//------------------------------// // Ch.6 - Autopilot // Story: The Other Side // by MagnoliaThourns //------------------------------// Over the next two weeks, you and I spend a lot more time with eachother. Every moment I have free I come over and practice whatever I can. Balancing, trust exercises, stretches, breathing exercises, martial arts, splashing into the pond, whatever I can manage. I slowly get better at everything except the actual faith walking. I fail every time, which makes it harder all over again because I know that I’m going to fail. And the bitter erosion of how real anything feels doesn’t help as much as I think it should. We grow closer and closer. It feels like we’ve started dating to me, and a knot in my stomach says I’ll have to bring it up with you at some point. But the pro/con list I made about it tells me it would be best to bring that up after the whole thing with the river reaches whatever conclusion we’re crawling towards. I also feel more and more scattered and impaired. Things are falling apart because I can’t ever clear my head of you and that damn river. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could just talk to my friends about it, but I feel like it’d be talking to them about voices in my head or some kind of phantom only I can see. They won’t get it, or they’ll think I’m crazy, or worst of all they’ll try to help. This is my fight. Our fight, not theirs. And even if they could help, what if the river got to them too? Dimly, I can tell they’re worried about me. And training half the night while sleepwalking the other half—even if it’s only from your hut—is taking it’s tole. When it started I would sleepwalk maybe a few times a week, but now it’s every day. And the circles under my eyes aren’t lost on them I’m sure as I make another excuse out of meaningless noises to mollify them into letting me take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. I can feel it. As we train today, I can feel it stirring. Something is coming, the breaking point, the hurricane, the other side of the river…. It would have me scared, but fear is a useless emotion to me now. I fall off the pole after an exemplary three minutes on one hoof, and you open your eyes to look at me. “You’re more stressed than usual Twilight. Do you feel alright?” “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know. I think it’s coming soon. Something is. And I feel like I’m not ready yet.” “Let’s go faith walking again. I want to try something new today.” We head out to the little pond, and you jump right down onto it like you do everyday. Then look back up at me. “Remember. Keep your head clear. Let the water be solid. Focus your energy and your intent into the bottom of your hooves. Make your body believe it will hold you, and the mana of the pond will make it so.” “Right.” I scowl down at it and I’m just about to jump in, when you pull up onto the little ledge and kiss me on the cheek. Then immediately slap my ass and I lurch out instinctively. My mind is blank as I fall. I can’t believe what happened just happened. I don’t know where my hooves are, where the pond is, I just know that I’m falling and that you kissed me. And just before I hit, my subconscious takes over and braces my legs like I’ve been training. My hooves slam awkwardly into something solid and I fall onto my face. See that it’s the water as I try to scramble up, but just as I get back onto all fours my focus breaks. I fall right in and get soaked horn to tail. But I don’t care, I have so many emotions buzzing around inside me, I just need to know— “Zecora!” I shout as I thrash the water and climb out. “I did it you kissed me I did it!” You’re laughing, and that beautiful noise is real enough for me. You hold out your forelegs for me to smash into you with a gross, wet hug. “You kissed me, on the cheek but still! Are we—” suddenly it hits me that maybe we’re not dating and you were just trying to surprise me. Maybe that’s all it was. “—are you…” “Twilight, I have something to ask you.” “Anything.” “Will you go out with me?” “Oh Celestia yes!” I don’t know if I should kiss you or what, I didn’t spend much time planning out this contingency because I thought I haven’t had the time, and you pull me down so our faces are side by side and we’re only hugging. I’ll kiss you eventually, and I’ll kiss you so much. Then you push me off and throw your hooves out at the pond, still rippling from the splashes. “And you did it, Twilight! You faith walked.” “I did. I did! It was only for a second, but, when you kissed me, I just froze up and went blank and I had it in the back of my mind what I was supposed to do and that it was a solid surface because you were just standing on it… I did it.” Something wild pulses around my eyes as I look at you but I don’t know what. I can feel it. Beating. Pounding. “I can make it across the river.” “Yes you can. Make sure you can hold out first, you wouldn’t want to fall in half way there.” “Oh, right yeah.” I start giggling. I have a marefriend. I haven’t had a romantic partner my entire life, but now I have you. I jump down onto the water and believe that it will be solid. But I splash right in. “What? But I already did it. I don’t know what I did wrong.” “Think hard Twilight. Were you focusing?” I blush. You know I was thinking about you. “No.” I try again. And again and again and manage to get it on the last jump because I’m so frustrated that I can finally stop thinking about the way your lips gently moved on my cheek. The water feels not like ice, but like a sheet of tilted plastic under my hooves, that I might slide off of even though it’s as level as anything can be. I tap on it, and then look back to you. “Why does it feel so—woah!” I fall in again. Climbing out, you put a foreleg over me and laugh. “Huhuhuh, it’s okay Twilight. Now that you’ve done it once it will get much easier. You fell in just now because you lost concentration.” “Right. It feels weird to stand on. Like if I’m not careful I’ll send a hoof through it. It’s brittle. And unbalanced.” “That will change as you develop better skill at it. To me, the ujasiri is as firm and level as the ground we stand on now.” “Hmm.” We’re done training for the day. I need to get back to Ponyville. But I want to stay here forever with you. I open my mouth to say something, but you speak first. “I’m going into the market today to buy some food. Would you like to come?” “I’d love that. What time?” “About three or so.” “Then it’s a date.” I smile so wide that I know I look stupid but you smile too. Scrunch your eyes up in happiness and nod. “I suppose it is.” I teleport into my room and look down the hall. Applejack is there for some reason, looking my way. She shouts, “I found her!” Uh oh. I haven’t even showered yet and I can hear the lot of ponies coming up. The thundering of hooves clatters down a surreal soundscape on me. Rainbow dash is into the hallway first, then the others file in, Starlight and Spike in the lead. “Hey guys,” I say, shakily, keeping the door half closed. “Twilight,” Spike says, “we need to talk to you.” “I’m actually kind of busy at the moment, maybe--” “You’ve been busy for weeks. And acting strange and even today you’re covered in mud!” “Oh, well,” I open the door all the way. “I guess so.” “Guess so?” Applejack says, “Twilight there’s something wrong an’ we want to know what. We’re worried about you.” Starlight says, “You disappear at random points in the day, and reappear at others, we’ve barely spent any time on my friendship studies, and when we are together you look like you’re about to pass out.” “We want to know what’s going on. Please?” Fluttershy said. “I, well, it’s a bit personal.” “Personal? Come on egghead,” Rainbow says, flying up to me and stretching out my forelegs. “It was personal until you started getting mysterious bruises all over. And missing our picnics and spa days. You’re almost never even late to those things.” “Well, I, uh.” It looks like I don’t have a way out. I sigh, and let my wings droop to the floor. “Alright, I’ll tell you. Will you let me shower first?” All of them nod. I walk down the hallway and feel their eyes on me as they follow behind. Starlight comes up as I open the bathroom door, and says softly, “Please Twilight. Trixie came over and I don’t think you even noticed.” “Trixie? Really? I… alright, I guess I have been stretching myself a bit thin. I’ll tell you after I shower okay? I promise.” “Be fast.” Rainbow says. I nod at her and close the door behind me. The walls feel frail. I need to think. I need to decide how to tell them that I’ve been going crazy and also falling in love with you for the past month or so. It’s going to be a hard talk. And it needs to be over by three because I need to meet you in the market. My eyes flick up to the clock on the wall while the water roaring down from the shower head heats up. It’s only seven twenty. This is going to be a long day.