//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Not According To Plan // Story: Cube Land // by Divide //------------------------------// Cube Land Two: Not According To Plan When Twilight touched the glowing portal, she felt her very being disintegrated and reformed in a matter of milliseconds. It was a surreal experience for her. One moment, she was in Ponyville with the Sun at her back and the smell of freshly cut grass filling her nostrils, and the next, she found herself stumbling onto cold, wet, unfamiliar ground. Shaking off the few blades of grass that stuck to her mane, she dusted herself off and tried to obtain a general observation of her surroundings. They were very different from what she was used to. Instead of the rolling hills and vibrant colours of Equestria, it seemed as if she had been dumped into a swamp. Or whatever this world's equivalent to a swamp was. Technically, the hills were still rolling, if you considered a large gap between each higher or lower level of elevation to be rolling. The ground was soft and marshy, and what little grass there was seemed to be strangely discoloured, almost as if the colours were being leeched from the soil. The trees were almost all uniformly tall, and the leaves on said trees had the same discolouration effect wrought upon them. That was all well and good, but the most intriguing fact by far had to be that there seemed to be no sloped or curved edges on anything: the entire world around her seemed to be made up of cubes! Everything was made up of the equilateral shape. Everything. Twilight slowly turned around in a circle, observing the fascinating new world in stunned silence. Everything from the tree trunks to the dirt beneath her hooves were created perfectly equal, with no block larger or smaller than the next. She could even see a faint black line intersecting where each block connected with one another. This place is fascinating! she thought excitedly. It seems that the laws of physics aren't synonymous with different worlds! This could be the discovery of the century! Twilight foresaw with her mind's eye a grand ceremony, attended by every notable and prominent member of the scientific community. She saw Princess Celestia, her mentor of many years, standing up on the stage and announcing her most faithful student's accomplishments for everypony to hear. She saw— "Twilight! Quit lazing around and come check this out!" Like a delicate house of cards toppled by a single breeze, Twilight's entire fantasy fell apart and crumbled. With a sigh, she relegated her reverie to a later time and called out, "Coming!" Her voice echoed ominously across the unfamiliar landscape. Twilight rushed over to her friends, wondering what exactly they had found. They were all surrounding whatever it was that so interested them, causing Twilight to squeeze her way between Rarity and Applejack to get a look. She braced herself for something magical... ...And realized she was looking at a flower. A very strange flower, but a flower nonetheless. "It's a flower," she stated simply, feeling a frown coming on. Her friends turned to look at her, each with a wry expression of their own. "Okay, it's a very strange looking flower," Twilight relented, "but it's still just a flower." "Oh, come now, Twilight! I thought that you of all ponies would appreciate something of this magnitude," toted Rarity. "I may not be a flower pony, but even I know a rose when I see one, even if it is perfectly cuboid in shape." Twilight looked this way and that, trying to see how it resembled an Equestrian rose in the slightest. "I don't see it," she admitted. "All I see is a strange, otherworldly flower that, for whatever reason, is made of tiny squares like the rest of this place." "Believe me Twilight," said Rarity as she held a hoof to her chest, "I know what colour a rose is supposed to be. And that," she pointed a hoof towards the flower in question, "is rose coloured. Therefore, it must be a rose." "And if there's one plant that's been... cubified, there could be more," finished Twilight, the realization suddenly dawning on her. "This is huge!" "How 'bout we take that... whatever it is back to Ponyville with us," reasoned Applejack. "Personally, Ah'd like to bring back some proof of us bein' here. I don't want to go tellin' stories of this here cube world without havin' somethin' to prove it," she continued. "I don't know 'bout you girls, but Ah don't want ta be called crazy." Twilight nodded sagely, already imagining the pride on her mentor's face when the six of them returned to Equestria with tales of the mysterious cube land. "That's a great idea, Applejack!" An awkward silence followed. "Erm... who's going to pick it up?" Twilight asked. Nopony answered. Grumbling inwardly to herself about having to do everything, Twilight began, "Fine, I'll do it, just as long as—" before being interrupted by Fluttershy, of all ponies. "I'll do it," she said meekly. "Okay, you can do it!" Twilight quickly replied before taking a few precautionary steps backwards. Everypony except for Fluttershy quickly followed suit, leaving her alone with the small, red flower. Undeterred, Fluttershy gingerly grabbed the cube rose between her teeth and pulled. The flower didn't budge. "Uhh, 'Shy? I think you'll have to try a bit harder than that," stated Rainbow Dash from where she was hovering a safe distance away. With a snort and a deep breath, Fluttershy pulled with all her might, trying to get the stubborn flower to disentangle itself from the marshy ground. With a strange 'popping' sound, the rose was unearthed. Everypony breathed a collective sigh of relief when nothing exploded or otherwise went horribly wrong. "Well, I guess we should head back now," said Twilight as she looked towards the sky. She noticed that even the Sun was square-shaped as it slowly sank below the horizon, the square clouds a dark, purple-orange colour. "Wait, we're leaving already?!" Rainbow Dash cried. "But we just got here!" "Dash, the Sun's setting and I don't want to still be here during night-time," explained Twilight. "There's no telling what might be nocturnal here." At the end of her statement, she felt a chill go down her spine: she felt like she was being watched. Apparently, the others had felt it too. "On second thought, maybe we could come back later," Dash said with a nervous hint to her otherwise brash and confident tone. Her wings were fluttering quicker than they normally did. "Race you to the portal!" she concluded, and was gone without a backwards glance. The remaining Bearers of Harmony turned to follow their athletic friend, only to be halted by Twilight. "Has anyone seen Pinkie Pie?" Before anypony could answer, the ground beneath Fluttershy's feet started to rumble, causing her to drop the rose that she was holding firmly in her mouth and curl up into a ball of quivering pony. "What the hay—?!" somepony exclaimed. After rumbling for a few more seconds, a cube of grass slowly started to rise, drawing frightened gasps and the stamping of hooves. Twilight prepared a spell to freeze whatever horrid creature had decided that now was a good time to rise from the ground. All of this was for naught, however, as the block was pushed aside to reveal the smiling face of Pinkie Pie. "Did somebody call for me?" she asked innocently, her face surprising clean, considering that she was just underground, wading through dirt. "I—You—We—What?!" exclaimed Twilight. "How did you—? Why are you—?" Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side. Sighing exasperatedly, Twilight shook her head. "Never mind. We're going back to Ponyville, Pinkie, and you're coming with us!" "Okie-dokie-lokie!" piped Pinkie happily. The exuberant, pink earth pony hopped out of the hole with a single pounce, revealing several wooden items strapped to her back. "Pinkie Pie, what are those dreadful, dirt covered things?" questioned Rarity, taking a few unintentional steps back to avoid coming into contact with such filth. "Oh these?" asked Pinkie as she shook her back, causing the items to fall into the hole. "Well, if you're stuck out here during the night, you're supposed to dig a hole and cower in the darkness until daytime! Which is exactly what I was doing!" With a kick of her hind legs, the dirt block fell back into the perfect-sized hole, leaving the area relatively flat once more. "Actually, you're supposed to find or make a source of light first, but I couldn't find any, so I decided to look for some! And then I heard my name being called! And then I came here!" "Wait... what did ya'll just say?" asked Applejack, who was trying to wrap her mind around what exactly Pinkie Pie had just said. "I said that we should go before it gets any darker! Not-very-nice things come out during the Night! Oh, and Fluttershy? You can stop shaking now!" Applejack shook her head, not bothering to try and decipher whatever code Pinkie was speaking in. Fluttershy peeked out from behind her hooves. "T-T-There's n-no m-m-monsters?" she whimpered. "It's alright, sugarcube," said Applejack, who trotted over to where Fluttershy was currently cowering and gave her a helping hoof up. "Let's get outta this place. Ah'm starting to get the feelin' that we're being watched..." "W-wait!" Everypony turned to look at Fluttershy once more. "I dropped the flower somewhere..." "Ahh, horseapples," swore Applejack quietly. "Everypony start lookin'!" she called. "We can't go back without some kinda proof!" After a frantic minute of searching, Rarity cleared her throat and said, "I believe that I have found the pesky rose. There is a slight problem, however..." "...The rose... well..." "Well what?" asked Twilight as she cantered over, her hooves leaving imprints on the soft ground. "It shrunk." Sure enough, the flower had shrunk to only a tenth of its former size and glory. Not only that, but it was also hovering slightly above the ground, as if repelled by a strange force. "Why is it doing that? It's... it's creepy!" More curious than afraid, Twilight bent down and carefully touched the flower with her hoof. From the instant she made contact with the rose, it expanded rapidly, returning to its former size in under a second. Weird, thought Twilight. I wonder what causes it to expand and contract like that, and for what purpose. Twilight removed her hoof from the flower, and sure enough, it shrunk back down a miniscule size. When she made contact with it once more, it expanded again. "That is certainly an... interesting trait," she said cautiously. "I don't sense any magic coming from the flower, so I suppose that might just be another aspect of this cube world." Fluttershy picked it back up and held it between her teeth. Forcing herself to look away from the flower, Twilight announced, "Alright, enough setbacks! Let's head back to Ponyville and report our findings!" Everypony agreed nigh-instantly, so the Bearers of Harmony, sans Rainbow Dash, who should've already been back at the portal, trotted along the squishy and squelching ground. Before they made it all the way there, they met up with Dash along the way. She was not bearing good news. "The portal shut down!" Wide-eyed and bushy tailed, Twilight put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. Whether it meant to calm herself or Rainbow remained yet to be seen. "What do you mean 'it shut down'?!" "I mean, the stupid thing isn't working anymore! The weird... skin-like thing on the outside that isn't there anymore!" Dash replied anxiously. Twilight took her hoof off of Rainbow Dash's shoulder and took off at a gallop towards the portal. She couldn't believe that they were trapped here. No, she wouldn't believe that they were trapped here. No. No. No! This can't be happening! thought Twilight in a panic when she caught sight of the portal. The dark purple rock that was bordering the portal was still there, but the film that contained the magical energies necessary to transport them was not. Twilight frantically checked around the entire portal, searching for any discernible reason as to why it had shut down. She even jumped through the structure to double check that it wasn't working. "Why. The. Hay. Aren't. You. Working!" she yelled, her anger and frustration directed towards the unmoving structure before her. A few seconds later, the remaining Elements of Harmony rushed over, surprised that their normally shut-away friend was able to sprint as fast as she did. "See?! I told you!" Seething with anger, Twilight forced herself to calm down and think about how to get out of this situation. She could try to cast a spell on the frame in hope that it would reactivate, but she had never studied portals in-depth, meaning that she had no idea what any of her spells would do. In the midst of Twilight's internal monologue, Rarity was the first pony to ask the question that everypony was studiously avoiding. "Does this mean that we're..." The usually prim and proper pony gulped. "...Stuck here?" Applejack bucked the powered-down portal with her powerful hind legs. The device remained unpowered. "Until we can find out how to turn this here portal back on, Ah suppose we are." The simple truth spoken by Applejack caused a wave of fear to spread throughout the gathered ponies. Only Pinkie Pie seemed unaffected. "Well, if we're stuck here, then the first thing we should do is find shelter!" she deduced. "I'll start digging—" "No!" replied a chorus of voices. "Alrighty then. Maybe Dashie can scout out a cave or something for us to stay in!" Rainbow Dash, upon hearing this, unfurled her wings and ruffled her feathers in response. "That's... not a bad idea, actually. Good thinking, Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie beamed from the praise. After a few murmurings between Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity, they nodded. "Shelter is the best thing we can find right now. We'll come back here tomorrow during the daytime and see if we can fix this stupid portal! "Rainbow, we'll stay here while you do a flyover: there's no sense in getting separated any more than we need to." With a game plan set, Rainbow Dash gave a couple mighty flaps of her wings, launching her into the sky. A few aerial manoeuvres later, Dash took off like an arrow, racing towards the closest mountains. Day 94, night And here I was thinking that this day couldn't get any more exciting. I left my home at a full on sprint, aiming to find this mysterious creature and, if possible, tame it and bring it back before nightfall. The creature in question had been flying in a large circle last I saw it, so I decided to search the area directly in the centre from where it had been circling. I was in the process of searching when I heard strange chattering noises coming from a relatively flat area, several hundred meters from my house. I immediately crouched down and made my steps softer, reducing my overall profile. I slowly crept forward, hiding behind trees wherever I could as I investigated the strange noises, hoping that the creature I had seen earlier was the direct cause of the chittering. When I first laid my eyes upon the sources of the sound, I figured that I had finally lost it. Instead of the one blue creature that I was expecting, I saw five. Five completely different looking creatures that shared the same basic traits, yet were completely different from one another. In nature, I have observed practically no fundamental differences between members of the same species, and yet here were five creatures that completely mitigated that rule. They are quadrupedal, but that is where any familiarities between themselves and any other critter I knew of ended. I have no word that seems to fit them properly. They are very roughly similar in basic anatomy to a sheep, and I mean very roughly. Their legs make up about half of their total height, and they all have varying fur colours. I originally thought that they had a smooth skin, but after getting a closer look, I realized that their entire body is covered in thin, coarse hairs. Their exotic colourings come from this same fur. They also have hair growing out from the top of their heads and from their lower backs as well, the latter acting as a tail. I believe the proper term for their head-hair is 'mane', but I'm not entirely sure. Their 'manes' are all of varying colours as well, with only one of the critters sharing the same coat and mane colour. All the rest were different, some slightly and some extravagantly. The next thing I noticed were the differences between them. Two of the creatures had a strange, pointed... object atop their heads. A horn, I presume, although whether it is an evolutionary trait for defense or aggression remains to be seen. They look awfully sharp. Only one of the creatures had wings, and it was yellow in colouring rather than light blue, meaning that the other flying critter flew off somewhere else. Finally, there were another two that had neither wings, nor a horn. I feel a small amount of pity for them, seeing as how they may be possibly crippled, or worse. Perhaps they lose their extraneous appendages with age, but I honestly cannot tell which ones have seniority simply by looking at them. As I watched the fascinating creatures with my breath held, I noticed that one of the horned types, a purple one to be specific, was communicating with the others. Using its hooves in combination with the sounds from its mouth, I presumed that it was agitated by the way it was acting. Why, I asked myself. Why would the creature be angry? Is it lost? Worried about the blue creature, perhaps? I had never seen any creature short of the suicidal race of Creepers react in anger, seeing as how it is a wasted emotion, requiring energy that could be put to better use in some other way. The very fact that the creature was angry indicated greater intelligence than the average level of other critters that populate this land. By this point, my curiosity had been steadily increasing until it was almost too much to bear. I continued to inch my way closer at a slow and steady pace, trying to remain undetected for as long as possible. The next thing I noticed gave me quite the shock. Much to my surprise and continued amazement, I saw the telltale dark purple of obsidian a short distance away from the quadrupeds. From my hidden position behind a few closely packed trees, I could barely see the collection of hardened lava, but I recognized that rock anywhere. I must explain my fascination, even if it is to simply give me something else to write about while I collect my thoughts. Obsidian is strong. Ridiculously so. With my pickaxe made of diamond, it still shirks the majority of piercing blows that would split normal stone in half. Obsidian is nigh indestructible, and one day I hope to reinforce my home with it, but until I find a way to easily and conveniently mine it, I refrain from dealing with obsidian. I have never seen it in nature, short of where underground springs and lava pools flow into one another. Taking those facts into account, imagine my surprise when I find a four-by-five monument of obsidian standing tall and proud in the background with the inner blocks suspiciously absent, leaving it hollow. The fact that a species I have never encountered before were congregating around aforementioned obsidian structure told me several things. One, it told me that there had to be other intelligent species out there. I knew the Endermen were cunning and curious, but they lacked many of the basic traits of sapience. Two, it told me that said intelligent species had to be more technologically advanced than me, considering they had managed to obtain fourteen blocks of the extremely tough obsidian. If I had tried to gather that amount, I would be at it for a month. Third and lastly, it told me that they—the intelligent species—could possibly be trying to communicate, using the obsidian as some sort of message. This realization did not help my current predicament, however, so I put the thoughts regarding the purple stone and the mysterious other species away to ponder at a later time. There is no question that the quadrupedal creatures before me are obviously intelligent, but I still don't think, even for a second, that they were the ones to leave that obsidian there. All the while I made these observations, the creatures continued their ambient chatter with one another. It appears that they have basic communication via sounds and motions, but I found that they also exhibited many facial expressions as well. Fascinating. These have to be the strangest creatures I have ever laid eyes upon, even more so than the mysterious Endermen, kamikaze Creepers, or the reanimated Skeletons. I spotted one of the creatures slightly away from the others, so I decided approach it first, hoping that the lack of its... herd-mates(?) would make any chances of aggression negligible, as they appear to be a pack-mentality species. The creature in question was the yellow, winged one, so I was careful and cautious in my motions: the last thing I wanted was to spook it. I carefully approached the creature, stowing my sword safely away at my side, and retrieving the bushel of wheat from one of my many pockets. Ahh, wheat. The universally acclaimed grain that every single non-hostile creature seems to go head-over-heels for. When I was about ten blocks away, the creature finally noticed my presence. I'm not sure whether that shows how capable I am at sneaking or how little they pay attention... ...I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that I am very sneaky. After spotting me, an emotion I could only describe as fear flooded the creature's face, causing it to back away slowly and emit several, high-pitched, whine-like sounds. Strangely enough, it chose not to use the wings it handily possessed. The yellow critter made several slightly more audible chirping sounds after it failed to attract the other's attention the first time, which then immediately drew the attention of the other creatures. They quickly formed a protective huddle, seemingly relying on sheer numbers to protect themselves. Having not moved since I was spotted, I was still holding the wheat out in front of me. I began my slow approach towards the mysterious multicoloured creatures, but with every step I took, they mirrored it in reverse. At the time, I thought that the creatures were simply not as docile as the other species I've come across. Unsure how I could convince them that I meant no harm, I decided to stand still and wait for them to come to me; no animal that I have encountered can resist wheat for long. Sure enough, as I held my position with the wheat outstretched, one of the creatures, an orange one with neither a head protrusion nor wings, decided to slowly step forward. It was wearing a hat. Yes. A hat. The creature was wearing an accessory on its head. Are they perhaps pets or companions to the beings that placed the obsidian? If so, why would they be left there alone, except for each other? I still don't know the answer to that question. As I pondered the sheer ridiculousness of the situation I found myself in, I noticed that the creature was being intentionally calm as it purposefully walked towards me. It made no jerky movements, almost like it... ...Almost like it was trying not to scare me away, rather than the other way around. I'm going to put this thought aside for now and continue with the recount. The gap between myself and the orange critter gradually lessened. Four blocks. Then three. Then two. When it considered itself close enough, the hat-wearing creature looked at me with big, green eyes. Many creatures had done that to me before, but the contact was fleeting and I could not see anything other than dumb intelligence behind their eyes. This creature was different. It looked at me with equal parts curiosity and suspicion. Needless to say, I figured that an intelligent creature such as it would make a fine companion. I reached forward a little farther, holding the hay out as tantalizingly as I could manage without trying to force it. To my continued surprise, the creature took the bushel of wheat, holding it in its mouth, but it didn't make any motions to consume the grain, unlike every other animal that I've found myself in the same situation with. As soon as it took the wheat out of my hand, the creature carefully retreated back towards the cluster of creatures behind it, still making an effort to keep its motions smooth and steady to not startle me. When it reached the safety of the herd, the orange creature placed the wheat on the ground and started to... ...For lack of a better word, confer with others of its kind. Instead of a cacophony of meaningless chatter like I expected, the creatures spoke in turn and did not override each other. While the creatures chatted and discussed whatever it was they were discussing, I looked up to the sky. The Sun was in its last phases of sinking behind the massive mountains that I have yet to explore. Someday. The creatures conferred for much longer than I anticipated, long enough that it became Night proper, rather than the twilight period in-between. I make it a point to never be outside during the Night, as I have learned from experience that many strange and unnatural things lurk under its cold embrace. I became anxious, feeling unseen eyes being laid upon me. I pulled out my sword as quietly as I could in an attempt to calm my nerves. I was lucky that I did so, for it saved my life. A mere second or two after I equipped my sword, I heard the tell-tale rustle of a Creeper attempting to sneak up behind me. I spun around out of pure reflex, my sword swinging in a deadly arc of sharpened iron towards the wretched Creeper. I managed to make a large incision straight across its torso, but that wasn't enough to mortally injure it. Wounded and agitated that I had foiled its sneak attack, the Creeper let out a hiss that sent chills down my spine and made my hair stand up. Forcing my fears aside, I rushed forward and closed the gap between the Creeper and myself, finishing it off with a single, decapitating swing before it could ignite and engulf us both in a fiery explosion. Breathing heavily, more out of stunned shock than exhaustion, I turned back towards the creatures, expecting them to have fled at any instance of violence. Instead, they were all staring back me in what I could only discern as awe. I didn't know if these strange and exotic creatures were violent when they were in groups, but I had to at least try to save their lives: they wouldn't last an hour outside during night-time. I switched my sword from my right hand to my left, and tried to convey the motions of follow me to the creatures. If they were intelligent and trusting enough to follow, then I would do everything in my power to find out exactly where they came from. And, if necessary, return them to where they belong. With my mind made up, I jogged back towards my house at a brisk pace, one that I could keep up for several hours without stopping. Occasionally, I'd glance behind me to double-check that the creatures were still following me. They were. They kept a respectful distance, but they were undoubtedly following me. Before long, I arrived once more at my house. My home. I built it from the ground up using nothing but my own two hands and the tools I created. It isn't the prettiest, but it is warm, cozy, and most of all, safe. When I stepped onto the piece of black wool I used as a doormat, I glanced behind me and saw that the creatures had become a little more brave, as they were only a few blocks away from me, rather than the fifteen or so gap that they had previously enforced. I also noticed that the blue, winged one that I had first spotted seemed to have returned to the group while I wasn't looking. Turning back to my home, I bent over and pushed the specific button combination that unlocks my front door. Yes, I realize that having a lock may seem a little paranoid when you're the only person around, but in my defence, you can never be too careful. Weird things tend to happen when you least expect them. For example, a Creeper once fell down my chimney, which is why there are locking iron bars in front of it now. How did it even get onto my roof in the first place? Never mind. Anyway, I pressed the combination, causing the door to open with a whir of machinery and a soft click after. I wiped my shoes on the floor mat, as they were quite dirty from running through the muck, and checked for any uninvited guests as I did so. Like I wrote before; you can never be too careful. By the time I was done my brief check, I turned back to see the creatures standing right outside the door. They made no motions to continue forward, but they looked up at me like they were expecting something. It took me a few moments to realize that they were asking permission to enter. Of all the things they could've done, waiting patiently for my consent was one that I least expected. I waved my hand in a forward motion that I hoped would be interpreted as come in. Thankfully, they seemed to understand perfectly and proceeded to enter single file through my doorway. I had to stop the first one with a raised hand before it walked onto my carpet and absolutely tarnished it with its muddy hooves. The creature that I halted, one with a horn and an almost pure-white coat, seemed almost affronted when I made of demonstration of wiping my feet along the black mat. It was only after a different creature, one with a very bright pink and mane, bounced up and down while chittering loudly about something that the white one decided to follow my lead. I swear that it glared at me while I watched it wipe the mud off. After all the creatures had cleaned themselves, I motioned for them to go to the right, which is where my living room lies. They chittered back and forth with each other for a few seconds before doing as I asked. I locked the door behind them, resetting the locking mechanism and preventing anything from being able to enter or exit. The last thing I want is for the creatures to leave while it's still dark outside and forget to close the door behind them. That would not bode well for me. I walked into the living room and lit the fireplace with a flint and steel that was placed there for that very purpose. The creatures were still standing, and they looked quite uncomfortable, so I motioned for them to have a seat on the floor or on one of the various couches and chairs that I have made. They are all made of the same material; soft, comfortable wool. After the creatures had situated themselves, I immediately went for my quill, ink, and paper, intent on writing these events down. And now here we are. It's been several hours since I've started writing, and the creatures have finally drifted off into sleep. Well, all except for the horned, purple one that is watching me from its position on the couch. I have no idea what lies in store for myself and the creatures tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have thought of a plan before morning. It's late. I'm going to bed.