A woman awakes in the Everfree, no longer a... woman, or a human for that matter... OH THE HUMANITY! How will she cope in this new, strange world she finds herself in? <<FEATURED-Jan 6 2014>>
A woman has turned into a weeping angel. How will she cope? Everypony thinks she is an ugly statue! She cannot speak, and cannot move when anyone is watching her. How will she interact with anypony?
This story is about her coping with her changes and making new friends with pony royalty. Watch as her life is turned upside-down in more ways than one.
(This story is set in the past, when Celestia and Luna are kids.)
Thanks to:
sketchboy for writing majority of this wonderful story! Check him out!
DiscordedWhovian for the awesome coverart, you rock!
I clawed at the leaves and twigs littering the forest floor, struggling to breathe.
'What- what happened?'
I forced my palms into the dirt, lifting the front half of my body off of the ground, I slowly brought up a knee to make an attempt at standing up- the long white robe that hung from my form making it difficult.
'Wait...robe?'
I put off trying to stand for the moment, and sat on my knees.
'This isn't what I wore when I went to bed...'
The robe seemed longer than it was supposed to be, almost as if it were a dress.
'Why am I wearing this?'
Why aren't I in my room? Why am I in the middle of a forest?'Well...might as well start walking...whoever did this took my phone, too'
I groaned to myself as I headed through the thick underbrush of the forest, the trees seeming to stare at me with twisted, evil faces. Yeah, so not creepy, in the slightest.
This has gotta be a prank, a horrible, cruel prank. I reached to one of them, and yanked.
"Ouch! What the-"
Oh my god...
They're real...they can't be real...they aren't real… I shook as I inspected the pure-white wings attached to my back. They were real alright, feathers and everything
'Just what the hell happened last night?'
"Na, it's not real, I'm probably dreaming...no way any of this is real" As if on cue, my wings twitched.
'What am I thinking? I can't fly'
"This would be easier if I just knew where I was..." I moaned.
I continued into what I assumed to be deeper into the forest, swearing to myself as the rocks and twigs laying about assaulted my bare feet. The canopy of the dark forest was soon broken, the trees thinning out as I grew closer to an intimidating castle, the tower spires and ramparts glowing spookily from both the hanging lanterns and the light cast by the moon.
'Am I just supposed to knock?' I thought, walking closer to the castle.
Might as well...I've got nothing else to lose… I nervously got as close as possible, and slammed the circular, iron handle against the wooden door, I backed away from the door with my arms crossed. The door slowly creaked open, a small horse in a silver helmet and armor appeared in the doorway. I tried to laugh, but found my entire head locked in place- along with my entire body. I began to panic as I was dragged into the castle by the armored horse (not something I never thought I'd say).
'C'mon! Move! Move!'
My body didn't listen to my brain, unfortunately, as the horse continued to pull me down the halls of the castle We soon stopped at another set of large doors, two more armored horses guarding it, one had a horn sticking out of its mane, the other with a pair of wings.
'Yeah, I'm definitely dreaming' I thought, still trying to gain mobility of my limbs.
"Where didst thou find this?" the horse on the left asked.
"Just beyond the castle walls, I thought it to be for thy highnesses" 'my' horse answered.
"'Tis ugly and unbecoming- thee should dismantle it" the horse on the right said.
"And if thy highnesses do not wish it? I shall surely be punished"
The two other horses seemed to silently consider it, and the horse's horn glowed The doors opened by themselves, and we continued on. My jaw would've dropped if I was able to move.
'What...was...that?'
He just- he- and then- and-
You know what? Forget it...I'll try to figure it out later...
The guard and I entered a small room, where two small horses with a pair of wings and a horn were playing, the first winged-unicorn was white, with a light-pink mane; the second winged-unicorn was a dark blue, its mane a darker shade, the room almost reminded me of a nursery.
The guard cleared his throat.
"Your highnesses"
"Yes?" the white pegasus/unicorn/horse asked.
"I presume this to be a gift of one of thy subjects"
"Pray tell, what is it?" the blue pegasus/unicorn/horse asked, noticing me.
"I am not sure, if I may hazard a guess, it may be a Diamond Dog"
'What's a Diamond Dog?'
"Mayhaps not, the snout is mishapen" Blue said, pointing
'Great...now my nose itches'
"A dragon, then?"
"There is no tail to speak of" White replied
As the two (pegacorns?) argued, the guard pushed me onto the balcony, and trotted back inside
'Jerk'
"There, I put it out on the balcony, I will move it later if you wish"
"Thank you, Steel"
As I stood on the balcony, I let my mind drift, wondering just what I was, or where I was, for that matter. I knew that I was at least partially human, except for, y'know, the wings and everything...as to why I couldn't move, I'm still drawing a blank on that one, maybe I was bitten by a spider or something, but if that happened...na, it's not paralysis...I could think of about three reasons why I had to go through this today- all of them pretty pitiful.
I mean- it could be worse, right? Right?
The sounds of the two small horses continued as I was trapped in my current position, I was facing forward, towards the horizon, so whatever they did went unseen by me. Dusk was soon upon me, however, and I felt my arms shift ever so slightly, and I took the opporitunity to swing my head to the side, giving me a minimal view of the room. I saw another horse enter the room, with wings and a horn like the smaller ones.
"Goodnight mommy, we love you" Blue said, laying in the bed with White
"I love both of you, too" the taller horse said, giving them both a kiss
The taller horse doused the candle on the bedside table, and left the room. Soft snoring soon filled the air, presumably coming from the pair in the bed, minutes later- I found myself able to move
'Geez, what was all that about?' I thought, walking to the railing of the balcony.
I had to admit, the view- combined with the night sky, looked incredible, no, that doesn't do it justice, I couldn't even begin to describe the sight. I swung my legs over the railing and sat down, the robe/dress flowing down.
'Well I'm here...now what?'
I sat on the railing, pondering life's obligatory questions, when I heard the small sound- like the coo of a dove
'Stupid Dr. Suess...'
"What manner of sorcery is this?!" Blue shouted
(I assumed it was Blue, based on the sound of her voice)
"Thee was not there an hour ago!"
My eyes shot open as the familiar sensation of immobility took over my body. Her hooves clacked against the floor as I assume she ran back into the room
"Tia! Tia! Wake up, Tia!" she said
I got off the railing and shot to the spot the guard had left me, trying to resume the original position.
"Hmm? What is it? Lulu, do you have any idea what time it is?" White said sleepily
"Tia! The statue! The one with the wings! It moved!"
"You had a bad dream...go back to sleep..."
"No! Thou dost not understand! The-"
She cut herself off with a bloodcurdling scream. Needless to say, it took an awful lot not cover my ears. I heard the door crash open, and panicked hoofsteps
"What is wrong?" the motherly voice of the tall
"Th-th-the st-statue, it- it- it moved!" Blue said
"Perhaps you had a nightmare"
"N-no! I saw it move!"
"Come, we'll put this to rest"
"No! It's EVIL!"
The three horses were soon in my line of vision, Blue sitting on the tall one.
"Go on, child- there's nothing to fear" she soothed.
Blue hesitantly reached towards me, her hoof connected with my stomach, resulting in a soft tapping sound.
'...tapping?'
There should have been no sound at all.
'Just what am I?'
Putting off the question for now, the last few minutes played out in my head, Blue's reaction sticking out specifically.
'What was she so frightened of?'
The trio walked back inside, leaving the balcony empty.
'Maybe I can fix this...but how?'
I lost track of time, waiting, to be sure that the two equines were asleep. The moon was just starting its decent as I snuck into the nursery.
'What can I do?'
What could I do? There was no way I could talk to any of them, as far as I knew... I paced the room, wondering...
I found a teeny desk, cute drawings done by the equines spread across it.
'Wait...pen and paper! That's it!'
Then immediately after-
'They don't have hands- how do they hold the pen?'
I shook my head and searched the desk and floor for a pen.
'What did they use? I can't even find a pencil'
Well guess what?
'-ink and quill, sure! Why not?'
I mentally slapped myself as I pulled the quill out of the inkpot. I set the quill upon the parchment, and began to write.
Luna stretched as the morning sun shone through the glass of the balcony doors. She yawned, then fanned her wings.
"'Tis time to rise, sister"
Celestia groaned from beneath the covers.
Luna hopped off of the bed and arched her back, then went to the window- checking to make sure the statue was in its proper place. To her relief, it was.
Luna trotted to the table, noticing the quill out of place, she used her magic to set it back in the inkpot. As her eyes scanned the table, she noticed a piece of parchment, she picked it up to read it.
Dear little horse
Dear blue horse
Dear little blue pegacorn,
I am very sorry for scaring you- could you please forgive me?
-Signed, X
Luna read the note three more times, and found herself growing more confused each time.
'This is not Tia's hoofwriting, or mother's- then who's is it? Surely 'tis not...no! Ridiculous!'
She tore the message in half, and threw it into the waste-basket.
X X X X X X X
"Luna, please, pay attention"
"Hmmm? Oh, yes, sorry mother..."
"You seem a bit distracted, is something troubling you, dear?"
"Just...that strange statue..."
"Yes, what about it?"
"...do statues come to life, mother?"
"No, they don't Lulu, they are figures of stone"
Luna's ears slapped against her head
"Oh..."
A large wing draped over Luna
"If it will cheer thee up, I shall move the statue to the gardens"
Luna repositioned herself beneath the wing, and laid against her side
"That's okay...I'll be brave"
"If you are sure. Now, as I was saying-"
X X X X X X X
Luna tossed and turned in the bed, trying in vain to drift off to dreamland
'This is not working' she thought, tossing off the sheets
She quietly hopped off of the bed, careful not to disturb her sister- the statue's movements and the appearance of the mysterious letter had been troubling her
'Mayhaps the note was from a shy pony? Surely that makes more sense- the statue may be charmed...surely that is the explanation!' she thought, staring into the wastebasket containing the remains of the message.
But just to be sure...
She grasped the quill in her magic, dipped it into the ink, and quickly scribbled out a message- she then turned, and found the statue facing her from the confines of the balcony. She felt a wave of fear wash over her as she never broke eye contact with it
'It is- it is just a charm, nothing more, nothing less' she thought, steeling herself
She blinked- and the winged-statue disappeared
"I really must get more sleep...I'm seeing things..." she muttered to herself
X X X X X X X
I blew some stray hair out of my face as I heard Blue crawl back into the bed
'At least she didn't flip out this time...' I thought, peering around the corner.
She was laying in the bed, facing the opposite wall.
I walked to the railing like I had the night before, and stared up at the moon; partially covered by a blanket of clouds
'Well...no other humans yet...just talking horses...'
There's got to be at least a few humans around
I sighed and attempted moving my wings, the first few tries were failures- only because of the muscles in my back twitching every so often with the movement. I stretched both of them as far as I could, a rush of air caught my wings, and I felt my feet leave the ground, I panicked as I tried to get down again. I felt my bare feet touch the cold, stone floor of the balcony and sighed in relief
'Maybe I can watch Blue and White when they fly...they've got wings'
Filing that away for later, I heard a crash of thunder overhead
'Why are they hopping on the clouds?' I thought, seeing the winged-horses bouncing on the clouds
My question was soon answered as bolts of lightning blasted out from the undersides of the clouds, cutting through the dark sky
'Note to self; don't tick them off'
I folded my wings as more rain began to fall
X X X X X X X
Luna's eyes popped open as the rumble of thunder and lightning continued outside. She ducked under the covers as a bolt of lightning lit up the room, revealing a fearsome shadow on the wall- its large wings spread wide
She squeaked as the shadow disappeared, she looked over her shoulder to the window, and saw nothing
'This is madness- I am losing sleep over a stupid statue!' she thought, getting out of the bed
She trotted to the window, and pushed the doors open- the smell of wet concrete filled her nose as raindrops fell from the clouds overhead, the cool night air mixed with the rain bit through her coat.
She found the statue itself in a sitting position, its back to the wall.
"Why dost thou haunt me? Be you spirit or mortal? How dost thee move when thee is nothing but stone? What sinful act hath I performed to deserve thy torment?!"
Luna stood only inches from the statue- half expecting a response from it.
"What is thy qualm with me?! Ist thou a messenger from the heavens? Or mayhaps escaped from the pits of Tatarus?"
X X X X X X X
I sat against the wall of the castle, the rain somewhat soothing as most of the thunder and lightning died down.
I tried to lift my arm to scratch my nose- and couldn't, I took that to mean someone was watching me.
'What's she doing out here?' I thought, finding myself staring into Blue's large eyes.
"Why dost thou haunt me? Be you spirit or mortal? How dost thee move, when thee is nothing but stone? What sinful act hath I performed to deserve thy torment?!"
'What in the world is she talking about? I'm not made of...what is....they think I'm...a statue...but...that- that doesn't make any sense! How did- how does that even work? I can move just fine... I know I scared her pretty bad- but this- this is something else entirely ...no wonder she's so terrified of me...'
She took a few hesitant steps towards me.
"What is thy qualm with me?! Ist thou a messenger from the heavens? Or mayhaps escaped from the pits of Tatarus?"
'Oh, the poor thing...I've only made things worse...'
I felt tears start to well up, but I couldn't feel them on my face- you know? Like- it was happening- but at the same time; it wasn't...I don't know...
Now, due to the darkness, I was only able to move after the lightning flashed- and if she was going to continue to be afraid of me...there was something I needed to do first...
X X X X X X X
Luna sat in wide-eyed terror, the thunder and lightning only succeeding in adding to her fear. Every few minutes, the statue's arms would inch closer and closer to her- stopping whenever the lightning lit up the area.
The only thought bashing itself against the inside of her head was 'It'sgoingtoeatmeIt'sgoing toeatmeIt'sgoingtoeatme'.
She was frozen in terror as she felt the cold, wet, concrete arms of the statue wrap around her stomach- the entire process took several minutes, the arms starting and stopping at seemingly random intervals. Her fear wavered as she was picked up; seeing tears falling from somber eyes, and rolling down the smooth face of the statue. Luna shook as she found herself staring over the statue's shoulder, and into her own room.
"Thou- thou- is hugging me? Wh- wh- why?"
Her terror spiked again as she heard a soft, melodious voice answer
"To show- I'm sorry for scaring you"
"Why- why- didst thee not talk before?" she asked, still looking over the shoulder
"I can't talk or move if someone is watching me..."
"Dost thou know why?"
"No...I don't...now before I set you down- is there anything you'd like to ask?"
"...hast thee arrived to cause harm?"
"No- I haven't- I apologize again for scaring you..."
"Thee meant no harm..."
"Alright...I'm going to set you down now...and don't open your eyes until I say so" Luna nodded, and closed her eyes
She felt her hooves disconnect from the statue's shoulder, and felt each of her hooves touch down on the floor- she waited a few minutes before she finally heard the voice again
"Alright- you can open your eyes again"
She did, and found the statue in the exact same position she had on that first day.
"I am still not prepared to trust thee- but I thank thee for thy efforts"
The doors to the balcony opened, and her mother and Celestia trotted out.
"Luna?! What are you doing out here? You're going to catch a cold from this rain! Get insidethis instant!" her mother shouted, wrapping her in blankets with her magic Luna and Celestia were led into the room, out of the rain.
"We are going to have a long talk about this in the morning, young filly" her mother said sternly
"Yes mother..." Luna sighed, taking one last look at the statue.
My stomach rumbled as I looked over the railing of the balcony, it was early morning- and the sun still had yet to rise; 'Luna' and I briefly considered sneaking down to the kitchen and grabbing something- but decided against it out of fear of getting caught.
Biting my lip, I hesitantly stood on the railing of the balcony, and spread my wings.
'Here goes nothing' I thought, leaping from the balcony.
My wings caught on a gust of wind- and kept them straight as I glided into the trees.
'Well...that wasn't as hard as I thought it was going to be...'
Leaves and twigs crunched beneath my feet as I walked deeper into the trees, the canopy thickening as I went.
'Who decides to put a castle in the middle of a forest?'
The sound of snapping branches filled the air, I scanned the area- and found no-one and nothing around, or if there was, I couldn't see them. Large, red eyes and glinting fangs stared at me through the trees, I backed away as a large lion walked into the clearing
'Just my luck...' I thought, keeping a good distance away from the lion.
As the lion came into full view, I realized I had no real escape plan- and it had just hit me; I was able to move! Even with this lion staring directly at me
''Maybe it doesn't work the same way for animals...maybe it depends on the amount of intelligence a creature has in order for me to"
‘Nevermind!' my mind screamed 'Figure it out later! Just RUN!'
I obliged as I took off towards the castle, the lion following close behind. I looked behind me as I ran-
'Oh come on! A stinger?! Are you kidding me?'
The lion positioned its stinger, and it shot forward- barely missing my head.
"Of course I'd have to run into you"
The lion bared its teeth and charged, I ran as its paws dug into my legs- I tripped, and wound up being pinned under it. It's foul breath was hot on my face as the lion licked its chops, it opened its jaws- and I was staring into the gaping maw.
'Is this how it ends? Turned into lunchmeat- no proper burial or anything'
As the sharp fangs came closer to my face, anger and rage bubbled inside of me.
'No- it won't end like this-'
I raised my arms, and gripped the lion's paw- doing the only thing I could, I bit into it- hard. The lion roared in pain as I refused to let go, I tasted something metallic as the lion attempted to retract its paw
Blood...it's blood...
I immediately let go of the paw, and the lion fell on its back. It's mane faded to white as its coat became wrinkled. I put my ear to its chest...no heartbeat...
'I- I- k-killed it...but- but how? It just- just- no, this can't be happening...I...what have I done?'
I knelt over the body of the lion, and closed its eyes
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."
I knew it wouldn't do anything to bring back the lion, but...I just felt I needed to...for whatever it was that just happened...
It had also just occurred to me that I was no longer hungry, either... Deciding that it'd take too long to bury the body, I regretfully left it where it was-
X X X X X X X
"Ah- I was wondering where thee went" Luna said, seeing the statue smiling at her.
"Mother and Tia are going to be gone for a few hours. She tilted her head as she recieved no response
"Oh, yes, of course"
She closed her eyes, and heard the melodic voice.
"I had a, um, errand to run..."
"Oh- I've been meaning to ask, what are you?"
"I'm a human" the voice giggled.
"Are all humans made of stone?"
"No..."
"Thou sounds troubled...dost thou wish to talk about it?"
"No...at least...not yet..."
"Very well- now do you have any questions of your own?"
"Er- what are you?"
"I am a pony"
"Do all ponies have wings and a horn? I've only seen you three"
"Yes, we are alicorns"
"And that means?"
"We have the durability of an earth pony, able to fly like a pegasus, and utilize magic like a unicorn,"
"Uh, right...now it's your turn, what did you want to ask?"
"Thou mentioned humans are not made of stone- but are you a human version of a pegasus?"
"No- humans don't have wings or horns, think of all humans as- as earth ponies"
"Thy ponies dost not use magic?"
"No- no magic exists in my world"
"Your...your world?!"
"Uh, yeah- I come from a planet called 'Earth'"
"Im-Impossible! Thou should not be here!"
"Oh tell me about it..."
"Then how did thee manage to get here?"
"...I have no idea..."
"Thou ist an alien- from a different planet, possibly from a different dimension-"
"Uh, I come in peace?"
"What?"
"Nevermind"
"What did thou mean 'Thee comes in peace?'"
"It's a human thing...I don't think you'd understand it"
"Oh-"
*Knock Knock Knock*
"Highness? Is everything alright? I hear voices"
"I am fine- no need to worry" Her statement went unheeded as the door opened.
"Terribly sorry for the intrusion, your majesty...I just thought I heard somepony else's voice"
"No, I was merely...talking to myself!"
"What is that doing in here?" he asked, pointing to the statue.
"I thought it might look better in here..."
"Of course- my deepest apologies, once again"
"No trouble, Silver, thou art dismissed" He bowed, and left the room- closing the door behind him
"That...was much too close..."
"I'll say"
"Now where were we? Ah! What else is there to know about humans?"
"Hmm, how about- I'll tell you all about humans, if you tell me all about ponies?"
"That seems like a fair trade; very well, there are three types of ponies- excluding alicorns..."
X X X X X X X
Silver Sword stood at his post outside the princess' bedroom, wondering what he'd just seen- while continuing to hear two distinct voices behind the door He was lost in thought as he felt somepony bump into him.
"Hey! Watch...it..."
The queen and the princesses themselves were standing just inches away
"I beg for your forgiveness, your highness! I had no idea-"
"It is quite alright Silver, has Luna behaved herself?"
"Of course, but, erm..."
"What is it?"
"I think she's been...talking to herself..."
"Oh? What makes you think that?"
"She, er, moved the statue into the room- and I've been hearing voices..."
"Odd...I believe I will talk with her, thank you Silver"
He nodded and resumed his post. She pushed the door open, and trotted in, her oldest daughter following her
X X X X X X X
It felt wonderful to actually talk to someone, granted they had to keep their eyes closed- but I'll take what I can get; and hey, I'm not complaining- Luna was a great conversationalist despite what I assumed to be her age.
"So thou hast no magic in thy world, whatsoever?" Luna asked
"Nope- none" I said
"And yet thy race still accomplished the events thou spokest of?!"
"Uh-huh"
"How did-"
The door creaked open, and Celestia and the tall alicorn stepped through. Luna opened her eyes and turned away from me
"Oh! Mother, Tia! I wasn't expecting you to be back so early..."
"Luna, what exactly are you doing in here?" Gray asked, holding a hoof to her mouth.
"Um...I was...deciding where I should put this" she said, pointing to me.
"Wouldn't it look better in the gardens?" Gray asked.
"NO! Uh, no, I think either here- or in the hall?"
'What's her deal? She was terrified of me just yesterday. Not that I'm complaining'
"Was that statue always smiling?" Tia' asked.
'Oh crap! Busted!'
"Yes"
"I don't think it was..."
"I can't help it if you don't pay attention to details, Tia" Celestia's face screwed up in thought.
"Luna, have you been talking to this statue?" Gray asked.
"Er- no?"
"Luna-"
"Yes...I was..."
"Why?”
“Um, I had nopony else to talk to?”
‘Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it’
Gray only clicked her tongue and glanced from Luna, to me, and back to Luna.
“Luna, you really should try to make friends with the other foals- instead of talking to inanimate objects”
“But mother-”
“Luna, I don’t mind if you have an imaginary friend- but we can’t keep this statue in here; it’s much too crowded already, we’ll place it in the gardens, and you may visit it when you wish”
Luna sighed and glanced up at me.
“Now come along- dinner is ready”
She nodded, and the trio walked out the door. The door closed- and I collapsed on the floor.
X X X X X X X
Luna, her mother, and Celestia were seated at the dining room table- along with three other guests for the evening. Two stallions and a mare,
“*Ahem* What did thee say thy names were?” Luna asked, seeing their dinner companions.
“These two are Roaring Thunder, and Amethyst Petal” the brown earth pony stallion said, pointing to the pegasus and unicorn. The earth pony’s chocolate brown coat and mane- combined with his blue eyes contrasted with the yellow and green pegasus and the pale orange unicorn
“And who art thou?” she continued.
“I’m the Doctor” he replied.
“Just...the doctor?” she furrowed her brow.
“Yes." he nodded
“But-” she was cut off.
“Don’t worry about it- he won’t tell us his name either” The pegasus mare said.
“I believe you have yet to tell us the purpose of your visit” the queen said.
“Ah! Yes- we’re on a hunt, of sorts” the Doctor said.
“What are you hunting?” The queen asked.
“Weeping Pegasi” he affirmed
“Weeping what?”
“Weeping Pegasi- nasty creatures; they feed on temporal disruption- they’ve been tailing the TARDIS for a while now…”
“What exactly are they?”
“Quantum locking ponyoids- they turn themselves to stone if they think they’re being watched; able to move quick as lightning, disrupting time to feed themselves”
Luna felt her blood freeze.
“Wh-wh-what?” Luna stuttered
“Yes, statues of pegasi- although...they’re not exactly statues…they’ve been known to recruit every now and again...”
“What?” she asked' intrigued.
“If they’re too few in numbers- they tend to turn other statues into Weeping Pegasi”
“You said ‘temporal disruption’ earlier, what does that mean?”
“Ah, let’s see- how can I explain this...er, well...ponies assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective point of view- it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly time-y wimey...stuff”
“Oh…”
“So what does this have to do with anything?”
“The Pegasi feed on energy time disruptions 'cause-"
“But how does-”
Celestia was interrupted as the sound of breaking vases filled the air- originating from the upper floors of the castle
“Good heavens, what in the world was that?"
“That...would be our expected, unexpected guests” the Doctor grinned “Your highness, I recommend you and the princesses stay here”
“Agreed”
“You two, follow me” he said, running through the doors with the mare and the other stallion
“Captain- assemble a platoon of your best guards; provide help and protection, if need be”
“Yes, your highness” Captain Stronghold saluted
The group was soon formed, and they trotted after them.
X X X X X X X
‘It’s unusually quiet tonight’ I thought, standing at my ‘post’ on the balcony ‘I wonder what Luna’s doing now...’
*Crash*
“What in the world?"
I walked through the room and cautiously opened the door, no guards were stationed outside.
‘That’s odd...there’s usually at least one guard out here’ I thought.
I scanned the area, and carefully tip-toed out the door- at the end of the hall, I found three statues of pegasi, all covering their eyes with a hoof
{Close your eyes, you fool! We can’t turn to stone now!} A voice shouted in my head.
{Yeah! We’re too close to stop now!}
‘What?’
{There’s a big energy source right here in the castle! Glorious food...}
‘What are all of you talking about?’
{We don’t have time for this! He’ll be here soon, we need to go!}
I uncovered my eyes, and the three statues were gone.
“That was weird...they’re just like me- only in...pony form…”
I followed them down the hall, making sure to at least partially cover my eyes. What I found- was one of the pegasi locked into a kiss with another statue, the statue he was kissing was a mare in guard’s armor. The pegasus backed away from the statue, and went down the hall with the other two
I walked to the frozen guardpony.
{H-h-help me...I don’t know what happened...I- I- I can’t move!}
‘It’s going to be okay...’
{Who are you? What are you? What’s going on?}
‘I can’t tell you...are you going to be okay?’
{I- I think so- what were those things?}
‘I don’t know myself, but if they did this to you- they can’t be anything good; will you be okay here by yourself?’
{I- I-think so…}
I left the poor guard, and gave chase to the pegasi
X X X X X X X
“Alright, a few things you need to know about Pegasi- no pun intended, of course- whatever you do, don’t turn your back on them, and don’t blink- you blink and you’re dead; they are fast, faster than you can believe, I can’t stress enough, DON’T BLINK”
“What exactly are these things?” a guard in the rear asked.
“Creatures from another world- able to survive because they have the perfect defense system; they’re quantum-locked, meaning whenever any living creature looks at them- they literally turn to stone”
*Crash*
*Crash*
“Remember your training, gentlecolts”
Each of the guards raised their spears, ready for what lay beyond. The Doctor, Thunder, Amethyst, and the guards were approaching the upper floors of the castle when sounds of a struggle filled the air. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw. In the courtyard- was a tall, bipedal statue; its pointed teeth barred and its claws wrapped around the neck of a frightened Weeping Pegasus, the other two laying on the ground- seemingly unconscious. The taller statue’s eyes were closed as all four remained in the current position
"I never thought I’d see the day…” The Doctor muttered.
“S-s-see wh-what?”
He remained silent as he trotted up to the taller of the two.
“You’re not supposed to be here!” he shouted.
He felt his eyes twitch, and blinked as fast as he could- he expected the worst when he did, instead, he was greeted by a look of genuine surprise from the statue.
{A device with enough time energy to feed all of us for eternity}
'You...what?'
{It will feed us forever! We can live without light}
'What do you mean?'
{In exchange for feeding on the Time Vortex in the TARDIS- the sun will extinguish itself}
'You- You're insane! Think of all the lives that will be lost! Think of all that never will be, all because of your stupidity!'
{A small price to pay for our sustenence}
'I'll- I'll stop you before you get there!'
{Ha!}
{You?}
I closed my eyes and dove for the pegasus closest to me, I missed- and rolled in the dirt.
{So close!}
I opened my eyes again, and saw them off to the left out the corner of my eye. I dove again, and caught one of the pegasi in the jaw- I cracked an eye open and saw him strewn out on the floor. I turned and searched for the other two, I hoped for the best as I grabbed one by the hoof and flipped it over my shoulder- leaving one pegasus remaining,
{Come and get me}
'With pleasure'
I whirled around and attempted to grab the pegasus like I had the second- and felt my hand barely graze it, indicating I'd missed my target.
{Ha- you can't catch what you can't see}
I took a shot and lunged towards the source of the... thought? voice? I don't know...
The pegasus and I landed in a heap, me on top- with my hands wrapped around its neck.
{You think you've stopped us? This is only the beginning!}
'You can't be serious...'
I sat there- holding this pegasus, when I heard a male voice shout.
"You're not supposed to be here!"
My head snapped up, and came face-to-face with a brown earth pony.
X X X X X X X
"Doctor, what's wrong? What is this thing?" Thunder asked.
"It's a- er- 'variation' of Weeping Pegasi..." the Doctor replied.
"But what is it?"
The Doctor's reply was cut off by the sound of rumbling thunder overhead, dark clouds gathering against the backdrop of the setting sun.
"Is there a storm scheduled for today?"
"Yes actually, there is"
"You need to get somepony up there and stop it! As soon as possible!"
"Why, Doctor?"
"It'll be dark soon- darkness plus lightning gives the Pegasi a means of escape"
"You heard the stallion! On the double!"
Two pegasi guards saluted and took off- zooming towards the cloud bank; the were too late, however, as droplets of rain had just begun to splash against the floor of the courtyard.
"Just my bloody day..." he muttered "Alright- the rest of you keep track of the Pegasi. Thunder, Amethyst, follow me; we've got to get back to the TARDIS before they do"
"Wait- if they're going to be watching the Pegasi, how are they going to-"
"No time!" he said, running out of the courtyard "Wait, strike that- there's always time!"
The three ponies ran off to who knows where...
X X X X X X X
'That was...different...'
{Indeed it was- now get off of me!}
'And let you and your little friends destroy the world? Not a chance'
{No matter, the storm is coming- and we'll soon make our escape}
'Not if I have anything to say about it'
A bolt of lightning struck a few feet away, and the Pegasus disappeared from my grasp, forcing me to tumble forward.
"Captain! The statues! They're moving!"
"Raise your spears- be prepared" he ordered.
They did, and formed a tight circle around us
{Fools...}
'Don't you dare-'
{We're not after them any way, we have other business to attend to}
The guards could do little to stop the Pegasi slipped right past their police line, after they did, they'd form another one a few feet in front of them- only for it to happen again, and again, and again
It was a little funny to watch actually...
I followed them from a safe distance, and the Pegasi and I were soon out of sight of the guards, and near the basement of the castle.
{It's close- I can feel it}
The three walked into the next room, and I heard shouts of excitement.
{Eureka!}
{At last!}
'This is bad- I need to find the Doctor' I thought, running down the hall.
Given his initial reaction, I think he might be the last one to listen to me, but he was also probably the only one able to help.
'Come on, where are you?'
I sped through the halls- being stopped (much to my annoyance) whenever one of those ponies spotted me.
'Aha! There they are!'
"Doctor..." the unicorn said, tapping the earth pony on the shoulder
"What is it, Thunder?" he asked, pointing a thin, silver stick at a lock on the door.
"The- the weeping pegasus- or whatever it is-" he said, never taking his eyes off of me.
The Doctor turned and met my gaze.
"I don't know how you got here...or why you're here, but you won't get to the TARDIS- none of you wil!l"
'I don't care about a stupid 'TARDIS'...why can't he understand that?'
I don't even know what a 'TARDIS' is!
...I really should have thought this out more- I just realized I can't speak, and all three of them are staring right at me, I basically just screwed myself.
"Roaring Thunder, Amethyst, I think I know where the TARDIS is, we're going to sneak out of here- and don't take your eyes off of it"
‘Roaring Thunder? Amethyst? Weird names...I’ll just call them ‘Amy’ and ‘Rory’’
The Doctor, Rory, and Amy all tip-hooved around me, their eyes still drilling into my back as they ran down the hall.
I regained mobility for a few brief seconds before being locked into place again.
“Who art thou?” a small voice squeaked.
‘Luna?’
“Did you ever intend to cause me harm? Were you ever truly like you seemed?”
‘No...at least...I think...no, definitely not’
“As I said before- I still am not able to trust you, this information being brought to light only succeeds in making things more difficult”
‘Oh perfect-’
“LUNA! Get away from that thing immediately!” Gray shouted, running at Luna full speed.
“But mother-”
“I won’t hear a word of it! Your sister and I have been worried sick! We’re taking shelter, the Doctor is handling the situation”
X X X X X X X
“Ah, finally found you” the Doctor said, as he, Thunder, and Amethyst saw the Pegasi gathered around the blue box.
“How are they going to get inside?” asked Amy.
“What are we supposed to do now-” Thunder sighed.
“I see our final guest has arrived” the Doctor said, turning to the guard-turned-pegasus standing in the doorway.
“How is that going to help us solve this?” Thunder asked.
“He’s pointing at the lantern- why’s he pointing at the lantern?” Amethyst asked.
“Quickly- into the TARDIS!” the Doctor said.
The lantern flickered, the flame inside threatening to go out.
The two other ponies obeyed and the three launched themselves into the police box.
“You two- help me with this! We need to get this thing running” he said, running around the hexagonal control panel.
“But Doctor! We can’t just leave! What about the Pegasi?” Amethyst asked.
Amethyst hung onto a large switch as the TARDIS was rocked back and forth, Thunder doing the same on the other side of the control panel.
“Almost...got it….and- there!” the Doctor exclaimed, pushing a lever forwards.
They hung on for dear life as the shaking progressively worsened, Thunder’s eyes widened as they started to catch glimpses of the room outside the TARDIS.
“What have you done?! They’re going to get us!”
“Eh, we’ll see” the Doctor shrugged.
The TARDIS was slowly starting to disappear all together, Amethyst and Thunder were kneeling on the ground, waiting for the eventual attack-
-it never came.
“Huh?”
They slowly stood up, and looked around them-
“You tricked them!” Thunder realized “They’re all staring at each other- they’ll never move again”
“Was there ever any doubt?” he replied cockily “Now, we’ve got one more...Pegasus to deal with”
“Wait- where did you send the TARDIS?”
“It’s safe, don’t worry” he said, trotting out of the room, the two others following him.
X X X X X X X
I watched as Luna and Celestia were shielded protectively by Gray, although Luna looked as if she were trying to get away.
“I know little of your kind- but am angered by their actions” Gray shouted from the entrance to the courtyard.
‘Please look away, please let me go...I never wanted any of this- I just want to go home’
As if on cue- the Doctor came trotting up
“Ah, Doctor, have you taken care of the other Pegasi?”
“I have- now all that’s left is to take care of this one…”
“No!” Luna shouted “She didn’t do anything wrong! She’s nice!”
‘Oh god...my heart’s going to pop’
The Doctor sighed and rubbed his eyes with a hoof
“I’m sorry...but I can’t take that chance…”
He looked up to Gray,
“Your highness, you wouldn’t happen to have a mirror- would you?”
“Er, yes, of course-” she said, confused.
She motioned to a guard, and he nodded, trotting further down the hall- he returned a few minutes later with a large, ornate mirror in his mouth.
“Thank you” the Doctor said, taking it.
He walked to the opposite wall, and hung it, forcing me to stare at my own reflection.
‘You’re an evil, evil man...er, pony, Doctor’
“If I may, your highness- I suggest you and everypony else here relocate, the pegasi are immobile, and I fear somepony may release them- either intentionally or accidentally”
“Point taken, Doctor” Gray said, lifting her wings ever so slightly, “I’ll take that advice to heart”
The earth pony stallion nodded, and walked down the hall with the pegasus and unicorn- he opened the door to a blue, 1960’s police box, and they all walked inside.
‘THAT’S what all this was about?! A freaking PHONE BOX?!?!...how did all of them even fit in there anyway?’
At this point- I wouldn’t be surprised if Sheldon ran out and yelled ‘Bazinga!’
The next few days passed by in a blur, all of the guards and servants were bustling around, packing things up for the move- Luna occasionally gave me a sad look, and was prodded forward by her mother.
And now, I was alone in the courtyard, alone in the castle, and all alone.
‘Goodbye Blue, you were my first friend on this world…’
It had felt like weeks since Luna, Celestia, and just about every other living creature living in the castle had left...my only company being the occasional bird call and my own reflection.
'What did I ever do to deserve this?' I thought, shooting glares at the large crow resting on my head.
Kill someone in a past life?
Family curse?
Maybe the universe (this universe) was out to get me?
Naaaaa- that's not it...
'Stupid Doctor...why'd he have to come and mess up everything? Okay, things weren't exactly,perfect- hell, I haven't even begun to think of a way to get home...'
And Luna knew about me, right? I mean, not that I didn't like her, I was thankful for that-but where would things have gone from there? Granted I could have tried a little harder to communicate with those other ponies...I knew this was all fine short-term, but in the long run, there was no way that could continue.
'So...in some weird way, the Doctor solved part of my problem...in a twisted sort of way'
Looks like somepony found the silver lining...
I would've face-palmed, had the situation allowed.
'Damn it, now I'm starting to think like them...'
And it all boiled down to one question-
-why did he have to do this to me? I didn't do anything to deserve it...did I? This was all the Doctor's fault...mostly his fault... As I stared at my stony reflection, I couldn't help but wonder when or if I'd ever be set free, the Doctor was seemingly set on keeping me trapped...so unless I see another one of those ponies around here, it's going to be a long while. As my mind wandered, I began to realize just how dire the situation was...being stuck as I was, there was no way to feed- I could starve before the week was over- and to add insult to injury, I'm stranded, as far as I know, in a world of ponies- I'll never finish school, never fall in love, never see my family again...they don't even know where I am...scratch that- I don't even know where I am...stupid Doctor, stupid world, stupid UNIVERSE!
X X X X X X X
'This is getting ridiculous' I thought, glaring at the woodpecker on its perch.
The annoying little bird was currently attempting drilling a hole into my shoulder.
'It's a woodpecker- why the hell is it taking a bite out of me?'
'Shoo! SHOO! Go away!'
The bird didn't heed my mental commands and continued to dig its beak into my shoulder.
'Well, at least one of us is happy...'
The daylight slowly faded into orange and reds streaking across the sky, the view from my spot could've easily been the most breath-taking thing I'd ever seen- if I could've seen more than what was reflected in the mirror.
'I will most certainly lose it before...if...the Doctor comes back'
I knew I was hoping against hope, the chances of him actually releasing me were very slim... very, very slim...
'If I ever get out of here- I'm going to come after you, Doctor, wherever you are...'
In reality, odds were I was doomed to never leave the walls of the castle, and even if I did- there was absolutely no chance of finding him, and even then, I don't know if I'd be able to follow through with it...
...If this is heaven- I've been screwed.
X X X X X X X It was dark now, a little before midnight based on the position of the moon. The twinkling stars were beautiful, to say the least, even moreso without the light pollution of Earth...thousands upon thousands of tiny, sparkling dots lighting up the sky- cricket chirps and bullfrog croaks filling the empty castle and the cool, night air.
'All in all, not a bad way to go...' I mused.
The woodpecker had long since flown away. A few minutes after it had left, I hoped he/she would come back, the stupid little bird may not have been able to talk- but hey, some company was better than none at all, right?
"Aw...is the lonely statue missing her little bird friend?" A feminine voice asked.
'Wh-who said that?'
"I did, who else?"
'I- I- don't even know who you are!'
"Right, how silly of me"
Wait a minute- she can understand me! Whoever she is...
A young woman (a young human woman, I might add), in a brown pinstripe vest and pants stepped into the courtyard- her mismatched shoes making almost no sound on the cobblestone, she walked across the courtyard; and circled me several times, her red-and-yellow eyes-combined with her black and white crop of hair were oddly hypnotizing as she looked me upand down.
"You're a little taller than they said you'd be" she said, stopping in front of me, and placing her hands on her hips.
'What are you talking about? Who are you? How can you understand me?'
"The higher-ups got business with you, I'm Eris- goddess of chaos, and I think that explains your third question" she said, counting her fingers.
'Who are the 'higher-ups'? Why are you helping me?'
"Ugh, I can't believe I have to explain this to you...alright, I'm the goddess of chaos, 'goddess' as in singular- they" she pointed upward "want to see you- the others, gods and goddesses, 'gods and goddesses' as in plural; capiche?"
'Yeah...'
"They" she pointed upwards again "sent me down here to get you- get it?"
'Y-yes...'
"Good, now let's go- lest her highness get ticked"
Before I could respond, she snapped her fingers- and my vision went dark, as it felt like I was being yanked every which way; spiralling into who-knows-where.
X X X X X X X
"..ke...p..."
'Just five more minutes, mom...'
"Wa...up!"
'uggggh'
"WAKE UP!"
I screamed as I shot up- and fell flat on my face.
"Nice" Eris deadpanned.
"And you...I can talk!"
"Yeah, and so can I- what's your point?" " No- I mean I can move! I can talk! I can do anything I want!" I cheered.
"Uh...huh, welp- we'd better get moving, they've been expecting us" Eris said, adjusting her tie.
I nodded, and got to my knees- Eris held out her hand and I took it, and I shakily stood up.
"Feelin' alright?" she asked.
"Y-yeah, let's go"
She nodded and led me into a large castle- it appeared be larger than the one in the forest.
"You seem awfully quiet" she finally said.
"It's just...a lot to take in...this place it's- so beautiful..."
"If you think this place is nice, you should see Tartarus"
"Wha?"
'Just drop it'
We continued walking, and Eris stopped short, forcing me to bump into her. "Here we are" she said, placing a hand on the door handle "you sure you're ready?"
"I think so...yes"
Eris muttered something to herself and pushed the doors opened.
"Eris, have you completed your task?" a motherly voice asked.
"Nope- just came back for my keys" she replied sarcastically.
I heard a groan, and male voice spoke up.
"Did you or didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did. Jeez, don't get your tail in a knot..." Eris muttered.
"Honestly Eris, sometimes I wonder why we put up with you"
"If I may, where is our guest?" said the motherly voice.
Eris floated out of the room, and took me by the arm.
"Well? Come on then, everypony's waiting for you!" she said, pulling me into the room.
"I-In th-there? B-b-but..."
"Ah, come on- you'll like 'em" Eris insisted.
"Alright! Alright!" I said, shaking her off of me.
Her feet lifted off the ground and flew back into the room.
I hesitantly followed her, and saw several other equines in the room. All of them were seated in chairs positioned in a half-circle, the tallest pony sitting in the center, she was bright yellow- and had horn and wings just like Luna, Celestia, and Gray. Her mane and tail were white, almost making me blind by looking at her.
"Um, hello?" I said.
"Greetings" she replied, "Can I assume you are the one we are looking for?"
'What?'
"That...er, depends..." I stated.
Yellow turned her head to an earth pony mare.
"Are you sure this is her, Time?"
"I am certain, there is no mistaking it" she said with a little edge in her voice.
"If you are sure"
She turned back to me.
The guard's expression hardened, and he lowered his spear.
"Perhaps we should talk more in private" she said "the rest of you are dismissed for the evening"
The other ponies seated in the room nodded, and stood up to leave- they proceeded out of the room single file, trotting off to...somewhere.
I opened my mouth to speak, and she quickly silenced me.
"That means you too, Eris" ,she smirked.
"Curses, foiled again..."
The air rippled, and Eris faded into existence.
I jumped at her sudden appearance, making her laugh. She straightened her vest, and walked out.
"Come, child, we have much to discuss" she said, walking out of the room
"L-l-like what?" I asked, following her
"As I said before, you do not belong in this world; needless to say, we are doing our best to return you"
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but what about...this?" I asked, indicating myself "I can't even move without someone seeing me! Even if you did send me back, what would I go back as?"
She looked at me for a few moments, and her ears slapped against her head
"I hadn't thought of that...I'm terribly sorry, if our search is all for naught, then you are truly stranded..."
She trotted into a large, ornate room, and motioned for me to follow.
We were quickly settled in, the queen laying on her bed, and me sitting a few feet from her.
"...but you're still trying, right?" I asked.
"We're doing the best we can, but..."
The statement went unfinished as I felt tears well up in my eyes.
"This just had to happen to me" I muttered "Someone else couldn't have just..."
"I know..." she muttered.
"No, you don't, when have you ever lost everyone and everything close to you?" I sniffled. "Have no chance of accomplishing your dreams, all because you were ripped away from your own planet?"
The tears were flowing freely now.
"Why did any of this have to happen to me? Why was I even brought here?"
I offered little resistance as her fore-hooves pulled me to her chest, wrapping her wings around me, and held me close.
"Shh, shh, it's alright child, everything is okay" she cooed.
"N-no i-i-it's no-not"
"Just let it out, I'm right here..." she said.
It was probably the most pathetic sight she'd ever seen, but I didn't care- I needed to vent, and lashing out at someone else down the line the longer I waited wasn't on my agenda.
"You are wrong, I do know what it's like to lose loved ones- it's painful, I know, but time heals all wounds..."
"Thank *hic* you..." I said as I wiped some tears for my face.
"There's no need to thank me" she whispered, still hugging me tightly, "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, *hic* I th-think so"
We sat in that position for a few more minutes, and I pulled away.
"So...how did I get here?" I asked, rubbing leftover tears out of my eyes
"There lies the bulk of our problem, nopony seems to know how or why" she admitted sheepishly.
"Though, where am I now?" I asked.
"You are in the 'Eternal Dimension of the Gods'. Time named it.." she replied.
"I wonder if the jump from this height would kill me..." I sighed, looking out the window.
"I hope you are using sarcasm" she warned.
"Very strange, indeed, perhaps Time or Space will know- I'll have to remember to ask them later..."
She snapped herself out of her thoughts and looked to me.
"Oh well, enough of that for now; I will give you time to rest" she said, standing up "Can I expect you for the evening meal?"
"Um, yes, I'll be there"
She nodded and walked to the door.
"One more thing, if you need anything, just ask one of the guards"
I nodded, and she finally left the room.
The door closed, and I finally collapsed onto the bed.
X X X X X X X
POV Eris
"You may reveal yourself now" Golden Ray said casually.
"How long have you known?" Eris asked, standing upside-down on the ceiling, "By the way, you don't mind if I leave footprints up here, do you?"
"One of these days, Eris..."
"So, how's the kid?" I asked.
"You should know, you were listening the entire time" she annoingly answered.
"Yeah, but I wanna hear you tell it." I replied.
"Eris, I am warning you right now, she is very vulnerable- I don't want to see her mind in a worse state than it already is-"
"It was one time! One time!" I screamed.
"Regardless, this is your only warning" she scolded.
"I know, I know" I said dismissively
She teleported to the floor as the alicorn walked down the hall, she cracked the door open and peeked inside- the 'human' was curled up in a ball, weeping.
'Damn, kid- you really are broken...'
X X X X X X X
I floated through the halls of the castle, idly splashing mustaches on all of the paintings. I stopped through, when I saw the used-to-be-human.
"Hey sport, what's up?" I asked, throwing the paintbrush like a dart.
The paintbrush flew down the hall and exploded when it made contact with a painting. She didn’t even flinch, she just looked up- and locked eyes with me.
'Jeez, her eyes are redder than mine...' I thought.
"How're you doing?" I asked.
"Fine..." she mumbled.
"So, ah, anything you want to know?" I offered.
The girl looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.
"Why are you the only other human I've met here?" she firmly asked.
"Well...see...the thing about that is, I'm not a human" I quietly answered.
"Then what are you?" she asked.
"I don't think you're ready to handle it...maybe later..."
'You owe me one for this, Goldie'
"Yeah, I think that's best..."
"You, um, want to talk about it?"
"...not right now, thank you"
"Alright, I guess I'll be on my way then"
"Wait, uh, actually- there is one thing..."
"Yeah?"
"How can I move? How can I talk?"
"I think you know the answer to that, you see- the vocal chords vibrate, causing-"
"No..." she sighed "In...Equestria? Yeah, I think that's it...anyway, back in Equestria, I couldn't move or anything while someone was watching me, why doesn't that work here?"
"The application of a little chaos magic, is all"
"But what about physics? How does it work?"
"Physics? Ha! Physics run in terror at the mere thought of me, flailing its arms and screaming!"
"How does it work, then?"
"Think of it, and it happens- easy, get it?"
"Uh, I think so?"
"Close enough" I shrugged, "Hey, I got something that'll cheer you up- c'mere"
She walked closer, and I took her by the shoulder- she shrieked as we teleported to the highest spire of the castle.
"You can open your eyes" I said, letting go of her.
"N-n-no!"
"It's perfectly safe, see?"
To prove my point, I stamped my foot on the ground repeatedly.
A nearby section of the wall collapsed, causing her to squeak as she curled up into a ball and clutched her head.
"Are you okay?" I asked, kneeling down.
"I j-j-just want all of th-this to e-end"
"It will kid, I know for a fact Goldie is trying her hardest"
The winged-human continued to sob as I helped her to her feet.
"Um...there there?"
What? Give me a break! I'm not used to this touchy-feely stuff
"Th-thank you, I th-think I'll be f-fine"
"You know why I brought you up here?"
"N-no, wh-why?"
"The view from up here is incredible" I admitted.
She gasped as she looked out of the window.
"I know, right?"
"Do you come up here a lot?"
"Not often, no"
"I, just can't believe this- it's so beautiful, surreal even"
"Hey, uh, sorry for, y'know, scaring you like that"
"It's alright, thank you though, this is amazing"
"No problem...Ooh, it's almost time for dinner! You want to teleport down there?"
"Um, no thank you, I think I'll take the stairs"
"Eh, your loss"
I snapped my fingers, and teleported to the dining room.
"There you are, Chaos" Time said, already seated with Harmony and Space.
"For the last time, my name is Eris" I huffed, crossing my arms.
"I can't fathom why you insist on keeping that form"
"It's for the sake of our ‘guest’"
"Since when were you one to consider somepony else's welfare?" Time asked.
"I could ask you the same thing" I shot back
"Not all of us can be as...frivolous with our power as you are"
"Just because I have a little fun doesn't mean I'm irresponsible; and haven't you and Space made a few mistakes too?"
"A few hiccups here and there, but nothing near the trouble you've given us"
"Exactly, so don't be so quick to judge"
Time's expression hardened as Good and Evil trotted into the room
Good was a pegasus with a pure white coat, her cutie mark of a white cloud with a smiley face the halo floating above her head adding to the shine of her coat. Evil was a pegasus as well, save for his appearance being the exact opposite of her, his red coat and black mane accentuated his horned head and standard demon-tail.
"And where have you two been?" I smirked
"Having a conversation about our 'guest'" Evil said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't say it like that, she's nice" Good insisted
"You think everything and everypony is 'nice'"
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask, what exactly is she?" I asked, "Humans don't have wings"
"She is a Weeping Pegasus" Time answered "Or- at least a variation of it"
"What are Weeping Pegasi?" I asked, mildly interested.
"Vile creatures that feed on time energy"
"Really?" Good asked, "she doesn't seem that mean"
"That is what bothers me" Time answered, "the fact that she can speak of her own accord is doing nothing to ease my fears"
"Well you know, I think-"
Space shut her mouth as the winged-human herself walked into the room.
"Have you found anything pertaining to our guest?" Eris asked, taking a bite out of her plate and downing it with a glass of chocolate milk
I'm not kidding, she actually drank the glass
"I'm right here, you don't have to keep referring to me as 'the guest'" I said
"You never told us your name- I could call you 'human' if you prefer"
"...'guest' is fine..." I muttered
'Goldie' cleared her throat, trying to hide a smirk at Eris' antics. "As I said before, we've had very little luck in tracing your origins- our search has come up with nothing."
"It's alright" I sighed "I'm sure I'll get home eventually..."
"You must tell me about your home" Time insisted
"Well...it's very, um, spherical- and there's a lot of water"
"How much?" she implored.
"About 75% of the planet is covered with it..." I replied quietly, not used to the attention.
"I see- did you always have wings?" she asked.
I became very interested in my plate as her eyes continued to drill into me.
Yellow cleared her throat, and the other mare broke her gaze.
"So..." she interrupted.
"I...think I'll just...go back to my room..." I muttered, getting up from the table.
I felt their eyes bore into me as I left the room.
X X X X X X X
Eris POV
"How's she doing?" I asked, watching Goldie trot out of the human's room.
"A bit better than she was before..." she responded.
"How long before you tell her?" I asked.
"I cannot, for I do not relate to her, nor do I have the heart to. Could you break the news to her, instead? Though, she will need time to grieve and adjust to the situation."
"..." I sighed. "Alright. Oh, by the way- I've got a teensy favor to ask of ya."
"Eris, if this is about filling the ballroom with whipped cream again-" she began.
"Nah, nothing like that; but that was pretty funny, wasn't it? Though, anyway, what's Time's problem? She acted pretty cold towards her" she said, pointing to the girl's room.
"You are aware of her condition, correct?" she stated. (She didn't ask, mind you.)
"Uh-huh" I nodded.
"She has been cursed to nourish herself by forcing ponies back through time" she contiued.
"Pretty neat...so Time's all bent out of shape because her little timeline is getting screwed up?" I responded.
"Eris, I am in no mood for this..." Wow... She really knows me...
"Well when are you? All of this isn't going to fix itself, you know Time is going to try something, especially with what- who, she is. She can't stay here forever, she can't go back to her own world, I think she at least deserves to go back to Equestria." I fumed.
"And why, pray tell, have you taken such special interest in her?" her eyebrow raised.
“What? Can’t I just help a misplaced dimensional traveller find their way home?” I retorted.
Goldie sighed and walked down the hall.
X X X X X X X
"Guest" The Weeping Angel POV
Something fuzzy held my shoulder, still in my sleepy state, I took hold of it and cuddled it like a teddy bear.
*Ahem* "I’m gonna need that back...” Eris deadpanned, trying to retract her paw.
"Huh? What’s going on?” I asked groggily, releasing the appendage.
"Time’s up, Goldie says I gotta take you home.” Eris replied
"Wha? She found my planet?” I jumped out of bed, with my wings fully outstretched, and promtly fell due to the lack of response from my legs.
“Er, no...I’m sorry kiddo, they haven’t found anything...she figured it’d be more merciful to send you back down there- start over, y’know?”
"Start over? START OVER?!?!” I screamed, getting up. "I had a FAMILY, I had other responsibilities! And you expect me to START OVER?!”
Eris shrunk back, an apologetic look on her face.
“I’m sorry...if there was anyway to send you back, I would- we would, but we can’t…”
I cried to the heavens in anger, damning whatever deity had decided to bring me here, forcing me to stay in a world I didn’t belong, as something I wasn’t.
Eris laid her paw on my shoulder in sympathy.
"I know kid, this isn’t funny- it goes too far *gag* even for me…” she frowned slightly.
"Take me home…” I scowled.
"Right now? Are you sure? You at least want to-” she was cut off.
"No! I’ve had enough! I want to go home!” I retorted angrily.
Eris cocked an eyebrow and shrugged.
She snapped her fingers, and both of us disappeared in a flash of blinding light.
X X X X X X X
~ Excerpt from ‘Daring Do and the case of the Living Statue’ ~
It’s been five weeks since my crew and I have began exploring the ruins of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree forest, I’ve been tempted to leave, given that some of the other ponies claim to have seen that odd looking statue in the courtyard making faces at them. One minute, they’re completely fine, the next, the statue is holding one of their hats or saddlebags- I just think this is a big prank being pulled on the younger colts and mares…
I'm not sure if this is normal, not normal at all...
Eris was pinching the bridge of her slender nose, sighing. “I told you, if I let you out now, the repercussions could be catastrophic” she said. “Not that I wouldn’t enjoy it, but still…”
‘If you won’t release me, then who will?’
“It’s just a matter of time…” she said apologetically.
‘Who?’ I questioned
“Space didn’t specify...but you’ll know, believe me” she answered.
‘Why should I believe you? You’re leaving me here to rot...’ I retorted, downcast.
“No I’m not” she defended “By the way, I got you a little something” She reached into her vest and removed a gold pocket watch.
‘What- why?’ I asked as she wrapped the chain around my neck, securing it.
“You need food, right? Eating time energy?” she questioned.
‘I...think...’ I said worryingly.
“Just wind this part up” she said, pointing to the hands of the watch “and you’ll be fed for that number of hours; don’t telI Time I gave you that”
‘Thank you, this will really help!' I gave her a small hug.
“No problem kid” she said, waving a hand dismissively. “See ya in a few hours”
Eris snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving me to stare into my own reflection once more.
...Just wonderful…
X X X X X X X
~ Excerpt from ‘Daring Do and the case of the Living Statue’ ~
“Miss Do!” Rusty cried, running towards me.
“What is it? What did you find?” I asked.
“Nothing, b-but th-that statue-” he stuttered.
“I’ve told you, it’s just your imaginations playing with you- there is nothing wrong with that statue, I’ve checked” I waved my hoof dismissively.
The stallion shook as he looked nervously to the courtyard.
“Does Bonepick still have that watch they found on it?” I questioned
“Yes." he quickly replied.
“Inspect it, maybe it’s the secret to all of this…” I infered.
“Yes ma’am” he said. The stallion saluted and ran off.
X X X X X X X
I dusted off a wall of ancient equine glyphs just as a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the halls of the castle. I ran back to the throne room to do a party check. “What happened? Who screamed?” I asked.
Rusty silently pointed into the courtyard, I looked down, and saw Bonepick playing tug-of-war with the statue, the glinting gold casing of the pocket-watch between them. Bonepick held the watch firmly between his teeth, struggling to take it. The statue itself was putting up a good fight of its own, or wasn’t, I wasn’t sure- it occurred to me that this was the first time I’d ever actually seen the statue move.
“Bonepick, what are you doing?” I deadpanned.
“The blasted thing won’t give the watch back!” he called from below.
“Maybe if you asked it nicely?” Rusty suggested.
Bonepick and I shot him a deadpan look.
“What?” he shrugged
“Hey!” Bonepick called “This thing can’t move when it’s being watched, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what we think” I replied “Why?”
“Go get me a mirror." he commanded.
X X X (Canterlot, year 940) X X X
Thunder rumbled overhead as lightning charged the air, giving the atmosphere a damp feel. Ponies trotted hurriedly past the newest addition to the Canterlot Gardens, some because they believed it to be bad luck, others just wanting to get home before the eventual downpour drenched the streets. The statue of the biped held its arms outstretched, palms facing the sky, a look of peace and calm adorning its face.
All the while, nopony noticed a small, pink, pegasus filly crying in the arms of an angel.
‘Come on Eris, where are you?’ I thought impatiently.
She said she’d be back in a few hours, but it’s felt like days- she wouldn’t have just left me here, would she? No, that’s ridiculous, she wouldn’t do that...I know she wouldn’t… My mind began to follow that train of thought, as it did, questions began to crop up.
Why was she the only other human I’d met?
Why did she always hang around?
Was she this nice to everyone else?
I shook the more negative thoughts from my head (figuratively, of course) and let my mind wander to other things. Such as my game plan for a possible way home, Eris and the others had already established that it wasn’t possible, but that wasn’t going to stop me from trying...how I was going to get home was the problem. There was no one I could go to that could help with my ‘problem’, so I’m stuck here for the time being.
Speaking of time, the sun was starting to go down, painting the sky an inferno of orange and red.
‘Someone, anyone, please save me...’
That was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.
X X X X X X X
I was snapped out of my slumber as noise filtered into the castle, it was early morning now and Eris had not yet returned. The noise was out of place, not belonging to the normal sounds of the castle and surrounding forest.
‘I’ve heard that sound somewhere before...’
*WhooOOosh*
‘It’s on the tip of my tongue...’
*WhoooOOOosh*
*WhoooOOOosh*
*WhooOOosh*
‘That was odd...what was it?’
Just then, a fairly young man appeared in the mirror, standing on the ramparts above.
‘Oh god! It’s the Doctor! He’s come back to finish me off!’ I screamed mentally.
Yet the man did nothing...he just stood there, staring at me with a thoughtful expression on his face. His reflection reached into the pocket of his jacket and removed a stick. He pointed it at me, and I mentally screwed my eyes shut, preparing for the worst.
It never came.
I wondered what he was doing, when the mirror hanging on the wall burst into a thousand pieces, leaving just the frame.
‘He’s setting me free? But how? Why?’
The man turned, and disappeared from view, not glancing back.
*WhooOOosh*
*WhoooOOOosh*
*WhoooOOOosh*
*WhooOOosh*
‘What? W-why would he do that? Was that even the Doctor? It didn’t even look like him! I-I-I-’ I was confused, to say the least.
I decided to think more on it later, and took to roaming the halls, scavenging for anything the ponies might have left behind.Needless to say, there wasn’t much there, a scant few paintings, bits and pieces of forgotten or rusting armor, that kind of thing. I figured I could break the paintings and use the frames as firewood (I wasn’t going to burn the paintings, I don’t care if they’re alien or not. Live with it), and the armor could probably be of use as well, just not at the moment.
‘Why would they even leave any of this behind? Were they really in that much of a rush to get out of here? To get away from me? Am I really just some monster that deserves to be shunned and feared?’
Hot tears ran down my face as I bent down to pick up the pieces of the armor, I didn’t find much in the way of protection, but found a dagger and sword, a sheath laying near the latter. I wrapped the sheath’s belt around my waist and sheathed both the sword and dagger.
‘What’s wrong with me? Reduced to this...’ I sulked.
Hours later, I managed to wander back into the courtyard, finding almost nothing of interest in the main halls. Not wanting to get lost in the castle when I had just been set free, I settled on making up a plan to explore later.
‘Maybe something downstairs might be of interest...’ I mused.
I sat down on a stone bench and contemplated my plan for the future.
Step 1 - Explore castle.
Step 2 - Leave castle.
Step 3 - Escape forest.
Step 4 - Find the Doctor?
Step 4 - Attempt communication with natives.
Step 5 - ????
Step 6 - Profit
‘Well...looks like I’m all set...’ I thought sarcastically.
*Pop*
“Hey kid, said I’d be back, didn’t I?” Eris smirked, hovering a good three feet off the ground.
I stared up at her.
“What? Something in my teeth?” she asked.
“...you can fly…” I stuttered, breathless.
“Yeah, why’s that a...oh, right….” she scratched her head.
“What?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Truth is, I’m not actually a human” she darted her mismatched eyes side to side.
“Then what are you?” I questioned
“What? No questions about magic?” she was confused.
“No.” I confirmed.
“Alright, you might want to...oh, you already are." she said.
She snapped her fingers, and a bright flash blinded me before it subsided. When it cleared, Eris was replaced with a mix-and-match creature right out of some fairy-tale; the serpentine creature’s female-like head was practically covered in a thick layer of white hair, two horns sticking out of it, her eyes had remained the same red and yellow from before (and to be honest, it really didn’t surprise me), the dark grey muzzle and snaggletooth sort of completed the look. Her limbs were all animal-like, the left and right arms were that of a lion paw and eagle claw, respectively, while her legs had turned into a deer hoof and a scaled-foot, her thestral and feathered wings were spread as she stood, and last but not least, a thick, red tail swished idly behind her, a tuft of white fur hanging from the end.
“Well?” she asked impatiently.
“Well what?” I replied.
“Aren’t you going to...y’know...do it?” she half-heartedly said
“Do what?” I shrugged.
“Scream! Run! Cry wolf! Something! Anything!” she waved her paw-thingies.
“Why should I?” I asked. (It was a legit question...)
Eris stood there, a stunned expression on her face.
“You, dear, are a very strange, very odd ex-human.." she muttered.
“And why would that be?” I questioned.
“In case you haven’t noticed, my social calendar isn’t exactly full." she replied.
“What does that mean?” I looked up at her.
“What do you think it means? Look at me, I’m not exactly ‘pony material’” she air-quoted.
“So? What does that matter?” I said, confused on what she meant.
“I know! But...it gets lonely sometimes...being goddess of chaos isn’t all cotton candy and orange soda, y’know…” she shrugged.
‘Wow…that’s the most emotion I’ve ever seen her show before...’ I thought.
“Tell me about it." I deadpanned.
“Hey, no little pony can compete with this” she smirked, striking a pose.
“Right” I said, rolling my eyes.
Eris ‘hmmph’d’ and flew upward.
“Hey, you want to help me explore the rest of the castle?” I asked.
“Why not?” Eris shrugged “I’ve got an eternity”
X X X X X X X
“Whoooooppppppeeeee!” Eris shouted, sliding down the stone ramp just behind me.
We were both slipping down a passageway hidden by a suit of armor on one of the upper floors.
“Come on kid” she laughed, nudging me “it’s more fun when you put your arms up like this!”
She raised her arms up over her head as we continued our descent. A door at the bottom swung open, slinging both of us into a small library. The shelves still containing a scant few books left behind.
‘Well at least I’ve got something to do now...’ I mentally muttered.
“Aw...it’s over…” Eris complained.
“Come on” I said, dusting myself off as I stood up. “Let’s look around, maybe we can find something interesting.”
“You sure about that?” she raise an eyebrow.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged.
X X X X X X X
Unbeknownst to the two, an emerald green phone box was materializing in the courtyard, the words ‘Police Public Call Box’ above the glowing windows.
Chapter 11 - The Angel, The Draconequus, and the Time Lord
‘What in the world is that?’ I asked, staring at the Phone Box in the courtyard.
“It ain’t the Doctor, that’s for sure…” Eris muttered.
‘What?’
“Nevermind! Let’s go check it out." she changed the subject.
Eris and I made our way down to the courtyard, we stared at it for a few more moments before Eris finally broke the silence. “Well we’re not going to find out anything this way, are we?” she sarcastically stated.
She flew up and laid on the roof of the box, reached down, and knocked on the door. We waited a few seconds before the doors opened, two figures stepped out, one was the man that had set me free, the other was a deep blue pony with an electric green mane, the mark on her flank was an infinity symbol turned on its side, two lines cut through it, one above the center, the other below, something looked like it was in the space inside the symbol.
‘It almost looks like an hourglass’ I thought, watching the human and pony exit the box.
“This should be it...” the human said “Unless we went too far”
“No, we’re in the right place” the mare replied, glancing around the courtyard “Are your landings always like this?”
“Not always...” he responded.
He turned and saw me.
“Oh there she is” he said, approaching me.
‘How does he know who I am?’
He pulled...something...out of his pocket and pointed it at me. It whirred for a few seconds before it turned off and he checked it.
“Eeyup, this is her alright?” he exclaimed, putting the thing away.
‘Wait a minute...where’s Eris?’
As if on cue, a downpour of cream pies hurled themselves from the sky, filling and tins went everywhere as Eris appeared, holding an umbrella at the wrong end, miraculously shielding her from the barrage. The the other two weren’t so lucky, the pies continued to fall as they ran for cover, they ducked out of the courtyard as Eris appeared on the ramparts above, sitting in the seat of a cannon. She shouted “Fire!” and launched a giant water balloon from the mouth of the cannon, the man and pony ducked as the balloon burst, gallons of water drenching them in the process.
I saw the mare stick her head out from behind a pillar, her mane sopping wet.
“Are all of your adventures this exciting? Can we do that again?” she asked to no one in particular.
She was yanked out of view as another water balloon broke, sending water everywhere once more.
“I know what you truly are!” The man’s voice rang over the chaos “You weren’t a Weeping Angel! You were a human!”
‘Eris, stop for a minute!’ I pleaded.
“Oh, but why?” she pouted “The real fun hasn’t even started yet!”
‘Please, this could be important!' I bargained.
The barrage finally stopped and the man cautiously peeked out, he motioned for the pony to follow, then walked towards me. Eris floated down, hovering behind them, arms crossed.
“I have a message from Bad Wolf!” he said, glancing behind him to look at Eris.
‘Who’s the Bad Wolf?’ I thought.
“She said that she’s sorry for what happened to you...you don’t deserve this...I’m sorry…”
“Who are you?” Eris asked, voicing my thoughts.
“My name is Zero, I’m a Time Lord, and as I said, Bad Wolf offers her apologies, it was never her intent for this to happen…”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“She was probing the Void, and it...got out of control...I’m sorry…” He faced the ground in shame.
‘Wait, so I’m here because this Bad Wolf character was messing with something called the ‘Void’?’ I furrowed my no existent brow.
“Is that all?” Eris asked impatiently.
“Yes, I’m afraid it is…” he replied “If you need to contact me, just...whistle, or something…”
“Believe me, when I call you, you’ll know it.” Eris said, mirth lacing her voice.
The man coughed and went back into the phone box, the pony following.
‘What was all that about?’ I asked, watching the box disappear.
“I have no idea” Eris replied “At least we found out why you got sent here!”
‘Yeah...yay me...’ I said sarcastically.
“Hey, cheer up” she said “C’mon, you wanna go down that slide again?”
‘Sure...why not...’ I think she’s starting to rub off on me…
“Hey, it just occurred to me, what’s your name?” she asked offhandedly.
“H-hope...my name is Hope." I replied.
Eris shrugged as we went on our way towards the top of the castle again.
This world is going to kill me. One way or another...
Eris and I sat on the ramparts of the castle, staring out at the expansive forest, a huge mountain relatively close. We both sat on the edge, my feet hanging as I sat back, my wings splayed out on the concrete; Eris, naturally, sat just the opposite, her head hanging over the side, her mismatched legs idly kicking the air.
'What do you think, Eris?' I asked.
"Of what?" she replied.
'Just...anything...'
"I think that if genetic engineering continues the way it is, flying pigs will be a very real possibility in the next century" she nodded with a mock serious expression.
I was laughing so hard, I couldn't breathe.
'What would you say if we were to leave?'
"Leave? I'm all for it! Go where?" she jumped up and pulled a generic hero pose.
'Anywhere! There's a whole world out there, full of ponies no less!'
"You noticed too?" she smirked "Good, I thought I was going nuts."
I rolled my eyes as I smirked, staring up at the morning sky.
'What I mean is...what if we left the castle, and saw the world, really go out and poke around?'
Eris remained unusually quiet, silence dominating the air as I waited for her reply.
'This is out of character for her...she's almost never quiet' I thought, sitting up.
I looked over the edge, and saw that the almost constant smile wasn't spread across her face, it was instead replaced with a look of thought, her muzzle wrinkling in concentration.
'Eris?'
"Huh? What? Oh...yeah, sure! Sounds fun..."
That didn't sound very convincing to me...
'Eris, what's the matter?'
"Nothing" she looked away examining a particularly interesting stick.
'Yes there is...' I pressed
"No, there isn't." she retorted with her arms crossed
'Please just tell me, I'm worried...' I begged.
"Well you know what? So am I!" she cried, sitting up.
'What?' I scratched my head.
"You got me, okay? I'm worried about you!" she yelled waking her arms for effect.
'Me? Why?' I raised a nonexistent eyebrow.
"Think about it, y-you're my..." she stuttered.
''You're my' what."
"You're my...first...friend..."
'I am? But what about all those ponies in the Plane?'
Eris snorted, rolling her eyes.
'Can I take that as a no?'
"Uh, yeah." she waved a claw.
'Fair enough'
Eris sat up and stretched, her wings fanning out as her arms went skyward. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" she said enthusiastically, standing up.
'Right now?' I asked.
"Sure! Why not? Nothing going on around here"
'Fair point...okay, let me get ready'
"Shouldn't take too long" Eris smirked as I stood.
A smile of my own spread across my face as I headed down the stairs, the sword and dagger around my hips swinging as my feet padded against the steps.
'What would I do without her?' I thought, roaming the halls, searching for anything I might have needed.
Really though, what would I do without her? She and Luna were my first friends in this world, and made this world at least a little more bearable.
'Though...I still can't imagine why she hangs around me...'
Yet another mystery to add to the pile- why did Eris always insist on being around? Not that I minded of course, I was happy I'd met her, there just wasn't any reason to it... Eris popped into existence a few feet away, her wings flapping as she floated above, a pair of sunglasses perched on her muzzle.
“Well, I’m all ready, how about you?”
‘As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess…’
A wide grin bloomed on her face, pronouncing her snaggletooth. “Let’s get going, then~” she exclaimed.
And so, Eris and I walked the halls of the castle one more time before heading out of the large, wooden, double doors, and walking into the thick, dark emerald-green canopy, not knowing what to expect next from the wild and untamed forest.
‘I really hope we don’t run into any manticores out here...’
X X X X X X X
"Ha! Got ya!" Eris shouted, leaping out from behind a tree trunk.
'Eris, that gets old after about the millionth time' I said, rolling my eyes.
"Would you prefer something more drab? Snakes in a can, maybe? Nothing gets a rise out of ponies like good old fashioned scare tactics"
'Whatever you say...'
Eris 'hmmph'd' and disappeared from view, the dark forest was suddenly very solitary, the eerie silence dominating the air as I walked.
'She's not really gone...is she?'
I continued walking, Eris still not having returned.
'Any minute now...any minute now, she's going to leap out and shout 'surprise''
The dark forest was beginning to be almost unbearable, the only sound accompanying me was the sound of my bare feet against the dirt and debris of the forest.
'Sh-she's gone? She just...left?'
No, that's ridiculous, she wouldn't have just...but...she just wouldn't...okay?
'But she did, she left you here, all alone in the Everfree'
'She didn't...she's still here...'
'Is she?'
'Shut up- me...'
What the hell is happening? I'm practically arguing with myself, and losing.
'Bye-bye sanity...' I thought.
I suddenly found myself falling backward onto the ground, I let out a surprised shriek as I fell, my body thumping against the ground as my sword clattered in its sheath. I looked up, and saw that a tree was the offender, its dark trunk bent as it reached into the canopy.
The tree then sprouted a pair of red-and-yellow eyes, a wide grin and snaggletooth joining it.
"Surprise!" Eris screamed.
I shrieked again as the draconequus reappeared, howling with laughter.
"You should see the look on your face! Like I said, scare tactics get 'em every time!"
'Where were you?'
"Not too far" she responded, her laughter dying.
'Why did you do that?'
"Cause it was funny..." she replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
'I thought you left...' I mumbled.
"Well.... I didn't!" she smiled brightly and gave me a little hug
She will...just give it time...
I scowled at the thought, and shook it off as I stood up. Brushing the dirt from my dress, I began walking again, Eris following as silence once more took control, both of us quietly walking through the forest.
“Hey, Hope?” Eris asked
‘Yeah?’
“Wanna play ‘I Spy’?" she gave a grin.
X X X X X X X
Hours later, Eris and I had stopped for the night. Thanks to her magic, we had a tent and sleeping bags to sleep in. I settled into my own sleeping back as Eris floated into the tent, a small, blue stuffed bear in her grip.
“What?” she asked upon spying my cocked eyebrow.
“Nothing…” I responded, pulling up the bag.
“Don’t be surprised if you find a trumpet in your bag tomorrow morning…” she muttered, slipping into her own bag, holding the bear protectively.
‘What would I do without her?’ I shook my stony head and giggled.
