//------------------------------// // Chapter 59; A Less Than Splendid Day // Story: The Wander Through Lands Unknown // by Tomas Lutwig //------------------------------// I wore a heavy frown as I walked out of the vice principal's office. The day hadn't been going well, and as I had found out it was only around eight in the morning now. My first interactions with one of the people, or pony depending on your view, I was supposed to be taking back to Equestria had gone far from well, I had to lie my way though my enrollment process, and I'd have to find someplace to spend the rest of the day as since school had already begun the vice principal had suggested I simply head back home what with all of the excitement of earlier in the morning. I let out a quiet groan as a hand fell over my chest. On top of all my little problems the hunger I had discovered after my arrival here only seemed to of grown, now causing what felt much like an ache that pulsed through my being. 'Either I'm going to have to figure out some way to fix this or get the hell out of here as quickly as possible...' Shaking my head and trying to push past the pain, I looked down at the paperwork that the vice principal had given me, listing the hours of the school, rules, etc. Rolling my eyes I flipped to the next paper which was the list of classes and my eyes immediately fell. While technically I was in the senior class, due to coming in so late in the school year I might as well be a junior, having to forgo graduation and come back the next year. Blinking I shook my head a confused look falling on my face as I walked down the hallway. 'I'm not even going to stay here that long, why should I care?' I thought chuckling before simply folding up the schedule and putting it in my back pocket. The student handbook quickly found it's way into the garbage along with the list of school rules after a quick peruse to make sure I didn't get expelled immediately on my first day. Grimacing as the ache in my chest worsened I let out a heavy breath before heading towards the front door. 'Might as well see if I can't find at least some leads on those three sirens.' I thought pushing my way out of the door. Getting lost in the deceptively large city was almost an inevitability. Looking back where I had come from I liked to imagine I could use the landmarks and make my way back to the school, and the safety of the portal. The cityscape had degraded heavily, falling far from the clean cut and attractive looking newer buildings to degrading and heavily worn ones that held few shops. Making matters worse as the day had drug on, easily afternoon by the placement of the sun with a steady increase of vehicle traffic and people on foot walking to and from their homes. The more pressing matter however was the fact that the growing pain had only gotten worse as the day drug on. Increasing steadily from an ache to a nearly debilitating agony that made even walking difficult. Despite my attempts to ignore the pain and power through it, the signs had begun to show to the pedestrians around me, and they similarly steered clear of the labored young man. Leaving me to my current position in a dark alley, sitting with my arms wrapped around my knees against the side of a dumpster. My initial thought was that the pain had been caused by a lack of food, and after long enough without it I had simply lost a sense of the feeling of hunger. After trying to eat one of the decorative, and admittedly bitter, fruits off of one of the trees earlier in the day, I found it did nothing to diminish the pain. Looking over at the half digested remains of the impromptu meal I grimaced, if not from disgust than from the situation as a whole. 'I'm... going to die... again...' I thought tensing up as a shiver ran over my body bringing new agony with it. 'How stupid...' I managed. Something wet touched me causing me to flinch away from the feeling. Looking over I saw a small dog it's long fur wet and matted into clumps, though despite it's appearance it looked up at me happily wagging it's tail. A smile slowly started forming on my face for a moment before the pain racked my body again. Looking back down at the dog a thought slowly crossed my tired mind as I glanced back over at the pile of vaguely orange vomit. A shudder passed through me as the thought held it's lucidity despite the pain. 'Kill it.' Looking back over at the dog it yipped expectantly waiting for some sort of treat or for me to play with it. Another wave of pain racked my body setting my mind. Desperation. I unfolded my legs so they were laying out in front of me and started leading the dog over into my lap with scratches and pets. The happy animal sat down oblivious to the world around it as I continued scratching through the matted fur. Reaching down with my other hand as the one scratching through the fur slowly made it's way towards the animals head, I watched as the dog stretched it's neck enjoying the attention. With my free hand I grasped the animal, right behind the jaw, my thumb rubbing through the fur into the back of it's skull. Sitting there for a moment I petted the stray animal, waiting for the next jolt of pain to rush through me. A long moment passed, allowing a glimmer of hope, 'Maybe I won't ha-' I started thinking only for the pain to return, edging me onward. In a desperate attempt at survival, my other hand gripped the other side of the stray dog's head. It's body tensed as it seemed to realize something was wrong, but a moment too late. Crack Pain slowly subsided back to a dull throb. A wave of relief washed over me as I stared at the afternoon sky. The relief was quickly replaced by disgust as the weight in my lap registered with my mind once more. Looking down I saw the quickly fading eyes of the small animal, staring up at me, silently questioning. “Why” they seemed to ask before fading into a dumb blackness that asked nothing. Fragile justifications tried to form in my mind, trying to dull the pain of what I had just caused. Memories of the last innocent creature, similarly brutalized, by my hand. Lifting the shaking hand I looked at the palm, which had darkened in color from the oils, dirt, and whatever else the small dog had gotten into before meeting me. Bile threatened to run up my throat before I swallowed it back down. Running a dirty hand down my face, I felt it harden as I pushed the limp corpse out of my lap before dusting it off and standing up. Letting out a tired breath I winced at the memory of the pain, the throb that had replaced the debilitating pain manageable, if slightly annoying. Forcing myself, I turned and walked out of the alley, ignoring the furred body that laid in a filthy alley beside a dumpster. Choosing instead to continue my search. “I'm sorry to bother you, but you haven't seen three young ladies in dark hoodies come in here recently have you?” The diner's soda jerk looked me over confused. My search for the three banished sirens had been less than fruitful, through a number of different eating establishments I had found little to no clues about their whereabouts beyond hearsay and annoyed staff at the wave of anger they brought with strange singing. After those many failed attempts, the weariness showed easily on my face, though thankfully the dull throb had remained as such, and was manageable with few hiccups to show I was in any pain. “You talkin' about those three weird girls who never really order anything and just sit in one of the booths singing?” he asked, annoyance growing in his voice at the thought of them. Blinking I nodded silently, hoping he would continue. “Uhhhg” he groaned, putting the tall glass he was wiping down on the wooden counter with a clink. “I never know what to do with those three. The owner simply lets them sit around all day singing. I've asked him why a couple times, but he never really gives a straight reply, just kinda dodges the question.” My eyebrows drooped slightly at the soda jerk's attitude. Obvious distrust and annoyance at the three, just like so many other staff members before him. Said complaints would prove fruitless, no location, no schedule, little to nothing on the three sirens beyond that they often visited places with a large number of people dressed in their dark hoodies and pants. “You wouldn't happen to know where I could find them, do you?” I asked hesitantly, certain I already knew the answer to the well asked question. The soda jerk let out a sigh rubbing a hand down his face. “I'll be honest, if I did I might go find them and tell them exactly what I thought. Unfortunately I don't really know thought. They normally come in here at least once a week, though thankfully they've yet to show back up so far.” A tired smile formed on the employee's face. “We might get lucky and they'll never come back.” I blinked at the man's words, a small feeling of relief catching me before I could restrain myself. “Alright, I guess I'll be back tomorrow.” I finally said, more to myself than the soda jerk. “Thanks man.” “Ey, before you go” He said stopping me as I slid off the bar's stool, a serious look forming on his face. “What exactly do you want to find those three for?” Surprise bit at me. This soda jerk at some random diner which was obviously family owned, was the first person to really ask me what I had been asking about those three for. Most of the other employees had just been content with complaining about them and letting me leave. “I, uhh...” I started, as the man's face grew more disapproving. Scratching at the back of my head I adverted my eyes, motioning to the rest of the establishment. “Well this diner isn't the only place they've visited. There's a place I like to eat at not too far from here, and well they were in there not too terribly long ago, bringing this strange wave of chaos with them.” Looking back at him, his face hadn't changed much besides adding a slight frown to complete the look. “Mhmm, I see” He finally said, rubbing at his chin as he looked me over. “And what's the plan?” 'To talk to them and hopefully convince them that I can bring them back to Equestria as long as they keep the disharmony making to a minimum.' I thought before shrugging. “Honestly I just want to know what the hell is going on. I mean you've seen how people act when they're around. Couples that were playing kissy face not moments ago are at each other's throats over stupid stuff, like how one of them put the toilet paper on the roll 'wrong'. You know?” The scrutinizing look quickly faded to be replaced by an understanding one as he nodded. “Yea. I've had older couples who seemed to be completely enamored with one another end up starting it up over things that have happened years ago, by their own admission. Heck I've even gotten into it with customers over stupid stuff. Everything just seems more annoying with them around.” he said rubbing at his chin again as a thoughtful look crossed his face. “Either way, I gotta keep looking for those three. I need to figure out what's going on, and maybe I can so something about it.” I said starting away from the bar again. “Ey!” The soda jerk's voice sounded again making me turn around a couple steps from the bar. “For luck” he said with a smile as he clapped one of the paper cups down on the bar and filled it with soda. A similar smile came to my face as I walked over and grabbed the drink taking a drink through the straw. “Thank man.” He shrugged, “Eh, you might've looked a little parched as well.” I chuckled as I walked to the exit, giving a friendly wave through the glass as I walked passed it. As I continued walking however my face fell as I looked to my hand as I held it up in front of me. Letting out a tired sigh I shook my head. 'Lies, deceit, and murder. What am I missing now?” I thought letting my hand drop to my side as I sucked slowly on the straw of my drink. Sunset Shimmer let out a growl as she looked down at the journal. Her day hadn't gone well, and she had looked forward to coming home after school, even if she had come home early, to see a hurt plea from her old mentor to come back to Equestria. The journal's newest entry was still Sunset's message however. Slapping the book closed she got up walking back over to her couch in front of her television where she had spent most of the day. After the vice principal had all but forced her to return to her home she had went out to eat for a late breakfast. Part of her had still been shaken by the stupid skinhead that had followed her to school. Sunset's anger had overshadowed that small part though, pushing the small smudge of gratefulness she held for that gray skinned boy. So when he had tried to talk to her in the hall, that had only made her anger grow. He was trying to use her, just like all those other people. Admittedly she had been surprised when he outright said his intentions, if by denying them, but that had only made her more angry. A small smile formed on her face at the memory of when the vice principal had opened the door behind him, the look on her face was priceless. Sunset could only imagine the tongue lashing Luna had given her after his blunt comment. 'Hm, though it does remind me that I need to put the fear of me into him.' she thought flipping through the channels. After she left the school her day hadn't gotten much better. The breakfast at Lenny's had been sub-par as had the waitstaff. Sunset had attempted to take her anger out on her waiter, but the woman only replied with a similar anger causing an argument which had quickly devolved into insults. As the memory of her breakfast played back in her mind she remembered seeing other patrons fighting with one another or their waiters as well. At the time she had ignored it in favor of walking out of the restaurant without paying for not only the terrible food and service, but for the abysmal attitude of her waiter. Looking back, it was strange for everyone to be in such a bad mood that they begun screaming at one another. Shaking her head, Sunset flipped through the channels trying to find something to take her mind off the coincidence. Sunset watched as the man pulled off a gas mask revealing a bloodied and tired looking face slowly being illuminated by the sunlight of the road in front of him. The view flashed back to the man's face, hope finally showing as he walked towards the exit before showing a man behind him wearing a suit, anger written heavily on his face. Slowly the man in the suit raised a gun, pointing at the other man's head. After a moment the first man collapsed, his hand still clutching at his stomach as he looked outside. The man in the suit pushed him over with the weapon before reaching down for the hand that was held over other other man's stomach. The dying man held the other's hand. “Stansfield” he wheezed. “At your service” The man in the suit replied with a smile. The dying man put something in the other man's hand before pushing it towards him. “This is from... Matilda” he finally said before his hands fell away from the man in the suit's. The camera panned back over the man's shoulder to show the now dead man's face before focusing on the other man's hand which opened to reveal a ring with a small pin on top. Concern appeared on the man in the suit's face as he reached down and opened the dead man's black vest which revealed a number of grenades strapped to the dead man's chest. One obviously missing a pin. “Shit” the man in the suit said quietly. An explosion rocked a small storefront sending people with 'Police' written on their backs flying away as the sound of a woman screaming was heard. The screen showed the destruction the explosives had wrought for a moment before Sunset clicked the remote changing the channel again with a roll of her eyes. 'People here are so over dramatic' she thought as cartoons flashed on the screen, the animated violence taking Sunset's mind off of her boredom and the bad day she had been having. The marble statue's base was cold as I laid against it, even through the admittedly warm hoodie. My legs tingled unpleasantly as they dangled over the side of the marble base, the rounded edge cutting off circulation to the appendages. The stars I had grown so used to seeing in Ponyville were dulled, nearly invisible in Canterlot's lights. Spotty memories of long ago made a bittersweet smile form on my face. Memories of what seemed to be another life. My day had been a steady incline after meeting the soda jerk, a man who's name I never did get. My walk back to the school had been tentative at best, having to ask for directions in a similarly hesitant manner only to receive them from a bubbly and kind woman who seemed vaguely familiar. Perhaps it had been my outlook. People around me as I walked down the sidewalk seemed more upbeat, even offering friendly smiles or waves. Confusion had ruled my mind during most of my walk, though the cheerful disposition had slowly begun rubbing off on me. Dark thoughts still fluttered into my mind, though they were easier to dislodge and store away. As I started to recognize landmarks from earlier in the day, I had even begun hoping for my mission's completion and a quick return to Equestria. Said hope was muffled as an unfortunately familiar pain grew again. The dull throb it had been growing into a strong burning within my chest, almost making me wish my heart would simply burst just to end it. Stumbling along to the statue had been hard, though as I neared I quickly felt the pain slowly start to diminish. A thought crossed my mind as I had reached the statue of the High school's mascot, reaching forward I put a hand to the mirror-like surface and lightly pushed. Light enveloped my hand as it slipped through the marble surface until my wrist ended in what appeared to be a stump that glowed brightly at it's end. Cadence's words still played in my mind making me wonder exactly how, or why, the portal seemed to open and close seemingly at random. Allowing my hand to swing down and smack the portal's surface only for the immensely bright light to illuminate the school's front I felt a smile cross my face. 'And how in the hell have other students here not accidentally stumbled through the portal in one way or another?' I chuckled at the thought of some random freshman or junior stumbling through the portal and meeting the Princess and Prince of the crystal empire. 'Somebody's probably made that fanfic already' I thought rolling onto my side and looking at the school, covered in long shadows cast from the light of the streetlights. Other thoughts slowly started making their way into my mind. Of what I should do with Sunset, should I tell her the truth? The brutal honesty that she didn't belong here and needed to return to her home, as broken as it seemed? Letting out a sigh the sirens were another problem though in the works of being fixed, albeit slowly. They should leap with joy at the thought of returning to Equestria, magic and all. Perhaps even at the cost of their constant disharmony. 'It makes me wonder though. Do they feed off of that disharmony, making them limited in their ability to live almost anywhere under Celestia's rule?' The thought itself was less than pleasant, though I was sure with a bit of work I could do something for them, even if in the end all it was was asking Discord turn them into ponies or something. I was sure if I could convince Fluttershy to ask him he might, but... 'Then again, he did say he liked me or something to that effect.' Rolling over on my stone bed, I tucked my head in the crook of my arm, effectively using it at a pillow. Thoughts continued to run through my head as the night wore on even as they slowly started fading as my eyes grew heavy. Quiet cricket chirping was hushed by the occasional car, the purring of the engine seeming to shake the earth around me, even down to the cold marble beneath me. Grass blades sang in a gentle breeze that blew by. The noises seemed to form a strange rhythm and tone as their echoes reflected back off the school's three walls. A band played an opening bit, the lead singer bouncing, trying to excite himself for his performance even as his mates played on. “A rather strange sound this group has.” the voice sounded next to me as I looked and saw a familiar equine shape. Violet features squinted as she looked over the band. Turning back I found myself standing in a long corridor. The doors were featureless beyond a single glass window which held wired glass. Looking into one room I found it full of strange humanoid creatures. Their facial features seemed to be that of ponies, though their bodies were human in appearance beyond the seemingly random array of colors and the hooved feet. A large creature stood at the head of the class, pointing a metal rod at a blackboard behind it, a projection overtop of it's dark surface of the strange anamorphic creature. 'What in the world?' I found myself thinking before rushing to another door only to find a similar situation, the creatures seeming to be working in front of ovens as the teacher spoke at the front of the classroom. Another revealed a significantly smaller group of creatures sitting in a circle, all reading from the same book, taking turns reading out loud. “Ah! There you are Wanderer.” A new voice sounded making me turn to see a dark blue anamorphic figure walking towards me, her hair flowing as stars blinked in and out. “Come we must get to your first class.” The vice principal said motioning for me to follow. Looking down I felt my mouth fall open as I saw my own gray skin and hooved feet.'What in the-' Clutching my chest, I awoke with a start, nearly slamming my face into the statue's marble tail. Blinking a few times my surroundings slowly looked familiar, the first signs of dawn's approach peaking over the tall cityscape. Pain sounded from my chest making me look down to my gray hand, the situation finally starting to make sense once more. Letting out a breath I hopped down from the statue's base, stumbling as my drowsy form finally started to remember what to do. Turning, I walked to mirror-like surface of the statue's base and put a hand up to it. Cold marble was all I felt in return.