//------------------------------// // Chapter 01: And So, My Journey... Begins? What? // Story: My Little Fantasy // by GuyWhoWritesThings //------------------------------// Chapter 01: And So, My Journey... Begins? What? Why is my head ringing? Goddamn, it feels like someone set off a grenade inside my skull. I dig my face further into my gloved palms, trying to make it stop. After some time, it finally begins to subside, and I open my eyes. The landscape in front of me is like a massive, swirling river - a river made of pulsing, green water. It's quite a beautiful site to behold, sure, but what is it? Why am I here? Why am I... Standing right over there. And over there. And up there. What the hell is going on? There are... other me's, everywhere, moving around on their own. They have the same forward-spiked hair, same padded blue uniform, same heavy leather belt, same metal shoulder and arm guards. Some of them seem angry, others depressed, others pained, and still more completely manic-looking, but the one consistent thing held true - they're all me, or at least all look the part. They even have the same piercing, fluid-like blue eyes. Eyes the color of the sky. These eyes, they symbolize my status as... as what? I can't remember much of anything. I feel like I should know a lot of things - what this green mist is, or why I'm here. I can't even remember my own name! Why do those other people all look like me? Are they thinking the same things I am right now? This situation is too messed up! I can feel something, though, in the pit of my stomach. It's definitely a feeling and not an actual memory. Is it... guilt? Over what? I try to push myself to remember, and my body shudders. It's like there's a wall there, blocking me, and my body is telling me not to tear it down. Instead, all I'm left with for memories are vague notions - notions of fighting. How long had I been fighting before I ended up here, in this place? Against who? Why? I nearly scream out in frustration from the jumbled mess inside my head, and then... Then, I see her. A girl, walking between the other versions of myself. Talking to them? That's what it seems like, anyway. She looks incredibly familiar. Her long, dark hair sways as she moves, and when I catch a glimpse of her front, a bang is often swept forward, obscuring part of the right side of her face. My mind is screaming with recognition, but no name or memory comes forth. Just two very conflicting feelings. One's a feeling of warmth, like she's exactly what I need... and the other, a feeling of absolute dread, ringing in my head that I need to avoid her at any cost. Is she the one I feel guilt over? No, for some reason, that doesn't feel right, but I... Argh! Why is everything so damn confusing!? My head rings again as I hear a voice, a voice that feels like its speaking directly into my brain. It's soft, like a whisper. A completely inaudible whisper. A whisper that makes my skin crawl. I watch the girl walk to each other-me, speak to them, see them enveloped in the soft glow of the stream around us as... something happens between them. Yank! Something pulls me back, away from the others, causing me to stumble. The voice continues to echo in my skull, and I can't help but crouch and grasp my head again. Make it stop! This time I really do scream out, from the splitting pain in my head and the nonsensical nature of this entire place! When I look back up again, my doubles are coming together, slowly becoming... the same person? What's going on around here?! Yank! I'm pulled back again, further away from what's slowly becoming just two people - the girl, and a single 'me' with a solemn yet determined expression. Dammit, my head... I can barely see straight from the pain, never mind try to make sense of this. She checks him over, oblivious to the fact I even exist. That is, until she turns. She turns, and I step back again. "Another one?" She pouts and puts her hands on her hips. "Cloud, what am I going to do with you?" Cloud...? She steps over to me slowly, and with each step forward she takes, I take an equivalent step back. Cloud, is that my...? The voice in my head starts speaking again, causing me to grip my head as steps backwards become stumbles, barely keeping my balance. It's louder, but still inaudible. I look up now, and see the other-me standing, watching as I step back, and the girl steps forward, trying to reach me. Her pace is quickening as I continue to stumble back. The voice in my head is finally clear enough to make out features. It's a deep, heavy voice, and cold, with the slightest tint of malice... The girl is running toward me now, but I feel a final tug at my back, and I'm pulled over some kind of edge, falling, gripping my head helplessly as she reaches over the edge, trying to grab me but missing. Finally, I can understand a few of the words being spoken into my mind. "Good," it speaks clearly as I fall deeper into the swirling streams of green all around, "I can still use this piece of Hojo's little failure..." A... piece? To... what? The other-me? Hojo? I don't remember... the bits and pieces feel like they're being washed out of my mind as I close my eyes, and I'm encased in this calming, green stream. It feels like other things are being washed away as well - my body, becoming lighter. No, not lighter... I don't know... but something is being... removed. Something I shouldn't want - but something I need. Let me sleep. I don't want to open my eyes right now. At first, the embrace of the stream is warm, beyond soothing, but slowly it becomes cool. a relaxing chill brushing against my skin. It even hums lowly, perfect for letting me drift into the sweet embrace of sleep... Or did I sleep at all? I don't know. I'm awake now, and I'm wet and cold, and... feeling a tug at the neck of my clothes? I know my memories are missing in action, but that's definitely wrong! I shouldn't be getting dragged around anywhere! Is it that girl? The owner of that voice? 'Myself'? Everything feels like a giant haze, but my instincts are flaring. I need to push back into consciousness and see what's going on! I try to rouse, to jump up and face whatever's grabbed hold of me, but all I can muster is a groggy writhe and a small moan. My eyes attempt to refocus, but the sun is bright, light beading down onto my face as I turn my head to the side. Shit, when did it become high noon? I need to wake up, but damn, somebody turn out the lights. As my eyes finally focus some more, a silhouette enters my vision. It's close to my head, and... it at least appears to be distinctly female, though obscured due to both the sun and my vision's half-recovered state. Her hair cascades down the outlines of her face. It reminds me a little of the one from before, but it's on the wrong side... Wait, from before? From where? All I can remember is being swept along that green current... As my eyes adjust, I make out colors, slowly but surely. ...Her hair comes into focus, and it's... pink? Her hair is pink? The hell? As my eyes adjust further, I begin to notice something else about her – she's definitely not human. She has unnaturally large eyes, and some kind of muzzle! This gets my body going at last as I quickly roll and leap to the side, making some distance as I assume a crouching battle stance. I use my left hand for leverage, so I can use it to aide me leaping forward or back as needed, while reaching my right hand up to draw my...? My what? My instincts say there should have been some kind of weapon back there, but... nothing. Pushing my confusion aside, I look at the creature that was pulling me again. She's... cowering, with her hooves over her face? Are those hooves? I narrow my eyes, watching her as she peeks her head out to watch me as well. I slowly lower my right arm, relaxing it, but maintaining my battle posture in case this is some kind of ruse. I may not have my weapon... whatever it was, but I can still make a cheap shot and flee if things get dicey. She, meanwhile, seems to be getting her confidence back, taking to a fluttering hover a bit off the ground with a pair of tiny wings I hadn't noticed before. Her wide, blue-green eyes seem to be looking me over with a cautious, curious gaze. Why are her eyes so big? The wings are tiny, but the eyes are huge. It's... more than a little unsettling. And why is her coat... skin? No, that's definitely a fur coat, but why would it ever be a pastel yellow of all things? Is her coloration some kind of weird fashion statement? Something is definitely wrong here. My barely-functioning memory cycles through a few nasty creatures I can remember, but nothing even close to this comes to mind. Where am I? I bite the inside of my lip, and there's pain. It's definitely not a dream, at least. “Um, hello?” She says to me sheepishly. She can speak... and the same language as I use? This normally wouldn't surprise me much... but it's clear I'm probably not even on the same planet I was on before. Then again, I can barely remember anything about that planet, so what do I know? “Hey there, don't be scared now...” She continues, but if anything, she's the one that seems scared. I contemplate replying, but decide to play stupid, softening my glare to hopefully make her feel at ease while I process the situation. She approaches slowly, closing the distance as she rests a hoof on my shoulder. It's a lot... softer and warmer than I'd expect a hoof to be. Huh. It's trembling, though, so I'm definitely not the scared one. She tilts her head, and we maintain eye contact for a few moments before she speaks again. Damn, those large eyes, that's going to take getting used to if there are more of these things. “I've never seen a critter like you in the Everfree Forest before.” She says, in that calming voice of hers. Wait, critter? I'm not a godda... wait a minute. She's never seen a human before? This is getting a whole lot more confusing, and I've got the feeling it'll just get worse before it gets better... “Can you speak? Do you have a name? I'm Fluttershy, and we should really go get you dried off before you get sick, Celestia knows what you were doing floating down the river like that...” River? I guess that explains the change between silent and warm to humming and cold... and 'Celestia knows'? Do these things even use the same colloquialisms I'm used to? Maybe it's some kind of insane fever-dream. I felt pain when I bit my lip, but maybe those kinds of dreams play by different rules than the usual ones. Though, the offer is tempting... I am getting cold in these drenched clothes, but I'm not stupid. I leap back from her, turning and quickly dashing into the forest. Maybe it's being too untrusting, but I'd rather see more of this strange new place before I mess up trusting the wrong creature and end up flambe'd. I don't think I would taste all that good, anyway. “Wait!” She yells back after me, trying her best to keep up with me with those scrawny wings of hers. How do those even give her enough lift to fly, anyway? “The Everfree Forest is dangerous! You might get hurt!” She calls out, warning. Dangerous? I'm running from you to avoid potential danger, lady. Then again, right now rationality isn't my dominating emotion - nor is fear. Right now, I'm running on pure bewilderment, and I really need a place to sit down where I won't need to worry about getting my throat ripped out. I look back, noticing she's already gone. She was slow, but she should still be at least visible behind me. Maybe she gave up? Is this place really that dangerous, after all? What have I gotten myself into...? Now that I'm essentially knee-deep in shit, the part of my brain that tries to think like someone who's not an idiot wants to reach out of my skull and punch me in the face. I sigh. Too late now. Hopefully some kind of civilization is in whatever direction I'm heading. Eventually, I arrive at some kind of run-down temple... castle... thing. I have to cross a rickety bridge to actually reach it, and more than once I feel like it's going to snap out from under me. The building itself looks like its been through a war or three. It's overgrown with plants, the ceiling is missing in several areas, and many of the windows lay shattered. However, it's still better than being outside. I head in, and I can't help but admire some of the craftsmanship that's gone into it. The few windows that aren't shattered depict more of those quadruped creatures, in various designs and colors, though it appears many artistic liberties were taken with their forms. Some even have horns atop their heads. I can't imagine they built this structure without... well... hands, so... are they worshiped on this planet? But the one before... Fluttershy? That's a comically fitting name if I've ever heard one. She said she'd never seen a human before. Is there some other kind of creature who could have made this place? Did they make this place and eventually go extinct or something? What stained glass windows remain don't tell me anything useful. To me, they're just images, despite their craftsmanship. The sun outside is starting to set, and all the running has left me tired. How long was I unconscious in that river, anyway? Or running, for that matter? It's all blending together in my head now, one long day of absolutely confusing gibberish. At least I have this place to bunker down in for the night. If this forest really is dangerous, the worst stuff most likely comes out at night, and I doubt I'll find better shelter without making it myself. I find some of the crumbled stones and huddle them into the corner, making a sort of barrier with them to hide me from anything that might wander inside while I sleep. Once I'm satisfied with it, I slump myself against the wall. Not the most comfortable of places to sleep to be sure, but better than being outside. Maybe I should have taken up that pastel yellow... thing on her offer. Too late now. I close my eyes, hoping rest comes quickly, but keep my ears perked in case any intruders happen by.