The Outside World

I do not understand what beauty I am witnessing. I know the figure, of course. She’s a unicorn, anyone with a brain could figure that out. But the majesty of her appearance within these creatures, still unknown to me, is arousing. I cannot explain her in full detail if I tried. I can explain her appearance perfectly, but the joy that fills her is something I have just for the first time witnessed. My eyes are watering at this sight, unable to take it. Has happiness finally reached my black heart? I see that the giants smile at me with warmth in their hearts, wherever they may be. The swords below me whistle in joy again as the flowing air points them toward my body. I look back up at the unicorn, and she is reading a book. The first inanimate object I am able to  recognize is the book. She is sitting in a seat of some sort. She’s pushing on the ground with her hoof and the object she sits on sways back and forth, cradling her as if she were an infant. I do not know the song she is humming, but it makes my ears relax and lie low. What a beautiful sound she makes. Why? Why can’t that be me?

I realize my presence is not welcome here, so I attempt to leave. I turn around and step on a fallen giant hair. The dead hair makes a bang in the silence and the humming stops. Have I doomed myself? I know she knows I’m here. My heart is racing again. Another being is now going to find me out and hate me. A squeak comes from the rocking object, and a gentle sound of a book closing reaches my ears. I hide behind a giant, who protects me proudly, without a word.

“Hello? Anyone there?” She calls. Even her normal voice is enough to sway me away from my thoughts. I wonder if this is what… No! She’s after me! Pay attention, you monster!

“I- If anyone’s there, don’t be afraid! I’m… I’m a nice person!” She yells. I hear crunching coming my way. She’s stepping on the fallen hairs of the giant! For some reason, the tree behind me is full of green. Not just any green, but Hell’s lamp green. I hear her on the other side of the giant. I’m doomed. There’s no way out of this. Time for another persecution and/or harassment to remember throughout my life and mourn every night over it, as if I don’t have enough of those at hand already. I pull my hoof up the giant, only to hear a slight scraping sound. I’ve given up now. I’m a dead changeling.

“Hmm. I know you’re behind this…” She begins. Her tone makes me think she is going to end the sentence with whatever name is given to the giant behind me. My heart settles down as it knows it is the end. “…Tree!” She ends. She blinks and raises her eyebrows as I flinch and fly backward into the swords. The swords know my pain and are now comforting my body as much as they can. Life here is much more nicer than anything in the hive. She stares at me with a smug look as I cry myself insane on the inside. I’m breathing heavily, with almost every breath sounding like a gasp. I’m praying that unicorns are not as hostile as the changelings are. The red devil again shines in my face, through the cracks just to see what will happen. The unicorn chuckles before me.

“Ahaha! I knew it! I’m such a rogue. So! Why ya stalkin’ me?” She asks me. Stalkin’? Such crude language, but I can understand just fine. I’ve never held many conversations with others, so I don’t know how to properly complete this small section of my life.

“Stalking? Oh, I sincerely apologize, for that wasn’t my intention at all! I hope I haven’t disturbed your day in any sort of prize manner…” I respond. How do I do this!? This is harder than expected. Social conversations were never really my strong point. The unicorn responded with a sound I can only describe as “tch”, yet I do not know what it means.

“You talk fancy! Where are you from, girl?” She asks me. She’s obviously a young woman from a small town, where language education may be scarce. But either way, she’s stumped me. I can’t lie here, she won’t believe me, but I can’t tell her I’m from the hive! I just have to say…

“I… I don’t know.” … What? What else could I say? I am unaware of the location I am in, what I am doing, or what even these small swords are!

The unicorn’s eyebrow lifted. “…Ya don’t know? Do ya know your name?” She asks me. I finally get up. I can’t answer “Sillithus”, because that would be skeptical. I can think of a name quick. Uhh… this… tattoo like thing on my late side, it’s an emerald with light piercing out of it. Name… Name… Aha! The only thing I can think of in seven seconds.

“Uhh… Emerald Ray.” I answer, sweating. She’s looking at me like I don’t have a clue about any situation that has ever occurred to me throughout my life… and she’s right.

“Good, you know your name. I’m Colgate. You seem to have a bit of… amnesia, maybe?” She asks. I can’t make up anything here. I just have to come clean and lay down the facts… well… most of them.

“Not at all, actually. I’ve lived in a… uhh… cave all my life. I don’t really know where I’m from. I am an outcast of the natives that live in the cave.” I explain. I am so nervous that my heart may explode. The red devil turns on the moment and the giants stop speaking. The swords are no longer clashing, and the world has stopped spinning. Colgate seemed in somewhat disbelief.

“An outcast? Of cave people? Are you sure you weren’t just trying to hit on me?” she asks. Now that I didn’t understand.

“ ‘Hit on me’? I don’t follow.” I say. She rolls her eyes at me and sighs with impatience. I’m well aware she does not necessarily like me currently.

“Y’know, when ya hit on someone ya like? Try to get your special someone’s attention?” She elaborates. I’m so struck with surprise I flinch in all the anger and nervousness my poor heart can muster without disintegrating.

“Oh, Hell no! I am banished from my home for not following the orders of my ridiculous people and now everything is foreign. I am unaware of what these sword like things are, what those brown giants are, or what this round-ish, hard thing is. I came over here simply because I heard someone delightfully humming a tune and I wished to find out who it was. You have a very nice voice, might I say as well.” I said… wait. Did I really just say that? I’m doomed even more now! She’s going to think I’m strange. The giants move once again and cover their eyes with their arms.

“Aww, I’m flattered! But seriously, you don’t know what a ROCK is? I thought you lived in cave!” She said in only what I am to assume to be a frustrated manner. I don’t know about these “rocks”.

“Oh, are those quite common in caves? I am unaware of most common information. In my old “home” if you could call it one, we were only taught mathematics and literature.” I say to her. She shrugs and rolls her eyes… again. Why do I make everyone I talk to angry at me? Is my life meant to be this painfull?

“Well, that’s obvious. So, why are you banished again? That really sucks by the way.” She crudely says. Her language is so foreign and her attitude as well. I’ve never encountered a being with such an upbeat style of thinking.

“I… well…” I begin softly. I sigh with defeat and give her the truth. “Well, intruders of our people are killed by us. Yes, we are that brutal. I… I refused to follow the Quee-“ I stop myself before I figure out what I was going to say. “Excuse me, leader’s orders to kill an intruder. I was kicked out of the cave, and now I am alone. I’ve been alone for a long time. Nobody ever liked me, and nobody ever will. It’s just how my life rolls out on itself.” I explain with depression spelled all over my face. She gasps at me with fear.

“That’s… that’s horrible!” She exclaims. I knew she would think of me this way. What is she going to do now, run away like the rest of the people that confront me?

“I know. I’m a monster.” I say, turning my head. I don’t think she wants to see my face. I won’t let her.

“No, not that!” She says angrily. “Nobody’s ever liked you!? That’s a horrible thing to live through! Sure you’re weird, but you’re nice! Why wouldn’t anyone ever like you?” She asks me in impatience. Not exactly the response I was expecting, but I’ll roll with it. The lamp green light from the back of the tree is fading, and the red devil comes out once again. Has God decided that it’s not embarrassing enough to look away? Either way, it’s insulting.

“That’s the point.” I say frustratingly to her. “My people are mean torturers. I’m not one of them. Trust me, if you knew the real me, you wouldn’t poke me with a stick, and no I’m not telling you what the real me is like.” I turn my head away angrily, but strangely, also filled with affection. I… I can’t explain it simply.

“I don’t care! I like you! You’re a swell girl! You have just been… denied a real life, or something like that.” She says to me. That’s confusing; “denied a real life”? What does she mean by that?

“You don’t have a home, do you?” She asks me. I don’t know why she asks me this because she knows the answer, but whatever. I reply with a shake and a simple “no”.

“Then you’re living with me for now. Come on.” She curls her hoof in a expression that I cannot define as of yet. She’s a very… wait… did she just demand me to LIVE WITH HER? What madness has consumed her?

“E… Excuse me!? You would just… take me in!?” I exclaim. This is not happening. This must be a dream! The wonderful voice that I followed now wants me to sing with her. If only she knew that I can’t sing, she would abandon me.

“Yeah! No pony deserves your fate! I have yet something important to do with my life, and I think I’ve found that important thing. I can… oh! I can teach you all about our culture and everything you want or need to know, too! YES! I can finally feel important!” She chants. The blue unicorn is jumping up and down, dancing. Is this what it feels like to be happy? Is this what it feels like to have… a friend? It’s a feeling that is indescribable, yet does not need to be described. For some reason, I’m interested and want to learn more. The red angel on the dome’s outer shell brought our souls together, and I intend to investigate the reason why. I just hope the monster within does not soil this lifetime opportunity.

I look down, smiling. The being I now understand only to be a “rock” is smiling gracefully at me. I’m bombarding her with questions on the trail of tape, which I now am able to call “dirt”. The angel in the sky, apparently called the “sun” shines in our faces as the “wind” blows through the “trees” and “bushes”. I’ve learned so much and there is still so much to learn! A world which I thought is my nightmare turns out to by my true reality, and it’s beautiful. It’s almost as beautiful as Colgate, the voice of the heavens, doing everything in her power to fix my horrible life. God now smiles down upon me, his light green plan going perfectly.

For the first time in my life, I'm happy.