Chapters When the Glass Breaks Chapter One.
Time is ever present, being there when one is born, lives and dies and it continues on without us. Many believe that it is infinite and can never be broken but there is one man who is a true testament to it being ripped asunder before righting itself through most of the multiverse. That man is known in this line of time as James O’Leary and in this room there is science on display at every point. Attached to his body are diodes measuring his heart rate and blood pressure and in front of the young man of 25 there stands a metal archway, gently humming with power after he discovered a way to tap into the force of time itself. In his right hand is a voice recorder and as he stands before the portal his voice is quiet in awe as he began his experiment.
“The portal is holding stable, with every precaution that I could think of being in place as I look into what seems to be the very center of our universe. My heart rate and blood pressure are slowly rising and now I am going to walk to the portal itself.” From the voice recorder the sound of footsteps could be heard and then the hum getting louder the closer he gets to the opening. As he stops before it he felt his hair standing on end both from practical fear and trepidation as he then spoke again. “I am now standing before the very portal I have just spoke about…. So far everything is still in the green and now I am going to see what effect this may have ... On myself.” With that he loosened his grip slightly on the recorder and moved his left hand up to the portal, pressing his fingers close and pausing for a moment before pushing them in. As his fingers pressed into the portal he was sucked into it with great force, unable to stop himself and his voice recorder drops to the floor. The portal keeps running and within a week people find the lab and the recorder but as they pressed play they only heard static.
As he fell through the entire universe suddenly time feeling a disturbance in itself righted itself, pushing the man out of the multiverse he lived in. The cause of this showed as each and every version of himself that made it to that age or further began to fade, the world itself as well forgetting him and the many versions being pushed out had to go somewhere and so their memories and experiences. Their abilities and powers for each of them then fused into the young man, residing in his subconscious as he was pushed into a new place. He landed on a dirt road, unconscious at the time as his mind was beginning to expand and hold onto all the new information. Thankfully some of the denizens of this new world noticed him and decided to bring him to their hospital, the doctors baffled and alerting authorities as he lay there for five days and nights. When the sun broke the horizon on the sixth morning the man shot up from the bed, looking around at what seemed to be a hospital room and became slightly worried. He noted that the bed was much comfier than what he was used too and as that thought crossed his head he heard the click of the door and something in his subconscious awoke, making him quietly slip back onto the bed and close his eyes. He stayed calm and collected as new information was sent to him through his ears. He heard the strange sound of clopping as something got closer and while his baser instincts told him to open his eyes the part of his subconscious made sure he didn’t move an inch.
After another minute or two there was the sound of scratching as something was written down and then the being turned, leaving the room with the same strange sound. When ten minutes had passed and nothing else was heard he slowly opened his eyes and took the room into account again before shaking his head at the actions he had just used. He had never had that calm in a situation and while it had been useful it still didn’t make any sense. Meanwhile his ears began a gentle ringing as he continued to look around, noting the medical equipment being used was almost ancient compared to what he had used in his lab. He shook his head and after making a few assumptions that he was out in the country somehow and that they had a different style of shoes to make that sound he had heard earlier.
Once he felt he had a good enough handle of the situation he finally swallowed some of the spit in his mouth and called out in a hoarse voice from nothing being drank or eaten for near a week. “Hello is someone there? I wanted to ask a question if someone can answer?” Waiting for about two minutes he is shocked as he sees a being covered in fur, standing five foot nine inches in front of him with hands and the same clopping sound. He looked down and instead of seeing shoes he sees what appears to be hooves and now his mind is reeling.
The doctor seeing this doesn’t speak, letting the thing in front of him gather itself before seeing a bit of coherence in its expression and then speaks in a gentle tone as it says “I am sorry that you seem to be having an issue dealing with what seems to be a crisis… But as you have questions there are others who feel the same way…. So please allow me to introduce myself. I am Steady Pulse and I am the doctor that was assigned to you. As for other things give me a few minutes and I will do my best to get someone to talk to about this in a better manner.”
With that the doctor turned, leaving as James sat on the bed, his mind running through hypothetical such as being insane from going into the portal but he dismissed the notion as he felt all of his faculties in working order. He then thought about a possible change to the very way of life but this was also changed as it seemed like he went back in time with the equipment and if it did change he would of most likely changed with it. He kept going through these thoughts and didn’t even notice as another being entered the room and stood there, watching him and staying quiet. Once he groaned softly as he couldn’t understand he looked up and saw what seemed to be a woman standing in front of him. He took in the details, such as her shimmering hair that never stayed still with shades of pink blue and purple, her height being around six foot seven inches and the white fur like snow. What shocked him more was the fact that she had a protrusion from her forehead that was nearly a foot long and seemed almost pointed with a spiral pattern curved into it. The thing that almost sent him into a psychotic break was the pure white wings which extended nearly three feet on either side of her.
James gently shook his head and spoke with a worried tone “Please simply tell me that this is a dream and I passed out before going through the portal.” He looked up to the woman with some bit of hope mixed with fear in his eyes.
The woman however sighed softly and shook her head as she spoke with what seemed to be pure compassion “I am truly sorry but this is no dream and as such I believe we need to have some introductions if you do not mind?” She was being quite hesitant as never in her long life had she found a creature like this and that both scared and intrigued her but the fact his eyes showed intelligence along with that he was nearly lost with all the things going on.
James took the cue of her being quiet and then nodded his agreement and said “My name is James O’Leary and I am sorry…. I am just trying to think of what could of caused this and who are you?
She took that knowledge in and then smiled as it seemed he was willing to talk and quite succinctly at that as she replied “Thank you and my name is Princess Celestia and I rule over the nation of Equestria...”
Author's Note
My first time writing a story in quite awhile. I am hoping that this is enjoyed as I plan on completeing it and as such I am also hoping I can have an editor who is willing to work with me on it and as well as give ideas if need be rather than a "Yes Man". Thank you all for reading and I hope that this may inspire others.
A Timely Manner
James tilted his head hearing this new information and was silent for only a moment before then deciding manners would be best as he bowed slightly toward her and said with a bit of a smirk “ I do apologize then. But as you can see I wasn’t really expecting to meet Royalty today.” He made the joke without thought as he was used to talking to his peers and no else really. What shocked him was her slight chuckle at the joke and with a wry smile he looked to her and saw a smile on her lips that reached her Magenta eyes.
“ Well then I am sorry for making such an unexpected visit. Perhaps when I visit again you can be a bit more put together?” She said in a humorous tone as she wanted to ease the beings feelings as she saw a bit of the fear go away from his Hazel eyes. She noted his brown hair being quite a dark shade, almost black if the light were to play off it and then moved her eyes down his body. He was somewhat built from what she could see of his arms from the gown that the hospital had provided and his facial features seemed sharp as a blade. His jaw was chiseled and his cheekbones somewhat pronounced and as he spoke she saw the canines in his teeth and it seemed to add to his appearance. She then continued on as James let out a small laugh “Now I do hope you don’t mind being rude but I wished to know… What exactly are you? I have lived for…. Lets simply say a long time and I have never seen anything quite like you.”
James blinked a bit hearing that and running through the idea in his head seemed to comprehend it quickly and then shrugged as he spoke with his usual dry tone explaining “I am a human being, which is also known as a Homo Sapien . I have two hundred and six bones in my body, I have a high level of intelligence for my species and from your words I can assume I am the only one that is here or perhaps has ever come here. Though there is something I would like to ask since it is beginning to bug me.” Celestia simply made a slight motion with her hand and he continued on as she allowed “What is causing this ringing in my ears? It seemed to start off quiet but as we have been talking it is getting louder and louder. It has me a bit worried.”
Hearing that Celestia was almost confused before remembering that some unicorns that had very strong magical connections would hear the ambient magic of the world around them. Now this could be very dangerous as if they didn’t discover some way to deal with it or shield themselves then they could be driven mad before reaching any bit of their potential. As she spoke she noticed his eyes going over her form “ Well it seems that you are hearing the magic all around you James. Don’t worry though as there is a simple way to help you deal with it until you can begin to shi-“ She stopped and raised an eyebrow at hearing him begin to laugh loudly.
She was shocked as this laughter seemed to be derisive but also a full one as he had to take a few moments to get some air before he was able to stop. He then said with a smile toward Celestia “Now there is no way that you just said Magic correct? I am a man of science and logic and in my world…” He stopped as he began to go down this train of logic and then sighed as he had realized his misgivings before shaking his head continuing “In my world there is no such thing as Magic. However this is no longer my world as we both had surmised and now I apologize for laughing. I hope that you can accept my apology.” James meanwhile had thoughts running through his head as he wondered what caused this shift in himself but after trying to decipher it he shook his head once more and decided to simply go with the flow for now until he had new information to work on.
Celestia bowed her head and then met his eyes straight on as she seemed to be surprised at his actions before voicing her thoughts “I must admit that to have you stop and apologize was surprising as most would continue to assume that their logic must be correct. Even some different species other than ponies in the world would try to fix the idea to fit themselves… Then again you did say that you were highly intelligent and this shows it I suppose. So James, could you perhaps tell me how you came here?” She was hoping he would be honest and that the mystery would be solved so she may be able to help and perhaps introduce a new element to their society.
James thought for a few moments before then speaking as he looked to the bed, noting the gown that was on him “Well for how I came here I honestly have no Idea but the last thing I remember for sure was being in my lab and working on the portal I had made using time itself as the energy source and putting fingers through it.” He looked up to her as he wondered where his clothes that he had on before noticing her face was the utter picture of shocked horror at hearing what he had done. He was confused in silence for a few minutes before finally speaking again saying “ Um… Celestia… Are you there?”
“You… How… Why…” She shuddered as she thought of the possibilities that could of happened with him before then gathering herself and finally speaking evenly “James… I am not going to lie to you. The mere fact that you are alive is something to be celebrated but as for how it caused you to come here…” She closed her eyes and as a thought occurred she opened them continuing on “I am not sure. I would like to do some testing if you are alright with that. But I will warn you that I am not going to be the one to do it as I am better when it comes to using my abilities to maneuver or brute force things. When it comes to subtlty and accuracy I would turn to my sister… Will you consent to this?” Celestia was phrasing it as a question but the hard edge in her worried tone warned James that he should accept or face some sort of consequence.
He nodded and looked to the Princess before him reminding himself that though he felt he was normal that there could be ramifications done from what had happened and he might not even know. He smiled as he could tell that though she was intimidating Celestia was someone who should be respected. “Go right ahead as I am curious myself as to what me coming here might entail and what I may be able to learn from it. But… before I get tested in such a way could I get my clothes back and leave this place? I understand I just woke up but I don’t feel all that comfortable in hospitals for a few reasons.” His eyes portrayed a bit of a haunted expression but changed as he simply let the thoughts go.
Celestia nodded and used her magic, her horn lighting up with a slightly golden aura as she materialized his clothes and then set them on the bed. She turned and began walking out of the room saying “ Of course. Once you are done changing simply come out of the room and we will head to my Sisters room to wake her.” When she reached the door she hesitated for a moment before then leaving and closing the door behind her. James nodded and then slowly got off the bed, his body feeling quite sore as he moved it for the first time in six days. He stripped the gown off and took a look at his body as he noticed that he had a bit more muscle on his body and shrugged it off for now as he grabbed his clothes. He put them on and noticed that the white shirt hung a bit more loosely on him as well as putting on his boxers. As he pulled the jeans on he noticed that the pressure that he was used to seemed a bit lighter on his body and wondered just how different the gravity of this world was from his own home. Now that he was clothed he stretched slightly to get a bit of the soreness out of his muscles before going to the door and opening it saying with a smile “Alright Celestia…. Lets go and see your sister.”
A Timely Testing
James and Celestia began walking along the hall, with James making sure to take notice of the architecture and marveled at the arching that seemed to have a comforting sense as the warm browns mixed with the bright blue skies outside of the windows that they passed. However, as they continued on the shades of the castle around changed to night sky blues and gentle shades of black as if they were willing to take anything on and comfort you. The beings they passed by bowed to Celestia and shot fearful looks toward James as they walked and when they finally arrived in front of a set of large doors two guards stepped out saying “Halt. State your business…”
Celestia smiled and said with a bit of enjoyment at the serious nature of the guards “I am here to see my Sister and get her opinion on something. The being behind me is under my protection and will not bring harm to her or me.” The guards looked to her and then slightly around her with their eyes widening noticeably at the sight of James. But the Princess saying that he was under her protection and watch as well abated any sense of danger and so they nodded and seemed to meld back into the shadows in the hall. Celestia waited a moment before going to the door and knocking three times before entering and motioning for James to follow along behind her.
James did so and walked in and held back the urge to laugh as the woman on the bed as she was splayed out on top of her blanket, drool dripping down her chin and a gentle snore coming from her. After fighting down the laughter James began to take in details of her as she had a dark blue fur color and her hair seemed to be the night sky given form. Her wings were slightly smaller than Celestia’s, seeming to be two feet and seven inches on either side of her. Her horn as well was slightly smaller being about eight inches long but another detail, he actually picked up was a tail that came out from above her behind and seemed to match her hair. He then shifted his eyes to Celestia and noticed the same thing and shook his head as he had been paying too much attention to either his problems of not knowing enough or the architecture of the castle to have noticed the tail. He then moved his eyes up and noted a mischievous look in Celestia’s eyes as she walked silently over to her Sister. When she reached her side, she leaned in and then yelled suddenly “OH MY GOD THEY HAVE FREE COOKIES IN THE LOUNGE!!”
The woman sleeping suddenly woke up with the most serious look on her face and shouted loud enough James had to brace himself to keep from falling on his back “THEY SHALT BE MINE!” Though after a few seconds she noticed it was her sister and something new in the room and then shook the cobwebs of sleep from her head as she groaned saying “Sister must thou wake me up in such a manner?”
Celestia had an innocent smile as she giggled saying “Well you have to admit that it is the best way to make sure you wake up from a dead sleep right Luna?” Luna glowered at her and her cheeks had a bit brighter shade from the red beginning to come through. She then sighed and looked over to the new person and then noticed this was not someone she would consider normal. She then looked to her sister and raised an eyebrow and they seemed to have an entire conversation between themselves and then she looked over to him saying with a cough from slight embarrassment “I am sorry James. I hath not meant to ignore thee but as thou hast seen I have just awoken.” James wondered exactly how she knew his name but simply shrugged it off as it seemed there really was a conversation done in silence between the two. With the addition of Magic into his life he could simply divert most things toward it until he had a better understanding but for now looked between the two before shrugging it off.
“Its quite alright… Um I believe your name is Luna correct?” Luna nodded at this and so he continued as he looked between the sisters “Alright so I am apparently here for a test that your sister asked me to take and so with her being kind I didn’t want to say no.” His tone held a bit of sarcasm at the end as he remembered the hard tone Celestia had used to ask him to come to the room. As he tried to think of what the test could truly entail the ringing in his ears was becoming worse and worse, beginning to make it near deafening. He moved his hands to ears, the basic human instinct to try and block out the noise but surprisingly as he did so the sound seemed to die down while his ears warmed up slightly. He moved them down and then noted that the sound level stayed the same but noticed surprised looks coming from the Princesses in front of him.
James was about to speak up and ask what surprised them but Luna instead simply spoke up with a calmer tone “Now I hath seen why thou hast come to us dear Sister. James please stand still and simply let your thoughts become unclouded. Should thou resist against us then the consequences could be Dire.” He listened and then nodded gently, uncertainty in his eyes but as he simply didn’t have any other option, he closed his eyes and began to let his thoughts go. He focused on nothing as he heard the Princess approach him and then did his best to cut off his senses while Luna stood before him. After concentrating and focusing the magic through her horn she used a spell to search his mind, seeing nothing really out of the ordinary on the surface level. But when she decided to go a bit deeper, she found a brick wall with a small door being the only way through.
Luna was surprised at seeing the brick wall before her in the mindscape and when looking up could not see where the top of it ended. She walked to the door and grabbed the knob and slowly opened it, worried as she was hearing whispers as she continued to open it. When the door was fully open just looking into it made her scream, forcing the door closed and coming out of the mind scape still screaming as that threw James off and forced his thoughts to what had made her scream. He opened his eyes as the screaming died down and looked to her only to be even more shocked as she seemed to be staring at him like he was a monster. He took a step back with confusion portrayed on his face as Luna looked up to her sister asking with a shaking tone “S-sister WH-what hast thou brought into this c-castle? How… How c-can he even exist?
James took note of the last part of the sentence most and then looked to Celestia as her face remained serene from centuries of experience before looking to James and asking in a gentle tone, this time actually making it a choice “James I am sorry to ask but would you mind going out of the room for a moment? I wish to comfort my Sister and find out what she means but that.” He wanted to deny that and find out what was going but from how Luna seemed to be shaking he sighed before nodding and the going to the door and exiting the room. He stood out of the room and looked to the shadows as he noted the guards coming out with their spears pointed at him.
James put his hands up and simply said in a calm tone to the guards as he could see the anger and suspicion on their faces “I was asked to remain outside of the room while Celestia and Luna spoke. If after they are done, they want me to go with you then I will without a fight. But for now, please simply allow me to follow Celestia’s request.” The guards looked to each other and then back to him before the spears came down and they moved back into the shadows leaving him there and letting out the breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.
In the room Celestia kneeled down and her façade broke down as the care and worry on her face clearly showed as she asked with trepidation “Sister I have to know what you meant by how he can exist… So please tell me what you saw in his mind?” Luna slowed her breathing down enough that she could think and nodded, licking her lips as her body still quivered in fear from that brief glimpse behind the door.
Luna looked to her sister that had been so comforting for all her life and now she tried to hold onto that feeling even while the images of those brief moments past the door came back up again. She then spoke in a hushed whisper of reverence and fear “WH-what lies beyond his Waking mind is something that should not be. He… He hast thousands upon thousands of minds sharing that space behind a wall so large I could not see its scope… What hath he done to have so many beings within him Sister?”
Celestia could only guess as she wrapped her arms around her sister saying with a bit more understanding of the situation “It seems he was playing with time itself and he lost. But sister… Surely things in there could not be as bad as you make it out to be, right?” Luna looked up to her and nodded, not saying a word as the look of fear from what she had seen was still plainly evident in them. Celestia gently sighed at seeing this before nodding and helping her sister stand with her once again before using her magic to open the door calling out “James you can come back in now.”
Hearing the door open and his name being called he walked back in, seeing that both were somewhat shaken and so he simply closed the door behind him and stood there with a light smile wondering if that might help. Sadly the tension was now even thicker than when he had left the room but deciding to break the silence he asked with a steady voice “So what exactly is wrong with me?
A Timely Explanation
Celestia and Luna were a bit surprised at the calm tone the being before them used as usually the fact something was wrong enough to make a Princess scream would have others flat out panicking. James raised an eyebrow and simply stood there as his hands began to gently fidget as he never did have that great a grasp on patience. He watched the two Monarchs of whatever Equestria was while they walked to Luna’s bed once more and both sat down as Celestia motioned for him to sit into the chair that was by the window, accompanied by the table. He wanted to let out a groan from the frustration of waiting but simply let it go as he went to the chair, shifting the chair around to face them before sitting down in it.
Once both Princesses were sure that he was in a more comfortable state Luna spoke up, trying her best to put into words what she had seen and experienced when she went into his mind “James…. From what I hath seen… You are tr-truly something that should not exist. You….” She moved her hands up to her head and held it still closing her eyes as she felt the images growing clearer for each thing before continuing “Thou are not alone in your mind whether you know or not. There are many a shade inside your mind and thou need to be careful for if the wall I hath seen ever were to break you would be driven mad in an instant. For now, you need to dream and I will assist in whatever way I am able.” Hearing this James other eyebrow raised and the surprise was on his face both from hearing the explanation and also from what dreaming could have to do with this.
Seeing the confusion Celestia spoke in a bit more worried tone as the scope of this problem became apparent from the words of her sister “While I rule the day my sister rules the night and with each of our duties, we use a few abilities as well to coincide with it. During the day I know all that transpires in the open sun and my sister rules over the dreams of everyone in the Dream Realm. She helps to dispel nightmares and watches over our subjects as best she can. For what you have gone through I believe she needs you to dream to be able to help you understand and teach you what you need to know. So, to that end I wish to put you to sleep with a spell to allow this to happen as soon as possible. Would you mind?” James thought on this for a moment as he wasn’t sure whether to trust it but by going through the situation rationally, he had already been given a choice and so had the Princess. Instead of simply forcing her will onto him she had instead asked and by simply doing that the decision was made for him.
James smiled softly and nodded, saying with a happy tone as it had been awhile since he felt good about someone giving him a choice “Go right ahead Celestia. I trust you.” He leaned back slightly into the chair, making sure that when he fell asleep, he wouldn’t feel to uncomfortable as Celestia’s horn shone with a gentle gold aura once more and cast the spell onto him. He slipped out of the waking world and now went to his dreams, being overwhelmed quickly by images and sounds as he did so from so many things trying to play at the same time. Suddenly all of the it died down and Luna stood beside him with a blue flash.
“Now that we are here, I am going to take help you learn about one of the beings inside you. Whether you can adjust to it and use their abilities is on you but I will guide you to the wall and then instruct you from there.” Luna spoke in a normal tone as she looked around unsure if this was the right thing to do before turning to her left and walking away. James quickly caught on and then began to follow behind her wondering just what she had meant by The Wall but another thing came to mind and instead he had a question now.
James asked her with a curious tone as his inquisitive nature that led to science once again came out “So mind if I ask why you are speaking… well differently than when we were awake? It seems a little interesting considering you changed your inflections and speech pattern so quickly.” He followed as she continued to walk, noting that the view of her wings gave him a better idea of her anatomy as he could see they were truly connected and the feathers all seemed to be well in line.
Luna almost stopped as what he had said puzzled her but continued on as The Wall was getting closer on the horizon and speaking in a gentle tone “When I go into the dreams of another I use my influence to make it so they can understand what I say succinctly and thus my speech changes as you have just found. However, most would not notice this on their first time and certainly within the first exchange for those who do realize I am there and speak with me. In fact, I believe that you may be the first to realize this fact.” As she spoke, they got closer and closer to their destination and just as James was about to answer his voice caught in his throat as he stared at the brick structure before him.
It seemed endless no matter whether he looked left, right, or to the very top as no taper for it could be seen. However, the door at the bottom in front of them did catch his interest as it looked quite like the door to his Mothers house in his childhood days. He then looked to Luna as he felt he didn’t need to ask if this was the place she had meant. She nodded and so he smiled and chuckled as his curiosity was beginning to get the better of him. He walked over to the door and grabbed the golden handle and being closer he now knew this was the same door. The Mahogany wood was stained red and there were small cuts and indents in the wood that had been caused by him and others that lived in the house. He then asked with a bit of trepidation “So how exactly am I going to be doing this? Do I just open the door or is there something else I am supposed to do?
Luna smiled as she had seen his intelligence on display and it was there in his question and actions as instead of opening the door he instead asked for help with bravery, willing to confront his fear and not go it alone as she had offered her help. She then said with a happy tone “I believe the simplest way to do it is to focus on one thing, one word perhaps as you open the door and that may allow you to have a narrower view of the things beyond. For this I would recommend perhaps Mage or Wizard as with what my sister told me you were not shielded from the ambient magic but when it became too painful your body reacted. When you brought your hands to your ears you used a bit of magic to shield your mind from the magic for the moment. However unless you learn how to control it then you will most likely go mad without everything else even playing a part in it.”
James sighed as he should of known it wouldn’t be easy but then again with how well he was managing to stay sane in a world of creatures such as this he shrugged it off and focused on the two words she had mentioned. Mage , Wizard. James then turned the handle and opened the door before him as Luna’s assumption had proven correct and he viewed all the images that seemed focused on those two words. The thing that immediately struck him was that no matter which image he looked at the people within them seemed familiar and resonated with him. Focusing on five of them specifically he noted one was using his magic to heal and bless others, helping them recover. As he focused on the image and the subsequent ones that seemed to play from its information came to him, whispers coming to his ears as now understood each and every spell that person had ever used. He shook it off as the experience was strange but now focused on the next image. It showed a mage flying above a battlefield, observing the situation with a calculating gaze before he held one hand up and gathered what seemed to be a miniature sun and let it drop onto all soldiers in a certain area, making it a burned wasteland with nothing but ash there. As James continued to focus on this the spells and even tactical knowledge formed in his head, the whispers getting a bit louder now but he once again shook it off.
As he focused on the next image it to showed a Mage, this one in a dark cave, skulls and dead bodies gathered around them as purple smoke seemed to come off of them and the bodies began to jerkily move. It shifted and then showed the Mage cursing someone, their flesh falling off in patches and blood spilling from the areas. It made the person seem like a horrifying patchwork as half of their face was gone, bits of their chest and arms exposed muscle to the air and blood now pumping from the areas. James felt slightly sick from seeing it but knew that abilities like this were neither good nor bad, they simply were and could be used for either side depending on who used them. The next image showed an older female, staring up at a dragon with what seemed like lightning in her palm before moving up to aim and fire into the dragon’s eye, causing its brain to fry and fall dead to the ground. It shifted as the others had, showing her now mixing a concoction in a cauldron and when she deemed it done bottled it up as she had a wide smile. Again, the information came to him and the whispers now began to actually be heard “Alone, Powerful, Hungry, Worthy, Destruction” but as quickly as they came, they stopped.
James shuddered as he took a moment before finally looking to the last image, seeing a kind old man levitating something that must have easily weighed ten tons. It shifted again and now it showed him looking down at what seemed to be a literal demon from a hill and then began making ice, fire, lightning, water, and an ethereal form of energy before combining it all and launching it at the demon. The resulting explosion seemed to atomize the demon and half of the land where it had been standing while the old man simply had a sad look in his eyes. For the last time the information flowed into his head and with it he felt a small twinge in his mind as he suddenly began to remember many things in perfect detail. He growled slightly as he tried to stop some of the memories from surfacing before the whispers now came back louder than ever “Destroyer, Savior, Life bringer, Death dealer, The beginning, The end.” This was strange as the volume hadn’t gone down but instead stopped suddenly and he felt frightened as he closed the door and stood there for a few moments before turning back to Luna. She seemed a bit surprised as she asked “Are you done already? From my keeping you were only looking at them for a few seconds.”
James shuddered as some memories came to mind from each of those memories and he slowly let them play before nodding and saying “Yeah I am done…. I have to say that was weird… But now that its over I think I should have a good idea on magic and how to use it. But I don’t know if I would be able to test it here or if I need to be awake.” He looked over to Luna with a confused expression as the answer seemed to be in front of him but he had no experience himself with magic in this world and so looked to her for the answer.
Luna thought for a moment before saying with a cautious tone “Well you could use magic here however I would not recommend it for two reasons. The first is that if you use it and the spell is too powerful then it could end up going into the real world and affect things there. The second is that you while you cast you can see effects but won’t be able to properly feel the magic flow through you unless you are awake and coherent enough to sense it. So to that end shall we go back?” She held out her hand toward him with a smile and so he took it and in another flash of blue light they left the mindscape to come to the waking world once more.
A Timely Experiment
James awoke with a start in the chair, sitting straight up and looking around for a few moments before groaning in pain as all the information he had gathered now rushed to him in a frenzy. Another problem along with it was by going to sleep his body had relaxed and released the spell that held the ambient magic at bay and the ringing in his ears now sounded like a gong being repeatedly struck. He held off the striking pain for a few moments before shifting his hands to his ears and putting a protection on his ears to deal with one source of it as his hands glowed a deep black. Thankfully he had used this before and so it came easier but the feeling of something slightly shifting inside of him had him slightly worried he let it go.
Celestia spoke up hesitantly at the sight of his magical aura as Luna came out of her trance “James, it is good to see that you are alright from the journey. Perhaps you can-.” She stopped however as James took one hand off his ears and held it out to her asking for silence with the motion. The sheer concentration in his gaze could melt a hole through steel as he made sure to categorize and separate the information he had gained on magic as well as some bits of information on the peoples lives for some reason. He then ran down what the new abilities he had gained as well and found that he had an autobiographical memory as well as complete knowledge on tactics and warfare. He smiled a bit as his eyes softened and then shifted to look at the Princess on the bed. He then motioned for Celestia to continue as his smile was more apologetic for interrupting her.
Celestia nodded and then continued saying “Perhaps you can experiment with what you have learned in the training yard for our soldiers. Since it is close to night, we can tell the guard it is off limits and cloak it so no one will know of you being there.” James nodded, accepting the offer and shifting his hands to the arm rests of the chair and slowly stood up wondering how he should start off and as well as if he needed to say the chants for the spells or if he could cast them without a chant. He sighed and shrugged off the question before reaching his full standing height and chuckled.
Go ahead and lead the way to the training ground if you don’t mind... I honestly want to give this a bit of a try since it is new and I may be able to experiment a bit.”
“Excellent. Then please follow us James.” Luna had spoken as she stood up off the bed and then stopped looking down at her nightgown and sighing before her the tip of her horn lit up a deep navy blue and her clothes seemed to shift into a full set of black jeans that accentuated her flanks and a grey shirt that seemed to contain her bust quite well. As that thought ran through his mind he wondered if he was acclimating to quickly before shuddering as he wondered if he would be in their form before the week was out.
Celestia and Luna now walked to the door and so James followed behind them, smiling a bit as he heard the guards in the shadows but noted that they didn’t make a single move against him with the Princesses around. They walked down the Lunar hallways he had dubbed them and then reached a point that seemed to be split with two stairways, one leading from the Lunar hallway and the Solar hallways and both led to a single staircase. Down that single stairway it let to an arch that had a light red motif on the wall around it and led out into what must be the training yard. The trio walked down the staircase and into the training yard allowing James to get a good look at it.
Out in the yard the ground was hard and slightly compact, here and there were spots of dried blood and training dummies against the far wall and in a square of wood with what seemed to be markings on it. James raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging it off as he held back the new information from the spellcasters trying to decipher the runes before he even had a true chance to think. Along the walls were some targets that seemed to be for arrows but the angle from them looked strange as they were pointed at a downward angle. James thought of the possibility of other fliers being in the world as that would make the most logical sense but then again with there being magic it skewed things. He instead simply let it rest as the three of them reached the square and stepped into it as James felt almost a wave sort of wash over him before it disappeared as quickly as it came.
After they stood about twenty yards from the Target dummy James got a better look at it, spotting spots of burns and areas where the wood seemed to have suddenly contracted as if it was flashfrozen. The one thing that seemed untouched was the head of the Dummy however which was slightly intriguing. Luna finally spoke up as James was finishing his inspection of the Dummy saying “Now since we have entered the Square the Protection runes set into the wood should make sure to hold back whatever you can throw. However allow me to help you feel the magic within you and around you please.” She then walked over to the young man and gently grabbed his hands, her own feeling like they were velvet to James and she was surprised at the coarse areas around the base of his fingers and near the tip of his index fingers and thumbs.
James was a bit surprised at the soft feeling and felt his cheeks gently heat up from the contact before a new sense of warmth seemed to be coming from his hands. He tilted his head at it and began to inspect it internally, trying to get a grasp on it before it melded into his chest and seemed to unlock something that had been resting inside of him. His own magic had awoken from the poke and at feeling the atmosphere around them also tried to slowly absorb some of the surrounding magic to help out its growth in a new environment. Luna felt the awakening and let out a small yelp of surprise as a bit of her magic was sucked into James.
James for his own part blushed even harder as the noise she made could have been used as a weapon of mass destruction for how cute it was. He actually felt his heart skip a beat before he could regain his focus and shivered, trying to get his mind to calm down even while he held onto her hands. After a few more moments he removed his hands from Luna’s saying with a light smile and a somewhat embarrassed tone “Thank you L-Luna… I um… I imagine I should not tell anyone what you did right?”
Luna seemed to be in a bit of stupor until hearing James speak and then her face quickly flushed into a deep indigo as the blue and red fought for which dominant color her face should be at the moment. She then fervently nodded and whispered “I am using all of my Royal Power to make it so. Should I find you have told someone I will make sure you are imprisoned with no food at all for several days.” James felt his eyebrows shoot up in surprise from hearing this but simply nodded before then noticing the slight smirk the Celestia was wearing.
James pointed to Celestia and said with an almost pleading tone as he didn’t want to lose any sort of time to research “Alright but please don’t hold me accountable for anything that my come from her?” Luna turned and then narrowed her gaze before making a few motions with her hands which seemed to be slicing something and then hiding it away. The older sister gasped and gained an angered look ubt simply nodded and then turned her head away. James then smiled in relief as Luna turned toward him and nodded.
“My Sister shall keep quiet on what she has seen tonight. So there shall be no worry on that end…. But let us get to the reason we came out here shall we?” She then raised her left arm and motioned to the Dummy as she shifted to her right and allowed James a clear vantage of view of the object. He then nodded and went through the list of spells, shields, chants, curses and unholy hexes before choosing a simple one that one of the people had used to light their candles.
He held up his hand toward the Dummy and snapped his fingers saying with a tentative tone “Flickum Bicus” hoping to simply see a small part of it begin to smoke from a flame. However the three were unprepared for when the Dummy was set ablaze in a circle of fire, reaching nearly ten feet in height before dying down just as quickly as the wood was now burned beyond belief. James eyes were the size of dinner plates as he stared at the dummy and could feel the Princesses looking at him with both curiosity and a bit of unease. He then looked over to them and said as he rubbed the back of his head “That…. That was supposed to make a small flame…. S-sorry about that.” Thankfully the Square had a height limit it seemed as it didn’t allow the flame to go beyond a certain point and saved all of them the sort of questions that would be hard to answer at the moment.
The sisters meanwhile were just looking between him and the target dummy before finally choosing to rest their gaze on James. He blushed as they both took a few steps back and began to speak between each other, quiet enough that he couldn’t pick up on it.
“Sister if that was meant to just light a candle I would hate to see what he could do with something meant for Combat” Celestia stated as she used her hand to cover some of her muzzle so her lips couldn’t be read.
“But Sister if he could harness that sort of Magic just think about what would happen if he had true control. Remember that he told you he comes from a world without magic and thus would have no way to actually train or learn about it” Luna shot back as she did the same as her sister so that way their conversation would stay private between the two. “Should he learn and control his abilities then he could be the greatest asset we have ever had. As well as somepony who could understand the responsibility of having such power to talk about rather than simply us alone.”
Celestia pondered over this for a few moments and then sighed before nodding as she stepped back and then looked over to the young man standing there with a raised eyebrow. They both then walked back over to him and Luna smiled wide while Celestia simply held a small smile on her lips as James asked hesitantly “So ... am I forgiven? I honestly didn’t mean to make such a big flame I promise.” He smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck before watching them both nod.
Luna then spoke up saying with a bit of mischief in her eyes “We do forgive you James. In fact we want to see if you would mind doing a few more spells before we ended this. Is that alright?” James felt his eyebrows threaten to leap off his face hearing that but nodded quickly as he was curious about what he could honestly do and with the sort of power the magic he possessed had. As he turned back to the dummy he wondered what spell he should use next while perusing the spells he now had in his mind. He concentrated and made a waving motion with his hand, and as his hand shifted over the dummy in his view and past the Dummy no longer stood there. It was gone as if it had never stood there before.
James smiled wide as he said “Well good to know that one isn’t going to be an issue I suppose. Now what else should…” He stopped as he noted that both of the Princesses jaws were practically in the floor as from their perspective and senses the statue that had stood was nowhere to be found with its magical signature.
Celestia groaned softly and facepalmed saying “If this is something thats not an issue I am truly beginning to believe we have made a mistake”
Author's Note
In case anyone is wondering, he is going to be quite literally the most powerful thing in the world. But there is also a handicap about it as will be told later. Enjoy all
A Timely Dialogue
James smiled sheepishly as he looked at the Princess of the sun and then shrugged gently before saying “According to what's in my head it's a simple relocation spell. All it takes is a thought and-” He stopped talking as he moved his hand once more in a waving motion and the statue was there as his hand passed over the spot as if it had never left. He then looked to the sisters still standing there in shock as they saw the statue come back to the same area it had once occupied and with barely a wisp of magic felt for the effort from him.
While all this was happening a small crack was beginning to form on a statue that was in a garden, mostly hidden away from the public as magic that wasn’t supposed to exist in this world was being used. The three in the training area had no idea however as they continued to run through a few spells that James had been given with the information however it was quickly put to a stop as he tried to do a different kind of Magic.
James thought for a moment and after taking a breath quietly whispered “ Infernum “ but as he felt himself draw in the Magic around him and try to mix it with his own he stopped as his body rejected the process. He began coughing up blood as the magics rejected each other and began wreaking havoc in his own body. He fell to his knees as the Princess ran over to him and began to speak trying to figure out what had happened.
Luna moved one hand to his back and then began trying to run a diagnostic spell saying with worry etched into her tone “ James what happened? Please you need to tell us.” She prayed that her spell would finish soon and as she began to pick up snippets of the damage her face drained to almost a teal blue. The beginning assessment showed that some of his internal organs were being shredded while others were being rapidly healed.
Celestia looked to the human kneeling and trying to begin a healing spell saying as her eyes beheld the blood, it being a deep and dark red to show it was arterial blood “ Stay with us. Don’t close your eyes and try to focus on our Vo-” She then looked to her sister and her face blanched as well from the concern that was on Luna’s face. At this she quickly used the healing spell sensing that her efforts were aiding James body in fighting the volatile battle within his body of the magics trying to dominate one another.
Meanwhile around that statue there was a cracking noise as the defense of the enchantment that had been placed on it was wearing down faster from the chaotic nature that was being shown in the young man's body. A small and yet sinister laugh began to echo around as more and more cracks appeared in the stone until finally the stones began to fall off of the being that had been imprisoned within like a second skin being shed.
Back with James and the Princesses they had finally gotten the magic within his body to calm back down and both mares were looking at him with worry. After a few moments to collect himself James smiled and looked up at both of them wiping the blood off his lips and chin with the back of his hand and saying “ Thanks for the help. Honestly had no idea that was gonna happen and I don’t think I am gonna try that again anytime soon.”
Celestia and Luna sighed softly in relief and began to smile until a gentle chuckle began to play in the air around the three. Hearing it their eyes betrayed abject fear and apprehension as the laughing became louder and louder until it finally stopped and what appeared behind the Princesses in James sight was hard to describe. It seemed to be a man but he had what appeared to be talons on his left hand and the right was a paw that seemed to be a lion. Meanwhile he was dressed in a bespoke suit with odd shapes and colors that seemed to shift if you stared at it for too long but generally seemed to be a brown on beige checker pattern. He had two sets of horns and they each seemed to be from different animals and the best way that James could put it would be this was a walking zoo that stood close to eight feet tall.
The creature then reached and gently tugged on the Princesses ears and disappeared once more as the mares whirled around and saw nothing. They then turned back to see James giving them a strange look and their fears confirmed as well as the creature was now behind the young Human and reaching out toward his head. The mares tried to shout and warn him but it was too late as the paw from the Creatures hand reached his head and suddenly seemed to absorb the creature into James’s mind. The creature then smirked and looked around as James felt a shift in his mind and that made him growl a bit. He then dove into his own mind as well and met the creature moments later as it was looking around in confusion.
James then smiled as he saw that most of his mind was hidden behind the wall and then he spoke saying “ You know it is pretty rude for someone to go mind hopping… I mean you could have always given me a penny for my thoughts.”
The creature raised an eyebrow and he smiled, showing off yellow teeth that seemed to be a mix of molars, bicuspids and canines. Though there was one snaggle tooth that seemed to hang out more than the others and finally the creature spoke with a delighted tone “Oh My oh my. It seems that the Celestia and Luna have finally found someone with a bit of humor to them. But do excuse me for being rude. My name is Discord and I am the God of Chaos…. And you…. You are not supposed to be here which I have to thank you for as it allowed me to break free. But in return I had wanted to give you a nice gift but I can’t seem to find a place that I would normally put it. Where are the errant thoughts and feelings huh?” Discord as he had named himself simply smiled as his eyes seemed to bely that with a fury and scorn that seemed to be matching the sun with intensity.
James smiled and then tilted his head, ignoring the glare that would of cowed others and then shrugged saying with a bored tone “Well honestly they are probably behind the wall… but if you want to make this a bit more fun what say we have a bet as I have an Idea of what the gift is?”
Discord’s gaze shifted as he heard the bored tone and then smiled a bit easier as a bet would mean a game and those are something he loved to play. Whether it be for small stakes or for ruling over the ponies like he had in the past before the interference of the two Princesses. He held out hands upward with palms showing to make sure no aggression would be shown as Discord spoke with a gleeful tone “Well if its a bet then the game has to be interesting. As I assume that wall you spoke of is as well. So what is the bet naked Monkey?”
James frowned hearing that as he sighed and shook his head, ignoring the urge to plant his face into both of his palms before speaking again with a bit of venom edging through “Well first off I am a Human and the name is James. Secondly the game is actually pretty simple… I will take you to the wall and then you open the door and look into it. If you can last for five minutes without closing it then you win. If you close the door before five minutes is up however then you will stop whatever you are doing and will have a conversation with me and the Princesses. Sound fair?” James smiled now reaching out his hand and casting a silent spell known as Oathtaker which bound two or more parties to an agreement and if one side tried to back out then they would lose their power for a period of seventy two hours in which the victor could take revenge.
Discord, not knowing of the spell, reached out and grabbed the hand with a smile that seemed to split his face and then get sewn back together saying with a bit of madness and happiness blending “Well this is getting interesting…If I win though then you are going to be bound to me and my will until you die. I hope you are ready for this Jerry.”
James smirked and nodded, letting the jab at his name go and then motioned for the god to follow behind him as he walked toward the wall. After a few minutes they reached it and James simply raised an arm and pointed to the door while standing still. In his other hand he held up a timer with five minutes showing and said “Alright Discord. There is the door so go ahead and open it. Remember that you have to keep it open and looking into it for five whole minutes. If not then I win.”
Discord nodded and smiled, jumping and then seemingly gliding like a paper bag in the wind to the door before standing before it. He grabbed the handle as he was going to enjoy the easy win he believed he had before seeing what was beyond the door. Literal billions of lives were playing beyond it all a cacaphony that overwhelmed the senses. His grip on the handle tightened as the metal let out an eerie screech that sounded through James mind. James meanwhile had started the timer and it had only been twenty seconds since time began for the bet. James kept his eyes on the watch and after merely two minutes the door finally slammed closed and Discord looked over to the Human with confusion and fear dancing across his face at the same time.
Discord spoke with a stuttering voice wracked with terror “Wha-what are yo-you? How a-are you e-even here?”
James sighed as this was the second time someone had asked that question and so he shrugged and smiled saying “Hope out of my mind and we will talk to the Princesses.” With that he then left his mindscape and came to see the Princesses looking at him with anxiety from something but he could not tell what. He then smirked and said “Well that was a pretty good bet. So what did this Discord guy do that made you guys go bleach white and teal exactly?”
The Princesses eyebrows shot up as if trying to escape their faces and then looked at him incredulously as Luna spoke first “James? James is that really still you?”
James had to hold back a laugh as he found it a bit funny that she asked as she really didn’t know him but nodded saying “Yep. All six foot two inches of me and amazing at science to boot. What has you two so spooked really?” He asked with some confusion as he didn’t find the God of Chaos to be that much to handle with the advantages of going into his own mind had provided. He then felt said God leaving his mind and appearing beside him and the Princesses and looking at him with the word shock being etched onto his face by a chisel.
Discord then looked to the two rulers and back to the Human before going to snap his fingers to try and get as far away from them as he could. As he did, he felt something massive being pulled from him and the snap completed but nothing happened. The God felt terror and sheer panic as he tried to snap again and again to get away but each time nothing happened and so in a quiet tone he asked “What did you do to me Human?”
James smiled softly and held up his hand saying with a cheery tone “Well I placed us under a spell when we agreed to the bet. With that spell if either of us tried to break the agreement then the one who did would lose all of their power for the next seventy two hours. So now we can get to that talk you agreed t-” James stopped as he saw the Princesses already powering up to destroy the powerless God before them and he sighed before yelling “ PLEASE PUT THE MAGIC DOWN AND LISTEN TO ME!!!”
The loud tone and sense of conviction in James’s words shocked the Rulers and instead of firing off the magic they had prepared they both looked at each other before nodding and letting their hands down and the magic to die from their horns. He then smiled and nodded before taking two steps back and finally deciding to test out his theory he was piecing together “ Alright now that we have all three of you a bit calmed down we can actually talk. Now, Luna, Celestia, I have a question for you… That heart monitor that I was hooked up too…. How old is that technology?”
The Princesses looked confused at the sudden question and then pondered before Celestia spoke up saying “That monitor was made I believe fifty years ago. And it has recently been upgraded from what it was. It now can handle different species heartbeats and track them. It used to only be able to track ponies…. Why?” Luna couldn’t help but ponder at the question like her sister was doing and then James shook his head with a slight look of sadness at that.
“Well in all honesty I am surprised…. Honestly I thought that tech was much newer but if its fifty years old and can only track a heartbeat then that makes me feel a little upset…. Now Discord this one is to you. What are you and if you are a god where have you been?”
Discord blanched at being given attention in his state before then saying “I am a Draconiequis…. And I was sealed in stone near one thousand two hundred years ago. Why?”
A frown appeared on James face hearing this but he let it drop as he then shifted to a neutral expression and saying “Well…. That is a little sad but from how scared Luna and Celestia are of you I am going to assume you wrecked a lot of havoc back when you had freedom?” DIscord didn’t speak but nodded and then James once again turned back to the Princesses and asked “Alright and here is the last question…. When was the last time your country went through strife and struggle?”
Both the Princesses looked appalled and then began to ponder at that, trying to think and nothing that had caused true harm had appeared in almost one thousand years. They both stood there silently and after waiting for a bit James shrugged and said, “Well this is interesting… You have technology that is built in peace but it is not upgraded in time as there is seen to be no reason. You use magic to go for all shortcomings but that is only for the Unicorns. What about the Pegasi and Earth ponies? They don’t have that level of innate magic and thus with technology lacking behind many things that are difficult could become easier. So… Now that we have these facts laid bare I believe there is something that needs to happen…. That being you allow Discord a little freedom as long as he does not truly hurt anyone.”
The Princesses looked at James in shock before shaking their head and Celestia saying “We will not allow him to roam free James… You do not know what he has done. What he might do with all that he is able. He is simply too Dangerous.”
James raised an eyebrow in disbelief at that and then pointed to himself saying “ If we are following that argument to a logical conclusion then that means that I should be imprisoned as well shouldn’t I? As we had found out earlier with how my magic incinerated that dummy when it was supposed to be a small spark then aren’t I too dangerous to be allowed freedom?”
Luna shook her head gently sighing as she explained a bit of the history between the three beings before the Human with a tired tone “ Back when Discord was the ruler of Equestria he ruled with no care for those in the country. He would drown towns in chocolate milk just because he wanted to laugh. When he was saddened he would force people to dance and sing until the could no longer stand and even die. When…. When he was angered he would tear Ponies limb from limb, shifting them into walls without care and ending all who came for him. Do you really believe you are in the same league as this God?” Her tone at the end had become somewhat incredulous as she was getting both angry and depressed by having to remember the past in such a way.
James didn’t answer with his head down, in fact if one wasn’t paying attention some would believe he would be dead but his chest still raised up and down. This was the first odd thing that the group would notice about the Human. The second would be that from him seemed to be the sound of glass shattering and a shake in the fabric of the world itself as Time seemed to be reverberating from him. He slowly looked up but when he did they didn’t see the Hazel eyes of James nor the seemingly curious expression he might be wearing. No, instead there were grey eyes, filled with apathy for most everything and his face was completely neutral. He opened his mouth and from it a whisper came “Truly you are a fool if you believe this being is a God… A God is not beholden to the whims of Pretenders nor do they suffer them in their presence. But as you wish to speak of Gods and their powers allow me to educate you. In this body there lies three entities of which you might call Gods. I am considered one and out of the three I am the least powerful in terms of combat and skill… But Knowledge is where I succeed and surpass, so before you stands Arc’Tis god of Knowledge and Wisdom. Allow me to subject this group to a bit of my scope of abilities…”
With that the God waved his hand and suddenly the group seemed to no longer be on a planet, floating through the Vacuum of space and stopping in front of the Sun. Arc’Tis then motioned one hand in front of him, pulling a solar flare that was spiraling off of the sun into the palm of his hand with no ill effects. He then turned to the group, his grey eyes still showing the apathy as he spoke with only disinterest in his tone “This is simply a bit of what I can do… I could take what is in my hand and destroy the very planet you walked upon moments ago. I could destroy the moon and simply let the pieces fall where they may upon it instead. I could kill all three of you and none would be the wiser. This is the power of God and I want you to understand that, no Mortal nor Pretender can compare to what stands before you. Now there is one thing to keep in mind when it comes to me and the other two…. Never mention us to the boy for if he knows of us then he will focus on us and take us in without precaution destroying all who reside within him. If he finds out about us then I will ensure that all three of you will die long after your people will and before we will die. Do You Understand?”
Arc’tis’s tone finally shifted from disinterest to commanding toward the end and none of the three before him could defy that tone and so they nodded. With that the God shifted them back to the planet and smiled softly, a genuine expression showing and reaching his grey eyes. He then said with a bit of interest “Now when he comes too simply tell him that you will keep Discord under watch. Discord…. I am giving you a warning…. Do not trifle with what you have obtained for if you do there is nowhere you can hide that I won’t find you. As for the technology he was mentioning simply say he had agreed to help build improvements and play as if he was spaced out for the conversation. Now good bye and remember to play nice.” Arc’Tis then closed his eyes and let out a slow and soft breath before James slumped down and raised his head looking around a bit lost. He noticed that Luna, Celestia, and DIscord each had a strained expression before he asked “Sorry did I miss something?”
