//------------------------------//
// To Exit 
// Story: In Aeternum 
// by Traintrack to Nowhere 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 6: To Exit

The road, if it could be called such in such a state of disrepair, almost swallowed by the forest as it was, was dark. Shadows grew thickly around the bases of trees and between their branches, always lengthening, always growing longer. The sun must have set already, as dark as it was, yet they never stopped growing. It was unnerving - nightfall meant more danger presented to my charge, who had grown increasingly jittery the further we walked down the shadowed path. It was not unsurprising - most beings feared the dark, if only slightly, due to what it may hold. My eyes could almost clearly through the veils of shade, though. It was not the darkness which disturbed me, or my companion’s fear of it.

 “Hey Eien…”

A voice, a familiar voice. It echoed about the road, reverberating from one end to the other, dancing about with no discernible source… but it was a dead voice. I knew it was a dead voice. I had no fear of ghosts, and pressed stoically onward even as I heard my own voice, from so long ago, answer.

 “Yes? It is late. You should be...” 

There were eyes in the darkness. Yellow, green, red, a kaleidoscope of different colors. Predators. My companion almost certainly noticed them, but for whatever reason remained silent. I myself had little need for words - they were either observing us, or waiting for a moment to strike. In either case, showing any sort of weakness was ill-advised. My eyes returned to the path, skating past the eyes, the trees, and the... streetlight? That made no sense. Confused, I scanned the trees in search of the oddity but came up short. There was nothing there. Once again, I refocused on the path… and stepped onto a flat, stone roof-top, surrounded by darkness and lit by a single streetlight.

Static.

The darkness flickered, trees filtering in and out alongside other buildings, other streetlights. Everything was cast in an odd sort of monochromatic gray and, bizarrely, though I kept walking… I remained in the center of the roof. Familiar landmarks drifted among alien scenery, appearing and vanishing like shadows in a fog. A traffic light hung in thin air, replaced with a vine. It drifted overhead on its lonesome, the rooftop following behind me as if I was sailing it through a bizarre river of images. My eyes scanned my surroundings constantly, noting the unicorn’s hazy form following along behind me as I walked beneath an eerily familiar bridge, marked with a sign written in a language long-forgotten by the present time. The rooftop stopped, and at last I walked to the edge. The street below was empty, and none of the signs and doors that should be there… were.

 “...doesn’t it get lonely out here, every night?” 
The rooftop and streetlight vanished. Trees filled the darkness, and the dirt path we walked had come to the edge of a river. Crumbled stones on either side hinted at the remains of what might have been a bridge, but could easily be random boulders. When did we get here? How did we get here? What..

“Are…you sure you’re alright… Eternity?”

That voice!

I spun, and for a moment a girl stood before me. She was just under me in height, with short black hair that faded into the night, dressed in a white uniform I knew intimately well. Her eyes though, brimming with concern, were a shining amethyst. They stood out in the night like a pair of stars, hovering above ground... Impossible.

“...Eternity?”

The girl was gone. Rather, she was probably never there. Instead there was the unicorn, looking up at met with an eerily familiar gaze.

“I… am.”

Abruptly, I turned to the river, seeking a way across… just in time to catch the enormous serpent rising from the depths. I tensed, readying for it to strike.

“Good evening Twiiiiiii…” Its eyes zeroed in on me, and its voice trailed off like a broken record, repeating the same syllable until it gathered itself. Then it frowned. “Oh this simply won’t do…”

That was my only warning before, in a surprisingly quick motion, the serpent had me in its hands and dunked me into the water.


.X.


Twilight blinked, watching in stunned silence as Steven Magnet repeatedly lifted and submerged Eternity into the river, his arms pumping madly in an effort to do… something. It was a bizarre scene. The constant movement was even causing the waters to foam up, giving the impression of… bubbles. ‘It’s like watching Spike wash dishes…’ She mused in wonderment, ‘except Eternity’s a thinking… creature that could probably hurt Mr. Magnet if… oh n-’

But fortunately for all present, Twilight’s thought process was interrupted as, with a satisfied smile, the serpent placed Eternity back onto the shore and placed his hands at his sides proudly. “There. All of that that… dirt... is gone. You look so much better without it.”

Dirt? Twilight had been so busy focusing on everything else about her odd companion that she’d forgotten some of the simpler… oddities. Like the thick ‘earth armor’ that Eternity had tried, and failed, to get rid of on their first meeting. Curious (and still waiting for the other shoe to drop and Eternity to react to recent events) Twilight took in her companion’s form, now bereft of dirt.

The first thing she noticed was the mane. No longer matted down and hidden by earthy grime, it cascaded down Eternity’s back like a sapphire waterfall, seeming to catch what little light there was and… shimmer. Currently, it was falling just below Eternity’s arm, as her head was tilted peculiarly to the side. Beneath the mane, however, Twilight noticed that the entirety of Eternity’s torso was covered in the same blue cloth that she noticed earlier -- it was a shirt. Her legs were similarly hidden, and her feet… were more skin, bereft of any sort of visible protection.

Somewhat disturbingly, there was no evidence of Eternity’s previous injury on her back.

“...what?” She asked, voice full of confusion. Twilight let out a brief sigh of relief. It seemed her worries were, for the moment, unfounded.

“You were absolutely filthy,” Mr. Magnet explained cheerfully, “so I cleaned you up.”

There was another pause, and Eternity straightened her head, taking in the distinct lack of an earthly covering, before looking back up. “Thank you…?” She turned to Twilight, keeping a wary eye on the serpent despite her apparent neutrality, “Is this… normal?”

“Well… I wouldn’t know,” Twilight answered, somewhat sheepishly. “I don’t visit Mr. Magnet very often.”

“It’s quite alright Miss Twilight,” The serpent spoke reassuringly, “As nice as it would be to receive visitors more often, I’m well aware of how dreadful this forest is outside my river. Indeed, on that matter, what brings you here this evening?”

“I… got just a bit lost,” The unicorn admitted, somewhat embarrassed, “but I’m fine!” She added quickly, noting the concern on the serpent’s face and interrupting a preemptive speech regarding the dangers of the forest, “Eternity here has been… escorting me. I’m perfectly alright but… I’d still like to get home. If you wouldn’t mind…?” She indicated the other side of the river. 

“Oh, of course not,” The serpent answered, leaning forward and bowing extravagantly before curling himself and bridging the river with his body. Twilight stepped onto the living bridge without hesitation and, after an imperceptibly brief pause, Eternity followed after her.

“Say hello to Miss Rarity for me!” Mr. Magnet called.

“Of course!” Twilight replied as the gloom of the forest hid him sight.

The walk from there to the edge of the forest was tense, and Twilight was constantly jumping at every little noise, expecting something in the forest to leap out at her… but before she knew it, they were standing in view of Ponyville, undisturbed with not a soul in sight. She paused, realizing that her decision was now irrevocable. Rather, there was no decision to be had - Eternity now knew the location of ponyville. She was here. It was irrevocable. A sort of sixth sense manifested in Twilight’s core, causing her to shiver. Eternity had been nothing but amiable so far, if a bit aloof. So why was she so worried?

“This is your home?”

Pulled from her thoughts, Twilight gave a brief nod after a moment of hesitation, “Yes.”

There was an imperceptible pause, before…

“...To the hospital, then. You still require medical attention.”

Tired, sore, and more than a little bewildered by recent events, Twilight blinked in confusion before remembering the conversation that caused them to leave the ravine in the first place, “Oh no, I’ll be fine with a bit of rest.” She assured, “I should really just go home. Spike must be worried.”

Judging from her odd companion’s unconvinced stare, this would take a while.

Twilight sighed. She really just wanted to go to sleep.


.X.


Tick. Tick. Tick.

‘Twilight’s taking a long time to get back,’ Spike thought, somewhat worried as he lowered the comic in his hands to gaze at the clock on the wall. Every second, the hands moved one tick past sunset. ‘Already past closing time…’ The small dragon bit his lip in concern, ‘even if she’s gotten involved in something, again… she’s usually back by now.’

It was at that moment that the door opened, Twilight stepping in with a slight sag in her step. Behind her, eyes shimmering faintly in the light, was a tall, slender… something.

“...Hey Spike. Shouldn’t it be Owlowiscious’ shift right now?”