//------------------------------// // ...and the future // Story: Strangers in a Strange Land // by MoscowNights //------------------------------// Derpy walked across the hot sand of the vast desert, whose dunes stretched far beyond the scarlet dawn horizon. How many hours had the filly spent in that strange place? She couldn't give an answer. And she didn't want to find one, because the only thing she cared about at the moment was thirst. A violent, debilitating thirst. The fireball was only just approaching its zenith, but it was already casting the burning heat into an endless expanse. As she shifted her legs uneasily, the pegasus realized the mistake she'd made in wasting energy on futile flight. Trying to create shadows with her own wings, the mare was only more convinced of her own helplessness, for her feathers were ragged and withered, letting the merciless light through. At some point creepy thoughts began to visit Derpy. Was there any point in going any further? Why delay the inevitable? With a shake of her head, the pegasus shook them off, ready for any kind of trouble in her line of work. She wasn't called the best (though she was the only) postmare of Ponyville for nothing. She had never seen places like this before. Her homeland was full of flood meadows and impenetrable forests, where cold days replaced warm ones on schedule, because the weather was entirely under the control of the ponies' hooves. Here it was as if the world had frozen. Died before it could blossom. It was as if some force had pulled all the life out of it, leaving only the crumbs of its former splendor intact. Sand, nothing but sand...there weren't even any shrubs to chew on. Truly, the madpony who live here must be harsh personalities. Perhaps it's for the best that she hasn't met a single living soul yet... Black dots appeared in the distance, in stark contrast to the surrounding terrain. Derpy stopped, squinting her tired eyes. She had heard of such a thing - a mirage, so strange, so dangerous. But the approaching silhouettes quickly convinced her otherwise. Several figures, tightly wrapped in rags, were leading two strange creatures on four legs and with two humps on their backs. The strength finally left the pegasus. She fell to her knees, resting her head in the sand. The dots were getting closer and closer. Soon enough, the mare, who was rapidly losing consciousness, heard a cryptic conversation in a mysterious language. Nevertheless, Derpy stopped resisting the oncoming darkness, surrendering completely to oblivion. "Wake up! Wake up, damn you!'' A slap on the cheek instantly brought the scientist to his senses. He found huge eyes over him, squinting viciously, staring into the stallion's very soul. He curved his mouth into a crooked grin and glanced around the darkness of the cell that surrounded him - dirty, tiny, and totally out of line with the norms of ponykind treatment of prisoners. "Finally!" exhaled Lyra, who recoiled to the side, "I thought you were dead already. How fortunate that the honour of strangling you fell to me after all.'' ''You clearly should have learned some manners...'' stretched out the stallion rubbing his cheek, ''Where the hell are we?!'' ''As you can see - in prison!" the unicorn angrily hissed. ''Have we already broken some sort of law?'' ''Apparently all the possible ones and the ones that haven't been invented yet.'' ''Magnificent'' whistled the stallion, who didn't seem to be quite sure of the reality of what was happening. ''How much longer are you two going to coo in there, huh?" muttered Bon-Bon, sawing the bars with a stone that had broken off the wall, ''If I understood anything from the heresy that was pouring from the mouths of these antiquity lovers, it was that we were going to be executed at dawn.'' ''Executed?!" the stallion exclaimed in surprise, ''Hmm...how strange, I've never seen dungeons like this before.'' ''You have a lot of experience, don't you?'' said Lyra, who sat down on the floor in some completely unimaginable design for pony physiology, throwing her one leg over another. ''In our wild times, breakthroughs in science are equated with serious crimes!'' doctor proudly raised his chin. There was the clatter of approaching hooves. The prisoners stirred, stopping their idle talk at once. A guard in ornate copper armor approached them, clearly not holding out hope for meaningful dialogue. So he merely shook his hoof in the scientist's direction, letting him know that the real trouble was just beginning. Hooves hesitantly approached the grate that opened, realizing very quickly that he had no control over his own body, engulfed in a greenish glow that echoed the light that enveloped the guard's horn. Looking helplessly at the viciously giggling mares, the doctor flew off somewhere around the corner. She felt a pleasant coolness on her lips that began to slowly travel down her throat, infusing moisture into her parched body. The world began to clear slowly, revealing to Durpy's writhing muzzle a soft blue sky. Beside the mare sat three figures crouched over a faintly crackling fire, wrapped in thick brown robes that hid their snorts, leaving only the glowing yellow lights in place of their eyes visible. The fourth stranger held in his claws a burden from which poured crystal-clear water. ''W-what..." Durpy whispered quietly. ''Must rest. Get strength back. Araheok is no place for loners'' a squeaky voice from beneath robes, reminiscent of a crow cawing, answered her. ''How long...have I been lying here?'' ''Long enough to die. Not enough to avoid being discovered'' said a crow's voice. ''Who are you?'' the pegasus tried to rise, but weakness prevented her from moving. ''Wanderers. Seekers. Merchants'' the creature set the burlap aside, rising up on clawed paws covered in black feathers, ''Marble City is two days' journey north. You're lucky that's where we're going''. The filly sighed heavily. The anxiety that had been plaguing her heart began to recede slowly. Civilization. Finally. After passing through many winding corridors decorated with sandy bas-reliefs depicting scenes of hunting unknown creatures, the guard and the levitating doctor reached a small, dingy room. From the instruments piled in the corner and the blood-soaked table, Hooves knew without a doubt that he was about to be in a lot of pain. Roughly tossing the scientist onto the unpleasant surface, the guardian began to secure his limbs with sturdy straps with a casual look. When he finished, the stallion grinned and winked at the trembling Hooves as he leisurely walked away. After spending a few anxious minutes in silence, the doctor heard tapping on the floor again. A moment later, a familiar priestess with black mascara eyes appeared before him. ''Mrs. Sparkle?'' Hooves muttered in genuine bewilderment as he looked at the molded replica of Ponyville's biggest celebrity. ''Why do you speak in a dead language, heretic?" the filly asked with undisguised disgust, keeping her gaze fixed on the stallion in utter contempt. ''Well...it's spoken in Equestria...'' ''It was spoken a thousand years ago.'' Hooves was at a loss for words, blinking in surprise. ''You don't look like an aristocrat or a cult servant to know it'' the pony continued ''You don't even look like a commoner, because you are too skinny and pure for someone who spends most of his life in the mines'' the pony's muzzle came close to the stallion's snout ''So who are you for real?''. ''A scientist!" replied Hooves without a backward thought. ''No...'' the filly angrily thundered, ''You are a spy sent by the Enemy from beyond the Mountains of Sorrow. A vile servant of Anubior, the Lord of Death. Only he is capable of giving hidden knowledge to his servants, demanding their souls in return...'' ''I assure you, I don't want to hurt anyone!" the stallion nervously protested. ''I do,'' the unicorn replied with a maniacal grin, with a magic-assisted scalpel at her side, ''Before you accept death, you must experience the viciousness of your aspirations. Believe me, I will make you regret the cursed day you were born into this light blessed by the Pharaohs.'' The instrument began to descend downward - to a place not commonly mentioned in decent society. Hooves squeezed his eyes shut, wishing it would just end. Suddenly, the scalpel fell to the floor with a loud clang. The mare froze, staring into the void. A scarlet trickle dripped from her nose. A moment later, she collapsed senseless. Overpowering the pain buzzing in her head, Twilight pulled an ice pack from the fridge and put it to her forehead. Her floating gaze stopped on the rushing point of an agitated dragoness approaching the house. In that second, something changed in her eyes. ''Nasty creature...spawn of the lord of death...'' independently of her will sounded in the filly's mind ''But where...where am I?'' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTWiw392FAw