Author's Note: Just to be clear, this does not take place in the actual MLP: FIM universe. It's kind of like an alternate reality to theirs.
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 3
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I was being dragged against my will....unable to do anything as the book had me in its grasp. My mind (the only thing that I had under my control) was trying to formulate a plan, but the book seemed to try and block my creative thoughts and replace it with those of it. The book wanted me thinking about it and it only. However, being the Element of Magic, I managed to use a mind-clearing spell to give myself a few moments of peace......a few moments to clear my head and think....without "it" thinking for me. The spell payed off as I imagined myself in a clear white room that contained nothing.....It was just me and the walls.....nothing else. I knew that, back in my normal state of mind, I was still being controlled. Luckily, though, the spell gives you a few minutes to think clearly in your new state of mind, while, in actual time, only a few seconds passes. However, I knew I had to act quick and think of what I had to do.
"Okay, Twilight, let's go over the facts here: (A. You own a book that almost accurately describes your personal childhood and young adult years and (B. Your friends tried to assure you there was nothing to worry about the content, but now you are being controlled by the book itself.....And now, the only thing I have to decide is......WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!!"
".....Wait....I've got it! I'll just do what anypony else would do with a book they had questions on: go to the bookstore it came from and research its origins! If anypony else has had the same problem I've had with it, I'm sure it's in a book or document or something.....and I'm not going to let it ruin my life anymore!"
My time was up as I returned to the real world. My hands were turning the pages as I awoke. When I finally adjusted my vision, I found myself to be at Chapter 3.
"Alright, it's obvious the book wants me to keep reading....So...if I just do as it says with no questions asked, it won't try anymore of that "magnetic pull" stuff again and I can continue on just like I was doing. And then, when its guard is down, I can go to the bookstore and track down its origins...and hopefully return it. I hope I saved the receipt."
But there was one thing that was still bothering me....How had it known about Orlando? I mean, sure he was my first love.....but I never told anyone about him...not even my parents. And this book had did far more than describe his features.....it described our first night together.
"Well, whatever sick and twisted mind games this book is playing, I'm not following them. You hear that, ya dusty old piece of literary trash?! You are not gonna best me!"
Chapter 3
The Italian Blonde
My relationship with Orlando grew even stronger over the next few weeks. With each night, I grew closer to him than I had to anypony else. And it felt like he felt the same way. However, even though I was having the time of my life, a certain assignment caught me by surprise......and that's when the terror really began.
"This oughta be interesting."
It was about four weeks after I met Orlando. We were both very happy together, never getting bored. In fact, it seemed like every day we were discovering something new about each other. Although, I still kept my job so I often had to leave him in the afternoon. And one afternoon....that afternoon....was a special one. And not just because it was my birthday. I heard a call made to the police over the scanner. (I kept a scanner to keep myself informed on all the good research opportunities.) It was an elderly woman calling in from her apartment. At first, I was thinking that she was just another one of those kooky old ladies who didn't know what she was talking about. But, when she spoke of her next-door neighbor hanging his head through a noose while standing on a chair, I knew it was no joke. The tone of her voice just couldn't have been a joke. I was always fascinated with suicide. Not because of the different ways of doing it, but because of what led ponies to do it. I knew this was a perfect research opportunity. So, after telling Orlando good-bye, I set out for the address. When I got there, there was yellow tape up everywhere. Police guards were waving ponies back. I managed to slip past them and under the tape when someone got into a fight with one of the cops. I felt sorry for him when I looked back to see him getting tazered, but I knew that his pain worked itself out for my need....I reached my destination floor: the top one. When I walked inside, the scene immediately set itself into my mind: a bare-white room with a brown chair in the middle. And, of course, on top of the chair was the neighbor. It was a blonde male, appearing to be in his mid-20's, that had his neck hung through a noose tied to a support beam on the ceiling. Right before I could get to him, he started to speak.
"Come any closer and I'll do it."
".....Oh, sure. But, I don't think that would make me very happy. It's my birthday today, you know?"
"Oh, don't try none of that stuff on me! I know you "persuaders" are all the same. You tell us stuff like "this isn't the right choice" and that we "should look to the future." Well, ya know what? Screw you guys!"
"......Ya know,....I wasn't gonna try to persuade you like that. I was just gonna warn you that some people who hang themselves tie the noose the wrong way.....Yep, they don't tie it tight enough....and they end up with a permanent "necklace."
"You think I didn't tie this right?"
"I really don't know,.....but I don't think you're the kind of guy who would take such a big chance like that."
This seemed to strike something in him, for he smiled, pulled the noose off, and allowed me to help him down.
"Is it really your birthday?"
".....Yep."
We spent the next few hours talking......but the funny thing was that I never remembered to ask him about what I'd come there for in the first place: to figure out what kind of different thoughts runs through a pony's head when he or she is about to commit suicide. But, I did learn that he was of Italian descent and that he could play guitar. Yeah, we had a pretty civilized, normal conversation......until he went completely off-topic.
"But ya know what's really gotten me down lately?"
I didn't answer. I was expecting him to answer his own question almost immediately.....He did....by getting up and ripping the wallpaper off the walls....It looked like my question that I hadn't remembered to ask was gonna be answered.
"It's this number!!.....Twenty-two!"
At first, I didn't know what he was talking about.....but then he explained. Once again, he answered my question.
"This number is everywhere!....And I mean "everywhere!" Driver's licenses, pages of books, even my name! It was in the words that I spoke, the pieces of music I played...everything!!! You know what my favorite color is?....Green! G is the seventh letter in the alphabet. R is the eighteenth, E is the fifth, and N is the fourteenth. Seven plus eighteen plus five plus five plus fourteen is forty-four. Fourty-four is divisible by twenty-two!!!...Sure, it doesn't always come out exact! But, as I've come to learn,...22 is never far off!!"
Underneath the wallpaper was multiple writings of the number twenty-two. Some were math problems that equaled it, while others.....were problems I didn't even get. I was starting to get both creeped out and curious about his obsession with the number. I didn't know what to say since I wasn't familiar with a situation like this. So, I asked the only thing that came to mind.
"Got any more coffee?"
We continued to discuss things. He started off talking about the number, but soon stopped and went on to focus on other things. However, one thing he said about the number did fascinate me. He said that his dad had went through the same thing while he was growing up. He supposedly grew near insanity when he finally decided that, in order to protect his son from the curse, he would kill himself and his wife.....and he did. He shot her in the head and then blew his own brains out. Although, according to him, the curse was still passed on to him.
"I guess....Daddy didn't love me enough."
I could tell he was better than he was when I first met him, but he was still holding in a lot of confused emotions. I decided to try and help relieve him.
"I had an aunt who visited a fortune teller when she was young. She asked her about who her first love would be. She told her he would be a "mysterious man in black." So, she spent her younger years keeping her eyes peeled when she finally met him...."
"You're lying."
".....He dressed completely in black clothing and had lots of black accessories. They were married three months later. It started off good, but then he decided she wasn't good enough for him. They filed for divorce after one and a half years of "holy matrimony." My aunt, however, having been there for him every step of the way, didn't want to give up on him. So, she decided to dedicate the rest of her life to finding the Man in Black. She had practically given her whole life to him so she thought it was the right thing to do....And she's still out there today....searching.....for the man that gave up on living the good life."
"And this is supposed to make me feel better?"
"Yeah,....because you look smarter than the Man in Black."
I managed to get a smile out of him with that last statement. I figured that my work was done with him, so I left. Just when I got outside, however, he smashed into the pavement right in front of me.....face-first. He had apparently jumped off of his balcony. I couldn't understand why he did it, but I assumed it was because he didn't want anyone else to fall victim to the number. I found it silly and preposterous that such a big deal could be made over a number......Little did I notice that, as soon as he landed on the pavement, my watch read 2:22 PM.
".....YES! YES! I'M FREE! It's stopped mirroring my life! I never in my life met an Italian blonde obsessed with the number twenty-two! I'm finally free!"
I was dancing with joy as I tried to put together what had happened over the past few days. I finally came to the conclusion that it had all been a coincidence and that, when I though the book was pulling me in, I was just suffering from a form of stressful dillusion....Yep, I was pretty happy....So happy that I failed to recognize that the clock read 10:22 PM.....22:22 in military time.
End of Chapter 3!
Author's Other Note: I will point out that not everything that happens in this fanfic is what happened in the actual movie. I've had to change some parts. Oh well, keep reading and reviewing. And don't hesitate to send me a personal message!
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