//-------------------------------------------------------// Voxels and Ponies -by Maniacal_Muffin- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue "Argh! Stupid bed!" It wasn't the bed's fault. Twilight knew that. The bed wasn't going to defend itself though, no matter how much abuse it got, it's a bed. The bed however was not Twilight's problem, her thoughts where. She knew that too, Twilight was a smart alicorn princess. Realizing the futility of lying there waiting for her mind to clear, or herself to pass out (whichever came first really), Twilight let out a annoyed sigh and begun to head to her bedroom door. Somewhere in that process though Twilight managed to get her forehoof caught on the duvet, causing her to meet the ground not on her hooves, but rather on her face and chest with her flank in the air. As she got up to recover Twilight shot an annoyed stare at the bed, it has had the last laugh. Not really, it's a bed. Twilight let out another annoyed sigh as walked to her bedroom door, tired of this nonsensical bed monologue. She opened the door with a flare of her magic, her anger causing it to groan on it's hinges eliciting another groan and a stir from Spike. Twilight quite obviously winced at the sound of her assistant's stirring, a face of shock on her as a pang of guilt shot up her spine. 'I completely forgot he was there and now he was going to wake and be upset and...' Twilight's small panic attack ended as fast as it started as a snore escaped the sleeping dragon. Letting a sigh of relief escape her own lips Twilight decided to leave before she woke the dragon. Carefully Twilight shut her bedroom door and began to slowly walk the halls of her castle. She admired it only a second as she moved into her clouded mind, walking aimlessly through the halls. Life was progressing all too fast for Twilight. Not too long ago she was a unicorn student in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, now she was walking though her castle whilst sporting her new pair of wings. It is all well and good but surely the library could have been spared? If it wasn't for Tirek than Twilight would be walking somewhere now... She hated uncertainty, and with all these rapid changes happening in her life, there was plenty of it to go around. At this thought Twilight let out another sigh, this time melancholy, as she reflected on her old home, her old life at this point. Feeling rather deflated Twilight hung her head as she walked the halls. This walk was making the idea of sleep less and less likely as mixed feelings began to accompany the questions Twilight had about her future. Her clouded mind had nopony to clear the sky. Letting out yet another sigh, this one possibly more melancholy than the last, Twilight took in her surroundings. Trying to get her bearings in her new castle was more difficult than she cared to admit. In her opinion every hall looked the same, more specifically every door looked the same, all but her bedroom which had a giant depiction of her cutie mark across both doors. Without her bedroom in sight she felt a small wave of relief wash over her, as far as she knew she was away from that evil bed. But once again uncertainty crashed though her as she doubted she had any clue where she was. Giving up to both the situation and her mood she continued to wander the halls aimlessly, not going back to her thoughts immediately she noted how sharp some of the arches above her where, she'd have to warn Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy... Just the thought of her friends made her stand tall and gave her a smirk which she welcomed. She cared about them a lot, and she knew they cared just as much, if not more about her. She could always rely on them when she needed help, and she would gladly drop anything if any of them where in trouble. Her friends where with her though it all, and with this castle they very well might be as long as they live. At this revelation the spots under Twilight's hooves began to emit a small display of colour, the quaint light show going unnoticed by the alicorn. Busy reminiscing about her friends, Twilight continues to walk aimlessly ignoring the intensifying light under her. Twilight and her friends certainly had their fair share of misadventures over the years. Her friends where extraordinary ponies even without weilding powerful magical artifacts at some point. Rainbow Dash was one of the fastest fliers in Equestria and was on the path to be a wonderbolt. Pinkie Pie was known throughout Equestria for her parties. Rarity was on the path to be a renown fashion designer. Fluttershy has the ability to talk to and calm any animal. Applejack was the face for the orchard that the princesses themselves get their apples from... All these ponies where Twilight's amazing friends, friends who saw through the horn-wings combo and saw their friend... Feeling much better and with her mind clear Twilight observes her surroundings. 'I know this hall!' All she has to do is turn around, a left and a right and she can go back into the forgiving embrace of her bed and get a good night's... 'Oh wow.' After a solid three minutes thinking of her friends the display of colour under Twilight had turned into a full fledged light show, peals of techicolour rippling across every surface in the room. Mesmerized by the display Twilight simply stands there and stares for a while, that is until a wave of fatigue crashes into her, almost landing her on her face for the second time that night. Barely still standing and barely thinking Twilight calls upon her magic and fills her muscles with the purple aura relieving them for a moment. This is only a temporary though as another wave of fatigue hits Twilight, sucking energy from every muscle and buckling her over. Forcing her eyes shut yet unable to stop the fall Twilight's face meets the ground for a second time that night. Twilight, drowsy and disoriented, calls to all her remaining magic and energy. She clenches her eyes tighter to overcome the exhaustion but barely manages to kneel on her forelegs before a final wave of fatigue washes over her. Completely drained of energy, Twilight's body forfeits it's fight, embracing the sleep it wished for. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: A strange (and extremely organized), new world. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: A strange (and extremely organized), new world. Darkness was all that surrounded me. I could not move, but it felt as if I was flying faster than ever before, through this strange space. Nothing happened for what seemed like hours, when it could have very well been a few minutes. I looked ahead of me, a light seemed to be forming ahead of me. Or was I going towards it? Was I dying? No, what would a castle get from me dying? ... I sure hope this isn't bad. "Ahhh!" Twilight's eyes where assaulted by the sun streaming through her window, forcing her to close them again. "Owww" As a strained groan escaped Twilight as a hoof instinctively went up to her head, only to be stopped before it began as a pain so extreme shot through her body. Twilight knew this feeling, and this proved the events of last night. She knew how dangerous and painful magically strengthening yourself could be, it was almost always painful. Now was no exception. A feeling of relief followed this, she was alive. In pain but alive, and in her own bed to boot. Her limbs where numb with pain, a migraine was assaulting her cranium and the parts of her body she could could feel where in a hot sweat. Was last night a dream? "Ahhg!" An attempted move of her hind leg proved that theory wrong instantly. 'Yep, still in pain... Fantastic.' A couple minutes pass as Twilight continues to rest, eventually regaining some feeling in her legs. They began to ache as feeling returned to them, making Twilight realize what position she was in. Her right foreleg was stretched straight, under her chest. Her left foreleg stretched past her head. Her left hind leg was parallel with the right and both where jutting out to the right from under her, causing her to be twisted around herself in a position that, in itself could cause most of this pain. "This is going to hurt." Twilight stated as if it would east the pain. As Twilight began pulling herself into a more comfortable position, she realized two important things. The first thing was that her limbs where no longer that sore, she could easily stand at this point. The second was how there was no sheet above her and it didn't feel like her bed underneath her. Her bed didn't have this much sand in it. Instantly following this revelation, Twilight shot up and opened her eyes, immediately pulled back down by a second assault on her retina and a feeling of extreme pain running through her head. 'Okay, let's not do that again.' Twilight slowly opened the eye shaded by her face and begun to take in her surroundings. Water as far as she could see to her left. "Great, now i'm stranded on an island." Twilight practically yelled a groan that was equal parts anger and annoyance. She began willing herself to stand, her legs no longer ached as her muscles expelled the magic in them. She got up, on her forelegs and simply sat there looking at the water. It was completely still and deep blue in colour. Under the water she could make out some sea life she didn't recognize. She was far from Ponyville, that was for sure. She had more of an idea of how she got here than where she was. Twilight hated uncertainty. Twilight let the situation sink in before she took in her surroundings. She was Celestia knows where, alone, had no supplies and will need to find food, water and shelter before the world gets the best of her. Twilight was silent a while longer before she finally begun to stand on all fours. Once standing she took one last look into the ocean befor turning. She had been dreading this moment, the moment she turns and sees some beast patiently waiting to eat her, or the small patch of sand she is stranded on. Basically the moment she finds out how screwed she was. Twilight continues to look down and turns on the spot, making a small mental note of how big the grains of sand appear beneath her. 'This it it, what horrible fate do I have upon me...' Twilight raised her head, taken aback by the sight before her, to the point that she makes a double take. The world is all cubes!... She remains silent, just staring at the disturbingly familiar world before her. Evertything seemed just fine, grass growing unkept, a small river meandering through the plain and brushing against a large cliff-face to the right, flowers in the meadow before her, and a forest with small hills being the backdrop of the whole scene. It was picturesque. The now hyper ventilating alicorn didn't give the scene much heed though as she filled with panic and questions. How did she get here? Where was this place? and most importantly, how will she get back?! The panic stricken and now breaking down alicorn didn't notice the figure both calling to her and flying towards her. "Twilight!" Twilight's ears swivel slightly as she glances to her left, she swears she heard somepony call her name. "Twilight!" 'There it is again!' Twilight thinks to herself, now sure of another presence, yet unsure how it knows her name, she scans the landscape and begins to carefully walk into the meadow. It could be a trap, or dangerous after all. "Twilight?" 'Ok, I have no clue where that one came from.' Twilight concludes, it almost sounded above her but she didn't even see anything in the sky, just some disturbingly cubic clouds. "Twili-" "AHHH!" Elsewhere, moments ago. Rainbow Dash, still startled by waking up on the largest island in a small archipelago, stands and begins spinning on the spot, observing her surroundings. She was on a island made entirely of cubes, surrounded by even smaller islands also made from cubes, surrounded in a perfectly flat ocean. looking ahead, and past a tree also made from cubes, she could see what might be a bigger island or a mainland shoreline. "Ahhh!" 'That was Twilight!' Rainbow immediately headed in the direction she heard the yell, the mainland-island. Seconds later and now on the boarder of the blocky mainland-island, Rainbow was still unable to see her friend. Surely she would stick out like a chimera in all this yellow and green. As if being guided unwillingly by her friend Rainbow heard another cry. "Ahhg!" Twilight didn't sound like she was in trouble, Rainbow wasn't going to take any chances. Flying as fast as she could, paying attention and scanning the meadow, Rainbow soon found herself hovering in the shadow of a looming mountain. 'She couldn't be out there could she?' As if on cue... "Great, now i'm stranded on an island." 'Ok, definitely not then.' Rainbow thought to herself, twisting her ears towards where the sound originated. Twisting her body around and pushing off of the air behind her she turned on a bit, heading along the beach. It only took a few moments for her to see a lavender dot appear ahead of her, almost looking like it popped into existence. Slowing her flying slightly, Rainbow begins to close in on the alicorn's right side. Her stomach begins to swim when she notices the face of horror and confusion on her friend's face. "Twilight!" Rainbow yells, hoping that her voice may both get the attention of the neurotic alicorn and calm her. Instead Twilight visibly tenses up at the sound and looks to her left, looking like she is straining herself doing so. 'Only Twilight would look the wrong way.' Rainbow thinks to herself as she rolls her eyes. Now less than ten ponies away from the alicorn, she slows her pace a bit more. "Twilight!" Rainbow yells again, only to have the pony in question gain a confused look and begin to walk into the meadow, straight towards what looks like a partially buried pond. Rainbow lets out a annoyed grunt as she comes into land next to her friend. "Twilight?" Rainbow asks, sounding more like a question than she intended. Now becoming confused as how a single pony could be so oblivious she begins to land beside her friend. "Twili-" She begins in an annoyed tone as she lands just beside Twilight, only to be cut off by a scream coming from the pond's unsuspecting victim. "AHHH!" [Splash] "Baaa"