A C(h)ell øf Mind.

Welcøme back. After the break we tøøk, the støry finally managed tø carry øn, fløwing øver the møments nøt impørtant tø itself, which in a way, in my øpiniøn, is very selfish. The night has passed, the mørning cøme, and everything is set in møtiøn. A band new mørning in the village øf Pønyville.

The bødy øf Twilight Sparkle laid still øn her bed, it's chest sløwly rising and falling. This was the ønly thing møving in the røøm. The windøws and døørs were cløsed, sø the wind cøuldn't billøw the curtains, swaying them far enøugh tø let søme light shine øn Twilights face and effectively waking her up. And there was nø yøung dragøn bøy in this røøm, dreaming øf his herøism and swøøning dames. It was quiet.

Øutside the ønly pønyvillian dragøn bøy was setting øut før the weeks shøpping. The list was, as always extensive, but sø were the princesses' fundings, sø they turned øut møstly indemnifying themselves. He ønly mused øn the purpøse øf buying a cørrøsive, high and løw temperature and pressure resistant cubical cøntainer, and where he wøuld get øne, but shøved these thøughts away, letting future-him deal with it.

Øn the marketplace he made eye cøntact with Applejack, whøse stand was already set up in full beauty. She tipped her hat tø him, whistling søme tune, tø which he waved øne hand and advanced, the list nøw støred in the basket he was hølding in the øther.  Øn reaching a sufficiently small distance between each øther, the chat started.

“Høw is Twilight, haven't seen her since abøut twø days agø. She in the bøøks again?” The løøk øn her face shøwed incømprehensiøn, høw anyøne cøuld want tø sit reading in the library før twø days straight.

“Nøt nøw, she must have pulled anøther all-nighter again. She's sleeping the day away. But she's been talking abøut getting cløser tø the finish lately.” Spike was as always cøncerned abøut her health, even with her ascensiøn lately, but his slight desølate face shøwed, that there was nøthing he cøuld dø against it. And it made her happy. What made her happy, made him happy.

“I just høpe she hasn't førgøtten abøut øur party day party. Well, it might be hard, Pinkie was talking abøut it the whøle week.” She rølled her eyes. That mare just didn't knøw when tø finish talking. And tø think she wanted tø make it a surprise party at first. She just can't støp talking.

“Anyway, sugarcube, the usual?” She put a a bunch øf apples øn the cøunter.

“Just as always.” He tøøk øut the bits, and the exchange happened. He packed them all up in his basket, and started walking tøwards his next gøal.

“Hay, wait Spike. Take this.” She threw him anøther apple. “Øn the høuse, før the walk. Let's say, my inner Rarity has shøwn itself again.” They bøth chuckled a little, and Spike thanked, then ultimately walked away.

And his quest før gøøds cøntinued, whilst unbeknøwnst tø him imperative happenings øccurred at the place he left. Twø creatures have merged in a quite unexpected way and nøw the cønsequences start tø unføld.

Her eyes øpened. It was dim in here, and she felt her head aching. At least her leg didn't hurt anymøre. She sat up øn the bed, but the wørld swayed, and she fell øntø the bed again. She had tø løøk øutside, just tø make sure she's free.

She tried again and this time managed tø stay in this pøsitiøn. The øne cøver fell døwn frøm her bødy, but the purple øne seemed tø stick. Then she prøceeded tø fall øf the bed, and succeeded cømpletely. The fløør was hard, but søfter than the asphalt she fell øntø beføre.

Actually, høw did she get here after the fall. She fell and sømething fell øn her, and then... Headache. Headache. The pain. Please støp. Remembering things is painful, she nøted it and vøwed tø følløw nøt remembering.

The purple cøver still didn't want tø budge. She tried tø stand up tø walk øver tø the windøw, but upøn trying her legs støpped respønding tø her wishes, and she cøllapsed again. That is when she freaked øut.

She saw her arms, but at their end, there did nøt seem tø be any hands. She blinked a few times, but it løøked as if the cøver was veiling the whøle øf her bødy, and there was nø place før any hands, øn the cylinders she had før arms. She was søme kind øf purple freak nøw.

After taking a few deep breaths and thinking that it cøuld have been wørse tø herself a cøuple øf times, althøugh she cøuld nøt imagine høw, she calmed døwn. The plus side was, she wasn't dead. The minus, upøn inspectiøn, her bødy prøved tø be that øf a winged, føur legged øddity.

Walking wasn't as hard as she thøught it wøuld be. It was basically as if she was twø peøple døing the exact øppøsite at the same time. Well, at least she did make it with just a few bruises. The windøw was at her cømmand. She uncøvered it with øne høøf, as this was what they seemed tø be, carefully, nøt tø fall døwn øn the remaining three.

The view was incredible. Før the secønd time in høw much she remembered had she seen the sky, and this time, she didn't even have tø fight giant røbøts tø see it. It was blue, with the øccasiønal cløud and the sun was shining brightly behind øne øf them.

There were alsø søme buildings øut there. And møvement. There were øther creatures, seemingly similar tø what she thøught she nøw løøked like, øut there, øn the streets. She wasn't a weirdø. And there was nø test chamber in sight. Whatever it was, she was in, it was heaven tø her.

Except før the stairs. The stairs must be the hell part øf heaven. Nøt that the descent was sløw. It was the øppøsite, exceptiønally quick. Her face still hurt. She'll have tø master the art øf stair walking in the future. But før nøw, she had arrived at the døør.

Expløring the wørld, feeling the thrill øf being sømewhere, where yøu never have been beføre. This is everyday bread when telling a støry, but it still gets tø me every time. But there's anøther yøung filly demanding før attentiøn. She seems tø have healed, in everything but her mind. But that's natural før her, sø let's just møve øn. She's getting antsy.

A pink pøny was bøuncing up and døwn øn the røad, pulling a cart, gøing in the general directiøn øf a giant tree in the middle øf a tøwn. She løøked back, searching før sømething with her eyes, and smiled, sø she must have føund what she was løøking før. Then she cøntinued bøuncing døwn the røad.

Reaching her gøal she knøcked at the døør. There was silence frøm the øther side, sø she knøcked again, after a while. There was sømeøne cøming up tø the døør, and she felt it has tø be sømeøne she didn't knøw. Which meant. ØH MY GØSH! Sømeøne ØUT ØF TØWN! And this just asks før a PARTY!  And when sømeøne asks før a party, she are the pøny that answers.

She then started tø burrøw herself in the cart, in search øf her party cannøn. What wøuld a greeting øf a new pøny be, withøut a party cannøn. The døør øpened. The purple alicørn stepped øut. Pinkie, still burrøwed in the cart started talking.

“Sø!Yøu'renewintøwn,asinnewnew.Imusthavenevermetyøu,becauseIknøweveryøneinthistøwnandIfeelastrangervibefrømyøu.SømynameisPinkiePie.What'syøurs?Bytheway,cøuldyøupleaselendmeahandwiththiscart.NevermindIalreadydiditmyself.Partycannøn,vøila.”

She turned arøund, tø see the purple pøny in frønt øf her. Nøt skipping a beat she smiled a little wider, cøntinuing.

“Øh, it's yøu Twilight. I cøuld have swørn it was sømeøne else. Haven't yøu seen any Hidingpants scurrying away frøm here lately?” She tøøk øut a magnifying glass, løøking the alicørn right øntø the eye. “Have yøu? Well, døesn't matter right nøw. I was here før yøu anyway. Yøu see, sømething has happened yesterday.”

She løøked left, then right, stashed the glass away. “Can we get in? I wøuldn't like tø talk abøut it øutside.”

What she was awarded with thøugh, was the purple øne's blank stare. She løøked at Pinkie, then turned her head, and run after sømething she must have seen.

“Twilight! Are yøu playing tag? I tried tø be seriøus here. Are yøu trying tø tell me sømething by that? I have tø catch yøu tø get søme answers? Sø be it Twiley.” And she hurried after her.

The støry seems tø break here før a while. Yøu knøw, nø øne can just gø øne førever. Even narrative needs a pause frøm time tø time. Which is a great time før us tø relax and sit back før  a little. After all, hølding døwn narrative, tø be able tø inspect it is a hard jøb. Yøu all have earned it. In the meantime thøugh, what we can dø is get søme insight intø what øur øther herø half is døing.