Welcome to Cubeland

by Zaleros

Iron Fence

I took a few deep breaths as I approached the pony city of Mareland. It was a coastal city not far from Baltimare, only about an hour by hoof, and it was my designated place of infiltration. I’d been to about ten other locations, scouting for potential places of interest worth working at, and decided that this shoreline city was the one I would work with. As far as anyling in the hive knew, I chose this city because it had a more abundant amount of potential love that was just begging to be taken from those who would be foolish enough to just give it away, but the truth was it was just a quiet port city where those who lived there did what they love and many of them loved fishing.

I double-checked my disguise: brown mane flowing freely about four inches off my coat, lighter brown coat that resembled the inside of an oak tree, cutie mark with a tan hammer and two steel nails. Check, check, and check. I grabbed my folding chair in my magic and made sure the fishing rod was slung on my back with the rest of my fishing supplies. With this, I set off toward the edges of the city where civilization met ocean and began my day with the sun arching high in the sky.

Within a few days of being around, my skills had become noticed and I was invited to join a fishing crew where I would help repair nets when they tore as well as maintaining my own fishing rod as the day passed.

“Geeze Craft, how did we ever get anything done around here without you?” the captain said on his fifth day of being at sea with me.

“It’s nothing Captain Crest; it’s just what I do. I like making things and even earned my mark that way,” I showed off my false mark, one I had hoped would’ve been mine truly were I a pony.

“I can see that son, but that and fishing? It’s almost a surprise you don’t have two cutie marks!” Captain Crest laughed loudly, soon joined in by myself and the rest of the crew.

Once they returned to the shore, everypony separated the ship’s daily quota and the crew’s personal catches and everypony set off in their own directions. I decided to try the market, and on the way I was stopped by a pony wearing a dark cloak and a blindfold. I tried to shake her off but she held me fast and refused to let go.

“Ah, wh-what do you want?” I asked, annoyed and apprehensive.

“You are not as you seem, are you?” the mare spoke in a quiet voice.

I shook my leg free from her grasp and said in a quieter voice than even her, “What do you know?”

She leaned in and whispered into my ear, “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

I looked at her confused and noticed everypony staring at me with hate and fear only seen in those who never saw the light in the darkness. I gasped and looked at myself, naked and exposed as the changeling body I was born with was free and uncovered. I panicked and tried to recover my disguise but my magic wouldn’t work. I tried to fly away but my feet were planted firmly to the ground.

I saw the mare approach and she lifted her hood, a white mane flowed down the side of her face and even though I couldn’t see her eyes I know she was staring at me.

“It doesn’t matter where you run, they will fear you,” she leaned in and whispered the second half into my ear and I screamed.

I woke up screaming and almost jumped up when I realized where I was. I was in that other world, the one where my magic didn’t work and I couldn’t take a disguise. I heard whispers and looked around, only to see iron bars set up around me, a gap between me and any of the bars in any direction. I looked down and suddenly wished I hadn’t. The ground below me was actually a small square just big enough for me to stand on and below that was a decent drop that would put me into a pool of lava. Fear overtook me as I looked around for anything that could help me but all I saw were Players, some wearing armor but most just standing around doing nothing but watching me.

I swallowed and attempted to speak over the fear that presently kept me from falling off the edge only moments ago, “Where am I?”

“It’s true, it can talk.” “What is it?” “I’ve never seen a monster that looked like this before.”

These among others were whispers that I managed to catch from the Players that chose to watch me like a beast in a cage, which I was in from what it seemed but I was no beast.

“Move! The leader wishes to speak with the monster!” I heard close enough and saw many move out of the way only to see a few Players approach wearing all iron with diamond swords and behind them was him, the one who knocked me out.

I moved to look in their direction and just sat there, staring him down.

“You don’t know how hard it was to move you here without killing you, monster,” he spoke with disdain in his voice.

“Gotta say thanks for the hospitality but where am I?” I managed to say without cracking my voice, barely hiding the fear I really felt. Sometimes it really helped having been a soldier; my training was the only thing that kept me from pleading for my life right now.

“You are in the only village still standing that hasn’t fallen to the throes of anarchy. I’ve come to call it ‘New Hope’ but you can call it ‘The Last Place I’ll Ever See’ because you’ll never escape as long as I see fit to keep you here, let alone alive.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that, why did you keep me alive?” I really asked since that beating I took seemed strong enough to kill a normal denizen of this world.

With this he walked to the cage and spoke with what almost seemed to be an icy tone of hate in his voice, “The only reason you still stand is so you can stand trial for the murders of the three you slew that night.”

“What?” This caught me off guard. Didn’t they just respawn when they died? “What do you mean? They were trying to kill my friends and take my house! I was justified in my actions.”

“’Justified’? Hah, what does a monster like you know of justice? All you’ve done since we made contact was commit cold murder of three of my best scouts, and none them returned!” He practically shouted this at me.

“Sir, the others haven’t been told of their fates,” one of the soldiers pleaded to this leader of theirs as many in the crowd gasped and even a few started to whimper.

“Oh, is that so?” He turned and faced the crowd that had gathered behind him, “Look upon this creature everyone! This is the face of the killer of the three sent less than a month ago to survey the land for more resources that would’ve helped us stay alive! It is he and he alone who is responsible for the fact that you will never see them again!”

That got me curious and confused enough that I had to ask, “What do you mean? Don’t you all respawn when you’re killed in this world?”

He stopped moving and looked back at me, “Yes, the laws of this land find us worthy enough to keep around when we die, but this world has also seen it fit to provide the same for those monsters that hurt us time and time again. The world sees it fit to provide the same protection for those things you call your friends.” That last sentence he spoke with venom.

These were the Players the trio feared? Many of them wore nothing and instead wielded tools that were more likely used to farm the land and chop down trees. The few that could fight, however, were definitely ones who should be feared. They stood there at the ready and seemed much more prepared that the three that tried to take my house that night. The leader had been able to take me out in a single swing using just the butt of the sword, fear kept me from imagining what it would’ve done to me had he decided to strike me with the blade itself.

“What do you have to say about the murders you’ve committed against my people, thing?” his words snapped me back into focus and I realized he had called me thing.

“Ok, seriously, as far as I’m concerned it was your people who started all of this.” I spoke with irritation, “First they broke into my house, and then they acted like nothing was wrong right after I caught them in the act of home invasion. Not only that, but after I fought them in self-defense, you showed up and invaded my home as well and then burned it to the ground without the slightest provocation!” I was seething with anger thinking about my house again. It may have been a simple home but it was mine and nopony else had any right to do what he did to it. Period.

“You claim it was self-defense but they did not attack you first, did they? You claim I burned your home without provocation but in reality you set to attack me without hesitation!” he shouted back at me.

“What do you mean? I attacked you after you set my...” suddenly something clicked, “Wait, if they’re all dead then how do you know I did not attack them first?”

Clearly caught by surprise, he stepped back just enough that I knew he was hiding something but none of the others seemed to notice this, “How else would I know this, creature? You monsters are always about attacking without provocation!”

Sensing his hesitation, not literally sadly enough, I continued to speak back “Say what you will but you can’t actually know what happened without proof! Before I showed up I bet you never heard a ‘monster’ speak before, have you? I bet the idea of a ‘monster’ being on the same level as you Players just irks you to no end. Know this and know this now, I am NOT a monster. I am a changeling and I am not from this world, just as you are not from this world! I may not know how or why I got here but I can tell you that I am not here by choice, but since coming here I’ve only seen the prejudice I’ve come to despise from my world against those who are different come from one side and that side is yours.

“You claim to be just and that they are the monsters but I think you people are the monsters. You come into this land and destroy the beauty that once was this land. You saw fit to make this land yours, by your own will. You gave no choice or chance to those who already lived here before you and came down with an iron hammer, demanding the world and giving nothing in return. You are the monsters and deep down you know this.”

For several minutes I stood there staring him in the eyes, never wavering. Finally he moved and faced away from me, walking away.

After several steps he stopped and turned to me once more, “You know nothing of the world I came from, or the world this was before our arrival. Those things attacked us without provocation and for that they are the monsters. I will give you three days until your trial. Until then you are to stand over that pit and think of the actions that led to this moment. Good bye, Craft the changeling.”

With that, he was gone and I was left there to stand over a pit of lava that would incinerate me before I could even scream for help should I fall and a group of seemingly harmless Players staring at me with looks I couldn’t distinguish. Even with all this and the impending trial ahead of me, I could only ask myself one thing: how did he know my name?

Author's Note:

And with this, the ball gets rolling. I know the flashback thing was more of a dream but it was still a flashback nonetheless. Writing that almost makes me think I could do a story just on his backstory. I actually had to stop myself from writing more because it would’ve just been too much and wouldn’t have been right to do here. Who knows, maybe I will. I really like Craft and think his backstory would be something worth writing separately.

Comments

[mrlordowaffles]

I have to say that this is a rather excellent story, and this is coming from another writer, I may not be quite at your level, ( view and like wise. ) but I can definitely spot a good story, and that is what this is.

[Zaleros]

3354033 That's great to hear, thank you. This is my first real story I've written but I'm trying to do everything I can to make it great. I hope to continue satisfying you and everyone else who reads what I write.

[mrlordowaffles]

3354097 I would also like to say that I saw no real flaws in the grammar, that's quite nice to see. Most of the stories I read are filled with them.

[Zaleros]

3354104 Yeah, I tend to see those from time to time too. Most of the time they don't deter me but I still wish they'd get fixed. I've always tried to be as grammatically correct as possible so hopefully I shouldn't have any issues with that or spelling.