Chapter 3 - The Velvet Room
“Don’tcha think ya should try, and get some rest Twi?”
“Uh huh...” Twilight answered absentmindedly. In truth she had no idea what her friend had actually said, her focus completely on the black book she held in front of her face. The purple light of her magic doing surprisingly well to gently illuminate the darkened room. Her sight had yet to dull from their hypersensitivity, and as a result all the lights, save a small beside lamp were mercifully shut off.
As she stared at the pages with all of her concentration, Twilight held onto a glimmer of hope that if she looked at the odd glowing circles, and ominous lines long enough, some sort of breakthrough would hit her. Then in a stroke of genius she would figure out all of it’s potential secrets in one smooth thought, and she would no longer have a thing to worry about it. She could go back to being the boring old librarian of Ponyville, spending days doing mudane tasks, and laughing with her friends. And she would most definietly not be the bed-ridden invalid she was now. The same invalid who was starting to believe that there existed twenty-five hours in a day instead of twenty-four. It was a foal’s errand, Twilight knew that, but it did not stop her from trying.
“Ah know ya said, ya wanted to stay up all night, and all.” Applejack spoke, Twilight barely registered the movement of hooves, “But ya look terrible sugarcube, ya should really try and get some sleep.”
“I can’t, I told you that...” Twilight argued lamely. In the past few hours she had explained to Applejack the ins and outs of her nightmare, leaving nothing out. She wanted to make sure her friend knew everything that could potentially happen to them tonight. It was clear during Twilight’s recantation that Applejack thought the unicorn had knocked a few screws loose during whatever had hospitalized Twilight. But the injured pony was thankful that her friend had mercifully held her tongue.
It was after her tale, that Twilight had resolved to stay up all night. The plan seemed to be the most logical move for the young unicorn. The only reliable conclusion she could gleam from her ordeal the previous night was that it had obviously happened at some point during the moon lit hours. However, as determined as she was to see the night through, it was harder than the unicorn had thought it would be. Somehow, even after sleeping for nigh on fifteen hours or so, Twilight was still exhausted.
“Ah know ya did Twi. But if this dream world ya told me about is really as dangerous as you said. Goin’ in exhausted is sure ta get ya hurt even worse than you are now.” Applejack said as she closed the book with her hooves, taking it away from Twilight’s magical grasp, “Stop bein’ a silly filly sugarcube, ah told ya I’d stay up, and wake ya if anything did happen.”
Twilight was unable to even summon enough energy to protest the stealing of her book, “I-,” She yawned before she sighed, “Maybe your right...” She admitted, as she eased herself down slowly from her sitting position without complaint. Her stomach had stopped hurting at some point during her conversation with Applejack, and Twilight was trying her hardest to keep it from happening again.
“A’course ah am Twi.” Applejack replied with a slight grin, as she walked back to her seat. Disappearing into the darkness of the corner.
“But...” Twilight yawned again, as she pulled her covers over her. Admitting to herself that it was probably a good idea to go to sleep had opened the flood gates as it were, and she could feel herself going under already, “Won’t you be tired if you stay up though?” She mumbled, fighting to keep her eyelids from drooping.
“Ah shucks Twi. Ah been up many a night workin’. T’won’t be nothin’ at all. Don’tcha worry about it.”
“If you say so Applejack...” Twilight muttered, before she succumbed to the sweet embrace of sleep.
---
Twilight was surrounded, in every cardinal direction, by white. Even the space below her seemed to be made up of the absence of color. No matter which way she turned, and no matter how long she seemed to walk for she could not, for the life of her, find a path out of the seemingly soul crushing void. She felt as if at any moment the whiteness would solidify around her and squeeze the life from her. Or the invisible ground beneath her hooves would give way, and she would fall through the endless expanse of white space for eternity.
Whenever Twilight had thought of what a void could possibly be, she had always though it as a black expanse of nothingness. The thought had always scared her to think about. An expanse of nothing to see but darkness was a terrifying thought to anypony surely. But something about the whiteness of this particular infinity terrified the purple unicorn much more than if she had been experiencing a similar one in black. It felt as though she could see everything there was to see, yet at the same time there was nothing to actually see. It messed with her thoughts, and made her eyes hurt far more than any hospital light could.
Then, suddenly, a blue light appeared on the horizon as if a switch had miraculously turned on. Though Twilight was unsure if such a place could actually have a horizon since she seemed to be walking in the exact middle a giant invisible cube. However she quickly suppressed her over active thought processes. Color had appeared in her land of white, it could very well mean an escape from this place. She had no time to waste on thinking, a second too late and the light could disappear, and she would be trapped again. She raced to it as fast as she could.
Even though the blue dot had been just a spec when she first saw it. Twilight found herself arriving at her destination in record time. It seemed like she had only been running for all of ten seconds before she almost careened face first into the blue mass. The fact did little to quell her apprehensions about the void space.
Twilight looked up at the colored object, and quickly concluded that she had found a door. The tallest door she had ever seen in fact, it towered over her some three or four times more than even Canterlot Castle’s large doors. But she cared little for such a fact. She had found her way out, she thought with hidden glee. But upon closer inspection she was dismayed to find that there was no handle. Cursing Twilight kicked the teasing exit way in frustration, then watched in surprise as the door slowly opened by itself.
Twilight looked into the door dismayed, she could see nothing on the other side. Only more white. However this white seemed to sparkle, and glow, almost as if it would lead Twilight somewhere else like some sort of mystical portal. The purple unicorn hesitated on the cusp of the infinity around her, and the infinity that seemed to exist beyond the door. She had trouble determining which would ultimately be the better option. She was safe here in this void, sure her eyes hurt. But she could close them, and all would be ok. Twilight had no idea what lay beyond the glowing light in the doorway. For all she knew it would take her to that otherworld, right into the grotesque arms of a giant black goo creature, and she would die a horrible death.
But before she could continue her internal debate, she felt a curious wind pick up around her. Twilight could see her mane start to be pulled towards the opened door. It happened gently at first, but quickly the strange pull gained in intensity. She tried to fight it, but in the space of a few seconds the sucking wind was already too strong for her to move away. Quickly she tried to use magic, but for the second time in less than a day, Twilight found herself unable to do so. With a brief cry of surprise Twilight felt herself lift off the ground like she was nothing more than a feather, and could only watch as she was slowly pulled into the doorway.
With a dull thump, Twilight found herself deposited rather harshly onto a lush carpet of sea blue. With a light groan, she picked herself up eager to find out where she was now. However a plush blue chair, several heads taller than she, was was directly in front of her effectively blocking most of her vision of her new accommodations. Twilight was moderately surprised that she had not crashed into it during her deposition into the room.
“Ah, it seems our guest has finally arrived. I was wondering when you would find your way to this place.” A light male voice interrupted her wondering.
Twilight looked around for the owner of the voice, but from her position behind the chair, she had little luck in doing so. Cautiously she moved around the giant upholstery, eager to find somepony she could talk to. The white void had left her wanting physical contact desperately.
As she rounded the chair she took note of her surroundings in better detail. The room was a small thing, no bigger than her bedroom back at the library. Each wall was covered in fine silk drapery of the same blue as the carpet. Each piece of fabric rippling slightly as if constantly being disturbed by a calm unseen, and unfelt, wind. A large chandelier hung high in the ceiling, and again each light bulb atop the ornate decoration was blue. It seemed as if she traded in one void, for another just of a different color. Though, she reasoned, at least this one had comfortable looking furniture, and ground beneath her hooves. It also had another pony to talk to, or rather she had thought it had been a pony, and not the thing she had laid her eyes on.
Thing was the only noun Twilight could use to describe the creatures, for there were two of them, that were before her adequately. One sat down in a chair similar to the one she stood next two, a smile on his coatless face. The other stood beside, and a little behind, the other’s chair stoically on it’s forelegs. It was incredibly tall, and stared down at her impassively, it’s stare unnerving her.
“Please. Don’t be afraid, come. Sit down.” The sitting thing spoke, his warm inviting voice betraying the oddity that was his very being. The sitting thing motioned with what Twilight could only suspect was it’s foreleg towards the chair she was standing beside. But the action by the strange being only served to elevate the unicorn’s anxiousness. Twilight briefly looked behind her, but the door she had been looking for had seemingly disappeared, much to her displeasure.
“Um...” Twilight started, staring at the creatures, she was unsure exactly what she wanted to say, “What are you?” She asked, her mouth speaking without her brains permission.
If the creatures were offended they did not show it, “Hmm, a reasonable question.” The sitting down creature said his smile growing to almost unbelievable proportions. Twilight stared harder at the speaker, and she shivered as she noticed his eyes, large white orbs with only the smallest of pinpricks of black for iris’, “My name is Igor, and this is the velvet room, of which I am master. Now please, sit down, you are entirely safe here. We have much to discuss, and little time to do so.”
Twilight obliged Igor, she did not understand why, but she felt as if she could actually trust the strange creature. Even with his odd face, and disproportionate body, “Discuss what?” She asked settling into the large chair.
“First things first. A little fortune.” Igor said, bringing up what Twilight could only assume was a foreleg in front of him. It was then that Twilight noticed his hooves were not in fact hooves. Instead several odd spindle looking digits extended from the end of his forelegs, she counted five in total.
“What are those?” Twilight asked, pointing a hoof at his extended foreleg. She was finding herself relaxing into normalcy, and her inquisitive side had come full swing as she examined the odd creatures more closely.
Igor paused, “What these?” He asked, and Twilight watched in awe as the digits moved one of another, curling up into the middle. She nodded excitedly. Igor laughed a little laugh, “We call them hands.” He answered simply. Twilight watched in awe as he brought two of the “hands” together, and with a deft movement created an odd noise not unlike a higher pitched hoof stamp. How she wished she had something to take notes down with. She could just imagine the accolades she would get from discovering a new species. It made her giddy with excitement.
At the odd sound, Twilight was surprised when there was a burst of white light in the middle of Igor’s hands. Where there was nothing, there was now a deck of cards. ‘And it can do magic?!” Twilight thought excitedly, the prospect had instantly erased any of the lingering doubt in her mind that she was in any danger.
“Now then. Let us see what sort of information the cards have to show us shall we?” Igor asked before he immediately tossed the deck of cards high into the air. As soon as the mass of cards filled the air, he swiped a foreleg across the coffee table that separated Twilight from him. Twilight watched in awe as several cards fell into a peculiarly organized fashion across the table, while the rest of the deck fell neatly into an ordered stack well away from the others.
“Now, let us see what the future holds in store for you shall we?” Igor said as he made that hoof stamping noise again. Twilight watched in even more awe as three of the cards flipped over. She stared at them intensely, but frowned when she saw the faces of the cards. They were unlike anything she had ever seen before, each had a solitary picture, almost like a painting. Instead of the atypical clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds she was used to.
“Hmm...” Igor mused, and Twilight focused on his every word, “Very interesting. The Magician in the upright position, covered slightly by the Emperor also in the upright position, placed above Temperance in the sideways position. Next we have...” He trailed off as he did the hoof stamp noise a third time. The next two cards flipped over.
“The Tower in the upright position. The Lovers atop The Tower also in the upright position. And finally we have...” There was a fourth hoof stamp, and the last card flipped over as Twilight looked hard at the table, trying to understand what the whole display was supposed to be telling her.
“And lastly we have” Igor murmured again to himself, Twilight could almost sense the joy pouring out of him, “Death in the upright position. What an odd reading. I do not think any has been so complex in all my years of divination.”
“What is it supposed to mean?” Twilight asked eagerly. She placed little belief in actual fortune telling. Most ponies that labeled themselves as seers were all phonies looking to make a quick bit off of gullible people. But for some odd reason she could not help but be enthralled by this so called “reading”. She was genuinely excited to see what Igor had to tell her.
“Well, first we have the first set of cards. The Magician is one who is logical, and driven in their pursuits, almost to the exclusion of all else. But covered with the Emperor, The Magician is also a leader, a shining light in the dark to those that gather under The Magician’s banner, whom are signified by The Temperance.” Igor started, “Then we come to the next set of cards. The Tower is a sign of great trials, and hardships. However covered by The Lovers, the power of The Magician’s bonds to others will see The Magician through even the toughest of times. Then we come to the final card. Death in the upright position, is the succumbing to the natural order of things. There will be a profound change in the way The Magician’s world will end up after The Magician’s trials, though for better or for worse the cards do not foresee.”
Twilight could feel her earlier eagerness drain away instantly, “D-Death?” She asked worriedly.
“Yes my dear, Death. However Death is not the be all, end all. Sometimes Death means leaving the old to let the new burst forth. It is not an entirely ill omen. How your world ends up, will ultimately be up to the choices you make in the coming months however.”
“What?” Twilight gulped, again she could not pin down the exact reason why she believed every word this creature had told her. Just that she did, “It’s all up to me?”
“Yes, it is.” Igor stated simply, “Which reminds me.” He “hoof stamped” again, and the cards disappeared, replaced with a single piece of paper attached to a clipboard, “If you would be so kind as to sign this before you go.”
Twilight peered at the paper. It only held one line of text.
I hear by declare that I -blank- take full responsibility for any, and all decisions I make throughout the next year regardless of their consequences.
“What is it for?” Twilight asked warily, as she looked at the large X, and blank line at the bottom where she would put her signature.
“Exactly what it says my dear. There is little room for error. And there is no fine print if that is the cause of your hesitation.”
“Do I have to sign it?” Twilight asked even as she grasped the pen that had appeared beside the contract, in hoof.
“If you would like my help in the days to come, then yes. Your foray into this room is only free this one time. Only contract holders may return a second time.”
“What. What exactly is this place? Aren’t I just dreaming?” Twilight asked leery.
Igor laughed, “Yes you are, but only slightly. The velvet room is a place that exists between dream, and reality. Mind, and matter. Such a common ground makes it much easier for people across many dimensions to find this place.”
“Other dimensions?” Twilight asked with renewed curiosity.
“Yes indeed. But I believe we are straying away from the topic that really matters. Our time is close to ending, if you wish to talk more at another point in time I would suggest you sign the contract.”
“I-” Twilight began but paused when she felt her shoulder shake involuntarily.
“Twi...” Applejack’s voice filtered through the room, and Twilight looked around in surprise trying to find her.
“It appears as if someone is trying to gain your attention in the waking world.” Igor stated, “You will wake up soon, and with it your chance at aid. Unless the contract is signed.”
Twilight put pen to paper, and quickly scrawled her name across the line. She grimaced as she sloppily wrote her name, finding it much harder to write free hoof. She was so used to using magic for everything, not being able to practice was really putting a perspective on how much she relied on it for everything.
“Excellent!” Igor exclaimed “hoof-stamping” again. Twilight flinched slightly as the paper disappeared right in front of her face in a puff of smoke, “Theodore, if you would please.”
“Of course master.” The other, taller, creature answered with a slight bow.
Twilight watched warily, as the creature called Theodore strode over to her. As he neared Twilight tried her hardest to sink farther into the chair. While she was ok in her dealings with Igor, this other one still frightened her. With it’s impassive gaze, and towering height, it was an imposing pair of traits that Twilight could not help but fear.
“This is for you.” Theodore stated simply, and in his hands appeared a tiara not unlike Twilight’s own Element of Magic. He gently placed it upon her head, before quickly rejoining Igor’s side.
“What is it?” Twilight asked, in a vain attempt to look at it while it rested atop her head.
“Think of it as an amplifier. You’ve seen what you are capable of doing have you not? Well this will help you cast those spells without tiring yourself out as much. I must also tell you, whenever you gain one who can use a Persona. Come back to me, I will have something to suit their talents as well.”
“Twi, wake up surgarcube.” Applejack’s voice filtered through the room incredibly worried. Twilight felt her shoulder shake again, this time much more urgently.
“But, now that we are all settled, I do believe you should return to your friend. She seems quite adamant on waking you up. I wish you luck in your endeavors. And I must say, it was a joy conversing with you. Usually those that find their way to the velvet room, are such minimalists when it comes to conversation.” Igor stated his grin going even wider, a feat Twilight did not think was even possible until she was proven otherwise.
With another of his “hoof stamping” motions, the room around Twilight started to disintegrate into tiny spheres of light. Breaking away from the top down, Twilight was unable to even react before the chair under her was whisked away, and she found herself falling into a pit of black.
---
With a scream, Twilight found herself staring into near darkness. Wide awake. She took a few deep breathes, the feeling of falling still fresh in her mind.
“S-Sorry Twi. Didn’t mean ta frighten ya.” Applejack no longer spoke in the distant way she had sounded when Twilight was in the Velvet Room, “But uh...Ah don’t think you were lyin’ with that story of yers anymore, fer what it’s worth.”
“What, why?” Twilight asked still reeling from her ‘experience’. Twilight could not bring herself to call it a dream, not at this point. It had felt all too real, and she just knew it had been. She briefly wondered if it was one of those ‘gut feelings’ Rainbow was always talking about.
“Well...” Applejack started before taking a one-moment too long pause. Twilight could easily tell just how worried the usually headstrong pony was, “Jus’ take a look.” She said as she motioned to the window.
“All right.” Twilight carefully eased her way out of the hospital bed, though she already noticed the distinct lack of rain coming from outside.
Twilight was surprisingly un-surprised to see the green beams of moonlight filtering through the sides of the closed curtains. She slowly walked towards the lone window in her room, each step sending small shivers of pain up her legs, but she dealt with the minor pains without complain. There were to many other things she had to worry about.
Reaching the curtains, she pulled them back as quickly as she could allow herself to without hurting herself, making a point to not stare at the coffin that had replaced Spike not a few hoofsteps away. Twilight shuddered as she stared out of her hospital room window. The green light of the moon made the forest surrounding the hospital look far more sinister than even the Everfree at night. The solitary cobblestone path into Ponyville abruptly ended in a veil of black as soon as it touched the arch that led into the thick line of trees.
She could she the shadows of creatures skitter through the trees, and over the open grounds deftly. Try as she might, Twilight could never quite get a good enough look at any of the roving shadows tell what kind of creatures they were. But if they were anything like the things she had seen yesterday, the trek into Ponyville to explore was going to be difficult. Still the injured Unicorn knew she had to go, even if it meant putting herself in harms way.
She was the one that had to save Equestria after all. Or at least that was what Igor’s reading had said. Twilight could not help but wonder why she was so readily believing a fortune telling, but thinking about it did little to sway her determination, all that mattered was that she did, and as Celestia was her witness she was going to save her home no matter the cost.
Though that was the big question, she found herself asking inside her mind. She was wholly uncertain what exactly Equestria needed saving from. This special world seemed to have no direct consequence at all on the real one. At least, other than her wounds, and the damage to her library. But if she had never been there to draw the creature’s ire, would anything have even happened? And if every normal pony spent this time in those protected coffin’s how could anything from this side threaten anything from her side?
“Agh I don’t know. None of this makes sense!” Twilight muttered angrily stamping a hoof in frustration, but immediately wished she had not as pain shot up her leg, “Ow...”
“You ok Twi?” Applejack asked trotting over to stand beside Twilight. Out of the corner of her eye Twilight could see her friend’s face go into a look of pure shock as she looked out over the land, “Well ain’t that somethin’...” She trailed off.
“Fine, I’m fine.” Twilight answered hastily before turning to Applejack, “This isn’t a dream right? I need to make sure.”
“Ain’t no dream Twi. I’m sure of it.” Applejack answered confidently, “Though, I do wish it were.” She added a little more hesitantly.
“What happened?” Twilight asked, “You know, when everything changed. You were awake right?”
Applejack nodded, “Sure was. But ah dunno if ah can explain it all too well.” She said turning away from the window, and going to sit down.
“Try, please Applejack. Any bit of information could really help right now. I’m just as blind about this place as you are.” Twilight pleaded, following her friend to sit beside her.
“Well...” Applejack started, bringing a hoof to the back of her neck to scratch it.
Twilight grimaced at the motion, she knew the earth pony did it whenever she was in an uncomfortable position, and the unicorn lamented over the fact that she had not been wise enough to lock the book back up, or do something, anything, to keep other ponies from looking at it. If anything happened to Applejack it was all on her head, and it ate away at her conscense.
“Ah was sittin’ right here.” Applejack motioned to the very chair she was sitting in, “Mindin’ my own business, when suddenly everything went totally quiet. Was the strangest feeling Twi. One moment the rain was going, and I could hear a lot of things goin’ on outside the room, and all. Then next thing ah knew, there was nothing. Was like somepony put the world’s best earplugs on mah head without me knowin’. Then ah noticed the weird green light outside, and remembered ya said that the moon was green, and all. So ah felt ah should wake ya. And here we are.”
“I see...” Twilight murmured. Applejack’s answer had not been a particularly eye opening one for the unicorn, and it disappointed her. Though Twilight could not figure out what it was she had wanted to hear exactly. Perhaps some sort of explanation in magical terms would have been of more value, but she could not fault Applejack for not being able to provide that, she was an earth pony after all. That was the very reason Twilight had wanted to stay up herself. Surely she would have been able to come up with something other than just physical changes. She could already see physical changes, she needed more.
“Uh Twi...”
“Huh, wha?” Twilight snapped out of her internal monologue.
“You ok? You were kinda talkin’ to yerself like a crazy pony for a second there.” Applejack replied worriedly.
“Oh, was I? S-Sorry Applejack, kinda went into think mode for a moment.” Twilight answered apologetically. She needed to get her act together, she had to be strong for Applejack. She was the on that had already been here, no doubt the earth pony was looking to her for all the answers. The cards had said she was going to be a leader, and a leader Twilight was going to be.
“Well...What’do we do now?”
“Uh...” Twilight faltered, her recently kindled bravado gone in a flash. She was entirely unsure of how to proceed. She had not really thought of doing anything past the point of actually getting here, “Let’s explore!” She determined. It seemed like a good plan.
“Are ya sure that’s such a good idea?” Applejack said, her eyes darting towards the open window for a moment, before training on Twilight.
“I’m not gonna lie AJ. It might be a little dangerous. But we’re not going to learn anything just sitting around here. Besides, if things get bad I can protect us, don’t worry.”
“How’re ya gonna do that sugarcube? I thought you said yer magic didn’t work here.”
“I...” Twilight hesitated. She had gracefully left out the information on summoning a giant armored two-legged monster. The rest of her story had been grandiose enough, Twilight had thought adding that part in might have just made the entire thing far to unbelievable, “Just, don’t worry Applejack, once we get outside I can show you what I mean. You’ll just have to trust me.”
“Well ah do trust ya Twi, you should know that. It’s yer condition I don’t trust. Even if the doc said ya weren’t hurt that bad, it’s still pretty bad sugarcube. Ah don’t think you should be doing much to tire yerself out.”
“I’ll be fine. I’m feeling better all ready.” Twilight reassured her friend standing up from her seat, making sure not to wince at the dull aches that made themselves known the moment her muscles moved.
“Ya don’t look like yer feeling much better...” Applejack accused.
“Hehe...” Twilight giggled nervously, a little embarrassed that she had been caught in the white lie, “Don’t worry Applejack, please?” Twilight pleaded. She really wanted to at least accomplish something, even if it was the most minuscule something to have be accomplished. Even if Igor had told her she had a year to figure this all out, she already felt like she had wasted enough of her time to last for the rest of Twilight’s life.
“Well...alright.” Applejack relented, “But if I see ya so much as struggle even a little bit. I’m dragging ya right back here to this bed, and yer not allowed to put up no fuss. Got it?”
“Got it.” Twilight answered with a nod for emphasis, “Now let’s go.”
“Alright, lead the way then Twi.”
Twilight made her way to the hospital room door eager to be on the way to finding some answers, finally. With a grin on her face she reached for the handle, and pulled. However she was wholly unprepared for the creatures that fell into the room as she did so. She got only the smallest of looks at them before her face was covered by a silky smooth piece of clothing.
“What in the...” Twilight heard Applejack mutter from behind her.
“Gah! Run for it brother, we’ve been made!” A voice shouted practically in Twilight’s ears. A second after the exclamation the cloth obscuring Twilight’s vision lifted up and away, before speeding out of the door. Twilight got a small glimpse of what she thought looked to be a floating pumpkin wearing a witch’s hat before it was out of view into the darkened hallway.
Twilight was too shocked to act, but it seemed that Applejack had not been as paralyzed by surprise as her. The earth pony quickly passed by Twilight, and slammed the door shut, before chomping down on something wriggling around on the ground.
As Twilight slowly regained her composure, she stared in wonderment at the thing now held firmly in Applejack’s mouth. It was pure white, and looked like some sort of plush child’s doll, complete with it’s own jesters costume. Twilight cocked an eye, and tilted her head at the strange creature. She could see it shivering uncontrollably in fear.
“Um...Hello...” Twilight greeted the white doll-like creature hoping to absolve it of it’s fears. It looked entirely to adorable to be any danger to her or Applejack. Not like those shadows.
“Don’t eat me!” The creature pleaded, struggling to get out from Applejack’s grasp.
“We aren’t going to eat you little guy.” Twilight answered, fighting to keep a grin from creeping it’s way onto her face. The creature was far to adorable for it’s own good.
“You aren’t?” The creature questioned warily. Though Twilight could see it’s shaking lessen considerably.
Twilight shook her head, “No we aren’t. Applejack put him down, I don’t think he’s gonna hurt us.” Twilight emphasised her point with a nod, when she saw the tell-tale look of ‘are you crazy?’ on her friend’s face.
“If yus shay sho.” Applejack answered with the creature still in her mouth.
“So...you really aren’t gonna eat me then?” The creature asked, dusting itself off after being released. It already seemed as if it was no longer afraid in the slightest.
“No we really aren’t going to eat you.” Twilight repeated, “Um, what or rather who are you?” She asked inquisitively.
“Me?” The creature asked pointing to itself, “I’m Jack Frost, and I’m a demon, hehe!”
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A/N: Well this chapter was supposed to be part of one big chapter that went all the way through Applejack's trial, and the end of our MC Twilight's second foray into the midnight hour. However I'm having a bit of trouble getting Applejack's trial to go exactly how I want it, and I fear it might be a bit before I can break through that particular problem. So I figured I would cut it at a natural break point, and post this by itself. I feel as though it works well enough.
Also, if anyone would be interested in being a pre-reader for me, I'm open to recruits. I had one, but he was not a huge fan of both MLP or Persona so while he was ok at glaring grammar problems. He was not a big help when it came to bouncing ideas off of, or when I felt as if a part didn't align to well with either series. If anyone is interested go ahead and give me a PM about it.