I woke up in a cold, dark room five minutes ago, or, at least I think it was that long ago, and that's all I can seem to remember. There's a bandage of some sort wrapped around my head that straps down one of my ears, and it's damp when I touch it, but what exactly's making it that way is hard to determine. I make to move, but am stopped almost instantly as pain shoots from my left hind leg and up my spine, making me feel as if I'm on the brink of breaking something I'd rather keep working.
Desperately, I try thinking back to something, anything, but nothing comes of it. Hell, I don't even know if I'd be able to tell you my name. I can feel myself growing more uncomfortable with each passing second, and it's not because of the pain; I seem to recall from somewhere that, usually, ponies that happened to find themselves in a situation like mine would have some fleeting glimpses of something incredibly important that would no doubt help them figure out what was going on, and maybe even play a part later on in their life, but unfortunately, I'm not getting any of it. Now, maybe that means the whole notion is something that only exists in fiction, or... maybe I just thought it up right now as a way to try and assure myself that all was not really lost. After a split-second of picking a story to run with, I decide that it's really just a literary thing, which doesn't suprise me too much.
I begin to feel around myself, only going as far out as my forelegs would stretch without moving the rest of my body too much. The floor (aside from the portion where I was laying) turns out to be almost as cold, if not colder than the rest of the space I'm trapped in. It also isn't the cleanest of spaces that one would ever find themselves trapped in, with each swipe of my hooves kicking up small clouds of dirt, occasionally even causing a rock or two to skitter off deeper in to the darkness. A couple of testing knocks against the surface results in a dull thud and a slight echo, though not like wood would; something more like a rock. Suprisingly, this provides me with my first small piece of a more than likely impossible puzzle, and I begin listing off everything I've ever known that happened to have some sort of stone surface. Not suprisingly though, there are almost too many things in Equestria that include a stone of any sort to even narrow down to just a few, which leads me back to nothing but confusion, constant chills, and a seemingly neverending darkness.
Dejectedly, I return my hooves to my chest, shivering slightly as the space seems to get even colder. Is this really how I'm meant to go? Have I already gone, and this is all that Celestia and Luna had waiting for me? The space seems to get smaller, crushing me in on myself as I lay there, a shell of a former self that I couldn't even remember. I utter a quick prayer, asking for any Princess that would lend an ear to send a savior of any kind my way, then settle in as best I can and close my eyes, the bandage on my head serving as a damp cushion of sorts. Somehow, through all of it, I still manage a smile, and feel myself being taken away in the bittersweet arms of an uneasy sleep.
***
Once more, I woke up, though this time to the sound of somewhat muffled knocking. My spirits brighten again almost instantly, as I now know that somepony out there really is listening. I try to yell, but find that my throat is too dry, and that the resulting sound serves no other purpose than to hurt the muscle even more.
The knocking stops momentarily, but is replaced with a soft hum, slowly getting louder and louder until a discharge is heard. It must've been a big one, too, since it sounds like there's lots of materials being shifted. The hum gets louder the second time around, and is now approaching from somewhere to my left. As with the first, the hum grows in volume until discharge, which sounds even bigger this time around. A third hum begins, and with it, a third discharge, but this time blowing out a portion of my prison. No light follows though, and I quickly wonder if the answer to my prayer wasn't the kind of savior I was looking for.
No fourth hum starts up after it; instead, something reaches through, smashing away more chunks of wall, or at least that's what I can assume is happening. Suddenly, light fills the space, practically forcing me to cover my eyes as they adjust.
When I bring the hoof back down, a rugged-looking unicorn stands but a foot away. I can't tell much, other than the coat was one of the lightest blues I'd ever seen, or remember seeing, at least.
It speaks with a voice that's most welcome here, saying, "Everything's going to be alright."
I question its motives, but am unable to react as it advances towards me. I also notice now that the light is emanating from its horn, which allows me to get a good look at the head. The features are soft, small, and almost rounded in places, with large-ish eyes and a rather short snout. I figure that, if anything, this unicorn's a female.
"What's your name?" she asks, bringing me out of my observations.
Name? As far as I remember, I don't have a one. She mustn't have really cared too much about the answer anyway though, because she's quickly spouting out an answer of her own.
"I'm Blue, if you're wonderin'."
"Blue"? I know I should be the last pony to judge, especially without a name myself, but hers just sounds plain unoriginal. Still, she seems to know what she's doing with that hunk of whatever's pinning my leg down, so I guess I've got no choice but to trust her until I'm out of here.
Something scrapes up against my leg, scratching it in several places, and I squirm in reponse, but she's on top of it almost instantly.
"Sorry, but this is going to hurt, and there's nothing you or I can do about it."
The tone of her voice reassures me, even though the words themselves aren't the most calming. I don't really know how much I can handle, but I hope that it's a whole lot more than this, because the last thing I want to do is look like a wimp in front of Blue, especially if she stops acting like this and tries to kill me for whatever reason. Unfortunately, I quickly discover that I'm actually a huge wimp and would probably rather ask for a swift and merciful death, as the next few seconds go by agonizingly slow while the large chunk of material drags itself across my leg before dropping and clunking loudly against the stone floor.
Seconds pass, and words flood my mind, but, before I know it (and depsite my best efforts to keep it contained), the space echoes with a single strangled cry of, "Fuck!"
My hooves fly up to my mouth. That probably wasn't the best first thing to say, especially to a lady, but thankfully, she doesn't seem to mind.
"You've got yourself quite a vocabulary there, don't you?"
She flashes me a slight smile, one that I can't help but shoot right back at her before being drug back down by the sensations in my leg. Finally free, I stretch out before curling up in to a ball to clutch at the appendage. It has to be broken, or is at least going to be taken out of commision for awhile; there's just no way in hell it would be hurting this bad if it weren't. However, just like before, Blue's on top of things, and she pats me on the shoulder as I lay there and shiver in a most comforting of fashions.
I'm no fool though. I know that she's just getting me weak enough so as to not out up a fight when she tries killing me. How else would she have known how to remove that chunk, other than by putting it there herself? This would also explain how she found me in the first place, and even why her name is so bad.
"Don't you worry, everything's going to be fine. You're safe now."
The words of a killer about to strike! I let out as mighty a roar as my body would let me, spastically flailing my limbs about as I do so in an attempt to reveal a weak spot of hers, but the plan backfires horribly; my already injured leg catches the chunk that it had previously been freed from, my right foreleg slams against a rock at just above the elbow, and my head just bounced up once before crashing back down upon the stone floor of fhe space. In response, all she does is jump back a few inches and snarl.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she shouts out in confusion.
My mouth finally starts producing saliva again, and I swallow some quickly as a means of wetting my throat. Though it's still incredibly strained, I find the strength to push through and retort.
"I might ask you the same thing!"
"I'm helping you out! Did you miss that?"
"Yeah, helping me out right before you tried to kill me!"
I'm pretty sure I have her on the ropes now. If I'm lucky, she'll confess and just off herself.
"Kill you? W-what?! Why would I want to kill you? Besides, it looks like you're doing just fine yourself, what with all that flailing nonsense, you idiot."
Damn, she's good; almost too good.
She opens her mouth to say something else, but stops short and instead tales a deep breath, most likely to calm herself. She must've been real close to breaking. I'll remember to keep an eye on her for now.
"So, anyway," she begins after seconds of silence, "would you like to come out with me?"
I honestly don't have a clue. I mean, what, or even where, could "out" possibly be? Aside from that, do I really want to go anywhere with Blue, the defensive homicidal unicorn who could apparently easily overpower me in a fight? Quickly, the answer comes to me, and before my brain can think of a response, my mouth is saying yes and taking one of her outstretched hooves in my own. She allows me to lean against her side on account of my untended leg, something for which I'll admit to being just a bit grateful.
I find that I can stand fully inside the space, which is suprising, since it seemed much smaller when covered in shadows. We make towards the opening she made, and I can swear to see a light at the end of the tunnel, as poor and cliched as it sounds.
We walk along inside the short dirt tunnel, with me doing my best to avoid even looking at her, and I'm sure she's beside me doing the same. After half-a-minute, maybe even less, we reach the end, and I find that "Out" is just as empty and desolate as my dark space from which I'd just come from.
Author's Note
Woo, here's to something.
"Where are we?" I mumble to the ground, staring on in disbelief at the wasteland before us. It's lifeless, but far away from empty; the ground is littered with debris of all shapes and sizes, each looking as if it'd come from a different source. It also looks as if some great machine lays off maybe a mile or so away from us, though what its purpose could be is something I can't even begin to guess. Just beyond that, a thick cloud of fog cancels out everything else, creating a solid-looking barrier between us and whatever might lay beyond. A quick glance skyward would make it seem that the sun had gone dim and the sky simply gave up and turned itself black to match.
"What do you mean?" she asks calmly.
Although I'm still propped up against Blue, I turn my head to look directly at her. "What do I mean?!" I shout right in her ear before trying desperately to cover my mouth. It's too late though, because, before I can manage another word or motion, she lets out a yell of her own, and then I'm on the ground in a cloud of dust. I shift a bit, trying to get on my side to take pressure off my leg and make the best of the situation. I know I should apologize somehow while she paces back and forth, because such a thing was inapropriate and unnecessary on my part, but I just can't believe how cool she seems to be about whatever state the world around us is in.
I wait a moment or two, then try to say something, but she tells me to just shut up, which I quickly do. Somewhere off in the distance, past the irritated noise or two Blue makes, and more than likely well beyond our barrier of fog, I can hear a great groan, as if a humongous structure had finally began to settle. That natural sense of curiosity all creatures have rises up from within me, almost pushing me to break my silence and ask my companion if she knows anything about that noise, but concerns for my well-being and sanity quickly beat the urge back down; after all, if I can barely handle what all of this is in front of me, why would I be anymore able to handle whatever happened to lie out further?
Blue suddenly stops her pacing and sits down, looking directly at me. I'm not too sure about what she may or may not be getting at, so I try and avoid making contact of any kind. However, after a few seconds, she lighty taps a hoof against the dirt and whistles, an obvious attempt to get me to pay attention, which I do, though still keeping quiet.
"I told you who I am, right?" she asks, and I nod. "Can you tell me who you are then?"
Damn. This is one of the many moments I've been trying to ready myself for since meeting her, and, unsurprisingly, just like all of said moments, I'm horribly unprepared. I think and think, but nothing comes of it. I could just name an object, but she'd no doubt see right through that. As I search the surrounding area for an answer, I meet her gaze, and she looks just as calm as she did minutes before.
"Having some trouble?"
Celestia above, it's like she can read my mind or something, as much as I'd like not to think about the possibility of that being the truth.
Still, I nod, and she looks as if she understands my struggle. She repositions, laying down from her upright position, then starts talking again before I can ask her what she's trying to accomplish.
"How much do you remember?" I open my mouth to question, but she adds, "About anything."
That really gives me a lot of room to work with, so let's see. Well, for starters, I remember Blue's name, and that everything around us is bleak, and that I was just trapped inside of something, and that my head was bandaged, and, uh...then...oh, shit.
"Having some more trouble?" she chimes again.
"What do you want me to say?" I ask, beginning to get fed up with the unicorn.
"Nothing, I just want you to listen to me."
And now I'm frustrated and confused with her. If she wants me to listen to whatever she's got to say, she needs to stop asking questions and get to speaking, because all I've done is listen since we met not ten minutes ago, and she's failed to tell me anything thus far.
"Why do you think my name's 'Blue'?" she begins with yet another question. This time, however, she gives me time to answer.
"You have unoriginal parents?"
The comment seems to strike a chord with her, but I realize I haven't really been able to determine anything about her just by looking, so I drop the subject and wait.
"Well, as easy as it'd be to say I do and leave it a that, the answer's much simpler. Do you see my coat?" I nod. "That's where I got my name."
"So, your friends gave it to you?"
"I didn't have any friends; I gave it to myself."
Now that's just dumb; of all the names a pony could give themselves, why would she choose to make it one as boring as that? That's like if I called myself...Gray...
I look up at her as my revelation ends, and she just tilts her head and asks "Yes?", almost as if she were making fun of me for finally understanding. Unfortunately for her, she won't be coming out on top.
"I don't care what my name really is, but I'm not going to call myself that."
"Whatever, Gray."
Goddess, it sounds even stupider when said aloud. Hopefully we'll be able to live on in such a way that we never have to say one another's names, just so I never have to hear that again.
Blue clears her throat, probably getting ready to go back to what she was originally going to say.
"Now, do you know why I gave myself that name?"
Not wanting to endure another small victory of hers in conversation, I remain quiet and let her say what she needs to.
"It was the only thing I could think of. You know how you woke up under all that rubble?" I nod once more, becoming somewhat interested. "Well, I didn't wake up like that; I woke up out there." She finishes by gesturing towards the abandoned area in front of us. "And when I did, I couldn't remember how I'd gotten there. Surely you know how that feels, right?"
Gears were turning faster than I thought they could inside my head.
What was Blue trying to say? That we both blacked out in random places and woke up without any ideas about anything? I could feel my initial suspicions about her returning, only now I don't feel that she knew what she was doing; she is nothing more than a loon, and now she's trying her best to make me the same, and it almost started working. I try to counteract and deter her from trying any harder by just telling her outright that she's wrong.
"Listen, Blue, I don't think you know what you're talking about. I mean, there's just no way that that's possible."
She repositions once more, now standing on all fours and staring down at me. "No, listen to me, Gray; if anyone doesn't know what's happening to us, it's you."
Another groan, much like the one from before, echoes again around us, though sounding a bit louder somehow. We both stop and wait for a moment as the air settles, but then she looks back to me.
"You were the lucky one. You were able to wake up sheltered, while I had to find my way around in the middle of that. Do you know what kind of things I saw out there?"
She had me there; I honestly had no idea what she'd seen, though I'm sure it was all just in her head, perhaps an overreaction to waking up lost.
"I highly doubt it could have been much worse than waking up trapped and practically blind."
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"
Very quickly, just with that statement, I went from sure in my abilities to defend myself against an attack to mildly concerned about whatever insane trick she may or may not have up her sleeve. I wipe a nervous bead of sweat away with a hoof, not taking my eyes away from her.
"Actually, Gray, why don't we take a little walk?" she says, suddenly seeming more composed, once again throwing me off. All traces of mild insanity she showed were no longer present on her outer shell, but I know they linger inside.
She takes the few steps over to me, then extends a hoof and waits. I eye the appendage cautiously, then, figuring I have no other choice beside her and dying alone on the ground, slowly reach out and accept.
We work together to get me up and moving, and she lets me lean against her again. We take a step forward as a single being, but I stop us before taking another.
"Where exactly are we going to go?"
"Why, out there, of course."
She moves, forcing me to as well, and we slowly but surely make our way even further out in to the great unknown, with neither of us being fully prepared to face whatever we may find.