//------------------------------// // A Feeling of Dread - 2 // Story: A Feeling Of // by Nuke //------------------------------// A young woman sits across the room from me, looking out the window, twiddling her thumbs and smiling. The scenery outside is still as dark as it was a moment ago; I am still in Equestria. She and I are alone in the room. A hand brushes a strand of auburn hair out of her face. Her dark, blue-green eyes meet mine as she turns her head. There is a warmth that radiates from her. It's familiar. It's the same warmth I feel from Speck. I know I'm dreaming. I can't wake up. "Well, seems like someone's decided to return to the land of the living." Her voice is metallic and robotic, almost like someone talking into a box fan, and it is definitely not feminine. The strangest thing is, it's both frightening and comforting. "I'm still asleep. I'll wake up any time now." "So you think, -" Her lips continue to move, but the sound that comes out is muddled, almost like corrupt audio. "What a strange look. Would you prefer a more familiar form to this? Maybe something you've grown used to." The world around us fades, and she seems to dissolve into the landscape. When my eyes open, all that I'm met with is a clear blue sky. I am surrounded by tall grass and flowers. A shadow casts over me. "Your reactions have become so dull. I remember the first time we met, when you were so excited, and so curious! Why, that might even explain why you were so short with the two princesses!" I sit up abruptly and stare at the thing's new form. A small, foal-sized white pony stands in front of me. A golden-orange scarf hangs around its neck. A white-leather mask with two slits for eyes stares up at me. I vaguely recognize it. I followed it on my last night on Earth. I always thought it was just something skirting around the edges of my dreams, but I was never concerned with it. Until the night I saw it staring through my window. I don't remember much after I left the house, yet I remember chasing this thing. What alarms me the most, is the fact that I have not seen it since I came to Equestria. "Why am I here?" "Here? This is your dream. You're asleep!" "No. In Equestria." I stare at it. Its eye-slits turn up as if it tries to smile. "Oh! For a game, of course! All of the pieces are falling into place, dear -" A sounds of static fills my ears at the last word. I notice this thing's mouth doesn't move when it speaks. "A game?" "Yes! An experiment of sorts! It was set up by yours truly, with the aid of several ponies! It took us nearly a year to get you here!" A year? I only remember seeing this thing in my dreams for a little over a week. "So all of these coincidences?" "Just steps to the end!" "Speck?" It falls silent. A sorrowful look comes across its mask. "She is merely a means to push you along." "That bat-filly. In the orphanage. Does she play a part in any of this?" "Not yet. Keep her safe. You will know when her time comes." I stare at this thing. "What happens when the game's over?" "It won't be over for a very long time. I really do hope to fix what I've done, and make so many ponies happy. I just need you to play along! But for now, it's time for the next step! Wake up!" *** A cold sweat chills me to the bone as I sit up in bed. The transition between being groggy and being alert is almost instantaneous. The darkness surrounding me and filling the room soon subsides as my focus sharpens. The only sounds present are those of Speck's soft snoring, the only living beings in the room are me and her. All I can do is laugh to myself. Getting worked up over a dream? How ludicrous. It's just my mind playing tricks on me, making me want to go back. There is absolutely no chance of me ever wanting to go back. A small clock on the wall of our room clicks and chimes softly; not enough to wake anyone up, but just enough to alert one of its presence. Its hands read seven in the morning. Another train to Hollow Shades should be rolling through sometime soon, if we're lucky. Lucky for us, I'm incredibly lucky. "Sweetheart? You have to get up. We're going to be late." I shake Speck lightly. She groans and hides her face in her pillow. I decide to let her rest a little longer while I throw my clothes on. The sound of covers shuffling cause me to turn around. Speck pulls the covers over her head and says something. Her words are muffled, so I don't quite catch what she says. "We need to go, Speck. Get up." She kicks the covers off of her, groans, and throws her pillow at me. It thuds against my chest and falls to the floor. "But I'm tired!" She whines as she crawls on her belly across the bed. Her dull orange eyes glow as she looks up at me. She smiles manipulatively. "Carry me!" What? "What." "Carry me to the train, so I can sleep longer!" I am not doing that. "No." She pouts and makes eye contact with me. I turn away; I will not let her be the victor of this battle. "Please, Anon?" She draws the "please" out. I can hear her bat her eyes at me. "Still no." She sniffles softly. "I... I th-thought you loved me..." Stay strong, me. I will not cave. I walk over to the other bed and pick our bags up, quickly sling them over my shoulder, and get ready to head out the door. She'll follow me as soon as I leave. I make the mistake of looking back. She sits on the bed, sheets wrapped around her body, and wings covering her face. She sobs. I'm better than this. Caving is not an option. She holds her forelegs up as she sniffles, looking up at me as I approach her. "Please?" "Speck, please." She doesn't even let me say no before she jumps onto me. Her hind legs wrap around my waist as she hugs me around the neck. Her face presses into my shoulder and her snores start to sound. "There is absolutely no way you fell asleep that fast." She doesn't respond. I was going to cave anyway. The innkeeper stifles a snicker as I drop the key off at the front desk. If only every other creature would be this courteous. As I carry Speck and our bags out of the inn, several gryphons start shouting at me from across the street. They must recognize me from the bar last night. "Woo! Get some!" "Bet you fed her an Artery Clogger of her own, huh?!" "You're really cute together! Maybe you should be a couple!" I stop walking and stare at the third gryphon. His friends also stare at him. "Wh-what? I'm just saying." I just stand and watch as his friends drag him into an alley. I feel for his friends. I'd do the same for one of my friends if they embarrassed themselves in public that badly. Speck stirs a little as I continue on, toward the train station. She squeezes me tighter. "What am I going to do with you?" Oh, right. I'm going to take her to her home town, meet her parents, and enjoy a few days with her. I still can't get Illusa's words out of my mind. Equestria has been in an era of peace for quite some time, according to Celestia. Not even the diamond dogs or dragons are causing any trouble. There's no chance of war breaking out, and unless one of Equestria's neighbors decides to get antsy, there shouldn't be any kind of a surprise attack. A surprise attack wouldn't be entirely implausible though. I swallow hard and try to change my thoughts as I walk into the train station. Illusa knew things about me; she could see into my past. Times like that are why I'm glad I was an average, mundane human-being. The only thing that worries me, is that she knows I've been lying about what I did on Earth. I did work in an animal shelter, but not as well as I'd hoped. The animals actually hated me, even though I really tried hard to please them. I wasn't a hero at all, even though I tried. I don't think Speck would be too pleased with me lying about it. Though, recently, I doubt she'd mind. We take care of each other, and she's never neglected to show how much she loves me. She's actually almost completely stopped with her puns. She hates when ponies lie, though. She might actually end up hating me, since I've been covering the bad parts of my life up with lies. I've told her some stories about life before I came to Equestria, about a lot of amazing things I did and people I helped. I really did do some amazing things, and I helped people whenever I could, but most of what I told her wasn't exactly the truth. She looks up to me, and that makes me happy; happier than I ever was on Earth. "Sir?" A little pegasus mare, dressed up in a vest and visor, accosts me and snaps me out of my thoughts. I find myself standing in front of the ticket counter, holding up a line of ponies. "Can I help you?" "Yes. When's the next train to Hollow Shades?" "It should be arriving within the next ten minutes, sir. Tickets for two will be forty bits," she says as she checks a piece of paper with scheduled times and prices written on it. I've already placed four ten-bit coins on the counter as she looks up. She fumbles a little bit and pulls two tickets out of a dispenser. I take them from her mouth, and shudder a little bit as I walk away. I will never get used to non-unicorns giving me things. Mrs. Cake, Speck, and most ponies in Ponyville actually try to use their hooves when they give me things. Mr. Cake makes it a point to lick everything he gives me; I don't know if he hates me, or if he's just messing with me. The sounds of metal grinding against metal and a loud horn echo through the station. They are soon replaced by a loud voice calling through the station. "All aboard for Hollow Shades!" I notice the strange looks I get as I carry Speck toward the train. I start to wonder if it's our appearance, but a ticket-checker stops me right at the door of the train. She bears a fearful look. "Godspeed, sir." I look around briefly and notice that no one else is boarding the train, but dozens upon dozens of ponies are leaving it. As I board the train, I notice that it's empty, save for me and my bat-pony. The door slides shut as I turn around, ready to abandon ship and go back to Ponyville. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Speck. I didn't even get a save point. Usually games give you save points before scary stuff happens." I hug her tight for a moment, before realizing that I'm not in a game, and that there is a very real possibility that something bad is going to happen. The feeling of dread that courses through my body refuses to be shaken off as I sit near the back of the car. I set our bags down next to me and hold her close. Her cute little snores echo through the empty car, but are quickly drown out by the sounds of the train beginning to move. Lying down in the seat, I rest my head on the bags. Speck stirs a little bit and moves her head to rest on my chest. Her eyes open, and I feel something in my chest flutter. Those wide, staring, curious, dull-orange eyes are just as beautiful as they were the first day I met her. A wide smile spreads across her face, and it lights my world up. Speck is my sunrise. "Morning, Anon." "Hello, sleepyhead. Sleep well?" I touch my nose to hers as I smile. She tries to nod, but ends up rubbing her chin against my shirt. She stretches against me as I scratch her back. Her forehooves grab my head snugly as she takes the opportunity to press her lips to mine. My fingertips sift through the fur on her back, teasingly lightly up to her mane as I return the kiss. Her wings spread as she wiggles against me. "If you wanna go to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get to Hollow Shades." Despite my fears, I believe I'll oblige. I hug her tight and close my eyes. *** "ANON!" Speck screeches and shouts, startling me awake. The lack of bat-pony laying on my chest is the first thing I notice. I bolt upright, jump out of my seat, and run through the train-car looking for her. Her screams echo through the car, but I can't find her. "Speck?! Speck, where are you?!" I trip over myself as I start running back to our seat. I cough as I land, and roll for a moment. On my hands and knees, I crawl, dazed and confused. Her screeches fill my ears as I make my wake back to our seats. I bump into something soft and gray. It squeaks as I sit up. "I'm right here, silly!" Speck grins as I pick her up and start flipping her all around. No wounds, nothing broken. Everything's fine. "Why were you screaming?" "Because, we're here! In Hollow Shades!" She starts giggling as I hold her upside down. "You scared me." "Sorry." Her ears flatten into her mane and she looks away from me. I flip her over and hug her tight. "It's alright. Just try to calm down a little bit." My heart still pounds harder than it ever has. "Can we go?" "Yeah, sorry." I take a deep breath, retrieve our bags, and ditch the train. There are an awful lot of points-of-no-return being shoved in my face. I don't appreciate it. Hollow Shades' train station is quite small. There's a ticket booth, no turnstiles, and only a couple of wooden benches and chairs. The only pony in sight is the bat-pony mare that sits at the ticket booth. She stares at me, I stare at her, she stares at Speck, and Speck stares at her. I pick Speck up and leave the station before they can start talking in puns. Outside of the station, we stand on the forest floor. No streets, few buildings, but dozens of fruit-vines. They must use the floor of the forest as a garden for food. I look up and find bridges, platforms, and ropes spanning between the trees. Paper lanterns are strewn about, and candle-lit lamps hang from the branches of trees. "How do we get up there?" "The tourist elevators!" Speck points toward a tree, where a wooden platform hung by ropes rests. "Huh. That's kind of cool. Why not use magical elevators like the one in Canterlot Mountain?" "We don't really have unicorns around here. Just us bat-ponies, and the occasional tourist. It's a pretty self-sustaining little town. We grow our own fruits, trade amongst ourselves, and really keep to ourselves." I follow her to the wooden platform. "If you keep to yourselves, why are there bat-ponies outside of the town?" I grab a rope that hangs from a pulley near the top of the tree and start pulling us up. It's tiring work, but I manage. Once we're at the top, I tie the rope to a post to hold the platform still so we can safely hop over to a larger platform. "Well, some are more adventurous than others. I mean, we're found almost everywhere in Equestria. You just have to look, and look mostly at night. Right now for instance, if you look around, you won't see many bat-ponies. We're nocturnal, remember?" It's barely three o'clock, so of course the only ponies lurking around are Speck, a couple of guards, and a handful of tourists. "Right. That makes sense." We walk a short way, toward a large statue of Princess Luna in the center. It stands on what looks like a tree that was cut in half. The platform we stand on is built around it, and spread to several other trees about twenty to thirty feet away. Inside of those trees, houses and shops are carved. Vendor stands sit near the edges of the platform. This is most likely the town square. "So what do you want to see first, Anon?" I look around and notice bridges that extend from this enormous platform. They extend far past the trees, and out of sight into the forest. More platforms are built around other trees, with more houses carved into those. This whole village is essentially a tree-loft town. I really should have explored Equestria at an earlier point in my stay here. "How about your old house? Might as well go meet your parents." She shuffles a little bit and blushes. "I can take you to the house, but my parents won't be home." Her ears flatten and she frowns, her eyes cast down. "Cheer up. We'll go see them after, alright? We'll do everything you want to do." A smile brightens her face up. "I want you to meet my mom and my dad, and then we can go to all of my favorite shops and restaurants, and we can sit up in the tree tops and watch the sun set over Neighagra Falls!" She squeals as we walk and talk. Her house rests near the far edge of the northern-most walk-way. It's built on top of a broad tree-stump, similarly to the one that the statue of Luna sat on. A lot of the houses in this part of the town look to be built in a similar manner, though most are made of wood, where Speck's is made of brick. It was just big enough to fit a family of three. "Dad used to make bricks for a living, before he retired. I guess he wanted me to remember him, so he kept sending me bricks. I think he'll really like you, Anon." She pushes the door open and trots inside. "I haven't seen him since I left for Ponyville. Same with my mom." I follow her inside. The house is set up somewhat similarly to our house in Ponyville., except more open. The living room is to the left, kitchen to the right, an open hallway in front of us that leads into the back, and a set of stairs leading to the second floor. It's a warm house, one that would feel like a home to anyone invited inside. Speck scampers upstairs, probably to see her old bedroom or something. I linger in the hallway for a moment, looking over the pictures that hang on the walls. Pictures can tell stories, and these are no exception. A bat-mare, maybe in her early twenties, lays in a hospital bed, holding a little bundle of pony. A bat-stallion sits next to her, smiling proudly. It looks to be the day that Speck was born. I continue walking down the hallway and stop at another picture. Speck, with a mane much shorter than what she has now, smiles wide with her mother and father hugging her. They sit outside of a large tree-building with a humongous tooth carved over the door. I notice Speck has braces in the photo. "Heh. Brace-face." As I continue looking at the photos, I see some of her as a teenager. First day of high-school, pictures of her and a young stallion, pictures of the two dressed up in an elegant dress and suit. The stallion is a light gray color with light brown hair. He wears some kind of blue vest-suit, similar to Equestrian military dress. "Anon?" Speck startles me, and I nearly drop the prom photo. I fumble, but catch it before it hits the floor. She giggles and nuzzles my hand so I'll show her the picture. "Oh! I remember that. That was the, uh... Merry Moon Memorial formal ball." "Who's the weird looking stallion?" I point at him. "I mean, he looks like a bat-pony, but what's up with his wings? They're feathered." "I think he said it was a birth defect. You know, you kind of remind me of him. I think it's your eyes." Looking at the picture, I notice that we both share heterochromia iridium. His is much more obvious than mine, though. "Wouldn't it be weird if we were the same? Like he got sent to Earth after I got sent here?" "Well, he did disappear shortly before I moved to Ponyville, so..." We both start to laugh at how silly all of that sounds. "I think he joined the Equestrian Guard, and just never said anything about it. Anyways, I have something I want to show you!" I hang the photo back on the wall and follow her upstairs. I suppose I'll get a chance to look at the rest later. As we reach the top of the stairs, Speck leads me to the right, into a huge room. A desk sits underneath the window on the far side of the room. A large brick-fire oven sits to its left. Hundreds of bricks sit, stacked against the walls, or in haphazard piles on the floor. Speck trots over to the desk and climbs up in the chair. I walk over to her and stand to her right. "Look at this." She gives me a rectangular, brown package. "It's another package, like the ones I've been getting." "Another brick?" She nods before taking it back and opening it. "They mean a lot. That's why I've kept all of the ones he's sent, but I've been thinking about getting rid of them." She turns the new brick over in her hooves. She sets it down before leaping out of the seat and walking to the door. "Why?" "Because, I've got a new home to fill with new memories." I smile as I walk over to her, kneel, and hug her. She nuzzles into my neck and hugs me back. "Come on, I want you to meet him." *** Speck leads me through the town, back to the central square, and off on the east walk-ways. Another wooden pulley waits for us, and we take it down to the bottom of the forest. The path she leads me down, I notice, has large rocks littered between the trees. I assume it to be something to keep younger bats from wandering off through the forest. The deeper in she takes me, the more I think about what her dad does for a living, and how his work must take him deep into the forest. I follow her, deep into the eastern parts of the forest. The rocks by the trail never cease, until we branch off toward the north. We walk for a little while, until we come upon a clearing. Speck hasn't said a single word since we left the house. The first thing she says as we approach a large oaken tree with a single rock sitting beside it unnerves me. "Hey, daddy. Sorry I've been gone so long and haven't visited." She sits in front of the rock and hugs it as tight as she can, confirming that he is no longer with us. I have to cover my mouth, take a step back, and turn away. If there has ever been anything Speck could do to break my heart, this would reach the top of the list. Being here, being part of this cliche scene that I have scene in so much media back on Earth that never caused me to shed a tear, hurts. I kneel beside her and stroke her mane. I don't know what to say, and I feel like if I try to say anything, I'll upset her. "I miss you, dad." We sit in silence, basking in the sunlight that pours in through an opening in the canopy of the forest. I look over the rock in an effort to learn something about Speck's dad. Brick Kindler was his name, and judging by the symbol carved into the stone, his cutiemark was a chisel and hammer. That's basically all the stone tells me. I should be here for Speck, but I feel like she needs to spend time alone. I kiss her temple and scratch her ear. "I'll leave you alone with him." She nods and smiles at me as I stand and start walking back toward the village. I find that I'm not worried about her getting into any trouble, or any dangerous situations. Hollow Shades seems incredibly peaceful, and it's fairly well defended both by the guards, and by its surroundings. We're safe here. My return to town is met with the curiosity of the bat-ponies. It's starting to get late in the afternoon at this point, so it would be expected of them to start their nightly activities, or at least get ready for them. They surround me and start rubbing their hooves against my hands, legs, and other places ponies should not be putting their hooves. "What are you?" "What's your name?" "Where are you from?" At least they ask normal questions. "Do you like mangoes?" "Which of us do you think is the cutest?" "Can you pet my wings?" And then they get weirder. I shuffle through the crowd, answering their questions as I try to escape. "I'm a human. I call myself Anonymous, because I don't remember my real name, but I've considered changing it to 'That One Guy That's Not Really A Pony, But Doesn't Do Much To Interfere With The Equestrian Way Of Life,' or 'Nameless' or 'Unknown.' I'm from a place called Earth. Mangoes are alright. Speck is the cutest, but she's not here right now. And no, I will not pet your wings." They follow me all the way to Speck's house, and just before I can push the door open, one of them asks the weirdest question yet. "Do you have a mate?" I pause as I feel my cheeks light aflame. The crowd is silent. I turn and stare at the mare that asked me this off-the-wall question. "Kind of?" "Kind of? What's that supposed to mean?" She tilts her head to the side. "It means I'm seeing someone." "Oh! Well, then. I'll see you around!" She flies off without another word. The rest of the crowd mumbles and disperses, off to start doing whatever it is the bat-ponies in this town do at night. That mare was absolutely batty. "Speck. Please get out of my head." I step into the house and shut the door behind me. I wander into the living room and rummage through all of the books and pictures of her and her parents while waiting for her to get back from her dad's grave. A picture of an old bat-pony stallion catches my eye, and I pick it up. "Brick Kindler." His name is etched into the frame. He looks incredibly proud and hardened through a life of determination. He doesn't look anything like Speck, though they have the same eyes. Instead, his hair is a lightish orange, and his coat is a bit of a lighter gray than hers. "You have an amazing daughter, sir." I slump onto the couch as I hold the picture. This is all hitting me pretty hard, but I can't even fathom how Speck feels.