Chapter 8: Ruwa

Ruwa was still talking, but Tiran wasn't listening anymore. All he could here was the dull drone of her voice in the background while he sat there, a dumbfounded look permanently affixed to his face. He hadn't heard a single word she said in the last ten minutes.

Tiran didn't believe it. He tried not to believe it. He tried screwing his eyes shut and opening them again, blinking rapidly, as if to clear them. He tried vigorously shaking his head. Yet, no matter what he did, the scene didn't change.

Right there in front of him was standing a pony that was talking. Every time, he thought of another explanation; lip syncing, a trick of the eyes, frigging hologram? No. Every time he looked for anything that could prove his theories, Tiran always came up empty.

So that meant what? That this was real? It was really happening to him? Tiran studied Ruwa's mouth as she talked. Every syllable she formed, every sound she made, coincided directly with the shaped of her lips and the flick of her tongue.

Tiran felt a tap on his knee. It was Ruwa, trying to get his attention, "Why are you looking at me all strange, are you ok? Do you want some water?"

For the first time, Tiran noticed that yes, he was actually pretty thirsty. Hungry too. However, all he could manage at the moment was a weak "Uh, yeah, sure."

Ruwa looked at him again for a moment, not convinced that was all, but then turned and went back up the stairs saying that she would return in a minute. Now Tiran was alone again, strange thoughts swirling about in his head. Eerily, a quote from an ancient movie his grandfather once showed Tiran when he was younger floated to the surface; "We're not in Kansas anymore."

More than ever, he wanted answers. While Ruwa was upstairs, Tiran talked to Li, hoping that whatever information she gathered during the conversation would unveil some trick or that at the very least, he had just suffered some head trauma and there was nothing to worry about. Well, except for the head trauma, of course.

But no, Li only confirmed his fears, 'Tiran, Infrared shows that that being was a living, breathing organism. Additionally, aural analysis is nearly a one hundred percent match with those I have conducted previously. Ruwa is the same person we encountered at the spring and then again in this house previously.'

"But, th-that's an animal!"

'Negative. One definition for an animal is an organism that behaves bestial, brutish, or lacking higher brain functions. This entity possesses higher level cognitive functions such as speech, complex language skills, the making and use of complex tools and chemicals. Therefore, what we have encountered is not an animal, but another species of sentience.' she lectured him.

"Ok ok, I'll give you that." Tiran said reluctantly. "Where are we then, another planet?"

'Possible. We would be very fortunate in that, as this environment is nearly identical to Earth in nearly every aspect. All except for one.'

Tiran was a little intrigued by her last statement, "Which one?"

'This planet does not rotate naturally as Earth does. It seems to be in a fixed position, with the sun and moon rotating around it, essentially an earth-central orbit.'

Tiran was confused by that last bit, "But that goes against nearly every law of physics..."

'Correct,' Li said confidently. 'This gives rise to a new theory.'

Tiran was starting to become exasperated of all this talk of insane theories. "And tell me, what theory is that?"

'That we are not, in fact, on a planet within our observable universe. That instead, we are in an entirely separate universe and/or dimension.'

That was a lot for Tiran to chew on. So he could be on another planet. But no, according to Li, the physics weren't right. But an Earth-centric orbit didn't fit right in his universe. The the planet would have to be absolutely massive, big enough to be denser than the sun to capture it in its gravitational pull and hold it there.

But if that were the case, then he should have been flattened to an impossibly thin pancake as soon as the Cloudburst had touched down. As far as he could tell, the gravity here was normal. It just didn't add up, going by his understanding of Earth's laws of physics. So was this really another universe, another dimension?

He was told the Cloudburst was capable of quickly, almost instantaneously, traveling between two points using quantum physics, of which Tiran was poorly acquainted with. He decided to ask Li. After all, she had gone through an upgrade by Dr. Welkin so she could properly handle the navigation of the Cloudburst using the M-drive.

Her answer wasn't very satisfying and almost confused Tiran twice as much, 'True, the M-drive was designed to travel forward through a quantum space to another point in real space. However, quantum space does not act accordingly to laws of nature as discovered by Man. You can go forward and back, but also up and down, left and right, just as in real space, beyond gravitational influences.

'The Cloudburst's on-board computer was designed to properly compensate for the gravitational influence of the Earth, Moon and Sun. However, the operation of this computer and it's equipment is very sensitive to outside and unexpected influence. Navigation could be disrupted by the unexpected introduction of high energies not within the M-drives parameters.'

So, if Li was right, then they had gotten thrown off course some how. Tiran had done everything right. Dr. Welkin had shown him how to properly initiate the M-drive, he was just waiting to test it. Then the attack happened. Tiran tried to escape. He initiated the M-drive as a last ditch effort, he didn't remember making any mistakes. Then... the missiles. He hadn't managed to shake the last one.

Tiran's attention was suddenly ripped from his thoughts as the door at the top of the stairs opened. He looked up and saw Ruwa coming down the stairs with a small tray balanced precariously on her back.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked as she carefully navigated her way down.

"Huh?"

"You were talking to somepony. Was somepony down here?"

Tiran thought, the words forming thickly. Then he remembered, the floor wasn't so thick over his head and he hadn't exactly tried to speak softly. "Oh, no one. I was just thinking out loud," he managed to give as an excuse.

"Oh. Ok..." Ruwa tilted her head to the side, almost as if she didn't believe him. "Well, I brought you some water. And I thought you might be hungry, so I brought a snack." she said as she carefully lowered the tray onto his lap with her teeth.

"Ok. Thanks." Tiran reflexively went to grab the small glass with his good hand, but stopped when he realized he was still tied up. "Uh... sorry, but could you..." he said sheepishly, nodding with his head towards his back.

Ruwa looked hesitant as she got his meaning. She looked back up the stairs, then back at him. "I guess it couldn't hurt..."

Tiran smiled when she still didn't do anything, "Hey, I promise I won't hurt you, or try to escape. Please?"

Ruwa stood there for a moment, her gaze shifting between him and the door upstairs. Then, "All right. But don't tell Axil and Dewdrop, they might get mad."

"Fine by me."

Tiran watched as Ruwa moved around to his rear. There was a moment where he felt his arms being jostled around, like she was trying to get at the cords with her teeth, which made sense now, he guessed. Then she must have caught the knot because his arms were suddenly free, moving forward to his sides.

He was still bound to the chair, but Tiran could use his good arm now. He stretched and rotated it, working fresh blood into the limb. It had been starting to go numb and now an intense tingly feeling rushed through it. He thanked Ruwa again before gently grabbing the glass and raising to to his lips.

The water was delicious, some of the best he had tasted. Tiran guessed he was more parched than he had thought. As he drank, taking slow sips, he studied Ruwa as she came back around and sat down in front of him, resting on her haunches. She was doing the same to him, like he was some strange beast to be studied.

Tiran looked at her wings. Were they real? Yes. As he watched them, they would shuffle uncomfortably from time to time. They seemed to be a gauge of Ruwa's mental state as sometimes it matched with the expression on her face. Uncertainty, intrigue.

Tiran's eyes moved down her coat. There was a mark, on her flank. Was it a brand? No, it had color, and detailed lines. It seemed to be a part of her coat. A cloud, white flecked with gold. Underneath it, ice blue rain drops. Across it, a lightning bolt cut jaggedly away.

When Ruwa caught his gaze, she blushed and shrank back, "What are you looking at?" she asked accusingly.

"What? Oh, that mark. On your...behind. what is that?" Tiran asked innocently.

Ruwa looked embarrassed, but she answered anyway, "You don't know?" Tiran shook his head and took another swig of water. "It's my Cutie mark. You don't have one?" Tiran shook his head again as he drank. "Oh, that's right!" A light seemed to pop on in Ruwa's head, "I heard that humans don't have them. Or they do, but not like ours. What do they call them? Tatos? Tattoo?"

Tiran sputtered, not hearing her last remarks, accidentally spraying water all over himself. Ruwa hopped back a few steps and looked at him with some concern, "Is something wrong, are you ok?"

Tiran coughed a little. He had inhaled some of the water, "Fine. Fine." He looked up at her, "You said humans? Are there some here?" he asked hopefully.

Ruwa sat back down, thinking. "Yeah, there are. Or...there were. And not many. I only heard of three."

Tiran sank in his chair. Just three?

"Are they still here?" he anxiously asked. Maybe they could tell him where exactly he was. Or even help him get back to his own people. But why were humans so scarce here?

Ruwa shook her head, "No, I think they all left. I haven't heard of any more for a long time. I think you're the first in years."

Tiran suddenly felt deflated. He didn't know how to get back, his aircraft was trashed and he was the only human in this world. At least, he was the only one now. But maybe he could find people—or ponies—that knew them. If the other humans had left, then some one else here might know how they did. He could get back, finish his job.

A thought came to him, "Ruwa, could you tell me where they lived?"

Ruwa looked up, her mind seeped in thought, "I don't think they really lived any where.... I heard they moved around a lot. But a lot of ponies said they mostly saw them around Canterlot and sometimes in Ponyville, but those are a long way from here, to the east."

So there was still a chance. He just had to get to those places, wherever they were. "Ruwa, do you know which place is closer?"

"Yeah, Canterlot! It's actually the capitol. Ponyville isn't too far from there either, just a little ways down south."

The capitol. Tiran didn't know how he could swing that. But maybe, since other humans had been there, he wouldn't stick out so much. Then again, Ruwa had said they hadn't been seen for a long time. Hopefully, people there were a bit more friendly towards humans. Hopefully more friendly than the other two people—ponies probably—that had tossed him down here into the basement.

"Ruwa, I need to get to Canterlot. Can you help me?" Tiran asked as politely as he could.

"Uh..." she didn't seem like she was sure.

Upstairs, a door opened. Tiran could hear the clomping of steps again, plus voices. It sounded like the other two were back.

"I-I have to go." Ruwa stammered, making her way to the steps.

"Wait!" Tiran whispered quietly. She stopped and turned to stare at him. Tiran motioned with his arm, "The rope."

"O-Oh, right."

Tiran leaned back and put his arms behind his back while Ruwa went behind him and re-tied the knot. When she was finished, she bounded back up the stairs and left the basement, closing the door behind her.

'You didn't have to remind her.' Li said to him.

"Yeah, but it might be best not to give it away yet." Tiran tested the binding on his wrists, "Besides, she tied it on loose. I can get out now if I want."

There was a little bit of muffled arguing upstairs. Then one of them retreated further to the second floor. Tiran couldn't tell who. Still, no one else came down, so it seemed Tiran had some time to himself.

"Hey Li, do you really think this is all real?"

'All current evidence suggests it is. I detect no abnormalities in the electrical pulses of your brain.'

"So what can we do?"

'Even I don't have all the answers, Tiran. For the time being, I suggest we just go with it.'

That caused a hitch in Tiran's train of thought. It didn't sound like Li at all. The normally reserved and logical Li would have never put anything so vague before. Not to mention admitting that there was something she didn't know. It didn't fit.

The basement door flew open. Tiran looked up to see if it was Ruwa again, but to his chargrin it was Axil and Boss Lady. Tiran quickly tried to make himself look as innocent as possible, though he couldn't help feeling a bit of shock when he noticed they were the same as Ruwa. At least, they were the same general shape.

Boss Lady was the first to march up to him. She was a little taller than Ruwa, but her coat was a light cerulean blue, her mane a wispy silver. Axil was quite a bit taller. He and Tiran might stand eye to eye. As it was, he had a coat of chestnut brown, his head topped with light red hair. Both had wings.

Axil snorted when he saw Tiran, but otherwise kept his distance. On the other hand, Boss Lady was staring him right in the face, eyeballing him with a suspisious gaze.

"So. Who are you?" Boss Lady asked with a hint of hostility.

Tiran frowned, "I told you before. Remember? When you attacked me and dragged me down here?"

She huffed angrily, "No! I mean, who are you? Why are you here, are you one of them?"

It seemed the more Tiran spent in the place, the more confused about things he was getting. Whatever she was talking about, it was joining the long list of things that Tiran knew nothing about.

"Uh... who are 'them' exactly?" Tiran answered carefully.

"Just answer the question!" Axil stomped.

Tiran really didn't have time for this interrogation shit. He needed to get out of there and soon. If there was even a chance he could get back to his universe, or whatever, he needed to get to this capitol Ruwa had told him about. But how to do it? He didn't want to hurt these two. It seemed like they were friends of Ruwa and they looked harmless. For the most part.

Tiran decided to play dumb, which wasn't too far from the truth, "I can tell you honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Still don't wanna talk, huh? That's fine. The Guard will be here soon. We'll see how much you know then. C'mon, Axil."

Boss Lady—or was it Boss Mare?— turned in a huff and went up the stairs, Axil following close behind her.

Axil turned to her and spoke quietly, but Tiran could hear, "D'ya think it's safe to just leave him down there?"

"Don't worry, he's tied up. He might look strange, but he is human. Not one of them. The Guard will know what to do with him when they get here tomorrow."

After that, Tiran heard the door slam. He waited a while, but no one else came. He was hoping that Ruwa would come back, she seemed so pleasant, but it didn't happen. Tiran craned his head back, there was a small window letting light into the room. He noticed it was almost nightfall outside, less and less light was coming in.

Tiran knew what he had to do now. He difintely couldn't stay there. If this 'Guard' came and got him, there's no telling where they would take him. So he would wait, just a bit longer. Once they were all asleep, he would slip out.

* * *

The night was quiet. Tiran hadn't heard anything upstairs for over an hour now. If he guessed, he would put the time at around 2000. With a bit of careful manuevering, he slipped the cords from his wrists. Getting at the ropes around his torso was a bit of a challenge with just one arm, but after some fiddling, he got it.

Tiran almost stood up, but stopped when he noticed the tray still on his lap. Had he let it fall, it would have caused quite the clatter. The snack was still on it. Tiran picked it up, it was some kind of cake. Curious, he took a bite.

Tiran spat it out almost immediately and scraped his tongue clean. When he looked at the bite he took, he could see shreds of straw in it. How had Ruwa expected him to eat that? No, he pushed the though aside. She was just trying to be nice, she couldn't have known.

Carefully setting the tray down, Tiran stood and went up the stairs. It was hard to be stealthy in his clunky boots, but he managed it. At the top of the stairs, Tiran slowly cracked the door. He was lucky they had left it unlocked.

He heard loud snoring. Really loud. Tiran opened the door some more and peered out. He was on the other side of the house, across from the living room. Axil was layed across the couch, snoring contently, one leg occassionally kicking in the air in response to some dream.

Silently closing the basement door behind him, Tiran crept out into the living room, doing his best to sneak past the sleeping pegasus. He made it into the kitchen, with any luck, the door was still broken. He was about three steps away when the same floor board that got him last time let out a little wounded cry when he stepped on it.

Tiran went still, hand inches from the door handle. Behind him, the stallion snorted and seemed to wake up. But he just flipped himself over, mumbled something and went back to sleep. Tiran let out a breath and pushed on.

The door still creaked when he opened it, but it didn't ellicit any response from the sleeping sentry. Tiran was outside now. He took a few steps back from the house and looked up. He didn't see any lights on. So far, so good.

Still careful to be quiet, Tiran walked around the side of the house and out to the front, estimating where he thought the spot he hid his stuff might be. After a few false leads, he found the X. Tiran quickly and carefully dug his stuff up, pulling the back over his shoulder after putting his knife away and clipping the pistol to the spot on his thigh.

Now he just needed to start his journey. Which way did Ruwa say it was? East. Yes, east. Tiran looked up to the moon for guidence and was met with yet another shock. The moon was different. He couldn't tell before, but now he could see with the canopy of the trees out of the way.

There was a distincive shape marring the face of the waning moon. He thought he could see a horse's head with a protruberance sticking out of the forehead. If you looked at it the right way, you might be able to see the 'man on the moon' from the surface of Earth, but here ithe pattern stood out plainly and clear, as if it were a grave warning. Just another item on the list of things that were different here.

Tiran shook his head an started walking. If he was right, then the moon had yet to meet its zenith. East would be past the house. After a little searching he found a path there. After another glance at the sky and confirming it with Li, he found that it did in fact go east.

Tiran continued down the path, humming some song to hi self that he forgot the words to, when he thought he heard something behind him. Tiran turned and looked back down the path, but saw nothing. Then he remembered the strange unseen beast that roamed the woods and picked up his pace.

He'd only gone another twenty meters when he heard it again. Tiran slowed and turned at the same time, his good arm reaching for his gun. But there was nothing there. He was starting to get anxious again. Tiran was lucky that he hadn't run into any of the monsters that haunted the night thus far and he didn't want that luck to run out.

Tiran stared again, but slowly this time, straining his ears for the slightest hint of an attack. He went ten meters, then twenty, thirty. He heard it again. Tiran whipped around, bringing his pistol to bear.

"No, please don't!"

Tiran flinched. He lowered the gun and saw standing in front of him Ruwa.

Tiran lowered and put the pistol on its clip, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Jesus, what are you doing out here?"

"I-I thought you might be leaving, s-so I thought I'd sh-show you the way to town." she stuttered. The poor thing was trembling. Tiran must really have scared her.

"Sorry. I thought you were something else," he told her kindly. "Listen, I'm not going into town."

"But you said you needed to get to Canterlot, right? The fastest way is to go to Tall Tale and get on a train."

Oh dear. How was he going to explain this to her?

"I can't go there. Your friends said they called the Guard, or something, and I can't afford to be delayed. I need to get there fast so I can figure out a way to get back home," Tiran explained.

"Dewdrop and Axil? They meant well..."

"Yeah, well now I might end up in a holding cell for all I know. So now I'm going on foot."

"Do you know the way?" she asked.

'Yeah, you said east, right? I figured I'd just head that way until i come to it."

Ruwa shook her head, "No, you can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"The path has forks and splits, sometimes it doubles back on itself and goes the other direction. Plus you need to get on the other side of the Unicorn Range."

Tiran felt puzzled as he tried to take all that in, "Ok..."

"Here, I'll show you."

Before Tiran could stop her, Ruwa shouldered past him. For the first time, he noticed that she had two bulky saddle bags strapped across her back. If Tiran didn't know better, he'd say she was leaving for good.

"Hey, you're not just gonna leave your friends back there, are you?" he asked after her.

"They'll understand," she said over her shoulder. "Plus I think you really need the help."

Tiran didn't believe it. She wanted to go with him. She probably had been stalking him since the house with this exact scenario in mind. Well, probably not the part where he drew a gun on her. Tiran thought of how he had escaped. The cords. She had probably left them loose on purpose. Clever girl...

Still, he wasn't sure if she'd be a help or a hinderance out here. Not to mention the danger. "Before we go, you should know that I've almost run into some very big animals out here." Tiran told her in an attempt to get her to turn back.

"Oh, you mean the manticors? Don't worry, they usually stay away from the path." Ruwa said without missing a stride.

Tiran was about to ask, but he thought better of it. "Alright, fine," he gave up. "I guess we better get going then. Got a long ways to go."

Ruwa looked back and smiled at him, "We sure do!"