The silence of the cosmos... Ever quiet. Forever lonely...
Stars and galaxies from light years away in all direction, twinkling and glittering and painting the black monotony of the cosmos with soft hues of colors... Ever beautiful... Forever dying.
I take a breath...
... If only I can.
I drift in forever silence...
...Slowly fading into nothingness...
“You know...” a voice whispers, breaking the cosmic silence.
I frown. At least, I feel like I'm frowning.
“...you can still undo it.”
“Go away,” I whisper back, my entire ‘orbical being’ glowing and dimming with each word I ‘release’.
A book slowly and quietly floats near me.
I ‘look’ away. Yet I can't. I look at ‘everywhere’ now.
Everywhere and nowhere...
“Do you honestly desire this?” the book whispers, glowing slightly with each word it whispers to me. “To become nothing in this empty space of nothingness?”
I don't reply.
I ‘hear’ the book sigh, glowing slightly. “The offer still stands.”
I ‘frown’ at it. “...Makes one wonder why the offer wasn't available to them.”
The book floats in silence.
For a brief moment, I enjoy the silence, until the book speaks again...
“It was,” the book whispers. “I simply chose not to say it.” A chuckle. “For young ponies that smart, they were dumb not to think it was a possibility.”
I say nothing.
Another chuckle. “You cannot blame me, Jay.” A pause. “The magical fillies decided to cast the spell without reading everything about it.” Another pause. Another sigh. “Come on, Jay. We've been stuck here for like days now! Take your wish back!”
I want to roll my eyes. Unfortunately, I don't think I have any anymore. “We've been here for like ten or fifteen minutes.”
Another sigh. “My point still stands.”
I say nothing more as I decide to focus on ‘looking’ at the distant stars.
Hm... If I remember correctly, they shouldn't be twinkling like the way there are doing right now, at least, not here in space. Wasn't it the earth's atmosphere that distorts the light from distant stars to make them look like they're twinkling?
...
... ...
... ... ...
A sigh breaks the silence. This time, it's mine. “How much longer until I ... fade away?”
“Not much longer.”
Silence...
Well, it was a good run.
...
... ...
... ... ...
“Waiting is boring...” I whisper.
“At least you'll be gone,” the book says. It sighs. “As for me? I am forever bound to whoever made a wish last. So once you disappear ... I'll stay here for eternity.” A pause. “Imagine how bored I will be.”
...
... ...
... ... ...
“What were their wishes?” I ask.
“Why do you need to know?” the books asks.
“No reason...”
Silence...
...and then—
“The filly named Apple Bloom wished for a milkshake. I believe she wanted to test if the spell was actually working. I sense no regret from her making such a mundane wish, however.
“After they have confirmed that I work, the young ponies start to discuss what they wanted to wish for. The young drake by the name of Spike, however, immediately wished for a mare's affection.”
The book's chuckle echoes through the silence.
“While I may be powerful, as I have mentioned before, I am not capable of altering the mind.
“The filly named Scootaloo then made a wish of making these so-called ‘cutie marks’ unimportant. I do not question it, but her friends did. She has told them that if cutie marks are no longer as important as they currently were during their wish-making, then those who do not have cutie marks will not be bullied like they were.
“The drake then wished for wings, however, I did not grant it, for I find it pointless as his specie naturally grows wings in their later years in life, but if he insisted, then I would have granted it, regardless of pointlessness. Fortunately, he decided to hold off that wish as he thinks of another one.”
Another chuckle.
“You would think that his example would have clued them that they have the option of taking back their wishes.”
A pause.
“...unless they have already consumed it, like the first wish-maker's milkshake.
“Anyway, the filly named Sweetie Belle then wished that these creatures called ‘Windigos’ would not hurt anyone anymore. I believe she fears of a future where they suddenly decide to show up once more and bring her homeland into a snowy nightmare.
“The drake made a wish that which I granted, and that is you. I do not need to retell the specifics of his wish, do I? In any case, his wish was unfulfilled.”
“What happens if a wish didn't come true?” I ask.
The book quickly replies: “Then by the rules of this book I am bound, I ask them to make another wish. However, the newest wish is more powerful than the previous ones, and therefore, since you have wished to undo their wishes before yours, the drake's wish is no longer in effect.” The book sighs. “Which is why you are fading.”
That honestly sounds like a time-travel paradox. What was it called? The grandfather paradox?
Hm... “...What happens if I became friends with Spike?”
The book immediately answers: “Then the wish is fulfilled and the wishing spell is finally over. It would have meant my freedom from my current imprisonment.”
“So... I'll vanish after Spike's wish is fulfilled?”
“No. And why would you be? Despite being a clone, you are ... er ... were a living creature.”
Oh...
“Now then ... if I may continue? Ahem, finally, the filly named Flurry Heart wished to be as powerful as her aunt. She has always feared her own power since she was younger, and as a result, was not able to train herself out of fear of hurting those around her, however, she has always admired her aunt's feats, and her fearlessness of learning more about magic.”
I sigh... “You manipulated each wish.”
“Ah, but of course.” A chuckle. “In Discord's words, it would be plain boring to just grant them without adding a little twist.” Another chuckle. “I take it you are curious of these twists, yes?”
“I already know what you did,” I say. “You stopped the discover of cutie marks. You removed the Windigos entirely.” I pause. “I ... think you summoned me far away from Spike and with no clue as to where he is so the wish won't be complete as soon as possible. I think.” I take another pause. “And instead of granting Flurry's wish, you took over her body instead.”
“Summoning you in a forest wasn't the twist,” the book says, glowing and dimming. “Turning you into a pony was. You are a brony, after all.” The book chuckles.
“Then why was I in the forest, far away from Spike?”
“Dimensional ripple displacement.”
“...what?”
“Imagine the world as a lake, if you will, and you are but a stray leaf floating on its surface. Now imagine each of their twisted wishes as rocks, thrown to the calm lake. What would happen?”
I ... think I get it.
“As for taking over that filly's body, you cannot blame me,” the book says. “I have been a book for such a long time. I desire a body to move, to breathe, and to live once again. Discord has transformed me into what I am right now as a joke. While I admit it was funny at first, he has but forgotten me in countless years that I fear I may not be able to return to my former self.”
Silence.
The book glows and dims as it sighs. “The filly named Flurry Heart gave me the opportunity to be alive once again. I simply cannot pass that chance.” Another sigh. “Unfortunately, I may have enjoyed myself being alive once more a little too much. I have become careless during our melee.”
Cosmic silence.
“...What were you?”
“A draconequus,” the book quickly replies. “Like Discord. I had assumed that it was obvious.”
“So ... you're saying that you wish to return to normal?”
“Is that you reconsidering the wish you have made that I hear?” the book asks.
“Just humor me.”
“Hm...” the book hums. “I think I've been around spells for far too long. Living a simple life wouldn't be too bad. Like a cat. I had a cat once.” A pause. A chuckle. “Such cuddly and mean creatures. You cannot help but pet them, yet they bite and claw you if you touch them.” Another chuckle. Another sigh.
Silence.
The book slowly opens itself, its pages flipping. “I wonder if I have a picture of a cat in my pages.”
“You mention those who touched you can make a wish, right?”
“That is assuming the wishing spell is still in effect, yes,” the book says, its pages still flipping. “And if you are curious, the spell is still in effect, until you are gone.” Flipping noises. “The wishmakers are also immune to the changes their wishes made, in case you are wondering. Unless of course if their wish is aimed at themselves directly, like Spike's wish of gaining wings, and yours.”
“Then...” I say. I sigh. “Why not make a wish of your own?”
The pages stop flipping.
It's getting dimmer now. I'm probably disappearing soon...
Oh well...
Anyway... “I mean, you are technically ... erm ... touching yourself ... for the lack of a better term.”
Cosmic silence.
The book slowly closes itself. It glows slightly. “Discord was right...” the book says. It chuckles. “I am a dumb draconequus.”