Chapters You had finally done it. You had saved up enough cash to buy a home in the woods. It wasn't much (space wise), but at least it covered more space than in your apartment. Costed quite a fortune, and you already planned out future charges that were to be made towards you. Well, you didn't have a new job yet, but since you had a large round of money, worrying about so was going to be the last thing to do, first month or so after you arrive. Everything was packed and ready to go.
You glance once more from outside your apartment building.
Oh who doesn't say goodbye to old habits such as this one.
You turn and head towards your truck. This was going to be a long drive. Especially when you were going to be driving from New York to Colorado.
"Oh--shit!"
You turn the steering wheel sharply to the right. You were tired as hell, and just barely avoided the oncoming vehicle. There were not many vehicles on this lane, and you just wanted to rest. Roughly 3 days on the road, a couple hundred spent on gas. You look upon the approaching mountaintop glazed within the night's twinkles.
"Gorgeous"
And it was all going to be worth it soon. You take note of an exit to your right. This should be it. You take a right turn into the rocky road. Rocky indeed. This really jerked you awake. Heading down the road. Farther. Through the curves, your high beams covering the gravel road. After what seemed like a millennium, you gaze to your left.
"Oh, wow."
That was a very decently-in-shape cabin. The inside lights were not a glow, yet fortunately, the path lights gave away your new home. In all honesty, you were expecting worse.
You turned into the driveway.
Thump.
That sounds to be the bumper advising you this is your stopping point. You exit your car.
Oh sweet shit what is that smell!? Must be the smell of the... forest? Maybe?
Last time you've visited a forest was when you were much younger. You never recalled such a smell hitting your nostrils. It could have been possible your sense of smell was far less sensitive when you were.
Bah. Forget it. It's pitch black out here and I just want some sleep.
You take your luggage inside, tossing them onto the couch. Not bothering to take sheets and a blanket out for your new mattress in the bedroom. Heading through the hall, last door on the right into the bedroom.
Oh nice
It had already been accommodated with sheets and a blanket. A pillow along with it all. Not but an hour, yet something tells you're going to like it here. But something else wishes for something supernatural to occur, because who doesn't sometimes hope for that?
A bit of pizzazz in your life would be nice.
Your eyes opening. You glance to your left. Dim lighting enters your chamber. Not exactly early morning dim, but rather a mid-day dim.
What is that sound... White Noise? Oh. It's raining. Right.
You'll need to get used to these weather changes. A clear night, yet a tedious morning. Odd.
You sluggishly move out from under the covers, and stand up to the right side of your bed. Back aching. You stretch, praying no cramps follow.
Thank God.
You walk through the door frame to the right foot of the bed. Entering the hallway, you see mahogany wood lining the floors, along with hickory accommodating the walls. Curiosity gets the best of you, and you turn around, facing the end of the hall. A nice painting covers the wall. Mount Elbert. Your new home for a good while.
You make a 180 degrees turn and walk forward through the hall. You exit the hallway, into your living room. A very compact space this place turns out to be. A full room comes into view. A living room, split in half by the kitchen's bar area. To your left and across the living room, a large glass sliding door. To your right, the front door.
You take a minute to stare outside at the rain, splashing against the acre of backyard land you now owned. Not the thunder type, or lightning type. Just good ol' heavy rain. The pitter patter of it against the sliding door gives you a chill. A soothing chill.
You walk over to the futon you tossed your bag onto the night before and open it up.
Shit.
You discover you had left your coffee maker in the car. You sigh and shuffle through your bag for your raincoat.
Oh dammit, not that too...
You turn around and walk towards the door and open it to massive amounts of rain falling upon your half acre of front lawn.
Well, let's get this over with.
You run out the door and immediately turn to the left. The strong scent comes into range of your nose yet again. You cover your nose with your shirt, and continue to make a run for it to the side of your home. At last. You reach your electric carriage.
What in the...
"What the fuck... is that?" you say to yourself quietly. You're looking towards the head bumper of your truck. "The hell..." Nothing more leaves your mouth. It's raining heavily now. You can't get a good look of it.
Is that a... horse? No, no... It's too small for a horse. A pony, it seems.
Seems like you hit it last night. You were so fatigued. A bumper? Really? Why the hell would you assume there's a BUMPER to advise you to halt? For ANY home? No. No further thinking on that part...
Wait a second. The gray rain was overtaking your color perception. Your eyes at last adjust to the color. "Green?" You rub your eyes, and take another glance. "And... red?" It has a dark red color, and seems to slowly wash onto the gravel road.
Is that... "Blood!?"
Your voice fades away to a whisper, determining possible creatures this could possibly resemble. Nothing you had ever seen before in your life. You get closer when you suddenly realize you should probably move the car off of it.
Reach into your pocket. Grab the keys, and move the truck. That's the only thought you focus on right now.
You reach into your pocket for your keys, get into your car, start it up, and slowly move it back. Carefully. In case it's already injured, you don't want to injure it any more than it already has been. After moving back to the point where you can get a good look at it, you release the keys, and leave your truck. You make your way back over to it, heart rate increasing every step of the way. You reach it and take another view.
"Sweet benevolent Christ."
It's chest has been torn open. You can see its entrails. "Holy... Is that it's head?"
It's head has been replaced with some sort of complex mechanism.
A god damned machine.
"Oh... Ough..."
Your stomach cringes at the sight. Legs becoming limp, you collapse to the ground, and shift away from this creature. Your stomach gripes, and gives in. Vomit leaves your mouth, and is thrown upon the ground next to you. You can't stand this sight. You can't stand this smell of old rusty pennies... And this damn white noise. You heave yourself up, and begin to run back for your home.
Did that leg just twitch.
You dart into your home and shut the door. You slide down the door, and clench your hands against your head, a million thoughts rushing through it at a time. Sobbing is heard from you. You're not exactly crying, but tears are felt leaving your eyes. Even through the wet rain you're covered in. What the fuck was that, and what were you going to do with it?
You're swapping between pacing around your living room and sitting on your futon. Still doesn't change the fact you're still soaked. Sitting on the futon yet again, you decide to take a peek outside. You stand up, turn around, and walk past the kitchen bar, towards the small covered window at the back of your kitchen. You hesitate a bit before slowly sliding open the small curtained set that capped the window. The rain is clearing up, sun beginning to break through the cloudy layer. It's lifeless form comes into view.
Twitch. It moves.
Oh god it's still alive?
Quickly closing the curtains, you begin pacing around the kitchen, rubbing your chin. Well, I can't just leave the damn thing out there to rot! Or... Maybe it's for the best that I do... Another quick peek outside. Yep. Still there. Right. Just determine what to do. You slowly walk out of the kitchen, staring at the floor in front of you. Well, if I leave it out there, god knows if it has the will to survive... Decision made. You're going back outside to take a closer look. You reach out for your front door handle.
Who the hell...
Two men in the distance conversing with one another. Not black suits. Rather white lab coats. You'd like to ask them why they're here, but your gut says otherwise. You turn around away from the front door, and make your way over to your sliding back door. It seems rather vital to check on that thing.
If it is still alive, it seems best to at least check on it. Especially if it's just to check for health.
Opening the door, you take a full look around before heading further. The flatland lies untouched. You quickly head outside and off your porch. To the left, specifically. It comes into your point of view. You begin your way over to iy. You never took into fact that the rain had stopped next to completely. You're at your stopping point. Kneeling down, you get a good look at this thing.
Is that a projector?
You were attempting to take your eyes off of it's chest for now. All you were focused on right now was its head. But you take quick glances every so often. Your hand is lifted, hovering over to touch it's head.
After coming in contact, it whirs to life, having you stumble backwards, onto your buttocks. It's body begins to shake entirely now. That sounds like a radio... You listen for the source of what sounds like a radio talk show host. Of course you look over to your car. But when it changed stations is when you snapped your view back to it. "It's a... A radio?" you whisper to yourself.
You nearly forgot about the two men on the edge of your lawn. You quickly gaze over to your front yard and find that they've gone. No time to worry about that right now.
The head changes from station to station, all with bad frequencies. Should I help it? You are not much able to do much else for it. You reach your hand out for its green stomach. As soon as it touches the warm fur coating, its body goes into a sort of defense mechanism. Its hooves begin to swing at you, scared. You can practically sense how terrifying this must be for the suffering thing. Sympathy seems to be an okay response. Why wouldn't you feel bad for this thing?
A few minutes later, after observing it push it's body on it's side slowly away from you, it ceases moving.
As if it's... Lost all hope.
You approach it again, carefully. You reach your hand out again. When it meets the fur again, it spasms another time, but not nearly as defensive as the previous attack. In fact, it doesn't seem to be trying to attack at all. Only natural reflexes. You begin to rub it's side, your mind making a very desperate attempt to forget about it's sliced belly. It's body shifts around very slowly. As if it were enjoying the scratch it was receiving. Tears had begun to form from under your eyes.
What ungodly experiments had this poor creature gone under?
You remove your hand from its belly. It twitches again. This time, in a scared fashion.
I can't possibly leave... her out here to rot. You didn't check for a gender. It just felt somehow connected to that sex for a reason.
You slide both hands under her. She reflexes slightly to the unexpected type of contact made. Both arms are now under her right side, that of which was on the ground. You lift her up, and something catches your eye on her haunch. It looks like a lyre.
The fuck? People are cruel pieces of shit.
You make your way with her in your arms to the back of your home. Your nostrils are making attempts to avoid the smell she's giving off. You left your sliding glass door open, luckily. You take your entrance, and close it.
Where to put her?
The bedroom seems like a decent spot. You head down the hallway and take a right, into your bedroom. Setting her gently on the bed, you sit with her. You begin to rub her stomach again, carefully and smoothly. Her radio signal begins to fade to a gentle, quiet static. You just now notice her minty colored mane and tail. Beautiful colors. She seems accustomed to your hand. To trusting you. Lucky you. Because who would you possibly trust after someone performed this awful shit on you?
Is she sleeping?
You ponder to yourself as you view the motionless horse.
She * is** breathing, therefore she must still be alive.*
Alright. This will give you time to think. Your nose has adjusted to the smell miraculously. You had been scratching behind her belly for a good hour. You other hand rubbing her hoof. She staggered at times, but you assumed them to be only reflexes to you caressing her. You attempted to take a closer look at her sliced stomach, but she resisted whenever you tried to touch it. All natural reflexes. What you saw inside of her was a mortifying sight. Rubber and copper tubes covered nearly a quarter of her insides, along with some metal panels bolted together. Most of the organs to keep her alive were still in tact, thank God. At least she's able to get some rest, at last. You're thankful for that. Not because she was an annoyance. But that she could just let these worries pass by her. Let you worry about them, if anything.
You want to uncover the truth on what actually happened to her. You begin to get up off of the bed, when a light is suddenly shone upon the closet next to your bed. You look behind you, out one of your windows to find the source of the light. That's when you heard voices over a radio. You turned your view to the horse. Her head was the product of both a radio and projector. Your head turns back to the closet, the light still being cast upon it. Nothing. For a minute or two at least.
Suddenly, a rippling static shows up. A loud wavy static sound erupts from her head.
Is this her... dream?
You decide to sit down quietly on the floor, scooting a bit to the side to make way for the projection on the closet. It ripples continuously. It's actually beginning to form something. It's forming a picture, but changes to the next every few seconds.
Are these... memories?
The static is forming a cartoonist environment. Too cartoonist to be even memories. Color begins to show. The static noise produced by her is morphing into audible sentences.
Voices?
What you see in the projection seems almost unreal. Did someone animate this? You begin to doubt what you see. She seems to be walking down a path on a sunny day. This is too clean and smooth of an environment to even exist in this reality. You determine this by the forest she's walking down. You notice someone next to her. It seems to be a poofy maned pony. As the colors come in clearer, her coat color is a sand yellow. And her mane is both pink and dark blue. The one major difference from the sand coated pony and the one you have with you is that the sandy one's head is larger and far more comforting. Eyes larger than the stomach, along with a cute nose.
"... going to... later..."
The voices produced are beginning to become much clearer.
"... come up... sorry sweet..."
They're having a conversation. Talking horses in a cartoon world. You don't want to believe it, but nothing else could explain what this creature is. The sand coated pony has another one of those marks on one of her haunches. Although this time, it's three candies.
That couldn't possibly exist in this world... Or in this universe, for that matter. This is a phenomenal breakthrough beyond science itself...
The picture changes. This time, the sandy coated pony is still with her. They look as to be in a cafe. They're conversing with one another. The voices are next to audible now. Although, it sounds like they're in the middle of a conversation.
"So wait, Lyra,-" Lyra seems to be the one she's speaking to. You automatically assume that Lyra is your visitor's name. "-won't this interfere... your performance at the Brock tonight? "
"No, of course not! I've had... planned months back. Definitely not gonna... this. All of Equestria will be there!"
Interference every now and then, but you're still able to make out the most of it. And after hearing "all of Equestria will be there", you assume Equestria is her previous home.
"That's great to hear, love! I'll be-"
The segment cuts out.
She seemed to be leading a very happy life before. What the hell happened to her?
A new scene appears on the projection. Lyra and a gray coated pony are to be sitting down in a park.
The gray coated pony looks over to Lyra and says "You're positive, Lyra, that I won't... to help you out with your upcoming performance?"
"I've practiced... many months, Octy. I think I'm ready to take-"
Back to reality. Lyra twitches once behind you. It was slight, but noticeable. You turn back to the projection to see the view looking at the right side of a mountain in the distance. The camera quality is really screwed up and morphing on the bottom right of the mountain. Doesn't take you long, but you notice it's not coming from the mountain-- it's covering that part of the mountain, but it's in the park, no more than half a mile away from the two. The warping of the camera becomes larger. High pitched static becomes more audible from Lyra's head behind you at this point. It's becoming larger now. Lyra's view is locked onto it. Her view is suddenly shaken. She turns around to see the gray pony from just minutes earlier.
"Lyra! Snap out of it! Come... I don't know what that thing... but we mus..."
That's not interference. You see her lips trembling. Her voice trails off, looking behind Lyra with a stunned face and dilated pupils. She begins to back away slowly, yet faster with each step back. Lyra turns around right as the gray one darts away. Her gaze is met with that of a human-like form... Not only that, but with a type of spacesuit you've never seen. His hands slowly reach out to Lyra.
"Please come home."
The projector shuts off abruptly, along with the radio-like noise. You turn around, seeing Lyra, shaking uncontrollably. Standing up, you quickly put your hand on her stomach and begin to rub it. Your other hand accompanying her right hoof.Her shaking ceases, and is off to sleep in a matter of quick minutes this time.
"Please come home..." You whisper that to yourself. Who said that? It didn't sound like it came from the events that were unfolding from what you saw. It came in with static, but did not have the noises that were originally being made within the segment. You were not sure, but it seemed obvious to you: humans had achieved access to a completely different dimension. One far apart thought. One far beyond imagination.
You doze off to sleep, cuddling the pony that was upon your bed covers. It was for the best. You weren't sure if you were going to be able to get her home, but one thing was for sure: You were going to take care of her, even if it meant to the ends of the planet.
Knock knock knock knock
"Mmrgh" You glance over to your alarm.
Knock knock knock knock.
Well, I suppose only taking a look at the first number being seven on the clock was enough.
Knock knock knock knock.
"One second!", you yell.
The knocking ceases. You quickly get up out of bed. Just before leaving out your bedroom door, you look at the mirror beside the door. You're a wreck. You're still wearing the clothes from yesterday. And the day before. Going into your living room, you change into a more suitable appearance. Jeans and a long sleeve shirt. They were the first thing you found in your bag, and you had to get the door fast. Walking over to it, you wonder who it could be. A neighbor? You did tell your family where you would be living, but they lived up in Illinois, so you immediately doubted that.
You open the door, and are greeted by a man in a black suit. His buddy seems to be in the car, watching.
"Hi there... Can I help you two with something?" you ask.
The man in the car shifts lower to where he's out of your view. Was this guy wearing a mic?
"Yes you can. It seems you arrived a bit earlier when you were expected. And we seemed to be missing some..." He pauses to look down and to the left, "... equipment that we had lost here. We figured we didn't want to bother you, seeing how you had just now moved in. Give you a little time to settle in first."
"That seems a bit odd. Wouldn't someone normally consult the owner before he moved in?" you ask, out of curiosity.
"Yes, ah, we seemed to have some difficulties with double checking our storage before we were to be sure first."
"But... You just said-"
He cuts you off, "It was rather a mix in between the two. If it isn't too much to ask, may we search your home to gather our things?"
"What is it exactly you're looking for?"
He goes silent for a moment of thought, "Well, a certain animal has escaped-"
Your face suspends movement. You attempt to remove the layer of shock that remains upon it, but it seems the man notices before it leaves.
"You... wouldn't happen to have seen it, would you?" he asks suspiciously.
"N-not at all.", you stuttered.
"Well, may we have permission to search your home? Just to confirm it's not actually inside."
"Yes you... can... Could you give me a moment to put away my very personal belongings?
"Take all the time you need."
You shut the door, smiling at him. As soon as the door shuts, you panic. You glance outside. He motions his partner to leave the car. He turns around to face the house, and catches you looking. He stares back suspiciously. You quickly move your head out of their view.
Not good. Oh god what am I going to do?
There must be some sort of basement to hide Lyra here. Was there something in the description you read on this house. You run down the hallway, and inside your bedroom. You look in your closet for a trapdoor, up or down would be great.
Nothing. Shit.
You turn around and quickly begin to scoop up Lyra, her body shaking slightly at the sudden touch. Beginning to lift her up, you look out your bedroom window. One of them are looking inside at you, mouth agape.
FUCK.
You quickly turn around as he darts away, possibly to either find his other one, or to find another way in. You run out of the room, Lyra shaking, scared of what's happening out there. Running down the hall, the door is suddenly thrown upon by an outside source. You back up slowly, towards the end of the hall. You back makes contact with it.
That wall behind you makes a thump. A hollow thump sound.
Hollow.
You turn around, your front door on the verge of breaking. Backing up now. You go full force into the wall, using your side so you don't hurt Lyra.
BAM.
It's cracked. Very thin wall cover. Your front door is beginning to fall off it's frame. You back up again, and head on full force.
BAM.
Almost there. You back up once more, farther than the previous times. Your hope put into breaking it greater this time. Just as you begin making a run for the wall, you hear the front door's final blow. They're inside.
CRASH.
You're suddenly falling. You clutch Lyra in your hands, and quickly turn around in the air, making sure your back goes first into the ground.
God speed.
"... Ogh..."
Your eyes adjust to the light above you. A good 15, maybe 20 feet high. It must be the passage you fell through.
One of those two men are looking back at you. He equips his radio, and says something into it. He puts it away, looks behind him, and nods. He leaves the passageway opening, leaving you alone. You're not sure what you just triggered, but you know that they will make their way down there with you soon.
You attempt to make your way up.
CRICK
"AUGH... FUCK!"
Your back may as well have been broken. It's a miracle you could twist it just barely again. You move your arms around Lyra. They're both fine, but your right shoulder seems to hurt a bit. You move your legs. The right is close to fine, but the left, it has a sharp pain in the skin, and it feels the ankle is twisted. You lift Lyra, and place her down next to you, in order to get a closer look at the injuries.
"Oh... Oh sh..."
A strip of sharp wood pierces your left leg skin. Blood drips off of the tip. It's an inch thick.
You look above you. Vacant area. You've time, but not sure how long.
Looking back down towards the wood stake, you reach over to your leg, and grip it tight. You try to hold your breath in. Just keep steady flow through your nose. Not your mouth.You begin to pull the stake.It purges forth the pain of a thousand suns.
You stop, and notice you're breathing hard through your teeth now. Through the nose.
You pull again, and cannot hold it in. Your breathing becomes an increasing scream. You tilt your head up as it last, just begins to emerge.
SCHLK
Your vision 'bounces'. Screaming slowly ceases. It becomes more of a soft laughter.
"Heh Heh... hahh..."
You look down at your hand. From the amount of blood covering certain spots, it looked no more than two inches into your leg.
"God..."
You look around for a cloth to wrap it up in. Yet to no avail, there is none around. You take off your shirt, and wrap it up tight. Wiggling your ankle around a bit to check for any signs of it to be twisted. It hurts, but you must move forward. You stand up, leg shaking a bit. It's just now you notice the pile of wood covering the floor. You look up and see broken wood.
A broken staircase. Either they're going to attempt getting down here with help from a supporting mechanism, or... That seems to be the only way you can think of, actually.
You look down at Lyra. She's reaching out and waving around her hooves, as if looking for something. She needs to know you're alright. You kneel down, and scratch her side belly, and with that, her legs stop moving.
You turn around, and are met with a sort of old shack. Touching her stomach twice with your other hand, you hope that she'll get the idea you'll be leaving for a second, but you'll be back. You get back up on two legs, and begin to limp over to the table at the back of the basement.
When you arrive, you notice a small light bulb is above you. Reaching out for the string next to it, you activate it. It flickers a bit, but lights up, still giving off a small sizzling sound along with timely flickers. Nails scatter the table. Some old and pinned inside the wood, some still old and unused. A toolbox is to the left of the table. You reach out for it, and bring it to. Opening it, you're presented with several tools accommodating the inside of the box. You look down at the various tools. Nothing you could possibly use for now.
Maybe there's something under the table of use.
But when you glance under, nothing but a bit of dead leaves and grass. You begin to turn back around, when you notice the wall to the right of you have a square shaped oddity. Getting closer, you see it's a well blended in vent. Around 12" x 12". It's even got a handle, yet it's rusted shut.
Now, why would this need a handle? Possibly an exit?
You make your way back over to the toolbox, and begin to shuffle around inside, looking for a tool that could break open the vent. No crowbar. Although a hammer is brought out of the toolbox with your hand.
You hear clopping behind you. You turn around to find Lyra attempting to stand up. She's a bit wobbly, but accomplished it. She clops her two forehooves on the ground.
That must be her call for me.
You walk over to her, and begin to scratch the side of her belly. You place your hand on her back, indicating that you're staying with her right now. For safety, you kneel down and look at her belly.
Oh Christ, one of the cords are broken.
You're not sure if it helps keep her alive, or if it's just a cord for another useless function. No time. You just need to help her out to safety. You look back over at the grating, and tug her backside a little forward, motioning her along with you. She begins to follow slowly and carefully. You want her to take her time moving, due to her current state of mind. You and her move over to the vent, and when you arrive, you push her backside a bit. She obeys, and stops movement. You lift the hammer, and place it's rear of it in an open crack of the vent, and pull.
CRACK
You thought that would be harder. You rub Lyra's back, and rub her backside forward a bit. She proceeds with caution not to trip through the grating. About to proceed along with her, you notice something at the back left of the table you viewed earlier.
Oh god, is that a...
You put your hand on it, feeling it's bumpy texture. It sounds like it has a key chain attached...
"A grenade..."
Not positive you're going to need this later, but you pick it up and stick it in your back pocket. You hear the two hooves clop against the ground. Before you go through the grating, you turn to your right and turn off the light bulb.
FZZT
Sucker nearly burned out just as you pulled the cord. You turn around, head back towards the grating, and step through to a modern looking building. The lights are off, but you can just barely see around.
A hospital?
After closing the grating behind, you put your hand on Lyra's back to indicate you're here with her. You're in a somewhat hospital-esque designed hallway, with the lights shut off. But it's when you notice a cart off to the side of the hallway do you realize where you truly are. You're in a science laboratory.
This possibly could explain why my visitor is here.
You look to the left. To the right. Taking a random direction, you decide to push to your right. You tug Lyra's backside along with you. And you two plunge into the abyss.
Rooms line most of the hallways. They're all shown by glass walls, covering up to entire walls. Most contain tubed machinery, connected to otherworldly devices. Inventions you've never seen in your life. And there are rooms that have only a door with a small window at the top. Yet nearly all of those you've looked in seem to resemble emergency rooms in hospitals. And others are the obligatory storage rooms. You've gone exploring inside them some, but little to none show any interest. This place resembles that of a hedge maze. Every twist and turn you make all seem identical. It's dark for the most part, but the seemingly endless amounts of machinery in the glass walled in rooms give off a bit of vision for you. The blinking lights off the darkened walls make it nauseating for you to proceed sometimes.
You turn another corner, and are met with a pair of symmetrical double-doors. You're unsure of where they may lead, but they look inviting to enter. On top of that, this is the only other room you've seen that are not identical to others you've seen. You open one of the two doors, and are met with several computer consoles, lined in a row, all facing a metal wall. A rough estimation of probably 10 computers.
You tug on Lyra's back side to allow her inside with you. Taking the first computer you saw, you sit down in the chair accompanying it, and you motion Lyra to sit down on the ground along with you. Flipping on the monitor, your eyes squint at the bright light the desktop gives off. The computer seems to have already been left vacant and logged on.
In fact...
You check the computer to the right of you.
It looks like they've all been left logged onto.
Odd behavior for such a seemingly large corporation.
Unless... Oh shit.
Whatever happened here, you may be lucky for it, but you immediately assume time is being wasted by the second. You look around on the dark blue desktop for any programs that may be of use. There are four applications named "Recycle Bin", "Command Prompt", "Test", and "Startup Sequence". There are two folders along with, one being "Progress Logs" and the other using the default name for a new folder; "New Folder". Not knowing what the applications are capable for, you decide it's safer to check the folders first.
First up, Progress Logs.
You open it up, and are presented with several notepad files. They're named things such as "SEQUENCE.LOG//4.18.14//FAILURE" and "SEQUENCE.LOG//5.02.14//FAILURE". They're looking to be as logs for a certain application. Very possible one of the four you viewed on the desktop. Out of curiosity, you open one up named "SEQUENCE_LOG::8/12/13::FAILURE". It reads the following:
beginlog//
...:::RELICS 4.21:::...
_ENTER COMMAND
.>run backgroundcehck.exe
_COMMAND run backgroundcehck.exe NOT RECOGNIZED
.>run backgroundcheck.bat
_RUNNING backgroundcheck.bat...
_..........................................
_GENERATOR 01 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 02 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 03 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 04 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 05 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 06 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 07 CHECK...OKAY
_GENERATOR 08 CHECK...ERROR
_GENERATOR 08 CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ERRORS: UNDETECTED
_CONTINUE WITH backgroundcheck.bat? Y/N
.>n
_STOPPING BACKGROUNDCHECK.EXE...
_ENTER COMMAND
.>exit
//endlog
That wasn't much of a help. You decide to exit out of the file and folder, as they may not be much of help at all right now. Interested in more, you open up New Folder to view, if any, it's contents. There are multiple notepad files. The file names give away that it was likely all typed personally by a living being. You open up the first one, named "log 1, 5/20/12". You open it up to read:
Our head of department brought something to my attention today. He explained to me that our previous project left something along with it. Our previous project was concerning space travel, but not in the sense of moving physically, but in the sense of transmitting 'information' off of a sort of large 'satellite' type creation through certain channels, and receiving them back in another area, the device automatically piecing them back together, that of a puzzle. That's right; Quantum teleportaion. It never did work out, though. We sent one person through, yet I can't even begin to describe it. My stomach churns as I think of it.
Like I said, he explained it left something behind. Where to start explaining it, I'm not sure. But he said that it left an accidental... well, a cross-dimensional 'tear'. I didn't believe him at first. I replied saying there are only three dimensions. He retorted back saying that we just created a fourth! I wasn't sure what to think. I asked him to show me, yet he threw a bag of blueprints onto my desk, and said "See for yourself".
I stared at the pile of blueprints, and was about to ask him where it went, but he was gone before I got the chance to.
I traveled to his office later, and asked him the question I had in mind earlier: Where did this 'tear' go to? But he only chuckled, shook his head, and turned it out the window, staring up at the sky. Seconds later, he replied back without looking to me: "Let's just say we will eventually know which of the indefinite amounts of universes will exist through that tear."
I'm going to gather the parts needed for this project over the next week. I begin blueprinting in seven days.
This likely may be an explanation to why your visitor is here. There are nearly around one hundred other files, so you decide to scroll up and open one of the latest, "log 230 2/12/14":
It has been days since we actually opened the rift. What we came across is completely alien to any of us. What I am saying is that we have come in contact with another universe.
It's a cartoonist's dream. Horses that come in different colors scatter the planet. Not only that--they hold intelligence. They built homes, and farms, and they use the concept of magic. It been some time since I had last believed in magic. Last time I did was since I was a kid. But now, I have major faith in it again.
You may notice that it's been weeks since I last typed up a log. I'm typing one now because, well... They brought one back. And I don't know what they plan to do with her.
You finish it up, and realize you're beginning to run out of time. You open up the final file. It's name is "New Text Document.txt". It looks as if he didn't have a ton of time to type it up:
i have made a huge mistake
im sorry im so so sorry pleace forgive me
they wanted to explore the universe more
but they wouldnt allow us out of the portal there, theyre too smart to know what were to do to them
they did the one thing they coulD I TRIE DTO STOP THEM
they turned dher into a machine
a fucking cyborg
they need ed sa place to explore memoriesd to view more annd those twisted fucks put a projector inp lace of her head
a radio to ttransmit the sounds mdae in the memoreiss
they stole mY INVENTION
MY CREaTION AND
im just so sorry
i have committed ungodly crimes beyond this universe and i deserve to be punished
i know what i must do
You mumble to yourself, "Jesus Christ..."
Your hands tremble. Part of your head dreadfully hopes he didn't commit suicide. You don't want to face the truth. Yet you know.
"... God... rest his soul..." You bow your head down, and shut your eyes for no more than a minute.
You then bring your head back up, and look over at Lyra. You touch your hand to her back, and begin to rub again.
So he said something about a rift between dimensions...
There's hope to send her back. You can set this right. You spin around in your chair, and look for a light switch on the wall behind you, but find none. You spin back around and look at the table, looking for any kind of switches that would activate any sort of lights. Five gain sliders to your left get your attention.
You slide one up, all the way. Lights above you flicker on.
You slide up the second one. The metal wall in front of you and behind the computers suddenly rise up. A black void replaces it.
The third. Lights that line walls reveal a large room, with computers surrounding something.
Fourth slider. A walkway leading from directly below you to the center of the room.
The final slider. Lights flicker on in the center of the room. A large spherical device lies there.
It reveals Lyra's doorway back home. It displays the cartoonist's dreams. It unveils...
The portal to Equestria.
You gaze at the metal sphere. It had to be a rough 25 foot diameter. 30 at most. It glistens in the lights above. Two cylinders on the ceiling and floor hold it in place. There's a walkway leading out to it. This had to be the portal. The employee's notes, the start up logs, they were all here. There was almost no reason for it not to be.
You snap your head to Lyra. She is laying upon the floor, resting. You lie your hand on her belly. She was shaking slightly. Even when you had began rubbing her. She knew where she was.
You turn back to the computer, and look over the applications upon it. "Command Prompt", "Test", and "Startup Sequence". Startup Sequence seemed to be the correct one to launch. You double click the application. A black box appears.
...:::RELICS 5.40:::...
_TYPE "HELP" FOR LIST OF COMMANDS
.>
You type in "help", not knowing any commands available but the one. There were lots of commands, but three commands stuck out: begin sequence [01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06], system analysis, and override. You were not sure if override would come in handy, but you never know. To make sure everything was in order beforehand, you run system analysis.
.>system analysis
_PREPARING FULL SYSTEM ANALYSIS...
_GENERATOR 01...........OKAY
_GENERATOR 02................OKAY
_GENERATOR 03.......OKAY
_GENERATOR 04......OKAY
_GENERATOR 05......OKAY
_GENERATOR 06.........OKAY
_GENERATOR 07.....OKAY
_GENERATOR 08...........................OKAY
_GENERATOR 09...........OKAY
_SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPLETE. NO ERRORS FOUND.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>
Alright that's very good.
Let's start this thing up.
.>begin sequence 01
_RUNNING BACKGROUND PREPARATIONS FOR GENERATOR STARTUP...
You hear a small whirring come from the area of the portal. It stops some 30 seconds after. You may actually know what you're doing... You hope...
_BACKGROUND PREPARATIONS COMPLETE.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>begin sequence 02
_RUNNING GENERATORS 01, 02, 03...
You hear a loud "CHUNK" from the sphere. A loud whirring comes from it. You thought you saw Lyra twitch to your side there for a second. You turn back to face the portal. It's just now you see 9 large metal devices surround the sphere in the ground.
_GENERATORS 01, 02, 03 FUNCTIONING FULLY. NO ERRORS WERE DETECTED DURING SEQUENCE 02 INITIATION.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>begin sequence 03
_RUNNING GENERATORS 04, 05, 06...
CHUNK
You hear slight shaking beside you. Lyra's head is making a metal 'clinking' onto the ground. You place your hand on her side, but doesn't seem to help.
"Please hang in there... Just a few more minutes...", you whisper quietly to her.
More whirring noises coming from the portal. Looking back at the computer prompt:
_GENERATORS 04, 05, 06 FUNCTIONING FULLY. NO ERRORS WERE DETECTED DURING SEQUENCE 02 INITIATION.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>begin sequence 04
_RUNNING GENERATORS 07, 08, 09...
CHUNK
Lyra is shaking uncontrollably. You feel tears well up in your eyes.
"N-no... Just a bit longer... Please..."
You pull her in close to you.
"Just a little bit longer..."
_GENERATORS 07, 08, 09 FUNCTIONING FULLY. NO ERRORS WERE DETECTED DURING SEQUENCE 02 INITIATION.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>begin sequence 05.
_ENTERING ORBITAL STAGE...
You feel the sphere begin to spin. It makes a low humming noise. Lyra's shaking begins to slow down a bit, but doesn't stop. Your tears are waterfalling down your face now.
"Please Lyra... P-please... For m-me..."
The sphere is speeding up, It could be spinning in any direction. The humming noise has increased greatly now.
_ORBITAL STAGE COMPLETE.
_ENTER A COMMAND
.>begin sequence 06
_OPENING GATEWAY...
All other lights shut off in the room, and emergency lights flicker on due to electricity usage. You look at the ceiling. It's beginning to turn a bright red. The room is lightened by the sphere. You look down at Lyra. Her shaking decreases, but you don't think that's a good sign. Falling to the ground with her, your voice trembles.
"D-don't go... P-please... You're a... almost h-ome..."
The tears roll down your cheeks onto her stomach. You hold her in close. The humming is practically shaking the entire room now. Wires are swinging rapidly.
Suddenly, a burst is heard from the room.
Silence.
"... Please... come home..."
You hear quiet sobbing.
That phrase...
"Please... please come home..."
You lift your head up, kneel up, and look over your computer. Through the portal. You view the same sand colored pony. It's the exact same cartoonist universe you saw in Lyra's memories. It's the same park where it appeared. The only thing that splits between you and her are a row of ponies in armor.
It's time for Lyra to go home. You look down, and see her shaking has ceased. Reaching down, you hope to hear her heartbeat.
Tump
She's still alive. Just barely, but she can make it.
You scoop her up in your arms, and walk over to the left slowly. You descend the stairs, and walk over to the walkway, leading into the portal. You set her down carefully. Once she's upon the ground, you work out a quiet word.
"H-hello?"
She didn't seem to hear. You say it louder.
"Hello?"
Her ears perk up, and she lifts her head. She's looking at you, with sad eyes and a trembling mouth.
A guard turns around curiously, eyes becoming wide when he sees you, mouth agape. He draws his spear at you, in defense. The others join him, all wide eyed, but defensive.
You kneel down, and touch Lyra. They take notice of her.
One guard ceases defense. Another. Eventually, they've all dropped their spears, staring at the creature before them. You scoop her up, and begin walking toward the portal. Lyra lifts one forehoove, and taps you on the sidearm. You understand her, and set her down on all fours. She's a bit shaky, but manages to catch her balance. She turns different directions, as if looking for something. Then, turns toward the portal, and stops. She can feel the energy the portal gives off. You watch as she trembles slowly up to it. Just a foot away from contact, she turns around, toward you. You're unsure of what she's going to-
"... I..."
Her radio turns on, searching for channels.
"... Love..."
You attempt to hold tears back.
"... You..."
You break into a small cry. But try to keep your eyes on her, to make sure she's safe stepping through. The sand coated pony stands up, trying to hold her cry back as well, and the guards hold saddened looks on their faces. As soon as she comes in contact with the portal, part of the sphere morphs, and engulfs her. A bright light is emitted as she steps through completely. You look back up, after protecting your eyes. She's back to her cartoon self again, yet, her head and stomach remain ever the same. The sand coated pony walks slowly over to her.
"L-Lyra...?"
She puts a hoof on Lyra's back. Lyra shakily returns the favor, and they come in close for a seemingly endless hug.
A good minute passes, and suddenly a much larger horse comes into view, around your height. She looks over to Lyra and her friend, and back to you.
She speaks, "Your species is a much more violent type."
"That's a very true stateme-"
You're cut off, "But even the most evil of any race, species, or animal, can redeem itself, in any shape, or form. I thank you for returning one of my... our... little ponies."
The sand coated pony speaks up, "Th-thank you... Thank you so much for returning Lyra!"
You look over at Lyra.
"Will... Will you be able to... help her?", you ask.
"Our highest-of-the-class doctors will take a look and see what they are able to do. It's a chance that she will be able to see again."
"But... can't you just use your magic?", you ask hopefully.
"We could use magic, but alas..." She looks back over to Lyra. "Not even our mental abilities would stand a chance over such a delicate immune system."
You sniffle a bit.
"I understand... Please take good care of her..."
"We will put our very best efforts into giving her the highest-priority treatment." She looks to her side, and gestures her guards. They take Lyra onto their backs, and carry her off. The sand coated pony gallops after them.
"We pray this is the final time we come in contact with your universe. It's a mortifying world."
"I'll try to help on working to get it better. At least one would help... right?"
She smiles. "You have a lot to expect. But I wish you the best of luck. If you would be so kind as to cease the portal's process, along with the disabling of it?"
"Will be done."
"And again--thank you so much." She takes her leave, following the paths her guards took Lyra off to.
You turn around, and are about to make a retreat up the stairs, when a group of armed men enter the room.
"FREEZE! WE'VE GOT YOU SURROUNDED!"
Oh shit...
You aren't able to disable the portal now.
Unless...
You reach into your back pocket slowly, pull out a grenade... And pull the ring out.
You quickly toss it in the portal's lower supporting cylinder, and run, hopefully for an escape. The men begin to open fire at you, not noticing what you just threw. Your upper arm shoots a piercing pain through your body, but manage to make it behind a counter.
You begin to count to three.
One
This is likely your death. Capital punishment will be given either way; if you live or die.
Two
You think of Lyra, and pray to whatever god that exists up there that she makes it out alive.
Three
"I love you too, Lyra."
Beep... Beep... Beep
"Mrrgf"
You squint your eyes at your surroundings. A metal table is to your right, several tools covering it. You're hooked up to an IV, as well as a heart rate monitor. You look to your left, and see a recognizable pony asleep, head hanging over the armrest.
You are Lyra.
"Swe... Sweetie Drops?"
She lifts up her head seconds later, and looks over to you. A smile forms on her face. You attempt to sit up, but a pain shoots from your neck, stomach as well. Lifting your blanket and looking down, you find several stitches within your stomach. You grab a mirror off of the table to your right, and aim it towards your neck. Stitches along the diameter of it as well. You set the mirror down, and look over to Sweetie.
"What... happened..."
S he gets up and walks over to you. "Lyra, I'm... I'm so glad you're alright. The doctor said he did all he could, and that we would just have to wait it out. You've been unconscious for months."
"What? I don't understand... Everything was... No... I couldn't see anything."
She lies a hoof on your arm. "I know... It's alright... You're back home now."
Another strike of curiosity hits you. "Wha... What do you mean 'I'm home now'? Where was I?"
She looks down. "I don't know. None of us do. You were in a world of... well, 'intelligent primates', and they did..." She goes silent, and breathes out. "We're not entirely sure. They used things on you that we've never seen before."
It hits you. You slowly regain your memory. "I... remember. Not all of it, but most of it."
She looks up to you. "What do you remember? Uh, that is... if you don't mind me asking..."
You look up to the ceiling, closing your eyes. "The last thing I remember seeing was being on a cold table in... their world. I could understand what they said. I then went to sleep suddenly. I woke up, and... and..." You open your eyes. "Do you ever wonder what it's like to be blind? You close your eyes, and you see darkness, but that's not what a blind person sees. Because a blind person doesn't see anything. That's how it felt."
You look down, and fondle with your sheets. "I was still able to feel, though. But that's because I could feel everything hurt all over... And it wouldn't stop, Sweetie. It hurt so much..."
You look over to Sweetie who is on the brink of crying. A terrified expression covering her face.
"I can remember waking up on a hard ground with hard rain coming down. Someone tried to touch me again, and I took defense. I thought he went away, but then he did it again. But he didn't hurt me... He... Rubbed me. I thought no one cared about me anymore, but... But someone did. He picked me up and took me to a place where it didn't hurt to rest." You look forward. "I then remember dreaming. I was back in Ponyville. None of this happened. I had my life back... But then..."
Your eyes shut. "I woke up."
You sniffle a bit before continuing. "I remember standing up with my... friend. I remember walking with him for a while. We stopped moving soon, and I sat down. It took him a while to do something... But suddenly, pain shot through my body, and I couldn't stop shivering..."
You look back over to Sweetie.
"I wanted to scream. I wanted to scream... So much... But I couldn't."
You look up and think further. "I slightly remember the last thing that happened. I was drawn to something. I could feel something give off energy. I thought I knew where I was going... I looked behind me, because I then knew where I was going, and I wanted to say something to my friend, but I could only repeat it over and over in my mind... I stepped through the portal, and remember hugging somepony-"
Sweetie puts her hoove back on your arm.
"Wait... The park... Is... Is 'it' still there?"
Sweetie looks up at you. "No. I looked behind me as we were taking you off to the hospital, and suddenly, in the park... something gave off the force that of a sonic rainboom. Ponies went to gather around nothing but a black crater in the ground."
You lie your head back on Sweetie's shoulder, and ask in a shaky voice, "Sweetie... Who helped me?"
She gazes out the window... She closes her eyes, small tears leaving the shutters, and replies with:
"A God helped you, Lyra..."
And she hugs you tightly. The hug felt like it lasted for hours. She lied you back down in your bed, and you shut your eyes. But this time, it's not the last.
End.
You stare out the window, looking into the cloudy, and rainy sky. That pitter patter against the window again. You've been in here for a good three weeks or so in recovery. Your leg gave out on you, and broke, cause being the burst both the grenade and portal gave off. Your shoulder is still injured.
A radio turns on near by, and you quickly turn.
No. Never mind. Just a television.
"What..." You whisper to yourself, astounded.
You cannot believe your eyes. The side of Mount Elbert had a large black crater in the side of it.
It's just then you notice someone clear his throat in the chair on the opposing side of the bed, a television remote in his hand. He wears a brown suit with a black tie and glasses, along with an stern expression upon his face.
You rub your eyes and look at him. "Who... are you?"
"Previously head of the department you just destroyed."
"Wh... Me?"
He answers fast. "Yes. You." He's spinning the remote on his finger.
"What do you mean? I'm... I'm still here..."
You just now realize that, and look back up at the television.
"If I destroyed that facility... why am I sti-"
"Aftershock."
"Aftershock..." You look down and think. "I'm afraid I don't follow."
He removes his glasses, and puts two hands to the center of his face, symmetrical of each other. He's holding back anger. "I'll try to put this in layman's terms in case you don't understand... The portal gives off radiant energy when activated, and if another object giving off another... sort of energy comes in contact with it," He quickly separates his hands in opposing directions. "Boom."
"I'm... I'm afraid I still don't-"
"You blew a multi-billion dollar machine up ."
You ask "Explain to me what I have to do with this?"
"Oh drop the fucking act already, I KNEW Bronston set you up to this. Against this entire damn..." He throws open the blinds to the window next to him.
Your eyes are met with a heap of smoke leaving Mount Elbert in the long distance. "Jesus..."
"Yeah?" he scoffs. "And it gets better; The whole damn world is questioning US! All eyes are put on US! WE ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT, BABY! " he remarks sarcastically, throwing his hands in the air.
"Bronston?"
"Excuse me?"
"Bronston... Who, or possibly what, is that?"
He chuckles slightly. "Oh fuck off. Why would you have destroyed the portal? How did YOU know to obliterate it along with the rest of this damn facility?"
You confess, not knowing what else to say. "I... I threw a grenade."
"Yeah? And what else? Brought in the Nth dimension, I see! OH WAIT! That was already involved in the first place."
"Where exactly are you trying to drive this conversation to?" Your anger begins to take part.
"And this is the part where I say the obvious: The truth."
"I... I honestly have not a clue who this 'Bronston' character is. All I wanted to do was just send Ly... Her back."
"Who?"
"You know who."
He looks up at you, rubbing his cheek with the palm of his hand. "Look... We were unsure if they were hostile at first. They looked like ponies, but could have had flesh eating chins for all we knew! I said to one of my employers once, that there's an infinite number of universes out there, and that the rift it created could contain any one of them. We took immediate measures before entering the rift. Used a high technology spacesuit designed from layers of rubber. I can understand it doesn't sound like much protection, but what we did is compress the many layers of rubber into the toughest of the tough layers. After opening the rift, we grabbed the first specimen we could get our hands on."
You let that sink in, and one of those parts ring within your head.
"The phrase you said that to..."
He puckers his lips and nodded at you.
"But... I thought he committed suicide?"
"Where on this planet did you ever get that idea?" He then looks down in thought.
"Weeks after performing the final gateway entry, he claimed he was going down, and we were all going with him. He went home that night, and never returned."
He looks back up with a trembling confused expression. He says quietly to himself, yet audible "Christ. That son of a bitch..." He looks out the window behind him.
"He really meant it, did he..."
You and him stare out the window for several moments. He then stands up. "You and I aren't done. Your name has been cleared partially , but we still need to discuss these events. You're going to owe quite a portion of money. Understand?"
You nod him off. He tips his head at you, lifts his coat off of the coat rack, and takes his leave. You look back out, eyes locked on the black cloud yet still being emitted from the mountain. You sigh, and lie back in your hospital bed.
You close your eyes into dreamland. It doesn't feel empty in your mind anymore. Because you can feel her warm fur. And you can scratch her ear.
You know that deep down, Lyra is alright. Because no matter how many universes exist, there will always be that one where she lives the rest of her life healthy, and happy.
End.
