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To Wonder

Chapter 5: To Wonder

Twilight had not had much time to think to herself when, catlike, her strange companion dropped down beside her, almost startling the tired unicorn into action... were she not too exhausted to do anything. Whatever else there was to be said about this being called 'Eternity,' it (she, he? – the voice's pitch lead to a tentative 'she') was certainly agile. In fact, the grace with which it moved was somewhat disturbing, considering that by its (her?) own admission, it was composed of things that had every right to be as inanimate as rocks but... weren't. Assuming this wasn't a lie, which Twilight couldn't be sure of either way, the skill with which Eternity had to have been made was mind-boggling to ponder. How advanced was the technology behind this being's existence, for it to be so incredibly... real? How long had it taken to achieve that level of technology, without magic? How – oh, Eternity was speaking.

“...to three hours left until sunset, though it would be best to assume a lesser number. I-” was that nervousness, Twilight heard creeping into Eternity's smooth, indifferent voice? “-cannot be sure of my own estimates, at the present time. We must allow for error.” The strange being gave a surveying glance to the walls then, before glancing back at Twilight in contemplation.

“Wha-” Twilight started to ask, only to be interrupted the moment she opened her mouth.

“You cannot climb these walls.” Eternity observed speculatively.

That... was true. Without her magic, Twilight couldn't really do anything to get out of the ravine under her own power. Assuming they had so few hours before nightfall, they didn't really have time for her to rest enough to use magic once more. Even though she knew it was infeasible, Twilight still had to mention this. “With enough rest I can get out.”

“That is not the best solution. We are pressed for time.” ...and that went exactly as well as expected. They didn't have time to wait for her to regain her energy. But Twilight couldn't see any other solutions at the moment that didn't involve waiting.

“Then what would you propose?”

Eternity did not respond immediately, glancing from Twilight to the wall and flexing her hands absently. What was she doing? Gauging something... what? Her strength? The height of the wall? She could climb it, certainly, but... Twilight couldn't. Eternity would have to carry her, somehow, and they didn't have any harnesses. 'She's trying to figure out a way to secure me that will leave her free to climb,' Twilight guessed. '...but that's not possible, without magic, or a r-'

“We should search ravine for a less difficult place of ascent. Can you stand?”

Could she? She wasn't injured, not really, just tired. And a little sore. But her head was no longer hurting quite so much anymore... Hesitantly, Twilight propped herself up, and stood. It hurt, a bit, but her legs were firm and – more confidently, she took several steps. “I'm fine.”

It was a strange sort of silence that followed as they walked. Twilight wasn't sure what to say, or ask, and Eternity seemed content to scan the sides of the ravine for a place of ascent, leading to the unicorn taking furtive glances at her odd companion while her head was turned. It was during one of these glances that Twilight noticed something peculiar. Eternity's back was no longer covered in blood. Where there should be ravaged skin and an open wound, there was only a smooth, blue cloth-like material that loosely hugged her form. 'When did that happen? And how did I miss it? Did she bandage herself when I wasn't looking? No – that's impossible. She wouldn't have had enough time, and one doesn't bandage wounds like... that.' Twilight drew herself out of her thought just long enough to stare at the loose cloth speculatively, and started to ask a question... only to be interrupted by Eternity. Again.

“Here.”

It was a steep slope of boulders and crumbling stone. Even if she wasn't so tired, Twilight couldn't have made it up the slope without using her magic. There was something odd about the boulders, though – they were oddly consistent in shape and size and... gaze traveling upward, Twilight spotted an old rope bridge draped over the top of the ravine which, at some point, had ceased to be covered in vegetation. This... Twilight knew this place. She'd only been here once before, but she recognized it clearly. Well, she thought she did, anyway. She'd need to see the top of the slope to be sure, but if she was correct then-

“I can carry you.”

“...what?” Twilight responded, freezing.

This was the moment, then. Accepting that offer to carry her, Twilight would no longer be able to honestly use the excuse that she was lost - she would know exactly where they were, and how to get back. Should she, then, lead Eternity out of this forest and back to Ponyville? Eternity had made no hostile movements so far and there was so much that could be learned from her - her apparent age alone ensured that - but… that age itself was worrisome. Everything else Twilight had encountered that was older than living memory had had less than benign intentions - disregarding Celestia - and there was a thought. Did Celestia know of this ‘Eternity?’ ‘Of course she would - Celestia’s the most knowledgeable pony in Equestria! She has to know about something this important.’ Resolving to write a letter to her mentor upon returning to Ponyville… Twilight’s thought processes ground to a halt and came up short when she realized she still hadn’t made a decision.

“...I can carry you, if you cannot make the ascent.” Eternity repeated, bringing Twilight from her thoughts.

‘Decision time, Twilight.’ The unicorn thought to herself.

.X.

I watched the unicorn’s face draw itself deeper and deeper into a pensive frown as she thought. It was odd. A simple question required a simple answer, which would require little thought due to its simplicity. ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’ Do you have the ability to climb this slope, or do you not? Yet the unicorn was spending some time in deliberation. Time that could be better used in exiting the confines of this forest. I prepared to present the question once more, when the unicorn finally responded, “I… can’t climb that. Not without resting first.”

“Very well.” Inclining my head, I lifted her. Her weight was, oddly enough, around that of an average human adult - rather, what I remember an average adult weighing. Most of the difficulty in carrying her up the slope was in positioning her quadrupedal form in my arms in such a way that she could be carried without injury… but also without impeding my own ability to move. It was not a position I had experienced before, and so several carries were tried until I decided to simply carry her under one arm. It was perhaps not the most secure way to carry her, but I had the required strength - my grip would remain secure - and it left my other hand free.

Climbing the wall was not difficult. There were plenty of foot-holds, and the pile of stones was remarkably stable for a collapsed wall. Thus, I reached the precipice quickly and stepped over it in the next moment, letting the unicorn down once I had acquired stable ground. That objective accomplished, I took in our surroundings…

Ruins.

Crumbled walls, broken windows, desolate and decrepit furnishings. A dilapidated wreck of what, to my eyes, eerily resembled an ancient - even in my time - medieval castle. Broken benches, a ragged rug, collapsed columns, wilting plants in overgrown gardens, an altar at the end covered in the dust of time, a ceiling that had fallen away…

...it was a familiar sight. This was a place lost to time. A place holding memories I could only guess at, whose inhabitants fled or died out long ago. A shrine of the past, abandoned by the present… a relic. Its open hall seemed to loom upward, broken pillars sticking upward… like the bones of an ancient corpse... falling away slowly into dust and being devoured by the world around it…

“...Eternity?”

...the unicorn’s voice. She sounded… worried? Curious? Distressed? I couldn’t identify the emotion. Had it really… could I really forget something so elementary? I blinked, my vision disappearing into darkness for a brief moment. I opened it to see the unicorn’s oddly unreadable face. Unreadable? No, there was an emotion there… which one?

“You’ve been staring for… a while now. Are you… why?”

A while? How long was a while? Had it really been that long that I had spent? To me, a moment could last into minutes or even hours by comparison so… how could I lose track of time to any degree? Ho-

“Can you hear me?”

Again. It had happened again. My thoughts were unusually disorganized. This bore investigation as soon as possible… as soon as this forest was left behind. “I can hear you. I am fine. It is just… this…” I paused, searching for a clear word. “...scene. It is too familiar. We have lost enough time. We must move on.”

I spotted the bridge, and the overgrown road behind it. Given neither I nor my companion had any sort of direction, it seemed a better path than setting off in a random direction through the forest. This decided, I stepped over to the bridge and turned to see if the unicorn would follow. Unicorn. Did she have a name? Extraneous. There was too little time for such things… they could wait until this forest was left behind. Until I could confirm…

...could confirm that I’m still sa… still…

...until I could correct whatever errors were present.

After a moment of hesitation, or did I lose track of time again?, the unicorn followed behind me, and we set off down the road.

Author's Note:

A long long time ago, I can still remember...
...oh wait, no, I forgot the last time this story updated. How about you?
Some time a month or two ago, maybe?

Well, they're not quite out of the woods yet, but they're on the path. Look forward to a change in setting next chapter.

...probably.

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