//------------------------------// // Reverbarations // Story: Of Moons, Mares and Men // by Electricut //------------------------------// -Earth, approx. One Month Later - My eyes cracked open, after another barely restful night. Groaning, I lifted myself off from my bed, and walked lazily into the kitchen. A pot of coffee was soon set to boil, and I stood before the calendar for a minute. This makes the fortieth day since the lights began, and the planet appeared in our skies. And since then, we’ve discovered jack about any of it. You’d think someone would have a bright idea after all this time… Grumbling to myself, I reached into the cupboard for a box of cereal, tossed it onto the table, then grabbed the milk. I poured some into a fresh cup of coffee, then into the bowl of breakfast cereal. To top off the otherwise fantastically normal morning, I turned on a random episode of Doctor Who to watch while I ate. As I did, I subconsciously made half-brained theories, as I had been the past month and a half. I wonder what kind of time properties the mini-planet has. It’s not really where it appears to be; otherwise our gravity would shift dramatically. No-one wouldn’t feel it. So it’s got to be an imprint. Now, according to Duncan’s theory, it might be coming in from another dimension, or at least another area in space, through a black hole. Or, it could be the same principle as stars, and it’s giving us the image before it actually physically appears… no, wait, that’s not right, stars are visible after the physical stuff happens. That theory doesn’t work; Duncan’s is still more solid. My eyes turned back to the TV. What if it’s just like in Doctor Who? Planets in the sky… Right now, that actually seems like the more likely case. The planet is appearing here, but isn’t all the way here yet. When it does, it will cause all kinds of chaos with our gravitational field and atmosphere. Trouble is, we don’t know what the blasted thing is or where it’s coming from, so it’s nearly impossible to judge when it’s actually going to materialize here. And there are a lot of other pieces of the puzzle that don’t fit yet, either, like why this is happening in the first place, or how the planet was able to cover itself in clouds so quickly. I drank the excess milk from my cereal, and with coffee still in hand, I walked out the door to my car. Bessie raised her head in greeting as I passed, then promptly continued with her morning nap. I climbed into the front seat, started the engine, then stepped back out and opened all the doors to let the hot air rush out. Once it had cooled down enough to operate, I climbed in and started driving towards my actual office downtown. Lately, Damon had been telling all of us to work there as much as possible, so we could compile our results more quickly and easily. I wasn’t complaining either, as the better equipment was there. As I turned the corner, my cell phone rang, and I flipped it open. Damon’s voice came on, and he sounded unusually shaken. “Kurt, where are you? Are you still at home?” “No, I’m in my car, on the way to the lab. I’m about to hit the highway. Why?” “Don’t.” he said immediately. “Just find somewhere with cover, and stay there. The object is coming in. We can’t have more than five minutes. Just find cover, now!” I felt an immediate chill of fear, but nodded. “Alright. Thanks for the heads up.” I clicked the phone shut, and spun the car in a sharp turn down an outer road lined with shops and businesses. I pulled into the first parking lot I could get into, and ran into the small café. “Everyone, take cover!” I yelled, grabbing the attention of the few people sitting in the shop in the morning, and the employee currently running the place. “Just trust me, I’m a scientist. We’re about to have the mother of all earthquakes here! Just get under a table, hold the legs, and try not to clench your teeth, or they’re going to be grinding a lot. Also, might want to finish your drinks.” After giving them this extremely helpful advice, I dove under a table myself, and after a few brief moments of hesitation, the other four in the café followed my lead and took cover. Almost a full minute passed, and just as I could sense the others getting curious and restless, it began. It felt like a roller coaster ride (which I never cared for), like the ground under us had suddenly disappeared, and we were drifting upward before falling. It felt like were tumbling forward, like we were in zero-gravity. For some reason, I imagined when I was little, swinging a basket up in the air by its handle and bringing it down just as quickly, in wonder at how the contents stayed right where they were, and I felt as though I were in that basket. It continued for ages. I felt sick to my stomach from so much motion, but managed to keep it in. That was more than I could say for one of the poor guys in the café with me. Luckily for the rest of us, the mess managed to stay in one general place. I was surprised at how well the building was holding together through all this, but several pieces of wood and drywall did splinter off and fall to the ground around us. Finally, the rocking began to slow, and after several minutes’ wait, it was bearable enough that we were able to stand. “Alright, gents,” I stated, finding my voice. “The worst of the earthquake is over. However… It’s hard to tell what’s going to happen next. Outside right now, or in the near future, I can only guess at what’s happening.” “Hey, you said you were a scientist, right?” one of the others asked gruffly, “So what the hell just happened? Why was there a huge earthquake, and what’s gonna happen now?” “I told you, I don’t know what’s going to happen now. But what happened up until now basically boils down to this: the second moon you’ve been seeing in the sky? It was a ghost image of some kind up until now. We’re still not sure exactly what that means, but it didn’t seem to exist. Only now, it does. It just came into being above us, and that threw our gravity out of balance. In all likelihood, it’s moved the planet entirely. Now, we’re most likely still in orbit around the sun, and it’s very unlikely that this alone is going to kill everyone. We won’t be crashing into the sun or anything. Still, the effect on the tides is probably doing a number to the coasts already…” The others in the café had heard enough, and all dashed outside. I sighed to myself. Way to go, Kurt. Always on the positive side, aren’t you? Ugh… Shaking my head, I helped myself to the remnants of the morning’s coffee, left a dollar bill on the counter, and stepped outside. The first thing I noticed sent a chill down my spine, though ironically, the fact that it was cold outside did not affect me much physically. My eyes drifted skyward, and I was greeted only by a gloomy gray mass of clouds. Another shiver ran through me, this time from the cold. Looks like winter came a lot earlier this year… The other planet must have done a bit of pulling as well as pushing, and it may have contorted our path around the sun… We can only hope that it’s only reversed the seasons, otherwise when this summer ends, we could all… I felt something wet hit my forehead, and I looked up again. A lone snowflake had hit me, and more were drifting down to earth after it. One hit me on the nose, and in that instant, reality caught up with me. This was all happening. I wasn’t dreaming, or watching a sci-fi scenario unfold on TV. The world had just been radically altered, thousands were probably dead already from tidal effects alone, and it was going to get slowly worse and worse. I was standing in the middle of the apocalypse. I promptly stopped standing, and sank to my knees, stunned tears in my eyes. _______________ -Equestria, approx. One Month Previously- “Do you think there’s anyone in town that hasn’t been warned yet?” Spike asked, wiping his brow. He, Rarity, and everypony else they could get to help them, had been running around Ponyville for the past two weeks, warning everypony they could about the impending ‘gravity storm’. With the swirling lights ever-present above their heads, they were all hungry for an explanation, and while it was far from the one they were looking for, they all for the most part accepted it and prepared accordingly. “I very much doubt it.” Rarity assured him. “Our warning has traveled by both word of mouth and newspaper. If anypony is still in the dark about this, they will catch on quickly and take shelter before the storm begins later today. Now… I suppose we should get to shelter ourselves. Since Twilight is still working in Canterlot, would you like to take shelter with Sweetie Belle and I in the boutique?” Spike nodded gleefully. Even he was able to see that huddling together, hiding from danger and death outside, was not the most romantic setting, but he still felt like it would be good to be there with her, to provide and be provided moral support. “I think Twilight said it should start about… an hour from now? Less? Either way, we should get inside, quick.” “Right. Now, hopefully Sweetie Belle has decided to be cooperative today, and will be at the boutique when we get there…” Rarity and Spike shortly made their way to the Carousel Boutique near the center of town. Upon entering, Rarity called through the building: “Sweetie Belle, are you here?” She received no answer. Rarity frowned, but kept her composure. “She may be upstairs or outside. Spike, would you help me do a quick search for her?” Spike nodded, and the two split up to search the large building. When they convened several minutes later, neither had found a trace of the unicorn filly. “I told her time and again that she had to listen to me…” said Rarity, worried. “She knew to be here by now… Oh, she might still be outside! Spike, we have to go find her!” Spike nodded, and the two rushed back out of the Boutique and onto the streets of Ponyville. They quickly ran through all the places that sprung to mind that she might be hiding- the school playground, Raritys’ parent’s home, her favorite park- but they found no sign of her. Time was running short, and Rarity was growing close to panic, but Spike was managing to keep his cool, for her sake. “Maybe she’s at the Sweet Apple Acres, with the other Cutie Mark Crusaders?” Spike suggested. Rarity nodded vigorously, eager for another possibility, and the two moved quickly to the apple orchard near the edge of town. The skies were beginning to darken, and the swirling lights overhead took on a sickly pale radiance. The two had a matter of minutes before the storm began. Before they even reached the gates to the Acres, Applejack emerged with a young white filly in tow. “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity exclaimed, running faster to reach her sister. “What in Equestria were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how much danger we’re all in now?” “I know…” Sweetie Belle said quietly, as though she had already been lectured on the subject and didn’t feel like going through it again. “It’s just, Scootaloo didn’t have a place to stay at ground level, and Applebloom asked if we could all hide out in their cellar, and…” “I decided ta’ go ahead and let Scootaloo stay here until the storm passed.” Applejack explained. “But I knew Sweetie Belle was supposed ta’ be at the boutique with you, so I was gonna take her back there.” Just then, the sound of heavy thunder interrupted the conversation, and the ever-present lights overhead shook and contorted slightly. “Shoot, we ain’t got time to bring you three back there…” Applejack muttered, “Alright then, c’mon, all of ya’. We got plenty of room in the cellar.” With that, Applejack led the way back to her home, with Rarity, Spike and Sweetie Belle in tow. The sky continued to rumble. The group picked up the pace. A moment later, a bolt of lightning shot down and struck a nearby tree, tearing it in half and launching the severed half high into the air. Seeing the huge branch arc high overhead and crash back to the ground sent the four running with all their might for the barn cellar, to safety from the storm that had already begun. The lightning around them was becoming more frequent, and they had to begin actively avoiding the bolts. Spike was panting, but he could see in his bobbing vision that they were closing in on the cellar, and safety. He was no longer looking behind him at his companions, only at his goal. “Rarity, I can’t… Woah!” Behind him, he heard the sound of Sweetie Belle tripping over something, and Rarity stopping to help her sister. The storm still raged overhead. Spike cast a glance back at the cellar, then turned back and rushed to help Rarity. A bolt struck the ground not five feet in front of him, but he pressed on until he reached the sisters. “I skinned my knee…” said Sweetie Belle, “but I think I’ll be okay.” “Come on, it’s just a little further…” Rarity assured her, and helped her to her feet. The sky almost seemed to shake with thunder, and Spike was just in time to see a bolt of lightning streak down, straight for Sweetie Belle and Rarity. He had just enough time to shout ‘watch out!’ before it struck between the two sisters, sending them both spiraling into the air. They both let out a surprised gasp, Sweetie Belle’s turning into a weak scream. Rarity’s hooves gripped hers as tightly as she could, holding onto her and keeping her anchored, but it was doing little good. Rarity was slowing her sister’s ascent, but she couldn’t stop it, and she was already too high into the air for Spike or Applejack to help. Her hooves began to slip. She couldn’t have guessed if they had been in the air for only a few seconds or a whole hour, but she was almost out of time. Her eyes squeezed shut in concentration, but she couldn’t hold on any longer. The two sets of snow-white hooves separated from each other, and Sweetie Belle was sent rocketing into the sky, towards the writhing mass of lights and colors. From the ground, Spike could hear her cry out ‘RARITY!’ in a high, scared voice, before she disappeared completely. He was absolutely stunned, but had to shake himself out of it when he realized Rarity was falling rapidly to the ground. “Applejack, help me!” He shouted, trying to position himself where she was going to land. The strong earth pony simply nodded in agreement, and stood next to him, braced and ready. Rarity soon approached, and the two caught her as she hit the ground, softening the blow. Tears were already flowing down the unicorn’s face at the fate of her sister. “Rarity… I’m so sorry… We need to get ta’ the cellar, now.” Applejack stated, a lump in her throat. “I… I don’t want anypony else joinin’ her. C’mon, just a bit further… “ Rarity couldn’t speak through the tears, but she nodded shakily, and allowed Applejack and Spike to lead her to the apple cellar in absolute stunned silence.