Not long ago...
"I can't believe you didn't back me on that! I mean, that guy was asking for it!" Aaron protested to Jennifer and William.
"No, Aaron. You are not going to strangle a stranger with his own entrails, dump his corpse on the train tracks, and watch it splatter like a ketchup packet." I said. "It's barbaric."
"Barbaric? Better than a pompous know it all like you."
"Pompous?" I said, feigning hurt. I'm not quite as good as him, but I can make anyone uncomfortable with acting talents the I have. "I never knew you could be so rude," My face deadpanned with my voice. "you self-absorbed, over-aggressive moron."
"Will! Don't stoop to his level! Aaron! Stop being such a jerk!" Jennifer shouted at Aaron and I.
"Go to hell!" Aaron yelled in her face, eyes seething with rage. He turned and began storming off, calling behind him, "I'm off to make some sense of this bullshit."
"Go. See if I care." I said, walking the other way. Jennifer looked between them for a moment, and went after me.
"That was so mean. Why did you-"
"Because he needs to be put in his place, that's why." I explained, looking straight ahead. I couldn't make myself look at her right now. I was aching inside. I so rarely insult someone, let alone someone who knew me so well. And to do it in front of her...
No. I did what was right for everyone, I thought to myself (an odd thing indeed).
"Where are you going, anyway?"
"To the most important building in the vicinity."
"That one?" She pointed at a large gemstone fortress vaguely reminiscent of a tree.
"I suppose the most well designed building would be important."
We walked in through the towering open doors, into the high vaulted ceiling-ed main room. A large staircase dominated the center, and several hallways extended to the sides. Large banners with various symbols such as balloons and apples adorned the walls. Everything was made of the same crystalline substance as the walls, excluding the carpet on the stairs and the banners.
"Excuse me?" I called. "My... Associate and I require some assistance."
'Assosiate?' mouthed Jennifer. I shrugged. What else to call her?
"Just a minute!" replied a female voice from upstairs. The click-clack of hooves sounded as a winged unicorn descended the staircase. "How may I- Oh! It's you!"
"Pardon?"
"It worked! The spell worked!" She hopped airborne for a moment, smiling like a maniac. On insanity-inducing drugs.
"'Spell?'" What did she mean by that?
"You know, magic! Anyhoof, I'm so glad you arrived safe-"
"Woah, woah, woah, slow down a second there. 'Magic?' What are you, seven?"
"I'm probably older than you, uh...?" She trailed off, at a loss for a name.
"William," I told her. "And you do realize magic, y'know, isn't real? It's a fools term to explain the as-of-the-moment inexplicable. Magic isn't even logical."
"Excuse me? What do you call this?" A violet aura enveloped the banner with six-pointed stars and flapped it about, set it ablaze and extinguished it, then repaired the burns. Obvious trickery.
"Impressive, but likely just not yet explainable by science."
"Could I interrupt-" Jennifer spoke up.
"No," I said, unblinking. "There is nothing you can do to 'prove' magic is real. It's just events that cannot be explained by modern science. That may have been some form of telekinesis and pyrokinesis not yet evolved into our gene pools. Or some technology you are hiding." I rose a brow.
The mare was flustered, exasperated, and likely a bit mad. "Listen, we could argue this all day, or I could explain why you're here."
"I vote option A." I grinned. I absolutely love winning arguments. It's a thrill like no other.
"Please, William, stop!" Jennifer gave me a shove. "Now's not the time, or the place. I'm sorry, Miss Pega-corn lady."
"Alicorn, actually. And my name is Twilight Sparkle," She corrected her. "Now, if there are no more interruptions," She paused. "I called you here because we need a strategist quick, but not one that would alter your world's timeline in any major way. You were the one the magic spell chose for the job. I'm not sure exactly why it chose both of you-"
"Actually, four of us. One walked off in an over-dramatic rage, and the other... Oh, damn. I knew I was forgetting something."
"Oh gosh, we forgot Michael!" Jennifer slapped her wrist against her forehead. "He could be anywhere by now."
"Four of you?" Asked the pony. "It was only supposed to bring one-"
"Listen, we'd love to stay and chat, but we gotta find the little moron before he makes a fool of himself," I said, Jennifer and I running out the open door. "Or worse."
"Wait!" She called, but I was already out the door.
"Mike!" Jennifer called. "Michael!"
"No use. The little twit's gone."
We'd looked all around the train station for nearly twenty minutes. Wasn't much to look around. Unless he got on another train, he'd be in town. We hoped.
Jennifer sat down on a bench. "Great! Just great. Now what?"
"With any luck he found his way to someone of authority, and they sent him to the castle. Or he at least ran into Aaron, and isn't alone. Worst case scenario, he got stung by some toxic, alien bee and died and is now a zombie."
"Did you have to say that last one?" she groaned.
"Absolutely. Expect the worse, be more satisfied with the result."
"Your depressing."
"Your annoying."
"Let's not. Please." She covered her face with her hands.
"Fine. At any rate, it was rather rude of you to run out like that."
"You ran first!"
"We should go back, get some answers. You need to apologize."
Jennifer stared at me, very irritated. She slapped me across the face, so hard it whipped my head to the left. "Let's go."