Insanity: In Another Life

Chapter 1: Sun and Moon Part 1

Ever thought that maybe you were involved in some sort of nation-wide conspiracy? Yeah, I get that feeling now. Call me paranoid, call me crazy, but some days I could care less, and right now is one of those days. However, let me make it known that you can suck my dick. Anyways, this is how my day started:

Waking up was more of an exercise in actually realizing that I was still in this land. Why the hell was I still here? Wasn't this just a dream? Maybe I actually am not dreaming, and this is real. For the record, I still don't know for sure, but the one thing I was sure of that I definitely needed to prepare for winter. So, I grabbed my jacket and other items and began to set to work.

The first item that was on my checklist, make an axe to cut some wood. For that, I'd need some strong cordage, an appropriately shaped stone, and a very strong stick. The first and last were easy to find, tree roots could be used for surprisingly strong binding, and the trees in this forest had many strong limbs that I could use. The final one took me about an hour, but once I finally found the right stone and ground and pecked it to the correct shape, I finally had an effective tool to chop wood with!

But then another problem sprang up from my checklist. Preserving food... I needed a better preservative than salt for food, that was for sure. I figured that if I could get some kind of non-perishable container and use plenty of icicles, I could perhaps freeze the food. Another idea was to simply put the food outside in a tree and tie a rope to another nearby tree's branch to suspend it in a cloth bag or something. If I did do that, I had to seal it tightly and keep it high in a tree so no animals can eat it, if they do come out during winter. Another thing I had to consider was the seasons. How long would winter last? I wasn't sure if this was earth, or if it even had an earth-like winter season.

The questions roiling around in my head like a maelstrom threatened to break my few precious threads of sanity left. The stress of having been taken from my home and plopped into the wilderness on possibly another planet made me wish I was home with my family and friends. I took a minute to calm my breathing. Having a panic attack right now would certainly not help at all, and I knew that.

I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I 'clipped' my axe to my belt using an extremely makeshift 'sheathe' I made using flexible tree roots. The forest around me was beautiful, an autumnal wonderland. The reds, oranges, yellows, and browns reminded me of home in a way, and I began to drift off as I walked. I continued through the woods in no particular direction, lost in thought for perhaps an hour. By the time I realized what I had done, it was beginning to become the afternoon. I felt lost, but I could probably find my way back. I was currently in a large clearing, around 10ft square.

I began to hear rustling in the bushes. I readied myself, taking my knife out of its sheathe and putting my axe in my offhand. Instantly, I was ready to fight anything. I waited patiently for my target to reveal themselves, and that's when a fucking manticore jumped out of the brush and bared its teeth at me. I gulped, trying to decide whether or not to fight this thing, but I knew animals could be pacified by showing no fear. I glared him down, baring my own teeth and sucking in air. He roared first, then I responded in kind. The two of us were predators, apex predators who refused to show fear. He with his teeth, claws, and tail, me with my knife and axe.

The manticore made the first move, rushing forward rapidly in an attempt to bowl me over. I waited for him to close the distance, then dove right over his left shoulder, landing in a crouch behind him. He turned his head, swatting at me with his tail, but I didn't let him hit me. I rolled back twice, then waited for his move. He poised, then pounced at me. I dove to the side again, then I jumped onto his back. He began bucking like a bronco, trying to get me off his back. He flung me hard across the clearing, making me skid as I flew into a tree. I could feel something break at the force, but I steeled myself and dodged his next attack.

My heart was racing, I was sweating, but I could still fight. I wove around his attacks, then managed to strike at his back left leg. His scorpion tail came down hard, but it only hit dirt. I found that I wouldn't be able to fight the bastard right here. I began dashing away, in the same direction I was headed before I was interrupted. One thing I had forgot was that the damn thing could fly, so I had to quickly dive away in order to not be trampled or skewered. I didn't waste a single moment, nor did I waste my momentum, coming up into a run. I finally saw what I was looking for, a steep rock face.

I scrambled to the top of the seventy foot rock face as fast as humanly possible, doing my best not to get skewered all the while. Finally, at the top, I would make my stand. On one side, a seventy foot drop. On all others, about a three hundred foot drop into the icy cold water of a river. If I had to go, I'd rather die by my own hand than be devoured by a lion-bat-scorpion creature. I squared off against the creature, adjusting my grip on my combat knife. I had lost my axe when I was scaling the cliff. I had nothing to defend myself but a razor-sharp knife used by goddamn marines, so I felt both scared for my life and confident.

I grinned and glared at the same time, confident but focused at the same time. This monster wouldn't get the jump on me. He then charged at me, raising his tail for a strike. I rolled underneath the creature, instantly turning and standing up once I was behind it. I jumped at its back again, but it swatted me with a strike from its paw. I cried out in pain, sent flying. I impacted a rock, but instantly got to my feet trying my damnedest to not get sliced up like a Christmas ham. I dove away from the beast as it pounced on empty air, then armed myself with my KABAR.

The creature, in a desperate frenzy, tried to slice and dice me with his claws, but I rolled under him again. At this point, this fight was just me doing my best not to get hurt. Blood oozed from the three perpendicular diagonal cuts on my chest. Damn it, that bastard ruined my comfy shirt! At this point, I was pissed, but I did have a plan. I would try to get the creature to get over to the ledge, then make him stab himself in the back. At that point, I'd be home free.

But right then, the plan looked desperate. I had a literal fucking creature from mythology trying to murder me and I had three deep gashes in my torso, as well as a broken rib or something. Even if I did survive, at what cost? I might die from the rib puncturing my lung, or from the gashes bleeding me dry. Or, what about disease, what kinds of rabies will I get once I'm done fighting this thing? At this point, I was half-tempted to just kill myself now in order to avoid the pain, but if it came to it I could do that later.

Right now, there was an eight-hundred pound lionbeast trying to murder me with its sharp claws, teeth, and poisonous tail. I gritted my teeth and ran towards the ledge, then watched as the beast followed. He stopped right in front of me, grinned with a sinister grin, then struck down at me, but I had slung myself up on his back. He began bucking again, but I stabbed my knife in his back at an angle, making it easier for me to hold on. The creature roared in pain, then attempted to stab me with its tail. Right as it stung me in the shoulder, I stabbed down into its head. The manticore fell off the three hundred foot drop, and I expected this to be the end. As I saw strange, odd things floating above my head, I sheathed my knife and welcomed the embrace of death.

Shitty start to a day, I know. But it gets shittier.

It was about a day later that I woke up. I half-expected to be dead, and I definitely felt like I was. My shoulder hurt like hell, but I was warm and that helped. A fur blanket covered me, which probably meant I was in safe company. Whoever, or whatever it was that had pulled me out of the river probably didn't want to make a profit on selling me off to someone. Especially if they had given me this comfy blanket and the much comfier pillow.

I decided it was time to greet the day. I opened my eyes a tiny quarter, slowly moving my head to my side where I thought I heard shuffling. I got a glimpse of my saviour. Which, admittedly I wished I hadn't. Apparently it is a really funny idea to get me high on LSD every time I go to sleep, to the point that I see a pretty pony like I am seeing now. The pony in question is wearing what looks like a black coat of some kind with a hood.

I take a guess that it is probably a trench coat. Which is funny, since trench coats were actually invented during World War One as a replacement for the heavy greatcoats used by the Brits. That meant that there had to be some reason for it to be invented. Either that or some edgelord pony decided it would be fun to make it easier for school shootings to occur.

However, from what I can see the pony's coat is a diluted emerald color, somewhat like sea-green, which happens to be, in my opinion, the worst color ever. I felt bad for this pony immediately. Another thing I discerned was that their tail was a beige, sandy color. I wanted to vomit due to the garishness of the poor creature's colors. And then I noticed the twin tantos that hung at the side of the pony, and I actually did vomit. You see, tantos are a made-up Japanese sword that are derived from a weapon called the ninjato, which itself is not just a ninja's weapon. Ninja, or Shinobi, didn't use anything different from the average Japanese rebel. Additionally, there is no proof of the Ninjato's existence before the twentieth century.

Though it may not be the fake swords that made me vomit, it nonetheless made me nauseous. The pony quickly hurried over to me, lifting me by the scruff of my neck easily and pulling me off the mat slightly. The spatter of whatever meal that I had recently eaten covered the cave's floor, then I began dry-heaving. The pony set me back on the mat carefully, then retrieved a cup of water and some paper towels.

Since I was still very weak, the pony took my chin in their magi- wait what? So before I go on with this entry, I might want to mention that this is Peyton from about two days in the future writing this entry. I now know that magic exists, and I will explain it later. For now, continue reading my account and wait patiently.

Anyway, the pony gently pulled my chin down and poured the water into my mouth. I drank it, dehydrated and definitely not feeling well. The cool liquid soothed my burning throat and washed the disgusting taste of vomit down my esophagus. There must have been a sedative inside the water, since I slipped off to sleep almost instantly after that.

I woke up about six hours later, at about one after midnight. My first idea was to check where the pony was, and I was relieved to find the equine asleep near the campfire in the center of the cave. Speaking of the aforementioned cave, it was much roomier than the one I had lived in for about a day and a half. It seemed to be made of a geologically more brittle material, as a few loose pebbles fell from the ceiling. I decided that that was a warning to get out of there, before a fault slipped or the whole cave collapsed.

I shifted to my other side, my left, and found that the cave was underground. There was a small opening; just big enough for a pony or a crouching human to enter and exit through. I slowly drew myself up, discovering that the only items I needed to find were my knife and my coat. However, my shirt was ripped up in the front. I could probably repair it by stitching the loose halves of the shirt, then putting in some buttons. Sure it would be tacky, but it would have to do. However, I didn't have the materials to do that yet.

I examined the actual cave's structure and layout. The cave's entrance and exit were behind me, with the campfire and my bedding in front of me. To the right was a small writing desk meant for a pony, covered in many papers. Also to the right I could see a small dresser, on which I could see my weapon and my coat. My journal was cracked open on the desk, laid out carelessly. To the left I could see a regular cave wall, with only three crates and a barrel to its name. This setup was spartan in nature, which probably meant that the pony that lived here was some kind of outlaw, exile, or outcast.

I retrieved my possessions quietly, slipping the coat on with barely a sound. Of course, ponies could hear much better than humans on Earth, and I didn't doubt that the same was true here. Hearing a noise stimulates the brain, causing a reaction, usually perking up to investigate it. However, ears don't pick up noise the same way when the body is asleep. The conclusion is that the ears are not as active when someone is asleep, especially as deep in sleep as this pony is right now.

I crept over to the writing desk, stopping for about a minute after every noise the sleeping equine makes. Finally, I reached the desk. On top of it I could see several unfinished letters to several different individuals, as well as a couple addressed to the pony who was taking care of me. I learned that they were named Sea Shadow, and she dealt in mercenary work, information-gathering, and guarding caravans. I stuffed some of the letters into my coat pockets. They might come in handy if the pony had a bounty on their head. Despite the mare helping me, I refused to associate myself with anyone who is bad enough at being a criminal that they have a bounty on their head and live in a cave, taking second-rate jobs.

The plan was working so far. Get my stuff, gather some information, and get out. However, pushing your luck has been proven fatal by millions of humans. My final act before absconding was to fold up the blanket that I had been using for later, the worn grey sheet might come in handy later, or I could make another shirt using it. I tucked it away into my coat, which was now becoming increasingly full of clutter.

Now was a good time to cut my losses, which were none, and leave before I had to deal with a second-rate cut-throat who used shitty, fake swords and looked like someone's crappy original character on DeviantArt. Though, if I'm in some kind of universe parallel to my own or that takes inspiration from my universe or world, shouldn't my own Rule of Parallels apply here? Not to toot my own horn, but I was a little bit of a pretentious fuck who came up with some theories about the multiverse theory. The general idea was that, even if two universes were polar opposites, there has to be at least one thing that is consistently the same, which allows the universes to be crossed. A sort of anchor, if you will.

If my theory was true, then this was almost certainly some proof of that theory. But equally, an anchor is used to hold something in place, so wouldn't the crosser appear at the anchor? I had so many questions, but not enough answers. I wasn't about to try and interrogate a mercenary, even if they are bad at their job they still probably have more skill with those blades than I do with my knife. Also, they had magic on their side, which made them exponentially more dangerous than me.

I carefully exited the room through the small entrance, quietly leaving without much more than a small shuffle-like sound. I peered behind me, seeing that the tiny equine was still soundly asleep.

I made a quiet retreat in the upwards direction, hoping for a quick escape.

How did everything go so wrong so quickly? One moment I was walking about, the exit to the cave right in front of me. The next, I'm hanging over the edge of a large cliff at the top of a damn mountain! Below me I could see about a thousand meter drop right into the middle of a populated district. I pulled myself up onto the ledge, breathing heavily.

"Well, I suppose I should've kept better track of you. That's Ca-" Before the cut-throat could finish their sentence, I had them in a strong hold, my knife at the base of their neck.

"You're gonna answer my questions, or I'm going to skin you alive." The cut-throat didn't seem too bothered.

"First question, how the hell did I get all the way up here from in the middle of a forest on the ground?" I asked.

"A certain client arranged for you to be delivered to them. However, you're certainly more valuable than the thousand bit reward they were offering for your deliverance." This answer she gave opened a lot more queries than the comparative few I had before.

"The hell are you talking about? Start making some sense before I start letting some blood." I demanded harshly. I really was in the kind of mood to cut open the equine if they didn't start talking.

"A male minotaur who goes by Razor wanted someone who could do very important work for him. He's just a minor warlord, but there's much more important people who want to use you for your special talent."

"The fuck are you talking about? I'm not a mercenary, I was a fucking child until I somehow ended up here."

The pony grinned, eyes sparkling much like a conspiracy theorist when you asked about their bullshit. On another note, I swore I could see a flash of red in their eyes. "That's the beauty of this little game that's being played, you're not even what the Imperium custom-ordered. The thing about contractual magic is that nopony understands it properly, and the high-rollers don't care. Now, if you don't show up to Razor in a few days, he and the higher-ups will tear apart the world looking for you, and you won't be safe no matter where you hide." I was tired of these games. I raised the pony over the thousand meter drop, then let go.

As they fell, screaming and kicking in terror, I realized what I had just done. I had just committed first-degree murder, in cold blood. I felt only a small twinge of regret, and that's the exact moment I realized that not only had my senses, my memories, and my personality been altered by the transfer, my moral compass had too. I stared at my hands, looking at the small clump of fur that was left in my left palm. I shook my palm clean, then turned my hand over and cut the back of my hand just enough for it to scar, as a reminder of what I had done here.

I wanted whatever god that exists to know, that at the end of my life, I will pay for my crimes no matter how little of my empathy is left. The first step to my new life was to find my way down this mountain. I started shimmying along the ledge, until it widened out enough for someone to walk along it.

About a day of walking later, I reached the gates of the city that I had seen down below. The day had been relatively uneventful, and I had slept none at all, resting only two hours total. I was restless, wired. I had killed someone, who had probably killed other people, but I still had ended someone's life. No matter how soulless you are, killing someone for the first time will always leave you in some sort of state.

I breathed in and out, then approached the gate casually. My knife wasn't visible. There was nothing to suggest I was abnormal, especially since I had zipped up my coat a while back due to it being cold as Hitler's stony heart. The guards at the top of the gate flew down, pointing their spears at me. I leaned back a little, almost a microscopic amount. My posture was lax and non-threatening, my eyes lazy.

"Halt, creature! You will not enter Canterlot, vile beast!" One of the pathetic horse guards yelled.

"Don't be a racist asshole, it's a very unlikable quality." The racist bastard was slack-jawed, as were the other morons. I could see one of the guards still at the gate's top flying off to probably alert their garrison commander or something.

"J-just don't move!" The guard barked in response. I waited for probably an hour.

"What in Celestia's beard are you morons doing?! Can't you see that he's clearly not threatening anypony?!" I could hear, presumably, the guards' commander berating them for being dumbasses.

Finally, the commander came into view. He was decked out in an officer's ceremonial uniform. His mane and tail were a white color, meanwhile his coat was black. This was much like some of the other guards, but this one in particular had a different haircut, a buzz-cut rather than a mohawk.

"Terribly sorry for the misunderstanding, but I'm afraid we've never encountered any creature like you before. You'll have to come with me..." He trailed off as if expecting my name. I gave it a quick think-over, and decided on a name to go by.

"My name is Duvet, Duvet Valude. And you, sir?" I know, I know, sounds really French, but I decided that the name would work okay for my purposes.

"I am Steely Justice, Captain of the Royal Guard." He seemed to not speak anymore, just leading me somewhere. We walked through the city, which was a beautiful place. Marble terraces, gold-trimmed towers, and vines that crept slowly up massive towers. We walked through several districts, full of marvels of their own. Massive statues dedicated to what I assumed were religious figures or the leaders of the country rose high in the air, and shop fronts advertised special items only found in this particular city.

The beauty of the city was dwarfed by the magnificence of the castle, Canterlot Castle. There was a massive courtyard that lead up to a huge, gilded door. Said door was carven on the outside and inside, probably mirrored on both. From what I could see of the inside, it was covered with runes and depictions of events from the past. The incredible detail shown by the door could have only been created by multiple artisans working over a long period of time. A common theme was these two horses who seemed identical, except for the way the light reflected off of the two made one appear black as night, and the other as white as the blazing sun. I could bring scarcely any sense to the carvings, but from what I could tell the two were related to each other.

The extravagant golden door was currently open, admitting servants, and others who were probably petitioning, arguing, or even fighting over trivial things that nobles tend to squabble about. I adjusted my coat slightly, making sure no one could see my knife. This could turn out bad if someone spots my weapon and calls me out as an assassin or something.

We passed under the gargantuan doorway, heading further into the castle. Already, I could see the nobles being pushed out of the castle, as they called out that day court was over. It was only midday, so presumably this was about me. I was both nervous and calm, a very odd feeling for me. But I think back on this moment and can't wish I had handled it any better. My instincts were telling me to be calm and appear collected, despite the chaos raging in my mind.

The two of us traveled the winding castle halls for what seemed like hours, but was probably in reality about ten to twenty minutes. Whoever owns this castle must be extremely rich, I thought to myself. The very walls and floors of the castle were gilded with silver and gold, and largely composed of beautiful and pure marble that increased the hall's radiance. It reminded me of the elves' architecture in pretty much any fantasy story. Every hall was adorned with stained glass windows that remembered the tales of heroes long dead. I noted that this castle must be thousands of years old.

We turned down a hall that came up on the left, which was a little more quaint than the rest. The high rooms of colonnades slowly died down until we entered a small, private section of the castle. There were barely any servants to be seen, and the few that were here were leaving. I had a bad feeling about the leaders of this country. From what I've seen, the residents are happy and ignorant. These could be benevolent dictators, which were arguably more dangerous than dictators that throw their own citizens into prison for sedition. I breathed in quietly, and made sure I knew exactly where my knife was on my belt in the case I needed to defend myself.

Finally, we arrived. "Princess Celestia and Luna await you," The guard simply stated. I put on the calmest face I could, then I opened the door.

Author's Note

NOTE TO EVERYONE: Please comment the reason you don't or do like this story. It really helps me to know what my audience wants.

Yes, I know this is kind of disappointing given the wait time for this, but it was very hard to come up with the Canterlot portion of this chapter, and I wanted to get it right so badly that I just had to pull back the release date.

That aside, for now I'm back to writing this. I hope people actually enjoy it. I feel like somehow I can't live up to the "standard" that the first Insanity story set.