Til You Believe In Friendship

Chapters

1| Life in Manehattan
2| One Final Chance
3| Music is Magic
4| Runaway Filly
5| Every Blessing Comes With a Price
Prologue
Dairy entry No. 1 | To January 17th, 2037

1| Life in Manehattan

Beat Link woke up as soon as the sun rose. As he sneaked out of his room, he felt some twinges in his head. Last night’s lesson had been harsher than normal:

“…Phi…Golden Ratio…1.618…Worshipped by some…Feared by many…”

He studied this until midnight, not getting even 5 minutes. He had even dreamed of this number, growing continuously in a huge and proportionally endless spiral.

Getting himself ready, he gathered up some food, 20 bits and half a bread loaf. Today he was going further than usually. He left the warmness of his building and went into the chilly, faint morning. Only the early birds were on the streets this early in the morning; important businessponies who couldn’t afford the luxury of a good sleep. He took the train and headed to the outskirts of the city. He was excited about what today was going to be. Today he was proving everypony wrong.

The calm sweep of the train passing by the bridge brought fragments of his short life to his memory: his first 33 volumes encyclopedia, the time he got straight A+’s in all his subjects, his own been refashioned so he could have more space for a library.

How he hated all of that.

But he had no choice. His parents were important intellectuals that worked at the Special Institute for Ponies with Special Abilities (SIPSA for short). His dad, “Professor L. Balance”, used to be a judge, and now he gave Moral Values and Law classes. His mother, “Madame G. Words”, knew almost all the languages and typographies known by ponykind, and helped by teaching Braille at the school. And almost all of his family had been incredibly smart and successful. Both his parents wanted Beat to continue with the tradition, so they forced him to study everyday all sort of things, from Equestrian History to Quantum Physics, passing through Forbidden Magic. And although their profession was for a good cause, Beat knew (and mostly wanted) that his special talent didn’t rely on books or knowledge, so fighting between them was a very common stage.

A few minutes later he was walking through the foothills of the Crystal Mountains. He had discovered a cave near by a few days ago, and wanted to investigate. He found the entrance, the dark and mossy entrance. “Man, I would love to be a unicorn right now… or at least to have brought a flashlight” ¬¬he said to himself, thinking about his parents’ magic abilities and feeling a little out. He closed his eyes, steeled himself and entered, feeling a little tremor on his tail.

The darkness inside was even worse. He hated darkness. The echoes of his steps and water dripping off the ceiling weren’t really an aid. But it was now or never. His parents had kindly remembered that his birthday was the next day, and for his present they gave him a free and forcibly accepted ticket to “a lovely (and fully-paid) medicine school”, and there was no turning back from there. This school was famous for not graduating a single pony without a cutie mark. And if he ventured there, his destiny would be sealed.

He went deeper and deeper into the cave. He had begun to think it was a tunnel instead, but finally found the end: a huge and moist cave, crowned by a tall ceiling that bathed the inside with a greenish light. Tough it was beautiful, there was nothing inside but a stinky lake full of damp water and some bats flying around. He sat down disappointed, and sad. He didn’t want to go and study medicine his whole life. He knew it just wasn’t his thing. But his parents wouldn’t listen to him. For years he had been sneaking out from his house, trying and praying to find his special talent elsewhere. But he tried in vain. Now he had to give up.

Beat wandered in his own mind and lost track of time. He tried to return rapidly, narrowing his eyes at the bright sunlight when he got out… ”The bright sunlight?! What time is it? I’ve got to return right away!” He stayed inside the cave more than he should had. Rushing through the trees, he arrived to the train station, forgetting to feed the pond’s ducks. The way back to the city center seemed eternal. He could only imagine what his parents would do if they find them outside messing around, and even worse, trying to find his cutie mark by his own.

When he finally got to see his building, he trotted as fast as he could, but suddenly stopped and thought it twice. “I can’t just burst in by the front door, what if they’re waiting for me right on the other side?” His heartbeat fastened as he hoped for the worst. His little brain was working at full, making excuses and apologies, as well as escape plans if either pony tried to catch him. “Are they mad? What if they are super mad? What if they punish me? What if they hit me? What if they forbid me to do anything but to study nonsense and sleep, and eat, and pee, and poo?! What if…” Suddenly he remembered something. “It’s Saturday. They don’t work on Saturday. They must still be asleep” The relief he felt hit him like a wave, stunning him a little bit. “Ok, Beat, you have to chill; you know they don’t bite… most of the time” The fact that his parent’s free day was on Saturday had always annoyed him, but this time he was thankful for it.

However they may not be still sleeping; he had to use the fire escape to get in. Luckily, his window faced it. He climbed upstairs quickly, slipping as the height grew bigger. He got inside his room like a cat. He hid the saddlebags under the bed and crouched below the blanket. He heard them coming… their hoofsteps getting closer and closer. He reached his pillow just in time to hear his door suddenly open.

—WHAT IN EQUESTRIA ARE YOU STILL DOING IN BED?! DON’T YOU SEE WHAT TIME IS IT?! GET YOUR FLANKS OUT OF THERE, ITS BREAKFAST TIME! —, his mother yelled.

She left, but didn’t give Beat time to even get his pulse normal. He heard her screaming: “And when you’re done make sure you read all of this by midday; lesson is about to start!” as a pile of books entered magically to his room.

As soon as he had the door closed, Beat laid on his bed, gasping, trying to get his mind clear.

—The very best from “good ol’ mamma”… —he sighted. What he didn’t knew was that this day was going to be everything but normal. After all, magic tends to arrive in a really upbeat way.

2| One Final Chance

—So, is everything ready? —said Mr. Cash

—I think so —answered a skinny stallion while checking a list.

—Are the lights set?

—Yes.

—Is the sound system ready?

—Yes.

—Food? Drinks? Waiters?

—Done, done, and… done.

—Good. Remember it is my daughter’s special day. I would hate to tell her that her cuteceañera had to be cancelled because of a silly filly that burned up the cake or some other foolishness.

—Don’t worry, sir. Everything will take place just as planned. And sir, I have a question.

—Ask.

—I heard some rumors, like that most ponies in the city could come to the party, and even the Wonderbolts would be here. Don’t you think this is too much? I mean, is just a cutie mark.

—Just a cutie mark, huh? Well, you may think this is foolish, but for me and my precious jewel this is a historical day. And I bet you want to keep your job; am I right? So please, no more stupidly obvious questions that do not even need an answer —he said in a conversation-ending tone.

—Y-yes sir, of course.

● ● ●

That night was astonishingly beautiful: the full moon was shining, the crickets were singing; everypony was having a fun, relaxing Saturday-night time. Well, almost everypony. For Beat Link, Saturdays equaled extra hours for being locked inside studying and reading. He had to wait for the right moment to ask his mother.

—Beat, we are leaving now, and we might return late; I don’t really know how long will the conference be. Make sure you read everything I told you; remember that tomorrow is your big day!

—Yes, mom.

His mother hesitated before closing the door.

—Are you sure you don’t want to come with us, sweetie? We would have our last night together before you leave.

—Yes, mom, I’m sure. …Mom?

—Yes? —She asked in a dull tone.

—I need to ask you something…

—What is it? —she answered, looking for something in her purse, not paying much attention —I hope it isn’t about changing your name again.

—No! …not at all. It’s just that tonight there’s this big party, you know, and I…

—Oh yes, yes! Mr. and Ms. Cash’s daughter is having her cuteceañera party, isn’t she? You should’ve told me yesterday, I completely forgot about it! Do you think the might accept the present some days in delay or…

—Mom! —Beat interrupted before she collapsed —Eh… You know, since I’ve studied really hard for my tests, I was kinda wondering if… you know…

—Well you’re not going if that’s what you mean!

—Oh, please mom! I’m almost 10! You can’t control me my whole life. I need to go!

—Oh, you need to go? Well, sorry for being a killjoy, but we’ve all worked really hard to be able to get you a scholarship in a good college, and if you want to be in, you need you to get the highest scores on your tests, and for achieving so, you need to study, so no parties until you graduate, you understand?! —his mother said with authority.

—…Yes, mom

—Good —she said while leaving— And I don’t want you going to sleep too late. And please, no coffee tonight; it will only harm your brain. And also…

—Thanks, mom, I know the rules —Beat replied ironically.

His mother grumbled, and slammed the door close. Their talks usually ended like this one, or worse. But in all their battles, no matter how many or how good his arguments were, Beat never got what he wanted; not a single time. But this wasn’t happening tonight. This night was just too important. It could be his last chance, and he was going no matter what.

He made sure all windows and doors were closed, that every book was in order and that he wasn’t forgetting anything: fancy clothes, money, the present and, just in case, a flashlight. He would go there, stay some hours trying luck for finding his special talent, and return. His parents would never notice he had gone. It was the perfect plan… right?

He took the metro to the party. As he stepped out the wagon and went closer, he could overhear the crowd outside the mansion. Above it there were these Las Pegasus style spotlights, as well as a huge jet drawing the celebrated filly’s face up in the air over and over. He was excited. As far as he remembered, he hadn’t gone to any party for a long time. He didn’t know what to expect. Not to mention he was on his own hooves.

The entrance was wide open, with no vigilance at all. “That’s weird for a family that seems to have every bit in Equestria doubled” he thought while he was delivering his present. But he was glad; although it was supposed he was invited, he wasn’t sure if he needed the invitation.

The welcoming vestibule was gigantic, with stained glass windows, tall marble columns and a floor made up of what seemed polished onyx. Beat glanced over the room and all of a sudden he felt impotent, like an ugly duckling inside a cage full of peacocks. There were ponies… a lot of ponies. He saw colts and fillies running around, their important and super rich parents chatting, the waiters and waitresses serving appetizers. He didn’t even think about it; lots and lots of ponies!

Socializing wasn’t Beat’s strongest point, we may have to clarify. But it was his last shot. What he had to lose? He advanced to the main salon, trying to focus on the delightful décor inside the room and not on the many eyes that seemed to be on him… too many eyes, actually.

“Why do they look at me like that?” he asked to himself. Upon his march more and more eyes stared at him, mostly from the colts and fillies, and some giggles began to be heard too. “What’s going on? It’s not that I have bird poo on me, is it?” suddenly he felt dirty and began to circle around himself trying to find the cause of this behavior, triggering more laughs.

—Eh, sorry, are you lost? Because I think this is not where you’re supposed to be —said a filly out loud to him, trying ineffectively to hide her laughter, as well as some others behind her.

—What do you mean? I thought my parents were invited —Beat replied.

—Yeah, but, I mean, your parents are those teachers, right? The ones who work in that mad house…—she said, making her friends laugh even more.

—Hey! It’s not a mad house! And who are you anyway! —Beat was getting a bit nervous. “What is she trying to do?”

—Yeah, whatever. Just be sure you don’t touch any of my presents. I don’t want them to be ruined by some blank flank, and especially not by a… freak like you.

—Wh-What? —Beat said, but he impulsively reached his forehead.

—Oh, you know it just fine. But even if you had one, I don’t think you are even half the bright enough to control something as hard as magic —she said with a nasty grin on her face.

Those simple words made the magic; Beat could feel the knot forming in his throat. That’s exactly why he didn’t like other ponies; they were all dicks. He wanted to reply so badly, and he knew she was waiting for it. But a loud horn noise stopped the clash. Everypony started going to the back gardens, separating Beat and the partied pony, who was laughing with her friends. Beat tried to stay inside, but the massive crowd pulled him out.

When outside in the chilly night, he stayed behind and sat on a bench, whimpering a little. He wasn’t upset about the whole “blank flank” thing, but because the filly had actually called his parents booby hatches and himself a dishonor to his family. “Is that how everypony sees them? Or how they see me? I don’t understand; they don’t even know me!” He wasn’t even thinking about his cutie mark now. He started walking away, imagining how he would manage at the med school. May be that’s just what his destiny was, and he needed to get over it. And if he sucked at it, well, at least he would have had the free journey to the Crystal Empire.

He walked slowly to the sidewalk and took a cab to his building. The not-so-long journey seemed to take hours. He was about to enter, but something stopped him. His apartment was just upstairs, but he heard somepony around the corner talking in a very anxious way, like on the phone or something.

—…No, I understand. But I have no time to waste. Yes, I know is late, but could you just please send somepony to help me? I don’t even know where it is, and was supposed to be there by now. Yeah, but I… No, is just that… But… Oh, for Celestia! You know what? Why don’t you get that stupid clock and take it to somepony who cares a fucking thing ‘bout them! —she shouted loud and clear, and hung up.

Beat went closer and saw a mare leaned on what looked like a van, although it had the hood open and smoke was coming out of the clearly damaged engine. She had a light-grey coat with a bright-red tail and mane. The dark sunglasses didn’t quite cover the exasperated look she had on her face. Although this was the first time Beat encountered her, she seemed familiar to him. So was this that he even thought they used to see regularly. He was just thinking of talking to her when another pony came out of the dark. When she looked at him, the hopeful look that arrived at her face was soon vanished by the shaking of his head.

—None? Not even one? —she asked.

—Not even a small one; and I can suppose you had as much luck as I.

—They don’t have service passed 5 on Saturdays —she grumbled.

—Then how are we supposed to go, Iris?

—I don’t know, alright?! —she answered —Gosh, from all possible nights you had to choose this one, right?! —the mare named Iris shouted at the sky.

—Hey, calm down! We are not going to get a solution if we freak out.

—Hum… Guess you’re right. Well, we could always just ask and…

—Hey, maybe I can help you!

They both shut and turned to Beat; his own daring surprised him more than he surprised the couple.

—Who are you? Were you stalking on us? —the stallion said in a pretty mad way.

—No, I was just… You know, I… I kinda heard you and…

—Phonic, please don’t start —Iris said to him —I’m sorry, but my friend here does not get on well with little colts —she said talking to Beat now —You said you could help us? We are kinda lost and, as you can see, our van isn’t working right now.

—Yeah; I know a place where you could get you van repaired at this time —he didn’t really know why he wanted to help them, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Besides, anything sounded better than getting home.

—Really? Well, that’s great! And, just being curious: you don’t know anything about a pretty big party nearby, do you? —the mare said.

—Yes, I do! I’m actually coming from one. If that’s where you were heading I could lead you there.

—Would you? That would be amazing! You would’ve saved our jobs! —she said both excited and relieved.

They called the workshop Beat told them and then headed their way. The stallion named Phonic (still a bit unconvinced about Beat’s intentions) said something about going ahead and checking the lighting, so Beat got him the directions to the party and he took a cab. They all would’ve took one, but the equipment needed for whatever they were doing had to be transported safely, so Beat and Iris preferred taking the metro.

A bit of an awkward silence appeared between them as soon as they sat down.

—Well, thank you again for your help, little fella. What’s your name? —Iris asked, trying to break the ice.

—Beat Link —he said in a mechanical way. After all the do-well stuff, he had gotten reserved again.

—Well, as you may already know, I’m Iris Chant. Nice to meet you! —Beat just nodded. More silence showed up, only broken by the continuous swing of the wagon.

—So… what’s your thing? Do you have a “helping damsels in distress” talent or the like?

—Eh… no, not really. I haven’t found it yet.

The formal pants Beat was wearing covered up his flanks.

—Oh… uh, sorry —she said when the tone of Beat’s voice passed from robotic to sadden.

—It’s okay. It’s very likely that I’ll have my cutie mark at this time tomorrow —he said, now with a discouraged expression.

—Let me guess… over-controlling parents?

Beat sighted, a little surprised.

—Well, you could always be worse. Like, when I was young, none of my self-said friends believed in me. But here I am, smiling at the flaws of nature! Now I have some many good and healthy friendships that I’m happy just by thinking of them —Iris said with pleasure. —Don’t give up just because you don’t like what’s coming; it’s there for a reason, right? Besides, I’m sure your parents love you, and that they have the best intentions for you. Don’t give up on them!

—Yeah, but, I don’t know if that’s really the destiny I should have; it really feels like somepony else’s.

—Nah, it’s yours. I’m sure of it.

—How can you be? —Beat said with an imploring look.

—Just because.

Beat got silent.

—What? Can’t I have an opinion for no good reason? —the mare said grinning.

Beat’s face showed surprise. He was expecting a bit of a deeper answer after that little speech. But he smiled too. He saw her right into the eyes and suddenly hugged her. Iris was surprised at first, but she couldn’t resist the tight grip of the colt, and returned the squeeze with force.

When Beat finally let go, she asked:

—Why was that?

—I don’t know; I just felt like it. Can’t I just hug you for no good reason? —he answered, smiling again. Iris just returned the smile with delight.

But what Beat wasn’t able to describe were really the tickles he felt in his stomach when he saw Iris straight into her eyes. He later got to find out that those tickles were no normal ones, but the ones you feel when the very first spark finally shines in your heart.

3| Music is Magic

Iris Chant got out of the wagon with her new friend. She had been thinking all the way to the party that they had met before, but she just couldn’t remember. While they were going upstairs to the street, pushing her speakers and turntables in a cart, she thought of what Beat had just told her: “You are famous?!” She had taken for granted that everypony around his age knew about her. So they kept talking about Beat’s foalhood until here, and Iris founded they shared lots of traits of their younger years: super-overprotecting parents, unable to socialize properly, a forced talent-finding attempt… so she told Beat if, since he had helped her so much, he wanted to go backstage during the concert. He was delighted with the idea.

—Wow! Really? Would you let me help you? Thanks!

—Sure, no problem! And perhaps you even find your cutie mark there and not in that school! —She said joking and blinking her eye.

They got into the street and saw the Cash’s mansion in the outskirts of the city, as imposing as always.

Iris turned to Beat to joke a little about it, but saw that the little colt had a very anxious look on his face.

—Don’t worry —she said —I’m here with you.

She offered him a hoof, and he took it with wish.

Iris knew that there was really no big issue with just going to a party, but she remembered how she was as a filly: the insecurity of not knowing what might come, the dread of what others may say, the fear of not fitting in… Man, he had a lot to learn! But still, she didn’t want Beat to feel the same; he would at least have somepony to rely on.

They got to the doors and entered the vestibule, both of them pushing the cart. Far in the gardens everypony was watching a magic show in a huge outdoor stage.

—Fuck, I’m right after him!

Beat muted for a second.

—Oops! Sorry. Eh… don’t say that word, alright? C’mon, we’ve gotta hurry!

She pulled him around the crowd and went backstage. Phonic was already there, talking with somepony.

—She’ll be here at any moment, OK? Just give her some time.

Iris let Beat go and hurried to meet the stallions. The other one seemed really pissed off.

—Oh look, speaking of the devil! Are you ready? —he said seriously.

—Yes, of course. I just need some minutes to set up and I’ll be OK to go.

—Alright then. You have two minutes.

The sire went with the crowd to wait for Iris and Phonic. He started to help her, setting up speakers and connecting them. Beat wanted to help too, but didn’t seem like they needed any extra hoof; they both had almost a routine for these things. He stepped back and turned around, but was soon called back.

—Hey little thing, c’mon! Don’t play hard to get! —Phonic screamed to him.

Beat smiled and rushed to assist. They got everything ready just in time.

—And now, what would a party be with no music? Presenting some exclusive material of their new duet album, please stomp your hooves and receive Iris Chant and Phonic Blast! —a female voice said through a microphone.

Beat went offstage just in time and sat in the grass, a bit away from everypony. The crowd stared when the curtain opened. He could see the excitement of all of them drawn in their faces. Then, Beat felt something he had never felt before. His ears rose in joy as soon as the sounds started, making him feel weightless. He realized he had been preparing all of this for something he wasn’t even aware of; music! He realized he had never heard music this close. Never in his life he had been able to: with all what he had to study, who can afford music? Yeah, he may have overheard some on the radio or outside his room, but nothing like this. He thought he should’ve try and listen to some quite a long time before. The feelings this was bringing to him were mysteriously gorgeous! The ups and downs in the beat, the voice harmonies so well constructed, the rhythm pulsing in his chest: it all made him feel complete.

But he soon realized, with another sense, of something else happening. As the music grew in intensity, the lights show did too. But they seemed to move along the beat. He first saw some subtle beams of light, but they soon turned to water drops and waves. They were dancing and spinning all around in all the colors possibly known. It was like magic!

Beat didn’t even realize he had stood up. With all of this happening at once, nothing else mattered. It seemed like all his worries had just vanished in the air filled with the moving shapes and colors.

When the song ended, the lights also did for a moment. But when the crowd started whistling and screaming, they returned, this time in a static, stiffly way, and with a lot less colors. When the next song started, they turned to something else. He was feeling renewed, like a mockingbird who has just found its whistling.

But in all of his charmingly confused state, one little part of his brain made some connections, and soon an enlightening thought came to his head, stunning him while he realized what was happening.

He had synesthesia.

4| Runaway Filly

“—No…Please don’t…No...No!...AHHHH!...Please stop!...Stop it…Stop it! PLEASE! PLEASE STOP!...AGHHHH!...STOP IT!...PLEASE!...

—Aww, feeling shattered already, sweetheart? But we’ve just started the fun!

—…Gha.. You’re insane!

—Well, what would art be without a little insanity?

—No, no, no, wait! WAIT, NO! AHHHH!”

…

The young mare lifted her terrified expression when the screams of her own voice woke her in the darkness. The nightmares never left her alone. Her sight slowly got used to the poor lighting of the room. Soon, the agony of her most recent experiences showed up in all of their glory, as well as the pain she was already used to. With her front hooves strongly chained to the ceiling and her horn blocked by a magical latch, the filly tried to pay no attention to feelings growing inside her, like a virus at its top. She knew what was waiting for her that day. Today her final tests started. And nopony passes the final tests.

She waited helplessly as the last hours of the night gave way to the morning, and thus, to her calling. The dread of what might happen at any moment kept her idly in the cell. When the usual buzzing noise announced it, the chains opened and threw her down to the floor. She got up slowly, weakened by the lack of a proper meal. As she did so, her jailer opened the lid on her cell’s door.

—Oh look; she’s awake! Hello there! Are you nervous? Well, you should. After all, the biggest day of your life is just about to start!

The joyful tone of his voice and the lack of any shame or remorse in him made her nauseated. His attitude was incredibly cheery as he opened the door and levitated her out of the cell. This kind of days excited him all the time, and he was always happy to be in front row.

They both got out to a much bigger room with labeled doors leading to other cells. She could overhear some subtle cries as she advanced up the stairs to the upper floor. The Jailor ignored the following doors in the hallway, as well as the examination room. The mare’s eyes stared at its door until they turned. He might have read her mind, because he said:

—Oh no, not this time. Today is just too special for it to happen in such a filthy room, don’t you think?

At this point she would’ve been even happy to enter that room and not the one she was heading to. But she knew that whatever she was going to turn into would not get happy in there.

They reached their destination and the Jailor opened the door. It wasn’t as dark as she had expected, but yet quite disturbing. With the tiled floor and walls white as snow and more than one light bulb giving a golden glimmer, the room’s atmosphere vastly differed from the instruments inside it. With enough knives and shears to wool ten mammoths at once and the sharpest needles she had ever seen, it highly reminisced to a dentist’s office; a you-will-most-probably-die-in-here dentist’s office.

She was sited down on one of the various steel chairs and stripped of her only clothing. Her seat was cold and a little moist, while the lights above her head blinded her for a moment.

—The Doctress will be here in a moment. Don’t you go anywhere! —the Jailor said while immobilizing her with a pair leather straps and copper locks. He left her and all of her misery alone. She lay in the cold seat, shrieking a bit. Do you know that some ponies say that you watch your entire life in front of you when you know you’re about to die? Well, it’s true; the only lie is that they say it lasts less than a second. Although most of them hadn’t been totally pleasing, some of her memories were worth a last effort: her lovable parents, her house, her school, her friends… Her brother… A tear came out of her eyes as she thought of the only moment she ever saw him. He looked so happy! She had never being able to see him walk, or talk; not even to laugh. And now she would never see him again. It was all finally over.

Suddenly the door opened and two more colts were brought inside by the Jailor, both of them younger than she. They were placed and restrained inside equal cages by him, both of their sights crying for mercy, literally. Then he called for someone outside the door. When the so-called entered, all that came to the mare’s head while her nausea came to a boiling point was about how horrible the test was going to be if they were using two ponies as bait. Next, the Doctress came closer to her and started the procedure. After some startup she tried to apply the mare anesthesia, but she started to struggle, trying to avoid her hoof. She was tired of it. No more needles were going inside her. No more deaths. No more accidents. She just couldn’t stand it anymore. If she was finally kicking the bucket, she wasn’t taking any other pony with her.

But the Doctress couldn’t bear such rebelliousness, and so, she hit her right on the face a few times. The mare stared at the ceiling, seeing stars as the Doctress gave her the shot. The mare felt how she lost all sensibility in both her hind legs.

—I want to make clear that this is the most perfect formula we’ve ever created. You are aware of the possible effects, right? ¬—the Doctress said to the Jailor with her remarked accent as she filled up another syringe, this time with a bright, reddish substance.

—Yes, I know. Don’t worry; this room has always been failure-proof. After all, I designed it —he answered smugly.

—Ok then. Here we go —and she inserted the shot into the mare’s body. The following blackout was total.

● ● ●

What the Jailor was seeing could just vaguely be described with words. He could feel the excitement of the day quickly vanishing, the horror rumbling in his stomach. The transformation was going on well… Too well… Neither he nor the Doctress could believe it. In front of their very eyes they saw how the mare’s body was forced by the drug to become… something, but certainly not what they were expecting.

Her body turned three times bigger as her bones overextended inside her. Her entire spine and neck cracked when they stretched out the body to an atrocious sate. Her hooves elongated and reached a curved, 6-inches long razor shape. The face changed alongside her body; her muzzle had grown twice its length, while her teeth now counted as small daggers. The metal secures broke and the steel chair started flinching under the transmuting force. Her entire mane and tail was now resting steadily on the floor. And there was no sign of her horn.

The minutes turned to hours as she lay on the chair when the changing finally ended. She was panting, and bleeding, with her eyes tightly closed. Then it seemed that she had woken up from a dream. A gross, rotten cry came from her as a green stuff started pouring out of her eyes, which now were just two black pearls. The Jailor heard one of the colts throwing up in his cage. As if by magic she started getting up until being standing on her brand-new claws. She rested there on all fours, breathing peacefully. The Doctress, who was the fastest to get out of her amusement, started approaching the odd, ghastly creature. If the transformation was now complete, maybe not everything was ruined. She started to cast the spell, but when the Jailor saw it, it was too late for her.

With a speed completely disproportional to her size, the thing leaped on the Doctress and tossed her to the ground. The creature grumbled, looking her at the eyes. She opened her jaws and made her move. More screams from the colts were heard when they saw the creature tearing apart the skin and organs of the Doctress, chewing and swallowing some pieces while her cries flooded the place. But the creature didn’t like her. The room suddenly turned dead silent; the Doctress’ body stopped convulsing with a dry noise as the creature’s nose started sniffing the air. She was blind, apparently. But she smelled something good. She started to slowly follow the weeping of one of the colts, getting dangerously close to the Jailor. During all that time he had been frozen in his place, holding breath while looking now at the immobile corpse of her co-worker. They had thought that they were ready, that everything was under control…

He had to get out of there.

It’s needless to say that the creature finally found her prey. The colt was screaming and crying while the creature crooked the bars of the cage with her hooks, roaring a victorious yell while getting inside. The other colt stood on his own cell, impotent and merciless as he was forced to see the ghastly murder of his brother. The creature clearly found the little colt’s flesh tastier than the Doctress’. She took her time to slowly feel the flavors of each muscle as the thick red blood filled her mouth with a delightful warmness.

The Jailor took advantage of this and tried to escape, moving as calmly and quietly as possible. The door was just few hoofsteps ahead. He could feel each and every sweat drop flowing on him. When he finally reached it, he unlocked it with a quietness worthy of a butterfly. Unfortunately for him, the door screeched. Inside the huge, quiet room, filled only with the cries of the live colt, it sounded like an explosion. The creature lifted her blood-stained muzzle from her meal, using every cell in her ears. She got up calmly, turning her head across the room, sniffing. The Jailor didn’t even turn around. He could hear her presence getting closer… her steps becoming louder… her warm breath in his neck…

Suddenly he felt a tremendous force pushing him to the ground as the creature jumped over him and started a fearless gallop. He was still paralyzed in the ground when the creature’s grumbles faded out in the darkness of the hallway. Apparently she was localizing the exit, not his flesh. When the pacing of his heart retuned to a healthier speed, he got up slowly, depressed from the frustrated event. He turned around and reached the Doctress’ remains. He cried for her death in silence, ignoring the other murder and its other prisoner. Maybe they deserved it. After all, their methods weren’t what you could say “legitimate”. But this couldn’t be. They were the good guys, right? They were just helping HIM…

He was becoming angry. Her favorite prisoner had escape, leaving him all alone in his sector. He must warn HIM. HIM would help him. Yes, HIM had to help. And the Jailor wasn’t going to be merciful anymore. He was taking revenge from his dead friend.

The true nightmare had just begun.

● ● ●

She regained some control over her body; the changing was finally fading out. When she recovered a bit of consciousness, she didn’t know where she was. Everything was blurry and confusing. She was dizzied, cold and tired. She kept on wandering towards the unknown for some time. She slowly reclaimed her senses, as well as her memory. When she finally cleared her mind, she felt sick. Her body was now completely normal, besides of the missing hair (it would take some time for it to grow again), but she wasn’t. After a slow, mental reproduction of the night, she felt even worse.

Remembering was always the worst part. She didn’t even know how she could remember such atrocities while in her state. It usually felt like someone else’s memories, all fragmented and unclear, like an old movie you used to watch as a foal but now you don’t even know what was it about…

But not this time. The pieces were as clear as glass, fitting together in a perfectly-shaped puzzle. She threw up in some bushes when her stomach recaptured her last meal. It wasn’t completely digested; she could feel the bones and hair going up and out her body, making her even queasier. When the vomiting ended, she sat on a fallen tree, hating herself even more for her frantic suppertime attempt. The moon wasn’t quite full, yet she could see some of the scenery. She must have walked for hours.

She was in some kind of forest; the humid and hot environment made her think of a jungle. The noisy insects and intense smells made her woozy again. She tried to calm down, thinking about the facts: she had escaped; finally escaped. Over the nausea and tiredness she had never felt such relief. After five years of pain and agony… After five years of suffering… After five years of deaths… At last, it was over…

Yet she still didn’t know where the heck she was. She was all alone, practically served in silver spoon for anything to have her as a snack. She tried to get up, but collapsed in the ground after the first attempt. She realized she wasn’t just tired, but completely exhausted. The dusty floor felt so comfy… she could just fall asleep there, laying in the moist, soft soil; let her mind being pushed into a land all pink and joyful, where everypony was happy and healthy, where nopony ever forced others to suffer; where she could be with her family again…

Her friends! Her family! She could see them again, for real! That simple and delighting thought made her a bit more focused. She needed a plan if she was getting out of this infernal place. She needed food, protection, water, a place to sleep safely… She needed help. But where? Not even the slightest dash of hope of finding civilization went across her head. She was weak, shattered and scared. She squeezed her brain trying to make a plan, but only received a terrible headache. In her state, not even magic could’ve save her… magic…

Magic…

Magic! She reached her horn nervously. The lock wasn’t there! She could use magic again! The lost hope that had vanished throughout the years returned, this time a hundred times stronger. But when she tried a few basic spells, she quickly saw how destabilized her head really was; the slightest attempt of magic made her world spin like crazy, making her vomit only acid this time. She collapsed again, crying, waiting helplessly for the night to swallow her with its black tentacles. She was going to die right there, right now, sadden by the dreams she would never see come true.

To top it off it started raining. “…Seriously?” she thought with her eyes closed; “At least it’s less hot now” She was now drifting irrationally inside her mind; “At least I’m dying cool and fresh, and refreshed, and recooled, and freshy and coolly refreshed…”. She was expecting losing consciousness by now, but instead of fading out in the darkness, her mind seemed to be clearing out. The cool dripping from the sky really was refreshing her. She opened her eyes, which now saw better. Her incomprehensible thoughts now became rational ideas. “I should be dead by now. Why I’m not dying?” She felt how strength returned from inside, flowing to her harmed legs and finally to her hooves. Cell by cell, she felt the warmness of her blood flowing at normal speed. “What is this water?” she thought, lifting her face at the sky. She noticed she hadn’t seen the clouds above her, which seemed to move and shake while pouring out their magical tonic. They looked normal in all other ways; just normal storm clouds. But they couldn’t be just normal. They were spinning and dancing above her head. They seemed to get lower and lower each second, closer to her. She now had enough strength to get up without downsides. There must be something in this water.

The clouds covered the moon entirely, yet a subtle golden glimmer could be seen up above in the sky. The shining’s strength grew along with the mare’s, getting brighter with each raindrop that hit the soil. It felt amazingly calm, like a warm bath while in a snowy day. The mare closed her eyes with joy. She could’ve sworn that the rain was healing her old wounds as well.

Suddenly, the ground started rumbling, at first calmly, but gradually gaining force with the rain and shimmer. The damped soil started melting right below her hooves, taking her with it. She was stuck in it, barely able to move, and going deeper and deeper.

The mud kept on swallowing her with a dreadful slowness, making her panic. She wanted to scream, yet no sound was able to escape from her throat. When it was just above her legs, stifling her breathing, she started to sink faster, until most of her neck was covered. From a sudden everything moved fast and all the light disappeared; she was falling through the gigantic crack in the soil where all the mud was pouring in, screaming. She reached land within seconds, the mud in the floor saving her from a fatal freefall. She was in a stone cave where the only source of light was the hole in the ceiling from where she came from, from which was still pouring rain and dirt. The air was static and hot, and the odd carvings in the walls made the big room feel ominous.

Still fearful and covered in mud, the mare got up and made her way out of the sludge. She was now feeling at full, energized and curious. She looked at the strangely colorful drawings in the cavern. They seemed like pictograms, showing diverse unicorns casting different spells. Some of them looked as if they were in some kind of ceremony, like the Summer Sun Celebration (there was even an alicorn, much possible Princess Celestia). Astonished, she kept on going around the walls, watching as the spells shown grew in difficulty.

She was starting to think the entire room was some kind of magic reference sheet when she saw a drawing way too different from the others. In it there was shown a wheat field at sunset, filled up with the corpses of all three kinds of ponies. She saw shocked how the gigantic and gory illustration displayed a monster way beyond imagination. Huge and omnipotent, he was shown as a major tragedy to everypony nearby. The representation was horrific, and gave her chills even though it was a stone carving. “That must be HIM…” she thought, making her anxious and frightened. The image covered an entire half of a wall in the pentagon-like cave. In the lower half there were different carvings, undyed and continuous. Even though they were most probably letters, the mare wasn’t able to identify any of the glyphs; they seemed to state what happened that fateful day.

The mare stared at the image for a long time, feeling the misery and pain from each and everypony in there. When she finally turned away, tears rolling down her cheeks, she saw an entrance in the last wall, no door. She felt a tremendous curiosity to enter, but she could barely see anything than darkness. She decided it was too dangerous; she knew nothing about this place. She returned to her falling spot; the rain had stopped and the dirt was now stiffer and softer. She lay down and got herself comfortable. She wasn’t tired, yet she was feeling afflicted about the entire day and wanted to think what to do next; besides, it was very late.

Time flew in the cavern. When she finally felt how tiredness surrounded her with its majestic sweep, it was passed midday, but the cave was dark enough to sleep during the day. She closed her eyes slowly, letting herself drift by the sleepiness. But right before she totally blackout, she oversaw the crack in the ceiling getting narrower and narrower until being entirely covered by something. Then a face lit by a fire-like light appeared right from the darkness. When she tried to react and say something, she suddenly felt incredibly fatigued, and couldn’t bear it no more. The last thing she was able to perceive before falling asleep was a voice, a male one, which said something that would remain in her memory forever, yet she wasn’t sure if it came from her head or from the outside world. It said the time had come for the revolution to finally start. It said she was the keystone. It said her story was going to be rewritten.

It said history was going to be rewritten.

5| Every Blessing Comes With a Price

—Iris! Iris, where are you? Iris!

Beat Link couldn’t see her anywhere; the crowd had just doubled since he left. He was freaked out, his white coat and tricolored mane getting stained with drinks and appetizers while bumping with everypony in the salon. His eyes were still watering, and his voice cracked as he yelled her name over and over.

—IRIS!

It was pointless, the place was too crowded: all the noise in the room made him see awfully weird shapes. He couldn’t bear his head. Beat ran into one of the bathrooms and shut the door. He sat on the toilet and broke to tears again. He was now really on his own, with nopony to come and save him. While watching the dim echoes of the party, he tried to forget what had happened in the last hour, but his memory just seemed to loop the experience in high-def, forcing him to revive it all over again.

After the initial shock of figuring out his condition, an incredible cocktail of incomprehensible feelings arouse inside him: he had finally found out his destiny! Although it wasn’t really clear for him at the time, cutie marks don’t just appear from nothing. And the fact that his was the exact same shapes he could see sealed up the issue. Yet he wasn’t an expert in the subject, his lifetime studies may had taught him a thing or two about synesthesia.

It is known (since somewhat recently, though) that someponies possess an intriguing sort of abilities. While some scientists still think it is a newly-formed way to control magic, the majority state that these talents may be something more complex. Research has found that in these subjects, their brain activity differed a lot from that in manipulating magic. They have found that the perceptive capacities of these ponies are far more developed than in the others. It is still known very little about the topic, but most experts can conclude that the brain connections that these ponies have in their senses are jumbled, or mixed up, inside their head.

Let’s say somepony takes an ordinary pony and a synesthetic pony, and experiments with their senses. While both subjects will perceive a stimulus with a sense, like music with the hearing, the synesthetic pony may interpret it with more than one sense. For this kind of ponies, it is possible to see the sound, or to taste the textures, or even to smell names, depending on the type of their condition. Some types of synesthetic ponies can perceive and link together things like colors and glyphs, or time and space. It is not that they just think it happens, but they really feel stimuli differently, they associate one thing with the other. Their mind can make connections beyond the senses and actually interpret things in different ways.

Yet Beat made his own diagnosis and should have go seen a specialist before assuming things, he was too excited about it to even think. He rushed out of the party, fascinated by the entire world that had just opened for him. The chats, the traffic, the signs; every ordinary noise in the Big Apple had now a visual form. It was amazing! With his newly-tattooed flanks, he hurried home to show all of this to his family. He didn’t care about how he had disobeyed his parents, or about how all of her mother’s dreams may have been crushed, not even about the hour; he just wanted to show off his luck to his parents.

Forgetting completely about Iris or the party, he arrived to his apartment building and got inside. His parents must have already arrived. He got upstairs a bit nervous, but tried to calm down when getting to his door. He opened it slowly; his dad was sitting in a chair right in front of the door, reading a book with a neutral expression. He talked with a creepy, too-peaceful tone.

—Where were you?

Beat felt every bit of worry give rise for anger in his dad’s voice when he answered. His dad looked at him right into his eyes, which were the exact same tone of his. He started to feel frightened.

—I… I was at the party

Even the photisms he saw shivered while he talked.

—I thought your mom said you could not —his father said while taking a deep swoop of his smoking pipe, keeping the same weird voice reserved only for deep anger. Beat tried to chill things up by announcing the good news.

—Yeah, but look, I found my cutie mark! I finally know what my destiny is! —he said while stripping off of his clothes to show his flank. He thought his dad would be really angry, or confused, even disappointed. That would have even made him a bit happy. But when his father looked at him, Beat saw in his eyes something completely different; something he didn’t even think of: fear. For a fraction of second his father looked at his cutie mark with authentic horror.

—W-where did you get it? —he said nervously, suddenly getting tense. Beat didn’t know what to say for a moment.

—I was at the party and… well… just heard some music and it suddenly popped out —he was totally confused about his dad’s reaction, who was now getting even angrier than before.

—I suddenly popped out… —he repeated slowly —So, you’re trying to convince me that your destiny is… listening to music? —he said sarcastically.

—Well, it does sound weird if you look it that way, but I can also see it, ‘cause I…

—Of course it sounds weird, Beat, that’s not a thing! You can’t do anything worthy with such a “talent”! How are you going to earn your living? Did you even think of that? Or it just didn’t “popped out” in your head? —He said madly and a little crazed.

—Well, maybe it would have if my head wasn’t already full of that shit you always make me read. —Beat replied curtly.

—It is not shit, you kid! You were supposed to use it in your future. Now I don’t think you even have a future! —his dad was getting really pissed off. No one, not even his son, talks to him like that.

—Why do you say that, because it’s not what you and mom wanted?

—No, I say it because it’s stupid!

—It’s not stupid! Can you please let me finish?! —Beat tried to talk slower, but the anger was starting to boil inside him —I don’t just “listen to music”. I can see it; with my eyes. I have synesthesia.

His dad knew what it was about, but just didn’t care.

—So what will you do, just look at some pity shapes and pretty colors that no one else can?

Beat didn’t know what to answer; his dad’s reaction had taken him completely by surprise. So he said the first thing that came to his mind.

—Well, at least I will be able go out and not pretend that I live a happy life!

—…What?

—What you heard! Don’t you know how hard it is for me to pretend I’m happy?

—What do you mean? Do you think we don’t look after you? —his father seemed hurt for the first time.

—Oh, please, I know you don’t! You just leave me alone all day long studying. I need to go out, meet other ponies. I need friends! Is it a crime to just ask for a break? Now, because of you, everypony thinks I’m some kind of freak!

—Beat, I didn’t… Listen, we do this because we love you. We do! You know we are far older and more experienced than you. We know how the world works. We don’t want you to make a mistake you will not be able to correct.

—Well, maybe I think ponies should make mistakes. I’m always alone, I never go out, I have nopony to talk with, not even you two… I’ve got nothing!

—Believe me; you’ve got more than a lot of other ponies do…

—Like what?! —Beat was getting out of his wits. He couldn’t endure that the first long chat he and his dad had in months was another argument. He really didn’t want to fight, but the words just kept on coming from his mouth almost unconsciously. His father just tried to keep things chill.

—You’ve got a place to go at night, a roof over your head… You’ve got food on your fridge and fancy clothes to wear… You really should not envy what you don’t have and appreciate what you do have.

—Well, I can’t! I need love, I need support! It just seems that you get rid of me on every chance you get! You gave me a scholarship for my birthday, for the sake of Celestia! It’s like you didn’t even want me in the first place!

For a moment, Beat thought his father was too angry to answer, but instead he saw a hint if something else on his look… a bit of doubt… of remorse…

—You didn’t… You really didn’t want me… —He was just about to cry. That was the straw that broke the camel.

—No, Beat, we…

—Do you even like me?

—Of course I do, Beat! It’s just… we don’t want you to be hurt, alright?

—Oh, so then you think I’m weak?

—No, Beat! You’re turning this all over! You have to see how far parents can go for their children!

Beat kept silent.

—Listen, is true your childhood wasn’t entirely normal; you grew up too fast. But likewise all things it happened for a reason. And you’ll have to learn to live with it.

—Yeah, that’s the exact same thing you told me when I found out why I couldn’t do magic as you two… —Beat said dryly.

Now it was his father’s turn to mute.

—Beat, we’ve talked about this…

—Yes, I know, but it still hurts! And people just mock at me and tell me I’m a dishonor, an anomaly and all sort of things!

—…I know it can be hard sometimes dealing with the fact that you broke a family… “tradition”, and even more in a family like ours, but it’s just how life happens. There’s nothing you can do about it but to go along with it

—But dad, ever since you started teaching me at home, everypony thinks that I’m stupid, that I wasn’t smart enough for a real school!

—And do you think that I care?! And you shouldn’t care as well! I do what I think it’s better and I’m proud of it!

—THEN WHY DO YOU FORCE ME TO DO SOMETHING I DON’T WANT TO?! CAN’T YOU JUST FUCKING SEE HOW INCONGRUENT THAT SOUNDS?! YOU CAN’T MAKE ALL MY CHOICES FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!

—BECAUSE IT IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN KEEP YOU SAFE!

—SAFE FROM WHAT?!

—SAFE FROM HIM!

A hush fell upon the room. Law covered his muzzle with his hooves with a terrified look. Beat was completely confused. What the hell had he just said?

—Dad, what did you…

—Nothing, I said nothing.

—But you just…

—I SAID NOTHING! —His tone claimed absolute silence, only broken by quick hoofsteps coming from the hallway.

—What in Equestria is going on in here?! —Beat’s mother was standing right behind of his dad’s couch, still wearing her robe, watching the stallion’s and the colt’s eyes looking at each other with intense hate.

—Nothing, Goldie, just go back to sleep.

—Nothing?! I’m sorry, but somepony doesn’t just scream like crazy at 1 in the morning for nothing! And where in the love of Celestia where you! Your father and I were so worried! —she said towards Beat.

—…Well, it doesn’t seem like —he replied without taking his eyes from his dad’s.

—Wha-… Law, can you please tell me what is going on?

—What is going on is that I’m just realizing how you both treat me! —Beat shouted to her. Golden was stunned; she had never seen Beat so demented.

—What are you talking about? Is this because of the new school? Listen Beat, we are not changing you again; we’ve made our choice and we are keeping it!

—But why do you have to choose? Don’t you think I should control my own life?

—Well, I do think that you… —her mom turned dead silent when she realized his son’s flank wasn’t plain white anymore; she had on her face the most terrified expression Beat had ever seen.

—Oh my…!

—Why are you both acting like that? Is just a cutie mark! —Beat said when he saw his mother’s face, feeling a bit uncomfortable above all the other feelings.

—Law, we have to do something!

—I know, I know! Why do you think we are arguing? But what can we do?

—I don’t know, you tell me! Oh, god, what if they find out? We are all in danger!

—Ok, listen, I am not going to stay here to hear you talking nonsense anymore: you better start answering my questions and telling me what is going on or I swear I will ditch the hell out of the apartment!

Of course Beat didn’t really mean it; he just wanted his parents to tell him the truth. But they didn’t give in to his threat.

—And do you think that we are letting you to do such thing?! Sorry, folk, but you’re grounded! Yes, no more running out, no more lying to us…! It’s over! And you better start forgetting about that fallow year in Ponyville you have been planning!

Beat was so irate he might well have rushed over his dad and grind him to death at that moment. His mind couldn’t take more, he was going nuts. He had to get out of there.

—Why are you like this?! What have I done to you?! I HATE YOU!

His mother gasped a bit, but his father didn’t even flinch; he wasn’t giving him the pleasure. Beat wasn’t as tough as him, but also wasn’t losing this one, and before their parents could even react, he turned around and went off like crazy towards the street below. He could hear, and see, his parent’s calls for him, getting fainter and fainter each hoofstep, but he just kept going downstairs until he was outside. It was icy cold and raining. He didn’t care. He was only thinking about getting as far away as possible from them. He was sick of them. He ran and ran until his legs couldn’t keep the pace he wanted them to.

When the adrenaline rush ended, he started to analyze his actions. He broke into a pathetic crying right in the empty alleys of the city, far away from home. His legs kept on going automatically for some time. His head was hurting, along with his heart. He was ashamed of himself. He had to fix this. He needed somepony to talk to… “Iris…” he thought.

He started to run again, headed for the party; it was just a few blocks ahead. He looked for her everywhere. He yelled for her. He cried for her. But nopony came to his aid. He finally gave up and locked himself in the bathroom to cry.

Sadden, he thought about leaving the city. After what happened he just couldn’t return; his parents might hate him so badly they would kick him out of their apartment anyway. He had been a complete asshole. No apologies would ever excuse him.

He got out of the bathroom and of the mansion. With his head down, he walked slowly down the street towards nowhere. Rain was falling with force; he was soaked to the marrow, but yet there were a lot of ponies looking outside their windows. There were even some ponies standing right in the street. They were watching the sky, astonished by what was taking place right above their heads.

Beat was too upset to realize what was happening. “Tough birthday, huh? Yes, I earned my cutie mark, but was it worth it?” He tried to hold on to the tiniest fraction of strength he could find, yet he was still crushed in the inside; he completely forgot about the outside world. He didn’t get to see how the storm clouds moved a bit awkwardly across the sky, all of them getting closer to the ground below. He didn’t see the golden glimmer that the night was giving everywhere; neither he felt how warm the water had turned.

He didn’t grasp at how the clouds seemed to dance and shake above him while pouring down its magical tonic.

Prologue

January 10th, 2022. That’s the day when it all started. Law Balance was in a rush. It was happening right now. The red lights seemed eternal, not to talk about those stupid ducks crossing the street. There was no time for a present or a cake. Not even those fresh dandelion sandwiches she’s so in love with. He could just imagine of what she was going through right now and without him at her side. He had to hurry.

Jam after jam he finally arrived. Not paying attention to the hissing cat he almost runs over, Law parked with a rough turn and entered. After some nervous chat and a few shouts, he was told her room was the Operation Room No. 27, floor 3, but the delicate process was already taking place; he was too late to enter with her. He waited outside shivering, using his time to at least get some tulips.

After a few hours he was told to go inside, and so he did. The room was clean and airy, white as brand-new snowflakes. Two nurses and a doctor were surrounding her bed, a bit breathless. She was lying down with her eyes closed, breathing slowly, with a subtle smile brightening her face. You could’ve said she was asleep, beautiful as an angel. Law approached slowly, glancing over a clock at her side: 11:00 P.M. “It’s time”. He saw the little lump on her belly, surrounded by her hooves and covered with soft sheets. Getting closer and closer, he finally got to see her face.

—Oh my… —he sighted, and showed a tear rolling in his cheek.

—She’s beautiful, isn’t she? —his wife said with her sweet voice.

—She’s more than that —he replied with a smile as bright as hers.

What they didn’t know was that the little filly they were holding on their hooves was indeed more than just beautiful. Although it didn’t seem like, she, among others, had a destiny written to hold things far beyond ponykind comprehension; one where they would change the course of history.

January 10th, 2022. That’s the day when it all started. That’s the day when everything changed, forever.

Dairy entry No. 1 | To January 17th, 2037

Well, it seems like I will be on my own for some time, so I guess I should keep my memories inside you. What do you think?

…

Ok, I’m going to be honest with you: I think you and all dairies are stupid, and I hate to write. But I also think that I will go crazy if I don’t preserve who I am in these pages. So, in order for this to work, how about we make a deal? I offer my past. What would you give to me? Answers?... Rest?... Peace?... Or you are just going to sit and watch how I crumble inside myself over and over again?

…

Oh, please! Don’t be this harsh! What else can I do? Do you want a coffee or an ice tea? Or do you prefer a sandwich?

…

C’mon man, write me back! What do you want?

I… want… knowledge… I want your knowledge… A bit for a bit; a mind for a mind… I take your thoughts, you take mine… How about that?

So, is that a yes? You are advising me in exchange of my memory?

I never said that… But you if you find my written work helpful, it’s your call…

Ha-ha, very funny. But I think… it’s a deal.

Well, you better start writing; a whole new life in the real world awaits for you, son… and you surely don’t want to blow it up this time…