//------------------------------// // Chapter III - Messengers // Story: Memoria // by Takarashi282 //------------------------------// Pinkie Pie could not believe what she was doing. But her legs seemed to forcefully guide her every step of the way, through the door opposite the ones she'd came from, opened slightly ajar, the creature in front of her moving—more like slithering—into it. It felt like Pinkie Pie's mind could pop at any second. There were many things that were on the tip of her tongue, many memories in her wake that she just couldn't exercise. The feeling was irritating, and she just wished that the bag of popcorn would just start popping already like what happened with her on her first encounter. But she didn't dare move closer. Whatever this was, it seemed to be caused by the creature—the Messenger, she decided to call it. The creature snaked around the corner of the door frame, pushing the door silently and slickly, almost as if the creature wasn't there, and the door just opened on its own. Forcing every stiff step, Pinkie Pie followed, her heart about ready to burst, every part of her body wanting to shut down because of sheer fear. But that was when the Messenger stopped in its tracks, and she'd gotten too close. The memories started popping in her head at random intervals, like a rapid-shot picture of abstract art. She didn't understand the people that had popped in her head, nor the places, and didn't wait for the recognition to start before she backed up and landed on her flank, head pounding and overwhelmed. Through the sudden revelation, she could hear the Messenger start to sniff, and now its crimson eye was on her, its maroon light shining on her. Pinkie Pie froze, jaw agape as the creature swiveled to face her, bending the arch in its back down, its barbed tail swaying in the air. Pinkie Pie didn't know what to do. The Messenger was blocking her path, staring at her through the open door frame and ready to spring. She could run, but that would have the risk of discovering its true speed when threatened. So the only thing I can do... she thought, every part of her now wanting to get away from that thing. Regardless, she took in a large breath, trying to calm herself as she stayed. The Messenger didn't release its position. It stayed there, swaying its tail in an almost hypnotic fashion. The longer Pinkie stared at it, the more familiar the sight became, and she could see herself making the mistake of moving. But, the Messenger wouldn't move, and as far as she knew, she couldn't move either. It all came down to a stalemate, a stalemate that could only be broken if one of them moved a single inch. Finally, the Messenger relented. It turned back around and proceeded into the room, Pinkie not daring move an inch before the near-popping memories calmed down. She slowly got up and sneaked to the door, peeking her head out just passed the frame. This room was a thing out of a nightmare. Splintered wood walls and floors greeted her when she peeked through, the whole geometry of the room distorted and twisted. To her left, at the end of the room was a circular hatch in the wall, the hatch being just as effective as a piece of paper as it flapped in the wind. There was a definite temperature change in this room; it was a lot colder than the rooms before it. The Messenger gave her no heed as it proceeded to squeeze through the flap as if it was a spider, cramping itself in an scooting itself through. The shuffling sounds were different, like they were on metal rather than on wood. Finally, its barbed tail slipped through, leaving the hatch wide open. Reluctantly, Pinkie Pie sneaked into the room, starting to slide on the slanted floor as the room continued to twist. She was walking on would've been the bottom right corner of the room when she reached the hatch. The tunnel therein seemed to go on forever, it sheer length coning the path before her. Ignoring the fear in her heart, she hoisted herself into the tunnel and started crawling, though the tunnel was just big enough to stand in. It was a full few minutes when she finally hit the end—though not the end she was entirely expecting. Whilst crawling, she felt her hooves plummet downward, her body following. A split second later, she fell face-first into a sort of cushion, her neck popping in many places before she rolled back onto her hooves. Unable to keep her head straight, she tried focusing on what was before her, grimacing. She stood in the center of a spherical room, an ominous blue light emitting from underneath the platform she stood on. The diameter of the room was bigger than the length of the halls, white lights in the wall shining like stars through darkness. Pinkie moved around uncertainly, feeling around with her hooves, feeling the platform get steeper with every step forward. She backed up to the center of the platform, getting her hammering heart and breath under control. Through the thick curtain of darkness on the platform, it seemed like lights were fading away on the wall, only to reappear in a wave. The movement stopped, and a singular red light shone on Pinkie Pie, making her stop in her tracks. She stood still as she did before, holding her breath, but nothing stopped the oncoming threat this time. It burst from the wall, landing on the soft platform in front of it, the Messenger now only feet away from Pinkie. Pinkie didn't have a choice. Either face the Messenger and obvious death, or risk everything to get away from it. She galloped to the edge of the platform and jumped, bracing herself when she hit the wall, pitched forward enough for her forelegs to attempt to catch her fall. A sick crunch exploded from beneath her, and she landed on her chin as she skidded the rest of the way down, flipping toward the center of the room. The blue light was coming from an organic-looking structure in front of her, shuddering while it pulsated. It was transparent, and she could see an explosion of bright lines shooting from its epicenter. But the closer she looked, she could see a face, misty in the organism's tissue. She recognized this face; her clay-colored coat and dull-pink mane once again put a name on the tip of her tongue. Although, as always, she couldn't put it together, no matter how hard she tried. Suddenly, the Messenger dropped right in front of Pinkie, curling up its tail in preparation. Pinkie tried to move, but she couldn't. She looked down, confused at her forelegs which were now twisted at odd angles, blood trickling from breached skin. She felt like she could pass out... but she didn't feel any pain. An uncalled-for pang of sadness hit her, and for a second, it seemed like there was nothing more familiar than this feeling. The barb of the Messengers tail shot forward and embedded itself in Pinkie's chest, the impact feeling like a punch as she could feel bones crackle in her chest. Once again, it was more of a shock; there was no pain. Her breathing became shallow, her sight caving in almost instantly after impact. Pinkie Pie didn't know where she was. Darkness was all she saw all around her, and again she couldn't stand up no matter how hard she tried. In front of her was a rose. A rose with crimson red petals, spiraling out in beauty. Many would appreciate the beauty of the rose, she knew, but all it brought for her was sadness. It wasn't anything she immediately recognized, the feeling becoming stronger before it became unbearable. It felt like something was missing... and the rose had something to do about it. That was all that came to her. Nothing else but her cries. She willed her eyes open, an almost alive fabric brushing against her. She stood—I stood up! Pinkie Pie thought, lifting her hooves and studying them up and down. Her forelegs were no longer broken. She looked around her, the desk to her side with the broken ink bottle confirming that she was back in the office. Her sudden appearance there shocked her. How did I end up here? she thought. I was in that odd room, the rose... and now here. Pinkie Pie turned toward the door, where the letters she'd sent back and forth with Maud lay, folded. Pinkie Pie didn't know why she did that. There was no one here who would read the letters, but it bothered her when she didn't do so. From her viewpoint, however, something seemed different. Her heart jumped and she galloped toward the letters, unfolding them ravenously. Her eyes widened and started to burn when she realized what had come to pass. Maud's replies were gone.