• Published 27th Dec 2014
  • 2,078 Views, 28 Comments

Keys of My Destiny - RageLokiCat



A horrible event has caused me to forget everything about who I am, and has sent me to the world of Equestria. I don't have a clue what I'm doing here, or what's going to happen, but I know I'm in for one heck of a ride!

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Chapter 1: A New Arrival, Vashta Nerada

I shook my head and looked around. I couldn't really remember what happened, or for that matter, anything at all. What I saw seemed to surprise me though. I was laying in a clearing in a forest, surrounded by old, dark, and foreboding trees. They were tall, casting shadows all over, and packed close, leaving little room to see the secrets they hid in the shadows. A small winding path led away from the clearing, disappearing into the forest. I shook my head again as I tried to remember what happened. Suddenly, I remembered the sound of a gun-shot and a wave of pain hit me. I looked down and saw that there was a bleeding streak cutting a path across my body, oozing my lifeforce at an alarming rate. Suddenly I realized something. I'm supposed to be a human! And last I remember, humans don't have medium-length pale orange hair all over their bodies. I looked down at my body again, reeling in shock, and completely forgetting about my wound. Ok, I know humans don't have four legs. Or hooves. And... Is that a tail? I looked back and swished my tail, smiling before another wave of pain reminded me that I was in the process of dying.

I looked quickly around again, and for the first time noticed just how damaged the clearing looked. It seemed like some of the trees had recently been broken apart, there were branches and bunches of leaves all over the place. There were also a bunch of scorched pieces, leading me to think that whatever brought me here was not gentle on the environment. Suddenly, I heard the sound of small, light hooves pounding quickly across the earth, and I spun my head around to see a small yellow filly with red hair and a large pink bow running up to me. Knowing that I was in no condition to get away, no matter her intentions, I told myself that a little filly wasn't likely going to hurt me, and I lay on my side and waited for her to reach me.

"Oh mah goodness! Are ya ok? Ya should be dead!" She said as soon as she reached me, panting through her words as she stopped next to me, standing on the side that wasn't bleeding profusely.

"Funny you should mention that." I said as I nodded with great effort towards the side of my body that was currently being stained red from my blood. She frowned and walked around me until she could see my side. She gasped, one of her hooves flying up to cover her mouth, and stared at my side in shock.

After a few seconds, and several glances from my injury to my face, she looked back at me and said: "Do ya think ya could walk if Ah helped ya? There's more help on the way, but Ah'm not sure ya will make it that long the way ya are bleedin'."

"I suppose I don't really have much of a choice; I don't really want to die here." I said as I struggled to get up. She rushed over to me and helped nudge me onto my feet, allowing me to lean on her for support. I could barely feel my right legs from blood loss, but with the little filly's help I was able to stand. I started hobbling in the direction of the path, not wanting to go too fast and fall, but not going any slower than I needed to.

"By the way, what's your name?" I asked her as we worked our way down the path at a painfully slow rate, both in a literal and a metaphorical sense.

"Mah name's Applebloom. What about yours?" She asked, looking up at me.

"Well, to be honest, I don't remember. I don't really remember anything. I must have hit the ground super hard... I used to fall out of trees all of the time, and I've never had problems with brain injury or amnesia..." I said, trailing off as I tried again to recall what happened to me.

"Ah can imagine ya'd fall, ponies ain't meant to be in trees, silly. Still, ya got that right. Mah sis and Ah saw a huge hole open up in the sky, then ya fell out. Lucky it wasn't higher, or Ah don't think ya would've made it." She said with a concerned smile on her face. I looked at her in shock, but she didn't seem to think much of it. What kind of world is this where you help strangers who have just fallen out of massive portals and are bleeding like they've been in a war without a second thought? I wondered, my focus returning to the path. We continued slowly along in silence for a little while, before suddenly everything started to go black, and I felt myself falling to the ground.


There was the sound of a gunshot, and I heard a scream. All around me there were fires burning, and I could barely see. Suddenly, I heard another gunshot, and the screams stopped. The world started to fade, and I just remember someone appearing in the doorway, holding a gun. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open, and I shot up out of bed. I immediately gasped as I felt the wave of pain that rolled over me, and I remembered that when I was last conscious, I was bleeding to death in the forest, with Applebloom trying to help me to safety. The pain, combined with my curiosity at my new situation, quickly made me push the dream to the back of my mind. I looked around the room I was in and was shocked at what I saw. I had expected primarily to not wake up at all, but barring that, I never imagined when I saw myself in the middle of a forest that I would end up in a place like this. This was the nicest hospital room I had ever seen, with all the equipment necessary to heal a dying pony. Wow, I actually just thought of myself as a pony. I hardly remember anything of the other, human world I came from, so I guess it's fair. I thought with a mild laugh. I held up my fore-legs to inspect them, and noticed what looked like white stickers, one on each leg. They looked like they would otherwise have been attached to heart rate monitors and machines of that sort, except instead of wires, there was a faint purple glow at the center. What are... No, I'm not going to question it. They're probably just some fancy tech that I don't know about.

I eventually sat further up in bed and pulled the blankets off to inspect my side more closely. I had been fully bandaged up, the bandages wrapped, and the wraps fully secured, as though I was meant to run a marathon in this condition. Despite the new pain from jumping out of my nightmare, I actually felt pretty good. Not stellar, but well enough given the state I was left in. I saw large windows on either side of the room on the far sides of the medical equipment, but the blinds were closed. Judging by the light streaming in anyway, though, I guessed it was about mid morning. I thought about how funny it was that I was a pony, and yet still in a bed under blankets like a human. I'm just going to assume, given everything I've seen, that these ponies are a little more advanced then the ones I know. I chuckled to myself as I slid carefully back down under the covers and pulled the blankets up to cover me better. After what felt like only a few minutes I had nodded off again.


"Applejack said he just fell out of the sky? Did she say exactly what she meant by 'Out'? Like, did he fall from way up, or was he just suddenly there, and falling? Did she see the whole thing? Did she say if he knew what happened?" I heard a voice ask hurriedly as I began to come about. There was a quiet response that I couldn't understand in my grogginess, and then the voice started talking again.

"A portal? How unusual. I've never even heard of such a thing occurring, I'll have to talk to Celestia before I can even begin to guess what happened to him though. I wish we had been able to get more from him before he lost consciousness. I hope he wakes up soon too, I've got so many questions." The voice said. Again, I heard the quieter voice, but the pony must have been whispering and turned away from my bed, because I still couldn't understand them.

"Oh no, I don't think I'll scare him. They're just questions! I'm sure he's used to those, if these portals are a regular thing for him." The voice said, gradually getting quieter.

"Oh, OK. Well, um, I think I'll sit with him for a little while then, just encase he wakes up. If that's OK." The quieter voice said, finally understandable.

"That's fine with me, Fluttershy, I'm sure he'd be glad to have some company after such a trying experience. I'll see you later?" The original voice said, followed by the sound of a door quietly opening.

"Oh, um, yes. Yes I think so." The voice, which apparently belonged to a pony named 'Fluttershy,' said. There was the sound of hooves and then the quiet click of the door closing. Knowing that I was not alone this time, I was careful not to jump up out of bed like last time, as the sight of a pony whom one suspects is asleep suddenly diving out of bed would likely terrify any sensible soul. That, and it would hurt like heck. I thought as I slowly opened my eyes and yawned, apparently still scaring the pony sitting next to my bed, judging by how she jumped. Well, apparently I'm just a terrifying individual. Goodness me that was easy...

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I- I didn't mean to disturb you." She stammered out after she collected herself.

"It's fine, I was awake anyway." I said, smiling warmly at her. She smiled a tiny bit back, but still looked guilty. I glanced at the window blinds and saw that I had slept a long time, as it was a bit dark out. Assuming a bunch of ponies hadn't come to visit me super early in the morning, that meant it was dusk.

"I'm sorry to be intruding, would you, um, would you like me to leave?" She said quietly as I looked back over at her. For the first time since I woke up, I noticed what she looked like. She was a soft yellow, with a beautiful flowing pink mane and tail. She also had three butterflies on her flank, which I assumed were some sort of tattoo. I wondered how that would work through copious amounts of hair, but I wasn't about to ask a pony I didn't even know. Then I remembered the question she had asked.

"No, you're fine, it's nice to have someone to talk to." I said to her, remembering what the other voice had said as I yawned again.

"Well, um, OK then. Is- Is there anything you would like? Any family or friends that we should notify about your condition?" She asked, again expressing her ability to be quiet and still be clear. For some reason, the mention of family sent a stab of pain through my heart, but I couldn't place why. I shook my head, both as a no, and trying to clear away whatever it was that I was feeling. I changed the subject, hoping to distract myself.

"So what's your name? I'd introduce myself, but I'm afraid I still don't remember my own name." I said, laughing slightly at myself. I did, of course, already know her name, but she wouldn't know where I had heard it, and calling her by name when I shouldn't know it would almost defiantly make the conversation more awkward. She took me completely seriously though, and replied quickly.

"I'm really sorry you can't remember, if there's anything we can do to help, please ask. And, um, my name is Fluttershy." She said as she looked at me with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm sure I'll be fine, it'll probably just take some time for it all to come back to me. I hear I tried to fuse with the ground. Also, nice to meet you, Fluttershy." I said with a chuckle and a smile at her. She smiled a little back before asking if I was hungry. I said I was fine, and she looked down at her hooves in embarrassment. Feeling bad for her, I changed my mind.

"Actually, now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. But I'll be fine for now, I can have food in the morning." I hoped she wouldn't feel obliged to do anything for me, but she jumped up out of her chair anyway.

"We can't have you hungry when you're healing from such a bad injury, I'll go get you some food. Um, is there anything in particular you would like?" She said, slowing and looking back at me. I wanted desperately to roll my eyes, but I resisted, smiling instead.

"Uh, surprise me? I'm not at all fussy, I'll eat anything. And thank you, you don't have to go to all that trouble." I said to her, and she smiled a little more before quickly disappearing from the room. It was a few minutes of waiting, and I had started to doze off again when Fluttershy came back in, carefully carrying a sandwich on a small plate in her mouth. I smiled as she walked over and placed it on the small table next to my bed.

"Um, will you need help sitting up?" She asked cautiously, watching me with concern.

"I think I got it, thanks." I said, slowly pulling myself up into a sitting position. My side burned the whole time, but once I got settled again it reduced to a dull ache. I looked over at the plate sitting on the table and realized how very far away it seemed, but I was determined to reach it. Slowly reaching over, I winced as pain shot through my body again. Fluttershy saw my trouble and went to help, but right as I was getting close to reaching far enough my balance gave out and I tipped over, brushing noses with her as I fell over sideways onto the bed. She squeaked and her face turned bright red as she covered her nose with her hoof. She grabbed the plate with her other hoof and gave it to me once I had sat back up. Laughing a little and blushing a bit myself, I said 'sorry' quietly as I grabbed the sandwich off the plate. I feel like I should be more concerned then I am that this sandwich is apparently filled with daisies and hay. I thought as I went for my first bite. As I begin eating, she tried to cover her embarrassment by asking why I didn't use my magic to lift it. I paused and looked at her with a questioning look.

"I'm sorry, I meant your unicorn magic." I gave her another look, this one mixed with curiosity, as I munched on my sandwich, now over the unusual filling.

"Oh, um, hang on..." She said slowly as she ducked down and dug around under the table somewhere. She came back up with a mirror and held it up for me to see. My jaw dropped when I saw that I did, indeed, have a horn. It was the same dull orange as the rest of my body other then my orange tinted gold mane and tail, and maybe four or five inches long. I noticed my mane also got much more orange and less gold towards the edges.

"And because I'm a unicorn, I can use magic?" I asked Fluttershy, putting down my food to carefully feel my horn. She nodded and waited until I was done before putting the mirror back.

"Um, as far as I know, most unicorn foals learn to use their magic when they're relatively young. Since it seems like you don't know, maybe you should ask my friend Twilight Sparkle. She's really good with magic. She will know how to help you better. Or whatever you want to do is fine..." She said, trailing off.

"That sounds like a great idea! Probably not until I can walk around again though." I said, finishing off the sandwich. I reached over to put the plate back down on the table, but before I got too far Fluttershy grabbed it for me. I jokingly covered my nose and smiled at her and laughed as she blushed again.

"Thanks again for the food, I definitely needed that. Although now I feel like I could sleep for a moon..." I said, trailing off as a huge yawn took over.

"Oh, OK then, I'll go and let you sleep." She said, grabbing the plate again and standing up. Just as she was heading out the door, it was my turn to be shy, and I called to her again.

"Hey, um, do you think that, um, maybe you could come back tomorrow? It'll be awfully lonely on my own all day." I said, hoping not to sound too awkward.

"Oh, sure! Maybe tomorrow you'll remember more about yourself!" She said happily. She carefully closed the door behind her and suddenly the room was quiet again. I smiled as I settled down to sleep, hoping that I had made my first friend in this insane place.


"Mom, Dad, wake up," I said, slowly opening the door to their room.

"What is it, sweetheart?" My mom asked in a sleepy voice.

"I think I just heard a crash, like something breaking. I think there might be someone in our house." I said quietly, looking frequently around as though I expected someone to jump out of the shadows. Then, as though on command, the fire alarm began going off. My parents quickly jumped out of bed, and my dad grabbed the baseball bat he had hidden under the bed. Slowly, my mom and I followed him to the stairs, where we all looked down. Nothing was obviously damaged, but it was clearly starting to get smoky. Knowing that the door was right around the corner at the bottom of the stairs, we decided to risk it. We crept down as quietly as we could. Terror raced through my body, however, when we reached the bottom and saw a man in all black with a mask standing in front of the door, as if guarding it. He had a gun in his hand, and he held it as is he knew exactly what he was supposed to do with it.

The hallway where we were was narrow, and across it from us was the dining room, which led to another door. The source of the fire seemed to be near the dining room, but at this point there was no other choice. We heard someone bark out a command to the man at the door, and for a moment he looked away from us. I felt my mother give me a light push, and I knew I had to cross the hallway. As quickly and quietly as I could, I scampered across and then hid around the wall, holding my breath to try to keep as much smoke out of my lungs as possible. I heard another bunch of talking, and I felt slight trembling through the floor as my mother and father tried to cross the hall as well.

My mother made it, covering down next to me on the wall. My father must have been almost across when suddenly I heard the snapping explosion of a gun being fired. My mother and I sat there, frozen, until after the longest instant of my life we heard a loud grunt and the sound of something large hitting the floor. Slowly, as if an ironic final message, the baseball bat rolled slowly through the doorway. The whole world froze around me, even the smoke seemed to stand still. Somehow, I just couldn't believe my father had just been shot. I felt like I kept expecting him to come through the doorway, and then we could all escape. A second ticked by, and I realized my mother was screaming next to me. Suddenly, I truly realized what happened. My father had just been shot, and probably killed. He's not coming through. Get out. Get away. Run. I went to grab my mother's hand and pull her with me, but she had already dived back through the doorway, as if she thought she could save the love of her life by dying with him. I still heard her screams, but they sounded so far away, like the bottom of a well.

I reached out as if to grab her, but she was already gone. Suddenly, I heard another gunshot and her screaming abruptly stopped. My instincts must have taken over by that point, because instead of jumping out after her, I got up and tried to run for the door. However, fate showed its distaste for mercy when I tripped over the very baseball bat my father was going to protect me with, and I came crashing to the floor. The pain must have woken me up a little, because I turned around just in time to see the man with the gun walk through the doorway, over the bodies of my parents. I couldn't see any of his face, but I knew in my heart that he was smiling as he raised to gun to point at me. I heard the gunshot, felt the searing pain of a thousand suns, and then lost consciousness.

Suddenly, I was awakened by somepony gently shaking me awake. I looked over and saw Fluttershy standing next to my bed with a seriously worried look on her face.

"I'm so sorry I woke you up, but... You were screaming. You sounded like you were in so much pain. I... I thought you would feel better awake..." She trailed off, staring at her hooves. I started to respond, when I remembered what I had woken up from. Tears instantly began to stream down my face, and I looked away from her. Too late, however, to stop Fluttershy from seeing, and she immediately started blurting out apologies again.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I... I didn't know. I... I'm so sorry I woke you up. Please, please forgive me!" She stammered, starting to tear up herself. I raised a hoof up to tell her to stop, and after a few seconds, I managed to speak again.

"It's not you, or your fault, Fluttershy, what you did actually was very kind and saved me from something terrible in this case. I... I just..." Suddenly I couldn't hold it in anymore, and I broke down in tears again. I sat there crying for a few more seconds, not caring that Fluttershy was standing there in complete shock, a look of terror plastered on her face, before I brought myself under control again. Then, I carefully finished my sentence.

"I just had a dream, no, it was definitely a nightmare, and my memory of what happened came back to me. And... Could I have some alone time?" I said haltingly, trying to keep my composure for as long as possible in front of Fluttershy. She nodded solemnly, and then walked slowly back over to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and asked quietly if I would like her to come back later. I nodded as enthusiastically as I could, and then she left. Finally, I let go of all my emotions and lay back on my bed, sobbing. I had never before shed a tear that meant something in my life. But now... Both my parents are dead. Dead. Never again will I hear the sounds of their voices. And somehow, I'm not dead, even though I should be. I wish I had died, so that I could be with mom and dad. I continued arguing within my mind as I sobbed myself into a mess. The final images of their lives, playing over and over again in my head. I could remember everything I had ever done wrong by them, and how now I would never be able to apologize. A thousand times I watched them die before my consciousness was swept away from me and I fell asleep, ready to face a new kind of hell in my dreams.