Tales Of Planes and Ponies

by Southern Ice

Cagestruck I: Stranded

Cagestruck I: Stranded

---

It was a rather nice day, theoretically speaking. The weather was just right, not too hot, not cloudy, just a little warm on the coat with occasional refreshing breeze running on your fur. The ground could sing, with each hoof-step from the prancing ponies. Joy was in the air, so was the smell of freshly baked pie and sweet cotton candy. A pony could just lie down on a bench, lazily gazed upon the sky and the town, forgetting all of their problems and just feeling the tingling sensation of a good day.

Not all shared the sentiments, sadly. Even on the brightest day, some would find it rather intimidating, or irritating even, to see the happy ponies around them while they themselves had to deal with something rather less favorable. Two, or rather one of them, such ponies walked together in the town’s many alleys, an earth pony and a unicorn. The beige earth pony was the one doing the talk.

“I can’t believe they kicked you out of the band!” She said with a furious tone, as if the action didn’t offend her friend, but herself directly.

“Come on, Bon Bon! They didn’t kick me out! It's just that the next show doesn’t need much of a classical touch.” The unicorn tried to calm her friend down, her voice was soothing and cheerful. “And since I don’t have to practice for the next show, I can spend time with my best friend.” She hugged the other mare with one hoof.

“But Lyra, what’s about that time when they tried to sabotage you?” Bon Bon didn’t seem to be ready to back down just yet.

“You mean the time when I accidentally fell on my lyre and broke it? I told you before, it wasn’t Octavia’s fault that I slipped on the orange juice she spilled on the ground.”

While she knew that her friend was a little paranoid, Lyra couldn’t keep her smile away when she saw Bon Bon’s pouty face. After all, she only wanted the best for her friend. “So how’s your job at the store? I heard that a new flavor of fruity drop is the next big hit in the town. Kinda wondering why you haven’t told me anything about it yet?”

“Oh, that…” She seemed less than enthusiastic. “I just… can’t find a reason to. It is just candy, at the end of the day, it’s still just sugar and flavoring.”

That was concerning, to Lyra at least. She pointed at her friend’s cutie mark. “Why the sour face, Bon? Isn’t it supposed to be your talent?” She asked, worryingly. “Did something happen at the store?”

“The store’s fine…” Bon Bon replied. “It’s about me, I think? I can’t really find the mood anymore. The new manager, the working tone, everything felt… dull!”

“Which is exactly why we should stop worrying, and enjoy the day!” Lyra said, and did a little dance. “How’s about a trip to the spa, then to the Sugarcube Corner for Pinkie’s big party?”

“Wait, which party?” Bon Bon saw a little flicker in the corner of her eyes. Movements, not from her friend’s dance, but somewhere else. From where, she wondered? No one else was in the alley at the time.

“The Sugarcube Corner’s signature pie 10th year celebration! You haven’t heard-”

Before Lyra could finish, a glimmering light appeared from behind her. A shimmering circle of light tore the wall apart, making what they could compare with a portal of some kind, from some foal’s book. Behind the portal was an arch, with the carving of a delicate horseshoe on top.

“WHAT IS THAT?” Bon Bon shouted and pulled Lyra’s away. The unicorn mare yelled by the sudden action. They both turned to the portal, its mesmerizing light called for them.

“It’s… a portal? Should we tell the mayor about this?” Lyra said after Bon Bon released her.

“Properly? Or maybe Twilight, she ought to know something about this stuff.”

Lyra took a step toward the portal. All things considered, it was beautiful, a painting of light, chaotic yet harmonized. She reached out for it. Bon Bon jumped, trying to get her friend away from the portal. “Lyra, don’t-!”

She slipped. A little pebble was in her way, and she slipped. Instead of pulling her friend back, she pushed her forward, into the mysterious portal.

“AHHHHH!” Lyra cried before disappearing into the unknown. Bon Bon panicked. She walked back and forth around the portal, considering her options. She could tell Twilight and her friend, they should have dealt with something like that before. Or the mayor, or the pony who lived in this building! Yeah, if they lived here, they should know what happened-

“No… nonononono!”

The light from the portal flicked. The circle began to fade away. Suddenly, a surge of unknown courage reached the earth pony’s legs, as they pushed her forward, into the portal.

“Lyra, I am coming for you!”

---

Lyra felt like she had the roughest train ride ever. Her body was sore all over, and everything felt wrong. The hard yet damp ground underneath didn’t help much, if they didn’t make things worse. She tried to open her eyes, good, she could do that. She tried to figure out where she was. A shed perhaps? Or an old warehouse with gardening tools, she wasn’t sure if there were any clear differences between the two.

She tried to stand up. Something was definitely wrong. She could feel something soft underneath her front hooves. Hooves aren’t supposed to be soft, neither should they feel wiggly and spread out into five. She looked down, and screamed. Where her front hooves were, were two strange appendages similar to that of a diamond dog’s front paws. They were thin, frail. She knew that she wasn’t the most athletic kind, but she wasn’t thin either. Those limbs were way too thin, like a pair of sticks with little hooks on their ends. She stood up, but it felt wrong, very wrong. Something about her posture changed, standing on four didn’t feel right.

So she raised her body up, using her new limbs to stable herself by gripping at the wall. Slowly, she stood straight(er) up. She felt her body balanced itself, it felt right this way. The ex-unicorn began to hyperventilate. What had she become? Where was she?

Then, a light flashed next to her, and something fell out of the wall. A creature, with beige skin and mixed color mane, with a body much similar to her new one, stood there. Its front limb held its head, as the creature struggled to regain its bearings.

“Bon Bon?” Lyra whispered, she could make out the similarities, but she couldn’t believe in her eyes. What had they become?

“Lyra, you are-” Bon Bon turned to her, relieved only for a second before she yelled her lungs out. “WHAT ARE YOU?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Lyra replied with an equally loud voice.

They both turned to each other, examining themselves and their friend. “Are we some kind of monkey?” Bon Bon asked. “We look like monkeys, with hair… and dresses and cloak?”

It was then Lyra realized two things. One, she and Bon Bon were wearing simple dresses and cloaks, like those worn by ponies before the foundation of Equestria. Secondly, those strange limbs she had were called arms, and hands, like those of a monkey. She touched her face, it was flat, with a small nose and mouth. Her horn was still there.

Bon Bon was checking the wall where she fell out of. No sight of the portal anywhere. Just a simple wall made of simple bricks, with a horseshoe hang on top of it. “No…” She could hear her friend’s waning voice.

“Where do you think we are?” Lyra looked around the room. It was filled with gardening tools, bags of fertilizers and seeds. A farmer’s warehouse maybe?

“I have no idea. But there’s a door…” Bon Bon pointed at the only door in the room. The two approached the door, but were hesitant. What was behind the door? Were they even in Equestria anymore?

As the two gave each other silent glances, considering whether or not they should open the door, something else decided to intervene. That something opened the door for them. That something was a burly creature, as tall as the door frame, covered in a thick, moss coloured robe. That something had a low, grunting voice, thick arms, big enough to be visible under the robe. On that thing’s neck was a necklace made of fangs and a dog tag. That thing looked at them, and grumbled.

“Damned thieves…”

Then proceeded to pull both of them out of the room. Its grip was strong enough to crush their arms should it want to. The two screamed and yelled as they were being pulled.

“I am going to put you both in the dead-book, berks. Damned thieves… Can’t keep a thing in this burg…”

With all of her strength, Bon Bon kicked the man hard on his side. It felt like hitting a boulder, a boulder in the shape of a rigid monkey. Lyra concentrated, as much as she could, to pull the hood over the creature’s head. Surprised, the man loosened his grip to pull the hood out of his face. Taking their chance, Bon Bon kicked the man once again, knocking his balance off before the two made their way straight to the main road.

“DAMNED SPELLSLINGER!” The creature roared and chased after them.

The two mares ran through the streets of what they could only call a slum. The air stinked, putrid with a rotting, moldy scent. The creature, most lankier and looked malnourished compared to the one chasing them, but equally vile and crooked. The makeshift buildings were covered in rags and junks, while the streets were cracked and covered in a slimy substance. It was then they realized that they were running barefooted. Further away, they could hear loud chatters and the sound of a crowd.

Like prisoners who found a light at the end of the tunnel, or in this case, the light at the end of the alley, they pushed all of their strength into their legs and jumped out of the alley, running over an unfortunate bystander who was carrying way too many pumpkins with him. When out on the main road, they tried to hide into the crowd. They pushed the bystanders away, making way deeper into the city while constantly apologizing to them. Behind them, the sound of the creature rang in the air, cursing those ‘damned spellslingers’.

---

“Damarite salmon! Smoked Damarite salmon! Only 20 gold pieces per pound. Damarite salmon!”

“This here is high quality gold, cutter. Mined straight from the depth of the plane of earth! See the green marks? You can’t get jewels better than this anywhere else.”

“Move over, you knife-eared berk! Your scent is messing with me lim lim!”

Surrounding the streets were numerous vendors, selling all kinds of things they had and hadn’t seen before. From fruits and vegetables, to weapons, chemicals, clothings and pet bugs. Unfortunately, they didn’t bring any money with them, and even if they did, could it be used at all?

“You look like you can take a rest, cutter. How’s about a night at the Centaur’s Rest?”

The innkeeper’s hand nearly pulled Lyra over, had Bon Bon not stepped in between them. The two felt lost, which they should properly be, and scared. Creatures of all shapes and sizes stood on the streets. Some had wings and horns like a devil from old tales, while others wore clothes so bizarre and strange that they couldn’t figure out if it was clothing or something else. Thugs with armors and weapons bared in public, chatted and argued about a corpse recently found in some tombs. Three different little kids tried to sell them grilled rats and bugs. Some of the creatures looked at them, malicious intents in their eyes.

Celestia's warm sun was nowhere to be seen. The sky was lit, but by what? The city wasn’t exactly a city, but more of a mangle mess stitched together by those floating creatures in long robes. Those on the streets were miserable, moaning and crying, mad and drunk.

---

They kept going, until their legs gave out. The light slowly died. The night had come, but where was the moon? Not many fillies liked the moon, since it was affiliated with Nightmare Moon. But what they wouldn’t give to just see the moon that night. The streets were still crowded, as if night and day were just time, as relevant to everything else as this hour to the next. Something changed, however. Those walking on the streets were sinister, they could feel that. And wild, that too, was way too easy to observe. The mares hugged each other, trying to find a shelter, or somewhere to rest. There it was, an empty veranda, with no souls around, other than the drunk and the prostitutes.

They sat down. Bon Bon felt Lyra shivered in her embrace. She wanted to comfort her friend, but what could she possibly say to help her? They were lost, in all of its meaning. Stranded in this strange land, where some didn’t even speak their language. Hungry, cold with nowhere to rest and nothing to eat. The streets of this city reminded them of that day, when Discord turned Equestria into the kingdom of chaos. But even Discord was merciful enough to keep them alive and safe, with odd but edible food, and a shelter. This place had none of it, like a dark nightmare lurked in their mind made manifest.

Lyra sobbed quietly. “Bon Bon, I am scared.”

“We… we will make it out…” Bon Bon hugged her friend tighter. Their heads touched each other, sharing their warmth.

Their rest was cut short, however, by a vicious howl. Looking up, the mares saw a group of those monkey creatures, with mohawk hair and warpaint, barking at them. They howled like wild beasts, while also acting much like one themselves. Beast with weapons and armor in this case.

Bon Bon pushed Lyra behind her, desperate to cover her friend from their gaze.

“Preys falls, new night. Plane-touched taste good, a pair of blood, is going to your.”

The presumed leader licked their teeth, two rows of razor sharp teeths, caked in blood. Their daggers and swords glimmered under the light coming from nearby buildings. The beasts approached.

“STAY AWAY!” Bon Bon shouted, hand waved around. “Don’t you dare to touch us, or I will kick your teeth off!”

Her hollow threats mattered little to them. The beasts jumped upon them. Lyra pulled Bon Bon away just in time, dodging the creature’s bite. The rest of the pack followed them down the streets.

The mare ran and ran and ran. They ran with tired legs, sore bodies and near breathless lungs. They ran with empty stomachs, cold feet and fright filled to the brim. Their pursuers however, were filled with vigor of a new hunt, laughed and cried at their prey, enjoying the chase. Time and time again, they almost reached the pair, just one step away. Time and time again, Bon Bon knew that they were just playing around, leaving them with an ounce of fate to keep on going until their body gave out.

And gave out, they did. All they needed was a fall, a missed step, a tangled stride. They didn’t know what happened, only that their bodies hit the ground, hard and cold. The beasts gathered around them, brandishing their blades and bare their teeth. Jackal-like laughter filled the air.

“I… I am sorry…” Bon Bon whispered to Lyra. The unicorn replied with her eyes, clear, amber eyes had already accepted her fate, and ready to forgive everything.

They could feel the ragged breath of the beasts, the cold blade on their skin. They waited for the pain to come. They prayed for a quick release.

But those things didn’t come. What came to them was the painful cries and panicked shouting of the beast, and the strange, whistling-like sound accompanied by ice cold droplets of water. The mares cuddled each other, holding their friend tight until the chaos stopped, and the quietness of the night returned.

Lyra was the first to open her eyes. The beasts were gone, running away and leaving their fallen allies on the ground. Consistent steps echoed on the half-paved street. A looming figure towered over the mares, cowering on the ground. It spoke in a raspy, echoing voice.

“Addle-coved chaosmen! Why haven’t the Red Deaths feed them to the Wyrm yet? Are you alright, cutter?”

They looked up, greeting them was another lanky, monkey-like creature, dressed in a blue robe and a slightly lighter blue cloak. A large, wizard-like hat with a wide brim covered its face. It wasn’t the night, but its bark like skin itself was dark, as dark as the night. Thin, long arms with equally thin and pointy fingers.

“You both are lucky. Had they got their chiv in you, you would be the chant for the next three peaks or so. Two plane-touched eaten alive by chaosmen. Mostly flam nowaday, but surely something to chant about when those berks have a few rounds of bub in them.”

Its two blue eyes shone in the dark, observing them.

“Aren’t you two the ones who knocked me and my pumpkins over? What are you doing here? It’s near antipeak…” Looking into their bewildered eyes, it came to a conclusion. “Wait, you two are clueless, aren’t you?”

The creature gently approached them, and offered a hand.

“Welcome to Sigil, cutter. I can see the welcoming wasn’t exactly… rum.”