Rebirth of Magic: In the Mists

by JimmyHook19

I Hurt Myself Today

I was lonely.

'But Misty', I hear you say. 'You had Izzy and Sunny and Zipp to talk to! What do you mean you were lonely?'

I know, you didn't day that. But you were thinking it, right?

You weren't? Oh, OK then. Let me just get my mane out of my eyes- the orange and purple haven't quite washed out properly. I'll have to ask Pipp about that. Yeah, I'll explain that later, because it isn't hugely relevant to what was going on in Zephyr Heights. And I do need to be able to see where I'm going, right?

Anyway, I felt lonely during those days, even if I did have those three to talk to. The problem was the dynamic.

Have you ever walked into a club or a restaurant and entered into a group who clearly already know each other? That's not to say they are unpleasant to you, because they often aren't, but the dynamic just feels different. They try to engage you, but nonetheless you feel like you don't really fit in. That's because they already know each other so well and you've only just turned up. Even trying to fit you in is a bit of a struggle for some of them.

And this was exactly how it felt. Seeing those three getting along so well and so casually, just enjoying doing things, was a bit of a downer. I felt like I was playing second fiddle to their solos, if that makes any sense. I tried to join in as much as I could, but it wasn't easy all the time. The others had great fun, whilst I was kinda just... there.

Who I was didn't help either. Being the klutz who knocked over their O&O board whilst celebrating not falling into a pit sure sucked. O&O is Ogres and Oubliettes, by the way. It's a pegasus game and it's surprisingly fun, so I suggest you give it a try. A regular group meets at the Lighthouse on Wednesday evenings. We currently have a Wildwood Forest campaign going on if you're interested.

And there I am, going off on a tangent again. Sorry.

Interacting with Izzy also proved to be hard. I didn't have the first clue about unicorn society and culture, whereas Izzy- or rather the person Izzy had originally been- seemed to know it all. I was pretty isolated from it all, which made connecting on a social level pretty hard. Even meals were a bit tough- Pipp tried to teach me table manners, but I found it all so confusing. Why does a pony need three knifes and forks if they're only eating one course? It's an unnecessary level of washing up to do!

I had to try and keep it up, though. Who knew when Opaline would get back into contact with me? I was pretty certain it would be soon, if Make your Mark was anything to go by. If I had nothing to report, she'd bite my head off, so to speak.

---

The Palace gardens were nice. They were a large green space in the middle of the castle, joined at either end by a set of walkways. Lots of different paths weaved through it, and I had explored a few of them. The ponies who had built it also did some pretty need landscaping inside. Rocky pathways, grottos, artificial streams, and other features such as trees, treehouses, and even a few mountains could be found in there. Plants that flourished in all sorts of climate zones. Cacti the size of houses. OK, maybe not quite that big, I might have been exaggerating a bit, but they were still pretty big.

I often came here if I was feeling a bit glum, so I walked into one of the grottos and sat down near a pool of water. I looked down into the water before me, focusing on my reflection.

I came to a shocking realisation then and there.

I had always been something of a nobody, no matter what world I was in. Back there nobody would have spotted me- I sort of blended into the brickwork. I thoroughly doubt anybody noticed I was gone from that place, or whether I'd even been around.

And now fate had really decided to mess with me. I was a nopony here too, with no magic, no idea what I was doing, no idea who to trust, and somehow managing to be the oldest blank flank in existance. If the CMC are hearing this by any chance, getting your cutie marks after about five seasons is pretty quick compared to me.

The answer was obvious. Nopony knew who or where I was or had been, and nopony cared. I was a loser.

I closed my eyes, but even so felt something wet behind my eyelids. Teardrops started to leak out. No! I'm an adult, not a crybaby! I'm not crying here!

But try as I might I couldn't. I sat there in the grotto, sobbing quietly to myself over my plight and wondering what in the world I had done to deserve this. Yes, I know I said I cried in Opaline's castle right at the start of this mess, but at least nopony could have seen me there. The gardens were visited by multiple ponies, including a gardener. If they saw me I'd probably be mocked to no end. 'Oh look, there's the blank flank who can't control her own emotions!'

As I sat there, I suddenly heard what sounded like singing.

"First things first, you gotta look for the spark!
That bit of magic way deep down in your heart!
It's the rhythm that connects us/
When you find it, yeah, now that's a great start! (start, start)
Hey!"

I recognized that song. That's from Make your Mark! I considered what the fact somepony was singing it might mean for a moment, but then set it aside. Pipp could plausibly have written it during the events of the film.

"You gotta follow your beat! (beat, beat)
And then soon you will see! (see, see)
You won't have that far to go/
Until your song starts to grow!
All you need is your beat! (your beat, your beat)

"All you need is your groove! (groove, groove)
(Hey, come on!)
To get them stompin' their hooves!
And then the next thing you'll know/
Imagination will flow/
All you need is your beat!
All you need is your beat!

"Whoo!
Bah-dah-dah, bah-dah-dah!
All you need is your beat/
Bah-dah-dah, bah-dah-dah!"

Pipp touched down in the grotto and smiled. "That's another hit written!" she said. "I must try singing in here more often- the acoustics are really, really good. Even better, I may try and persuade Zipp to do a duet!"

I honestly wondered what movie Zipp singing would sound like. As far as I know Liza Koshy isn't a qualified singer.

It was then Pipp noticed me. "Hey, Misty! How are you?"

"I could be better," I admitted. "I'm lonely, and even worse nopony will ever care!" I collapsed into a fresh round of tears.

Pipp put her wing around me. "Come on. There's something I want to show you."

We trotted out of the grotto and stopped at a point where we could see the sky. "See all that, Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"That's the world out there. And I can tell you for a fact that nopony will ever care about you is a lie. There's an old saying that every bread has its cheese."

"What's cheese got to do with this?" I asked.

"It means that no matter who we are, there's a pony out there for us, whether a friend or something more."

I internally scoffed at that. There was a far higher probability of me being hit by an asteroid than ever finding love. "Really?"

"Yes! Sometimes it just takes time."

I sighed. "Having a friend would be a great start."

There was a pause. "I could be your friend."

"Really?" Pipp would seriously consider me a friend?

"Of course!" Pipp smiled. "You're really sweet, and not only that you've really touched the lives of Zipp and the others. They often talk about how they like spending time with you."

I smiled uneasily and wiped my eyes. They were still a bit wet. "Thanks, Pipp."

To my surprise, Pipp then began to sing again.

"You hear that sound?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!"

A piano plinked in the distance, presumably to fill in Sparky's vocal line (seeing as he hasn't been born yet).

"The melody that's ringing out?
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh!"

There was something incredibly soothing about it that meant I was soon feeling a lot better.

"A special tune that keeps you true/
Your voice that speaks when no one sees!
So listen close, keep holding true/
And sing the song that makes you/
Ooh-ooh-ooh... You!"

I smiled. "Thanks, Pipp," I said. "I guess I needed that."

"Well, whenever you wanna hang out just let me know!" Pipp replied. "Terribly sorry, but I've got a meet and greet to do now. See you later!"

Huh. Pipp said some pretty profound stuff. Seems she's not the vapid popstar most bronies initially dismissed her as.

Author's Note:

Heh... just wouldn't be a story without a song, now would it? :)

In this case... one of the songs from Make Your Mark. ^^

Comments

[Comickook]

Another rather well-done chapter. Definitely appreciated "Misty's" mention of feeling lonely even when "Sunny", "Izzy" and "Zipp" trying to make her feel welcome and ask for her help in certain projects. And, indeed, the stuff concerning the foreshadowing for weekly "O & O" games at the lighthouse was great stuff (considering the first chapter of "Hitch's" story started with the mentions of the changes since a few of magic returned before going into flashback). Of course, the concerning about Opaline asking for a report back at the wrong moment is definitely understandable. And, yeah, the bits remembered from "Make Your Mark" before getting pulled into this world also made a lot of sense. Also liked the bits about catching "Pipp" singing a song from "Make Your Mark" months early.

REALLY looking forward to more of this.

[JimmyHook19]

11674966
Of course =3

[shining paladin]

nice chapter mate