Author's Notes. Hello everyone! Torrenta here. I would like to start off by saying that I will not type as much in the author's notes as I do in "A Mending Soul." I would also like to say that I will also not always be the one who replies to your questions (either via PM or review). Sometimes I might ask others to answer, depending on the question asked. Anyway, to Rainbow999: Yes. This is all canon for "A Mending Soul." It takes place between Season 1 and Season 2. I may or may not allude to this book in Season 3. Finally, to all you readers, I would like to let you know that some of the chapters for "The Salient Link" will be written by different authors, not just me. This way you will be able to see many different and unique perspectives on this tale!
Chapter's Cast:
Flash Drive ~ Truly Alive by To Define Life
Alex ~ A New Hero by AlexLoneWolf
Ventus ~ Wings of Fate by Nanoman94
Flash Drive groaned and then gently rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. He then sat up while opening his eyes slowly, revealing his surroundings to him. He did not recognize anything.
It seemed like the place he sat in had once been a lush, beautiful forest, but now it all had been destroyed by a terrible, terrible fire. The trees about him were blackened, burnt, and horribly distorted. Thick mist clung low to the ground, and a dim orange sun leered down at the earth like a massive jack-o-lantern.
"Damn," breathed Flash Drive, "What the hell happened?"
Getting up slowly still, he shook his head and rubbed the back of it again. It did nothing to relieve him of the dull ache that still ricocheted about his skull. Flash Drive was about to start grumbling to himself about the stupidity of jumping through portals in the first place, but was interrupted by a realization that struck him upside the head almost like a physical blow.
Whirling about, he looked frantically around for the saddlebag with the two Elements of Harmony that he had previously held in his possession. They were gone. However, his leg holster, was still there, and so was his handgun. In fact, even his old backpack (which had accompanied his saddlebag) lay in a solitary heap beside him.
Flash Drive narrowed his eyes. The saddlebag had been strapped to him alongside the leg holster, and had been adjacent to his backpack. How had he lost one, and not the other two? It was almost as if somepony had removed them.
"Bucking… magic… or was it science?" muttered Flash Drive, "I ain't going to get killed for some stupid crystals."
However, as he began to look about, it seemed that it really did not matter whether or not he still had an interest in fulfilling his deal with Doxia, for he was obviously not in the same land as Equestria. There were certainly no razed forests there. After a little bit more of scanning his environment, Flash Drive's anger simmered away, though he was still as confused as ever. Nevertheless, he was a zombie apocalypse survivor. If he did not know where he was, he would sure as hell find out. Spreading his wings, Flash Drive took the sky. As he rose above the trees, he sighed in sadness. The whole entire forest – which stretched on indefinitely – was completely burned to a crisp. The horizon was blood red from the smoke, and thick billows of ash rose to puncture the firmaments in colossal pillars of black. Mist drifted like a murky ocean just above the landscape. As Flash Drive pulled a quick turn, out of the corner of his eye he caught a blurring flash that appeared to be a town. Circling once more to check it out, his initial thought was confirmed: a town. It, like the forest, was gutted by fire. The buildings were distorted, like the trees, twisted at odd angels and listing dangerously to unusual sides.
Flash Drive immediately felt an urge to fly in the opposite direction of the town, but after a moment of indecision, he decided against it.
"I've seen a whole lot worse," snorted Flash Drive, "This isn't going to be a problem."
He began to glide down in the direction of the decimated village, but, once again, something caught the corner of his eye. A massive energy flash. Flash Drive pulled into a spin, flashing around to get a better view of the explosion of light. However, it was gone. Nonetheless, he had a pretty good idea where the explosion had originated from initially.
"I gotta check this out first," murmured Flash Drive to himself, "Doxia had a portal that exploded with light like that."
Folding into his wings, he went into a dive. The ash-filled air whipped through his mane as he screeched toward the location. Snapping his wings open at a last moment, he slowed down drastically just in time to skim the tree tops. Slowly he descended through the razed forest until he hit the forest floor. After coming to a stop, he trotted about swiftly, his eyes scouring his surroundings. Then he saw it: an Earth Pony was lying, in an unconscious heap, at the foot of one of the burnt trees.
Immediately intrigued, Flash Drive galloped in closer. The lone Earth Pony was a sort of navy blue, with a faded, light blue mane. His cutie mark looked to be the silhouette of a wolf, standing proud.
Flash Drive blinked. He had never seen such a cutie mark before. Cutie marks were meant to publically present a pony's special skill. What did a wolf have to do with such things? At that moment, a groan escaped from between the pony's lips. Suddenly his eyes shot open and he sat up. However, after his eyes wildly darted around for a moment, he sighed and closed his eyes again. He then lay back down.
Flash Drive's mouth almost dropped open. Had this pony deliberately chosen not to get up despite the fact that he was in an unknown situation?
"Um… hey…" he said, a little unsure of himself.
"Hello…" groaned the pony as he opened his eyes for a moment to regard the zombie apocalypse survivor before him, "You are…?"
"Oh," said Flash Drive, still a little too shocked by the arrival of the pony to be either suspicious or hostile, "I am Flash Drive. Uh… I may be going out on a limb here, but you just got here, did you not?"
"I guess so," sighed the pony.
At that point, Flash Drive recovered from his initial shock, took up a ready stance, and then lost patience. Rolling his eyes, he then snapped, "Then why the buck are you lying there? Look, we are both in a land that is not familiar, so I suggest we stop at nothing till we find what the hell is going on. If you want to just lie here, then fine, but I am not going to stop until I find out a way to get out of here."
The pony sighed once more. He slowly got to all fours and then rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry… My head hurts," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. Then he said, a little louder, "You are right, I suppose. We should really find out what is going on here."
Flash Drive nodded. "Finally you get the idea. Look, I told you my name, I am not going any farther until I know what to call you by."
"I… I am Alex," replied the pony, "Sorry if I seemed a little 'uninterested' previously, but I was very disoriented. Ugh…"
Flash Drive nodded his head once more. "Okay, Alex. Tell me, did you get here by a giant explosion of light or something? What I mean is, do you have the feeling that you do not belong here, or anywhere else on this planet… at all?"
Alex thought about what Flash Drive had said for a moment, then he looked about. About a minute later, he finally said, "You know what? I do believe you are right. Before I landed here – Celestia knows where – I was simply going for a stroll in Ponyville with Spike to see Rarity. Spike had found this strange new book in the Castle of the Two Sisters, and he wanted to show it to her. Anyway, while I was doing that… massive holes in space with red hot borders exploded out of nowhere. The earth was shaking and the air was filled with incredibly loud noises. Naturally Spike and I attempted to dive for cover, but before I could join him inside the pavilion, a multicolored lightning bolt shot from one of those holes from nowhere. It hit me… and I ended up here. I have absolutely no idea what happened."
Flash Drive nodded his head almost knowingly. The same had happened to him.
"Something similar to what you described happened to me as well," he said, "However, before I ended up here, a pony – I think his name was Flaming Star or something – said that every possible alternate dimension for us ponies was smashed together into a single universe. From the looks of it, the moment we were all pulled through, everything was 'un-smashed' and returned to normal… but with us stuck on the other side. I know I am no rocket scientist, but I think I have enough knowledge about our surroundings now to say that we sure as hell ain't in Equestria."
To Flash Drive's surprise, Alex shook his head slowly. "I am actually unsure about that. I don't know. This places actually seems rather… familiar."
Flash Drive blinked. He felt like arguing for a moment, but then decided to not make anything worse. For the majority of his life he had been a loner, fighting against zombies by himself, but when he met Derpy and the Mane 6, he had truly come to realize the gift of having actual friends. Even though this Alex character did seem a bit reluctant and confusing, an ally was better than nothing in the current situation.
"Very well," he said, "Now I saw a town – or, to be exact, what was LEFT of a town – so I say we head off in its direction again. Perhaps we could get our bearing there, or at least be able to scavenge for supplies."
Alex nodded. "Very well. It seems that you have been in such situations before, if I may say."
Flash Drive shrugged. "Not really. But I am a survivor, so I know the right steps. Come on, it was this way."
Flash Drive turned tail and prepared to trot off in the direction he had seen the town, but before he could begin, something gave him pause. Ash and dust about a tree behind him had suddenly rose into the air and drifted to the left; however, there was no wind. Somepony's hooves had kicked up said dust and ash. Flash Drive tensed for a fight, but then decided against that course of action. If there was somepony watching him, it was best to let them think they had the element of surprise, allowing him and Alex to turn it against them in the event that that pony turned out to be a hostile.
Flash Drive beckoned for Alex to draw nearer. Eyeing Flash Drive suspiciously, Alex did so.
"There is a pony behind us, watching," murmured Flash Drive, "However, I do not think he has seen us. Let him keep thinking that. If he is stupid enough to attack later, then we can bucking rain hell on his sorry ass."
Alex blinked in acknowledgment, his eyes not even straying to look in the direction Flash Drive had indicated.
Flash Drive then trotted away towards the town, Alex close behind him. As they trotted, Flash Drive tried to recall what Doxia and Flaming Star had told him about the whole multiverse idea.
"According to some 'friends' of mine, there are many, many different dimensions for ponies. They call them 'My Little Pony universes.'"
Alex almost snorted derisively. "What do you mean 'My Little Pony'? Is that what they are actually called? If you don't mind me saying, but that is absolutely stupid."
"I couldn't agree more, but it looks like that is the actual name for our home dimensions," continued Flash Drive, "Anyway, there are many different My Little Pony dimensions, some similar, some different. I take it from what you told me, everypony is happy, right?"
Alex simply nodded.
Flash Drive nodded back. Then he continued. "Right. Well, in 'my' My Little Pony dimension, undead beings have ravaged the land. Ponies die every day, and the entire world has been tossed into chaos. Anyway, there are many types of My Little Pony dimensions like ours, separate and isolated. However, just a few hours ago… that all changed. As I said before, every single alternate My Little Pony dimension was forced together into a kind of mix, causing hole between the dimensions to blatantly open up. With that came the danger of being pulled through one dimension into another alternate dimension. That is what I believe happened to us. Thus, we can only assume we are in neither of our home dimensions."
Alex simply nodded his head again. Though it did not seem like he was really listening, he was drinking it all in, and making a couple accurate conclusions of his own.
"That makes sense," said Alex, "Now what do we do?"
"We find a haven where we can prepare for the worst," replied Flash Drive. At the sound of the word "worst" escaping his lips, Flash Drive's mind wandered back to the rather grim predicaments that he had left his friends in. If he could only get those Elements of Harmony, then he could get his hooves on that fabled research from Doxia, and all the hardships that he and his friends had gone through would not be for naught: they would be safe.
Sighing quietly, Flash Drive decided that since he was here, it would not hurt for him to at least look for his two Elements of Harmony.
"A bit for your thoughts," said Alex suddenly. His eyes were still darting about keenly, and it looked like he was scouring the trees about him, but it also seemed that he was rather interested in what Flash Drive had to say for himself.
Flash Drive started. "Oh… I just realized there might be one other things we, or names 'I,' will have to do after we figure out where the buck we are," he replied.
"That being…?" prompted Alex.
"I need to find two Elements of Harmony," said Flash Drive.
This caused Alex's eyes to dart to the side to look at Flash Drive. His pupils lingered on him for a split second before returning to scanning the surroundings. "The Elements of Harmony?"
"Two of them," continued Flash Drive, "They are not the same elements as we had in either of our dimensions though. These elements outshine all the other alternate dimension's Elements of Harmony put together. Mattimeo, a 'friend' of mine, said that a single element held enough power to destroy or significantly alter a whole planet with ease."
At that moment, a noise sounded sharply behind them. Their mysterious follower, who had been stealthily trailing them so far, had stumbled, presumably because of the information they had so obviously heard. At this time, Flash Drive decided to simply blow the stalker's cover. It was best to find straight out if they were friend or foe, instead of simply waiting to eventually turn the tide.
Flash Drive nodded to Alex briskly before turning about to face the source of the sound. Then he called out, "Okay, stranger. We know you have been following us for quite some time now. So why don't you cut out the games and tell us what the hell you are doing?"
There was at least a minute's worth of silence. Then a Pegasus with a dark green coat, lime-ish eyes, and a light green mane stepped out from behind a fire-gutted tree.
He looked at the duo before him before saying slowly, "Hello."
"You've been stalking us for who knows how long, and all you have to say for yourself is 'hello'?" asked Flash Drive incredulously, "Wrong answer Pegasus." He began to slowly reach back for the handgun nestled in his leg holster.
The green Pegasus shook his head quickly. "Wait a moment. Look, I was only following you because I could not tell you if you meant any harm."
Alex regarded the Pegasus. "Do we seriously look like we could be a danger to you?"
The Pegasus shrugged. "I could say no, but I have some experience with 'innocent' ponies that could prove me otherwise."
"I don't know what problems you have had in the past, pony, but they do not extended into this current moment," snapped Flash Drive, still irritated, "Are you from around here?"
"Absolutely not," said the Pegasus emphatically, "I have not the slightest idea where I am. In fact, that was mostly why I was trialing you. It seems you have some interesting ideas, Flash Drive."
At the sound of this stranger calling him by name, Flash Drive bristled. However, after a moment of silence, he calmed down and said slowly, "Okay. You know my name. What is yours."
The Pegasus actually looked like a deer in the headlights for a spilt-second. Then he said, carefully, "My… my name is Highwind."
Flash Drive was a survivor, this meant he needed to know how to deal with other beings as well as zombies to the point of perfection. Thus, his brain triggered an alarm the moment the Pegasus spoke: he was lying.
Flash Drive decided that he did not want to waste any time beating around the bush and losing daylight. Thus he immediately said, "Right. Okay. So what is your real name?"
The Pegasus actually paused for a moment. Then he said quietly, "Does it matter what I call myself?"
"Alex and I are trying to survive here," replied Flash Drive sternly, "And part of surviving with others is trust. If you cannot even trust me with your true name, than what else is there that you are hiding?"
The Pegasus sighed deep and long before saying, "If it is true that this is not my home, and you are all from alternate dimensions… I suppose it is not even worth the effort. Ventus, former third pupil to Princess Celestia."
Alex cocked his head to one side. "Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer… and then you? What?"
Ventus said nothing more. In fact, it looked like he had almost said more than he had intended to. Flash Drive decided that there was still plenty more secrets locked securely away in this Pegasus, but he also decided it was not worth the trouble. This pony was lost as well, and that meant they had something in common. And since they had something in common, they might as well put their mutual interests to work and become a haphazard team. It was dangerous, but it could prove worth it.
Flash Drive nodded his head briskly to Ventus (his version of "welcome to the team, kid") and then turned tail to trot off again. Ventus fell in line and the trio began to work their way through the decimated forest. As they drew near the tree line, Ventus said, "What do you think happened here?"
"I could think of several things," muttered Flash Drive darkly.
"This could be an alternate dimension where Sombra took over, or something of the sort," ventured Alex before returning to silently scanning the landscape.
"Possibly. However, I have a feeling that we will find out more when we reach the town," said Flash Drive.
"I saw that earlier," commented Ventus quietly, "It looked like Ponyville."
"I doubt that," countered Flash Drive curtly.
Alex, however, could not help but agree with Ventus. "This land has an eerie familiarity about it, actually."
At that moment, the trio finally trotted out of the razed forest. Flash Drive straightened up as he peered keenly at the decimated town in the distance. "It is still a little too far for me to see properly though all this air-borne ash," commented Flash Drive warily, "I think we better get in close. Follow me."
However, before he could even take two steps, Ventus suddenly exclaimed, "I think you two might want to take a look at this."
Alex and Flash Drive turned about to see Ventus, his eyes actually widened in surprise, looking at a rundown sign a couple meters away from where they stood by the forest border.
The sign read: The Everfree Forest.
And a score or so meters behind the sign was a blackened ruin that looked exactly like Fluttershy's cottage.
Flash Drive sighed in resignation. This proved Alex's theories once and for all. They had been in the Everfree forest, they had passed Fluttershy's cottage, and they were trotting towards Ponyville. And all of it… had been destroyed by fire and brimstone.
The dark entity that dwelled over the deep suddenly twitched as more events unfolded in the vast multiverse. Several images, representing events unfolding in the countless dimensions, flashed across the black, rippling expanse as the entity brushed the surface with claw-like tendrils of darkness.
"More steps have been taken," murmured the thing of darkness, "All according to the foreseen. The flayed and decaying streams of time have been altered well. The process has started."
Once again darkness descended in full over the ocean of nothingness. But just as all vision was dashed to nothing, the entity of darkness spoke once more.
"One may question why evil exists in the very fabric of reality. Why does it dwell on every imaginable level? The answer is simple: it exists because sentient beings have free will; their very minds concoct their downfall. So contemplate the horrors that await if the mind was a land of its own."
