Author's Note
Hey y'all! Thanks so much for giving my little story the time of day. This is my first real public project, so I'm learning a lot as I go through it. I hope it turns out well, and that it ends up being fun to read. That said, I'm always grateful for help, so if you spot any errors, or have any issues with the story, feel free to let me know in the comments!
For those of you early birds who read this chapter within a few hours of its acceptance, I apologize for making you read it twice. I originally wrote this chapter late in the evening, and didn't have a lot of time to revise it, so when I came back to the story a few days later, I realized I really didn't like the ending, and decided to rewrite part of it. It's still not fully to my satisfaction, but I feel it's necessary for the pace of the story. I appreciate your patience with me, and your willingness to spend time out of your day reading the products of my imagination.
That said, please enjoy!
Perdita [EDITED]
Just keep running. Just keep running.
My legs burned as I pushed them well past their limit. My heart pounded in my ears, mixing with my panicked breathing and the rapid clicking of hooves on tile to create a cacophony that almost drowned out the sounds of the things scraping along the walls and floors behind me. Despite my newfound quadrupedal stature, I had quickly grown used to the strange furry appendages attached to my equally fluffy, equine body, and now made my way through the darkened halls before me at what I considered to be a fairly respectable speed. Imminent mortal danger could have interesting effects on the development of one's basic motor skills, it seemed.
I let out a loud, high-pitched scream and skidded to a halt as one of the walls exploded in front of me, showering the hall with debris as an inky black creature with far too many limbs came crashing through it, a multitude of baleful red orbs leering at me from the liquid shadows of the beast's body. I recovered quickly, scrambling to my hooves and ducking down a side passage, pouring on speed as I heard an unholy screech sound out behind me. I blinked away tears as I ran, desperate not to give in to despair.
The hall seemed to twist and turn endlessly, each branch leading off into an unknowable dark void. I could hear the creatures' shrieking behind me, just around the corner. I could swear they were getting closer, and I was quickly growing tired, having been running for what felt like days at that point. I had just rounded another corner when something struck my hoof and I tripped, stumbling down the hall a short distance with a yelp. The strange horn on my head struck the tile, sending a shock of pain through my skull, dazing me. My lungs heaved, desperate for oxygen, and I could feel my legs turning to lead as I lay there panting. I blinked the spots out of my eyes and glanced back at the thing I'd tripped over.
Two dull eyes stared back at me, their light seemingly having left only minutes ago. It was the body of a small, green mare, similar in size to me, with a pair of tattered wings on her back. Blood seeped from a long, jagged gash along her right side, where bits of hard bone were slightly visible through the bloodstained fur. She stared straight at me, her face a frozen mask of fear and agony. I scrambled away from the corpse, my hooves splashing in the thin pool of blood beneath her. My eyes rapidly filled with tears as my already panicked breathing picked up a notch. I managed to make my way to a door, further covering myself in blood as I slipped to the side of the hallway. I ripped it open with my stubby appendages, then slid myself inside and closed it most of the way, leaving just enough room to peer through into the hall as I tried desperately to slow my breathing. I could hear one of the creatures approaching.
Out in the hall, a dim, red light slowly made its way along the once sterile walls. I heard a strange, halting gurgle, like dumping liquid from a bottle, as the light came to a halt. I held my breath, pressing a hoof against my muzzle to stifle the whimpers attempting to escape my throat. Outside, a massive, dark-furred beast lowered its nose to the corpse, sniffing it with a deep, growling snort. It was massive, and looked almost like a black wolf, if wolves had four ears, eight eyes, and a snout the size of my head. After a few seconds, its mouth opened, revealing row upon row of long, dagger-like teeth, each one dripping with a dark crimson liquid. The smell was awful, like rotting meat, and I forced down a gag as some of its breath drifted through the crack in the door. As I watched, the beast lowered its maw to the dead equine, its jaw opening to easily twice the size of her head.
I closed my eyes, my ears folding against my skull as I tried in vain to block out the sickening crunch I heard through the crack in the door. I heard the sound of massive jaws smacking, the wet slap of meat against tile, and the steady dribble of liquid splattering on the floor. The already horrid smell of decay was soon joined by the metallic odor of freshly spilled blood. The sounds continued for a while before pausing. Foolishly, I peeked open one eye, staring out through the thin crack in the door. The equine's head was completely gone, replaced by an even larger pool of blood. The creature then turned and bit into the corpse's neck, holding the body down with a massive clawed foot as it tore a long strip of flesh from the bone with a wet tearing sound. Blood and viscera splattered haphazardly around the hall as the creature snapped the meat up into its mouth. I quickly closed my eyes again, struggling against a rapidly increasing urge to vomit.
Eventually, the sounds of eating stopped, replaced by more sniffing. I struggled for a few moments over whether or not to risk opening my eyes again. The decision was made easier as the noise moved closer to the door, accompanied by the creature's odorous breath. I opened my eyes, then had to suppress a scream as I saw the thing's nose pressed against the floor, where a trail of blood had been smeared across the hallway, directly under my door. The beast was mere inches away at this point, its black, mismatched front feet visible from where I sat; though "feet" might have been a generous term for the hybridized monstrosities that supported the creature's weight. One of them was like a hoof, though sharp, and with a thin, viscous film on it reminiscent of the multi-limbed creature from earlier. The other was a thick paw, with massive, barbed claws that curled up from the toes in a wicked arc. They seemed to glimmer like metal in the dim light of the corridor, though like the rest of the creature's demented form, they were pitch-black.
I dared not move an inch as the creature's nose sniffed right along the bottom of the door. I had a feeling it knew I was here, but I still didn't dare make a sound, even as my lungs screamed at me for oxygen. I didn't even blink, my wide eyes beginning to burn as even my tears stopped flowing. I was completely frozen as it continued its search, eventually moving up to sniff at the crack in the door. Its breath puffed against my face, forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut. Then, all went still.
I didn't move. I didn't breathe, I didn't cry, I didn't think. I knew my life was over. I already felt the despair gripping my heart as the silence dragged on.
Eventually, a distant shriek echoed down the hall outside. It was soon followed by others, monstrous wails, howls, and roars echoing in the confined space, prompting me to open my eyes once again. My pursuer had lifted its head towards the source of the noise, its glowing eyes seeming almost contemplating. It looked briefly back towards the crack in the door, and I swear my heart stopped as its eyes met mine. Then, surprisingly, it snorted dismissively, its gaze turning back down the hall. It stalked off into the darkness, each of its four feet making a different noise as they struck the tiles. I watched in pure astonishment as it left my view, the sounds of its footsteps fading as it made its way away from me. I felt my heart beat again, and I gasped. I collapsed, my body melting onto the floor as my thoughts spun around in my head.
I should be dead. Why am I not dead? What's going on?
After deliberating for quite a while about recent events, I eventually came to a somewhat solid conclusion. The creature had known I was there. It had shown interest in me until the other creatures called out to it. It then left me, as if I was unimportant. Creatures like these were hunters, and if the behavior of the creature chasing me was anything to go by, they had a specific goal in mind. The fact that this one had abandoned easy prey to follow the others meant one thing.
They had found what, or who, they were looking for.
I quickly decided that that wasn't my problem, and returned to resting sorrowfully on the floor. I was exhausted, and as far as my annoyingly mobile ears could tell, I was out of immediate danger, which my weary body decided to take full advantage of. I curled up in what felt like a vaguely comfortable position; my head resting on my forelegs with my tail wrapped around my body; closed my eyes, and fell into a fitful, restless sleep.
The sound of hooves echoed loudly in the silence as I made my way through yet another series of random corridors. The silence had been somewhat comforting at first; a pleasant change from the constant sound of hellish beasts chasing behind me; but it had quickly become more of an eerie stillness. The air was cold and tense, and every scuff of my hoof sent me spinning in search of pursuers. I was constantly on edge, and it was really frustrating.
I jumped about a meter into the air when something clattered to the floor next to me. I spun around, noticing the metal tray of filthy, rusted surgical equipment scattered across the tiles next to a short table. I placed a hoof against my chest; this body had really strange joints; and glared at the offending utensils, muttering curses under my breath until I calmed down. My ears swiveled around as I listened for any sound of danger. When no such noises came, I continued walking down the endless corridor.
"Seriously, does this place ever end?" I grumbled softly, my voice echoing lightly off the stone walls around me. Again my ears swiveled about, and again no danger presented itself. It was almost disappointing.
Almost.
I continued walking for about an hour before coming to a three-way intersection. The wall on the left side was broken open, and as I stepped closer to the darkened hole, I felt a strange urge to stop, as though I was about to hit a wall. I stuck my hoof into the shadows, and the darkness enveloped it, the bloodstained fur disappearing completely into the black. I yanked my hoof back, deciding to take the hall to the right.
I walked for a few more minutes, taking seemingly random twists and turns as I went. Something gnawed at my mind, seemingly important, but I just couldn't place a hoof on it.
Eventually, I rounded another corner, then stopped, eyes widening. In front of me was a long section of hallway, smeared with blood, viscera, and green fur. Two sets of prints lead down the hall; one a small, circular pattern of hooves, the other the mismatched, loping gait of a large monster. A single door was open on the left, where some of the blood had been smeared from the hallway outside.
I'd gone in a circle.
I groaned and sank down against a wall, resting my head on a hoof. "That explains the nagging feeling," I muttered to myself, then sighed. A sinking despair settled onto my heart as I stared down the hall. The blood didn't faze me anymore. Even with the monsters seemingly gone, this place; which I'd determined was likely a hospital of some sort; was littered with spots of dried blood and rot, as well as the occasional decayed corpse.
I stared for several minutes, my mind reeling at all the things I had seen since coming here. Not for the first time, I found myself trying to recall where I was and how I’d gotten here. I closed my eyes and focused, attempting to bring forth images of before. I knew there had to be something there, I knew what a hospital was, for one thing, and I knew the body I was in was unfamiliar, but once again I found myself with nothing. I didn’t even know what I was, let alone who I was or where I was from.
I sighed and looked down at my body, searching for clues therein. I was a small white mare, a unicorn, it seemed, though my body was much shorter and stubbier than that of a horse. I had a soft grey mane and tail, and a symbol of a winged staff on each thigh, complete with twin snakes curling around it. The symbol seemed familiar, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why, or even what it meant. My white fur was matted and caked with blood in several places, but, as odd as it seemed, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
I continued staring for a while, before eventually deciding to stand up. I turned and walked down the hall, back the way I came. Upon reaching the first intersection, I turned right down a hall I hadn’t been in before, and proceeded forward, hugging the right wall and turning right at every available intersection. I seemed to recall hearing somewhere that the best way to get through a maze was to hug the right wall, though once again the source of such a memory eluded me. There were a few halls where turning down them met with the same stopping sensation as the hole from earlier, but for the most part I was able to continue on as I had been.
Eventually, the endless hallways started to become more and more unfamiliar. White walls gave way for light gray, then brown, the paint wearing away until the brickwork was exposed, though not the large, uniform brickwork from earlier. These were smaller, more urban-looking. Tile floors gave way to cracked marble, segmented by thin metal lines. I noticed that I'd been walking straight for a while, with no doors, windows, or details of any kind, until I came upon a sudden right turn. I stepped around the corner and stopped.
All traces of the hospital I'd been in were gone. In front of me stretched a long school hallway, reminiscent of old private schools, though the lockers along the walls were shorter, and more like wooden cubbies with a top shelf and a pair of hooks on each inner wall; no doors. The classrooms themselves were all closed, their handles also significantly lower down than seemed normal, and even in the strange, ever-present dim blue light, the windows were completely pitch-black.
"This has to be a dream," I muttered to myself, looking around at my new surroundings. The revelation brought me a small sense of comfort. I glanced down at myself, noticing I was no longer covered in blood and grime, though my aches remained. "And I'm still a horse," I added.
That thought gave me pause. This was a dream, right? As far as I knew, I'd never known much about lucid dreaming, but from what I recalled, one only needed to be aware they were in a dream to change it, right? With that thought in mind, I tried focusing on lifting off the floor. Flying would be a good test, since horses couldn't fly, right?
I closed my eyes and focused, waiting to feel my hooves lift off the ground, or a sense of weightlessness, or even a pair of wings on my back. I focused harder and harder, holding my breath and screwing up my face, until my head started to hurt. Eventually, I peeked an eye open, then let out an exasperated sigh. I hadn't lifted a milimeter. In fact, as I glanced around, I noticed that everything actually seemed taller around me. I looked down at myself, noticing my still-white forehooves, though my legs seemed shorter now. I lifted my head and glanced back towards my tail. My body was much shorter, with a bit of a pudgy midsection and no thigh-mark. I'd turned into a foal.
"Oh come on!" I squeaked loudly, feeling my face go red as my voice broke. That seemed to confirm this was a dream, at least, since turning into a foal out of nowhere wasn't exactly normal. Then again, I was a unicorn, and the fairy tales all said that unicorns were magical creatures. Maybe this was normal?
"My head hurts," I groaned, sinking to the floor and placing my head in my hooves. All this thinking was giving me a headache. Despite this, I took a moment to pull together what I knew. I was a small horse; a pony, perhaps; trapped in some crazy, never-ending maze that changed the further I went. There used to be nightmarish monsters that defy description (and physics) prowling around and hunting me, but they disappeared after seemingly having found what they were looking for. My body had changed at least once that I'd observed, possibly twice, given how unfamiliar I was with quadrupedal locomotion when I first got here. I was alone, with the only other sign of possibly sentient life being the green pony I'd found-- I shuddered as I remembered what had happened to her --in the hospital section of the maze. I apparently didn't need food or water, having been here for what seemed like multiple days without feeling hunger or thirst, but I still grew tired from exertion. Despite all signs pointing to this being a dream, I was unable to intentionally affect myself or the world around me with any degree of control beyond basic physical interaction.
Tl;DR, I was trapped and had no clue where I was.
I groaned again. Well that was productive. I stood up and began pacing back and forth, idly noticing the hallway I'd arrived through had been replaced by a plain brick wall decorated by a single poster of a smiling filly with the words "Believe in Yourself!" written in big, bold letters across the bottom. I snorted and rolled my eyes.
Deciding I had nothing better to do, I turned to go wandering the hall, coming face-to-face with a small green creature about the same size as me. I yelped, jumping backwards about half a meter before I recognized what I was seeing.
In front of me stood a young pony, probably a colt, with forest green fur, brownish-orange mane and tail, and hazel eyes. He had no thigh-mark, something I was beginning to think only adult ponies had, and bore neither horn nor wings. He was staring at me with a wide-eyed expression, mouth slightly agape. Before I could ask him who he was or why he was staring at me, he spoke.
"Meadow? I-is that you?"
Meadow? Who's Meadow? Was IMeadow? I opened my mouth again to say something, but found myself speechless, my jaw flapping uselessly like a dying fish.
"I--" I was cut off as the pony crashed into me, giving me a spike of panic before I realized that he had wrapped me up in a hug. I stared forward, confused, before lifting a foreleg to awkwardly return the hug. I glanced at it, noticing my fur had changed from its usual white to a light-brown.
Well I can turn into a foal, I thought irritably. Why not turn brown?
Eventually, the colt pulled away, holding onto my shoulders and looking into my eyes. "They said you were... they said…" He pulled me into another hug, tighter this time. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
My confusion only grew as the colt continued to hold me like I'd turn into smoke and float away. At this point, it wouldn't even surprise me, really. I mentally crossed 'am alone' off of my mental checklist, replacing it with the knowledge that this colt supposedly knew me, I was now brown, and that my name was apparently Meadow.
The colt pulled away again, glancing around worriedly. "W-we can't stay here, it's not safe. C'mon!"
The colt somehow grabbed my foreleg with his hoof and started tugging me down the hall. Still confused, I followed him, awkwardly hobbling along on three legs as he pulled me forward. After turning a few corners, the colt started to speed up, apparently beginning to panic. I could barely keep up, my hooves tangling over one another as I more stumbled than walked beside him. I tripped, nearly falling flat on my face as he pulled me even faster.
"S-slow down!" I squeaked. "Where are we going?"
"We gotta get out of here," the colt said. "It's not safe, there's monsters!"
"What monsters?" I asked, dreading the answer.
The colt shook his head. "There's always monsters."
As if on queue, a familiar screech tore through the halls, bringing my mind back to the hospital. I found myself matching pace with the colt, pressing instinctively up against him, having apparently freed my hoof at some point.
"Gotta get you to safety," The colt muttered beside me. "I can save you this time, we just gotta get somewhere safe!"
My heart lurched. 'This time'? What did he mean? Had this happened before? My mind was sent reeling by the implications. No memories, unfamiliar body, world changing around me…
"There!" The colt galloped forward, heading towards a large, reinforced metal door with a sign over it that read "Panic Room". I might've questioned the logic of such an out-of-place room if I didn't immidiately see a large, nine-legged spider thing charging toward us from the other end of the hall. Figuring the clearly marked panic room was better than whatever that was, I followed the colt as he ripped open the door, gesturing wildly for me to step inside. Once we were both in, the door slammed shut with a resounding bang, followed by the sound of a heavy latch locking in place. Neither of us moved as we stared at the door, watching, waiting.
The door shook as something slammed into it from the other side. I found myself wrapping my forelegs around my male companion, childish terror gripping my chest. There was a horrible screech from the other side, and the door shook again. The creature slammed into the heavy metal three times before seemingly giving up, heavy footsteps thumping loudly in the other direction.
"We're safe," the colt beside me breathed. I quickly let go of him, hiding a blush at my odd behavior. If he noticed, he didn't care, quickly turning around to assess our new situation.
The room we were in was plain. Large, stone bricks made up the walls, with a simple bench and small, foal-sized table dominating the center of the space. Two flickering lanterns sat attached to the walls, out of reach. The black metal cages each surrounded a strange, orange crystal that let off a soft, occasionally flickering glow, similar to firelight. The colt hummed to himself as he examined the walls, tracing his hoof along the stone work, as if looking for something.
"What's going on?" I asked again, hoping I could get some real answers now that the immidiate danger had past. My hopes were dashed as he repeated the same phrase I had already started to grow tired of.
"Don't worry, I'll get you someplace safe. We'll get out of here, I promise."
I suppressed a huff of annoyance. Of course a child wouldn't give me a straight answer. Even adults never give straight answers to questions. Plus, if this was a dream, than he probably wasn't any more intelligent than an NPC in a…
I froze, blinking. 'NPC'. That meant something. What did it mean? I strained to remember where I'd heard that phrase before. I squeezed my eyes shut, tapping my temples with the tips of my surprisingly soft hooves. I was interrupted by the sound of stone sliding against stone, followed immidiately by the colt's exclamation of triumph. I opened my eyes, and saw that the colt had managed to press a hidden button that I'm absolutely certain hadn't been there before. He stepped back as a section of the wall receeded, sliding to the side and revealing a long hallway, dimly lit by more crystal lanterns.
"Where does that go?" I asked.
"Outside," the colt replied. "Where it's safe."
I was skeptical. "Outside" sounded like a very large area potentially filled with more monsters. "I don't know, shouldn't we…"
I was cut off by a loud bang reverberating behind me, sending dust sprinkling from the cieling. I looked behind me in shock to see that that large metal door had been dented inward slightly. It shook wildly as something big and heavy slammed into it again, further warping the thick metal. A deep, gurgling roar sounded outside it, and the door was slammed again.
"C'mon!" The colt insisted. "Before they get in!"
The door shook again, the hinges squealing as they strained against the monster's weight. A small gap appeared around the edge of the door, and a large, evil red eye peered hungrily back at me. I quickly turned around and joined the colt as he galloped down the stone passageway, the secret door sliding closed behind us.
We collapsed next to a tree, panting with exhaustion. Above, a large full moon shone down on the trees, the pattern of craters on its surface depicting a slender equine head with a long, thin horn. We had emerged from the tunnel into a large, dark forest, the monsters having broken in behind us at some point to give chase. We'd run for what felt like hours before finally escaping pursuit, though if past experiances were anything to go by, this would only be a brief reprieve.
"I'm… really thirsty," I rasped. Strangely enough, it was true. The entire time I'd been here, I'd felt no hint of hunger or thirst, but now that we had collapsed in the woods, it was like a desert had formed in my throat.
The colt winced, ears drooping as he looked at me worriedly. "U-um, I'm sure there's a spring or something nearby."
As he spoke, I felt my ear swiveling to the side. I heard the gentle sound of moving water. Smiling, I stood up, turning towards the source of the noise. "No need, I think there's a river over here."
The colt paled, but I didn't notice, stalking off eagerly towards the sound. My throat was parched, and relief was only a few steps away. I got a slight spring in my step as the river came into view. It wasn't even much of a river, really. Sure it was wide, and there was a part that looked deep enough I wouldn't be able to walk in it, but it was calm. I felt myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Something's wrong.
"Uh, M-Meadow? M-maybe we could find water somewhere else. Somewhere… safer?"
"It's just a stream, Forest," I found myself saying, continuing towards the water's edge. "It's not gonna hurt you."
This isn't right.
"Meadow, I really think we should find somewhere else to play." The colt was sounding very scared, now.
I turned around, grinning at the young colt, completely oblivious to his horrified expression. "What, are you afraid of a little water?" I lifted one of my hind hooves and splashed it into the water playfully. "C'mon, Forest! Don't be a chicken!"
Forest seemed to snap out of a daze, his eyes widening, tears brimming on his cheeks. "No! I won't let you go! I can save you this time. I promised!"
The colt moved to step forward, but froze as he stared at a point behind me. I turned around, my heart sinking in terror.
The small river had widened to an impossible distance, water churning in angry waves, surging along its length. As I watched, the waters seemed to form an angry maw, snapping and nashing its teeth, inches away from me. I stood frozen in fear as the sound of hooves thundered towards me, Forest calling out to me from somewhere far away.
I screamed as the monstrous waves surged, then came crashing down around me. I was swept up in a maelstrom, water burning like acid as it seeped into my body, filling my lungs and freezing my bones. I heard Forest's muffled cries behind me as I was dragged into the waves, a thousand daggers seeming to cut me apart. I flailed, my lungs screaming for air, but everything around me was dark. I kicked and thrashed, my body bucking violently as my lungs tried and failed to breath the liquid. I heard one final, mournful cry from forest, seeming further and further away, then my head struck something hard, and all went black.
