A Different Kind of Paradise

Chapter X: Study

“Well that is quite the story, and Fluttershy and Gabe did back you up.  But you do know you’re only 8 minutes late right?”  The yellow baker pony Carrot Cake replied to Danny’s excuse for coming in late.  “You take this job way too seriously; this is a bakery, not the Royal Bank.”  He chuckled.

“Thank you sir, understood.”  Danny nodded.  He took jobs very seriously.

Pinkie Pie listened in on Danny’s story and after Mr. Cake walked out of the room she walked up to him and started up conversation.  “I can’t believe some meany-pants came here just to bully you, who was it anyway?”

“Doesn’t matter now, he’s gone.”  Danny replied.  He was nervous; the last the he wanted to do was get Gabe in trouble, but he hated having to keep lying to all of his newest friends.

“I guess I understand.”  Pinkie said, much to Danny’s surprise.

“Wait, what?”  He asked, confused.

Pinkie was happy to explain, mostly because she loved to talk.  “Well a while ago this meany-mean griffon who was mean and nasty and a bully but after everything it didn’t matter because she was just scared about losing her friend, but then she lost her friend and left and we all forgot about it.”

Danny was starting to understand why Gabe was always cross with him.  He knew exactly what Pinkie was talking about, but if he didn’t because of the show he would have been lost in her words.  Deciding that it would be best to leave it at that, Danny nodded in conformation “exactly.”

“Great!”  Pinkie Pie yelled.  “Now let’s get baking.  We need 4 vanilla cupcakes, 1 and a half red velvet cakes, and 9 sugar cookies.”

“That’s an unusual order.”  Danny noticed while gathering the necessary tins.

“Oh, it’s not an order.”  Pinkie replied, causing Danny to tilt his head like a dog listening to the Indiana Jones theme being played on a saxophone.  “That’s to cover all the sweets I ate last night before the Cakes notice.”

The two laughed at that before working to hide Pinkie’s gluttony.

Twilight heard a knock on her door and pulled herself away from her work to answer it.  “Yes? WHOA!”  She responded to opening the door and being greeted by a Gabriel, with a blooded bandage on his neck.  “What happened?”

“Let me put it to you this way, when Rarity says “Don’t move” DON’T MOVE!”  Gabe joked in response.

Twilight held back a snicker and asked “Why were you helping Rarity?”

“Long story.”  Gabe gave a brief answer.  “So what have you been up to?”

Twilight nervously chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.  “Oh, nothing special.”

“She’s been studying that stupid “Danny” guy’s magic all night.”  Spike called from on top of a ladder.  “Twilight I thought you learned about this with that whole time travel mess.”

“Time. Travel. Mess?”  Gabe gaped at Twilight.

“Long story.”  Twilight mimicked Gabe.  “Maybe I do need a break.”  Twilight’s tune changed from embarrassed to fatigue.

Gabe chuckled and made for the kitchen.  “I’ll grab us a snack.”  And with that he left.

Gabe put some water on for tea when he heard a voice that made his blood run cold.  “How sweet, you certainly aim to impress don’t you Gabriel?”

Hoping it wasn’t true Gabe turned around and saw exactly what he was afraid of; Justice.  After seeing this he screamed and backed against the stove.

Twilight stuck her head in and frantically asked “What’s wrong?!”

Gabe looked back between the two before he realized that Twilight couldn’t see Justice.  He panicked and replied “I… I burned myself, no big deal.”

“OK” Twilight gave Gabe a quizzical look before going back into the main room of the library.

Gabe closed the door and turned to Justice.  “What are you doing here?!  You said you were trapped in Danny’s mind!”

“And I am” Justice sneered as he faded through the wall behind him.  Moments later Gabe turned around to see Justice continue as he came up through the stove.   “But what was it that has your love so fascinated?”

Gabe’s grey face turned red when Justice referred to Twilight as his love, but he shook that off when he answered him.  “She said Danny’s magic was coating the area.”  Gabe’s eyes widened when he came to a conclusion “does that mean that…?”

“You are the smart one aren’t you?”  Justice interrupted.   “The magical gift that Danny has allows him to branch his mind out and connect it with the hearts and minds of others, but in the process extends the width of my prison.”

“That explains it; Twilight said that it wasn’t a mind control spell, because Danny wasn’t controlling anypony, he was just making it so they thought like he did.”

Justice began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?  I thought that’s how it worked.”  Gabe was half curious, and half intimidated.

With a sinister grin Justice Replied “you said “anypony”.”

Gabe just stared with his head cocked to the side until he put together exactly what Justice meant.  “I-I-I meant anybody!”

“Interesting” Justice continued to sneer “You continue to lie to yourself, as well as your friends.  You claim to hate it here; and yet you conform to its ways and engage romantically with its inhabitants.”

Gabe hated having this thing pry his mind, and got defensive.  “It’s not like that!  It’s… It’s…”

“It’s like what?”  Justice asked mockingly.  “I’m all ears.”

Gabe just stared, his tongue caught.

Justice began to laugh “come now, I thought that what mattered to you most was getting home.  Does doing favors for meaningless friends advance your brilliant plan?  Don’t just stare at me boy, explain.”

Gabe couldn’t say anything, he was caught.  He knew that Justice was right, and nothing he could say would change that.  Either he spoke and had his words turned against him, or not speak and be mocked for being unable to form a comeback.  A sinister chuckle from Justice brought him out of his trance.  Gabe just glared at the beast.

“I’ll give you more time to think it over.”  Justice said as he turned away from Gabe.  “In the meantime keep in mind that what I said about Daniel’s magic was 100% legitimate.   Do what you will with that knowledge.”  He looked back and chuckled.  “I’m sure someone as smart as you will put it to good use.”  He started to laugh as the teapot began whistling.

Gabe was shocked by the teapot and looked to it after he jumped, but when he looked back Justice had vanished: however his laughter had not.  He put his hoof to his forehead and groaned, before realizing that there was a teapot whistling itself blue 2 feet from him.

“This is exactly what I needed.”  Twilight sighed as she drank down her tea.  “I don’t know why I’m obsessing with this.  It can handle not knowing something, just not when it’s in my house 24/7: I swear I’ve been hearing that song in my dreams.”

Spike started laughing at Twilight’s last statement.  “What dreams?”  He said with a mouthful of amethyst.  “You haven’t slept in two days.”

“I pass out from time to time.”  Twilight said smugly.

Spike and Gabe looked at each other, and began laughing.

Do what you will, put it to good use.  Justice’s words echoed, causing Gabe to stop laughing.  He could tell Twilight, but why did Justice tell him?  Was it so that he would trust him?  Or was it some odd scheme of his?

Twilight noticed that Gabe was stressing over something and put her hoof on his.  “Is something wrong?”

At that moment Gabe’s train of thoughts was broken, but more importantly his mind was made up.  “I was just thinking about this whole spell thing.”

“What about it?”  Twilight asked, secretly bubbling enthusiasm.

“I was just remembering something like this happening back home, and how it worked.”  Gabe replied.

Suddenly a notebook and quill began hovering in front of Twilight as her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“I don’t remember all of the details but it involved something about the user spreading their way of thinking and allowing it to influence others.”  Gabe explained somewhat sheeply, afraid that this would sound nonsensical, his fears were being confirmed when Twilight just stared at him blankly.

Just as Gabe was thinking that Justice played him like a banjo Twilight grabbed his face and began talking his ear of in excitement.  “Ohmygoshthatmakesperfectsenseit’sjustlikeStarSwirltheBearded’stheoryofmentalexpansionempathy!  Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!”  She quieted down and let out a huge sigh of relief, and blushed at the fact that she just became Pinkie Pie with a horn.  “I mean; you were a big help.  Now that I know what I’m dealing with I can better break it down to its base magical roots.  Thank you.”  She looked deep into Gabe’s eyes.

Not expecting such a reaction Gabe just chuckled and said “no problem, I’m always happy to help.”  He met Twilight’s gaze.  They just sat there, their eyes locked for what could have been eternity.

“UGHH!”  Spike groaned after he had had enough of the two staring at each other.  “Are you two gonna kiss or memorize each other’s eye colors?”

That made the two snap out of their romantic staring contest and blush cherry red.  “I’m so sorry” Twilight started.  “Spike’s been a little cranky ever since he got that bucket stuck on his head.”  Her horn began to glow.

“Wha…?”  Spike was confused.  “I never got a…”  He was interrupted when a bucket glowing with a pink aura slammed on his head.  “HEY!”  His voice echoed from inside the impromptu helmet.

“Well I should be going anyway.”  Gabe said.

“I should have all of this mess sorted out by tomorrow.”  Twilight responded.  “Maybe you could stop by to see the finished product” she started blushing again.  “And I’ll try to get rid of Spike.”

“I can hear you! OW!”  Spike quipped, only to have a wooden spoon smack the bucket.

“Until next time” Gabe excused himself.

“I’ll be waiting, Gabey.”  Twilight said her farewell; the last word causing Gabe to almost trip on himself, but soon pick himself up and walk out with a nervous smile on his face.

After Gabe got a fair distance away from Twilight’s house he, Twilight, and Justice all said the same thing in unison.  “Could this day get any more perfect?”