Chapters Take Me Back To That Special Place
‘We are not what happened to us, we are what we choose to become.’
You know that feeling you get as you first stir from that nightly activity we call sleep? That stage where you’re not quite awake but at the same time not quite asleep? When you just want to remain in your nice, warm bed that, despite consisting of a mattress with more broken springs than you can count on both hands and sheets just as old, is still unbelievably comfy. That’s the feeling I had as well, at least until I remembered that my mattress normally didn’t feel like an ice cold rock. I probably would’ve thrown it away by now if it did.
My eyes fluttered open as I propped myself up with a slight groan. The sound quickly died in my throat as my brain processed the information my now wide eyes were sending it. See, I was fairly certain the various shops around me, as well as the massive cityscape I could see in the background framed by the rising sun, weren’t exactly present in my small community where the largest building was 4 stories tall. And was there snow on the ground? Wasn't it July? And why did everything look animated?
“Well I se-” I threw my hands over my mouth in the most stereotypical gesture one could make when the wrong voice seemed to spill from their lips. The voice I heard was too high pitched, too innocent, in direct contrast with my deep, naturally sarcastic (at least that’s what my friends said) voice. There was no way, unless some mad doctor performed an illegal and immoral operation on my vocal cords, that could be my voice.
‘Or, more practically, maybe my voice is just a bit hoarse. Maybe I should just rest it awhile. Yeah, good idea, totally practical, not like I’m trying to avoid speaking so I don’t have to confront some frightening truth or anything!’
With that situation dealt with for now (or not), I decided to take a more in-depth look at my surroundings. Glancing left, right, up, and down in wonder at my new surroundings a few things became apparent to me. The first was that my initial view of this place was quite accurate. Everything had an animated, though not cartoony, look. It was like a high-quality animation, the type only the very best studios could afford, where objects had textures and the light filtered realistically. But no matter how high the quality was, it was still obviously animated.
‘Apparently the overlords have turned down the resolution of the simulation.’
I felt as though I should have been more worried about this. I mean, imagine walking up one day and the world looks like it's being rendered by a high-end PC. Most people would probably have a strong reaction to that, pondering their existence and the nature of the universe. Oddly enough that wasn't my reaction. I felt like it should have been, but it was like my mind just accepted it and moved on. Perhaps it was getting overloaded, this information piling on top of all the other concerns.
Which brings me to the second thing I noticed: I was most certainly not in a place I recognized. If the animated look wasn't clue enough, there was also the fact that I didn't live anywhere near a city this developed. Most of my region was just small, sleepy towns that were really just forests with a few houses here and there and somewhat more populous centers. Needless to say the fact that I was in a city was both rather odd and an indicator that I was far from home.
This only served to raise the question of how I got here. I very clearly remembered going home after class yesterday, chilling out for a few hours, and then going to bed. Then I woke up he--
No, that was wrong.
Why it was wrong, I had no idea. My memories seemed to be pretty straightforward: go to sleep at home, wake up here. But it was like....you know that feeling you get when you can't remember something. Like when you walk into a room to grab something and all of a sudden you can't remember what, but you know you were there for something ? That's how I felt, like there was some sort of gap, something missing in my memory.
I shivered, though not from any sort of fright brought about my memory loss (though that fear certainly existed). Rather, it was quite cold out, which I guess would make sense considering there was snow on the ground. It must be winter around here or something, which only confused me more considering it was the dog days of summer back home. What exactly was going on?
Well, now that I acknowledged it, the cold decided to come full force. It seeped through my jacket and invaded my body, chilling me all the way to the bones. Abandoning all other thoughts (doesn't that always seem to happen when you're freezing), I pulled my jacket tighter around me in the hopes of retaining at least some degree of warmth. I looked up and down the street. My initial glance had told me that I was on some sort of side street considering the width of the road and the nature of the businesses, mainly small stores dealing in specialty items, which may have also explained why I hadn't seen anyone around yet. Considering the position of the sun and the fact that most of the store windows were dark, it was early morning and most people were probably still at home, in bed, where I desperately wanted to be. But for now, I was looking around to see if at least one shop was open so I could have some place to shelter from this cold.
‘Wait a second ,’ I thought, my mind backtracking a bit. I looked down at my body, taking in the orange coat, blue mittens, jeans, and the fact that my legs seemed much shorter than usual. Shocked, I sprung to my feet and realized that I normally wasn’t this close to the ground.
“What the hell, what the hell, what the hell,” I yelled, my panic only rising more at the sound of ‘my’ voice. “I don’t own an orange coat or blue mittens, I sure as hell shouldn’t be this damn short, and WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH MY VOICE!”
My breathing was getting too quick, my lungs couldn’t fill up with oxygen fast enough. Panic was setting in. It was all too much, my memory, waking up in an unfamiliar place, MY FRIGGING BODY!.
‘No, no, no, this is not going to help at all. Breathe.” I took a deep breath, held it in for a few seconds, then slowly let it out. Breath in, hold, let out. Breath in, hold, let out.
‘Okay, there’s one thing I need to know.” Only a few feet to my right was a shop window, maybe not the best but good enough for my purposes. I reluctantly crept towards it, and the closer I got the clearer the image became. I felt another panic attack coming on as I completed my journey and could see….. something in the makeshift mirror.
The boy staring back was not me.
Author's Note
I've been lurking around this site for a long time and have finally decided to contribute. Hopefully I don't bore anyone too much.
Edit: Fixed some of the grammar and improved the plot a bit. I was rereading this and thought it could be so much better, and so I decided to rewrite it a bit. I believe there's about 400 words of new content, which I think better gets my ideas across and enhances the plot in comparison to what I had here before. Chapters 2 and 3 will probably also be edited.
There was no way that was my reflection. Last time I checked humans don't have blue skin unless they're extremely deprived of oxygen or part of a music group. And I'm pretty sure my hair wasn't an extremely light, almost white, blue before. I mean not my hair obviously, it wasn't my reflection. I must have been looking in some sort of trick mirror. That would also explain why I looked like I still belonged in Kindergarten.
'I did seem a little shorter earlier...' I shook those thoughts from my head. They were ridiculous, something like this doesn't happen.
I burst out laughing. Of course things like this don't happen, of course, of course. It's all some hallucination, all of it. My appearance, this city, everything, a hallucination brought on by....by.....by what?
A cold breeze cut off my uncontrollable laughter, eliciting a shiver from me. Wait....how could I have felt temperature in a hallucination? Oh, of course! The answer was so simple: my actual body must be in some cold place and in the final stages of hypothermia! It wasn't uncommon for people suffering from hypothermia to see things; at least, I think that's correct. So obviously I was feeling the cold on my real body while my mind created this intense audiovisual hallucination, probably because I was near death and it wanted to give me some degree of peace. A perfectly logical explanation!
'Wait, DEATH!'
My panic returned. I didn't want to die, I was too young. There must be some way to save myself!
You know, if you asked someone how they'd react in a life-threatening situation, they would probably tell you they'd be calm, cool, and logical in their attempts to save their lives. Those people are lying.
When you feel like you're close to death, all logic goes out the window. You grasp at anything, no matter how odd, in an attempt to preserve your life. And that's how my next thought came about.
'If I find someplace warm in this dreamscape, maybe it will have some psychological effect that will wake me up!
Okay yeah, that was a stupid idea, but I couldn't really think clearly with the specter of death over my head.
I turned to glance down the street. Most of the shops had darkened windows, likely closed due to how early it was, except for one at the very end of the street. Hanging outside the shop was a universal symbol: a sign with a steaming coffee cup on it. Below the cup was fancy script reading Midtown Cafe . Not the most creative name but hey, at least it was probably warm in there.
I walked briskly toward the café, almost running but the snow stopped me from breaking into an all out sprint. I didn't know how much longer I had left, and a fall would only do to slow me down. Still I gad to hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry....
Reaching the door to the café I pushed it open with a sense of urgency, which was a bit hard considering my tiny dream body had trouble with large, heavy doors. Damn, this hallucination was detailed, even weight was present. Wait, how could I fe--
'Better not to dwell on it.'
As I finally managed to pushopen the door I was greeted with sweet, sweet heating. It felt so good against my numb face, and any anxieties I still held melted like ice under the sheer bliss. I could have stood there all day, all night, and all of the next day and savored in that feeling. I wasn't going to die!
"Can I help you little guy?"
My eyes (which apparently shut due to the sheer ecstasy) opened to reveal a young man walking out of some sort of back room behind the bar. My throat seemed to become very, very dry as I noticed his light green skin and blood red hair, as well as the fact that he absolutely towered over me. And why did his tone sound like he was talking to a 5 year old?
'Just relax, it's only a hallucination. Apparently it's taking a minute to wear off. And his tone is probably just your mind trying to sell the whole younger body thing'
"Oh, um."I winced at 'my' high pitched voice. "I uh, just came in to warm up sir."
"Oh, yeah it is a cold one out there," He noted, walking over towards a window. He looked side to side, up and down the street, then turned to me with an inquisitive look upon his face. "So uh, where exactly are your parents little guy?"
My right eye involuntarily twitched. "I think I'm old enough to be out on my own."
The man chuckled as he came over to me, kneeling down to be eye level. "Oh you're a big boy I'm sure, but you should still be with your parents. Are you lost? Do you know your address?"
My eye was really twitching now. I felt rage burning deep within me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it from spilling out.
"STOP TALKING TO ME LIKE A DAMN CHILD. I'M NOT I'M NOT I'M NOT." With each not I stomped my foot for extra emphasis, and that combined with my tirade seemed to take the employee back a bit. He wore a shocked expression upon his face, which quickly changed to a more neutral face as I heard heavy footsteps approach us from within the shop. The young man looked to the side as an older, grizzled man with pale white skin, bright blue hair and a similarly colored moustache poked his head out of the same backroom he had walked out of before. His gaze shifted between us for a moment before settling on the green skinned man.
"Is everything alright Almond?" the older man questioned.
"Everything is perfectly alright boss," Almond responded in an even tone, all the while looking directly at me. "Would you just mind doing me a favor and calling your wife real quick?"
The older man's eyes widened as though there was some sort of secret code in that request. He pulled out a cellphone and tapped the screen for a few moments before three distinct sounds, reminiscent of a dial tone, could be heard.
'He's calling 911!' I realized. No, no, no, I couldn't let this happen. 'But isn't this just a hallucination? what does it matter.'
There's a point in every situation like this where the individual has a moment of clarity, where the lie they've been telling themselves starts to crack and they're forced to confront the truth. I wasn't exactly there yet, but my lie was cracked enough to garner a reaction from me in response to the threat of the police. I made to run out the door before I felt something wrap around me and stop my escape.
"Hey, hey it's okay, we're only trying to help you," Almond said in a soothing tone. But to my ears it was like a croon of doom, and I had no choice but to leave before the police arrived. So I did the only thing I could think to do.
"AHHHHHHH!" Almond screamed in pain as a bit him as hard as I could. I could feel the ripping of skin, the blood in my mouth, and most importantly, Almond jerking away from me. I didn't even look back as I bolted out of the café and into the snowy street outside
I don't know how long I ran, I don't even really know where I was running too. Nowhere, I suppose. I was running not too something but from something. Not from Almond or the blue haired man or the police, but from the unavoidable truth that had lodged itself within my mind after my lie had finally shattered.
'I'm not hallucinating.'
Author's Note
A little bit longer than the last chapter. Hopefully this trend will continue, as I'd prefer this fic to have longer chapters. Questions, comments, concerns? Feel free to voice them.
Edit: Fixed some grammar errors and redid some of the story elements. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't do this in the first place, this is much closer to what I envisioned. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this more than the original version. Chapter 3 will also be rewritten.
"Shield, we're rolling out."
A silver-skinned man with salt and pepper hair and golden eyes that shone with experience glanced up from his paperwork. In front of his desk was his partner, a slightly younger woman with pale yellow skin, light purple hair, and brown eyes that held a very urgent look. She was ready to respond to a call apparently, her coat already buttoned, badge hanging from her belt, service weapon in its holster. He had never seen her get ready so quickly.
"What's up, Primrose? "
Primrose gave him a look which Shield took to mean 'walk and talk'. So, with a sigh, he set his paperwork aside, rose from his comfy seat, and grabbed his own coat, slipping it on as he followed the quickly retreating back of Primrose. With a light jog, quite hard for someone who barely passed the department's fitness test, Shield caught up with his dear, sometimes very annoying, partner.
"You wanna tell me what's going on, or are you testing my detective skills?"
Primrose gave her partner a smirk. "Silver Shield, if I wanted to test your detective skills I'd hand you one of those puzzle books I used to give my daughter when she was five. I'm sure you'd be a regular Sherlock Hooves with those."
Silver Shield huffed indignantly. "Hey, I was solving cases here while you were still.....I was about to say in diapers but the timeline doesn't work well. Well, while you were still in the Academy!"
"Weren't you a traffic cop back then?"
Shield's mouth opened and closed in a very accurate portrayal of a fish. "I-I...alright, you got me there. But my question still stands, what's got you all hurrying?"
Primrose's face hardened instantly, and when she talked it was in a far more serious tone, her 'case mode' as Shield called it. "I received a call from my husband a few minutes ago. He was opening up his café with one of his employees, a young man by the name of Almond. Long story short, some kid walked into the store and Almond went out front to greet him. Something about the kid concerned him so he asked Turntable to call me. The kid must have picked up on the fact that the police were getting involved so turned to run, so Almond grabbed him. The kid proceeded to bite Almond and run off."
Silver scoffed at her. "You said 'long story short' but that was still pretty long."
"That was your takeaway?" Primrose rolled her eyes as the two pushed open the heavy wooden doors of the CPD and trudged through the snow to their vehicle. "Anyway, we're heading to Canterlot General to get statements from both of them."
"No offense," Silver said as he climbed in the passenger side of the cruiser, a rather simple looking jet-black vehicle that didn't look much different than anything else on the road, "But why are we doing this? This seems...a little below a pair of detectives, you know?"
"We're doing it," Primrose responded as she slid into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition. The engine came to life and purred like a cat basking in the warm rays of the sun, "Because if it's not obvious the case is a bit personal. And don't worry, I already told the chief about this. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and maybe we'll grab a doughnut after.”
~0~
"Looking for two men named Almond and Turntable, they should've come in about half an hour ago?" Primrose inquired with the nurse at the front desk, flashing her badge as Shield did the same.
"Ah yes, they should be in room....216! Second floor, turn right, fourth door on the right," The nurse supplied with a smile.
"Thank you," Primrose responded as she made her way to the staircase, her partner close behind.
A moment later they were on the second floor, Silver Shield doubled over and gasping for breath as though he had just been punched in the stomach. Primrose rolled her eyes at her partner for the second time that day. He really needed to get back into shape.
After Silver Shield realized he would not need medical attention, it took them only a few moments to find room 216. Inside they saw a young man with bandages wrapped around his right arm quietly speaking with an older man. The conversation stopped as the two detectives entered the room, and a smile erupted on the older man's face. He walked towards Primrose, arms outstretched for an embrace.
"Oh Prim, it's lovely to see you!" He said, planting a kiss on her cheek which caused her to smile as well.
"Turntable, you big goofball, you see me everyday."
"I know," her husband responded. "But each time is just as lovely as the last. You're still just as beautiful as the day I met you. And," he paused, passing his hand through his bright blue hair as though he was trying to slick it back, quite unsuccessfully of course, "so am I."
"Alright, if you two could please save this for bedroom tonight so we could maybe get to work?" Shield interjected, breaking the two lovers from their reverie. With a satisfied nod, the old detective turned to the green skinned young man still sitting on the bed. "So, you must be Almond?"
"Y-yes sir," Almond responded nervously, cradling his bandaged arm as though it were a particularly precious child.
"No need to be scared kid, you're the victim," Shield comforted, or at least, tried his best at comforting. "Now let's get your story."
"Uh, well," Almond began, scratching the back of his head. "I was unloading some stuff with Mr. Turntable in the backroom when I heard the front door open, so I went up front to see what they wanted. But instead of an adult or teen like you'd expect, it was some little kid who had his eyes closed and this smile on his face. It did--"
"Did he have any marks on him? Bruises, burns, scars?" Primrose asked, ignoring the pointed look from Shield, who was about to ask the same thing.
Almond's eyes widened at the implication. He couldn't help but feel disgust at even the suggestion that a parent would abuse their child, and hoped that wasn't the case. "No that I saw, but he had a jacket and jeans on, so I didn't really see a lot of him."
"Suppose that makes sense considering the weather," Shield commented before gesturing for Almond to continue.
"Well anyway, it didn't seem like he'd come out of it anytime soon, so I said 'Can I help you little guy', and he just stared at me for a second, almost looking afraid. Then he said he just came in to warm up, which made sense, but at the same time I was wondering where his parents were."
"As any sane person should in that situation," Shield interjected, nods of agreement coming from Primrose and Turntable.
"Yeah, so, I look out the front window and no one's out there. So I ask him where his parents are, and his eye just starts twitching, and he was like 'I think I'm old enough to be out on my own', and you know, I try and be nice about it, of course you are and all that, but where are your parents. Then I'm wondering if maybe he's lost or something so I start asking him about that and he just freaks out! Yelling, stomping, saying he's not a child. So-" Almond paused as the silver skinned detective put up his hand in a 'stop' gesture.
"So, he got agitated when you asked him about his parents." There was a dark look forming in Shield's eyes, one which scared Almond even though he knew it wasn't directed at him. "Was there anything else you noticed?"
"No, nothing I didn't mention," Almond answered, then continued speaking as Shield once again gestured to him to continue. "After that, Mr. Turntable came out from the backroom and I was like, something is going on with this kid, so I asked him to call Mrs. Primrose and then, well....." Almond trailed off, gesturing towards his bandaged arm.
"Yeah, I think we know the rest," Shield said, glancing back at his partner. "Last question: What'd the kid look like?"
"Oh, about this tall," Almond held his hand around waist height, which Shield estimated to mean the boy was around 3 and a half feet tall, "blue skin, really light blue hair, bright green eyes, an orange jacket, blue mittens, and blue jeans."
"Perfect!" Shield turned to his partner. "Get all that on your notepad, Primrose?"
Primrose gave a scoff at Shield's question. "I would have if I didn't know you carried a tape recorder, old man."
"Ahh, you know me too well." Shield chuckled as he slipped an old fashioned tape recorder out of his pocket, much to the confusion of Almond.
"Man, why would you use a dinosaur like that? You can just, like, use your phone these days."
"Because, young man," Shield started, giving Almond a deadly serious look, "Nothing will ever beat the classic tape recorder. It's the ultimate in police technology."
The terrified Almond gave a nod, unwilling to press Shield any further. Satisfied with his convincing of the superiority of the tape recorder, Shield turned back to his partner and her husband. "Alright, and Mr. Turntable, that chain of events accurately describes what you saw?"
"What I was present for, yes."
"Was there anything else you noticed, hon, something Almond may not have noticed?" Primrose asked her husband.
Turntable put his hand to his chin in thought for a second before his eyes seemed to take on a sad look. "When I went over to help Almond, I glanced up for a second and caught a glimpse of the boy out the café window. There were...there were tears leaking from his eyes."
Primrose sighed and hugged her husband, who quickly returned the embrace. "I know how hard it is to see a child in such pain, Turntable. To see things like that and wonder how hard that child's life is. But we'll find him, and we'll put him somewhere that'll give him all the love he deserves and more."
"Heh, you always know how to make me feel better." Turntable kissed his wife once again, then leaned in to whisper something in her ear. "Just do me one favor, Prim. When you find the people who abused him, because we both know he must have been, give them a few good punches for me."
Primrose chuckled. "Well, I can't legally do that, though maybe the chief will allow me some...alone time after we bring them in."
"So," Almond said, calling the couple's attention back to him and the smirking Silver Shield. They couldn't help the blush that spread across each of their faces upon being reminded the room had two other occupants," are you guys going to put out like an alert or something?"
Shield and Primrose looked at each other before turning back to Almond. The two turned back to each other with looks of confusion.
"I thought you were gonna explain it?" Shield said.
"I thought you were going to?" Primrose responded, before rolling her eyes and once again turning to Almond. "Well, the thing is, the type of alert you're thinking about is for abducted children who are in imminent danger. This, unfortunately, doesn't meet the criteria. It'll probably just be Shield and I working this, unless we call for backup of course."
Almond nodded in understanding and, satisfied with her lesson on certain police procedures, Primrose turned to her husband with an outstretched hand. A confused expression came across his face as he saw her hand.
"The keys, Turntable."
"Oh, of course. The café key should be right....." Turntable had pulled out a key ring that had at least thirty different keys on it, all different sizes, shapes, some of them even looked like a child's play keys. Eventually he found the one he was looking for and slipped it off the ring, handing it to his wife. "Just do me a favor and remember to lock up if I'm not back by the time you guys are done."
"Of course hon. I'll see you later." She blew a kiss towards her husband as she and her partner exited the room, emerging back out into the brightly lit hospital hallway. She turned towards Shield, who seemed like he was mulling it everything over as much as she was.
"So what do you think?" He finally said as they reached the stairwell. Thankfully going down was easier than going up.
"About?" Primrose asked, though she knew exactly what he was asking about.
" The kid."
Primrose chewed her bottom lip in thought for a moment before responding,"Probably an abuse case. Showing up out of the blue on a cold winter day, the anger, the biting? I get that being grabbed isn't the best experience but lashing out like that.....we have to be gentle with this."
"Agreed."
~0~
It didn't take long at all to reach The Midtown Café, a small store off a side road in Canterlot's Commercial District that Turntable had opened a few years ago. It was always his dream to open a café, and the money he got as a DJ at the local radio station made that dream possible. But for now the shop was abandoned, the Closed sign having hastily been flipped and the lights having been accidentally left on.
"Well look at that." Primrose squatted to get a better look at the noticeably small footprints in the snow. "How much would you bet that's the kid's?"
"My entire collection of vintage baseball cards." Shield glanced up and down the sidewalk. "Luckily for us it's so early and we're on such an unfrequented little side street that his footprints are the only ones here. Hey, why'd your husband open a café on such a quiet street?"
"It gets much busier later in the day." Primrose straightened back up and threw the store keys to the unexpecting Shield, who clumsily caught them. "Which is why we need to move. You check for any evidence inside, I'm going to follow this trail."
With a nod, Shield went to unlock the door as Primrose followed the trail of footprints down the street. She was only about a hundred feet away when she came across an interesting spot. A large patch of snow had been melted, almost as if someone had been laying there, with the footprints leading off from that, except instead of going straight for the café they went towards the closest store's window.
Primrose stepped over to the window, curious as to what the boy could have been looking at. All she saw were....sofas and quills? Who even used quills anymore? Shaking her head to clear it of those thoughts, she found herself wondering why the boy walked over here. Curiosity? Looking for someplace warm? She wasn't sure, and the reflection staring back at her was giving no answers.
With a sigh, Primrose made her way back to the café. It seemed like her investigation had found more questions than answers. Like, now that she thought about it, why would the boy have been laying in the snow? The only clear thing about this case was that this child was definitely not going back to his parents.
Her partner was walking out the front door right as she arrived, shaking his head at her.
"Nothing. Your husband doesn't even have a security camera."
"Yeah, he's not paranoid like us," Primrose quipped before jerking her thumb back in the direction from which she came. "That's the direction he came from. There's a patch of snow that's been melted away, so he must have been laying there for a while. Then the footprints lead to the nearest store window before making their way over here."
"Melted patch of snow." Shield scratched his chin in thought, a disgusted look forming on his face. "With each new piece of evidence we find it feels like it's becoming more and more obvious this is an abuse case."
"Unfortunately," Primrose sighed. This part of her job never got easier to deal with. Glancing down at the sidewalk, she saw the footprints turn the corner. She looked back up at her partner, who gave a nod of understanding as they began to follow the tracks. "One thing's for certain: we need to find this kid before something else happens."
Author's Note
It's been over a week since I updated this story. Honestly meant to get an update out like two days ago but life. This should be updated every week or so, maybe more frequently if I can get these chapters written quicker. If you have a question, comment, or concern, especially if you see some sort of grammar mistake or plot hole, please feel free to voice them.
Edit: Fixed some grammar errors and added in some more dialogue. I as rereading this chapter the other day and thought it was terrible. I'm not sure why I put it out in the first place. Needless to say this won't happen again, my quality control is going to be much better. Anyway, the next chapter can be expected soon.
Author's Note
To anyone who was reading this work before 3/5/2020, it is suggested you go back and read chapters 1,2,and 3. They have been moderately rewritten with quite a bit of new content added, about 1,000 words I believe.
Anyway, if you have any comments on the chapter below feel free to voice them in the comments.
In Bloom
Running through the streets only seemed to confirm what I already suspected was true. After the whole incident at the café the cobbled together fallacy I used to protect my mind had crumbled, leaving the cold, hard truth in its wake. And the truth was rather simple, what with the animated look everything had and the technicolor humans and the fact there were a bunch of signs around me that said 'Canterlot': I was in the Equestria Girls universe.
Now that I think about it that should have been obvious before.
Anyway, yes, I was a fan of My Little Pony and the related materials despite being a young adult. Sue me, it was a quality show and I will not be embarrassed for enjoying it. And you know, like most Bronies, or fans of any fictional universe really, I'd always thought it would be cool to experience that world firsthand.
Yeah, it's not as good as you'd think.
It's super easy to go on about how awesome something would be if you've never actually tried that thing. Take, for instance, swimming with sharks. I thought it would be absolutely amazing since sharks are such wonderful creatures and now, long story short, there's a bite mark on my upper right thigh.
At least there was before....you know.
But the point is getting magically zapped into your favorite cartoon world wasn't as cool as people thought. It really raises a lot of questions such as: how? Why? How? Can I ever get back home? How? What about my family, will I ever see them again? Oh, did I say HOW!?
Needless to say this was a very stressful time for me.
'What am I going to do? I'm like 5 or something, I don't legally exist here, and it's not like I can get a job or live on my own. Oh my gosh,' My eyes widened in realization, and I almost slipped from the shock of it all, 'They might send me to an orphanage!'
See, it's not like I had anything against orphanages, and I knew that, just like my world, there must be quite a few good ones here, but I couldn't take the chance of ending up in a bad home. But what else could I do? I had no idea how to survive on the street and it seemed to be the dead of winter here, which meant the next few weeks were probably going to be extremely cold, and the police were already after me. What do I do, what do I do, what do I-
That train of thought came to a crashing halt as I ran directly into something. I fell into the snow on my backside and instinctually brought a hand up to my now sore nose. Painful but it didn't seem to be bleeding. With a bit of hesitation, I lifted my head to see what I ran into.
'I don't know if this is a good thing or not'
My eyes met two blue-green orbs set into a yellow face framed by pink hair. Standing before me, clad in blue jeans and a pale pink coat, was none other than Fluttershy herself, who naturally had a very concerned look on her face.
'Is the universe trying to rub it in my face.'
"Oh my, are you alright?" she asked in her soft voice.
There comes a point where you just can't take it any more. When everything just piles on top of you, little by little, until eventually you snap and breakdown. When your poor, fragile mind can't put up with it any more and so shatters like your neighbor's window after you threw that baseball at it.
This was my breaking point.
You're probably thinking 'why would hearing Fluttershy, the kindest member of the main cast, speak be your breaking point'? Well it just felt like if I didn't realize I was in the Equestria Girls' universe before, I most certainly did now. Fluttershy's appearance cemented that fact and also served to ground me. Whereas before all of my thoughts were flitting through my head in my hysteric state, which never truly left time for me to ruminate on them, now it was like the true weight of them hit me all at once. Trust me, that was not an enviable experience.
It's kind of funny how quickly this all went through my mind, I mean it only took like a few seconds. Such a weird thing the mind is, able to go through a train of thought like that in a few moments, but unable to remember where I put my sunglasses.
Anyway, let's get back on track. The point is these thoughts running through my head may have had.....an effect on this body. In other words I burst into tears in front of Fluttershy.
I kind of felt bad in a way, as the horrified look on her face made it clear she thought I was crying because of her. Well I mean, I guess part of it was because of her, sort of. But really, she wasn't to blame, it was the circumstance really, and it wasn't fair that she felt so bad. I opened my mouth to apologize when, suddenly, I was lifted off the ground and brought into a warm embrace. It took me a minute to realize Fluttershy was hugging me.
It was an awesome feeling, warm and absolutely full of compassion. I couldn't even remember the last time I received a hug like this, and it did wonders to calm me down.
"Oh you poor dear, I'm so sorry," She said, rubbing gentle circles into my back. "Does anything hurt? Are you injured?"
She held me out a bit to look over my body as I shook my head no. She seemed relieved, then her face quickly morphed into a look of concern once gain. "Uhm, if you don't mind me asking, where are your parents?"
I couldn't even muster up the same anger I had when the green skinned guy asked me that question. I mean, first of all it was Fluttershy, how could I possibly be mad at her, and second of all, when I thought over my current situation, it was a perfectly reasonable question. I mean heck, if I were in her position I'd probably ask the same thing. But her question only served to bring a fresh round of tears. I guess it brought back that question of 'will I ever see my family again', and mixed with what I was beginning to realize was the emotional maturity of someone my physical age, well, you know. Those tears had the effect of eliciting another horrified look from Fluttershy before she once again tightly embraced me. I could suddenly feel, as well as hear, the telltale footfalls of walking, and looked up at Fluttershy's face in confusion. She smiled back. "Have you ever been to Sugarcube Corner, sweetie?"
~0~
Sugarcube Corner was just as amazing as you've imagined it. It smells like freshly baked pastries, there's sweets all around, and it has that homey feel that I've never seen any restaurant properly pin down before. Basically, my sad child brain went to happy child brain so fast that light wants to imitate it.
As if I didn't have enough things to worry about. Now, as I was coming to realize upon looking back on my actions since I woke up here, I had to deal with a 5-year old's emotions. If having part of your mind become childlike doesn't scare you, I don't know what will. Those thoughts had consumed much of my mind on the way to Sugarcube corner, but had been quickly forgotten upon arrival.
I have a sweet tooth, okay?
Fluttershy's soft laugh filled the air as she saw my smiling face. She made to gently set me down on the floor, and as soon as she did, I ran to the nearest display case. It was full of amazingly decorated cupcakes and a pair of blue eyes and-
'Wait, go back. '
I did a double take and met the gaze of two bright blue eyes set into a pink face, and then I knew my doom was upon me.
"HI!" Pinkie Pie yelled excitedly as she leaned over the counter to be practically an inch from my face. "I don't think I've met you before! I'm Pinkie Pie, what's your name?"
If the appearance of the most hyperactive resident of Canterlot didn't render me silent, then that question certainly did. It occurred to me that nobody had actually asked my name yet, probably more concerned with the fact that a child was out alone in the middle of winter. Now that someone actually did ask I realized the pickle I was in. My original name wouldn't fly here, that was for sure. It was kind of disheartening to know that this experience would rob me of my name as well as my body, but I couldn't spend too much time thinking about that with Pinkie Pie looking down at me curiously and Fluttershy coming into my field of view with the same expression.
"I didn't even think to ask for your name!" Fluttershy exclaimed as she stood next to Pinkie Pie, who gave her a 'really' look. You know, the one where you raise your eyebrow so high it looks like it'll come off your head. Fluttershy blushed at the look. "Well he ran into me, there was crying, and I just wanted to get him here to cheer him up."
"Wait, Flutters....did you kidnap him!?" Pinkie seemed to produce a police cap out of nowhere and placed it upon her poofy hair.
"What? No, Pinkie I'll explain in a second. For now, what's your name, sweetie?" Fluttershy asked, turning away from her friend.
'Well, uhm, My Little Pony style name. Color sometimes plays a role, right? I'm blue, so maybe some shade of blue in the name. Or is that too much? Nah, let's go with it. And uh, what else, what do I like. Uhhhhh……..
"Azure Wave!" I blurted out, the energy of my response seeming to throw Fluttershy off balance a bit. Pinkie, on the other hand, leapt forward and materialized a plate from some unknowable pocket dimension that had a single, blue frosted cupcake sitting atop it. I simply stared at the treat.
"Well, Azure? Are you gonna take it? It's your welcoming cupcake!" Pinkie explained.
"Welcoming....cupcake?" I responded, confusion evident in my voice. Pinkie's smile widened further if that was even possible.
"Yeah! Everyone gets one the first time they walk into Sugarcube Corner! So....." Pinkie trailed off expectantly. With a bit of hesitation considering the cupcake had materialized out of thin air, I grabbed it off the plate and took a bite.
To say it was the greatest thing I'd ever tasted would be an understatement. It was the greatest thing I will ever taste, that my descendants will taste, that alternate universe versions of me will taste. It was sweet and airy and every other perfect quality a cupcake could have. I was in heaven.
"Azure?" I glanced over at Fluttershy as she called my new name. Damn, that would take some getting used to. "Why don't you grab a seat over there while I talk to Pinkie for a moment?"
Her finger was pointing to a table on the other side of the room, right by a window with a nice view of the street. I nodded and walked over there with my gateway to paradise, climbing my way into the booth that was now a bit too large for me. Even though I was curious as to what the two were talking about, my attention was drawn to the street. There were a lot more people out and about now, especially considering that Sugarcube Corner was on a main road, and all of their colors were mesmerizing. I was lost in it until I saw Fluttershy slide into the seat across from me out of the corner of my eye. She had a chocolate chip muffin and a sad smile.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" I asked before she could say anything. I had been curious about that considering it must have been about time for school to start.
"Uhm, it's Saturday," Fluttershy seemed quite confused about my lack of knowledge on the day of the week. I blushed a bit and slumped in my seat.
"So, Azure," I looked up at Fluttershy, who seemed a bit uncomfortable, "why were you out on the street so early? And why were you running?"
My mouth opened and closed as I tried to come up with some sort of response. "Well, uh, you see, funny story really, I uh.....was exercising?"
Fluttershy slowly nodded, definitely not believing my answer but probably deciding to not press further. "Okay.....ummm, I know this may be hard Azure, but this is an important question. Do you...do you feel safe at home?"
Oh. Ohhhhhhh. She thought....you know I guess that made sense actually. A kid running alone on the street in the middle of winter who bursts into tears when his parents are mentioned. Yeah, that practically screamed abuse.
"Y-yes, of course!" I practically yelled, which seemed to take Fluttershy back a bit. To be honest my avid refusal probably did very little to convince her.
"Alright, sorry for making you mad. I do still have a few more questions though." Fluttershy sighed, quite an odd thing to see her do, before speaking again. "Have your parents every hit you?"
When did Fluttershy become a one person Special Victims Unit? I understood the concern but this was starting to get weird and uncomfortable.
"No!" I growled, immediately feeling guilty as Fluttershy 'eeped' and hid her face behind the collar of her coat. "I mean, no. I'm sorry about that, Ms. Fluttershy. I've just been really stressed lately."
Fluttershy gave me an odd look as her face came out from behind her collar. "How'd you know my name?"
"What?"
"My name," Fluttershy repeated, "I-I never mentioned it."
Oh no. This was most certainly not good. I had committed the worst offense possible for someone who had been transported to a 'fictional' universe: accidentally using your viewer's knowledge. Fluttershy was going to think I was some sort of stalker or somethin-wait I was a little kid. So maybe she wouldn't think I was a stalker, but she was definitely confused and possibly freaked out.
I was about to respond when two things happened. The first was that some guy with silver skin and salt and pepper hair slid into the booth beside Fluttershy. The second was that a woman with yellow skin and purple hair sat beside me, blocking me into the booth. Both were clad in trenchcoats and, through the opening of the woman's coat, I almost certainly saw the glint of a police badge.
"We're here to ask you a few questions," The silver skinned man said, his gaze situated on me.
"Silver," The woman glared at him, "could you be a bit more polite?"
'Damnit '
