Somewhere between my third and fourth bout of crippling depression, I came up with a plan to occupy myself as I walked. I would follow the roadway I had followed into town and keep walking until I found somepony, anypony at all. This meant that I was going to have to trot back through town at night seeing as my mindless trotting had lead me back to the spot where I had originally shown up. I'm not a filly, but the dark just made everything worse for me. I hated the dark and I hated it even more in a place like this.
Any chances of me finding a safe place to bed down for the night were starting to dwindle to nothing the more I walked. I couldn't fly, I didn't have a horn for magic to just start a fire, I was just a lonely earth pony with a contraption on her leg. Wherever I did find to sleep would need to be warm, dry and secluded enough to not draw attention to myself. Even though I had not seen anything out here that could hurt me, that didn't mean there wasn't something out here that could. For all I knew there could be animals here that would love to have a meal out of a pony like me.
I walked for what felt like an eternity before my Cuff beeped and nearly sent me flying over the edge of an overpass I was crossing. I sat down beside the barrier and rested my back against it, looking out over the large canyon the highway had made in my hometown towards the setting sun. Given any other situation, this would be a beautiful place to spend my time, just sitting and watching. The sun painted the green world in shades of orange and gold as it sank in the sky, casting long shadows from the tall buildings into the alleyways like deep pools of water. It was, in every sense of the word, beautiful. My hoof tapped the new message and I rested my hooves in my lap while I listened along.
"Dingy... We have been looking over the data from your jump and we think we know what happened. Quantum physics is either all or nothing and in this case, nothing is what we did. We know that you are not ten years in the future, but we are not sure when you are just yet. For all we know you are thousands of years away from us. I know you are a clever girl, I expect you have already figured that out on your own with the Bio Scanner. It wouldn't take much for somepony to figure it out by accident." Her words felt hollow, as if she was just going through the motions, same as me. She sounded like she had been over exerting herself to try and undo this mistake they had made, sounding tired and weary from the work.
"Dingy, we have a plan to try and set up some form of communication between us. If it works then it can serve as a test case for us to get you back home, but... But it might take as long as a few days before we are ready to try it. Just know we are doing everything to get you back here safe and sound. The other departments have halted their projects until we get you back home, they are working side by side with us on this.
Jet is taking it personally, she feels like it is all her fault, she said that she must have messed something up. I tried to tell the poor mare that there was nothing she could have done to avoid it, but she isn't listening to anypony. She's been doubling her dose of Equaal for the last few hours to try to get her energy back up to try and reverse the spell. Dingy, if you are out there, somewhere, sometime... Please keep trying to bring yourself back. Cast the spell once a day to let us know you are OK. For now, that is the only way we can see you on our scanners. Hang in there girl, we will get you back, I promise."
The transmission ended with a beep, taking me back to the home screen. I had not expected for the sound of Egress' voice to have such an effect on me. I felt bad for her, sure I was the one dying out here, but she was the one trying to reverse all of this mess. Somehow knowing that there were ponies out there in the time loop that were missing me and worried made me feel something. It made me feel like I wasn't alone, like they were counting on me to make it through all of this. I felt like I had to be brave and stick it out. In fact, the only thing I was worried about in this moment was having to cast that spell once a day.
The first time had nearly killed me just from the pain alone, I didn't suffer any injuries that I knew of, but the trauma from the pain was more than enough to make me never want to do it again. If I had to do it over and over again, I could only imagine what mental trauma that would bring me atop my already growing anxiety. But that wasn't something I needed to be worrying about now, It was getting dark and the only place I could see that was safe enough to bed down was on top of a building. It wasn't far, but it was going to be a hike to the top. Even from here I could tell it was the remains of the old Spark building. How ironic.
I began my trot down the freeway overpass towards the town center to find a way up. From there I might be able to see a way to get on the highway, because from where I was sitting, all the on ramps had either collapsed or looked ready to fall in. If nothing else I could have a good night's rest knowing there was only one way in and one way out... at least from what I could see. I was already on edge, scared and getting hungry, the last thing I needed was to be sleep deprived. It didn't help that I was seeing flashes of light out of the corners of my eye.
Once more in the town center, I found the lobby of the Spark building in complete ruin. Despite the outside looking sturdy and well weathered from time, the inside was collapsing and covered in foliage. Vines and grass had found any place they could to take purchase for their assault on the invading concrete. It was mother nature's revenge for taking her place everywhere I looked. No matter what door I shoved, pried or kicked open, there was no way to the top. Even the fire escape door had been rusted shut from time. Feeling defeated, I kicked it. Not the smartest move in a six thousand year old building, but I was mad, sue me.
I studied the diagram that was etched into the stone beside the now dented door to see if I could find another way up. Sure enough the little map showed every access point to the stairwell and every door that went into it. All except the one labeled 'Subway Entrance'. That one did not have the 'little quarter of a pie' shaped picture of a door on it. Why couldn't the elevator just work? Why did I have to go down to go up? Why was I here? Why am I such a moron?
"This is just stupid..." I said as I trotted off in frustration.
Feeling defeated, I trotted towards the exit to find the closest subway entrance so I could get to the top of this stupid building. I don't even know why I'm trying so hard to get up there! What was I going to see that I couldn't from the overpass? I had told myself it was a safe place to sleep, but was it? At this point I felt that frustration of failure was driving me to do something right, like I wanted a win or something. They did train us that sometimes a small victory can win a war, maybe I wanted this for nothing more than motivation.
Luckily for me the subway entrance was right outside the building. I guess that important ponies got to use the front entrance, but all us commoners had to take the stairs. Looking down into the dark hole that I was about to explore, I took a big swallow and noticed just how dry my throat was. I scanned through my Cuff's menu and looked everywhere for a light function but found nothing.
"This Cuff can do anything!" I said sarcastically. "Why don't you have a flashlight! You can scan things and tell me how old they are but you can't light up!? Just... Give me... A Damn... FLASHLIGHT!" I spoke through gritted teeth and was promptly blinded by the light coming off the bezel. Light was emitting from the click dial like it was staring straight into the sun with a bright light blue hue. "Thanks..." I mumbled as I rubbed my eyes.
Great, I had a light, but now I am blind. I aimed my leg down the stairs and saw that water had pooled at the bottom in a thick green mass like an old pond. Ew. With every bit of repulsion I had, I held my breath and started down the stairs and into the old subway. The water was cold, soupy and filled with dead and decaying plant matter but looked to have been undisturbed for as long as it has been here. If I were a monster of some sort, this is where I would hide. Once fully inside, I began navigating towards the wall where I had guessed the stairs would be. Everywhere I looked there was graffiti, peeling and chipping paint and missing tiles.
It looked like whoever had painted this defiantly had an ax to grind against the world. The lines were sharp and angry in nature, but looked to have been well done with intent and purpose. I held my Cuff up to the wall opposite the tracks to see it fully. 'You Are Not Profits' had been sprayed heavily over the Spark Industries banner that still read 'Spark, profits for a magical tomorrow!'. Part of my rebel self that was still deep down inside of me applauded the artist for defacing such a brash statement. But a larger part of me felt for them. This had to have been done not long after everything fell apart. This was right outside the front door to Spark, they wouldn't leave that for everypony to see. Did they know it was coming, whatever it was? Were they suffering? What had happened here!?
My brain scrambled for answers. Any hope that this was simply a localized project to bring nature back was quickly fading and being replaced with a global catastrophic event. I hopped the turnstile to the guard shack and splashed down into the muck below and looked up the stairs I had come to find. The sound of my hooves echoed off the long tunnel behind me as I stepped out of the water and tried to dry off with my hooves. Then I heard another splash, and another. I felt my blood run cold as I spun in place and pointed my Cuff back to where I had just come from.
Ripples were bouncing off the walls behind me, large swirls began to grow and search out through the pool I had just trotted through. I felt a shiver run over my coat as I watched in horror as a head floated to the surface. No eyes, no ears and a long snout with a nose that stuck out like a giant red bulb on a stick. It looked like a rat that had been crossed with an alligator. The grotesque creature was sniffing the air like it was looking for something tasty that had just passed by it.
Slowly, I began climbing the stairs backwards, trying to not make a sound as I did so. With one last look, I saw its blackened teeth shimmer with reflections of light as it started tasting the air with its tongue, lapping it side to side to try and find my scent trail. Ok, Dingy, that's enough looking, time to get the hell out of here. As soon as I rounded the corner, I swiftly and quietly ran up the stairs to a set of double doors. It was the access to the sky bridge that would take me to Spark and it crossed right over the subway terminal. I leaned into the doors and mercifully they gave way, opening nearly freely with just a small groan in protest.
As soon as my tail cleared the doorway, I scrambled for the lock to close them off indefinitely, I wasn't even going to think about going back that way. In fact, I wanted to forget I had even come that way at all! With the door locked, and feeling a little safer, I walked to one of the broken out windows and looked down. The creatures were swimming in circles in the middle of the pool where I had paused to read the writing on the wall. How had I been so reckless? I had no clue what was down in that mess and I trotted in anyway! There were nearly a dozen of those things down there, I wouldn't have stood a chance!
I watched as one of them began sniffing the air again and pointed their nose right at me. From the stairs they looked small, but up here I could fully see just how big they were. They were at least as long as I was and had wide flat looking bodies that looked more fluid than solid. The creature began popping its teeth in the air, swaying its head side to side looking for the source of the sent. As soon as it did so, the rest joined in with it, turning the tunnel into a cacophony of snaps and pops until one set of jaws found purchase on another. Shirking echoed off the walls, making me cover my ears as one of the beast's jaws latched onto the head of another and began shaking violently. I did all I could not to retch as the blood flowed.
Below me the waters boiled and began turning red as the rest honed in on the source of food they had just found. As quickly as it had begun, it was over. They left nothing behind, absolutely nothing. No bones, no hair... just bloody water that they were still chomping at as I tore myself away from the window. Horrified was not the word I could use for what I had just seen. There was not a word powerful enough that I could use to describe it. No matter how I tried, I could not get the vision of the scene out of my head. That could have been me! I could have died right then and there!
What was it about a near brush with death that always resulted in my brain running away with itself in such a way to put me in the worst position possible? I guess it was my body's natural response to pain and fear by trying to kill itself. Leaving the terrifying subway behind was easy enough, but the impression it made was going to stick with me for a long time to come. I was worried there was something more to this place than just birds and trees, I was scared there could be something else out there that could do me harm. This was just the tip of the iceberg, I could feel it.
Suddenly, all that aggravation that lead me here was starting to feel more and more validated. Sure, it was scary down there, but what other creepy things were about to stir when the night came. I came to the same door I had been trying to kick in after several flights of stairs. I had only managed to break the seal of rust with a few cracks from my violence, I would have never gotten it to open judging by the thick layer of corrosion. I was about to start my way up to the top floor when a blue light caught my attention from the corner of my eye. I had been seeing them since I got here and just thought it was my imagination playing tricks on me, but this time I actually caught sight of the source.
Far off through the wire enforced window I was peering through, I could just make out a blue fog drifting through the hallway and into another room. I rubbed the fog covered glass to try and get a better look, but by the time I could focus in on it, it was gone. A cold chill washed over me as the eerie shape of a pony came to mind from my brief glance I had at it. Ghosts are not real, they can't be real! If they were there would be thousands of the damn things. It had to be something else, some sort of discharge or gas, not ghosts.
I shook my head and steadied myself against the cold concrete wall. I was just seeing things, all those blue flashes of light out of the corner of my eyes were just some gas or something... You're ok, Dingy... Nothing to worry about! I pressed on up the stairs, thanking my lucky stars that the magical lighting was still gathering power from some unknown source to light my way. The dim amber glow felt comforting as did the steady increase in temperature as I climbed higher and higher. Down below the air was heavy, moist and acrid smelling, but up here it was warm and inviting by comparison.
With every passing floor I would stop and peer into the various hallways that were visible from the emergency doors, hoping to catch another glimpse of what I had seen in the lobby. But to no avail, as each passing door simply showed more empty hallways and debris strewn across the floor. When I had finally found the door labeled 'Roof Access' I was nearly drenched in sweat from the heat and physical effort. Mercifully, this door was free of corrosion and opened easily, but what I had not expected was the view I was gifted with.
The sun had been setting when I entered the subway and it had taken sometime to scale the nearly forty floors of the old building that by the time I got here, it was night time. But you could barely tell it for the bright shining stars and full lit moon that painted my world in a deep purple glow. Stars... I had not seen them like this in my entire life! They were so bright and big that my eyes had to squint just to see them properly. I was awestruck, star struck even, just gazing pointlessly into the sky to try and take it all in at once. It was so dark I could even see the bands of the galaxy beyond the stars, something I had only read about in textbooks back at university.
The door closed behind me, making me jump in place and duck behind a tree limb that had somehow found its way up here. Looking back I saw nothing but the door and the pains of glass to the top floor suite that the ceo or some other high ranking pony used to occupy. Only one pane of glass was accessible from the rooftop while the rest wrapped around the building in a large band to view the outside world. It was the only room on this floor, a room all to itself for the owner or operator of the company. Sounds like the perfect place to stay the night to me.
I looked all over the roof for something to break the glass with, but short of the log I hid behind, I found nothing. Briefly, I thought about using the cuff to break the glass open but with it being my only lifeline, that thought was thrown out quickly. I even went back down through the fire escape to look for a door or a way up from the floors below, but came up with nothing. Even the rooms were empty of anything useful I could use to break the glass open. Defeated once more, I made for the stairs when I saw a red box with a fire extinguisher in it.
Maybe this could work, It was big and heavy enough, maybe I could use it to bust through the window if I threw it hard enough. Back on the rooftop, I planned out my attack. I remember seeing videos on the internet where ponies would try to break windows with hammers but they wouldn't budge, but when they threw something small and sharp at them they would break right open. Maybe if I hit it just right on the corner or something it would break the glass.
With my best pitch, I threw the large cylinder at the glass and watched it bounce off repeatedly. After several attempts, I had done little more than tire myself out completely. I was tired, I stunk to high heaven and I was starving by this point, I was done with failing over and over again. I just wanted to have a safe place to sleep! In frustration I pulled the pin and began spraying the extinguisher wildly at the glass. The thick fog roared out and began coating the glass in a thin layer of frost, freezing it on contact.
"Take that you stupid window!" I screamed as the extinguisher huffed out its dying breath of fog. I threw the empty canister at the glass and turned to walk away and was shocked to hear the sound of exploding glass shower across the ground. I turned back and saw that I had blasted a giant hole in the window that was now crumbling into tiny pieces. "That works..."
The office space was clean and dry despite the years of absence of maintenance. A warm, soft carpet welcomed my aching hooves as I stepped inside through a haze of co2 and into a safe place to sleep. Finally, I set out to do something and it went right! I needed this, I needed a small victory to win the war over my own anxiety. The spacious room was beautiful, but made of rare woods and stone, it tore at my gut to know I would be sleeping in a monument to the rape of the natural world. Even still, after what I had seen in the subway, I couldn't chance sleeping outside. If nothing else, I could justify that they gave their lives to protect mine somehow.
It was convoluted, but it gave me comfort. On the far wall hung a tapestry that had been made of the solar system with various constellations in it like a giant painting. With a swift tug I sent it crumpling to the ground and dragged it triumphantly to the corner near the window. As scared as I was, I was doing my best to keep myself busy to distract myself from another panic attack. I used my little remaining nervous energy to ransack the place for anything useful, but I came up very short hoofed. Apart from half of a pack of matches and a magnifying glass, the large blanket was all I found.
You would think this place would have more to offer than that, but you would be wrong. Every room I had seen had been cleared out long ago judging by the thick layers of dust I was seeing and sneezing at. I was hoping for a bag or something to carry things in, but I was S.O.L as the colts say. Apart from ripping up my new found blanket and making one, I would have to carry anything I found on me for the time being. I was not about to tear this thing up for that, it was way too pretty. I was even considering trying to bring it back home with me the next time I tried to fire off the spell.
Who was I kidding... I was never getting out of here. I curled up under the tapestry and took note of the moldy smell it gave off and I rooted my way under it. It was mild but still foul smelling, but it would have to do. With just my nose poking out from under it, I looked out over the landscape and tried to imagine what this place looked like before the haze had taken over the skies. I bet from way up here, whoever watched over this office could see above it all. I bet they could see for miles and miles while their factories belched out thick plumes of smog and soot into the air. They didn't deserve this view, I didn't even deserve to see something this pure and wholesome.
I was just about to doze off when my Cuff chirped and began pulsing slowly. Another message from Egress had just been uploaded to my Cuff. An update maybe? Maybe they had figured out how to get me home sooner! I booped the link with my nose and listened to the audio play from beneath the safety of my blanket.
"Dingy, Jet here." This was new. The stern voice of a determined sounding mare filled my ears and nearly made me stand to attention. "Egress finally went to sleep, she's been awake far too long to be productive any longer. I wanted you to know that I'm sorry that this happened to you. I can't help but blame myself for this, I wanted this to work so badly and I was excited to see it through... I guess none of that matters now, just excuses in the wind for all it's worth.
I have been working my tail off to undo this disaster I caused. I want you to know that I will do anything to get you back here, even if it means swapping places with you. You didn't sign up for this, you don't deserve this to happen to you. If anypony does, it's me. I should have never pushed for a live trial so quickly after the last incident. But regret is worthless to productivity, I will figure this out.
Sappiness aside, I nearly have a link established with your Cuff but I am going to need your help to see if it works. Dingy, this could take some time to get working right. You have to help me, help you, as cliche' as it sounds. You and I are going to try an experiment. I know you are somewhere between year 6309 and 6301. I just figured as much out an hour ago. I'm going to place an object that you will need to install onto your Cuff on the 30th floor, room 319 behind a wall panel in the Spark building. I don't know how yet, but I will find a way for you to notice it in a way only you would.
Find it and follow the instructions. I know you are somewhere near the Spark building, I can only hope that it is still standing. When it's light enough to see, go there and find it. All of our models show that there are scant traces of pony life in that time period so you should have an easy job ahead of you. If this works, try to send a message to the provided address. You can do it Dingy, I believe in you. Jet out."
It was sobering hearing her voice in such a way, she seemed to be a sweet mare and all, but this was full on military level constitution she was showing off. As much as I wanted to run to the 30th floor, there was no way I was going to do it in the pitch black. My senses were already starting to go on edge from my surroundings, it was just too dangerous to go now. So with a promise that I would go first thing in the morning, I curled up under my blanket and tried to get comfortable. Never before did I think I would have so much trouble sleeping before, but the brightness of the moon was actually keeping me awake. It was like the entire room was glowing, casting shadows at random that seemed to almost dance around the tapestry.
I shifted in my place to try and block it out, but it just wouldn't leave my eyes alone. Finally, I decided that I was going to have to move if I was going to get any sleep. I opened my eyes, expecting to see nothing but light coming from the windows, but it wasn't. It was coming from behind me and reflecting off the glass, right into my eyes. In my own reflection I saw a ghostly figure in blue, seeming to float like a bleeding fog hovering right behind me. I froze, refusing to move, but my own body was betraying me with shivers that felt like they were vibrating the very floor I was laying on.
I took in the size of the thing, just slightly larger than I was, no facial features, just the vague shape of a pony hovering in the air. My body screamed for me to run, bolt out the window and back down the stairs. I would take my chances with the damn rat things before I shared a room with a ghost!
I watched in terror as it brought a hoof to touch the blanket I was under, gently running its hoof over my rump with a cold, icy touch that did little to slow my shivering. I could feel its presence behind me, I could feel it's hoof as though it were a strong breeze pushing against my hide. There was no sound, not even from the trees outside as the wind whipped over the rooftop and past the hole in the wall. It was just silence that seemed to become more powerful the closer it came. Just as I was about to scream, panic, run or something equally as stupid, the presence retreated away from me.
It meant me no harm? Was it just looking at me? What was that all about? Fear was replaced with curiosity as I watched it trot away from me, leaving little glowing tracks in its wake that faded away several seconds later. I was about to do something stupid, something reckless... I wanted to know what it was, why it came so close to me and never did me any harm. I slowly stood from my blanketed fortress and turned to face the creature. What did it matter, I was as good as dead anyhow, the least I could do was see what that thing was first.
In a moment of bravery I never thought I had, I stepped towards the being, slowly. My every hoof-step coming down lightly and making small pat sounds on the carpet. It stopped, turned and looked at me from across the room and just... stared at me. It was otherworldly, just a floating haze of a pony that made no sounds, no sudden movements and no gestures. At first I was worried I had made a huge mistake, that I had just signed my own death warrant when it stepped back towards me. But that fear was put to rest when it seemed to sit down not far from me.
"Are you a... A ghost?" I asked in a squeaky tone. Nothing, just more blank stares. "Are you going to hurt me?" I asked again, really hoping for an answer. I was greeted with a simple, but very relieving shake of the head. Oh thank the world, I wasn't going to die. Feeling my heart slow a little, I decided to relax a little. "What are you?" I asked, looking it over carefully.
It was done answering questions. It simply rose, trotted to the hole in the wall and trotted through. Well, I'm not in danger, but this suit needs changed now. I was trying to figure out what to do next when I saw a faint blue hoof motioning for me to follow it. What choice did I have? What did I have to lose? So I got up and followed it outside and into the stairwell. I watched as it floated right through the door and out of sight. I don't know what I expected it to do, but I used the door handle like a normal pony and let myself in.
Just like that, I was on an adventure. As confused as I was, I felt my curiosity carry me forward as we went further and further down before I watched my guide stop, look back at me and disappear through the doorway. Once again, the thing I was following was showing off in the face of a mortal pony. It must be nice to just float around and through things, there would never be a locked door I had to deal with. Inside the hallway, it trotted ahead of me at a fair distance. I still didn't like the idea of being too close to... whatever this thing was, so I was keeping my distance.
It wasn't long before I watched it duck through another doorway before I started putting the puzzle pieces together. I closed the distance and opened the door, but there was nothing there. Whatever I had followed here was gone now and I was all alone again. There was no way for me to prove it, but I could feel that whatever it was that I saw, was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared. But I had a good idea of what it was, or who it was I was following. This was the 30th floor, room 319.
"Egress!? Was that you!?" I shouted, but there was no reply. The silence broke to give way to creaking of an old building, leaving me on edge again.
I looked around the office, it was one of the few that had been left nearly intact from the ravages of time. Apart from a few pictures on the wall, it looked like any other office, albeit not completely empty. Well, I was here, might as well see if that message held any truth to it.
Every moment I searched I learned about Jet a little more. Each picture told a tale that I could only guess the origin of. She was married to a grey looking mare, she had a doctorate in mechanical engineering and she seemed to love hoofball. What worried me more was a framed note that read like a sappy goodbye letter, something from a past relationship maybe... I don't know why, but I folded it into my suit pocket, something spooky from the future. Near the floor was a wooden panel with a leaf carved ornately into it. It was my cutiemark.
Nopony else would have paid any attention to it, but my eyes found it instantly as if it were a picture of me in a crowd. I worked on the panel with my hoof and pried it free, revealing a small box with a note tied with wire to the top of it. Had she placed this here in hopes it would make it to me in the future? If so, they really need to find a way for me to get some food, I was starving. Inside the small container held a small circular metal disk that looked nearly holographic the way it shimmered and made rainbows when the light hit it. I opened the note to find a diagram that explained how to install it under the round screen and how to activate it, followed by a note from Jet herself.
"Dingy, if you are reading this, then I believe you can do this. It's a simple install, just undo the small latches on the bezel and place it in the holostack, you will know it when you see it. Don't forget to activate it! Hang in there, we are going to get you back."
Such encouragement from a pony I barely knew. But she was right, the install was simple. Once open, I saw a collection of disks just like the one I was holding in my hoof. So I did as I was told, placed the disk in and closed the bezel once more. My screen began to glow, the background changed from orange to blueish purple and a new feature was unlocked on the device labeled 'Two Way Massage'. Opening it I found I now had a keyboard on the screen and a little hud that I could type into. So I tried to send a message, might as well try I guess.
'Jet, Egress, whoever reads this. I'm safe. I found a place to sleep for the night. I'm scared, but not hurt. I don't know what to do... I just want to go home. Dingy.'
With a little hoof tap, away it went. Now I had to wait for a reply.
*Message Sent*