The enhanced Stallion

by Shenzy

> A long time ago... outside

If there was a feeling similar to this, it would be dreaming.

Being weightless, floating through a self-created world... feeling your body somehow and yet, not really. Control was more a thought than fact. You could do things, which didn't happen... yet oddly enough you would remember so many details, it was hard to tell if it wasn't a memory after all. Many reasons dreams often sounded bizarre if you told them since they laid between fact and fiction. It's an out-of-body experience, one in which you don't even leave your body to begin with... and that's where this feeling became totally different; because she just had left it.

"... Mose, cen yoo heer me?" a dull voice reached through the abyss.

"YES!?" she shouted doubtfully, causing a vibrating noise to reach her ear. It was unpleasant, high-pitched and wiry... like howling of a wolf, copied by a bag of rusty nails.

"If yoo cen heer me, thet meens yoo cen see me tou. Open yoor eyes!"

Why open her eyes? Her eye's were open, but everything was pitch-black... darkness so deep you couldn't find your own hooves... but maybe those weren't her hooves anymore? Which meant...

The mare closed eyes again. Taking her time to not just do it... but do it, while being fully aware. Be aware of the motion... and as she did, there was something like a sunrise happening in front of her! Bright light flooded the void and a grainy picture of her husband came into sight, filling the entire horizon to the point the picture fainted on the far away sides.

Colors were muted and partial mismatched, but good enough. After all, she would recognize him even blindfolded. Sledge was and always would be part of her life, one you couldn't replace.

"Well done" the pegasus hoof reached somewhere beneath the horizon and then there was suddenly a feeling on her chin. Vaguely. It must be him? Muse tried to lift a hoof in order to check for it... but then the horizon – it tilted! A first reaction was to hold onto something, but made things even worse! -the picture suddenly spun away and sped up. The outside rushed by from right to left and despite the rapidly growing angle on the horizon, gravity seemed unaffected where she had thrown herself onto the ground, until an earthquake like shattering “WHOMcrkchhhdngPF!” - stopping madness barely two seconds later as quick it had started. A tool filled cabinet been turned into a pancake.

The pegasus bowed down and from... down here... inside? This realm...? -anyways... he looked giant “Use one hoof at a time. Don't. Haste. You ain't my wife, but a crude piece of junk”

Tenet instantly snapped “A what!?” the pegasus just turned at him with widespread wings – a clear gesture of his kind, which wasn't meant to be taken lightly.

Muse looked up, or more forwards...-at the horizon. One hoof tangling aimless through her vision. Blurry edges and colors were washed out. Voices were of, as if she tried to listened through a tin door. Moving was... like led was tied to ankles, using rubber bands. Sluggish and delayed. A rudimentary sense of touch seemed like the only reassurance... a thin thread in an otherwise empty world.

“Iew... trei-k...” it croaked, pulling a face over this unpleasant tone. Where did this noise coming from? It kept coming whenever she tried to... say something... - OHH!

“Ie treyw...” it repeated. It was me! And I sounds awful! This made the mare laugh.

The four legged anvil clattered as if it tried to change gears, causing Tenet to stop glaring. It wasn't supposed to make this kinda noises!? Maybe something was broken or put wrongly together? “Everything alright? It doesn't hurt, does it!?” it asked, without response, since the mare was way to busy with a quite complex task, that had to be done first.

A hoof came down...- down! Alright... that's one. One more couldn't do no harm – maybe not quite there, but that other direction... well done! Only two more. Oh, that was to greedy. Lesson learned... one, two... three... four! Ha...-on all fours in ten minutes flat!

Putting the world back in place, not bad for a start.

Some advice was given, while brown hooves tried to check the insides, but as the pegasus walked out of vision, Muse decided to follow.

One, four... uhm... two, three. Toddler like moves were made, while leaning from side to side like a sailboat, causing to crash into a couple of things. “You know, I also bumped into a framework once, no reason to be embarrassed, didn't crash into a pillar yet, but could happen... - i'm no judge, but chemist, fun job too, won't solve crimes, but, I can make licorice!”

Jack jumped in and out of vision, while she tried to hold a steady line, clattering between steps.

Tenet and Sledge kept a quite one sided argument going, one Muse tried to overhear, for now. At least until she had figured out some more basics, as she walked up to the talking duo, realizing that she was looking down at them. By the lights, they had shrunk in size!

The head turned stuttering, passing by the squabblers. Actually, they didn't shrink at all... she was just bigger then them. Bigger by a full head! This was incredible, like a role reversal. Years and years of putting once nose up, gone within the minute... wow.

It was like watching children having an argument, being the only adult nearby.

It felt odd and disorientating. Looking down at somepony... it was like... it felt like... could it be that... was that how they saw her?

Hmm...

The head turned back and the chunk stopped in front of the coathook's.

Muse picked a pink jacket and... it was about eight numbers to small. “Oh...” Right. Of course this wouldn't work. The hoof tried to hang the coat back, but jerked downwards, breaking the hook with a ~clink~ as well tearing a hole into the fabric, causing the construction to stop moving, while the mare inside took a moment to process, shutting the horizon to bring back the isolated abyss from before. A minute of silence to sort thoughts.

“Muse?” a call reached into the abyss “Muse...” it enticed grabbing the mares attention, which dropped the jacket as it was, turning towards the voice. The door stood wide open and snow blew into the room, right beneath and around the sturdy ankles. There was a lot of white on the ground, so the door must been open for a while. Pony's shook in order to stay warm, one of which hopping in place up and down.

Muse on the other hoof... felt nothing. Not when she crashed into the cabinet earlier or bumping along the walls. The bite of cold just had lost it's teeth, unable to pierce metal skin “Ei - dond - fiel - ainy- tss-ing”

“You feel how you are supposed to... untouchable”

The metal horse pushed forward. The steps seemed more confident and stable, as she pulled by the group and outside. First instinct was to keep the head down, like they been taught in school. “A storm could blow you away, over the mountains!” The teacher had exaggerated, which was scary for a foal, but not as harsh as explaining what actually would happen... always hoping none of their students ever had to learn the truth.

Everything went white for a second, since snow reflected the light and it took a moment to adjust, but even then everything remained shades of white, gray and black.

A blizzard must been nearby, wind constantly pushing snow against the mountainside and into her snout. Then there was a gray pegasus in a red coat... and a blue one, standing under what seemed a transparent bubble, protecting it from the elements.

The green threw himself into the snow, waving hooves, while the brown looked worried all around.

Sledge moved head down towards his wife, which stood upright – watching the landscape, being snowed on from the side. Once close enough, a hoof reached beneath the horizon, in order to turn the bulky head “We will wait for your return, take care of our body, we will take care of yours!” it shouted over the storm. Oh she wished so much to feel this how it was supposed to do, mixing the dull sensation with one of a comforting memory.

“Thang yue”

Excited, the mare didn't lost any time, turned away and made the first steps, sinking in deeper then the others, due to the massive weight of the body, yet shoveling snow aside as if it wasn't even there “Yeeeeiiii!” it squeaked high pitched, echoing through the mountains, while heading towards valley. Speed was gathered, snake lines were pulled – a jump downhill- running... jumping again, falling flat on the nose and burring herself beneath half a meter of white!?

Muse then lost control, trying quickly to pull herself out, pushing back with hooves into what seemed quicksand. The body seemed to respond less with every pull, trembling backwards through the void, all focus was lost. White had turned into black within the blink of an eye!? She was buried! She had to do something quick before freezing or chocking - turning all around the mare tried to find a way out, getting panicky for a moment... there was nothing here that could help her!

There was... nothing...! … she turned one more time around herself... nothing... all black. In every direction. Nothing. No snow. No light. No cold. No air. It was empty. Frightening so... it felt lonely... and cherry... wait... a hint of cherry came to mind? Why was she thinking about cherry's all of a sudden? She had other problems then... wait? Of course!

Muse nearly laughed about herself, after remembering the obvious.

Focus. Nothing is you... - feel it! Embrace it!

Legs jerked! A uncontrolled twitching then turned quickly into a constant shovel movement. It didn't seem like it was even working at first, since touch felt dull and other senses were basically blind, but then the void flooded with light again as the horse almost jumped out of the snow, sunk in again and kept running “WUUUEEEIIII!!!” the mare screamed joyful like a strangled organ almost causing an avalanche! ...one she could challenge ...and win.

“... you risk herlife, so she can play in the snow?” it came in utter disbelieve.

Sledge just looked in this calm fashion of his “Life should be more than being afraid... don't you think?” to then head back in, to take the role of the one waiting.

Author's Note:

I don't think that Tenet understood what just happened.
Muse can feel true freedom for the first time and more so: this means if she can do it, anyone can!
Not so say that... she doesn't like to play outside :]