//------------------------------// // Ch 1 // Story: Fractured Soul // by JollyRogue //------------------------------// I awoke in a void. Hmm... This seemed different, I don't remember passing out in darkness. Well to be fair I don't even remember who I am. Wait don't remember. No that couldn't be true, could it? Okay just calm down. Slow breaths, in out, in out. Yes like that, just calm down. Okay brain let's take our time and think about this, who am I? ... Take your time. ... Hopeless! Maybe if I look around I could find a clue. I look out into the horizon, there was nothing! I had nothing to give me a clue to where I am nor an idea of who I am. Well I guess this is my life, better start establishing my new home. No that was a quitter's tone. Instead of just giving up I should find a way out. Without any notice, an aura of light shrouds me. There was something underneath me. Was that the ground? Was I out of the void? Hmm... Better open my eye's to make sure. Bad idea, I looked straight into the sun. Oh god that burned. I closed my eye's, shielding them from the sun. Uhh... They still burned, the pain seemed to emanate through my body. A loud *pop* traveled through the air.The pain in my body was amplified. "Ahh!" I screamed at top of my lungs. That pop had hurt. Was that a bone? What was happening to me? I muster all the strength I had, just to force my eye's to open. The light of the sun caused even more pain and my vision blurred. No not now! Just focus, look down! My vision cleared. Yes, now what was wrong with me? I looked down at the ground, there was nothing but dirt. No, wait on top of the dirt there was a beige hoof. Before I could even understand what I saw, more pops sounded from my body, and with them another wave of pain. "Ahhh!" I yelled. This new wave of pain forced me to black out. *** Time seemed to be separated from the real world and the void. Time seemed to go on for ever here in the void. This left me alone with my thoughts. "Okay so if I put a couch right here." I gesture to nothing. "And a reading chair right here." Gesturing to nothing once again. "I'll have a nice living room. Now where am I going to get the couch from?" I start to ponder who I could get a couch from, when something poked me in the shoulder. Wait how was that possible there was nothing here. Oh yeah, I passed out didn't I. I guess I can finish my decoration later. My mind wondered back to reality. My senses slowly came back. There was a noise, what was it. “Hey are you all right? Hey! Hey! Listen!” Oh no, it couldn't be. My eyes opened up. Bad idea, the sun was still as bright as when I passed out. Now my eyes were once again, in pain and out of focus. I blinked the pain away. I looked around for who had called me. Wait this can't be right, there was no one here. Someone had definitely said something to me. There had to be someone around here, voices didn't just come from nowhere, right? Right was the right solution, because out of the corner of my right eye, there was something. I turned my head to observe what was there. When my head made its full rotation around, I was blinded and I couldn't breath. Whatever I had seen was smothering me. Rule number one to panicking: Always remain calm and handle the situation smoothly. “Get off of me, your killing me!” I said, knowing fully well I had nailed rule number one. “Oh I'm so sorry.” My assailant released my head from their grip. Rule number two of panicking: Catch your breath and survey the surroundings.I allowed myself to do just that, surveying my assailant. From what I could already tell my assailant was a girl, but what caught me off guard was her appearance. Her eye's were one of the prettiest shades of blue I had ever seen. Wait no, that wasn't the problem, her eye's were fine. The real problem was her body color. She was one of the brightest shades of pink I had ever seen. Her hair was hot pink and seemed to be incredibly messy. She also appeared to have a tail that was the same as her hair. Then there was her body, not only was she covered in hair that was a lighter shade of pink, but she was a horse. Wait is this really strange? From what I could tell from myself I was also a horse. Wait what was she doing with her mouth? Oh don't tell me she was talking to me. “Umm... I'm sorry Miss but could you repeat that I kind of spaced out.” “Why sure Mr. J. I was just saying how I was just coming along down this road and then all of a sudden I saw you passed out I ran up to you and was so super worried that you were hurt so I kept shaking and yelling at you to wake up then your eyes opened and I was so super happy that I jumped on you and started giving you a hug then you told me that you couldn't breath then I let go of you and felt super sad that I might have killed you after just rescuing you!” Well that was informative. Was there even a pause to take a breath in there? “Umm... Don't worry about it. I'm perfectly alright Miss... Uhh...” I stammered, trying to think of her name. “Oh just call me Pinkie Pie, or Pinkie. All of my friends call me Pinkie. Where friends right Mr. J? Pinkie asked. “Uhh...Sure Pinkie. Why do you keep calling me Mr. J?” “Well because it's on your leg silly!” “What do you mean on my leg?” “Well not Mr. J but the letters J.R.R. See it's right there. It's carved into the bottom of your right hoof!” Carved into my right hoof, what did she mean? Wait when did she get a chance to look at the bottom of my hoof? Never mind there was more pressing matters. I lowered my head down to look at what she was talking about. I didn't get all the way before all the hairs on my body stood on edge. Where there should have been a flesh and blood leg like my left, was instead a mechanical leg. This might be a new record, because for the second time that day, I blacked out. *** And for the third time that day, I was trapped in the void. Cool maybe I could get some work done before I woke back up. “Oh my, this certainly will not do. I can't have you returning here, you might end up remembering something.” A deep rumbling voice echoed through the empty void. I started to spin around, looking for who ever had said that. There was nothing, just a feeling that someone was here. "Where are you? Who are you? Do you know me? Please can you tell me whatever you know about me." “I can see that your amnesia is worse than I had anticipated. I guess this leaves you in a worse position and me in a better one. Now run along. Oh and this may hurt, a lot!” The presence said with a chuckle. With those last word, I felt like my insides had been been grabbed and ripped out from my body. Then I was flung out into the void. “Oh and I must not forget to send someone to take care of you while your in this condition.” The presence said.