Dreams. That’s all we are, after all. Little flights of fancy in the inter-cosmic flow of time. Humanity is but a mere blip on the universal timeline, popping up a mere one-point-seven million years ago, in a fourteen-billion year-old universe. Hell, humanity will likely die off in the next billion years, only to be replaced by another species, who’ll once again think themselves alone.
What if I told you something astounding? Something so mind-boggling, so utterly unreal, it could change your entire worldview? See that everything that ever was, or would be, could be called a mere blip itself?
You’d laugh, huh. Heck, you’re probably doing so now. That’s what I did, after all. Of course, that was a long time ago…
I got your attention now, huh? Well, since I’m going to bored for the easily foreseeable future, waiting for life to begin, I might as well send out my story. Let others know just what we’ve been through.
Perhaps a ‘Ghost Writer…’ Ah! This kid here, this… Destiny Quill? Ah, a screen name. This kid should do wonderfully. His psyche is weak, his mind a maelstrom of near madness… I think this just might help him. Hopefully I don’t break him… mortal minds are notoriously weak.
A loud sigh echoed through the room, followed by a low groan and the popping of stuck joints. “Woo… finally finished ‘Fallout: Equestria.’ That only took a couple of weeks.” Lying in his bed was a teenager, an average boy in many ways. His phone plopped down on his chest, as he turned to glance at the clock. “Two a.m. on the dot, huh? Eesh, mom would kill me if she knew.” He tossed his cellphone under the bed, and clicked on the radio, settling down to rest at last. Another sigh rang out, as he clasped his tired hands together. “Can’t believe I’m doing this… Hello? Anyone there?”
Nothing responded, though that should honestly be a given.
“Yeah, I know I don’t normally do anything like this, but I’m tired enough to not give a damn. If… if anyone is out there, listening… I guess this is a request.”
He once again waited for a response, though that could have been due to nerves, or due to the fact he felt utterly ridiculous.
“Urgh… I… I need a muse. Some… some sort of… guidance? I want to be a writer, and I’ve seen the stuff people come up with, but I… I just can’t seem to actually write anything.” Having gotten out the perceived hard part, he gained courage and momentum. “I get a chapter or two done in a semi-decent story, but I lose my ideas so quickly that it almost hurts. What could have been an award winning novel, or at least publicly enjoyed, falls apart after a month or so. I want to be one of the greats, putting out publicly adored books, and making people happy with the stories I know I should be able to write, but I can’t bring myself to finish.” He let out another sigh. “If anybody… heck, anything can hear me, I would love some help. Just a push in the right direction, a drive to write… I need something. Please, just a creative spark… or better yet, creative fuel to feed my spark.”
A small gust rattled his window, and he looked outside to see snow beginning to fall. As he began to doze off, he let out a final plea. “I… I just want a purpose… something to make me feel important…” With that, he fell into a deep sleep. Little did he know that I heard every word.
Yep. Perfect for me, and I think this might be that ‘purpose’ he’s been searching for. I drew forth my power, focussing it down into a link between realms, and stepped ‘sideways’ out of space-time. Little snippets of reality flicked by, as I hopped across dimensional borders to reach this ‘Destiny Quill’. He ended up being in a nexus-verse, making my job all the easier. For those of you not schooled in multiversal mechanics, a nexus-oriented universe is a beautiful thing. Found at a massive intersection in extradimensional space, they often pick up little streams of consciousness from other universes, and sentient beings, like humans, can end up being ‘tuned in’ to the flow, and will often use it as either inspiration for writing or inventing, or take it and just trim it down to be given as-is to others in a creative format. This one seemed particularly large, lashing itself to multiple realities, and a few smaller nexi.
Wait, what’s this?… Ooh, this could be interesting. This nexus-verse appears to be… yep. It’s tied to one of the domains I’ve been patrolling as of late, that wonderful Equiverse. So childlike, yet so fulfilling and diverse… And that explains those odd memories of Destiny’s. I suppose I ought to… No. No way… that shouldn’t be… Oh christ, I’ve done it! This is a Nexus PRIME! A universe so well defined that it’s people can actually create other universes through sheer force of will! I can see infant realities bubbling up in and around all of these tied ones… Oh! This isn’t even the original Equiverse, but a copy! Oh yes, this will do wonderfully. My ghost writer may just become more important than either of us could have predicted. Now, where are you… There! Let’s just lash onto your dreams, kid…
He drifted through a black void, completely unthinking. His body, normally firm set and rigid, flailed aimlessly in an unseen flow, giving off the vague impression of a squid. With a burst of thought, his body fell to some degree normalcy, and he drifted down to step upon an endless field of grass. The fog of his near-braindead state faded, and he shook his head to finish clearing it. He yawned and looked around, eyeing the endlessly blue sky and the all-too natural grass, shuffling around nervously. “Heh-hello?” he stammered, hugging himself. “Wha-Where am I?” He stumbled forward a few steps, twitching at every sound he made.
“Ah, welcome.” The voice echoed across the world, as deep and strong as it was light and cheery. The boy froze in place, eyes wide and breath hitched in his throat, while his heart beat at his ribcage. “You needn’t fear, child.” The boy squeaked quietly, still frozen. “Hmm… perhaps a view of my form would place your heart at ease?”
Tiny motes of light flickered into being across the grassy hills, drifting lightly in the faint breeze. They began swirling around the vast expanse, slowly congregating before the still-frozen boy. At last, a large sphere of light was created, the final mote dropping in with the toll of a large bell. The lights faded, revealing a crystalline statue of a young woman, kneeling in place with her head held proud. From within the statue, a dozen colored motes drifted out, and began orbiting the woman. As they moved, the crystal appeared to take on many different hues, some of which the boy had trouble describing.
With another chime, a periwinkle light formed in the statue’s head, giving a natural look to the unmoving face. “Rest assured, young one. We mean you no harm.” He still seemed absolutely petrified. The light shifted, casting shadows across the statue’s face, giving the impression of a frown. “Are you well?”
“Wabblemerjerkingaffed.” The boy was twitching rather violently now, keeping his gaze locked on the statue.
The statue let out a long winded sigh, as giggles rang out from the orbiting lights. “I see that your mind is addled by our presence. And here we thought you had asked for a muse~” The light shifted again, leaving a devious smirk on her face. “You sent out a request, and we wish to entertain it.” The boy’s eyes widened to a painful degree. “You, who call yourself ‘Destiny Quill’ shall be our… focus. A vessel by which our story, and perhaps others, shall be told. Though, that would only occur should you accept.” The devious smile faded, and a curious look surfaced. “Would you be willing to pen our story? Teach the beings of your world about more wonders of reality?” The boy choked out an agreement, nodding his head fitfully. “Then rest, child. Our memories shall surface at but a thought. Do take due care to not embellish our tale. It may not always be a happy one, but no tale could provide true depth without the tumultuous shifting of good and bad, chaos and harmony, yin and yang… as a great many stories in your world have discovered.” The lights drew back into her body, as she smiled down at the awestruck boy. “Faretheewell, young one. We shall meet again.”
With a gong-like toll, the statue faded away, followed swiftly by the sky and earth. The boy watched in wonder as everything fractured away into the blissful void of sleep, as his mind once again fogged over.
I think he’ll do nicely.
