Chapters Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Day... you know what, day one.
Welp.
So... today was a thing.
...
Yup.
...
YYYYYYYup.
...
I'm still not entirely convinced myself, honestly. Maybe if I pinch myself for the 58th time... OW! Nope, still not a dream. I mean, yesterday, my only worries were upcoming video games and whenever the next episode of RWBY came out. Now, I deal with... whatever the F just happened to me. Okay, where do I even begin?
Okay, I guess I'll start from the beginning. Now I know what you're thinking. "Starting from the beginning? No crap, why didn't I think of that?" Well excuse, me, my own overactive imagination! Seriously, though, I could start at the interesting middle, then go over the relatively boring beginning, but if I did that, I'd probably just never get to the beginning, then the middle would become the beginning, and-
Oh, sorry, I'm rambling. I really don't feel like restarting the recording, so whatever, it stays. I tend to ramble a lot. I'll try to work on it, but I make no promises. Whatever, it isn't like anyone's going to hear this. Anyways...
Kay, so today started out like any other day. Woke up. Brushed teeth. Went downstairs and watched YouTube. Normal morning. My brother came downstairs. He's kind of like a mini-me, appearance-wise. Brown hair, brown eyes, bright colored clothes he's worn for the past week (that part's just him). Pretty sure we said hi, then immediately went back to YouTube. Blah blah blah, no one cares, they want to hear the interesting stuff. Just introducing a side character so it won't be out-of-the-blue if he appears later.
Oh, yeah, in case you're wondering about that last comment, I'm pretty sure I'm in a fanfic now, if what happened truly wasn't a dream (more on that later). I mean, I don't FEEL written. Honestly, I kind of wish I was written because the protagonist never dies in stories... Oh, wait, rambling again. I'll try to keep that in check. Where was I... Oh, yeah, school. So I took the bus to school. I read on the way they, just like any other day. Then math happened.
Enter Caleb, the ass of class. Really, nobody liked Caleb. He was a bully, simple as that. Most other bullies have an inner circle, but not him. He was hated by the bullies as well. He isn't seen as cool, just as an asshole. Well... he didn't use to be like that. He had a friend, once. But when enough was enough, his only friend left him. Now he's an ass to everyone.
Oh, and I should probably mention: that friend was me. Plot twist! Dun dun duuuuuun!
Dramatics aside, we used to be friends, but he ruined it. It's a long story I won't go over here. Anyways, since we aren't friends, Caleb decided we had to be enemies. And thus, he's went out of his way to be an ass to me ever since. At first, I tried to get back with him, but after a few weeks of assholery, I gave up. We aren't friends anymore. Back to the present, he taunted me, whatever. He's an asshole to me now, too. I don't know how I didn't see it earlier.
Oh, you thought that when I said 'Then math happened', you thought I meant it was when this big event I've been eluding to for the past few minutes happened? Nah. That happened in science.
We went outside in science. You know what I have to say to that? BOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIING!!! Seriously, I hate going outside in science. You might think it's interesting to go outside in YOUR science class, but for me? NOPE! We go every week, and we do one thing only: We walk down the same path, reach a certain point, stand there for 10 minutes, and walk back. We don't do any science. We do FIGURATIVELY NOTHING! I hate that science class in general, but I especially hate going outside in that class.
Well... I knew the teacher wouldn't notice... so, I might have kinda slipped away. It was my first time doing so, and I was the 'good kid', so I knew if I was caught, the worst that could happen was a slap on the wrist. I could've re-entered the school, I suppose, but I was enjoying my book. So I instead found a quiet place located deep in the woods to sit and read. I had been reading for a good 15 minutes or so (New Rick Riordan book, goodie) when something snapped me out of it.
That is harder than you might think, actually. This was a really engrossing book. In a book this good, I could read it through an earthquake. Pretty much the only things that can snap me out of my book are myself, and when someone says my name, Alex. If someone says it, I am instantly ejected from fantasy into cold, harsh reality. This is why I don't read in class. Kidding! I read in class and miss stuff constantly. Well... if you count telekinesis, that makes three ways to snap me out of it. So, a voice bypassed my mental barriers and broadcasted directly into my brain: "Turn around slowly and don't make eye contact "
Perplexed, I looked up. I didn't even consider if it was telekinesis. Why would I? I thought someone had simply spoken to me aloud. That made me all the more perplexed when I looked up and saw no one. I thought back to the message. Turn slowly? That's when I heard heavy breathing behind me.
I turned around slowly.
Now, I'm no mega-brony. Never been to a ponycon, I don't even watch all of the episodes after season 5. But I know a timberwolf when I see it, in it's full CG glory. I almost met its glowing green CG eyes, but remembered the message and stopped in time.
The voice spoke again, and I knew it was telekinesis this time. "You can see it? Good. Now, slowly get up. NEVER look into it's eyes. " I did as such. I didn't feel I really had a choice in the matter. I didn't even once consider it might be a dream. The reason is simple: I don't dream, period. And if I did at all, it certainly wouldn't be this vivid. This was actually happening somehow. Once I was up, the voice spoke again. "You know what I said about not looking into it's eyes? Okay, now I want you to do just that. "
But- I thought. Not said, THOUGHT.
I shouldn't have been surprised that this voice could read my mind. "Trust me. " There is one reason I trusted this voice. Well other than the fact that it saved me from a mythical beast. I had been suspecting this for awhile, but this last thought confirmed it. This was the voice of Twilight Sparkle. I wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but there was a FREAKING TIMBERWOLF in front of me! So if they exist, why not Twilight, right? I trusted Twilight, if it really was her.
So I looked the timberwolf in the eye. Guess what? I shouldn't have trusted the voice. Thinking back, before I looked it in the eye, the timberwolf was just eyeing me, not knowing if it should attack or flee. But it saw me as a threat now. I thought it was threatening before, but when it's eyes went from green to red and it's stance changed to that of a predator about to pounce, the wolf's old look suddenly stopped looking as menacing. This comforting thought didn't help my current situation. Like, the good news is you were wrong and it wasn't about to kill you! The bad news is it is going to kill you now.
I knew that if I broke eye contact, I was a goner.
Uh, Twilight? Not to rain on your parade or anything, but...
Twilight seemed just as confused as me, though. "I don't understand! The timberwolf should've... wait, how the hoof do you know my name? "
Okay... so this is either the world's best hidden camera prank featuring the world's best actor, or this truly was somehow the real Twilight. Um... So you really are Twilight Sparkle then? Element of Magic?
"Yes! How do you know that? Is there, like, some parallel universe me here or something that you know? Actually, now that I think about it, that makes sense... "
Just then the timberwolf growled, snapping me back to the present. Twilight, can we talk about this later? The wolf looks ready to strike at any time now...
"Oh, right. Sorry. Um... just, stay still for a second, okay? "
Seeing as I really didn't have any choice in the matter, I stayed still for a second. Then two. Then ten. I eyed the timberwolf, it eyed me. We were locked in an endless staring contest, where you were allowed to blink. Actually, it wouldn't be endless, I would eventually just get exhausted and die. What a comforting thought. 20 seconds passed. Just as I was about to ask Twilight what was taking so long, it hit me. Magic. I felt as if I had suddenly lost, like, 100 pounds. I felt the wind seem to start to flow with my heartbeat, and my legs felt like they could beat Usain Bolt in a footrace without breaking a sweat. There was no word I could use to describe this but magic.
Twilight's voice appeared in my head again. "Okay, I used my magic to- "
I cut her off. Twilight?
"...Yeah? "
I Know.
Then, if I may channel my inner Rainbow Dash, I did something incredibly awesome. I broke eye contact with the timberwolf. The wolf then charged at me, as I predicted it would. I then did a front flip over the timberwolf, smashing the book I was holding backwards into its snout. Remember the book I was carrying? Yeah, it was a heavy hardcover book, a few pounds, I'd say, and I swung it with incredible force. It seemed to do a ton of damage to the timberwolf. Landing on the other side, then I quickly turned in preparation for a counter-attack. This never came. I guess the wolf was scared of me then. It must've decided I wasn't worth fighting. So it promptly ran. Short action sequence, right? And so I was left alone in the woods. Wait, no, not alone! Twilight! I called. Weirdly enough, no response. Twilight? No answer. And then...
I woke up. I was in the middle of the woods, book in hand. It was at the same page I was at last. Wha-what happened? Was it a dream? But it felt so real. In the end, though... I couldn't believe it was real. I'll admit it... I believed it was a dream. Yet, now I do believe it's real. So what changed my mind? I already told you, I don't dream. You don't understand the strength at which I don't dream. I haven't had a dream in more than five years, and even the dreams before then I don't remember so vividly. Dreaming just isn't something I do. There were the details, too. I remember the weight of the book in my hand, the wind pumping around me like the world's heartbeat. It wasn't a dream. But back then... I didn't have the same thought process. It was easier to believe it was a dream than to admit that magic is real, y'know?
So I tried to forget it. I told myself that it didn't happen, it was just a dream. The rest of the day's kind of a blur for me because of that. I was too busy trying not to think about it that I didn't think about anything else! Kinda ironic. Um... I remember lunch a little bit. I always sit with Elliot and Millie at lunch, but Millie didn't show up, strangely. She was there in math, but nowhere to be found afterwards. Eh, probably in detention or something. She was back by English, anyhow. In other news, miraculously, Caleb was subdued. He didn't bother me or anyone else ONCE! Hallelujah! I mean, I was a bit distracted and therefore didn't care that he wasn't bothering me, but it's the thought that counts. He actually came up to me at the end of the day and wanted to tell me something. I don't know what, though, I had to go before he could say anything. Whatever, probably some hare-brained scheme he made up to try and fail to get us back together again. He's a jerk to me 99% of the time, but then he's nice for, like, an hour and expects us to get back together because of it! It's happened before. Whatever.
That's about the only things I remember from school, though. The classes themselves went in one ear and out the other. I took the school bus, got home, and just lay on my bed for awhile. For the first time all day, I let myself honestly reflect on what just happened. I thought over everything that happened, and said you know what, this was real. This was no dream. So I sat down and made a video journal about it. These video journals are a school project, and we're supposed to do them for 7 consecutive days. But then this happened. I have 2 already recorded, on Saturday and Sunday, but now Monday rolls around and my life gets turned upside-down. So now I'm going to have to make a fake journal, too, for the teacher to watch. Oh, joy. This one is more for me releasing my energy, trying to make sense of my day, and possibly posting it on YouTube as well. Um... one for three, I guess. So yeah, now my life isn't entirely human. And I know it isn't over yet. I can feel it. I was too busy trying not to think about my adventure during the rest of the day, I didn't even notice. But now I realize: The magic Twilight gave me isn't gone. I still feel the wind if I concentrate, I still feel light on my feet. If I may stop joking about for a few seconds, I don't know if I should be thrilled or terrified. I have freaking magic, but I've read books and fanfics. What cost might come if I am to be a hero? This all scares me. All I know is that this isn't over yet. This is just chapter one...
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Author's Note
I'm back! Not that literally anyone missed me. Anyways, with another 2ish years of experience under my belt, and some actual planning, let's see if I can't make a decent fic for once. Good luck, me.
P.S. there IS an in-universe reason as to why the characters' journal entries don't have visuals, to be revealed later. Any other questions you have, feel free to leave them in the comments, I might answer them if there are no spoilers. Also any edits are appreciated, thx ;)
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Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Day 1.5: Midnight chapter because I can't sleep.
Author's Note
This is a mini-chapter. I might do one of these every once in a while when I want to do a story, but don't have enough content for a full chapter. These won't count towards my bi-weekly count, by the way. I could still release two chapters and one of these.
Day 1.5: Midnight chapter because I can't sleep.
Ugh...
Whatever was in that dose of magic didn't wear off. I feel like I have to move. My mind is racing. I feel so alive! In other words, I have insomnia. It is currently one AM. I've been laying in bed for 3 hours, and had not a wink. It's not because of normal insomnia. My brain chemistry has been completely changed due to this... magic. Yeesh, I still won't admit magic isn't real to myself even though I have firsthand proof. What is wrong with me? Anyways, I can't stop my mind from racing at 5 million miles an hour with no stop. It just won't stop thinking. Whatever spell was used on me didn't only make my body faster, I guess. You know what? I have an idea. If I can sneak out, maybe I can run 50 miles or something until my energy is drained. It's so crazy, it might actually work. Now I just need to sneak out, and test my powers...
Ow.
It was going so well for the first 15 minutes. I ran, faster than I ever had before, with literally inhuman stamina. I could parkour like a badass, when before I just couldn't parkour period. I ran up a wall a few step, then backflipped off of it, landing gracefully where I began. It might not be too impressive to some experts, but for me, someone with no practice... imagine what I could do with practice?
Well... then I got cocky. I went too far. I guess I assumed my new body could do anything. I leapt from the garage to the house, climbed up the house, then dropped 25 feet. If it weren't for my new powers, I might've died, or at least broken something. Instead, I just sprained my ankle. Honestly, I consider myself lucky that I didn't break anything else. Still, though... ow. I guess I shouldn't of assumed this body has no limits. I suppose it's good I learned this now. Imagine if I embarrassed myself when showing off the others. I know I'm not invincible now. Oddly enough, that's a comforting thought for me. I'm still human.
So, if you're me, you might be wondering why my powers are so obvious now, when I didn't notice them for hours before. I don't know before, but I'll give my best guess. I'm pretty sure that I didn't notice because my brain already runs fast, like everyone else's brains. I wasn't thinking about how much faster my brain was running, I was thinking about school, and not thinking about science. You don't think about how fast your brain runs, you just don't. And I didn't notice my added stamina because I was preoccupied. I also walked home, so I didn't have to use my powers. I didn't have any opportunity to think about any of it. But now... it's clear as day. I have magic. I finally fully accepted it wasn't a dream when I described my agility aloud in my last broadcast. I realized I still felt it. That's what banished my doubts. Why am I even talking about this? I'm the only person who really cares why I didn't feel it earlier. I'll probably just scrap this recording later... I'm not rerecording it now, though. I just want to get to bed... WAIT! I want to get to sleep! It worked! I'm tired! Ugh, I hope I don't have to run around for thirty minutes if I want to get to sleep, now. *Yawn* Well... good night, video diary! See you tomorrow! Wait, It's 1:30! I guess see you later today, then.
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Entry 2: So... it wasn't a dream, then...
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Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Day 3: AAAAAND I forgot to hit record yesterday.
You know, I should be happy today.
I learned a lot, got back with Caleb, and even started to make a plan.
Then I got home and found out I didn't even press 'record' yesterday. So now I have to recap yesterday so today makes sense, then also talk about today. Also last night, now that I think about it. Joy. Sorry I'm grumpy, this is also the 3rd time I've tried to record this. The first time Devon barged in about halfway through, and the second time I- you know what, I want to make this quick in case this one fails, too. I'll make yesterday's recap brief, because I don't want to talk all day.
So yesterday, I woke up and found a Cutie mark on my thigh. No ifs ands or buts, I woke up and this was there. I still wonder what activated it, maybe my accepting the fact it was real or my midnight practice. Hey, at least it didn't appear without any sort of context, right? No, it appeared because my entire idea of reality was shattered. It's actually pretty cool, though. Check it out! As you can see, it's an earthlike planet, drifting away in an effect akin to the moon in RWBY, and a hammer next to it, as if it's building the world itself. I like it. Oh, it's also on all of my clothes now, all equestria-girls style. I just woke up and checked my closet, and every one of my shirts had it on there. At first, I thought it was only the clothes, but I found out the rest in the shower. I didn't think I'd have a full-on cutie mark until then, the equestria girls sure don't. Actually... I wonder if they do have them but they can't show it because they can't get it past the censors... anyways, I have a Cutie mark on everything now. I tried wearing a sweatshirt, but it was on that too. I ended up wearing a shirt inside out. A pretty ingenious solution if you ask me. Honestly, I kind of just accepted it. Having superpowers was a little bit weirder than a tattoo. If I grow a tail, though...
Anyways, went to school. Between the three days I've spent in school, I now understand why Rainbow hates school so much. It's BORING when your brain works so fast. I only tolerate it because of reading books. I hate it even more now when teachers tell me to stop reading, though. School was always boringly easy for me. Now it's even worse. That aside, nothing much new from yesterday. Once again, Mandy had detention or something. I would ask her for what, but I kind of had bigger things to worry about. Didn't ask her today, either. Huh, should really do that tomorrow. Probably none of my business.
Then at the end of the day, Caleb went up to me and wanted to ask me something. At first, I didn't want to hear it. I was bored, and tired, and I didn't want to put up with his crap. Then he started saying strange stuff. He told me he had a secret to tell me, and I was the only one he trusted. Honestly, I was kind of touched, based on his behavior over the last month or so you'd think he hated me. Suddenly he was acting nice and considerate. It was weird.
Then he told me that it happened just the day before, and I suddenly had a thought. What if he... please don't tell me... "Collin, you didn't skip class in science yesterday... did you?" When his hand drifted towards his thigh... that was when I knew. He had somehow gotten roped into this. "In that forest... something happened to you, didn't it? Please say no, I don't want to be right. You saw something. Something scary. Something extraordinary. Something... magical." Maybe I came on a bit too hard there, because then he bolted.
I didn't even hesitate to run after him.
Out lockers were on the 4th floor, and he was running towards his car. We ran for awhile, and I would've caught up if it weren't for the fact my ankle was still hurt. Still, he was fast, and reached the stairs in no time. My hyper-fast brain was already calculating, and I knew that he'd reach the bottom before me, and he was about to get away...
Unless...
I jumped off the edge of a conveniently placed rail and fell 3 stories down to the bottom floor. Not a scratch on me. I'm still not entirely sure why a 20-foot fall caused me to sprain an ankle, but a 35-foot fall didn't leave a scratch. Somehow, as I jumped, I simply knew it would be okay. I'll just say it's because magic doesn't make sense and move on. I tried to talk to Caleb, but I realized there was a bit of a crowd around us, due to my jump, and I didn't want anyone else to know. Then Caleb ran, and the crowd wouldn't let me run after him.
I had seconds to get something to him. I quickly pulled out a pen and paper and wrote a quick paper saying essentially there was no time to write, watch MLP, it will explain. Then I wrote my name. I didn't have time to fold a paper airplane, so I just threw it and let the winds guide the paper. Apparently my new powers also entail controlling the winds slightly. Comes from the 'winds flowing through my heartbeat' thing, I guess. The paper floated through the gaps in the doors and landed neatly in his pocket just as the door to his car closed. I don't know how it worked, I had never practiced before, but it did.
The teachers wanted to ask me some questions about my jump, but since I technically hadn't broken any rules and the busses were leaving, they had to let me go.
I then got on my bus. I got home, failed to record anything, and played video games and watched YouTube for the rest of the night. Actually, we played a few board games, too. I won, of course. It isn't fair when you can rig the dice with controlling air currents and think more strategically and quickly than everyone else. T-The rigging of the dice was unintentional, I swear! The moment I realized I could, I stopped! ...Mostly, anyways. I tried to just be a normal family member, although I kind of wish I could turn my powers off and make the games more fair.
Great, I'm already 8 minutes in and I'm just starting up with today. Prepare for a long haul, everyone.
Around 11:00 PM, I got up and snuck out. I thought that if I had to do this to sleep anyways, I might as well use it for practicing my new powers. My ankle healed, by the way, another upside to magic. I was less reckless this time, of course. I didn't want a repeat of the day before. In case Collin tried to run again, I wanted to be able to catch him. So I practiced wall-running, controlling air currents so I stuck to the wall better. I then set up a training dummy. I wanted to be prepared to fight, in case this magic worked like Percy Jackson's, and attracted monsters. That, or if I had protagonist syndrome. Either way, I wanted to be prepared to fight. So I grabbed a wooden sword I got at a renaissance festival and started wailing on the dummy. I did okay, but the sword still felt unnatural in my hands.
A thought occurred to me. I needed a better weapon, right? So I snuck back inside, and grabbed a heavy book. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but it worked on a timberwolf, right? I tried using that as a weapon. The strangest thing is that it worked. The book had such a perfect weight to it that I couldn't imagine using another weapon. I fought with incredible speed and if you didn't know any better you'd swear I practiced my entire life to get that good. Maybe it comes from my cutie mark. I never did explain it, did I? Okay, I'm pretty sure it means that I build worlds. As in, I love sculpting out a fantastic imaginary world in my head, writing down every little detail about it and focusing on it for a month, then never mentioning it again. Hence the building of worlds. Hey, that should be my pony name from now on. World Builder. Sure, I like it. Anyways, I guess that translates to be good with reading as well. Well... good at beating people with books, at least. Huh, when I practice tonight I should try using a pencil as a weapon or something.
So I fought. I punched. I kicked. I book...ed. I started getting flashy, back flipping off walls and using the momentum to attack. A thought flashed through my mind: I would make a great Hollywood stunt double . I have weird thoughts. Adrenaline started flowing through me. Then something awesome happened. After fighting the dummy for awhile, I leapt back. My legs reached for the wall behind me. Making contact, I launched off of it. My original plan was just to use the added momentum to slam the book down on the dummy with incredible force. Instead, fricking ethereal wings formed behind me and I started flying. Honestly, I lost control and my new body seemed to take over. I spiraled upwards, doing a full loop and then plummeting back down, my book hitting the dummy at near terminal velocity.
The dummy never even stood a chance. It shattered into splinters.
My wings promptly vanished and I fell down, exhausted. I had snuck out the window on the way in, but I didn't have the energy to get back up. I had to trigger the alarm to get back in. Of course, my parents asked what was up. I said I couldn't sleep and I had gone out for a jog, but accidentally set off the alarm on the way in. The explanation was weird, as usually when I can't sleep I just watch YouTube, but my parents bought it. I then crashed in bed and immediately slept. That's why I didn't journal about it last night. Also why I have even more to talk about today. I also didn't get a chance to journal this morning, when I woke up it was about time to go to school. So now I will take this chance to say... I'm pretty fricken' awesome. The old me was a normal human who would be wheelchair-ridden if he had any less muscle. Now, without any sort of formal training, I could probably beat Mike Tyson in a duel. Screw hours of practice daily, MAGIC STEROIDS!
Oh yeah, also, WINGS! I mean, I figured I was some sort of Pegasus, power of agility and the winds and all, but that confirms it. Funny, I never fancied myself a Pegasus. I do amazing in school and read a lot, yet lack any athletic skill whatsoever. Sounds like a unicorn to me. Before this, I actually would have preferred magic, really. But flying- the wind in your face, the billowing hair, It's so amazing! I still do wonder why it picked a Pegasus for me... whatever, it's magic, don't question it.
And now we finally reach today. With no beating around the bush explaining that I watched YouTube again, I arrived to school. It wasn't that greatest. I mean, the kids were bad enough. You don't simply drop 35 feet down without attracting a lot of attention. People constantly came up to me trying to pry information out of me. C'mon, if I saw a kid dropping 35 feet unscathed, I would leave him or her alone! Well... actually, I would ask them to show me their cutie mark. Okay, I get it, but it's still annoying that anyone I see asks me about it. I guess I appreciate the attention, considering I'm normally just ignored by everyone. But this isn't a great alternative! I brushed the kids off, of course. Those with bribes I refused, and those with threats I scared off by saying "Please. I survived a 35-foot fall, you don't scare me." I don't want to get anyone else involved besides Caleb.
Speaking of which, the two of us didn't get to talk much. First thing coming in, the people in the office brought me in and asked my why and how I did what I did. I didn't get in trouble, as I said earlier, because I didn't break any rules. I believe to explain this they said "You know, there's only no rule about jumping off the railing because we thought nobody'd be stupid enough to do it!" Translation: "We wish we could get you on something, so instead we'll just make you feel really bad. " Still, they wanted to know what happened, so they grilled me, and grilled me hard. I'm honestly surprised they never called my parents. In the last recording, I went on a full-on rant about that, but I want to keep this at least shortish, so I'll leave it at the fact it's weird my parents still weren't told. After awhile of unhelpful grilling, they grudgingly sent me back to class and brought Caleb in instead. (School's still boringly easy, btw) Still didn't get a chance to talk with him. Finally... we were called in together. It was him and me vs. the principal.
"So... I assume you know why I brought the two of you here," the principal said.
"Yes," the two of us replied.
"Would either of the two of you be willing to say what's going on? I promise it won't leave this room."
I started to say something, but Collin beat me to the punch. "Do you think we're stupid? Why would we suddenly be fine talking if the other is here as well?"
She turned to me for my answer, but I said nothing. I thought Caleb summed it up quite well.
"Okay, look," she said, "neither of you is willing to say what happened yesterday, but both of you clearly know something. Look, I'm going to leave the room and maybe the two of you can figure it out on your own. When I get back, the two of you will have something to tell me." By the way, I'm paraphrasing here. It actually took about 30 minutes for him to get to that point. Anyways, he left.
"So," I said.
"So," he said.
"There's a camera there," I whispered quickly. "Don't let it see your lips moving or anything."
Collin slowly nodded and spoke normally. "Alex, please, how did you know about... that, yesterday."
I twisted away, as if to show I was unsure. Really, though, I was hiding my side from the camera. Honestly, I doubted anyone was watching, but I wanted my bases covered. I slowly revealed the side of my leg, just far down enough for the flash of color to be visible. Thank god- no, thank Celestia the marks weren't further down, or it would have been incredibly awkward. I also showed the full mark by showing the underside of my shirt. I spoke evenly. "I don't know much. I was there two days ago. I had no idea you were involved. I spoke poorly and we both panicked. I still hate your guts, but if we're gonna do this, we have to do it together."
"Like it or not, fate has pushed us together again. Joy." Despite himself, Caleb smiled a little. He held out his hand. "Frenimies?"
I shook it. "You totally stole that from Phineas and Ferb, though."
"We actually, like, talk about what the heck is going on later, right?" he muttered.
I laughed. "Yeah, Caleb, of course we do."
The principal came back after awhile and we told him this was an issue we had to solve between ourselves. He tried to question us a bit more, but when he realized it was fruitless, he let us go. Hey, I just remembered something I forgot in the other two recordings! As we left the principal's office, Mandy came up to me and wanted to ask me something. I mean, lots of people wanted to ask me stuff, but Millie, instead of just walking up and asking questions, said she wanted to talk, but later, and walked away. I kind of forgot about it until now, I was too busy dealing with Caleb. Note to self: Ask her tomorrow. Anyways, Caleb and I regrouped over lunch. I told him my end of the story, he told me his. Apparently, he actually MET Twilight and didn't even know it! Also, he couldn't see the Timberwolves until they were described to him. Weird, right? We threw around theories, but nothing of substance. Eventually we reached a point in the conversation when I asked if he got my note. He responded with a look that instantly told me that yes, he had found it and also "Seriously, dude?"
"This isn't a joke, Caleb." I said.
"...Yes it is." He said.'
I sighed. "Can I tell you a story?"
"Sure, but I can grantee it won't convince me to watch a show about talking ponies."
"Once, there was a land called Equestria. In it, ponies were the dominant race." Caleb gagged, but I ignored him. "There were three types of them: Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. But they all had one thing in common: their cutie marks. Whenever they found a special talent, a tattoo would appear on their thigh, signifying it. Say, for example, a writer would get a pen and paper, and someone specializing in fire magic... would get a tattoo of a flame. See the connection?"
"It's probably a coincidence."
"The hero of this land was a girl known as Twilight Sparkle, an extremely gifted purple unicorn with purple and pink striped hair. Her cutie mark was a six-pointed star, which might appear on her clothes in this universe. Sound familiar?"
"...Fine, I'll watch the stupid show, but I don't have to enjoy it."
"Caleb, stop being so dense. It's obviously the reason this is happening."
"Alex, just shut up. For all I know you're making this up and this is just an excuse to make me watch that stupid show."
"Collin, do you really think I would joke about that considering our current circumstances?" I sighed. "Look, we need to work together if we're going to figure this out."
"So what's your plan, smart one?"
"Tomorrow, we explore the forest. Twilight-"
"Is probably gone."
"What?"
"Didn't I tell you? I explored the forest yesterday, and she was gone. I wandered the forest, shouting her name, but I couldn't find her. She's probably back at her home dimension by now. Heh, I even forgot to put it in my journal yesterday, it was so uneventful. I just skipped lunch and scanned the forest. I found nothing, and came back. What, haven't you done anything like that?"
"...No. B-But, I have a plan to find her this time!"
"Oh really. I would love to hear this great plan, then."
"I-I want it to be a surprise! You'll see it tomorrow."
"Sure. So I'm going to watch... My Little Pony... and you just pretend you have a plan. I won't call you out now so I can laugh at you tomorrow. Chao!"
My god, I hate Caleb. He was nice, and pleasant, and then he's suddenly acting hateful again. I'll admit, I was bluffing, but he was just a huge jerk about it. I take back what I said about him having been changed. He's still an asshole. But I'll show him. I really DO have a plan now, which I plan to execute tomorrow, and I'm fairly sure it'll work. I can't wait to laugh at him for once. I wont reveal my plan on camera, dramatic flair and all, but I can't wait to see the look on his face.
*sigh* I still wonder how I never realized Collin was involved. I mean, sure, I wasn't paying attention, but I should've noticed his shirt was inside out, or found it weird he was avoiding me. I mean, what are the odds that my worst enemy would be involved in this. I mean, besides the fact that the odds are fairly high if I have protagonist syndrome.
Hmm, anything else I want to say before I end this thing? Oh, yeah, Millie. Y'know, I still can't get over what she said. Why didn't she just ask about my fall like everyone else? Even Elliot, her best friend, just came out and asked me, and he's usually quite timid. Maybe it would've been weirder if she did ask, now that I think about it. She has been avoiding me the past... couple... of... days. Wait... what? I just realized, I haven't said a word to her at all over the past 3 days, other than that short conversation we had today. And now that I think about it... wasn't she wearing her shirt inside out...?
Oh... my... god...
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Author's Note
Poor Alex. Literally everyone thought of the solution of wearing shirts inside out. He isn't original.
Please, tell me how to improve my and any edits you might have. Always appriciated!
Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Journals 1-3: A Millie-on dollars
- - -Two Days Earlier- - -
Hey, Millie here! You know, I had the strangest dream today. I dreamt that I met the equestria girls Twilight and we fought off a bunch of Timberwolves! I choose to talk about the dream because the rest of my day was uneventful at best, and the dream wasn't. Let's see... leaving out the strange dream, I woke up at my mom's, went to school, came back, and did just about nothing all day long. Still hate my mom, by the way. I wish I had a say on who's house to stay at, but nope! So I'm stuck with her half the time. But I ranted about that for the last few days, so I really don't need to today. Other than that... my classes were as boring as always, even more so in the second half of the day, and everything was uneventful. Home was uneventful as well, my twin sister and I just kind of hung out at home. Now it's 8:00, and I doubt anything else will happen worth talking about, so the dream is what I talk about today. I suck at journaling, and for the record, this is a dumb assignment. Nothing interesting ever happens, and I'm just talking about a dream this time. I hope a dream journal is viable for getting a decent grade!
So the dream happened in science. Elliot and I were hanging out together, as usual. The teacher said we were going outside. Cue class-wide groan that the teacher must've been deaf not to hear. Alex groaned the loudest, of course. I don't know what I used to see in him. I mean, yes, I agree, science sucks, but can he keep it to himself for one second? There's a reason we've mostly stopped talking and such. He's such a know-it-all.
Anyways, we went outside, much to everyone's dismay. As much as I hate to admit it... Alex kind of has a point on this one: going outside blows. I was going to be a good girl and follow, but... I don't know. I felt some, like, jumanji-like pull or something. Something was calling me into the forest. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't help myself. It was like... my entire destiny was condensed into this one place I had to be and I physically couldn't refuse. I don't believe in destiny, of course, but that's what it felt like. I HAD to go. My legs were practically moving on their own volition!
I told Elliot to keep walking without me. I said I was going to take a shortcut and meet him up at the end of the path. I... saw in his face that he didn't really believe me. We go everywhere together, why would I go off into the woods alone? But he's a great friend. He didn't ask any questions aloud and let me go myself. Better than most would do, right? And so I went, deep into the woods.
I'm not quite sure when I fell asleep. I explicitly remember every step of the path on the way there and the arrival at the spot I met Twilight, but I woke up deep in the woods later. I had to have gotten there somehow, right? I must have fallen asleep around that time. This was a very vivid dream, though. If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was real, but that's ridiculous. Actually, I should just describe the dream, so you understand why I'm saying that.
Anyways, I walked through the forest, not knowing what to expect, when a girl appeared from the woods. It took me about a quarter of a second to recognize her. It was clearly and completely Twilight Sparkle from the equestria girls movies. Not sure why I dreamt of her of all people, I haven't watched My Little Pony in over a year, but dreams are weird, I guess. Anyways, it was either her, or the best cosplay I had ever seen.
"First off, amazing cosplay." I said. "Second off, who the heck are you?"
Startled, she turned to me. She muttered something under her breath. Aloud, she said "Shut up, I'm trying to... My god, how many of the darn things are there?"
"Um... what?" I followed her gaze and glanced behind me... to see rows of glowing eyes staring through the bushes.. I leapt back towards Twilight. "The hell are those? They almost look like... Timberwolves!?"
Twilight, or whoever she was, looked at me curiously. "You can see them? And you know what they are?"
"Of course I can see them! I'm not fricken' blind! And- wait, but... those can't be timberwolves. They don't exist."
"Well, they're real now. You didn't look any of 'em in the eyes, did you?"
"N-no... but what does that have anything to do with anything! They shouldn't exist! You shouldn't exist! What-"
Twilight cupped her hand over my mouth. "Don't agitate them, you moron! Do you have a death wish!?" She glanced behind us, but they still didn't advance. There were about twenty of them, not helping my fears. "Good, we aren't dead yet. And- wait, what do you mean, 'You shouldn't exist'?"
"Um... wait, then... are you really Twilight Sparkle?"
"Yes! Apparently the only one surprised you know my name is me!"
Suddenly the timberwolves growled. I shivered a little. "Keep it down. Aren't you the one that said to not anger them!?" I was scared, but still smart. I mean, I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't want to get mauled to death by wolves, right?
"You're right, I'm sorry. As long as we stay calm, though, they aren't a threat currently. They're scared. As long as we don't run or make any sudden moves, they won't strike. Now what do you mean I shouldn't exist? How do you know my name?"
"So... you're Twilight Sparkle? Element of Magic, princess of friendship? But... you aren't... magic isn't... real...?"
Twilight rubbed her forehead. "Look, kid, I've already had this conversation. Yes, magic is real. Yes, I really am 'Twilight Sparkle'. I'm probably about as confused as you are. Nice to meet you."
"Really, can this wait until after you deal with these guys? I don't want this conversation to become heated again and have them attack." Twilight Facepalmed (Facehoofed? Whatever.) "Much as I want to be angry at you, that's a logical explanation on why to not talk now, although it doesn't help my confusion. Oh, and facing the Timberwolves? That's your job."
Wait. Twilight Sparkle wants my help...? Suddenly a thought occurred to me. I started laughing. "This is all a dream. There's no way this could have happened. I mean, timberwolves are one thing, but Twilight Sparkle needing my help? Hah, I should have known, I'm probably just home dreaming right now."
"Sure, let's go with that," Twilight deadpanned. "Saves me the trouble later. Now, I'm going to infuse your soul with some magic. Close your eyes, please."
It might have been a dream, but it was a cool story. I thought I might as well go along for the ride. So I closed my eyes. I waited awhile. I was afraid when I opened them, I would wake up in my bed. I sometimes write stories based on dreams, and I might make one on this one. I probably will, in fact. I wanted to see where my mind would take me, not be left on a dreamy cliffhanger! My brain did not disappoint, because after waiting for awhile, I felt a rush of... something. I guess it was magic, or at least my mind's interpretation of it. It was an indescribable feeling. I can't even begin to say what it was like to someone who never felt it. It was like I could... feel the energy in the air. Everything felt more... magical. I really can't describe it if you haven't felt it yourself. Anyways, I opened my eyes. My vision felt sharper, my senses felt clearer. I really can't tell you how good it felt, journal.
"W-What did you do?" I said.
"I gave you fire magic. Probably."
"Okay, if I didn't know this was a dream, I would be freaking out."
"You know, people who think it's a dream are a lot easier to deal with. Okay, I want you to look towards the wolves, now."
You know, I do find it weird my dream broke the forth wall. Then again, the alternative is magic being real, so I'm pretty sure that it being a dream is a little bit more likely.
So, I looked over there and saw energy swirling around the wolves, green energy that reminded me of... maybe the dazzlings' energy they produced when they sang, but not quite. I swear it wasn't there before. I turned back to Twilight. "So... I'm just gonna go along with this and pretend it isn't a dream, for fun. So... why do the wolves have green mist swirling around them?"
"...You're asking the wrong questions, kid. You should be asking why you couldn't see the green mist before. Actually, what's your name? I don't want to keep calling you 'kid'."
"Millie. So... you could always see the mist, then?"
Twilight gave an exasperated sigh. "Look, I'm sorry about my mood. I've had a really bad day, to say the least. But could you stop asking really obvious questions?"
"Yeah, sure. Sorry." I believe at this point, I began to doubt it was a dream. Even my own head couldn't think us something this crazy, right? I decided to focus, in case the tiny chance came true and it was actually real. That's why my attitude got a lot more serious all of a sudden, I thought I might have a chance of dying. Chance of death helps you focus, good to note. Note to self: next time at an exam, I'll tell someone to literally murder me if I fail. Anyways, back to the dream.
"Okay," Twilight said, "I want you to hold up your hand." I did as such. The Timberwolves took a step back. Why, I don't know, they were apparently afraid of my hand. "Good. Now, here's what you do. You focus on the wolves. Focus on heat. Imagine yourself producing a jet of fire. Imagine the side effects, the carnage it will produce. Have a clear picture in your mind of what you want to have happen. You should feel an energy building in your hand. Do you feel that?"
I had followed her directions to a T. "No. Should I?"
"Buck! I knew it."
"What?"
"When I cast the spell on you to make you able to make fire, the magic didn't want to obey me. I couldn't control it, so I let the magic do it's thing. That's why I wasn't sure you had fire magic. If that's true... we're screwed." The timberwolves, meanwhile, started getting anxious.
"Um, should I put my hand down? The wolves are coming closer. Look, can't you just give me the fire magic separately?"
"Yes, you can put your hand down, and no, I can't just give you more fire magic. I'm pretty much drained myself at this point. I didn't even have enough to shape the magic to my will last time. Look... We might have to fight, but I don't want to put a child like you in danger. If you don't want to fight, that's fine. You could slowly walk away, and they won't strike at you." By this point, a few wolves were stepping closer. A fight would start soon.
"NO. I won't run. Not now." Twilight took a step back at the emotion of my response, as did the timberwolves. Maybe I would run another time, but she had called me a child. She said it in the same way mom always does, to put me down. You're just a child, Millie, of course you failed. Maybe it was my subconscious leaking in, representing my inner anger at my mom, but I wasn't going to back away.
"Okay, then, if you're so sure. They're still approaching. I actually have a theory. In your flash of anger, I saw your aura flare. The aura's the mist that surrounds all magical beings, buy the way. I think magic here might be triggered by emotion. I see you're angry right now. Try channeling that and producing... anything. Whatever you can. These timberwolves are still skittish, any kind of magic should do.
Emotion, huh? Well, I guess we've got that part down. I held out my hand and focused again. Well, if not fire, than what? You know what, I don't care, this is a dream, I can do whatever I want. I felt that energy forming in my hand.
"Great, you're doing it! Now, release it!"
I never had any intention of releasing this magic. Instead, I took my open hand and closed it, wrapping the magic inside of me, then, fist still closed, I punched forwards, sending waves of purple energy flying towards the timberwolves. They were all knocked down, shattering to splinters. I felt a great relief in my emotions, for whatever reason. Maybe it had to do with the whole emotion-tied-to-magic thing. Or maybe it was dream nonsense.
"...Or that works too. Great job."
But it was not over yet. Remember Spike at Your Service? Yeah, that's cannon apparently, because the timberwolves started reforming into one megawolf. The two of us took a step back. As it finished rebuilding itself, it put its snout in the air and made a mighty howl! It dropped it's snout, and went from 0 to 60 in an instant, charging straight at us. Twilight and I dodged in different directions and it missed us by inches, crashing into the shrubbery behind us.
"Keep trying to produce a flame! That's their only weakness!" Twilight said.
I once again tried to reach my hand out focused on warm memories, sitting at a campfire, sitting around a fireplace at Christmas, but nothing came. Meanwhile, the wolf shook itself off and prepared to charge again. "It's no use! I can't do it!" It charged straight at me. I knew I couldn't dodge out of the way, so I just put my hands together, focused, and unleashed whatever I could. In this case, it made another wave of purple energy, blasting the wolf backwards again. It shattered a little, but by the time I looked back it was already reforming. "Got any other ideas?"
Twilight thought for a moment. "I have one! Unfortunately, I would need the wolf to be completely still for at least ten second. Can you do that if that's not too much to ask?"
Now it was my turn to think. Just as the timberwolf finished reforming, I got an idea. "We have to lead it somewhere! I need it to follow us. Any way we can do that?"
The wolf charged again, and I once again fired a wave of purple energy at it. This one made my energy drain like I had just run a quarter mile. I couldn't keep this up for too much longer. "It's agitated enough it'll go anywhere if we run away!" Twilight said.
"Then this way!" I grabbed Twilight's arm and we ran. The megawolf ran after us, into the forest. The wolf was slowed down by all of the trees, knocking them down left and right. If someone found it, they'd think that an elephant made of titanium was loose in the woods. Every once in awhile, I fired a bolt back at it, keeping it angry. Eventually, we reached where I was going: the iced-over lake. It's January, after all. Very cold. We ran out onto it. The Wolf came as well. And it didn't fall through.
"So what's your plan then, Millie?" Twilight asked.
"Um... this is a frozen lake, in case you can't tell. It needs to fall through. I guess the ice is too thick!" We were tiring, and the wolf was catching up.
"Well, then, what are you going to do about it? You have magic, don't you?"
Then, the wolf pounced. I had an idea in that split second. I just had time to yell "Hang on Twilight!" while I charged up and then I thrust a magical energy straight downwards, into the ice below us. Cracks went everywhere across the whole lake from where we were, causing a really cool fractal design. The Megawolf was also pushed backwards mid-leap, less than a second away from hitting us, and landed on the cracking ice below it, falling straight through. I just had time to see that, and then I blacked out.
When I woke up, I was in the middle of the woods. It was the same place I had met Twilight in the first place. I actually thought it was real right then, what about that? I guess it seemed real enough at the time, but magic? Yeah, right. So I skipped lunch and called out for Twilight. No answer. I checked out the lake the timberwolf was knocked into. Not a crack, and the trees the timberwolf had supposedly knocked over were sitting there without complaint. If it was real, the damage would stay, right? That's how I know it wasn't real. I even tried producing magic again, with no success. It wasn't real, c'mon. I can't believe I ever thought it was. It was just a realistic dream. Anyways, that's why I skipped lunch and stuff. Note to self: Tell Elliot the story tomorrow. We could write something about it together. Me and Elliot love writing comics, and this dream would make a great one. Anyways, that was my day. Boring, with an interesting dream in the middle, that caused me to miss lunch. See you tomorrow, when there's hopefully more interesting things to talk about.
- - -Morning Journal 2- - -
Oh my god, what the buck, what the buck, what is going on? I just woke up, and now this... thing is on me? It's the a cutie mark. It's a bucking cutie mark. It's cool, I guess, the design and all. Who cares? I'm going insane! I have a bucking cutie mark and I comment on it's design of all things. It wasn't a dream, it was real, my life is a lie. And can I stop saying buck? Buck. BUCK! Why can't I swear? Oh my god, I don't care, I have an effing cutie mark. And now I have to go to school. Soon. My god, I have to go to school. Maybe I could call in sick? No, then I'd be stuck with my mom. Can I still do magic? Not like I'm going to find out! What the actual buck, my instincts were right. I'm just going to casually put my head in my arms and slowly contemplate life... what's it on my pajamas? Hold on, give me a second...
What the buck, it's on all of my clothes. My cutie mark is on all of my clothes. How the buck am I supposed to hide this? I guess I just wear all of my clothes inside out, then, or a picture of... a half-speech bubble half-book will be on it. What the actual buck. And my mom's calling me for breakfast, and I have to pretend everything is fine and I don't have a BUCKING CUTIE MARK!. Okay, okay. Calm down, Millie, calm down. You can do this. We'll find Twilight and figure out what's going on. Deep breath.
Breath in.... breath out... Okay, I'm going downstairs now. *sigh* Wish me luck.
- - -Afternoon Journal 2- - -
Okay, I'm feeling a bit better now. I freaked out this morning, and I'm still freaking out inside, but I'm at least a little bit better. So yeah... woke up, cutie mark on my thigh. Great way to make family question your sanity as you scream from your room. At school, I tried to pretend everything was normal. I worked hard and hung out with Elliot. But during lunch, the first thing I did was bolt out the door and search the forest for twilight. Well, it's a big forest. There could have been like 3 other people shouting in there and I wouldn't have heard them. Twilight might have been there, for all I know, and I just couldn't hear her. I checked the lake and all along the path we ran along yesterday, but she was nowhere. I wonder if she's back in equestria or something. I don't really know. All I know is that I couldn't find her.
The rest of the day went as normal until the end. I'm sorry from the lack of detail, I'm tired. I didn't get a chance to journal until late tonight, it's a long story. Home was busy, okay?
So I was on my way out the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glowing blue light. Then I look over and see someone hurdle over the handrail and drop down like, 30 feet or something! It was insane! I couldn't see who it was. However, I'd be willing to bet it was magic, because they immediately got up and started talking to someone else, who was bathed in a brownish orange light. I couldn't see either of them clearly through the magic, and thorough the large crowd. I know it was magic because normal people don't get up after a 30 foot fall. The one in the orange light ran off, and the one in the blue was brought into the office and all the kids, including me, were shoed away.
No one seemed to know exactly who it was. A lot people were saying it looked like Alex and Caleb! But, there were a lot of other rumors as well, saying it was people like Thomas and Elliot, so I don't really know for sure. What I do know is that tomorrow, I'm going up to whoever it was and asking them what happened. And with that, I say good night. I'm tired, and I don't want this to go on all day like it did last time. Magic being real is old news! Kidding, of course. I'm scared and frightened. But laughing at it helps me cope, okay?
- - -Journal 3- - -
I'm still in shock. H-How was it Alex and Caleb? How? That makes no sense. It just makes no sense. Alex. Alex, the one who dropped 3 stories, straight down, without a scratch. Where did he get the courage to do something like that? How? That isn't the Alex I know. The Alex I know would never break a rule or do something dangerous a day in his life. Okay, you're probably confused. Let me... explain my day.
So I went to school, and rumors were everywhere. It was Alex who dropped, and Collin who ran away yesterday. I didn't believe it. Like I said, Alex? No way. He would never do something that crazy. I decided I would ask him myself. But he was called to the office before I got a chance to ask. I tried asking Caleb, but he shrugged me away, as usual. Then, Alex came back, but he's in a different class than me. I didn't get a chance to talk until much later.
It was around lunch, and I was hanging out outside the office, where I knew they both were. They came out together, and they were literally glowing with magic. As in, Alex was glowing as brightly as he did the day before, and Caleb almost as brightly as Alex I guess I was the only one who could see it or something. I wanted to ask Alex something, but I got tongue-tied. I just said that I wanted to talk later, and he just cheerfully nodded and walked away. I couldn't believe it. Alex, of all people. What happened? How did he get magic? How did they get magic?
Oh, the rest of school was uneventful. I have nothing to report on that front. I really have nothing to talk about except what I've already mentioned. The problem about these daily journals is that, if I didn't happen to get superpowers this week, these journals would be incredibly boring. I mean what are the odds...
...Huh, I got a text. It's from... Alex? Let's see... "Millie, is this your number?" Do I answer? I don't know if I can trust him. I mean, what if he's some government spy or something? Ugh, I'm being ridiculous. I'll just text back. "Yes... it... is. What... do... you... want?" As if I don't already know.
Huh, text back. "Millie, I know you're a part of this." What do I do? Do I play dumb? Do I tell the truth? I don't want to give away information they don't have, if it really is Alex at all! "First...off... how... do... I... know... you're... really... Alex?
I'm waiting. He's taking awhile. Hmmm, I wonder if I should turn off this recorder...*BEEP* Oh, here we go: "Our first date and only date together was at the spring 'dance' at school. Believe me now?" God, we used to date, a little bit. I had almost forgotten, it's been so long. This is the real Alex, I guess. Okay... "Okay... then... what... am... I... a... part... of?"
Oh, that startled me a little bit. Okay... "Mandy, my cutie mark is a globe being built by a hammer. What's yours?"
(From off mike) ...Mom, can I sleep over at a friend's house tonight...?
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Author's Note
Finally, a proper fight scene that lasts more than a paragraph!
Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
...Hello?
Hello?
Can anybody hear me?
My name is Twilight Sparkle, does that mean anything to you?
Please, anyone.
Hello?
Is anyone there?
...
Why isn't this spell working? It isn't doing anything. Spell... 4WB was it? What did she say...
We were sitting at sugar cube corner together. It was any ordinary day. The townsfolk still hadn't seemed to learn that I'm still Twilight, princess or not, and treated me differently. It's been months, but no one seems to get it. That's why I go to sugarcube corner, where the cakes don't care about my position and treat me equally to everyone else. That, and Pinkie was there. We were talking books with each other. How the conversation got there from talking about the weather, I'm not sure. That always seems to happen with Pinkie. I said something about how I love Daring Do, but I wish it didn't end in some random friendship lesson all of a sudden. I mean, I love friendship lessons as much as the next gal, princess of it and all, but I read Daring Do to get away from all that. Then Pinkie turned away from me and winked off in some random direction.
I asked why she did that, pretty much assuming she'd shrug me off like she always does. But she actually gave me an answer this time. "Twilight, isn't it obvious? The camera's over there! I was just using spell 4WB! Duh!"
I reminded her that earth ponies can't use magic, at least not spells. She responded by saying she was phrasing it in a way "Eggheads like me" would understand.
I told her Rainbow was rubbing off on her, and she laughed. She said I might want to pick the spell up, it's a useful skill to have. She said when she uses it, she swears people can see her from far away, and interesting stuff always happens. She once again turned in some random direction, and said to me while facing there that I might need to use it very soon, sooner than I might think, in a weirdly foreboding voice. I asked for more details, but she shook me off, and changed the subject. Something about expanding her repertoire to making pancakes...
When she said that last line, about needing to use it very soon, I felt... something. Some kind of magic. She said when she used it people would hear her. So right now, I'm trying to channel that. She said I might need to use it very soon, and now I'm trapped here the very next day? That's no coincidence. So this spell 4WB, is it reaching anyone? Please, can anyone hear me? Anybody? ...No? Okay, I guess I should shut the spell off, it's not doing me any good...
"Twilight? "
What was that? Did... did someone get my spell? I need to respond right away- Wait. I recognize that voice. That-That's the voice of the kid I spoke to telekinetically 3 days ago! How is it that he's still speaking to me? The link should have worn off days ago! It should have lasted 3 hours, max! So how is he speaking? Should I respond?... No. I still don't want kids involved. I heard voices calling my name yesterday, a voice in my head calling my name is no different. This is my problem, I'll worry about how they know me later. I can block it out.
"Twilight, if you're there, I know it wasn't a dream. WE know it wasn't a dream. You aren't fooling us. Please come out. "
Well, crap. No point in hiding if they know it's real... but no, they don't know I'm here. Even if they know it was real, it would still be best they don't come in contact with me any more. I won't be responsible for equestria high 2.0.
Twilight, If you're there, please... say something. Anything. I know we're both confused. Please... I just want to know... "
It breaks my heart to say nothing. This link is pure emotion, and I can feel his anguish, his confusion, his anger... and his tiny bit of hope, that I'm still there. But I can't say anything. I don't want to change this world forever like I did the other one. I-I'm sorry, kid. This is for your own good.
...
It's been awhile, I think the one calling to me gave up. I might seem like an asshole to an outsider, but I just don't want to get more people involved. I just can't endanger innocents again. It was wrong of me to let Millie help, after what happened to the other two. She could have been hurt. Okay, no more repeating myself, focus. I need to-
The voice suddenly spoke again. "Twilight, You were a unicorn born in Canterlot. You grew up in an average family. However, you practiced magic day and night. You were an incredibly gifted student in magic, and eventually ended up as Celestia's private student. You studied hard under her wing, but you soon learned something nasty was coming. Nightmare moon was about to return. You frantically told Celestia your news. She wouldn't believe you, though, and sent you to a little town called ponyville... " The voice goes on to describe every little detail about my life, from my fight against Discord to when Rainbow made his second sonic rainboom. Sometime around my fight with Tirek, the voice stops and says this: "Twilight, I know you. I know your life, and it isn't because of this telekinesis. If you want to know... if you're there... please. I know we're both really confused. Maybe we can trade information. Just answer me... please... "
I... I... I have no more excuses. I can't stop myself. I need to know how he knows. "Stop. I'm here. I can hear you, loud and clear. But... how do you know? How can you know possibly everything single little thing about my life? "
"Oh, thank the lord. Okay, why don't we meet up in life? Telekinesis is kind of exhausting for me. I used up just about all my energy with that last thought. Could you come to us? "
"Um, could you come to me instead? I can lead you to me. It'll make sense when you get here, okay? "
"Okay, lead me there. "
There we are, the four of us. Millie, the two boys, and me. The tone is... awkward, to say the least. No one is willing to speak. I guess I should speak up. I clear my throat. "So... kid. Actually, what's your name?"
"Oh, sorry. My name's Alex, and this is Caleb and Millie." The two of them say hi.
"Okay, so I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier. I didn't want to get the three of you involved." I say.
The other boy... Caleb, was it? He chuckled a little bitterly and says "Well, it's a bit too late for that."
"Look, I'm sorry about 3 days ago. It's not my fault the timberwolves attacked, but I'm still sorry it happened. I hoped you would all think it was a dream and forget about it."
The three of them exchange a look. Millie speaks up. "So... you don't know, then?"
Crap. "Okay, what did I do? I have the feeling I won't like it, based on your looks."
"Um... can you explain the magic you used on the day of the event?" Alex said. "I think it might help the explanation."
"Can you just say what I did already? Don't I already feel guilty enough?"
Millie steps forward. "The magic you gave us, I assume it was supposed last only a few hours, right?"
"...Yes..."
"Well it didn't," she said.
"...What?"
She gestures toward Caleb. He holds up his hand, and produces a small flame.
What?
I'm sorry, what?
"WH-WHAT? That shouldn't be possible. It literally shouldn't be possible by the laws of magic."
"Well," Caleb says, "That isn't everything, either. We may also have... what was their name again?"
"Caleb!" Alex says. "This isn't time to add more stuff to her conscience!"
"I was just being honest, yeesh." Caleb says.
Okay, what are they talking about? "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but I'd prefer to have all of the data before I make any conclusions. Please, just tell me." I rub my face. I'm not gonna like this, am I?
Alex takes a deep breath. "We all have cutie marks on our thighs and on our clothes, and they weren't there before."
They say this like it's a giant revelation. I don't really think it is. "Oh, those? Actually, cutie marks just appear on any being with a great enough magic. The fact that it's on your clothes as well is a bit weird, but I'm sure that's just how it works here. Honestly, I would be surprised if you didn't have cutie marks. I'm more concerned that the magic hasn't left you guys yet." I wonder if the process is slowed or something... "Can I... run some diagnostics on you guys, if I'm able to? I still don't know how magic works, but I might get some insight."
"You sure? I want to hold up our end of the bargain as well," Alex said.
Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about that amidst all the rest of this. "I'm sure," I said. "I want to learn more about this as much as you guys. I'm confused about what you know, yes, but this is a bit more pressing."
The three of them agree for me to run diagnostics. I started with Alex, at random. I run a few quick spells on all of him. The results are... strange, and not what I hoped for. He seems to be, well, a magical being. It's almost as if he's had magic his whole life, but I know that isn't true. The rudimentary tests give way to more complicated tests. I planned for this to be short, but the more I find the more I need to see more. I check Millie, and she's much the same. It's like... their entire selves are running on magic now. I mean that their digestive tracts, muscles, bones, it's all surrounded my magical currents. I check Caleb, and he has the same effect except a lot lesser. Whatever, I'll deal with that later. So I'm no biologist, but all this does not seem normal for a human, although I don't really know human biology too well anyways.
I've been standing still for around 30 seconds thinking over my findings. Alex speaks up impatiently. "So... what did you find?"
I'm about to interrupt, but Caleb beats me to it. "Hey, let her think. She was obviously deep in thought!"
"Oh, I'm sure you were about to interrupt as well," Alex says.
"Guys, calm down already," Mandy says. She turns to me. "Well, since you're already snapped out of it, you might as well say what you found."
I understand the trouble between them, but There are many bigger problems to deal with. "I... need a control to say for certain. Do you have anyone you could bring that isn't infected and won't say anything? Preferably someone friendly?
The three of them speak as one in an instant. "Elliot."
It's been about 15 minutes. Elliot is brought outside to me. Blindfolded, of course. That was the agreement. I have no idea how they convinced him to come deep in the woods blindfolded, but he's here now. That's their story of how he got here, not mine. He's calm, though. He seems very agreeable. I'm glad, he seems like a great control. I mean, it's nice he'll go along with the tests and all, but friendship is magic, after all, so if any normal human had magic, it would be him. He seems to fit all of my criteria.
"What are you going to do with him?" Alex asks. I put my finger to my lips and his mouth forms an O and he stops talking. I concentrate, and then dive into a diagnosis of Elliot's body.
I just have time to hear Millie whisper "Be careful, okay?" when I get lost in my research.
His anatomy is... normal. For a human, anyways. It's like the anatomy of a griffon or a rabbit rather than a pony. His digestive system and respiratory system functions completely without any sort of magic helping them. I don't check any further than that. This is the worst possible outcome I could have imagined. I don't let this show on my face, so not to panic them when Elliot's still here. How will I break it to them? I open my eyes and tell the other three to take him back. They do what I say.
It's after the other 3 got back. "Look... before I begin," I say, "I'm sorry. So here's the thing. I was trying to see if I could remove the magic from your systems." The three of them start to complain, I see it in their faces, but I cut them off. "Before you get angry at me for trying to do that, let me explain, okay? Look... magic attracts more magic. That's a proven scientific fact. With you guys all having magic like you do, more magic is soon to follow, evil magic, because opposites attract. It also might siphon more magic from other dimensions. I would be bad for the dimension, and you guys, if you had magic, superpowers or no. It would be best, if unfortunate for you guys, to not have magic in you, for the sake of you and the world."
Millie instantly steps forwards. "If it hurts the fate of our universe, of course I'll give up my magic!" The other two also quickly step forward and say they'll do it as well, now that I explained why.
But I shake my head. "That's just the thing. I needed to be sure, so I checked out Elliot, but... how can I put this... every function of your body now runs on magic. Your entire biology now revolves around it. To remove the magic from your systems would literally kill you right now. That... isn't normal. What I did must have somehow changed you guys' biology so completely that you're essentially no longer, well, human. And so... I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."
Alex facehoofs. Or, maybe face... hands? Either way, he puts his hand to his face. "Couldn't you have said that before we knew that having magic was the worst possible thing imaginable? Now you somehow made me be sorry I have superpowers."
"Sorry," I say. "I'm really bad at breaking bad news. But I'm guessing you already know that, don't you. You seem to know everything else about me. Maybe this isn't the best time, though, after what I just revealed to you. I do want to know how you know, but I can empathise with you. Maybe I should just let you think it over. I shouldn't put my needs in front of yours."
Caleb is the one to speak up, the other two are too busy looking at their shoes. "No, you've done so much for us, you deserve the same treatment. Besides, I couldn't say no to that face. Look, I don't really know about you as much as the other two. I didn't believe it at first but... I think you're a character out of a TV show."
The other two cringe. My response? "What the heck is a TV show?" The three of them fall over. Hmmm... for some reason I want to say something about something called an 'anime fall'... whatever that is. Whatever, shut it out.
Caleb speaks again. "Um... so, it's like an episodic series of moving pictures on a screen, and a new episode comes out every week, unless it's on hiatus, and each one is like a mini character arc, and they're about different things each episode, but there's usually an overarching plot, and-"
Alex cuts him off. "Twilight, remember when you found out Daring Do was actually non-fiction?"
"W-what? No... You can't be saying that. That isn't possible!"
"Twilight, you're essentially a character from a book, except we know your appearance, voice environment... We've seen most of your life play out in front of us. To us, you are a fictional character." He looks away. "There, I said it. I know how you feel, Twilight, it sucks to break bad news."
I'm just... a character out of a book? But... how...?" I'm kind of in shock right now.
"Maybe you could give us your story, and that might explain a few things?" Millie says.
"I don't know, this is a lot to take in. I'm essentially just a character out of a kid's book? That's what you're telling me?"
"...Yeah, pretty much." Collin says.
"Can I have some time to think about this? I mean, what if I told you guys you were just characters from a book. Wouldn't you want a bit of time to think? I'm sorry I'm being uncooperative, I'm kind of in shock right now."
"Twilight," Caleb says, "maybe this'll all make more sense if you just tell us what's going on!"
Alex quickly turns to him. "How could you say that? She's obviously distraught. Can't this wait for another time?" He then turns to me. "I'm sorry about him, he has no idea what you're going through. If you want time to think, that's fine."
I don't know what to think right now. On another day, I might be okay with telling my story, and dealing with this obvious friendship problem, but now I just learned I accidentally changed this universe forever, exactly the thing I tried to prevent, and I'm unknowingly just a character from a 'TV show?' Normally I'd talk, but... "Thank you, Alex. Maybe... come back here tomorrow, and we'll talk my past, okay? I'm sure you guys have a lot to think about, too. All of you need to practice your magic."
Caleb and Alex ask simultaneously "Wait, but wouldn't practicing attract more monsters?" The two of them turn to the other with a look like wow, did we actually agree on something?
"It doesn't matter weather you use it or not, you still attract other magic. You might as well be ready." I say.
While the other two are busy, Millie says "...Okay, sure. Tomorrow then. I respect your wanting to not talk about it right now, unlike some people." Alex and Millie glance over at Caleb.
Okay... I can't put this off any longer. Even with all the other stuff going on, I am the princess of friendship, and this needs solving. "Guys... I know it's none of my business, I'm not even from this world, but... why are you guys so hostile to each other?"
This time, no one stepped forwards to respond. Eventually Alex spoke. "Look, maybe this is a matter for another time. It's complicated, okay? Weren't you the one who wanted to end this now anyways?"
I'm conflicted. I don't want to be a hypocrite, but what if the map... well, no. I have a lot to think about and so do they. I have no need to pry into their personal affairs, at least for now. "Okay, I'll meet you here tomorrow. I'm sorry for prying."
They start walking away, but Millie suddenly asks something. "Actually... it might be easier to meet somewhere closer to school next time. I have a location in mind, actually, would you like to hear it?"
I guess I never told them, did I? "No, here would be best for me. It's where the portal I came in from came out. I want to be here when it reopens." If it reopens...
"Oh, that's perfectly understandable. I didn't know. Here, then. Sure." Millie says.
"Guys, we said goodbye a good like twelve lines ago. She needs time to think, and this can wait until tomorrow." Alex says.
They finally walk away. Well, I shouldn't say finally . The conversation really did give me a lot of answers, and it's not their fault so much negativity got revealed. I'm just a bit exhausted, that's all. And confused. Mostly exhausted. Wow, I'm REALLY tired, I wonder why? The medical spells weren't that taxing... wait, spell 4WB! I should have remembered to switch it off, it did just about nothing. It's really taxing my resources. Actually... I wonder, though, was it just a coincidence it I cast it just before they called out to me? Didn't she say something about things happening when you cast the spell? I guess it's unimportant, but I have better things to think about. Like... I'm just a character in a book, at least here. I never had too much time to fully process that until now... Wow. It makes sense, yet it feels so wrong. Do I even have free will? Are my choices not there, just determined by someone on the other end of a pen? Okay, I need to stop reading too deply into this. UGH, I keep getting sidetracked and not turning off the spell, and I'm even more tired now. That isn't like me. I need a list so I stop forgetting so much. I need to ask for that tomorrow. Anyways, turning off the spell-
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Author's Note
In case you're wondering, 4WB stands for 4th Wall Breaker.
View Online
Video Journal, Day 1: WTF is Going On?
Day 5: Finally the Backstory. Like, it took a long time.
- - -Video Journal: Day 4
I just had a long day. Well, I'm in a bad mood. I just found out that I'm screwed, the universe is screwed, everyone is screwed! Or I could kill myself. Great options, right? You know what, why am I even talking about this on camera? I don't need to journal about every little thing. No one's gonna ever watch this. So screw this, screw everything. Good night everybody, if I care I'll write about it tomorrow.
- - -Day 5- - -
Okay, I'm sorry about yesterday's journal. I was angry, I was tired. I overreacted, okay? Look... it's complicated. Yesterday, we met with Twilight. I'll be quick, because I still don't really like to think about it. Also on a bit of a time crush for reasons that will become apparent.
I texted Millie back and forth for awhile. She wanted to sleep over, but we didn't have time to arrange it. Oh well, we were able to talk at school the next day. Best part of the day: When I told Caleb that I actually did have a plan. The look on his face, I wish I took a picture. Even more so when he had to admit that my MLP suggestion was spot on. Ha, take that! Anyways, we argued for awhile about how I was being a sore winner , but Millie stepped between us.
"Guys, if we do find her, we need to be ready. I don't want you two squabbling like siblings during this. Can you at least TRY to form a truce?" She said.
I saw the logic and reluctantly agreed, much as I wanted to rub my victory in Caleb's face a bit more. He agreed as well. We caught up on the stories the three of us had with Twilight, so we were all up to date. Millie fought a mega timberwolf, by the way. Makes my story seem boring, really. I fight one, she fights, like, a zillion along with Twilight. Lucky girl.
Then... the confrontation. My plan, by the way, was to use telekinesis. I theorized that the link might not be gone, since none of the other magic had left. So I thought it was likely that the telekinetic bond would still be there as well. Lo and behold, I was right! It took me a few tries. I thought I could feel another consciousness, but I couldn't be certain, as I had only used the power once before. No answer. I tried asking, pleading... and nothing. After 3 tries, I was just about ready to give up. She probably wasn't there. I told them as such.
"Hey, it didn't work! Maybe you didn't have such a great strategy after all!" Collin said.
That gave me the boost I needed. I can handle my own failure, but Caleb's scorn? No way. Then, I came up with a strategy, on the spot. I realized Twilight's biggest surprise in all of this was Twilight's not knowing anything, and if the show is correct, then Twilight might need to know. If there was anything that would convince her, if she was listening, it would be that. So I explained the entire MLP show from the start to around season 4. I would have gone all the way, but I started getting a massive headache. I had this the whole time, so I might be a bit vague after this. So I stopped and said something like "If you want to know how I know all this, please, just respond." Or something like that. I don't remember it well through the headache. I waited. And she actually responded. "I'm here! I'm here. Just... how do you know? How could you possibly know everything about me?"
We agreed to meet at a location we later found out to be the point the portal formed. I'm telling this out of order to save time. Also... I still don't want to talk about this part. After a bit of awkward small talk, the conversation shifted over to our magic, which Twilight didn't even know we still had, as I kind of expected. I mean, why would she go out of our way to make us think it was a dream only to make it incredibly obvious it isn't when we find that magic is real? The cutie marks are just a product of the magic, apparently. She brushed that part aside. After some... tests... she asked us to bring in Elliot. I'm willing to talk about that, I guess.
It was actually pretty entertaining. So there we are, 3 untrustful allies, going up to Millie's best friend. Elliot was like, "Guys, what the heck is going on? You all sneak out into the woods during lunch every day and expect me not to notice?"
Millie pretty much said "Yeah, about that... well, we can't tell you, but we have to blindfold you and lead you deep in the woods and we can't say why. So, you up for it?"
Ethan laughed. He thought we were joking. Seeing our faces, he said the world's most cliche line: "Wait, you're being serious?" It reminded me of a conversation I've seen in many-a-story. Anyways, after a bit of convincing, he agreed to come with us. What a pal! I mean, I would have run far away in fear of them murdering me in the woods blindfolded, but he was way too trusting. Mostly he trusted Millie, as they're best friends. In an alternate universe, I'm sure we brought him into the woods because we were vampires and we sucked his blood in the middle of the woods. But in this one, we took him to a unicorn and had the unicorn preform spells on him. Honestly, I'm not sure which would have been weirder. The point is, he's lucky that we were trustworthy as well.
Not sure what spells Twilight used, but the end result was her sending Elliot away without a word. We brought him back, and were like "K, let's never speak of this again" and casually walked away. He just had a strange day.
When we came back, Twi was distraught. This was for good reason. I've been beating around the bush for awhile, but here goes: Us having magic will attract monsters to us, and possibly ruin the universe. Oh, and we can't get it out of us. Hence my breakdown yesterday. After that, we told Twi of her TV show status, and we left, after a bit more conflict. Caleb and I may have argued a little bit, I don't even remember what about. It was a bad headache, as I said. Mostly I've gotten amazing memory from the magic, but my memories from yesterday are blurry at best. I could go into little more detail, I guess, but I don't want to dwell on that day. I'm sure it's understandable, I found out I'm screwed, and I don't have any camp half-blood to go to. I hope someone gets the reference.
I got to bed quickly, no parkour needed. I was already tired after that massive telekinetic spree. I guess I basically need to drain my magic reserves to get to bed. Good to note. So the next day... Wake. Shower. YouTube. School. So at when I to school...
Wait. I forgot something I did before school! I guess I'm too used to skipping over that part. Yeah, I actually did something, for once. It was a conversation between my mom:
"I have a question, out of the blue." I said.
"Sure, what is it," she said.
"I'm curious, how would you react if I told you that by the way, magic is real, and I have it?" She looked at me curiously. "It's on a story I want to write." Cutie mark, I'm a writer, remember? All the more proof I'm in a fanfic, since all the main characters in fanfics seem to be writers there. But that's irrelevant.
Anyways, she responded with "Are you sure you want to make this into a story? I don't know, seems weird, don't you want to use fictional characters?"
"It's just an idea. Humor me, will you?"
"Sure. Let's see, it would be very difficult. Say you could move things with your mind, I would have to be able to choose the time and chose the object, or I might think it's just stage tricks. Big claims require big proof. Just saying, It's easy to believe that you're just using some kind of stage magic than real stuff.
Well, crap. I think. "Wow, you'd be hard to convince! Might have to make the character easier to convince."
She laughed. "Well, if you weren't going to use my advice, then why'd you ask?" I didn't laugh with her. If I ever need her to know, how do I convince her I'm not just good at parkour? That I actually have Powers? I can't summon wings on command, after all. I haven't been able to summon them since Tuesday night, actually, although I never did get a chance to try since then. I might have to tell her quite soon, as you'll see by the end, and I really don't know how.
Then, I went to school. First thing, Millie met me at the door. She pushed me aside and looked me right in the eyes. "You are insufferable. I was able to keep my cool yesterday, weather I felt it or not, and you and Caleb just bicker like a bunch of 3-year-olds throughout!"
"Yeah, something you should know before you complain at me any further: I had a searing headache throughout the meeting, and I have no idea what I might have said. You're welcome, by the way, me having that headache was because that's how I made Twilight show up. I'm sorry if I was rude at the time, but I have an excuse."
"Well... you don't have to act all high and mighty about it. I might have felt sorry for you, but then you decide to rub it in my face? Geez, sometimes you're a real jerk." And before I had a chance to defend myself, she walked away. Okay, maybe I chose my words poorly, but that was uncalled for. Millie might not be as bad as Caleb, and to a bystander you might think we're still friends, but we aren't. It was her who started it, anyways. After we drove Caleb away accidentally TOGETHER, I think she somehow blamed me and started resenting me. So my two best friends were lost in a week. And here I am now, telling my woes to a microphone, since I have no one else. Whoopee. I guess I could tell Twi, but she has a lot to worry about already.
Okay, enough moping. But seriously, how did both of my ex-friends end up in this with me in this mess? A bully would be bad to be with, yes, But I know how to ignore them after years of being the number one target. These guys, though, sure know how to push my buttons. one saving grace is that I at least know how to push theirs, right?
Where was I? Oh, yeah. So, school went as normal. Still boring, of course. I feel like I'm repeating myself, but it is boring. I mean, I might need to go to a different school and go up a few grades if I run out of books to read! It's that boring! Anyways, lunch eventually rolled around, and we prepared to go outside.
First, though, we spoke with Elliot. Well, I did. Millie didn't want him involved, and Caleb is indifferent toward him, and didn't care either way. But I felt he should know. So as the other two were busy, I pulled him aside.
I didn't tell him everything, but I told him some stuff. I said he probably wouldn't believe me, but we seem to be living out one of the stories that Millie and him always tell. Not to a tee, but something similar. "You won't believe me, I know it. I just want to give you some explanation to why we're leaving you alone.
Some backstory: Before this week, pretty much the only thing the two of them, Millie and Elliot, used to do was write a comic. They had a gigantic universe with a ton of rules and planets and it crossed over with just about everything, it was pretty cool. It's kinda like her cutie mark: the two of them always talk, and their words become stories. So I told him that we seemed to be in a story like that, but he wasn't a part of it. I didn't give any specifics, but I told him he didn't want to get involved, or he might suffer hardship and heartbreak. And... he actually understood. I didn't expect it to work, but he believed me. I believe his response was:
"Alex, we've been friends for years, and I know you aren't lying. You truly are living out some fantasy you won't share the details to. I mean, yes, I'm shocked, but if you aren't lying, than I'll let you go. Hey, though: if you need me for anything, or if you were lying all along, tell Millie I'm still here, as a friend."
He is the nicest person I've ever met. I'm sure that even if the three of us leave, he should be able to find more friends. Much as an ass Millie can be, she makes Elliot happy. I hope Elliot finds another friend as good as her. Which leads me to my previous point: WHY COULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN HIM WHO GOT A DOSE OF MAGIC INSTEAD OF CALEB????" I mean, I don't want to give magic to him now, now that we know what it does to a person. But I still like him better than the other two combined. Well, beggars can't be choosers. I wanted to be a hero, and I am, but I'm stuck with two asshoofs and I have a high probability of death. Yay me.
Then, we met Twilight in the same spot as before, deep in the woods. There was a bit of awkward back and forth, well, a LOT of awkward back and forth, because we all had things we really didn't want to talk about. It was really awkward, and because I don't want this to go any longer than it has to I won't say the whole thing aloud. Eventually I decided enough was enough. "Guys, clearly all of us are dancing around what we don't want to talk about. Can we get on to other things?"
The other three agreed. It was a bit too soon to talk about this. This took about 10 minutes to get to this point, by the way. You're welcome for cutting it out. Anyways, now I'll go into direct conversation mode.
"So if we don't talk about that, what do we talk about?" asked Caleb.
I looked at Twilight. She didn't need a mental link to know what I meant. "Yeah, I get it. You want me to talk about how to use the magic here. You want to know, in case we really do come across monsters."
She was about to start the speech, but Caleb interrupted. "Wow, how did you know that's what he was thinking? I didn't get that at all. Did you use your mental bond or something?"
"No," I said. "I thought it would be pretty obvious, all things considered."
I was actually surprised when Millie spoke up. "It really wasn't, Alex. I thought you meant that Twilight should talk about her backstory!" Collin nodded in agreement.
"Actually," Twilight said, "I might have an explanation for that. Forming a telekinetic bond is extremely difficult. The two beings it's between must have a very similar brain type, similar hobbies, and so on. That's why I didn't talk to you two through that kind of bond. Well, I didn't have the time to, either, but even if I had the time I couldn't have linked the minds. It's a lot easier to make it seem like a dream without me being in physical contact. Alex was the only one who fit the brain type. It's actually quite lucky he did at all! It's estimated that one in a hundred people will close enough to be able to link in a telekinetic bond. That being the case, it's only natural we can communicate without talking, we think alike. It isn't the bond that lets us talk without thinking, it's the fact we can talk without thinking that lets us form a bond!"
Silence.
"Twilight," I said, "that was a lot of exposition."
Twilight suddenly looked down at the ground. "O-oh. I'm sorry."
Why's she so... Oh, literary tem, right. "Uh, I'm sorry Twilight. I didn't mean it like that. You're clearly real. I didn't mean to... I'm sorry." That's the problem with me: I always speak without thinking. How could I not realized that would remind her that she's a character from a book here?
"No, it's okay. I know you didn't mean it like that. I'm just still sensitive about that, okay? I want to know why I'm just a character in this world. I know I'm not, but I don't want to keep being reminded of it, okay?" Rats, no more breaking the forth wall blatantly in front of them, or she might take it the wrong way. No, I shouldn't joke about it. I'd be angry if I found out I was just a character from a video game or something.
"So why are we talking about the magic and not her backstory? That would make more sense, wouldn't it?" said Caleb.
Actually, I'm surprised Caleb didn't yell at me there for being and idiot. He... actually tried to be... nice? I guess he was showing he was the better man or something. Clever. Or... maybe... he was really being nice. Whatever the case, he actually tried to help us move on from that. Weird, not at all like him.
"It was just the first thing I thought of. We'd been talking about magic for the last ten minutes, it made sense to maybe finally explain how to use the magic rather than think of the ramifications of using it. It made sense at the time, but yeah, it makes more sense to talk about that."
"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense." Dang, what did Millie tell Caleb to make him behave? It's like he's a whole new person! Or... the person he once was... okay, no more reminiscing. This is important.
"Okay," Twilight said, "Here's the story of how I got here."
"Took you long enough," muttered Millie.
"Hypocrite," Collin and I muttered back, simultaneously. Wow, same thought at the same time? Twice in two days? As I said, this isn't normal.
Twilight heard none of this. "So it all started five days ago, I believe. I was sitting in ponyville in my castle. I trust you know about what that is?" Millie and I nod, but Caleb shakes his head.
"I haven't watched the show," he says.
Twilight blinks. "Oh, I guess that makes sense. Okay, I'll be brief. I'm a princess in the dimension I'm from, and I own a castle due to circumstances far too complicated to go over here. I've lived in for a few moons, now. I was hanging out, when my cutie mark flashed on my flank. That means, by the way, that the map had called me, for the first time! Well, other than when we were all called to Starlight. Okay, what I mean by that is..."
I tuned her out while she explained what the map meant. I turned to Millie. "The first time? What?" I muttered.
Millie shook her head. "I don't know."
For those who don't know, the map called Twilight late in season 5, along with Fluttershy, for the first time. So it's really weird she said it was the first time. We didn't have time to think much about it, though, because Twilight had finished her explanation of the map and continued her story.
"The map was calling me to the everfree forest, oddly enough. It's a dangerous, nearly uninhabited place. The others wanted to come with, but if the map wanted me to come alone, I would come alone. It's dangerous, yes, but I can handle the forest. I've gone through it before in worse conditions. I thought maybe it was Zecora in a friendship problem, or some other being living in the woods, so I went towards Zecora. I could handle the woods in practice as well. They don't scare me anymore. I had a bit of a run-in with a bunch of timberwolves, but I still had strong magic and quickly drove them away. About 40 of them dove into a hole nearby. I was about to keep going towards zecora, but I thought, what if someone was trapped down there or something? Maybe it wasn't the friendship problem, but who knows? I decided to check it out, no harm done. I can fight off a bunch of timberwolves easily."
"I jump in, and the next thing I know I have arms instead of hooves, and there are a bunch of really angry timberwolves before me. And the portal I just came through is gone. And I can't use magic. Well... it was weird. I could feel magic flowing through me. In the other universe, I knew there was magic, but I had no appendages to use it with. This isn't the first time I became a human, by the way. Anyways, here, I can use magic, but the air seems to actively resist me, so it essentially amounted to the same thing at the time. I had no choice but to run. Then I met with Caleb, who seemed to be a vessel of magic. It was like in a world for anti-magic devices, humans are oases of magic. That's why I can cast some spells, but not others: I seem to only be able to use spells that directly effect another human, or it won't work. Oh, and you guys can do anything with your powers. I don't exactly know why, but the air doesn't resist you."
"Anyways, I meet up with Caleb. It was fairly simple, other than the fact he couldn't see the wolves, and you two could. I don't really know what that was about. I gifted him fire magic, since that's a spell I know. It's a temporary buff you can give to other pony types to allow them to manipulate the elements, but it only lasts an hour or so, similar to the spell that allowed Rarity to get wings. I mean, it didn't wear off, but I didn't know that, of course. Afterwards, I made him sleep and did a very specific spell on him. The gist of it is the spell drains the user's resources to bring the victim back to a certain point in time and reset their environment to make it seem as if it was a dream. I also mixed in a magic suppressant so that by the time it wore off, the magic would've as well. I know, that seems very complicated, but I wanted to go to great lengths to make sure I didn't change this world forever. Great I did with that."
"After that, I realized I was lost. I had no idea where the portal was. I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way, and I was stuck wandering the woods. Eventually, I came upon Alex, with a timberwolf behind him. He didn't even notice, he was too engrossed in his book. He reminded me of myself. That's when I had my epiphany: I read once it was easier to convince someone their experience was a dream if it's through telekinesis. Seeing him reading like that, I thought there was a chance we'd be able to form a bond. Lo and behold, we were similar enough our brains were able to connect. I also gave him a vision spell, so he could see the wolf. I still don't know if him seeing the wolf was one way or the other because I cast that spell, but that's why I wasn't surprised when he could see it. When he knew my name, I assumed it had something to do with the telekinesis or something. I was confused, but the real confusion didn't come until I met with Millie. So I tried to give him fire magic, but he got agility instead for whatever reason. I mean, it worked, but it wasn't my goal. I still don't know why he got agility instead, maybe it had to do with... I don't know, I really don't understand magic here. So after that, I made Alex sleep. It was easier, less stuff to erase from memory. I knew he would believe it was a dream much easier."
I couldn't help but butt in. "Kinda ironic, considering I was the first to find out it wasn't a dream."
"Ahem," she said. "After that, I decided to follow the wolf, secretly. Lo and behold it lead me straight to the place the portal was. I guess it wanted back as much as I did. I got to the portal, and I started trying to reopen it. Then Millie showed up behind me. This must be a quite popular forest, unfortunately for me. Whatever, we fought to wolves, and then the giant wolf. I once again tried to give fire magic, as that would be most effective, but it didn't really work once again. Millie had the genius idea of leading it to the ice, and it the wolf froze over. Honestly, it looked like an action shot in some books I've read. It was really cool. Rainbow totally would've fangirled. When it was frozen and unable to move, I was able to 'gift the wolf fire magic. I said that humans are oases of magic, but the wolves had some magic of their own. So, I did the same spell I used on Caleb, and the wolf's body couldn't take it. It burned into a pile of ash. Then, I used the last of my magic to get Millie back to where she was. It was draining, replacing all of those trees, but I thought it would be worth it. I mean, it wasn't worth it, seeing as the magic didn't wear off, but it might've. Then, I basically cast a heat spell on myself so I didn't freeze to death, and passed out.
"For the past 3 days I've been trying to try various methods to... to get home. I want to get back to my friends, I want to solve whatever problem's in the everfree forest. But there's nothing I can do but wait and hope it reopens again. You guys came yesterday, of course, so that broke the pace a little. But... my friends are probably worried sick about me. I mean, they knew I was in the everfree forest, but I've been gone a long time. I hope it doesn't take 30 moons to reopen again.
So now you know how I got here, and why I'm so intent on staying in this spot. I hope that answers your questions."
Silence. Again.
Finally, Millie speaks, carefully, thinking over every word. "Twilight, how's Starlight back at your world?" There were about 7 things I wanted to talk about, I guess that was a good place to start.
Twilight gives a confused look. "That's your question, about how a wanted criminal's doing? How would I know? I haven't seen her in moons. I don't know. Don't you have any other questions?"
This is bad. We don't just have Twilight, we have mid-season 5 Twilight. That means this might be Starlight's fault or something. That also means we've seen her future. I've watched doctor who, and this is a very bad thing. Millie seems to be about to reveal the fact we've seen her future, but I butt in. "'I have to cut off her hand. Why? Because you read it in the book and now it has to happen.' Do you understand me?" I was referencing a very powerful moment in doctor who a few seasons back, by the way. It was about how one character finds a book that tells the future, but because it tells the future that future becomes set in stone. As I hoped, Millie suddenly gets it, and shuts her mouth. Caleb also suddenly got it as well. Huh, I guess he watches Doctor Who. Who knew.
Twilight saw this exchange and was incredibly confused. "...What?"
Millie and Caleb try to speak, but I spoke the loudest. "If you want to know, I know I can't hide it from you, but for now other things are more important. It's best to not think about it. Like... REALLY best to not think about it."
Twilight saw the look it my eyes and saw that I was incredibly serious about this. "Well, okay then. Um... actually, you guys never showed me your cutie marks. Would you mind turning you shirts back?" I saw she was trying her best to change the subject. Wow, willing to sacrifice knowledge for making people happy? Best friend a girl could ask for. I mean, a guy could ask for. I was thinking about the show, whoops. My bad.
Anyways, the three of us quickly agreed. Anything to not break space-time, right? It was a bit chilly, it wasn't exactly warm out. Winter, frozen lakes, you know. Still, I turned it inside-out. As I said a few days ago, it's an earth-like planet being built by a hammer. Millie's was of the bottom half of a speech bubble and the top half of a book. And Caleb's was just... a... fire? Seeing them all together, something clicked in my mind. "Hey Caleb, what does your mark represent?"
Caleb gave me a confused look. "Um... I think it means my affinity with fire. What else would it mean?"
"Yeah, Alex," Twilight said. "That seems quite obvious."
"Well then, why do I not have a cutie mark about parkour? Why does Millie not have a mark representing magical blasts?" I said.
Everyone is stunned for a moment.
Twilight then says something she didn't say yesterday: "Hey, when I scanned him, it was a weaker magic than everyone else! I wonder if that has anything to do with it?"
Then Caleb's mental gears started turning. "Wait, didn't you say that the fire spell only worked for me, and the other two got another completely random result? What the heck does all this mean?" He was more baffled than angry his magic was weaker than the rest of ours.
We all think for a moment. Then, Twilight has an idea. "What if... nah, never mind."
"What is it?" I ask.
"It's nothing. Just a guess, no real evidence behind it."
"Well, I know you Twilight, like it or not, and I've seen you a lot. I also know that your guesses are usually right. So, what is it?"
"Well... what if it's because I forced the magic onto him instead of letting it flow?"
"Huh?" the three of us say at the same time.
"Well, back in equestria, it's always best to form the magic into a specific shape to use it, or who knows what might happen. But here, it might be the opposite. As in, it might be better to just let the magic flow. It seemed to fill your bodies up, after all. It might be comparable to forcing orange juice in your bodies, when they try their best to drink the apple juice. That would explain why, the only time I shaped the magic to my desires, it ended out worse... but it's just a guess."
"...That was oddly specific for a guess, Twi." I said.
"Yeah, well, it is. It just seems to fit all of the data so far."
"I wonder if that has anything to do with-" I said.
"Guys, STOP!" said Millie. "This is getting ridiculous! Look, there are a lot of mysteries here, but maybe this isn't the best place to talk about it. Look, it's almost time for the next class to start." She turned to Twilight. "How long do you think it will take for the portal to open?" I honestly don't know where she got this drive. She was fairly quiet throughout the time, then she's suddenly super outgoing. I don't know, maybe this magic is changing me, too. I hope not.
"I-I don't know. I can only do spells on humans, remember?"
"Well then why don't you cast a spell that lets us check instead?"
"Well, I... actually, that's a great idea. Why didn't I think of that?"
Oh, crap, look at the time! Okay, long story short, Millie was gifted the power to test how long until the portal opens We eventually, eventually , found out it would open again this Monday. Twilight was incredibly happy. "Just three more days? That's amazing! I was afraid it wouldn't open for 30 moons! This is great news! I just have to hang out here until-"
Then Millie threw in her big, game-changing suggestion. "Then how about we all stay at one house for the weekend?"
"What?" The three of us say at the same time. Dang, Caleb and I really need to desync, people might think we're friends again.
"You heard me. We already have a lot to digest, and there are even more mysteries around the corner. We can't do this just by standing here for an hour daily. You might be leaving soon (gesturing at Twilight), but we're stuck with these powers, like it or not. So maybe we should stay together for the weekend and figure things out."
Caleb and I reluctantly agreed. Twi was also reluctant, but for a very different reason. She also agreed in time. "So, who's house do we stay at?" Millie then said.
"I assumed you were volunteering your own?" Caleb said.
"No, I just have a big project due next period and I'm already late and I want this done quick."
"Well, I can't do it. No way my dad would let it happen on such short notice."
Three heads swiveled towards me. I didn't have an excuse.
And that's the story of why I have 3 guests coming over later tonight. Actually, in 3 minutes by now. Maybe there'll be another entry explaining even more after this meeting, like why Caleb's being more cooperative. Maybe Caleb will get better magic or something. Maybe I'm foreshadowing the next entry. Who knows? All I know is that I don't have any more time to talk about the conclusion or the rest of the day or anything like that, because they're due in 2 and a half minutes. Okay, nothing else to report, like I didn't talk for long enough already, goodbye!
- - -End of Transmission- - -
Author's Note
Something to note: While the others will get time in the spotlight, this story will mainly star Alex. Just FYI. By the way, thanks for the favorites, guys. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Maybe if you like the story enough, consider giving it a like. I know it's cliché, but it really makes me feel great every time I see that number go up and I know people like what I write. If you don't like it, of course, give it a dislike guilt-free. (Mwahaha, little do they know that this is my secret plan to get more likes. The only people who would read this far are people who like it! Those who don't would stop a few chapters in! I will get ALL OF THE LIKES! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ) Wait, that last part wasn't aloud, was it?
Next time: SLEEPOVER!