_____*Mana's journal, day 5, 4:20 PM*_____
'It had been a few days since Twilight left for Canterlot, I wasn't concerned, but when Twilight came back, she was very disturbed by something, I asked what was wrong, in basic Equis no less!....that's the general language of this world by the way, which was an achievement in itself for me.
Anyway, I asked what was wrong, and she never answered, like she was in a trance, I was confused but I had decided to leave it alone.
So today I left the library and headed outside on my own, I figured I wasn't making any progress hiding out, so I wanted to go and see what would happen if I went outside.
That was......interesting, to say the least, I unintentionally set fire to two fruit stands, froze Applejack's Apple cart, and created an apocalypse of wild cats....actually, that last one was intentional.
But the strangest thing was, no one seemed that angry, or if they were, I couldn't understand them as they talked to me, I may be able to follow conversation to an extent, but not when they talk so quickly that it would make even Onyx have a headache.
The best part was at the end of the day however.'
______*The real world.*______
Mana was standing in the library as Twilight scolded her, mostly on improper usage of magic, but there was a bit of self restraint and responsibility lectures mixed in.
Mana sighed and held her arms as Twilight talked. "At least Applejack's cart wasn't damaged, and you should be thankful she wasn't angry." Twilight said.
"Carrot Top should calm down after you apologize, and Red Beats shouldn't be that angry." She continued.
Twilight then looked sternly at Mana. "But the wild cat army wasn't just random was it?" She asked.
Mana raised a finger. "Hey!" She exclaimed. "Those cats wanted to rampage! I just gave them a shove!" She argued.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "You set their tails on fire." She reminded flatly.
Mana sighed and put her arms at her sides in defeat. "And I STILL have no idea how I do that!" She shouted.
Twilight took a calming breath. "Look Mana, you need to take responsibility for what you did, you can't just do these things just because you feel like it." She said calmly.
Mana closed her eyes and held her arms. "Yea I know." She replied quietly.
Twilight shook her head and walked around a while, she then looked at Mana. "Why did you do those things anyway?" She asked.
Mana sat down on the nearby chair and rested her head on her hand. "I have no idea why the first two fires started, as for freezing Applejack's cart.......that was only because a third one started." She explained.
Twilight walked over. "What were you doing when the fires started?" She asked.
Mana blinked. "Now that you mention it, I had smelt something strange in the air, I sneezed then next thing I knew, things were on fire." She replied.
Twilight walked over to the bookshelves. "What did it smell like?" She asked.
Mana scratched her head. "Uh.....kind of like wet dog, mixed with Spike's belches." She replied.
Twilight paused and thought on this, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully, until an idea struck her. "Do you mind if we run a few small experiments?....there is something I want to test." She asked.
Mana sighed. "Sure, whatever, what is it?" She asked out of boredom.
Twilight soon produced a small notepad from her desk. "I want to see if you are the cause of these fires, I'll cause you to sneeze, if that's it, we can go from there, if not, that's one less thing you need to worry about......win-win in your situation." She said.
Mana rolled her eyes. "Knock yourself out I guess." She said.
Twilight then cast a small spell, it hit Mana but it didn't seem to work.......until she sneezed a few moments later.
Thankfully, there was no fire, which was helpful.
Twilight scribbled something down and then undid her spell. "Alright, let's move in to theory two." She said.
Mana groaned internally. 'This is going to take all day.' She said to herself.
Twilight then tested a multitude of theories regarding Mana's strange firey mishaps, they tried a sudden jolt, they tried plucking a hair, they even tried a scare factor, but nothing happened.
Twilight sighed as she reached her final theory a few hours later. "Alright, last theory, let's see if this works." She mumbled.
Mana watched in shock as Twilight suddenly started a small fire with a match, on the library floor in a circle, in an instant, Mana felt her head sting as she instinctively reached out with her right arm, causing the flame to flow directly to her arm and swirl around it.
Twilight and Mana were both in awe, they watched as the fire danced around Mana, and soon dissipated. "What in the world?" Mana asked herself.
Mana looked at Twilight. "Do you want to explain what that was all about?" She asked quickly.
Twilight nodded. "Stress response." She answered. "It was the one test that I didn't want to attempt, and for good reason, but from what I can understand, your mind reacted to the sudden danger and immediately controlled the fire before getting rid of it." She explained.
Mana blinked as she looked at her right hand, it turned to wood and then back to flesh, she also felt a warm sensation inside her, where before she just felt an icy chill, now she felt a warm embrace. "Why don't you go ahead and try it?" Twilight wondered.
Mana looked at Twilight who gave a small encouraging smile. 'Use my fire?.....alright, what was it my dad told me the day we discovered i was a waterbender?......fire is life, but it must be treated with respect and a steady hand?' She took a breath and held her hand out a little in front of her chest, she soon saw her hand turn to wood and then engulf into flames, she was about to panic and stop, when she realized something peculiar.
There was no pain at all, she raised an eyebrow, she catiously held her left hand over the fire, and felt no pain, just a welcoming warmth, she placed her hands together and now there were two flames, she commanded then to receede, and they did so, leaving no fire.
Mana blinked and looked at her right hand, it was completely fine, no scorch marks, it wasn't even hot. "Strange." She said as her hand returned to flesh.
Twilight watched this all with interest before shaking her head, clearing her mind. "Mana?....are you alright?" She asked.
Mana nodded and looked at Twilight. "Oddly enough, I'm relieved, and suddenly very happy I never learned to use fire back home." She said.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Why not?.....is it frowned upon?" She asked.
Mana shook her head. "No, it's just that......since Water was the element I could bend, everyone just assumed that I was a waterbender, you see Twilight, in my world, when one person can bend all four Elements, they are known as the Avatar, and said Avatar has to travel the world to master the four elements, you see, the Avatar is the one who is usually known for keeping the peace, but for a long time, there hasn't been one, so people got used to sorting out their own problems." She said, she then shrugged. "At least, that's what I was told." She said.
Mana deadpanned as she watched Twilight scribble this down onto her notepad, Mana was not surprised, she had seen Twilight do this before, so it didn't bother her. "Anyway, you can understand why I didn't want to bend another Element back home, that would WAY too much work for me." She said.
Twilight looked at Mana and set the notebook aside. "But still, don't you wonder how it would have went?....you could have seen the world!" She said.
Mana chuckled. "It wasn't that interesting to me if I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't even WANT to see my sister tribe when our boat sank." She replied.
Twilight's ears dropped upon hearing that. "Mana....." She started.
Mana held a hand up. "Uh uh." She said, stopping Twilight. "Don't say your sorry, you had nothing to do with it, it was bad luck, nothing more, I'm focusing on my future, not my past." She stated before lowering her hand.
Twilight nodded slowly, but before she could speak, she saw Onyx run up to Mana and climb onto her shoulder, he chattered loudly and slapped her head a few times. "Onyx, you know I care about you, but seriously, your insufferable when you are hungry." She said before walking to the stairs.
As Mana went to go feed Onyx, Twilight pondered what her next step was, she wasn't sure, but she needed to figure it out quickly.
Twilight sighed to herself as she paced back and forth. "She can understand a good amount of our language, which is good, but she can't speak our language that well, which is bad, she seems eager to learn, which is good, she has problems talking to others, not good nor bad, but can cause problems." She took a breath and shook her head. "There is only one solution to this." She muttered to herself quietly.
______*two days later, 12:00 AM*______
"School." Twilight said to Mana.
Spike and Mana were both dumbfounded by Twilight's decision. "Um.....Twilight, I uh, don't think that's a good idea." Spike said.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Like I said Spike, I enrolled both you and Mana into school." She said calmly as she drank her tea.
Spike looked at Mana who seemed frozen in place, he tapped her arm and she didn't even flinch. "I.....i.....i." She muttered.
Twilight sighed as Mana soon turned herself and her chair to ice. "Oh, that didn't go well." She said.
Spike looked at Twilight. "Um, while she sorts her head out......why did you enroll us?.....i was tutored to a practical college degree, and she usually can't handle being around a lot of people." He asked.
Twilight set her cup down and looked at Spike. "I know that, but I think school will be good for you, it will help you to make some friends, Mana needs to learn, so that's one reason, another reason is that I'm hoping this will help her with her social anxiety." She explained.
Spike stifled a laugh. "Says the one who had like, ONE friend back in Canterlot." He joked.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that was intentional, at the time, I believed that my studies took priority." She countered.
Spike chuckled. "I had some friends back in Canterlot." He pointed out smugly.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. "My brother, Cadence, Celestia, and the two rookie guards who enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons do not count, by friends, I meant, friends your age." She stated.
Spike just sighed.
_____*ten minutes later*_____
Mana opened her eyes as her body returned to flesh, she looked around and saw that she was alone in the kitchen, she stood up and stretched, after that, she walked into the main area of the library where Spike and Twilight were reorganizing the shelves.
She walked in and casually dodged a flying book and grabbed another with a wooden hand. "You should really pay attention, you'll break a window." She pointed out.
Twilight set all of the unorganized books into a small pile and looked at Mana. "You alright now?" She asked.
Mana nodded. "I'm not exactly thrilled.....but I guess I have to go out at some point, sooner than later I suppose." She replied idly.
Spike rolled his eyes. "How do you think I'll feel?.....I'll be one of the people there that already knows the answers, but doesn't feel like doing it." He added. "Not exactly a fun thing." He muttered under his breath.
Mana shrugged. "I don't see how it's a bad thing either Spike." She replied.
Twilight blinked, she knew Spike had said something under his breath, but she couldn't hear it. "How did you hear him?" She asked.
Mana blinked and her left eye changed to its timberwolf green coloration. "You couldn't?....it was clear as day." She puzzled.
Twilight tried not to show any sign of surprise, but it was difficult, she calmed herself when Mana blinked and her eye returned to normal. "Well, regardless, it's Saturday right now, and schools out for the spring break starting Sunday, you have at least three months." She said.
Mana sighed in relief, but just then, she heard papers rustling, she looked over and saw a small folder with some pages in Twilight's grip. "What are these?" She asked, still unable to read.
"These are questions that will help you catch up with the rest of the students, you aren't required to do them immediately, and they aren't due until spring break is over, Spike can help you with them after I teach you to read our language." Twilight said.
Mana was now slightly less relieved, but she was still thankful that she had plenty of time. "I get it." She said.
Twilight then shivered at some unknown thought that gave her a chill down her spine. "But still, Mana, it would be helpful for you to meet some people around the town, you might just meet a friend or two, anyway, i need to get back to reorganizing the library, Spike!" She called out.
"Yea Twilight?" Spike asked as he walked over.
Twilight looked down at her number one assistant and smiled as he held the books. "I'm giving you an early day off, why don't you take Mana and walk through town? show her around, visit some friends." She said.
Spike set the books down and let his arms hang for a moment as the weight was removed, he then looked at Mana with a grin. "Come on, I want you to meet someone." He said mischievously.
_____*Ponyville*_____
Spike and Mana walked through the town casually, Mana still got a glance from the locals, but it wasn't as bad now, they ran into Rainbow Dash, literally, or to be accurate, she crashed right in front of them, followed by a comment from Spike about 'Rainbow Crash' which was followed by Mana saying that Rainbow must be blind if she continually crashes, and that she should have her eyes checked.
The two were on the way to a place that she could not understand the name of, Spike translated and said that it was a tailors shop owned and run by Rarity, Mana was skeptical as to his intentions, but decided to trust Spike for now.
As the two reached the building, Spike knocked on the door, and soon enough, Rarity stepped out and greeted them. "Ah, hello Spike, hello Mana." She said.
Rarity allowed them inside and Mana glanced around curiously, the decor was fancy, but not over the top, it was as though she had chosen it in just the right way as to appear professional, but still be welcoming.
Mana looked around as Spike and Rarity talked, he mentioned them being enrolled into the school, this apparently made Rarity happy.
It was just then that Mana remembered Rarity's little sister Sweetie Belle. 'She must be in the school as well.' She noted.
Mana looked over and saw said.....filly?...on the stairs nearby, staring at her with a confused expression. "Hi." She said calmly.
_____*Perspective change*_____
I was slightly concerned, but once I heard Spike and Rarity talking, I started to calm down. "Hi." I said simply.
I watched as Mana walked off and I headed down the stairs, I saw Rarity and Spike sitting on the couch talking, but for once, Spike was actually speaking, and wasn't fawning over my sister.
I didn't pay much attention, and neither was Mana, until Spike's next question. "Hey Rarity, is it alright if we hang out with Sweetie Belle?" He asked.
That actually surprised me, Spike never wanted to hang out with me before, he was either working with Twilight, or helping my sister all the time, he never actually showed much interest.
"That's up to her." Rarity said.
I blinked at that reply, I honestly was expecting her to just say yes or no, but this was new, as Spike looked over, I shrugged. "Sure, but I wouldn't want the others to be left out." I replied.
This would either go really good, or really bad.
_____*later that day, perspective change, Mana's journal.*_____
'When we started to get closer to Sweet Apple Acres, I had actually spoken with Sweetie Belle quite a bit, apparently we both shared curiosity, and we usually tried to stay out of trouble, but it usually follows.
Thankfully, when we met Apple Bloom and got her to join us, I found that she shared something with me, a love for alchemy, we talked for a while about that, sharing ideas and notes, all in all, I appeared to be taking the situation rather well.
I will be completely frank here, I wasn't handling the situation at all on the inside, I felt as though I could have a nervous breakdown any second.
And then I met Scootaloo, and I discovered that these three, not including Spike, were the ones that first discovered me under the bridge, they were also notorious for causing trouble.
I didn't have much in common with Scootaloo at the time, at least, that's what I thought.
The girl kept pestering me the entire time until we decided on what to do, she wasn't really name calling, but more like half strength snipes, saying that I couldn't do much with a horn or wings.
And that is where I began to hate her, but also where I began to like her.
_____*Mana's perspective.*_____
I was slightly annoyed, Scootaloo had essentially just called me next to useless, but I was also amused and relieved.
'She doesn't seem afraid to speak her mind, and even goes so far as to discreetly challenge me, she's interesting.'
"So go on, show me." Scootaloo said with her hooves crossed.
"Show you what? I wasn't paying attention." I asked.
Scootaloo sighed. "Show me that you CAN do something." She replied.
I shrug. "Alright then." I hold my right hand out and it turns into wood, it then engulfs in flame as my left arm turned to ice, I look at Scootaloo with a grin. "Satisfied?" I say before reverting my arms to normal and placing my hands in my pockets.
Scootaloo was dumbfounded, she clearly wasn't expecting that. "Okay, I have to admit it, that was awesome." She finally said.
Apple Bloom was just as surprised as Scootaloo, while Sweetie Belle was curious. "Can you do anything else?" She asked.
I shrugged. "I have no idea, if I can, I haven't found it out yet." I replied truthfully.
Spike walked up to us and held his arms. "So, what are we doing?" He asked.
Scootaloo shrugged. "I'm not sure, I'm kinda pooped out from crusading, and I don't have any ideas.....well, new ones." She said.
I raised an eyebrow at that, and my confusion grew when all of the others agreed, Spike simply wasn't sure. "Mana, any ideas?" He asked, he then clamped his mouth shut, realizing his mistake.
At that, my brain decided to shut down, of all the times for it to happen, it had to happen just as I started to consider warming up to the three girls.
Scootaloo leaned next to Spike. "Is she ok?" She whispered.
Spike sighed. "She has social anxiety." He whispered.
I could hear them of course, on the count of my enhanced hearing, which at the time, I didn't know about.
Sweetie Belle approached me as I stood there blankly, she rested a hoof on my shoulder and spoke. "How about we show you the clubhouse?.....we can think up an idea on the way?" She offered. "If anything, just imagine that you aren't surrounded by others for a short while, it should help calm you down." She said.
At the time, i wasn't so sure, now?.....I listen, so I nodded silently, and the five of us started to walk.
The walk itself was mostly silent, partially on my part, the rest was the others, I don't know if they were actually thinking of ideas, or were just keeping quiet idly, regardless, the quiet time helped to calm me down.
So I was mostly back to normal around the time we arrived at the girls clubhouse.
And one thing I immediately noticed, was that these three were very proud of it, I could understand why, especially after I found out they did it without any adult help, even though all they did was refurbish it.
So as they all climbed up and entered the clubhouse, i carefully climbed up, and I just barely fit inside, particularly, I had to duck a bit.
It wasn't that bad later on however, as I sat down I absentmindedly turned my lower body into wood, at least, the parts touching the floor anyway.
Thankfully, the others came up with an idea. "How about we play hide and seek?" Sweetie Belle said.
I noticed that the others seemed alright with the idea, so I nodded. "Sure, I'm up for it." I said, recalling the times I played back home made me chuckle. "Not it." I immediately say.
"Not it!" The three girls simultaneously called.
Spike groaned as he got stuck with the seeker position. "Fine, but I'm going to add a rule for Mana." He looked at me. "Do NOT turn into wood!" He said firmly.
I nodded. "Okay." I say calmly.
______*outside, near the town, perspective change.*______
"Ok, no houses, no cellars, no roofs, and no leaving your hiding spot unless you are found." Spike said, going over the rules.
I hold up my hoof as Spike looks at me. "Yes Scootaloo?" He asked.
"How will we know the game is over?.....I mean, if you have a really good hiding spot." I ask.
Spike tapped his chin, he then held up a finger as he got an idea. "How about this, when seven minutes are up, we leave our hiding spots and come back here?" He suggested.
Everypony seemed to agree, so did Mana, who had a devious smirk on her face.
I was curious, but I wasn't about to ask her, not with the risk of her having another anxiety attack.
So we quickly spread out and hid as Spike began to count.
I found a decent hiding spot in a bush next to a tree, it wasn't obvious or anything, it also had a good view of the entire park, I waited with eager anticipation as Spike stopped counting.
I watched as he began to look around the area, he searched every bush, and looked up and around every tree.
_____*four minutes later*_____
Spike sighed In annoyance as he looked around, he had found the three girls, he found Apple Bloom first, hiding behind a tree, he then found Sweetie Belle, hiding behind Scootaloo, who was hiding in a bush.
But no matter where he looked, he couldn't find Mana, he began to suspect that she was cheating and had turned into a tree, but he felt like Mana was more honorable than that.
Spike looked behind rocks, in bushes, and all over trees, he even looked under the bridge, but he couldn't find Mana.
Eventually the seven minutes were up. "Alright Mana! times up!" He called.
They heard footsteps nearby and they saw Mana walking up to them. "Where were you?" Spike asked.
Mana grinned. "Not telling!" She said happily.
Spike blinked. "Did you turn into a tree?" He asked.
"No." Mana replied. "I said I wouldn't turn into wood, and I didn't." She said.
_____*hours later, 8:10 PM*_____
Twilight sat down with Mana, teaching her the written language, at Mana's own relaxed pace, of course.
As they worked, Twilight found herself amazed at how eager Mana was to learn, she rapidly absorbed knowledge, and seemed able to meet a mental challenge easily, while she wasn't expecting her to always do well, on the count of her facing such a traumatic event.
A knock soon came at the door, and Twilight got up, then began to walk to it
Mana watched with curiosity as Twilight opened the door, she saw that it was a yellow Pegasus mare, with a long pink mane and tail.
Thankfully, Mana's enhanced hearing allowed her to eavesdrop.
"Hey Fluttershy, what brings you here?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Um, Pinkie asked me to bring some Squirrel food over, I'm sorry for being so late, but I just got some myself today." Fluttershy said quietly.
Mana blinked. 'Wow, she is quiet, Twilight wasn't kidding.' She thought to herself.
Fluttershy gave Twilight the food. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, did you get a pet squirrel?" She asked.
Twilight shook her head. "I didn't, but Mana has a squirrel named Onyx." She replied.
Fluttershy blinked. "Who's Mana?" She asked curiously.
"That would be me." Mana said as she looked at the doorway, she gave a small wave.
Mana heard familiar pattering, she looked to the floor and saw Onyx run up, he chattered and tapped his shoulder.
Fluttershy and Twilight watched as Mana put Onyx on her shoulder and walked over. "Thanks for bringing food by the way." Mana said.
Fluttershy nodded, not speaking a word.
Onyx chattered and kicked Mana's shoulder. "Onyx, don't be rude." Mana scolded.
The squirrel chattered once again and held his hands out as though he was laughing. "Your very rude." Fluttershy scolded, beating Mana to the punch.
Mana paused and looked at Fluttershy. "You can understand him?" Mana asked.
Fluttershy nodded. "Yea, I can talk to animals, but I never thought I would meet somepony else who could." She said.
Mana grinned. "You aren't wrong yet, I'm not a pony." She replied.
Onyx facepalmed and spoke under his breath. "Knock it off Onyx." Mana ordered.
_____*Mana's journal, one month later, Ponyville, 1:00 PM*_____
'That month passed by incredibly quickly, I mostly studied the language, trying to perfect it, or at least get it to a point where I could use it.
What time I didn't spend studying or experimenting with my newfound powers, I spent having fun with Onyx, or hanging out with Spike, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
Either that, or writing in my journal and reading some books, practically anything would do for the earliest parts of the month.
While I still hadn't fully come to terms with my death and the deaths of everyone on board, I wasn't exactly traumatized by it.
Not much else happened in that month, aside from Rarity fixing up my jacket and making me another outfit, I was honestly surprised that she managed to completely restore my jacket though, she got it all correct which was the most surprising part.
When asked about it, Rarity simply said that she had a very keen eye when it came to fashion.
I wasn't entirely acceptant of that answer, but it would suffice for now.
I did discover one thing about the school I'm going to in two months, there were two bullies there, I wasn't thrilled about the concept of being bullied again, but I soon found out that this, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, were more of the verbal bully.
At this I grinned, now THOSE, I could handle.'
_____*The Library.*_____
I walked around me and Spike's room, i had begun to get used to calling it that.
While Spike had argued that he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me, I had told him that I preferred to sleep on the floor anyway, which was true, I slept on the bed one time, and I never wanted to do so again.
So now we shared the room, Spike was busy helping Twilight downstairs, while I paced in the room.
To be perfectly honest, I was......nervous, my head was swarming with doubts and fears about everything that would happen in two months.
Soon though, I looked out the window and saw the girls running around, Sweetie Belle looked over and saw me, she waved before running off to join her friends.
I smile as another thought entered my mind. "At least I'm not alone this time, this time, I have friends to back me up." I say to myself as I watch the town outside.