All was quiet as the moon beamed a still light through a small room in 1216 Franklin Avenue. Tension nevertheless lingered in the minds of some of the members of the 14 member household. A certain 13-year-old woman's life was changed forever nearly four months ago.
Although a minor, she knew what it meant when Ronaldo Santiago and herself promised to forever commit to their new responsibility. After that repugnant discovery yesterday, there was no way that they could allow anyone to interfere with the emergency plan that they have now agreed to execute.
Linka Loud grunted and stirred in her sleep. Just then, a full bladder prompted the young woman with snow pigmented hair to wake up. Her squinted eyes opened, revealing sea-blue irises. She sighed and sat up to see the time: 4:00 am.
"Ron," the youth called out to the snoring man sleeping beside her as she shook his left arm.
The snoring stopped, and Ronaldo expelled a heavy breath before awakening.
"Shoot.." The 13-year-old hispanic sighed worriedly after he glanced at the clock.
"We need to adjust our plan! My entire family will be awake in a couple of hours. Even if we leave in 30 minutes, we have acquaintances who might recognize us since some of them are working outside at this very moment" Linka ranted anxiously to her boyfriend.
The 13-year-old female tiptoed down the hall to reach the bathroom while making sure that there weren't any obstructions that could become a trip hazard. She was careful not to flush the toilet after mandatory business was taken care of and quickly gathered her and Ronaldo's toiletries in a little bag. After heading out, Linka passed by the room that belonged to her younger brothers Levi and Leon once more. This time, she couldn't help but notice that it was a crack open.
The youth gingerly pushed it far enough just so that she could fit through. The young woman glanced towards three-year-old Leon's bed and could hear him breathing peacefully in his sleep.
"Goodbye, sweet boy," she whispered.
The youth swallowed, trying to calm the lump in her throat. He'll be just fine. Just as Linka was about to exit, she stepped on something hard.
Leon must have found something but tossed it once he got bored. The snow haired female moved her foot out of the way and saw what appeared to be some sort of green stainless steel watch with a wide digital screen. She stared at it before blinking and shaking her head. It's just a watch, ignore it. A severe pang of deja vu flashed through her mind.
Wait, she could clearly recall seeing this very same watch in the past. Two years ago, the youth had the strangest dream. Levi had allowed her to borrow a watch, which enabled people to visit a different dimension. It was one where the then 11-year-old girl had ten sisters instead of 10 brothers. It started as a great dream, but she ended up missing her brothers and wondered what would happen if their only sister would never return.
The young girl was relieved to find out that it was all a dream because, at the end of it, she appeared to accidentally transfer to a dimension where Linka was named Lincoln and the only boy in the family-a direct parallel of her real-life world.
If only I could magically wake up and find out that these last several months have been a coma dream or something like that. Something tells me that I need this.
She picked the watch up and headed back to her and Ronaldo's bedroom.
"What do we need that for?" asked the Hispanic youth, as he stopped filling his backpack.
"Ron, I had this dream a couple of years ago. In it, I remember seeing this same watch despite it not existing in real life. It was able to-"
The female youth paused, at a loss for words that could describe what happened for a moment.
The young man peered into her eyes. "If you think it's important, it probably is. Turn it on."
The young woman pressed and held on the largest button on the side of the screen for a few seconds before releasing her thumb. Nothing happened. Levi wouldn't keep defective appliances in his room. They're all tested regularly. She proceeded to press the button repeatedly.
I know you're right for something!"
Just then, the screen turned white, and a golden colored question mark appeared in the middle of it.
That's strange," Ronald remarked. "There's not even a message to explain why it's displaying that symbol."
Just then, the watch started to glow, and a countdown of 12 minutes appeared with the words "Analyzing dimension" fading in and out at the top of the screen.
"Let's continue packing," Linka said urgently, interrupting Ronaldo's thoughts.
He nodded and placed the watch on the small table next to their bed. About 10 minutes later, both of them were done packing. The young woman decided only to take things that she needed and leave many things behind to remind herself that she is starting a new life.
"What do you suppose the watch is gonna do at the end of the countdown?" asked Ronaldo.
"In my dream, the watch displayed a 3D like the portal, and when I walked through it, I ended up visiting alternate universes."
Linka's face grew a bit red once she realized how ridiculous that sounded out loud. Ronaldo smiled.
"It never hurts to imagine Linkie."
A few moments later, the countdown stopped, and a blinding green light ray shot from the watch. It formed into a glowing circular portal. The couple stared at it, speechless with their mouths gaped open.
"I- don't even know what to say," the female youth began. "I just want to go to a more peaceful world where we can be a healthy family and get a fresh start."
The 13 old started to tear up as the portal's green glow illuminated her face.
Ronaldo hugged his girlfriend tightly. "They're eventually gonna find out what happened to us, but we can't stay here,"
Linka sniffed. "Of course..the inevitable must happen."
The young couple stepped through the portal gripping each other's hands. As the world went white, memories flashed through their minds.
It was a bright sunny March day in Royal Woods, Michigan, but a 12-year-old sat in her room solemnly looking through a photo album. She spotted a photo of herself and the family's pet pit bull terrier. The picture was taken on the snow haired girl's 11th birthday, which was exactly one year ago. The female canine sported a rainbow-colored sweater that Ronaldo gave her as a gift. The animal wore it for months and would always seem distressed when the sweater had to be removed so that the canine could be bathed.
The young Hispanic knitted it himself but would not let anyone other than Linka know that. Less than a year ago, he, his mother Maria, and sister Roberta "Bella'' moved to Chicago, Illinois, to live with their extended family. Maria did not give any reasonable explanations for their sudden move in the middle of the school year, despite Loki and Bella being a couple and the fact that the Santiago siblings had many friends in Royal Woods. Linka remembered how down to earth the boy was. He was a great skater and loved animals and the outdoors.
It surprised the girl how she felt when she thought about him. He always had her back, even when she failed him as a friend. The sound of someone knocking was heard, and one of the Loud brothers went to open the front door.
"Linka!" her oldest brother Loki called to her, who was nearly 18 at the time.
"Come and see who decided to surprise you and the rest of us."
The girl hurried out and saw none other than the Santiago siblings standing at the front door. Bella obviously didn't look any different from last year, but her 12-year-old brother had hit a growth spurt since he left. His rich blue-black hair shone in the light, and his eyes glistened with confidence. Links didn't remember the boy being so handsome.
"Happy birthday, old-timer!" Ronaldo greeted, interrupting Linka's thoughts.
"Thank you, Ron" Linka replied before hugging him.
"My mother, and Ronaldo have moved back to Royal Woods for good, so now I can just transfer my credits and go to that college next to Fairway University without worrying too much about them!" the 18 year old announced.
Loki and Linka's mouth gaped open at this.
"Sweet! I can finish my first year at the university with you by my side after all!"Loki embraced Bella and kissed her.
In the past, their younger siblings standing near them might have acted in a way that clearly stated that they found this PDA repelling, but now they were older and a bit more mature.
"It's so good to have you back, Ron! Wait till you check out that new club that they have in Royal Woods Middle School. Your old friends mention you every once in a while, and I am sure you'll make quite a few new ones since the student body is generally pretty friendly to newcomers" said the young girl, feeling enthusiastic.
Ronaldo smiled. "I am glad to hear that. Can't wait."
"What made your mother decide to move back here anyway? Loki asked the siblings.
They were silent for a moment before Bella spoke.
"There..was an arsonist that set fire to our apartment. None of our family's stuff was damaged, but the distance the fire spread made it a very close call. Our neighbors were mostly okay, except for the one that had asthma and had to be rushed to the E.R since the smoke did a number on their respiratory system."
"That's awful! I am glad to have been born and raised in this little city, but it would be interesting to venture out for vacation someday. I never even left this state in my entire life." Linka revealed.
The young couple found themselves in another location when the white faded. They felt a soft wind and realized they were outdoors, but something was strange. They appeared to have arrived in some sort of town's outskirts, and they had come face to face with a small wooden sign that read "Welcome to Ponyville" written in ink, in a sloppy font. " I smell hay.. loads of it," Ronaldo noted. Several years ago, his father took him to a farm so that he could spend the summer with his parents.
"Those building designs are pretty old-fashioned- oh! their roofs are actually made out of hay," observed Linka after taking a closer look.
"I hope the inhabitants have an adequate shelter that they could offer us".
"But what kind of name is 'Ponyville'?" scoffed Ronaldo. "Even if the residents happen to be talking equine's, the name sounds like a 5-year-old came up with it."
"It's better than that city in New Mexico that's named "Truth Or Consequences," stated the snow haired youth.
The couple cracked up at this. Even after what seemed to be an eternity of walking, there were no apparent shelters in sight, only hills and the occasional cluster of trees. Linka thought about how she wasn't used to getting up so early in the morning. It became harder to think straight, and her body, especially her eyelids, seemed to feel heavier by the minute. The young woman eventually gave in and shut her eyes.
"Linka? When was the last time you drank water?" asked the Hispanic youth worriedly.
"It's...been a while." replied the female youth."I just need to-"
"Sit" Ronaldo demanded.
Linka sat near some weeds that were surrounded by dandelions, and her boyfriend pulled a water bottle out of her backpack.
"Drink all of it."
The female youth took the beverage and downed it quickly.
"I am sorry I got distracted," she said, lowering her head. "It's hard to get used to the fact that it's not just about me anymore."
"It's hard for any woman, but never forget what you're fighting for. It was your idea for us to literally leave this universe to do what's best for them. "
The young man kneeled beside her and rubbed her belly. The pair got up and continued to explore the area. They soon noticed that there were suddenly fewer weeds and air seemed a little sweeter the further they walked.
"This orchard is beautiful!" Exclaimed the young woman after gazing upon many rows of Apple trees.
The couple soon encountered a short white fence and saw a wooden sign with a carved design of an apple in the middle of it, hanging at the top of the entrance. They awed at the friendly-looking well kept farmhouse behind it.
"Who owns this place?" wondered Linka out loud.
The pair heard a dog bark in the distance, and before they knew it, a small, brown and white border collie ran to them. The female dog growled lightly and positioned herself to defend her territory.
The couple stuck out their hands at separate times and allowed Winona to sniff them.
"See? We mean no harm, girl." the dog's ears perked up, and she headed towards the house.
From the entrance emerged- a female orange fur colored equine. Her blond mane was in long pigtails, and she wore a hat. There was a tattoo like design of three red apples on her flank. The pony yawned.
"What's got you all fired up at this hour, Winona?"
She scanned the area and spotted the young duo. It was so quiet for a moment; you could hear an apple fall off a tree in the distance.
"Hey there, what brings y'all here this morning?"
"Uh.." stammered Ronaldo. "We used a portal to reach this dimension...we're from another world," he answered awkwardly.
Portal...the equine quickly remembered where she had heard that word before.
"Where are my manners? Welcome to Sweet Apple acres. My name is Applejack. And I see you have already met Winona" Applejack chuckled.
"My name is Ronaldo." The young Hispanic extended his hand.
"And mine's Linka" piped the young woman.
The mare stared at Ronaldo's hand, confused for a moment before realizing that this must be a customary greeting for this unknown being's kind. She extended her hoof, and the male youth shook it.
"Nice to meet you two. What do you call yourselves"?
"Humans"
"Huh. By what y'all have told me, I do reckon that my friend Twilight Sparkle might know a thing or two about your kind. How about we have breakfast with my family before we go see her?"
Linka felt her stomach grumble. "Thank you."
"Yeah, that's a great idea" agreed Ronaldo.