Fragmentsby ShadowDuskChaptersChapter One - Separate WorldsChapter Two - Somewhere ElseChapter Three - Eyes in the Sky, Eyes in the DarkChapter One - Separate WorldsChapter One Separate Worlds James slowly walked along the small dirt path going up the mountain, taking his time to enjoy the Colorado scenery. A cool breeze blew against his face. Most of the trees had dropped their load of leaves, and winter was approaching fast. James was an average teen, with a messy mat of copper-brown hair and hazel eyes. As he paused to drink from his canteen, he looked back, almost able to see Colorado Springs. He had lived just outside Colorado Springs all his life, on a horse ranch his parents owned. From the time he began working on the ranch, James gained a love for horses, becoming exceptionally good at drawing them as well as caring for them. For his seventh birthday, his parents gave him a black leather-bound sketchbook. The leather had even been wrinkled on the front to form a running stallion. James closed up his canteen, glancing at the sketchbook he carried. He continued up the trail, remembering all the birthdays he had when his parents brought him to the mountain. It was his favorite spot, and its glorious views always made him happy to come there. At least it had until after his fifteenth birthday. James and his parents had been on the way home from the mountain. They were going through an intersection when a drunk driver in a Ford F150 came out of nowhere and blindsided them at full speed. Their little Subaru Outback was hit so hard it rolled over three times. When James awoke in the hospital a day later, the doctor had approached him with a pained look on his face. James knew something was wrong, but wasn’t prepared for the news of both his parents’ deaths. With his grandparents not physically or mentally stable enough to care for James, there was some worry about whom James would live with. When they finally released him a week later, he was sent to live with his Aunt Leslie, who also lived in Colorado Springs. Aunt Leslie did her best to make James happy, but had no actual experience in having children. James knew this, and eventually both reached a sort of mutual relationship. On his 16th birthday, Leslie even took James to the mountain spot, where both put a small memorial for his parents. He had visited it every so often when he wasn’t busy with school, and would always come on his birthday. James stopped walking, having reached the entrance to a clearing. Straight ahead, at the base of an old pine, was the small cross James and Leslie had placed. Some scraggly vines had begun to grow from its base, snaking up the sides like green veins. James walked over to the cross, and, crouching down, placed his hand on it. A cool wind blew in from the north, making fallen leaves dance about. James watched them, when something odd caught his eye. Walking out of the clearing some seven feet, he found a rusted metal spike sticking partway out of the ground, facing opposite of the clearing. Out of sheer curiosity, James grabbed onto of the rusty metal and pulled. When it wouldn’t budge, James didn’t give up. Digging his heels into the dirt, he gave another pull. Being well built from working on the ranch, the metal spike shot out of the ground, with James flying backwards. He tripped over a fallen tree branch, but instead of hitting the ground, he fell through the ground and continued falling, plunging into darkness. When he awoke, James found himself lying in dirt. A shaft of light was coming from the top of the hole, which was a good fifteen feet up. James sat up, noticing some wooden boards lying next to him. He looked up at the hole, then at the hole’s sides. They were covered with loose dirt and wouldn’t hold his body weight. He wished he had brought his phone to call for help, but he left it at home to charge. Waiting for someone to find him would take forever, and James couldn’t wait that long. He would have to get out on his own. James looked around as his eyes adjusted, seeing a tunnel that went off into darkness, along with small rail tracks that went along the ground into the tunnel. James bent down and picked up the object he had pulled out from the ground: an old, rusty, mining pick axe. He began noticing other various pieces of equipment: lanterns, helmets, picks, buckets, shovels, crates, and so on. It was obvious this was an old mine, abandoned by the mining company. But why would they have left all their belongings, their tools? A sharp pain from his head brought James’ hand to his forehead. Looking at his hand, he found blood on it. Trying to stay calm, he looked around until he found an old, oily rag lying amongst the scattered equipment. He wrapped it around his head, hoping he could at least slow the bleeding. Focusing on getting out again, James picked up one lantern, hearing oil swish around inside. Grabbing a box of matches, James started a match and managed to light the old lamp. If this was a mine, there would likely be another exit in case of a cave in. With this thought in his mind, James grabbed his sketchbook, and, holding the lamp in front of him, proceeded into the darkness. After what felt like hours of walking, James reached a larger area of the tunnel with more pieces of equipment lying about. It was as if something had made the miners drop everything and leave, but James couldn’t think of what could have been the cause. He sat down on a wooden crate, taking a rest from walking. He snuffed the flame in the lamp to save fuel, since he didn’t know how far the tunnel led. He was plunged into darkness again, but only for a moment. For out of the black shadows came another light, one that was very pale. To James’ amazement, out from around the corner floated a glowing orb of light, bobbing up and down. James couldn’t believe what he saw. He stared at the orb, and the orb floated in its place, like it was waiting for him to do something. After a minute, James got up and slowly walked over to the light. As he got closer, the air began to feel warm and dry, not cold and damp like the rest of the tunnel. He stopped about a foot from the orb, which hadn’t moved from its spot. In natural instinct, he hesitantly reached out to touch the ball of light. The light was warm, almost soothing. The light and warmth increased, blinding James to the point he covered his eyes. James’ last thought was an overcoming feeling of relaxation. Meanwhile, in Equestria... “Come on, Spike! We’re going to be late!” Spike’s eyes fluttered awake, his mind still half asleep. He looked around at the book-filled shelves, lazily looking for the voice that had woken him. Suddenly, a purple unicorn burst into the room, making the little purple and green dragon jump out of his bed. “Spike, what are you doing? You don’t want to be late for Pinkie Pie’s party, do you?” asked the unicorn. Her horn glowed as she used her magic to lift Spike onto her back. “I’d never miss one of Pinkie’s parties, Twilight!” remarked the dragon. “Umm...what is it she’s celebrating again?” “It’s her alligator Gummy’s second birthday, and she wanted us to come like last time,” replied Twilight as she trotted down the library stairs. “She said so in the written invitation she sent.” She used her magic to show Spike the colorful, festive card Derpy the mailmare had given her that morning. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Spike happily replied. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late!” Twilight rolled her eyes as they walked out the door. Using her magic to close the door, Twilight and Spike made their way through Ponyville, heading towards Sugarcube Corner. As they got up to the building's front steps, Twilight's horn began to glow furiously. "Twilight, what are you doing?" Spike asked, worried by the horn's intense glow. "I'm not doing it, Spike! It's reacting to something powerful, like with Dash's Sonic Rainboom," Twilight replied, also somewhat worried. She could feel magic coursing through her body as she struggled to keep control. I thought I was past all of this! Twilight thought. Suddenly, as quickly as it started, her horn stopped glowing. Twilight sighed in relief, but deep down she was still concerned. She would have to write to Princess Celestia about this. What could've been so powerful for her magic to flare like that? Twilight's thoughts were interrupted as a pink mare with a poofy pink mane opened the door. "Hiya, Twilight!" said the mare, smiling widely. "You're just in time! We thought you would be late but I knew you were gonna show up on time 'cause we all know you hate being late!" "I would never be late for Gummy's birthday, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight replied with a smile. She trotted inside, putting aside what had happened for later. It was a party, and not even a random flare of magic would keep her from enjoying a good time with friends. Chapter Two - Somewhere ElseChapter Two Somewhere Else James awoke to find himself lying on a cold stone floor. He sat up, trying to comprehend what had happened. He had reached to touch the orb, but suddenly his body just completely shut down. Feeling around, he found the lantern that he had been carrying. He pulled out the box of matches he found earlier, and managed to get the lamp glowing again. Once he had light, James got a good look around. He was no longer in the mining tunnel, but instead in a small cavern. There was only one exit, which was a doorway cut into the rock that appeared to follow a dark hallway. James became confused; he had been in a mining tunnel with dirt on the ground, and now he was in a cavern. How had he gotten from there to here? It made no sense. After not seeing any other way out, James walked down the shadowy hall, the lamp lighting his way. After only a few minutes, James finally came to a larger area with a stone staircase leading down to another section of the cavern. Around the corner at the stair’s base, there was light shining. “Yes!” James said aloud, relieved that he was finally able to get out. He rushed down the stairs in excitement, though he made sure he didn’t drop the lantern. He got down the stairs and turned the corner, but his heart quickly sank. Instead of seeing the sun, he saw rows upon rows of gleaming, multicolored gems. They looked like people standing at pews in a church. Among the gems was a particularly tall gem spike that gave a red glow. But the light from the beautiful crystals showed a scene of horror upon the cavern floor. Three men were laying about the ground, each one preserved from decomposition by the cave’s lack of weather. There were dark splotches that stained the floor; James knew they were from blood. Each body was wearing typical miner’s working clothes. One body lay thrown upon a wall made of large, piled rocks. A pickaxe, stained dark, was embedded in his back. A second body sat in a corner opposite of the first corpse, his arms wrapped around his knees and his head in his arms. The third and final body sat against the farther cave wall, facing the crystals. His legs stuck straight out, and his arms were folded across a journal. His head was leaned back, showing his dark, eyeless sockets. James stood there, viewing the whole scene. A single question ran through his mind: What happened? James looked at the third miner with the journal. Perhaps he had written something in it that would explain what had gone on. James crouched down next to the mummified corpse, slowly reaching to take the old journal. He grabbed and pulled gently, but the miner literally had a death grip on the book. James cringed as a few fingers snapped off, clattering to the floor. Standing up, James flipped through the yellowed pages, which were mostly filled with daily logs of mining process. He kept flipping until he found a page of text that was scrawled with a shaky hand: the third miner’s final entry. It has been a week since the orb brought us here. In the past three days, everyone died. Everyone except me. Joe was the first, being as old as he was. The stress of our doom had been too much for his old heart. A day later was when we began to get hungry. We gave in to the hunger and soon disposed of Joe’s body. It was horrible and vile, but what were we to do? We still thought we could be saved. We were wrong. As we put Joe’s bones in a corner of the cave, Grindel snapped, not able to take it anymore. He began screaming for help, pulling at the walls. He clawed and scratched, even as his fingers became stained crimson. The sounds were unbearable. So unbearable, that Patrick, Grindel’s brother, killed him with his own pickaxe. I knew it was an act of mercy, a way to end Grindel’s suffering, but Patrick was distraught. He even cried himself to sleep. When I woke this morning, I found he had died in his sleep, peacefully. Now I am alone, with only the wonderful light from these gems to comfort me. But even that is not much comfort. I wrote this in hopes to explain what happened if we are ever found. But if you have been brought here by that damned orb, all is lost for you. There is no way out of here. The rock pile cannot be moved or broken. There is no other exit in the first room. Pray you die peacefully, and not in the madness that consumed Grindel. May God have mercy on your soul. Jeremiah Adams When James finished the letter, he threw the journal away in an anger. All of that walking only to die here, alone, just like Jeremiah! James buried his face in his hands, not knowing what else to do. This was going to be his tomb. Nobody would ever find him. “Click-clank!” James looked up, startled by the oddly mechanical noise. He saw that the journal he threw had hit the tall red crystal, and the crystal, in turn, had tilted to the left. There was a cracking sound, and James turned to see a small square of ground by the rock wall crumble and fall away. From the hole rose a three-legged stone stand, designed to look like a gnarled tree. Nested in the stone tree’s branches was a large, beautiful white stone. It was perfectly spherical, and appeared to be well polished. The stone gave off some light of its own, as if there were a sort of power hidden inside. James walked over to the stone ball, wondering why a hidden crystal lever would access this strange object. On closer inspection, he saw something that was inscribed in the stone trunk. Liberos esse sicut avis, loco manum tuam super lapidem, et dices notoria verbum. He immediately recognized the language as simple Latin. It had been the easiest language he learned in high school, so translating the message was easy. It read: To be free as a bird, place your hand on the stone, and say the magic word. James thought about the phrase, a bit surprised that the translation rhymed. Thinking about "the magic word"...well, there was only one, really. Placing his hand on the stone, he said in a loud voice “Please!” When nothing happened, he thought about the message again. It was clearly Latin, so why hadn't it worked? What if “please” wasn’t the word? James began to worry he would never make it out of this cave. Suddenly, James had a thought. Wouldn’t the person who wrote the message in Latin intend for the answer to also be in Latin? James, realizing his mistake, chuckled half-heartedly. I really shouldn’t scare myself like that... James thought as he put his hand on the stone again. With confidence, he said “Praesent!” in a loud voice. The cave began to tremble, and there was a rumbling from the rock wall. Rocks began to fall away, allowing beams of sunlight to shine inwards. As the light hit his face, James covered his eyes. Being in the cave for so long meant instant sunlight would hurt his eyes. He slowly uncovered his eyes, allowing his vision to adjust. He was happy to see that he was back in the forest, but quickly realized this wasn’t the forest on the mountain he had left. The trees were gnarly, their branches twisted and jagged, reaching out like hands. The forest, in general, looked sinister, as if waiting for any unsure traveler to enter and never escape. But James didn’t care; he was free from the cave. He went into the cave again, however, to gather supplies from the dead miners. Though he felt bad about desecrating the deceased, James needed anything he could use until he found the nearest town. While searching the last miner, Jeremiah, James found a small yet heavy bag. Inside, to his amazement, was a gold nugget. Hoping it might be useful later, James put the small bag into his pocket. As he began to head out, he looked back at the glowing stone. At just a spoken word, it opened an impenetrable rock wall. Something like that had to be important. James felt the stone, checking to see if it was attached at all. When he found it wasn’t, he lifted it from the stone tree’s branches. The cave began to tremble again, but this time the ceiling was falling apart. Still carrying the white stone, James ran out of the cavern just as the whole place collapsed, burying the miners and the rows of gems. James stood there, partially mad at his thought of taking the stone in the first place. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the clouds were turning purple as the sky first went orange, then became darker. Night was falling, and James had no shelter. He didn’t know the area, but he figured it was safest by the cave. Making himself as comfortable as possible on the ground, James lay down, trying to go to sleep. Strange noises from unseen creatures could be heard every now and then, keeping James awake. Finally, after an hour of lying awake, James fell asleep, moonlight shining down upon him. James awoke the next morning to the smell of...eggs? James sat up to find a man in a cowboy and a western-style duster jacket and jeans crouched down by a little fire, just 5 feet away from James. He glanced up from the eggs cooking on the hot stone, looking over to James. “Well, good mornin’ sleepin’ beauty,” he said with a thick Texas/country accent. “How are yah feelin’? Name’s Sam, by the way.” James then noticed the old rag he had wrapped around his head had been replaced with a bandana. “How did you find me here?” James asked, realizing he really didn’t know who this person was, nor why he was out here. “I’ll explain once we get a-movin’, but we need to find you a doctor fast.” replied Sam, who had begun gathering a few items on the ground. ”You’re bleedin’ like a stuck pig on your head. I’m surprised you lived through the night.” Once the two had everything together, they ate the eggs Sam had cooked. James thought they tasted a bit funny; his guess was they weren’t chicken eggs. After finishing, James realized he didn’t know where they were even going, nonetheless where they were. When he asked, Sam pointed to a small wisp of smoke just above the trees. “I’m not too sure where we are,” he said with a shrug, “but I figure that if we head towards that smoke, we’ll find someone who can tell us where we are, and where we can find somebody to patch you up.” They walked through the tangled forest for hours, not even following a clear path. They didn’t see any animals, but strange sounds were heard everywhere. James had to stop a couple times to get his clothes uncaught from thorny vines and twisted branches. Soon, they came upon a hut made in an old tree. Masks adorned the outside, and strange bottles hung from the branches. “Well, looks like someone is home. I’ll go talk to them, find out where the nearest town is." said Sam. He motioned James over to a nearby tree root, sitting him down. “You know, I never asked for yer name. Mind tellin’?” “James.” “Well, James,” Sam continued, “you just sit there for a spell, and I’ll get some directions.” Sam walked around to the hut’s door, looking into the windows for any signs of life. When he saw none, he knocked on the door. “Just a moment, I’ll be there soon!” called a voice. Sam heard noises that sounded like footsteps, but the pace was not right. Maybe there was more than one person?The door opened, revealing a zebra standing behind it. “Now, how can Madame Zecora help you-” the zebra began to ask, then suddenly froze and stared with its mouth agape. Sam, just as bewildered, did the same. The two stood at the doorway, just staring at one another. Finally, the zebra gave a nervous smile, at which Sam passed out. Chapter Three - Eyes in the Sky, Eyes in the DarkCredit to jsonic5000, who was this chapter’s editor. Your help is always appreciated! -ShadowDusk Chapter Three Eyes in the Sky, Eyes in the Dark Spike wobbled as he gently slid the book into its place on the shelf. Twilight had asked him to pick up a few books that were lying out, and it happened to be his luck that they were not only large books, but all belonged in high shelves. So now Spike stood on a tall ladder, balancing four books in one hand and balancing himself with the other. This would be a lot easier if Twilight would put her own books away... Spike thought as he steadied himself, slowly reaching over to grab another book. But before he could get the book to the shelf, Spike began to feel a familiar pressure building in his stomach... Twilight was sitting in her room reading when a loud crash echoed from the library. “Spike, what happened?” she asked as she dashed into the room. The ladder lay on its side, and a few books lay scattered on the ground. Spike lay on his back close to the ladder, but what caught Twilight’s eye was the wax-sealed scroll that lay by Spike’s feet. “Oh! A letter from the Princess!” Twilight exclaimed. Her horn glowed as the scroll floated towards Twilight, who opened it and began to read. To my faithful student, Twilight, I received your letter about the magical "flare" which you experienced yesterday. You are not alone; my sister, Luna, and I both sensed a disturbance as well. We do not know what caused it, but I was able to locate it within the Everfree Forest. However, our current duties require us to remain in Canterlot for the time being. So, I ask that you fly your balloon over the Everfree to try to find the source of the magical flux. I am sending you a spell you can use to trace magical aura; the flux was strong, so the aura should still be lingering, making it easy to find. Once you find the flux's source, return to Ponyville and send me a letter on what you find. Do not interact with the source if possible; we neither know what is nor what it can do. Be careful! Princess Celestia P.S.- Take your friends with you, just in case. Twilight set the letter down on a nearby table as Spike, who had gotten up from the floor, coughed up a second scroll. “That must be the spell Celestia mentioned...” Twilight said to herself as she picked up the scroll. “Twilight, what’s going on?” asked Spike, who watched as Twilight grabbed her saddlebag and slipped the scroll into it. “No time to explain, Spike,” Twilight replied. “We need to get the others together. Something caused a disturbance in the Everfree Forest, and we’re going to find it!” A dark figure silently moved through the vines and branches of the overgrown forest. He stopped and perked his ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Alas, he heard nothing. The figure crouched down, turning to his left at the same time. Some five feet away, he could see the forest path he had been moving alongside of. His eyes constantly looked along the path, up and down, like a hunter searching for his prey. Anyone on the road wouldn’t have seen this person, this hunter, patiently lying in wait; he would only appear to be a shadow created by light shining through the tangled mess of trees. He was invisible. The hunter, satisfied with his hiding spot, looked down the path, a single thought in his mind: Where was his prey? His question was quickly answered by the sounds of distant footsteps. Just on down the path, the hunter could see his prey approaching. There were three of them; two were human, and the third was an equine. Strangely, this equine was intelligent and capable of speech, something the hunter had never witnessed the species do before. However, he determined it as just a minor complication. The hunter watched as the small group got almost in front of his hiding spot, when suddenly the taller human stopped. "Hold up, you two," the human said with a country drawl. "I still can't make sense outta all this..." "Sam, we've been through this twice already!" exclaimed the second human. "Zecora is taking us to Ponyville to see someone who might know how we got here." "Yeah, I know that," replied the human called Sam, "But in case you ain't noticed, James, this ain't exactly 'familiar territory'. I mean, Ponyville? Equestria? Princesses that raise the sun and moon? How come none of this confuses you? And if we're the only humans here, what makes ya'll think we can just waltz into a town of talkin' ponies unnoticed? I tell yah, it just don't-" Snap! The forest immediately fell silent. The hunter, so focused in his prey, had stepped on a small twig while moving closer to the path. Now he stood completely still, watching the now-aware trio talk in low voices. The taller human, Sam, slowly began to walk towards the hunter's spot. He stopped halfway across the path, reaching into his duster jacket and pulling out a .357 six-shot revolver. Sam then continued towards the path's edge, each footstep becoming slower than the last. The human stopped at the edge the thick vegetation, not five feet from the hunter. The human was so close, in fact, that the hunter could smell him. The scent was familiar to the hunter, for he had smelled it from all of his prey. It was fear. Without a moment's hesitation, the hunter pounced, tackling the startled Sam back onto the forest path. The revolver fired with a sharp crack, and silent birds in the trees now flew away in fright. Sam dropped the gun, using the free hand to punch his attacker in the face. The attacker swiped at Sam, who felt a sharp pain on his chest quickly growing. Looking at his shirt, he found three shreds, each with a jagged, bleeding gash underneath to match. Sam, in pain and anger, lunged at the mysterious assailant, but the figure quickly moved into the concealment of the forest. "God damn it all!" Sam cursed, his wounds beginning to burn with pain. "Zecora, I thought you said these woods were safe durin' the day!" "The forest is safe for travel by day, for Celestia's sun frightens evil creatures away." Zecora responded in rhyme. "What this thing is, I haven't a clue; though it does appear to be built similar to you two." "Maybe it's another person who got sent here...?" James thought aloud. "Look here, I can tell y'all both now that thing ain't human. A human doesn't have claws, for on thing. Nor can a human move that fast. Only thing 'human' 'bout it is that it fights like a coward." Sam remarked. "Ya hear that, you in there?" he shouted at the trees. "You don't scare me! In fact, I think your the one who's scared! Show your face like a man, why don't ya? Or are ya too yellow?" From the shadows of the forest, someone was chuckling softly. "You speak confidently for an animal about to die." spoke a low voice from the darkness, sounding almost like a growl. "Especially a wounded animal like you. I almost admire that. And for that, I'll give you your final request." Ten feet away from the group, the dark figure of the attacker stepped out of the forest and into the light. There was a collective gasp from the humans and zebra. “Sweet Mary mother of God..." Sam whispered as he beheld the creature before him. Zecora had been right; the figure stood like a human, about as tall as Sam. The head was that of a panthers, with two bright yellow eyes. It wore what appeared to James as light body armor on his chest and legs, like a policeman's Kevlar vest. The exposed arms and hands were covered in jet black fur, and each finger held an exposed claw. Behind the creature, a long black tail swished back and forth. "You seem at loss for words,” the creature mocked. “What’s the matter; cat got your tongue? Or is it that he has your gun?” The creature chuckled again as he picked up Sam’s revolver. He twirled it a few times, then tossed the gun to Sam, who caught it. Sam looked at the gun, somewhat confused, then looked up at the creature. “Well, what are you waiting for?” the creature asked. “You have your gun, and I’d think you know how to use it. Show me that brilliant ‘confidence’ of yours and shoot me.” Sam looked at his gun again, then back to the creature. Then in a single fluent motion, Sam grabbed the revolver, cocked the hammer, and aimed straight at the creature. It didn’t so much as flinch. “What’s wrong? I’m standing right here,” it mocked. “Shoot me.” Sam just stood there, still pointing the gun. “What do you find so hard about this? Shoot me!” Still no response. The creature growled, getting frustrated. “Are you deaf, or just stupid? I said shoot me, you dumb bastard!” Sam’s patience broke. He grabbed the revolver with both hands and fired. The creature, however, saw the movement and dodged the shot. It then charged Sam, tackling him once more. The revolver skittered across the ground, stopping three feet away from James and Zecora. In a moment of either stupidity or boldness, James moved to grab it. The creature was on top of Sam, ready to rip him to pieces when it saw James go for the gun. It dashed on all fours at James with incredible speed and pounced, claws extended, teeth bared, when suddenly a large purple flash hit James and the creature. James immediately felt weak and toppled over, his vision beginning to fade. The last thing he saw was a large purple balloon descending towards them.
Chapter One - Separate WorldsChapter One Separate Worlds James slowly walked along the small dirt path going up the mountain, taking his time to enjoy the Colorado scenery. A cool breeze blew against his face. Most of the trees had dropped their load of leaves, and winter was approaching fast. James was an average teen, with a messy mat of copper-brown hair and hazel eyes. As he paused to drink from his canteen, he looked back, almost able to see Colorado Springs. He had lived just outside Colorado Springs all his life, on a horse ranch his parents owned. From the time he began working on the ranch, James gained a love for horses, becoming exceptionally good at drawing them as well as caring for them. For his seventh birthday, his parents gave him a black leather-bound sketchbook. The leather had even been wrinkled on the front to form a running stallion. James closed up his canteen, glancing at the sketchbook he carried. He continued up the trail, remembering all the birthdays he had when his parents brought him to the mountain. It was his favorite spot, and its glorious views always made him happy to come there. At least it had until after his fifteenth birthday. James and his parents had been on the way home from the mountain. They were going through an intersection when a drunk driver in a Ford F150 came out of nowhere and blindsided them at full speed. Their little Subaru Outback was hit so hard it rolled over three times. When James awoke in the hospital a day later, the doctor had approached him with a pained look on his face. James knew something was wrong, but wasn’t prepared for the news of both his parents’ deaths. With his grandparents not physically or mentally stable enough to care for James, there was some worry about whom James would live with. When they finally released him a week later, he was sent to live with his Aunt Leslie, who also lived in Colorado Springs. Aunt Leslie did her best to make James happy, but had no actual experience in having children. James knew this, and eventually both reached a sort of mutual relationship. On his 16th birthday, Leslie even took James to the mountain spot, where both put a small memorial for his parents. He had visited it every so often when he wasn’t busy with school, and would always come on his birthday. James stopped walking, having reached the entrance to a clearing. Straight ahead, at the base of an old pine, was the small cross James and Leslie had placed. Some scraggly vines had begun to grow from its base, snaking up the sides like green veins. James walked over to the cross, and, crouching down, placed his hand on it. A cool wind blew in from the north, making fallen leaves dance about. James watched them, when something odd caught his eye. Walking out of the clearing some seven feet, he found a rusted metal spike sticking partway out of the ground, facing opposite of the clearing. Out of sheer curiosity, James grabbed onto of the rusty metal and pulled. When it wouldn’t budge, James didn’t give up. Digging his heels into the dirt, he gave another pull. Being well built from working on the ranch, the metal spike shot out of the ground, with James flying backwards. He tripped over a fallen tree branch, but instead of hitting the ground, he fell through the ground and continued falling, plunging into darkness. When he awoke, James found himself lying in dirt. A shaft of light was coming from the top of the hole, which was a good fifteen feet up. James sat up, noticing some wooden boards lying next to him. He looked up at the hole, then at the hole’s sides. They were covered with loose dirt and wouldn’t hold his body weight. He wished he had brought his phone to call for help, but he left it at home to charge. Waiting for someone to find him would take forever, and James couldn’t wait that long. He would have to get out on his own. James looked around as his eyes adjusted, seeing a tunnel that went off into darkness, along with small rail tracks that went along the ground into the tunnel. James bent down and picked up the object he had pulled out from the ground: an old, rusty, mining pick axe. He began noticing other various pieces of equipment: lanterns, helmets, picks, buckets, shovels, crates, and so on. It was obvious this was an old mine, abandoned by the mining company. But why would they have left all their belongings, their tools? A sharp pain from his head brought James’ hand to his forehead. Looking at his hand, he found blood on it. Trying to stay calm, he looked around until he found an old, oily rag lying amongst the scattered equipment. He wrapped it around his head, hoping he could at least slow the bleeding. Focusing on getting out again, James picked up one lantern, hearing oil swish around inside. Grabbing a box of matches, James started a match and managed to light the old lamp. If this was a mine, there would likely be another exit in case of a cave in. With this thought in his mind, James grabbed his sketchbook, and, holding the lamp in front of him, proceeded into the darkness. After what felt like hours of walking, James reached a larger area of the tunnel with more pieces of equipment lying about. It was as if something had made the miners drop everything and leave, but James couldn’t think of what could have been the cause. He sat down on a wooden crate, taking a rest from walking. He snuffed the flame in the lamp to save fuel, since he didn’t know how far the tunnel led. He was plunged into darkness again, but only for a moment. For out of the black shadows came another light, one that was very pale. To James’ amazement, out from around the corner floated a glowing orb of light, bobbing up and down. James couldn’t believe what he saw. He stared at the orb, and the orb floated in its place, like it was waiting for him to do something. After a minute, James got up and slowly walked over to the light. As he got closer, the air began to feel warm and dry, not cold and damp like the rest of the tunnel. He stopped about a foot from the orb, which hadn’t moved from its spot. In natural instinct, he hesitantly reached out to touch the ball of light. The light was warm, almost soothing. The light and warmth increased, blinding James to the point he covered his eyes. James’ last thought was an overcoming feeling of relaxation. Meanwhile, in Equestria... “Come on, Spike! We’re going to be late!” Spike’s eyes fluttered awake, his mind still half asleep. He looked around at the book-filled shelves, lazily looking for the voice that had woken him. Suddenly, a purple unicorn burst into the room, making the little purple and green dragon jump out of his bed. “Spike, what are you doing? You don’t want to be late for Pinkie Pie’s party, do you?” asked the unicorn. Her horn glowed as she used her magic to lift Spike onto her back. “I’d never miss one of Pinkie’s parties, Twilight!” remarked the dragon. “Umm...what is it she’s celebrating again?” “It’s her alligator Gummy’s second birthday, and she wanted us to come like last time,” replied Twilight as she trotted down the library stairs. “She said so in the written invitation she sent.” She used her magic to show Spike the colorful, festive card Derpy the mailmare had given her that morning. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Spike happily replied. “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late!” Twilight rolled her eyes as they walked out the door. Using her magic to close the door, Twilight and Spike made their way through Ponyville, heading towards Sugarcube Corner. As they got up to the building's front steps, Twilight's horn began to glow furiously. "Twilight, what are you doing?" Spike asked, worried by the horn's intense glow. "I'm not doing it, Spike! It's reacting to something powerful, like with Dash's Sonic Rainboom," Twilight replied, also somewhat worried. She could feel magic coursing through her body as she struggled to keep control. I thought I was past all of this! Twilight thought. Suddenly, as quickly as it started, her horn stopped glowing. Twilight sighed in relief, but deep down she was still concerned. She would have to write to Princess Celestia about this. What could've been so powerful for her magic to flare like that? Twilight's thoughts were interrupted as a pink mare with a poofy pink mane opened the door. "Hiya, Twilight!" said the mare, smiling widely. "You're just in time! We thought you would be late but I knew you were gonna show up on time 'cause we all know you hate being late!" "I would never be late for Gummy's birthday, Pinkie Pie!" Twilight replied with a smile. She trotted inside, putting aside what had happened for later. It was a party, and not even a random flare of magic would keep her from enjoying a good time with friends.
Chapter Two - Somewhere ElseChapter Two Somewhere Else James awoke to find himself lying on a cold stone floor. He sat up, trying to comprehend what had happened. He had reached to touch the orb, but suddenly his body just completely shut down. Feeling around, he found the lantern that he had been carrying. He pulled out the box of matches he found earlier, and managed to get the lamp glowing again. Once he had light, James got a good look around. He was no longer in the mining tunnel, but instead in a small cavern. There was only one exit, which was a doorway cut into the rock that appeared to follow a dark hallway. James became confused; he had been in a mining tunnel with dirt on the ground, and now he was in a cavern. How had he gotten from there to here? It made no sense. After not seeing any other way out, James walked down the shadowy hall, the lamp lighting his way. After only a few minutes, James finally came to a larger area with a stone staircase leading down to another section of the cavern. Around the corner at the stair’s base, there was light shining. “Yes!” James said aloud, relieved that he was finally able to get out. He rushed down the stairs in excitement, though he made sure he didn’t drop the lantern. He got down the stairs and turned the corner, but his heart quickly sank. Instead of seeing the sun, he saw rows upon rows of gleaming, multicolored gems. They looked like people standing at pews in a church. Among the gems was a particularly tall gem spike that gave a red glow. But the light from the beautiful crystals showed a scene of horror upon the cavern floor. Three men were laying about the ground, each one preserved from decomposition by the cave’s lack of weather. There were dark splotches that stained the floor; James knew they were from blood. Each body was wearing typical miner’s working clothes. One body lay thrown upon a wall made of large, piled rocks. A pickaxe, stained dark, was embedded in his back. A second body sat in a corner opposite of the first corpse, his arms wrapped around his knees and his head in his arms. The third and final body sat against the farther cave wall, facing the crystals. His legs stuck straight out, and his arms were folded across a journal. His head was leaned back, showing his dark, eyeless sockets. James stood there, viewing the whole scene. A single question ran through his mind: What happened? James looked at the third miner with the journal. Perhaps he had written something in it that would explain what had gone on. James crouched down next to the mummified corpse, slowly reaching to take the old journal. He grabbed and pulled gently, but the miner literally had a death grip on the book. James cringed as a few fingers snapped off, clattering to the floor. Standing up, James flipped through the yellowed pages, which were mostly filled with daily logs of mining process. He kept flipping until he found a page of text that was scrawled with a shaky hand: the third miner’s final entry. It has been a week since the orb brought us here. In the past three days, everyone died. Everyone except me. Joe was the first, being as old as he was. The stress of our doom had been too much for his old heart. A day later was when we began to get hungry. We gave in to the hunger and soon disposed of Joe’s body. It was horrible and vile, but what were we to do? We still thought we could be saved. We were wrong. As we put Joe’s bones in a corner of the cave, Grindel snapped, not able to take it anymore. He began screaming for help, pulling at the walls. He clawed and scratched, even as his fingers became stained crimson. The sounds were unbearable. So unbearable, that Patrick, Grindel’s brother, killed him with his own pickaxe. I knew it was an act of mercy, a way to end Grindel’s suffering, but Patrick was distraught. He even cried himself to sleep. When I woke this morning, I found he had died in his sleep, peacefully. Now I am alone, with only the wonderful light from these gems to comfort me. But even that is not much comfort. I wrote this in hopes to explain what happened if we are ever found. But if you have been brought here by that damned orb, all is lost for you. There is no way out of here. The rock pile cannot be moved or broken. There is no other exit in the first room. Pray you die peacefully, and not in the madness that consumed Grindel. May God have mercy on your soul. Jeremiah Adams When James finished the letter, he threw the journal away in an anger. All of that walking only to die here, alone, just like Jeremiah! James buried his face in his hands, not knowing what else to do. This was going to be his tomb. Nobody would ever find him. “Click-clank!” James looked up, startled by the oddly mechanical noise. He saw that the journal he threw had hit the tall red crystal, and the crystal, in turn, had tilted to the left. There was a cracking sound, and James turned to see a small square of ground by the rock wall crumble and fall away. From the hole rose a three-legged stone stand, designed to look like a gnarled tree. Nested in the stone tree’s branches was a large, beautiful white stone. It was perfectly spherical, and appeared to be well polished. The stone gave off some light of its own, as if there were a sort of power hidden inside. James walked over to the stone ball, wondering why a hidden crystal lever would access this strange object. On closer inspection, he saw something that was inscribed in the stone trunk. Liberos esse sicut avis, loco manum tuam super lapidem, et dices notoria verbum. He immediately recognized the language as simple Latin. It had been the easiest language he learned in high school, so translating the message was easy. It read: To be free as a bird, place your hand on the stone, and say the magic word. James thought about the phrase, a bit surprised that the translation rhymed. Thinking about "the magic word"...well, there was only one, really. Placing his hand on the stone, he said in a loud voice “Please!” When nothing happened, he thought about the message again. It was clearly Latin, so why hadn't it worked? What if “please” wasn’t the word? James began to worry he would never make it out of this cave. Suddenly, James had a thought. Wouldn’t the person who wrote the message in Latin intend for the answer to also be in Latin? James, realizing his mistake, chuckled half-heartedly. I really shouldn’t scare myself like that... James thought as he put his hand on the stone again. With confidence, he said “Praesent!” in a loud voice. The cave began to tremble, and there was a rumbling from the rock wall. Rocks began to fall away, allowing beams of sunlight to shine inwards. As the light hit his face, James covered his eyes. Being in the cave for so long meant instant sunlight would hurt his eyes. He slowly uncovered his eyes, allowing his vision to adjust. He was happy to see that he was back in the forest, but quickly realized this wasn’t the forest on the mountain he had left. The trees were gnarly, their branches twisted and jagged, reaching out like hands. The forest, in general, looked sinister, as if waiting for any unsure traveler to enter and never escape. But James didn’t care; he was free from the cave. He went into the cave again, however, to gather supplies from the dead miners. Though he felt bad about desecrating the deceased, James needed anything he could use until he found the nearest town. While searching the last miner, Jeremiah, James found a small yet heavy bag. Inside, to his amazement, was a gold nugget. Hoping it might be useful later, James put the small bag into his pocket. As he began to head out, he looked back at the glowing stone. At just a spoken word, it opened an impenetrable rock wall. Something like that had to be important. James felt the stone, checking to see if it was attached at all. When he found it wasn’t, he lifted it from the stone tree’s branches. The cave began to tremble again, but this time the ceiling was falling apart. Still carrying the white stone, James ran out of the cavern just as the whole place collapsed, burying the miners and the rows of gems. James stood there, partially mad at his thought of taking the stone in the first place. Looking up at the sky, he saw that the clouds were turning purple as the sky first went orange, then became darker. Night was falling, and James had no shelter. He didn’t know the area, but he figured it was safest by the cave. Making himself as comfortable as possible on the ground, James lay down, trying to go to sleep. Strange noises from unseen creatures could be heard every now and then, keeping James awake. Finally, after an hour of lying awake, James fell asleep, moonlight shining down upon him. James awoke the next morning to the smell of...eggs? James sat up to find a man in a cowboy and a western-style duster jacket and jeans crouched down by a little fire, just 5 feet away from James. He glanced up from the eggs cooking on the hot stone, looking over to James. “Well, good mornin’ sleepin’ beauty,” he said with a thick Texas/country accent. “How are yah feelin’? Name’s Sam, by the way.” James then noticed the old rag he had wrapped around his head had been replaced with a bandana. “How did you find me here?” James asked, realizing he really didn’t know who this person was, nor why he was out here. “I’ll explain once we get a-movin’, but we need to find you a doctor fast.” replied Sam, who had begun gathering a few items on the ground. ”You’re bleedin’ like a stuck pig on your head. I’m surprised you lived through the night.” Once the two had everything together, they ate the eggs Sam had cooked. James thought they tasted a bit funny; his guess was they weren’t chicken eggs. After finishing, James realized he didn’t know where they were even going, nonetheless where they were. When he asked, Sam pointed to a small wisp of smoke just above the trees. “I’m not too sure where we are,” he said with a shrug, “but I figure that if we head towards that smoke, we’ll find someone who can tell us where we are, and where we can find somebody to patch you up.” They walked through the tangled forest for hours, not even following a clear path. They didn’t see any animals, but strange sounds were heard everywhere. James had to stop a couple times to get his clothes uncaught from thorny vines and twisted branches. Soon, they came upon a hut made in an old tree. Masks adorned the outside, and strange bottles hung from the branches. “Well, looks like someone is home. I’ll go talk to them, find out where the nearest town is." said Sam. He motioned James over to a nearby tree root, sitting him down. “You know, I never asked for yer name. Mind tellin’?” “James.” “Well, James,” Sam continued, “you just sit there for a spell, and I’ll get some directions.” Sam walked around to the hut’s door, looking into the windows for any signs of life. When he saw none, he knocked on the door. “Just a moment, I’ll be there soon!” called a voice. Sam heard noises that sounded like footsteps, but the pace was not right. Maybe there was more than one person?The door opened, revealing a zebra standing behind it. “Now, how can Madame Zecora help you-” the zebra began to ask, then suddenly froze and stared with its mouth agape. Sam, just as bewildered, did the same. The two stood at the doorway, just staring at one another. Finally, the zebra gave a nervous smile, at which Sam passed out.
Chapter Three - Eyes in the Sky, Eyes in the DarkCredit to jsonic5000, who was this chapter’s editor. Your help is always appreciated! -ShadowDusk Chapter Three Eyes in the Sky, Eyes in the Dark Spike wobbled as he gently slid the book into its place on the shelf. Twilight had asked him to pick up a few books that were lying out, and it happened to be his luck that they were not only large books, but all belonged in high shelves. So now Spike stood on a tall ladder, balancing four books in one hand and balancing himself with the other. This would be a lot easier if Twilight would put her own books away... Spike thought as he steadied himself, slowly reaching over to grab another book. But before he could get the book to the shelf, Spike began to feel a familiar pressure building in his stomach... Twilight was sitting in her room reading when a loud crash echoed from the library. “Spike, what happened?” she asked as she dashed into the room. The ladder lay on its side, and a few books lay scattered on the ground. Spike lay on his back close to the ladder, but what caught Twilight’s eye was the wax-sealed scroll that lay by Spike’s feet. “Oh! A letter from the Princess!” Twilight exclaimed. Her horn glowed as the scroll floated towards Twilight, who opened it and began to read. To my faithful student, Twilight, I received your letter about the magical "flare" which you experienced yesterday. You are not alone; my sister, Luna, and I both sensed a disturbance as well. We do not know what caused it, but I was able to locate it within the Everfree Forest. However, our current duties require us to remain in Canterlot for the time being. So, I ask that you fly your balloon over the Everfree to try to find the source of the magical flux. I am sending you a spell you can use to trace magical aura; the flux was strong, so the aura should still be lingering, making it easy to find. Once you find the flux's source, return to Ponyville and send me a letter on what you find. Do not interact with the source if possible; we neither know what is nor what it can do. Be careful! Princess Celestia P.S.- Take your friends with you, just in case. Twilight set the letter down on a nearby table as Spike, who had gotten up from the floor, coughed up a second scroll. “That must be the spell Celestia mentioned...” Twilight said to herself as she picked up the scroll. “Twilight, what’s going on?” asked Spike, who watched as Twilight grabbed her saddlebag and slipped the scroll into it. “No time to explain, Spike,” Twilight replied. “We need to get the others together. Something caused a disturbance in the Everfree Forest, and we’re going to find it!” A dark figure silently moved through the vines and branches of the overgrown forest. He stopped and perked his ears, listening for anything out of the ordinary. Alas, he heard nothing. The figure crouched down, turning to his left at the same time. Some five feet away, he could see the forest path he had been moving alongside of. His eyes constantly looked along the path, up and down, like a hunter searching for his prey. Anyone on the road wouldn’t have seen this person, this hunter, patiently lying in wait; he would only appear to be a shadow created by light shining through the tangled mess of trees. He was invisible. The hunter, satisfied with his hiding spot, looked down the path, a single thought in his mind: Where was his prey? His question was quickly answered by the sounds of distant footsteps. Just on down the path, the hunter could see his prey approaching. There were three of them; two were human, and the third was an equine. Strangely, this equine was intelligent and capable of speech, something the hunter had never witnessed the species do before. However, he determined it as just a minor complication. The hunter watched as the small group got almost in front of his hiding spot, when suddenly the taller human stopped. "Hold up, you two," the human said with a country drawl. "I still can't make sense outta all this..." "Sam, we've been through this twice already!" exclaimed the second human. "Zecora is taking us to Ponyville to see someone who might know how we got here." "Yeah, I know that," replied the human called Sam, "But in case you ain't noticed, James, this ain't exactly 'familiar territory'. I mean, Ponyville? Equestria? Princesses that raise the sun and moon? How come none of this confuses you? And if we're the only humans here, what makes ya'll think we can just waltz into a town of talkin' ponies unnoticed? I tell yah, it just don't-" Snap! The forest immediately fell silent. The hunter, so focused in his prey, had stepped on a small twig while moving closer to the path. Now he stood completely still, watching the now-aware trio talk in low voices. The taller human, Sam, slowly began to walk towards the hunter's spot. He stopped halfway across the path, reaching into his duster jacket and pulling out a .357 six-shot revolver. Sam then continued towards the path's edge, each footstep becoming slower than the last. The human stopped at the edge the thick vegetation, not five feet from the hunter. The human was so close, in fact, that the hunter could smell him. The scent was familiar to the hunter, for he had smelled it from all of his prey. It was fear. Without a moment's hesitation, the hunter pounced, tackling the startled Sam back onto the forest path. The revolver fired with a sharp crack, and silent birds in the trees now flew away in fright. Sam dropped the gun, using the free hand to punch his attacker in the face. The attacker swiped at Sam, who felt a sharp pain on his chest quickly growing. Looking at his shirt, he found three shreds, each with a jagged, bleeding gash underneath to match. Sam, in pain and anger, lunged at the mysterious assailant, but the figure quickly moved into the concealment of the forest. "God damn it all!" Sam cursed, his wounds beginning to burn with pain. "Zecora, I thought you said these woods were safe durin' the day!" "The forest is safe for travel by day, for Celestia's sun frightens evil creatures away." Zecora responded in rhyme. "What this thing is, I haven't a clue; though it does appear to be built similar to you two." "Maybe it's another person who got sent here...?" James thought aloud. "Look here, I can tell y'all both now that thing ain't human. A human doesn't have claws, for on thing. Nor can a human move that fast. Only thing 'human' 'bout it is that it fights like a coward." Sam remarked. "Ya hear that, you in there?" he shouted at the trees. "You don't scare me! In fact, I think your the one who's scared! Show your face like a man, why don't ya? Or are ya too yellow?" From the shadows of the forest, someone was chuckling softly. "You speak confidently for an animal about to die." spoke a low voice from the darkness, sounding almost like a growl. "Especially a wounded animal like you. I almost admire that. And for that, I'll give you your final request." Ten feet away from the group, the dark figure of the attacker stepped out of the forest and into the light. There was a collective gasp from the humans and zebra. “Sweet Mary mother of God..." Sam whispered as he beheld the creature before him. Zecora had been right; the figure stood like a human, about as tall as Sam. The head was that of a panthers, with two bright yellow eyes. It wore what appeared to James as light body armor on his chest and legs, like a policeman's Kevlar vest. The exposed arms and hands were covered in jet black fur, and each finger held an exposed claw. Behind the creature, a long black tail swished back and forth. "You seem at loss for words,” the creature mocked. “What’s the matter; cat got your tongue? Or is it that he has your gun?” The creature chuckled again as he picked up Sam’s revolver. He twirled it a few times, then tossed the gun to Sam, who caught it. Sam looked at the gun, somewhat confused, then looked up at the creature. “Well, what are you waiting for?” the creature asked. “You have your gun, and I’d think you know how to use it. Show me that brilliant ‘confidence’ of yours and shoot me.” Sam looked at his gun again, then back to the creature. Then in a single fluent motion, Sam grabbed the revolver, cocked the hammer, and aimed straight at the creature. It didn’t so much as flinch. “What’s wrong? I’m standing right here,” it mocked. “Shoot me.” Sam just stood there, still pointing the gun. “What do you find so hard about this? Shoot me!” Still no response. The creature growled, getting frustrated. “Are you deaf, or just stupid? I said shoot me, you dumb bastard!” Sam’s patience broke. He grabbed the revolver with both hands and fired. The creature, however, saw the movement and dodged the shot. It then charged Sam, tackling him once more. The revolver skittered across the ground, stopping three feet away from James and Zecora. In a moment of either stupidity or boldness, James moved to grab it. The creature was on top of Sam, ready to rip him to pieces when it saw James go for the gun. It dashed on all fours at James with incredible speed and pounced, claws extended, teeth bared, when suddenly a large purple flash hit James and the creature. James immediately felt weak and toppled over, his vision beginning to fade. The last thing he saw was a large purple balloon descending towards them.
