Act 1.1
Act 1
A World Awaits
In a place such as this, anything can make sense...
Whatever had happened to him, he wasn’t in the Mojave Desert anymore. His first thoughts as he opened his eyes were on how long he was asleep. The sun was hanging high above the clouds, so it was mid afternoon. “God, did I sleep for a whole day?” Aiden asked himself as he placed one gloved hand on his forehead.
He felt an odd sensation beneath him, something that seemed like he hadn’t felt for years. With his other hand, he felt around at the material beneath him. It was something that he never thought he’d feel again.
“Grass?”
Lifting himself up to a sitting position, he realized he was in a field of sorts. Grass stretched on in all directions, over hills and past a few lone trees. A small pond of crystal clear water sat at the trunk of one of these trees. A soft, rhythmic breeze made waves of the grass. Birds calmly sang as they flew from one branch to another, as if in idle conversation. Definitely not in the Mojave.
Quickly he checks himself for any equipment he still had on him. He didn’t have either of his firearms or ammo, he still had his gas mask on, his helmet, his bulletproof vest, and his backpack (which felt much lighter than it should’ve.) In a panic, he slipped his backpack off and opened the zipper.
“Nothing!?” He exclaimed as he moved his left hand through the empty space. He could’ve sworn he packed food, a blanket, a few water bottles, his flashlight. “Well, I did break that last one...” he thought with a laugh. So he was stuck in an unknown location with nothing but the clothes on his back. He didn’t even have his combat knife on him.
It kind of reminded him of that computer game that was made in the early 2010’s that Alex had shown him. You needed to make tools, weapons, and a shelter from scratch before nightfall, or various monsters would get you. After learning the ropes, Aiden actually found it quite fun. “What was that game called again? Huh, I can’t remember...”
As he was thinking, he realized something about his body had...changed? Looking over his hands, something about the gloves seemed off. They looked as if they were drawn on paper or something.
Standing up, he made his way over to the pond he had spotted earlier. The water was perfectly clear. Not the slightest bit of dirt or muck could be seen in it. “Odd,” Aiden whispered. “Usually, most water sources have at least some amount of pollution or radiation...but this is perfectly clean.” Gazing into it, he saw the gas mask of his reflection staring back at him. Pulling the mask down, he examined his features. Most of the cuts on his face had simply vanished; birthmarks were gone, no acne; nothing, save for that one thin scar that ran vertically along his left cheek. His eyes seemed somewhat larger too; the teal irises seem to have been emphasized. His brown hair was long (probably because he hadn’t cut it in a while) just slightly falling over his eyes.
He pulled a glove off and examined his hand. No hairs, no birthmarks; just the skin, and the fingernails. With this hand, he gently touched his face. The skin was smooth. It was like touching a crayon drawing. He could’ve sworn he was high or something. “So not only am I in some unknown area; I’ve been turned into a cartoon character?” He rubbed his forehead in frustration. “God, what the hell did I put in my dinner last night?”
The answer came to him. “Duh, you had no dinner, you idiot.” He rebuked himself.
After shaking off the initial shock of this latest revelation of his...transformation, he tries to get a further grasp of his surroundings. Beyond the grassy hills, to what he assumes to be North or Northeast is what looks like a forest, in which the trees and plants looked like they were out of some tropical jungle. The landscape only made way for the occasional snow-peaked mountain to pierce the horizon.
He may have had no idea where he was or how he got here, but his instincts (and his stomach) told him that he’d best find food as soon as possible. The despair he had felt the previous night had almost completely subsided. Now curiosity took its place; Aiden wanted to know where he was and why he was here.
If he remembered that game correctly, the first step was to build tools...
---
It took three hours, a bucketful of sweat, and some frustration, but he finally had a one handed axe made of stone. After finding a small rock, he sharpened it with the help of a larger boulder; a short tree branch made the handle, and some flexible twigs tied them together. “Okay,” he sighed, tossing the axe a bit into the air and catching it, content with his handiwork. “Now...I guess I should find some food or something.” He gazed at his crudely constructed tool. “Hmm, I probably should’ve made a spear or something along those lines...” He smiled, closed his eyes, and shrugged. “Ah well, to hell with it; let’s find something to eat!”
He turned to the large forest he had seen earlier. There was bound to be plenty of animals in that place. If all else failed...well it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but he did have to resort to eating termite larvae while on a mission in Xuchung. “Alright,” he said to himself as he stood before the forest. “I have my axe, check, helmet, check, gas mask,” he placed the mask back over his face. “Check.” His voice was now muffled by it. “You never know where you’ll run into a radiation hot spot.”
This forest felt, in one word: wrong. Aiden couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it just felt like that. Wrong. It was dark, despite it still being mid evening. The sounds of animals contrasted the field in ways that he didn’t even think was possible. An owl perched on a branch glared down at him with its yellow eyes, almost malevolently. Aiden felt a shudder run up his spine. “Okay, kinda creepy, but I’ve seen much worse.”
He pressed on, despite his gut, and the nearby roar of what could’ve been a bear (or maybe a lion?) advising him otherwise. He jumped as he felt something brush against the top of his head; he turned, thinking it was a snake or something. It was a vine. He grumbled: “Damnit, that’s an old scare tactic...”
It was nearly an hour of tedious wandering this forest, and he had come up empty handed. Nothing that looked easy to catch, and he didn’t trust any of these odd looking plants. It was getting late, and to make matters worse, the forest was suddenly illuminated by a bright light from the sky, followed by low a crack of thunder. Aiden actually thought the forest canopy would keep him dry. His clothing was soaking wet and he had to wipe water off of the lenses of his mask every few steps.
“Of course...” he grumbled. “Just my luck.”
He examined his surroundings as best he could in this poor visibility; he was definitely deep into this forest. With his vision almost completely cut off, he let his hearing guide him. The rain faded in and out of periods of a heavy downpour and those of a moderate drizzle. In these latter spaces of time, he listened closely to anything that was nearby.
Beyond the overgrown bushes to what he assumed to be East, he could hear the faint sounds of growling...or maybe crying...or maybe both?
The latter worried him the most, knowing that there might be someone in danger. It sounded like a child’s crying. Possibly a girl, but he couldn’t tell. Aiden crouched into the bushes, and tried to observe what was going on. On the other side of the bushes and trees was what appeared to be a dirt path, completely devoid of any plant life, save for a few rebellious tree roots cutting through it here and there. The crying and growling sounded as if it were coming from the trees on the other side of the dirt path. Aiden was about to go investigate it himself, when one of the strangest things he had ever seen jumped onto the path.
Despite it being dark, it was near impossible to miss the bright colors. Right there, regaining its balance from the leap it just took, was what looked like a horse at first glance...but it sure as hell wasn’t any kind of horse Aiden had seen. It was...green. A mint colored green to be exact. It had a white mane and tail, with a streak of a similar shade of green running through them. Believe it or not it was this creature that was crying. Tears streamed down its face (which was surprisingly flat for a horse) and its eyes were closed.
Soon the source of the growling revealed itself: three wolf-like creatures emerged from the forest on the other side of the path in pursuit of the small horse thing. The “like” is included because of the fact that they lacked fur. In place of that, their skin seemed to have a somewhat “wooden” texture, and what looked like twigs and leaves pointed out of their shoulders.
As the wood wolves continued to give chase, Aiden heard the mint colored horse yell in pain and surprise. Looking to the left in the horse’s direction, he saw that one of her forehooves (he assumed it was a she) was tangled in one of the thick tree roots. She let out a defeated sob as the wolves approached her. One eye opened a bit, as if the little thing would rather see it coming.
The storm, the forest, the wolves; all of these things seemed to cease noise for a brief moment. Just long enough for the horse thing to plead: “Somepony...please help me...” Aiden was taken aback by this, to say the least.
“Did that horse thing just...talk!? And in perfect English too!!?”
The poor creature pleaded again; louder this time, as she closed her eyes. “Somepony! Help me! Please...”
Aiden had heard enough. There was no time to let astonishment take over; he knew what he had to do. Abandoning his hiding spot, he charged the three wolves. He didn’t need to utter a battle cry, as the monsters had already turned their attention away from the small foal trapped by the roots. The three creatures trained their glowing yellow eyes on Aiden, and while they seemed genuinely surprised by his sudden appearance, they wouldn’t let this odd bipedal creature steal their meal.
One of the wolves charged Aiden immediately, and Aiden greeted it by bringing his axe down on its head before it could leap up at him. The wolf didn’t die though, and Aiden finally realized the structure of their bodies. “They’re actually made of wood? Not the strangest thing I’ve seen I guess...but still...” The wolf, Aiden’s weapon still stuck in its thick skull, stepped back, and tried to snap at him.
While dodging the wolf’s bites, he noticed the other two were flanking him. The one to his right would’ve pounced, had it not been for a bolt of lightning streaking down from the clouds, and shattering the creature into little wood chips. It was like a finger of God. Aiden couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Hah! Maybe my luck is finally taking a turn for the better!”
The wolf snapping at him pulled back, taking his makeshift weapon with it. Now he and the two remaining beast followed each other’s movements in a circle. The fighters didn’t notice it, but a certain mint colored pony opened her eyes to see the brawl going down before her. Only two wolves, and a certain familiar looking bipedal creature...
Aiden brought his left leg up, swatting away a pouncing wolf as if it were a fly. These creatures were actually not as menacing as they looked, at least not to Aiden. He had received training after all. With plenty of strength to spare, he clamped one hand down on the wolf’s jaw, and with the other, pulled the axe out of its head. The wolf yelped in pain.
The wolf he had kicked away was on him again, but a swift axe to its neck quieted it down quickly. The handle of the weapon broke with this attack, but it was sufficient in ending the assaulter’s life. Aiden now turned to the last wolf, the one he had plunged the weapon into its skull. It growled and stared at him with hateful, yellow eyes, before letting out a defeated huff; it retreated into the forest, its pack destroyed, and its meal stolen.
Aiden turned his attention to the small horse. Her mane and tail were soaking wet along with her coat. She gazed up at him with yellow eyes as well, but he didn’t see the same hatred he saw in the eyes of the wolves. He approached closer to see that she was shaking, probably from both cold and fear; but he also noticed something on her forehead. It was a horn, the same color as her coat. “A unicorn too, huh? One that talks, nonetheless. Next thing, I’m gonna start seeing magic...”
He crouched down to the shivering filly’s height, and looked right in her eyes. She let out two simple words before exhaustion overtook her: “Y-y-you’re...real?”
---
“I’m real? What is that supposed to mean?” Aiden sighed as he crouched down and ripped away at the mangled roots that bound the unconscious unicorn. Her foreleg was hurt, no doubt, but nothing too serious from what he could see. It would probably heal, give a day or so. He also noticed a strange mark adorned both of the unicorn’s flanks; a mark of a harp...
“No, no, no...I think that’s...a lyre?”
He looked around and wiped more raindrops off of his lenses. With a sigh, he gently reached down and, being careful to avoid her injury, lifted the small filly into his arms and cradled her. She was about the size of a labradoodle, perhaps two feet tall on all fours. She weighed about the same as well.
He hunched his head over her slightly, trying to keep the rain off of her. “I’ve got some questions for you when you wake up,” he whispered to the sleeping foal. The only response he received was a slight twitch of her right ear and a soft, quiet yawn. It was quite possibly one of the most adorable things he had ever seen. He beamed behind the mask.
He had taken shelter in a small cave, near the entrance, still cradling the small filly in his arms. He didn’t bother gathering any fuel for a fire, knowing that everything would be just as soaked as he and his little green friend.
Speaking of which, as the rain seemed to finally die down, the unicorn in his arms started to stir. “Hmmm, five more minutes, ‘Tavi...” the little thing groaned. Aiden gently shook her, taking care not to disturb her injury any further. Her eyes began to open, slowly at first. They simply snapped open as she gazed up at the creature that had saved her; they were full of amazement.
What would be the first thing she said? “Who are you?” Or maybe, “What are you,” or possibly even, “Why did you save me?” No, she said none of these things. She said two more words, which Aiden found just as odd as the first two words he heard her say.
“Bug eyes...”
Aiden was confused at the little unicorn’s words. “Huh?” Aiden uttered. “Bug what?”
“B-bug eyes,” the unicorn said, fully alert now. “You have eyes that look like a bug...” She pointed her uninjured forehoof at his face.
Aiden brought a hand to his face. “Oh, you mean my gas mask.”
The unicorn looked intrigued. “Gas...mask?” She asked with a tilt of her head.
Aiden nodded. He pulled it down slowly. More bewilderment took over the filly’s face. “See, it’s a device that allows me to breathe in air that would normally be poisonous to living things.” She smiled in amazement at his explanation. The mask hung on the straps around his neck now, and she brought her hoof up to touch it.
“Woah...” she exhaled with genuine fascination. “You humans always know how to make amazing machines and gadgets.” She looked back up and examined the features of his face. Aiden offered the warmest smile he could muster.
Aiden did have questions for her, but he decided to start simple. “How about your name?” He asked, wanting to be able to address her properly. “Can you tell me your name?”
“H-Heartstrings,” the unicorn said returning the smile. “What about yours?”
“Aiden,” he replied.
Heartstrings tilted her head in confusion. “Aay...den?” She repeated it several times, trying to get ahold of its pronunciation. “That’s a weird name, kinda...but I like it! It sounds very human-y.”
More urgent questions pounded against his mind, but still, he felt a need to get to know this creature better. “How old are you?”
“Nine!” Heartstrings piped up. “In fact, I’ll be turning ten on the second!”
“If these creatures follow the Gregorian calendar, I’ll shit enough bricks to build a small house...” Aiden thought, not wanting to say such a vulgar word in front of someone so young. “You mean the second of November?”
“Yep!” Heartstrings said happily. “Tomorrow's the thirtieth; I can’t wait!”
Aiden laughed. “I’m turning twenty on the second!”
“Woah, we have the same birthday! So you’re ten years older than me? Well you sure are big enough for it...but then again, all humans are taller than your average pony...”
Aiden was surprised; that was probably one of the smartest things he’d ever heard a nine year old girl (or filly) say. “You certainly know a lot about humans, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah, I read just about every book that’s on them! Well, what few books actually mentioned them.”
“Are there no other humans around?”
Heartstrings shook her head. “There’s myths that some things that we ponies have today came from humans...but nopony knows what happened to humans, and most ponies haven’t even heard the word ‘human’ before, let alone the myths. And those who have doubt that they ever existed; all except for me of course!”
Aiden’s head was spinning at this point. He didn’t want to push his sanity any further. “So where am I anyways?”
The unicorn touched her injured hoof and winced. “You’re in Equestria...the Everfree forest to be exact.”
“Yeah, I’m definitely not pushing my sanity any further...for tonight at least.” Aiden thought to himself. “I do have one more question though.” “God damn it, Aiden.” He pointed at the mark on her flank as she repositioned herself so that she was sitting upright in his lap. “What’s with the mark here?”
She giggled. “That, is my cutie mark.”
“It’s official: I am clinically insane.” He sighed. “What’s a cutie mark?”
“It’s a sign that a pony is growing up! I actually got mine not too long ago; it shows a pony’s special talent, like mine is playing a lyre. But I guess that’s what you can expect when you come from a musical family!” She laughed.
Aiden sighed. “Alright, that’s enough questions for tonight...”
Heartstrings put on what Aiden guessed to be the pony equivalent of puppy eyes. “But I’ve only asked you one question! I wanna know more about your species, and you! Please?” Aiden cracked, sort of.
“Alright, you can ask one question...”
---
“She’s finally asleep...thank you, God.” Aiden lost track of how many questions Heartstrings had asked him. Ranging from the human diet, to human history (which he summarized quite well) and even human hands. By God, she was fascinated. Aiden removed a glove on one of his hands and showed it to her, wiggling the fingers, to show their dexterity. After a little scratching behind her left ear, she had fallen into a deep sleep. She lay on his lap like a fragile kitten, her breathing the only thing he could hear, as the rain outside had ceased.
Sleep was about to overcome him as well. He wondered if this was a dream still...it had to be. No part of the world is like this...unicorns don't exist, let alone talk. Yet here in his lap, lied a small, sleeping unicorn filly, apparently obsessed with his species, here in some fantasy dreamland.
Yet part of him desperately hoped that this wasn’t a dream. This foal in his lap, he already considered a friend; they knew each other’s names, age, they exchanged their favored colors in her previous barrage of questions along with favorite dessert and other trivialities as friends do.
Aiden didn’t have the strength to think anymore for tonight, he needed rest. He looked down at Heartstrings and began gently stroking her mane. She stirred a little bit but did not awaken. He leaned closer slightly and whispered three more words before surrendering to his own exhaustion.
“Sleep well, Heartstrings...”
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Most interesting. Keep on writing this, it intrigues me so.
THIS IS AMAZING!
I demand MOARRR! 
Dawww and amazing.
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
Lets see where this goes
i hS teh sudden urge 4 bacon...
funnycatsite.com/pictures/Very_Interesting250.jpg
Lets see how it plays out.
You have my attention. Well played pulling out Lyra first!
Build a small house? How 'bout a mansion?
693334 actual shit house XD
And this fic is awesome, and was he in the fallout universe?
bugbitten.com/images/077ab52e20c26fc6bde433e9d0c13bf1/cape_town-93351/cape_town-3663130.jpeg
You should probably add a line mentioning how Aiden is aware that the lake's water is not filled with any sort of toxic chemicals like chlorine that would keep the water clear by killing any algae, etc. that tried to grow in it. Probably by noticing that the tree next to it is perfectly healthy and grass grows all the way up to the edge or something.
PUNCH THE TREES! That was the best used minecrft reference
837293
First chapter he possibly hinted at Pitch Black and the Chronicles of Riddick, and now Minecraft! Amazing!
What's the game? It sounds awesome.
are u referenceing minecraft if so then may celestia have mercy on ur soul
wen u metioned the lyre i thought it was goin to be lyra
A Minecraft reference and then a few paragraphs being based off it? -the whole make an axe then the using of it thing- YES!
He was from the Fallout Mojave correct? If so, that makes two out of my top 3 games referenced. All it needs is some Skyrim.
If Lyra is a filly, does that mean the remainder of the shows characters are fillies and therefore Twilight is still in Canterlot?
Heeeey 11/2 is my birthday too!
843742 Heartstrings is Lyra's real name.
716364. Thought the same thing until he mentioned reborn, that just didn't fit in
ya as soon as he said "Mojave desert": i though about fallout
The game is Minecraft
wow it's hard to get an opinion on this story. some of the story I've seen before; He is a traumatized soldier. He is saving a helpless filly in Everfree in the first five minutes. He instantly wants to help ponies before knowing anything about them. Lyra being super into humans.
At the same time it slides in small twists that make everything seem more original, such as; You bring in lyra, but she introduces herself as heartstrings first, not the human sounding name. The soldier, while having the basic requirments for the cliche, has a personality that seems more real and has more depth than these characters are always given. I also like that although he almost instantly jumps in to save Lyra, he would've likely not intervened if she didn't speak (almost all writers that do this only have their character's jump in cause, 'pony is cute, predator's are evil').
The trope's used are ones I either like or don't mind, and the new stuff is great so far. You are good at making the personality for your character's, so much so I didn't noticed that Lyra just dumped her backstory in an exposition chunk until just now
. I can't really complain about much since I am sure the blatant 'deus ex machina' will be explained later on at some point I have yet to reach.
837879 its minecraft
Mojave, mo' problems. Gotta love Fallout (even if the reference wasn't intentional). Lets see... Two centuries after a nuclear war as said in description, check. Badass armor, check. All you need is the NCR and you're set.
Also, Minecraft, maybe?
692424
Jesus, fix that shit up.
the only time I've managed to catch a game reference.
and its the first game I bought.