Open Your Heart

by Gpizano

Steel Clouds Floating In The Air

It was perhaps the most serious moment of Jackie's life, as a highly untrained guitarist, she was about to head into an unknown that no one had any idea about. Twilight and Spike had made her a pack (with her input to just keep it simple since those weird science-y doohickeys looked heavy as fuck) and she was super serious!

"H-HA! Cut it out! Dash!"

Well, as serious as she could be with Rainbow Dash preening her wings. An experience Jackie never had before but was finding it was very ticklish. While the process of gathering supplies had begun, Pinkie Pie had inexplicably popped out from under the library desk and asked if she could help, which spread the word to the rest of Twilight's friends. Jackie had never actually met the pony versions of the Canterlot gang on her first and last trip here, but it was more or less the same thing aside from being ponies. Applejack, as dependable as ever and Pinkie Pie as being energetic as usual, they had helped with the food aspect of supplies. Rarity had a nice blanket for two and a couple scarves, Fluttershy had stopped by Zecora's for a little medicine, and Rainbow Dash had taken one look at Jackie's wings and told her to preen them. Then upon seeing Jackie had no idea how to do that, took matters into her own hooves.

Sitting up after the last feather was straightened, Jackie's giggling finally stopped and she was finally able to catch her breath. Dash moved away from the other pegasus simply shook her head.

"Look, dunno where you're going into all that magic stuff, but if you keep your wings you gotta' be able to fly. Besides, you don't want to look ruffled up if you run into something. You gotta' flare your wings and look intimidating!"

"Intimidating?"

"Yeah! Like this!"

Lowering her stance, Dash gave an impressive flare of her wings, making herself look bigger and intimidating. Jackie stood, looking the other over before attempting to copy it.

"No, no, no! It's in the attitude too!"

"Hey I know how to look intimidating, I can pull it off."

"Riiiiight. Either way, if you come out a pegasus, then show your Tirek that you don't mess with pegasi! Got it?"

"Got it!"

Pumped again, Jackie raised her front legs and let Twilight put the pack on her back with magic while Rarity's own magic slid the plain blue scarf around Jackie's neck. Turning, she looked between the gathered group and grinned.

"Thanks guys. Your help means a lot."

"Think nothing of it darling, a friend of Twilight's is a friend of ours."

"Darn tootin', so ya' be safe n' come back with Sunset now ya' hear?"

Giving a nod, Jackie looked over to Twilight when the princess approached her.

"Remember, one of you has to hold onto the journal and the other has to hold onto it or the one holding it. Otherwise if I call back the journal, one or both of you will get left behind. Alright?"

"I got it, I got it. So let's do this already!"

With that said, Jackie stood in front of the mirror as Twilight got to the controls of her machine, powering it up and then flipping the switch. With the signal, Jackie charged on through the mirror and then... things got weird. She thought she could see herself, being pulled apart, human self, pony self... was that her as a monkey? Holy fuck was that a huge eye?! MUY NO BUENO!

Then as she was being put through a roller coaster ride going around and around with her stomach churning, she hit something solid. Eyes swirling around, Jackie placed a hand over her mouth as the other pulled herself to the rocky edge, followed by some impressive ralphing before she passed out.

---

Pausing, Tirek looked around before sneering and continuing on down a long, floating rocky path. It must have been nothing, or perhaps it was Shimmer creating a false disturbance to distract him. The man didn't need anything to stop him right now, not when he was in this fascinating new world. He could feel the power all around him, and he could access it with the crystals he had stolen from those fools. There was something here, something he could use, something much more than that princess he had sought to steal energy from. If he could find it...

At the last second he moved to the left, dodging a magical blast that would of hit him square in the back before he turned, a snarl on his face as once more he had to deal with Shimmer's guerrilla tactics. Except this time instead of his gun, which had been lost in the void somewhere, his hands flared with a dark aura...

---

"Urgh..." grunted Jackie, waking up who knew how long later as she rolled away from the edge and then onto her back. Or at least tried to. The backpack was still on so she settled for shuffling onto her stomach, feeling some dirt sticking to the cold sweat on her forehead. With a soft sigh, she wiped it away with her hand... hand. Opening her eyes, she looked at her left hand and wiggled the fingers. Okay, so she wasn't a pegasus. Which was a shame since she was on some floating rock and could've used the wings.

Pushing herself up to sitting, she looked around and saw more floating rocks, a bit that looked like deep space, some weird sci-fi looking stuff... and shiny silver clouds? Squinting, Jackie wasn't sure what to make of them. She reached over the edge and poked one, pulling back when it rippled like the surface of water. Weird. Still, this piece of rock wasn't going anywhere. Jackie shimmied off the edge and reached a foot over to the strange cloud... and it sunk right in! Jackie gave a yelp as she tried to pull herself back up, only to find it was like quicksand as she was pulled into the silver.

It was suffocating, not to the point she couldn't breath but it was definitely uncomfortable. And weird, there was no hot or cold! Jackie flailed about until finally she seemed to sink through the bottom and began to fall. Jackie was sent tumbling head over heels as she tried grabbing for other clouds, hoping and praying that she wouldn't fall into some void and die. However she was starting to notice she was covered in a clear silver liquid, which was... odd. BUT NOT IMPORTANT SINCE SHE WAS FALLING RIGHT INTO A FLOATING ROCK!

With a scream Jackie hit it full force... and hit with a splat. It all dripped down from the rock and onto a long, winding road below, the silver quivering as it all grouped back together before the silver slid off of Jackie's body, sliding away and falling off the sides into other clouds as Jackie lied there, face down on the road. Then she pushed herself up, taking a deep breath and looking pale as she got back onto her feet. Okay, that was weird. More than weird. She had no idea what the hell that was! But she was fine, despite her stomach squirming like snakes she wasn't going to throw up. Then she felt someone tap her shoulder.

"Nice entrance Jacks. Ten out of ten."

There was Poppy... standing there. With three through and through holes in her chest. Impressively, Jackie actually had something left in her stomach to hurl over the side of the path.

Author's Note:

BEHOLD THE BEYOND! It'll probably be filled with Jackie's puke by the end of it. XD

Comments

[Gpizano]

8009352 More or less. XD

Life is just really messy so it's hard for things. XD

[Iamsorry]

Omg
Yes poppy
I can just imagine people reaction to the chaos.
Saint john: what the....whos puking and leaving gunk everywhere?! Did someone let Discord in again?!

[CSC]

Whoa....what the?