  Why didn’t this pony just ask it?  Why was this question so terrifying to him?

That didn’t stop Trotter though, he kept moving forward through the stone passage.  For the most part it was the same thing and showed no sign of leading him to anything different.  Even the debris scattered across the floor seemed to repeat itself.

It slowly came to him.  He was walking in a circle or a loop, or something.  Either way it seemed to go on forever.

“You answered where we are, so then, who are you, how can you be doing this?”

“Two questions, well colored me impressed.”  He chuckled, “Well then.  Since I forgot for a second time to introduce myself, I am Fear.  I know what you’re thinking.  What kind of parents names their foal Fear?  What kind of name is that?”  His laugh echoed down the passage again, “No, don’t worry, my parents didn’t name me that, though….Imagine if they did!  Oh my, the problems I would have had…I digress…again.  No, that was not my original name, I gave myself that name.  My parent’s probably gave me a normal name like Sliver Mane or Silent Strider or Janet, I don’t know…I don’t remember.”  For a moment Fear’s voice seemed sad, almost disappointed.

“So your name is-?”

“DON’T INTERRUPT ME!”  Fear screamed down the hall, his voice sounding demonic or possessed.  Trotter quickly ducked his head down, partly expecting something to come out of the shadows.  “Anyways!”  He continued in his regular voice, “I still haven’t answered your other question!  How am I doing this?  I’ve been around a long time.  A very long time and I’ve learned a few tricks in my day, so this is just a spell I picked up.   Okay?  Okay.  You’re probably wondering how an earth pony can do this, right?  Probably, well it doesn’t matter how I can, I just can, so don’t asked.  You can ask your other questions now, remember, you only have two left.”

Trotter slowly lifted his head from under his hooves.  He looked straight ahead at the darkness.  He still wasn’t there.  This time, however, this time he could feel a presence lurking on the edge of the shadows.  He was there. Just beyond his field of vision.

Trotter got back up and started off down the passage again, this time a little slower and with more caution.  Something still seemed to wait along the edge of the shadows, it seemed to follow in Trotter’s wake.

“Two more you said?”  Trotter paused.  “Not including these two?  Right?”

“You know what?!  You’ve done pretty well so far!  I usually end up killing or least maiming a pony by now, so I’ll give you a few more!”

Trotter smiled, pleased with himself.  He wasn’t sure why he pleased with himself, he had managed to impress an obvious psychopath, but still, that probably wasn’t easy.

“Heh, okay then…um, w-why are you called Fear?”  Trotter asked hoping this question would be suitable like the rest.

Fear snickered, “Heh, that’s a long story.  I suppose the best way to explain is…hmmm, I actually haven’t explained this in a while.” Fear took a long pause.  Trotter could hear him humming a familiar tune from the darkness while thinking.  It sounded familiar, like an old nursery rhyme or foal’s song.  After a short bit Fear finally stopped and spoke again.  “Well, you’ve met Discord before, yes?  Don’t answer that either, I know you have.  Well he’s the embodiment of discord, so I’m basically the embodiment of fear.  Though my creation was different.  He became what he through an accident, an experiment gone wrong.  I…I chose my path.”

“Then who were those two ponies I met before, Gazer and that mare?”

“Oh those were two of my children, my two favorite children.  Of all my children they hold the most power and each of them represent a different aspect of fear.  Last Light, or as you know him, Gazer is the embodiment of natural fear, like the fear of pain or death.  Nightmare is more the embodiment of personal fears, like phobias or just basic things you’re afraid of.”

“So…they’re your children?”

“Oh…eh, that’s a crappy question…try another…there is still two questions you’re missing.  You’ve done where you are, who I am, and who my students were, so where does that leave you?”

There was a sudden shift in the passageway.  The passage began to rapidly shake.  Debris and bricks fell from the ceiling and soon the floor collapsed beneath him.  He fell into an endless dark.  He thought he’d fall forever until he final landed hard on a cold floor.

He had landed on his back.  It felt as though he had broken it, as well as one of his back hooves.  He could something drip down his face.  His whole body screamed with pain.

During his fall his light spell had dispersed and had left him alone in the dark.  He couldn’t see where he was, but it felt like he was outdoors.  He could feel the grass slowly rub against his back.  There was a slight cool breeze that gave him a little comfort.  Other than that he had no idea where he was.  There was no moon or stars to light where he was and he was in too much pain to recast his spell.  Though at least it wasn’t as dark as before, Trotter could still make out the outline of strange shapes that were sticking out of the ground.

“Ho ho!  I hope I didn’t hurt you too much!”  Fear laughed from the dark.  “I know it hurts, but you have to try and stand, I know I didn’t break anything, I made sure of that.”

“Wh-what did you do to me?”  Trotter called out weakly, “Where are we now?”

“Dear me…you’re in so much pain and still asking good questions.  I knew you were a good choice!”  Fear chuckled.  “To answer both your questions, I made you fall into another memory and the impact did this to you.”

“C-can you help?  Like, like you did before?  Please…”

“Come on Trotter!  Begging and a bad question!  That answer is obvious!  I can…but will I?  Nah!  I don’t think so.”

Trotter slowly rolled over to his stomach.  Every move he made seemed to make the pain worse.  He stomped one hoof on the ground and slowly lifted himself up.  He breathed heavily.  He stomped his other hoof down and managed to stand.  This was hard, harder than his first time standing in the TARDIS.

“There we are, your parents must be so proud.”

“You are….ugh…”  Trotter trembled from the pain.

“What’s wrong?  Too hurt to try and offend me?  Pity.  Why not try those questions again?”

Trotter sighed, “Oka-okay, eh, why me?  Why are you…ugh, why are you doing this to me?  What c-could I have done to you?”

“Why not?!  Really there’s no reason.”

“…what?”

“Why not you?  It was more so of a random selection.  I could have chosen anypony from that hospital, but I just chose you.  Though, I’m very happy I chose you, you’re an interesting colt.”

Trotter smiled and started to laugh even though it hurt his chest.  It was the first time he actually laughed this hard in a while.  Most of them were weak, pained laughs, but still, he was laughing.  “Ha, I guess, heh…I was a little lucky.  Hahaha-heh, Of all the ponies you chose me.  Ha-heh-haha, that requires some amount of luck, heh, I could use some of that luck now…You’re a real jerk, you know that Fear?”

  “AND THAT’S WHY I LIKE YOU!  You can still laugh even with an ancient all powerful force torturing you!  You’re great!”

“H-happy to have your approval.”

“And I’m glad you’re glad.”

“So, heh, I’m still missing one more important question?”

“Yes, one question you’ve been staring right in the face, a question you may have not seen.”

Trotter’s heart dropped.  That moment of laughter seemed pointless now, that confidence he had from asking good questions had faded.  Trotter tried to look around the new area, but it was too dark, again.

Trotter stomped his right hoof down and squinted his eyes.  His whole body began to shake.  A faint glowing started to form around his horn.  Soon a weak flickering light appeared above his horn.

His heart sank even further, it was although it had fallen out and had been thrown down a well.  All around him stood the stone monuments to the dead.  He was completely surrounded by gravestones.  The grass seemed less comforting as their blackish brown color was revealed.  There was also seemed to be a thick layer of grey mist that still made it difficult to see.  But even with all of this revealed there was still something more terrifying that he had forgotten, something he had missed.

Trotter gulped.  “Where are you?”

Trotter felt something brush up beside him.  He could feel his breath on the back of his neck.  “I’ve been behind you all along.”  Fear chuckled, “Boo.”