There was a complete absence of light dominated the environment, shrouded in mystery and suspense that relied consistently on the element of the uncertain. While there had remained a likely chance of loneliness filling the air itself at once, the atmosphere was likely enough to clear out within due time for one reason or another. Additionally, even at least a few clues were providing some semblance of substance that dwelt inside even with the lack of a solid terrain, let alone earth.
“It’s been fourteen years since I’d found myself into this void, all alone and without a way out: this would’ve been a great discovery for the likes of Stephen Hawking himself to make no less; now that I think about it, I wonder what he’d have thought about who else was there as well…” a low voice was heard all throughout yet its escape was denied instantaneously so to speak of.
As lonely as it was by virtue of lacking any details, another voice joined in: unlike the first, this one was more disjointed to the point of being fitting; nevertheless, it was coherent to a fault likewise from a stray observation, “you honestly miss your family too, I see then: it seems that despite everything, you’re still filled with determination; your kind would’ve gone mad already.”
“I agree, mental illness is not a joke as many would’ve made it out to be, just because it’s not even happening to themselves…” the premier inhabitant retorted, a mixture of static and fluidity blending in seamlessly compared to the secondary respondent alone, “still, how come is it that I’m not dead; don’t most humans perish from hunger after two months or was that a lie…?”
“I’ve seen those bodies before and not just humans themselves: I know of others of my kind that tend to suffer such a fate back then, I’ve studied their remains; no matter the size, shape, species, it all ends the very same – all return to dust…” the guttural growler groaned painlessly as far as the jet–black void was concerned, it if had any altogether.
The first voice wasted no time speaking about all too freely, based on what details had been provided all the very while though, “dust… I’d thought that dust would be my final fate afterwards; I know what happens when people die because I was there when my papi died: they’d lowered him into the ground and he’d been worm food ever since. Even though we go on living our lives, I never forgot about him at all and neither did any of us, not mama, not tío and certainly not abuela; we waited for him to come back every Día de Muertos since, just like everyone in my hometown did as well as anyone whom lost a loved one like me. After all these years, I’d wondered if anyone came looking for me; after all, they say if people disappeared, then it would be as if they’d died yet their bodies aren’t found: they haven’t found Earhart or Durante yet and it’s probably likely even if they did, then they’d be dead already from old age nevertheless. Despite everything, I wonder to myself about certain things, not just of whether or not they’d still come looking for me but sometimes what happens when a dream is deferred: does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore and then run; does it stink like rotten meat or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet; maybe it just sags like a heavy load or does it explode?”
“Langston Hughes, I’ve read about him back when I was whole; found many of his scattered texts discarded by your kind…” the secondary respondent replied, a stray cluster of paper refuse materialized about as they’d formed a blank sheet no less, “between their warlike ways with each other and us monsters, their long list of transgressions keeps growing and growing all the same.”
“You don’t need to remind me of what my kind has done; even without you monsters, we can’t even go one second without having to worry about what horrors exist in the land of the living: murders, muggings, hoardings, pornography, atheism, cults, hedonism, and devil–worshiping!” the premier inhabitant spat out dryly at large.
Needless to say, the guttural growler had wasted no time whatsoever in speaking about freely, “we too have our fair share of problems as well, despite our powers as well as because of it; even before the great war between humans and monsters, there were times we’d indulged ourselves in the same sins: bloodshed, thievery, egotism, concupiscence, sacrilege, heresy, sloth, and dealing. It seems the only thing that binds us together, besides our souls, are our petty obsessions with foolishness and the like altogether: while many of your kind would’ve had every right to tremble at our powers, we can’t even fathom how much they squandered; even though there were times we’d drawn first blood, even the humans had no problem throwing their morals away so easily. They’d boasted about their faith in whichever deity and/or government as if they have a grand influence on their lives but without a collective enemy to fight, it all becomes nothing to them; all that these humans have done is get into silly arguments about resources and religions, only to render them into the ether through their words and deed then and they may as well repeat later. Since that fateful experiment, I’d seen how many mistakes have been made by the humans and to other humans and their pets: the same stories all over again but with one too many variations hither and yon, some of which being used to entertain others; no matter how often it happens, they don’t even deserve the right to be either teachers or students for perpetuating confusion.”
“Forgive me for asking but how in the world can you ever claim to have a soul as if it’d mattered to me or anyone else it at all…?” the first voice had asked instantaneously, unfazed by the rather brief diatribe dispensed by the secondary respondent recently, “if anything, then I can’t fathom why would anyone ever do such things, much less think about them altogether, Dr. Gaster…”
“Please, you don’t have to call me that, at least not after all the time we’d spent together for so long; speaking of which, now is the time for you to shine, show the world you’re not dead or gone whatsoever: after all, you have a home to go back to now…” the titular tenant tittered tersely so to speak of no less.
A long pause had emanated from the blackness before the premier inhabitant emerged from there: within was a tall male with bright hair matching his shoes, bearing dark skin and darker clothes too; his eyes radiated with a clash of yellows and blues before being shut away as he’d spoke with both confidence and determination deep within, “abuela, it’s me, Vicente. I did it, I found it – it was right where he’d said it would be; it’s all there: but then, they thought I was them and I’ve found them. I’ve been put back together just like I’d asked him to; I’m free now, but something is wrong with me: I should’ve been dead, but I’m not. I’ve been living in darkness; there’s only one thing left for me to do now: I’m going to come find you. I’m going to come find you…”
A bright and clear day befell over the world, all its inhabitants graced with the sights of a much distant plasma and a scatter of clouds had currently shared the firmament. The only things which had dared to reach them but to no avail were tall skyscrapers drenched in even colder colors, made with industrial materials and orthogonal shaping. As a result of their beings’ fiber, an exertion of influence could be felt within every aspect of the environment and its denizens alike, irregardless of their own types thereof. Even amongst the concrete jungle, patches of lush vegetation were still found within themselves, each bearing both flora and fauna hospitable to the likes of its very observers. The areas between them were sequestered in predominately gridded streets where all sorts of metal contraptions ran rampantly whilst pedestrians were literally sidelined. The only checkpoints beyond the premises were bridges to the adjacent mainland; everything surrounding itself happened to be water reflecting the lights above and near. Resting amongst the seemingly endless compound was a small island occupied by a jaded statue of femininity with a torch in hand now enlightening the lands, air, and sea. Between the landmasses and the fluid separating them at a vast distance, there were many ships of all shapes and sizes skittering about freely around themselves to and fro. Hovering on and about were various aircraft ranging from the smallest of gliders to the biggest airships; with that said, their collective freedom had their own limitations.
Simply put, there were one of the many buildings standing out and about within the vast and magnificently similar conurbation on display. Though predominantly adorned with a richly heated coating of metal gears survived, there were sections of eight purple pillars inside of them. At least a dozen’s worth of rows were windows already plastered on the very structure, each of themselves outlined in aluminum framework. Resting firmly on the top, the very building itself had possessed a skylight firmly rectangular in a stark contrast to its overall rounded formation. The blue textile currently hung in from the side of the building with letters in white had read orderly, 'SPEEDWAGON FOUNDATION'.
High above yet within the very building was but a boardroom already bathed in both sunlight and electricity alike, up and running about without any end in sight whatsoever so to speak of yet. The dark ceiling and background in their entirety was colored in the brownish gold of highest quality, rich enough to bear any sweet treasures and texture alone despite faintest illuminations. Underneath it all was some elaborate carpeting seemingly originated from a faraway land, made with the finest shades and hues in spite of the overwhelming simplicity within their very fibers. Only a line of steel drawers stood out and about, currently resting against a wall opposite of the windowsills with portraits upon the adjacent side and a small circular clock resting from the top. A lone door was found halfway nearby from the windowsill, brightly painted in a bloody stream of orange blossom with a square of acrylic glass at the upper half amongst the wood and foam. Stuck in the middle of the naked space was a long slender table with many seats nearby it, each of those, occupied by many of its inhabitants as it was littered with papers and foodstuffs no less.
Inside, a brightly tall elder was hunched up in an arch between charts and a long table seated by many of his peers, each with their own similarities and differences to himself and the others too. Although his shining tresses were soul silver to a fault, faint purple highlights were found within; nevertheless, they were all neat and tidy enough on the account of being well maintained no less. Narrowed about the tall elder’s eyes were a hierophant green matching a freshly cut lawn and his tie; of course, the small glasses overlaying them were enough for their wearer’s age to be shown. Some textiles were already found to be draping his body, much of which happened to be a tall tanned trenchcoat buttoned up; the rest, a white undershirt and some beige gloves, pants, and hat.
“On a final note, let me make this clear to everyone in this boardroom about what’s going to be happening starting Monday…” the tall elder had spoken up freely, calm on the outside but thinking thoroughly ahead as far as his listeners were concerned, “considering what we’ve discussed earlier, it’s apparent enough as such that our company has set some proper examples. Considering the lawsuits against Monsanto in the coming years, we’ve decided to amp up business operations crushing them; although this was unexpected, we have taken note of the damage their product has wreaked upon both producers and consumers alike: considering the rise of poisoned crops and cancer cases as well, we’d been able to use our influence to our advantage. Usually, the lawsuits themselves are a fact of life in this day and age when it comes to certain disagreements in and out of things; however, considering the startling developments dating back to the nineties, the opportunity itself is too much to ignore overall: after all, this isn’t about net profits and/or loss but rather the state of commonsensical decency and dignity regarding others. Likewise on a similar note, we’d came across one of the employees taking the day off to attend his own children’s memorial: apparently, it seems that St. Jude did all that they could for his son and daughter, keeping their disease at bay for seven years; as a family–owned company, we have a responsibility to individuals in and out of America to help maintain our image in these times. As such, let me state for the record that services with take place within the next week at 1:00 P.M. sharp, and not a day later: I intend to make an appearance at this function in plain clothes and request all personal interested to join me for some moral support; any donations for the hospital may be given to sir Kakyoin as so but they all must be in either cash or check only. Reasonably enough, it’s safe to say that their will be some certain changes to be made regarding out policies, moving forward: starting on Monday morning, we will be running paid physical once a month to insure that our employees are in good health; it’s imperative that we must continue the fight against cancer alongside other diseases in the modern age for the public good. So, in summary, Speedwagon Foundation will still serve the communities in and out of the Anglosphere much like before: aiding in the decline and fall of Monsanto will sending a powerful message to both the medical and eco–friendly communities; never again will we poison ourselves or the earth as we know nor be poisoned by the earth carelessly in any shape or form.”
“Mister Joestar, forgive me for interrupting though what must we do in dealing with hostile pests in the meantime: from what could be said, some of our clients have stated to have allergic reactions to certain organisms alone; any alternatives we can construe in order to meeting those balances together…?” said one businessman, a dark skin man dressed in the darkest of midnight.
The eponymous listener wasted no time in replying altogether to his younger counterpart almost immediately so to speak, “there has yet to be a problem we’ve yet to solve, even in this day and age; in any case, this meeting is over as of yet: if you have any questions, please send me an e–mail as soon as possible, no later than tomorrow, but 'til then, today’s meeting’s now adjourned.”
It didn’t take long for all of the businesspersons likewise arose from their stations and took whatever foodstuffs and/or papers with them along the way; as this was going on, the tall elder was the last to leave, finally taking a stand as the call to action was answered almost instantaneously.
If there was one thing that had proved to be noticeable, then it would be the sheer cold already beginning to envelope anything and anyone around itself; however, there were many things attempting to keep things warm and toasty. For starters, the sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel with its white noise hissing amongst a never stagnant but grayscale background; in addition, the clashes of silver chariot and star platinum gleamed. Within a large dream drop distance was a civilization defined in such various materials, most of them being the ones fit for the likes of even three little pigs, all of which accented with layers of ice and snow growing in color and quantity. The calm gentle breeze surfed across the grassy knoll, the white coverings surrounding it all on a solid lower plane of existence with a dirt road guided its way from a nearby forest, a curvilinear line worth holding as much as it is crossing. In the background, there had rested a blue ridged valley of mountains, raging with growth and erosion in the process of their trying times as the snow pounded onto and even off of the variant earth very rapidly without so much as a care. The fair town was scarce with its own denizens of various demographics: age, gender, finances, and social standing being nothing short from the standardized metallurgy of life at large; in spite of everything so far, there were exceptions.
One particular place within that town stood out and about in the process: while it wasn’t home in the very least unlike the other residences that were built nearby but were nonetheless treated with respect. Standing upright from the ice and snow, a long series of numerous monochromatic stones all uniform: carved in various shapes, a name and a line of text beneath were clues to who they once were. All that was occupying near them were but an arrangement of many flowers made up of various colors and species already planted over the otherwise infertile soil that was their new residence at large. Many of them that were being observed by some wayward pedestrians remained aware of their purpose within that very space as there were at least some people, either by themselves or in a crowd. Uniting them under one common goal was but a feeling of solidarity and reflection of their lives as they had stared at the formations that were sticking out of the very ground they were standing upon.
Of the many who had appeared in attendance, there were at least two people standing out and about, side–by–side upfront of one particular stone out of the others. Defined amongst themselves were likenesses in fair dignity with commonalities: darkly colored tresses, bright complexions, somber emotions, and an achieved goal. Even so, they still had significant differences betwixt one another that many observers around themselves would be very quick to notice in just a heartbeat no less.
Speaking of which, these particular individuals in question had a sense of fashion that was more conservative much like the rest of the common folk themselves whom were also in attendance within the very environment thereof. For starters, their hair had brought out the color in both of the eyes: the man in question donned a brownish scheme, in spite of the short spikes hither and yon; the woman next to him was purple with eyes of sparkling star sapphires. Secondment, both faces were already possessing vibrant complexions so smooth and soft they were free of imperfections therein: his integuments were chiseled like a megalith; hers were only soft and smooth like the stormclouds. Third of all, their choice of attire were elaborate: the lonely man, clad in a long blue jacket with golden accents over a gold shirt, gray pants and boots; the woman nearby wore a jaded ensemble of a big overcoat, pants, and shoes.
“Well, Kevin, what do you think about it: it’s been a long time since I’d last seen my mother; do you think we’d done it right…?” she’d sighed sadly, slowly sowing the spectral sprays nearby the stone, struggling against the shimmering snowflakes strongly, “even though these were her favorite, I still wonder what she would’ve done about my father…”
Soon, he’d wasted no time in replying to the lonely woman almost immediately no less, “I’m sure she’d have liked it either way, Eriko; after all, your mom had always seen the beauty in everything, that’s something most people don’t get to do anymore, especially in this day and age: the thing’s we’d seen and hear years ago were nothing compared to the now.”
“At least you didn’t get to be scared to near death on a regular daily basis since age one, Kevin; even though I’d lost my sense of fear since childhood, I still can’t get over having to wonder: kids back then used to worrying about things likes bugs, ghosts, and the dark so to speak of…” she’d wept, her eyes becoming saturated with water before they'd started falling onto the ground.
The aforementioned bystander was now hugging Eriko tightly as the heavy winds struck their backs, a melancholy addition to the situation they were both as he’d soothed her all the same, “but that’s what had made horror stories so popular to me back then: the grotesque, paranormal, and unknown threats plaguing the human mind and body through sheer existence alone no less.”
“That’s because they didn’t have to worry about having your own father treat you as a guinea pig since infancy while traveling…!” said the jaded woman whom looked at the darker man with tears in her eyes as she’d struggled to regain some composure at once, “I don’t know what came over him when he did those things: I know that he’d used to care about back then but now–––”
“We must live in the now, that’s something she would’ve wanted, much like a normal childhood: everything that happens in the world today’s no different from what had gone on since our birth; even with all the new discoveries, the cause and effect remains the same as it’d been always…” declared by his voice as he was just staring back at her with but only restrained intensity no less.
Eriko looked away from Kevin to stare back at the tombstone still right in front of themselves and sigh, “I know that; as far as we see it, everything changed since the eighties came and went, just like every other decade before it: fast food is becoming commonplace, answering machines are phasing out, one–night stands take centerfield, and anger is spreading out of control…”
“Anyone can claim that anger is what makes a country great, Americans and otherwise, but our outlet for it is being misspent…” the dark man replied as his greener counterpart broke away from the embrace for her to inspect the monolith and its very flowers, “televisions with gunshots, people in hospitals, and celebrities with armed escorts; nowhere’s safe anymore, not even home.”
“Home, I miss home already and I don’t even know where it is anymore, not since that day…” she’d responded, still looking away from him to laugh mirthlessly while already unresponsive.
During this time, both Kevin and Eriko were still assaulted by the ice and snow all the same but neither of them paid any mind to them whatsoever as the nearby slab stood upright without care.
A sky full of silver linings were soon etched about, swirling over the earth in its broken patterns as patches of some blue were breaking dawn without a care. A flock of birds in various sizes and shades soon soared so serenely, not even gravity dared to pull any of them down towards the solid plane of existence. A small civilization was started to carry on with its own lives and times, living and breathing around their happy little abodes topped off by so many tiles. All pedestrians were being greeted with an abundance of some calm gentle breezes currently surfing across from the grassy knolls and to parts unknown. Aside from the town itself were a nearby forestry with a road as its guide and many lackadaisical waterways raging with both growth and recession thereof. As far as any lifeform was concerned, the smell of moisture was more enough to provide a sigh of relief and reprieve, courtesy of the brilliant green beneath.
Of the scarce pedestrians within the vicinity of the very town, there was but a trio of youth who were perhaps alike in fair dignity at first glance. These three had possessed certain common traits between them: heads full of hair, a pair of dark eyes, and heavy clothing upon their very bodies. Of course, there were some significant differences all of them had, something that many like them would care less about to say the very least.
Their collective sense of fashion was certainly suitable for the very environment they were all in, something the youths had constructed as their identities. The heavyset boy on the left had chalky white skin and short ginger tresses, wearing a big orange shirt with white stripes, tanned pants, and black trainers. On the other side, a lanky female correspondent’s big hair served as a citrus bird’s nest, donning a plum cape, teal blouse, pink shorts, and sapphire boots. Standing in the middle of them was a dark skinned boy with darker hair: his attire consisted of an opalescent vest, gold shirt, blue jeans, and white shoes.
Out of the three youths in question, the one between the gingers wasted no time in talking first, “gee, I’d never imagined how much has changed since the winter storms; I guess they’re right about one thing: a White Christmas does comes once a year but snow days are common…”
“Yes, it seems that the big freeze is on the horizon; could this be humanity’s punishment for past and present sins as forewarned?” she’d cerebrated about as the scenery was becoming colder than what her eyes were being shown currently, a sight unlike the boys, “so what are we going to do now that spring break is fast approaching real soon, you guys…?”
“The same thing we’ve been always doing ever since: going to the creek as always; you know that answer well, Kelsey…” the corpulent ginger had answered his eponymous counterpart almost instantaneously so to speak of, unperturbed by the cold.
The dark skinned loner soon began the reply freely all the same, “yeah, but lots of things had change since the new year had begun: my dad said this was because of the election months ago; my folks still couldn’t get over what had happened…”
“Yeah, I know that: dad’s been going through a tough time considering everything that’s been happening ever since then…” the lanky youth said outright, bearing a more mezzo forte range compared to initially as far as the boys were all concerned, “yes, mother’s passing had came as a heavy shock for the Pokoly household, especially considering the circumstances altogether…”
“Laura’s been getting involving in these protests on the weekend since that guy got elected; I had to go with them sometimes since my parents can’t always be here to let me watch cartoons…” the heavyset ginger shivered about as he’d still walked alongside his two compeers with still remaining bravery all the very same.
In any case, the slimmer youth had choked out breathlessly, “bummer… anyways, I’m going to have to prepare myself for the revisions in due time: I may have gotten a good look of the creek’s layout at large but I’m gonna need some better tools to finalize them; maybe if I ask then, they might let me borrow the old camera for the next time we meet again…”
“That’s a great idea, Craig: that way, we can immortalize these otherwise minuscule moments of ours upon a flat surface overall…” she’d said openly for both boys to hear clearly as all three of the youths were still walking along the curbside of this lonely road, “yes, with Craig’s artifact, we’ll surely craft a tome of picaresque memories to look back on thru the years later onward…”
“Just be careful of the sewer kids, little dude: the last time we’d been there, you’d almost drank the wastewater; I can eat and drink almost anything and even I know it’d have made you sick…” the heavyset ginger responded as he’d stopped to look at the porthole right at the corner of the opposite street at once with mild trepidation.
It didn’t take long for the dark skinned youth to laugh briefly, “relax, nothing bad will happen to either of us or the camera as far as I can see it; besides respecting their rights to privacy, handling the old device is a big responsibility for growing youth such as ourselves: this had been in my family for many years, taking as many pictures as it could throughout history as we know it…”
“Ah, yes, the old Iceteroid, one of many cameras released by the likes of Ed Land himself, no different from others like his…” Kelsey ruminated intently as her vision grew darker despite all the lights and sounds provided for her eyes and ears along theirs, “in any case, I hope that you’re successful at convincing your folks to letting you borrow their camera; ‘til then, see you later…”
“Bye, Kelsey…!” the lanky ginger’s masculine correspondent said as she was the first to break from the trio almost rather instantaneously.
Soon, it was now down to the boys themselves, alone in the world yet stuck together to face it: of the remaining twosome, Craig began to break the brief silence, “so I guess this is the part you head off to home as well, right J.P.?”
“At least my folks still have last night’s lasagna to look forward to; they’d said that the catering company were very skillful…” the titular tyro talked to his darker skinned counterpart almost immediately before drifting apart gently, “anyways, I’ll see you tomorrow as well, Craig…”
“Well, I hope you have a nice day, J.P.; tell them that I said hi…!” the aforementioned youth said to the heavyset ginger before the former was left alone in the midst of the ambiance provided.
A similar environment was found somewhere else: although there were plenty of houses, the trees were far and few in between through size and shape alone. Another difference between the suburbs in question was the abundance of hills amongst the otherwise flat and uniform terrain, each with the sound of music. All of this had paled in comparison to the dense fog emanating throughout the earthly plane so to speak of, despite the otherwise sunny skies high above them all.
Out of the many residences found amongst the obscured environment, there was one in particular that was triangular to a fault but asymmetrical. Its own shingles were muddled in a collection of burnt sienna as they were all neatly aligned for the average observer to go take note of already. The walls where the windows remained adorned were clothed in different subspecies of white with some crimson accentuation at the baseline. Any edges found underneath the triangular peak were but an electric blue yet otherwise grounded enough to avoid putting a shock to the system. Nevertheless, there was an anomaly in the form of a curvy yet angular green dome with a gilded overlook underneath bent from the right side. Other than the surplus of cacti all throughout the entrance, the lawn was dry and filled with a few accessories as two rock pathways were carved.
The rather uneasy ennui was then suddenly broken by an ethereal whooshing blip, accented by a swirl of both tranquil and moody blues emerging from the thin white line cut within the oxygen. Out from the void was a figure enshrouded in mystery due to the thick and heavy fog itself as the naked eye could see a jet–black silhouette taking on a bipedal formation almost instantaneously.
It didn’t even take long for the visitor in question to make a quick beeline to the ligneous door standing under an arch with its bay of cyan adjacent to a small stairway filled by inorganic eyes; after knocking upon wood literally, a voice was heard from the other side of the surface area, muffled yet freed all the very same, “venirse…”
“Finally, my dad’s here: at the very least he and mom can give me an update as to how much has changed since we’d last met…” a line of thought escaped soundlessly from the outsider in question as footfalls upfront were now getting closer than before no less, “dad, it’s me, your son, Marco; I’m home again at last…”
Within seconds, two individual males both alike in fair dignity were now watching each other stand face–to–face as they’d entered the line of vision immediately. Each of them had their commonalities pronounced by their warm yet dull attires, hair matching eyes, tanned integuments, and white shoes already on a full display. Now, it would’ve seemed safe to say whatever was upon their very minds, the literal roadways they’d currently traveled on was finite yet felt the end already came.
On the other hand, they still had some significant differences between one another, especially at the first glance from a separated perspective so to speak of. For starters, one of the individual brunets was another tall elder, much like Mr. Joestar, whilst the other was a teenage youth merely a foot off by comparison. Secondment, the tenant was muscular with a clear complexion and mustache whereas the visitor was skinny with a lonely nevus directly beneath the left eye. Thirdly, the broad brunet wore a yellow shirt with darker and lighter stripes running down to the pants while Marco had a red hoodie zipped up from his too.
“Welcome back, son, we were just talking about you now; you couldn’t believe all this fog that’s out and about: they said it was going to disappear by this afternoon and it’s still there…” the fatherly tenant had greeted his offspring almost instantaneously so to speak of upon making first contact, the former’s voice gruff yet tranquil.
The lanky youth had wasted no time in looking around and sighed stoically, “I guess some things don’t change; anyways, can I please come in…?”
“You’re still always welcome in our home on account of being our son and so is your girlfriend Star since she’s also like our kid…” the broad brunet beamed brightly before granting Marco safe passage instantly without any kind of hesitation whatsoever overall, “come to think of it, where’s she at now; probably off attending day court with her parents, am I right…?”
“She’s off doing some princess stuff, getting everything in place for the big event since the party: I wish I could tell you more but I don’t want to risk a repeat of what happened months ago…” the teenaged youth had only answered before walking right inside of the asymmetrical house immediately.
It didn’t take long for either of them to notice how the fresh air of the outside world was now becoming spicy and serene due to the lack of density overall. The beige ceiling above themselves was suspended ten feet from the ground, already held up by a gridded series of interlocking support beams with lights on. The background, better yet known as those walls that served as part and parcel to the foundation, were adorned in baby blues, save for some bricks and mortar. The floor was bare minimum, a mixture of thin squares painted in blue and yellow tiles as well as some carpeting both of males were stepping on right now. Multitudes of windows were present, most of which were bare save for some exceptions as they all showed some scenery not too different from not long ago. An emerald splashed couch now resided behind a bulky television in the corner with a table full of knickknacks standing between them both for Marco to see.
The moment the lanky brunet shut the door behind himself, he was treated to a lyrical soprano from another tenant that was comparably different to the first whom had greeted him just now, “how is our favorite little knight in shining armor…?”
These words had belonged to woman now entering the youth’s line of eyesight: unlike any of the males within the very home, her integuments were much brighter compared to either of them. Additionally, she, too, was a brunet, much like Marco and his father although her eyes were that of a hierophant green, a lighter shade compared to the long skirt wore around its wearer’s waist. Moreover, the brighter woman was also wearing a light orange blouse with tickled pink ruffles around the sleeves and neckline, doing little to cover her otherwise gravid but dainty formation. Another anomaly which had sat her apart from the other inhabitants were how open her footwear was: a pair of brown sandals with a black bracelet around their wearer’s left ankle snugly no less.
In any case, a dark storm seized the day but still possessed the light hidden away from the eyes of its own observers whom were now running about at this moment in time thereof. The silver linings that could have been easily found as the shine in the storm were overshadowed by the outpouring of rainwater which fell onto the solid ground almost immediately. Some sounds of thunder that had rolled about within the vast stormclouds whilst its refrained waves of lightning carved their way through with blinding speed and synchronicity. Unbound by the vast spaciousness of the very atmosphere, the cluster of grays and whites with the occasional colors spread further apart all over the lands and waters underneath. Kiloliters worth of fluid already saturated the terrains; many square acres of it all were gaining puddles with the reminiscence of mirror as countless ripples were discovered inside. Accompanying the rain and thunder were the howling winds now moving the grass and trees which already completed the interactive orchestra for the surrounding environment.
Speaking of the environment in question, it was nothing short of stony structures resting upon a flat terrain with water around them all so to speak of. A series of concrete was etched about despite their liquid surroundings, most of which made an intersection to and from the hillsides, save for but one. Though there were large islands of green, great and small, they were already soaked with many of overwhelming moisture, gaining malleable textures. Only the cacti that had remained stood their collective ground tall and proud against the rain and winds but even they weren’t remaining unperturbed. Many square acres worth of space were starting to collect a large amount of water in the process to the point of making a swimming pool in the grass. In the midst of the scenery were but few individuals now taking shelter from the pouring deluge, their integuments and clothing unscathed generally.
One exception still stuck out like a sore thumb in a much colder environment: a figure dressed in black but more corporeal by comparison no less. Apparently, it’d seemed that nothing much else could be said about the attire, especially since its own wearer was obscured altogether so to speak. That being said, the rainstorm did little to stop the loner from traversing the roadways on a bike, carrying a package in the basket shielded from it.
As far as the cyclist was concerned, the long and arduous road underneath was coming to an end when one building stood out before the line of vision. It was as blue as the waters beyond their premises yet the surface area was as flat like the stone roads lined out adjacently afore itself along the others. Dense small foliage was found side–by–side of the doorway, most of which laid underneath the windowsill on the same level with its yellow flowers. Even though it was equilateral to a fault, the rooftop was filled with so many angular edgings all squared off like a game of tetrominos falling in place. Nothing much else could be said about the household except for the other window high off of the ground, supported by its own sturdy adjacent balcony.
It didn’t take long for the loner to disengage from the transportation in question, carrying the precious cargo over to the door in an instant; afterwards, it didn’t take long for a closed fist to be banging gently against the ligneous surface upfront, earning a faint yet clear question, “¿quién es…?”
“¿Lo ciento agobiarlo, pero tengo un paquete que entregar aquí: creo que está dirigido a un Valentino Calavera, correcto…?” the cyclist in black answered the concealed tenant almost immediately, hearing some footfalls approaching before the former, “¿hola, alguien…?”
“Uno segundo, por favor…” the listener said.
Sure enough, the tenant’s identity was revealed to the loner the moment the door was opened up: unlike the latter, the former was unambiguously an elderly woman. Despite having grey hair, her two braids were accessorized by tickled pink bands at the near end of it all whilst they had both reached past the nape of her own neck. Moreover, the elderly woman was also wearing a predominantly white dress matching her own earrings, in spite of the still abundance of blue birds and red roses. Another anomaly which had sat her apart from the observant cyclist was the fact a cane was in her right hand pointing towards the latter’s presence all the while. The elderly woman’s eyes being closed was more than enough for the loner in black to see that she was blind, despite donning some small square spectacles over.
It didn’t take much for the observant cyclist to notice her as the former spoke, “perdón per eso: no me di cuenta de que eras este delicado; supongo que debes ser su madre…”
“Corrección: soy su, o mejor dicho, sus abuela; Valentino también pasa a tener un hermano menor y su nombre es Victor…” the elderly woman replied giddily as the outsider in black had started to feel the downpour around soon decrease in density, “ahora que lo pienso, no esperaba una entrega hoy, y mucho menos una para Valentino. ¿Niños, puedes bajar las escaleras?”
“¡Sí, abuela…!” a short duet of youthful masculinity had emerged from the home she’d resided in.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long until the doors were opened, prompting the outsider in black to eye the source approaching their shared location. Outside in the cold distance, a wildcat did growl; two boys were now approaching and the wind began to howl from where they’d just entered. Both of them had possessed such commonalities compared to the elderly woman: dark tresses matching their shoes and colorful clothes too. It was already safe to say that whatever was onto their very minds, the short road they been both traveling upon was already at a collective end.
Speaking of the boys though, they, too, possessed differences many could identify at once almost instantaneously, especially considering who was at the door. For starters, one of the youths was delicate and possessing rounded jet–black hair whereas the other was wide, bearing locks of ruffled up chocolate instead. Next, there were differences in attire: the former, a blue poncho over white shirt matching socks and tan shorts; the latter, a vermilion shirt with white shorts.
It didn’t take much for her to say to the observant cyclist immediately as far as the former can see, “estos son mis nietos, Víctor y Valentino; decir 'hola' al repartidor, por favor: él tiene un paquete con él…”
“Hola…” the brothers said instantly: of the two, the smaller one was quick to break away from the synchronicity and started asking his eldest, “¿qué hace esto aquí de todos modos, Valentino?”
To say it was a dark and stormy night would be a great overestimation for an utter lack of better terms to say the very least; however, it didn’t change the reality of it all. An abundance of stormclouds were found to be clogging up the firmament, dumping its surplus of precipitation all upon the world below itself before solidifying about. The target in question was a large conurbation, a series of tall buildings with its lights and sounds out and about as they guided the way all throughout for all its denizens. There were soft layers of whiteness all piling up onto the earth and the vegetation egregious to be standing in the downward path off from its dream drop distance therein. Only signs of life brewing through the shine in the storm were various mechanisms out and about and the pedestrians that dared to set foot right upon the wintry mixture. Of course, there was nothing much which could be done about the situation at hand so to speak; after all, the ice and snow alone reduced such possibilities in numbers.
“And taking a look at the long range forecast: continued snow, darkness, and extreme cold; this is Heartstrong Hooverton saying goodnight… goodbye…” a stray voice buzzed about, belonging to an elderly olive stallion with a short mane while wearing a midnight blue suit and lighter tie as well as a white undershirt displayed upon a bunch of various electronics behind a window.
These words were nothing more than an understatement as the looking glass was shattered in an instant by a big rock, courtesy of a wayward equine in the form of a blue unicorn all dressed up in heavy clothing as a swirl of teal aura was enveloping the machine as a wave of static mesh appeared in the speaker’s place, reminiscent of the weather the former was currently caught in.
Unbeknownst to the vandal, a purple dragon was in the same area, both eyes sharing the same color as the integuments upon the latter’s body. Every singular spike from the traveler’s head to tail was gilded by the fighting gold experience, matching a dragonfly accompanying the former.
Despite having them up on display, the purple dragon was fastly approaching the blue unicorn without attracting any attention at all; soon enough, the former was quick to ask the latter almost immediately, despite the howling winds driving a wedge all throughout, “uhh… excuse me, can you please tell me what is this place…?”
“Dragon…?” the vandal peeped after turning around to face the grounded flier, the former’s faded eyes growing wide with high and mighty color at the sight of the latter before scurrying off, “AHH, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES; THE DRAGONS ARE REVOLTING: THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END…!”
“This doesn’t sound good at all: I haven’t seen someone run off faster than Gnasty Gnorc years ago; as a matter of fact, where am I and what’s going on here…?” the purple dragon hissed after watching the blue unicorn galloping away to parts unknown as the contraptions garbled about for the former to see clearly.
There was barely anytime whatsoever to make sense of it all when the screen in question had transitioned into a picture of dark clouds traveling across the blue sky: standing in front of it was a black unicorn mare dressed in red, save for a pair of blue glasses and a stripey yellow hairbow; in addition, her mane was well kept in a bun with all the emeralds splashing about throughout.
Her name had popped up in a flash, Crowned Pebble, and with it, her eyes radiating with hazel as she’d greeted about, “good afternoon on this first alert weather day, heavy snow is a certainty: it’s not like Hearthswarming but it’ll be much more worse; we already think it’s going to be widespread, certainly a night to pay close attention to, especially in the overnight hours no less. It’s mainly after eleven, though it couldn’t end a little bit sooner out south of town: heavy wind gusts and a few flurries are a pretty decent bit in some of the clouds but then again, that first alert weather day and you can see it highlighted on the seven day on the side of the screen; that red highlight there for tonight’s to alert you. Look at how cold it’s our there, low thirties below zero basically – Panston 34, 32 Mareton, and it feels like the low to mid–twenties on the FIM WeatherNet computers; it’s loose out there so your hourly forecast has most of the afternoon totally fine: it’s gonna be really cold, not that comfortable outside today: minus sixteen for the low. So seven in the evening, nineteen: I don’t even have a sun chance at all at that time and it’s at relatively low, twenty percent decrease at ten but soon after, it starts to hunker down and then the Fillydelphia Metro’s chance at 1:00AM is about five percent. Here’s the hour–by–hour forecast again: a lot of the morning’s gonna be cold, no sun beginning to end, mostly cloudy midevening, and then flurries build in over the evening; here’s 8oclock – I think a lot of activities aren’t going be on schedule at all so watch the radar at ten from Dunmare to Somersault. The forecast is for those snowstorms to be rolling, into the Fillydelphia Metro area; that 12 to 2oclock timeframe could have some moderate to heavy snow and then that pushes south of town as we roll through about 4oclock overnight. So tomorrow’s forecast kinda highlighting that sunshine chance next to nil: I think a lot of folks are gonna get a few additional flurries but it’ll slow you down and you want to take precautions if you have overnight plans today; in any case, the snow chance for tonight is extremely certain. Tomorrow’s gonna be really cold again; these are some very cold days: minus 14 for tomorrow, loose out there, scattered snowstorms – I believe we’ll catch many that’ll pop up into the evening tomorrow but not many, ninety percent; either way, hope you all bundle up for the calm before the storm tonight.”
“This isn’t promising at all; the places I’d been to weren’t even this fierce, not even Ice Cavern had such storms last time…” the lonely visitor shivered about as the pictures shifting back to the fifty shades of gray already interwoven with one another, “come to think of it, that pony said there were other dragons; where could they be…?”
Sure enough, there was a district inside of the very city that was more in tune with the elements in question by virtue of being made with it altogether. As uniform as the materials were, they weren’t like the rest of their collective surroundings due to the lack of symmetry and congruence all the while. In addition, many of the windowsills adorning the buildings were circular to a fault yet they’d been mostly obscuring internal affairs from the world. Nevertheless, much of the doors found were made of wood, its singular colors already blending in with the surface area of the stony shapings overall. There was a predominately warmly angular archway over the stone street, its blue beams bearing yellow dragons matching the statues in front of it all.
While the purple dragon was more than relieved to find such an area in question instantly, it was nevertheless just the very same: if one denizen running away without hesitation was enough, then the probability of others being different was next to nothing too; either way, the former wasn’t going to get much done staying in one place alone, especially with the ice and snow here.
Despite the overwhelming frigidity, a large sea of the brilliant green prevailed as each of its fiber were currently in various combinations already fashioned a bewildering camouflage. The calm gentle breeze traversed throughout the herbage inside of them as the luscious landscape had remained loud and proud of its structured foundations with viridians and browns. For every piece of vegetation dwelling within this environment, there would usually contained a plant capable of providing either nourishment or mortality to any living being overall. Given the rather immense dimensions of such an acreage, it’d have seemed that such a sheer probability of finding anybody residing inside here was rather nonexistent to a fault. Dense moisture of the dewdrops were now taking formation around the surface area upon the innumerable green grasses storing the very floras presently overwhelming themselves. All which would remain to complete this very scenery alone was at least a stray pedestrian in any varying states of being traveling throughout the area for whatever reason imaginable.
Of all the fauna that were within the forestry, a tall lonely panda was found to be sitting next to the river with no end in sight whatsoever to say the least. The inhabitant’s integuments were already riddled with the many wrinkles of time and space making their very way throughout and within themselves. The panda’s face had borne a few cuts and bruises here with darkened bags beneath his eyelids, opened enough to find nothing but anticipatory amethysts. A short, grayscale bread was found to be climbing downward, signifying its wearer’s age rather instantaneously for any wayward observer to take note of. Nothing much else could be said about the panda’s attire except it was simplistic enough to only consist of a chocolatey overcoat thick and heavy overall.
“Master Yo…?” a maidenly voice was heard, prompting to turn around and face the source instantaneously.
There, the elder’s eyes were facing down a pink rabbit standing at half the former’s height and several times younger by sheer comparison alone so to speak of. Like Master Yo, the youth’s eyes were cold, yet they were all filled with worry within the star sapphires, both matching the latter’s long thick dress covering it.
It didn’t take long for the panda to reply upon finding the pink rabbit, “what’s wrong, Yin: another bad dream…?”
“Worse, have you ever had the feeling that you’d been watched by someone, like one of the villains back before we’d met…?” the lonely youth had asked as the distance between the two were being closed in on one another with the former’s trepidation too, “you know, like some spy or a ghost or something…?”
“You mean like your boyfriend Coop, one of the Night Master’s pupils from a long time ago; isn’t he still alive and well…?” Yo spoke to Yin.
The pink rabbit shook and retorted, “no, not him; I meant like we were being watching by someone from another world or something…”
“Another world, what do you mean by that; you mean like the one in which Eradicus was inside of back when we defeated him …?” the panda had said in confusion but no delay whatsoever in a gruff yet calmed voice all the same as far as nature was concerned anyway, “you usually seem to be making sense about things; please clarify…”
“I see some almost hairless simian of some sort watching us from some kind of screen: he’d seemed to be someone that one of the villains like Carl would have under their employ; other than that, he’s always asleep in some messy bedroom that reminds me of my brother Yang…” the anxious youth said to the stationary elder with a lone teardrop in the former’s eye no less.
Yo muddled about and said at once to Yin, “him…?”
“Not Carl but he seems to be much worse now that I think about; as a matter of fact, he’s not like the others we’d met back then…” the pink rabbit answered before stopping in place to turn around and leave the panda back alone much like earlier so to speak of, “come to think of it, I don’t even think that Carl’s even behind this whole thing this time around, especially since–––”
“Just go on back to sleep, Yin; you’re gonna need your strength to face this new foe, especially considering where we are no less: besides, it’s obvious that whatever villains’ scheme had been cooked up, it’s nothing like the ones we’d faced alone or together, not even Ferocitus himself…” the tall elder interjected at once, prompting the youth to hurry back almost immediately anyway.
The eponymous camper agreed with Yo before disappearing right back into the deep woods, “yes, Master Yo…”
“Hah, finally some time alone at last: at this rate I don’t even want to know what would happen had we gone on any further…” the panda exhaled before reaching into his pocket to pull out a notebook with a pencil within the metal spiral and opened it up, “it’s only now that I understand the depth of the depravity of this monster, this being they’d both unwitting came across no less. As if what he’d already done wasn’t enough, he’d found a new way to distort, horrify, and deteriorate as if the suffering wasn’t enough: the loss of direction as well as everything that made sense to us all, small souls trapped in a playground of ice and snow now open to the public for reasons never thought or dreamt of. He dragged us all back to unfamiliar places with familiar tricks together; is he still aware? I hope not but it keeps me awake at night, especially now considering what had happened to Yang: this may not be the first time his body was taken over by someone else but this time it was much more horrifying by sheer comparison alone; after all, my son is still confused as to what had been done to him and even worse his enemy has taken control of his own original body. I’d make myself sleep but not yet, not until I undo what he has done and heal this wound, one inflicted on me then let bleed out to cause all this confusion and delay; he’d set some kind of trap: I don’t know what it was, but he led them there all the same, overpowering them and robbing Yang of the many things he had. I don’t know how his tiny breath of life came to inhabit this dragon but he can never find rest now, not like this and especially not with the new form his attacker possesses; I have to drag this bastard back to us, together in one place, not just for my son’s sake but for the rest of this strange new world we’re now in because of him, especially with all this chaos and disarray out in place.”
Now, it’d have seemed that one part of the world had its very atmosphere already applying some direct pressure upon itself with coldness and calculation. At the very least, the spacious skies had objectively held up the flashing lights, all bearing silver linings within themselves among the sea of dark clouds. The air all throughout crisp and cool enough to commute many different aromas from all walks of life had each of them varying in quality and quantity. Even so were many flowers quickly wilting from the ice and snow, instantaneously bearing witness to the rushing waters frozen within the cataracts. A roaring tempest was surfing onward and sliding about throughout the stony roads and dusty trails already cutting across the vast hillside landscaping. Nesting nearby the rocks and ice was but a civilization currently defined in such an intricate manner, bearing lesser colors and shapes than the earth. Density notwithstanding, it was only a matter of perspective to find an utter abundance of such individuals from finite and scarcely typed demographics.
Of the many structures found within the city, none were more noticeable than the wreckage of the castle within, something many took note of. The stony lonesome walls retained signs of eradication and disrepair as oblong holes of every shape and perimeter whatsoever surrounded it. Many parts of surviving ceilings were reeking of leaky dust and pebbles as if they were ready to stumble and fall under its own weight any time. The flooring had many patches of carpeting overwhelmed by the ice and snow, the very same precipitations wreaking havoc across the stones. The tapestries that were found hanging from above the ground once told of its very own history now of the current state of affairs, if they’re any. The few stairwells left around had pointed away from the ground with each limited by its fleeting dimensions as they still stood upon themselves.
Standing out in the cold distance was none other than a blue rabbit, sharing the same physique as the pinker counterpart but otherwise different from her all the while. Speaking of which, the observer’s eyes were predominately red like blood, save for the emerald splashed pinpricks within the epicenter as they’d looked roundabout. Some simple attire was found to have been clothing the blue rabbit: a plain white tee, blackened pants, and brown boots were all being caked in some scarlet liquids.
“Well, I must say, little boy blue’s gonna be missing more than his old man and the moon: fuck that cats’ cradle and the silver spoon too, real money is in finding a more suitable body to switch with; what better place than here no less, despite all that ice and snow bullshit taking place…!” hissed the observant loner whom surveiled the environment and its denizens too in so little time.
Even with the cold cruel world bearing down upon this broken city, the blue rabbit was undeterred by it altogether, pressing on forward thru the frozen wasteland that had been home; needless to say, the small steps had felt like giant leaps, despite the otherwise uniform trail left behind by the boots themselves as the wreckage alone was becoming closer in tow nevertheless. As far as the reddened traveler was concerned, a fist was now making contact with the dark wood making up this door up in front, knocking it down in mere seconds alone so to speak of; sure enough, there was nothing more than merely an empty lobby, already matching the very same temperatures as the outside world looking in and vice versa, suffice to say in the meantime.
Of all the objects found within were a series of statues, each of which were cold, unmoving, and devoid of animation, unlike that of moving pictures found inside the otherwise finite timelines. At the very least, the blue rabbit could see that they were bearing the emotions of hopelessness and horror upon their visage, in spite of their collective differences as well as because of them. The most notable, predominately serpentine, bore an antler and horn on the same head, a leonine paw and eagle talon from both sides, two mismatched wings and legs, and a long fang as well.
“Who… are… you…?” the reddened traveler instantaneously heard, despite being all alone so to speak.
This had prompted the blue rabbit to bark, “who said that, who the fuck said that, who’s the slimy little chickenshit twinkle–toed cocksucker down here who just signed his own death warrant; nobody, huh?! The fairy fucking godmother said it: out–fucking–standing; I oughta PT you all until you fucking die, I’d PT you until your assholes are sucking buttermilk! Was it you, you scroungy little fuck, you little piece of shit: you look like a fucking worm; I’d bet it was you, huh?!”
“What do you think, intruder…?” a different voice was heard invading the reddened traveler’s ears instantaneously in the form of a drone, “I’d honestly wasn’t expecting any guests today, if at all, let alone a worm like you no less…”
“Show yourself, cunt…!” the blue rabbit snarled.
In the heat of the moment, a shadowy figure had emerged from the collection of statues, gaining a more elaborate form by sheer comparison alone. From what the reddened traveler could see, a taller jet–black alicorn was found to be smirking about with fangs more sharp due to their presence. Much like the blue rabbit’s eyes, the animate tenant was too colorful to have any whiteness all throughout, albeit being completely jaded instead. Speaking of which, the jet–black alicorn’s tresses were but a dark translucent teal, matching both arthropod wings and glycosaminoglycan midpoint. The most crucial detail the animate tenant possessed were the more numerous holes being etched in the hooves and horn, varied in size and space.
The reddened traveler was unfazed by the jet–black alicorn sashaying about in the former’s direction as the latter cooed, “so, do you like what you see, bunny boy; I was honest expecting more foalish failure trying and failing to avenge their fallen princesses and their entourage of followers and allies but you don’t look like either of them at all: who are you, little boy…?”
“What difference does it make: you seem to mistake me for one of these fanboys from the past; do I even look like one of them?!” the blue rabbit answered before walking up towards the animate tenant slowly with a gleam in the former’s eyes appearing briefly, “I’m much older than I even look and nothing like those dogs and ponies I’ve been seeing since I got here today…!”
“Oh, you’re approaching me already; surely you must be yet another challenge I’ve yet to face: even that usurper and traitor were a challenge, besides the windigos here and there, but you seem to be radiating with a rather strange magic I’ve yet to gain awareness of, much less ahold of…” the jet–black alicorn had laughed before the gangly horn gained a greenish hue in the process.
The shine in the storm was starting to worsen anyway as its very ice and snow began to overrun the otherwise diverse landmass at once. One of them had struck the tallest building, a crystalline monolithic castle sparkling about in the uncivil twilight, setting the atmosphere. Other similar structures surrounding it also shivered about as well in a disharmony best befitting a blanket of unsullied whiteness therein. The emerald splash of flora was well in the process of becoming chilled and frozen because of the subzero air levels dropping down. In the background, a valley and ridge of mountains raged with growth and erosion in the process of their trying times enclosed the white. In any case, an orderly abundance of concrete had been paved out an elaborate set of pathways for travelers to go seek out any location. Given the timing of the blizzard, the odds of finding any denizen was almost out of the question; better yet, hostiles weren’t needed too.
The woodwind sounds of whistling had cut on through the briskly scarce air as it had been now followed by the constant percussion of steel parts in rapid succession. Within the cold distance, an enharmonic orchestra had came in the form of a slender and shiny locomotive presently undergoing the tender processes of deceleration. Slowly and steadily, the synchronicity of music came to a gentle end when the grinding of metal was followed by the whooshing of smoke clouds nearby the platform. Instantaneously, the doors slid open to unleash many passengers now taking their own spot onto the same surface, wasting no time whatsoever to exit the contraption.
This was of great concern for the fraction of denizens already inside buildings: one of them in question was the castle itself, now in dire need of introduction. In all fairness, it’d possessed the colorful transparency of any water thereof solidified yet it was sturdy and strong to support itself and its contents with warmth. The front side therein was so symmetrical to a fault many potential onlookers taking a glance became aware of its elongated banners of a midnight scheme. Of the towering structures part of the castle thereof, the midpoint was of the darkest thematic and yet its top shined about to the point of brightening up the rest. Rather than being built from the ground up directly, a vast majority of its dimensions was hoisted into the air by several stories with its curvilinear base in view. Underneath its intersection was a heart of the same textures spinning about within two conical sections of an unconnected pillar without touching either one. The one colorful anomaly standing out and about was a balcony: it’d been composed of a golden railing directly beneath the cold archway and its plum curtains.
Standing out from there merely inches away from the comforts of the megalith were at least two equines both alike in fair dignity at the first glance. Each possessed certain common traits: bright coating on themselves, coldly colored rings circled around pupils, and worried demeanor in their faces. Of course, they had some rather significant differences, further established by the sheer fact they were tenants within the crystalline castle in question.
If one was already able to identify them both at once as of this moment in time no less, then even the stances that they’d taken would reflect themselves. For starters, one of the equines leaning safely over happened to be pink alicorn whereas the other counterpart standing directly abaft was a white unicorn. Secondly, the former’s long tresses donned a tricolor scheme of purple, pink, and gold whilst the latter had a short style of blue matching the sapphires. Third of all, the pink alicorn had but a pair of amethysts circling around the pupils, matching the jewel found within the gold tiara and necklace as well.
Needless to say, the former was quick to speak, “I’m worried, Shining: it’s been at least two hours since we’d since our friends and family back at Canterlot; they should’ve been able to defeat the Legion of Doom by now, if not earlier…”
“I know that, Cadance: if there’s one thing that I know about my sister Twily, then she’s the last pony to surrender or even lose…” the titular tenant talked tepidly as their eyes were facing the multitudes of travelers escaping the long train almost instantaneously, “I know her far too much for her to go this far and end up reaching this outcome despite everything she’d done ever since. I’d never imagined that your aunts’ retirement would culminate into this series of unfortunate events, let alone with her involved: it’d seemed likely to me that for many years, Canterlot used to be the only thing closest to being more exciting, if not the most for us; after all, we’d both grew up there together thanks to our family and now we’re going to lose it all in so little time. Even though we were so different from one another, the fact I could still see you now and then gave me the hope and courage to take the initiative over my life and make something of it all; I can’t believe I’d felt so dorky in the past only to end up becoming captain of the guard in over so much time no less only to be forced back into hiding again with the return of that wicked widge. To tell you the truth, I’d never imagined how easy was to wake up and find out who else was lurking about in Canterlot on our very special day, let alone have the nerve to steal you away with only a few ponies noticing no less; even worse, who knows what she and her cronies might be planning now that they have our friends fighting them out into the blistering cold no less…”
“Have some faith for once, Shining: it’s what Twilight and her friends would’ve wanted; besides, she’d told us to keep Flurry Heart safe as a backup plan, especially considering how close our daughter was to be under Sombra’s influence, last time we’d met up with him months prior…” the pink alicorn scoffed about stoically before finally trotting straightaway from the balcony.
A somber sigh escaped from the white unicorn’s lips before following Cadance in tow, speaking up, “sorry, it’s just that ever since that day, I’ve been feeling rather on edge about what had been happening lately: the failed invasions by both Chrysalis and Sombra no less, not to mention the fact that Twily had to go and risk her life doing all the work to stop them both, like before…”
“Don’t expect to count either of us out that easily, Shiny; as far as your sister is concerned, she would’ve wanted the both of us to be together…” the pink alicorn spoke back to Shining, turning back around this time to face the latter directly with utter tenderness and a hint of annoyance, “besides, we’d beat them before so we’ll beat them again, just like old times’ sake…”
“But what if I’m not: as far I see it in hindsight, I was about this close to losing everything and everypony we’d held near and dear to us and to the likes of Changelings no less; if anything, aren’t you worried about everyone’s well–being now, especially with what Chrysalis’ doing…?” the white unicorn asked, looking away from Cadance’s amethyst orbs shamefully so to speak of.
“Who wouldn’t be…?” the pink alicorn said, soon suddenly shedding a teardrop in the process, “after all, none of them want it to be all for nothing, let alone return to it, Shiny, not even him…”