Parallels- an MCSM AU [COMPLETED]

ONE- the Map to Nowhere

decided to give you this one a little early, since the prologue was so short c:

okay so if i ever accidentally slip into present tense for a second, bear with me here. im not used to writing in 1st person and mistakes happen.

and oH LOOK IVE  STARTED DOING CHAPTER TITLES AGAIN WOW

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I tucked the map into my inventory, staring out at the forest in front of me. The forest that, according to said map, should not exist.

This didn't make any sense.

The map showed that right then, I should've been standing at the front gates of a humble little town. It didn't look like much- only a handful of buildings were visible on the paper.

But there was nothing there. Just trees and grass and a few animals walking around, with a river some ways to my right. Nothing even beginning to resemble a town.

When I looked at that map for the first time, I'd instinctively known there was something wrong with it. I would rather not admit how much time I spent staring at that damn piece of parchment, trying to figure out what about it bothered me, before I finally figured it out. I'd never been to that specific area before, but I was pretty sure there was no settlement there. I compared it to one of Jack's maps, and sure enough: no town.

So then, why was it on that map? And where had the damn paper even come from?

All I knew was, it had seemingly appeared on my desk about a week earlier. For several days it had rested at the back of my mind, with me not having enough time to actually investigate. But that day, I had managed to clear a gap in my schedule, just long enough to ride out there and see for myself if the mysterious map was wrong or right.

And now that I knew it was false, I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

I settled on puzzled.

Where in the Overworld could it possibly have come from? Everything else on it was accurate, down to the colour of the wall around Beacontown.

So what did this paper town mean?

My horse, a beautiful black-and-white paint mare whom I call Inara, gently nudged my shoulder with her muzzle. I startled slightly, then reached up to stroke her nose, murmuring, "Well, this was kind of a waste of time, wasn't it?"

She whickered softly by way of reply, and I smiled slightly despite my internal confusion. I've always had a habit of talking to animals, and I love when they act like they're talking back. "We should go back to Beacontown before Radar gets worried." I added softly.

Instead of following my own advice, however, I continued to stare bemusedly out at the unassuming forest for several minutes more. Something about the whole little situation felt terribly off, though at the time I couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

Inara bumped my shoulder again, and I let out a mildly frustrated sigh. I just wanted to know what this was all about, and yet there were no answers anywhere in sight. There wouldn't be a solution in Beacontown either, but at least there was other things to be done there, things that could hopefully take my mind off this aggravating mystery.

I clambered back into the saddle and steered Inara in the direction of my hometown. She set off at a brisk trot, apparently more eager to get back than I was.

Maybe it means nothing at all, I considered. Maybe it was sent as a prank or something.

Maybe I'm just desperate for a problem to solve.