Jumping Blind

Disclaimer: I do not own MLP or the Nightside; they belong to Hasbro and Simon Green respectively.

Jumping Blind

Orthios

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Ch. 1: It Never Rains...

        Before we can get to the story of my crazy times in Equestria, first I should tell you how I got there to begin with. Unlike most dimension drifters I actually had a reason for tumbling into that reality. In fact, I had never heard of the place or its inhabitants until on dropped into my life abruptly. From what I was told it started like this…

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(Twilight’s Library a few days after the return of Luna)

Twilight Sparkle was doing one of her favorite activities. Practicing magic. To this end she had enlisted the help of her assistant, foster brother, and oldest friend Spike. This afternoon, despite the invitingly warm and sunny weather, they were both in the library’s main room. They sat at the center of the room surrounded by a mound of unshelved books, the results from hours of intense study and failed spell attempts.

Spike was not a happy dragon.

“Spike! Would you please sit still?” The lavender unicorn growled, annoyed at the fidgeting baby dragon on the chair before her.

“But Twiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiight,” he whined, “We’ve been doing this for hours. Can’t we take a break?”

“No, I’m still practicing teleportation.” She said shaking her head. “I’ve been able to move inanimate objects and that one time with Nightmare Moon but I just can’t do it again. We might need it again.”

“I don’t see why I have to be the test subject”

“Because you’re my number one assistant, and I’m only letting you help Rarity at her boutique if you help me.”

Spike’s eyes glazed over while his tongue fell out of his mouth. “Rarity…” Twilight brought her hoof to her mouth to cover a few giggles. After a few moments he shook his head to bring his attention back to the matter at hand. “Well hurry up and try again!”

Twilight covered a few more giggles before setting herself into a ready position. Her horn flared brightly with her purple aura, a similar one surrounding Spike. “Ok in three…“ She funneled as much power as she could through her horn. “Two…” She began focusing on sending Spike to a different spot in the room. “One…” Just as she released the spell she felt another presence nudge her magic slightly, sending it off course. The aura around Spike glowed pink for a moment then the room was filled with blinding light.

After a few minutes, Twilight regained her senses. She looked around for a moment trying to locate Spike. “Spike? Spike, where are you?” She called, searching frantically for her companion. She couldn’t find him anywhere. The spell worked, but what interfered and where was Spike?

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(The Nightside)

It started out as a fairly normal day. I woke up at what passes for early afternoon in the Nightside, stumbled my way to the bathroom, managing to run into every piece of furniture I own, and showered off the sleepiness still clouding to my mind. After that and a cup of strong tea I made breakfast and was eating when a Mongol horde tried to beat down the door to my tiny apartment. I groaned in annoyance As it turns out it wasn’t a barbarian army on horseback, instead a very impatient Dead Boy stood in my doorway demanding that I follow him to Uptown for a case he was on.

One car ride a flask and a number of glowing pills for Dead Boy later, we were halfway there. We had to leave his car there, apparently he had annoyed someone in Uptown and they were looking for it. Of course that was when the multiverse conspired against me, as usual, and my day stopped and semblance of normality.

A sound from the alley next to us made me stop. Was that… whimpering? It could easily be a trap some scavengers put in place to catch an unaware passerby, but something about it seemed… off. It was emphatic to have been faked. Of course that didn’t mean it wasn’t still a trap. Nightsiders have been known to result to… extreme measures when pushed. I peered into the darkness but couldn’t see. I finally noticed Dead Boy looking at me with his head cocked to the side and an expression of curiosity plastered across his features.

“Why’d you stop Vigil?” For a dead guy, his voice and expressions are surprisingly lively.

I took a step into the alley cautiously. “I heard something.”

He watched amused as I melted into the shadows. It’s a trick I picked up from a man called the Reagent of Shadows. I can literally become a shadow in a dark enough area and use them as doorways to other darkened areas.

A small reptilian creature lay curled into a fetal ball in a lighter patch of the alleyway. I couldn’t make out its coloring in the near complete darkness. It shivered for a moment and let out a small sound of absolute despair. I listened closely and realized it was actually whispering to itself. I debated with myself for a moment on what to do with the creature. It was obviously abandoned and scared, should I leave it here in case someone tries to find it? No, I can’t do that; something would eat it.

I placed a hand on it uneasily, ready to snatch it away if necessary, and shook it gently. “Erm… Hello? Can you understand me? I’m going to help you but I need you to cooperate with me.”

It froze, then lifted its head and searched for the source of the voice. After a few moments it spoke, voice quivering in naked terror. “Who s-s-s-s-said that?”

I froze. It can talk? I was hoping it wasn’t sentient, that would have made this so much easier. As it was, things just got a hell of lot more interesting. I shrunk back further into the shadows not wanting to scare the little thing anymore than it was. “That was me. I’m over here, but I don’t think you want to see me. It might be too much of a shock at the moment. I swear to you I will not harm you. Just tell me what happened.”

It stared fearfully into the dark. "Pinkie Pie Promise?"

Uh... What? "I'm sorry but I have no idea what that is" I responded in a confused tone

Its expression morphed into one of unbelief. "It's only the strongest promise a pony, or dragon, can make. Duh."

...Pony? That threw me off for a few moments until I reigned my thoughts back in. Take can of the creature now, figure out ...ponies... later. "How do you make a um... what was it again?" Wierdest name I've heard in a long time.

It started reciting the words and gestures and I followed, even if it couldn't see me. It seemed to put its mind at ease just a little.

I finished the last gesture painfully. Ow. Since when is self mutilation a good thing? "Is that better?" I asked the creature.

It nodded, seeming to think over that idea before bursting out “Ok… Where the hay am I? The last thing I remember was Twilight practicing teleportation on me, and then I was in a dark alleyway. I walked out into the street and there were so many tall things walking around. They walk like I do! I didn’t know other things walk like me. They started shoving me and walking on me, not even looking where they were going. Then these other things started chasing me, they looked like the tall ones but they were crawling and their claws were sharper than the other ones. They were really pale and made the air around them so cold ice started forming on the ground...”

I tuned out what it was saying and observed its behavior. It was up and pacing in a circle, not as scared as before. So, bipedal, about two feet tall, and a child if its behavior and speech patterns were anything to go by, I wonder what it is. I kept looking as it continued its story, something about running through some crowds and lots of screaming. Its… claws had opposable thumbs and it was covered in scales with what appeared to be fins on its head. I started listening again once I realized the story was coming to an end.

“…so I ran in here and have been hiding ever since.” It finished and stared curiously about three feet to my left. “You know, I still haven’t seen you yet.”

I smiled at its inquisitiveness. Yep, it’s a child, but it acts so maturely though. I wonder why? “How about we get out of this alley so we can actually see each other?”

It froze then nodded and walked out of the alley with me following closely. It turned around as soon as it left the darkness and watched as the shadows dripped off of me like water. I tried not to appear threatening, which is a little difficult for me. I tower above most beings at eight and a half feet tall but a closer look usually dispels that fear. A scrawny, nineteen-year-old in a black tee shirt and jeans, wrapped in a charcoal grey trench coat with a worn messenger bag slung over a shoulder and a heavy pair of flight goggles perched on his head doesn't exactly scream I’m going to eat you.

“You’re one of those tall things.”

I grinned, doing my best not to show my teeth, and it smiled. “Yes, though the tall things prefer to be called humans. My name is Vigil, what’s yours?”

It stared at me for a few moments before shrugging and putting a claw under my arm, catching one of the drops before pulling it back in to study it. The shadow pooled in the center of its paw while slowing evaporating to nothing. It held out its claw again cautiously in a fairly universal greeting. “I’m Spike and I’m a dragon.”

I shook Spike’s claw carefully avoiding stabbing myself. “It’s nice to meet you Spike. You don’t look much like the dragons around here though.”

Spike looked at my hand around his claw. “I’m only about twelve so I am still a baby dragon. Your claws aren’t very sharp, they’re kind of squishy.”

I laughed. I actually let out a real, honest laugh and not a forced or fake one. I’ve known this kid for five minutes and he’s already made me do something I haven’t in the last fifteen years. I like him. Well, I like all kids this is just the first one I’ve seen in a couple of months.

“Those aren’t claws, they’re hands. They’re used to manipulate things rather than as weapons. It’s one of the reasons that as a species humans able to accomplish so much.”

Spike thought about that. It… He… She… I really need to find out what gender Spike is, if they have one.

“Hey Spike? In the interest of keeping my thoughts straight and not driving myself insane again, what gender are you?”

Spike looked at me like was the dumbest person in existence before deadpanning. “I’m a guy.”

Ah, so he then. I raised my hands in surrender. “Sorry, I’m not very good at determining genders of species from dimensions I’ve never been. Your voice should have been a clue for me though.”

He looked around ignoring me. At least he calmed down. “So where am I? This doesn’t look like anywhere in Equestria, even Canterlot doesn’t have this many crowds and I’ve never heard of hoomuns before.”

“It’s humans, h-u-m-a-n-s, and you aren’t in Equestria, wherever that is. I don’t think you’re in Kansas anymore, buddy. You said your friend was practicing teleport spells, right? She must have messed it up and now you’re here.”

He slumped to the ground as that hit him. “It wasn’t her fault though, just before she released the spell something happened. I saw something happen to her aura.”  He started sobbing, I  a small, broken voice he asked “How am I supposed to get home?”

This time I picked him up, surprised by how heavy he was. What did they feed him? Rocks? “Don’t worry about it. As luck would have it, and she’s usually nice to kids, I’m a kind of dimensional traveler and I can get you home.” Like I said, I like kids.

He perked up immediately. “Really? You can? Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…” This went on for a few minutes and probably would have kept going if Dead Boy hadn’t chosen that moment to walk over and enter the conversation.

I turned to face him, trying to act like a baby purple and green dragon clinging to my chest happened every day. “I don’t think I’ll be coming with you on that case, sorry man.”

His eyes fell to the dragon still clinging and thanking me. “It’s no problem. I can handle this by myself anyway. I was just trying to get you out of that apartment. Have fun.” He began walking off.

“Wait!” I called after him.

He spun around and cocked his head to the side in a confused gesture.

“Do you know where Eddie is? I need to talk to him.”

Dead Boy considered this for a moment before responding in his usual cocky manner. “No idea. Probably the Street of Gods as usual.”  He gave me a lecherous grin. “Call Cathy, I know she likes it when you do that, she still keeps track of major players for John. Have fun.” He finished the last two words in a singsong tone before turning on his heel and strolling off into the eternal night.

“Bah.” I called at his back. Cathy and I were merely friends, not only were neither of us interested in the other, but Alex would probably call the Coltranes on me if anything happened. I shuddered. Those two were even more terrifying than the descendant of Merlin Satanspawn.

Between the time spent with his girlfriend and Razor Eddie, Dead Boy had calmed down quite a bit in the last few months. Instead of his obnoxious, borderline suicidal behavior from a few months ago he was trying to behave. I was happy for him, but sometimes I worry that he was still running from something.

Spike had finally stopped thanking me and was currently watching Dead Boy walk off. “Who was that?”

“That was my friend Dead Boy.” I set him down. “He has somewhere to be.”

Spike nodded with an expression of confusion. “You guys don’t seem all that close.”

I shrugged. “We aren’t really. I’ve only known him for a few months.” I left out the part where I actually knew him far longer than that but my memories of it had been destroyed.

He waited a few moments for me to elaborate; I didn’t so he moved on. “Ok, can you take me home now?”

I sighed, contemplating what needed to be done before I could leave. “I can’t this exact instant. I need to take care of something before we leave. But I promise I will get you home.” I lightened up and added in a more joking tone, “You’re welcome to tag along if you like.”

He looked at me with annoyed expression and deadpanned “Like I have anywhere else to be.” He looked around. “Hey, where’d all the Humans go?”

I looked around too. He was right, the street was deserted. That’s never a good sign in the Nightside, everyone is trying to go somewhere all the time. If no one was here that meant something scared them off. It takes a lot to scare off Nightside residents. Not even a war against two armies of angels and another against a biblical myth stopped business for long.

“The plural is normally people and I have no idea where they went which is a really bad sign.”

Spike had frozen, still clinging to me I might add, with a look of terror on his face and one claw over my shoulder pointing behind me.

I turned around to face what appeared to be three frozen corpses crawling out of the alley that had hidden Spike. Their blank faces followed me with frozen and cataract filled eyes while the air around them froze leaving a trail of white frost on the ground and walls behind them.

I carefully pulled Spine off of me and set him on my back with his claws gripping my shoulders. “Spike, whatever you do, do NOT let go.”

His voice shook in fear but his grip tightened. “O-o-o-ok.”

The corpses crept forward, closing the distance between us. I lowered my posture and started preparing for what looked like a losing fight. I glanced around before forcefully reintroducing my hand with my face. I’m in the street and they’re in the alley. Conclusion: I’m an idiot.

“Hey Spike, do you know what the best plan is when outnumbered by an unknown enemy?”

He didn’t respond but I could feel him shake his head.

“RUN.”