Between the lines

by Facade

In the darkness

You take a look around you, nothing is visible.

Emptiness

Emptiness stretching on for eternity. This is starting to feel eerily familiar. You hear a voice call and turn to see another pony floating towards you. Glad to finally have a companion, you eagerly meet him halfway. As you approach each other you get a better look at him. He’s pitch black, making him blend in with the void. The only ways to tell him from the darkness are his neon colored mane and tail, which almost act as a nightlight, and his glowing yellow irises. Upon closer inspection, you notice his wings seem a bit… off. You don’t think twice about it though. He introduces himself with a cheery voice.

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Hello, fellow wanderer! My name is… well… it’s not important. Anyways, you’re a bit far from home, no? Yeah. How’d you get here anyway? You don’t know? Yeah, the endless darkness will do that to you. You know how long you’ve been here? Didn’t think so… time doesn’t really exist in this place… You might’ve been here a few seconds or a few millennia. It’s funny really, they may not have even noticed you left, wherever you’re from, or they may already be long gone. So… since you can’t remember your story, how about I tell mine? You’ll never believe it.

So… where to begin? How about Day 1? Yeah, that’s a good place to start… Anyways… before we continue I want you to take a good look around, what do you see? Nothing. When I tell you where you’re at you won’t believe me at first but remember where you’re at... This is real.

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As he prepares his story, you take a good look around.
Nothing.
Just like he said… You desperately try to remember who you are and how you got here but it’s no use. You decide to hear him out and see if anything he says rings any bells.

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When I was a young colt, still attending school with my good friend Cheerilee. Ah Cheerilee, she was always a pleasant pony to be around, I always said she’d make a good schoolteacher… too bad I’ll never get to see if I was right… Anyways… My parents would always tell me stories of these grand, mythical lands; each an entire universe of possibility. The best part was when they’d tell me that these worlds were connected to ours. I don’t know, it was just the thought of an entire universe right in front of me that kept me intrigued, kept me vigilant. My favorite story, though, had to be the edge of reality, although it was more of a family rhyme; passed on from generation to generation. I remember it word for word.

In the cracks between where the lines meet
Lies an entire world, waiting right at your feet
A place of wonder, shock and awe
Beware you don’t take a deathly fall
Cause if you ever lose your way
You may never again know the passing of day.

I never truly understood its ominous meaning. I spent the rest of my… well not my life cause this is eternal and instantaneous, we don’t live here. We simply exist… but I spent the vast majority of my time on Equestria searching high and low for this world. You can imagine the mixed feelings I got when I finally found it. As soon as I graduated, I immediately began my search. At first this led to many adventures across the world, but I soon realized that was not how I was going to reach my destination. I began using my Celestia given gift to try and make my way their through science. I spent tireless days searching for something, anything that I could use as a basis for my work. I damn near went insane. I probably would’ve if it wasn’t for her. That sweet innocent filly I knew had matured into an outstanding mare, Cheerilee… she was my beacon, the one who kept faith when my breakthroughs turned out to be tremendous flops. The one who kept me going when I was at my limits, who nursed me back to health when I finally gave out. During all this she became more than my friend… She became my world, my light, my guide through everything… the more I look back, the more I regret continuing. After all, every light burns out eventually, right? There were plenty of hardships that she faced, all while carrying the burden of my own… I was so selfish, not even considering her needs. She was one of the smartest ponies I knew. She could’ve easily just left and pursued her own agenda… yet she remained. I remember putting everything on hold for her on many occasions. After everything she’d done for me, I was glad to repay her every chance I got… One day she decided she’d had enough. I’ll never forget the things that she said… I’m sorry, I got a bit off topic… Soon after she left I had a breakthrough, a real one. I was so excited I just had to tell somepony. Eventually word reached the ears of some very affluent people. They brought me in, gave me a complex to work on as well as a crack team of scientists to aid my research. We began many experiments and calculations to determine what the secret to reaching the edge of reality was. Little did we know the answer lied in the rhyme. After careful analysis, we uncovered new factors that completely changed everything. After some major tweeks and adjustments to the formulas, we were able to determine the gateway to this realm was not a field of energy, nor was it a tear in space or any of the popular theories amongst us. It was a single break in structure. As you know, everything is made up of lines. It’s simple geometry, something they teach you in magic kindergarten. But what lies between the lines? In the places we may never be able to see, the places not even Celestia knows about? We found out. Through pure pony ingenuity, we were able to construct a device that could grab some of the “lines” and force them apart, creating an “entrance” of sorts. Little did we realize the reprocutions of our actions. When the doorway opened, it created a rift, a single burst of energy that distorted and mutated everything in a hundred kilometer radius. I was sucked in and thrown into this world. This little, endless space between the lines.

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Once he’s done telling his tale, there is an awkward silence. One that he decides to relieve.

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So… Now you know my story. But I’m sure you have other questions. Well don’t worry. I got you covered. *ahem*, he clears his throat. Welcome to the edge of reality! That’s right, this is the other world I spent my entire former life searching for. It’s not much, I know, but it’s here. This place is… different than most. As I said, time doesn’t really work here. Neither does space, or reality… or sanity… Yeah, it’s confusing here. In all this time we’ve been moving forward, we haven’t moved at all. When you’ve spent so long it here it makes you question things…

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As his voice trails off you notice that you’re heading towards a light in the distance. So does he.

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Well, looks like this is my stop. It was a pleasure meeting you… don’t worry about names, they’re nothing more than labels.

*****
He notices your look of concern.

*****
Hey, don’t worry; we all gotta do our time. You’ll make it out… Just make sure you never forg...

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There's a brilliant flash of light and he's gone, His last words captured by the darkness. Destined to never meet your ears. You float around aimlessly for what feels like forever and a Sunday. Eventually your mind slips to nothing but darkness and all is forgotten…

You take a look around you, nothing is visible.

Emptiness.

Emptiness stretching on for eternity. This is starting to feel eerily familiar. You hear a voice call and turn to see another pony floating towards you…

Author's Note:

This is my first solo story as well as my first one-shot. Constructive criticism always welcome. Bye bye!

Comments

[Bateman66]

I like this story, very surreal and mystic. Kind of confusing at points, but it adds to the effect. As the Tim and Eric Awesome Great Job! tagline would go, "Great job!"

[Cromegas_Flare]

Reminds me of my Indigo's secret story.

[Hierophant]