"Yes, yes, what is it? Mr. Skepter?" I said, walking through an unkempt and moldy frame where a door once stood.
Arc Skepter was a sort of, "roommate" of mine. He lived in this mansion with my parents before they died and was to be our "Entertainer" and "Family Scientist" at the same time. I never understood what the point was of that second profession, but I guess it was so that we would benefit from anything if he were to make a great discovery or invention.
When I was younger, my friends and I would watch as he performed amazing stage tricks. I looked back one time and saw my mother and father smiling, knowing they had the right pony to watch after me when they were gone. I know Arc was one of the reasons why one of my unicorn friends started to study magic. Though that pony is a free loader I know up to today
Now that I've grown up, Arc, now a ragged old stallion, stays in his study all day and performs these strange experiments. One time, there was a large implosion, which explains the missing door of his room. He never replaced it, and the brass hinges that were still left on the frame were becoming rusty and green.
"Ah, Mr. Echo, it is good to see you, friend." he said. Arc Skepter still lives with us out of respect of my late parents' wishes. He doesn’t accept payment anymore, he only desires that we sustain him for both his needs and his experiments. My parent's vast wealth helps pay both that and the rent for the mansion. Even though it would last long after the end of my days, I sacked all the servants, not that I wish to elongate the amount that would last, but that because I can take care of myself. There was one exception, the only pony that still works for me is the grocery shopper. That's about the only job I don't do myself, because it involves going outside and meeting... other ponies....
It's not the fact that I don't like meeting them... it's that I didn't like other ponies. Excluding the ones I'm already acquainted to, the ones I met when I was young colt, I’m not that much of a “ponies’ pony.” I think mostly the only reason why anypony would like to share a friendly bond is to have access to my wealth, so I push them away. I only trust my current friends.
"Hello. You called?" I replied. Arc lent out his right forehoof to me, and I promptly shook it.
"Ahh yes, Mr. Echo, I do believe after years in the making, I finally have something that would shake the roots of reality!" said Arc excitedly. “Huh? That sounds a lot like-”
"Teleportation!" exclaimed the old stallion with fervent energy..
It was quite astonishing. Teleportation? Really? Unicorns like me could finally get around faster!
"Are you serious? You created a spell that Unicorns may use to transport?” I said, amazed. Arc turned and looked at me with one eye that sparkled as he explained: "I won't bother explaining the details to you on how it works. But it does involve a little risk."
"Risk?... what kind of risk?" I said concerned, with a growing anxiety
"As I tested this spell on inanimate objects, I find pieces of them missing." Arc said, as he turned his head over to his desk, which was covered in random everyday objects and kitchen appliances. Huh, so that's where the toaster went. Each of them, from the left had enormous sphere-like holes where parts of them were missing. As the line of objects progressed to the right, they started to become more whole and intact.
“Ah, yes. I’ve been refining the spell for quite some time. I’ve lined these up as a record of my progress, I apologize for the acquisition of some of your property… if it compensates for anything, they were used for the good of all ponies.” said Arc proudly, with some nonchalant chime hiding his guilt. He picked up a fine wine glass, which sat at the end of the row. “I’ve tested things that were fragile more often than not in the later versions, and they seem to always stay together. So I have complete confidence, with little doubt, that I can now test this onto a pony, that’s why I called you over.”
“Well must it be a pony? You couldn’t have experimented this on a lab rat or something similar?” I replied, with some inquiry into his questionable ethics.
“Touché, my friend, but; rats are hard to find, same goes for any little critter. And the only place that I know of that is nearby where there are tamed animals is this caretaker’s cottage, which seems to be somewhat like a massive animal home. But when I approached her home, she flew inside and locked the door, she didn’t answer when I asked for her, and I think I heard soft shivering and crying behind it...”
“And, you’re afraid of doing this on yourself?” I said cynically, eyes rolling.
I failed to see the reason why he couldn’t do it on himself, but I guess, if I helped him test the next greatest phenomena, I would get my name mentioned.
“Well, I- uh… Well, if something were to happen to me, I there wouldn’t be anypony… to… uh…” Arc pauses for a moment to think, “Well I wouldn’t have called you here, and if I turned up dead or missing, nopony would know why.”
“Well… I know now?” I retorted with frustration, “You should be telling another pony if you’re doing something dangerous like this!”
Arc came closer, facing parallel to me but in the opposite direction, talking into my ear, “Look. I think a pony might have stolen some of my research, specifically this spell. For a few nights now, I could have sworn that I heard writing from my desk. But when I get up from bed to look, there’s not a sign of anypony but me being there.” Arc said with concern in a worried voice, “It might be my old age, but I know what I heard. I think someone has been spying on me, and has taken an interest in my work and wants to claim it as their own.”
I wouldn’t doubt his instincts really, but, to think somepony would actually know about this? I mean, he acts like a lunatic sometimes, despite his formal attitude at a majority, it’s hard to believe somepony from say, out in the street would be constantly looking into his Study’s window with wonder of what he’s doing.
“So, now that you’ve finished revising the spell that it’s almost ready for publication, you think that some random pony from somewhere who, somehow found out about your work, wants to try and claim your work as their own?” I said, attempting to place his reasons into words.
“Yes… that’s what I believe. Which is why I think we should do this test in a covert manner.” upon saying this, he closed the blinds and pulled in the curtains. “If anyone was watching and they saw this a success, there would only be one place they would go next.”
“Arc Skepter, I respect you as an individual, and as a live-in scientist, but, what you’re saying is ludicrous.” I said, in a firm tone, “Why would anypony do that? I am going to help regardless, but the reason isn’t because of your ridiculous paranoia.”
His ears flopped down to their sides as he looked away dejected, “Thank you anyways.”
I sigh, and say, “Alright, let’s do this… Let me get my bags off.”
As I begin to levitate the bags off, Arc looks back to me, and interrupts, “No need, an extra for the research is that if your saddlebags teleport with you, it would help knowing that anything that’s touching the pony transiting will come along with the teleport.” said Arc, They were only up a few inches, so I just let the bags fall onto my back, “Let’s begin. This spell doesn’t take long to cast, but requires intense concentration of the destination. For this, I’ll just transport you a few feet, say next to my bed over yonder.” He says as he points to the end of the Study.
He closes his eyes and tilts his head down, pointing his horn toward me. As it started to glow, I began to have thoughts of possible side-effects. Concerned for my health, I say “So, will this be painful in any way?”
“No… no… Well, I don’t know. It shouldn’t. Unless you count the force of you being thrown into the borderworld and back, then... nah…”
“Wait… borderworld?-” I say, before I was cut off.
With a flash of violet light, my head was overcome with a painful migraine. It was extremely overwhelming and then everything faded to black.”
…
I felt like I was starting to regain my consciousness, I felt like I was falling, hearing otherworldly noises reverberating all around. When I opened my eyes, I saw I wasn’t wrong with my assumptions.
Roaring wind was the only thing I could hear. Everything around was spinning, glowing purple. The direction I fell seemed to have a bright light at the end. When I looked back the way I came from, it also had the same brightness to it, like I was in... was in, some sort of vertical tunnel.
I had no control of my body, I just seemed to fall, I couldn’t even get myself to slow down into a wide shape to catch the wind. I continued to fall as the end of the white tunnel gradually grew larger and larger. The light at the end just seemed to grab me, and pull me in, as I was overtaken by my migraine once again and then, everything went dark.
I think I screamed.
…
The sound… pitter-pitter-pitter ...of Rain?...
*PAT*
Something wet hit the end of my muzzle, splashing whatever it was onto my eyelids, making me move my forehooves to rub them.
My hair was wet and in the way, I parted them and opened my eyes.
It was lightly raining, some dark clouds overhead, but the sun was still visible on the horizon as the cloudy blanket did not cover it. I was laying on some grass outside of a large building. When I looked up, I identified as my own mansion.
“Great… How long have I been out?” I say to myself, looking over at the sun in the distance, it was setting, “Looks like I missed my friend’s meeting.” I stood up on the damp grass, shaking my head like a dog to get the wet mud and rain out of my hair. My saddlebags were still on my back, damp and dirty where they met the ground.
“I must have been unconscious for quite some time, it’s the only reason my bags and bottom coat would be this damp and dirty…” I looked up at the mansion, I was outside of the room where Arc’s study would be.
“Did he knock me out and then throw me out the window?” I was trying to put my hoof on what happened. Remembering what happened before I was out here. “I had a really big headache, and then I blacked out… When I came to, I was… falling? After that, the same thing happened, a migraine, and blackness. Now I’m here, right outside of Arc’s study.” I move toward the bottom of the stairs that led up to the mansion. “I swear, if this is some kind of prank, it isn’t funny.”
As I made my way up the wooden steps, I noticed an odd creaking sound, as if the wood was old and rotten after a long time. “Weird, I guess I’m going to need to hire somepony to replace that, soon enough.” As I reached the top, all the lights were out, and some of the windows were open.
That’s when a growing fear emerged in the back of my head. “P-perhaps Arc went out and left the windows open on accident…” Though, even I knew that was a ridiculous assumption. As I stepped up to the door, I noticed that the door handle was absent. It was a pure golden handle in the shape of a hoof. It seems like somepony else had taken a liking to it and “acquired” it for themselves… That’s only what I could assume.
With the handle missing, I simply pushed open the door. Instead of swinging open on a hinge, it simply fell over where it stood with a loud *THUD*. The hinges were missing. Dust kicked up from the impact of the door onto the wooden floor as, evening sunlight entered the foyer and laid itself out on the door and into the dark and musty room.
I took a cautious step into the mansion, ears drooping down to the side. I dreaded what had transpired while I was out. “Hopefully the power is still on, I have to find that light switch…” I continued to walk around in the darkness until I came up to where I thought the light switch was. Feeling the wall, I edged up onto an indent that had a flat switch on it. “Found you.” I said, with a hopeful tone, pushing on the end sticking out, it clicked, and moved the other side up, but nothing happened. “Figures...” I muttered, disappointed.
I casted a spell that generated light from my horn and I looked around. The place was completely deserted. Empty. The wallpaper was ripped off, even some of the floorboards were torn up. I couldn’t believe it...
I don’t know what it was; a burning curiosity, or deep concern, but I was drawn to Arc Skepter’s study. I think the reason was because his room might have the answer to this mystery. The faint light of my horn revealing a tall wooden door made of dark oak; rotten and old like the rest of the house. “When did he ever get a door?” This was all rather confusing and a bit concerning for me. I know Arc too well, he would never do anything that wouldn’t help his research. While a door was rather a concern for privacy, he himself would find it trivial to actually replace it. It was just the way he was.
I turned the knob and opened the door, and found it was not too far different from the current condition of the house; some of the larger pieces remained in the room. Those being Arc’s desk, bed, and some of the equipment for his tests.
I moved toward his desk since it was the closest thing to the door. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, there was a note on top of the desk, covered in dust as well, an old, damp, piece of paper, that strangely had circles of dust absent from the surface. A drop of rain fell on the paper from above. I looked up and saw that the ceiling was leaking. “I guess that explains that.”
Taking a deep breath, I blew on the desk, the clouds of dust flying into the air, some of it landing onto my nose. I gagged as I rubbed my hoof on my muzzle, trying to sweep it off.
With the faint, faded writing on the note now visible, I read it aloud to myself; “Finish packing and move what you need into the moving cart. They will be waiting for you at the new estate.”
“New estate?” I questioned. Something was off about the note. I looked at it closer, it seemed to be in my own writing. But, I don’t recall ever writing a note like this, nor did I remember moving to a new house.
In the black, dusty trash bin next to the desk, there was a single crumpled page lying at the bottom. I picked it up using magic and read the writing on it: “South Ponyville Exit, 10 miles, right on the road by a lake. There will be a sign telling you when to turn into the lake road, the estate will be at the end.” My writing again.
10 miles? That will be a long walk, good thing Arc said to keep my bags with me. It’s time to get to the bottom of this.