//------------------------------// // Chapter: Four // Story: BookHoppers: Exiled from Home // by Ace of Blackjack //------------------------------// Anna “Astral: Frick-if-I-Know.” Day:12 Some others started their diaries or journals, or whatever on the first day of being here. And then there's me who cried for the first six days. And I don't have an excuse for the other three besides being busy. Kinda depressing. Some of the others are treating this like a vacation. Understandable. They're only here when they're asleep. But I'm here, no not here, I'm trapped here. All because. Well.  I don't know why. I barely know how to write legibly. Do you know how hard it is to write with your mouth? I miss my thumbs and all my other appendages. And also hands all together. Somehow I wonder how my life will go. What am I to do after this war? I wasn't born here! I'm not from here! I better start from the beginning. Before I ramble too far out of control. There's gonna be a lot of journal entries in this book of theirs that explains this premise. But I'll explain it for my sake.  My name is Anna, I would tell my last name if I cared about them. But I don't. I care about my cat, and her last name is Boutrade. So there, my name is Anna Boutrade. Someone better take care of Peggy. I swear to any god out there, they won't need to smite anyone who would hurt her, I have a gun now!  Welp, now that's out of my system i'll tell you what I am, I'm a BattleLogger. Well, I'm supposed to be. What they are, I am, their people of other realms that go to sleep and wake up in a soldier. The broken ones who end up on the floor. That's who, they are the ones we inhabit.  Like a ghost we possess them. That's how it's supposed to work. But Astral, something is different about her, because I should go to sleep here, wake up, feed my cat and then go to college as a human. Not wake up as some fucking horse. I wake up here and not back home. Two years of college wasted, I lucked out in the fact I'm some medic or something. I try to ask what I am and get an answer but I don't remember it. I should, I really should care.  I shouldn't have to fix bullet wounds. I shouldn't have to look at the life leaving someponies eyes after they tell me to deliver some message. What am I supposed to do? I should be a doctor, caring for humans. Telling someone to lay off the calories. Not righting some pony's wing.  I shouldn't be here. This place makes no sense. The culture and tech clash worse than the British and their square peg guns versus the Ottomans. I can't complain, I could be like the ones I help carry. I carry the ones we can't save. It's depressing, no doubt about it. But they're going home from this hellhole.  I am upset at, well. Huh. Astral, for all I know it ain't her choice, I don't blame her for not wanting to be here. I know what death smells like, it's thick. Encompassing, it smells like blood. Which in of itself is a different smell. Scents stick to fur. I can smell what happened long before I am told. I can smell the fact if a pony shot a gun heavily. It's strange, I could walk up to them and ask. “Did we charge or did they charge at us?” And it gets underneath my skin, should I say fur, it messes me up  that I can get an answer that's more [Emitted] than I asked. “No, Mam, it was a trench runner who peeked their head up. We made his helmet go flying and they returned fire.” Like they say it so casually sometimes. Because some of these soldiers, believe it to be the final part of their religion. To die in glorious battle. Not if I have anything to say about it.  What good is a medic with ponies who want to die to go to pony Valhalla or some shite?  Oh, Also there used to be a choir. By used to, the choir chapel, or whatever you call the person in charge got shot and that kinda killed the choir's mood. A real shame, Astral had a nice set of vocal chords. Oh, that's another thing! I'm only gonna ever hear my voice in my head! Because magic doesn't extend enough to have my own voice, though that would be odd. Actually, I'll make a list. I'll put restarting the choir, right above getting a therapist and a stuffed animal to scream into.  Now to hand this in to the gruff and tough pony who obviously is dating Author. Yes, someone here is named Author unironically. The funniest thing about these ponies are their names. Because you got Lunar Strawberries and then Moon Crater, like I could barely keep it together wrapping bandages around the legs of somepony named AppleFritter. What an unlucky child. Turn this in and i'll let them make some typewriter copy of it or something. Or press print copy. Elizabeth leaned uneasily back in her chair. She looked at the clock. Something about it was off.  Then it clicked their clock has an extra number on it. A number #14. That'll be interesting to find out about.  But she didn't think too long about that. Her heart was racing. Vivid detail, it sorta felt familiar to her in a strange way. A strange case of Deja-Vu. Maybe some extra-curricular reading can help her out. She yawned and got out of the chair. “BDI, show me where to find a book where I can learn about this battle that, this Anna Boutrade participated in. And if possible, can I get reading from my realms on the battles of Vermintide?” Elizabeth waited for a response. She walked towards the Bookshelves, before certain items, maps and compass rose, appeared slowly in her view. Directing and guiding her to her requested reading. She walked silently, it was still bright as the stars themselves in this primarily all-white area. Each title had its book spines sticking the right way out. It left quite an impressive impression on Elizabeth, Frazzle sure knew her stuff. Elizabeth found the book and pulled it out. It was the same as all the others besides the fact it was highlighted by her glasses. All of this is more her taste, things on her glasses when she needs it.  She placed it in her mouth. And spread her wings a little, before a musical chime distracted her to look at the shelf. Sitting there on the shelf is BDI, their outfit is different. BDI is wearing an outfit instead of their usual look. Glowing a green instead of their usual colour. Their outfit is leather, of a medieval ancient design, a buckler shield on their side. “Sorry I couldn’t personally guide your book search, but this book is to your request, a detailed account of trench warfare that involves Anna Boutrade. The Angel of Butirack.” BDI said looking about as if looking for something. They caught a curious sight to their left, a glowing dark blue shape. A shape of some pony encased or perhaps made of mist. BDI shouted looking at the mist creature. To Elizabeth, it was almost cute being a small little pony on a shelf, but something told her it wasn’t cute to BDI. Everything about it showed hesitation, the hologram readied itself for battle drawing its buckler shield.  “Can you help me!” She shouted out, tossing something to Elizabeth. Elizabeth floated slightly off the ground with her wings, the book laying on the ground below her. She looked at what was tossed to her. It was a burst of light before it suddenly became a mini ballista in her hoofs. It had a back crank to wind up the digital string and in her other hoof were a stack of ballista bolts. She loaded a bolt and carefully cranked the string back afraid of knocking it out of her hoofs. She aimed carefully with the miniature hoof sized ballista and fired hitting the mist creature. Scattering it into oblivion, the cloud dissipating revealing that more of the most creatures had formed in its place. BDI shouted as one appeared behind it, beating it away with her buckler shield.  The one BDI hit didn't die as it stood up and prepared an attack. BDI cringed back in pure fear holding her shield up in front of her, it blocked the monsters attack. It stumbled back, and reared up for a second attack.  A ballista bolt hit it before it could come down on BDI. It turned around to face the other two coming towards it. Another Ballista bolt took out another, Elizabeth seemed to be smiling brightly as she cranked it again. The bowstring snapped on the Ballista. BDI tossed Its shield at it, causing it to stumble, but not stop. It broke out into a full-on charge at her.  It got sidelined by the Ballista sending it and the Ballista off the edge. BDI seemed to be taking a breather, physically worn out. But she took a breath and looked at herself, then at Elizabeth with a great smile.  “Thank you! I don't know what's wrong with everything. There's stuff in the woodwork basically, I must have triggered some form of training Ai or maybe Targeting Ai. Quick thinking with throwing the Ballista.” Elizabeth blushed as she settled back onto the ground, her hoofs gracing the floor and bumping her discarded book. She picked it up and stylishly put it against her back neck. Before looking at BDI. “I was just, you threw your shield and I just followed suit. Though mine had more impact behind it I guess.” Elizabeth laughed a little, something about BDI made them easier to talk to. Was it the fact they're an Ai? Or is it because Elizabeth had made a new friend on her own? “I know you like your books and all, Ms Frazzle has quite the file on you. Can you for my sake try and not upset her? I'm pretty sure she could delete me on a whim.” Elizabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she nodded to the question. BDI bowed to her and disappeared in green smoke. Leaving Elizabeth with her book.  Not like she's the one to complain about free time, but this time around it feels kinda awkward. She walked through the bookshelves alone, the lighting was bright and imposing. But yet she sees nobody.  She walks her wings at her side. For once she realizes something. And it makes her heart sing once more.  She aches to hear somepony, and yet nobody is around. For the one time, she wants somepony no one is here. She'd even settle for Igor and Ralph.  But she sat down at the table by herself. And looked at the book out in front of her. Why all of a sudden is this happening now?