> The Red Moon > by Teku Senpai > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 1 - Aw Hell > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A figure on a couch stretched out his arms and yawned as loudly and deeply as he possibly could. Sniffling once. Twice. Three times, the figure shook his head violently, releasing an orchestra of pops and cracks that echoed around the apartment room briefly. The first pang of an oncoming headache beckoned an irritated sigh as the figure rested his head back down onto the pillow once more. Another one of these days? Perfect. He took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling that promptly stared back with its usual blank expression. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep. Jake's ears twitched as a new sound made it's way into his brain. He promptly ignored it and shifted around on the couch until he was sufficiently comfortable once more. Before falling back into sleep, another round of annoyance clouded his mind. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep. Jake shifted around in a vain attempt to get comfortable once more, not opening his eyes again lest painful rays invade them. He squeezed his eyes tighter and attempted to shut out the mild morning irritations that everyone seems to face at one point or another throughout their day. For near most, it's in the morning, without a shadow of doubt. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep. Another twitch from his ear as this round of nope rubbed against Jake's ear drums. He barely opened one eye and peered at a digital clock sitting not a meter from his face on a coffee table that would be more suitably referred to as a soda table, because Jake don't drink coffee. He found it repulsive and disgusting. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep. Jake groaned loudly and grumbled unintelligible phrases at no one in particular. He shifted once again, fixing the covers in between the thankful pause of hell naw. No one likes the morning. Any morning. He couldn't understand people that were morning people; how they can wake up so damn early was beyond him. It just didn't make sense. People like his mom. Meep. Meep. Meep. Meep Jake yelled out in annoyance and shot up. In one quick motion he picked up his alarm clock from the soda table and flung it at the front door as hard as he could. A click could be heard as the door opened quickly and abruptly while the electronic hell-bringer was in mid-flight. His eyes widened as Jake saw who was standing in the doorway and everything seemed to slow down. He began mumbling some phrase in a dragged out slur as the clock sailed through the air, perfectly aimed at the upper half of the should-be door. The person in the doorway slowly looked up in time to get nailed in the face by a spontaneous alarm clock. There was a loud grunt and smash as the clock collided with face and knocked the victim down onto his back. Not knowing what to do, Jake quickly looked around to make sure no one saw the recent scene, which he was sure no one else was around to actually spectate. He then shot back under the covers and faked a few soft snores. Another groan broke Jake's laughable excuse for a snore and he fell deadly quiet. Without warning, the intruder says with a weak laugh, "Wow, I just got clocked." THE RED MOON A lone sigh escaped Jake's lips as he huddled under the blanket, as motionless as possible. The man at the door remained there a few more minutes before getting up and stumbling inside, shutting the door behind him. He cleared his throat and exhaled sharply, like an athlete would before a grand event. A few footsteps later, the invader found himself at the refrigerator and popped it open before rummaging through the contents. Jake lay quietly, unsure of the mood his victim. Angry? In pain? Moody? Meh? Jake hummed quietly to himself as footsteps drew closer. The owner of said footsteps lounged back on the chair next to the couch and a soda can popped open. Derik loved his Brisk... but then again, so did Jake. And probably every other being in existence. A knowing smile crept along Jake's face as he thought about getting up and getting a Brisk for himself. Such thoughts were purged when he heard Derik speak. "So... How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?" Derik asked with a sniff. Jake simply snored in reply. zzzz "Alright, I can wait," came the response in a singsong. Derik slurped on the Brisk can, making sure not to deplete the heavenly resource too hastily. He set the can down on the soda table and got up, stretching out his back, and made his way to the bathroom. The door shut behind him and the lock clicked. Jake sighed a sigh of relief and sat up on the couch. He looked down at the light purple blanket encasing the lower half of his body and yawned. A small crack and there was a mortifying scream from the bathroom followed by, "HOOOW?! HOW DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH?!! THE MOVIES LIE. FFFFUDGE POPSICLES." Jake nodded a few times before laying back on the couch, resuming his pseudo-sleep in a slightly more chipper mood. The door to the bathroom creaked open and Derik hobbled out, holding his nose in his left hand. Derik trudged across the room and went for the kitchen again, yanking the refrigerator door open once more. This time, Derik pulled an ice pack out and slapped it on his face before making his way back to the chair to resume reclining. Jake yawned again and closed his eyes. He was feeling tired and soon 'pseudo' was removed from his 'pseudo-sleep'. Derik resumed drinking his beverage on the plush chair and propped his feet up on the soda table. He rested the ice pack on his face to ease the pain. He sniffed and closed his eyes as well, hoping to get some rest. 62 years later... or just an hour. Jake groaned and opened his eyes slowly, rolling onto his side and craning his neck to the side, releasing a lone pop. Bleh, my mouth tastes like... like sewer? Ugh. Jake groaned once more, a bit more audibly this time and pushed himself up into a sitting position. A quick glance at an analog clock in the kitchen told him it was 1:15 ish. Best time as any to get out of bed. Or couch. He stood up and brushed the blanket off of himself before shuffling to the bathroom. Everyone has their own morning routine with the bathroom. Even if it's not in the morning. As for Jake, no exception. He trudged through the doorway and looked up into the mirror,easing his eyes open to minimize the pain the light brought as much as possible. A red equine stared back at Jake with a wide smile plastered on his face. "Ah, Zhek. We have remembered thy birthday!" the equine said enthusiastically. The edge of Jake's lips curled upwards ever so slightly as he blinked slowly. "That's great..." he drawled before gulping a wad of phlegm and murmuring, "Must be why Derik dropped by earlier than usual." After clearing his throat real quickly Jake continued audibly, "It's been going great." As the equine watched Jake yawn, he sat back and tapped a hoof to his chin. He let out a low hum before inquiring, "What can we do for thou?" He turned his gaze from the lonesome light to me and asked, "Dost thou have anything in mind?" "To be honest, Eiren, I'm very content how I am right now..." Jake moaned quietly in a yawn and sniffled before heading to the toilet, positioning himself over it and releasing a stream of sterile lemonade into the lake waters below. "Content? Surely you must desire something? Wealth? Power? Prestige?" Eiren suggested, raising an eyebrow. "Yep, I'm content. I've got a job, income, shelter, Brisk. I have everything I'll ever want right here." "Ah, except mates. Unless you count the male friend lounging within your entertainment chamber, but such would be blasphemy. Would thou be interested in fresh female virgins?" Eiren asked slyly, the edges of his lips visibly curling upwards. Jake scoffed and rolled his eyes as he reeled in the kraken. "Fresh virgins," he snorted as he began washing his hands in front of the mirror. "I won't need fresh virgins, thank you very much. Not now at least." Jake finished up his restroom business and dried his hands before leaning against the wall opposite the mirror. "Seriously, Eiren. You don't have to do anything. I'm used to receiving nothing. It's advantageous, you see. I'll never feel disappointment on any more birthdays. Eiren frowned and shook his head, "Quite acrimonious, dear Zhek... Though it may seem advantageous to thee, it seem quite agonizing to spectators, do I stand incorrect?" "Well, no. Not agonizing and maybe not completely incorrect." Jake scratched the back of his head and looked away as he tried to find something to say. A fizzle brought Jake's attention to Eiren's horn which was glowing dark blue and cyan for a second before the aura faded. "Eiren, what -" The crimson equine cut Jake off with a dismissive wave of his hoof and stared into him with his big cobalt eyes. He half-smiled and said, "Hope you enjoy my gift to thee. Hope will be needed in the time to come. Don't forget, Zhek." Eiren's half smile faded and he nodded once before trotting out of view. "Eiren, I- What? I don't... Ugh." Jake facepalmed and leaned on the sink, gazing at his own reflection. Golden eyes, dark brown hair with yellow highlights, same old facial structure. Well, the magic wasn't any kind of prank. At least not on my immediate body. Jake shrugged and took a deep breath, twisting the doorknob of the bathroom door and opening it. He stared out into the expanse of a jungle to his left and green fields to his right. Jake smiled and shut the door, looking straightforward with vacant eyes. ... what Jake shook his head violently and let a few raspberries out before opening the door once again. The same jungle and field lay itself out in his field of vision. Trees. Rocks. Mud. Bugs. Grass. Dirt. Gah, I hate bugs Jake's dead smile faded and his shoulders slumped. Jake pinched his nose bridge and muttered irritatedly, "Damnit, Eiren... why?" After pinching himself a few times and producing a purple mark on his left forearm, Jake was finally convinced that he hadn't collapsed in the bathroom at the apartment and wasn't simply dreaming. Though, he felt like it'd be a great time to collapse right now. You know what? That's a plan. Thump. Derik awoke in a cave. A stone cold cave with a stone cold floor, a stone cold wall he was leaning up against, stone cold air, and pretty much stone cold anything else he could find in his shelter. Derik woke up leaning against the wall of the cave, his legs outstretched in front of him and a Brisk can next to him. He shivered and blinked twice. "This is going to be one of the more rocky experiences, now won't it?" Derik asked no one. He picked up a pebble with his left hand and tossed it at the cave wall opposite of him. Clack. Clack. Clack. The echo bounced around for a few times before dying down and returning to the eerie silence. Derik looked around him and finally noticed a wall of shadow to his right. "Whoaaa, cool beans." He got up and edged his way closer to the wall, reaching out his hand to touch it. The wall of shadow was opaque, but it still allowed Derik's hand passage as if the wall was nonexistent. Huh, ain't that something? Derik swished his hand around in the shadow, unable to see past it. He retracted his hand and looked at it. Nothing different. It was still his hand. Derik nodded a few times in understanding and whipped around to see an entrance to the cave. It was a small hole, but he could squeeze through it. "I gotta get Jake and show him this rad wall," Derik mumbled as he looked back at the wall, evidently fascinated. ... Oh. Where is Jake? > 2 - Rhyme Time > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jake squirmed and writhed stressfully, trying to pry himself from the toilet he had evidently fallen into. How can this be happening? Jake stopped squirming and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Exhaling deeply, he clicked his tongue. How..? Earlier Jake stood in front of the mirror, pounding his fist lightly against the glass. "Eiren? Eiren! Are you there?!" When no reply came, Jake groaned which quickly became a shout. He turned around and punched the wall, reeling back and shaking his right hand wildly. Ow. ugh. Jake took a deep breath and looked at the toilet. Without a second thought, he lowered the seat and the cover. Jake then sat on it. Immediately, the toilet cover caved in and sent him deep into the toilet, though the seat hadn't submitted to his weight. However, Jake was now stuck. His mass plus the force of gravity had wedged the poor human into the toilet seat, restricting his movement and effectively holding him captive against his will. Jake groaned again and drummed his fingers on the seat impatiently. My back. It hurts. Jake sighed painfully and squirmed around, only lodging himself deeper into his problem. Present "You know, I don't even LIKE this toilet!" Jake grumbled acrimoniously. He kicked the frame of the toilet, only painting a purple bruise on his foot under his shoes. He grumbled unintelligible and incoherent words under his breath and growled. Stupid toilet. Jake looked away for a second before looking back at the toilet with a glower of pure hatred. He contemplated kicking it once more but decided against it for fear of being unable to keep his foot intact. Instead, Jake settled for spitting at the caved in mess of broken plastic shards. Jake planted his hands at the base of his back and stretched himself out, letting out a few crackles. he then followed up routine with a quick flick of his neck from side to side. Jake looked at the mirror once more, waiting for something. Anything, really. A shadow appeared on the floor in the mirror and Jake promptly flattened his face against it, trying to reach a better vantage point. Eiren walked into view and cleared his throat. "Apologies, Zhek. Necessities involving release had to be satisfied. What is it that you request?" Jake gawked at him with a slight squint of irritation. He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Release... Yeah, okay. Jake looked up at Eiren's cobalt eyes and asked, "Where am I? Do you know anything about where I am right now?" Eiren rolled his eyes around before replying, "Well, it is true that I have knowledge of this place. It served as my home once. However, all I can reveal to you is your quest." Eiren raised a hoof up and tapped the mirror three times before raising an eyebrow. Jake rolled his eyes in irritation and laid his hand on the glass. Eiren's horn glowed its usual intertwined blue-cyan aura. A sudden tingling in Jake's hand drew his attention. In fear of the unknown, Jake attempted to retract his hand. Eiren tisked and chuckled. "It's impossible to pull away until this process concludes." Suddenly, a river of magic began to flow from Eiren's hoof into Jake's hand. "Process?" Jake asked shakily, obviously unnerved. "Yes, process." The last bits of energy flowed through Jake's hand as Eiren cleared his throat and adopted a serious expression. "What I've given you should be enough. Zhek, just remember, find the two halves and the catalyst." Eiren gazed deeply into Jake's golden eyes. "Uh... sure. What's this all for?" Eiren scoffed quietly like a teacher trying to teach a student that was confused. He repeated, "The two halves, and the catalyst." Before Jake could say anything else, Eiren burst into colorful flames. The flames swirled around for a bit before crossing through the mirror. What the..?! Jake stumbled around, fearing the mass of heat, finding the doorway and stumbling through it. He landed with a thud on grassy, but hard, ground. This, of course, beckoned another sigh from Jake. He left his body limp as the magical flame poured from the bathroom door and shot upwards before exploding into three separate streams and dissipating. ... The two halves... and the catalyst. Two halves. Catalyst. What kind of catalyst? Jake lied on the grass and contemplated Eiren's words until a sickening buzz filled his ears. He stuck a finger in his right ear and twisted around, hoping to silence the imaginary noise. The buzzing hadn't ceased so Jake resorted to looking up. Right as he did, something hard collided into his face, pulling him back with it. Jake landed with a thud and teetered on his side before falling to his stomach. I... I... What? Jake looked up and saw two large compound eyes staring into his own. They were a light bluish color and thrummed with life. The buzzing sound was much more intense now and Jake quickly but shakily got to his feet. He peered down at them, assuring himself that his footing wasn't lopsided. Jake then looked back up to meet the gaze of the buzzing creature just to be tackled back to the ground again. Jake landed on his back and peered up at the clouds while a fuzzy tingling made itself comfortable within his skull. The buzzing slowly faded out of existence as Jake allowed his eyes to slide shut. It feels like a m-mo-monday... Derik continued to study the wall of shadow intently. Half of his feet were inside it, resting comfortably against the cold cave floor. After a while, Derik let out a slightly irritated and slightly bored groan and fell backwards. He dropped his hands behind his head and rested it upon the palms. I'm hungry. Derik hummed quietly to himself until he heard an explosive like sound. He jumped slightly and bolted to the cave entrance. Derik squeezed out of the cave and trudged across the shallow mud moat surrounding the entrance of the cave. He tried looking for dry patches, but gave up when his first step sunk half a foot into the sloppy earth. After crossing, Derik looked up to see a stream of what appeared to be fire falling down towards him. "GaaaaAAAAHHHH!!" Derik shouted and dropped down, placing his hands over his head. He followed the flaming streak with his eyes and saw the bolt of fire fall towards the cave and quickly shift its trajectory before continuing into the cave. Derik gasped quietly and stood up. Derik gulped. Whatever that was... My inner white boy is telling me to investigate it. But my inner Asian wants to do something else as long as it isn't investigating. Derik contemplated the two choices he had. Before he could come up with his decided answer, he heard a loud buzzing followed my whooshing noises. Without a sound, Derik ninja'd behind a tree and peered around it, seeing multiple over-sized bugs flying by in a swarm. Derik slowly recoiled, bringing himself back behind the tree. He crouched down, reducing his visible size. Derik quickly pulled the hood of his dark gray hoodie over his head and wrapped his arms around his legs. He was wearing black training pants, a regular old black t-shirt, and of course, the dark gray hoodie. I'm so ninja right now. All balled up and hiding from bugs. This is obviously what ninjas do. Derik moaned quietly and leaned back onto the tree trunk, sighing. I need to find Jake soon. He's probably worrying about everything imaginable right now. Especially the random and wicked cool fire plus the freakishly large bugs. There was a sudden quiet rustling and a surprised yelp. Derik looked over at a bush about six meters in front of him near another tree just in time to see an equine shaped creature fall through, slip on a watery patch of mud, and tumble head over heels into the moat, or in this case head over hooves. Derik remained motionless as the intruder picked herself up and looked around while brushing herself off. She quickly noticed him and extended a striped leg to retrieve some dropped flowers. She slowly filled what looked like two bags with a strap connecting the two with flowers of multiple colors before swinging the bag over her back. She slowly turned herself towards Derik and started backing away. As she began to disappear into a thicket, she muttered, "What you have just seen, shall not be shared, lest I turn mean." Derik's jaw dropped and he half-shouted, "You can talk?!" It was quite obvious the equine was taken aback too because her footing doesn't usually fail her twice in such a short interval of time. Derik jumped up and bolted to the thicket. He found the equine lying on the ground. The bag hadn't spilled its contents again, thankfully. Derik ran around to the front of the creature and knelt, holding out a hand. "Need some help?" The equine looked up at Derik and looked away, a small hint of red embarrassment beginning to show. She said, almost a whisper, "I'm not sure what has gotten into me, I just hope I don't stumble three." Derik laughed lightly as the equine accepted his help. He helped her up and replied, "You're like a poet. Everything you say rhymes!" "But of course it must rhyme, for this practice is of ancient time." "I see. So, what are you? You look kind of like a zebra, but I don't remember zebras being this short, or having a mane like that, or having hooves that large, or carryi-." Derik was cut off by a glare from the creature before him. She harrumphed and began trotting down a path that didn't seem to be there a while ago. She called back without facing him, "It is true that I am a zebra, but I haven't a clue of what a creature be you." "Oho, nice. That was pretty good," Derik praised. "Alright, lemme try." Derik jogged to catch up to the zebra before placing a finger on his chin in thought. "Uhh, if you are the zebra sort, then why are you so short?" The small rhyme beckoned a quiet giggle from the zebra. "That was a good first attempt, but your speech is not so kempt. As for my lack of height, I make up for in my will and might." Derik was quiet for a moment before replying, "Yes, I don't doubt thee, but you still haven't answered me." Derik tilted his head to one side and gazed down at the mohawk-maned zebra. "I am short, it is true, but what in my height, causes you to rue?" The zebra looked up at Derik to match his inquisitive and curious expression. Derik sighed to himself and set his gaze onto the path. "In my world, the horses are tall. And you can say that the zebras aren't small. Ugh, just... It's just that all horse and horse-related animals are generally taller than people." Derik said in an almost-guilty tone. He looked back down at the zebra, who had already looked back at the road. "You sure are a curious creature, but maybe that is your best feature," the zebra replied almost instantly. Soon, a cottage appeared on the side of the road and the zebra stopped to enter. Derik quickly followed in after her, feeling the need for shelter besides the cave nearby. He took his gaze off of the forest as the door shut behind him and he finally shifted his eyes towards the relics littering the interior. There were masks and exotic looking feathers lying everywhere. Multiple flowers of every kind could be found in assorted jars, no doubt marked for categorization in some way. Derik gaped in awe at the spectacle before him until he heard the zebra speak once more, "I am Zecora, and it seems here you will reside. However, it is by my rules that you must abide." "Sure thing!" Derik answered jovially. He looked around and found a bench. He eased over to it, but before his hindquarters could reach the wood, the zebra called out to him. "You agree to my terms, but you haven't a clue what you must learn. You mustn't touch or tamper with anything you see, because you may not know what it just might be. If you wish to rest your hind, in the other room it is comfy you will find." Hind... Oh, hindquar- my butt. Right. Derik made it to a very low sloping doorway and pushed through it to find the backroom. In the main room, there was quite the assortment of seeming ingredients surrounding a central cauldron. In this back room, there was a makeshift cot, a pile of straw and plant stems, and a shelf full of books and scrolls that were neatly stacked. Derik quickly fell upon the pile of straw and rolled around in it. The mattress is obviously for Zecora, so I guess I'm getting the hay. He rolled around a bit more before settling down and closing his eyes. A good night's sleep seems to be in order. Derik picked his head up in doubt and looked out a nearby window. He saw the forest and a few rays of sunlight piercing through the thick canopy. A good day's sleep... > 3 - Shockwave > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Somewhere in Canterlot, two ponies jolted abruptly. One of them sprung awake with wide eyes and a rapidly oscillating chest. The other spewed her tea across the tablecloth, staining it a shade of brown. She, stared off into the distance with eyes wider than saucers. With a gulp, the pony who had recently extruded tea from her muzzle in a most untimely manner rose from her table and made a mad dash to the castle. She left the peaceful settings of the garden as a second wave of magic reverberated around her. She looked around uncomfortably, noticing she was the only one reacting to the magic pulse. Shaking her head, the mare continued to make her way to the castle, shoving through the ornate main palace doors and galloping down the halls as fast as her slender long legs would let her. Before long, a second tall mare appeared down a hallway. Both of them continued to gallop head on to each other. Before they could crash, though, they each screeched to a halt, not a centimeter separated their muzzles as they both screamed at one another. "DID YOU FEEL IT TOO?!" The deep blue mare took half a step back, feeling weak in the knees. Her sister came to her side, providing aid to the mare's failing legs. There was a loud explosive crackle that made its way to the ears of everyone in the kingdom. The blue mare's knees buckled at the sound and she slumped down onto the floor limply. "Tia... W-w-what is this magic?" the blue mare asked, weakly trying to meet her sister's eyes with her own deep tuquoise ones. "I-I don't know, Lulu." Celestia broke the eye contact with her sister and looked up to see a guard approaching as solemn as usual. He stopped to consider the scene before him, but before he could inquire as to what the two sisters were doing holding each other in the middle of the hall to the dining chambers Celestia gestured down the hall with her muzzle, silently ordering him along. With a terse salute, the guard continued on his way down the hall. Celestia looked down at Luna, who was attempting to regain her leg muscles' control and appearing to fail. Celestia sighed. "The magic signature felt so very familiar though I can't place where I've felt it before." Celestia grunted quietly as Luna pulled herself to her hooves with the help of her sister's back. A sigh escaped Luna's lips as she began to walk slowly and unsteadily opposite of the dining hall. She had small bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and of course the curt awakening she had received. She whimpered quietly and looked back at Celestia. "We can't recall who's signature we hath felt. Help us, Tia." Luna looked at Celestia with pleading eyes full of helplessness and curiosity. Though it pained her, Celestia had only to say, "I-I can't, Luna. I, too, have forgotten the owner of this magic." She sighed and lowered her head in shame before following Luna through the hall and into the palace lobby. "Let us rest, dear sister." Sniff... Sniff... Sniff sniff... What the? Derik awoke, but the only sense that truly awoke was his sense of smell. His nose hated what it was smelling. Vision communications were established and soon the rest of the sensory communications. Derik slowly picked himself up, looking down at the messy pile of hay he had fell asleep in. He shook his head and looked out the window, darkness had overcome the colorful outdoors, altering the surrounding in a monotonous shade of black. Derik sniffed a few times and gagged before standing up, working the blood to his feet. He looked down at the pile and then at the cot, where Zecora had apparently fallen asleep. Bed. Hay pile. Shelf. Derik cocked his head to the side and repeated mentally, Bed. Hay pile. Shelf. Again, Derik repeated, but slower. Bed... Hay pile... Shelf... Aw hell naw. It took Derik an enormous quantity of willpower to not start hopping around trying to dislodge every piece of straw that he could see stuck in his clothing. Instead, Derik took a deep breath, trying to avoid the stench that was obviously him. What a pissy situation... Derik looked at Zecora back on the cot and sighed understandingly. After all, it had been his fault he fell asleep on an equine's toilet. How did I not notice the hay pile as the bathroom..? Blech. Derik shuddered as quietly as humanly possible and edged towards one of the cottage's backroom walls. He fell to his rear and held his legs close to his chest, conserving body heat. He quietly muttered, "Well, it's not like every pissy situation doesn't have a cold climate to it..." Derik looked up at Zecora for the third time, but didn't shift his gaze. The zebra tossed around on her cot, getting comfortable. Her "comfortable" position didn't make Derik any comfortable, but he seldom complained with serious intent. He continued to stare at the curves pointing in his direction, wondering what to do now that he was awake with a great view. A sudden thought slammed into Derik's processor. I wonder if Jake actually did get sent to this wacky place with me. Or maybe this is just a super realistic dream. I should've mastered lucid dreaming when I had the chance. Derik laughed quietly to himself and finally took his gaze off of the rump a meter and a half before him. "Well, more sleep never hurt anyone, I hope." Derik slowly let his head rest on his knees and closed his eyes. I need to figure out what I have to do. Soon. Slumber quickly overtook Derik and his head slumped just a little lower into his crossed arms. zzzz. zzzz. zzzz. Jake yawned as his consciousness moved to the cockpit of his mind. He blew a raspberry and shook his head, getting any and all sleep out of his sleep-betrayed eyes. Big mistake. The first shake of Jake's head pinched a nerve and held him captive in a most uncomfortable position with his head splayed out to the side. Jake grumbled, "Damn nerves, always getting pinched." He slowly stretched the poor nerve out by pushing his head to the other side of his body. Finally, he opened his eyes and peered down. Nothing. There was nothing beneath him. Jake lifted his head up and looked around frantically. I'm in the endless abyss where time has no meaning! Jake began to squirm, but still felt the hardness of ground beneath the palms of his hands. Maybe not an endless abyss. Actually, no. That theory is still plausible. Heaving a sigh, Jake began feeling at the ground with the palms of his hands. Hmm... grainy. A little moist. Slowly, Jake lowered his head to the ground and inhaled deeply, but not sharply. An earthy smell. This is most definitely dirt. He began to feel around for anything, but was met with no such luck as everything Jake groped was handfuls of dirt. Jake frustratedly shouted out, "WHERE AM I?!" He panted moderately and dropped down, crossing his legs and slouching. A sudden buzzing filled the air. Buzzing that was ungodly similar to the buzzing he had heard earlier. Jake gulped audibly. Uh... Oh. "Why hello, creature. How are you? Sleep well?" a feminine voice spoke out from the abyss. Her voice emanating from every possible direction. Jake slowly lowered himself closer to the ground in submission of the unknown. "Let's just see how much love you have to offer us, shall we?" Jake simply gulped and began to back away slowly as a pair of green eyes made themselves visible in the ever growing expanse of darkness. The maniacal laughter of the eyes began to increase in intensity. The buzzing sound all around did as well, but the evil laugh overruled it all. The eyes grew closer and closer and Jake backed farther and farther away until he hit a wall. He was trapped in a game of Cat and Mouse and by the looks of it, this wouldn't be the type of eating that cats generally do to mice. Jake opened his mouth to scream, but something was jammed into it. "Mind my hoof, dearie, but I'm sure you'll enjoy this. Just let it happen." Uh oh... Night quickly stole the skies and Luna, now wide awake with the coming of the night, and Celestia, now wide awake with the magic surge from before, were huddled under the covers in Princess Luna's vast room. The air, though it wasn't in the least bit cold within the warmed palace, felt crisp and chill. Both of the sisters' shivers were near unnoticeable, but they still clung to each other, attempting to escape the cold. It wasn't the type of cold that worked your blood into overtime to heat your body. No, this was the kind of cold that worked your blood into overtime to recall an ice cold memory that has been buried under multiple millennia of events and distractions. Celestia sniffed once and asked, "It's so hard to remember with this chill. Sister, do you know yet?" "No, we haven't the slightest, dear sister." "Perhaps, I may visit Twilight and ask for her assistance." "Tis would be a wise decision." Without saying any more, Celestia broke the physical bond with her sister and exited from under the sheets, embarking on her short journey to Ponyville. Night had indeed overcome the entirety of Equestria, but Twilight wasn't asleep yet. She was almost to the point where she would just flop over and whip out her Z-catching net, but not quite there yet. She turned a page in the book she was currently embedded in, Diary of a Wimpy Foal. Twilight didn't find it amusing for the story but just tried to empathize with the poor foal who the story followed. Nothing seemed to work out for this poor foal. After flipping the page once more, Twilight's muzzle fell into the book and she began to breathe softly into it. CRUNCH. BANG. A loud snapping and crunching sound followed by what sounded like a large rock landing on her balcony flooded through the tree. Twilight shot back up, pinching a nerve in her neck. She cursed herself for falling asleep in a book again and stood up to see what the commotion was. Her balcony doors magicked open and a large figured entered in, leaving the balcony doors open to allow the chilly air inside. Twilight squinted, but was still unable to make out the shadowy figure. "Hello?" she called out, expecting an immediate answer. When none came, a slight twinge of panic coursed through her spine. She shivered and asked again, "Hello, is anypony there?" CRUNCH. BANG. Celestia didn't see the need to wake her royal carriage guards. It was night time and the solar pegasi need their rest. The solar princess took wing and began her travel to Ponyville. It had been a while since she used her wings extensively, and if one was to say that the flight to Ponyville was extensive, then they would be quite out of shape. In this case... Celestia. As Ponyville came into view, Celestia let out a sigh of relief. Knowing that she was going to land soon, Celestia could begin an effortless glide. As she glided down, something appeared out of seemingly no where and tipped her balance. The sudden intruding entity spiraled down towards a large tree in Ponyville. A familiar tree. It landed through several branches and then landed on Twilight's balcony with a loud bang. Celestia didn't have much time to watch because she, too, was spiraling out of control. Soon, she followed suit and fell through the tree's branches and hit the balcony of Twilight's house. She moaned quietly and sighed. It feels like a monday... > 4 - Two is Better than One > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Why hello there, Twilight." "Uhh... Discord? What are you doing here?" Twilight scowled at the silhouette of the draconequus and sighed with obvious irritation lingering about her. It's late. Very late. And, granted, Twilight had brought this upon herself by staying up this late. She cursed her completely jacked up sleep schedule and resolved to deal with the problem at hoof. The stuff I have to deal with. Twilight looked up to find that the draconequus was replaced with the figure of Princess Celestia. Twilight shook her head and sighed. "Very funny, Discord. What do you want? And at this late hour?" "No, Twilight. It's truly me, Princess Celestia." "Yeah, not believing that. Goodnight, Princess Celestia." Twilight waved a hoof at the figure of Celestia and trotted over to her candle. She blew it out, but it immediately reignited. Twilight grunted in frustration and blew it out again. Once again, the candle reignited. The candle suddenly grew taller and sprouted wax arms and legs. Discord's face suddenly appeared on the front of the candle and he said, "Sorry, but I'm just too hot for you." Twilight rolled her eyes and ignited her horn. With a small roar, a fire came to life on the side of the candle, detaching the candle's right arm and melting half of Discord's face. "Alright, alright. Not in the mood. Fine, then." The candle started to change shape, growing taller and more detailed until it finally became Discord. He snapped his fingers, respawning a candle onto Twilight's desk. "Twilight, I must speak with you." Celestia hadn't left yet. She had just arrived after all. Twilight looked back at Celestia, then to Discord, then back to Celestia. "Are... are you..?" Twilight began, but her voice trailed off as she bit her lower lip, a small amount of saliva pooling at the back of her throat. She gulped down the digestive liquid and giggled nervously before asking, "What brings you here at such a wee hour, Princess?" "Twilight, I must speak with you. It's quite urgent, and as a matter of fact, it might involve you as well, Discord." Celestia glided down to the main floor of the library, landing with a thump. Discord slithered through the air, moving around the backside of Celestia and positioning himself on her left side. Twilight nervously ruffled her wings and tucked them back in. She cleared her throat, "Well.. what's thi-." "Can I just say that this is simply maaarvelooous," Discord singsonged. He chuckled to himself and continued, "But in all honesty now, this is the first meeting I've had with either of you officially." He smirked and glanced between the two princesses. Celestia drew in a deep breath and replied, "Yes, it appears to be that way." Twilight remained silent but looked at Discord blankly. She blinked once and then looked over at Celestia with a small hint of concern here and there. Celestia patted Discord's side and bowed her head gently, "Alright, Discord. Welcome to your first meeting of any kind, really, that involves a more major degree of solemnity." Discord bit his lower lip and brought his fists under his chin in a fanboying expression of utter happiness. He spun around in the air before slowly descending. He snapped his tail and a round wooden conference table had appeared with three chairs placed neatly around it. Discord's was tall and multicolored. Celestia had a padded chair and Twilight had a backless stool with three legs. ... Discord. Twilight snarled to herself and engulfed the stool in a purple glow, magicking it into a chair not dissimilar to Princess Celestia's. She sat back down on it and folded her hooves on the table. Twilight scrunched her nose and looked up to her mentor. "Why have you and Discord come this late?" Discord leaned over and whispered in Twilight's ear, "Ahem. Well, you see. Technically, it'd be "Why have you and The Greatest Being of All Existence come this early." Discord sniffed and leaned back in his chair. He was suddenly donned with a shirt, tie, and jacket - the whole shebang. Twilight squinted in annoyance at the draconequus, who was now blowing bubbles through a pipe with a newly appeared top hat resting atop his head. Twilight sighed and looked over at Celestia, who had buried her head in her hooves and was waiting patiently for a while now. Celestia looked up and met Twilight's gaze, choosing now to be the best time to begin the conversation. "Well, I want to start off by asking aah either of you if you felt the magic aaaah surge." Celestia yawned between phrases and had covered her mouth with her hoof, showing proper table etiquette. Discord nodded immediately when he heard the word "surge". He blew a few more bubbles and said, "Why, yes. I have felt said power surge. It was quite alarming, I do say." Discord stuck the pipe back into his mouth and snorted. "Magic surge? There was a magic surge? Where?" Twilight looked between Discord's bubble-blowing frame and Celestia's concerned-looking frame, attempting to piece together a puzzle with virtually no pieces. She stared at Celestia. When Celestia finally turned to look at her, Twilight took a stab. She asked, "Princess, I can help. What's this about a power surge?" She tilted her head to the side, trying to communicate that she could be of actual use. Celestia shook her head and responded weakly, "I'm sorry, Twilight. I know you can help, but I don't know if I want you involved. Normally, I'd drop this quest onto you and your friends, but this may just be too dangerous for that." Celestia yawned quietly and laid her head on the table in exhaustion. She realized that the only ponies capable of preventing the onslaught to come was herself, her sister, and Discord. Her crew wasn't looking too good at the moment and Celestia knew it. Discord had been watching Celestia's expressions and realized just how bad the situation was. I wonder... A loud blast lurched the cottage and Derik immediately shot to his feet. He slammed the top of his temple into a wooden shelf, dislodging all of the shelf's items. Derik fell back down to his knees. Consequently, books and a glass vial rained down on Derik's back, littering his back with a landscape of fresh purple lumps and a few scrapes caused by shattered glass shards. The vial's contents leaked through Derik's clothing and stained his back Zecora shot up at the two consecutive and very loud intrusions of the ear. With one knee, Derik was on the floor holding his head in one hand and scratching at his back with the other. The zebra looked up at the shelf that was now void of any and everything that had been on it. She looked down at Derik, finding him surrounded by a pile of books and shattered glass. She gasped and leapt for the vial, affirming her suspicions. It cannot be. She looked up at Derik, who had given up holding his head and was scratching his back with both arms. I have no choice, but to wait and see. Derik began to go wild and for some reason, he just couldn't scratch that itch. he began rubbing his backside against the walls of the room. All of a sudden, the itching ceased and Derik fell to the ground in relief. He sighed and rolled over, his belly facing the ceiling. Zecora gulped, a few of the larger shards in hoof. She quickly deposited the pieces of flask into a nearby corner and made haste in returning the books the their shelf. Derik picked his head up and looked at the stunned Zebra. "Uh, Zecora. Are you alright?" The zebra froze and turned to stare in Derik's general direction. The human got to his feet and walked over to the zebra. He knelt down in front of her, waving a hand in her face. Zecora blinked and looked back into Derik's curious eyes. "You look worse than Jake when he suffers from Brisk withdrawal... You okay?" "B-Br-Brisk?" Zecora stammered as she felt her nerves settle down and begin operating her muscles again, though she had a slightly mechanical gait as she made her way to her cot and sat on it. "OOooohhhhh. They probably don't have anything like Brisk here. After all, everyone must live in cottages in these woods, right?" "No, you are far mistaken. It is just that I am a little shaken. I am the only equine out in the Everfree, everypony else lives within society." Zecora lay back down, not know what to expect. She felt her heart thump a little faster. The potion in that vial could have any effect on the creature she had let in her home. Anything can occur. I just hope there isn't a stir. She rolled onto a side and closed her eyes, hoping for the sweet embrace of sleep. Instead, Zecora felt a tap on her shoulder, followed by a second and a third. She rubbernecked to see Derik looking down at her, an almost unnoticeable layer of concern coating his face. He scoffed quietly and patted Zecora's shoulder lightly. "So, you're telling me that you did not hear that explosion?" Derik asked with a smirk. "Woke me up just like that." Derik snapped his fingers to punctuate his dialogue. Zecora shook her head and smiled. "Of course I heard. I was just a little unnerved." She hopped off her cot and disappeared out the sloping doorframe. Derik followed behind the zebra. As he popped from the backroom to the main room, he muttered, "Guess I'm going to have to earn my stripes." After they both had made it outside, they quickly found the rapidly approaching morning air to be quite chilly. Well, chillier than the norm at any rate. Derik clung his jacket closer to him, the backside mysteriously dry. He followed Zecora down the path, occasionally peaking through any gaps in the canopy. On one of her quick peeks, Zecora spotted a large cloud that swirled with bits of blue and cyan rising up from the earth. She immediately shifted her stance and took off in the direction of the smoke. Derik didn't hesitate to follow his striped companion, keeping up with her. They continued to run, ignoring any foliage that seemed to always get in the way somehow. Zecora hit a wild root that had escaped her vision and tripped hitting the dirt face first. "Heh, nice face plaaaAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Derik began to quip, but fell through the recently-created smoke wall into a crater. Zecora looked up, dirt caking her muzzle. She was face to face with the smoke wall. She quickly got up and looked around, failing to see Derik. She looked down at the earth next to her. She saw the human's shoe prints leading straight into the smoke. A muffled thud and grunt confirmed Zecora's hypothesis. What Zecora hadn't planned for, though, was a set of thuds. Two more to be exact. "Derik? Derik?! IT'S YOU." Zecora leaned a little closer to the smoke trying to make out what was being said. The smoke began to clear, but it was still too thick to look into. "JAKE! DUUUDE. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" Zecora heard Derik's voice reply to the first unknown voice of one "Jake". Before the smoke cleared, Derik shot out of the wall, hitting a fat tree. It just so happened that this tree was the proud owner of the hidden root that saved Zecora the shame of falling into a massive crater. Thud. A mangled changeling fell from the sky and landed next to the pair. Zecora quickly spun on her front hooves and bucked it back into the crater. Another thud, much sooner than expected, and a loud "OH, COME ON!" shot out from the crater. A loud grunt and what sounded like straining accompanied a second life form that appeared out of the crater. This one looked a lot like Derik, but Zecora wasn't going to take any chances. Zecora drew all her weight onto her front hooves, but before she could send the being back from whence it came, Derik scooped the short zebra up into his arms and cradled her. "Now, now. We don't need anymore of that." Derik scolded Zecora with a disapproving finger waggle that Zecora probably didn't see. Jake pulled the rest of his body up out of the crater and rolled about half a meter away from it. A changeling landed right next to Jake right as he rolled out of the way. The human looked over at the changeling's pleading compound eyes and brought his hand up to its muzzle. His finger glowed a bright cyan and Jake flicked the changeling, sending it flying through the smoke and down into the crater. "Wow, that was great." Jake rested his head down onto the loose dirt and stared up at his friend and the package he was holding. "I think?" Derik simply began laughing loudly and soon Jake joined in. Zecora stared slightly irritatedly through half-lidded eyes straight forward. It isn't usual for me to stew, but what do I do now that there are two... > 5 - All them Ponies > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A zebra followed by two tall bipedal creatures exited the Everfree Forest, but no pony was around to see it. No pony at all. It wasn't until Zecora made it into town with the two creatures in tow, did ponies start to notice. Throughout the marketplace, ponies began to stop mid barter, mid exchange, mid trot, mid canter, mid anything. They all stopped to look over at the recently welcomed outcast and its two "pets". Soon, murmurs began to rise up from random ponies. "What has Zecora brought with her this time?" "What... are those?" "What are they doing here?" "Should I go get Twilight and her friends?" "Hands..." Derik looked around enthusiastically, taking in the mass of technicolor ponies beginning to crowd around Zecora, Jake, and him. The ponies were forced to look high upwards to meet the gazes of the tall bipedal creatures that Zecora brought with her. The creatures didn't seem to be any sort of threat. Until, of course, one of the spoke. "Can we move this along?! My feet are starting to hurt..." Jake grumbled to himself and sighed, contorting his face into disgust at every pony his eyes fell upon. Jake soon turned to Derik and raised a supine hand, "What are these and why are there so many of them..?" Derik scoffed quietly and replied, "They're horses! You know what horses are, right? But for some reason, these horses are very small and very anatomically inaccurate." Derik squatted down and stared at a horse that had pushed herself to the front lines of the crowd. She had white and mint colored hair, a mint colored coat, and golden eyes that seemed wide with zeal. "Hi there, my equine friend!" Derik patted the horse's head and asked, "Want some, er, hay?" Derik had no idea what these horses ate. He'd assume that they probably ate what regular horses did. The mint horse immediately squealed and zoomed off, plowing through the horses standing in her way. Flattened horses left knocked out in her wake were what marked her short-lived presence as she kicked up dust while running down the road. "That was, uh..." Derik put a finger on his chin and looked up. "I have nothing." "How about 'stupid'? That was stupid. Let's get going. I don't want to have to stare at all these things for more than I have to. Look at that one. It's all purple and won't stop staring at me." Jake kicked a rock and nudged Zecora forward. Zecora snorted and started forward, Derik and Jake close behind. Derik was whistling merrily while Jake dragged his feet through the dirt path. The three stopped in front of a tree with a door in front. "Whoa. That's a massive tree," Derik breathed. He sat down in the dirt, merely contemplating how such a tree was able to exist until he remembered the Redwood Forest and stood up, brushing himself off. Jake rolled his eyes irritably. His gaze fell upon the door and his eyes narrowed. "A DOOR. HOOOME." Jake ran jovially towards the door, desperate for some peace. However, as he drew closer to the door, the more it looked wrong. The door appeared to be a little too small for him. Derik caught up with Zecora close behind. "Well, that's disheartening. Oh well." Derik shrugged his shoulders and squatted. He began pushing the door open when the door jerked back on its own. Derik slowly tittered before falling to the floor in the doorway. "It's open..." Zecora walked past Derik, careful not to step on him. Jake took a less subtle approach and stomped into the library. On Derik's back. "Good afternoon, my na-" "Shut up, purple horse. I need a bed and I ne- -pop-" Twilight cleared her throat and looked at Derik before announcing, "Good afternoon, my name is Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?" Derik simply sat on the floor in the doorway staring at where Jake used to be. He gawked at the spot dumbfoundedly, at a complete loss for words or emotion. "What.. Uh, how? What?" He glanced sideways at Twilight, the most confuzzled look on his face. Zecora sighed while Twilight giggled to herself. "Well, he's probably getting an earful from Pinkie right now." Zecora looked up, one eyebrow raised. Twilight shrugged, her posture saying "what can you do?" "To Pinkie, Jake has been sent, to fix his manners with an amendment," Zecora rhymed. Derik slowly began to nod and crossed his arms. "I see, dear friend. With a professional he will amend." "Ooh, you're just like Zecora." Twilight half-smiled and fluttered her lavender wings. Derik looked over at Twilight and studied her before blurting out, "You're completely purple." which beckoned a confused look from Twilight. "Well, yes. You've been here for a while and haven't noticed that?" Twilight squinted at Derik, who squinted back as an intense squinting match took place. Zecora sighed and facehoofed. She slowly made her way out the door and quietly shut it behind her as the two occupants of the tree continued their squint-off. However, Zecora's leave was noted by Derik, who simply had no objection to it. "Well, anyway," Twilight broke the match and cleared her throat. "There have been a number of creatures and monsters that have invaded Ponyville in the past. What are you?" Derik shot up and struck the question down with his godlike answer, "I AM A HUMAN. A HOMO -." Before he could finish, the same mint equine from earlier popped into existent, squeed and promptly disappeared with again, taking Derik with her. Twilight blinked twice and stared at where Derik had been and sighed. "I'll get to know that weird creature later." "- SAPIEN! Wait, what. Where am I?" Derik looked around absent-mindedly after his triumphant outcry. He took a few steps forward inside the new room he was in. The room was furnished and appeared to be the same as any other living room he had ever known, just scaled a bit down. There was a clopping of hooves and Derik peered down below him to see the mint-green equine blissfully tapping her hooves together. She stared up at Derik with anticipation, her enthusiasm without any sort of restraint. Derik looked back up and peered around the room before looking back down at the equine and studying her closely. "Hmm... You have a horn. What does that make you? A -." "A UNICOOORN!!" Lyra shouted up at Derik, bouncing slightly on her legs. Derik nodded slowly and squatted down to gaze at the pony at eye-level. "Aha. I see. So can you do, like, you know... magic?" Derik rubbed the back of his neck as he asked the question cautiously, but still very expectantly. Without a moment's hesitation, the mint pony bounded for the living room, turned around and ignited her horn. Immediately a golden aura engulfed Derik into an imaginary confine which Derik really didn't feel up for. Derik hovered closer to the pony, but was placed on the couch against the wall. As soon as the aura dissipated, the pony hopped up onto the Derik, pinning him down. Hot balls, these ponies are sure heavier than they look. Whoof. Derik, still having troubles comprehending the possibly weight of the pony and completely oblivious to the pony's intentions, looked up at the pony's large eyes deeply falling prey to the deepness of them. His eyes grew wide as he was captivated by them. The pony slowly lowered her muzzle down to Derik's face as she straddled him. Suddenly, an extraordinary loud, "LYYYRAAA!!" vibrated throughout the house and shook it with the intensity of the shout. Another pony flew down a set of stairs and dove for the human and pony on the couch. Derik immediately snapped out of his haze and hugged Lyra and and shielded her from the impending pain. However, as the intruding pony collided with Derik's back, a brilliant yellow light shown from it, and the pony was repelled away. After a brief sail through the air, the pony collided with a wall on the opposite side of the room. Derik stood up, Lyra still in his arms. Though Derik wasn't completely conscious of himself, he recognized the coat of the pony as cream colored and two distinct colors in her mane and tail. Lyra leapt from Derik's embrace and rushed over to the cream pony while Derik struggled to regain himself from his daze. After a few violent shakes of his head, Derik looked up to see Lyra shaking the cream-colored pony and mumbling something, but the only thing Derik heard before falling unconscious was a worried "Bonnie!" Jake could feel his ears going numb as his IQ dropped by the second. Though he had tuned out most of the annoying chatter, he still had yet to tune it out COMPLETELY. He sighed as he propped his head up in his palm. He sat at a table with a pink pony with an even pinker poofy mane chattering away. Jake blinked once and looked over at the pony, her cyan eyes full of life and cheer. Kind of like Derik, but his eyes are brown... and of course less annoying. Jake looked past the pony before him and gazed at a clock on the back wall before returning his gaze back to the pony. Eh, they might be similar... It wasn't before long, Jake began dozing off from his sheer amount of annoyance and irritation. His head fell and he shot awake. He looked up at the earth pony who had already fallen asleep across the table. He shook his head and looked outside; it was still bright. Finally. Jake reached out and touched the pony curiously. The pony's coat was velvety but her mane was as curly and in such a clusterfuck that he had to excercise extreme caution to remove his hand without waking the pony. As he extracted his hand, Jake mumbled quietly, "Ugh, I need to get out of here and leave. No, I can't just leave. I need to help Eiren. There was something that he said. The two halves and... and what?" Jake rubbed his chin as he attempted to recall what Eiren had told him. Two halves and something else. What is it. Rubbing his temples, Jake exhaled coolly. Well, if you have two halves. You'll need something to keep them together. So logically, I'd need to get some kind of bonding agent. Jake growled and smashed his fists onto the table, frustrated and unable to recall the third item to retrieve for Eiren. Immediately, the pink pony shot up and stared at Jake with wide eyes. Jake met the pony's gaze and his mind ejected a single thought to its forefront: Run. Jake slowly stood up, the pink pony's gaze still on him and rather curious. Jake scooted away from his chair and pushed it in as slowly and unmenacingly as possible. He then gave a curt nod to the pony and took off out the door, running aimlessly throughout the town. The pony shot up and yelled out, "IS PINKIE PIE YOUR FRIEND YET?!" She took off out the door in pursuit of the bipedal creature who needs some serious friendship. Lyra cradled BonBon's head in her lap on the couch as Derik sat on the floor at a very low table. He groaned as his consciousness fully recovered. A sudden loud crack split the air followed by a large WHUMP. A second later, there were three light taps on the front door. Lyra moved to answer it, but Derik got up and waved his hand at her, which she followed closely with her eyes. He walked towards the door and opened it. Behind the door was an elegant white pony with an chromatic ethereal mane. This one was taller than the rest, but still Derik could label himself as taller. The ponies were in fact very small compared to what he was used to. However, Derik wasn't able to collect much data about the pony before he was enwrapped in a golden aura and his vision cut off. "Aw, come on," he moaned. He fiddled around with his eyes to see what was obstructing his vision, but when he found nothing he panicked a bit and contemplated, Am I blind?! HOW. Before long, Derik's vision returned to him, which he was immensely grateful for. Unfortunately, Derik was not in the doorway he was in moments ago. He was inside a very spacious room that appeared to be made of wood. The walls were lined with book after book and there stood a single circular table in the middle of the room with a horse bust proudly mounted atop it. "Well..." Derik began. "Ah, hello again. Remember me?" a familiar and random voice spoke out.