My Little Pony: Humans are Cthulhu

We're back on the train. The town is fixed, drawn back into being. It's citizens broken and despondent. The Joylessness state of the denizens in Dodge Junction was palpable. I was glad to be out of there, even if that thought made me feel a sense of sorrow and self loathing for even thinking such a thing considering what these people went through.

It was silent in the train car. Terra, or whoever he is was unconscious, laying on the seat directly in front of us. Facing us.

I don't know what to think about that. Even if this guy was not the cause of this, and it was that Satyr, or whatever Twilight called it that did this, that didn't change the fact that previously he had an alien mind shoved into his skull that made him do things against his will, and if Twilight was to be believed, he was still fully aware of everything.

That can't be good for the psyche.

This Merchant character seemed to be some kind of entity that proposes Faustian bargains to whoever was willing to listen. Why I don't know. Hopefully I never find out.

I glance at Terra, who despite having that thing removed from his mind, still had a light white mist coming from his own body. In fact that same mist was clinging to him, like it was coming from him.

Twilight says that the mist is the only thing about him remotely similar to magic, even if it isn't magic as she understands it. Yet, Twilight says she cannot feel a magical core within him, only a strange hollowness. A void of something that was actively pushing magic away from him, rather than bending around him like it did with me. Twilight said that she could blunt force her way past it, but as soon as she stopped, any magic within him would fade and decay into the void.

I don't claim to understand what she means, but I'll take her word for it.

My eyes are drawn to Terra as he begins to stir. The light white mists become a cool blue as he looks around him. I watch as he looks around.
I only notice now that he has a different art style. A kind of strange water color or cel-shaded style. It's faint, but noticeable if you actually look at him. It made him look somewhat cartoon like, but not quite like Anonymous.

The mists change to a strange grey as he looks between Twilight and I several times.

"How are you feeling?", asks Twilight.

He slumps in his seat, eyes focused downward.

"Doesn't matter... Where are we going?"

"Canterlot."

He hums but says nothing.

I have to wonder if he even knows what the show is.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Sketch... Who are you?"

"I don't remember."

I sighed.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Doesn't matter."

This guy looked worse than any of us, like he was less than a shell of what he once was. I'm no good at dealing with people in this situation, but... Well I guess I can try.

"You know, I can only imagine how you feel, but right now you're wallowing in self pity, for something that was not your fault. Blame the Satyr turned wannabe Azazel thing that was living in your head."

"Azazel?", asked Twilight confused.

"Not important."

I had no time to explain the plot of the movie Fallen... maybe later.

Terra or whoever he was looked at me.

"I could have fought harder."

I don't like that mentality.

"You could be as strong as humanly possible, but you will never lift a whole house over your head. Some things are impossible, this might have been one of those times. You tried, just because you can't do it doesn't mean you were weak."

He hummed but otherwise didn't do much.

"I guess..."

Well, I tried.

The mist was a very faded blue at this point, but at least it was staying on the floor. I had to wonder about what it would do if it would still effect others... Can't really say for sure. I don't imagine Twilight would want to test it out.

"So Terra..."

Immediately the mist around him turned a bloody red. He glanced up to look into my eyes and immediately interrupted me.

"Don't call me that."

I blinked at that. Yeah, I can see why he might not want to be called that.

"Well what do you want to be called?"

He looked back down at the blood red mist as it turned back to blue.

"I don't care... Haze I guess."

Makes sense to me.

"Alright Haze it is. Now like I was going to ask you, how did you get into this situation in the first place?"

"I was at home... I was in an online College. I was doing work for it when I hear these whispers... Next thing I knew there was a voice in my head that was slowly taking me over.", he paused as he clamped his hand on his own head as if in pain.

"Took it over piece by piece, until I was stuck in my own mind. Then I was in a desert. I didn't know what was going on, then I got here and... Well it got strange after that."

He looked to Twilight at that said.

I wonder if he saw the show.

I watch as the blue mist starts to slow in it's movements, I could swear I see... Shapes in them. I really do wonder what this mist is. I think I saw a face in it. Not a human one either, or a pony one for that matter. It looked... like a caricature of a face really.

"Twilight, now that we aren't fighting for our life... What is this mist?"

Twilight Blinked as she looked to Haze, who was watching with a curious, if reserved gaze. Her horn started to glow, and she closed her eyes. I watched as lights flowed near the mists, pushing against it, sifting trough it, and observing it.

It flowed way from her magic. The strange action reminded me of water and oil. I could even hear a very low sound coming from the mist, one so low that I had to concentrate to make it out. It sounded like a moan.

Twilight flinched as her hoof went to her head. Her eyes closed tight as she massaged away what was presumably a headache. The mist turned yellow as this happened and Haze flinched.

The glowing of Twilight's horn ceased and she looked to Haze for a moment before turning back to the mist.

"I could only do a preliminary scan, with better equipment I could probably make a better observation... That said, from what I'm seeing the mist is...It's emotion... Raw emotion. It behaved like magic, but not magic as I know it. It's too... Solid. I can't describe it."

She turned to Haze. Watching as the yellow mists turned back to blue.

"Any idea where this mist came form?"

Haze shook his head. Twilight resumed speaking.

"I should have guessed as much, anyway near as I can tell, this seems to be a byproduct of your effect on our universe. Magic can effect you, unlike Sketch, but when it actually does... It doesn't really know what to do, so it does... Whatever this is." She motioned to the mist.

"Why I can only guess. The effect may be unique to humans from your universe, maybe it has weak magic, or something very similar, but if so, your universes magic is drastically different from Equestrian magics. To the point where the two coming together causes this confusion."

She shook her head.

"I can't know everything without a deeper look, but... I can tell the mist feels, or rather whatever Haze feels, so to does the mist. Maybe it's an extension of your emotional state, but that's just a hypothesis."

"Will it have the same effects as before?", asked Haze.

"That, I can't be sure of. We could test it... but."

She glanced at the mist before shaking her head.

"I get it.", said Haze.

I fiddled with the pen in my hand. Twirling it between my fingers as I looked from it to Haze.

"You know Haze... There was another human who came here. Called himself Anonymous, he was aware of this reality. How about you? Have you watched this place?"

Haze looked at me, glancing occasionally at Twilight. He seemed to be hesitant to say anything.

"A bit... You?"

I nodded. Twilight hummed as she put her hoof to her chin. I ignored it as I asked Haze my next question.

"I'm beginning to notice a pattern here. Humans seem to be varied. Tell me, do I look different to you than I should?"

Haze shrugged.

"You got this... Off look to you. can't really explain it. I can tell you're human, but I can tell you are different from me. Why do you ask?"

"Because to me... You look like a three dimensional painting using water colors and cel-shading."

Haze hummed as the mists around him turned an odd green color.

"This place isn't like I thought it should be."

"I know what you mean."

Haze said nothing as the Train moved ever onward.

So, how does one move a being who radiates a mist of emotion without having everyone effected. Well, it turns out it's a massive guard force of about a dozen or so ponies in golden armor escorting us through a vacated street.

They're all on edge, just outside of the mists influence, which now only is radiating about ten feet away from Haze himself before it simply fades into nothing. It's low to the ground, just below his knees. The color is yellow, a very sickly yellow, like pus.

The not faces appear from time to time.

Twilight is walking up front, saying something to the guards, I can't really hear what. I'm more than happy to stay in the back. Gives me time to do my favorite thing. Think.

Have you ever thought to yourself why something specific happened to you, I certainly did right about now. I mean, sure two other humans showed up here, but why was I included in this series of, to put it lightly, rather odd events.

I mean, the first guy Anonymous did some kind of ritual, how I don't know, and considering the sacrifice thing I defiantly don't want to know. Who could shatter probability and break magic, something that Twilight told me was impossible, at least how Anonymous did so was.

Haze of the other hand is here because a Half human pony hybrid decided to pull an Azazel and possess him like he was Linda Blair... well technically Regan MacNeil but that hardly seems important right now. He got to have a creepy mist follow him around that made anyone who got to close feel what he felt against their will.

Me on the other hand... I fell asleep after a long day and woke with the power of Buggs Bunny in the episode Duck Amuck where he was using animator powers to troll Daffy, and as a bonus I was effectivlely made of sentient Dip from Roger Rabbit making me a walking environmental hazard as far as the universe was concerned.

Do humans coming here just casually get super powers for no real reason? Because that seems stupid.

There is a reason for everything, well almost everything, there has yet to be a reason for existence to exist other than existence apparently having the capacity to exist, but I didn't count philosophical issues right now.

I know that just thinking about problems won't answer them without knowing more details, but at the moment, I was given conclusions, but nothing preceding them.

Humans can come to Equestria just because.

Humans get powers when in Equestria just because.

I'm currently in Equestria just because.

Seriously, can I please get some details here, something concrete, because this shit doesn't seem plausible now that I think about it.

What is going on anyway.

Is it alternate laws of physics or something else.

Maybe it's... No that can't be it...

What kind of sense would that make...

I can be in a fanfic... Can I...

You know now that I think about it...

ERROR

So, Haze was talking to Celestia and Luna... alone.

Twilight and I were out here in a very nice looking room waiting for them to finish up. At the moment, I'm leaning against a wall, noticing Twilight had this look on her face. Like she was thinking.

I take in a breath. Something... seems off. What was I thinking about... I remember something about details.

Wait, now I remember, Humans getting powers in Equestria.

You know, now that I think about it, doesn't seem all that odd considering the fact a unicorn turned alicorn is standing next to me.

Why was it bothering me before anyway, I mean, contradictory laws of physics and all that.

...You know, that seems like a cop out. Something you would see in bad fanfi....

ERROR

"Haze wishes to make up for what he did, I informed him was unnecessary, but he insisted. However, we wish to better understand his mist. We are only partly aware of it's effects. After he feels he has made up for something that I feel inclined to again remind him isn't his fault. He will return home.", said Celestia.

Well, at least he could return home...

When did she get here anyway? I can't seem to recall her entering the room.

I probably need to pay attention to my surroundings a bit more. Huh, reminds me of George Carlin's things we have in common routine. I'm a bit young for Alzheimer's disease, but still.

"If he's staying here for study, am I. I don't mind, Actually I wouldn't mind figuring out what's going on with me."
Celestia shook her head.

"Your immunity to magic makes tests difficult. You abilities, if it can really be called as such, is less... uncontrollable as Hazes.", said Celestia with a glance to Haze who was speaking to Luna off to the side. Still as morose as ever.

As for what Celestia said, well that's convenient... I think. Convenient for me. Seems rather contrived. But... I wasn't going to argue with it. Despite what I said, I kind of didn't want bunch of old guys... or in this case ponies to look t me like I was their equivalent of the Roswell Alien.

"Works for me."

Celestia gave me a look, one of disappointment. She looked between me and Twilight, who remained silent so far, a look of contemplation on her face.

"We need to talk about what happened in Dodge Junction. When I asked you for aid Sketch, a battle was not what I had in mind."

Yeah, when Celestia asked me for a favor, she asked me to investigate and if possible reverse it. Why me? Well two reasons, one I was effectively the most knowledgeable individual on humans, mostly because I was one. Two, apparently stopping Anonymous with Twilight made me the only person, other than Twilight herself, with any experience in this field.

Not that defeating Anonymous was any great feat, guy was kind of pathetic really.

"Shit happens.", I said with a shrug.

Celestia was not amused.

"I am aware of the situation and how it escalated the way it did. However, that apathetic attitude speaks little of you considering that many ponies are now... No longer with us."

Right, dead ponies. That did happen. You know, I really did feel bad about that, but not to any significant degree, I didn't know those ponies. It's hard to really feel strongly about something that happened to individuals you didn't know on any personal level.

Yes I realize that makes me sound like an absolute asshole, but then again, I think if people were honest with themselves, they didn't feel as strongly about someone they never met dying verses someone they had a connection, platonic or otherwise with.

If you believe otherwise, then you are either dishonest, or know everyone ever born ever on a level that was impossible. Considering this was only my second day here, I had no time to know any of these ponies. On a conscious level, I knew they were individuals with hopes and dreams and a life that was valuable, but on the subconscious level they were strangers I knew nothing about.

Yes it's fucked up, but that's just basic human psychology.

Not that I was going to say that out loud. No I put on a face of sadness that I did feel, but didn't feel as strongly as Celestia, looked to the ground as if I couldn't meet her eyes. And said the only thing I could think of.

"Sorry."

What else could I say.

I'm an anti-social asshole, but I also really do care how others think of me. We all tell lies, even to ourselves. It's not honest, but it's a great coping mechanism for the absurdity that is life.

I like to think that it doesn't make you a bad person, just normal. If you truly cared about everyone everywhere like you knew them your whole life, well then you must be in a state of emotional anguish every second of every day of every year considering how often people die. I prefer to be happy thank you very much.

Celestia nodded with soft smile.

"No need to apologize Sketch, I'm sure it was just a moment of thoughtlessness on your part, we aren't perfect after all. I think I may have overestimated your capabilities."

Thoughtlessness yes, but from my experience Humor is a knee jerk reaction, a way to cope with a simultaneously entertaining and fucked up world. It's a bit odd to have that mentality in an idealized paradise, sure Equestria had its problems, but not not the degree you would see back home, but well that's human personality for you, tends to be consistent no matter the situation.

I noticed Celestia had a look on her face, nothing bad, just what I assume is her collecting her thoughts.

"I am preparing various forms of aid to Dodge Junction, I do appreciate what you did there, but it needs more help to get back on it's hooves."

Celestia looked to Twilight, who still only seemed partly aware of what was going on around her.

"Twilight, are you okay?", asked Celestia with concern.

Twilight blinked rapidly before turning to her mentor.

"Sorry Princess, I was thinking. I'm fine, honest."

Celestia didn't seem convinced, and to be honest I wasn't either.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Humans...", said Twilight with a glance to Haze.

"...When I was trying to separate the... Satyr from Haze, I found out a few things I'm still trying to wrap my head around. I'll be fine, don't worry about me princess."

Twilight smiled. It seemed genuine, but there was something off about it. Like the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Celestia did have a worried look on her face, but she seemed to accept the answer.

"If you need to talk about it, I am here for you Twilight. You may be the Princess of Friendship, but even Princesses still have things to learn. Even me."

Twilight looked like she wanted to say something, her expression seemed more natural, but she said nothing before giving her mentor a small nod.

It was at this time Luna and Haze came back. I assume that she was explaining to Haze what he would be doing while here. Or ensuring him that the tests won't be too evasive. He still looked depressed, I got to say, I feel for the guy, but I never really understood people who blame themselves for things that was beyond their control. Oh I get it, especially in his situation, but I still don't fully understand it.

I believe in knowing your limits, I personally think that blaming yourself for something beyond that is one overestimating their limits. Maybe I'm wrong, but Philosophy is strange like that.

"Haze has been informed," Said Luna.

Celestia nodded before turning back to me and Twilight.

"You are welcome to stay in the castle for the night, if you wish. It is getting late."

I liked that idea, what can I say, it's a castle, I kind of always wanted to sleep in one.

I like this room. It's big, really big. With lots of stuff. It had a lot of shelves of books, enchanted bed made partly out of cloud (That I fell right through because magical immunity reasons), a writing desk, and my favorite a balcony. Very extravagant, but hey, I wasn't complaining... Except for maybe the bed. Which was being replaced.

When I fell through it, it started to turn black and drip ink.

You know, I'm a nerdy guy, and like all nerds, I had thought that having super powers were cool, personally I would go for electrokenisis, after all it's both a good power to fight, and had more mundane uses, like charging my phone just by holding it.

If you would ask my a few days ago if the ability to sweat a reality destroying solvent was a cool power, I would say... Yes, please give me this odd Lovecraftian like super power, sounds bitchin'. Now, well it was just damn inconvenient.

My clothes are stained with ink. Considering the shirt I'm wearing, I must look like a really Edgy Captain America, and I usually hate edgy. Too much brooding and angsty angst of angsting angstness.

So, I'm siting on a balcony, and doing my favorite past time. Fucking thinking, because what else am I going to do.

One is an event, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. In Two days, three humans, including myself have come to Equestria and seemingly by doing so gain strange abilities beyond our scope.

Apparently humans here are just strange.

"Someone looks deep in thought."

I blink as I turn my head to Discord, who is sitting on nothing at all with a smile on his face.

"You seem to be one of these individuals cursed with over thinking things to a ridiculous degree. You have that face on a lot now that I think about it."

I shrugged at the chaos spirit as I looked over Canterlot. Looked very nice from here actually.

"I'm a thinker. At least I fancy myself as one."

Discord barked a laugh.

"I'm sure the gift of reason was not wasted in your head. I'd even say based on what I seen it's a bit over taxed. You should give it a break. I do... Sometimes literally for the sake of my own personal entertainment. And I do so like messing with others."
"Yeah, I noticed when I watched you."

"Right, the trans-dimensional species of nerds and stalkers. Well, I suppose you must have taste if you watched to watch little old me, that speaks well of your sense of humor."

Discord pulled out a bar of gold, an proceeded to bite into it.

"You know, I was in my own pocket universe, that's a universe inside of another universe..."

"I know the concept."

Discord froze s he stared at me and three the bar of gold off to the side. His eyes narrowed and he just kind of stared at me like I said something very VERY stupid.

"...Did you just interrupt me?"

Okay, maybe interrupting the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony is a very bad idea.

"Sorry."

He narrowed his eyes for few minutes before crossing his arms.

"And you should be. Honestly the nerve, the absolute gall. How do you sleep at night! You should be ashamed of yourself."

"I said I was sorry."

"No no, I'm not finished. Now where was I... Ah yes, the arrogance, the absolute I have never seen such disrespect and audacity in my everlasting life. Why, if I could I would teach you a lesson by raining chocolate milk upon you, Chocolate milk in glass jugs. Maybe a concussion will learn you some manners... Okay, I'm done."

He nodded before looking at me. Then he did something odd and seemed to wait for something. I noticed his talon like claws were tapping at his side. Then he made a face as he turned back to me.

"Well, I was supposed to ask if you noticed the small cuts in time I observed while I was home, but... I find my mood and mind has changed, so I'll be leaving. Goodbye."

And like that Discord disappeared.

I was left wondering, what he meant by cuts in time, but I found that, while it rung a few bells in my head, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Strange."

I suppose that's just another thing to ponder for later, right now, it was getting late.

I couldn't help but wonder however what he meant by him being 'supposed' to tell me that.

As the morning sun rose, within a decent sized park within Ponyville, a large herd of young ponies played around the scattered playgrounds with each other. Each of their respective parents sitting down to speak among themselves n a variety of topics. It was a calm place, a place of peace.

Innocent games and idle chatter dominated the sounds as the pegasi above moved the clouds to their needed location. Not far outside of this park, past the gardens of assorted flowers, jungle gyms, and ponds lay a small grove, mostly hidden from view by a series of tall trees. There was a trail leading from the park to the grove, but at the moment, it was devoid of life.

Nopony saw the iridescent ribbons of existence itself weave together into a tall bipedal shape. Spacetime itself attempted to flee from this thing, but ever so slowly, it was forced towards this thing, forced to bring it into reality.

An ebony fire burned around the slowly shifting waves of existence, until it was literally burned into being.

The Omnipresent field of magic trembled as it was forced to love this abomination of Equestrian physics against whatever alien form of will magic actually possessed, unable to escape this thing that now stood tall within the grove. It opened it's eyes, and the world did swoon.

This boy, an unassuming human with boyish good looks, Dark black hair, and red eyes like burning coal. The tanned almost bronze tone of his skin shone with an eldritch light, not reflecting the sun away, but holding it onto his very skin.

He was well Groomed and impeccably dressed in all black attire, he took notice of the path before him as a smile crossed his face, showing straight and perfect teeth as white as pearls.

He smiled and observed a world that was quickly shifting blue from his perspective.

It was a look many a woman would find attractive, but to the universe itself this was a thing to be feared, for unlike the other errors in reality, this one was not avoiding magic, nor did magic skim it's being, no, the ever present field of magic bent into it's very being like some perverse singularity. He hummed as he took it's first steps in a new and familiar world.

Light to him turned a slight blur color and even seemed to brighten in it's presence, but in an unnatural way, almost like it was being pulled towards him. The trees were greener than they were before, and many things seemed to be bending in his direction as he entered the park.
The innocent civilians, who had believed this to be another day all looked to this new figure, who seemed to be bathed in a red presence, and when they laid their eyes upon him, their mouths stretched into a smile, and their pupils shifted, painfully so, yet they were unable to react to this in any meaningful way beyond a twitching eyelid. Their pupils, now resembling a heart, bled with crimson tears from the unwanted alteration of their body, dying their sclera a bright red as the tears of blood boiled away. Yet they did not scream, did not frown as their conscious minds were pushed back into their own subconsciousness, leaving behind a shadow aspect.

The boy smiled brilliantly as the ponies all moved towards him, many bowing as if he were royalty or a deity. He looked to the green mare with the lyre cutie mark and cupped her chin as he lifted it so they may look into each others eyes, the mare did shiver and shutter as he spoke with a musical, almost ethereal voice.

"My aren't you the beauty Miss Heartstrings. It takes my breath away. you may call me Noir Gate, tell me, would you have me?"
Against her will, Lyra Heartstrings did smile.

"Yes, a thousand times yes!", said Lyra, even as her heart screamed.

I woke as the sun rose across the sky much faster then I expected. when I opened my eyes it had just peak across the horizon, and by the time I stretched and rose from my seat it was already half way up, and still moving.

Celestial mechanics is weird like that in Equestria.

I look over Canterlot for a moment as ponies go about their business before noticing something very odd.

In the distance toward Ponyville, everything seemed to have acquired a slight red tint. It was hard to describe, and I almost could have mistaken it for the rays of the sun, but it seemed off. Like the space in and around Ponyville was just a bit redder than it should have been.

Actually, now that I was looking, the Ponies below weren't going about their business, they were all facing the direction of Ponyville, and walking towards it.

"The hell!"

I watched as an army of them were shuffling like mindless zombies over to Ponyville. I couldn't make out who was there, but I did see both Celestia and Luna flying with a team of Pegasi in that direction.

This was some zombie movie shit right here, and I have a feeling I know what caused this.

Another fucking human, and this one was going straight up Orwellian or something to that effect on the ponies.

I burst out the room and ran down the hallways. First thing I noticed, the whole damn castle is empty. No Celestia, No Luna, no guards or servants, not anyone.

I'm breathing really hard now as I run past everything, I need to get to Ponyville fast, and since I don't know how the fucking portals work, it looks like I'm walking.

It's during this run that I notice something, own one of the halls, I see grey mists billowing from under a door.

Looks like I may not be in this alone.

So I go to the door, find it locked, say fuck that and kick it open to find Haze sleeping comfortably on a rather nice bed. Well, he wasn't sleeping any more.

"Sketch... The fuck was that for?"

My hands are on my knees as I take deep breaths of air that I probably don't really need. The mist turns a slight red color as I look to Haze.

"Ponies heading towards Ponyville, like zombies or something. I think another human got here, one with mind controlling powers or something. The whole damn castle is empty."

The mists turn back to grey with a slight yellow tint as he gets onto his feet.

It's at this point I realize Haze sleeps in the nude.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST DUDE PUT SOME PANTS ON!"

"You broke down the door dumb ass."

No argument here, I run out the door and close it. Well not close it, apparently I in kicking it have destroyed the locking and closing mechanism beyond repair.

Today is not my day.

"Why is it red?"

"Don't ask me."

So here we are, walking towards Ponyville, watching the many MANY ponies that are all heading in the exact same direction.
I wonder if we sat on them to ride them into town if they would even notice. I did not voice my thoughts.

It's very odd seeing all the ponies with this look of bliss on their face as they march in a single direction. A closer look reveals that their pupils have altered their shape completely to resemble little hearts.

I swear if this is Anonymous back with even more inexplicable superpowers, I'm going to strangle him.

Haze looks around, his mists are flowing around him, but I don't see any effects on the ponies, other than a few having their faces twitch a bit unnatural.

"Do you... Do you think they will be alright?"

I looked at one pony who breathed in the sickly yellow mist make a face of fear for but a moment before it shifted back to normal.

"I don't think they are alright now, whatever your mists do can't be any worse."

At least I hope not.

The yellow of the mists did dim bit, but remained. I think yellow means fear. Makes sense to me, I think his nickname should be Sinestro, but I don't think he would appreciate that one. Plus the colors change.

You know, knowing what colors mean would be a good thing, if Yellow is Fear, Red seems to be anger and rage, based on what happened before, gray is apathy I think... I remember when he woke up the mist was a nice sky blue color, then it turned grey. I think it turned a deeper blue after we talked. Maybe blue is sadness or something.

I wish I had a mood ring, maybe I could slip one on him to figure all this shit out.

"Other than that mist, what else can you do?"

Haze glances to me and shrugs.

"I don't know."

Looks like trial and error is the way to go. I think he can control others, Terra seemed to be able to do that. Not on the same scale as what is happening now, but close enough.

"Try something."

"Like what, I can't exactly control my emotional state."

"I don't know, experiment. Try and see if you can do something. I mean I'm walking paint thinner. My pen can draw stuff into existence, you have to be able to do something other than make ponies feel things."

"Why? Why should I be able to do something else?"

"Because..."

Huh, I can't answer that. Not really. In fact... I don't know why I said that. Why did I say that?

"...I don't know."

Haze blinked before giving a small shrug. The mists turned a faded green. Maybe sadness and fear mixed, not sure.

...Why did I say that?

SO. MUCH. WALKING.

Seriously, it feels like HOURS upon HOURS has passed, but the sun hasn't moved an inch.

That cannot be good.

It's hard to tell how long time passes when the sun stays in the sky like it'd doing now. We even had to pack up and sleep in an abandoned house off the side of the road, and when we woke up, the sun was still in the same damn spot.

Seriously, this is not good.

You think eternal night is bad, imagine eternal day.

Anyway, we make it about a mile outside of town, and the sky just... Well it changed colors. Where before it was red, now it's blue... But only behind us, in front of us it's still red.

It happened slowly, only just now can I see the weird ass blue tint to the world behind, not just the sky, EVERYTHING is blue behind us, it even looks faded. Yet the world in the opposite direction is red. I can't really tell where the line between the two is, but it still looks strange.

Why are all these ponies heading to the same location?

Haze scratches his head as he looks around.

"It's not like my mist. It's like the world is lit up by a red light... What is this anyway?"

I could only shrug.

Fuck if I know what's going on around here. We move closer.

Everything behind us is also much brighter, and lights once to dim to see were now HIGHLY visible, and brighter than they can be.
As we moved closer to the town, things got strange.

Everything seemed to get smaller behind us and contract as we got closer and closer. It seems to grow strangely. Half of our view, was Ponyville, everything else seemed to be... Leaving for lack of a better word.

I was reminded of that scene from 2001 when that guy who shuts down HAL goes through that LSD nightmare towards the end.

Then... Everything not Ponyville just... Stopped existing.

Everything red, everything that was not Ponyville just... Contracted to a single red point. And ceased to be.

Everything was Ponyville. I can look behind myself, towards where Canterlot should be, but I can only see Ponyville. I look up, and there is Ponyville. All around us, and in every direction is Ponyville. Every direction points to Ponyville.

No way out, every direction lead to Ponyville, every single one. Up, down, left, right, and all around us.

Haze and I can only look around us, and see infinite Ponyville, all around us, everywhere.

There was no more sun, no light source of any kind, and yet... I could see everything just fine. Blue was gone, replaced only with black, but we Could still SEE everything.

So, I did the logical thing...and just freaked right the fuck out and went stark raving mad.

"Oh Shit! Oh Shit! Oh Shit!..."

Haze looked all around, every direction was Ponyville, every single one, and we found ourselves lost in a space where everywhere lead to our destination.

"What the hell is going on?"

Haze said that. His mists was a very VERY Bright yellow, and the not-faces looked like they were fucking terrifyed. They had every right to be.
Taking a few deep breaths, I tried my best to calm myself... But couldn't.

Because I think I know what just happened.

"I think... Ponyville is some kind of Black Hole... And we just crossed the Event Horizon."

Redshift... Fucking Redshift, that's why everything was red. The Gravitational forces were making light moving away from us red, and light moving towards us blue.

Granted this isn't 100% how a Black Hole is supposed to work, but it has all the signs of one. Space behind us squeezing to a point before vanishing, that was us crossing the Event Horizon. Meaning that somewhere in this town was the singularity... And I had a feeling that the Singularity was the human here...

After that freak out, We found that all the ponies were crowded, damn near packed like sardines together in the center of town. They left no room to move without stepping on them.

All of them were smiling unnaturally, staring at the same direction. At the only space where there was any room.

I saw him.

He was walking in a circle, watching the ponies around him with a smile on his face as he watched the ponies damn near worshiping him... And he looked pleased.

He had a unique art style to him.

Photo-realistic, I almost could say he looked as real as I did, but there was this strange emphasis on darker colors. Kind of like a charcoal drawing really. As he walked around however, things changed. Lights would dim or brighten around him based on his position, but... There weren't any lights. So what was it?

"What do we do?"

I turn to Haze, then back to the guy who seems content just having ponies watch him and smile at him.

It's like he was a figurative black hole turned literal.

His gravity is so great it's bending everyone attention towards him. Apparently spacetime itself was along for the ride.

"Oh Noir!", swooned every single pony at the same time.

"His name is Noir... he better refer to every female as Dame or Doll, because otherwise that is pants on head retarded."

"Sketch?"

The minute I saw that look I knew we were in trouble. Haze was looking at me with this fearful look sketched on his face. Yellow mist clinging to him like freshly exhaled cigarette smoke.

Fear. Always fear.

My blood ran cold in my veins. Cold as the frozen tundra of the Crystal Empire in the winter. Cold as a dames heart right before she puts the knife to your back.

I knew he expected me to have some idea, some grand plan that could put some light to this darkness. I'd hate to tell him I had none, we were up shit creek without a paddle. Drawn into a conflict that was beyond our scope. Here we were, being sucked into a downward spiral from which we couldn't escape.

Maybe we had a shot, but in the hustle and bustle of this mess, I doubted it. Really lit a fire under my ass something fierce. Much like dodge Junction did, only here, the stakes were higher.

I popped my collar up against the wind and looked down the street.

Ponyville was a hole, but it was my hole. As long as she would have me, hopefully not for long when I made my way home....

Okay enough of the Noir shit.

"I got nothing."

"You said he's like a Black Hole... How do you destroy a Black Hole."

I know he's scared, being forced into a situation he did not want to be in, but really, I had to say something snarky to that question. If only to cope wit the situation.

"Do you really think we can destroy an object millions of times heavier than our planet which is held together by a gravitational pull so powerful that even light can't escape it? That said, this is a guy with characteristics of a Black Hole, that doesn't mean he is one. Just... like one... I think."

I really have no idea whats going on. I'm literally just making this up as I go along.

I like knowing shit, and maybe I'm wrong. No I know I'm wrong, but at least if I bullshit an explanation I'll feel better. I'll revise it after this crap is over and done with.

"Just scratch everything I said from your mind, because I know absolutely jack and shit about what's going on right now."

Haze glared at me.

"That is really helpful."

Well fuck you to.

Looking back at the worship going on as I drink in the situation.

I gotta be honest, I'm trying to keep my cool, but I find myself getting distracted by stuff that... Why am I so distracted when I try to think about what's going on?

I swear it's like something is fucking with my mind as I think things... Is that happening.

I shake my head in an attempt to clear it... Wait... What is that...

It sounds like.... Typing.... The hell!

My eyes shoot open as I look around at Haze whose still looking at me with a concerned gaze. His mist is green.

"Sketch... Are you okay?"

No I really wasn't.

I know something is wrong here. Something that is there, just behind the scenes doing. I don't feel in control of myself. I feel like a puppet on strings...

"I can smell cigarette smoke... For real this time, but... I can't tell where it's coming from."

Holy Shit what is that... I can smell cigarette smoke... For real this time, but... I can't tell where it's coming from... What is that voice... It sounds like... Discord.

"I'm sorry. I'm just as much a slave to it as you. I can't do anything... And in a moment neither you or I will remember any of it. I'm sorry."

WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO ME! OH GOD I THINK I"M A....

ERROR

"Maybe we can get behind him and take him out.", said Haze.

I shook my head.

"No, we can't even get to him with all these ponies packed together like this."

I couldn't see any way to get through to this mess of worshiping ponies looking at this human turned sentient Black Hole...

Wait... didn't I earlier denounce him being a Black Hole... I think I did... Okay this is weird. I think...

"Sketch?"

I blink rapidly as I look over to Haze.

His mist is green.

"Sorry... I was thinking."

"Well..."

I sighed. This really was a situation I wasn't fully prepared for.

If only there was some way to free the... Holy shit I think I've got it.

"Haze... I think I have an idea."

Haze blinked as he focused all his attention onto me. I take a deep breath.

"I just need you to get close as you can to the princesses, and when your mist covers them, get as angry as you can."

He gave me this look, before nodding.

"What about you, What are you going to do?"

I took out my pen.

"I'm going to draw up a distraction."

BACK ON TRACK.