Alternate Paths

Chapter Four: The Ascension

”You, you…”

Roue didn’t stay to wait for the inevitable attack. With a flash of magic she was gone, leaving Twilight charging blindly through empty air.

Roue reappeared safely in the familiar room she had spent much time in during her stay in this world. The room was small and pragmatic; a symmetrical metal cube with no doors or windows. On the other end of it, a whole wall was obscured by a mass of machinery and computer screens, displaying information of various kinds and beeping softly. The other side of the room was a  small living space with a bed, some cupboards and kitchen utensils. The cream-coloured unicorn had sometimes spent days on end in this prison-like work area. She was glad this newcomer gave her an excuse to leave the place more often now.

Swiping some hair back behind her ear, the mare immediately went for the computers and pressed a demandingly blinking button. ”Excellent”, she said, satisfied by her own performance.

Don’t let initial good progress fool you. She may present surprises.

”Really? I’m not sure we should waste our time on this one. She seems rather… easily disturbed.”

She is strong. She is required.

Roue smiled at the disembodied voice. ”Very well. I trust you as always, love. I’ll continue with the primary plan, then.”

She pulled a chair in front of the monitoring station and seated herself. Several monitors displayed live video feed of a purple unicorn weeping powerlessly on a cavern floor.

”We’ll see how you fare, Miss Sparkle.”

***

Having pulled herself together, Twilight could finally start thinking. I’m being played with, and the only thing I can do for now is to play along. They must have left me a way out.

She looked around and, sure enough, saw faint light in the tunnel closest to her on the cave wall. It wasn’t light from one of these strange lamps – it was the soft glow of sunlight. Rising up from the cold stone the unicorn began walking through the ascending tunnel.

It was much shorter than the one she had traversed before; an easy exit ridiculing her earlier desperation in the underground maze. Twilight felt the air growing colder as she walked onwards – or climbed: the passage rapidly became steeper. The end of the tunnel sloped down and opened into a small grey room with narrow, foggy windows lining the top of all the four concrete walls. That’s not fog… that’s frost.

Twilight eyed the door in front of her. It was a heavy steel door with a large circular hatch wheel installed into the centre of it. Excited of finding a way up to the outside world, cold or not, she turned the wheel with her magic. After some initial resistance caused by rust and ice, the mechanism started working and the bolts inside the door slid open. The magical energy then pushed the door outwards. It opened silently and effortlessly.

Twilight jumped outside, happy and refreshed by the fresh, cold air, just to sink deep into a mass of soft snow. She had made a pony-shaped hole slighty deeper than she was tall. The snow was far from strong and supporting, and the unicorn only made it easily back inside thanks to some stairs hidden in the snow in front of the door. Now she also had wet fur, which made her realize just how coldly the wind blew through the open door.

Shivering, Twilight stopped to take a look at the landscape before her. All she saw through the doorway was an endless, flat expanse of snow; nothing but pure whiteness as far as she could see. Levitating snow from outside into a corner behind her and packing it tightly, the mare constructed some snow stairs and climbed them to one of the windows above her and opposite to the door. She could make out the horizon through the frosty window… but nothing more there, either.

She leaned against the other wall ending in this corner to her left and looked through there. More snow… and movement. A shape was moving not far away from the building. It was coming closer.

Twilight froze looking at the thing. She couldn’t see what it was, but unlike her, it was something that could traverse the frail snow blanket without sinking into it. It was moving slowly on four legs, appearantely weakened by its journey across the white desert. The unicorn managed to climb down quietly and walked to the doorway. She carefully peeked out the door.

Now having better visibility, Twilight could see the form was larger and farther away than she had expected. It was wrapped in warm clothes and had some peculiar contraptions strapped to its feet. Snowshoes! At least it’s not some dangerous animal… just a possibly dangerous intelligent being.

The thing stopped. It had seen Twilight. It looked at her carefully, its face unseen under the clothes and a pair of snow goggles. The pony, or whatever it was, then simply continued its trudge towards the door.

”Hey!” Twilight yelled, surprised at the raspiness of her voice. After coughing a bit, she continued with a clearer voice. ”Hey! Who are you? Don’t come too close!”

It was as if the thing hadn’t heard her. It continued steadily towards her. ”Hey! I can use magic! I could fight you, or… or close the door and destroy the lock! Don’t tempt me!”

Now the creature stopped. It removed one of the snowshoes and looked at Twilight. Lowering a scarf from its face with the freed leg, it spoke.

”That would be rather counterproductive. I’m here to help you, Twilight Sparkle.”

”Does everyone here know my name?! I want answers! Who are you?”

”Please let me in first. It’s awfully cold out here, you know.”

Twilight stared at the pony – it was a male pony, she saw now – who continued walking toward her. Distrust, curiousity, fear and hope conflicting inside her, she decided to let the stallion in. How could he make my situation any worse?

The pony plodded around the hole Twilight had left and entered the bare room. He slumped down heavily and dropped his saddlebags on the floor. ”Could you close the door?” he asked, opening his bags. The purple mare had no desire to go outside or to enjoy the freezing blow that had started growing in strength during the last couple of minutes. She pulled the door shut with her magic, leaving it unlocked.

The stranger’s head was now bare. He was a light grey stallion with a muscular build. His mane was dark brown, nearly black, with some stripes of a lighter brown colour. He was building some device, humming a tune to himself.

”Now”, Twilight began. ”Answers.”

”No. First, fire.” The stallion placed his machine on the floor and turned a switch. A large flame shot up, nearly licking the ceiling. The room started quickly heating up.

”Oops.” He turned a valve and the flame diminished to a more reasonable size. The pony then browsed through his bags some more.

”Who are you? What are you doing here?” Twilight was getting angry at the weird stallion.

”My name is Star Chart. Professor Star Chart. Everyone just calls me ’the Professor’, though.” He put a hoof to his chest proudly. ”I am an explorer.”

”You don’t look like a professor.” The unicorn looked at ’the Professor’ warily. ”Is that what you’re doing here? Exploring? I don’t even know where ’here’ is!”

”Neither do I! That’s exactly why I’m exploring here.” He went back to his saddle bags. ”Now, before further questions… let’s eat. I’m starving.”

Star Chart offered Twilight a sandwich wrapped in tin foil. She hadn’t realised just how hungry she was until smelling the delicious aroma wafting from within. Twilight greedily chomped down the sandwich in a couple of bites.

”Heh, I’m glad you like it.” Twilight suddenly felt a sharp sting in her neck. ”I’m sorry, but that’s for your own good.” The Professor pulled the syringe out. The mare looked at it, feeling strangely detached. ”Just go to sleep. We’ll continue later. We can’t stay here, after all.” He grabbed another sandwich. Twilight’s vision blurred. She started feeling weightless.

The sideways-professor enjoyed a lunch. The librarian from Ponyville soared up to the sky and dreamed.