Through the Doorby Stale_CoffeeChaptersPrologueChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourPrologue10:00 AM London, England Looking out his window, Lewis caught sight of the London police driving by, shortly being followed by an ambulance. “Don’t they know that they can’t help them? Didn’t they learn from the last time they tried to help somebody that had been attacked?” He turned away from the window and walked toward the wardrobe sitting in the corner of the room. Opening it slowly, he grabbed some clothing, walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 11:00 AM Paris, France He swiftly maneuvered through cars, weaving his way in between each vehicle. Sure, the law was that bicyclists had to ride on the sidewalk, but with the mass of people on there, he felt like taking the road. It was much safer that way, especially since they couldn’t grab you from across cars. Coming to a stop, he realized that there was a police vehicle about three cars ahead of him. “Damn it,” he cursed. “Looks like I’ve been caught.” Just then, the vehicle’s sirens went on, and the officer sped off, taking a left as he did so. He was shortly followed by more officers, some on motorcycles while others in their cars, and two ambulances. “Odd, I was sure that he would’ve seen me. Oh well, he must’ve had more important matters on his hands.” The light went green, and a mass of cars began to move. Francois moved in unison with them, taking a right and stopping at his family’s café. Walking inside, his father looked up, a smile upon his face. “So,” the old man said. “Are you ready to take over the family business for me?” “As ready as I’ll ever be Pa.” 7:00 AM Rio de Janeiro Slamming his fist down upon the alarm clock for the eighth time that morning, this time hitting the “dismiss” button, Julio sat up, glancing at the stranger that lay next to him. “What the hell happened last night,” he muttered, partially in a daze. He had a pounding headache, signifying that he was having a hangover. He could barely stand the light that shone through the window, so he shut the blinds, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He looked down at the ground and saw his clothes lying next to the strangers. In the midst of it sat a used condom. “Oh hell no… what were you thinking Julio,” he whispered in both disgust and disappointment. He swiftly grabbed his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. He leaned over the tub and began to run a bath, turning the water to as hot as it would go. As soon as it was full, he climbed in, letting the warmth flow over his body. Slowly, the headache faded, only becoming a slight pain. “Father’s remedy to a hangover… works every time,” he sighed. 9:00 PM Sydney, Australia Flipping off the television, Stacy sat down on her couch and sighed. “Well, the world has officially gone to hell. Somebody gets bitten in both England and France, somebody goes mad and starts biting civilians in Rio de Janeiro, and as if to top it all off, the bloody government in the United States has decided that it’s time to nuke the whole damn world.” She looked at the coffee table before her and grabbed the syringe that lay in the center. “What more do I have to lose,” she said. “We’re all going to die anyways.” She stuck the needle into her arm and injected some heroin into her bloodstream. She then grabbed a small plastic bag and emptied its contents, grabbing another syringe and filling it with more heroin than the last. She injected herself again and lay her head back, feeling the drugs flow through her. She then grabbed the gun by her side and put the nozzle in her mouth and pulled the trigger. 10:20 AM London, England As Lewis finished his shower, he heard the engine of a large plane in the distance. “Okay,” he slowly said. “Something is definitely wrong here. Unless-” He ran over to his television and flipped it on. What he saw was the queen herself. She was giving a speech. “… that there is only one solution to this problem. The US government has decided that in order to get rid of this epidemic, the world has to be bombed. I am sorry to say this, but nobody will live. Farewell to everybody that is hearing this, and may the afterlife – if there is one – treat you well.” Suddenly, a great flash of white illuminated Lewis’ room, blinding him instantly. “Christ! What the hell is that thing?” Just then, a magnificent force blew through the entire building, causing it to collapse to the ground. 11:20 AM Paris, France The windows that lined the café shattered, shards of glass flying in all directions. Francois had also been blinded by the white light. “Pa! Where are you?” He felt a sharp pain go across his right arm, then heard a shattering sound on the wall behind him. “F-Francois? I-is that y-you?” “Pa! It’s me, where are you?” “I think… the floor… where are you?” “Behind the counter. I’ll come to you.” Francois maneuvered his way around the counter, only to be stopped by a chair that flew into his face. It was then followed by a sharp pain in his chest. He fell to his knees, feeling the blood flow from his wounds. Then he fell forward, his head connecting with the flooring. 7:20 AM Rio de Janeiro Water splashed in Julio’s face as the tub vibrated violently. “What is going on? I mean, can’t a guy have a nice, warm bath in peace?” That was when the wall of the bathroom caved in. A piece of metal went flying towards him, made contact with his neck, and went clean through. Life simply flips a page as our story begins. Chapter OneA steady wind had kicked up, scattering tattered papers and dust around in circles. I looked on as my brother, Riley, climbed on the ruble of an ancient building. As I watched, the radiation meter on my hazmat suit started beeping uncontrollably. I sighed and called out to Riley through our communication systems. “Riley,” I said. “We need to head back. The radioactive winds are returning, and fast.” “But Sky, we just got here!” “I know we did, but do you really want to die because of some radioactive wind?” “No…” “Then c’mon, we don’t have all day.” Riley jumped down from the ruble and trudged his way towards me, a look of disappointment on his face. “Hey,” I said. “Cheer up. We can come back another time.” He looked my way, shook his head, and kept walking. We had gone through a lot as kids. Our parents vanished one day and never returned, any friends we had died of radiation poisoning, and to add the sprinkles on top, we’ve been alone ever since. I’ve taken care of Riley for most of his life, seeing how our parents vanished when he was five and I was 12. “It’s been a long six years,” I muttered to myself. Riley paused, looked towards me and said, “Are you coming or what?” “Yeah,” I responded. “Just give me a moment you twat.” I looked back at the town and sighed. “It must’ve been a beautiful place before the world went to shit. I am almost certain of it.” I turned back around to see that Riley had continued on without me. I jogged lightly and caught up with him in a minute or so. “What do you think you’re doing sport?” “Walking back to the shelter, what did you think I was doing? “I thought you were walking back to the shelter.” “Okay then, so leave me alone.” “Look here Riley, I’m in charge right now. You answer to me, not vice versa, is that understood?” “Yeah, whatever you say Captain Asshole.” I stopped, both shocked and angry. Did Riley really just call me Captain Asshole? Trying to hold back both anger and tears, I said to him, “Come here.” He groaned, turned towards me, and walked up to me. “What do you want?” “For one, I want you to quit with that attitude. Mother and Father wouldn’t appreciate that kind of language now would they?” Silence. “Second of all, I want to talk to you.” “Haven’t we done enough talking Sky? Give it a break already, sheesh.” With that he turned around and continued walking. In a state of anger, I grabbed at him and my hand caught on the tube on the back of his helmet that filtered oxygen out of the radiation and gave it to him. He staggered and tried to get away from my grip. After realizing that it was hopeless, he tore the tube off his helmet, threw his helmet onto the ground, and began to run. “He’s not going to last long,” I whispered. And I was right because a few seconds later, he collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath. “Sky,” he cried. “Get me my helmet please.” “There’s no way to fix the damage that you’ve done to it Riley. You and I both know what is going to happen.” “No… you… can’t leave… me here… to die.” “Actually, I can. You did this to yourself.” I began to walk away, but he grabbed my leg and pulled my leg, pulling me to the floor. “You… aren’t… going anywhere… you… devil. You’re… going to watch… as I die.” “Let go of me!” “Why… should I? You’re just… going… to… lea-” He then went still, a heavy, shaky sigh protruded from his mouth, along with blood. I turned my head, trying not to have such an image glued to the back of my mind. His grip loosened on my leg, giving me the freedom to move again. I stood up, brushed the dirt off my hazmat suit, and left. Riley had been carrying important materials on him, but whatever he had been carrying, I had back at the shelter. The trek back to the shelter was long and tedious, but I managed to get there before sundown. I slammed the door behind me and lit a candle that sat on a lone table in the middle of the room. The shelter was fairly small, and only roomed two people, but when our parents had still been around, we managed to stuff four people into the confinement of our “home”. It was a two room, half-bath building. One room accounted as the sleeping quarters, dining room, and family room, while the other room was used as the lavatory. There wasn’t a kitchen in the entire facility, but Father had found a way to fix that. When we first got situated in the shelter, he had taken to remodeling it so that there was a kitchen nook leading off from the main room. The remodeling was cut short when he and Mother both disappeared, but with time, I finished it along with Riley’s help. It now served as a pantry since the use of a kitchen was absurd seeing how most of the food we got was canned and any animals out there were dead. I took a seat at the table and pulled a small, tattered notebook from my bag along with a pencil. I flipped it open to the first blank page which I saw would be the last page as well and began to write. Journal Entry #300 It seems that I am the last remaining survivor of my entire family’s bloodline. Today, Riley died due to him removing his helmet and suffocating from radiation poisoning. I knew he couldn’t be saved, so I left him to die. I assume that it makes me a bad person, but in this world, we are all bad people. This is going to be my last journal entry sadly. I’m out of pages and every other notebook I come across is either too damaged to write on or is full of scribbles. I still pick them up to see what other people have written before their demise and find that they all speak of a wooden door that they’ve seen in a burnt cornfield. I’m probably being told that I should go towards the door, but I’m skeptical about it, especially since with me being young and a girl, the odds of getting raped are higher than usual. Anyways, this is Sky signing off for one last time. I will probably never come across this thing again, but who knows. The future holds strange discoveries. I closed the journal and sighed, leaning back on the seat as I did so. My mind began to wander aimlessly, until I was snapped back into reality by a pounding knock on the door. Quickly, I blew out the candle and slid under the table. It was a safety protocol that Father had taught Riley and me when we were kids. He had told us that if we were at the shelter alone and somebody knocked on the door, then hide under the closest thing to you. I sat there, waiting. The knocking had stopped, but I never heard the sound of footsteps leaving the shelter. I began to move when the door was suddenly kicked down, a flurry of dust being kicked up as it connected with the floor. “Search the whole house for any survivors. If you find a girl, you know what to do with her.” It was a group of bandits. I had heard a lot about them when I was a kid, but I had never encountered them. I sat there staring at their leader for what seemed like hours when I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled out from under the table. I let out an ear-splitting scream, but they didn’t seem affected by it. The one who had pulled me out from under the table only chuckled and said, “Hey boss, look what we got here, a straggler.” He then proceeded to shove me towards the leader, who grabbed me by the waist and looked me in the eyes, a grin spreading across his face. “Hello there sweetheart,” he said. Before I knew it, I was lying on top of the table, my hazmat suit being torn off with ease. The thing about the shelters was that there were oxygen bubbles surrounding each. The government had implemented them there, thinking that it’d be good, which it was, but when the bandits came, it was a living hell. The leader loomed over me, a grin still on his face. He grabbed me by my waist again, tore off my panties and proceeded to screw me. Once he was satisfied, he got off of me, only for one of his henchmen to take his turn. This continued until they were all satisfied with the pleasure that they had gotten from me. They then grabbed their clothes, put them on, and left. I lay there, quivering and crying, my entire body in pain. Chapter TwoI slowly got up from the table, grabbed my clothes, and walked into the half-bath. I then began to scrub the clothes clean in our makeshift sink we had which consisted of a metal tub and water. It also served as a bath. As soon as the clothes were cleaned, I hung them up in the main room and climbed into the metal bin full of water. I then proceeded to clean myself of their sweat and juices. Once I felt clean enough, I climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel, drying myself off. The rest of the day consisted of waiting for my clothes to dry, making dinner, and cleaning off the table. It was boring, but once everything was done, I climbed into bed and managed to fall asleep. The next morning, when I awoke, I decided that it would be best to leave the shelter just in case the bandits came back. I made breakfast for myself and packed whatever I could into my bag. Anything else that I needed I put into spare bags. I’m going to have to make multiple trips, I thought. Not only that, but I’m going to have to find another shelter to stay at. I left the shelter in a hurry. I wanted to find a new home before nightfall, but that would be almost impossible without a bicycle or some mode of transportation, which I did not have, so I was left with no choice but to walk. As I walked, I came across a small bike. It looked as if it were in fine condition to me, so I picked it up and continued my journey. I wasn’t sure where I was going or where I was, but I knew that I had to find a new home by nightfall. I had been riding the bike for what seemed to be hours. I had come across a few shelters, but the oxygen bubbles were inactive and there was no way to turn them back on, forcing me to continue moving. At one point, I rode past a cornfield. I didn’t think anything if it, until I got to a point where the cornfield became black and burnt. I slammed on the brakes and looked into the blackened corn. I didn’t see anything except for a pathway that seemed to lead into the blackness. Carefully, I climbed off the bike and walked into the maze, unaware of what was at the heart of the field. My mind went back to the many notebooks that I had collected. They all said something about a lone wooden door amidst a burnt field of corn. From what I knew, there was no way of really knowing whether there was a door there or not. As soon as I stepped foot into the maze, the atmosphere seemed different. It felt as if whatever radiation that surrounded me had been cut off, leaving me with clean, breathable air. I hesitantly removed my helmet and took in a gulp of air. I waited for a few seconds, expecting an immediate stab of pain in my lungs, but felt nothing, so I took a much larger gulp of air. I got the same result, which wasn’t surprising since nothing happened the first time. As I stood there, a single thought came to my mind. Fresh air. Two simple words that had no meaning to me whatsoever, but they felt right to say. I continued walking through the corn. It seemed like a maze, because there were multiple turns that I could have taken. “Maybe it was a maze,” I whispered. I knew nobody was around to hear me, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered to me was that I find the wooden door at the end of the maze. I continued to walk. I had no water or food on me at the moment. I had been walking for hours, I was sure of it. I had begun to lose hope that there was a door until I came across a large, open space in the corn. In the center, there sat the lone door. Out of curiosity, I walked over to it and thrust the door open, expecting to see the other side of the cornfield. However, to my amazement, what I saw was darkness. “Holy hell,” I gasped. I had never seen such a thing in my life. The door seemed to lead to absolutely nowhere. I put my hand inside and found that I could still see it, despite the darkness. I then stuck my arm inside and could still manage to see it. Then, not knowing what I was supposed to do, I stepped into the emptiness. A wave of cool air rushed over me as I fell through the darkness. I knew I was falling because there was no way that the wind could slap my face with such force. Just as suddenly as I felt the sensation of falling, everything went white. Chapter ThreeI opened my eyes to find that I was in a bed. There were tubes sticking out of my arms and weird machines surrounding the bed. “Where am I,” I croaked. I sounded different, like I had been punched really hard in the throat, causing my voice to get all scruffy. Just as I had spoken, I was approached by a black figure. I couldn’t make out their features since they were shrouded in darkness. I looked up to see that only one light was on, illuminating me, but nothing else in the room. “You’re finally awake, that’s good. Okay, we’re going to run a few tests to see if you are responsive to anything. First off, when you hear the beep, I’d like you to raise your hand okay?” “Uh, sure…” “Ah, so you’re responsive to speech. That takes care of the second test. But first, let’s deal with the first test.” I sat there for a few moments waiting for a noise. I didn’t hear anything, but a heavy sigh. “Patient is unresponsive to quiet sounds. We’ll move on to test three. When I tap your knee with a small hammer, you should kick out in reflex. This will let us determine whether you are responsive to any kind of feeling. I know what you’re thinking and it’s normal. You can’t see your knee because if you did, it would cause you to resist the reflex, causing this test to be useless.” I sat there for two seconds when I felt a slight tap on my knee. My leg jerked up in response. I then heard a slight laugh. “Patient is responsive to feeling. Are you ready to move on to test four?” “Yes, I think so.” “Oh good, you’ll like this one. I’m going to bring out various foods and I want you to identify what it is using your sense of smell okay?” “Alright, seems easy enough.” The first scent that penetrated my nostrils was sweet and smelt foreign to me. “Forgive me, but this is a foreign scent to me. See, I came from a world where my daily meal consisted of beans, mashed potatoes, corn, and maybe some peas if I was lucky.” “Oh, I didn’t know. Okay then, we’ll try this test later then, once you’ve become situated with other scents. For now, let’s move on to test five. I’m going to ask that you stand up please.” I did so, almost falling over in the process, but managed to stand up steadily. “Okay, now take a few steps forward.” Once again, I did as I was asked and managed to take three steps before falling to my knees. “Subject is having a hard time walking at the moment. Excuse me, but can you please try again?” “I don’t see why not,” I said in response. Carefully standing up again, I took a few more steps forward before being able to walk normally again. “Patient is able to walk. Well, that wraps up our tests for now. If you would come with me, that would be great.” The lights came on, blinding me for a few seconds. My eyes focused quickly and I was met by a large, four legged creature with flowing, colorful hair. It frowned and said, “Have you never seen an alicorn before?” My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I fell over, everything going black. When I awoke again, I was in the same bed, except this time, the entire room was lit up. I was the only one there it looked like. “It was all a dream,” I thought aloud. “Oh thank goodness it was just a dream.” “I’m sorry dear, but I’m afraid that this is no dream.” The large four legged creature that referred to itself as an alicorn reappeared before me, this time she looked very strict. I was about to scream when it said, “Calm down, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Well, that is until you meet Lyra. She’s quite the hoof-full. Now, can you tell me your name, just so I can be sure you are who I think you are?” I sat there, my mouth opening and closing, though no words came out. Finally, I managed to say one thing which is what was requested from the alicorn. “My n-name is S-sky…” “See, now we’re getting somewhere. Welcome, Sky, to this world that we call Equestria. I am Princess Celestia, but please, call me Celestia. Anyways, as you may already know by seeing me, this world is populated by ponies. There are four different breeds of us, starting with the alicorns then the pegasi followed by unicorns and earth-ponies as we refer to them. The pegasi look like I do, minus the horn. The unicorns have horns, but no wings. The earth-ponies have nothing special about them and are more commonly known as horses to your kind back on Earth.” “I have never heard of a horse before...” “Really? How peculiar, most humans know what a horse is.” “Look, Celestia, you’re right that I come from Earth, I don’t know how you are, but you are. What you don’t know is th-” “Is that your world is nothing but a wasteland now? I’ve known that ever since we opened the door. I may or may have not gone through your bag and found your journal. I’m sorry about your family Sky, I truly am. Our world is also in a state of collapse, though you may not know yet. We’ve sent many ponies out on expeditions through interdimensional doors that we have managed to open using the help of our three other princesses, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight. You somehow stumbled upon the door leading to Earth that we abandoned long ago when we discovered that there was nothing for us there. You also, sadly, closed that door, preventing your return back to Earth. The only that you could possibly return is if Luna, Cadence, Twilight, and I somehow used enough magical energy to open it back up. I doubt that you would want to go back however, and I don’t blame you if you don’t. I wouldn’t want to return to a world like that, especially since it has nothing to offer but death.” I sat there, blankly staring at her. Finally, I spoke. “You were the ones who opened up the door?” “Yes, it was a very difficult task, but we managed to do it. Twilight has more knowledge on how to open those doors, however, we sent her on an expedition to find a new home for us. If you could find her, I’m sure she could help you get back to Earth to try and round up whatever is left of the human population. It’ll be very hard to find her though. I have the slightest clue of where she is right now. My only guess is on another planet opening more doors to get to more places. We told her to go with a group, but she insisted that she go alone.” “When was the last time that you saw this Twilight?” “About fifteen winters ago.” “So fifteen years?” “Yes, fifteen years. All of our communications with her were lost about twelve years ago.” “You guys haven’t bothered to go and look for her?” “We have, but with her opening up so many other doors on so many different planets, our search parties have to return as soon as they set hoof through the second door they enter.” “But why do they have to return immediately?” “Too many doors to go through. Also, with each door they enter, one stays behind to make sure that the group knows which door to go through on the return trip.” “So you guys have a system? Why not use bread crumbs or something that’ll help you remember your way back?” “We’ve never thought of doing that, but who knows what else is out there that would want the bread crumbs. Also, let’s not forget that the environment can change easily. So, there are many factors that could prevent our usage of bread crumbs.” I sighed heavily, swearing under my breath. Finally, after some time to think, I asked Celestia an important question. “What if I were to help?” Chapter Four“Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?” “Hey, I’m being serious. I seem to be the only one here who might have an idea on how to find this Twilight character without having to leave others behind. I’m serious when I say I want to help.” “Well I suppose if you want to help, then you can. But, it is going to take months, maybe even years to train you so you’re prepared for the trek through many dimensions. Who knows where Twilight will be by the time you’re done with your training.” “I’m ready for whatever you are going to throw at me Celestia. I want to help, and that’s what I’m going to do. You are not going to stop me from doing so.” “I know that I’m not going to stop you Sky. In fact, I’m advising you about the length of time and how treacherous the trip is.” “Okay, so when do I begin?” “Start whenever you feel like Sky.” “I’d like to start now if that’s the case.” She stared at me with wide eyes before nodding solemnly. She then walked out the door, not even telling me to follow her. But took her leaving as an indication that I should follow her to wherever she was going. “These are the barracks. Feel free to make yourself at home.” I glanced inside and found ponies of all sizes and shape in the barracks. There didn’t seem to be a place for me there, so I turned to ask Celestia where I would be staying in the barracks. Before I did, she had stopped in front of a tent and said, “This will be your living quarters. I had it prepared for Twilight when she was here, but now that she’s gone, it’s yours. There’s a standard cot, a sink, a toilet for your convenience, and a desk for writing if you’d like. Other than that, there’s nothing special about it really, but feel free to talk to Rarity for any changes you’d like to make to it.” We continued walking until we stopped at a large, concrete building. “This is the armory,” Celestia said. “I don’t think there’s armor in there that would fit you, but we do have swords, shields, daggers, bows and arrows, and axes. Depending on your personal preferences, I think you’ll find a weapon that suits you. I also found a small metal weapon in your bag and was unsure of what it was so I-” “It’s called a gun. Those things are far more powerful than any sword or bow. And if you found a small cardboard box full of little gold things, those are called bullets. Each is filled with gunpowder I believe. If you’d like, you can have your smiths disassemble the gun and very carefully take apart the bullet to see how to make them.” “I will consider it Sky. Thank you for the information, I’m sure it will help. Anyways, if you’d like, speak with our armorer to get yourself sized so she can make you an effective suit of armor. When you go in, ask for Rarity.” “Okay, I will. Shall we continue the tour?” “Ah yes. Up ahead, there’s the mess hall. Our cook did the best she can with what she has, but all she could make were cupcakes and anything else sweet. So, we got a second chef to help her with that. Tell them that Celestia sent you, they’ll get you situated. Further up ahead and to your right you’ll find the training grounds. Speak with Rainbow Dash; she’ll be your trainer. On the opposite side of the training grounds, you’ll find Fluttershy, who is in charge of training our attack dogs. Speak with her and she’ll give you a dog to fight by your side. Though she doesn’t like to have animals killed, it’s her duty to equip each pony with a four legged companion. Then, past the mess hall, you’ll find both mine and Luna’s tents. Speak with us if you have any questions. I’ll be available during the day while Luna will be available at night. Cadence is in charge of healing since our old healer, Zecora, died. You’ll find her back at our makeshift hospital. So, any questions?” “No, no questions yet.” “Okay, good. If you need me, you know where to find me.” She then spread her wings and flew into the air, her silhouette disappearing into the sun’s rays. Okay, where to start? I suppose I should begin with Rarity since it’s best to have armor before I do anything else. “This will certainly not do my dear. Your figure is so much more different than that of a pony’s, making it difficult for me to make you any armor. I mean, what are these,” she asked, cupping my breasts with her hooves. “Those are my breasts thank you very much. Look, Celestia told me that you’d be able to make me some armor.” “I can darling; it’s just going to take a lot of time.” “Then can’t you start now?” “I suppose so, though I’m not used to making armor for, well, humans. Let’s get you sized first.” She didn’t even move, yet a neatly wound roll of measuring tape floated over to her. “How are you doing that?” “It’s simple darling. I am a unicorn as a matter of fact. Don’t you know that we can use magic?” “No, I didn’t.” “Well now you do. Can you please stop moving?” “Sorry,” I mumbled. Standing still for a horse was hard enough, but for a horse that’s using magic to measure you, it is not an easy task. She mumbled as she worked, sighing every now and then. I picked up small snips of what she was saying. At one point, it was that she’d have to add an extra five inches or more in the front for my breasts, while the next moment, she was saying that she’d have to make room for “my plot” as she put it. Finally, after a lot of measuring, sighing, and pencil breaking, she approached me and said, “I think that I’m ready to begin on your armor. Come back tomorrow, it’ll be done then.” Walking out of the armory, I saw that night had fallen. I went over to the mess hall and found a few ponies inside, two standing behind a counter. I approached them, and asked for some dinner. “Ah’m sorry, but we’re closin’ up for t’night. Come back t’morrow, maybe then we’ll have somethin’ for ya.” “Oh c’mon Applejack! Don’t you think we could make just one more meal for another hungry soul?” “Ah’ve made up my mind Pinkie and that is no.” “Pardon her she’s just a little crank…y…” The one who was willing to make me something looked me up and down, a look of shock on her face. “What,” I asked. “Have you never seen a human before?” She shook her head then said, “They usually stay in their little nook of the world. We call it My Little Earth, but they like to refer to it as Earth. May I ask what you’re doing here and not at home?” “First of all, I can’t get home. I fell through one of those damn interdimensional doors that the princesses opened up. It sealed behind me and now I can’t get home. Second of all, Celestia sent me over here. She told me to talk to you guys for food.” The one pony that was referred to as Applejack immediately grew sheepish; her voice was barely audible. “Well, if that’s the case,” the one known as Pinkie said. “Then I assume that Applejack and I are going to have to make you something to eat! So, what’ll it be?” “Um, what can you guys make exactly?” “Darlin, Ah can make anythin’ you wish, as long as it’s apple related that is. Pinkie here can make any kind of desert. Ya say it, she’ll make it.” “Can I just have an apple?” “Well… Ah suppose so… are ya sure that’s all?” I nodded, feeling pretty confident with my decision. I wasn’t all that hungry, and was still getting used to being in a land full of colorful, talking horses, which only lowered my appetite. Dinner had served its purpose for the night. Sure, it only consisted of a single apple, but it was filling enough for me. Exhausted from an unproductive day, I walked back to my tent, sitting on the edge of the bed. I glanced at the pillow, not taking notice of its form. As my head connected with its rough, lumpy surface, I was met by a slight murmur. Startled, I sat up, staring at the pillow. It looked discolored, almost purple. It was also lumpy and had small, green spike-like things on its back, and as if to make things more suspicious, an arm extended from the other side, and scratched where my head had just been. “Jesus, what the hell are you,” I cried, throwing the object off the bed, revealing the actual pillow in the process. It hit the wall of the tent and fell to the floor. It blinked rapidly and looked around as if in a haze. Finally, its eyes fell upon me. Squinting, it muttered, “You’re not Twilight, and if I’ll have you know, I’m a dragon. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?” It finished this statement brushing some dirt off its body before looking to me again. “I’m a human, and no, I’m not Twilight. The name’s Sky, what’s yours?” “If you have to know, it’s Spike.” “Pleasure to meet you Spike, now, what are you doing in my tent?” Spike looked at me in amazement before saying, “Your tent? I’m sorry, but the last time I checked, this was Twilight’s tent, not some human’s tent.” “Well look. Celestia told me that I can have this tent just this morning. She specifically said that it was mine since Twilight was no longer occupying it. So, if you have an issue, talk to her about it, alright?” “Fine,” Spike said, throwing his hands in the air. “I just don’t see why you have to throw me off the pillow.” “I’m going to be sleeping on this cot from now on, that’s why. Don’t you have your own bed or something?” “No, all my stuff was removed, along with Twilight’s. I don’t know if she took them with her or if Celestia trashed them, but I honestly didn’t care until you came along.” “Will it make you happy if I can get you a new bed or something tomorrow?” “Yeah, I suppose so. Do you know what would be better though?” “No, I don’t. Please, enlighten me.” “Being able to stay with Rarity for a few nights, that’s what.” “Wait, you have a thing for Rarity? I can’t believe what I’m hearing, a dragon in love with a unicorn. That is just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all day, you know that?” “So I’ve been told. Look, can we just get to sleep?” “Sounds good to me,” I grumbled. My day had been bad enough as it was, but having a dragon as a tent-mate was just the cherry on top. As I lay back down on the cot again, I began to reflect on my day. I woke up to find myself in a world of colorful, talking horses, offered to help find some princess that has been missing for fifteen years, had my breasts groped by a unicorn who had no clue what they were, ate only an apple for dinner, and found that I had a cranky dragon living in my tent. If you were to ask me, I would’ve said that my day was both unproductive and horrible upon many levels. Sadly, it was only the first of many long, tiring, and boring days to come.
Prologue10:00 AM London, England Looking out his window, Lewis caught sight of the London police driving by, shortly being followed by an ambulance. “Don’t they know that they can’t help them? Didn’t they learn from the last time they tried to help somebody that had been attacked?” He turned away from the window and walked toward the wardrobe sitting in the corner of the room. Opening it slowly, he grabbed some clothing, walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 11:00 AM Paris, France He swiftly maneuvered through cars, weaving his way in between each vehicle. Sure, the law was that bicyclists had to ride on the sidewalk, but with the mass of people on there, he felt like taking the road. It was much safer that way, especially since they couldn’t grab you from across cars. Coming to a stop, he realized that there was a police vehicle about three cars ahead of him. “Damn it,” he cursed. “Looks like I’ve been caught.” Just then, the vehicle’s sirens went on, and the officer sped off, taking a left as he did so. He was shortly followed by more officers, some on motorcycles while others in their cars, and two ambulances. “Odd, I was sure that he would’ve seen me. Oh well, he must’ve had more important matters on his hands.” The light went green, and a mass of cars began to move. Francois moved in unison with them, taking a right and stopping at his family’s café. Walking inside, his father looked up, a smile upon his face. “So,” the old man said. “Are you ready to take over the family business for me?” “As ready as I’ll ever be Pa.” 7:00 AM Rio de Janeiro Slamming his fist down upon the alarm clock for the eighth time that morning, this time hitting the “dismiss” button, Julio sat up, glancing at the stranger that lay next to him. “What the hell happened last night,” he muttered, partially in a daze. He had a pounding headache, signifying that he was having a hangover. He could barely stand the light that shone through the window, so he shut the blinds, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. He looked down at the ground and saw his clothes lying next to the strangers. In the midst of it sat a used condom. “Oh hell no… what were you thinking Julio,” he whispered in both disgust and disappointment. He swiftly grabbed his clothes and headed towards the bathroom. He leaned over the tub and began to run a bath, turning the water to as hot as it would go. As soon as it was full, he climbed in, letting the warmth flow over his body. Slowly, the headache faded, only becoming a slight pain. “Father’s remedy to a hangover… works every time,” he sighed. 9:00 PM Sydney, Australia Flipping off the television, Stacy sat down on her couch and sighed. “Well, the world has officially gone to hell. Somebody gets bitten in both England and France, somebody goes mad and starts biting civilians in Rio de Janeiro, and as if to top it all off, the bloody government in the United States has decided that it’s time to nuke the whole damn world.” She looked at the coffee table before her and grabbed the syringe that lay in the center. “What more do I have to lose,” she said. “We’re all going to die anyways.” She stuck the needle into her arm and injected some heroin into her bloodstream. She then grabbed a small plastic bag and emptied its contents, grabbing another syringe and filling it with more heroin than the last. She injected herself again and lay her head back, feeling the drugs flow through her. She then grabbed the gun by her side and put the nozzle in her mouth and pulled the trigger. 10:20 AM London, England As Lewis finished his shower, he heard the engine of a large plane in the distance. “Okay,” he slowly said. “Something is definitely wrong here. Unless-” He ran over to his television and flipped it on. What he saw was the queen herself. She was giving a speech. “… that there is only one solution to this problem. The US government has decided that in order to get rid of this epidemic, the world has to be bombed. I am sorry to say this, but nobody will live. Farewell to everybody that is hearing this, and may the afterlife – if there is one – treat you well.” Suddenly, a great flash of white illuminated Lewis’ room, blinding him instantly. “Christ! What the hell is that thing?” Just then, a magnificent force blew through the entire building, causing it to collapse to the ground. 11:20 AM Paris, France The windows that lined the café shattered, shards of glass flying in all directions. Francois had also been blinded by the white light. “Pa! Where are you?” He felt a sharp pain go across his right arm, then heard a shattering sound on the wall behind him. “F-Francois? I-is that y-you?” “Pa! It’s me, where are you?” “I think… the floor… where are you?” “Behind the counter. I’ll come to you.” Francois maneuvered his way around the counter, only to be stopped by a chair that flew into his face. It was then followed by a sharp pain in his chest. He fell to his knees, feeling the blood flow from his wounds. Then he fell forward, his head connecting with the flooring. 7:20 AM Rio de Janeiro Water splashed in Julio’s face as the tub vibrated violently. “What is going on? I mean, can’t a guy have a nice, warm bath in peace?” That was when the wall of the bathroom caved in. A piece of metal went flying towards him, made contact with his neck, and went clean through. Life simply flips a page as our story begins.
Chapter OneA steady wind had kicked up, scattering tattered papers and dust around in circles. I looked on as my brother, Riley, climbed on the ruble of an ancient building. As I watched, the radiation meter on my hazmat suit started beeping uncontrollably. I sighed and called out to Riley through our communication systems. “Riley,” I said. “We need to head back. The radioactive winds are returning, and fast.” “But Sky, we just got here!” “I know we did, but do you really want to die because of some radioactive wind?” “No…” “Then c’mon, we don’t have all day.” Riley jumped down from the ruble and trudged his way towards me, a look of disappointment on his face. “Hey,” I said. “Cheer up. We can come back another time.” He looked my way, shook his head, and kept walking. We had gone through a lot as kids. Our parents vanished one day and never returned, any friends we had died of radiation poisoning, and to add the sprinkles on top, we’ve been alone ever since. I’ve taken care of Riley for most of his life, seeing how our parents vanished when he was five and I was 12. “It’s been a long six years,” I muttered to myself. Riley paused, looked towards me and said, “Are you coming or what?” “Yeah,” I responded. “Just give me a moment you twat.” I looked back at the town and sighed. “It must’ve been a beautiful place before the world went to shit. I am almost certain of it.” I turned back around to see that Riley had continued on without me. I jogged lightly and caught up with him in a minute or so. “What do you think you’re doing sport?” “Walking back to the shelter, what did you think I was doing? “I thought you were walking back to the shelter.” “Okay then, so leave me alone.” “Look here Riley, I’m in charge right now. You answer to me, not vice versa, is that understood?” “Yeah, whatever you say Captain Asshole.” I stopped, both shocked and angry. Did Riley really just call me Captain Asshole? Trying to hold back both anger and tears, I said to him, “Come here.” He groaned, turned towards me, and walked up to me. “What do you want?” “For one, I want you to quit with that attitude. Mother and Father wouldn’t appreciate that kind of language now would they?” Silence. “Second of all, I want to talk to you.” “Haven’t we done enough talking Sky? Give it a break already, sheesh.” With that he turned around and continued walking. In a state of anger, I grabbed at him and my hand caught on the tube on the back of his helmet that filtered oxygen out of the radiation and gave it to him. He staggered and tried to get away from my grip. After realizing that it was hopeless, he tore the tube off his helmet, threw his helmet onto the ground, and began to run. “He’s not going to last long,” I whispered. And I was right because a few seconds later, he collapsed to the ground, heaving for breath. “Sky,” he cried. “Get me my helmet please.” “There’s no way to fix the damage that you’ve done to it Riley. You and I both know what is going to happen.” “No… you… can’t leave… me here… to die.” “Actually, I can. You did this to yourself.” I began to walk away, but he grabbed my leg and pulled my leg, pulling me to the floor. “You… aren’t… going anywhere… you… devil. You’re… going to watch… as I die.” “Let go of me!” “Why… should I? You’re just… going… to… lea-” He then went still, a heavy, shaky sigh protruded from his mouth, along with blood. I turned my head, trying not to have such an image glued to the back of my mind. His grip loosened on my leg, giving me the freedom to move again. I stood up, brushed the dirt off my hazmat suit, and left. Riley had been carrying important materials on him, but whatever he had been carrying, I had back at the shelter. The trek back to the shelter was long and tedious, but I managed to get there before sundown. I slammed the door behind me and lit a candle that sat on a lone table in the middle of the room. The shelter was fairly small, and only roomed two people, but when our parents had still been around, we managed to stuff four people into the confinement of our “home”. It was a two room, half-bath building. One room accounted as the sleeping quarters, dining room, and family room, while the other room was used as the lavatory. There wasn’t a kitchen in the entire facility, but Father had found a way to fix that. When we first got situated in the shelter, he had taken to remodeling it so that there was a kitchen nook leading off from the main room. The remodeling was cut short when he and Mother both disappeared, but with time, I finished it along with Riley’s help. It now served as a pantry since the use of a kitchen was absurd seeing how most of the food we got was canned and any animals out there were dead. I took a seat at the table and pulled a small, tattered notebook from my bag along with a pencil. I flipped it open to the first blank page which I saw would be the last page as well and began to write. Journal Entry #300 It seems that I am the last remaining survivor of my entire family’s bloodline. Today, Riley died due to him removing his helmet and suffocating from radiation poisoning. I knew he couldn’t be saved, so I left him to die. I assume that it makes me a bad person, but in this world, we are all bad people. This is going to be my last journal entry sadly. I’m out of pages and every other notebook I come across is either too damaged to write on or is full of scribbles. I still pick them up to see what other people have written before their demise and find that they all speak of a wooden door that they’ve seen in a burnt cornfield. I’m probably being told that I should go towards the door, but I’m skeptical about it, especially since with me being young and a girl, the odds of getting raped are higher than usual. Anyways, this is Sky signing off for one last time. I will probably never come across this thing again, but who knows. The future holds strange discoveries. I closed the journal and sighed, leaning back on the seat as I did so. My mind began to wander aimlessly, until I was snapped back into reality by a pounding knock on the door. Quickly, I blew out the candle and slid under the table. It was a safety protocol that Father had taught Riley and me when we were kids. He had told us that if we were at the shelter alone and somebody knocked on the door, then hide under the closest thing to you. I sat there, waiting. The knocking had stopped, but I never heard the sound of footsteps leaving the shelter. I began to move when the door was suddenly kicked down, a flurry of dust being kicked up as it connected with the floor. “Search the whole house for any survivors. If you find a girl, you know what to do with her.” It was a group of bandits. I had heard a lot about them when I was a kid, but I had never encountered them. I sat there staring at their leader for what seemed like hours when I was grabbed by the ankle and pulled out from under the table. I let out an ear-splitting scream, but they didn’t seem affected by it. The one who had pulled me out from under the table only chuckled and said, “Hey boss, look what we got here, a straggler.” He then proceeded to shove me towards the leader, who grabbed me by the waist and looked me in the eyes, a grin spreading across his face. “Hello there sweetheart,” he said. Before I knew it, I was lying on top of the table, my hazmat suit being torn off with ease. The thing about the shelters was that there were oxygen bubbles surrounding each. The government had implemented them there, thinking that it’d be good, which it was, but when the bandits came, it was a living hell. The leader loomed over me, a grin still on his face. He grabbed me by my waist again, tore off my panties and proceeded to screw me. Once he was satisfied, he got off of me, only for one of his henchmen to take his turn. This continued until they were all satisfied with the pleasure that they had gotten from me. They then grabbed their clothes, put them on, and left. I lay there, quivering and crying, my entire body in pain.
Chapter TwoI slowly got up from the table, grabbed my clothes, and walked into the half-bath. I then began to scrub the clothes clean in our makeshift sink we had which consisted of a metal tub and water. It also served as a bath. As soon as the clothes were cleaned, I hung them up in the main room and climbed into the metal bin full of water. I then proceeded to clean myself of their sweat and juices. Once I felt clean enough, I climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel, drying myself off. The rest of the day consisted of waiting for my clothes to dry, making dinner, and cleaning off the table. It was boring, but once everything was done, I climbed into bed and managed to fall asleep. The next morning, when I awoke, I decided that it would be best to leave the shelter just in case the bandits came back. I made breakfast for myself and packed whatever I could into my bag. Anything else that I needed I put into spare bags. I’m going to have to make multiple trips, I thought. Not only that, but I’m going to have to find another shelter to stay at. I left the shelter in a hurry. I wanted to find a new home before nightfall, but that would be almost impossible without a bicycle or some mode of transportation, which I did not have, so I was left with no choice but to walk. As I walked, I came across a small bike. It looked as if it were in fine condition to me, so I picked it up and continued my journey. I wasn’t sure where I was going or where I was, but I knew that I had to find a new home by nightfall. I had been riding the bike for what seemed to be hours. I had come across a few shelters, but the oxygen bubbles were inactive and there was no way to turn them back on, forcing me to continue moving. At one point, I rode past a cornfield. I didn’t think anything if it, until I got to a point where the cornfield became black and burnt. I slammed on the brakes and looked into the blackened corn. I didn’t see anything except for a pathway that seemed to lead into the blackness. Carefully, I climbed off the bike and walked into the maze, unaware of what was at the heart of the field. My mind went back to the many notebooks that I had collected. They all said something about a lone wooden door amidst a burnt field of corn. From what I knew, there was no way of really knowing whether there was a door there or not. As soon as I stepped foot into the maze, the atmosphere seemed different. It felt as if whatever radiation that surrounded me had been cut off, leaving me with clean, breathable air. I hesitantly removed my helmet and took in a gulp of air. I waited for a few seconds, expecting an immediate stab of pain in my lungs, but felt nothing, so I took a much larger gulp of air. I got the same result, which wasn’t surprising since nothing happened the first time. As I stood there, a single thought came to my mind. Fresh air. Two simple words that had no meaning to me whatsoever, but they felt right to say. I continued walking through the corn. It seemed like a maze, because there were multiple turns that I could have taken. “Maybe it was a maze,” I whispered. I knew nobody was around to hear me, but that didn’t matter. All that mattered to me was that I find the wooden door at the end of the maze. I continued to walk. I had no water or food on me at the moment. I had been walking for hours, I was sure of it. I had begun to lose hope that there was a door until I came across a large, open space in the corn. In the center, there sat the lone door. Out of curiosity, I walked over to it and thrust the door open, expecting to see the other side of the cornfield. However, to my amazement, what I saw was darkness. “Holy hell,” I gasped. I had never seen such a thing in my life. The door seemed to lead to absolutely nowhere. I put my hand inside and found that I could still see it, despite the darkness. I then stuck my arm inside and could still manage to see it. Then, not knowing what I was supposed to do, I stepped into the emptiness. A wave of cool air rushed over me as I fell through the darkness. I knew I was falling because there was no way that the wind could slap my face with such force. Just as suddenly as I felt the sensation of falling, everything went white.
Chapter ThreeI opened my eyes to find that I was in a bed. There were tubes sticking out of my arms and weird machines surrounding the bed. “Where am I,” I croaked. I sounded different, like I had been punched really hard in the throat, causing my voice to get all scruffy. Just as I had spoken, I was approached by a black figure. I couldn’t make out their features since they were shrouded in darkness. I looked up to see that only one light was on, illuminating me, but nothing else in the room. “You’re finally awake, that’s good. Okay, we’re going to run a few tests to see if you are responsive to anything. First off, when you hear the beep, I’d like you to raise your hand okay?” “Uh, sure…” “Ah, so you’re responsive to speech. That takes care of the second test. But first, let’s deal with the first test.” I sat there for a few moments waiting for a noise. I didn’t hear anything, but a heavy sigh. “Patient is unresponsive to quiet sounds. We’ll move on to test three. When I tap your knee with a small hammer, you should kick out in reflex. This will let us determine whether you are responsive to any kind of feeling. I know what you’re thinking and it’s normal. You can’t see your knee because if you did, it would cause you to resist the reflex, causing this test to be useless.” I sat there for two seconds when I felt a slight tap on my knee. My leg jerked up in response. I then heard a slight laugh. “Patient is responsive to feeling. Are you ready to move on to test four?” “Yes, I think so.” “Oh good, you’ll like this one. I’m going to bring out various foods and I want you to identify what it is using your sense of smell okay?” “Alright, seems easy enough.” The first scent that penetrated my nostrils was sweet and smelt foreign to me. “Forgive me, but this is a foreign scent to me. See, I came from a world where my daily meal consisted of beans, mashed potatoes, corn, and maybe some peas if I was lucky.” “Oh, I didn’t know. Okay then, we’ll try this test later then, once you’ve become situated with other scents. For now, let’s move on to test five. I’m going to ask that you stand up please.” I did so, almost falling over in the process, but managed to stand up steadily. “Okay, now take a few steps forward.” Once again, I did as I was asked and managed to take three steps before falling to my knees. “Subject is having a hard time walking at the moment. Excuse me, but can you please try again?” “I don’t see why not,” I said in response. Carefully standing up again, I took a few more steps forward before being able to walk normally again. “Patient is able to walk. Well, that wraps up our tests for now. If you would come with me, that would be great.” The lights came on, blinding me for a few seconds. My eyes focused quickly and I was met by a large, four legged creature with flowing, colorful hair. It frowned and said, “Have you never seen an alicorn before?” My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I fell over, everything going black. When I awoke again, I was in the same bed, except this time, the entire room was lit up. I was the only one there it looked like. “It was all a dream,” I thought aloud. “Oh thank goodness it was just a dream.” “I’m sorry dear, but I’m afraid that this is no dream.” The large four legged creature that referred to itself as an alicorn reappeared before me, this time she looked very strict. I was about to scream when it said, “Calm down, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Well, that is until you meet Lyra. She’s quite the hoof-full. Now, can you tell me your name, just so I can be sure you are who I think you are?” I sat there, my mouth opening and closing, though no words came out. Finally, I managed to say one thing which is what was requested from the alicorn. “My n-name is S-sky…” “See, now we’re getting somewhere. Welcome, Sky, to this world that we call Equestria. I am Princess Celestia, but please, call me Celestia. Anyways, as you may already know by seeing me, this world is populated by ponies. There are four different breeds of us, starting with the alicorns then the pegasi followed by unicorns and earth-ponies as we refer to them. The pegasi look like I do, minus the horn. The unicorns have horns, but no wings. The earth-ponies have nothing special about them and are more commonly known as horses to your kind back on Earth.” “I have never heard of a horse before...” “Really? How peculiar, most humans know what a horse is.” “Look, Celestia, you’re right that I come from Earth, I don’t know how you are, but you are. What you don’t know is th-” “Is that your world is nothing but a wasteland now? I’ve known that ever since we opened the door. I may or may have not gone through your bag and found your journal. I’m sorry about your family Sky, I truly am. Our world is also in a state of collapse, though you may not know yet. We’ve sent many ponies out on expeditions through interdimensional doors that we have managed to open using the help of our three other princesses, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight. You somehow stumbled upon the door leading to Earth that we abandoned long ago when we discovered that there was nothing for us there. You also, sadly, closed that door, preventing your return back to Earth. The only that you could possibly return is if Luna, Cadence, Twilight, and I somehow used enough magical energy to open it back up. I doubt that you would want to go back however, and I don’t blame you if you don’t. I wouldn’t want to return to a world like that, especially since it has nothing to offer but death.” I sat there, blankly staring at her. Finally, I spoke. “You were the ones who opened up the door?” “Yes, it was a very difficult task, but we managed to do it. Twilight has more knowledge on how to open those doors, however, we sent her on an expedition to find a new home for us. If you could find her, I’m sure she could help you get back to Earth to try and round up whatever is left of the human population. It’ll be very hard to find her though. I have the slightest clue of where she is right now. My only guess is on another planet opening more doors to get to more places. We told her to go with a group, but she insisted that she go alone.” “When was the last time that you saw this Twilight?” “About fifteen winters ago.” “So fifteen years?” “Yes, fifteen years. All of our communications with her were lost about twelve years ago.” “You guys haven’t bothered to go and look for her?” “We have, but with her opening up so many other doors on so many different planets, our search parties have to return as soon as they set hoof through the second door they enter.” “But why do they have to return immediately?” “Too many doors to go through. Also, with each door they enter, one stays behind to make sure that the group knows which door to go through on the return trip.” “So you guys have a system? Why not use bread crumbs or something that’ll help you remember your way back?” “We’ve never thought of doing that, but who knows what else is out there that would want the bread crumbs. Also, let’s not forget that the environment can change easily. So, there are many factors that could prevent our usage of bread crumbs.” I sighed heavily, swearing under my breath. Finally, after some time to think, I asked Celestia an important question. “What if I were to help?”
Chapter Four“Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?” “Hey, I’m being serious. I seem to be the only one here who might have an idea on how to find this Twilight character without having to leave others behind. I’m serious when I say I want to help.” “Well I suppose if you want to help, then you can. But, it is going to take months, maybe even years to train you so you’re prepared for the trek through many dimensions. Who knows where Twilight will be by the time you’re done with your training.” “I’m ready for whatever you are going to throw at me Celestia. I want to help, and that’s what I’m going to do. You are not going to stop me from doing so.” “I know that I’m not going to stop you Sky. In fact, I’m advising you about the length of time and how treacherous the trip is.” “Okay, so when do I begin?” “Start whenever you feel like Sky.” “I’d like to start now if that’s the case.” She stared at me with wide eyes before nodding solemnly. She then walked out the door, not even telling me to follow her. But took her leaving as an indication that I should follow her to wherever she was going. “These are the barracks. Feel free to make yourself at home.” I glanced inside and found ponies of all sizes and shape in the barracks. There didn’t seem to be a place for me there, so I turned to ask Celestia where I would be staying in the barracks. Before I did, she had stopped in front of a tent and said, “This will be your living quarters. I had it prepared for Twilight when she was here, but now that she’s gone, it’s yours. There’s a standard cot, a sink, a toilet for your convenience, and a desk for writing if you’d like. Other than that, there’s nothing special about it really, but feel free to talk to Rarity for any changes you’d like to make to it.” We continued walking until we stopped at a large, concrete building. “This is the armory,” Celestia said. “I don’t think there’s armor in there that would fit you, but we do have swords, shields, daggers, bows and arrows, and axes. Depending on your personal preferences, I think you’ll find a weapon that suits you. I also found a small metal weapon in your bag and was unsure of what it was so I-” “It’s called a gun. Those things are far more powerful than any sword or bow. And if you found a small cardboard box full of little gold things, those are called bullets. Each is filled with gunpowder I believe. If you’d like, you can have your smiths disassemble the gun and very carefully take apart the bullet to see how to make them.” “I will consider it Sky. Thank you for the information, I’m sure it will help. Anyways, if you’d like, speak with our armorer to get yourself sized so she can make you an effective suit of armor. When you go in, ask for Rarity.” “Okay, I will. Shall we continue the tour?” “Ah yes. Up ahead, there’s the mess hall. Our cook did the best she can with what she has, but all she could make were cupcakes and anything else sweet. So, we got a second chef to help her with that. Tell them that Celestia sent you, they’ll get you situated. Further up ahead and to your right you’ll find the training grounds. Speak with Rainbow Dash; she’ll be your trainer. On the opposite side of the training grounds, you’ll find Fluttershy, who is in charge of training our attack dogs. Speak with her and she’ll give you a dog to fight by your side. Though she doesn’t like to have animals killed, it’s her duty to equip each pony with a four legged companion. Then, past the mess hall, you’ll find both mine and Luna’s tents. Speak with us if you have any questions. I’ll be available during the day while Luna will be available at night. Cadence is in charge of healing since our old healer, Zecora, died. You’ll find her back at our makeshift hospital. So, any questions?” “No, no questions yet.” “Okay, good. If you need me, you know where to find me.” She then spread her wings and flew into the air, her silhouette disappearing into the sun’s rays. Okay, where to start? I suppose I should begin with Rarity since it’s best to have armor before I do anything else. “This will certainly not do my dear. Your figure is so much more different than that of a pony’s, making it difficult for me to make you any armor. I mean, what are these,” she asked, cupping my breasts with her hooves. “Those are my breasts thank you very much. Look, Celestia told me that you’d be able to make me some armor.” “I can darling; it’s just going to take a lot of time.” “Then can’t you start now?” “I suppose so, though I’m not used to making armor for, well, humans. Let’s get you sized first.” She didn’t even move, yet a neatly wound roll of measuring tape floated over to her. “How are you doing that?” “It’s simple darling. I am a unicorn as a matter of fact. Don’t you know that we can use magic?” “No, I didn’t.” “Well now you do. Can you please stop moving?” “Sorry,” I mumbled. Standing still for a horse was hard enough, but for a horse that’s using magic to measure you, it is not an easy task. She mumbled as she worked, sighing every now and then. I picked up small snips of what she was saying. At one point, it was that she’d have to add an extra five inches or more in the front for my breasts, while the next moment, she was saying that she’d have to make room for “my plot” as she put it. Finally, after a lot of measuring, sighing, and pencil breaking, she approached me and said, “I think that I’m ready to begin on your armor. Come back tomorrow, it’ll be done then.” Walking out of the armory, I saw that night had fallen. I went over to the mess hall and found a few ponies inside, two standing behind a counter. I approached them, and asked for some dinner. “Ah’m sorry, but we’re closin’ up for t’night. Come back t’morrow, maybe then we’ll have somethin’ for ya.” “Oh c’mon Applejack! Don’t you think we could make just one more meal for another hungry soul?” “Ah’ve made up my mind Pinkie and that is no.” “Pardon her she’s just a little crank…y…” The one who was willing to make me something looked me up and down, a look of shock on her face. “What,” I asked. “Have you never seen a human before?” She shook her head then said, “They usually stay in their little nook of the world. We call it My Little Earth, but they like to refer to it as Earth. May I ask what you’re doing here and not at home?” “First of all, I can’t get home. I fell through one of those damn interdimensional doors that the princesses opened up. It sealed behind me and now I can’t get home. Second of all, Celestia sent me over here. She told me to talk to you guys for food.” The one pony that was referred to as Applejack immediately grew sheepish; her voice was barely audible. “Well, if that’s the case,” the one known as Pinkie said. “Then I assume that Applejack and I are going to have to make you something to eat! So, what’ll it be?” “Um, what can you guys make exactly?” “Darlin, Ah can make anythin’ you wish, as long as it’s apple related that is. Pinkie here can make any kind of desert. Ya say it, she’ll make it.” “Can I just have an apple?” “Well… Ah suppose so… are ya sure that’s all?” I nodded, feeling pretty confident with my decision. I wasn’t all that hungry, and was still getting used to being in a land full of colorful, talking horses, which only lowered my appetite. Dinner had served its purpose for the night. Sure, it only consisted of a single apple, but it was filling enough for me. Exhausted from an unproductive day, I walked back to my tent, sitting on the edge of the bed. I glanced at the pillow, not taking notice of its form. As my head connected with its rough, lumpy surface, I was met by a slight murmur. Startled, I sat up, staring at the pillow. It looked discolored, almost purple. It was also lumpy and had small, green spike-like things on its back, and as if to make things more suspicious, an arm extended from the other side, and scratched where my head had just been. “Jesus, what the hell are you,” I cried, throwing the object off the bed, revealing the actual pillow in the process. It hit the wall of the tent and fell to the floor. It blinked rapidly and looked around as if in a haze. Finally, its eyes fell upon me. Squinting, it muttered, “You’re not Twilight, and if I’ll have you know, I’m a dragon. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?” It finished this statement brushing some dirt off its body before looking to me again. “I’m a human, and no, I’m not Twilight. The name’s Sky, what’s yours?” “If you have to know, it’s Spike.” “Pleasure to meet you Spike, now, what are you doing in my tent?” Spike looked at me in amazement before saying, “Your tent? I’m sorry, but the last time I checked, this was Twilight’s tent, not some human’s tent.” “Well look. Celestia told me that I can have this tent just this morning. She specifically said that it was mine since Twilight was no longer occupying it. So, if you have an issue, talk to her about it, alright?” “Fine,” Spike said, throwing his hands in the air. “I just don’t see why you have to throw me off the pillow.” “I’m going to be sleeping on this cot from now on, that’s why. Don’t you have your own bed or something?” “No, all my stuff was removed, along with Twilight’s. I don’t know if she took them with her or if Celestia trashed them, but I honestly didn’t care until you came along.” “Will it make you happy if I can get you a new bed or something tomorrow?” “Yeah, I suppose so. Do you know what would be better though?” “No, I don’t. Please, enlighten me.” “Being able to stay with Rarity for a few nights, that’s what.” “Wait, you have a thing for Rarity? I can’t believe what I’m hearing, a dragon in love with a unicorn. That is just about the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard all day, you know that?” “So I’ve been told. Look, can we just get to sleep?” “Sounds good to me,” I grumbled. My day had been bad enough as it was, but having a dragon as a tent-mate was just the cherry on top. As I lay back down on the cot again, I began to reflect on my day. I woke up to find myself in a world of colorful, talking horses, offered to help find some princess that has been missing for fifteen years, had my breasts groped by a unicorn who had no clue what they were, ate only an apple for dinner, and found that I had a cranky dragon living in my tent. If you were to ask me, I would’ve said that my day was both unproductive and horrible upon many levels. Sadly, it was only the first of many long, tiring, and boring days to come.
