Shining’s Log: Entry 42
Oh, Celesta! Logbook, what happened to me? I don’t even look like a pony anymore! Ponies don’t have six legs! Ponies don’t glow in the dark! Ponies don’t have a pair of weird antenna things growing out of the back of their heads! Ponies don’t have breathing holes in their chest!
And I’m, what, five... six times as large as I was before? I’m hideous! And the flowers didn’t even bother to fix my bucking leg!
Thank Celestia I still have my magic. And hey, 5/6 good legs is better than 3/4 good legs, right? Now I just have to figure out how to use these Celetia-forsaken limbs.
Shining’s Log: Entry 43
Log, I have a confession to make. Just one teeny-tiny little thing. No big deal.
Ok, so maybe not just one. It’s just a few, I swear.
Errr, well, you see... I may have, sort of... lied... to you. Just a couple of little white lies, I swear!
Shining’s Log: Entry 44
Have I shown you Thorn yet? He’s cool. Thorn’s this really tiny dragon. Really tiny. Corny, if she ever was emptied of her precious fruit, could hold Thorn inside of her.
But that’s not the coolest thing. No, Thorn can turn into a flaming dagger. That shoots more flames.
SO. AWESOME! I drew him so you can see (though I have no idea where the colored pencils came from).
For some reason, I get the feeling that he is one of three. I have no idea why. It’s not like he can talk like you or Corny can. Though, I get the feeling that he’s a good listener. He seems to understand me - not as much as you, Log - but never says anything back.
Anyway, I think I should keep an eye out for the other two... if they even exist. I'm sure that would make thorn very happy.
Shining’s Log: Entry 43 (revisited)
So, maybe my lies weren't so small. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve told more than just a few lies. In fact, I’ve almost never told you anything true since Entry 22. I’ve glossed it over a bit... spared you the details. Lies by omission and such. Some of what I have seen, I wouldn’t wish on our most hated enemies. Some of it, I just don’t want to talk about. And some of it is rather embarrassing.
Did you know that I’m missing a tooth? And I lost it in the lamest way possible. Nope, not going to tell you.
Your begging won’t help.
No.
I said no.
Stop it.
STOP IT.
STOP! TALKING!
SHUT! THE! BUCK! UP, LOGBOOK!
I don’t feel like talking to you anymore. You’re mean, Log. I hate you...
Shining’s Log: Entry 45
It’s been a while. I haven’t forgotten anything since I stopped talking to you. That’s a plus.
I can’t stay mad at you forever, can I? At least you don’t have a head to squish. Maybe, the next time a monster attacks, I’ll let you watch big brother at work. Won’t that be nice?
Oh, I didn’t tell you? Hahaha! Monsters attack me all the time! They probably can smell the blood on me from all the others I’ve killed so far. Or maybe it’s my own blood... from the wound.
Though, it’s been healed for a while now. The fever was nasty; I didn’t write in you for over twenty sleeps because I just didn’t have the energy to do so. And nothing really interesting happened anyway. What did you expect me to write? ‘Waking time sixteen: putrid smell grows along with mountain of monster corpses. Still sick as a dog.’ Of course not! It's not like that actually hapened... Hahaha... right?
Shining’s Log: Entry 45
I’ve tried remembering the antidote to poison joke. I think I have it right (it was only three ingredients), but I’m not sure.
I love field medicine, but I have had nowhere near enough class time for it. My lack of medical knowledge is probably going to get me killed soon. Buck, I’ve been lucky so far. Will it hold?
Anyway, my poison joke cure didn’t work. I’ve even tried just regular bathing. Nothing. I think it should have worn off by now even without the cure. Even the best jokes get boring after a while; poison joke’s effects are usually temporary.
A side note: I’m still dripping blood, even after bathing. I haven’t even been injured where the blood is coming from. In fact, the blood never dries.
I just licked the blood. It’s sour and metallic, but not unpleasant. Definitely not my blood, then. Is this the blood of my slain enemies? Actually, I kind of like the taste. That’s a scary thought - ponies should NOT like blood.
Shining’s Log: Entry 46
I really don’t like glossing over the details I tell you. It’s probably not healthy. Of course, this whole place is not healthy. Am I in Tartarus? Was I a bad colt? Should I have told Mom and Dad about what happened earlier with Twilight an her bullies?
Am I a demon pony now? I sort of look like it. Six legs, four eyes, perpetually covered in wet blood, and wielding a flaming dagger. Yeah, that screams “evil.”
I’m getting off track. Log, I lie to you to lie to myself. I try to convince myself that I am safe, happy, sane (as I can be in this bucking place). The monsters that attack are bad. Yes, normally I can kill them before they kill me (becoming easier with time - scary!), but it’s not them I’m worried about.
No, it’s the monsters that I can’t see. The ones on the edge of my vision. They are far worse than anything that attacks me. They bring fear, paranoia, confusion. The fog tends to come when they come. Do they bring it? Or does it bring them? I can't tell. What I can tell is that the whispers grow louder, clearer when they come.
It's my name endlessly. "Shining Shining Shining Shining Shining Shining Shining Shining Shining..." Creepy at first, then just annoying, and now it's driving me crazy. You get the picture.
Log, this place is eating at my mind, body, and soul. I'm terrified of losing myself, Log. Or am I already lost? Am I still Shining Armor? Son of Night Light and Twilight Velvet? B.B.B.F.F.of Twilight Sparkle? Coltfriend to Princess Cadance?
Or am I the insane demon pony of the Mooobius world, who only thinks he's Shining Armor?
I'm scared.
Shining’s Log: Entry 47
Oh look! Mushrooms! Giant mushrooms! I wonder if they will be friends with me! Giant friendly mushrooms! That fruit I found earlier was quite thirst quenching. It’s the quenchiest! Yay! Hey, Log, why are you all wiggly and stuff? Oh look! Rainbow and smoke! Yay!
Sorry about that, Log. Whatever I ate earlier, it made things weird. Hallucinations, distorted perception, etc. Though, the mushrooms are real (I didn’t eat one), and so is the smoke, which is blue, for some reason. Something’s drawing me in. A little compulsion in the back of my mind. Since I literally have nothing else to do except wander this Celestia-forsaken world, I’ll follow.
If it’s a trap, I’ll escape. I always do. Well Log, Corny, wish me luck. I may need it.
Shining’s Log: Entry 48
A talking blue caterpillar smoking a water pipe. That was what I found just a minute ago at the center of the mushroom grove. From his pipe came the smoke that had been disorienting me for the past several waking periods. Having walked steadily towards the Midnight side (I guessed I was at about 7:30 PM, void-side right now), the light barely penetrated the hazy air.
The large caterpillar, which was sitting on one of the mushrooms, asked me a question. A simple little question. Even with my surprise at seeing it talk (or smoke), I should have been able to answer in a second. But I couldn’t.
It asked: “Who are you?”
I, for the life of me, couldn’t say for sure. Who was I, really? So, after a moment of consideration, I replied with the only name I had ever known: “Shining Armor, I think.”
Caterpillar: “That is an odd name indeed, Shining-Armor-I-Think,” he replied.
Me: “No, no, It’s Shining Armor. Just Shining Armor.”
Caterpillar: “Are you Shining-Armor-I-Think or Shining-Armor-Just-Shining-Armor? Make up your mind, stallion.”
Me: “Yes. No. Maybe? Aarrgh! I don’t know! Why do you want to know?”
Caterpillar: “Keep your temper. You should find yourself before you run too far away. The ??????? does not like IT’S toys broken. Remember, you’re only as lost as you believe yourself to be.” And with that cryptic statement, he blew a deep lungful of smoke on me, blinding me completely.
Now that I can see, I find myself somewhere completely different. I’m not in the forest anymore. I’m somewhere on the Midnight side, on a flat, rocky plain. Thank Celestia that you, Corny, and Thorn are still here with me. I’d be lost without you.
Actually, despite the caterpillar trying to give me advice (I think it was advice), I’m still more lost than ever. What did he mean by ????????
Shining’s Log: Entry 51
I have a love-hate relationship with this place, the Midnight badlands. Gravity is prone to randomly shifting here. What looks like a flat plain feels like it is full of steep, rolling hills. Sometimes it’s fun to slide down the hills. I just have to remember to stop before I hit the sharp rocks.
Ehh, sometimes I forget.
On the plus side, my weird body is really tough. Still hurts like Tartarus fire, though. I've had to dig a few stones out of my glowing skin and sterilize the wound with Thorn's flames.
Shining’s Log: Entry 52
I’ve slept about 120 times, give or take a few. I didn’t keep track very well in the beginning, but I have a good guess. That doesn’t really tell me how long I’ve been here, what, with time being impossible to measure and all. If I assume that I’ve been sticking to a 24 hour schedule, that’s 4 months. Something tells me that it’s been longer than that.
Mr. Cardio was my P.E. and anatomy teacher in high school. He also was a retired field medic from the Royal Guard. That unicorn knew pony biology inside and out. I remember our lesson on puberty; more specifically, I remember his lessons on magical growth. Unicorns approximately double their magical output every six months for two years during puberty, then max out for natural growth. After that, we will only ever increase our power with extreme magical training (which I haven't had yet).
My power output has tripled.
Not only is this way too fast for any unicorn to grow, but I’ve already gone through puberty. I capped out at 12,720 thaums of magic the last time I checked (I admit, I love rubbing that number in my friend’s faces). For a civilian or Guard-in-training, 12,720 thaums is approximately the 95th pertcentile. With intense training, I should have gotten a max of about 14,000 thaums. Now, I read in at 38,230 thaums. I should add that this has been steady growth, unlike horn surge disease. I'm still freaked out, but without the surges, ~~it hasn't been too bad.~~ Scratch that, it’s been awesome!
How? Let me tell you. I can crush boulders with a thought! It takes hours to gallop across the entire diameter of my largest shield (and I can gallop really fast now). And I can melt stone with a basic light spell. A. BUCKING. LIGHT. SPELL! That spell is supposed to be harmless. I had no idea you could make it that bright and concentrated. Did you?
I feel so alive right now! I just want to let it all out! Break! Rage! Crush! Kill! Break! Rage! Crush! Kill! Break! Rage! Crush! Kill! Break! Rage! Crush! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! KillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKillKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL
Ahhh, that’s a relief. Mindless slaughter of the monsters trying to kill me is rather pleasant (what?). I’m worried though. I keep growing more aggressive with my increase in power. Will it ever stop?
At least my aggression has kept me alive - I don’t hesitate anymore when the beasts come. Now, if only I actually knew more spells. Brute force is nice and all, but flight, teleporting, or anything else would be useful. I’ll have to practice and be creative. Maybe I’ll try Dad’s Telescope spell first. I’ve seen him use it a thousand times.
Shining’s Log: Entry 53
I saw a new monster today. It was a huge flying one! And it shot purple lightning from it’s mouth! That’s awesome!
Unlike the normal monsters, this one did not seem interested in me. It definitely saw me, there’s no doubt about it. But it ignored me. It even ignored my attempt to make it explode from within with an expanding force-field or to burn it with Thorn’s flames. Magic resistance, who knew? Anyway, Log, I think it has somewhere it needs to go. There’s purpose in its eyes.
I’m going to follow it.
Shining’s Log: Entry 54
It lead me to some ruins. I can see them just on the horizon. There’s something else there. I see a fire (a speck at this distance) and something glinting with the fire’s reflected light. The flying thing seems interested in the light. I’m gonna get closer. Wish me luck!
