//------------------------------// // Chapter One: The Human // Story: Ticket to Ride // by CursedJeans //------------------------------// I'm in the airport. Sitting at the gate now. I hit the send button on my text message before pocketing my phone. Given the time difference, my parents would probably see it in a couple of hours when they woke up. My mouth stretched open in a yawn. Ugh. Why did the flight have to be so early in the morning? The sounds of other commuters filled the air, occasionally interrupted by the station wide broadcast system. I was sitting in the waiting area of my departure gate in Heathrow airport, waiting for my return flight home. Both of my carry-on bags rested between my legs; a suitcase with a little Union Jack luggage tag, and my backpack. I smirked, giving the tag a flick and making it flop to the other side of the handle. Six weeks in London studying abroad. I wish i could have had some more time here. How often do I get to travel to England anyway? Maybe I should have joined the few other classmates who were heading to France rather than going home right away. It was only mid-summer after all. I sighed, but that would cost more money, and I had already spent plenty living here. No, I had to go back, too late to change my ticket anyway. I looked back at the electric display behind the desk where the attendant's call everyone for boarding. Departure time: 8:10 am, on time. An hour left then. This was good. I didn't need a repeat of the horror show coming here was. Delayed six hours, with my suitcase lost in limbo for two days afterwards, no thank you. Looking around, I noticed that most of the other seats in the area were filled with other people. People by themselves or clustered with others who I assumed to be friends or family. I did some mental math. I looked like it was going to be a full flight. Best use the restroom now then. I leaned down, scoping my backpack up and shifting it on before standing up. I shuffled my way out of the crowded benches, offering the occasional "Pardon me." or "'Scuse me." Before long, I was walking down the terminal hall, toward where I kind of remembered a bathroom to be. I should enjoy the walk, I would be doing much more of it for a while. A rumbling sound came from above me. It was different than the usual rumbling of plane engines. I frowned looking, up. I was in a section with a glass roof. Through it, I saw some clouds, with bits of dawn sky showing in thin patches. Odd, I didn't see any thunderstorms in the forecast. The last thing I saw before I was completely blinded, was a bolt of white light spearing down. I couldn't describe what happened next. There was light. There was no sound. I felt my body felt like I was being pushed together and pulled apart simultaneously. Sensations of hot and cold washed over me, but there was no pain. By the time these thoughts passed, it was over, and I was still standing. I blinked. I drew in a breath. Was that lightning? I blinked again. I thought lightning was suppose to hurt. I blinked again. Did the skylight look different? A female voice chimed in front of me "A very impressive Miss Jubilee, but that is not the purpose of this test." I looked down. I was in what looked to be an auditorium. Rows of orange seats were flanked by two sets of stairs. At the top stood four... horses? My brain roughly shifted gears. No, that didn't make sense. Horses don't look like that. These ones were smaller and weirdly shaped. they were in colors that I had never seen a horse in before. One had it's hair tied into a bun. Another had a beard and mustache. Dear God, their eyes were huge. From their elevated position, I couldn't tell how tall they were. Hair-bun held a clip board to it's face. The same female voice from before came out of it's mouth. "You were suppose to change the flower's color from red to blue." My mouth fell open. That thing had just spoken English. "Please transform the flower pot back, and we will try again." Flower pot? What the hell was she talking about? What was happening? Another voice popped up beside me. "I... I didn't do that." The voice was also female, but higher pitched. I twisted my neck. There was no one next to me; not until I looked down. Another... pony, I guessed. This one was tiny. The top of her head looked like it would reach just below my knee. Her fur a a shiny, silvery pink. which matched her platinum mane. Her eyes were startlingly blue, She was crouched, as though trying to back away, She froze, around three feet away from me, when I looked at her. Her breathing hitched, her pupils shrunk. Not just that, here entire iris shrunk too. The seconds that we stared at each other seemed to last far longer than that. She must only be a kid. On her head sat a short, horn. A unicorn kid. "This isn't your spell?" Hair-bun asked. I didn't look at her. I was distracted as the child's body began to shake. She bit her lip, shaking her head slightly so that her eyes never left mine. I finally got it. She was terrified, of me. "Then... Oh Celestia. Guards!" Hair-bun's voice, reverberating in the small auditorium. "There's an unknown creature in the test room! Guards!" From behind the kid, a door opened revealing more adult ponies. These two were the largest I've seen so far. Their coats were a pure white, which would have made them stand out already if they weren't also wearing gold armor. A part of my mine had the time to notice that the armor's design resembled that of a roman soldier even with blue plumes on top. Another part wondered if the armor was real gold, and how impractical it would be if it was. The rest was panicly trying to think of a way to explain what was going on; that I was lost and confused, and could you please help me figure out what was happening. The guards looked at the kid, and then at me. The look they gave me showed no sign of friendliness. They quickly moved into the room. Crap, I spun away from them, nearly tripping, as my legs collided with my forgotten luggage. I stumbled, casting a fleeting glance back before I continued running. I didn't want to leave it, but it would slow me down now. Luckily, there was another door directly across the from from the one that the guards entered. I reached it, gripping the handle and pulling it open. An immediate glance showed me that there were no guards on this side and that it lead to a hall with multiple branching paths. I stepped through the door. Only to be pulled back as something grabbed hold of my backpack. Thinking quickly, I twisted my arms so that the straps fell easily away. I heard a surprised grunt, along with the clatter of armor as my would-be captor fell away from me. A fleeting feeling of triumph surged through me, but it couldn't slow down. I raced down the hall, picking the second one on the left. I had to get out of here, wherever 'here' was. Once I was out, maybe I could bide my time and work something out. But until then, I had to keep moving. I'm sure that I'll find the exit soon, after all how big can this place be? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Left. Down some stairs. Left. Right. Down more stairs. Left. Right. Right. Where was the exit in this place? I had been running for quite awhile. My lungs were burning, and my heart was pounding in my ears. I had lost all track of which direction was which by this point. For all I knew, i could have accidentally doubled back and was heading for that auditorium again. I was lost, tired, and considered hostile in a foreign land. All and all, a terrible situation to be in.  Maybe I should stop and try to reason with them. “Don’t let it get away!” Rose a cry from behind. I gritted my teeth. I guess that’s off the table. I urged my legs to move a bit faster.  The hallway I was in ended in a left turn. I reached out, gripping the inner column and swinging my body in a tight arc. My shoulder ached, but I managed to keep my momentum. I quickly scanned my new route. The hallway was long, lined with pictures, and decorative furniture. A lone pony in what looked like maid attire, stood nearly twenty feet away. A feather duster clutched in its mouth. No hallways split from this one. The only exit was a large double door at the far end, about 100 feet or so. The maid was already facing me when I rounded the corner; probably drawn by the commotion of myself and my pursuers. It’s eyes went wide, and the feather duster fell from its mouth as I charged ahead. I  was nearly on top of it when it snapped out of its daze and it pressed itself against the wall; cowering away from me. I kept running. I was glad that these creatures were scared of me, choosing to duck or hide rather than try to stop me. It’s kept me from getting cornered so far.   Then again, fear of me is what started this mess. “It’s heading for the main hall!” Came the voice from behind. Louder this time. I was losing ground, but new hope surged within me. If they knew I could understand them, they wouldn’t have revealed that I was on the right track. A main hall meant a main door, a main exit I could. I pushed harder, and before I knew it, the cool door handle was in my grasp. I shoved the door open, giving silent thanks that it wasn’t a pull. Without turning around, I pushed it shut creating a loud boom that reverberated in this new space. My gaze swept over the room. I was on the second level of what looked to be a grand hall. To my left was a rather large entryway, to my right, a wide stairway leading down. I could see the top of more arched entryways at the bottom of the stairs. Some sunlight was streaming in from that side, casting a warm glow that filled the room. I grinned moving towards the stairs. I had made it. A few steps and I’d be in the open. Afterwards, I could hide and figure out what to do then.  The sound of cracking wood came from behind me. Against my better judgment, I turned.  Three of the pony soldiers stood in the doorway I had just come through. Both doors were swinging wide. In front, head bowed, stood one of the guards. Behind him two more were moving to flank into the chamber. Splinters littered the space between them and me. I locked eyes with one of them.  They had rammed the door. Terror like nothing I felt before seized me. I had to get away. I turned back, right into another pony guard coming up the stairs.  His surprised expression was all I saw before I ran full-force into him, pushing us both up and over the first few steps. Everything started spinning as we tumbled downwards. Pain, limbs, glints of gold, sounds of crashing metal and strained grunts filled my world. My teeth clacked violently when my jaw was struck by a flailing hoof. I felt my foot come into contact with something and I heard a pained grunt. After a few seconds of traded blows and flailing limbs, I came down hard on my side, falling away from the guard. Shakely, I shifted to my hands and knees. My head was ringing, and the room felt like it was still spinning. Shifting my hand wider I nearly lost balance again as my fingers dropped through the floor, only to whack into a solid surface a beat later. Looking, I saw that the ground hadn’t disappeared, I was on what looked to be a landing with my hand resting on the next set of steps down. The sunlight from this angle shone even brighter. Promising warmth and safety. The rustling of metal on metal brought me back. I swung my head around, the soldier I had a tumble with had regained his footing. He had landed much closer to the stairs leading up, and he looked mad. He glared at me, pawing the ground. He wasn’t doing what I think he’s doing is he?  With a snort, he lunged at me. That crazy horse was bull rushing me! I turned towards him, trying to get both feet under me, but he closed the distance much faster than I thought possible.  His head hit me in the dead center of my ribcage. I gasped, the air suddenly robbed from my lungs. The floor gave way to air as he shoved me over the threshold. I scrambled to grab him, hoping to pull myself back. My hands locked in The gaps of his plate armor, one grabbing the back of his helmet, the other on a gap where I guessed his shoulders would be.  He struggled, wiping his head back and forth in an effort to dislodge me, but I held firm as I started to fall. I felt a grim satisfaction as my weight pulled him down with me, and we began our tumble anew.  We separated after the first blow. I could hear the cacophony of metal clanging as both of us tumbled. Knees, elbows, nothing was spared on my end. After a few more seconds and it was over.  I lay flat on my back, staring at the ornate ceiling above. Everything hurt. I could taste blood. I licked my lips, my lower one had split at some point. My head listed to one side. The arches were in front of me now, their golden sunlight warming my face. It felt nice.There it was, a smile tugged at my lips. I had made it The sound of rustling and moaning caught my attention. Lifting my head. I could see the guard slowly rising to his feet. Or hoofs in this case. He looked rough, his movements were a lot more shaky than before. He was facing away from me, but he slowly began to turn. Where’d his helmet go?  A stock of gold mane fell over his eye; his gaze was unfocused and wandering. He eventually spotted me, and he continued turning until he was fully facing me. His breathing was heavy. Mine too. I propped myself up on my elbows. His hoof unsteadily lifted, and came down. I recognized it instantly. I shook my head, silently begging him not to do it.  His brow furrowed, and he paused. Yes. That’s it. Just let me go. He shook his head, as if clearing his mind. When he looked up again, there was no more hesitation in his eyes, only a dreadful resolve. The pit of my stomach fell away. He began pawing once again. I shuffled back on my elbows, desperate to get away. My arm came into contact with something. It was the soldier’s helmet. Casting a glance back, I saw the pony rear up and charged.  I twisted, picking the helmet up in one hand and swung in a backhand arc, hard. The helmet hit the pony’s head with a dull ‘crunk.’ The pony stumbled, and fell sliding to a stop beside me. His legs fell still. It’s eyes were closed.   Oh God. I let go of the helmet. Oh no. I stopped breathing. Did I just… no…  My heart was pounding in my ears. I felt like throwing up, but my throat was pinched tight. It was self-defense. I didn’t mean to hit him that hard. I just… oh God. Did I just become a murderer? Did I just kill another sentient being? My stomach did another somersault. Tears were beginning to well in my eyes as I stared at his face.  A flutter of movement caught my eye and I looked down at the pony’s chest. It slowly rose, then fell, then rose again in steady breathing.  I watched his chest cycle again before I let out a shuddering breath. He’s alive, thank God.  “Guard down!” “Get it!”  Relief was quickly replaced by panic, and the voices of several angry guard ponies reached my ears. I scrambled past the unconscious guard rising to my feet. My knee cried in protest and I stumbled. I tried righting myself, but a shove from behind sent me face down onto the floor. A weight pressed into my back. I struggled to lift myself. “Restrain it. You, check on the private.”  I pushed against the guard, trying to move his hoof off of the center of my back. I could still slip through. More and more weight was being added as I continued to squirm and writhe. “Hold it down.” More weights presses into my legs, my hips, and my shoulders. My right arm was trapped beneath me, but my left was still free. I grasped at the ground, reaching for the entryway. Suddenly, an invisible force grabbed it, splaying my fingers wide as my entire arm was pressed into the ground. “Get some rope.” “No!” I barely recognized my own voice, as I cried. “No! No! No! No! No!” I kept on repeating that word, pouring as much emotion as I could. It couldn’t end like this, not like this. “Sir. It’s talking.” The same voice from earlier stated. They seemed to pause, my screams filling the air.  “Gag it.”  I kept shouting, even as a rope made my words unintelligible. As I felt the cords beginning to loop around my legs, tears wet my cheeks. Lying there in the sunlight, my face was warm. It reminded me of home.