Out of my Element

by TheLostwriter

Through the looking glass

Out of My Element

Chapter 1: Through the looking glass

“So what you’re saying is that you can travel to another dimension?”

“That’s right Steel,” replied my friend, adopted brother, and business partner.

I knew Jack was a genius, hell he held the record for the youngest person to get into Mensa, but what he was saying was crazy. Granted the world thought we were both a little off center when we started our little company. Orbital Construction Service Solutions was project we began as we finished collage. When someone wanted a satellite in orbit we designed it, had it built, and placed it in space. The fee was nominal: a tenth of a percent, but on multibillion dollar contracts it was a pretty penny. It also helped fund our other experiments.

"Jack," I started "do we really want to mess with this today. I mean come on we've got the second stage investors meeting tomorrow, along with the launch vehicle proof of concept."

The proof of concept was a rebuilt Mig-25 with four booster rockets mounted on the wings. Stage two was showing we could place things into orbit cheaply. Jack had been overly confident; in fact everything had been set for the past two weeks. That's where part of my problem came from; a crazed genius with millions of dollars and plenty of time to kill can do some crazy things.

"Don't worry man. Everything's going to work out just fine, both this and the meeting tomorrow. Just think about it. We wanted to go to space to explore, right? It just happened to make us some money as well. This however," he waved his arms indicating the two, ten foot tall, slightly curved rods on either side of the dirt road. "This is completely uncharted territory. No marketing, no economics, it's like why Hillary went up Everest. It was there," he said the last part with a wide smile, and a gleam in his eye.

"Alright," I muttered as I massaged my forehead, "if we're going to do this explain it to me again. I already said I would go through with it, if it worked. Though I do want to make sure I understand this before we start."

“Okay think about it this way, if the Multiverse theory is correct there are an infinite number of universes where anything is possible. Everything we take as fiction could be true. Another side effect of this is we could in essence time travel, not backwards in our dimension, but to an earlier point in another so if we do this right, I think we could go to another dimension and then back to ours earlier in time and prevent your folks from being killed.”

I wore a suspicious smirk as I asked, “Alright I’m not sure about that but just to entertain you, what about the grandfather paradox?”

“That’s easy. Time is elastic so we can jump back, and if we’re careful, we won’t change too much. We’ll be okay, and under the theory, this timeline will split off and exist as a separate dimension.”

“Alright, I’m still confused... but let’s get it over with,” I still didn’t fully believe that what he was saying was possible. But it was Jack. He had always been like this; crazy theory’s, and building things that made no sense, but somehow worked. His micro flyer was a perfect example, a working helicopter that folded up into a briefcase. All sorts of crazy James Bond type stuff, and of course the designs for the launch vehicles were his as well.

“Alright, here’s the plan. I will activate the gate while you go through in the wagon. Turnaround, then come back. This is just a test to see if all the system works.”
I gave a half hearted chuckle and asked, “Why don’t you go then, or send a robot.”

“I can’t go, unless you think you can operate the gate while I’m gone?” He asked before continuing, “The robots have an issue; active electronics don’t like going through the gate.”

“So that’s why I’m taking the old wagon,” I smiled as I said this; I always like the old car, simple and easy to fix, and big.

“That’s right just keep everything turned off when you go through.”

“I have a few questions left, what if the universe you send me to have poison atmosphere or something similar?”

“Look, have you been listening to anything I’ve told you in the past two years? The universes are elastic, you show up and you will become the standard life form, since this universe is so close to ours, it has to be human or human like. On the off chance I was wrong that’s why I had you seal up the wagon. “

“Thanks,” I replied with my most sarcastic tone. “You know I’m the one that built the tech from your blueprints.”

“You built most of the tech, but there are a few things that I had to manufacture to get this going.”

“Whatever man,” I grumbled as I opened the car door and then said in a louder voice, “I guess I’ll see you on the other side.” I got in and started the wagon. It's engine purred like a large cat as I settled in behind the wheel.

Jack nodded and flipped a few switches on the large truck mounted generator. Energy began to arc between the two rods mounted on either side of the road, the area between began to bulge and morph to unrecognizable proportions. It was like looking through a fisheye lens, the trees and road behind the rods looked to be twisting and stretching, I knew it was the portal forming. I laughed to myself two friends from college that had saved one another were now trying to prove a wild theory in the middle of rural Virginia. It was the same giddy feeling I had when we got our first client and when we saw the finished launch vehicle for the first time. Jack turned to me and gave me the thumbs up.

I felt I needed to say something epic that would be remembered through history like Armstrong's "The Eagle has landed." It needed to be more though. Something that Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis would say right before doing something stupid, dangerous, and heroic. But to my disappointment, nothing came. The wagons engine revved as I pressed the accelerator down. My imagination was full of curiosity as I pictured the world on the other side. I laughed. For someone who didn't believe this was possible five minutes ago, I sure was a believer then. I gave Jack a half hearted salute right before I passed between the rods. Next thing I knew, everything was in pastel, the wagon included. I was in a field of blue flowers at the edge of a forest.

I glanced at the speedometer and the first thing I thought was, what the heck, where are my fingers, my hands had been replaced with stumps. Hooves. Horse hooves. But they weren’t like normal hooves; they were more flexible, at least flexible enough to maintain a loose grip on the steering wheel. My arms were covered in a light gray fur and I noticed my shoes had fallen off my feet as I tried to press the brake pedal. My feet had become just like my hands, I kicked the shoes out from around the pedals and slowed the wagon down to turn around. Heart still beating a mile a minute when I at last laid eyes on the portal home. It was formed between two trees like they were the electric rods. I glanced back up and saw my reflection in the mirror. It wasn’t me it was a horse, my heart sped up even more upon seeing myself. It was all I could do to stay calm. It wasn’t right, my mind was racing upon seeing myself and wasn’t me. I fought against the head rush and I focused on the portal. I accelerated in a half panic, I needed to get back I needed to be me again.

Right as I reached the portal it disappeared and the wagon crashed into a tree and the last thing I remembered thinking was I wish I had put on the seat-belt.

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Sparks flew as the rods exploded. “Ah hell” yelled Jack as he started twisting connections and hammering away at the laptop in front of him. “Come on save the data, I need to know where he is, I need to save him,” he was yelling to himself.

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The three Cutie Mark Crusaders and their escort, Big Macintosh, were walking into the Everfree Forest on a trip to Zecora’s hut. The three fillies pranced, yelled, and chased each other around in circles; Big Macintosh calmly walked, ignoring the young ponies’ antics as he chewed on his sprig of wheat. Soon they all stopped because of the odd sounds from just over the hill, it was a growling noise followed by a metallic groan unique to twisting metal.

Big Macintosh tuned back to the fillies and said in a soft but firm tone, “Y'all wait here, I’ll check it out.”

The three fillies nodded and watched as the large stallion walked up to the top of the hill. What he found surprised him. There were wide wheel tracks through a field of poison joke the tracks traveled in a circle back to a odd looking steel stagecoach. Even at this distance he could see somepony inside and whoever it was they weren't moving. Turning around he hollered, “Apple Bloom, you and your friends head back to town and get a medical pony out here; there’s some pony hurt up here.”

It was rare for Big Mac to have that kind of urgency in his voice and Apple Bloom knew she needed to hurry.

“Come on girls, we need go,” she said as she headed back to town as fast as her little legs would go.

Big Macintosh walked carefully around the blue flowers giving them a wide berth as he approached the bizarre coach. Inside he could see all sorts of strange items that he could not identify and the pony inside, oddly covered in cloth. The coach had peculiar mechanical equipment that was once hidden behind metal panels, and he couldn’t see where the pull team would have attached to the coach. This whole thing put him on edge and the smell was like nothing he had smelled before. Soon the Crusaders returned; he could hear them coming over the hill. When he glanced in their direction he could see both of his sisters and Applejack's two unicorn friends along with Nurse Redheart. The two unicorns helped free the pony from the coach and Big Mac helped carry the him to the clinic.

As most of the group left Applejack and Twilight stayed behind looking at the coach. “What the hay do you think this contraption is, Twi?”

“I don’t know AJ, but I have an odd feeling that we need to get it back to Ponyville and get it undercover. Whatever it is I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Yeah, you got that right, and did you look at those things he had on his back legs? They didn’t even fit right. I thought Rarity was going’ to have a conniption.”

The two ponies laughed and headed back into town to get a pull team together for the odd coach they had found.

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Jack looked at the numbers and all he could do was mutter “no,” over and over again. He was wrong about dimensions, everything made sense now. All his formulas had been based on the idea that existences were fixed parallel to one another but in reality they drifted through each other almost randomly. It explained so much but this meant he would have to rebuild the arch and then dump the entire eastern power grid into it just to give himself a maximum of ten minutes active portal time to find Steel. All this and he had to do it in under a week, or Steel would be lost forever. He sighed and began to work if he could save his friend he would, damn the consequences.

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I woke up in a field, it was night and I was home. Glancing at my hands I smiled. They were back. I love you, opposable thumb I thought as I wiggled my fingers. My stomach growled, good lord I'm hungry. Standing up, I looked around and saw a farmhouse on the far side of the field. I walked over to the back door seeing no activity in the house, so I knocked, but there was no answer. The door drifted open with each tap of my knock, so I stuck my head inside and called out to anyone who would answer. Nothing, no response. I let the door swing open the rest of the way, and eyed the room. It was a kitchen so I began to search for some food. I found some utensils and a box of Velocity brand cereal. I poured myself a bowl and had sat down to eat when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.

Looking up I saw a pig walk in and in a gruff voice it said “What are you doing, horses aren’t suppose to enter the house.”

Horses, I thought, what is he talking about? Looking down I saw my hands had disappeared and had been replaced by a horse hoof. I sprang to my feet knocking over the chair. I tried to speak but I couldn’t.

“You know what the punishment for entering the house uninvited is don’t you,” said the pig with a smile, “That’s right a trip to the glue factory.”

With this I turned around and ran crashing through the back door and out into the field. As I ran I could hear the pig’s laughter. I saw the barn and ran in closing the door and barring it shut. I staggered back and tried to catch my breath. I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and when I opened them there was a small black blob of something dancing like fire on the floor. It began to grow and split into tendrils that reached out grabbing and exploring the barn. I tried to open the door but couldn’t. As it grew and I watched, an itch began to cover my mind. I closed my eyes and the itch lessened but was still there. I backed away from the mass evading the things reach however eventually one of the tendrils moved past a leg brushing it lightly. It grabbed that leg and I tried to pull away. No matter how hard I tried to escape it the tentacle was too strong. I noticed a dark film beginning to grow on my fur starting where the tendril had me. I continued to struggle and was successful at slowing the tendrils pull. Despite my attempts it was enviable that I would be drawn into the center of the mass. The closer to the center I was pulled, the more distracting and irritating the itch became.

Eventually the film reached my neck; it felt like grease as it inched forward covering my head. Once it passed my ears I could hear a faint whisper, “I can sense you now you have broken the fortress walls. They have broken, the darkness will find you. I will find you.”
The itching in my mind pulsed with every word, as I was finally drug into the center of the dark mass. I began to fall the voice still whispering to me. I was able to scream as I fell into the unending void, my voice had finally returned to me.

I woke up screaming from my Orwellian dream in a hospital, looking around I found myself in an ordinary but dark room. I closed my eyes and let my heart slow down, praying that I had just had the worst series of nightmares in my life.

Dimension traveling, ha like two nerds in Virginia could pull that off. I opened my eyes and everything was a blur; I reached for my glasses using my fing…. It was a hoof, I screamed again at the top of my lungs, eyes fixated on the hoof in front of me. It was then that I felt the medical robe, IV, and monitoring wires attached to my body along with the food tube running down my throat. I began to gag and the world began to spin. I tried to pull out the tube but I couldn’t grasp it with my… hooves. The world turned black and I could barely move, I felt myself fall back into the bed and passed out.

I woke up again, and pinched my eyes closed; my heart was racing already. Please let it be a dream, my thoughts begged. I knew it hadn’t been I could still feel the wires, and the IV, but the food tube had been removed. I moved slightly when I heard blinds being lifted, and I could feel sunlight warming my face.

“Oh good you’re awake.”

I jumped a little, opened one eye, and looked at the source of the voice. It was a white horse with a light pink mane, and a small white hat with a red cross in front. My heart began to race faster, “Ummm, Hi,” I said already feeling short of breath. The IV and monitoring wires helped as I fought the urge to roll off the bed, putting it between myself and the newcomer. I looked at her face, and I was sure she could see the panic in my eyes.

“Hello Mr. Smith, it’s good you’re awake,” she said smiling her movements slow as if she was trying to put me at ease.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” This caught me off guard enough to dissipate some of the panic.

“Oh dear, we understand some of what was in that note but you have been unconscious for a week and a half. Seven days after you arrived here those three bags appeared in the field we found you in.” She walked over and picked up the note in her mouth and brought it over to me.

I cautiously took it and began to read….

Hey Steel, and to anyone that finds this please deliver to Steel W. Smith

I’m sorry, it’s been a week and I can’t find a way for you to get back home. I canceled the investors meeting to work on this and I can't see a solution. The longer it takes the more energy I need to reach you and it’s no longer possible to breach the barriers between dimensions. Just to send this care package I’m going to end up crashing the eastern power grid. I have sent to you all the normal survival stuff along with digital copies of every major book we used in research and some novels I knew you would like. There is a laptop, four-terabyte external hard drive, an MP3 player: the best money can buy. All of our research has been loaded on the computer along with some games and entertainment. I also have our coordinates set so if you can come home; that’s our address. Best of luck Steel, I hope you get back but if you don’t I hope you live a life you deserve.

You’re brother,
Jack Serasen

I sighed no way home; well at least I have a bit of home with me. I looked up from the letter and I could feel the fear replaced by depression in my gut and the tear it pulled from my eye. “Uh, Nurse, who has read this?”

“Just a few ponies Mr. Smith, in fact I’m supposed to contact one of them once you woke up.”

“Oh, okay, is it alright if I get up and walk around?” I needed to move, I always paced when I thought and I needed to think; it helped me calm down.

“I don’t see why not. Most of you injuries have healed, and the monitors aren’t needed any more,” she answered as she walked over to unplug the wires. She smiled a caring smile at me, as she unplugged the wires, and said, “I’ll be just down the hall if you need anything don't hesitate to call.”

I was amazed at how dexterously she used her hooves.

“Now be careful, I’m going to leave the IV in for now. I want to make sure you still get enough fluids,” she added before she left.

I nodded my thanks and rolled out of bed, my first instinct was to stand up on my back legs, but several muscles screamed in agony, so I fell on to all four. Being bedridden for a week with half weakened muscles didn't help, but my new body felt awkward. I haphazardly walked, like a newborn labrador, over to the mirror on the far side of the room. I was just a plain gray horse, in a hospital robe, a few hands taller than the nurse. My mane and tail were a light gray that caught the light and shimmered slightly. I had to fight my way through a building panic attack brought on by my appearance. Then I began to look through the two bags. I laughed when I found one bag full of cloths, from what I could tell, using the nurse as evidence, that the horses here didn’t wear cloths. I clumsily pulled out the laptop; it was relatively easy thanks to the flexibility of the hooves, but once I turned it on I looked at the keyboard. I realized that this would be very difficult. The computer started up quickly and I looked at the battery charge, it was good. Inside the tech bag I found several solar chargers and smiled. Jack thought of everything. I was so focused on the computer that I didn’t notice the new horse enter my room.

“Excuse me Mr. Smith, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I would like to ask you a few questions.”

I looked up still being startled by these creatures appearance to find a lavender horse, no, “You’re a unicorn,” I said, with bated breath.

“Yes, yes I am. You will find that Equestria has several unicorns as well as pegasi.” She smiled and laughed a little at my facial expression, which I could only assume was as puzzled as I felt. “Relax,” she said with a laugh. “I have read the note, I know you’re not from around here.”

I let the tension ease out of my body and shook my head before answering, “Okay, well I’ll answer what questions I can.” I looked up into her face, “I take it you have looked at the note?”

She nodded that she had.

“Before I start can you tell me what is going to happen to me?”

The horse looked at me confused and asked “What do you mean?”

“Am I a prisoner?”

“Oh, no, you’re free to go. I just thought with some information we could help you go home.”

I smiled, Jack knew and I did as well, unless I ended up in a universe that had Death-Star level power plant‘s that I wasn’t going home. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do so, by the time I build a gate the power required would be the same as the sun's output for a week and that will exponentially climb.”

“Oh” she replied looking at the floor. “I had hoped we could get you home.”

I walked over and did my best to tussle her mane. “Don’t worry I had nothing but Jack back in my old world, I can start all over if I have to,” as I spoke these words I didn’t realize how true they were until the left my mouth, I had nothing behind me, nothing to make me want to go home.

She looked up at me and asked “what will you do?”

“I’ll see what I have from the old world that works,” I said with a smile, “and then go from there.”

“According to the nurses, they want to hold you for observation for a few days before you’re released. I can then come over and give you a tour of Ponyville if you would like.”

“I would like that, Mrs. Sparkle.”

“You can call me Twilight.”

“Well then you can call me Steel,” I said turning on my southern accent. The unicorn blushed slightly and smiled. Oh dear, I thought, I do not need this little one crushing on me.

“Well,” I drew this word out as I formulated where to go with my question, “Twilight, what can you tell me about this place, um, you called it Equestria?”

She sighed, relaxed, and then began a lecture that would have put most of my graduate classes to shame. I sat down as she talked and listened. I learned that the country was ruled by two seemingly immortal sisters in a monarchy system and that each used magic to raise and lower the sun and moon. I learned that the proper term for these horses was pony. Technology wise, they are a few decades away from the industrial revolution in some areas and well beyond it in others. They have magic and I have no idea how that affected their technological development, but it probably was the answer for any questions along that line. I also learned about the marks on the flanks of all the ponies I had seen are called cutie marks and they identify what their talent is.

When this subject came up I glanced at my flanks, no marks. “Heh” I laughed shaking my head.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said once she realized what I was looking at; “You’ll find something you're good at.”

She finished her lecture by talking about the something called the Elements of Harmony and that she was a part of this group. It sounded like a mixture of the Planeteers and the mouseketeers to me, but it was her reality.

“I don’t suppose Zordon has the Dragon Zord ready,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry I didn’t quite get that.”

“Oh, nothing,” I choked through the laughing at her reaction while simultaneously thinking; now I know how John Crichton felt. My thoughts quickly turned to survival in this new world, at least Crichton had Moya, I thought. Food and water would be easy to find but shelter is going to be tough, “Hey,” I started my question, “once I’m out where will I go? I have almost nothing.”

She thought for a bit and her smile returned, “I have a few Ideas. Let me look around, see if I can find you a place to stay.”

Comments

[Lord Charles]

Powerrsgers lets go!

[Truthseeker]

He had always been like this; crazy theory’s, and

theories

Despite my attempts it was enviable that I would be drawn into the center of the mass. 

inevitable
*chuckle* glad to see I'm not the only Virginia brony around. You're going to want to go back through and edit again. Oh and the ending of the chapter felt extremely rushed.

[Galaxy of Equestria]

what he jet or what left of it he arrive in?

[Luckyfanisaac]

Orbital Construction Service Solutions was a project we began as we finished collage.

“Come on girls, we need to go,” she said as she headed back to town as fast as her little legs would go.

didn’t realize how true they were until they left my mouth, I

She finished her lecture by talking about the something called the Elements of Harmony