//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: The Number 22 
// by Blazing Shadows 
//------------------------------//

Author's Note: If I'm making any mistakes, then please let me know. Other than that, keep reading. It's about to get crazier!

Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic or The Number 23, the cool movie this story is based on.



THE NUMBER 22


Chapter 6



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"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

I was feeling a mixture of anger and fear. I let the emotions posess me as I let out an explosive yell, loud enough for the pegasi in Cloudsdale to hear, and threw the accursed book against the wall. I then knew that I had just gotten a little taste of the true power that the curse had. It not only had the power to pull you into reading,.....but also the power to kill anypony that got in its way.

"This is insane!! How am I going to beat this curse?!!.....HOW?!!"

Then, my mind came up with an idea. I noticed something in the previous chapter I hadn't noticed before. The author had described the town psychic as "covered in black and white robes from head to toe." I then realized that the book could be giving me a hint, hidden deep within its context, on what I could do to defeat it......It was telling me that I couldn't do this alone....I needed the help of a spiritual master.....someone with a link to the supernatural. The description had said it all. I needed....Zecora!

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Twilight, open this door! I ran into Rainbow Dash earlier and she seemed mighty upset with you!"

Just when I thought my outside problems were done for the day, Applejack showed up to investigate my rude behavior. I didn't have time to deal with her, so I decided to teleport my way to Zecora's, leaving her to an empty library. When I got there, I knocked on the door and waited. After a few moments, she came to the door.

"Hello, Zecora. Nice to see you again."

"Hello, Twilight. Nice to see you, too...."

As I was getting ready to tell her what I needed, she surprised me with the next thing she said.

"....Now, come. I've been expecting you."

Just like the psychic in the book. I noticed she still talked in rhyme, but she did it with a somber tone. It was like there was an evil presence around, frightening her.

"So, I assume you know why I'm here, right?"

"Yes. I foresaw it in my crystal ball. Now, I will tell you all."

Not exactly like the story, but close enough. I was sure that Zecora would know what to do. No wonder the book chose her to be my savior.....Little did I know how off I was.

"The curse that has befallen you will keep going....until you can understand what you need to be knowing."

"What does that mean?"

"You need to know what you're dealing with....if you really want to continue to live..."

I was horrified,....but also angry. I already knew that I was supposed to find out more about the curse. That's why I came here in the first place! The book chose her to be my guide and she wasn't starting me off with any good advice!......That's when I realized something.....The book wasn't going to help me.....I, like in the story, had to help myself. And that meant that Zecora wasn't my guide.....She was just in the way.

"Zecora! I have to go!"

"What! Why, my dear?...You've only just gotten here!"

"It's not safe for me to be here...Or, at least, not safe for you!"

I ran for the door. However, Zecora started chasing after me, yelling at me to stop.

"NO, NO! Don't follow me! Your life is in danger if you stay around me!"

I tried to outrun her,...but it wouldn't have made a difference if I had. I looked back to see her on the ground, clutching her throat, coughing, and foaming at the mouth. It was worse than what happened in the book. I could only watch in horror as she slowly suffered before me. It only took a few moments before she fell limp.....She was dead, a victim of the curse.

"NNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Zecora was dead because of me. If I hadn't be so stupid and drew those dumb conclusions, I would've known that my life was meant to go along exactly with the story. Not exact for every detail, but for the most of it. The psychic had become a victim. Zecora had become a victim. It was all my fault.....and, now,.....there was no going back.

"Zecora!!......WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!! If you want me to die, then just take me already! Stop torturing me! Just take me now! I don't want to live anymore!"

But, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stray the curse from its plans for me. It wanted me to suffer like this. It fed off my suffering. And I was meant to accept it and go along with it.....But, that didn't stop me from crying. I cried for what seemed like hours. I reached into the satchel I had brought along with me for some tissues,....but grabbed something else. I pulled out the object and gasped in horrror.....It was the book. It had followed me here. It knew this would happen and now it was wanting me to read on.....to draw some more conclusions......and suffer some more.

"YOU!! Why are you here?! GET AWAY!"

I threw it on the ground and stomped on it. I knew there was no point, but I wanted to express my anger. Then, I thought of an idea. Since I didn't know any fire spells, I reached into my satchel and pulled out a box of matches. I struck one against the matchbox and held it over the book. Right then,....I wanted it to suffer like I did.

"BURN IN HELL, YOU BASTARD!!"

The book was set ablaze as the match touched its surface. I could see the cover char and the pages burn to a crisp. I watched it for a while and then left. I looked back to make sure it was destroyed completely. All that was left were ashes. I didn't bother to smile, though. I was waiting to see if the curse was still upon me. When I got into town, I looked around for a number. I finally saw the town clock. The time was 2:23.

"Hm.....2:23? That's convincing......But I'm still gonna keep my guard."

"AHA!! I GOT YA NOW!!"

I knew the voice just by the accent....and the anger. It was Applejack. She had finally found me after probably hours of looking. And now, she was gonna let me have it.

"I knew I'd find ya somewhere! Now, Twilight, you haven't seen or spoken to any of your friends since yesterday!.....No, wait. Correction. You did yell at Rainbow Dash, so I guess that could count as a form of talkin'!"

"Listen, Applejack. I've been going through a lot over the past few days and I'd appreciate it if everypony would just...."

"What everypony would like to do is know what's been going on with you lately! You have never yelled at any of us, so why start now?!!"

"......Okay, Applejack. You win. Come with me back to the library. I'll tell you everything."

She refused to walk beside me, so, instead, she followed close behind me. I knew she wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. She may have been the Element of Honesty, but, in my book, she could've also been the Element of Stubborness. We were about half-way to the library when I heard loud galloping. I turned around to see a horse-drawn carriage full of passengers speeding towards us.

"Twilight, what in tarnation are ya lookin' at?"

I didn't hear her, though. I was focused on the carriage's number.....22. Then, I realized somthing else. The time on the clock may have been 2:23, but the first two digits in that time were 2 and 2......The curse was still with me and, now, it though of Applejack as a threat. It wanted her out of the way....just like Zecora.

"Applejack, look out!!"

I pushed her out of the way, just as the carriage came whizzing by. We both landed hard on the ground a couple of meters away.

"Wow. Thanks, Twilight. I would've been a goner if it weren't for you......Twilight?"

I once again left Applejack behind. I couldn't be around her anymore or the curse might send something else to dispose of her. I ignored her shouting as I continued on. I finally reached the library after running for about five minutes. The book was waiting for me, laying on the bed.

"DAMN IT! You again!"

I had no choice....I had to read on.

Chapter 6
The Appointment

The town didn't bother holding a decent funeral. The cheapest pastor was chosen to preach a few words and then she was lowered into the ground in a used coffin. Nopony showed up, not even me. I figured it was for the best. It was my fault she had died. If it wasn't for me, she probably would've lived a much longer life. I continued my observations of the number. My address, my mail, and my bank account all failed me. While me and Orlando were making love (me hardly trying), I counted his shirts in the closet.

"......Did you know you had 22 shirts?"

"......You're counting my shirts!"

He got out of the bed, upset with me. But, I was too concerned to worry about it. My hope for surviving the curse had slipped away from me. I was sulking into depression more every day, with no support from Orlando. I also didn't have any friends, so help was basically out of the question.

The book was mocking me. My friends had all been pushed away, one of them almost killed not too long ago, and now it was rubbing it in my face.

Then I got the call. It was Officer Bookworm, the local deputy. I always came to the police station and asked him for a file to help with my research. He used to own a bookstore, but it was destroyed by a fire.

"Oh, great! Now, Mr. Bookworm's in it!"

I considered him reliable, so I answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Twilight! I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Yeah, I've been....busy..."

"Well, you know that psychic that recently died?"

"Yeah?..."

I didn't like the sound of this.

"Well, I was looking into her files and found out that her daughter is actually Dr. Lori Shriner."

I gasped. Lori Shriner was the town psychiatrist. She certainly didn't look like a witch doctor's daughter. She was well-educated in the field of medicine, finely dressed, and spoke with a proper medical accent.....whatever that would be.

"I thought you would be interested in this, since the connection between her and the witch has never been identified by anyone."

I didn't like him calling her a "witch", but I didn't say anything. I just thanked him for the info and hung up. A thought snuck its way into my mind.

"Could she help me as well?"


End of Chapter 6!


Author's Note: I know some of these Author's Notes may seem unnecessary, but they can be very useful in keeping you readers from drifting into the madness that is THE NUMBER 22......Also, I have OCD, so I'm kinda making this an every-time thing.


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