It was black. Pitch black. Like the kind you only find when you stare at the inside of your eyelids, trying to drift off into sleep. But it was clear he wasn't in bed. There was a wild rushing in his ears like the fiercest wind he could imagine and he felt like he was falling, rocketing out of the sky toward the earth. His heart clenched tight and he felt his mind starting to race. "How did I get up this high?… Earth ponies can't fly!" He wanted to scream but he couldn't control his body at all. "WAKE UP!" he screamed in his mind and, with a blinding flash, his eyes shot open. It was daytime again, but he was in a place he'd never seen before. This was nothing like where his mother lived, nothing like any part of Equestria he'd ever seen. The landscape was vast and natural. He couldn't see anything but trees, grass, and mountains. "Where is Canterlot, or Ponyville, or the train tracks?" He asked desperately as if knowing his location would somehow stop him from falling. His body moved on its own. Rolling and righting itself. "This isn't right… this isn't my body at all… It has wings! I'm...I'm flying!" He gasped, suddenly trying to take in the sensation and get a feeling for this strange new body. No… it's not his… he wasn't controlling it at all. He was only seeing through its eyes. "Whose eyes…" His thoughts were interrupted when the body jolted to a stop in mid-air and his head turned on its own.
"What devilry is this?!" The unfamiliar voice spat in disgust and before he could see what the strange pony's eyes were fixed on, the vision went black.
He was lost again. When the darkness faded, his eyes were lower. On the ground now, he was in a room this time, a castle he'd never stood in before. The brim of a large hat obscuring his vision as voices sounded around him. It was distant, hazy, muffled, like trying to listen from far away.
"A spell…" someone nearby said… or maybe it was from the pony whose eyes he was seeing through. The conversation was choppy but he tried to concentrate to make out was being said and suddenly a whisper started to sound. So soft at first he wasn't sure if it was real. Then as the voice started to clear and sound more loudly the vision dimmed dulled to darkness.
"Such a lust for revenge," it said.
"Who? Who what?" Gray Joy stammered in the darkness
"Who?" the voice asked softly, he felt the voice was familiar but was sure he'd never really heard it before.
"Gray-" he tried to reply.
"WHOOOOOO" the voice screamed so loudly Gray Joy wanted to cover his ears with his hooves but his body still wouldn't move.
"What have you done?" another strangely familiar voice demanded shortly. "You can't be here!" it declared.
"Turn back, stranger," yet another voice warned deeply. "Turn back before it's too late," the voice added dangerously.
Gray felt as if something were grabbing him in the darkness, and all the voices fell away. It was dark and bone-chillingly cold now. This feeling was not like hooves at all, more like an ocean of swamp muck trying to swallow him whole. As he tried to pull away, he felt his heart racing but he only grew colder even as his heart pumped fiercely, and he could feel a panic in his body. As if his heart racing only made the cold spread, growing more intense. Then a vast lidless eye fixed on him. He felt himself lock into place as if he were frozen, a fear like nothing he'd ever felt in his entire life. Then another eye seemed to appear, another, yet another, and still more opened. Soon all he could see were eyes in a sea of darkness, all fixed on him… unblinking and cold. The achingly cold darkness threatened to pull him deeper. He tried to scream. The silence seemed to echo around him even as his breath erupted in an icy wisp of mist from his lips and his body shivered. It was as if his words froze in his throat. Only the heat of his breath escaped. Just as the thick ocean of darkness reached his flank, he jolted awake.
The stallion's hooves pulled back cautiously as he looked at Gray Joy. "Hey... buddy," the gruff stallion said with a look of awkward concern. "We're uh… we're here," he said softly. "And uh…you were making some pretty weird noises. So I…"
"He came to get me," said a cool, soothing voice that seemed to come from the back of the carriage. Soon the Zebra came into view, smiling. "Thank you, my good sir," she said coolly, reaching up to drop a few more bits into the gruff stallion's hoof. "I'll take him from here, Mister Pliskin," she added calmly. Then she turned and took Gray's hoof. "Come now son," she said pulling him gently.
Gray was still a little shaken and pale, his body a bit sweaty as he swallowed dryly and nodded, shaking as he took his mother's hoof and moved off the carriage.
Pliskin hitched himself back up. Then with a cautious look back at Gray and the Zebra, he nodded and rushed off. Making a big u-turn and starting back toward Canterlot.
As Gray watched the stallion race away, he caught his breath and looked to his mother.
"Mom," he said a little shakily. Looking at his hoof in hers and immediately his body seemed to come under control. And his breathing steadied. "I'm glad I'm back here." He looked at his mother with a mild concern in his eyes. "I think I may have found a cursed book in the Canterlot library."
His mother gave him a careful look of inspection. Then she grinned "A cursed book you say?" She seemed to get an excited look in her eyes and started to pull Gray Joy along toward her home. "Well, it sounds like we might have more fun than I expected," She says playfully. "Well," she said, pulling away and trotting down her front walk. "Come on lazy bones," she said gently, smiling brightly as she stopped and turned in her door. "The critters have been missing you," she added as she rushed inside and pushed the door closed, barely catching the sounds of meowing from inside.
Gray chuckles softly and moves to follow her. Not surprised she was excited by the news. "Mother always did love any excuse to use her potions, powders, and magic," he said aloud to no one.
He hurried along to the door and pressed a hoof to the door.
"Turn back, stranger. Turn back before it's too late."
The words echoed in his mind. Making him pause in place. He closed his eyes, as he inhaled deeply, steadying himself. Finally, after a moment, he opened his eyes with a new determination. "Mom, Get your stuff ready. We need to check this book for magic," he said calmly as he pushed inside and closed the door behind him.
"At least retirement… promises not to be boring," he mused with a grin.
“What devilry is this?!" The unfamiliar voice spat in disgust and before he could see what the strange pony's eyes were fixed on, the vision went black.
He was lost again. When the dark faded, his eyes were lower. On the ground now, he was in a room this time, a castle he’d never stood in before. The brim of a large hat obscuring his vision as voices sounded around him. It was distant, hazy, muffled, like trying to listen from far away.
“A spell…” someone nearby said… or maybe it was from the pony whose eyes he was seeing through. The conversation was choppy but he tried to concentrate to make out was was being said and suddenly a soft whisper started to sound. So soft at first he wasn’t sure if it was real. Then as the voice started to clear and sound more loudly the vision dimmed dulled to darkness. “Such a lust for revenge,” it said.
“Who? Who what?” Gray Joy stammered in the darkness
“Who?” the voice asked softly, he felt the voice was familiar, but was sure he’d never really heard it before.
“Gray-” he tried to reply.
“WHOOOOOO” the voice screamed so loudly Gray Joy wanted to cover his ears with his hooves but his body still wouldn’t move.
“What have you done?” another strangely familiar voice demanded shortly. “You can’t be here!” it declared.
“Turn back, stranger,” yet another voice warned deeply. “Turn back before it’s too late,” the voice added dangerously.
Gray felt as if something were grabbing him in the darkness, and all the voices fell away. It was dark and bone chillingly cold now. This feeling was not like hooves at all, more like an ocean of swamp muck trying to swallow him whole. As he tried to pull away, he felt his heart racing but he only grew colder even as his heart pumped fiercely, and he could feel a panic in his body. As if his heart racing only made the cold spread, growing more intense. Then a vast lidless eye fixed on him. He felt himself lock into place as if he were frozen, a fear like nothing he’d ever felt in his entire life. Then another eye seemed to appear, another, yet another, and still more opened. Soon all he could see were eyes in a sea of darkness, all fixed on him… unblinking and cold. The achingly cold darkness threatened to pull him deeper. He tried to scream. Silence seemed to echo around him even as his breath erupted in an icy wisp of mist from his lips and his body shivered. It was as if his words froze in his throat. Only the heat of his breath escaped. Just as the thick ocean of darkness reached his flank, he jolted awake.
The stallion's hooves pulled back cautiously as he looked at Gray Joy. “Hey... buddy,” the gruff stallion said with a look of awkward concern. “We’re uh… we’re here,” he said softly. “And uh…you were making some pretty weird noises. So I…”
“He came to get me,” said a cool, soothing voice that seemed to come from the back of the carriage. Soon the Zebra came into view, smiling. “Thank you, my good sir,” she said coolly, reaching up to drop a few more bits into the gruff stallion's hoof. “I’ll take him from here, Mister Pliskin,” she added calmly. Then she turned and took Gray’s hoof. “Come now son,” she said pulling him gently.
Gray was still a little shaken and pale, his body a bit sweaty as he swallowed dryly and nodded, shaking as he took his mother’s hoof and moved off the carriage.
Pliskin hitched himself back up. Then with a cautious look back at Gray and the Zebra, he nodded and rushed off. Making a big u-turn and starting back toward Canterlot.
As Gray watched the stallion race away, he caught his breath and looked to his mother.
“Mom,” he said a little shakily. Looking at his hoof in hers and immediately his body seemed to come under control. And his breathing steadied. “I’m glad I’m back here.” He looked at his mother with a mild concern in his eyes. “I think I may have found a cursed book in the Canterlot library.”
His mother gave him a careful look of inspection. Then she grinned “A cursed book you say?” She seemed to get an excited look in her eyes and started to pull Gray Joy along toward her home. “Well it sounds like we might have more fun than I expected,” She says playfully. “Well,” she said, pulling away and trotting down her front walk. “Come on lazy bones,” she said gently, smiling bright as she stopped and turned in her door. “The critters have been missing you,” she added as she rushed inside and pushed the door closed, barely catching the sounds of meowing from inside.
Gray chuckles softly and moves to follow her. Not surprised she was excited by the news. “Mother always did love any excuse to use her potions, powders, and magic,” he said aloud to no one.
He hurried along to the door and pressed a hoof against it.
“Turn back, stranger. Turn back before it’s too late.”
The words echoed in his mind. Making him pause in place. He closed his eyes, as he inhaled deeply, steadying himself. Finally, after a moment, he opened his eyes with a new determination. “Mom, Get your stuff ready. We need to check this book for magic,” he said calmly as he pushed inside and closed the door behind him.
“At least retirement… promises not to be boring,” he mused with a grin.