//------------------------------// // Crumbling Castle // Story: Anamnesis // by Background Bystander //------------------------------// Louis remained still, gazing at the door which once occupied the purple duo of two talking creatures, both of which weren’t even supposed to exist, let alone speak. No blinking, no breathing, nothing. He’d done his best to reassure himself that this was all a misinterpretation. That somehow, someway, this ridiculous series of situations was nothing more than the illusion of an overactive imagination. Neurons that’d been taken hostage by those seductive sweets, using as transport to infiltrate his mind and play jokes with his perception. Absolutely convinced he was never really there. But he was. He was definitely there, sitting up in sheets of silk as the walls of a crystal colossus towered around his small stature. It was all…all… “…Real…” Mumbled from his muzzle, more a question to the reality which they were eternally encased, a final confirmation to his consciousness. Unfortunately for him, it was also the answer. Ambrose shook him slightly, “Louis...” To which he tried, slowly shifting his sight over to him as he continued to squeak, “…Real…real…real…” “Please, focus.” He tried even harder to single in on the point of interest. The most important thing right then and there, “We’re ponies.” He inched closer to Ambrose, “We’re…we’re ponies. We’re talking ponies,” He slowly brought his arms to his forehead, feeling the spiraling sensitive spearing shooting out of his skull, “H-h-horn…I have a…” He realized something else, bringing his limbs down to his face, “These are…hooves, I have hooves.” He felt his whole body begin to shiver. Ambrose waved an arm in his face, trying his absolute best to keep him under control, “Lou, I need you to breathe.” Louis began to breathe. Quickly. Very quickly, as he eventually descended into a fit of hyperventilation. Ambrose groaned, “Not like that.” But Louis needed the extra oxygen, for it was the only thing keeping his mind alert, looking here and there for some kind of explanation to pop out. Even the most unimaginable answer would do for now, no matter the implications. He could feel his guts bump and grind, emitting awful pings of nausea clambering up his esophagus. There was one explanation that seemed the most sensible out of an entire night’s lapse of reason. They were dead, overdosing overnight. He’d somehow managed to check them both out of the motel of morality with a sheet of barely burnt brownies. Which meant he might’ve actually done all those terrible things to himself in a fit of blind psychotic panic, gouging out his eyes and flaying the rest of his face into a stringy, fleshy goop. And not only that, he now had a body count to his name in the form of two battered, bloated corpses of two men who used to call themselves friends. So what was this then? His punishment for having acted like a child wanting his way with the night? To now live in a world of pastel plastic ponies, becoming a mindless plaything focused on frou-frou frills and being crammed into tiny dollhouses waiting for his next playdate? A stupid slave, now at the whim of some other cosmic being's greater plan. Forced to live out the fantasies of a little girl with an extraordinary affection for equines. No! He could see them now; the events were all starting to unfold, unwinding his brain; the tea parties of terror! The dreamy romances of doom! Only to get tossed aside into a bin of forgotten memories as a better toy piques her interest, a better pony. He just wasn’t good enough for her! Was it the hair she didn’t like? Well fuck her, he could do with it whatever he wanted! She thought she could brush him into submission? You can’t hold a candle to this majestic mane! Wait-what was he thinking? It was gaining control of his brain! This is it, the part where he slips away entirely as the new personality takes over, left to scream within the subconscious. No, this can’t be. It just can’t BE! Ambrose sat and watch as Louis was in a fruitless struggle with…himself. Eyes twitching, shoulders spasming as he frantically looked all over the place, even mimicking a brushing motion at some point. Louis was losing it and would be lost entirely if he didn’t get him on the right track soon. Once more, he calmly addressed the lunatic next to him, “C’mon, get a grip!” Louis froze once more, his body stopping at least. His face, however, was still fidgeting. Mushing and morphing as a line of massive whites spread across his face, nearly splitting it in two. He started to giggle a cutesy type laugh, snorts and all as he looked at him. Ambrose knew right then and there Louis’s brain was no longer in control. That monster he feared long ago when this all started wasn’t waiting at the couch. It was here. Ambrose tried to shuffle back slightly, only to get quickly pulled muzzle to muzzle with the monster before him. His vision was obscured by giant porcelain pupils, mirrors reflecting his current reality, as the silhouette of two mares stared back at him. Louis laughed once more, a high-pitched bubbly laugh that pierced his ears, causing them to flatten. “He-he-he, how can I get a grip silly? I don’t have fingers-I have hooves!” He brought them to his face, slowly rubbing his cheeks in a trance, “I got hooves, haha! I got petite little hooves for a petite little pony! How am I supposed to grip something with these? Oh, I know! I’ll use my horn, duh! I’m a magical talking unicorn!” He squished his face, blowing a raspberry with his tongue. He was about to start spouting off another spiel of insanity when he suddenly found his face smacked with something. Something fast and feathery. “Enough!” Ambrose boomed, managing to drop down to his old tone, “I've absolutely had it with you spazzing out on me! Ramble one more fucking time, and I’ll do us both a favor and put you down myself!” He extended his wing again, ready for another strike if need be. But it wasn’t necessary, as Louis’s eyes became focused again as he came back into control, “…Right, got it…ow…” He groaned as he began nursing the stringing from the smack, “But-just…how can you be so calm right now? About all of this? About you?” Louis blushed slightly, “I mean look at you, man, you’re not even a man right now. You’re a mare…” Ambrose snorted, “You don’t think any of this concerns me at all, not even the slightest? Of course I’m fucking freaked out! Who the hell wouldn’t be? Waking up and realizing you’re a different species-a different gender, on another fucking planet!” Louis was starting to shake again, so Ambrose quickly chirped, “I could scream, rant, thrash about in a mad frenzy all I want, just like you did. But I’m not, because you know what that got you?” “Uhh…a smack to the face?” Louis answered unsurely. Ambrose facepalmed, “Technically...so what didn’t it get you?” Louis glanced to the side for a second, muzzle scrunched in thought. “Away from here, that’s what,” Ambrose answered, “We’re still in this bed, this room, this castle. I don’t think there’s any reasonable way to explain what the fuck happened to us, and any attempt you’re making is just plunging you further into a paranoid wreck.” Louis scowled slightly. He’s really gonna lecture him about keeping a cool head after what happened at the house? When Louis found him flailing all over the place as the house fell apart? “Alright then, Mr. Stoic, what do you suggest we do then?” Ambrose sat for a moment, flickers of drowsiness and annoyance filling his eyes as he looked to the giant window. Streaks of the moonlight seeped through space in between the curtains. Judging from the intensity of rays that radiated in the room, he could tell it was full to the brim. The type of shine that only appears when in perfect synergy with its sunny counterpart, working side by side to create nights so bright that headlights weren’t necessary. Ambrose often found himself on the road these types of nights, when ill-stricken spouts of insomnia drove him behind the wheel. Windows down as the cool summer air whipped by him, leaving him only with his thoughts as he silently sped along. Racing the giant rock as it scrapped along the mountain tops. He didn’t really know what to make of the thoughts that arose from those travels. All he knew is that they seemed to crumble away when a congested city became his new home. “Well?” “…We play along.” Louis's eyes widened in shock, “Seriously? Just like that, you’re gonna give up?” “Did I say give up? No, those weren’t the words that came out of my mouth. Because that’s not what we’re gonna do. We need to feel these ponies out first, figure out their deal until we come up with a real plan.” Ambrose said. Louis propped his head up with his hooves, “Shit…I don’t have any better ideas. I was gonna say we creep out of here and break for the woods, man. Maybe whatever sent us here might send us back.” Ambrose shook his head, “I’m not going back there-not now, at least. We haven’t got the first clue on where to start, and those two unicorns seemed pretty spooked about whatever’s creeping around those woods.” “You don’t think they were trying to lie to you?” Louis asked, “You were able to craft one pretty quick. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t try the same.” “It's possible,” Ambrose laid back down, “But if they were, it had some pretty comfortable consequences.” Louis gulped, “…Play…along..." He had the feeling this game of charades would be going for quite a while, “…I think I can manage that, yeah.” He nodded to himself in confirmation. “Good…” Ambrose muttered before rolling over, "...Now let me actually try and get some sleep this time, will you?" Louis sat there for a bit, the room going silent, “Wait, Ambrose,” Ambrose grunted in acknowledgment, “Thanks for…calming me down, I really needed that.” Ambrose smiles slightly, “Don’t mention it, Lou,” He rolls back over, “Besides, smacking you was a real stress reliever in itself.” He chuckled softly before cozying up with a pillow. Louis rolls his eyes with a smile, “Asshole.” before falling back down on the bed. Mornings were often a mystery to Louis. He never truly knew just what would be awaiting him when the Sun made its presence known. More often than not it was a bittersweet sunrise, as he would often find himself looking down the tubes, reading whatever irritatingly evil news that was to unravel that day. The kind of stuff that made cracking eggs and bubbling coffee sound like an act of protest; the gall to simply focus on the minuscule as these catastrophes were injected into your eyeballs. It was a reliable routine that started most of his days. Today was not going to be one of those days. He still found eyes scanning across morning messages, but this time they were addressed to him. A little note left on the dresser, written in a hand attempting to make amends. Or should he say hoof. Twilight or Starlight, depending on which one of them was reading, had invited them both to breakfast in their dining hall, giving the usual directions of down X amount of halls and Y amount of doors. Whatever, that part wasn’t significant to him. What concerned him more was the fact he could read the note to begin with. It certainly wasn’t any language he’d ever come across, and that pool was already pretty shallow. He could make out familiar silhouettes, as some symbols formed a D or E, but everything else was just plain gibberish. Almost as if it were written by someone who didn’t have hands to hold a pen. But his brain immediately acted as a translator, warping the writing into words he could understand. It made him feel like he saw double, a strange disconnect he could never wholly shrug off. Come to think of it, the way they spoke to him was a bit weird as well. It sounded like English, looked like English, but Louis could never get the sound of whinnies and neighs out of the back of his head. Ever since he became aware of the reality of his situation, that awareness extended towards everything else! The hard nails of his hooves pressing down on the ground, as the audible clops echoed out around the crystal surrounding him. How his muscles flexed with his new awkward anatomy, his spine twitching with his tail and the horn sprouting from his skull. The feeling of the gentle breezes whistling through the whiskers that completely coated his body, follicles of fur rubbing against the massive mane that sprouted from his neck. Even the little hairs that covered his muzzle as each exhale would tickle them slightly. He tried to ignore it best he could, but it was useless. This was all too much, too alien! He felt like a fucking animal…considering he was one now. No, stop that! He thought to himself as the two of them walked through the castle, No more panicking, no more screaming! You can handle this. If Ambrose can buck up and deal with it, so can you! …It took him a second to realize what he just thought, …I hope… They continued to walk until they came across a set of doors, slightly ajar with murmurs of conversation creeping out. I guess this is it, Louis thought. He looked to Ambrose, who in turn gave him a nod. Louis puffed his chest out, putting on a mask of confidence as he poked his head into the room. As he suspected, the occupants were Twilight, Starlight, and Spike, gathered around a table surrounded by giant, crystal chairs. But this wasn’t a dining room, and those weren’t regular chairs. They were thrones. And the table was that of a country's crystal formation, with spires shooting up to resemble mountains, islands, skyscrapers? Whatever this thing was, the three of them were definitely fixated on it. Probably having to do with the fact the marks on their flanks were hovering above one of the structures, bringing about mutterings between the mares. “…At least we don’t have to go far, we’re already here…” “…But why though? Is somepony in the library needing help? Maybe they’re having a dispute over who’s the superior author, or if the sequels are better than the original,” Twilight gasped with excitement, “Or maybe they’re trying to get their friend into reading! Yes, now this is a friendship problem I can get behind-” She was cut off as Spike put a claw over her mouth, “…I have a feeling it has something to do with our new guests, Twilight…” She sighed, “…Good point…” “Uh, should we say something?” Louis whispered, looking up as Ambrose had his head above him. “Sure?” Ambrose said, “If it’s something dealing with us, I think we have the right to know.” Louis agreed, “Right then. Remember, I’m Vanilla, you’re Mellow…apparently.” Ambrose shrugged and nodded. Louis slid the rest of his body through the door as he began walking towards them, Well, here goes nothing, “Hey guys!” “Ah!” All three yelled in shock as they quickly teleported to the other side of the table, putting some kind of cover between them, “Oh-uh, hi there, Vanilla.” Twilight said, slightly embarrassed. “Oops, didn’t mean to spook you.” Louis said, rubbing an arm with a hoof. “Well, it doesn’t hurt to knock, y’know?” Spike sniped, picking himself off the ground. Louis felt his ears flatten, “Sorry, thought the hoof steps would’ve been enough to hear me,” He then turned his attention towards the table, to which the symbols continued to spin around their target. A castle, “So what’s all this then? Heard you guys mention us.” He turned to Ambrose, who walked in after him. “Yeah, there’s no problem here, is there?" Ambrose said, slowly looking around. He noticed that the thrones had images carved into them, one of them being the mark on Twilight’s flank. “Oh no, nothing’s wrong here-unless you guys are having issues, y’know? Like any friendship related issues of the sort?” Starlight said. The two looked at each other confused, “No? I don’t think we have any...friendship issues…” Ambrose said, taken aback slightly by the very specific question, “What about you…Vanilla?” The two mares turned to Louis. His muzzle scrunched, “I don’t think so either, me and…her…are on pretty good terms.” Causing him to blush slightly, considering he was calling Ambrose a female. “Oh…” Twilight said, eyes widening a bit, “Well…alright then, if you say so…” “We were just taking up that offer from the note you left, about breakfast?” “Oh, right-of course!” Twilight exclaimed, “We just figured we’d give you a nice, warm welcome to Ponyville after that terrible night in the Everfree…” “…A sort of-sorry we thought you were some evil monster trying to attack us and acted as such-type welcoming.” Starlight added nervously, causing Spike to facepalm. “Well, that’s pretty nice of you, I guess...” Louis answered, hoping he was saying the right things. “We can get started on that,” Twilight said cheerfully, “and then after, we can give you a quick tour around Ponyville. I know how daunting it can be to move somewhere completely new, so why don't we help you two get settled?” Do we really have a choice? Louis thought to himself, “Sure, thanks. We didn’t really bring much with us here, so it’d be a big help.” On cue, Louis’s stomach rumbled loudly, agreeing with his decisions. “Well, I hope you at least brought a good appetite.” Twilight said with a giggle. And with that, the two mares lead the whole group towards the dining room, engulfing them further into this world.