Two-World Collisionby BRony EngineChaptersPrologue: An Approaching Threat to EquestriaChapter 1: Robert MaineChapter 2: Storm Out of NowhereChapter 3: The Impossible EncounterPrologue: An Approaching Threat to EquestriaBeyond Earth, beyond the outer reaches of the Solar System, is a world that is far different from ours. As Humans, we do not have a clear perception of how said world may be, what it looks like, nor what creatures inhabit it. But we can only interpret the world, regardless of distance. For even though we may never explore it, we have our imaginations to present a collision between the two, whether it be science or magic, good or evil, reality and a dream, there is only the imaginative assumption that allows us to wonder who is drifting out there within the deep space between the stars. The room was dark, as dark as it could get in the late night. The only light came from the moonlight, which beamed in through the open balcony doorway and the space between the bedroom door to the hallway, which showed significance of shadows that belonged to the guards standing outside and those walking through the hall. The bed was left undone with the imprint of a large equine creature left behind. It was no mistake that Princess Celestia was awake at an unusual hour. The princess stared aimlessly at the blank wall parallel to her bed, thinking constantly without any consideration of stopping. Something had awoken her in the late evening, haunting and circling her mind as it filled with insecurity. Something was frightening Celestia, giving her no clue on what it was or why it bothered her. She was only certain that the feeling gave a sense that something inevitable was coming, something tragic. "Sister?" Asked the dark blue alicorn with a worried facial expression. Celestia turned her head to see her sister, Princess Luna, standing in the balcony doorway, which peered out into the night sky. "You may enter." She permitted softly as her head turned back towards the wall. "We had begun to worry about you." Luna explained as she walked into the darkened bedroom."We were planning to visit whilst thou dreamed. T'was then we realized-" "You don't need to use the Canterlot voice when we're alone, Luna." The white alicorn interrupted. "Oh, why of course. We- I mean, I forgot that tradition was no longer necessary." Luna apologized."As I was saying, I was planning to visit you while you were dreaming, to see how you were doing. T'was only after I tried and couldn't get in, I realized that there was no dream to enter, which gave me note that you were awake." "That I was-" Celestia paused for correction, "That I am." "'Tia,I've known you well long enough to know that the only time you would be awake at such a late hour is only when you're troubled." "Yes." The princess agreed softly, now looking down at her hooves. "Then tell me, what troubles my dear sister?" Luna finally asked. She received only a mere sigh as she saw Celestia turn around with exhausted posture, looking at her tired eyes and slightly messy mane. "Something is coming, Luna." Celestia answered with slight fear."Something of great threat to our world." "If that is the case, then I shall alert the guards and contact the elements to come to Canterlot immediately." "It won't be of any use, sister. What is coming is virtually unstoppable, and far beyond our will of power." "What is coming, Celestia?". "I do not know," she answered regretfully, "but all I am able to tell you is that it will not begin in Equestria." "Then where is it to begin?" The night princess asked desperately. As Luna looked at her sister, she began to notice that Celestia was pointing her snout to the night sky. She then looked in the same direction. "Deep in the stars, sister." The sun princess answered. "Where a threat to another world will soon become a threat to ours as well." TWO-WORLD COLLISION Chapter 1: Robert MaineTWO-WORLD COLLISION By BRony Engine The darkness became a thick fog as the surface inclined. Despite the observation, he decided to keep running, to keep breathing, anything that would help him keep distance between him and what was behind him. He could feel it drawing nearer as he ran further up the slope. He was exhausted, confused, afraid, alone. And when it seemed like matters couldn't get any worse, he was tripped by a root, which resulted in a twisted ankle and a face buried in dirt. Defenseless, he could think of nothing but to keep going. He was then stopped by a large creature, which then pinned down his legs and dragged him towards itself. He screamed in excruciating pain as his injury became more severe from dragging on the ground. The figure then flipped the boy's body around to see his face. All that could be seen was the black silhouette of a large, terrifying figure with glowing yellow eyes and dark red irises looking back at him. The boy raised his right hand in fear to the figure, in hopes that he could defend himself in some way, or at least provide himself some cushion for an attack. The figure's eyes squinted at his hand as if it recognized something there. The boy then turned his hand around slowly, only to find a small metallic object that was embedded into his palm. There appeared to be a green jewel in the center, which then began to glow as the metal covers opened up and began to spin erratically, generating sparks from the blades. "The relic." It hissed. He looked back up at the figure as it growled in a satisfied tone. The creature then gave him an unsettling smile and leaped at him for an attack. BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ Robert awoke at an instant to the sound of his irritably loud alarm clock. He quickly looked for the button to shut it off and as soon as he did, everything became silent. Nothing could be heard but the sound of his heavy breathing. It was all just a dream, he thought, A dream turned into a nightmare. He looked at the clock which gave a digital display of numbers indicating the time, 6:02AM. Despite the fact that it was already dawn, Robert's bedroom remained in utter darkness. It was the result of the big thick curtains covering his window, preventing any aurora of sunlight from seeping through. As soon as he stood up, Robert quickly opened up the curtains, which then flooded the room with sunlight and painfully strained his half-closed eyes. Robert Maine was a young man of about 16 years old, moderate height, and moderately slim. He had slightly tanned skin, black scruffy hair, and dark-brown eyes. He didn't have much of an interesting childhood growing up, either. His mother left his father due to spousal abuse, there was occasional moving- he and his mother recently moved a few months before. He was an only child, and didn't have any friends. In fact, most of the friends Robert ever had in his life just came and went. The thought never bothered him very much, although he would never reject inclusion in an interesting conversation. He was more of an independent individual. His mother usually woke up early either to arrive to work early, or to hit the gym, which left Robert alone every morning. This morning, Robert was more tired than usual. A constant headache pounded through his skull, he was disoriented when walking through the hall, and his sense of pain was heightened due to early morning sickness. Nevertheless, he was still able to make it to the kitchen for breakfast. As he reached for the refrigerator handle, Robert noticed a small note from his mother taped to the door. Good morning Rob, My boss wanted me to arrive early to arrange some meetings. I left you some money for lunch. See you when I get home. -Mom “Whatever, Mom.” He groaned as he opened the refrigerator. Robert could never see the point in the notes his mother left him almost every morning. He just assumed that she found some sort of comfort in letting him know what she was doing. But this morning, the notes were not the main thing on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about that dream he had. The unclear distance; the fear; the pain; that creature;... that object. That small metallic object that the dark figure recognized as “the relic” was the most significant part of that nightmare. He had seen it before in his most recent dreams, and even managed to make drawings a painting of it. Being the artist that he is, Robert had adopted the object as his new project. He based most of his art on the dreams he had. Most of which were of foreign worlds he imagined while sleeping. He would first sketch the draft pieces, then if they were ready, begin painting the art. However, all of his art would begin as recorded descriptions of his dreams typed into his computer. The object had been mentioned several times in the last five entries. After breakfast, Robert walked back to his room to type in the sixth entry mentioning the object. It would be the 121st entry in his overall dream notes. He selected his daily wardrobe, got dressed for school, and sat down in his computer chair to type in the entry. Art/Dream Notes, Entry #121 June 11th, 2013 6:34AM I saw the mysterious object again. But for some reason, it was different this time. And the dream I had was like no other. I seemed to be in some forest, but all the trees seemed to be charred and blown back, thick fog everywhere, and it was dark...extremely dark. I was be- He pauses for a moment to think about what to write next. -ing chased by some sort of creature. I couldn't see it very well, but, it was rather large, inhuman, and had glowing yellow eyes. The ground below my feet began to get steeper, which indicated that I was running up a hill. I didn't have a weapon or anything I could use to defend myself, so I was in no way capable of fighting the damn thing. This dream seemed to be more vivid in a way that could make catching a ball feel like catching an actual ball. The reason why I say this is because in the dream, as I was running up the slope, I tripped over a tree root and twisted my ankle. Dream or not, I've never felt so much pain in my life. I was helpless and incredibly frightened as the creature came near. Before I knew it, I was being dragged by the leg and my body was flipped around to see its face. I saw this large black shape with furious, glowing yellow eyes looking back at me. I covered my face with my hands to prepare for the worst. The creature was looking at my hand as if it recognized something, so I took a look at my hand and found the object connected to my right palm. The thing opened up and revealed a small green glowing gem in the center. The metal covers began spinning and generating sparks. The creature called it the relic, and it wanted it. That was when I woke up. I never saw the object in my hand before, nor have I seen it act that way before. I was only able to learn two things from that dream: that the object possesses some sort of function, and the new name for my art piece. End of Entry. Once Robert had saved the log entry into his computer he finished getting ready for school, grabbed the money his mother had left him, and departed for school. It was the end of his junior year of high school for Robert and he couldn't be anymore relieved. No more studying for tests; no more homework; and most importantly, no more distractions from his artwork. The grades weren't much of an issue for Robert; he was a rather bright kid and he had most of his work finished on time. He just didn't like the fact that school was constantly keeping him from working on his art. Lawrence Joycer High School- a school in which Robert currently attended -was only seven blocks away from his apartment complex. Although it wasn't a very large campus- in fact, it was rather small- Robert really enjoyed walking to and from there. The streets filled with walking pedestrians, passing cars and opening shops amused him. It was the only part of walking to school that Robert ever enjoyed, especially on a cloudy day. To Robert, there was something about a cloudy day that just made him enjoy the surrounding community, unlike a sunny day. Robert's last day of school was just like any other day, except it was shorter; there were only two classes to take; and plus, those classes had finals. Luckily, he studied for the last five days for the finals. A regular day at school would have had seven hours instead of four; six classes,not two. Robert's schedule usually consisted of Math, Foreign Language, English, Study Hall -where Robert spent most of his school time on his art,- Biology, and History. The only major events would probably have involved an intense debate with teachers about multitasking, but those would only happen to Robert anytime he got caught doodling some cartoons during a lecture. But since today was the last day of school, none of those thing were worth a worry. Although, there was one thing Robert worried about- the relic. Robert couldn't stop thinking about that mysterious object that infested his dreams. There was something about the way it behaved near the end of the previous night, like it was something real. It felt real; it sounded real; it looked real; but yet, it was still a dream. Dream or not, Robert never saw the relic on his palm before, and he's never seen it function either. It was a big wonder to him, an anomaly. The walk back from school was just as enjoyable to Robert as it was in the morning- shops thriving with business; couples on dates; the smell of freshly baked bread fro a nearby restaurant- It amused him very much. There was a bit more activity around than usual, as well. With the dawn of summer vacation just around the corner, Robert wasn't much surprised; he was mostly focused on getting home to do his artwork. As soon as he came home, Robert planned out the rest of the day. He would first clean any mess that was lying around; play some XBOX for about an hour; and finally, he would begin his artwork. Planning out the remaining day was a usual thing for Robert. Since the third grade, he would go by a simple schedule- Homework, playtime, and then hobby. Although it wasn't his main priority, Robert liked to have some anticipation towards his hobby; he looked forward to it everyday. When the time came, he would rearrange his entire room into his workspace- and by rearrange, that means moving all the furniture to the edge. The excessive amount of space wasn't necessary, but the arrangement made Robert feel a bit more comfortable. Today, he was going to make two sketch drawings: one penciled; one colored. The first piece of art Robert was planning to work on was a penciled sketch of the relic in its dynamic behavior. Aside from his notes, Robert was able to draw it from memory. The green gem focal point; the spinning metallic blades that moved in opposite directions; the engraving on the blades themselves; even the electric sparks which generated from the object were drawable. Every detail he could remember was put into that sketch with pride. The other piece of art that Robert had begun working on was a colored sketch of the dream world from the previous night. This required some rather dark colors for the texture, as well as some white in order to incorporate some of the important elements into the artwork. Although it took some time to finish, Robert was able to incorporate the foggy atmosphere, the charred plants and trees, the dark-purple night sky, the inclining land area, and the dark shadows into the nightmarish image. It took over four hours, but it was worth it. Robert now had two new, well-done works of art sitting right in front of him. He took a moment to appreciate the time and effort put into the drawings, though he was more proud of the relic sketch than the one displaying a cataclysmic aftermath of God knows what happened. The young artist looked at the clock- 6:38pm. He quickly put his finished works into the cabinet under his computer, moved his bedroom furniture back to their original placement, and cleaned up what was left. Chapter 2: Storm Out of NowhereTwenty minutes after finishing the projects, Robert heard the approaching hum of his mother's car engine pulling into the parking spot. He watched her as she turned off the engine, got out of the car, grabbed her computer bag, and lock the car door as she walked towards the house. "Hi, Mom!" Greeted Robert as he took a seat on the couch and turned his attention towards the television. "Hey, Rob." His mother greeted back. "How was your day?" He asked as he watched her lug the black computer bags to her room. "Good." She answered. "Yours?" "Fine" "Today was your last day, wasn't it?" "Eeyup." "What did you do?" "Just finals for fifth and sixth period." "And how was that?" She asked as she walked out of her room. "Fine." "What did you do after school?" "Clean, play, do more art. That kind of stuff." "Good." She remarked."Do you want anything to eat?" "Nope," Robert declined, "I just had a sandwich earlier, so I'm good." "Alright." Robert and his mother were not much for a big conversation when it came to talking to each other. The reason being that neither the mother nor son had anything interesting to talk about, so they didn't say much to each other. For the rest of that afternoon Robert's thoughts left no room for anything else except the dream. There was something about it that made it burn through his mind like a hot iron through ice, easily cutting through. At the center of it was the object that appeared in the end, the relic. He kept thinking about the way it functioned, its design, why it was in his palm. What was that creature who recognized it? What does the relic do? And why was I dreaming of all of this? All these thoughts had overwhelmed Robert's mind to the point where he begun to mentally and physically suffocate. He decided to walk outside to get some fresh air, where his solitude was the night sky. Robert found the night sky somewhat comforting, as if the sight of a black surface with small, white, shimmering lights within gave the young man somewhat of peaceful solitude. A vast, dark space spanning throughout the universe with no boundaries. He loved to look at the stars that shined bright with their own little hue of cosmic colors. Such surroundings allowed Robert to lament his thoughts, given the condition that no one was around. This was where he did most of his thinking. Robert looked deeply into the night sky, continuing to think about his dream. "I don't know why I keep thinking about this, these dreams." He thought aloud. "These dreams are becoming so vivid, so realistic that I'm starting to actually question my reality. Is this a good thing? Or is it bad?" Robert looked down at the ground for inference before looking back at the sky. "God, I hope these thoughts won't drive me mad. But there was something about the relic. That thing's shown up in my dreams several times before, but not like this. I may just be making wild assumptions, but, what if it means something, like a message? What if these dreams have some sort of connection to reality? Is it possible?... Maybe I am losing my mind, with all these thoughts running through it. None of it seems to make any sense or show any hint of rationality." He found himself staring into black space and brought his attention back to the sky. "I'm not one to make any wishes." Robert chuckled lightly. "But, if these dreams are trying to tell me something, if there does turn out to be some sort of connection, then I wish to know what it is. I wish to find out why the relic continues to constantly appear in my dreams, and why last night's dream seems to be the only one to stand out." As his lamenting came to close, with questions unanswered, Robert began to walk back to his apartment, turned back to take one last look at the stars, and closed the door. He knew that his questions wouldn't be answered just by simply talking to the sky, but doing so gave Robert a sense of hope. The rest of the night was of complete insignificance to Robert. He washed the dishes, watched a little more television, took a quick shower, and got ready for bed. He had then begun to reflect the monologue from earlier. He had meant every word he had said outside, wishing to know the reasons why the relic kept appearing in his most recent dreams, wishing for an answer. Although, as he thought more about what he said, Robert developed an unsettling thought: What if the answer came, but it turned out to be one he would have never wished to know? What if the relic had some sort of evil, demonic aspect to it? Or what if there was no answer and that the whole thing was just a figment of imagination receiving too much attention? As Robert laid his head upon the pillow, his constant thinking continued to circle his mind. The thoughts haunted him as he slowly drifted into sleep, waiting for the next dream to come. Despite the night sky starting out completely clear, it quickly became engulfed in an unnatural sea of thick grey clouds that spanned across almost all of San Diego. Soon it began to rain heavily as lightning ran through the light islands of water, which started to circulate in a vortex-like formation. Within a deep sleep, Robert began to have some unsettling agitations within his own mental solitude. His dream became infested with discomforting images of falling buildings, a body being electrocuted, some random purple-haired girl, and the relic. Robert writhed in his bed as the images flashed through his subconscious. His groans of psychological and mental discomfort were drowned out by the never ending thunder. A hole appeared in the the center of the cloud vortex, opening wider as the lightning became more attracted to it. The hole shortly formed into a funnel that glowed with a fluctuating swirl of blue and purple as the lightning bolts streamed around the funnel and struck the earth violently. The event had caused the city lights to dim and flicker in an alternating fashion as visible electricity ran throughout every street, every telephone line, every wire. It was a storm of complete chaos. After several moments of complete storm fire, the behavioral storm had begun to cease. The sky had cleared immediately and the city continued its nighttime occasion as if nothing had ever happened. The only thing left behind was a small area somewhere within a nearby forest that was struck by both the massive funnel and the lightning. The trees around the area were charred and charged with lingering electricity as each long trunk circling around the place was blown back, giving the area a crater-like appearance. The sight of impact was a small but noticeable indentation within the earth, steaming with rising smoke; within it, something had begin to emerge. A long, slender figure crawled out of the hole and looked about its surroundings as it moved away from the burnt area. It soon arrived to a nearby hill that overlooked over two-thirds of San Diego county. Catching sight of the city, the creature began to quicken its pace as it moved towards the nearest neighborhood, growling with laughter-like delight. However, the creature failed to notice that it did not arrive to this world alone. Back at the steaming strike site, a small female groan was made as a human arm reached out of crater and pulled out a long-haired girl connected to it. Chapter 3: The Impossible EncounterRobert made a painful yet exhausted groan as he woke up, feeling some strange pressure and heat around his head. His eyes soon focused enough to have him notice what the cause for the pressuring headache was. As the upper half of his body laid on its back and arched over, Robert came to the conclusion that this was due to his constant tossing and turning throughout the night, leaving him hanging upside down. He could feel all the blood rush down from his head to the rest of his body as he got up, leaving him with a dazed disorientation. Other than that, Robert suddenly began to feel a painful headache emerge through his skull, almost close to a migraine. He rushed himself to the bedroom sink and trifled through the medicine cabinet, groaning in discomfort as he searched for a pain reliever. Luckily, he managed to find a small white bottle sitting in a small blue box. He quickly opened the bottle and threw two tablets into his mouth before swallowing. He sat there for about a minute until the headache died down. "what the hell?" He groaned. The groggy teen shortly regained his senses and made is way back to the bed. As Robert took a look at the clock he chuckled to see what time it was- 7:53am. It was merely seven minutes before his alarm would go off to wake him up. He sat in his bed for a few minutes to try to recall what happened last night. Several more minutes passed before Robert came to the realization that he could not remember what he was dreaming about. The entire night- the storm, the dreams, the constant struggle- all a big black blur. His thought trance immediately broke once he heard the loud noise of his alarm clock, which was quickly dismissed. Robert quickly stood up and made his way towards the door until he was stopped by an impulse. He felt as if something was watching him, observing his behavior. It was a presence that felt close, as if something else was in the room with him. He quickly looked around his room for any kind of irregularity, something that's not meant to be there. Nothing. Robert was completely alone in his room. He shook off this strange sense and proceeded to retrieve his morning meal. Robert was surprised to find his mother, who seemed dreadfully upset, sitting on the recliner with her cell phone in hand. "Mom?" Robert asked with confusion. His mother gasped in surprise to see her son standing in the hallway. Robert could see a few trails of tears running down her face as if something tragic occurred. "Robert!" His mother cried out with joy, followed by a strong hug and several kisses. "Good...morning?" "I was so worried about you!" He soon broke from his mother's hug to giver a questioning look. As soon as she noticed, her smile faded into the same look she was receiving. "Worried?" He asked. "Why are you worried?" "Robert..." His mother sat down. "I was getting ready for work this morning. I was making my coffee when I heard this loud noise coming from your room. I opened the door and you on the floor, doing this weird breathing..." She paused for a second to wait for a response. "I tried to snap you out if it when I picked you up, and saw that your eyes were open. You looked at me and stopped breathing. Then you made this....this loud scream into my face! Oh, Robert, I was was so scared that I just threw you onto your bed and you wouldn't stop squirming! I ran out of your room, closed the door and grabbed my phone to call an ambulance." Robert couldn't believe was he was being told. He wasn't one to have seizures or panic attacks, he never had one before. He thought for a moment while his mother quietly sobbed in the chair, and came up with a logical conclusion. "Mom," he said while trying to cease her tears, "I don't think you had to call ambulance for what happened. What may have happened was that I was having some sort of nightmare, and it simply just caused me to sleepwalk." "B-but, the way you were acting-" "Again, it was a nightmare. And besides," he said while spinning a full 360, "I'm perfectly fine, See? You might want to call the hospital and tell them that it was a false alarm." "I don't want to, but..." She hesitated as she looked back at her son for any illness. "You seem to be okay...for now. I'll call the hospital and tell them that it was just a little sleepwalking incident." Robert sighed in relief as he opened the cupboard and reached for the cereal box. He could hear his mother talking on the phone in the other room while she prepared for work. Soon after, she came into the living room with her bags ready and gave him a goodbye hug. "If anything else happens, Robert," She added, "let me know. I'll try to see if I can set up an appointment for the doctor to look at you." "Sure thing, Mom." Robert smiled. As soon as she left Robert continued on with his morning routine. He sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal for breakfast. However, he was stopped about halfway through his meal by a familiar sense. It was the same feeling of being watched he had felt earlier that morning. Something was there with him but Robert couldn't see it, neither could he finish his breakfast. He got up to pour what was left of the coffee and cereal down the drain and quickly went to his room to get ready for a shower. Robert couldn't shake the feeling wherever he went that morning. He felt it in the shower, while getting dressed, and even when he tried to recall the night before into his computer -It followed him everywhere. He then made the decision to take a stroll into the town, in hopes that this sense would go away if he were occupied. Robert gathered his phone, wallet, and keys, and made his way outside. It was almost noon. The atmosphere outside was calm; the breeze was soft and the sky was completely clear. As Robert strolled down the street, he felt as if the strange presence had disappeared and was replaced by this welcoming atmosphere. It was like a cloudy day, but better. He normally didn't like to be outside, but this time it was like he didn't want to go back to the apartment. He visited some of the stores around the area, played some of the arcade games at a local restaurant, and even had lunch when the time came. Robert had spent about two hours in town before he decided to go back home. It was when he passed by an old alleyway, that Robert found himself caught within a similar state of mind. The feeling of being watched had somehow returned to him, along with faint whispers that sounded like they came from every direction. However, this time the feeling seemed different, more...alluring. Robert occasionally shook his head to fight off this sensation, but with each attempt he slowly fell closer into a dazed trance. Little did he know, he was involuntarily wandering into the mall"s alley. Deeper and deeper Robert went in, dragging his face along the cement wall as he fell victim to the disembodied whispers. BAM! "Hey, kid!" Said a male voice, along with a pat on Robert's face. "You alright?" Robert groaned in exhaustion, slowly opening his eyes as he came to. "Kid!" "Wha...?" Robert answered sluggishly. "I said, are you alright?" The man repeated. "Where...am I?" "In the alley between Target and Babies R Us. Are you drunk or something?" Robert gave no answer, for he was too preoccupied with a painful bump on the side of his head. He looked at the man to find that he was an employee to one of the stores - red shirt, khakis pants, name tag. He looked to be about 23 years old and of Asian descent. "No, I'm not drunk." Robert answered finally, rubbing his head. "What happened?" "I don't know. I just came out here to do my job and saw you laying on the ground just now." The man explained. "Did you hit your head?" "I think so." "Do I need to get you help?" He offered. "No, that's fine." Robert declined. "I think it's just a light bump." "Well, I suggest you head your way home then." As Robert made his way to standing up he noticed that the light was more dim than he remembered. 'How long was I out?' He thought to himself. He turned to the store employee, who was already heading his way back to wherever he was going. "Hey!" Robert called to the man, who quickly turned around in response. "What time is it?" "About 5:07PM." The employee answered after a quick glance at his watch. 5:07?!!! Not only had Robert woken up in a random alley way, he laid there unconscious for over three hours! What could've caused him to do such thing? He felt fine just this morning. Although now, he could feel nothing but shock. "T-thanks." He said monotonously as the two parted ways. Robert was once again alone, and now completely lost. Despite the difficulty of regaining memory, he slowly began to remember the area. This was an old shortcut he used to get home in short time. It was a long straight corridor which made a right turn into the docking port for trucks that delivered merchandise shipments. That was when he noticed something out of place. There was a child standing in front of him, smiling as if he were the funniest thing he had ever seen. What was he doing here? Robert's curiosity got the best of him when he approached the boy, taking a few steps forward. The child giggled as he ran through the cargo dock in hiding from him. "Come and find me!" He teased as he disappeared from sight. "Uh...Okay..." Robert said to himself as he followed the little boy's voice. "Wait! What are you doing here?!" "I'm over here!" He giggled. "Find me!" "Who are you? Are you lost?" "Come find me and find out!" Robert followed the boy's voice throughout the area. A good few minutes passed by when he finally decided to give up. There was no longer any sight of the mysterious child anywhere- No child, no answers, no progress. He looked around to pinpoint his own location, but groaned to find himself in unfamiliar territory. What exactly was this area? He thought to himself. It most definitely didn't seem like it was part of the same place anymore. The walls seemed to have surrounded him in a way that seemed impossible. Little did he know that has he began making assumptions. the small child was standing behind him, curiously observing his every move. "You seem lost..." "Huh?" He turned around to look at the child. "Well...I guess we both are..." "I'm not." "What do you mean? We're both lost. You were lost when I found you a few moments ago. Then you went ahead and sent me on this wild goose chase after you!" He sighed, leaning a hand on the cement wall. "Hehe! Well, aren't you off?" The boy giggled in delight. "I'm not lost because I was only trying to lure you. I know my way around any place." He turned the corner and disappeared. "Especially the ones that were never even there in the first place..." "Huh? What do you mean by that? Where did you go?" He turned the corner to find the child. It was as if he had disappeared again. "Show yourself!" "Oh? Hehe! Which one?" He said after appearing behind the confused teen, surprising him and making him jump back. "The me that I'm having fun with messing with you? Or the form I came here in?" "What are you talking about?!" "Oh, I've been watching you, Robert. For the majority of today I've been watching you go mad with all that chaos in your head!" The child giggled as he stepped closer to Robert, cornering him into the wall. "I knew there was a connection, but I didn't expect it to come from someone like you. You're so young! I guess it just runs in the family." "Then family? What family?" He began to feel a bit annoyed now. "You don't know anything about me!" "Perhaps, but I do know what you see..." He grinned. "What can you possibly know what I see? How do you even know my name?! Who are you?!" He screamed. "Wow...such anger. It's almost impressive." He giggled with a roll of his eyes. "But if you insist on seeing my true form, the so be it!" The shadows had suddenly started to move. They were engulfing the child like a blanket wrapping around him. Robert couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the black blob squirm and grow long right in front of him. He could hear the laughter of a madman echoing through the area. The horrible sight stood and loomed over him as its shape began to take a familiar form. The unequal horns on the head. The claws forming on the arms as the hooves formed on the hind legs. It's tail seemed reptilian with a small tuff of hair at the end. Robert was in shock as the creature looked more familiar. "N-No....I-It can't be....It shouldn't be!" He screamed as he had himself pinned against the wall. The creature's eyes opened to reveal the yellow and red glow that emanated from them. Those eyes...Robert had seen them before. But it was impossible. There was no possible way this abomination could be real. But there it was, looming over him like a predator and its prey. "What are you? You shouldn't even be here! You're just a dream! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!!!" The creature grinned to his question. A deep chuckle could be heard as he peered down on Robert, who was shaking fearfully. "Oh?" He snickered. "What's the matter? Are you not fond of big reveals? I must admit I sure do have a weakness for them. I just love the reactions I get!" He wrapped himself around the boy. "Yours, however...make it seem like you've seen a familiar face! I can promise you that we've never met, but if you want an introduction, then I'll be happy to do that. You see...I'm the king of chaos. The lord of all things insane and non-sensible. Very few call me by the title of The Lord of Chaos. But many simply just call me by my name...." Author's Note FINALLY, i HAVE RESUMED WRITING! Sorry for those who have been awaiting a third chapter, but I surely have been busy. Well...just lazy perhaps. I've been having some serious writer's block. Also, I've been concentrating on school and college applications. But finally it's here! Chapter 3!!!
Prologue: An Approaching Threat to EquestriaBeyond Earth, beyond the outer reaches of the Solar System, is a world that is far different from ours. As Humans, we do not have a clear perception of how said world may be, what it looks like, nor what creatures inhabit it. But we can only interpret the world, regardless of distance. For even though we may never explore it, we have our imaginations to present a collision between the two, whether it be science or magic, good or evil, reality and a dream, there is only the imaginative assumption that allows us to wonder who is drifting out there within the deep space between the stars. The room was dark, as dark as it could get in the late night. The only light came from the moonlight, which beamed in through the open balcony doorway and the space between the bedroom door to the hallway, which showed significance of shadows that belonged to the guards standing outside and those walking through the hall. The bed was left undone with the imprint of a large equine creature left behind. It was no mistake that Princess Celestia was awake at an unusual hour. The princess stared aimlessly at the blank wall parallel to her bed, thinking constantly without any consideration of stopping. Something had awoken her in the late evening, haunting and circling her mind as it filled with insecurity. Something was frightening Celestia, giving her no clue on what it was or why it bothered her. She was only certain that the feeling gave a sense that something inevitable was coming, something tragic. "Sister?" Asked the dark blue alicorn with a worried facial expression. Celestia turned her head to see her sister, Princess Luna, standing in the balcony doorway, which peered out into the night sky. "You may enter." She permitted softly as her head turned back towards the wall. "We had begun to worry about you." Luna explained as she walked into the darkened bedroom."We were planning to visit whilst thou dreamed. T'was then we realized-" "You don't need to use the Canterlot voice when we're alone, Luna." The white alicorn interrupted. "Oh, why of course. We- I mean, I forgot that tradition was no longer necessary." Luna apologized."As I was saying, I was planning to visit you while you were dreaming, to see how you were doing. T'was only after I tried and couldn't get in, I realized that there was no dream to enter, which gave me note that you were awake." "That I was-" Celestia paused for correction, "That I am." "'Tia,I've known you well long enough to know that the only time you would be awake at such a late hour is only when you're troubled." "Yes." The princess agreed softly, now looking down at her hooves. "Then tell me, what troubles my dear sister?" Luna finally asked. She received only a mere sigh as she saw Celestia turn around with exhausted posture, looking at her tired eyes and slightly messy mane. "Something is coming, Luna." Celestia answered with slight fear."Something of great threat to our world." "If that is the case, then I shall alert the guards and contact the elements to come to Canterlot immediately." "It won't be of any use, sister. What is coming is virtually unstoppable, and far beyond our will of power." "What is coming, Celestia?". "I do not know," she answered regretfully, "but all I am able to tell you is that it will not begin in Equestria." "Then where is it to begin?" The night princess asked desperately. As Luna looked at her sister, she began to notice that Celestia was pointing her snout to the night sky. She then looked in the same direction. "Deep in the stars, sister." The sun princess answered. "Where a threat to another world will soon become a threat to ours as well." TWO-WORLD COLLISION
Chapter 1: Robert MaineTWO-WORLD COLLISION By BRony Engine The darkness became a thick fog as the surface inclined. Despite the observation, he decided to keep running, to keep breathing, anything that would help him keep distance between him and what was behind him. He could feel it drawing nearer as he ran further up the slope. He was exhausted, confused, afraid, alone. And when it seemed like matters couldn't get any worse, he was tripped by a root, which resulted in a twisted ankle and a face buried in dirt. Defenseless, he could think of nothing but to keep going. He was then stopped by a large creature, which then pinned down his legs and dragged him towards itself. He screamed in excruciating pain as his injury became more severe from dragging on the ground. The figure then flipped the boy's body around to see his face. All that could be seen was the black silhouette of a large, terrifying figure with glowing yellow eyes and dark red irises looking back at him. The boy raised his right hand in fear to the figure, in hopes that he could defend himself in some way, or at least provide himself some cushion for an attack. The figure's eyes squinted at his hand as if it recognized something there. The boy then turned his hand around slowly, only to find a small metallic object that was embedded into his palm. There appeared to be a green jewel in the center, which then began to glow as the metal covers opened up and began to spin erratically, generating sparks from the blades. "The relic." It hissed. He looked back up at the figure as it growled in a satisfied tone. The creature then gave him an unsettling smile and leaped at him for an attack. BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ-BUZZ Robert awoke at an instant to the sound of his irritably loud alarm clock. He quickly looked for the button to shut it off and as soon as he did, everything became silent. Nothing could be heard but the sound of his heavy breathing. It was all just a dream, he thought, A dream turned into a nightmare. He looked at the clock which gave a digital display of numbers indicating the time, 6:02AM. Despite the fact that it was already dawn, Robert's bedroom remained in utter darkness. It was the result of the big thick curtains covering his window, preventing any aurora of sunlight from seeping through. As soon as he stood up, Robert quickly opened up the curtains, which then flooded the room with sunlight and painfully strained his half-closed eyes. Robert Maine was a young man of about 16 years old, moderate height, and moderately slim. He had slightly tanned skin, black scruffy hair, and dark-brown eyes. He didn't have much of an interesting childhood growing up, either. His mother left his father due to spousal abuse, there was occasional moving- he and his mother recently moved a few months before. He was an only child, and didn't have any friends. In fact, most of the friends Robert ever had in his life just came and went. The thought never bothered him very much, although he would never reject inclusion in an interesting conversation. He was more of an independent individual. His mother usually woke up early either to arrive to work early, or to hit the gym, which left Robert alone every morning. This morning, Robert was more tired than usual. A constant headache pounded through his skull, he was disoriented when walking through the hall, and his sense of pain was heightened due to early morning sickness. Nevertheless, he was still able to make it to the kitchen for breakfast. As he reached for the refrigerator handle, Robert noticed a small note from his mother taped to the door. Good morning Rob, My boss wanted me to arrive early to arrange some meetings. I left you some money for lunch. See you when I get home. -Mom “Whatever, Mom.” He groaned as he opened the refrigerator. Robert could never see the point in the notes his mother left him almost every morning. He just assumed that she found some sort of comfort in letting him know what she was doing. But this morning, the notes were not the main thing on his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about that dream he had. The unclear distance; the fear; the pain; that creature;... that object. That small metallic object that the dark figure recognized as “the relic” was the most significant part of that nightmare. He had seen it before in his most recent dreams, and even managed to make drawings a painting of it. Being the artist that he is, Robert had adopted the object as his new project. He based most of his art on the dreams he had. Most of which were of foreign worlds he imagined while sleeping. He would first sketch the draft pieces, then if they were ready, begin painting the art. However, all of his art would begin as recorded descriptions of his dreams typed into his computer. The object had been mentioned several times in the last five entries. After breakfast, Robert walked back to his room to type in the sixth entry mentioning the object. It would be the 121st entry in his overall dream notes. He selected his daily wardrobe, got dressed for school, and sat down in his computer chair to type in the entry. Art/Dream Notes, Entry #121 June 11th, 2013 6:34AM I saw the mysterious object again. But for some reason, it was different this time. And the dream I had was like no other. I seemed to be in some forest, but all the trees seemed to be charred and blown back, thick fog everywhere, and it was dark...extremely dark. I was be- He pauses for a moment to think about what to write next. -ing chased by some sort of creature. I couldn't see it very well, but, it was rather large, inhuman, and had glowing yellow eyes. The ground below my feet began to get steeper, which indicated that I was running up a hill. I didn't have a weapon or anything I could use to defend myself, so I was in no way capable of fighting the damn thing. This dream seemed to be more vivid in a way that could make catching a ball feel like catching an actual ball. The reason why I say this is because in the dream, as I was running up the slope, I tripped over a tree root and twisted my ankle. Dream or not, I've never felt so much pain in my life. I was helpless and incredibly frightened as the creature came near. Before I knew it, I was being dragged by the leg and my body was flipped around to see its face. I saw this large black shape with furious, glowing yellow eyes looking back at me. I covered my face with my hands to prepare for the worst. The creature was looking at my hand as if it recognized something, so I took a look at my hand and found the object connected to my right palm. The thing opened up and revealed a small green glowing gem in the center. The metal covers began spinning and generating sparks. The creature called it the relic, and it wanted it. That was when I woke up. I never saw the object in my hand before, nor have I seen it act that way before. I was only able to learn two things from that dream: that the object possesses some sort of function, and the new name for my art piece. End of Entry. Once Robert had saved the log entry into his computer he finished getting ready for school, grabbed the money his mother had left him, and departed for school. It was the end of his junior year of high school for Robert and he couldn't be anymore relieved. No more studying for tests; no more homework; and most importantly, no more distractions from his artwork. The grades weren't much of an issue for Robert; he was a rather bright kid and he had most of his work finished on time. He just didn't like the fact that school was constantly keeping him from working on his art. Lawrence Joycer High School- a school in which Robert currently attended -was only seven blocks away from his apartment complex. Although it wasn't a very large campus- in fact, it was rather small- Robert really enjoyed walking to and from there. The streets filled with walking pedestrians, passing cars and opening shops amused him. It was the only part of walking to school that Robert ever enjoyed, especially on a cloudy day. To Robert, there was something about a cloudy day that just made him enjoy the surrounding community, unlike a sunny day. Robert's last day of school was just like any other day, except it was shorter; there were only two classes to take; and plus, those classes had finals. Luckily, he studied for the last five days for the finals. A regular day at school would have had seven hours instead of four; six classes,not two. Robert's schedule usually consisted of Math, Foreign Language, English, Study Hall -where Robert spent most of his school time on his art,- Biology, and History. The only major events would probably have involved an intense debate with teachers about multitasking, but those would only happen to Robert anytime he got caught doodling some cartoons during a lecture. But since today was the last day of school, none of those thing were worth a worry. Although, there was one thing Robert worried about- the relic. Robert couldn't stop thinking about that mysterious object that infested his dreams. There was something about the way it behaved near the end of the previous night, like it was something real. It felt real; it sounded real; it looked real; but yet, it was still a dream. Dream or not, Robert never saw the relic on his palm before, and he's never seen it function either. It was a big wonder to him, an anomaly. The walk back from school was just as enjoyable to Robert as it was in the morning- shops thriving with business; couples on dates; the smell of freshly baked bread fro a nearby restaurant- It amused him very much. There was a bit more activity around than usual, as well. With the dawn of summer vacation just around the corner, Robert wasn't much surprised; he was mostly focused on getting home to do his artwork. As soon as he came home, Robert planned out the rest of the day. He would first clean any mess that was lying around; play some XBOX for about an hour; and finally, he would begin his artwork. Planning out the remaining day was a usual thing for Robert. Since the third grade, he would go by a simple schedule- Homework, playtime, and then hobby. Although it wasn't his main priority, Robert liked to have some anticipation towards his hobby; he looked forward to it everyday. When the time came, he would rearrange his entire room into his workspace- and by rearrange, that means moving all the furniture to the edge. The excessive amount of space wasn't necessary, but the arrangement made Robert feel a bit more comfortable. Today, he was going to make two sketch drawings: one penciled; one colored. The first piece of art Robert was planning to work on was a penciled sketch of the relic in its dynamic behavior. Aside from his notes, Robert was able to draw it from memory. The green gem focal point; the spinning metallic blades that moved in opposite directions; the engraving on the blades themselves; even the electric sparks which generated from the object were drawable. Every detail he could remember was put into that sketch with pride. The other piece of art that Robert had begun working on was a colored sketch of the dream world from the previous night. This required some rather dark colors for the texture, as well as some white in order to incorporate some of the important elements into the artwork. Although it took some time to finish, Robert was able to incorporate the foggy atmosphere, the charred plants and trees, the dark-purple night sky, the inclining land area, and the dark shadows into the nightmarish image. It took over four hours, but it was worth it. Robert now had two new, well-done works of art sitting right in front of him. He took a moment to appreciate the time and effort put into the drawings, though he was more proud of the relic sketch than the one displaying a cataclysmic aftermath of God knows what happened. The young artist looked at the clock- 6:38pm. He quickly put his finished works into the cabinet under his computer, moved his bedroom furniture back to their original placement, and cleaned up what was left.
Chapter 2: Storm Out of NowhereTwenty minutes after finishing the projects, Robert heard the approaching hum of his mother's car engine pulling into the parking spot. He watched her as she turned off the engine, got out of the car, grabbed her computer bag, and lock the car door as she walked towards the house. "Hi, Mom!" Greeted Robert as he took a seat on the couch and turned his attention towards the television. "Hey, Rob." His mother greeted back. "How was your day?" He asked as he watched her lug the black computer bags to her room. "Good." She answered. "Yours?" "Fine" "Today was your last day, wasn't it?" "Eeyup." "What did you do?" "Just finals for fifth and sixth period." "And how was that?" She asked as she walked out of her room. "Fine." "What did you do after school?" "Clean, play, do more art. That kind of stuff." "Good." She remarked."Do you want anything to eat?" "Nope," Robert declined, "I just had a sandwich earlier, so I'm good." "Alright." Robert and his mother were not much for a big conversation when it came to talking to each other. The reason being that neither the mother nor son had anything interesting to talk about, so they didn't say much to each other. For the rest of that afternoon Robert's thoughts left no room for anything else except the dream. There was something about it that made it burn through his mind like a hot iron through ice, easily cutting through. At the center of it was the object that appeared in the end, the relic. He kept thinking about the way it functioned, its design, why it was in his palm. What was that creature who recognized it? What does the relic do? And why was I dreaming of all of this? All these thoughts had overwhelmed Robert's mind to the point where he begun to mentally and physically suffocate. He decided to walk outside to get some fresh air, where his solitude was the night sky. Robert found the night sky somewhat comforting, as if the sight of a black surface with small, white, shimmering lights within gave the young man somewhat of peaceful solitude. A vast, dark space spanning throughout the universe with no boundaries. He loved to look at the stars that shined bright with their own little hue of cosmic colors. Such surroundings allowed Robert to lament his thoughts, given the condition that no one was around. This was where he did most of his thinking. Robert looked deeply into the night sky, continuing to think about his dream. "I don't know why I keep thinking about this, these dreams." He thought aloud. "These dreams are becoming so vivid, so realistic that I'm starting to actually question my reality. Is this a good thing? Or is it bad?" Robert looked down at the ground for inference before looking back at the sky. "God, I hope these thoughts won't drive me mad. But there was something about the relic. That thing's shown up in my dreams several times before, but not like this. I may just be making wild assumptions, but, what if it means something, like a message? What if these dreams have some sort of connection to reality? Is it possible?... Maybe I am losing my mind, with all these thoughts running through it. None of it seems to make any sense or show any hint of rationality." He found himself staring into black space and brought his attention back to the sky. "I'm not one to make any wishes." Robert chuckled lightly. "But, if these dreams are trying to tell me something, if there does turn out to be some sort of connection, then I wish to know what it is. I wish to find out why the relic continues to constantly appear in my dreams, and why last night's dream seems to be the only one to stand out." As his lamenting came to close, with questions unanswered, Robert began to walk back to his apartment, turned back to take one last look at the stars, and closed the door. He knew that his questions wouldn't be answered just by simply talking to the sky, but doing so gave Robert a sense of hope. The rest of the night was of complete insignificance to Robert. He washed the dishes, watched a little more television, took a quick shower, and got ready for bed. He had then begun to reflect the monologue from earlier. He had meant every word he had said outside, wishing to know the reasons why the relic kept appearing in his most recent dreams, wishing for an answer. Although, as he thought more about what he said, Robert developed an unsettling thought: What if the answer came, but it turned out to be one he would have never wished to know? What if the relic had some sort of evil, demonic aspect to it? Or what if there was no answer and that the whole thing was just a figment of imagination receiving too much attention? As Robert laid his head upon the pillow, his constant thinking continued to circle his mind. The thoughts haunted him as he slowly drifted into sleep, waiting for the next dream to come. Despite the night sky starting out completely clear, it quickly became engulfed in an unnatural sea of thick grey clouds that spanned across almost all of San Diego. Soon it began to rain heavily as lightning ran through the light islands of water, which started to circulate in a vortex-like formation. Within a deep sleep, Robert began to have some unsettling agitations within his own mental solitude. His dream became infested with discomforting images of falling buildings, a body being electrocuted, some random purple-haired girl, and the relic. Robert writhed in his bed as the images flashed through his subconscious. His groans of psychological and mental discomfort were drowned out by the never ending thunder. A hole appeared in the the center of the cloud vortex, opening wider as the lightning became more attracted to it. The hole shortly formed into a funnel that glowed with a fluctuating swirl of blue and purple as the lightning bolts streamed around the funnel and struck the earth violently. The event had caused the city lights to dim and flicker in an alternating fashion as visible electricity ran throughout every street, every telephone line, every wire. It was a storm of complete chaos. After several moments of complete storm fire, the behavioral storm had begun to cease. The sky had cleared immediately and the city continued its nighttime occasion as if nothing had ever happened. The only thing left behind was a small area somewhere within a nearby forest that was struck by both the massive funnel and the lightning. The trees around the area were charred and charged with lingering electricity as each long trunk circling around the place was blown back, giving the area a crater-like appearance. The sight of impact was a small but noticeable indentation within the earth, steaming with rising smoke; within it, something had begin to emerge. A long, slender figure crawled out of the hole and looked about its surroundings as it moved away from the burnt area. It soon arrived to a nearby hill that overlooked over two-thirds of San Diego county. Catching sight of the city, the creature began to quicken its pace as it moved towards the nearest neighborhood, growling with laughter-like delight. However, the creature failed to notice that it did not arrive to this world alone. Back at the steaming strike site, a small female groan was made as a human arm reached out of crater and pulled out a long-haired girl connected to it.
Chapter 3: The Impossible EncounterRobert made a painful yet exhausted groan as he woke up, feeling some strange pressure and heat around his head. His eyes soon focused enough to have him notice what the cause for the pressuring headache was. As the upper half of his body laid on its back and arched over, Robert came to the conclusion that this was due to his constant tossing and turning throughout the night, leaving him hanging upside down. He could feel all the blood rush down from his head to the rest of his body as he got up, leaving him with a dazed disorientation. Other than that, Robert suddenly began to feel a painful headache emerge through his skull, almost close to a migraine. He rushed himself to the bedroom sink and trifled through the medicine cabinet, groaning in discomfort as he searched for a pain reliever. Luckily, he managed to find a small white bottle sitting in a small blue box. He quickly opened the bottle and threw two tablets into his mouth before swallowing. He sat there for about a minute until the headache died down. "what the hell?" He groaned. The groggy teen shortly regained his senses and made is way back to the bed. As Robert took a look at the clock he chuckled to see what time it was- 7:53am. It was merely seven minutes before his alarm would go off to wake him up. He sat in his bed for a few minutes to try to recall what happened last night. Several more minutes passed before Robert came to the realization that he could not remember what he was dreaming about. The entire night- the storm, the dreams, the constant struggle- all a big black blur. His thought trance immediately broke once he heard the loud noise of his alarm clock, which was quickly dismissed. Robert quickly stood up and made his way towards the door until he was stopped by an impulse. He felt as if something was watching him, observing his behavior. It was a presence that felt close, as if something else was in the room with him. He quickly looked around his room for any kind of irregularity, something that's not meant to be there. Nothing. Robert was completely alone in his room. He shook off this strange sense and proceeded to retrieve his morning meal. Robert was surprised to find his mother, who seemed dreadfully upset, sitting on the recliner with her cell phone in hand. "Mom?" Robert asked with confusion. His mother gasped in surprise to see her son standing in the hallway. Robert could see a few trails of tears running down her face as if something tragic occurred. "Robert!" His mother cried out with joy, followed by a strong hug and several kisses. "Good...morning?" "I was so worried about you!" He soon broke from his mother's hug to giver a questioning look. As soon as she noticed, her smile faded into the same look she was receiving. "Worried?" He asked. "Why are you worried?" "Robert..." His mother sat down. "I was getting ready for work this morning. I was making my coffee when I heard this loud noise coming from your room. I opened the door and you on the floor, doing this weird breathing..." She paused for a second to wait for a response. "I tried to snap you out if it when I picked you up, and saw that your eyes were open. You looked at me and stopped breathing. Then you made this....this loud scream into my face! Oh, Robert, I was was so scared that I just threw you onto your bed and you wouldn't stop squirming! I ran out of your room, closed the door and grabbed my phone to call an ambulance." Robert couldn't believe was he was being told. He wasn't one to have seizures or panic attacks, he never had one before. He thought for a moment while his mother quietly sobbed in the chair, and came up with a logical conclusion. "Mom," he said while trying to cease her tears, "I don't think you had to call ambulance for what happened. What may have happened was that I was having some sort of nightmare, and it simply just caused me to sleepwalk." "B-but, the way you were acting-" "Again, it was a nightmare. And besides," he said while spinning a full 360, "I'm perfectly fine, See? You might want to call the hospital and tell them that it was a false alarm." "I don't want to, but..." She hesitated as she looked back at her son for any illness. "You seem to be okay...for now. I'll call the hospital and tell them that it was just a little sleepwalking incident." Robert sighed in relief as he opened the cupboard and reached for the cereal box. He could hear his mother talking on the phone in the other room while she prepared for work. Soon after, she came into the living room with her bags ready and gave him a goodbye hug. "If anything else happens, Robert," She added, "let me know. I'll try to see if I can set up an appointment for the doctor to look at you." "Sure thing, Mom." Robert smiled. As soon as she left Robert continued on with his morning routine. He sat down at the table with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal for breakfast. However, he was stopped about halfway through his meal by a familiar sense. It was the same feeling of being watched he had felt earlier that morning. Something was there with him but Robert couldn't see it, neither could he finish his breakfast. He got up to pour what was left of the coffee and cereal down the drain and quickly went to his room to get ready for a shower. Robert couldn't shake the feeling wherever he went that morning. He felt it in the shower, while getting dressed, and even when he tried to recall the night before into his computer -It followed him everywhere. He then made the decision to take a stroll into the town, in hopes that this sense would go away if he were occupied. Robert gathered his phone, wallet, and keys, and made his way outside. It was almost noon. The atmosphere outside was calm; the breeze was soft and the sky was completely clear. As Robert strolled down the street, he felt as if the strange presence had disappeared and was replaced by this welcoming atmosphere. It was like a cloudy day, but better. He normally didn't like to be outside, but this time it was like he didn't want to go back to the apartment. He visited some of the stores around the area, played some of the arcade games at a local restaurant, and even had lunch when the time came. Robert had spent about two hours in town before he decided to go back home. It was when he passed by an old alleyway, that Robert found himself caught within a similar state of mind. The feeling of being watched had somehow returned to him, along with faint whispers that sounded like they came from every direction. However, this time the feeling seemed different, more...alluring. Robert occasionally shook his head to fight off this sensation, but with each attempt he slowly fell closer into a dazed trance. Little did he know, he was involuntarily wandering into the mall"s alley. Deeper and deeper Robert went in, dragging his face along the cement wall as he fell victim to the disembodied whispers. BAM! "Hey, kid!" Said a male voice, along with a pat on Robert's face. "You alright?" Robert groaned in exhaustion, slowly opening his eyes as he came to. "Kid!" "Wha...?" Robert answered sluggishly. "I said, are you alright?" The man repeated. "Where...am I?" "In the alley between Target and Babies R Us. Are you drunk or something?" Robert gave no answer, for he was too preoccupied with a painful bump on the side of his head. He looked at the man to find that he was an employee to one of the stores - red shirt, khakis pants, name tag. He looked to be about 23 years old and of Asian descent. "No, I'm not drunk." Robert answered finally, rubbing his head. "What happened?" "I don't know. I just came out here to do my job and saw you laying on the ground just now." The man explained. "Did you hit your head?" "I think so." "Do I need to get you help?" He offered. "No, that's fine." Robert declined. "I think it's just a light bump." "Well, I suggest you head your way home then." As Robert made his way to standing up he noticed that the light was more dim than he remembered. 'How long was I out?' He thought to himself. He turned to the store employee, who was already heading his way back to wherever he was going. "Hey!" Robert called to the man, who quickly turned around in response. "What time is it?" "About 5:07PM." The employee answered after a quick glance at his watch. 5:07?!!! Not only had Robert woken up in a random alley way, he laid there unconscious for over three hours! What could've caused him to do such thing? He felt fine just this morning. Although now, he could feel nothing but shock. "T-thanks." He said monotonously as the two parted ways. Robert was once again alone, and now completely lost. Despite the difficulty of regaining memory, he slowly began to remember the area. This was an old shortcut he used to get home in short time. It was a long straight corridor which made a right turn into the docking port for trucks that delivered merchandise shipments. That was when he noticed something out of place. There was a child standing in front of him, smiling as if he were the funniest thing he had ever seen. What was he doing here? Robert's curiosity got the best of him when he approached the boy, taking a few steps forward. The child giggled as he ran through the cargo dock in hiding from him. "Come and find me!" He teased as he disappeared from sight. "Uh...Okay..." Robert said to himself as he followed the little boy's voice. "Wait! What are you doing here?!" "I'm over here!" He giggled. "Find me!" "Who are you? Are you lost?" "Come find me and find out!" Robert followed the boy's voice throughout the area. A good few minutes passed by when he finally decided to give up. There was no longer any sight of the mysterious child anywhere- No child, no answers, no progress. He looked around to pinpoint his own location, but groaned to find himself in unfamiliar territory. What exactly was this area? He thought to himself. It most definitely didn't seem like it was part of the same place anymore. The walls seemed to have surrounded him in a way that seemed impossible. Little did he know that has he began making assumptions. the small child was standing behind him, curiously observing his every move. "You seem lost..." "Huh?" He turned around to look at the child. "Well...I guess we both are..." "I'm not." "What do you mean? We're both lost. You were lost when I found you a few moments ago. Then you went ahead and sent me on this wild goose chase after you!" He sighed, leaning a hand on the cement wall. "Hehe! Well, aren't you off?" The boy giggled in delight. "I'm not lost because I was only trying to lure you. I know my way around any place." He turned the corner and disappeared. "Especially the ones that were never even there in the first place..." "Huh? What do you mean by that? Where did you go?" He turned the corner to find the child. It was as if he had disappeared again. "Show yourself!" "Oh? Hehe! Which one?" He said after appearing behind the confused teen, surprising him and making him jump back. "The me that I'm having fun with messing with you? Or the form I came here in?" "What are you talking about?!" "Oh, I've been watching you, Robert. For the majority of today I've been watching you go mad with all that chaos in your head!" The child giggled as he stepped closer to Robert, cornering him into the wall. "I knew there was a connection, but I didn't expect it to come from someone like you. You're so young! I guess it just runs in the family." "Then family? What family?" He began to feel a bit annoyed now. "You don't know anything about me!" "Perhaps, but I do know what you see..." He grinned. "What can you possibly know what I see? How do you even know my name?! Who are you?!" He screamed. "Wow...such anger. It's almost impressive." He giggled with a roll of his eyes. "But if you insist on seeing my true form, the so be it!" The shadows had suddenly started to move. They were engulfing the child like a blanket wrapping around him. Robert couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the black blob squirm and grow long right in front of him. He could hear the laughter of a madman echoing through the area. The horrible sight stood and loomed over him as its shape began to take a familiar form. The unequal horns on the head. The claws forming on the arms as the hooves formed on the hind legs. It's tail seemed reptilian with a small tuff of hair at the end. Robert was in shock as the creature looked more familiar. "N-No....I-It can't be....It shouldn't be!" He screamed as he had himself pinned against the wall. The creature's eyes opened to reveal the yellow and red glow that emanated from them. Those eyes...Robert had seen them before. But it was impossible. There was no possible way this abomination could be real. But there it was, looming over him like a predator and its prey. "What are you? You shouldn't even be here! You're just a dream! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!!!" The creature grinned to his question. A deep chuckle could be heard as he peered down on Robert, who was shaking fearfully. "Oh?" He snickered. "What's the matter? Are you not fond of big reveals? I must admit I sure do have a weakness for them. I just love the reactions I get!" He wrapped himself around the boy. "Yours, however...make it seem like you've seen a familiar face! I can promise you that we've never met, but if you want an introduction, then I'll be happy to do that. You see...I'm the king of chaos. The lord of all things insane and non-sensible. Very few call me by the title of The Lord of Chaos. But many simply just call me by my name...." Author's Note FINALLY, i HAVE RESUMED WRITING! Sorry for those who have been awaiting a third chapter, but I surely have been busy. Well...just lazy perhaps. I've been having some serious writer's block. Also, I've been concentrating on school and college applications. But finally it's here! Chapter 3!!!
