The Only Prescription is More Pony

by F.Venka

Who Are You? (pt. 1)

In the distance, barely perceptible yelps of pain could be picked out. The sound of sand being pushed around was recognizable on the background, layered below the occasional weeps. The voice muttered something that I fought not to understand: something about "getting the children back where they belong."

Who could that have been? If the sound of the sand was any indication, I still was in the desert in the middle of nowhere. The voice outside of the window would belong to Blizzard, surely. What had happened with her? If her speech could be used to get a clue, the chains that held her down had damaged her considerably when she managed to get out of that one house.

She screamed at irregular intervals. Oftentimes, I thought that she had gone silent, only to continue seconds later.

Silk got up after listening to her for a long while. Silence had returned to its reign, by then. I could hear him talk to himself about how he had already rested enough and that he wished to continue with his journey. He shook his head before getting his so-called belongings into the saddlebag that he already had tied around his body. Giving a deep breath in front of the door, he closed his eyes for a moment.

There's only one place I haven't been to. After I clear that, it's back to traversing the desert alone.

The sound of the door opening was the first sound in a while. He went down his path, focusing on not giving too much attention to anything that could be on his way. In front of the doorway of the place he had just left, he caught a glimpse of a figure on the sand. A slightly darker trail marked its trajectory: surely, it was blood. I couldn't get a better view of he figure given how Silk just rushed past it, but it was completely immobile and, given the shape I saw, she was missing maybe more than one limb. How had she got into this condition? Who did that to her?

Due to my questioning, I don't exactly remember how exactly, but Silk reached the last house without any other event even happening.

Silk himself was much more silent than the night before, so to speak: it was still night, but the sky wasn't as purple as before; it had started to mix with a very soft blue.

"Dawn is approaching."

That was his last line of thought before opening the door carelessly. A loud creak travelled through the room and, only then, he could notice the dim light on a table, right in front of him now that the door was out of the way.

There's somepony here. Or maybe... maybe they're not here right now. If that's the case, I better be fast.

The sound of his hoofsteps resonated with much more intensity than he had expected. His eyes flew over the scarce items the room contained. "I could take this lamp with me," he said as he approached the object. "I might need it to... I don't know, get light into somewhere."

He took the object in his teeth and, after a glance at what other things he could find, he left.

Once outside, he sat of the sand and, for the first time, he asked where he could go now.

I should continue the path I was going. The first house was... he thought, squinting his eyes, as if to signal that he was thinking. It was right in front of this one. I should just go back and wander until I find something. Sounds... good...

He looked at the sky once again. Dawn was nearing, but wouldn't be there too soon, either.

Either stay here to see if I can get someone to help, or just leave alone... Now, again, there might be nopony here... there might be a long way towards the nearest town. That nearest town might not even be Appleoosa. Agh, it's like the place itself is avoiding me. I just want to get there. I want to know what happened to Canterlot and why.

What happened to Canterlot? Or, rather, what is happening in Canterlot?

"That voice returned. I thought I had gotten rid of them," he said out loud, the lamp falling to the sand. "I thought I had managed to forget them, especially his voice."

Whose voice? Every sentence only brought more questions forth.

"It wasn't my fault. I didn't actually do anything to him. It was all his own fault. All his own fault." Silk kept on repeating that phrases on his head in an attempt to silence me, surely.

He lifted the lamp off the sands and stood up shortly after, his gaze fixed on the slowly vanishing stars. "I don't even know where I am. I don't even know where everypony else is. I need to know what happened to Railroad and... And why is Nightmare around. I'd like to think that, for all I now, it wasn't her. It was just... something else."

With his mind returning to how he could even get to his destination, he started to walk once again. He went around the house of the lamp, with the object itself between his teeth, before walking off into the empty distance.

Ah, here we go again. Let's just hope I reach something soon enough... he thought, even his thoughts filled with a tone of resignation.

It didn't take him long to find another building in the distance. It had a distinct roof: shaped more like a cone pointing towards the sky. A high tower, maybe? I hadn't ever heard of a pillar or... anything... in the middle of the desert. Then again, it looks like it's wood. Oak, I think. Well, let's get there! That last point resonated through his head in a determination-filled reverb. I'm still quite impressed at how much he changed his mood, and how often.

He galloped towards the just-seen building, grinning just a little too much. The breeze of earlier had disappeared and a strange warmth was emanating from the ground itself.

Minutes later, he had reached the recently-seen construction. Of course, it wasn't a tower or anything: it looked much more like a town hall. The front door was open wide, and the wood itself looked just fine.

Why is this so separated from... everything? he remarked in his mind as he looked everywhere. Not a thing in sight, except for the town hall itself, or whatever it was. It's like there was something else around these parts, but it flat-out disappeared.

He gave another step forward, getting closer to the open door. Nopony here, either. It's... strange, very strange. Too strange not to be unsettled. Blizzard was the only pony I met in that little place. She was the only one, and now it seems like she just died. It's... off-putting. I wonder if that was even her, or... maybe it was the foals? Maybe one of them was a filly and I didn't notice it? How... how horrible that would be. Why did they chain her, then?

He stopped himself before his inner questionnaire got any stronger. Just take the step forward and get what you want. There's got to be a map around here, it's the town hall. If I look around for long enough, I'll be sure to find something.

Silk gave three or four steps once inside the building, looking at just about every single thing he could see. The place had no windows, that was clear.

As soon as he was inside, the door closed behind him with a thunderous clash. He turned back, fast, and the dim light of the lamp ceased to exist.

"Who's there?" he asked the air, not sure of where to look. The darkness had engulfed everything, and, obviously, he couldn't see half a thing.

Loud breathing came as a response. It was a mare, that was clear. "Who's here, you ask?" she said, trying to paste calmness on her voice. "Why should I answer...?"

"Who are you?" Silk asked again, not sure of why he had gone there in the first place. Oh, the map, that. I need a map... he remembered in his mind.

A very dim light shone before his eyes. The mare's horn barely glowed, but it was more than enough to see eachother. There she was: a white mare, her light-blue mane cascading behind her head. Her green eyes looked directly at Silk's eyes, and the unsure grin on her face indicated nothing good. "I'll answer you right after you take a nap. Deal?" she asked with a light giggle.

Before Silk could answer, he received a strong hit to the side of his head. His vision almost faded instantly, and the sound of the clash itself left a high-pitched ringing on his ears. He felt much less capable to escape her and, without him even realizing, he tripped over to his side, ending up on the floor, immobile.

"I had always wanted to do that," she said, as she was admiring her work. After some seconds, she reached down to Silk's body. "He's out of it." She then dropped the pan that she had used, its loud clank as it hit the wooden floor propagating through the place.

A third voice came from the other side of the room. "Frost, who was that?"

"I think it's another one of those, you know the ones. Why the question, sir?"

"It... umm, it sounded just like somepony else." The voice approached the mare, it was right behind her.

"Well," she said with a smile, casting a lighting spell. "You can see him here, s-sir. Does it look like the one you're talking about?"

"Yes, it does. And please, don't call me 'sir,' it makes me feel older than I am."

"And... well, what should we do with him? And... You know you are old."

---

"What should I do with him?"

The sensation that accompanied my awakening was so much worse than other days. It was completely clear that, yes, that fever wasn't going to leave me alone for a long, long time. I felt my limbs weak and tired by, seemingly, no reason and my eyes both burned and hurt, as if they were being pressed by hearted carbons.

It was dark at the time. I couldn't see a thing, but I was sure I felt my eyes were open. It's surely right before dawn, I thought, and light just doesn't reach the necessary amount.

Feeling the typical awakening yawn coming on, I stretched my arms reluctantly, together with my normal groan; it was almost an everyday thing.

I, then, felt a far too familiar hit against my chest. The pressure of the strike was strangely recognizable, almost like I had already felt it before.

"You're back," said a voice near me. Again, it sounded strangely familiar. I had heard it before, I was sure. The sickness sensation didn't let me think with the clarity I wanted. "I'm back, as well," the voice continued. It was a feminine voice, but it sounded... different.

Wow, myself, you've really gone off the rails this time, I joked in my mind. You've really outdone yourself. Things have gotten more and more confusing with every time I woke up, but this particular one had stricken with particular force.

"It's not it that you should blame," answered the voice, seemingly out of nowhere, just as if had read my mind. "You and I know the real reason..." The voice sounded more and more familiar with every second word. It was almost like I knew who it was, but my sleepiness wasn't letting me remember it.

The pressure against my chest, which was quite formidable, vanished out of a sudden. It was like it had never been there. I breathed in slowly, trying to put that little scene behind. I've really got to get used to that.

I blinked a few times before finishing the interrupted stretch, with my arms getting a electric-like sensation throughout them in the middle of the action. Should have expected that.

I got up like almost every day, silently cursing the cold floor beneath my feet as I directed myself towards the kitchen. I couldn't see a thing, but my muscle memory guided me just fine.

"That voice... the way it pressed against my chest..."

My footsteps echoed through the room, and the creak of the door to my room seemed to mask a low rumble in the distance. In the corridor, nothing but a self-replicating darkness awaited me. Even if I tried, I couldn't see more than black.

"I know I've heard that voice before..."

I stopped after giving a few steps, engulfed by the darkness of the corridor. I expected silence and, to my displeasure, I couldn't find it anywhere. My ears rang and I could clearly hear the blood circulating through my head.

"The exact same touch..."

From behind me, or maybe from inside, I heard a voice. It wasn't a menacing voice, nor imposing; on the contrary, it was a reassuring voice, speaking in a slow and tender manner, almost like the tone a loving parent would have.

"I had missed you... I had missed you so much... Now we're going to stay together, alright? No more running away from me, did you hear? Don't give me that look, don't take it as that, dear."

Who was there? I turned back, my own mind shouting at me for doing that. Nothing.

"Well, of course you shouldn't have done that. But let's forget about it. You're alright, you see? No need to get upset, neither of us."

The voice didn't come from behind me. It seemed to get louder with time, but I couldn't locate it anywhere. It just... it just appeared.

"Don't worry; I'm sure it's gone. It's gone, you see. No need to be scared."

A low rumble came to life just some seconds later. The darkness was daunting, and I seemed to be getting lost inside my own home. I couldn't remember how far I was from anywhere in particular: I was standing in the hallway, with no knowledge of where to go. Utterly baffled, I gave a step forward, the imposing blackness leaving right where I was. It made no sense.

The faint sound of the flap of wings joined in, then. I turned my head, but no avail: the sound, just like the voice, had no discernible source. I refused to believe that it was any other than my own mind. The flapping got louder and louder in nothing but seconds. Even when I couldn't position it, I couldn't help but to feel something was approaching me and there wasn't a thing I could do.

The sound of my own breathing got louder with every passing second. A feeling of anxiety took over me as the two sounds became unbearably loud. For what seemed like the longest time, there was nothing but that: just the sound of wings flapping and myself breathing agitatedly; nothing to feel, nothing to see.

I moved my arms around, trying to find a wall or any other thing that could help me locate myself in that place that I was supposed to know so well. The short-lived quest brought absolutely nothing but the knowledge that I was nowhere near a wall.

Without knowing why I was feeling so out of place, I walked forward. If I find a wall it'd help... I said in my mind. Anything would help now.

The sound of the wings flapping stopped just as suddenly as it began, and so did the sound of my breathing. It was almost like my own head just stopped receiving sound.

Deaf and mute, I went down the supposed hallway with surprising ease. Not a single misstep was taken, and I arrived soundly in... The middle of nowhere, once again.

"I think it's gone. Let's hope it's gone."

The voice gained a slight sense of dread. Whatever it was the voice was talking about, it feared it. I didn't want to think about what it could be.

I heard a step in the distance. It echoed through the room for a long while before vanishing from existence. Silence reigned again once it was over. Must be my mind acting up again, I tried to convince myself as I walked towards nothingness.

Another step came from behind me. It sounded nothing like the steps of a person. It sounds... oddly familiar... I feel like I've heard those particular steps before. Please tell me I haven't...

"That was m-me. N-no, it w-wasn't. Be silent."

A soft breeze passed through me. That was the exact moment I felt like the truth was undeniable: there was something else than me in there. How did it get here? I asked no one in particular. Is it even real?

The steps behind me began to gain frequency, but not intensity. It was like whatever that was making the steps itself wasn't moving.

I started to give larger steps as I unconsciously tried to get away from anything. I just couldn't bring myself to further delirious visions. I needed to evade them as much as I could. It was like... like I had to maintain with sanity in order to continue. It's the only and the best way to go.

"I'm going in. Stay here. I'll be right back. Don't move. Don't go away."

A light approached me: a faint blue mist that seemed to both start and end suddenly. I directed myself towards it, reaching it with surprising speed. The steps behind me only got more and more continuous as I advanced. An imaginary chase scenario played in my mind.

As soon as I reached the faint aura, it vanished in mid-air. I was, again, lost in the middle of nowhere. I turned around out of habitude, expecting nothing but darkness to greet me. Instead of darkness, the same faint flow of colour appeared before me. A strange feeling of hospitality emanated from it. I could see nothing but it. I approached it without any thought, thinking that it'd be better that way.

A door was closed with a slam somewhere. Again, it sounded nothing like I was used to. The echo of the door shutting persisted for far longer than it should have. From below it, another familiar sound surfaced: the sound of the tracks.

"You're back, again," said a voice, the same voice as the one from when I had just awoken. "I'll enjoy this greatly."

I stammered far too much. Who was it? My mind wouldn't stop asking itself that question. Who is it?

"W-who are y-you?" I barely managed to ask. I started shaking out of a sudden, and breathing was starting to get a tad more difficult. Something was very, very off in that moment. Not the smartest question, I remarked to myself after it. The light in front of me vanished a second later.

"Who am I? Oh, you know me..." answered the voice. "We've had our... encounters... for quite a while."

A step forward. I felt something getting closer to me. I just couldn't move, I was frozen there.

"Don't you know who I am?"

That particular line was the spark. I... know who it is - who she is.

"What are you?" I asked. You're not very smart, aren't you? I heard my own head ask me.

"Don't ask me questions twice: I have already answered you," the voice said dismissively.

"Do you happen to know where you are?"

The sound of the tracks made me only think of one thing: "Is this place... a t-train?"

"You'd be right: this is the last wagon of the train. This place is so monotonous. You'll help me."

A light appeared, once again, in front of me: the aura of magic.

In that moment, I felt something inside of me. It was clear: apart from the suspense that all that darkness had made me feel, there was a bafflingly strong feeling of safety. It was like I knew nothing could happen to me. It was like... like I felt I was invincible. I had stopped to feel all out of a sudden.

With the least bit of lighting, I couldn't recognize what happened right after that. It was like the lack of stimulus reigned completely: I could make out a faint glow, a twisted grin... and the smell of blood, filling up my nostrils. I couldn't feel anything but, from what I heard, something horrible was happening.

Maniacal laughter followed after a while.

Something had gone horribly wrong.

Silence and more silence followed.

Comments

[I Am Known As Sketchpad]

It's surely right before dawn," I thought, "and light just doesn't reach the necessary amount.

Messed up quotations and italics.

the truth was undeniable: there was something else that me in there.

Than, not that.

*fnishes*

.......SUSPENSIFYED!

Nice chapter bro, looking forward to part two!

[F.Venka]

1949646
I really need to start to separate thoughts and quotation marks. I need another symbol that I don't use... hmm...

Thanks I was a little hesitant to post it as is, given the long time I had gone without updating this story. Let's just hope it doesn't happen again...

[I Am Known As Sketchpad]

1980050 Jeez, are you worried you'll lose your only reader? Silly author.

No really, post whatever whenever. I'll always be here to spellcheck for you.

[F.Venka]

1985183
Umm... yes? Worried about losing the person I write for? Well, at least for me, it's something.

I guess I should. There's... something about not being able to keep up an acceptable schedule. It's more of a personal thing I guess.

[I Am Known As Sketchpad]

1985212 If you're saying your scheduling sucks, I know how you feel. I do not have a scheduling.

[F.Venka]

1985249
Better not to have something than to have it done poorly
Except not. Well, I guess it's a thing of just pester myself with getting stuff done.

[I Am Known As Sketchpad]

1985269 My usual response to things I need to do is something like "Oh, I need to get something done? Better go surf Facebook for three hours! "