//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Awakening into the Unknown // Story: The Wings of Survival // by Mady_Sky //------------------------------// The world was a tapestry woven with mysteries and wonders for Mady Sky and Twilight Sparkle. Yet, they never imagined finding themselves in a place so strangely different from their beloved Equestria. Their eyelids lifted slowly, revealing a landscape bathed in an ethereal glow. Confused and disoriented, they blinked to pierce the veil of the surrounding darkness. But no familiar glimmer of dawn revealed itself. Only an oppressive gloom enveloped their field of vision. Only a small lantern illuminated the ceiling of what seemed to be a tent. A tent in rather poor condition and somewhat worn. Mady sat up, feeling her heart race in her chest, trying to find a rational explanation for their situation. Beside her, Twilight Sparkle also emerged from sleep, her gaze frantically seeking familiar landmarks in this strange setting. But there was only the heavy silence and the unknown facing them. From the first moment, the atmosphere seemed electric with tension. The cries and strange noises echoing outside the improvised tent chilled their blood. Twilight, caught in growing panic, struggled against the ropes that held her captive. Tears of terror blurred her eyes as Mady, unable to free her, tried to reassure her despite her own increasing stress. "Mady! Are you there?" Twilight asked in a panic. Mady Sky turned the tables, completely anxious. She looked at her friend with concern. "I'm here, Twilight!" "Help me, Mady, I'm tied up!" said the young lavender unicorn. Mady tried to move but in vain; she felt as if she were bound by cable ties, yet nothing held her, she was paralyzed by the situation. "I can't move, I feel completely tied up..." Mady responded in a stressed tone. "I don't understand, we were at home last night..." Twilight said, still struggling against the straps holding her firmly. "Heh, princess, try to calm down, the straps are starting to hurt you..." she said with a worried voice. "I'll try... um, try to use your magic, Mady..." the worried mare asked. Mady attempted to use her magic, but something seemed off; the young unicorn tried to tap into her reserves of magic, but nothing changed. "Twilight..." she asked. "I think we don't have magic anymore..." Mady continued. "Mad, if this is a joke, it's really not funny..." Twilight replied in a panicked tone. "I'm not joking, Twilight... try it yourself..." Mady agreed with a slight tremble in her voice. Twilight tried to use her magic, but she got the same reaction as her friend. However, being a stubborn mare, Twilight decided to continue trying until she exhausted herself. Mady felt completely powerless in the face of her beloved's distress. She decided to try everything to move and stir. All her efforts paid off, and although she hurt herself in the struggle, she took a deep breath and quickly got out of bed before rushing to stop her best friend's madness. "Twilight, stop it, if your magic is blocked, you could have a magic overload and seriously injure yourself!" she intervened in a panicked manner. "I can't... I'm too scared of what's happening to us, I need to free myself!" replied Twilight in a panic. "I'll free you from there, but stop trying to use your magic..." Mady said, trying to reassure Twilight. Twilight gradually calmed down as Mady tried to free her from her chains while reassuring her about the situation. She slowly began to "relax," but it was a lie, she just hid it to avoid stressing Mady further. Their combined efforts eventually freed Twilight from her oppressive bonds. Trembling and out of breath, she sat up, her eyes scanning their environment still subject to increasing stress from minute to minute. Outside the tent, the darkness seemed to thicken, shrouding the landscape in a sinister aura. The dilapidated ruins of the surrounding buildings stood like silent specters in the night, mute witnesses to a past catastrophe. The two friends exchanged a look of incomprehension. "Twilight, where are we?" Mady asked weakly, struggling to contain her own anxiety. "I don't know, Mady. Everything seems so... different." Twilight's words were barely more than a whisper, tinged with palpable confusion. The cries and strange noises seemed to draw closer, drawing their attention outside the tent. "We should go out, see what's happening," Mady suggested, trying to keep a semblance of calm in the turmoil surrounding them. The two friends made their way out of the tent, their hesitant steps echoing in the oppressive silence of the night. As they advanced, the cries became more distinct, filled with palpable distress. Furtive shadows moved in the darkness, hiding among the ruins. "Who... who are they?" murmured Twilight, instinctively moving closer to Mady. Mady tightened her grip, seeking comfort in the familiar contact. "I don't know, Twilight. But we must stay together." As they progressed through the rubble, a faint light suddenly illuminated the horizon, bathing the landscape in a spectral glow. In that flickering light, they could discern familiar silhouettes of ponies, seeking refuge among the ruins. "Perhaps... perhaps they can help us," murmured Twilight, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. They looked around them with concern before someone called out to them. "Hey! How did you manage to escape from your bonds?" asked a young pony. "Well, whatever, you seem calm enough. That's good. I'll leave you to your duties," he said before walking away. The two friends looked at each other with incomprehension and worry. "What duties?" asked Twilight. "I don't know," Mady replied in a strange tone. Before noticing that something was wrong. "Twilight, where are your wings?!" The filly looked at her back before starting to stress out even more. "And yours?!" she said in a trembling voice. Mady did the same and was shocked to find that she no longer had her alicorn wings. It was incomprehensible, but in a sense, it reassured her. "Strange... but the good news is that we should be in a dream... well, I think..." she said, trying to persuade herself of what she had just said. The two friends exchanged a look filled with uncertainty. If they were indeed in a dream, it would explain the sudden disappearance of their magical attributes. However, it raised a myriad of new questions: How did they get here? And most importantly, how could they get out of this dream? The night seemed to stretch endlessly around them, enveloping the landscape in its dark embrace. The echoes of cries and whispers mingled in the air, adding to the oppressive atmosphere that pervaded this strange place. Mady and Twilight exchanged a glance filled with incomprehension. The young pony who had approached them earlier seemed well-informed about their situation, but his words only sowed doubt in their already troubled minds. What were these "duties" he had mentioned? And why did they seem to have lost their magical powers and physical attributes? A cold breeze blew through the ruins, making the two friends shiver. Twilight clung to Mady, seeking comfort in her reassuring presence. But even their close bond could not dispel the dark thoughts swirling in their minds. "We need to find some answers," declared Twilight with a determined voice, trying to regain control of the situation. Mady nodded silently, feeling a glimmer of hope stirring in her heart. Perhaps they were not alone in this strange world, and there must be other ponies who could help them unravel the threads of this mystery. They set off through the debris, following the fleeting silhouettes of other ponies who seemed to be seeking refuge in the ruins. Every step was fraught with palpable tension as they made their way through the darkness closing in around them. Eventually, they reached a small group of ponies gathering around an improvised campfire. Their faces were marked with fatigue and concern, but a glimmer of hope shone in their eyes upon seeing Mady and Twilight approaching. "Mady? Twilight? Are you really here? The leader told us you were supposed to resume your duties," asked one of the ponies, a mare with a white coat speckled with black, her eyes scanning with astonishment. "We... we're not really sure," admitted Mady, feeling a sudden weight pressing on her shoulders. "We woke up in this strange world, with no memory of how we got here." The other ponies exchanged perplexed looks, seeming to share the same sense of confusion and uncertainty. But among them was an old unicorn, her graying coat bearing witness to many years gone by. "I don't know what you're talking about, you've been here for years and have been handling this function," she declared in a grave voice. "Hmm, it must be the medicine they gave you to calm you down. Go see Commander Dash." Mady and Twilight exchanged a look filled with worry and confusion. How could they have been here for years without remembering? The old unicorn's words only added to their dismay. "Commander Dash?" repeated Twilight, a shadow of recognition in her eyes. "Rainbow Dash is here?" "Yes, she's one of your leaders? Hmm, she'll surely be able to help you clarify this situation. Come, I'll take you to her." The two friends followed the unicorn through the makeshift camp. Their steps were heavy with fatigue, but the hope of finding a familiar face gave them the strength to continue. The other ponies watched them pass with expressions mixing curiosity and relief, as if reassured to see their leaders back among them. After navigating through a maze of tents and ruins, they finally reached a larger tent more structured than the others. The old unicorn lifted the fabric flap and invited them in. Inside, Rainbow Dash stood in front of a table covered with maps and documents. She looked up upon seeing them enter, her expression shifting from surprise to subdued joy. "Mady! Twilight! I'm glad you've finally calmed down!" she exclaimed as she approached them. "Rainbow, we don't understand what's going on," began Twilight, her voice trembling. "We're told that we've been here for years, but we have no memory of it. We woke up this morning in a tent, tied up and without our wings." Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow and turned to the old unicorn. "Thank you, Roselight. I'll take it from here." Roselight nodded and left the tent, leaving the three friends alone. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath before speaking. Rainbow Dash sat down at her desk and looked at Mady and Twilight with a strange expression. "Your wings? Hmm, I see the medicine they gave you must have caused you to lose some of your memory. It was indeed a situation to be expected. I imagine you don't remember me or the team. I'm Commander Dash of the pony resistance and protection. We've been in a post-apocalyptic Equestria for a few years now." Twilight and Mady exchanged stunned looks. All of this seemed unthinkable; Rainbow Dash had completely changed, not resembling their friend at all. Even more surprising was that supposedly they had lost their memory, yet they remembered everything about their world... Twilight thought it was all a lie or a curse that had been cast on them overnight. No hypothesis should be neglected. "I don't believe it, we're not in our real world," replied Twilight coldly. Commander Dash took out a notebook and began writing. "What do you mean by 'real world'?" Mady stood up and looked at Dash. "First of all, we're not in an apocalypse, secondly, Twilight and I, we're Alicorns and we don't understand why we no longer have our wings or our precious friends." "I see, I see," replied Commander Dash, sounding surprised. "I didn't think this medicine would make you lose your grip on reality so much." Twilight began to lose her temper while Mady tried to calm her nerves. "Rainbow Dash, if this is a joke, it's really not funny. Let us talk to Princesses Celestia and Luna!" demanded Twilight sternly. Rainbow Dash lifted her head and looked at the two friends. "The princesses? It's been a long time since they've been here, or at least with us," explained Dash. Mady's anger intensified as well. Commander Dash had to call on guards to come and immobilize the two unicorns, totally disoriented by the situation. "Let us go!" shouted Mady, struggling. "We have the right to understand what's going on!" The guards, sturdy and silent ponies, firmly maintained their grip. Rainbow Dash sighed, a glimmer of regret crossing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mady, Twilight, but we have to protect you from yourselves. You don't yet understand the situation because of your medication. I'll try to help you, but you need to cooperate." Twilight, still furious, fought against her restraints. "We can't stay here! We need to find a way back home. We have... They're lying to us, they're trying to manipulate us!" replied Twilight, struggling even harder. One of the guards, exasperated by Twilight's resistance, struck her violently to silence her. Twilight collapsed to the ground, dazed. "Twilight!" yelled Mady, seeing red. She threw herself at the guard, forgetting all caution. Mady, blinded by rage, could no longer hear reason. The other guards tried to restrain her, but she fought furiously. Seeing the situation deteriorate, one of the guards knocked Mady unconscious with a sharp blow. The two friends fell to the ground, unconscious. Rainbow Dash, her face twisted with sadness and frustration, leaned over them. "Take them to their quarters. Make sure they're safe," she ordered, her voice dry. "They'll remember eventually... I hope." The guards obeyed, carrying the two unconscious unicorns to a more secure location. Despite their attempts to resist, Mady and Twilight were now at the mercy of this strange world, not knowing how or why they had ended up there. The mystery remained unsolved, and their minds were tormented by uncertainty and fear.