//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Cookieverse // Story: Lyra Eats A Cookie // by Pinkamena and Pals //------------------------------// The cookie slowly crumbled in Lyra's mouth. With each motion of her jaws it was further reduced to tasty bits. Every delectable piece graced her tongue with its flavour, lavishing her with a chocolaty beauty she had never known before. It was truly the greatest thing she had ever eaten. The lamppost glowed with the glory of a sun. Time seemed to stop, it was so good. Everything around her became drenched in euphoric bliss. Then, without any warning, it stopped tasting like anything at all... "Wh-...what happened? Where's all the delicious gone?!" Pinkie Pie looked at Lyra from under the brim of her hat, a grim frown on her face. "It's starting..." She said ominously. "What? What's starting?" Lyra asked, alarmed. Pinkie came closer, opening Lyra's mouth and peering inside. "Yep." she said, eyeballing the bits of cookie before closing Lyra's mouth. "Just what I thought. Miss Heartstrings, I'm sorry to say this, but you might've chewed a little too fast..." "Oh no...what does that mean?" "Welp, if you did chew too fast, then everything you'll see is gonna be really scary..." Lyra began to worry. "Uh, Pinkie...oh, man, what kind of scary? I'm not feeling good about this..." "I think it varies from pony to pony, but for you it might get to be 'eat your skin off' scary!" Pinkie said, her eyes lighting up. "It'll be neat if it gets that scary!" "Oh Celestia..." "Don't worry too much, scaredy-pants!" Pinkie said, pulling a cookie from her coat and taking a bite. "You did a pretty good job. I think the worst that'll happen for you is some walls." "Walls?!" Lyra cried frantically. "What are walls?!" "Just things that keep you from walking, silly!" Pinkie laughed. "If you run into any nasty ones, I'll help you out." Lyra was loosing her cool. "You didn't put poison joke in this thing, did you?!" "There's no joke, Lyra. There is only the cookie!" Pinkie said, her eyes getting swirly. Lyra felt strange. Her legs were weak. She sat down and stared up at the sky. Massive black shapes appeared to be swimming around the stars. Looking back at the lamppost, she saw the light wobble and bend. "There are monsters up there. And the light is wiggling..." "Too true..." Pinkie responded, nodding sagely. "What should we do about it?" "Should we warn everypony?" "We could try, but I don't think that's the answer you'll need." "What else can I do? It's just like with the humans, then!" Pinkie glared into Lyra's soul. "You can finish the cookie." Lyra realized that some crumbs were still in her mouth. Hoping to find an answer to what was happening, she swallowed the last bits of the confect. The wobbliness intensified, but she felt calmer. She was prepared for what might come. "I think I'm ready, Pinks. What happens now?" Pinkie grabbed her fedora, pulling it over an eye. "Now, you've just gotta watch. If anything tries to eat your skin, just tell it you're busy." "Sounds...plan-like. But, will this help Bon Bon? Fluttershy said-" "Shh..." Pinkie interjected. "That's for later. Right now, think about the one thing you really, really, really, really like." Lyra wasn't sure what that should mean. "I want to help Bons..." She pondered. "but...the one thing I really like...out of everything...It couldn't hurt to just think about it, could it?" She sat, ambivalent. After a long moment's thought, she made her decision. "...Humans. I want proof that humans exist. Proof that all the time I've put into this hasn't been wasted. That I'm not a maniac. And...damnit, I want hands!" She yelled out. "Then you're on your way! WOO!" Pinkie grabbed Lyra by the cheeks, shoving their faces together. "You're gonna have a good time!" She exclaimed. Lyra's vision blurred and started to fade. The whole world felt like it was spinning. "I hope so, Punkee..." She said, losing consciousness. "Hey! That's a great nickname! I should use that! I bet everypony would get a kick out of it! You know what, after this we should hang out! I remember you said you were having a sleepover! I'd love to join! we can do all sorts of things! Dancing, singing, eating contests, drawing, sailing, sculpting, wrestling...hey! We could even...." Lyra's hearing faded away. Everything went dark. She felt like she was drifting into nothingness... Her mind blurred. She couldn't think, couldn't understand. As Empty blackness pressed down, all consuming, she felt doomed. Then, she heard the sound of a bell in the void. As soon as she heard it, she felt strangely warm. She was at peace, cradled by the dark. It was almost like sleeping... She remained in the void for what seemed to be an eternity, content. After a while, she felt like her eyes were closed, that they could be opened again. Lyra opened her eyes. She could see herself floating in darkness. Looking around, she noticed the cookie, spinning, drifting towards her. It stopped just a few feet away. As she watched, it turned to face her. Rings of energy emanated from its chocolate chips, dancing into her eyes. She felt herself being pulled into it. As it drew closer, brilliant colors filled the void. Stretching out a hoof, she tried to touch the cookie. Nearly reaching it, she saw everything vanish in a burst of white light. Then Lyra found herself on solid ground again. She quickly scanned her body for any injuries or oddities, and was relieved to discover nothing out of order. Not a single hair out of place. Even her saddlebag had come with her. Shaking it, she heard its contents still jingling inside, and with a sigh of relief, turned her attention outward. She was baffled by what she found. She stood in the center of a vast flatland surrounded by a tall mesa. All of the ground was a dusty brownish-red. The heavens were filled with strange stars and glowing nebulae radiating all manners of red, blue, purple and green. An aurora blanketed them in flowing patterns of equally brilliant lights. Cheese sticks and paper bowls of nachos floated between the earth and sky. A concerned and helpless looking Princess Luna drifted along above them, flailing her legs, panicking silently. Lyra's mintiness shined from the spectral sky, and she stood in awe. "Sweet, luckless Luna...This place is beautiful! Plus, free food!" She wrapped as many nacho bowls and cheese sticks as she could handle in her magic, but found that they wouldn't budge. Soon after, her spell was rebuffed by the floating food, bursting like a bubble. Astonished, she looked to Luna for help. The princess responded by flailing her legs even more. Lyra noticed her mouthing words, but could not hear what she said, and floating as high as she was, it was impossible to read her lips. Fortunately, her presence alone was reassuring. Even if she did appear impotent, drifting through space as she was, Lyra knew that she often visited ponies in their dreams. Lyra stared up at her, thinking. "This is just a trippy dream, that's all. Luna's probably having a hard time in here because of whatever was in that cookie. Man, I really should've thought about this more. I don't think I'm getting anything from this for Bons, not to mention I'm going to be crap by the time the S.S.R.N starts. I might not even be able to make it back in time if I'm asleep right now." She wanted to leave. Looking around again, her heart sank. She was unable to see any way out of the flat expanse. The mesa formed a perfect ring. There were no paths to walk, nowhere to go. "Is this what Pinkie meant by walls? She isn't here to help, so maybe not. Can I really expect her to be here with me though? She might be crazy, and capable of all sorts of weird, but I think that's expecting too much, even from her. Either way, I should be able to get past them with some levitation..." She tried to concentrate her energy around herself to float up to higher ground. Her horn glowed and hummed weakly, then stopped working altogether. Confused and angry, she yelled in frustration. "What?! What's wrong with me?! I should be able to do this! There's no reason I can't! Why can't I move some freakin' sky chips?! I should be able to at least do something with my magic! This blows! I'm hungry, and I still have things to do! I want to know-" A noise stopped her. She thought she heard speaking. She froze and listened. Something was there. Voices, whispering unintelligible words. "I want to know what's happening..." She thought. She quickly glanced up at Luna to see if she was the source of the sound. Luna simply stared back, squirming desperately in the air, a look of extraordinary dread on her face. Lyra felt helpless. Her magic didn't work, Luna couldn't do anything, and the whispers were growing louder all around her, closing in. She knew that even if it was a dream, Luna's fear meant that something was wrong. She shut her eyes firmly, trying to remain calm and summon her magic. It didn't work. Not so much as a spark was in her ability. She thought she heard laughing amongst the quiet cacophony. Maddened, she spoke back. "Just shut up and go away, shut up and go away, quit talking, quit laughing...shut the buck up and leave! I don't deserve to be mocked!" Her words echoed out. The voices grew louder, laughing hysterically. She lowered herself to the ground, her head pounding. She heard her words fade and die. As her echo vanished, the whispers swarmed. She tried to cry out, but found she couldn't speak. Everything started to grow dark. Then, a voice boomed behind her, bringing all the others to silence. "Indeed, you do not." It spoke. "And so they shall." Its words resonated in her, loud and strong. The whispers disappeared. The pain in her head eased away. Standing up, she felt a jolt of energy run through her. "So then, at last, you have come..." Lyra turned to see the source of this voice. A field of shadow resided atop the distant mesa, the form of a unicorn cloaked within. It's glowing gaze beamed out to her. She sensed an odd familiarity with it. Looking into the shadow, she found a peculiar drive inspired in herself. She felt stronger than before. Wary but unafraid, she called out to the figure. "Who are you? What is this place? And what are you doing here?" It responded calmly, its voice echoing in her ears. "Bold journeymare, you should know well my name. It is etched into your very soul. This place before you is the heart of the badlands, pulled to dreams from its core. As for my purpose in being here, I am to guide you through this realm of visions. What has been done, what is to be...both, here, shall collide. In the tumult, you are to find your destiny." Lyra wasn't sure how to respond. She sat silent for a moment. Hoping for some advice or an indication of what to do, she looked once more to Luna. The Princess had fixated her gaze to the dark figure. Silent and still, her eyes were wide. She had frozen in place, her legs poking in all directions. Lyra took this as a bad sign, and returned her eyes to the shadow. It stared at her intently, ignoring everything else. Strangely, the more she looked at it, the more confident she felt. Keeping her discretion, she considered its words. "I like the sound of what this thing is saying, but I can't let myself trust it too easily. At the very least, I want its name." She perked up, smiling at the shadow. "Hey, that sounds pretty great! But before we do that, can you tell me who you are?" "If you do not know my name now, then it is not needed yet." "Are you sure you can't give it to me?" "No. Not now." It said, vexed. "What about later?" "Perhaps...But not now. You must focus on your path. " "Alright. But I will need something to call you in the meantime." She replied. "Know me simply as the voice. Nothing else of my being is worthy of your concern." "I think I'll go with shadow guy. Does that work for you?" The voice paused. After a moment, it responded. "I am the guide to your destiny, not a frolicsome compatriot for you to name..." It was irritated. "Well, I guess that's true..." Lyra admitted, scratching her chin. "But you are part of my destiny, if I'm thinking right." "Yes, I am. What is this to mean?" "I'd say that since you're part of my destiny, and that's a good thing, right? This is a good destiny?" "It is good." "Well then, I'd say that you need a name! You're my guide, dude! And since you won't give me your name, I have to pick something. I'm assuming you have a cool one, so I don't want to throw any other cool names at you that wouldn't work as well. AND, since you're going to guide me like a buddy would, I want to give you a buddy name. So, shadow guy seems ok." The voice wasn't pleased. "If it is what you wish..." It said grudgingly. "Then so be it." "Awesome. We will begin our adventure then!" She said happily. "So, what happens now?" "Now, the path to your destiny opens." The voice echoed. Lyra heard a rumbling behind her and turned to witness a portion of the distant mesa crumble, cutting a straight, narrow path into the stone. Upon further cursory inspection, she frowned. "That looks a little thin for me to go through..." "Do not feed your concern. I assure you, the path is wide enough." "Feed my...What? Guy, I think we need to talk about this." She suggested. "Enter. The width will suffice." The shadow bellowed. Reluctant, she quickly shuffled over to the entrance. "Alright, alright. I'll go through. But if it starts getting too tight in there, or I get stuck, you won't hear the end of it!" She shouted, stepping into the pass. Miffed and grumbling at her lack of options, Lyra began her trek. As she went, the red dirt kicked up into small clouds behind her. She didn't like the situation at all. Thinking over the circumstances, she groaned aloud. "Ugh, I can't believe my luck sometimes. 'Oh, Lyra, all sorts of crazy stuff will happen if you eat the freakin' cookie! I'd know, I'm Pinkie Pie! I know everything weird!' Yeah, well thanks, Pinks. This is some adventure. Walking down a desert's equivalent of a hallway, being told what to do in my own dreams...Seriously, what was in that thing? What kind of terrible power makes for a squirmy Luna?!" Remembering that ominous oddity, she became guarded. This place couldn't be safe. Focusing intently on her surroundings, she looked at the tall walls of stone beside her. They appeared strong and old, but the rock itself was unfamiliar. She had never seen its like. The further down she went, the taller the walls became. She felt they were closing in incrementally, just steadily enough to make it impossible to see. She walked for a long time, slowly tiring as the path dragged on. She was tempted to turn back, but knew there was nowhere else to go. After what seemed like hours, she stopped and sat to rest her legs. Seeing nothing but dirt and stone around her, she looked up into the air. The walls blocked out much of the sky, leaving a small dark trail above her. The cheese sticks and Nacho bowls were nowhere to be found, but she could make out a small blue body drifting along, still scrabbling its legs about. She lowered her head and sighed. "For her sake and mine, I hope I can get out of this soon." She picked herself up again and began walking once more. As she went further along, she noticed strange holes progressively appear in the stone. They were small at first, but steadily became wider the farther she went. After continuing for some time, she saw this pattern stop. The holes all appeared to be the same size after this, just large enough for Lyra to almost fit a hoof inside. Hoping for some advice from her guide, she called out. "Hey! Shadow guy! How long a walk is this? I'm starting to get tired! Holes have been showing up on the walls too. What are they?" Lyra asked into the air. Her words echoed outward off the walls. A few moments later, she heard the voice. "You are doing well, lyre-maven. Press on. Let nothing distract you. Your destiny awaits." She grumbled at this. "Hey, thanks for the motivation, but how long is this? And what are these holes?" "It is as long as it is needed. You will only leave if you remain focused on what lies ahead." "What is that supposed to mean?" She queried, irked. "Its meaning is clear. Now, continue on." With a groan she resumed her course. As she walked, her thoughts returned to the nature of the world around her. "I have seen this kind of soil in certain areas of Equestria, but none of the stars are familiar. There's no way I'm close to home. This rock is weird, too. I can't make it out well, but my magic is telling me that it's not normal. Something's up with these walls, man. My horn and my mint are telling me. There is some strange juju at work..." Eventually, the holes began to increase in size again. After a few minutes more of trapsing down the trail, Lyra noticed that they had become large enough for her to fit her head inside. She stopped after seeing a few, and the worst thought hit her. "Hey...What if I put my head in one of these...?" The idea nagged at her furiously. She looked around. Nothing was happening. "Maybe just for a second or two...I'll move along like shadow guy wants after that." She lowered her head to meet a hole near her chest. Inching herself forward, she peered inside. It was dark, seemingly empty. She heard a faint sound of whistling wind coming from it, a tiny flow of air accompanying the noise. She squinted her eyes to see further in without inserting her noggin and spotted something glistening. Curious, she moved her head closer, just enough to place her horn inside. Straining to summon a little magic, she was pleasantly surprised as her energy flowed again and illuminated the hole. It went further down than her spell reached. Oddly, the light she had spotted appeared to have moved deeper in as well. A jolt ran through her mintiness. She got the feeling that something wanted her head in there. "Oh, I am about to quit this shit..." she thought. "But maybe if I just get a tiny bit closer..." "LYRA." the voice roared. Startled, she pulled away from the hole. "For your weal, you must continue straight away. There is naught that bodes well here." "What is that supposed to mean? I know I shouldn't jam my head into foreign holes!" Lyra snapped back. "No. There is more than the apertures that you must beware. They are only the means to the end. You stand amongst the wailing walls of woe." As it said this, the whispers returned. "This is not fun." Lyra thought. "Pinks told me I'd have a good time, and holy grundlepunch this is about as fun as a lemon to the eye!" "That's some serious alliteration there, man, but uh, what the buck am I supposed to do with that information!? The whisperiness is back! Can I stop it by plugging the holes!?" The sound of crying could be heard among the voices. The floor began to rumble. The whispers and sobs grew louder. The shadow yelled to her above the din. "Waste no time with them! You must press on! Run to your destiny or be consumed by grief!" "HEY! What's going to happen?! What does that mean?! Shadow guy!" She called out frantically. She heard its voice shouting to her again, but could not make out the words. It was squelched by the volume of the whispers. As she began walking again, she heard the cries swell behind her. She turned to the sound and saw thick, dark water leaking from the walls. Lyra scrunched her face and bit her tongue. "Oh, Celestia damn it..." She started to walk backwards on the path, keeping her eyes locked on the situation. She heard the crying swell again, and the holes next to her began spewing the liquid. It covered the ground around her hooves, slowly flowing down the path. Very unhappy with the situation, Lyra sped up, watching the liquid as she went. Trotting to a point just past the water, she turned herself back to the path. She instantly wished she hadn't. All along the walls, holes even larger than before spewed onto the ground. Only a tiny strip of the red soil remained dry. The cries had turned to piercing shrieks and a constant wail. As she prepared herself to bolt, the walls and ground shook. "Okay, Lyra, it is time to hoof it like a freakin' champ. GO!" She charged forward as fast as she could, the dark liquid burst from the walls behind her. It swirled and gathered into a massive wave, roaring towards her in pursuit. "Bucking A! Bucking B! Bucking C! Bucking D! Suck my dust, you shitty water!" She galloped at full speed as the wave barreled forward, closing in. Lyra tried to follow the shadow's advice, struggling to take her attention away from the water spewing around her and the wave closing in. "Just keep focused. Keep focused. Think about my destiny. Proof of humans...Hands...shoving my evidence in that asshole Toity's face and bitch slapping that perm right off him!" As she thought, she saw the path widen. The holes in front of her grew smaller and the wave slowed. The cries grew distant. She felt almost safe. Gaining confidence, Lyra looked behind herself. As soon as she did, the walls drew in again and the wave picked up speed. The wailing pierced into her mind again. The liquid erupted from the holes, raining down onto her. "Fucking Celestia! Luna, damnit! Ballhammers!" She did everything she could to calm down. "It's just water! Just think about it like water! It's not scary! It's not even strange! There's nothing weird about a bunch of wet, screaming, foreign holes gushing liquid sad all over me...oh no...Cadence's panties that's horrifying!" The wave closed in, nearly taking her. She struggled to replace her thoughts of soppy doom holes with ones about the future she craved. "Think! Think with your mint! Destiny! Des-tin-ay! Punching Hoity Toity in the face! Stomping him in the nuts! Telling Gabby off! Cheering crowds! Celestia herself, waiting to hear my dissertation on human beings!" The water receded again, the path widening as the walls shrank. The cries began to die down. "Opening a portal to their world! Interaction! Becoming royal ambassador! Holy crap..." Her chest burned from running. Her joints ached. "Oh, my legs..." Lyra began to slow down. The wailing stopped. The walls lowered and the wave weakened. She forced herself to keep pace. "Opposable digits...Bon Bon's smile... her laugh...oh, man...I just want to go home..." Losing the last of her energy, she plopped down face-first into the ground, unconscious. The walls shrank away, leaving an even plateau. The path ended at a great fissure ahead of where she lay. The water spread and flowed gently to her, shallow and steady. It picked her up, washing her toward the edge. Her body caught on the ground in front of the precipice as the water rolled off into oblivion. Lyra laid there for a while, half awake. The water was clear and cool. Its magic refreshed her, and drew out her sorrow. She thought of home again and quietly cried. "It has to have been hours. Bon Bon doesn't even know where I am...She has to be worried. I can't believe I'm so irresponsible. After all the time I've wasted, all the time I could've spent with her...I end up here. This is insane...I just want to see her again..." "Then you must soldier on..." The voice responded. "It is good to see that you value her so. She is precious to me. As are you, Lyra." She slowly got up to see the shadow standing before her. Glaring at it, she wiped the dark water from her eyes. "Don't call me that. You won't even tell me your name! Use one of your important-sounding titles for me, not my name. You don't deserve to say it." "Perhaps I do not, but only you can decide that. Your thought may change in time. I mean no harm, and ask that you trust me still. I wished to aid, but the obstacle you faced was too great. Many have fallen to its power." "Yeah? Well, couldn't you have told me about that before you had me saunter through it?" "Nay. If I had, it would have struck with all haste. By telling you, I would have ensured your demise." Lyra stared into the shade's glowing eyes, suspicious. "You wouldn't have helped me if you wanted me to die there...I'll trust you that much. But if you really are my buddy, then you'll keep helping me." "Verily." "Are you sure I can't even get a hint at your name?" She asked. "As before, so again. But I will offer you a clue." The shadow took on a slightly lyrical tone. "You have seen my nature in your struggle, you have known me as you strive. I follow you always, in safety or in harm. In days of lowest defeat or highest glory, I hear the song of your journey, and sing its refrain. " Lyra shot it a nasty look. "Why do you gaze at me thus? Has my clue revealed me?" it asked her. "No." She said emphatically. "You just said a bunch of crap that didn't help. I just want to leave now. Is that too much to ask? I've had a less than stellar day, and that didn't improve it any. I don't care if I ever prove anything at this point. I want to go home..." She sat down, drained. "I see...The tears have had their intended effect." The shadow mused. "What are you talking about now?" Lyra asked weakly. "The strength I offered has waned. What little of the fluid reached you was potent, indeed. It is alright. You are stronger than it, lyre-maven." The shadow reached out a hoof. Staring at it, Lyra felt encouraged again. She pulled herself up and walked out of the water. As she did, the shadow continued. "You mustn't remain here. Should you stay, you will surely drown in Despair. There is yet more that awaits you beyond this. I was not able to aid before, but nothing shall hold my voice for what is to come. " "What's up next then, shadow guy?" "The answer may please you, but I cannot assure you it will be as you wish." Lyra raised an eyebrow. "That sounds terrific, man, but what does that mean?" "Before you may reach your destiny, you must begin where you belong." The shadow turned and pointed out past the precipice. A wide stone stairway formed on the edge where it gestured, going down into the darkness. "As the first step, you must go home..."