//------------------------------// // Day Four (Ki): Wake Up Call // Story: Awkward Conversations And Other Stories // by No one is home //------------------------------// It was supposed to be a fun date night. Just me and Z sitting on a little hill watching the stars. The flying saucers were attacking Ponyville again. And someone had let Tyrek out. But that was a long way off and honestly made for a pleasant enough light show in the distance. “I wonder if all horrific battles are this pretty from a distance,” the changeling snuggled into my side as she mused. “Probably are in this world,” I shrugged, pulling her in closer and tracing a finger along her neck-fin, “Everything you fight with either glows or sparkles, or occasionally uses rainbow lasers.” Z bopped me on the nose, “Silly human,” she giggled a little and then got serious, “Do you think we should take cover?” “Naw, we should be alright,” I shrugged, “This is a good example of why I don’t live in Ponyville.” “I thought Princess Twilight Sparkle issued a royal edict requiring you to remain at least two miles from Pinkie Pie at all times,” Z raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Well,” I shifted uncomfortably, “That may also be a thing.” “It’s okay,” Z soothed, “I know you and the Pink Horror had your thing when you first got to Equestria, but you’re mine now. That’s what matters.” “The Pink Horror?” I had to ask. “It’s one of my people’s names for Pinkie Pie,” Z nodded quickly, “The Pink Horror, The Mare Who Walks Between the Wall, The Plague.” The last one elicited an involuntary shudder that didn’t go unnoticed by my companion. “Are you okay Ki?” “Yeah just thinking about something,” Z’s voice shook me from my dark thoughts. The nightmare was finally over. The unending cycle of failure and death, only to be set back in a different pony world, each somehow worse and more hostile than the last, had finally ended. The writing on the wall had seemingly gotten bored with my torture and I had gotten tired at lashing out at the world around me. “A plague,” the words had accused me. And I had been a monster. But gods in hell if I hadn’t been pushed over that line. “I’m fine, I was just thinking about…” and there it was, the lie I told to every living creature in equestria, “It’s nothing, Z, I’ll tell you tomorrow.” “If you’re sure?” Z started to protest, but was distracted by a bright flash and a plume of smoke over Ponyville, “Wow, did you see that one? I hope everypony in town’s okay.” “I’m sure they’re fine,” I waived off the concern, glossing over my own nagging fears, “Ponies don’t explode, and Tyrek doesn’t fly, so I’m guessing the space-ship took a hit.” “You know,” Z mused wistfully, “Used to be a random bugbear was the worst we had to deal with. When did we start getting silver rape machines from outer space?” “I know, right,” I complained in tandem, “And Tyrek too. What the hell’s been going on in Ponyville, lately?” “Well, I heard this rumor from Leaf Blower’s sister, she’s friends with Fluttershy,” Z narrated helpfully, “But I heard the whole thing started with these alien artifacts and the human prince got killed last time the space ships came around.” “Is he a prince?” I raised an eyebrow, “Last I saw the tabloids, I heard she was a princess again playing horse-wife and baking snickerdoodles or some-such…” “Who can keep up?” Z chittered happily, ”But anyway, he/she died, and all the princesses opened the gates of hell to bring him back, and that let out Tyrek…” “Man, this is why I don’t ship with the princesses,” Ki nodded sagely. “Really?” Z asked incredulously, “I thought it was because you’re hiding from Celestia for reasons you won’t even tell me.” “And that was a little too close to the mark for comfort,” I admitted shyly. “Seriously, Ki,” Z turned to me with real concern, “When are you gonna tell me what’s up with that?” “Tomorow, Z,” I assured, “We’ve got a long weekend, and plenty of time. Believe me, it’s gonna take some time…” I was interrupted by a booming crash, and a wave of rainbow magic. At the same time, a second boom followed by a wave of silver magic. Where they met, reality was torn in a ragged, septic wound. “Ki…” Z’s voice drained of all but fear, and I pulled her face into my jacket. “Don’t look at it Z,” I tried unsuccessfully to hide the quiet sob from my voice. “The sky… it’s bleeding,” she was on the verge of breaking down, I wondered if maybe that wasn’t the best thing, “What is it, Ki?” “It- it’s the end Z,” my hands were shaking as holes formed in the sky and earth around us, “It’s okay, Z, I’m right here. I’ve got you. I’m not gonna let go. We’re gonna face this together, Z! It’s gonna be alright…” I was talking to empty space, as the little changeling fell sideways out of reality straight through my arms as if they weren’t even there. And I sat alone beneath a bleeding silver sky. I just sat there and cried, sobbing and screaming at gods I already knew didn’t care. The sound, the fury, and the madness meaningless against the empty space at my side. Perhaps it went on for minutes, maybe it was years. Once time unravels it’s impossible to tell the difference. Finally I was in darkness once again. ~This was not my intention.~ “Shut up,” my voice was acid and fire and hate, “You should have killed me. You should have left me dead the first seven times.” ~You understand very little of what has happened to you thus far.~ “I understand I hate you,” I hissed between ragged sobs. ~I will return you to the state you first arrived in and send you to a safe place. You may in time recover what you’ve oslt… ahwt rea uyo ignod?~ I focused on a memory. A memory of my childhood, before I had overcome my dyslexia. I focussed on a memory of incomprehension and the words scrambled into meaningless letters and the world became bright once again and I found myself… lying in the baggage compartment of a pony passenger train… Well that was new. “Wow,” a familiarly mismatched, snake-like chimera sat in front of me munching popcorn, “THAT was not what I was expecting. Of course I usually try to keep my expectations vague, but seriously… just wow. For the record, you should continue lying to the ponies about where you come from. And by the way, welcome to Fillydelphia”