Chapter 1 - Introductions
{Author's notes: please let me know of anything that doesn't 'read right' or is incorrect. I always want to be as accurate as I can.}
My Reach for the stars
Chapter One
Part 1, Introductions
This story begins, as a lot of others do, with an average guy, walking through the same old mountain path, with nothing special on his mind. Just plans, hopes and dreams for a story he really wants to write. That's me. Jackson, or 'Jack' if you want. Everyone else seems to prefer it....I don't. I'm not much to look at, but then again, I've never really put that much effort into trying to look appealing anyway. Never really had anyone to look my best 'for'...
My hair, however, would never stay in the same 'do' two days in a row. Every time I woke up 'BAM' something completely different. the weirdest part is, I can't change it once it's set. I'm not a naturally good looking guy anyway. At 6'6" and no bulk, my best option for Halloween is Slender man.
You know, I'll bet that if you just talk to the guy he wouldn't be as bad as everyone makes him out to be. We may even find to have a few things in common
Anyway, this story that I wanted to write was...well, this one. As it turns out, 'Equestria' is part of that multi-verse theory all the physicians or physicists are hyped up about. I don't know, the ones who say that they have a working knowledge of the universe and everything it encompasses...except 'radio head'...whatever that is.
*Marimba iPhone ringtone* I pulled out my phone and saw that it was my Mum.
"Where the hell are you Jack!? Your dinner went cold half an hour ago!" She screamed.
"I was just going walkabout to try and clear my head a bit." I reasoned.
"In that case, you should have been back before me!" She chuckled
Mum was like that. She would go nuts and then a second later crack a friendly joke at my expense. We'd both laugh then go back to doing whatever it was that we were doing...then not two minutes later she'd call me back to tell me what she wanted to the first time...every single time.
"Just be sure to let me know before you head out next time. You and I both know that these mountains are dangerous. Promise me that you'll try to be careful?" Came a pleading voice.
"I can't say I'll try...But I'll try to try" I chuckled a bit after I said that, knowing that out of the two of us only I would get the reference.
"Jack."
"Okay Mum. I'll be careful. I'll be home soon anyway"
"I'll be sure to have your dinner ready"
I don't know how, but I just knew she was smirking.
I should tell you a little about those mountains my Mum mentioned. My immediate family, comprised of my Mum, my Step-Dad, and myself, all moved state to Queensland about three or four weeks prior. And if you don't know which country it's in, it's the one quote: "Girt by sea". Who even uses 'girt'...seriously? But I digress. Queensland, for those who don't know, is a very mountainous region. The place we moved into is actually on a hill itself.
Getting back to what little point I can find here, if any; I decided to go walkabout. Just for an hour or two, and to have a look at the surrounding area. It's a sort of 'force of habit' of mine to scout out large areas, and try to find the most defensible, places with best access...you know, in case of zombies. It's probably just too many zombie movies getting me paranoid. after a short while I came across a sort of alcove, or cave, in the side of a small cliff. And, like any human, I had a look inside and to my amazement I found a very intriguing stone archway. The first thing I noticed about it was that it was obviously man-made. I could see what I thought were tool marks in the sides of it. The entire structure stood roughly eight or nine foot tall, and closely resembled something out of a fantasy themed book I vaguely remember reading. I pulled out my phone, to use as a torch, to get a better look and study the tool marks a bit closer. However, since I had my phone out, I instinctively checked the time and found that I had been gone for at least three and a half hours. Definitely time to turn back.
* * *
Now, I'm was not normally one for spiritualistic stuff, like fortune telling, or palm reading but every now and then I get these, 'ideas'. Most of which turn out to be of immediate help, while the rest I usually dismiss. So, when I had awoken the next morning, arising from my dreamless state, I had the strange idea to go back to that old stone archway I had found the day before. After having a bowl of cereal, which I had to pry from my cat, I made my way to the back door of the house. Once there, I took a moment to try and remember how I found the archway last time as I sat on a nearby window sill, to put my shoes on. Finally I headed off in search of a forgotten cave, and an ancient door.
I had spent at least three and a half hours away from home, trying to find that cave and with no sense of direction to guide me back, I found myself on the precipice of giving up.....right when I found it. To my amazement, the archway appeared older than the cave itself. As I moved in closer to further investigate the ancient doorway I remembered the tool markings I had spotted last time. Walking up to the archway I noticed a very slight breeze coming in through the entrance, which concerned me taking into consideration there had been wind today.
I began to wonder on how I had found this place originally before quickly dismissing the thoughts.
As I walked closer towards the glyphs, which I had thought were merely tool markings when I had first seen them, they started to glow in a fascinating and mysterious way that I can only define as 'magical'. Once roughly two metres away from the glyphs I started hearing muffled laughs of enjoyment, the once faded pale light now booming with sparks and energy that was unfathomable was almost blinded me, causing me to turn away for a moment to recuperate from the radiant light.
I step backwards to take in all of the glyphs simultaneously. There were eight of them, each glowing with a unique
colour, and all of them a different engraving. Six of the glyphs were arranged hexagonally and the remaining two were separated above and below the others.
The most prominent was an eight pointed star which had a strong steady purple glow and sat as the head of the hexagon. One below, and to the left, was a butterfly and was filled with a humble yellow glow. The next one across was a lightning-bolt hanging from a cloud, both of which were encased in a cyan glow. The one below the lightning-bolt was a balloon, glowing a vibrant pink. The next, across from the balloon, was a perfectly symmetrical apple surrounded by a radiant orange glow. The glyph at the base of the hexagon was a diamond. Not a gem, but a symbol similar to one found on playing cards. It was shining a bright and majestic white, which made it difficult to properly focus on...in comparison to the seven other bright sigils. The final two glyphs were a bright sun and a crescent moon. The sun was shining atop the markings, while the moon rested below, glowing a regal white and slightly depressing navy blue, respectively.
After I had studied these markings for a moment, I realised that they were almost identical to ones I had previously seen in an episode of a specific T.V. show.....okay almost every episode....
I decided to pull a 'parallax' and tap each sigil in the order they appeared in the show. My reasoning? Why not?
I remember thinking to myself: 'Now let’s see...'
'Star'
'Balloon'
'Apple'
'Bolt'
'Diamond'
'Butterfly'
'Moon'
'Sun'
Every time I thought of a symbol, I tapped it and it shined brighter, to my amazement.
Suddenly, the area within the archway itself hummed with power, I knew instantly that something was going to happen.
Something big...
A black orb formed within the gate and grew larger, and larger, as a dark fog had begun to encircled it. The fog and the orb continued to expand until the fog had filled the entire archway. But out of nowhere, the humming, the growing, the fog. It all just, 'stopped'. I felt an almost overwhelming sense of relief pass over me. I then noticed that this archway was not just some fanciful stone creation, or projection, but nothing less than a doorway. Where to, I had no idea......
And I really don't like not knowing...