Kelly Mathews, Equestria's Landstalker

by Leafwebs

Chapter 5_World Blink - Displaced Broken Home

Chapter 5_World Blink - Displaced Broken Home

The sight of an unfamiliar SUV pulling into the driveway of the Mathews residence stirred the parents Wilson and Heather Mathews and family friend Jason Marsh from their worried funk.

The attack on the Silicon Glades convention had been all over the news thanks to the terrorists own live stream as they summoned their monsters; feral Harpies. The bird women had freaked the moment they got their bearings and caught sight of all the convention goers.

The terrorist woman with the planer device had shouted a threat at the disguised CIA agents earning a clawed backhand by a still confused harpy. Shortly after that the terrorist with the camera was picked up and tossed through the air breaking the camera during the impact.

With a knock on their door, Wilson’s shaky hand reaches for the door knob.

Were his girls injured, killed or missing; Wilson did not know even after getting a call hours earlier. He only knew that the CIA said that they would drop off their kids instead of having them picked up. They had kept their condition secret from Wilson.

After the door swings open, Wilson sees his girls in the company of two male and one female CIA agent. Agent Patricia waves the girls ahead of her before grabbing a large suit case and preparing to follow the pair inside.

“Hello Mr. Mathews may I come in? I have some things to discuss with your family about Kelly in private.” Patricia asks politely.

“Sure.” Wilson replies with renewed dread as he waves Patricia in.

Back in the living room, Heather was hugging Kelly and Erin with Jason off to the side smiling cheerfully. The happy family turns to see Patricia’s entry and Kelly’s expression sours.

“Kelly what’s wrong? Your home now and you’re safe.” Heather asks shocked by Kelly’s change of attitude.

“Mom… I will have to… leave soon.” Kelly replies teary eyed.

“What do you mean?!” Jason yells turning to give Patricia an angry glare. “You’re not going to say she was part of that!”

“I want answers miss; my daughter would never be involved with terrorism!” Wilson angrily adds earning him an annoyed groan and a venomous glare from Patricia.

“Your daughter is not being arrested, but she cannot stay either.” Patricia countered.

“She can’t stay. Like we are really going to let you pull that shit with us she has rights!” Jason retorts clenching his fists.

“It’s not… what you think…” Erin begins crying only to get cut off.

“Let me handle this!” Wilson snaps at Erin before turning back to Patricia. “We will involve the courts if we have to agent, our families freedom is very important to us.”

“Kelly is not the bureau’s prisoner.” Patricia counters sternly. “The terrorists were not the only infiltrators at that event, an outside actor also showed up. If not for one of my colleagues sticking a tracker on her I would be delivering worse news.”

Wilson and Jason fell silent.

“Your daughter Kelly was abducted by a Planer Entity called The Merchant.” Patricia continues in a less stern tone. “When we called her back to our dimension, we found her transformed into another being. We were lucky that this happened at a time when we were briefing other Planer Assets at the office. They helped us restore her partially back to her original self.”

“Partially…” Heather starts only to bury her face into her hands and cry.

“I’m sorry, we don’t know enough about what happened to fully reverse this condition Ms. Mathews.” Patricia replies sighing. “Our asset was only able to reconnect Kelly to our world for short periods of time. She will be going back and forth between our plane and the one The Merchant chose for her.”

“I just… don’t understand. Why did someone do this to us?” Heather asks still sobbing.

“The terrorist attack on the Silicon Glades event only coincidentally took place at the location The Merchant showed up …” Patricia states only to get interrupted.

“No that’s not true… he made a comment about my bravery in showing up. He knew about the threats.” Kelly retorts scared.

“You’re sure about this?” Jason replies.

“Frank will not like this development. If The Merchant had our plane under surveillance it means our success in getting Kelly back at all was nothing less than a miracle.” Patricia adds grimly. “Our agent who placed the tracker on Kelly noted that The Merchant was blocking our technology and only by the interference of our other assets did he escape with his life and his tracker.”

Patricia sets her suit case down and opens it revealing a Tracer Trans-locator, instruction manual, and an orders folder.

“What is that thing?” Jason asks.

“It’s the same kind of device we used to track Kelly.” Patricia replies powering up the Tracer Trans-locator. “It has two different tracking options. The scanner and a reusable tracking dart. We replaced the processor and memory chips with 3D printed ones with integrated sensors that lockout access privileges when you’re outside this planer address for added security. Info on this Earth and your base world Equestria will not be made viewable without your Agency controller’s access code being input during your time here. Basic instructions are with your orders.”

“It’s nice science fiction hardware but how will it help my daughter?” Heather asks skeptical still not convinced that this nightmare for her family was happening.

“We need her to collect data from similarly abducted people.” Patricia replies. “We have a hypothesis that suggests that Kelly is not the only one this has happened to. We think she might even meet some of these other Displaced and the data we could collect in these contacts might let us fully cure her and the rest.”

“Just how many have been kidnapped under your noses?!” Wilson shouts enraged. “Are we the first stop of many in your draft?!”

“Kelly is the only one from our Earth reported.” Patricia retorts aghast.

“Bull you talked about other assets!” Jason adds.

“The Merchant is a multi-verse scale threat. Our Earth was another on a growing list of Earths.” Patricia retorts jumping to her feat. “Our other assets helped us develop the technology we used to rescue Kelly. I don’t know what kind of danger his friends are in but they are not part of any conspiracy.”

“Dad please stop it.” Kelly interrupts. “I hate that this is happening as well but it’s all true. There is nothing more that they can do without this. I have about a day and half before I go back. Can you please support them, for me?”

Wilson, Kelly’s dad; nods sadly and hugs his daughters.

Wilson holds his daughter for several minutes, his tears streaking down Kelly’s face. Erin who was holding Kelly’s left arm lets go to hug their mom after seeing the CIA agents out, the SUV pulling away shortly after.

“Le… lets have dinner before it… gets too cold.” Heather sighs breaking her hug and taking Erin’s hand to lead them into the kitchen.

The green linoleum kitchen table was only half set, evidence of the news interrupted preparations the convention had caused. Only two palates were out for the place settings that the belated meal was to have and the silverware piled on the remaining three.

The breaded pork chops were being pulled out of the oven which had been set to low heat by Jason must have been ready hours ago but were kept warm during the delay. The mashed potatoes and peas were already at the table covered by a white crochet doily table cloth. Heather’s anniversary card to Wilson at the center

“Please… excuse me Kelly. I didn’t finish… setting the table.” Heather says wiping away a tear.

“Its fine mom… you don’t need to be fancy for me. Your food is great.” Kelly replies pulling out a green painted metal chair to sit down.

Heather took the chair at one end to Kelly’s left, Erin sat next to Kelly’s immediate right, Jason sat opposite Heather, and Wilson sat across from Kelly.

Picking up her fork and knife, Kelly cuts into her pork chop and eats a piece. She couldn’t believe how much she craved the taste as she began cutting another piece still chewing on the one in her mouth. For all the time she spent as a pony, Kelly didn’t feel the slightest revulsion about eating pork and she felt happy with the fact, as she was still herself.

Even as Kelly ate she was aware of everyone else’s lack of appetite. Erin ate part of her pork chop, but she would normally be on her second helping. Her mom and dad to the contrary hardly touched their food and Jason didn’t bother to make himself a plate at all only choosing to sip some orange juice.

Later that night as Kelly reluctantly unpacked the gear she was assigned as a knock on her door gets her attention.

“Sis may I come in?” Erin politely asks.

“Erin… I thought…” Kelly whispers in surprise opening the door to let her sister in. “You can’t sleep either.”

“I haven’t… tried yet.” Erin replies ashamed and trembling. “Let me stay with you tonight. Please. I can’t let you get taken again.”

“Erin you don’t…” Kelly tries to reply shocked.

“Kelly... he demanded that agent give up his tracker as pined me to his side with one hand. I couldn’t tell you what he had in his other but is was far too real for me.” Erin squealed weakly breaking into tears. “The agent refused sure, but he was shaking in his shoes. If that pony hadn’t helped us… what would I have said to mom and dad?”

“And I thought I worried… Erin I was scared he sent you away like he did with me.” Kelly replies not sure if she was helping comfort her. “Knowing that he didn’t get you in raw deal like he did with me makes me happy, because mom and dad would still had one of us to give then some answer.”

Erin continues to sob for another few minutes before calming down.

“Come on sis, let’s try and get some sleep.” Kelly finally whispers motioning for her sister to join her.

The next morning Kelly and Erin awoke to the rumble of thunder and the flashing of distant lightning.

“So glad it’s raining.” Erin yawned looking out the window. “Kelly, should we sleep in today or wake up mom and dad early?”

"We’ll wake up mom and dad, (hic) but please don’t reference that song.” Kelly replies with a giggle.

“Yeah sorry, there is no need to bring the gloom.” Erin blushes pulling on her shorts. “Corn bread muffins and sausage sound good to you?”

Kelly nods putting on her socks and heading out to get her parents up. After waking her parents, the three went into the living room while breakfast continued to cook. Heather then went into the dining room to set the table a little later.

“Everything’s ready, come and get it.” Erin called from the kitchen.

The family ate their muffins and sausage in relative silence. Kelly noticed that her mom and dad had no leftovers this time making her smile some.

Once the family finished eating Kelly cleared the table. Both Kelly and her dad cleaned the dishes. After about twenty minutes the pair are putting the dishes away and returning to the living room.

“News says we’re going to get 2 – 3 inches of rain today.” Heather sighs turning the channel. On the next channel the movie Dark Crystal was playing. It was at the part Jen first met Kira. “How about we watch this one?”

“This is fine, how about you, dad?” Kelly replies.

“Sure.” Wilson replies sitting down.

The family marveled at the adult humor and dire situations in a kid’s story like the talk about how boys are different from girls and the Podlin enslavement. Kelly lost Interest in the movies when Cone Heads came on following the Dark Crystal.

Returning to her room, Kelly pulls out and looks at her cursed item.

“You fucking snake… to think you… you tricked me so easily.” Kelly whispered threw grit teeth seeing that she had four and a half hours approximately left until she would be warped. “You deserve to choke on this whistle you gave me. If only it would end you however.”

Kelly turns to her desk where her laptop and the Planer Trans-locator were at. The Trans-locator looked like a ware-able computer without a keyboard that was heavily armored up, with quarter inch glass over the display and recessed switches that couldn’t easily be snagged by random objects. At the front of the device was a satellite dish like nose coming just out of the protective hide. It had no straps for attaching it to her arm and instead had bolts that secure both halves of the bracer like sleeve.

Kelly couldn’t really see the hidden gizmos of the trans-locator that would come in contact with her arm as it was connected by some tough fabric and the bolts. Figuring that it was meant to be slid on like an arm band, Kelly slowly pulls the Trans-locator onto her left arm noticing it weighs about as much as small brick. Before Kelly could contemplate her balance issues she had already pulled the Trans-locator past her wrist and it turned itself on. The whir of mini motors worked the bolts to close the bracer halves on to Kelly’s arm.

‘Registering Agent… Synchronizing Planer Signature’ the Planer Trans-locator’s display read.

“Shit you could have warned me first.” Kelly grimaced at the sudden tightness around her arm. “At least my arm isn’t going sleep like when Dr. Shannon takes my blood pressure.”

It was after Kelly opened her eyes that she notices her laptop had powered up just after the trans-locator activated. Slowly Kelly reaches for her laptop and lifts the screen.

At the bottom of the screen Kelly found a message matching the one on the trans-locator only it is now complete. The sight of this causes Kelly to let out a groan at the reality that her laptop was messed with. After a search of her files Kelly finds a pleasant surprise.

“Holy cow… this is… The trip wasn’t a waste after all.” Kelly shouts with joy upon seeing the developer’s package on her laptop.

“Kelly, what is it honey?” Heather asks from the living room in a concerned tone.

“Mom… everyone look.” Kelly cheerfully replies as she races into the living room to show her family what was on her laptop.

“It’s the developer’s programming package I wanted to get.” Kelly continues getting the family’s attention to look at the screen.

Erin moves over the LIFE game board careful not to disturb the car tokens likely so they could still decide second place later. Kelly walked them through few folders of plug-ins and script commands until a warning message let them all know they only had a few minutes left.

“Kelly, please be careful. This is not a game you know.” Wilson asks as he helps Kelly put it on her pack.

“I will fight with everything I have to come home safely.” Kelly replies hugging her dad.

“Sister we’ll be waiting for your return.” Erin adds hugging Kelly after her dad let’s go.

“I’ll miss you my little girl. If you can stay hopeful so will I.” Heather adds crying a little giving Kelly her final hug.

“Ten seconds.” Kelly whispers as she once again experiences the disorientation of a room she was familiar with melt away into a landscape she was not so accustom to.

To Kelly’s great fortune she did not fall or bump into anything and all her stuff made the transition between planes with the Tracer Trans-locator mounted on her left arm giving a brief beep to signal the completion of the shift.

It was early night time with the moon just breaking over the distant tree line. She was just outside the Ponyville train station once again. When they had recalled her she remembered it had been day light out, but she had no way to judge how time differences would operate as she goes back and forth.