[Misplaced]

by awesomesauce4

Chapter 1 - Isolation

[GAME LOADING...]
[GAME START!]

You’re lying on something soft and comfortable. It’s warm, too, not quite unbearably so but rather a pleasant warmth that has spread through your entire body, suffusing you with lethargy. Your eyes are closed, but if they had been open you get the sense that the sun would be shining directly into your face. Howls of wind echo around you, sounding faraway, as though you are lying in a deep pit.

Ordinarily, you might be tempted to question these details, but you are in no fit state to do so. Besides, you are entirely too comfortable right now and you know that opening your eyes will ruin the tranquility you have found yourself within. Five more minutes, you think. Five more minutes…

An indeterminate amount of time later, you have finally worked up the courage to open your eyes. The first thing you see is the sun, a bright yellow-white circle shining down upon you. Reflexively, you close your eyes to avoid being assaulted by the light, only to open them and blink in confusion.

The sun’s light no longer hurts your eyes. In fact, staring directly at it, you are surprised to discover that you can do so indefinitely. There is only a slight afterimage, and certainly not the usual burning blindness that accompanies the usually foolish act of challenging the sun to a staring contest. Your eyes, now further opened by curiosity, take note of the high walls around you, a rusty reddish coloration that fades to a more typical muddy brown. You’re in a hole.

A pit, to be more precise. The edges aren’t quite circular, but they are still round enough to make you think this hole was dug rather than created naturally. The red stone you are laying on appears to be a deeper layer of earth, as the brown gradually transitions to red the further down the hole goes. Looking around, you decide to sit up and start figuring out how, exactly, you have found yourself in such a deep pit. The wind above you briefly picks up, the depth of the pit muting what would normally be a high-pitched whistle to a dull roar.

The soft things you were laying on earlier turn out to be pillows. They’re gigantic, easily the size of your entire body, and slightly dusty, looking as though they have been laying here in this pit for quite a while. The space your body was in, however, is a clean, pristine shade of white, and looking down at yourself you notice a coating of dust on your clothes. How long have you been asleep? You brush the dust off as best you can, getting your hands coated in the process. That done, you start looking around for ways to climb out of the pit. Unfortunately, the slope is nearly vertical, and there are few handholds. Attempting to climb it would likely just result in you falling and breaking something.

With that option crossed off the list, you then lower your gaze to the stone directly around you rather than above you, once again glancing at the pillows. You notice a crevasse on the other side of the pillows, its dark entrance looking strangely inviting compared to the now-hot sunlight. Before you go, however, you realize you can simply call for help on your phone. You do have one of those, right?

…Apparently not. Your pockets are completely empty. It occurs to you that someone may have robbed you, and dumped your body in a pit. But that doesn’t explain the pillows…

Well, the only way out seems to be forward. You get down on all fours, crawling through the narrow tunnel as best you can. Rocks and jagged edges scrape your torso, but it seems the path is widening up ahead. You crawl more quickly now, hoping that this cave might have an alternate exit. Preferably one that’s a bit closer to the surface.

To your dismay, the cave is a narrow, dark tunnel. It’s almost impossible to see unless you use the sunlight of the path behind you. On the upside, the cave is tall enough to stand in. In addition, it smells awful in here. Almost like a wet dog, but the smell is everywhere. Grimacing, you press forward, squeezing yourself against the wall so that the light from the tunnel behind you can illuminate the way forward.

Suddenly, there’s a rumble overhead, and you look up worriedly. That sounds like a… you dive forward as a barrage of rock tears through the ceiling overhead, just barely managing to escape being crushed as the cave plunges into darkness. Now you’re afraid. The darkness presses in, an almost physical weight to its presence as your mind frantically tries to remember what the cave around you looked like in an effort to fill the sudden gap in information. You turn around, going back towards the pile of rocks you just escaped, and a few taps with your finger confirms it: You’re sealed in.

No going back now.

To your surprise, the darkness is receding behind you, to be replaced with a red glow. You can’t quite see where it’s coming from – the tunnel curves around a corner too sharply to see what lies beyond. Curious, you decide to investigate. Light is good. Light means hope. Though, you’re not too sure about the red color. The only red lights you know of are police sirens, indicator lights on machinery, and stoplights. You’re pretty sure none of those would be in a cave.

You walk more confidently now that you can see where you’re going, even if not by much. You recall reading somewhere that red was the worst color for picking out detail. Something about the eyes not being able to distinguish many different shades of red, compared to green or blue. You briefly wonder where, exactly, you heard about that. From there, your mind turns to the fact that you can’t remember much of anything, and you stop cold, a rock skittering away into the crimson-tinted darkness as your shoe abruptly scuffs on the wet, rocky floor.

Who… are you?

Everything’s blank. You have no idea how you grew up, who your parents were, if you had any siblings, your favorite color, anything. But something about this strikes you as still stranger: You know what those things are. If you’ve really forgotten everything, then how come you know what ‘red’ is? Or pillows? Or caves? None of this makes any sense.

Stranger even than that, you definitely can’t recall how you got here. Every time your brain attempts to access any form of memory, it’s met with the neural equivalent of a halfhearted shrug. You have no idea who you are.

But… even still, one thing about yourself seems clear. You’re determined to get out of here. Whoever you are, it isn’t the kind of person that would sit still and freak out about this. You resume walking, hoping that you can find someone nearby that can jog your memory a bit.

You finally round the corner where the red light is coming from, and you have to squint a bit at how bright it is now. The light seems to be coming from something on a small pedestal, sitting in a little alcove into the right of the cave. This immediately strikes you as odd, as you estimate that at that depth into the wall, and with the sharpness of the bend you just walked around, that alcove should be coming out the other side of the wall. You glance back around the bend, dismayed to find that what little you can see is still, in fact, a solid cave wall. That’s just weird.

Are you dreaming, perhaps? Hallucinating, even? None of this makes sense, and you’re beginning to worry what little you know of how the world is supposed to work no longer applies. You approach the shining red light once more, cautiously. For all you seem to know, it could be dangerous.

The red light is revealed to be a crystal, heptagonal and long. It appears to be a rhombus when viewed from the side, though one end is extended outward a good distance to be much more sharply tapered than the other. The whole thing is about one and a half times the length of your hand, and about as thick as your thumb at the widest point. It looks as though this thing were meant to be some sort of stabbing implement, or a pick of some sort. The pedestal below it is made of white marble, a stark contrast to the gray-black color of the cave rock, and carved exquisitely, almost as if presenting this crystalline crimson spear as an offering to you. You’re tempted to reach out and take the crystal, but something about the pedestal catches your eye. You look closer at the designs, though you can make out little from the angle they are to the only source of light in the room. A human is depicted, oddly similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics in nature. They are clearly holding the crystal, a small triangular thing in the carvings, and swinging it at what appears to be some sort of… little horse? A dog, maybe? It’s really hard to tell, and straining your eyes so hard is beginning to hurt your head. You step away from the pedestal, blinking a few times as you think about what this crystal is.

It’s clearly a weapon, judging by the pictures. The human is quite definitively using it to stab whatever creature is in front of it. You wonder if this pedestal serves as a warning: Arm yourself, before going forward. But the little creature in the carving doesn’t look very threatening. It looks frightened, terrified even, if its wide, expressive eyes and tears are anything to go by. Something in you whispers that it might be a trick, that the small creature is attempting to garner pity by appearing non-threatening, but… something else in you argues that doesn’t quite seem right. Whoever left this here would not attempt to trick you into feeling sympathy by leaving a viable weapon. Besides… whatever that creature is, you’re fairly certain you’ve never met one before. Though it does look oddly familiar.

Your ruminations are interrupted by the glint of another object, just in front of the pedestal. It’s white, with a red cross set into the front, and you recognize this object as a medical kit. This, too, perplexes you. Why would someone just leave these supplies here? Did they know you were coming? Are they the same person who left you in that pit? It would seem so, as you are most certainly being given a path to follow. They might even have caused that cave-in from earlier, which means they probably want you to pick up that crystal.

A surge of defiance rises within you, and you cross your arms, defying destiny. You’re not going to take the crystal, no matter how useful it might be.

…But you are going to take the medkit.

[ITEM: Medical Kit] [A box filled with useful medical supplies, bandages, and… what appear to be pink crystals.]

You strap the handle of the metal box to your jean strap, and immediately regret this as it begins banging against your side every time you try to take a step. Clanks and clongs ring down the corridor as you resume your pace, a newfound determination in your step. If this is some kind of game, then they must be expecting you to play it. Unfortunately for them, you have no intention of doing so.

You walk into the darkness, ready for anything. Today’s already so weird, you bet you could take anything this weird cave throws at you.

A giant dog with three heads sits at the end of the corridor. Upon seeing you, it quickly bounds forth, all three heads barking like mad as it bounds for you far faster than should be possible for a creature of such hulking proportions.

You were not prepared for this.

You stumble backward as it slams a paw down where your torso formerly was. “Whoa!” You cry out, scrambling back onto your feet. You briefly glance down, surprised to find something has appeared in the space between you and the monster.

[Cerberus attacks!]

[50/50] [FIGHT] [RUN] [DO NOTHING] [PET?] [SPARE] [ITEM]

Well, that’s… new. It would appear that you are still in the ‘game.’ It also seems the monster is waiting for you to make your choice, as it is now sitting still. No, wait. It’s not just sitting still, it’s stopped. One of the heads’ eyes is fixated upon something above you, and though its chest heaves from exertion, its feet seem glued in place. You wait for a moment, uncertain. Nothing happens. Hesitantly, you reach out and touch one of the colorful buttons.

>>[SPARE]

It immediately resumes attacking you, and you hop to the side, shocked that pressing a button didn’t automatically make your problems go away.

“Hey, wait!” you call out. “I don’t want to fight!”

Now it pauses, looking at you curiously, and you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your chest. You glance back at the mysterious set of buttons, only to find that the textbox above them has contracted into a much smaller box. There’s a pink heart inside, pulsing slightly, and a series of what appear to be white teeth gnashing at various points inside the box. One’s about to touch the little heart, and you get the strangest feeling that would be bad for you. If only it could move to the right!

As though responding to your thoughts, the heart begins moving to the right, narrowly avoiding the biting attack. The heart vanishes all of a sudden, as well as all the biting things, and the textbox reappears.

[Cerberus attacks!]

[48/50] [FIGHT] [RUN] [DO NOTHING] [PET?] [SPARE] [ITEM]

Okay, so the little heart thing on the left has a tiny chunk missing from the right side of it, looking as though it was shaved off. Maybe that’s your health? You can’t really tell what the number is supposed to be, but you guess ‘health’ is a hard thing to quantify anyway. Looks like this ‘Cerberus’ is idling again, so you have to make a choice.

>>[PET?]

You reach up and pet the giant dog on the head nervously. “Eeeasy there, big guy. I’m not your enemy,” you murmur in what you hope is a comforting tone. The textbox has contracted into the bullet-hell thing again, but the attacks are… slower. Easier to dodge, too. You make it out without another stabbing feeling to the chest, thankfully.

[Cerberus wants a belly rub.]

[48/50] [FIGHT] [RUN] [DO NOTHING] [PET?] [SPARE] [ITEM]

>>[PET?]

“Hey, who wants a belly rub? Do you want a belly rub? Do ya?” you ask, in a tone best reserved for good puppies and small children. Cerberus’ tail wags frenetically, and he rolls over, an echoing thump resounding throughout the tunnel the two of you are in as he awaits your hands on his massive tummy. The attacks on the… ‘bullet box’ are so slow they’re almost not moving at this point, and you focus on rubbing Cerberus’ belly in the hopes that he’ll go to sleep or something.

Unfortunately, as soon as you take your hands off, he jumps back onto his paws, barking excitedly.

[Cerberus thinks you’re a great friend!]

[48/50] [FIGHT] [RUN] [DO NOTHING] [PET?] [SPARE] [ITEM]

Reading the textbox, you grin bashfully. That’s adorable. Well, at least your choice is clear now.

>>[PET?]

You reach out and rub Cerberus on the middle head. “So, we’re friends now?” you ask. He nods, surprising you, and licks you from toe to head with his massive middle tongue, which thankfully is rather dry from all the panting. Laughing and spluttering, you wrap your hands around all three of his necks in a quick hug, which he closes his eyes and leans into before standing back up and bounding away.

[You won! 0 experience points gained.]

What? Zero? Oh well, at least you won… whatever that was. You wonder how you would have gained ‘experience points.’ By fighting, maybe? But why would you want to hurt such a good doggo? You take a moment to examine the medical kit you’ve brought with you. You’re not quite sure if you’re really ‘hurt,’ considering it was the little heart thing in front of you that got attacked. Maybe that’s what the little pink crystals are for? You hold one close to your chest, and it dims slightly. You feel a bit better, and you put it back in the box, its color dimming slightly. You also feel something tingling within you, suffusing your veins with a similar warmth to the one you felt while sleeping back in the pit. Confused, you restrap the medical kit to your jeans, and continue onward, wondering what’s happening to you.

The light at the tunnel is revealed to be a much larger, lit cavern. It’s so big, in fact, that you can’t see the opposite walls, as they vanish into a purple-blue blur of fog. Spires jut up from the immense pit below, their exterior a translucent, jagged purple crystal while the interior glows a cool white. From here, you can see that a few have what appear to be cages inside them. How odd. Perhaps ‘Cerberus’ was once in one of these cages, and escaped? You briefly wonder if you’ve landed in some kind of strange zoo.

There appear to be two places to go from here: The entrance path up to one of the spires is to your left, and up ahead there is a separate path that appears to curve around said spire, leading deeper into the chasm. You decide to go left to the spire – it looks kind of interesting from up here, and maybe it’s important? You seem to remember that in situations like these, glowing things are usually very important.

The trek up the several stairs of the winding path to the top of the spire leaves you slightly winded, but at least you set foot on the glowing white circle. Looking closer, you find that there are what appear to be letters inscribed in a circle around the glowing white center, though they’re not letters you recognize. One looks kind of like an ‘H’, you guess? Hard to say. There’s a small pile of papers in the center, and you pick one up and read it. It’s in your language, which you’re kind of surprised by.

“Prisoner 0062 – ‘TIREK’ has been moved to the new research facility pending recent events. All inquiries pertaining to research on 0062 must now go through Her Royal Majesty or myself. A copy of prior documentation can be found in the Isolation Lab – the password today is: ‘SUN’

-Dr. Shield Array
Research Director”

Okay, this tells you a few useful things. One, you’re in a prison. Those cages on other spires might, therefore, contain prisoners. Second, three new ‘players’ of the game have now been introduced: ‘Dr. Shield Array,’ and ‘Her Royal Majesty,’ whoever that is, are performing some kind of research on the prisoners, including someone or something named ‘Tirek.’ However, you still have no clue where you are. If you’ve crawled into some illicit research lab somewhere, you’re perplexed by the use of names like ‘Shield Array’ and ‘Tirek.’ Code names, maybe, in case this sort of thing happens?

A thought occurs to you. Maybe you’re a prisoner, or were. It would certainly explain why you can’t remember anything. If you were experimented on, they might have removed your memories so you couldn’t tell anyone else. That doesn’t, however, explain why you’re not in a cage, nor does it explain those weird glowing boxes or that crystal. Maybe this is all some sort of particularly strange experiment? You wonder what they’re testing for. Whatever it is, you’re determined to mess with their results.

You take the path ahead, finding it curves left and downward around the spire you just climbed. The medkit once again bounces loudly against your leg as you very carefully navigate the strangely tiny stairs. They’re barely half the size of your foot, and quite steep – one misstep could send you tumbling hundreds of feet down to the path below, or further still into the chasm.

You make it to the path below safely, although you’re still nervous about falling off. To your left is the rock spire, true, but to your right is nothing but open air. The path ahead is made of a thin stone bridge that extends off into the distance, looking far too thin to support your weight. You’re beginning to feel like this place wasn’t made with your body type in mind.

Stepping onto the thin bridge, you find to your surprise that it easily holds your weight, and remains rigid. Looking closer, you realize that the path is not made of stone, but crystal. The same white glowing crystal that was at the top of the spires, perhaps? It’s surrounded by the same purple, jagged crystal on the bottom, so it’s possible. There aren’t any letters inscribed on it, though. Oh well. You resume walking along the path, more confidently now that you know the crystal beneath you will hold.

Up ahead, the path splits into a ‘T’ shape. To the left, it fades into the gloom. To the right, there appears to be some sort of building. You decide to head to the building. Maybe there’ll be someone to talk to?

To your dismay, the door’s locked. The building itself is a small, marbled white thing the size of a house, set onto a spire of its own, though thankfully without any long and winding stairs this time. There’s a small panel next to the door, with what appears to be a keypad set into it. Looking closer, you find it’s not a keypad, but a puzzle. Eight tiles are set into a stone grid, with a single blank one in the center. Maybe this is the Isolation Lab the doctor in the note spoke of? In which case, you need to find a way to solve this puzzle into a ‘SUN’ somehow. You begin moving around tiles idly. You suppose you just have to make a circle, then? You wonder what the other passwords might be.

A while later, the last panel clicks into place, and the door slides open. You step into the warm, sterile lab, the door sliding closed behind you as you examine the room. The lab is sparse, with almost no scientific equipment save for what appear to be a few strange, blue rocks piled in a bin in the corner. The walls are colored a cold, sterile white, looking as though they’re made of the same stone that was glowing white at the top of that purple spire. Papers are strewn about everywhere on a single, wooden desk, and chairs are haphazardly strewn about, looking as though the occupants of this lab had left in a hurry. Preparing for your entrance into the ‘game’, maybe? They might have left some important information. You begin reading some papers.

“P-0061 – ‘Nightmare Moon’

Subject Characteristics:
Phenotype: Alicorn
Gender: Female
Height – 10.65 hooves (1.623 m)
Weight – Alicorn Form: 4.61 kg

- Vapor Form: ~2 g
Coat color: Black (much darker than typical)
Mane color: Blue (style: Ethereal, starry variant)
Eye color: Teal (slitted pupils)
Cutie Mark: White crescent moon surrounded by purple, inkblot-like splotch
Additional characteristics: Typically manifests a set of blue armor, which blocks most magical attacks. Wings and neck are left vulnerable for unknown reasons.

Psychological evaluation, 1003-07-12, Dr. Shield Array conducting:
-Subject has lost a considerable amount of HP compared to initial incarceration. While subject is still hostile to Guards, breakout attempts have all but ceased after the introduction of the Lambda-Type BRR System. Subject has lately turned to petitioning for removal of electrum cage, citing redundancy. Requests so far have been denied.

Containment Procedures (Updated 1003-07-12):

-Lambda-Type BRR (Barrier-Replication Rune) System inscribed into quartz platform. Subject is placed in the center, inside an electrum cage (composition 47% gold, 53% silver by weight) which has been padlocked (padlock is mainly aesthetic in nature). System placed in Isolation Wing under heavy guard to prevent subject escape.”

As you finish reading the document, you ponder its contents. They never mentioned what crime this ‘Nightmare Moon’ committed, but you do know where you are. You’re in a place called the ‘Isolation Wing’, probably part of a larger prison complex. They do research on the inmates. You’re not sure what an ‘Alicorn’ is, nor if a ‘Vapor’ form is normal or not, but it seems this ‘Nightmare Moon’ is still safely locked up. You spot an unused clipboard, and thankfully attach the sheet of paper to it – this will save you some space.

[ITEM: Clipboard] [A clipboard used to temporarily store papers. Saves inventory space.]

Looking under the desk, you spy a far better prize – a backpack. Now you won’t have to worry about the stupid medkit banging against your leg every time you want. You put the clipboard and medkit in the backpack, slinging it over your shoulder.

[ITEM: Backpack] [Inventory space increased! You can now carry up to 10 items.]

Now that that’s done, you’re beginning to feel kind of hungry. Maybe this lab has some food in it somewhere? You look around, but can’t spot a pantry or fridge anywhere. Pity. You return to the desk, picking through the many papers on it to see if you can find anything else useful. The only thing you find is a note, apparently written by one of the researchers:

"Dear Dr. Shield Array,

Do we really have to do these dumb puzzles to get in and out of every Celestia-forsaken building in this place? I get that they'll slow any escapees down, but they slow us down too. Why can't we just use passwords, like normal top-secret research labs?"

Sincerely,
Crystal Carving"

"Dear Intern Carving,

Yes, we do. I'd rather take our prisoners being slowed down and us being able to catch up to them than the alternative, especially after the incident with 0062. I also note that this is nothing less than the fifth complaint you've submitted this week - while I appreciate a drive for improvement, your comments speak less of constructive criticism and more of whining. Please see me at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,
Dr. Shield Array
Head Researcher"

Ouch. Whoever this 'Shield Array' is, she's harsh. A few blueprints for a cage and sketches of the strange letters inscribed on the ground back on the spire – ‘runes’, apparently – are the only other interesting things you find, and you cast the papers back down to the table with a sigh. At least you found a backpack.

You decide to take a moment to rest, now that you’re in the warmed, safe confines of this laboratory building. Who knows if you’ll be this comfortable again?

Comments

[Razzy]

Let's do the time warp again!

[Wolfblood2203]

9414649
I think it says it in the description