The Open Doorby shockleeChaptersPrologue: The ScollChapter 1: Welcome To Diverse CityChapter 2: Hello SeattleChapter 3: Thump!Prologue: The ScollOnce there was a man named Trion the Pharisee who lived in Jerusalem. He was a Pharisee and a Scholar during the old times of the Hebrews, about 25 A.D to be exact, along with his best friend Nicodemus. He has a wide knowledge of secrets and stuffs like that. He knows many foreign languages and secret codes. He can read scriptures and scrolls far beyond anyone’s knowledge. He and Nicodemus witnessed Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. He and his friend are part of Jesus’ disciples but aren’t very active that time because of the people who hated Him will turn against them. Like Nicodemus, Trion also have some adversaries against his fellow Pharisees and Priests. One of them is Ananias the High Priest. He always give Trion a hard time, forcing him to do whatever Ananias wants and then giving him small wage. He would never let Trion be free of doing what he wanted to do and He never gave him free time to be himself. He saw a sense of favouritism between the Pharisees: he gets little when his enemies get much; he gets few when they have many, but he doesn’t seem to care. One night, Trion went home. He then climbed downstairs to his dark, basement. As he went down, he went beside a door which is beside an old rack full of books and papers. He opened the door, and suddenly there was a flash of light was in front of him. After the flash, two creatures with crowns stood in front of him. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna”, Trion bowed lowly. “You called?” said Princess Celestia. “I have found something while I was studying the scriptures of the people of the past” he exclaimed. “What is it?” asked Princess Luna. “A scroll” he stated; “A scroll that contains the prophecy to Equestria! It contains the upcoming conflict in Equestria, and the rise of an alicorn who is destined to bring peace and harmony back.” The princesses looked at each other. “Do you have any other information about this ‘prophecy’?” said Princess Luna. “Well, the scroll states that only the union of a human and an alicorn can bring the said amity back” replied Trion as he handed over the said scroll. “Thank you Trion” said Princess Celestia, “And to make sure that the paper will be kept out from the wrong hands (or hooves), we shall seal it with an unbreakable seal. Only the ones mentioned in the scroll can only be able to break it and read whatever is inside.” The two princesses then went back to Equestria and left Trion alone. He climbed upstairs and was about to head back to his room when suddenly three of his fellow Pharisees gripped his neck. “Tell us, who were those creatures you were talking to right now!?” one of them shouted. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about!” struggled Trion. “Blasphemy!” they said as they threw Trion to the ground. “This man must be brought to Ananias the High Priest for his blasphemy!” They then dragged him from his house all the way down the long, dusty road until they reached Ananias’ presence. Ananias that time seated proudly at his throne, wearing his jewel-embedded clothes and a sceptre on his right hand. He then arose from his seat and walked towards the lying Pharisee beneath his feet. “What is the meaning of all this trouble?” said Ananias. One of the Pharisees who dragged him here whispered in Ananias’ ear on what they witnessed. Ananias stood frozen about the reports. “What are these words that I hear?” he questioned Trion. “How did you even do these things?” “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about” Trion stood up. “BLASPHEMY!” the Pharisees shouted. Suddenly a riot occurred between the Pharisees and Trion. They began to punch, kick, and spit at the poor Pharisee. If someone’s very angry at him, he’ll tear his clothes apart or maybe pull his beard from his face. “No, wait!” said Nicodemus as he saw the insurrection. “Stop this war. It doesn’t have to be distressing. We can just peacefully talk about it.” No one listened to his instructions and instead made the uprising more fiercely than before. “This riot has to stop!” said Ananias, disgusted by the sight of the meagre, bruised scholar. “Guards, take this bloody nuisance to prison while I investigate the Pharisees’ reports. I charge him for causing a revolution in front of me.” The soldiers whom Ananias summoned then dragged Trion to the prison. Luckily, he still has enough strength to escape the guards’ hands. They chased Trion and even called for back-up but Trion managed to run away from them. He ran and ran until he reached a harbour. A ship was about to depart to Rome. He saw this as a chance to finally escape the high priest’s hands but as he was about to boar on, he was stopped by none other than Nicodemus. “Trion” Nicodemus said, “Where are you trying to go?” “I’m going away” Trion replied, “Far away from Ananias and the other Pharisees.” “So you’ll just leave me here after all we’ve been through? I can talk to Ananias for you. I can talk to your enemies for you. I can –” “Nicodemus, you don’t have to trouble yourself just to settle this problem. It’s my fault why I’m covered with scars and bruises and it’s my fault why you’re being hurt too. But maybe if I went far away from them, eventually the whole problem might fade away.” “Will you ever come back?” “When the prophecy is about to be fulfilled, then I will come back.” “So what am I to do while you’re away?” “Guar the door at my basement; make sure no one enters the basement.” Nicodemus then hugged Trion goodbye. Trion waved to Nicodemus as he departed towards Rome. Nicodemus waved back. “I promise I will return!” Trion shouted. “And I promise I’ll take care of that basement of yours!” Nicodemus screamed back. Meanwhile, Ananias, the group of Pharisees, and some guards reached Trion’s basement. One of them stood beside the door in which Equestria is hidden. “I saw him open the door like this” he said. Suddenly, as he opened the door, there was another bright flash of light. As the glow subsided, everyone was surprised to see the full view of Mesopotamian Equestria (Equestria during the old times). “See!?” the Pharisee exclaimed, “Trion was just fooling all of you around. Open your eyes, my fellow Pharisees. These creatures are real!” “I see now that Trion was a fool to me; that Trion failed to please me. This is the reason why I despised him and hated him but now he’s gone and all I have to worry” he then stepped his foot on the grounds of Equestria “is these creatures. Get them! Get as many as you can!” He, the Pharisees and the soldiers who went with him then charged to Equestria to kidnap all the ponies they can find. They would turn tables around, pick up earth ponies and unicorns running around and put them inside bags. They would catch flying pegasi with their nets and bind them up. They will kidnap fillies and colts from their families and then burn their houses down. The terror gets worse every succeeding minute until word has reached Canterlot. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna” said of the royal guards, “Troubles is happening at Equestria.” “What is it?” asked Princess Luna. The guard pointed towards a terrace which gestured the two princesses to look out the distressing event: humans chasing and tying ponies up, soldiers going from house to house stealing the young ones and Pharisees beating up earth ponies. “Where did these humans come from!?” said Princess Celestia. “We don’t know” answered the guard. “We just saw them running around suddenly from the entrance to the Everfree Forest.” “You think this is Trion’s doing?” said Princess Luna. “I don’t know” Princess Celestia answered, “But we’re about to find out.” Princess Celestia then casted a spell that will freeze all humans that were caught in her magic; then she flew down from her castle. “And I suppose you were the one causing this trouble?” said Princess Celestia as she talked to Ananias. “It’s none of your business!” said Ananias. “And I presume a human named Trion brought you here?” asked Princess Luna. “He’s gone now!” he replied, “And there’s nothing you can do about it!” “I knew we can’t trust that man!” Princess Celestia said to Princess Luna. “He would only lead us to trouble like these. I’m sorry that I opened the pathway to two universes, but we will fix everything up.” And with that, both princesses casted a powerful magic within the soldiers, the Pharisees, and Ananias; the ground started to shake and bright, powerful sparks of lightning started to spurt out of nowhere. The men were then covered with clouds as the princesses said: “For you have been given a privilege To travel between two worlds without an edge But since trouble you brought to us, then you’ll yield We close the door until the prophecy’s fulfilled!” The princesses finished the spell with a flash. They were then sent back to earth with their memories erased of the events that happened. After that, Princess Celestia casted a spell upon the door in which the pathway to Equestria was gone. “But sister, how can the one mentioned in the scroll travel to us if you sealed the way here?” asked Princess Luna. “I casted a spell in which only the one whom the scroll states can travel to both worlds” she replied. Meanwhile, Nicodemus still waits for Trion’s return by taking over Trion’s house for him. Little did he know that Trion already travelled far from Jerusalem, not only to Rome but he also went to Greece, Spain, Britain, and many more places. As he was on Britain, he saw a ship going to America so he boarded that ship and sailed off. He then decided to stay in America. After many years, he got a new family in America while Nicodemus still watches for Trion’s comeback. And ever since that day Trion made a new clan in America and Nicodemus patiently waiting for him, the word “Equestria” were erased on both their minds and no one ever heard of it again. …except for one… Chapter 1: Welcome To Diverse City“Wakey, wakey!” “Hh–huh?” “It’s time to wake up, Josh! It’s Friday today. You do know that we’re going to your sister’s house, right?” “Can’t it wait later? It’s still 5:30 am for that. Haven’t we just agreed that we’d leave the house this afternoon?” “You know what they say, ‘Early bird catches the worm’.” “Well, could the bird catch any worm if it woke up too early?” “Then suit yourself; I’ll be going downstairs to prepare breakfast.” I can’t believe he woke me up 5:30 am just for this nonsense! Oh yeah, I forgot. The name’s Joshua, or Josh for short. I’m currently here at the southern part of California. Usually I live at the northern part. I was shipped here by my parents for the sake of college. Right now, I’m living with my roommate and cousin Andrew or as I call him, ‘Drew. After struggling to wake up I checked my drawers to my surprise that only two of my clothes were inside. “That’s weird. I just did my laundries last night” I wondered. “Maybe Andrew borrowed them again for his slumber party with his friends. I told him he should not use my clothes for his party. I mean, why won’t he use his?” So I went out of my room to aske Andrew if he borrowed my clothes again. “Drew, have you seen my — oh my…” I was surprised by the sight of downstairs. All of my clothes are scattered everywhere! Clothes on the sofa, clothes on the kitchen, clothes on the TV, even clothes on the ceiling! How on earth did my clothing even reach the ceiling? “‘Drew, what on earth happened…” I asked. “What’s that? Oh, now I remembered the reason why I shouldn’t have waked you up this early.” He replied. “You shouldn’t have! I mean, how in the world the clothes got stuck to the ceiling!?” “Yeah, we had a slumber party last night and the music kinda got ‘off the hook’ so me and my friends got too wild and played with some glue. Then we somehow took the shirts off and threw them around. Don’t worry; the glue is not that sticky. It’s more like a gel actually.” “Don’t worry? DON’T WORRY!? How should I not worry with the clothes glued around the house and my older sister coming for a visit!?” “How come you didn’t hear the loud bass last night?” “I heard it last night for your information; and don’t try to change the subject!” “Okay, so I’ll take care of it. Geez, no need to be mad at it; it’s just clothes glued to the ceiling and places, no big deal.” “What if I glued your clothes to the ceiling and your older sister will see it? Would that be a big deal?” “I don’t have an older sister, so I don’t know that feel.” “Just start ungluing while I prepare for the arrival of my sister.” I then went out of the house while Andrew is removing my clothing from the inside of the house. As I went out, the sudden winter atmosphere gave me a shrug. Good thing I have my sweater on. If not, then I’d be as frozen as ice already. As I walked away from my house the Christmas spirit still roams around the whole neighbourhood even though Holiday Seasons have finished a month ago. It’s been a long time since my first visit in this community and now I felt like I never want to go back to my hometown again. I like it better here I mean with all the people and friends around you. Not like back there, there was never a day you didn’t hear a sound of car horn beeping. I never get even a single day of silence. Here I get to sleep soundly without being disturbed. Everyone here is different. Some are talented, others are not. Some have an artistic angle while others have a musical one. Everyone’s attitude, behaviour, and talents vary from another and that’s what makes this suburban great. No wonder people here call this town “Diverse City”. It’s not a city actually, but it feels like one. Anyways, I just got home after a walk to buy some foods for my sister until… “Why how’s my little Joshy doing!?” “T — Tt — Taya!?” I was shocked to see my older sister, Taya, behind the door. I thought she told me that she’d come this afternoon? Why it’s still 11 am! “What are you doing here? I mean, shouldn’t you be coming this afternoon?” I asked. “Yeah, I should be” she answered. “But then again, it’s better to arrive early so I won’t miss anything.” “Well, it’s a good thing you’re here right now so you can join us earlier. In fact, we’re just getting started.” Taya chuckled. “So, what are we gonna do for today?” she asked. “Maybe we should take a stroll outside” I replied. “By the way, have you seen my cousin Andrew? I thought he was here an hour ago.” “Oh you mean your hyper, random roommate? He was here a while ago. I don’t know where he went. By the way, Andrew really has grown since the last time I see him but he’s still the crazy Andrew I knew.” “Yeah, you should have seen this house two hours ago. It was like so messy here with all of my —” “Hey, I see the party peeps are here already!” said Andrew as he entered the door with some chips and coke in his arms. “Andrew, where have you been?” I questioned. “Well, I brought for us something to eat” he answered. “But I already bought food.” “Two packs of food are better than one as they say.” “We’ll skip to the food later, okay Andrew?” I said, shifting the topic. “Right now, why not we go roam around somewhere? (And I see you did a pretty good job ‘cleaning’ the house by the way.)” “Well, how about we take a walk around the whole Diverse City?” “Diverse City?” Taya asked. “Where’s that?” I then walked to the door and opened it, giving Taya the full view of the town. “Taya, welcome to Diverse City.” Chapter 2: Hello SeattleSo much for the dramatic entry” said Andrew. “At least I didn’t ‘accidentally’ open the girls’ room and having a melodramatic presentation like yours” I replied. “You want liquid nitrogen with that?” laughed Taya. “I don’t know why” I said, reviving from my chuckles. “Folks just call it that way, and I also call it too. The name fits right though. I mean, ‘Diverse City’, doesn’t that name make this neighbourhood somehow cool and unique?” “Well, it does kinda make it distinctive though. Anyway, when will we walk around this ‘Diverse City’?” “You choose.” “Well, there was one reason I came here. Yes, I wanna see my little brother but also I’ll be bringing you to Seattle.” “Seattle?” I and my roommate both looked at each other. “What for?” “To visit your old uncle.” “Wait” I said, so shocked by the news. “Uncle Adam is still alive!?” “What made you think he’s dead?” “I thought he was bombed during World War II?” “Well, he was bombed but he managed to survive.” “Well what are we waiting for!?” I was so excited to see my good old Uncle Adam. My Aunt Jamie told me that he was dead during World War II. I can’t believe he’s still alive after all these years. I quickly packed everything up: my clothes, my cellphones (I have five of them and I don’t know why), some food in case we get hungry on the way, and other stuffs like toothbrushes, etc. I even packed all of Andrew’s stuffs into my bag. (I have no idea how it fitted there and will never know how.) “Whoa, what’s with all the bags?” Taya asked. “You know what they say: ‘Never come unprepared!’” I answered. “You also brought my things?” Andrew said. “Well, yeah. Why?” “Has Josh been this enthusiastic since birth?” “You don’t say” Taya answered. “Well what are we waiting for?” I said avidly. “Uncle Adams cannot wait you know.” “Well, you can’t leave this place without something to ride” said Andrew. “We can use my car” said Taya. “You have a car?” I asked as we both went out and we saw her bright, violet car. It’s a bit small but it’s still cool. “Wow” I said. “I mean, since when did you bought this car?” “Just last month” she replied. “Really? Is economy this fast-growing these days?” “You will never know” said Andrew. “So, are you gonna get it inside the car or not?” said Taya impatiently. “Just wait a minute” I answered hastily. “Just gonna put this bag behind the car.” After some minutes of placing the bag we then went into the car. The moment we do so, Taya suddenly stepped on the gas as we travelled so fast. “Wow” said Andrew. “Your sister sure is in a rush.” “Uhh, Taya” I said. “Do you know that there’s a thing called ‘Speed Limit’?” “See no speed limits here, then no” she replied. “But don’t you think you’re going too fast?” “This is how I drive. Got any problem?” “Well, we will have a problem if we run into some cops.” “Just buckle your seatbelts. Everything’s perfectly under control.” I just rested my back against the leather seat as I gazed at the speedometer. “Forty-five kilometres per hour!?” I said to myself. “I just hope I won’t see any flashing red and blue lights and sirens around.” After four hours of worrying and anxiety we finally made it to Seattle. “Alright, we’re here” said Taya. “Already?” both Andrew and I exclaimed. “Well, yeah. I told you everything was under control.” I opened the door and went out of the car as Andrew suddenly threw himself to the ground and hugged and kissed the cemented road. “Finally, land!” shouted Andrew. “Thank You, dear God for the land!” “See? I told you to drive carefully” I said. “Well, how else will you get to see your uncle if I haven’t ‘stepped on the gas’?” said Taya. “So, this is Uncle Adam’s house?” I asked “Yeah, why?” she replied. “Nothing” I said as I gazed at the house. It was a two-story house with an Antique Shop at the first floor. It was somehow old but still nice to live in. The whole house was painted green with a little shade of blue around the windowpanes. “Hey, how’s my little niece doing!?” said a tall, old, nicely-dressed man coming out from the shop (which I presume was Uncle Adam). “It’s all fine” said Taya as she hugged the man. “Oh, and Uncle Adam this is Josh and his cousin Andrew.” “Really?” said Uncle Adam. “That’s Josh? As in, my Joshua Young!?” (For everyone’s information, Taya’s last name is Smith ‘cause she’s already married.) “What’s going on?” I asked them. “Why Josh, it’s been a long time!” he said as he approached me. “You’ve grown taller and wiser I can see. I thought you were dead.” “I thought you were dead too, but how could you’ve thought that I was dead?” “Your Aunt Jamie told me you were dead. I don’t know what came into her mind why she said that. I mean it’s not like…wait, who’s that?” Uncle Adam pointed at Andrew, who was still kissing and hugging the ground. “Huh? Oh, that’s uhmm…my cousin and roommate Andrew.” “Let me guess, Taya drove high-speed again, didn’t she?” “Well, yes. How’d you know?” “That’s what happen every time your older sister drives people here; her friends and some of your other brothers and sisters.” “Really?” I laughed. “Where did you get all those driving skills?” “Video games” Taya said, taking her jacket off. “Wait, you play video games!?” I said with wide eyes. “Your sister plays video games every day” said Uncle Adam. “At sunrise, during high rise, at sunset, before bedtime; there was never a minute she kept her eyes away from her TV and her hands at the controller upstairs. And as a result, well this happens. Wait, why are we outside anyway? Come on, let’s go inside.” I took my bag from the back of the car and went inside, along with Taya. “Uhm…’Drew?” I said before going inside. “What?” Andrew replied. “You can…go inside now. It’s kinda, well, you’re kinda humiliating here.” “Oh.” Author's Note Yes, this chapter was inspired by none other than Owl City. I'm trying to write this chapter and I ran out of good ideas until the song "Hello Seattle" came up from the radio. Chapter 3: Thump!Early winter mornings gave me a fresh new start since it’s our first month here at Uncle Adam’s house. The building itself is not bad though, although kinda old. It looked more like the house of the Professor stated in one of C.S Lewis’ books, disregarding the many rooms and the wardrobe though. I don’t think I would be transported to some unknown snow world and meet a faun just because I hid at the back of the closet, nor will any paintings come to life and find myself in a mysterious ocean. It’s just a plain, old, nice house, with a backyard. As for my room, well there are two beds. The left one is for me and the right one is for Andrew. At my side, I hang up some posters of Stryper, tobyMac, Eminem (where the heck did that poster even came from!?) and the most favourite Adam Young, which people call him as Port Blue, Sky Sailing, Swimming with the Dolphins, Novel, Nuclear Suplex, Brother Reed, and most commonly Owl City. I have no idea why he would create so many projects wherein Owl City alone would be fine nevertheless, even though he could just name the project after himself. Well, no one really knows his full intentions. Let Adam be Young. As I woke up, I slid across my bed and gazed through the window beside me. All I see is snow and snow everywhere. Christmas is coming sooner or later and the winds get colder and colder, so I’d better prepare myself for the winter season. “Seems like someone else is still dreaming”, I said pertaining to Andrew which was at my right. I went downstairs to have some breakfast with Taya and my uncle. I sat on the chair to eat until I noticed that Adam was out of plain sight. “Taya” I asked, “Where’s Uncle Adam”. “At the basement, arranging old stuffs” she answered, putting some blush-on and getting ready for work. “Yes, they are quite old but they’re still exquisite!” said Uncle Adams as he appeared from the basement downstairs. “These are precious memories my parents, grandparents, even the grandparents of my grandparents left us before they passed away. Now, I’m selling it so people can heed from these tiny objects how our past was.” I finished by breakfast quickly. “Gotta eat fast” I said to myself. “Uncle Adam have some interesting story here.” “You see, kids our days are not like kids today. You see four or five year olds having these techy gadgets and stuffs. All we have back there are sticks and stones, then we use our imagination and creativity to have something out of nothing. That’s what we have before, and I presume you have this during your kiddie days, right Joshua?” “I think so.” “Follow me downstairs.” I got up and went to the basement with him. It was dark and dusty but there was a small light bulb over another door in the basement. “Ah, this basement has been in the family for centuries” he exclaimed. “It started when your ancestor came here to America from Israel (yes, we all have the Jewish blood). He exiled himself because he was hated so much. So he started a family here. Before he died, he pleaded for all of the things in the basement he left back at Israel to be brought here on the very same place.” He pointed out the door under the glowing bulb. “This door used to be in Israel. I don’t know why your great fathers asked to place it here but oh well. They’re already dead.” “Now as I tend the shop upstairs would you kindly do a favour and arrange everything here? Your uncle here is forgetful these days so you’ll also be making a list of anything that is related to something. Clocks go under the stairs, paintings and photos beside the closet, and anything else anywhere else. You got it?” I nodded as I took a piece of paper and pen and started to work. After a few minutes, Uncle Adam left me alone downstairs. “Clocks, uhmm…five of them. Paintings go right here” I said, organizing things. “Wow, I can’t believe that Uncle Adam has my medals. All of them were from my Science and Journalism contests. Too bad they’re all old now.” I picked out one medal that says “1st place: Science” from the stack of medals. “This used to be a gold medal, now it’s more of a bronze.” I laughed at my successful past as I heard a thumping nearby. “Wh-who is t-the-there?” I said nervously. The thumping came out again but this time it was softer. It came from that door under the light bulb, probably. The thumping sounded unusual. It sounded like what it would sound like if bone and wooden floor meet. Something like the sound of two coconut shells clacked together. Something like…the sound of hooves! But why would it sound like hooves? Unless Uncle Adam has a pet horse that is! But would a horse fit inside a small space in the basement behind a door? I grabbed any weapon I could find: a thin iron pipe that is. And as I approached the door, my knees shivered and I started to sweat. Slowly, I touched the doorknob with my cold bare hand and opened it quickly. I reacted suddenly as the door flung open and to see that it was only two more brooms and a mop. “Whew!” I laughed and sighed in shame and relief. “And I thought there was some sort of horse behind this door all along. That’s pretty creepy.” So I went back to my work quickly because I don’t want to start hallucinating about fake hooves anywhere. I’m not sure if the house is crazy or I’m the one crazy. In fact, I don’t even know who the haunted one is: me or this spooky basement? After I made my list, I went upstairs to see Uncle Adam polishing some old figurines while entertaining some customers. I just placed the list beside the cash register and went upstairs. “Hey, Drew” I said as I entered the room. “You’re not going to believe what just happened lately?” “What is it?” he asked, eating some strawberry muffins. “I heard a loud thump coming from the basement door that sounded like hooves but when I opened it there’s nothing there, not even a horse.” “You must be listening to your own footsteps then.” There was silence for a few seconds. “Should I laugh or something?” I said sarcastically. “Let’s just go downstairs” Andrew replied. “Anyway, where did you get that muffin?” “Downstairs.” “Then why are you still here when you could just be downstairs.” “Too lazy to stay downstairs.” “Fine then, you little lazy bone. I’ll be downstairs helping Uncle Adam polishing the grandfather clocks.”
Prologue: The ScollOnce there was a man named Trion the Pharisee who lived in Jerusalem. He was a Pharisee and a Scholar during the old times of the Hebrews, about 25 A.D to be exact, along with his best friend Nicodemus. He has a wide knowledge of secrets and stuffs like that. He knows many foreign languages and secret codes. He can read scriptures and scrolls far beyond anyone’s knowledge. He and Nicodemus witnessed Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. He and his friend are part of Jesus’ disciples but aren’t very active that time because of the people who hated Him will turn against them. Like Nicodemus, Trion also have some adversaries against his fellow Pharisees and Priests. One of them is Ananias the High Priest. He always give Trion a hard time, forcing him to do whatever Ananias wants and then giving him small wage. He would never let Trion be free of doing what he wanted to do and He never gave him free time to be himself. He saw a sense of favouritism between the Pharisees: he gets little when his enemies get much; he gets few when they have many, but he doesn’t seem to care. One night, Trion went home. He then climbed downstairs to his dark, basement. As he went down, he went beside a door which is beside an old rack full of books and papers. He opened the door, and suddenly there was a flash of light was in front of him. After the flash, two creatures with crowns stood in front of him. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna”, Trion bowed lowly. “You called?” said Princess Celestia. “I have found something while I was studying the scriptures of the people of the past” he exclaimed. “What is it?” asked Princess Luna. “A scroll” he stated; “A scroll that contains the prophecy to Equestria! It contains the upcoming conflict in Equestria, and the rise of an alicorn who is destined to bring peace and harmony back.” The princesses looked at each other. “Do you have any other information about this ‘prophecy’?” said Princess Luna. “Well, the scroll states that only the union of a human and an alicorn can bring the said amity back” replied Trion as he handed over the said scroll. “Thank you Trion” said Princess Celestia, “And to make sure that the paper will be kept out from the wrong hands (or hooves), we shall seal it with an unbreakable seal. Only the ones mentioned in the scroll can only be able to break it and read whatever is inside.” The two princesses then went back to Equestria and left Trion alone. He climbed upstairs and was about to head back to his room when suddenly three of his fellow Pharisees gripped his neck. “Tell us, who were those creatures you were talking to right now!?” one of them shouted. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about!” struggled Trion. “Blasphemy!” they said as they threw Trion to the ground. “This man must be brought to Ananias the High Priest for his blasphemy!” They then dragged him from his house all the way down the long, dusty road until they reached Ananias’ presence. Ananias that time seated proudly at his throne, wearing his jewel-embedded clothes and a sceptre on his right hand. He then arose from his seat and walked towards the lying Pharisee beneath his feet. “What is the meaning of all this trouble?” said Ananias. One of the Pharisees who dragged him here whispered in Ananias’ ear on what they witnessed. Ananias stood frozen about the reports. “What are these words that I hear?” he questioned Trion. “How did you even do these things?” “I already told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about” Trion stood up. “BLASPHEMY!” the Pharisees shouted. Suddenly a riot occurred between the Pharisees and Trion. They began to punch, kick, and spit at the poor Pharisee. If someone’s very angry at him, he’ll tear his clothes apart or maybe pull his beard from his face. “No, wait!” said Nicodemus as he saw the insurrection. “Stop this war. It doesn’t have to be distressing. We can just peacefully talk about it.” No one listened to his instructions and instead made the uprising more fiercely than before. “This riot has to stop!” said Ananias, disgusted by the sight of the meagre, bruised scholar. “Guards, take this bloody nuisance to prison while I investigate the Pharisees’ reports. I charge him for causing a revolution in front of me.” The soldiers whom Ananias summoned then dragged Trion to the prison. Luckily, he still has enough strength to escape the guards’ hands. They chased Trion and even called for back-up but Trion managed to run away from them. He ran and ran until he reached a harbour. A ship was about to depart to Rome. He saw this as a chance to finally escape the high priest’s hands but as he was about to boar on, he was stopped by none other than Nicodemus. “Trion” Nicodemus said, “Where are you trying to go?” “I’m going away” Trion replied, “Far away from Ananias and the other Pharisees.” “So you’ll just leave me here after all we’ve been through? I can talk to Ananias for you. I can talk to your enemies for you. I can –” “Nicodemus, you don’t have to trouble yourself just to settle this problem. It’s my fault why I’m covered with scars and bruises and it’s my fault why you’re being hurt too. But maybe if I went far away from them, eventually the whole problem might fade away.” “Will you ever come back?” “When the prophecy is about to be fulfilled, then I will come back.” “So what am I to do while you’re away?” “Guar the door at my basement; make sure no one enters the basement.” Nicodemus then hugged Trion goodbye. Trion waved to Nicodemus as he departed towards Rome. Nicodemus waved back. “I promise I will return!” Trion shouted. “And I promise I’ll take care of that basement of yours!” Nicodemus screamed back. Meanwhile, Ananias, the group of Pharisees, and some guards reached Trion’s basement. One of them stood beside the door in which Equestria is hidden. “I saw him open the door like this” he said. Suddenly, as he opened the door, there was another bright flash of light. As the glow subsided, everyone was surprised to see the full view of Mesopotamian Equestria (Equestria during the old times). “See!?” the Pharisee exclaimed, “Trion was just fooling all of you around. Open your eyes, my fellow Pharisees. These creatures are real!” “I see now that Trion was a fool to me; that Trion failed to please me. This is the reason why I despised him and hated him but now he’s gone and all I have to worry” he then stepped his foot on the grounds of Equestria “is these creatures. Get them! Get as many as you can!” He, the Pharisees and the soldiers who went with him then charged to Equestria to kidnap all the ponies they can find. They would turn tables around, pick up earth ponies and unicorns running around and put them inside bags. They would catch flying pegasi with their nets and bind them up. They will kidnap fillies and colts from their families and then burn their houses down. The terror gets worse every succeeding minute until word has reached Canterlot. “Princess Celestia, Princess Luna” said of the royal guards, “Troubles is happening at Equestria.” “What is it?” asked Princess Luna. The guard pointed towards a terrace which gestured the two princesses to look out the distressing event: humans chasing and tying ponies up, soldiers going from house to house stealing the young ones and Pharisees beating up earth ponies. “Where did these humans come from!?” said Princess Celestia. “We don’t know” answered the guard. “We just saw them running around suddenly from the entrance to the Everfree Forest.” “You think this is Trion’s doing?” said Princess Luna. “I don’t know” Princess Celestia answered, “But we’re about to find out.” Princess Celestia then casted a spell that will freeze all humans that were caught in her magic; then she flew down from her castle. “And I suppose you were the one causing this trouble?” said Princess Celestia as she talked to Ananias. “It’s none of your business!” said Ananias. “And I presume a human named Trion brought you here?” asked Princess Luna. “He’s gone now!” he replied, “And there’s nothing you can do about it!” “I knew we can’t trust that man!” Princess Celestia said to Princess Luna. “He would only lead us to trouble like these. I’m sorry that I opened the pathway to two universes, but we will fix everything up.” And with that, both princesses casted a powerful magic within the soldiers, the Pharisees, and Ananias; the ground started to shake and bright, powerful sparks of lightning started to spurt out of nowhere. The men were then covered with clouds as the princesses said: “For you have been given a privilege To travel between two worlds without an edge But since trouble you brought to us, then you’ll yield We close the door until the prophecy’s fulfilled!” The princesses finished the spell with a flash. They were then sent back to earth with their memories erased of the events that happened. After that, Princess Celestia casted a spell upon the door in which the pathway to Equestria was gone. “But sister, how can the one mentioned in the scroll travel to us if you sealed the way here?” asked Princess Luna. “I casted a spell in which only the one whom the scroll states can travel to both worlds” she replied. Meanwhile, Nicodemus still waits for Trion’s return by taking over Trion’s house for him. Little did he know that Trion already travelled far from Jerusalem, not only to Rome but he also went to Greece, Spain, Britain, and many more places. As he was on Britain, he saw a ship going to America so he boarded that ship and sailed off. He then decided to stay in America. After many years, he got a new family in America while Nicodemus still watches for Trion’s comeback. And ever since that day Trion made a new clan in America and Nicodemus patiently waiting for him, the word “Equestria” were erased on both their minds and no one ever heard of it again. …except for one…
Chapter 1: Welcome To Diverse City“Wakey, wakey!” “Hh–huh?” “It’s time to wake up, Josh! It’s Friday today. You do know that we’re going to your sister’s house, right?” “Can’t it wait later? It’s still 5:30 am for that. Haven’t we just agreed that we’d leave the house this afternoon?” “You know what they say, ‘Early bird catches the worm’.” “Well, could the bird catch any worm if it woke up too early?” “Then suit yourself; I’ll be going downstairs to prepare breakfast.” I can’t believe he woke me up 5:30 am just for this nonsense! Oh yeah, I forgot. The name’s Joshua, or Josh for short. I’m currently here at the southern part of California. Usually I live at the northern part. I was shipped here by my parents for the sake of college. Right now, I’m living with my roommate and cousin Andrew or as I call him, ‘Drew. After struggling to wake up I checked my drawers to my surprise that only two of my clothes were inside. “That’s weird. I just did my laundries last night” I wondered. “Maybe Andrew borrowed them again for his slumber party with his friends. I told him he should not use my clothes for his party. I mean, why won’t he use his?” So I went out of my room to aske Andrew if he borrowed my clothes again. “Drew, have you seen my — oh my…” I was surprised by the sight of downstairs. All of my clothes are scattered everywhere! Clothes on the sofa, clothes on the kitchen, clothes on the TV, even clothes on the ceiling! How on earth did my clothing even reach the ceiling? “‘Drew, what on earth happened…” I asked. “What’s that? Oh, now I remembered the reason why I shouldn’t have waked you up this early.” He replied. “You shouldn’t have! I mean, how in the world the clothes got stuck to the ceiling!?” “Yeah, we had a slumber party last night and the music kinda got ‘off the hook’ so me and my friends got too wild and played with some glue. Then we somehow took the shirts off and threw them around. Don’t worry; the glue is not that sticky. It’s more like a gel actually.” “Don’t worry? DON’T WORRY!? How should I not worry with the clothes glued around the house and my older sister coming for a visit!?” “How come you didn’t hear the loud bass last night?” “I heard it last night for your information; and don’t try to change the subject!” “Okay, so I’ll take care of it. Geez, no need to be mad at it; it’s just clothes glued to the ceiling and places, no big deal.” “What if I glued your clothes to the ceiling and your older sister will see it? Would that be a big deal?” “I don’t have an older sister, so I don’t know that feel.” “Just start ungluing while I prepare for the arrival of my sister.” I then went out of the house while Andrew is removing my clothing from the inside of the house. As I went out, the sudden winter atmosphere gave me a shrug. Good thing I have my sweater on. If not, then I’d be as frozen as ice already. As I walked away from my house the Christmas spirit still roams around the whole neighbourhood even though Holiday Seasons have finished a month ago. It’s been a long time since my first visit in this community and now I felt like I never want to go back to my hometown again. I like it better here I mean with all the people and friends around you. Not like back there, there was never a day you didn’t hear a sound of car horn beeping. I never get even a single day of silence. Here I get to sleep soundly without being disturbed. Everyone here is different. Some are talented, others are not. Some have an artistic angle while others have a musical one. Everyone’s attitude, behaviour, and talents vary from another and that’s what makes this suburban great. No wonder people here call this town “Diverse City”. It’s not a city actually, but it feels like one. Anyways, I just got home after a walk to buy some foods for my sister until… “Why how’s my little Joshy doing!?” “T — Tt — Taya!?” I was shocked to see my older sister, Taya, behind the door. I thought she told me that she’d come this afternoon? Why it’s still 11 am! “What are you doing here? I mean, shouldn’t you be coming this afternoon?” I asked. “Yeah, I should be” she answered. “But then again, it’s better to arrive early so I won’t miss anything.” “Well, it’s a good thing you’re here right now so you can join us earlier. In fact, we’re just getting started.” Taya chuckled. “So, what are we gonna do for today?” she asked. “Maybe we should take a stroll outside” I replied. “By the way, have you seen my cousin Andrew? I thought he was here an hour ago.” “Oh you mean your hyper, random roommate? He was here a while ago. I don’t know where he went. By the way, Andrew really has grown since the last time I see him but he’s still the crazy Andrew I knew.” “Yeah, you should have seen this house two hours ago. It was like so messy here with all of my —” “Hey, I see the party peeps are here already!” said Andrew as he entered the door with some chips and coke in his arms. “Andrew, where have you been?” I questioned. “Well, I brought for us something to eat” he answered. “But I already bought food.” “Two packs of food are better than one as they say.” “We’ll skip to the food later, okay Andrew?” I said, shifting the topic. “Right now, why not we go roam around somewhere? (And I see you did a pretty good job ‘cleaning’ the house by the way.)” “Well, how about we take a walk around the whole Diverse City?” “Diverse City?” Taya asked. “Where’s that?” I then walked to the door and opened it, giving Taya the full view of the town. “Taya, welcome to Diverse City.”
Chapter 2: Hello SeattleSo much for the dramatic entry” said Andrew. “At least I didn’t ‘accidentally’ open the girls’ room and having a melodramatic presentation like yours” I replied. “You want liquid nitrogen with that?” laughed Taya. “I don’t know why” I said, reviving from my chuckles. “Folks just call it that way, and I also call it too. The name fits right though. I mean, ‘Diverse City’, doesn’t that name make this neighbourhood somehow cool and unique?” “Well, it does kinda make it distinctive though. Anyway, when will we walk around this ‘Diverse City’?” “You choose.” “Well, there was one reason I came here. Yes, I wanna see my little brother but also I’ll be bringing you to Seattle.” “Seattle?” I and my roommate both looked at each other. “What for?” “To visit your old uncle.” “Wait” I said, so shocked by the news. “Uncle Adam is still alive!?” “What made you think he’s dead?” “I thought he was bombed during World War II?” “Well, he was bombed but he managed to survive.” “Well what are we waiting for!?” I was so excited to see my good old Uncle Adam. My Aunt Jamie told me that he was dead during World War II. I can’t believe he’s still alive after all these years. I quickly packed everything up: my clothes, my cellphones (I have five of them and I don’t know why), some food in case we get hungry on the way, and other stuffs like toothbrushes, etc. I even packed all of Andrew’s stuffs into my bag. (I have no idea how it fitted there and will never know how.) “Whoa, what’s with all the bags?” Taya asked. “You know what they say: ‘Never come unprepared!’” I answered. “You also brought my things?” Andrew said. “Well, yeah. Why?” “Has Josh been this enthusiastic since birth?” “You don’t say” Taya answered. “Well what are we waiting for?” I said avidly. “Uncle Adams cannot wait you know.” “Well, you can’t leave this place without something to ride” said Andrew. “We can use my car” said Taya. “You have a car?” I asked as we both went out and we saw her bright, violet car. It’s a bit small but it’s still cool. “Wow” I said. “I mean, since when did you bought this car?” “Just last month” she replied. “Really? Is economy this fast-growing these days?” “You will never know” said Andrew. “So, are you gonna get it inside the car or not?” said Taya impatiently. “Just wait a minute” I answered hastily. “Just gonna put this bag behind the car.” After some minutes of placing the bag we then went into the car. The moment we do so, Taya suddenly stepped on the gas as we travelled so fast. “Wow” said Andrew. “Your sister sure is in a rush.” “Uhh, Taya” I said. “Do you know that there’s a thing called ‘Speed Limit’?” “See no speed limits here, then no” she replied. “But don’t you think you’re going too fast?” “This is how I drive. Got any problem?” “Well, we will have a problem if we run into some cops.” “Just buckle your seatbelts. Everything’s perfectly under control.” I just rested my back against the leather seat as I gazed at the speedometer. “Forty-five kilometres per hour!?” I said to myself. “I just hope I won’t see any flashing red and blue lights and sirens around.” After four hours of worrying and anxiety we finally made it to Seattle. “Alright, we’re here” said Taya. “Already?” both Andrew and I exclaimed. “Well, yeah. I told you everything was under control.” I opened the door and went out of the car as Andrew suddenly threw himself to the ground and hugged and kissed the cemented road. “Finally, land!” shouted Andrew. “Thank You, dear God for the land!” “See? I told you to drive carefully” I said. “Well, how else will you get to see your uncle if I haven’t ‘stepped on the gas’?” said Taya. “So, this is Uncle Adam’s house?” I asked “Yeah, why?” she replied. “Nothing” I said as I gazed at the house. It was a two-story house with an Antique Shop at the first floor. It was somehow old but still nice to live in. The whole house was painted green with a little shade of blue around the windowpanes. “Hey, how’s my little niece doing!?” said a tall, old, nicely-dressed man coming out from the shop (which I presume was Uncle Adam). “It’s all fine” said Taya as she hugged the man. “Oh, and Uncle Adam this is Josh and his cousin Andrew.” “Really?” said Uncle Adam. “That’s Josh? As in, my Joshua Young!?” (For everyone’s information, Taya’s last name is Smith ‘cause she’s already married.) “What’s going on?” I asked them. “Why Josh, it’s been a long time!” he said as he approached me. “You’ve grown taller and wiser I can see. I thought you were dead.” “I thought you were dead too, but how could you’ve thought that I was dead?” “Your Aunt Jamie told me you were dead. I don’t know what came into her mind why she said that. I mean it’s not like…wait, who’s that?” Uncle Adam pointed at Andrew, who was still kissing and hugging the ground. “Huh? Oh, that’s uhmm…my cousin and roommate Andrew.” “Let me guess, Taya drove high-speed again, didn’t she?” “Well, yes. How’d you know?” “That’s what happen every time your older sister drives people here; her friends and some of your other brothers and sisters.” “Really?” I laughed. “Where did you get all those driving skills?” “Video games” Taya said, taking her jacket off. “Wait, you play video games!?” I said with wide eyes. “Your sister plays video games every day” said Uncle Adam. “At sunrise, during high rise, at sunset, before bedtime; there was never a minute she kept her eyes away from her TV and her hands at the controller upstairs. And as a result, well this happens. Wait, why are we outside anyway? Come on, let’s go inside.” I took my bag from the back of the car and went inside, along with Taya. “Uhm…’Drew?” I said before going inside. “What?” Andrew replied. “You can…go inside now. It’s kinda, well, you’re kinda humiliating here.” “Oh.” Author's Note Yes, this chapter was inspired by none other than Owl City. I'm trying to write this chapter and I ran out of good ideas until the song "Hello Seattle" came up from the radio.
Chapter 3: Thump!Early winter mornings gave me a fresh new start since it’s our first month here at Uncle Adam’s house. The building itself is not bad though, although kinda old. It looked more like the house of the Professor stated in one of C.S Lewis’ books, disregarding the many rooms and the wardrobe though. I don’t think I would be transported to some unknown snow world and meet a faun just because I hid at the back of the closet, nor will any paintings come to life and find myself in a mysterious ocean. It’s just a plain, old, nice house, with a backyard. As for my room, well there are two beds. The left one is for me and the right one is for Andrew. At my side, I hang up some posters of Stryper, tobyMac, Eminem (where the heck did that poster even came from!?) and the most favourite Adam Young, which people call him as Port Blue, Sky Sailing, Swimming with the Dolphins, Novel, Nuclear Suplex, Brother Reed, and most commonly Owl City. I have no idea why he would create so many projects wherein Owl City alone would be fine nevertheless, even though he could just name the project after himself. Well, no one really knows his full intentions. Let Adam be Young. As I woke up, I slid across my bed and gazed through the window beside me. All I see is snow and snow everywhere. Christmas is coming sooner or later and the winds get colder and colder, so I’d better prepare myself for the winter season. “Seems like someone else is still dreaming”, I said pertaining to Andrew which was at my right. I went downstairs to have some breakfast with Taya and my uncle. I sat on the chair to eat until I noticed that Adam was out of plain sight. “Taya” I asked, “Where’s Uncle Adam”. “At the basement, arranging old stuffs” she answered, putting some blush-on and getting ready for work. “Yes, they are quite old but they’re still exquisite!” said Uncle Adams as he appeared from the basement downstairs. “These are precious memories my parents, grandparents, even the grandparents of my grandparents left us before they passed away. Now, I’m selling it so people can heed from these tiny objects how our past was.” I finished by breakfast quickly. “Gotta eat fast” I said to myself. “Uncle Adam have some interesting story here.” “You see, kids our days are not like kids today. You see four or five year olds having these techy gadgets and stuffs. All we have back there are sticks and stones, then we use our imagination and creativity to have something out of nothing. That’s what we have before, and I presume you have this during your kiddie days, right Joshua?” “I think so.” “Follow me downstairs.” I got up and went to the basement with him. It was dark and dusty but there was a small light bulb over another door in the basement. “Ah, this basement has been in the family for centuries” he exclaimed. “It started when your ancestor came here to America from Israel (yes, we all have the Jewish blood). He exiled himself because he was hated so much. So he started a family here. Before he died, he pleaded for all of the things in the basement he left back at Israel to be brought here on the very same place.” He pointed out the door under the glowing bulb. “This door used to be in Israel. I don’t know why your great fathers asked to place it here but oh well. They’re already dead.” “Now as I tend the shop upstairs would you kindly do a favour and arrange everything here? Your uncle here is forgetful these days so you’ll also be making a list of anything that is related to something. Clocks go under the stairs, paintings and photos beside the closet, and anything else anywhere else. You got it?” I nodded as I took a piece of paper and pen and started to work. After a few minutes, Uncle Adam left me alone downstairs. “Clocks, uhmm…five of them. Paintings go right here” I said, organizing things. “Wow, I can’t believe that Uncle Adam has my medals. All of them were from my Science and Journalism contests. Too bad they’re all old now.” I picked out one medal that says “1st place: Science” from the stack of medals. “This used to be a gold medal, now it’s more of a bronze.” I laughed at my successful past as I heard a thumping nearby. “Wh-who is t-the-there?” I said nervously. The thumping came out again but this time it was softer. It came from that door under the light bulb, probably. The thumping sounded unusual. It sounded like what it would sound like if bone and wooden floor meet. Something like the sound of two coconut shells clacked together. Something like…the sound of hooves! But why would it sound like hooves? Unless Uncle Adam has a pet horse that is! But would a horse fit inside a small space in the basement behind a door? I grabbed any weapon I could find: a thin iron pipe that is. And as I approached the door, my knees shivered and I started to sweat. Slowly, I touched the doorknob with my cold bare hand and opened it quickly. I reacted suddenly as the door flung open and to see that it was only two more brooms and a mop. “Whew!” I laughed and sighed in shame and relief. “And I thought there was some sort of horse behind this door all along. That’s pretty creepy.” So I went back to my work quickly because I don’t want to start hallucinating about fake hooves anywhere. I’m not sure if the house is crazy or I’m the one crazy. In fact, I don’t even know who the haunted one is: me or this spooky basement? After I made my list, I went upstairs to see Uncle Adam polishing some old figurines while entertaining some customers. I just placed the list beside the cash register and went upstairs. “Hey, Drew” I said as I entered the room. “You’re not going to believe what just happened lately?” “What is it?” he asked, eating some strawberry muffins. “I heard a loud thump coming from the basement door that sounded like hooves but when I opened it there’s nothing there, not even a horse.” “You must be listening to your own footsteps then.” There was silence for a few seconds. “Should I laugh or something?” I said sarcastically. “Let’s just go downstairs” Andrew replied. “Anyway, where did you get that muffin?” “Downstairs.” “Then why are you still here when you could just be downstairs.” “Too lazy to stay downstairs.” “Fine then, you little lazy bone. I’ll be downstairs helping Uncle Adam polishing the grandfather clocks.”
