Forlornby Soviet PlatypusChaptersThe AwakeningBarriers and DoorwaysA Strange New WorldThe AwakeningForlorn Chapter 1: The Awakening Vermello awoke one fine Sunday morning to find that it was a beautiful, sunny day. He slipped out of his small twin sized bed to check the calendar, “Sunday, June 12th,” it read. He walked over to his single bedroom window and pulled the string to retract the shades. He peered out at the beautiful Sunday morning. He attempted to count the clouds in the sky, “One, two, three... four! There are four clouds!” he declared. But unfortunately, there was no one yet awake to hear this announcement. That did not matter much to the small red colt. He spent another minute admiring the gorgeous scenery then decided to go downstairs. He silently crept by his parents’ room so not to wake them, then stealthily traveled down his somewhat creaky stairs and made his way into the kitchen. He began to feel a tad thirsty so he got a teapot from the cupboard, filled it with water, and then placed it gently on the stove. He twisted the knob and the gas turned on. Vermello wasn’t allowed to use the stove for anything else besides tea. Originally, he couldn’t use it for anything, but his parents saw his love of tea and after giving him thorough lessons on how to safely make his own tea, gave him permission to use the stove. While the water was heating up, he went into the pantry and pulled out a bag of his favorite tea. He poured some leaves into the pot and waited a bit. Eventually a loud whistle could be heard as steam rushed from the spout. He gingerly pulled the hot teapot off the stove and set it on the counter. He then found a teacup and poured the contents of the pot into it. Finally, he was able to enjoy his tea. He eagerly drank it until it was gone. “That was the best cup of tea ever!” he thought to himself. Proud of this accomplishment, he decided to pour two more cups for his parents. He placed both cups on saucers then onto a trey, and carefully walked them up to his parents’ room. He knocked lightly on the door before coming in. He swung the door opened and entered the room. But to his extreme astonishment, his parents were not there! “Mommy? Daddy?” he called. He set the saucers of tea on the dresser and looked around the room. There wasn’t a sign of anyone in the room. Perplexed, he decided to return to the kitchen and eat breakfast. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate it quietly as he pondered over where his parents could possibly be this early in the morning. “Perhaps,” he thought, “they went to the market.” Vermello tried to convince himself that this was the truth, but he knew they would never leave him at home by himself, and that he loved the market. Feeling rather concerned, Vermello decided to head down to the market to search for his lost parents. He knew that he was forbidden to venture anywhere himself, but this was an emergency. He cleared his place setting, placing his now empty cereal bowl and spoon in the sink. Without further ado, or even bringing anything with him, Vermello opened up the door and ventured out into the town. Despite the lovely sunny morning, the town was exceptionally quiet, in fact, Vermello had seen nopony at all. He kept to the path, walking courageously and trying to remember the direction to the market. Inevitably, he came to a fork in the road. Vermello stopped in his tracks and took a moment to ponder over which direction to continue. There was a road sign, but lacking the ability to read or write yet, it was of no help to him. He searched through his memories in attempts to recall the correct direction, but had no luck. In one final act of desperation, he checked his surroundings for somepony, anypony who might be able to provide him with directions. Upon seeing nopony he made the decision to stick to the left path; he was left hoofed, after all. The wind blew quietly and subtlety, only strong enough to rustle the grass. Vermello continued down the empty path, the only sounds being the chirping of songbirds and his own hooves trotting on the path. At this point, the path appeared to be leading to absolutely nowhere. Vermello looked behind him and saw only the horizon. Was the path to the market always this long? Had he chosen the wrong path? Not wanting to accept that possibility, he trotted onward persistently. “I will find my parents…” he thought aloud, “I will find them!” After several more minutes of traveling, two hills on either side of the path began to increase in elevation. Vermello had eventually found himself in a valley. He had only two directions now: forward to his parents, or back home. The thought that he could be lost beyond recovery troubled him, but he continued forward unwavering. Something then surprised him. In the center of the path was a small overturned black wooden box. Vermello cautiously approached it. His parents always told him not to touch the rubbish lying on the ground. Heeding by this rule, he merely stepped over the box. Before he could go much farther, though, he found himself filled with curiosity. “For an adventure,” he thought, “this is kinda boring. One little tiny peek couldn’t hurt, right?” Vermello carefully reproached the small black box. He stuck out his left arm and slowly touched his hoof to it. With curiosity flowing through him, he swiftly flipped over the box. He peered inside with large cerulean eyes. At first, he saw nothing, absolutely nothing; it appeared to be a pitch-black void. Within moments, however, a small plant with an equally dark hue as the box sprouted and began rapidly growing. Initially, Vermello was completely mystified. He simply stood and watched the dark plant-like thing grow. After a few seconds, wonder became fear. Vermello panicked at the rate that the plant was growing. It seemed like it would engulf him at any second. He let out a cry and ran in the direction opposite of his home without any further thought. He looked behind him to see if the plant was chasing him. To both his relief and horror, the plant was not following him, but weaving huge black barrier of vines on the path. It became immediately evident that there was no turning back. Barriers and DoorwaysChapter 2: Barriers and Doorways Vermello breathed hard after running from the mysterious vines. He had never run quite so quickly, or been more scared in his life. He stopped running and sat down. Tears began run down his cheeks at the thought of being trapped. It was at times like this that his mother would comfort him; she would hug him tightly and tell him how he’ll grow up to be a brave, strong pony one day. He really missed those hugs right now. After a few minutes, Vermello realized that there was but one option: move forward. Today was the day he would be that brave and strong pony his mother told him he would be. After wiping the tears away he continued down the path once more at a slower, but steady pace. The path was now becoming increasingly inclined. It seemed that the path now would lead him straight out of the valley. Several minutes elapsed. Vermello wondered how much taller this hill could be. Looking down he saw what an incredible elevation he had climbed to. He was instantly taken aback; he recalled no hill of such a large elevation. He wondered if he was even in Equestria anymore. Had he ventured into some unknown land where nopony has ever gone before? Were there dragons and other horrible creatures living there? These thoughts brought fear right back into his heart. Vermello finally reached the top of the hill. A steep climb it was, but he finally made it. There was an expression of pure hope on his face in anticipation at the top. All there was to be seen, however, was a plain white fence. Utter despair infected his expression of hope at the sight of it. This fence appeared to be too tall for him to climb. He looked to the left then to the right in attempts to find a way around. The fence, however, went on for seemingly miles into the infinite scenery. He looked under the fence and noticed, though it was blocking the path, the path itself still continued. Vermello saw but one choice yet again: he had to climb the fence. Vermello tried many times and failed many times. He once finally got enough of a hold to lift himself up, but once he got to the top, he discovered that the top was now in a higher place than before. At this realization, he let go and fell towards the earth. The impact caused him a bit of pain, but not so much as to make him cry. He was, after all, a brave and strong pony. Eventually, his own frustration caught up with him. Who was this white wooden barrier to keep him from his beloved parents? He figured if he couldn’t go over around the fence, he might as well try breaking it. Vermello charged with all his might at the fence, closing his eyes to brace for the impact. To his surprise, this impact never came. Vermello found himself on the other side of the obstruction completely unharmed. “What happened?” he wondered, “How could I have passed through t so easily?” After the black box incident, however, he dared not travel back to further examine the fence. He had to keep moving forward. Vermello did indeed move forward, but after walking another hour on the plain dirt path that was surrounded by the empty green void of fields and blue sky he began to feel as if all hope was lost, though he did not want to admit it to himself or anypony else. The feeling was eating away at his very insides; the possibility that he took the wrong path. He stopped walking and stood and stared at the ground. He fought back the tears that he knew were imminent. “N-no… I-I’m a strong and brave p-pony…” he said aloud. The emotions and thoughts overwhelmed him and the inevitable happened. Salty tears streamed down his cheeks from his big cerulean eyes. Tiny puddles began to form on the ground as he sobbed uncontrollably. “Why…” he thought, “Why is this happening to me? Was I a bad pony?” That question, however, only increased the flow of tears. He felt like this was the end, like there was nopony who could help him now. Though he had not been alive for long, he still remembered his parents well: the hugs, the treats, the bright smiles. Vermello was always a rather bright pony from the start. He wanted very much to be able to read and write. His mother always read him stories, and even wrote her own to read to him. She promised that soon she would teach him to be able to read too. It was this very ambition that gave him the strength he required to continue his journey. It seemed like another hour at the very least had elapsed. Vermello was now feeling rather hungry. He fought this feeling and pushed onward through the despair. Finally he had reached the end of the path. It did not lead to his parents, but three white doors arranged in a row. These doors looked like any other ordinary doors, but there were no visible structures behind them. Vermello had deduced that his parents must be behind one of the doors. He approached the door on the right with confidence, but hesitated at opening it. He quickly shook away these feelings and grabbed the knob in his teeth. As he did so, however, the door swung open and released his grip on the knob. Loud screams were emitted from the door as he looked inside and saw himself with a look of absolute terror on his face. This immensely frightened Vermello and he jumped back with a loud scream of his own. The phantom Vermello in the doorframe locked his eyes with the actual Vermello and in one swift motion slammed the door closed. The actual Vermello was now breathing very hard lying on the ground. His heart was fluttering at the speed of a hummingbird. Once again, a steady stream of tears flowed from his eyes. He knew that thing was meant to frighten him. He knew what it wanted; it wanted to keep him from his parents. Well if he couldn’t pass through that door, he might as well have tried another. He quickly dried his tears and approached the middle door. He grabbed it with his mouth, this time there was no automatic opening. He twisted the knob and slowly pushed it open. To his surprise, he saw himself yet again. This time, though, his phantom self was staring right into his actual self’s eyes with a blank expression. Actual Vermello was stricken with curiosity. He gingerly extended his arm to touch his phantom self, but just as he did so the door slammed yet again. A third time Vermello would open a door, the left door. Without any hesitation he opened the door yet again. To his despair, he saw himself a third time. This image had an expression of pure fury. It was as if fire were about to be ejected from its nostrils. Finally, it blew its top and began to scream, but not a scream like the first figure. This was a scream of absolute rage. The figure turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Again the door slammed shut. Vermello was dumbstruck. What did all of this mean? Was this whole thing really some sort of horrible nightmare? While he sat pensively contemplating the events that had just occurred, the second door creaked open rather ominously. Vermello stared at the opened door. Terror filled his veins at the thought of what was behind that door. He wondered if something were going to come out of it. He tested this hypothesis by waiting again for several minutes. His impatience grew steadily and he could wait no longer. He approached the door and pushed it open. Inside was a black and empty void of a room. In the center was a concrete pedestal with an odd multicolored octahedron. It appeared to be actually hovering a few inches above the pedestal. Vermello quietly entered the mysterious room. He approached the pedestal to find an inscription on it. He wished very much that he could read what it said. Wondering if it said something about his parents, he decided to take the strange glowing octahedron. The second he touched it all hell broke loose. The octahedron emitted an array of intense bright lights, and an ear piercing screech as it spun around on its pedestal. The lights and sounds overwhelmed Vermello’s senses. He tried his best to keep his balance, but within seconds he was out like a light. A Strange New WorldChapter 3: A Strange New World Vermello slowly awoke; his eyes remained closed. He hoped that it was a dream, that everything was just a horrible nightmare. He wished that he was at home in his bed. When Vermello opened his eyes, however, he found that he was not at all at home. The environment around him was like nothing he had ever seen. The ground was made up of yellow sand, but had an abundance of dark blue flowers growing from it. The sky was a crimson red with no clouds, but what appeared to planets and other heavenly bodies were largely visible. Every now and then a bright white streak would pierce the sky then fizzle away. Vermello now knew that he was no longer in Equestria. Even with this odd landscape, there was still a path of darker sand that trailed through the lighter yellow sand. Vermello found himself to be already standing on this path; he knew not which direction was the correct one. It seemed as if left had steered him wrong last time he was faced with a decision like this, so naturally he chose right. Vermello followed the path. Curiosity and absolute terror coursed through him as he walked. Even so, he felt as if his parents were drawing close, like he was almost there. As the minutes flew by, Vermello came to the end of road. He found himself standing on the precipice of a cliff. Unsure of what to do next, he simply peered off into the distance. He saw nothing, absolutely nothing; it was as if he had ventured to the very end of the universe. Unable to process this, Vermello decided to head back in the other direction, however, something began to arise from the abyss. At first, it appeared to be the moon, but as it rose higher and higher, Vermello saw eyes then a mouth. With his own eyes dilated hugely in terror as the colossal thing cast a shadow over him, he stood paralyzed, only able to peer into the creature’s black soulless eyes. The right eye of the creature suddenly lit up and emitted a blinding blue light. The other eye did the same, but with a red light. Both lights then focused onto the small red colt. Vermello was still paralyzed. The light seemed so warm and appealing to him, but at the same time, he felt incredibly terrified. After a few more seconds had elapsed, it appeared that the large figure was moving towards him. Vermello reacted with an involuntary scream of horror. He turned around quickly and galloped as fast as he possibly could down the path. Lightning bolts fell from the heavens around him as he made his escape from the monster. Each bolt seemed to get closer and closer to him. His senses were once again overloaded. All he felt he could do was run and cry. As his tears fell he shouted, “I can’t do it! I can’t be brave; I don’t want to be brave! Help me, somepony, help me, mommy!” His calls were answered only by a particularly close bolt of lightning. Vermello became exhausted and collapsed in the sand. Tears steadily flowed from his eyes as he lied there. The lightning has ceased, but the winds increased and had brought about a sandstorm. Vermello curled up in a ball, shielding his face with his two front hooves. He felt thirsty, hungry, and very tired. Most of all, he wanted to go home, he wanted to be safe in his mother’s arms; no more running away, no more crying. Vermello wondered what all the other foals were doing right now. He thought of Ponyville; he envisioned the marketplace with foals running about and their parents watching. He thought of their smiles and their laughs. Even though, he was of a very young age, Vermello was bright. He knew that the only way he would be able to see his parents again would be to do as his mother had asked; he had to be strong, he had to be brave. Even in the midst of the raging sandstorm, and with tears flowing like rivulets, Vermello found strength in hope. He used the images of his parents and happy foals to fuel him. The winds howled deafeningly passed Vermello’s folded back ears. He squinted his eyes and kept his focus on the mysterious dark path as sand and other strange debris flew by at alarming velocities. Despite all this, he managed to slowly move forward one hoof at a time. The winds threatened to knock him off balance, but he held his ground. “I will find my parents…” he chanted with determination, “I will find my parents…” After what seemed to be hours, the sandstorm finally subsided. Vermello was now feeling very hungry. “I wish I had some hay and sliced carrots…” he thought to himself. Hay and sliced carrots was his absolute favorite thing that his mother would make for lunch. The thought of eating lunch with his mother made him want to cry again, but just then he saw something in the distance. Curiosity eclipsed his sentimental thoughts as he made his way over to see what the form was. Vermello questioned his own perception of reality at the moment that he realized he was looking at a small bale of hay with what appeared to be carrots growing next to it. Just as any young pony would, without hesitation Vermello immediately began to chomp away at the hay. The delicious flavor in his mouth confirmed that this was no mirage. Excitedly, he bit the green top on a carrot and uprooted it. Yellow sand fell from the root as he held it in his mouth. Sometimes his mother would slice the carrots into shapes such as stars or hearts before giving it to him. These carrots were not sliced, of course, but they would have to do for now. After eating the hay and carrots, Vermello felt energized; he was ready to find his parents again. He was still feeling a bit thirsty, though. He dreamed of tea as he continued down the path. These only further motivated him; the sooner he found his parents, the sooner he could have tea. Vermello kept on trekking down the seemingly endless road. Eventually he came upon a new landmark. It was a large sand dune with a massive hole on the side as if it were a cave. Vermello, cautiously, but curiously approached the strange dune. As he did so, the earth shook in a series of tremors. Vermello’s pupils enlarged and he took a step back. Something was emerging from the hole. It was a large red worm-like creature with two enormous black eyes and an equally scaled mouth. Vermello wanted to scream, he wanted to run, yet, he simply stood paralyzed before the massive thing. The creature opened its mouth and Vermello tensed up, however, it only said, “Vermello, you don’t have any parents.” Vermello was baffled. “What!?” he thought, “What does this thing mean, of course I have parents!” Vermello quickly became enraged. “I do have parents!” he yelled “I do, I do!” He wanted nothing more than to buck the slanderous worm until it bled; and he did just that. With several screams of agony the colossal worm fell to the ground and began to secrete a dark liquid. Its black eyes were glazed over as it lay lifelessly in the sand. Vermello huffed and puffed as he watched the worm and the dune itself begin to melt away as if made of ice. Within a matter of seconds it was completely gone, and Vermello stood alone once again in the strange desert.
The AwakeningForlorn Chapter 1: The Awakening Vermello awoke one fine Sunday morning to find that it was a beautiful, sunny day. He slipped out of his small twin sized bed to check the calendar, “Sunday, June 12th,” it read. He walked over to his single bedroom window and pulled the string to retract the shades. He peered out at the beautiful Sunday morning. He attempted to count the clouds in the sky, “One, two, three... four! There are four clouds!” he declared. But unfortunately, there was no one yet awake to hear this announcement. That did not matter much to the small red colt. He spent another minute admiring the gorgeous scenery then decided to go downstairs. He silently crept by his parents’ room so not to wake them, then stealthily traveled down his somewhat creaky stairs and made his way into the kitchen. He began to feel a tad thirsty so he got a teapot from the cupboard, filled it with water, and then placed it gently on the stove. He twisted the knob and the gas turned on. Vermello wasn’t allowed to use the stove for anything else besides tea. Originally, he couldn’t use it for anything, but his parents saw his love of tea and after giving him thorough lessons on how to safely make his own tea, gave him permission to use the stove. While the water was heating up, he went into the pantry and pulled out a bag of his favorite tea. He poured some leaves into the pot and waited a bit. Eventually a loud whistle could be heard as steam rushed from the spout. He gingerly pulled the hot teapot off the stove and set it on the counter. He then found a teacup and poured the contents of the pot into it. Finally, he was able to enjoy his tea. He eagerly drank it until it was gone. “That was the best cup of tea ever!” he thought to himself. Proud of this accomplishment, he decided to pour two more cups for his parents. He placed both cups on saucers then onto a trey, and carefully walked them up to his parents’ room. He knocked lightly on the door before coming in. He swung the door opened and entered the room. But to his extreme astonishment, his parents were not there! “Mommy? Daddy?” he called. He set the saucers of tea on the dresser and looked around the room. There wasn’t a sign of anyone in the room. Perplexed, he decided to return to the kitchen and eat breakfast. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate it quietly as he pondered over where his parents could possibly be this early in the morning. “Perhaps,” he thought, “they went to the market.” Vermello tried to convince himself that this was the truth, but he knew they would never leave him at home by himself, and that he loved the market. Feeling rather concerned, Vermello decided to head down to the market to search for his lost parents. He knew that he was forbidden to venture anywhere himself, but this was an emergency. He cleared his place setting, placing his now empty cereal bowl and spoon in the sink. Without further ado, or even bringing anything with him, Vermello opened up the door and ventured out into the town. Despite the lovely sunny morning, the town was exceptionally quiet, in fact, Vermello had seen nopony at all. He kept to the path, walking courageously and trying to remember the direction to the market. Inevitably, he came to a fork in the road. Vermello stopped in his tracks and took a moment to ponder over which direction to continue. There was a road sign, but lacking the ability to read or write yet, it was of no help to him. He searched through his memories in attempts to recall the correct direction, but had no luck. In one final act of desperation, he checked his surroundings for somepony, anypony who might be able to provide him with directions. Upon seeing nopony he made the decision to stick to the left path; he was left hoofed, after all. The wind blew quietly and subtlety, only strong enough to rustle the grass. Vermello continued down the empty path, the only sounds being the chirping of songbirds and his own hooves trotting on the path. At this point, the path appeared to be leading to absolutely nowhere. Vermello looked behind him and saw only the horizon. Was the path to the market always this long? Had he chosen the wrong path? Not wanting to accept that possibility, he trotted onward persistently. “I will find my parents…” he thought aloud, “I will find them!” After several more minutes of traveling, two hills on either side of the path began to increase in elevation. Vermello had eventually found himself in a valley. He had only two directions now: forward to his parents, or back home. The thought that he could be lost beyond recovery troubled him, but he continued forward unwavering. Something then surprised him. In the center of the path was a small overturned black wooden box. Vermello cautiously approached it. His parents always told him not to touch the rubbish lying on the ground. Heeding by this rule, he merely stepped over the box. Before he could go much farther, though, he found himself filled with curiosity. “For an adventure,” he thought, “this is kinda boring. One little tiny peek couldn’t hurt, right?” Vermello carefully reproached the small black box. He stuck out his left arm and slowly touched his hoof to it. With curiosity flowing through him, he swiftly flipped over the box. He peered inside with large cerulean eyes. At first, he saw nothing, absolutely nothing; it appeared to be a pitch-black void. Within moments, however, a small plant with an equally dark hue as the box sprouted and began rapidly growing. Initially, Vermello was completely mystified. He simply stood and watched the dark plant-like thing grow. After a few seconds, wonder became fear. Vermello panicked at the rate that the plant was growing. It seemed like it would engulf him at any second. He let out a cry and ran in the direction opposite of his home without any further thought. He looked behind him to see if the plant was chasing him. To both his relief and horror, the plant was not following him, but weaving huge black barrier of vines on the path. It became immediately evident that there was no turning back.
Barriers and DoorwaysChapter 2: Barriers and Doorways Vermello breathed hard after running from the mysterious vines. He had never run quite so quickly, or been more scared in his life. He stopped running and sat down. Tears began run down his cheeks at the thought of being trapped. It was at times like this that his mother would comfort him; she would hug him tightly and tell him how he’ll grow up to be a brave, strong pony one day. He really missed those hugs right now. After a few minutes, Vermello realized that there was but one option: move forward. Today was the day he would be that brave and strong pony his mother told him he would be. After wiping the tears away he continued down the path once more at a slower, but steady pace. The path was now becoming increasingly inclined. It seemed that the path now would lead him straight out of the valley. Several minutes elapsed. Vermello wondered how much taller this hill could be. Looking down he saw what an incredible elevation he had climbed to. He was instantly taken aback; he recalled no hill of such a large elevation. He wondered if he was even in Equestria anymore. Had he ventured into some unknown land where nopony has ever gone before? Were there dragons and other horrible creatures living there? These thoughts brought fear right back into his heart. Vermello finally reached the top of the hill. A steep climb it was, but he finally made it. There was an expression of pure hope on his face in anticipation at the top. All there was to be seen, however, was a plain white fence. Utter despair infected his expression of hope at the sight of it. This fence appeared to be too tall for him to climb. He looked to the left then to the right in attempts to find a way around. The fence, however, went on for seemingly miles into the infinite scenery. He looked under the fence and noticed, though it was blocking the path, the path itself still continued. Vermello saw but one choice yet again: he had to climb the fence. Vermello tried many times and failed many times. He once finally got enough of a hold to lift himself up, but once he got to the top, he discovered that the top was now in a higher place than before. At this realization, he let go and fell towards the earth. The impact caused him a bit of pain, but not so much as to make him cry. He was, after all, a brave and strong pony. Eventually, his own frustration caught up with him. Who was this white wooden barrier to keep him from his beloved parents? He figured if he couldn’t go over around the fence, he might as well try breaking it. Vermello charged with all his might at the fence, closing his eyes to brace for the impact. To his surprise, this impact never came. Vermello found himself on the other side of the obstruction completely unharmed. “What happened?” he wondered, “How could I have passed through t so easily?” After the black box incident, however, he dared not travel back to further examine the fence. He had to keep moving forward. Vermello did indeed move forward, but after walking another hour on the plain dirt path that was surrounded by the empty green void of fields and blue sky he began to feel as if all hope was lost, though he did not want to admit it to himself or anypony else. The feeling was eating away at his very insides; the possibility that he took the wrong path. He stopped walking and stood and stared at the ground. He fought back the tears that he knew were imminent. “N-no… I-I’m a strong and brave p-pony…” he said aloud. The emotions and thoughts overwhelmed him and the inevitable happened. Salty tears streamed down his cheeks from his big cerulean eyes. Tiny puddles began to form on the ground as he sobbed uncontrollably. “Why…” he thought, “Why is this happening to me? Was I a bad pony?” That question, however, only increased the flow of tears. He felt like this was the end, like there was nopony who could help him now. Though he had not been alive for long, he still remembered his parents well: the hugs, the treats, the bright smiles. Vermello was always a rather bright pony from the start. He wanted very much to be able to read and write. His mother always read him stories, and even wrote her own to read to him. She promised that soon she would teach him to be able to read too. It was this very ambition that gave him the strength he required to continue his journey. It seemed like another hour at the very least had elapsed. Vermello was now feeling rather hungry. He fought this feeling and pushed onward through the despair. Finally he had reached the end of the path. It did not lead to his parents, but three white doors arranged in a row. These doors looked like any other ordinary doors, but there were no visible structures behind them. Vermello had deduced that his parents must be behind one of the doors. He approached the door on the right with confidence, but hesitated at opening it. He quickly shook away these feelings and grabbed the knob in his teeth. As he did so, however, the door swung open and released his grip on the knob. Loud screams were emitted from the door as he looked inside and saw himself with a look of absolute terror on his face. This immensely frightened Vermello and he jumped back with a loud scream of his own. The phantom Vermello in the doorframe locked his eyes with the actual Vermello and in one swift motion slammed the door closed. The actual Vermello was now breathing very hard lying on the ground. His heart was fluttering at the speed of a hummingbird. Once again, a steady stream of tears flowed from his eyes. He knew that thing was meant to frighten him. He knew what it wanted; it wanted to keep him from his parents. Well if he couldn’t pass through that door, he might as well have tried another. He quickly dried his tears and approached the middle door. He grabbed it with his mouth, this time there was no automatic opening. He twisted the knob and slowly pushed it open. To his surprise, he saw himself yet again. This time, though, his phantom self was staring right into his actual self’s eyes with a blank expression. Actual Vermello was stricken with curiosity. He gingerly extended his arm to touch his phantom self, but just as he did so the door slammed yet again. A third time Vermello would open a door, the left door. Without any hesitation he opened the door yet again. To his despair, he saw himself a third time. This image had an expression of pure fury. It was as if fire were about to be ejected from its nostrils. Finally, it blew its top and began to scream, but not a scream like the first figure. This was a scream of absolute rage. The figure turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Again the door slammed shut. Vermello was dumbstruck. What did all of this mean? Was this whole thing really some sort of horrible nightmare? While he sat pensively contemplating the events that had just occurred, the second door creaked open rather ominously. Vermello stared at the opened door. Terror filled his veins at the thought of what was behind that door. He wondered if something were going to come out of it. He tested this hypothesis by waiting again for several minutes. His impatience grew steadily and he could wait no longer. He approached the door and pushed it open. Inside was a black and empty void of a room. In the center was a concrete pedestal with an odd multicolored octahedron. It appeared to be actually hovering a few inches above the pedestal. Vermello quietly entered the mysterious room. He approached the pedestal to find an inscription on it. He wished very much that he could read what it said. Wondering if it said something about his parents, he decided to take the strange glowing octahedron. The second he touched it all hell broke loose. The octahedron emitted an array of intense bright lights, and an ear piercing screech as it spun around on its pedestal. The lights and sounds overwhelmed Vermello’s senses. He tried his best to keep his balance, but within seconds he was out like a light.
A Strange New WorldChapter 3: A Strange New World Vermello slowly awoke; his eyes remained closed. He hoped that it was a dream, that everything was just a horrible nightmare. He wished that he was at home in his bed. When Vermello opened his eyes, however, he found that he was not at all at home. The environment around him was like nothing he had ever seen. The ground was made up of yellow sand, but had an abundance of dark blue flowers growing from it. The sky was a crimson red with no clouds, but what appeared to planets and other heavenly bodies were largely visible. Every now and then a bright white streak would pierce the sky then fizzle away. Vermello now knew that he was no longer in Equestria. Even with this odd landscape, there was still a path of darker sand that trailed through the lighter yellow sand. Vermello found himself to be already standing on this path; he knew not which direction was the correct one. It seemed as if left had steered him wrong last time he was faced with a decision like this, so naturally he chose right. Vermello followed the path. Curiosity and absolute terror coursed through him as he walked. Even so, he felt as if his parents were drawing close, like he was almost there. As the minutes flew by, Vermello came to the end of road. He found himself standing on the precipice of a cliff. Unsure of what to do next, he simply peered off into the distance. He saw nothing, absolutely nothing; it was as if he had ventured to the very end of the universe. Unable to process this, Vermello decided to head back in the other direction, however, something began to arise from the abyss. At first, it appeared to be the moon, but as it rose higher and higher, Vermello saw eyes then a mouth. With his own eyes dilated hugely in terror as the colossal thing cast a shadow over him, he stood paralyzed, only able to peer into the creature’s black soulless eyes. The right eye of the creature suddenly lit up and emitted a blinding blue light. The other eye did the same, but with a red light. Both lights then focused onto the small red colt. Vermello was still paralyzed. The light seemed so warm and appealing to him, but at the same time, he felt incredibly terrified. After a few more seconds had elapsed, it appeared that the large figure was moving towards him. Vermello reacted with an involuntary scream of horror. He turned around quickly and galloped as fast as he possibly could down the path. Lightning bolts fell from the heavens around him as he made his escape from the monster. Each bolt seemed to get closer and closer to him. His senses were once again overloaded. All he felt he could do was run and cry. As his tears fell he shouted, “I can’t do it! I can’t be brave; I don’t want to be brave! Help me, somepony, help me, mommy!” His calls were answered only by a particularly close bolt of lightning. Vermello became exhausted and collapsed in the sand. Tears steadily flowed from his eyes as he lied there. The lightning has ceased, but the winds increased and had brought about a sandstorm. Vermello curled up in a ball, shielding his face with his two front hooves. He felt thirsty, hungry, and very tired. Most of all, he wanted to go home, he wanted to be safe in his mother’s arms; no more running away, no more crying. Vermello wondered what all the other foals were doing right now. He thought of Ponyville; he envisioned the marketplace with foals running about and their parents watching. He thought of their smiles and their laughs. Even though, he was of a very young age, Vermello was bright. He knew that the only way he would be able to see his parents again would be to do as his mother had asked; he had to be strong, he had to be brave. Even in the midst of the raging sandstorm, and with tears flowing like rivulets, Vermello found strength in hope. He used the images of his parents and happy foals to fuel him. The winds howled deafeningly passed Vermello’s folded back ears. He squinted his eyes and kept his focus on the mysterious dark path as sand and other strange debris flew by at alarming velocities. Despite all this, he managed to slowly move forward one hoof at a time. The winds threatened to knock him off balance, but he held his ground. “I will find my parents…” he chanted with determination, “I will find my parents…” After what seemed to be hours, the sandstorm finally subsided. Vermello was now feeling very hungry. “I wish I had some hay and sliced carrots…” he thought to himself. Hay and sliced carrots was his absolute favorite thing that his mother would make for lunch. The thought of eating lunch with his mother made him want to cry again, but just then he saw something in the distance. Curiosity eclipsed his sentimental thoughts as he made his way over to see what the form was. Vermello questioned his own perception of reality at the moment that he realized he was looking at a small bale of hay with what appeared to be carrots growing next to it. Just as any young pony would, without hesitation Vermello immediately began to chomp away at the hay. The delicious flavor in his mouth confirmed that this was no mirage. Excitedly, he bit the green top on a carrot and uprooted it. Yellow sand fell from the root as he held it in his mouth. Sometimes his mother would slice the carrots into shapes such as stars or hearts before giving it to him. These carrots were not sliced, of course, but they would have to do for now. After eating the hay and carrots, Vermello felt energized; he was ready to find his parents again. He was still feeling a bit thirsty, though. He dreamed of tea as he continued down the path. These only further motivated him; the sooner he found his parents, the sooner he could have tea. Vermello kept on trekking down the seemingly endless road. Eventually he came upon a new landmark. It was a large sand dune with a massive hole on the side as if it were a cave. Vermello, cautiously, but curiously approached the strange dune. As he did so, the earth shook in a series of tremors. Vermello’s pupils enlarged and he took a step back. Something was emerging from the hole. It was a large red worm-like creature with two enormous black eyes and an equally scaled mouth. Vermello wanted to scream, he wanted to run, yet, he simply stood paralyzed before the massive thing. The creature opened its mouth and Vermello tensed up, however, it only said, “Vermello, you don’t have any parents.” Vermello was baffled. “What!?” he thought, “What does this thing mean, of course I have parents!” Vermello quickly became enraged. “I do have parents!” he yelled “I do, I do!” He wanted nothing more than to buck the slanderous worm until it bled; and he did just that. With several screams of agony the colossal worm fell to the ground and began to secrete a dark liquid. Its black eyes were glazed over as it lay lifelessly in the sand. Vermello huffed and puffed as he watched the worm and the dune itself begin to melt away as if made of ice. Within a matter of seconds it was completely gone, and Vermello stood alone once again in the strange desert.
