Chapter 11: Spacetime Flies When You've Come Undone
Spacetime Flies When You’ve Come Undone
I stared blankly as a pitch black void the size of a volleyball drew in air and loose debris like the eye of a whirlpool. Another scream managed to wrench my eyes away from the gaping hole in space and placed them squarely on a yellow coated mare not but four meters away from it, hanging onto a produce cart for dear life. One by one, the carrots that had been so nicely arranged above her were yanked off their display only to vanish soundlessly into the void. As I watched, the whole cart groaned as it slid a hair closer. She was in serious trouble, and yet ...
Nopony else in the market made a move.
“Hell," I grunted, praying I wasn't about to regret this before launching into a dive. My tired wings continued to protest as I pushed against my growing fatigue.
Something’s not right.
Obviously. Why are you moving towards danger? You need to get away.
No, I mean about the singularity. It’s too small.
You’d rather it was bigger?
My muscles ached while my lungs burned from lack of oxygen. A string of pops echoed from the stand as the canopy was ripped from its fasteners by the hungry maw. There was more than just the force of the wind whipping past me. I could feel the void tugging, threatening to pull me off course as I closed the distance.
The ground was nothing more than a green and gray blur beneath my hooves as I leveled out, rocketing past stalls and shocked ponies while my eyes remained glued to my target. More screams, including those of children, started to issue from the crowd. The mare’s cart-shaped lifeline began to shudder ever closer as the void’s gravity slowly won out over friction. I clenched my teeth.
Please be fast enough.
Her cry abruptly vanished as I slammed into the mare harder than I would have liked, wrapping my forelegs around her. We tumbled to the ground together, reawakening old bruises while making new ones. My momentum continued to carry us away from the singularity as we skid across the worn earth. I managed a quick glance where we were headed just in time to cover the mare with a hoof and brace myself before we collided with an unfortunately sturdy looking building.
White hot pain lanced through my skull as we hit the stonework serving as a foundation. Everything was blurry as I opened my eyes, and shaking my head only made it worse. Blinking through the fuzz, I turned to the mare who had started to move.
“Hey, a-are you alright?” I winced, suddenly very conscious of the fact that she had landed on top of my right wing. “Can you move? We need to-” My question was cut short by the sickening sound of splintering wood.
As the haze on my vision started to clear, I could just make out the shape of the produce cart as it was drawn into the void. Planks cracked and timber fractured with a noise uncomfortably similar to shattering bone as the stand collapsed in on itself. My skin crawled at the sight, but I couldn’t look away until finally there was nothing left.
Not even the hole in space.
I shifted up into a sitting position, ignoring my growing headache. She must have seen it too, her eyes still fixed with a blank expression where the void had been just moments prior. Looking around, there didn’t seem to be any sign of it anywhere else in the market, even the wind had calmed down.
“Are you hurt?” I asked, gingerly extending a hoof to the light yellow mare. As I touched her side, she flinched away. “Sorry! I, uhh, haven’t really had much practice landing on the ground, much less on a … mare.” My voice trailed off, struggling to finish the sentence it started. Whether that was due to simple nervousness or the sudden attention of her bright green eyes, I couldn’t say.
I cleared my throat before offering a weary smile. Before I could react, she threw both of her forelegs around me and buried her face into my mane. “Thank you,” she gasped, just above a whisper. I relaxed, returning the hug against her orange curls.
A familiar four hooved touchdown prompted me to look up. Rainbow stood there, folding her wings as two fillies hopped off her back. The third seemed content to stay on her perch.
“Glad to see I’m not the only one with a heroic streak,” Dash smirked, “Although, I’m still winning three to one.”
“Yeah!” The young orange pegasus still on her back cheered. “You should have seen her! Rainbow came in faster than a lightning bolt and before we knew it, had grabbed all of us off our wagon and scooter!” she beamed, earning a ruffling of her magenta mane from Dash.
“I sure hope everypony else is ok,” came a faint rustic twang from the yellow filly wearing a red bow. “ N-not that we had anything to do with it!” she quickly added.
“What even was that?” the small white unicorn squeaked. I had to admit, the same question was bothering me as well, besides the steadily increasing migraine of course.
The light yellow mare finally released the hug, giving me a short smile in return, but my eyes were drawn to her foreleg. A patch of darkening red had stained the fur just above her fetlock.
“You’re bleeding!” the trio of fillies gasped almost in unison.
“What?” Her eyebrows arched as she followed their gaze. Lifting her leg she cautiously probed around the wound with her other hoof. “No … it’s- There’s nothing there.”
The pounding behind my eyes was spreading, getting too big to ignore any longer. A part of me already knew where that blood came from, but I still hoped I was wrong. Reaching behind my head, fresh pain blossomed as my hoof met with something wet beneath my hair. I grimaced while pulling my foreleg back, now tinted crimson.
“No good deed, right?” I let out a lone chuckle, “I think … I need to lay down.”
The world had already started to fade, growing distant as I slumped to the ground. I could hear voices calling out to me, but I was so tired. Sleep was not going to be denied, and I just let it take me.
* * *
Darkness.
Enveloping, obscuring, darkness as far as the eye could see. Gradually, glimmers of light began to show through the expanse of black. I watched as more motes began to appear, filling the space with constellations I had never seen on any charts. Little by little, I was aware of a growing blaze behind me. Turning around, I was faced with a truly massive star, and it was getting closer.
No, I was getting closer to it. The force of gravity was increasing as I hurtled towards the ruby tinted flames. The star’s horizon continued to occupy more of my vision until it was all that I could see. It shuddered, growing brighter as I fell. I could feel the heat building as I approached, climbing through uncomfortable to painful and beyond.
My skin was the first to go as I passed through the corona, pale flesh and muscle burned away like scattered leaves. The rest of me fared no better, reduced to ash and lost amidst the all consuming atomic fire.
There was nothing left of me, and yet still I fell. Down and down, the pressure growing and heat increasing, long past any capacity I should have had to feel them. My descent was being constricted, squeezed, forced into a space smaller than nothing until I couldn’t be compressed anymore. Still, the pressure continued to build.
With no limbs left to struggle, nor mouth to scream, all I could do was endure. The strain on every point in my vicinity had finally reached a peak when suddenly, something gave way. It was as if the floor of reality had dropped out from below, and I was flying down, but not down, forced through the breach by the tremendous weight that flooded after me.
Surrounded by energetic plasma and careening through who-knows-where, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I landed somewhere, wreathed in a mass of primal flame, with the strangest sensation prickling the boundaries of my consciousness. It was as if I was being stitched together. No, more like I was being sewn into something. My senses started coming back as I heard the crackle of fading embers and smelt the acrid stench of burnt hair.
Augh! It hurt. EVERYTHING hurt. Wait …
I struggled to open my eyes, overexposure robbing me of my sight.
That can’t have… I’m not ...
The bright darkness coating my vision slowly faded, letting in the faint pinpricks of light from the night sky. I pushed against the sluggish weight of my arm to pull it into view, where my now all too familiar green hoof moved in front of my face. My heartbeat quickened, things were starting to recompile. I was no longer on the ground, but reclining in a hospital bed. Twilight looked concerned.
Stop.
I glared at my own reflection in the mirror, red and orange eyes staring through square glasses into a face I couldn’t remember. Nurse Redheart gasped. A single drop of blood began a trail from my nose.
Stop it.
The ground warped and twisted. Gone was the hospital, replaced by grass and cobble. The library tree drew up through the earth like it was fluid. The leafy branches taking on a white cotton appearance as clouds spread out in all directions. I was looking down now, thousands of feet above the ground below.
Please.
A reverberating thundercrack shattered the space. The force of which echoed throughout my very bones. Pieces of reality were falling like broken glass, leaving a plain gray expanse in their wake. The soft steps of hooves behind me slowly brought my ears down low. I couldn’t stop turning around to face her even if I wanted to.
My breathing became erratic as our eyes met past the veil of cascading night that formed her mane. There was something I couldn’t describe, something great and sad was waiting behind those iridescent teal eyes. I sucked in a breath to scream, but she was faster.
“Wake up.”
My eyes shot open as I gasped, bolting upright with enough force to throw the blanket clean off the bed. I brought a hoof up to my temple, grimacing through the headache I just made worse.
Just a dream, I reassured myself, giving my pulse a chance to slow down. I absently rubbed the cotton bandage wrapped around my head. Well, some of it anyway.
The room was blurry without my glasses, but I could tell I was back at the inn. Trunk, writing desk, bedside table, lamp and … flowers? I squinted at the collection of shapes on the table next to me, relieved that a pair of dark square frames was among them. The world dropped into focus as I returned the familiar lenses to my muzzle.
You’d be surprised at how much easier it is to calm down when you can see again. Taking another look to my right, beside the small lamp and pair of silver rimmed goggles stood a simple glass vase. A trio of lily blossoms in a vibrant orange hue rested inside, drawing attention to the small folded card stuck to the vase beneath them. I carefully removed the note and began reading.
Spark Gap,
I don’t think I can ever thank you enough for what you did, but hopefully this is a start. I’d love to meet with you once you’ve recovered, maybe treat you to dinner if you’re up for it. It’s the least I could do.
Again, thank you,
~Carrot Top
So that’s her name. I chuckled. I never got to introduce myself either after …
Is something wrong?
I’m not sure. I really hurt myself, even to the point of passing out.
And yet they didn’t bring you to the hospital.
I slumped back on the mattress, forelegs falling to my sides. My head shook slowly. Things weren’t adding up.
No, they didn’t, and with medical bills apparently covered by national insurance it wouldn’t be because of funds, so that only leaves two options. Either I present a greater risk to the other patients, or they can’t afford the time, and neither of which make ANY sense.
Then there’s something else they’re not telling you.
My heartbeat was uncomfortably loud in the stillness of the room as I mulled over the possibilities. That's the tricky thing about puzzles, they get that much harder to put together when you don't have all the pieces.
The soft click of the latch perked my ears, snapping me back to reality. Twilight cautiously pushed the door open until she realized I was awake. With a relieved sigh, she walked in as the violet shimmer of her magic faded from the handle.
“So, uh, Spark … It sounds like you had a busy day,” Twilight offered with a crooked smile.
“Your words, not mine,” I winced, sitting up. “How long was I out?”
“Just a couple hours,” she reassured. “Dr. Trotson actually came out to see you personally. We didn’t want to move you. After he assured us you only suffered a minor concussion along with the laceration to your cranium, he bandaged you up and had you moved back to your room to recover.” The blanket had levitated up from the floor while she spoke, folding into a neat square before she set it down at the foot of the bed.
My eyes narrowed slightly, “The doctor wanted me here instead of the hospital?”
“Well, actually that was Rainbow … and I,” Twilight’s hooves began a subtle pawing at the floor as she busied herself adjusting the flowers with her magic. “A concussion doesn’t need a hospital stay, and, well, you’d only just gotten out of there …” she paused for a moment, eyes flicking back and forth as if she was reading an invisible book.
She’s hiding something from you.
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” I sighed, massaging my forehead, “At least nopony else got hurt.”
“Oh! That’s right, you hit your head!” Her face quickly brightened at the mention of my accident.
“I’m sorry?” I said under a raising eyebrow, “Was that supposed to be a good thing?”
“Yes! Wait, no, I mean-” Twilight shook her head before releasing a calculated breath. “There are cases where a blow to the head has been documented as bringing old memories back to the surface,” she paused, her gaze drifting down towards the floor, “but there are also cases that have seen the opposite.”
I pursed my lips. The vivid dream was still fresh in my mind, but that’s all it was. “Just a dream,” I whispered.
“Hmm?”
“Nothing yet,” I corrected, “Everything seems in order up here.” I tapped at the bandage with a hoof. “I can still account for everything that’s happened since I woke up with those burns.”
“And from before?” she pressed, leaning in slightly as her eyes scoured mine looking for something, but I had nothing to give.
“No.”
Twilight’s ears drooped. I wished I could give her what she wanted, hope that my condition was improving, but I couldn’t even give that to myself. The fraying thread of a question began to nag once again.
Why is she in such a hurry to see you better?
“Twilight,” I quickly added, trying to take her mind off my predicament as much as to derail my own worrisome train of thought. “What was that? In the market today.”
“I’m not sure. It was long gone by the time I arrived,” her formerly concerned stare turned pensive, “All Rainbow could tell me was that it looked like a ‘swirly black thing’.”
I suppressed a smirk. “That sounds about right, but I think I can give you a better picture.” My headache had receded to a dull throb, finally adjusting to my sitting position.
“At first,” I began, “I thought it was a black hole, however unlikely, but the more I saw, the more I realized it couldn’t be. The required mass to have a Schwarzschild Radius of that size is still tremendous, even if it isn’t on the stellar scale. That much mass at only a few meters away should exert a force of gravity millions upon millions of times greater than what we feel on the surface. I don’t even need to mention the lack of gravitic lensing around the object either.
“No, it was clear it wasn’t a black hole, but it was still some kind of singularity. It pulled in air constantly, indicating there was a rather large pressure differential.” I spread my wings only for a sharp twinge to arc across my right side as I stretched. Putting a hoof to my shoulder, I rolled the joint in a tentative circle, no doubt still a little sore from my landing.
Twilight chewed on her bottom lip, "That is curious. I'll have to check if anything matches your description, but for now just rest." Her eyes stayed slightly unfocused as she turned for the door. "Oh, and the doctor said that moving around is fine, just try to avoid any strenuous activity for a while," she paused, looking back at me over her shoulder, “but a little flying should be ok.”
The door closed behind her, leaving me alone with myself. It was the silence I was growing to dislike, or more appropriately, the lack of it.
You still think she’s just being nice?
I slid off the bed, landing with a staggered gait as I regained my balance.
… I don’t know what to think anymore.
My hooves echoed softly on the hardwood floor as it creaked faintly under my weight.
You should start by figuring out what they’re really planning.
The door pulled open easily as I gripped the handle between my teeth. The migraine was starting to return as I stepped out into the second floor hallway.
And what would that accomplish? Getting suspicious of the ones who have been trying to help me would only give me undue stress and alienate them.
I flipped the latch on the bathroom door once inside. A quick turn of the faucet brought a trickle of cool water which I readily splashed onto my face. I sighed into my foreleg as it pushed my glasses up and out of the way.
That’s only true if they’re not up to something.
I wanted to stop thinking, it only made the headache worse.
Get to the point.
The point? Some of my thoughts began to light up as if surrounded by the very concept of fire. The point is that I know you’re not crazy.
My breath froze. Whatever control I had over my expression vanished as I slowly turned to look in the mirror.
We haven’t been properly introduced.
“No, please,” I mumbled, red and orange eyes dancing across the face staring back at me. No, no, no …
The image was smiling as my glasses fell back into place.
“Hello, Maxwell,” my reflection spoke, “You can call me, Ruby.”
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So happy to see this updated! but jeeze ruby is helpful as much as it is harmful. By trying to help him find out what is going on, it puts him in more danger of being killed by the void. As long as he has no true attachment or being apart of equestria. Also Twilight is the worst secret keeper ever xD, almost as bad as applejack lol. Since Celestia and Luna want to help him and keep him in equestria, wonder if they told Twilight everything or just partial information >3>
My first thoughts are " Wishing Star- Human tag- Lyra wishes for a human?" Now they are " This looks interesting."
4344000
And that's a very good question ... how much does Twilight know? 
I'm also glad to have finally updated!
4344402
I hope it stays interesting.
4344969 So out of curiosity, are you an actual scientist?
4345074
Indeed. Physics, specifically superconductivity and nanotechnology. I get to work with liquid Helium.
4345311 Sounds like a lot of fun.
4345311 Hooray for liquids that crawl out of their containers!
4346436
Science is
crazymagic.Why the hell haven't I seen this before.
)
Please, please, update quickly because holy shit this is awesome.
(After all real life obligations of course
4348191
no, Science is Discord my friend.
static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11111/111112756/3077998-5062557739-disco.png
I FOUND IT!!!!!!!
I remembered this story from reading the first few chapters about 6 months ago, but for some reason (I don't remember why) unfaved it and forgot the title. I'm been trying to find it again for weeks!
4397195
Probably just as much my fault for taking so long to update.
I hope it's still as good as you remember!
4397587
I remembered why I stopped reading it... The portrayals of pinks and dash got to me, they come across as unbalanced and sometimes downright cruel.
That said, I'm still going to keep reading because the interactions between Maxwell and Sparky make it worth it.
4346436 ...How 'bout solids?
4458914 but liquid helium isn't a solid,,, and i think its physically impossible to make it into one
4459333 I never said it was...All I was talking about was sentient-locomotion of unknown solid materials...
4459336
4459340 Praise!
Ruby is the dying star, this much is obvious...
4498922
I had hoped it was.
Good fic, but you need to work on chapter updates quicker.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
4627567
I really, really, do. Once I'm all finished with my Ph.D. defense I should hopefully get back to a normal schedule for updates. In the near future, however, I have a couple multi-hour plane rides that could give me some much needed writing space.
This story has inspired me to attempt a short story about a man turned stallion who is definitely crazy, yet is kind and compassionate, even understanding.
It will be hilarious.
4836200
Glad to know I've inspired you! Thank you for the detailed comments! They really help.
*sigh*
I need to wrangle some time to get the next chapter out...
Update?
Update?
Really enjoying the story so far. Looking forward to updates.
I think it's dead.
IT'S DEAD!!!!!
Abandoned?
Sad am i that this story dead it is
"If wishing on stars worked, we'd all be rich and happy. But maybe, we've just been doing it wrong."
Yeah... I think I'm doing it wrong because this story would've been updated...
Edit: 21/12/2017
All I want for Christmas is for an update from this story...
Edit: 30/4/2019
It's dead...
Great story!
I'm fine with waiting, there have been longer stretches of time.
This is top notch story.
Sooo.... This story hasn't been updated in six full years, and isn't marked as hiatus or cancelled... could we please get it updated with the appropriate tag? I get the feeling this story won't be updating again.
Well... That's all she wrote, I guess. Oh well.
Update?