Chapter 6: Hazey by Glass Animals

I'm posting in back to back months? What sorcery is this? I don't know. I actually just somehow got ahead of updating last month, posting a new chapter for the two stories I'm working on. But this doesn't mean monthly updates so still expect a chapter every other month. But who knows. So this chapter was more of a spur of the moment kind of decision. This just kind of popped into my head in the middle of when I was writing and I'm just going with the flow. Also, love Glass Animals. If you like indie rock, I strongly suggest giving them a listen. They're also kind of psychedelic. Anyways, let's get onto the chapter before my author notes are longer than the actual story. And a thanks to Vibrant Sound for the follow!

Twenty-Three looked around him. He was in a hallway. He looked behind him to see a blank wall of white. Now that he looked, the other walls, ceiling and floor were all white as well. So he looked forward and saw that it seemed to expand forever, just becoming a mass of white. He began walking forward and didn't stop for what felt like hours. He didn't stop until a door seemed to spring up on the right wall out of nowhere. He continued until he was standing in front of the door. It was a simple door made from what looked like elm. Above it was a plate that simply had the number one on it. Twenty-Three looked around again. Both ways seemed to just continue on forever. There was no other furniture or the like either way. So he faced the door again. He pushed it open but didn't go through. He stared into the doorway and was met with an abyss of darkness. He checked both sides of the hallway again to see if there was anything new. There wasn't. He took a deep breath before setting his hoof into the dark abyss. He was surprised when his hoof hit a solid floor. He took another step into the doorway. Nothing strange happened or attacked him. So he entered fully. Of course, after walking in, the door closed behind him. He tried to feel for it, but felt nothing. So he just sat in the darkness. He had heard or read somewhere that the dark was one of the most feared things by ponies. He was confused by that. The dark was simply a space that lacked light, partially or fully. So essentially, they were just scared of nothing. The darkness was never something to fear… it was what resided in the darkness that the ponies should fear. But this darkness had nothing. All it did was rob him of three of his senses. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't see up or down or even himself despite that he knew his hoof was in front of his face. He couldn't smell anything. A breath coming in through his nostrils just brought about what he assumed to be oxygen into his body. He couldn't taste anything either. A breath through his mouth brought the same lack of feeling that came if he did it through his snout. But he could feel. He could feel himself in both the physical and mental sense. He could feel his hooves on a ground, but he couldn't quite place what the floor felt like. He could also hear, but the only things he could hear was the sounds of him breathing and his heartbeat. He decided to try to use magic to see if he simply could. He closed his eyes to begin focusing, but as soon as his eyes were closed, a sound started making itself present. It was a sound that seemed to just go 'pshhhhhhhhhhhhhh' forever. He couldn't place it until it suddenly hit him that it was raining. His fur was also becoming heavy and damp. Why was it raining in the abyss?

Twenty-Three opened his eyes and was promptly assaulted by senses flaring up all at the same time. He shut his eyes again for a few seconds before opening them again to take in his new surroundings. It didn't take him long to figure out where he was. He was in one of the poorer districts of Paris. He looked to his hooves to see he was standing on the old cobblestone roads that expanded all over Paris. Of course, here, it hadn't been maintained in a very long time so you had to constantly be careful of loose cobblestones. Also the draining system wasn't very good. Twenty-Three noticed that it looked like it had been raining for hours. This was, of course, a very rare occurrence in Paris. He remembered it only happening once in his time there but that was such a long time ago during his colthood that he didn't really remember it well. He looked up towards the gray clouds that were bringing this rain. He felt the rain hit his face and he almost felt… something. He couldn't quite place what he was almost feeling or why he was almost feeling it. He then realized that there other noises going on around him. He looked around and was surprised to see ponies rushing around him. Some were in conversation but most were just rushing to get their supplies and head home to get out of their rain. Supplies? He looked past the ponies and noticed that he was on a street full of shops. He wasn't sure how he had recognized where he was. He certainly recognized the area as well as some of the bigger buildings in the distance but he wasn't sure how he knew what street he was on. He was disturbed from his thinking when a pony bumped into him.

"Just stand in ponies' way why don't ya?" The stallion said before continuing on his way.

"Sorry", Twenty-Three said, even though he knew the stallion was gone. It was then that he realized he had his traveling bag on him. How long had he had this? He decided to get out of the rain. The store in front of him was a bakery. He felt… compelled to go in there. He weaved through the crowd of ponies to enter the bakery. He was met with the smell of fresh bread. He went to the counter and viewed the bread that was on display. He stood there until a gruff voice got his attention.

"You going to buy something or just stand there looking stupid?" Twenty-Three looked up to see a stallion staring at him. The stallion had dark brown fur and a light brown mane and tail. His cutie mark was literally a loaf of bread. Getting a good look at his face, Twenty-Three could tell that the stallion was in his mid-forties. But there was something else… something that made Twenty-Three feel like he knew this stallion from somewhere.

"Something on my face?" He asked, breaking Twenty-Three out of his train of thought. Twenty-Three looked into his bag and found his bit bag was empty still. He sighed before facing the stallion again.

"Sorry, I just came in here to take shelter from the rain for a bit", Twenty-Three lied. Wait, was that a lie? He wasn't actually sure why he had come in here. The stallion grunted in response.

"Well, I'd be on your way soon… getting my floors wet", he grumbled out. Twenty-Three looked down to see that he was in fact dripping wet.

"Sorry, I'll get going now", he said, turning around to leave, but he stopped and turned around again. "Sorry, but could I ask you a question?"

The stallion stared at him before giving a grunt of conformation before going off to do something.

"Uh… do I look… familiar to you?" He asked him. The stallion had been off to the oven but stopped to look Twenty-Three up and down.

"Yeah I guess. You look kinda familiar", he said before going back to the oven. So it hadn't just been Twenty-Three? Anyways, Twenty-Three thanked him and left his shop and was now standing back out in the rain. Where was he supposed to go from here? His question was answered as he found himself walking. He didn't know where he was walking but he seemed to going over to the street that was behind the bakery. However, instead of a street, it was an alleyway. He wasn't sure why, but he went down this alleyway. He kept walking down until he heard two voices. He quickly identified one as the baker's. He also realized he had walked around to the back side of the bakery. Why? He was distracted from his thoughts though by the conversation he heard.

"I did what you asked of me", the other voice said. It was a colt's voice, Twenty-Three identified.

"You know I need to see proof", the baker replied.

"Here's your stupid proof", the colt said. Twenty-Three heard something hit the floor. The stallion snorted in what sounded like amusement.

"Here's what was promised", the baker said, but added, "I swear you get feistier every time I see you."

"And I swear every time I see you, your bread is somehow smaller and more stale", the colt replied.

"Well you could always give it back", the baker said sarcastically.

"Ugh, whatever", the colt said. Twenty-Three then realized that their conversation was over. He heard hoofsteps approaching the open back door of the bakery. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt that he couldn't be caught eavesdropping. However, he reacted too late and saw the colt leave and turn towards him, where they locked eyes.

Both froze as they stared at each other. They stood there, not moving. Then the bread that was in the colt's mouth fell from his mouth. Twenty-Three wasn't sure why, which seemed like a common thing now, but he lunged forwards and caught the bread before it could hit the ground. He stood back up as he and the colt continued to stare at each other. He wasn't sure why he felt so anxious around this colt. Twenty-Three took the initiative and held the piece of bread in front of the colt.

"You dropped this", he said. The colt took a moment to register that before grabbing it with his hoof.

"Thanks", the colt replied before turning. Twenty-Three looked over the colt to see him putting it away in what looked like a pouch made from random materials. Twenty-Three found himself glancing at his traveling bag that was slung the same way. He looked back to see the colt also looking at his bag, but went back to staring at Twenty-Three as he faced him. It was at that moment when Twenty-Three realized why he was so anxious and was shocked how he hadn't noticed sooner. This colt had a brown coat that covered in dirt and grim, as if he hadn't bathed in weeks. His orange mane was in the same condition. But one thing that stood out to Twenty-Three were the grey, almost silver eyes that the colt which held… emotion. By looking, he could tell that the colt was in a state of confusion.

"So…" Twenty-Three began, but the colt had different ideas.

"Who are you?" The colt asked. Twenty-Three blinked at being cut-off.

"Most call me Twenty-Three", he answered, causing the colt to tilt his head.

"Are you good with numbers or something?" The colt asked him. Twenty-Three shook his head.

"I'm pretty bad with at math actually", he said. "What about you? What's your name?"

"Well most folks around here call me (omitted)", the colt replied. Twenty-Three had to take a moment to register that he hadn't heard it.

"Sorry. One more time please", he requested.

"(Omitted)", the colt repeated.

"... Alright", Twenty-Three said, unsure as to why he couldn't hear the colt's name.

"Are you my father?" The colt asked, causing Twenty-Three to stare at him. This was uncharted territory and he was unsure as how this was going to play out.

"No, I'm not your father. Why do you ask?" He asked in return.

"Well… I just heard that often kids look like their parents and well… you look just like me", the colt answered, looking down. So it wasn't just Twenty-Three who thought that. But now the colt looked sad.

"Do you not know who your father is?" Twenty-Three asked. He knew it was a stupid question but he didn't know what to do in this situation.

"Yeah…" The colt said. Twenty-Three realized he was not helping.

"What about your mother? Doesn't she know?" He asked, though upon seeing the colt's ears droop even further, he knew he wasn't making any progress forwards.

"I don't know who my mother is either", the colt said. Were children always this difficult to deal with?

"So… who takes care of you?" Twenty-Three asked. The colt looked up at him, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Nopony. Nopony cares about me", the colt said, starting to cry. Twenty-Three glanced around, hoping there was something to help. There wasn't. He hesitantly patted the colt's head.

"I… care about you", He said. He was sure if his voice wasn't so monotone, it'd be filled with uncertainty. The colt swatted his hoof and walked by him.

"You don't even know me. I don't even know you!" The colt yelled, but Twenty-Three could hear in his voice how he still wanted to cry. Twenty-Three walked briskly so he was walking next to the colt.

"Maybe… but I don't see what that has to do with anything", He said. He realized it had stopped raining, but he wasn't sure how long ago it stopped.

"Just leave me alone. And it's not like you could help me anyways", the colt replied.

"What makes you say that?" Twenty-Three asked.

"You're as broke as I am", the colt said, still not looking at Twenty-Three as they walked.

"... Fair point", Twenty-Three admitted.

"And at least I'm cute enough to beg", the colt continued.

"You're not that cute", Twenty-Three muttered, but made it loud enough for the colt to hear.

"I'm adorable!" The colt yelled, looking back up at Twenty-Three. When Twenty-Three looked at the colt, he could see that the colt was just trying to be humorous to cheer himself up. Twenty-Three wished he could at least smile at the colt, but there were other ways to be nice.

"I guess", Twenty-Three said, ruffling the colt's mane. The colt swatted his hoof away again.

"How come your face doesn't move?" The colt asked suddenly. Twenty-Three tilted his head as he looked at the colt. "I mean, your mouth and eyes move, but they don't… change."

"... Somepony did something to me a long time ago", Twenty-Three answered after thinking how to reply. The colt seemed to just get more confused.

"What did they do to you?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

"Did it hurt?"

"I don't think so."

"You don't remember it?"

"Not at all."

"So one day you just woke up like this?"

"I guess."

"Well… when was the last time you smiled?"

"Can't recall."

"You don't talk a lot."

"Hm."

"... Why did somepony do this to you?" Twenty-Three stared at the colt. His eyes reflected confusion. Despite looking like he had grown up on the streets and by himself, he was still just a colt and still had some naivety about the world. Twenty-Three faced forwards again.

"That's a great question", was all he said to the colt. The colt seemed unsure of how to respond to that. Suddenly, he stopped walking, causing Twenty-Three to stop as well. He turned to see what the colt was now looking at. It was a small and old two-story house that sat in the middle of all of the houses on the street. Twenty-Three could tell it was old because it was literally falling apart. Most of the second floor seemed collapsed and the roof and walls on the second floor were almost all decayed. Twenty-Three glanced at the colt, his expression was unreadable as he stared at the house.

"Was this were your parents lived?" Twenty-Three asked, venturing a guess.

"No", the colt replied, hesitating before continuing, "This is where I live now."

Twenty-Three looked at the ruined house, to the colt, back to the house and then back to the colt. He raised his hoof to point at the house. "In there?"

The colt nodded before walking up to it and crawling in through one of the first floor windows. Twenty-Three sighed before looking up and down the street. Ponies seemed to be coming back out now that the rain had stopped. His interest was piqued though as he stared at the ponies. Oddly enough, what was interesting about these ponies were how uninteresting they were. Nothing stood out to Twenty-Three as he looked from pony to pony. He felt… weirded out, so he quickly followed the colt through the window. Once he was in the ruined house, he saw why they had to go in through the window. The door had what looked like part of the second floor blocking its path, probably couldn't even open the door past a few inches. He could guess from the layout of the house that the door was supposed to open to 3 hallways branching to the left, right and down the middle. He was currently in the left hallway which ran along the side of the house as well. He couldn't go down any of the other hallways due to the rubble that was cutting off the central space that all the hallways shared. So Twenty-Three continued on the only path he could go and when he turned the corner, he was surprised to see that it immediately opened into the dining room. The dining room was in surprisingly good shape, with the exception of a hole on the ceiling and the corresponding plaster littering the floor from when it fell. But no sign of the colt. So he entered the dining room and saw that it also led into the middle hallway. He noticed though that there were hoofprints through the mess of plaster that led straight into the room past the dining hall. He followed the hoofprints and entered a small kitchen. Though just from a glance, he could tell that it was bare, containing nothing in terms of utensils or plates or cookware and even the stove was gone. The only path to go was to the right and into the middle. He maneuvered through the kitchen which was also in good shape, ignoring how it was completely empty. He entered a small hallway that connected with the middle hallway, but he continued through the small hallway and entered… the living room? It was hard to tell. From the size of the room compared to what he had seen, he assumed it was the living room but… almost the entire second floor had collapsed onto it and there was debris everywhere and if one really wanted to, they could even climb up to the second floor from here. From the second floor, he could see natural light pouring in as well as how wet the debris seemed to be. And here, the colt was. He was laying down on a small, dry pile of hay under a larger piece of debris, eating the piece of bread he had got. Twenty-Three navigated his way through the wreckage, realizing that being colt-sized would have been nice to get through here. He sat down with the colt, who looked mildly surprised to see him.

"So you sleep here?" Twenty-Three asked the colt who nodded in response, still eating his bread. Twenty-Three nodded while .looking around again. "Aren't you worried that this won't… collapse further?"

"Hasn't yet, so not really", the colt replied after swallowing the piece that was in his mouth. "Plus, this traps the heat really well so it's nice during the winter."

Before Twenty-Three could continue, the ground started shaking, almost causing him to lose his balance. Now something was definitely off, earthquakes were a rarity in Paris and even if they did happen, they were more often than not weak to actually cause any damage. He quickly turned to the colt but was surprised to see that the colt was just continuing to eat his bread. He was even more surprised by how quickly it ended, just suddenly stopping. He looked about the room, nothing seemed to have even shifted in place.

"What was that?" Twenty-Three asked the colt, seeing as how he was acting like everything was normal.

"What was what?" The colt asked back.

"The earthquake that just happened", Twenty-Three replied, confused about what else he could have met. The colt turned to him confusedly.

"What earthquake?" He asked him.

"The one that literally just happened", Twenty-Three answered. The colt tilted his head.

"I didn't feel anything. Are you sure it was an earthquake?" The colt asked. Twenty-Three nodded in reply, looking around again but nothing happened. But he could hear something. A distant sound of glass breaking that was gradually getting louder.

"But you hear that, right?" Twenty-Three asked, gesturing outside. His question was answered before the colt even spoke as his confusion seemed to grow into concern.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" He asked. Twenty-Three sighed and turned around to leave, ignoring the shouts from the colt. He made his way back out of the house and onto the street. He looked around, everypony seeming to be going about normally, but that sound of cracking glass was growing louder and louder. Then, out of nowhere, a stronger earthquake hit. Twenty-Three was actually thrown to the ground from the intensity of the shaking. The shaking lasted only five seconds before disappearing as quickly as it happened. He shakily got up and was met with the sight of… everypony just walking along like nothing had happened. Except a couple looked at him strangely. He had no idea what to think, until he realized the sound that he heard was far closer. He didn't know why, but he looked up. He felt his jaw open in astonishment. The sky literally had cracks in it, which were continuously growing. He was brought out of his stupor when the ground shifted. Not shook, shifted. He looked down and saw a crack running through the ground. This wasn't a small crack either, it created a gap where a pony could easily get their hoof stuck. Then another crack appeared, and then another. He looked around and again, everypony was acting like nothing was happening. He swore and looked off into the distance, seeing a tower that he could instantly recognize. His eyes widened and he felt his breath hitch as he suddenly started running towards the far off tower. Why was he running so fast? Why was he even running towards it? Was he… worried? About her? He shook the thoughts from his head and continued running through the ponies that were still walking around dumbly. He tried to avoid them as much as he could, but a couple of times he just simply shoved them out of his way. He saw a piece of the street in front of him entirely collapse and with no time to move, he vaulted the gap. His legs almost buckled when he landed, they weren't used to this kind of physical activity. But he kept running, his head clear of thoughts as he stared at the tower. But that was a mistake. The piece he had been running on suddenly tilted, causing him to lose his balance. This was it. This is how he'd die. He closed his eyes as his face neared the ground and upon impact-

Twenty-Three sprung up. He was panting. He was sweating. He looked around. He was back in his house in Ponyville. He left his bed and upon having his hooves on solid ground, he collapsed. He tried to stand, but his limbs were shaking and unresponsive. It took him several minutes just to crawl to the bathroom and even longer to pull himself up to the counter. He ran the cold water on the sink and splashed his face several times, getting water everywhere. He looked into his reflection in the mirror. He was still breathing heavily and his pupils were contracted. But one thought ran through his mind.

'What… was… that?'

Alright… so that happened. I actually think that these dream chapters are going to be fairly prevalent in this fic. They do hold meaning though. I'm curious as to know what some of you may theorize about the importance of everything that was mentioned. Because some stuff is actually going to be very important but kind of hiding behind what's going on, while some may just be red herrings. I also hope I made it a little obvious about who the colt was. Leave a review on what you think, follow/favorite if you enjoyed it and have a good week.

~Djsoresupon3 signing out!