Author's Note
This is the first recording I received. Please, forgive me if some things do not make sense. I could not describe all the sounds and environments well enough to form a whole picture. I have a few more, but I still need to write them down.
The Beginning
Alright. Let me start off at the beginning. My name is Ja-
Oh, wait, she says I'm not supposed to tell you that, as this recording is going to be public... She's telling me to choose an alias of sorts... Some name that nobody could ever link to me...
Oh! I've got it! John Smith! Oh, I always did like Tenant the best...
Anyway, where was I?
Oh yeah.
My name is John Smith. If you are reading this, then one of two things has happened. The first, is you think you have found a fiction book that is vaguely interesting. Good. I envy you with all of my heart and soul. You're lucky. But the other option...
You've been seeing things. Hearing THEM... Things that aren't quite right. People who seem... Off. If you have, then close this book down right now. Run. Run as far as you can. Don't stop until it's night. They can't follow you then. Then, read. Read this book.
This is my... Hers... Our account of what is happening.
The Reckoning Truth is here...
We only hope you can help us...
John
Let me begin by saying I did NOT mean to blow up Springfield High School, and I most CERTAINLY did not mean almost kill myself doing so.
Okay. Let's rewind a bit to this morning. THEN we can go on to what happened at school.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Fucking hell. I hate alarm clocks. Ugh, morning already? Faaaaaack...
Oh hey! I actually have a reason to say, 'good morning' to my parents! It's high school graduation! YES! Oh man, been waiting for this day for a long time... Okay, to-do list. First, take care of my morning ritual. Next, food. After that, I dunno. And finally, off to the ceremony! Yes! Oh man, I seriously cannot stress how happy I am today.
Hmm... Shower before food, or after...? Decisions, decisions... Meh, I'll do it before.
So! Shower's done. Now, for some food! Num num num num num...
Help me...
What? What was that? Was the TV left on last night...? Meh, I don't care. Oh, hey, we have Nutella! I FUCKING LOVE NUTELLA~! WOO! Chocolate toast, here I come!
Okay. Let's see... Food? Check.
Clothes? Don't stink, so probably clean. Check.
Deodorant? Check.
Speech? Check.
Yup! Looks like I got everything. Cool. Umm... Let's see... It's seven thirty, so I have fifteen minutes until I have to leave because school starts at eight, so what to do...? Guess I could practice my speech... Meh. Why not?
Man, traffic's rough today... What's with it all? I mean, yeah, it's Friday, but still... Bah, probably just overthinking it. How about some music? Awake music... Three Days Grace? Nah, too loud. Fall Out Boy? Only their new stuff, and I don't have that on a Playlist... Imagine Dragons? Sure. Umm... Oh, I always did like Demons.
Help me...
Gah, do I have something in my ears? I keep hearing things... Eh, probably nothing.
"Okay, class. Settle down!"
Of course, that didn't do anything. Honestly, not like you have control of us on a NORMAL day, Miss Jade. I mean, you're just... Too nice. And, since this day is anything BUT normal...
"Now, you all know what today is, right?"
No, I don't. Please, enlighten me, o wise and wonderful one.
"Today is graduation! Yay!"
No, really? May I ask what clued you in?
"Now, I know that some of you are scared,"
Bullshit. We're friggin' stoked that school's over.
"but you don't need to worry! I can personally assure you that absolutely nothing can go wrong!"
Way to mess it up, teach. Now I know somebody get's screwed. Just hope it ain't me...
"See, I remember when I was your age. I was so afraid! Graduation day was like a big bear, just roaring at me. And it was scary! Facing so many people and expected to give an inspiring speech? But when I got on the podium, I forgot my lines! I had to make it up as I went. And at first, I was terrified. But, the more I talked the easier it got. Eventually, I was even smiling! I can fondly look back on that day... Anyway, what I'm saying, is that it might seem scary, but you can do it!"
That's Miss Jade. Always trying to help. But, whether she gives good advice or not, her pudgy stature and round face make it hard to look at her and take her seriously. And that's not even taking her voice into account. It's high-pitched and squeaky, and she sounds like she's constantly breathing helium. Sure makes for some good jokes, though.
Help me... Please...
Okay. Who's calling me? Seriously, I keep hearing things this morning.
"Psst, Jackson, you say something?"
"Nah, man. Why?"
"Oh, just... Hearing things."
"Cool, cool."
Man, that was weird. It was like somebody was saying 'help', or something...
"Now, before we go any further, class, I want to announce that-"
Welp, now I tune out. Whenever she says she wants to, 'announce' something, she talks... And talks... And talks. She NEVER shuts up. And-
Help me... Please... It's dark... Where am I?
Okay. I heard that one... Someone's gotta be fucking with me.
"Yo, Jackson, shuddup. Trying to think here."
"Brah, I didn't say anything."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah, man. I don't know what you think you're hearing, but I never said nuthin'."
"Okay..."
Man, how weird...
Hmm? Oh, looks like she's just about done.
"And remember, don't ever stop learning!"
Oh, thank God, I thought she'd never finish. Alright, so, now I go to... Oh yeah, Math. Duh.
Man, I hate Math. But, I love my Math Teacher, Mr. Hofstadter. He's from some other country... Germany, Sweden, maybe? Always tries to be helpful, does a great job at teaching... But, his accent is really heavy. But, he loves his job, something you don't see in many teachers.
"Hokay, class. Today, we will be the going to the assembly. I be am expecting behavior that is good, ya? Hokay, let us go over with the rules."
Man, rules suck even more than math. If only I could just-
Help me... I hear voices... It cold and dark. Please! Save me!
What the absolute fuck? Am I like, daydreaming or something? That's gotta be it. I'll go to the bathroom, and splash some water on my face. Try to wake up some. I'll raise my hand.
"Mr. Hofstadter? May I use the restroom?"
"Yes. Go right the head."
Okay. Bathroom. Man, I hope I will be awake enough to complete the ceremony...
Okay. Now for that wa-
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT, AND WHY IS IT MY REFLECTION?!
Okay. So, first, I would like to apologize to the Transcriber, for having to deal with John giving him something that is hard to work with. From now on, he will hopefully only speak in the first person past tense, as well as better describing the environment around him. As for me, I was going to use FP-PT from the very beginning.
So, now since that debacle is out of the way, let me give MY perspective.
My name is Twilight Sparkle. And I can only hope you listen to us...
Twilight Sparkle
It was a warm, spring day in Ponyville. Nice and hot, but with a cool, northern wind. Man, they sure did a good job that day.
So, I was on my way to complete the checklist I had made for the day when this whole mess started. Ugh, let me tell you how much of a complete CLUSTERFUCK that day was...
"Spiiike! I need you to do me a favor!"
That's me. Yelling at my little brother. Or, son. Or whatever the hell Equestria's legal system named him as.
"Okay, Twi! I'll be right down!!" he called from upstairs.
"Hurry, Spike! I have to leave soon!"
"On my way! I'll be rig- Oof! Ouch! Yow!"
That was him. Falling down the stairs. Now, this may seem like cause for alarm, but it really isn't. See, he's a baby dragon. Able to withstand a lot of things that would seriously injure somebody without much as a scratch. What does John call that...? Ah, yes. Tanking.
Wasn't he used like a battering ram once...?
Anyway, he got up and dusted himself off.
"Okay, Twilight. Whaddya need?"
"Spike, I need you to clean and manage the library while I'm gone. I'm not sure how long it will be before I get home later, so don't stay up waiting for me. Here's a list of what you need to do while I'm gone."
I handed him the list (and for those of you with hooves (or, rather, used to have hooves, as the case might be), I'm saying that because I am around John constantly, so those types of mannerisms became habit for me. and it's just easier when dealing with him, because he always thinks it's funny and loses focus on what is actually important. He is very easily distracted.). It was quite a large list, as was momentarily evidenced, as it unrolled (almost comically) all the way out the door and into the street.
"...Jeez, Twilight. Leaving for good?"
"No, Spike. Only a little while."
Heh. If I'd only known how wrong I was...
So, I was on my way to Ponyville Proper to see Pinkie about Spike's upcoming birthday. Or, hatchday, as he prefers to call it. Anyway, I walked all the way to Sugarcube Corner. Now, I could have flown, teleported, or used a number of other methods of transportation. But, I wanted to walk along the streets, (slowly) making other pones more... No, less... Gah, what are the words I'm looking for...?
...
Oh, thanks, John.
It is quite handy, poking about in someone's head...
I was trying to make them more comfortable in the presence of a princess.
Anyway, I was walking to see Pinkie. She had expressed incredible interest in planning his party. I mean, an abnormal amount, even for her. So, I get there, and she's talking with Cheese Sandwich, which is weird. Not because she was talking to Cheese, more rather how she was talking to him. She was subdued in her talking, almost sedated. And, for anyone who knows Pinkie, it's that she is ALWAYS hyper and full of energy. Since I figured something was wrong, I decided to walk over and see. I got within about twenty yards, and I could see that Pinkie had been crying. And what was equally as strange, was the fact that Cheese also seemed sad. Once I got within listening distance, I could make out a bit of what they were saying.
"...not right, Cheese! It can't be a coincidence! It just can't be! Ponies that we know are just GONE, without a trace! I went to the farm to see my family, and Marble was gone. Then, I find out that Snowfire went missing, hay, even SOARIN, a WONDERBOLT, is gone, Cheese. Gone! Off the face of the planet. And don't tell me that you haven't noticed this as well. And, what's worse, ponies don't seem to care!"
"Now, Pinkie, let's be ra-"
"NO, Cheese."
Then, in a voice more akin to a whisper, she began speaking again.
"Want to know how I know something is wrong? When I was at the farm, I asked where Marble was. They simply said, 'She'll be back soon'. Didn't even care! And if there is one damn thing about the Pie family, is that we care for our kin! This is no random occurrence! I need to find out what happened. Help would be nice, but... If you want to sit spinning on a rock, go right the buck ahead."
With that, Pinkie walked away. Cheese chased after her, saying things like, 'Wait', and the typical, 'I'm sorry', and such.
Now, as you can imagine, this information was startling and troubling. If ponies were really going missing, and nobody seemed to notice, then this was cause for major alarm! So, as I was walking back to library, I knew that this was far too much to deal with at once. I decided to go walking in Whitetail Woods to clear my head. I walked for... Honestly? I don't know how long I walked. I was so lost in thought, I did not realize or recognize that the deciduous trees of Whitetail had given way to the tall, ghastly pines of the Everfree. Of course, I look back on it, and kick myself for not seeing it sooner. But, of course, hindsight is twenty-twenty, as they say. Eventually, I found myself in a clearing, with a single, solitary log in the middle. I, in all my glorious smartness, decided to sit on the log. Now, normally, this would not be cause for panic. But, there was something funny about that log. It was a cross, and there was a circle of stones around it. Or maybe it was an X. Who cares? Anyway, I sat down on it. Now, across the clearing, there was this beautiful apple tree, with the most gorgeous, perfectly ripe, red apples you ever did see. And I am sorry to my old friend, Applejack, but these apples... Whew, they were amazing. I was far too tired and lazy to walk all the way over to the tree and get them, so I, in my great, infinite wisdom, chose to levitate the apples over to me. Now, here's where shit gets crazy. I ate the apple while it was still in my telekinetic grasp. While I was doing so, I noticed there was a strain on my magic. Not large, but quite noticeable (again, hindsight). As soon as I tried to drop the apple and end the spell, the strain increased to dangerous levels. I felt my magic being sucked out of me. Then, when it was all gone, it felt like my body was melting, freezing, getting wet, and being dried, all at once. I started to taste colors, hear the wind blowing about me, and smell the blackness closing in around me. After a while, all of my senses were gone. I felt like I was floating, but also firmly anchored to something. It's... Hard to describe. Damn near impossible, really. Everything I knew was... Wrong, I guess would be an apt term. And then, my eyes flickered open...
But I wasn't in control...
