Alternative Reality

by Crystal Night

Stage Sixteen: Tunnel Troubles

The first few rays of light threatened to wake up the jackal, he knew that it was time to get up, but this had been the best night he ever slept in a long time. Forcing himself to get some extra sleep, he cuddle further realizing the bed was extra fluffy and warm.
"Mmm." That was a bit odd. "Zero?"
He mumbled something about ten more minutes.
Why was the bed talking to him? Possibly a magic bed? That made sense, somehow.
"Zero, we have to get up."

"Nooo..."
Luna shook her head with a smile. Infinite was holding her very tighly however it didn't hurt her, it felt...nice.
She thought about using her magic, but the look on his face stopped her from doing so.
"We are going to miss breakfast, you sleepy head."

"I'm not hungry..."
Well this wasn't working. There had to be some way for him to let her go.
"Hmm, if you don't let me go, I'll boop your nose until you wake up." Without a reply from him, she then proceeded to boop his nose. That got a slight reaction, but not enough. "Boop attack it is then!" - she stated loudly, doing the same thing over and over again.
For his part, Zero moved his head left and right, doing all he could to avoid it, but it was no match, the pillow was winning.
"Ok, ok... I'll wake up." Zero slowly opened his eyes and was surprised to see Luna. "Luna? What are you doing in my bed?"

"Your bed? Don't tell me you forgot what happened last night?" - she inquired with a mischievous smile.
Zero was taken back, clearly confused by it.
"We fell asleep right? ...Right?"
The princess simply giggled.
"Relax silly, nothing else happened, though you can let go of me now." - added Luna, a faint blush on her cheeks.
The jackal followed her eyes looking down, only to realize he was holding her. Wait a moment...
The bed was fluffy and warm, but it wasn't coming from it.
It was...Luna.
He thought Luna was the bed.

What the!!!
"Ahhh!" With a loud yell, he let of Luna so fast to the point he fell out of bed, hitting his head of the carpet floor.
"Are you okay Zero?" Luna quickly jumped out of bed and helped him getting back up, taking a look at his head.
"Y-yea, it just hurts a bit."
Luna felt a bit guilty for the whole situation, she just wanted to mess with him.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't..." Zero rose his hand stopping her.

"It wasn't your fault, no need to apologize. Besides, I was the one that freak out thinking you were the bed."

"Wait, you thought I was the bed? That's why you holding me so tightly?" When he didn't reply, the answer became rather obvious. In a way, it was rather cute.
"It sounds idiotic doesn't it?"

Luna gave him a hug.
"That's nonsense, everyone needs someone once in a while. You don't have to act tough when it's just the two of us, okay?" She then felt him wrap his arms around her and stayed like that for a few minutes, not muttering a single word.

Zero had to agree this is was acceptable and nice, specially if no one else was watching them.
Luna was happy, bit by bit she knew that progress was being made, but she had to be careful not to let him slip back into his shell.
Zero's stomach rumbled.
"Breakfast time?" - she asked with a smile.

He let out a chuckle. "Breakfast time."

---

The duo made their way to the dinning room, having a small talk about the Crystal Empire.
It was truely fascinating this world.
They soon joined the royal couple and discussed what they would do for the day.
Much to Infinite's ignorance, Cadence seemed rather interested in him and Luna, however the lunar princess took noticed of this but decided to dismiss it.

As they left the castle, Infinite finally spoke. "Cadance is...interesting."

"Hehe, don't sorry, you get used to it. Pinkie is far worse."

"The pink menace? No thanks!" - he quickly said.
As far Infinite could see, everything was literally made of crystals and the crystal ponies were very sparkly. It was somewhat weird, then again a world of magic.
While passing a few nearby houses, he felt something.
"Something's wrong Zero?"
His lack of reply was already an answer. She followed his gaze towards a blue crystal house. It didn't seem special when compared to the others.
"I can sense that energy."

"The same one from Canterlot?" - she inquired to which he nodded.
As they approached the house, Infinite thought about "knocking" on the door, but Luna knew what he was thinking.
"Don't brake the door, there might be someone inside."

"Sometimes you are no fun."
The princess smiled and knocked on the door. They waited and decided to knock again.
"I guess there's no one home."

"In that case..." Infinite charged his fist with phantom energy and punched the door, breaking into several pieces. "That was cool." He stated to himself while Luna shook her head.
"You're paying for repairs."

He followed the princess in, stepping on the tiny crystal shards. "I don't even have money, which I could use by the way."
Luna looked around, finding the house empty and odly enough, not much furniture.
"And what would you need money for anyway?"

"Food, transportation maybe."

"Put it on my name, just don't make me go bankrupt. Can you still sense it?"
The jackal nodded and went towards the back of the house.
"It seems to be below us." Surely enough they found a trapdoor under a rug. "I don't want to say it but this is getting very strange by the minute."

"Should we go in?"
Infinite summoned a red cube, sending it down there. Seconds passed and nothing happened. "It seems clear, for now. I'll go first, wait until I say so." He placed his mask back on and jumped down.
Luna had to admit she was slightly nervous, basements and hidden holes wasn't really her think and she had seen plenty of nightmares involving those two things.
"You can jump down." - she heard him yell. Fighting her nervous tingle, she soon joined Infinite.
"I don't think this is a basement..."
It was more than a basement, it was a tunnel built under the house, going somewhere they had no clue. On the bright side, it had torches lighting the path. "Having tunnels under your house is highly suspicious."

"Well there's some crystal caves under Canterlot." Infinite gave her a look. "It's a long story."
The two walked down the tunnel, ready for anything that could pop out from the shadows, for the most part it was quiet, save for the sounds of their footsteps and water dripping from the ceiling.
"This is rather boring." - he said out loud.

"I wonder how far this goes," Luna looked back, no longer being able to see their starting point. "Or how long we have been down here."

"The energy seems getting closer but I think the crystal cave is causing some interference."
The princess tilted her head.
"What you mean?"

"I can't quite explain it, it just seems it's right in front of me but at the same time it's not. My best guess is that we will find it at the very end."

"At least it's only one tunnel."
Sometimes tempting fate wasn't a really good idea and they would soon find out.
Luna glanced at the tunnel on her left while Infinite glanced at other on the right side, slowly looking back at Luna.
"I know, I know, don't even say anything." - she huffed. "And stop smiling."

He would've been impressed if it was some pony else, but Luna did spent a lot of time with him.
"So what now? The energy is coming from both tunnels."

"You go that way and I'll go this way, if anything or anyone does show up, we are very capable of dealing with it."
The jackal adjusted his mask.
"I'm not a fan of this plan."

"I know, just trust me alright? Please?"
Something told Zero that Luna wasn't going to take no as an answer.
"Fine, but let me know if anything happens."
Luna nodded and they parted ways. Zero's path didn't change much from the previous one, he thought about going back, however the tunnel had to lead somewhere.
"A dead end... nice." - he said, slightly annoyed.
The sound of small pebbles failling drawn his attention. He charged the ruby as he turned around ready to fight. The tunnel was still empty.
As he hearing things now?
No, there's something else in here, in the shadows.

As he glanced up, he saw several blue eyes looking at him. Zero rolled his eyes.
"That's just great. What do you bugs want?"
They dropped down from the ceiling, there seemed to be quite a few of them, nothing he couldn't handle though.
"The Queen wishes to know if you have agreed to her proposal."

"You can tell your Queen that I don't need her or her proposal."

"That is a shame then, you won't be coming with us however we have someone else, someone far more important."
Zero clenched his fists, his anger slowly raising.
"What did you do insect?"

"You can't save her, you're just one."
A red aura engulfed his body.
"I'm more than enough."

---

Zero flew his way back, having dealt with the changelings. Not surprising they weren't a big threat, but who knows what they did with Luna.
"Come on go faster you fool!" He heard a voice call out as he increased his speed.

"Going somewhere?" - the jackal asked looking for Luna.
The princess of the night seemed to be trapped inside of a strange green cocoon. She was apparently unconscious. That honestly looked kinda disgusting, but first things first.
"How did he get here so fast?!"

"The others did a poor job, don't worry for you shall share the same fate." Infinite laughed as one of the changelings stood next to the cocoon pointing a sword at the princess.
"Don't your dare move!" Infinite quickly vanished, unleashing his phantom energy. "Where did he--" The changeling found himself unable to finish as a hand was tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Or what!?" - he mocked him.

The helpless bug stared at his purple eye, the fear gripping his body.
"I will teach you the meaning of pain and fear, you annoying insect." He tossed him against a wall, a loud crack echoed through the tunnel.
The remaining changelings looked at each other, slowly backing away. Infinite grinned. How he missed doing this, toying with his prey.
As he took a step forward, they decided it was time to leave.
"Oh no you don't," The changelings bumped into a red wall blocking their escape. "You're stuck in here with me and guess what? No one is coming to save you ahaha."

---

Luna slowly opened her eyes, a massive headache being the bigger pain right now but at least she felt comfortable? With some difficulty she regained her senses and could see she was back in the crystal bedroom. "W-What happened?"
Her eyes fell on Zero who was sitting by the bed though he was sleeping. Luna tried recalling what happened, she remembered going further into the tunnel when something smacked her and then darkness.
Her best guess is that Zero probably found her, that still didn't explain the whole thing. Once more she glanced at him, he seemed peaceful in his sleep.
"Zero?" - she asked quietly, in return he mumbled something. He looked rather adorable like this, even if she would never ever tell him about it. Luna placed her hoof on his head and started petting his dreadlocks. They felt really soft and smooth to the touch. Someone was clearly taking care of their hair.
Zero stired for a bit until his eyes opened.
"Uh? Luna?"

The princess pulled her hoof away and gave him a smile.
"Hi sleepy head."

He let out a low chuckle. "Says you. How are you feeling? Cadance said you should be fine in a few hours."

"I got a slight headache, but besides that I feel fine. What happened back there?"

"Changeling ambush."
Luna sighed.
"Of course..."

"I took care of them and told Shining about those tunnels. Apparently they found a hidden stash with more crystals and weapons."

"Why do I get the feeling the changelings are trying another invasion but this time on a much larger scale?"

"With everything we found so far, it's quite possible." Luna's stomach grumbled. "I'll go see if I can get you something."
She nodded as he left the room. Luna laid her head back on the pillow when someone knocked on her door.
"Yes?"

"It's me aunty Luna." Cadance opened the door and smiled at her, finally seeing her awake. "How you feeling?"

"I had better days, but this isn't the worse. Infinite told me that tunnel problem is being taken care off."

"Mhm, Shining and a group of guards found the changelings and are now in prison..." Luna noticed Cadance seemed worried.

"What's wrong Cadance?"

"You don't remember what happened, right?" The princess shook her head. "When they found the changelings, they uhm were in bad shape, real bad shape. According to the doctor, some have broken bones while others look downright terrified."

Did Zero lashed out at them, losing control?
He had a certain temper and probably seeing her in danger didn't help, so he responded with the only answer he knows. Brute force.
That also proved her one thing.
"I see," - Luna glanced back at the pink alicorn. "I'll speak with him."

"Ok, I just wanted to let you know. I must retire so you may rest, I'll see you later."

Finally Luna stood in her room, busy with her inner thoughts. So much happened in the last few days.
"He cares about me." - she quietly told herself. "He actually does."

Comments

[Samuel16]

Thank you for this wonderful chapter

[Crystal Night]

11459611
Thanks a lot!