Chapter 30: And The Chase Is On! - Part 1

[...]

splash!

My eyes opened to the sound of crashing waves. I looked around and noted my surroundings as the dream took structure. The lighthouse appeared atop the distant cliff overlooking the ocean, its foreboding stance serving as the light to every sailor’s ever-longing hope.

The ocean’s waves tumbled across the beach’s sandy plane as the breeze in the air swept past my fur. The dream was nearly complete, my breathing slowing as I calmed myself and smiled.

sigh “Finally…I’m here again,” I whispered to nocreature in particular. “Hello, old friend….”

“Nacreooous!” My eyes slowly opened as a certain kirin called from behind me. I turned around just in time to see Gaudi galloping toward me, a complete smile across her face.

“Gaudi,” I exhaled smoothly, giving her a nod. “How are you doing?” The kirin mischievously smiled as she reached me, slowing down to sit on a nearby rock.

“Ooo! Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Emperor,” Gaudi mocked with a hoof. “You didn’t forget what today was, did you?” She playfully laughed as I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at remembering the occasion.

“Yes, Gaudi. I do remember,” I said warmly. The thought spun within my mind as the dreamscape slowly dissipated, changing into a cozy office room. “Our two-year anniversary.”

“Mmmhm! And you better not buck this up, Nacreous!” Gaudi chastised before giggling. “The Empress is not one to be forgotten, riiight?”

I shook my head and cupped my head. sigh “The one time I forgot about our date. It was completely an accident!” groan “That’ll haunt me forever, will it?”

“Correctamundo, muchacho!” Gaudi cried out happily, the kirin flopping backward. “So set aside the current situation and enjoy your anniversary today with Celestia. She deserves all your attention and love, and so do you, Nacreous.”

I looked toward the kirin as she winked at me, causing me to smile and shake my head. “You know me all too well, Gaudi, and for that, I am grateful,” I replied before remembering something. “Say, that reminds me…I’ll need your help tonight. Can I count on you for it?”

“Whaaat? Me?” Gaudi stammered, taken aback by my words. “Wha-What…” ahem! “Whatever do you need me for, Nacreous? Ooo-Ooo! Is it something related to relationship advice and how not to forget certain da-”

“Absolutely not! I got enough of that from Fori and Iust,” I sighed, my shoulders sagging. “And stop bringing that up every time Celestia is mentioned, please?”

The kirin nodded as she grinned. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll tryyy!”

“Okay, Gaudi. Well, this more or less will involve you and Princess Luna more, but we’ll have to leave my dream bubble to do so.”

“Aaah, so you’ll be lucid dream-walking again, huh? On it!” Gaudi chirped. She bounced around the room a bit before reaching the door and pushing it open. After ensuring nothing was behind the door, the Kirin guardian motioned with her hoof for me to follow.

Let’s hope this works, my mind thought to itself.

“You know I can hear that, riiight?” Gaudi’s cheerful voice struck me silently. My cheeks burned for a moment as I shook my head. Whenever you are lucid dreaming, your thoughts are amped up, and so are your actions. Discerning your real-life actions versus when you’re dreaming is tricky, and being aware of them is essential.

However, thinking while lucid dreaming can be heard by any and all the characters you have created in your head. Therefore, because they were memories of the closest friends I ever had in my life, Gaudi definitely heard that sentence.

groan “Yes, Gaudi. I know you can hear my thoughts,” I deadpanned. “Perfectly well, too.”

“Sooo, Nacreous. What is there to worry about? What are we doing tonight exactly?” Gaudi asked with a curious look on her face. I breathed another sigh and cleared my throat before exiting the dream bubble and onto the floor of the dream realm.

“We’re going to pay somecreature a visit. I’ll need to gain concrete info regarding where they are in the real world, and it is possible to do so through their dream,” I admitted. Gaudi huffed, which made me raise an eyebrow and chuckle. “Is that a problem, Gaudi?”

“Goodness me, Nacreous,” Gaudi sighed before slowing her trot. “Take a hint from the stars and leave the guy alone. He clearly doesn’t want to be bothered by you or anycreature, hence why he ran away.”

“I only want to ensure that he’s safe, Gaudi. That’s all,” I reassured warmly. “I don’t want him causing even more trouble besides the one he has already dug himself into.”

“Yes, and maybe there’s a reason he’s avoiding, or trying to avoid, you all as well,” Gaudi muttered. I slowed my walk as Gaudi dragged her hooves. “So this involves me ‘how’ exactly?”

“Well, for starters, we’ll need Princess Luna first,” I affirmed before smiling. “Would you mind getting her attention again for me, please?” The kirin smiled and closed her eyes, humming softly to herself. Seconds later, a loud pop! sounded out by a brilliant flash of light.

“Is everycreature okay?..oh. It’s just you two.”

chuckle “Yes, Luna. It’s just us…and we’ll need your help.”

========================================<>========================================

[...]

“…”

It was quiet.

The place I was in was…densely quiet.

I didn’t know what time it was anymore, but it didn’t matter. All I knew was that I was getting some really good sleep as of late, and nothing could ruin it now.

The train car I seized was a last-ditch attempt to escape Princess Luna and Commander Shifting outside Tartarus. It was damn near lucky, too, since one was chugging along the tracks when I jumped off the mountain’s peak.

What became unlucky was my mind deciding to go underneath the final car for most of the trip. It was unideal, primarily because one wrong move could have meant death. And no, there are no healing torturous wounds from rolling violently and being sliced by the train’s wheels.

“You’re only human after all…very mortal.”

But, for the end goal? My mind cheerfully wondered. I was willing to do everything in my power to get there. Even if I needed to move every mountain and raise hell to the surface…I’d do it.

After the train stopped outside of Sire’s Hollow, I had a sliver of time to move inside the train’s caboose. Sneaking through the cab’s upper window, I entered the roof and lay inside the ceiling space. It was comfy, sturdy, and acceptable, especially since it held my frame well.

Once the train began to depart, I felt a presence from within the cab and held my breath as best I could. After a few minutes, whoever it was had disappeared, with the cab’s door shutting very loudly. That’s when I took the opportunity to slither out of my hiding spot and into the cabin.

Then, I began to take note of my surroundings. It had everything a train car was expected to have: a couple of chairs, a dining table, and a full-sized bed at the back. Nopony was in the vicinity, so it allowed me to stretch my legs and upper body out. A few satisfying cracks! and pops! escaped, my breathing relaxing for a bit.

After a few more minutes, I began to make a hammock from the webbing I had available inside the ceiling, and after climbing back in, I reattached the ceiling tiles to their proper holdings.

Everything was set. Nocreature could guess where I was now or if I had stowed away on the train. It continued down the tracks as I toyed around with the watch. I began reading the detailed reports of the artifacts collected thus far from the software and knew which would benefit me.

It seems like the Changeling Hive rock is the most powerful artifact I have in my collection, I thought to myself. I am…actually impressed and scared at the same time. From what I could tell, it has some magic-nullifying ability and holds a ton of powerful energy within it.

God…all that power in just one rock! the right side of my mind exclaimed. Imagine the power it had when Queen Chrysalis ruled the Hive and had a throne made out of the stuff!

That’s…actually a scary thought when you think about it, the left side replied nervously. Imagine what it must’ve been like for anycreature if they approached it. Wouldn’t it behave like those magic-nullifying crystals? You know, the ones those bounty hunters brought to nullify the alicorn magic the two Royal Sisters have?

grumble “Yes…it can even nullify alicorn magic,” I groaned quietly. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were nearly helpless when they fought there to save their subjects.”

Hmf! At least they had their weapons, I thought smugly. Queen Swiss-Cheese Legs got the crap beaten out of her at one point…until she stole more of their ‘love’ and incapacitated them again.

“Soooo…what gave? How did this ‘Queen Chris-alis’ lose her throne and have it reduced to a pile of rocks underneath the new one? And wait…did you just say ‘steal their love?’ Elaborate.”

Oh yeah. I have to remember that you don’t know anything about this world. For one thing, Queen Chrysalis is a changeling. Changelings feed off the love of their enemies, or anycreature for that matter. Now, they sing weird hippie songs, hold forums to discuss their feelings, and, most importantly, ‘share’ the love they have.

“‘Share?’ You know what, I don’t even want to know….”

You and me both. And, as for the first question, it is the old cliche I have been telling you about for the past ten minutes regarding ponies defeating major villains. Say it with me now….

“The power of friendship?”

groan! “The ‘magic’ of friendship….”

Stick a razor in my mouth and bite down…HARD!! the left side cried out in agony.

Let’s use it again, Alex, the right side pursued. We need to refill our energy values.

I checked the remaining energy value and saw I had passed the quarter mark. This meant I needed to use it again. After activating the artifact’s ability in the power-up library, the green leyline energy flowed through my veins, igniting them and making them go green momentarily.

It felt good for my body, but…at the same time…it made me even more drowsy than…than when I had used it the first time. Unintentionally….

yawn!

This time…I was falling asleep. No biggie, my mind thought happily. When we wake back up, the bar will be fully replenished. And then, we’ll be on our way. Just have to survive the night.

And as I began to dream…the idea of survivability disappeared. I confidently thought I was going to live no matter what. There was no way I could ever fuck up a huge opportunity like this.

Especially with ‘her’ waiting for me at the end….

“Skystar….” Her name escaped my lips. I closed my eyes and tried to relax, but it was useless. My body shivered as her name continuously repeated inside my head.

“...”

sniffle

How long will it take me this time to see you again?

========================================<>========================================

“How can I help you, Nacreous? Is it my sister again?” Luna asked politely.

I shook my head and bowed. “Princess Luna,” I acknowledged. “I would like to ask for your permission to enter Alex’s dream bubble. I am doing so to ensure our human friend is safe and not causing any more problems wherever he is in Equestria.”

Luna stood taller and looked at me. “Well, for one, we do appreciate the sentiment as it is shared by us, too,” Luna softly replied before her gaze met the floor of her dream realm. “But…we cannot allow ‘you’ to go in there, Nacreous. Neither can my sister or fiance go either….”

“Why is that, Luna?” I asked out of curiosity. I felt I knew the answer, but reassurance would confirm their worries and my alternate idea.

“For one, this newer dream version of Alex is seemingly more hostile than before. His real-life counterpart isn’t even close to the hostility this one portrays,” Luna admitted. “Besides that, the dream version of Alexander Walkerson is more hard-nosed, stubborn, and difficult to break through. Because of this and his current situation, he has forced himself to become a recluse in the dream world compared to the rest of Equestria’s denizens.”

“Hmmm…that is a good observation, Luna. However, what would that have to do wit-”

“Because, then,” Luna interjected. “Reason two. You’ll either be significantly harmed by this version of Alex, which will damage you physically and mentally. Or, he can simply wake up and destroy the dream bubble he created while you are still in it. Couple that with your lucid dream walking, and that will…?”

Luna extended her hoof to me as my shoulders sagged. sigh “Forcefully eject me from the dream bubble and potentially wake me up. From there, reality gets blurred.”

“Exactly, Nacreous,” Luna concluded. “It is too dangerous for anycreature right now to venture into. The ramifications and physical abuse it can have on your body would be worse than what Alex’s physical strength could do to you in the real world.”

“Not to mention the serious headache it would cause!” Gaudi chimed in loudly. “Lucid dreaming already uses enough of your body’s energy, Nacreous. You should not entertain this idea of invading the human’s dream.”

“I am not invading Alex’s dream, Gaudi!” I protested. “I am just-”

“Checking in unannounced and where you are currently unwanted?” Luna finished with a raised brow. I looked at the lunar princess as she shook her head. “I am sorry, Nacreous. I wish I could permit you to do so…but it is too dangerous for you. You are too valuable to potentially lose….”

“Well, that’s why I came up and brought a backup option,” I replied, turning my head to look at Gaudi. The kirin returned the gaze, her jaw dropping briefly before clenching.

gasp! “IS THIS WHY YOU-”

“Of course, Gaudi,” I replied to the kirin calmly. “The only thing I am looking for is his location. And, if I am not mistaken, Princess Luna. It should be possible to learn this through his dream?”

“How is that even possible?!”

“It is truly possible,” Luna answered. “However, it will require another creature to activate a spell and bypass int-oooh. So that’s why you called me.” Luna looked at me with a disapproving stare as she shook her head. “For shame....”

“That, and for permission, Your Highness,” I bowed with a smile. “I made sure to go the conventional route and not feel….”

“Rude?”

“Insolent?” Gaudi’s answer nearly made me laugh as I tried to cover my beak. A soft snrk! escaped, causing the kirin’s eyes to roll. sigh “Fine. I’ll go in there and get his geographical location for you. Even so, IS it even possible, and for how long do I need to be in there?”

“It is, Gaudi. ‘If’ I cast a dream-scan spell across the dreamer’s bubble, it will tell me where the creature is approximately in Equestria,” Luna replied, flapping her wings to take flight. “And as for your second question, no more than a minute should do. You’ll be able to freely exit once the time has passed.”

As Luna scanned the dream world for Alex’s dream, Gaudi looked at me. Her head sagged in glum as I cleared my throat to get her attention. “Remember, Gaudi. The goal is to get Alex’s location,” I reassured the kirin. “Nothing more. Nothing less. No fighting at all….”

Gaudi looked at me again and nodded. Luna kept shifting the realm of her dreamscapes, allowing me time to consider how this may affect the other Wayward Gods. I know Gaudi will feel guilt for going along with this, and Fori will definitely not be happy. But I would like to ensure that my next move is done correctly, I thought to myself. Things don’t line up with his past retellings, so Alex will have some explainin-

“Finally! Found it!”

========================================<>========================================

The wooden door atop a small staircase stood tall and shut, menacingly staring us down. As Gaudi and I approached the giant dream bubble, I noticed it seemed…peaceful. Luna floated above us and began to prepare the spell she would need to use.

“Maayybe, this is a bad idea, Nacreous,” Gaudi whispered. I shook my head and pointed above us as Luna used her magic to cast the spell. It struck the dream bubble silently, coating it in a soft, light-blue color. It suddenly warped forcefully, ending with the door opening ominously.

“There…it is open,” Luna affirmed as she touched down on the ground. “Gaudi, all you must do is sit tight in there for no more than a minute. Observe the dream and make mental notes because something there should tell you where he is in Equestria. Okay?” Luna nodded as Gaudi trotted forward to the stairs.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And, Gaudi?” I called out. The kirin turned her head around, her gaze meeting mine momentarily. I smiled and raised my claw up reassuringly. “Do what you can, and don’t worry about what the others will say. I’ll handle them later on. Understood?”

Gaudi nodded and exhaled deeply. She crept up the staircase and looked through the doorway. Once she looked back at us and nodded deterministically, Gaudi disappeared into the dark void, leading into Alex’s dream.

I watched as the kirin disappeared, giving me time to think about what I’d need to do after her return. More importantly, where to head to next in the mornin-

“Nacreous?” Luna spoke up. “What are you really up to?” I turned my head to look at her as she stared at me.

“I can’t fully say why-”

“Why not?” Luna retorted, pressuring me more. “Does this have something to do with what Discord told us tonight? Because I know you don’t just ‘ask’ to enter somecreature’s dream without a perfectly good reason. This feels so-”

“Wrong?” I finished for her, cocking an eyebrow. Luna stopped her tirade and nodded, to which I sighed heavily. sigh “Yes, there’s something Discord told us about Alex that just…doesn’t add up. And, if I told you the other reason, you’d be even more confused about all of this.”

“How so?”

“You said it yourself,” I answered. “Alex has lost all trust in us because of what WE did to him. This has nothing to do with the final ‘Anon incident’ anymore. This spans beyond the pale, going back to the last Grand Galloping Gala event. You remember, right? The one where we all were together in attendance?”

Luna nodded as I continued. “I…I am sorry, Luna,” I stammered. “But something doesn’t add up. For me, Alex has ALWAYS told me the truth. He cannot refuse to lie to me, at least, because I can see right through it. I’ll know if and when he is lying. Does that make sense?”

“I-I still feel guilt for how I pressured him back then,” Luna shuddered, looking at me hesitantly. “It annoyed him more than anything. I know I shouldn’t have pushed him to tell me about it-”

“But it happened, Luna,” I interjected, raising a paw. “And we will have to do everything we can to repair the damage to our relationship with Alexander.”

scoff! “Yeah. Sorry to burst ‘your bubble,’ Nacreous,” Luna scoffed, catching me off guard. “I believe he has made his point clear to us. Alex wants no part with how we rule Equestria, and he may negate the peace treaty we agreed upon between Equestria and the human species.”

“I understand that he may feel that wa-”

“And besides, Nacreous,” Luna interrupted as the lunar alicorn leaned in toward me. “Out of us four, who is he the most upset with? For mishandling everything and making Alexander, not Anonymous, out to be the bad guy ‘initially?’”

sigh “It WAS Celestia,” I admitted. “By the way, ‘initially’ is the right word. Then it got twisted around and spun in multiple directions before it ended up not being what she originally meant. That’s where ‘Alex’ became the bad guy in Equestria’s eyes. You remember Celestia eventually trying to damage control it, correct?”

“Yes, but…at that point, it was already too late,” Luna said as she turned away to look at the dream bubble. “It has almost been a minute, Nacreous. Shouldn’t Gaudi be-”

“Coming back?” I concluded her sentence again, earning another nod. “Yes, she should be. Then again, it IS Alex’s dream-verse, and he has the power to control it….”

My eyes widened as the dream bubble suddenly turned a dark red. Several tendrils started slating across its surface, causing Luna to react immediately. She flew into the air and ignited her horn, shooting her magic at the nightmare-spawned tendrils.

“It switched up? That was surely fast. Faster than last time!” Luna directed at me. “Nacreous, we’ll continue this conversation another time. Get in there and save Gaudi before trouble pulls her in too deep!”

“On it!” I leaped into the air and spread my wings, heading straight for the open doorway. In my mind, whatever had happened since Gaudi went in, and up until now, it only meant one thing.

Alex knew, my mind worriedly thought. He knew somecreature would show up in his dream tonight. But…it’s only been a little over a minute! How did he-

gasp!

“He’s ahead of the curve,” I muttered in terror. “Again! Alex is way ahead of us once again!”

fwoosh!

========================================<>========================================

pop!

“Time to gather some intel,” I thought aloud, albeit very softly. “And then Nacreous can explain to Fori and Iust why he decided to do this in the first place while I sit comfortably nearby.”

sigh My mind mentally wore itself out the more I thought about that immortal hippogriff’s plan. To invade the privacy of another creature’s dream without ‘their’ consent? my mind pondered sarcastically. Now, where have I heard that one before?!

I shook my head and laughed. “Even so, Luna had a responsibility to protect her sister,” I said, shrugging in the process. “And with a new, mysterious creature curing the Empress of the Sun and forming a potential relationship with her? I get why she felt it appropriate to do so. It may have been wrong, but…she did make that choice.”

Eventually, the conversation with myself ran dry, so I began to stick to the shadows more as the dream took shape. A set of train tracks appeared nearby, accompanied by a cloud of mist rising from the ground. The sky above was ominous, the dark clouds blocking out the sunlight.

I realized I was standing much closer to the railroad tracks than before as if I was being pulled toward it. Standing perpendicular to it, I turned my head to look at my right side. A distant city rose from the valley with very ‘tall’ buildings extending high into the sky. They stretched upward and pierced the cloud layer, their rooftops out of sight within the stormy sky.

Interesting, my mind thought. A distant city with skyscrapers. I began to turn my head to the lef-

FWOO-FWOOOO!!

“AAAH!!” I screamed. The ground shook violently as a colossal train sped on, billowing smoke and steam. Being caught near the high-speed train momentarily threw me off my hooves while the smoke filled the air around me.

It was noxious in that it occupied my vision entirely while remaining unpleasant. It was somewhat see-through, allowing me to watch as the train barreled down the tracks. The noise echoed into the environment, hurting my ears by the screeching metal.

FWOOOO!!

Finally, after an unbearable three seconds, I covered them in a desperate attempt to suppress the ear-shattering noise. But, suddenly…I felt ‘something.’

Both of my ears flicked back. Then, my right ear flicked twice, my eyes widening in surprise. I tried not to panic, but as the smoke continued to flood my vision, my thoughts slowly spilled out.

“He’s…here,” I silently mouthed to myself, trotting everso faster. “I gotta get out of here….”

“Come out, come out, wherever you aaare…Gaudi.”

My heart skipped a beat. Alex’s tone of voice was much more sinister and darker in demeanor than the previous time. I began to gallop as fast as I could, my hooves doing their best to keep me upright. It was even more difficult to be quiet since the ground crunched every step I took.

crunch! crunch!

snarl! “I can hear you, Gaudi…I know you’re here,” the voice of Alex growled. My mind spiraled as I tried to find a way out of there. I was galloping in the opposite direction of the train noise, but it felt like it was everywhere.

All of a sudden, it stopped.

The noise stopped. The train had gone entirely silent.

Not only that, but the dream bubble I was in went silent. Even my hoofsteps didn’t emit a sound. It struck me as odd that it could suddenly change like that, but then I got my answer as to why.

“There’s no escaping what you started,” the voice of Alex said. His voice was quiet, making me believe he was far from me-

“That much…I KNOW!!”

SLAM!!

“Gah!” The ground beneath me shattered as I was flung through the air. The smoke dissipated, allowing for the land to come back into view. I had little time to react, hitting it hard and tumbling over. As my body slowed down, I desperately scrambled to my hooves, realizing there was a forest nearby.

Get moving, Gaudi! We can hid-

snatch!

Yelp! My tail was grabbed tightly, forcing a cry from my mouth. My hooves scraped against the ground as I was pulled back, away from the forest’s edge. I turned myself over and saw the human Alex, realizing he was dragging me with just his right hand.

I began to wrestle myself free from his grip, but it became even tighter with every unsuccessful attempt. That’s when I tried pleading with the human. “Please!” I cried in fright. “Let go of me! Let me go, Alexander Wal-”

“Don’t you DARE finish that sentence!!” Alex snapped. The human’s face turned as he brought my face before him. A menacing growl! came from him, making my pupils shrink.

“A-A-Alex…you’re scaring me….” I began to cry, tears streaking down my cheek as the human continued to growl. “P-Please….”

From what I remember, Alex would’ve at least sympathized and maybe loosened his grip. The Alexander I knew never wanted to hurt anycreature, let alone be seen as an intimidating figure.

But this one? This version of Alex laughed in my face and shook his head. A devilish grin was the last thing I saw before he dragged me across the ground again. I knew there was no way to convince him, so I tried even more to free myself. I curled my body and used my hooves to free my tail, clawing at his hand while my hind legs kicked ferociously at his body.

But…nothing was working. I was…powerless.

scoff! “Please,” the dream version of Alex scolded. “Spare me your fleeting attempts. I’ve been struck harder by dudes stronger than you, Gaudi. I can’t even feel your soft-ass attacks.”

“Then you’re going to feel this one, Alex!”

========================================<>========================================

Wham!

“Oof!” The force of a solid kick to my upper left shoulder forcefully sent me flying onto the ground. My body careened over itself endlessly, eventually skidding to a halt. After groaning from the strike, I looked up from my spot and saw that damn hippogriff again. My legs pushed me upward, matching his bold stance as he stood beside the kirin lying on the ground.

growl! “Why are YOU here?!” I barked loudly. My shoulder slowly ached before the adrenaline choked it into submission. “Why are you both here in MY DREAM?!”

“For answers, Alex,” Nacreous responded calmly. “I need answers. And you’re all that I got left to get them from.” The hippogriff slowly extended his claw to help Gaudi up, ensuring she was okay. My right arm trembled as the hippogriff stared me down, taking a step forward.

“You are hurt, Alex,” Nacreous said.

“You don’t know that!” I yelled back. I bit my tongue as the pain radiated violently from my arm. groan! “I’m…n-not hurt!”

“You just got kicked straight into your shoulder joint, Alex,” Nacreous sympathetically replied. “I can see how disfigured your left arm has become. It’s disconnected from the socket.”

I looked at my left arm and noticed that Nacreous was indeed correct. It appeared as though it was hanging from the shoulder, a piece of the bone visible underneath my skin. The hippogriff continued to close in on me as I backed away, clutching above the dislocated area tightly.

“Alex, if you let me help you, I can mend it and let you heal properly,” Nacreous empathized. “I won’t try and bother you anymore if you just let me take care of you. I’m telling you the truth.”

I shook my head and stared at Nacreous and Gaudi. “Why are you two even here?” I asked right before a jolt of pain shocked my shoulder blade. hiss! “You’re not even supposed to be here!”

“We know,” Gaudi chirped. Her demeanor came off as exciting, which confused the hell out of me. “That’s why we’re here!” I stared at her as Nacreous shook his head in amusement.

“Gaudi is just trying to be optimistic, Alex,” Nacreous said before his tone turned darker. “I know where you are right now, Alexander. And I’ll be seeing you soon. You and I have some very crucial matters to discuss….”

“I have no idea what you’re talki-”

“You’re in a train car, docked at the Seaward Shoals train depot,” Nacreous stated. My eyes dilated as the hippogriff sighed. “First train that departs tomorrow morning, 6:48am sharp. And, as for why, it concerns your past…‘ailments.’ More accurately, sophomore year of high school.”

sigh “Don’t…Don’t, Nacreous.”

“It’s too late, Alex,” the hippogriff sadly said. “If you’re not willing to tell Princess Celestia, Commander Shifting, Princess Luna, Specialist Swift, or even Princess Skystar…at least I deserve to know what you were really going through back then.”

“You don’t deserve to know anything about me anymore, Nacreous!” I snapped in frustration. “What I told you was enough! And ever since, you’ve continuously wanted more and more and more information out of me!”

The hippogriff tried saying something before I cut him off. “And DON’T mention her name in the same breath as that coward,” I angrily seethed. “Skystar has NOTHING to do with this!”

“Alex!” Nacreous barked back in frustration. “You haven’t told me or anycreature the complete truth about you! You’re always hiding something! We have to pry it out of you! And, for us, it usually isn’t bad to hear! We are willing to help you and do everything to help you cope!”

My right hand clenched into a fist, allowing my nails to dig into the skin of my palm. “And as for that ‘coward’ you call my dear Sunspots?” Nacreous warned. “Celestia at least TRIED to weather the storm of misinformation spreading about you after the March 7th incident. The Canterlot nobles spun it around and made it even worse than how she described it. That’s without mentioning Celestia didn’t mean it like you thought she did. She didn’t say you-”

“I’VE HEARD ENOUGH!!” I screamed. The dream bubble began to shake as I dropped to my knees. “I want you two out of my dream…NOW!!”

“Alex, please!” Nacreous called out. “Let me help you!”

“OOOUUT!!”

fwoom!

Author's Note

It's back...and it's good vibes all around.

At least, for me now...Alex is still on the run. And an unorthodox approach leads to the longest chase sequence of the book. This is Part 1 of 3, and will lead right into an Intermission.

From there, you'll get more updates on the book's progression. Check out my profile page to be posted on progression. And don't forget to leave feedback in the comments as it helps me grow as a writer.

Okay cool! Byeee! -Harpy

P.S. Feels cliche that Alex is always having his past brought up? This trope and most of the repetitive motions die at the conclusion of THIS book. I don't plan on exploring it heavily from then onward.