Head is pounding.
A sharp pain in the back.
The soft feeling of grass.
Twilight struggled to get up on her feet, stumbling here and there during the process. Rays of sunlight shone on her eyes as she stood up, and she tried to blot out the sun with her hoof. What is this place? Twilight thought to herself, observing her surroundings. This doesn’t look like Canterlot.
Twilight closed her eyes again and attempted to recall the events that have passed but only recalled a few images. She was in a party in Canterlot, that she remembers quite well. Talking to friends. A couple drinks. A sudden flash of light.
What was that?
Twilight reopened her eyes and absorbed the elements present in her environment. Her eyes widened as she realized a particular characteristic of the land that she had not noticed before: everything was built with blocks. The rolling hills were formed with cleverly arranged blocks of dirt, forming blocky humps that protrude above the ground. A short tree (as Twilight assumed) stood nearby. It had a rectangular truck and leaves grouped in cubes hung near the top of the trunk. A flat-looking plant tinted in red grew beside it. She looked up at the blue sky streaked with blocky clouds and stole a quick glance at the sun. It was also square-shaped.
“Why this is—“ Twilight started, but something she heard caused her words to withdraw back into her mouth. Did I? I just sounded like… A colt. Specifically from Trottingham for some particular reason. The purple pony shook her head in disbelief.
“This isn’t scientifically pos—“ She halted again, this time her hooves covering her mouth and her eyes wide open, even much more amazed and fearful as before. She waited and opened her mouth again to speak.
“Where am I? How did I get here? Why is everything so blocky? Where is everyone?!” She kept questioning herself out loud, with each question growing more amused at her voice. At the same time, however, she also hoped that her voice and everything would change back to normal and she would wake up in Canterlot or Ponyville at any moment and everything would be fine. Of course, that didn’t happen, but the now hysterical pony kept on babbling.
“Why do I sound like a colt? And how is—Aahh!” Twilight shouted in surprise as a pink character suddenly appeared before her.
“Oh, Twilight, you ask too many questions!” exclaimed the pink pony.
“P-Pinkie Pie? How did you—Where are the others? And how long have I been here – oof! Bi… I’m bipedal!” Twilight shouted as she tripped on a rock.
“Yep! And so is Applejack!” said Pinkie, helping her friend up.
“Applejack? Where is she? And the others?”
Pinkie gave her a frown and shook her head, but smiled immediately after. “Again with the questions Twilight! Don’t worry, have some fun for a bit!” She laughed and proceeded to bounce around the trees.
“Pinkie! This is serious!”
Pinkie sighed and turned to Twilight. “Fiiiineee… Follow meee…” she said with a hint of annoyance.
Pinkie Pie moved along a cobblestone pathway that Twilight had not noticed before. Pinkie was chatting and laughing as usual, but Twilight did not hear her. She looked around her while she walked, wide-mouthed and amazed by the majestic mountains that towered the landscape. Serene Waterfalls trickled off the mountain faces and fell in rather large lakes lined by pale yellow sand and clay. From time to time, the movement of some white animal would catch Twilight’s eye, but she couldn’t identify them because they were distant and looked blocky. She also eyed a deep dark forest in the distance. Bordering the trees was a vast ravine, which lined the forest and cut through part of a mountain.
Wow, Twilight thought.
Her careful observations and thoughts were interrupted as she bumped into Pinkie Pie.
“Well, were here!”
The two ponies stood in front of a small wood cabin. The cabin was built mostly with wooden planks, but the consistency was punctuated with a few windows and a stone roof. The door was also made out of wood, and four square holes are cut at the upper half of the door, revealing the same wooden walls inside the house.
“I’ll leave you here. Catch ya later Twi!” Pinkie Pie bounced away, carefree and cheerful as ever.
…
Even before Twilight could touch the door, an orange pony burst out of the cabin to welcome Twilight.
“Twilight! How ya doin’, sugarcube!”
Same old Applejack.
“I’m doing well, Applejack! Disregarding the fact that we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with not a hint of where we could be in the world or how we came to be bipedal and sound like colts, I think I’m doing quite swell!” Her left eye twitched a bit.
Applejack laughed and turned toward the house. “Actually, I think ya might want ta come in and look at this.”
Inside the small cabin were a couple of wooden counters, some kind of table with nine squares drawn on the top and various tools attached to the side, what seems to be a stove made out of stone, and some bookshelves that hung on the ceiling. Applejack stooped on a corner, rummaging through some kind of cubic chest. Twilight looked out the window and saw Pinkie Pie.
“Wait. Is Pinkie—“
“Flying? Yeah. She carries a buncha’ blocks that ah’ve never seen around these parts too. Only Celestia knows where the hay she got all them blocks.”
“That doesn’t explain anything about her being able to DISOBEY THE LAWS OF GRAVITY.”
“Well, I haven’t had much of an education mah’self, but I’m smart enough ta know ‘gravity’ don’t work in here like it does in Equestria, Get this, ah tried ta chop down a tree for some firewood, cutting it right through the middle and the tree didn’t even move an inch. Its upper half just floated in mid-air!”
Applejack continued searching the chest as Twilight paced around the cabin.
“I don’t get it. None of this should be possible. I don’t even—“
“Ah, over here” beckoned Applejack.
Applejack walked toward Twilight, holding open a small book with a brown cover. Twilight looked at the title.
“…Game Guide… What game?”
Applejack handed the book over to Twilight.
“The book says we’re in a place called the ‘Overworld’” Applejack explained. “I’ve read only some of it, but it seems ta be some kind of instruction manual. Even tells ya how to make stuff with blocks on that doohickey over there.” Applejack pointed at the wooden block with the tools that Twilight spotted earlier.
Twilight was absorbed by the book, flipping through the pages with fascination and confusion. Each page contained a 3x3 grid with various pictures of blocks and other materials in it, followed by a large depiction of the supposed product.
“Have you actually tried completing any of these recipes, Applejack?”
“Yeah, ah actually I have!” Applejack replied as she pulled out a wooden axe from thin air.
“…How’d you do that?”
“What?”
“You pulled out an axe from… Nothingness!”
“Oh! Ya just take it from yer’ ‘inventory’. Page fifty or somethin’”
Twilight looked as if she was about to snap.
“This place is crazy. I can’t take it; I’m leaving!”
“Twi—“
Twilight stormed out of the cabin and ran back to where she woke up. She collapsed on the grass and closed her eyes.
“No… no, no, no! I don’t belong here. This is a mistake. Get me out of here!”
A loud, powerful blast caused Twilight’s heart to jump. Twilight slowly lifted her eyes and saw a huge crater not far from where she was. Smoke rose from the scorched earth and she heard the tapping of footsteps behind her.
“Twilight! What happened?!” Applejack shouted as she ran toward the fearful pony. “What in Celestia’s name…” Applejack’s jaw dropped, seeing the monstrous crater ahead of her.
“What could it be…” Twilight murmured as she stood and walked slowly toward the blast zone, almost looking totally hypnotized. Applejack followed suit, walking just as robotically.
…
Twilight and Applejack stopped at the edge of the crater and peered into the dark hole. The blast revealed natural tunnels of stone and various minerals that Twilight could not identify. But the object that drew the ponies’ attention was right in the middle of the crater: A small, grilled box lit with miniature specks of fire that dance around it. Something was moving inside.
“I think we should check it out.” Twilight said without looking at her friend.
Twilight and Applejack leapt down to an exposed tunnel that led to the strange box. They moved carefully, measuring their steps as they came closer to the box. Twilight looked around her and saw that the box was actually contained in an old, neatly built room made out of cobblestone. An abundance of moss grew on the ground and the walls. The two ponies were inside the room now, still moving ever so slowly toward the unknown object.
“Wait… Twilight!” Applejack grabbed her friends arm and forced her to stop. “I’ve seen this before in that book! I forgot what that box is called, but it’s very dangerous. We have to get outta here, NOW.”
Just as Applejack turned to run, three puffs of smoke shot up from the box and before them stood three monstrous creatures with rotting green skin and ripped clothes. They lifted their arms halfway up and growled at the ponies. Twilight stood frozen in absolute fear as the creatures started to walk toward her. Applejack tried to call out to her, but Twilight didn’t respond and was rooted in space.
“Twilight watch out!” Applejack cried. Just as the creature was about to attack Twilight, Applejack leapt toward the monster and struck it with her wooden axe. It growled with displeasure.
“Darnit, Twilight, move!” But it was no use. Twilight was still paralyzed. Applejack fended off the vengeful monsters, keeping them away from Twilight. Just as Applejack slew one of the creatures, three more appear from the center of the room and immediately started toward Twilight and Applejack.
“Not good…” Applejack murmured, still trying to fight off the mob. She slew two others, but three monsters appeared once again from the box and moved to attack Applejack.
“DARN!” Applejack yelled, tossing her broken axe away. She was cornered. The mob was slowly moving toward her and Twilight. Applejack shut her eyes and looked away. There was no way out.
ZAP!
“Huh?” The orange pony looked up and saw that the creatures had stopped in their places and were convulsing uncontrollably. Bright, fluctuating light glowed around them and the sound of static electricity filled the room. A few seconds later, the monsters crumbled and disintegrated into dust, and the box that spawned the creatures had disappeared.
“Well, will you look at that.” Said a voice from the shadows.
“What? Who’s there? Show yourself!” Applejack demanded.
A brown colored pony walked out of the shadows and revealed himself. He had a short dark brown mane brushed upward and was holding some kind of device that crackled with light. The stranger bore a cutiemark of an hourglass and had a wild look on his face.
“The Doctor, at your service.”
