//------------------------------// // Old Endings, New Beginnings // Story: Rebirth // by Pwn13s //------------------------------// Rays of light seep through the windows of your room, spreading across the floor and walls and sweeping the darkness into the corners. They continue to weave through the space, illuminating all that was once dark. The light reaches your eyes and you open them slowly, adjusting to the brightness. You stretch your arms above you, letting out a groan of relief as your bones crack and your muscles loosen. Rubbing sleep from your eyes, you roll off the bed and onto the floor. A pile of clothes sit in the cupboard, and you fish out a pair of shorts and a shirt. Slipping the shirt over your head, you make your way to the door, turning the handle quietly so as to not wake up your housemates. You place your hand on the door knob, noticing a small cyan sparkle hovering around the handle. The door swings open, and you step back and out of the way. Lyra stands in your doorway, her hair hanging loosely over her face and shoulders. Her sweater is grey, baggy, and is suspended from only one of her shoulders, the other one naked as a newborn. Her hands are gently cupped around a mug of what you presume to be coffee, and another mug floats in the space around her head. The cyan glow emanating from it warms you, and you blink gently as your fatigue finally dissipates. You smile at the Turquoise mare standing in front of you. She looks beautiful. "Mornin' Lyra." "Morning." The floating mug moves slowly towards you, and as you close your hand around the handle the cyan aura vanishes. "Bon Bon figured you might want some tea." "It's nice to know that after a year you guys finally know me." You mutter as you sip from the cup, the warm liquid sliding down your throat and settling in your belly. You blow onto the surface of the drink, hoping to cool it down somewhat. Lyra crosses her arms and leans against the door. "So are you gonna sit there drinking tea all morning, or you gonna come get some pancakes?" She stands up straight and walks out, the mug of coffee trailing behind her. You get up and follow. Bon Bon stands next to the counter, the pancakes stacked on a plate beside her. Their sweet caramel smell washes over your nose, and your mouth starts to salivate ever so slightly. Her tail swishes as Lyra walks up to her, and she nuzzles her lover gently. Lyra plants a kiss on Bon Bon's neck. You cough. "I can go back to sleep if you want." Bon Bon blushes, and Lyra playfully flips you off. You grin. "I mean, either way I'm happy." A pillow flies towards you, and you duck to one side. Lyra has another one ready. "Lyra! Don't throw the pillows. They're expensive." Bon Bon chides the other mare. "Yeah Lyra. You might damage them y'know." Lyra fixes you with a death stare, but she doesn't throw the pillow. Instead, the previously thrown pillow smacks you in the back of the head, then floats gently to Lyra. She places both of them back on the sofa, and moves towards the table. You do the same, stopping by the counter to grab the plates and cutlery. As you set the plates down, Bon Bon comes to the table with the stack of pancakes, placing them in the centre of the table. You hand both her and Lyra a plate, and then sit down, sliding the chair closer to the table. You reach for the pancakes, but Lyra smacks your hand before you can grab one. "Excuse you, but I always get first pick on the pancakes." She smiles childishly, her grin reaching from one ear and ending at the other. She yanks the plate away from you, and spears one of the cakes with her fork. "So what happened to guests first?" "Cut me the guest bullshit. You've lived with us for pretty much a year now, and you don't seem to be leaving anytime soon." Lyra dismisses your complaints with a wave of the hand. "And that's how we like it." Bon Bon smiles at you from across the table, and you grin back at her. "Consider yourself part of our little family." Through a mouthful of pancakes Lyra groans. "Ugh! Tenderness, my one weakness." She swallows, washing down the rest of her meal with some milk. You bite into your own pancakes, savouring their fluffy texture and sweet taste. Bon Bon sifts through her bowl of fruit, picking out the oranges and biting happily into them. You continue chewing on your breakfast, occasionally sipping on the tall glass of milk that sits in front of your plate. Lyra hums happily, while Bon Bon flicks through the newspaper, her beige hands carefully turning each page as her eyes scan the page for important or interesting news. A soothing mix of paper rustling and Lyra's humming echoes through the house, and you feel a sense of calm come over you. You let out a loud yelp as your head hits the concrete floor, and your vision blurs. You can only moan as your body spasms on the floor, a sense of numbness the only palpable emotion you can muster. Blood trickles from your forehead, matting your hair with the sticky substance. It seeps into your eyes, no matter how clenched you keep them. You reach up with your hand, brushing the hair away from your eyes and feeling around for the wound. You wince as your fingers brush over a swollen patch of skin, which you determine to be the source of all the blood. Looking around, none of your immediate surroundings are recognisable, but there's something about them that seems familiar. What is it? A loud groan escapes your mouth as you get to your feet. Swaying a bit, you reach out for the nearest support, and your hand hits a hard, uneven surface. You squint at it, the fading light not helping in determining the object. It's tall and wide, with weird limbs reaching out from the higher level of it. A tree. You blink repeatedly, straining to figure out what's happened. The dizzying sensation is slowly reduced to the point where you are able to walk, and so you start making your way around. You exit the forest and come into what you presume to be a town square. A fountain sits in the very centre of the square, an assortment of roses, carnations and other flowers resting around it. Water sprays from a statue of... A horse? The statue stands there on two human like legs, with arms and hands and the figure that horses definitely should not have. Additionally, wings sprout from its back, frozen in mid beat, and a horn rests on its head. You rub your eyes, but the statue remains in place. Placing a hand to your forehead, you feel a dull but constant throbbing. You sigh loudly in the silent courtyard. And then the thunder starts to boom. You flinch as the loud rumble echoes around you, and lightning flashes across the sky. Shit. Looking around, the rain clouds your vision and stings your skin. As it falls from the clouds you realise that you're bare skinned besides a pair of boxers. Goosebumps prick your skin, and you wrap your arms around yourself to stay warm. You squint through the heavy cover of water, and see lights in the distance. You immediately start to move towards them, your feet slipping on the now soaked brick floor. The clouds explode with thunder once more, and you drop to the floor. Lightning flashes and you briefly see your hands covered in cuts, small lines with rocks or sticks protruding from the skin. You can feel a gash in your foot, and your knees are no better off. You continue to stumble your way along the road, and finally you reach the first of many houses. Beating on the door with your fist, you call out to anyone inside. "Hello? Someone please let me in!" No one answers, and you knock even harder. "Please! I, I think I'm lost. I need somewhere to stay! Hello?" Finally the door unlocks. In the doorway stands a strange, human-like horse, much like the statue you came across earlier, minus the wings. She still has the horn. Her fur is dark purple, with yellow streaks that run along her sides. A tail rests behind her, sweeping back and forth and occasionally curling around her leg. Her hair is a bright silver and blue, the locks falling past her shoulders. You lock eyes with her, your face mimicking her expression of disbelief and confusion. She blinks a few times, her eyes shifting from your head to toe, inspecting every inch of you. You simply stand there, your eyes wide open and your breathing heavy. Blood trickles from the various wounds you've suffered throughout this ordeal. Eventually you muster the brains to speak. "Please." The woman shakes her head, her body quivering slightly. She slams the door, and you're left alone again. You slump against the wall of the house, falling to your knees. Brief comfort from the storm is provided by the roof, but you know you cant stay. Shaken by the whole experience, you take a moment to collect yourself. This is fucking weird. I don't know how much of this is real, but I know I need to get somewhere indoors. I'll wake up in the morning and sort shit out then. For now, I need a place to sleep. Yeah. That's all. It's fine, I just need some sleep. You sigh loudly and get up, your feet still tender against the floor. You poke your head out from underneath the roof, the rain still pouring heavily, and then move out and away from the house. You move down to the next house, and knock on the door again. This time a much taller, buffer male comes to the door. He unlocks the latch and looks at you for a brief second. The door closes as quickly as it had opened. You move to the next house, your body now shivering wildly. Knock knock knock. You stand there, hugging your naked chest, waiting for someone to answer the door. After half a minute or so the door finally swings open. Standing there is a turquoise woman, her hair cyan and white and her eyes a glorious sunglow. You stare at her, mesmerised by her beauty. "Please help." She turns her head back into her house. "Bon Bon! Grab some bandages and a blanket!" She turns back to you, and extends a soft hand. Her voice calls out to you softly. "Come on in." You take her hand and immediately your whole body relaxes somewhat. She places her arm under yours, and around your shoulder. Another woman rounds the corner, a first aid box in one hand and a heavy blanket trailing in the other. A towel is slung around her shoulders. She hands the towel to the turquoise one, who releases her arm from your shoulders and starts to wipe you down. You lift a hand. "Please, I, I'll manage." You reach for the towel, but she gently pushes your hand away. "Please. You're really not in good shape. I'm Lyra by the way, but we'll have more time for introductions tomorrow. First we need to get you to bed." Lyra finishes up with the towel, depositing it in a basket at the corner of the room. She comes back to you and resumes her position under your arms. Together the pair usher you into a small room on the side of the hallway, and lay you down gently onto a bed. The cream coloured one, Bon Bon, starts to clean your wounds. You wince, sucking in air through your teeth as the alcohol seeps into your cuts. She places a hand on your chest, steadying you. "There there. Just give me a minute and I'll have you fixed up." She finishes up on your cuts, then starts to wrap bandages around them. Lyra comes back in and tucks the blanket over you just as Bon Bon finishes dressing the cut on your head. You stare at the strange couple, their similarity to your anatomy and yet so many differences as well. To your surprise, your mouth opens and you utter a few words. "Can I have a watch and notepad? Something to write with too." They stare at you for a couple seconds, presumably bewildered by your request. Lyra nods suddenly, and exits the room. "Yeah yeah just gimme a sec. I'll be back." You smile weakly, your eyelids heavy and your mind already clouded. You take in your surroundings, the room, the storm thundering on outside, and the strange thing sitting on the bed in front of you. Lyra comes back in with the watch, pen and pad, handing them to you. You yawn, checking the watch for a date. "Thanks. I need some sleep now." You catch a smile from Bon Bon, and Lyra's eyes brighten up with an almost motherly joy. "We'll check on you in the morning. Sleep well." They leave the room, and you fumble for the bedside lamp. Turning it on, you scribble something down on the paper. Date: 12th April, 2013. Storm. Strange place, don't know where. People like horses. One of them's turquoise, sexy and nice. The other's cream, cool and caring. Nice alliteration. Bad dream? Find out tomorrow. You place the pad on the floor, and rest your head on the pillow. You instantly fall asleep. "GUYS!" Bon Bon and Lyra flinch violently, Lyra spilling milk everywhere and Bon Bon dropping her newspaper. "Fucking christ! What was that about?" Lyra fixes you with a death stare, cleaning up the spilled liquid with a napkin. "The date! It's 12th April! One year since I got here!"