Mind Over Matter

Let me know what you think of the story so far.

I think I could have done better with this chapter as well.

PS: Read the notes in the A/N section

Credit to: Doctor Strange for reviewing, and giving me ideas as well as helping me out.

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This was a very awkward moment; however, I didn't let it get to me so much. If I didn't have their complete trust, then I'll have to find a way to earn it. I wasn't going to brood over this the entire day. What really made me wonder is why the white unicorn decided to pack so much stuff. That poor little white filly unicorn was doing all the hard work. It made me feel bad that I didn't really do anything to help; but I don't know if I would be able to, so I just kept my distance.

The yellow filly kept staring back at me during the awkwardness before we started toward our camp-site

“Applejack, what is that thing?” The young, yellow filly with the red mane and tale asked.

Applejack gave a weak smile. “Well, he's a uh...human were it?”

I gave a nod as my answer. We were walking up a dirt road that was leading us to our first camp-site, and boy did I feel like I was being watched. The white unicorn kept giving me glances every so often, and I was curious as to what she was looking at.

“So...Rarity, right?” I asked.

She kept staring at me, and it was creeping me out. The silence was awkward and I didn't really feel comfortable with it lingering in the air.

A few seconds passed by before she decided to finally speak up, “Yes, my name is Rarity.”

“Okay...now, is there something I can help you with?”

Rarity shook her head, “Oh, nothing really. I just can't help, but uh...admire your taste in fashion.” Rarity gave a sheepish smile.

“Are you serious? You can say you have a problem with what I'm wearing.” I responded directly.

“Well in that case, I think your taste in fashion is absolutely horrid.” Wow...brutal. Hey I asked for her opinion, and that's what I got. I can't complain about something I asked for.

I would strike up conversations with the other ponies, but they don't seem to up for talking much. Rarity doesn't even want to speak to me anymore because of the awkwardness of it all. I felt awkward about all of this too. I feel like I'm about to go mad with all that's going on. I can't use my psions right now without freaking them all out. That goes without saying that Applejack was genuinely freaked out by it.

*****

We eventually reached the first camp-site where we saw Rainbow Dash. I noticed the orange filly in the front admiring what she was doing. I watched in awe as well. The cyan mare was flying at super fast speeds, and each time she passed by parts of a campfire set-up appeared bit by bit. Watching this, I observed how she tackled through the trunks of some trees with her hind hooves, and basically turned them into logs and firewood.

It was a nice set-up, and I took in the sight of the ponies putting their tents up. I watched one filly in particular, it was the same orange filly who admired Rainbow Dash. It was quite cute to see the two together; and heart warming.

I went over to one of the makeshift seats that Dash had made from the trees, and I sat down I heard a noise that sounded like something inflating, and when I turned my head, I saw a big tent that looked like it was fit for royalty. Seriously, couldn't Rarity have packed a simple tent? I guess not. I think the rest of us had a “seriously?” moment.

It got later to where the sun was setting until it was completely down. Applejack had started the fire, and I sat across from the all the ponies on the opposite end of the fire. Even Rainbow was giving me awkward expressions. This whole situation was awkward I should say. We all sat around the campfire and I waited for someone to break the silence.

I decided to speak up to break the silence, “So...are we going to tell ghost stories or something?” The ponies were looking away, and scratching their heads. At this point, I just wanted to get the night over with.

“I have a really scary story.” Rainbow Dash started, “But I must warn you, it's one of the scariest stories around.”

“Okay then.” Was all I replied with.

Rainbow Dash began her story, and it went on for quite sometime. I paid attention, not exactly to all of the details, but I was paying attention nonetheless. It was a good half an hour when Rainbow finished her story; and I must admit, it was pretty scary. The olden pony, the rusty horseshoe, I got pretty freaked out. I would feel uneasy if an old pony or person was constantly following me because well...it makes you feel like they're gonna hurt me.

I looked around, and saw the other ponies getting ready to get some sleep. I looked back at the fire. I just wanted to be comforted by its warmth a little longer before I got some shut-eye.

“Time ta' hit the hay everypony.” Said Applejack as she let out a big yawn.

I would go to bed inside one of the tents, but they were only big enough for ponies; and only two could fit inside at a time. That is without saying that Rarity's tent is a castle compared to the other two tents, but I knew she wouldn't let me inside.

“I guess I'll just sleep out here for the night. The tents aren't exactly big enough for me.” Oh boy were those tents small. They could only able to shelter up to two ponies, maybe three from the looks of them.

“Suit yerself.” Was all Applejack responded with, and then she went inside the tend with the small yellow filly with a red mane and tail. It's funny how I didn't really notice her, she never really spoke much at all during this trip. I think I remember he name being said by Applejack during the trek to the site...Applebloom? I think.

“Are you sure you'll be okay out here?” Dash asked as she walked up to me.

“Yes, I'm sure.” I answered with a more relaxed tone.

“Well, okay, but I think I can give you some blankets and a pillow at least.” Rainbow Dash went into the tent to grab any extra blankets, and pillow. I happily accepted them and she went back into her tent to go to sleep.

I tried to get a good night's sleep, but I kept hearing some moaning from Dash's tent. It sounded like the little orange Pegasus was having nightmares. 'I guess those stories did get to her. Poor Scoots.' I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't want to disturb Dash; and I assured myself that in time, things would turn out for the better in the end.

I did finally closed my eyes as I gave out one last stretch and yawn. I let my mind wonder off into the dream world where I felt the freest. No restrictions, no limitations. Just me and my dreams.

*****

I found myself in a city, that looked vaguely familiar. Lampposts lit up black pavement with yellow and white lines drawn on them. They also lit up white cement that stood maybe a few inches higher than the black pavement. Buildings stood in every spot on each end. I would also see metallic figures zoom by occasionally, and they moved really fast. I looked up at the sky, and it was dark. It happened to be in the middle of the night, and stars were lit up. I looked at my other surroundings, and there appeared to be some baron areas in between some of the neighborhoods; which to me looked like a desert.

I watched a much longer, and bigger metal monster pass by which had “Antelope Valley Transit Authority” on it. As I saw that, I could have sworn something in my mind clicked. I tried to think, but no dice. I decided to roam the streets as I was able to recall them being, I mean Ponyville had streets...sorta. I was walking through a small neighborhood until I saw a black figure a good twenty feet in front of it. It ran off and I gave chase. I was able to get a good look at the thing before it fled. It was a human, just like me. I couldn't see he or she was wearing exactly, but I was able to keep up.

I could have sworn I was losing ground when the silhouette appeared to be getting smaller and smaller. I tried to make myself aware that this was a dream, but the best I managed was a bit more speed. Curse my inability to lucid dream. I saw the person disappear as the lights in the street dimmed, and eventually blacked out. I couldn't see anything in front of me, but then a bright light turned on. It hung above a couple of metal chairs, one of which was seating the same shadow I had been chasing for a good ten minutes.

“Come. Take a seat.” The figure gestured to the seat in front of it. From the sound of its voice, it was male.

I furrowed my brows and kept myself on my toes. I walked over to the other chair, and sat down. The light did a good job at hiding his appearance in the shadows, which peeved me a little.

“Who are you?” I asked immediately.

The man gave a small laugh. “Oh? You want me to tell you who I am?”

“Yes!”

“For now, just call me Duran. Fitting name if I do say so myself.” He answered. “I also plan to tell you any necessary information that you may want.”

“Okay, Duran...how about you first tell me if I am still dreaming?” This felt all too real to be a dream.

Duran held a grin on his face the entire time. “You are still dreaming, but I did enter your mind to speak to you.”

“About what?”

“About you, and other important matters.”

I scratched my head in confusion. “Why do you need to speak to me?”

“Because,” Duran started, “You are a special human.”

I rose a brow, “How am I special?”

Duran's grin remained on his face still, “Do you remember at all when you were a child?”

“I don't remember anything at all.” I answered dryly.

“Oh, so I guess entering Equestria did do a number on you.” His grin disappeared as if he were not amused by this at all. “Damn it...what if he forgot how to use his powers?” Duran's voice went into an inaudible volume.

“How do you know that I'm in Equestria?” I asked quizzically.

His grin reappeared on his face, “I was the one who sent you here. I too, used to be a pony myself.”

“What kind of pony were you?” I asked out of curiosity.

“That information will not be disclosed.” Duran's silhouetted figure held out a hand as he replied. “What is important, however, is how you attained your powers and why.” He added.

“How did I attain my powers?” I was even more curious than before.

“I was the one who gave you your powers.” Duran's grin grew wider.

“What? Stop messing with me!” I shouted in confusion.

Duran adjusted himself and leaned forward in his seat. “Oh, but I'm not messing with you. I'm telling you the truth.” He adjusted himself into an upright position in his chair. “If you'd sit there and let me explain a few things, then this will all be over with quickly.”

I decided to listen intently just to end this quicker. I sat in my seat silently waiting for Duran to speak some more. His smile was filled with pleasure. What does this man have in store?

“No questions? Good.” He started. “Let us start with how I ended up on Earth. I was but a pony just like any other in Equestria. I found a kingdom I wished to bring to glory, and did so by climbing into power.” Duran let out a sigh before continuing, “However, I was sealed away for many years, but when I came back...I wanted the kingdom back, you see.” He went into much detail about when he came back and how six ponies interfered with his return to power. “That wasn't where it all ended though. I found myself in a strange place. Tall buildings, vehicles that moved without anything pulling them, and so on.”

“Can we get to the point?” I was starting to get tired of his story. It nearly put me to sleep after a good thirty minutes. Funny, I was already asleep. Maybe it was the other way around, or...ugh never mind.

“My, my, a bit impatient I see.” Duran remarked. “Fine then. You see, where you're from, magic doesn't exist, so I was unable to gradually refill my internal supply of it. I decided  that I needed a...'person' whose intellect wasn't too...inconvenient.” He explained. “The ones you call 'nerds' were too out there and would probably irresponsibly use these powers with how they would describe how they would use super powers if they ever attained them.” Duran went into thought for a moment, and continued when he had more to say, “Oh, and as for the...dumber people. I couldn't stand how they would go around throwing gang signs, and would dope around all day. Those were two kinds of people I couldn't allow to have what I had planned to gift unto any of them.”

“What made me so special?” I questioned.

Duran cleared his throat a little before answering, “You...you were the only one around the city whom had any ounce of rationality, and intelligence to them. I didn't know what effects granting a human the last bit of my power would have done, but when I found out, I was impressed.” I didn't respond, but continued to listen. “You were no older than eight when I granted you your power; and how you handled your abilities, was quite interesting.” He added.

“Why would you give such powers to a child?” I was confused. Such power to someone so young. I couldn't wrap my head around it.

“Same reason as before.” Duran simply answered. He continued his explanation of my powers, “Your 'psions' allow you the ability to bend light, manipulate electricity and fire; even read minds along with the many other things you did upon arriving in Equestria. Though, when it came to reality warping, that was a big no-no.  Also, your abilities appear to only match your brain's mental capacity.”

This was all too much for me to take in. I had this much power? I feel like I'm just some mad scientist experiment from what he's been telling me. I was confused, angry; and I didn't know exactly how to react to all of this. “What the hell was all this for? And how did I end up in Equestria and why are my memories so jacked up?!” I was growing more and more infuriated as I stood up and flipped the chair over. My anger caused the room to shake, but I didn't care.

“Calm down, incredible hulk! You can't let yourself get filled with too much rage!” Duran exclaimed. “Otherwise things can go so wrong you wouldn't believe the kind of mess that would need to be cleaned!”

I grimaced at Duran. Just looking at him pissed me off now more than ever. “Shut your damn mouth!” I shouted and started to charge after him. I was immediately pinned down by an overwhelming force. What? This is my mind! My dream! How?!

“You're going to damn well listen you pissant!” His voice echoed loudly with anger when he stood up from his chair. Duran took a breath and exhaled deeply. He took his seat and continued to explain everything. “I am the reason why you're in Equestria. Why your memories were messed up upon entering is because of what happened during our previous encounter in your world.”

“W-what? Previous encounter...?” I winced as the force kept me pinned to the ground. It felt like my body was being held down, and crushed by a giant.

“Yes, our previous encounter. I found a way to open a gateway to Equestria without magic. You may not be able to warp reality, but with what little power I had left, I was able to make it react with your psions just enough to crack open a portal. However it may have caused some psychic backlash, which would explain your memory loss.” Duran's mouth was up to my ear as he said this, “I now have my regular pony-shape back, but I have grown a custom to the human form. It proves to be quite useful in keeping me hidden from princesses.”

I struggled a bit, but the invisible force kept me down. “How did you even bring me here if you used the last of your magic?”

“I didn't use every bit of my power to grant you such a gift. I had a plan to get us into Equestria. Reality-warping maybe out of your jurisdiction, but with my help it was possible. You see, I found out that when magic and psions collide with each other, they don't mix well. They tend to cause small openings to other realities, or dimensions; and I sought the opportunity to pull you in with me.”

“Can't you tell me why you brought me here!?” If I wasn't bound by this intense gravity holding me down, I'd go ape-shit on this guy.

Duran's smile was sinister, demented, and just...evil! “Remember when I told you six ponies eliminated me?”

“Y-yes?”

“I want you to kill them.” His laugh wasn't maniacal, nor was it twisted. Duran's laugh was just...sane. I began to think of how sick this man was in the back of my mind.

“What makes you think I'll do this!?” I scowled at him.

Duran walked passed me, into the darkness, and  answered, “In due time, you will do as I say, one way or another. Even if it means playing dirty.”

The invisible force that kept me down had disappeared after his figure had vanished completely. I got up and looked around for him. Duran's voice echoed once more through the empty room as he spoke, “Earning the trust of these ponies, and restoring your memories are top priority. Then the real fun can begin.” With one last laugh, the voice disappeared. Things went dark again, and I blacked out.

*****

I woke up breathing heavily, in a cold sweat. I felt like something had knocked the air out of me, and I felt a bit dazed. When my head finally had stopped spinning, and my breathing had returned to normal, I sat up; and held my head in one hand while I used the other for support. I picked my head up and saw the ponies looking at me with looks of worry.

“What's wrong? Did something happen?” I asked.

Applejack spoke up amongst them to answer, “We thought ya' weren't gonna wake up, and we kinda got worried for a moment.”

“I'm alright.” I looked up at the sky, and saw that it seemed like it was already noon. I've been asleep that long?

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “We tried waking you up for two hours, and you wouldn't budge. We were starting to worry about you.”

I got up to my feet and packed the blankets and pillow, and finally replied, “I said I'm fine.” I walked off ahead and no one said anything. We headed toward our next camp-site, and I couldn't help but think about everything Duran said.

*****

In the mountainous regions in the outskirts of Equestria, a man clad in shadow watches as his plans fall into place. Behind him a shadow with blood-red eyes, stood behind him.

“Master, what is the purpose of allowing this boy to regain his memories?” The shadow asked its lord as its voice hissed and echoed.

The man deadpanned, “There is no harm in him regaining his memories.”

“Why not just brainwash him to get this over with quicker?”

“I can't yet, and I might not be able to. Psions and magic are on the same level, but psions work differently.” The man continued to stare off over the horizon. He began to monologue, "Magic is more spiritual, and psions are more mental. Which means the focus of one's mind can amplify brainwaves, causing an external force of energy to be released from the mind itself; thus allowing resistance. I can take advantage, however, of one thing though: the boy's lack of control over it when his rage peaks."

“Master Duran" The shadow spoke, interrupting his master's monologue, "As you now call yourself, I think you may have made a grave mistake giving him such an ability. You may have locked his ability of reality-warping, but the boy still remains powerful.” The shadow stood there, staring at its lord.

“Are you saying I might be able to handle my own creation?” Duran chuckled. “I'll make sure he does my bidding. A simple spell should do the trick, but first, we need a way of blocking his psions just in case he resists.” He laughed evilly to himself. “And I know just how to do it. Humans are quite the scientific ones."

“I'll keep a watchful eye on him, Master. My siren shadows and I will look for any weaknesses he might have.” The shadow insisted.

Duran replied in a monotone voice, “Get to it then.”

With that, the shadow dissipated. Duran then started to put his plans into motion, and with a laugh he disappeared from the mountaintop.