//------------------------------// // The Cracked Looking Glass // Story: A Ruined Mind // by fire64 //------------------------------// The Cracked Looking Glass Oxalis slowly opened her eyes, only to be blinded by a bright whiteness. It took a few minutes for her to adjust. The Pony was now able to see that she was lying in a bed at what was most likely the town hospital. She had only but a vague recollection of the events that led up to now. The mare remembered coming home and getting into bed but everything after that was fuzzy. There was one thing she couldn’t forgot though… the faces. Those deformed, twisted, maggot infested faces. The image was burned onto her eyes. A nurse walked in to check on Oxalis, only to notice that the yellow mare was awake. She called out to the doctor, who came running in seconds later. “Glad to see you’re finally up ma’am. You had us worried for a bit there,“ stated the black maned colt as he extended a hoof to Oxalis. She stretched out her own, shaking hooves with the doctor and then spoke. “Thank you doctor, but how did I end up here again? I’m having trouble remembering.” “That’s quite understandable considering you bonked your head on a nightstand. You hit it so hard it knocked you out, the smoke probably isn’t helping either.” Her memories of the event started coming back, but one thing still bothered Oxalis. “What smoke?” she inquired. The doctor looked at her deeply, bit his lip and responded. “Well that’s the bad news. You see when you banged your head on the nightstand it was knocked over. The lit candle on top of it fell near some curtains and they caught fire. Luckily there was a neighbor nearby who reported it, so we were able to get over there before the fire could seriously harm you.” “So, is my house…gone?” “Oh no no. Your house is fine for the most part. The firefighters were able to put out the flames before they could cause any serious structural damage. Unfortunately though your room is pretty much ruined.” Oxalis did not respond. She only looked up at the ceiling and sighed. The doctor and the nurse left the room to give her some time to take in the news. The mare stayed sat upright in her bed, staring at the ceiling for hours on end. Until finally the sweet relief of sleep swept over her and she fell back onto the mattress. Oxalis had another nightmare, but instead of the creatures, this nightmare was of Oxalis‘s final moments with Lysar, which to her, was way worse. She didn’t tell anyone for fear of having to stay at the hospital any longer. They were allowing her to leave that day, so she didn’t want to take any chances. Oxalis thanked the doctor and walked out the door. The mare had to shield her eyes from the bright sun until they adjusted. She began making her way home. Oxalis was greeted by the many other Ponies that walked about the town, but none knew her. Everyone she knew was taken by the war. So the mare gave a semblance of a smile along with a greeting of her own and continued home. Oxalis finally reached her destination and couldn’t help but notice the tall, brown skinned, brown maned Pegasus that stood outside her home. Aside from the obvious physically differences, this colt had a strong resemblance to Lysar. He waved her over and Oxalis complied. She was only a few inches away from the colt when he finally spoke. “Hi there! Welcome home!” “Ummmm good afternoon. I don’t mean to be rude but who exactly are you?” “Oh of course how impolite of me, where are my manners? My name is Aspharr, I had called for help when I noticed the smoke coming out your window. I heard you were coming back today so I wanted to welcome you back to your home. Plus I also wanted to give you this, I hope it helps.” The colt pulled a small gift basket out from behind him. In it was an assortment of candies and treats as well as flowers and a large sum of bits. He offered it to Oxalis, who seemed surprised by the colt’s kind gesture. She accepted the gift, placing it down beside her. Oxalis looked back up to thank Aspharr, only to be frozen by fear. Half of Aspharr’s body was burnt and decomposed. The world behind this half seemed twisted, nightmarish and deformed. He stared deeply into the mare’s soul with the dark hole that once held his eye. This side looked so much like the twisted version of Lysar that Oxalis had seen in her first nightmare. The other half of him seemed to remain normal though. The horror of the sight disabled Oxalis’s ability to move or even speak. Aspharr reached out to Oxalis, grabbing hold of her shoulders. “Are you okay?” he asked, shaking the dazed Pony back into reality. She looked around breathing heavily for while, before she finally responded in a apathetic tone. “I’m fine… I’m perfectly fine.” “Are you sure? You seemed pretty ou-” “I'M FINE!” Oxalis shouted, cutting Aspharr off. The mare stormed into her home, slamming and locking the door behind her. She had left the basket behind. Aspharr was taken back by the sudden anger in Oxalis’s tone. But as much as he wanted to pursue her, the colt knew it wasn’t a good idea. So he picked up the basket and slowly walked back home. Oxalis lay on her couch, thinking about what she had just done. The mare was mortified by her own actions. She tossed and turned trying to sleep, but it did not come. It wasn’t until many hours later, when the sun was finally setting, that Oxalis was finally able to close her eyes and drift off. Then, the nightmares came again.