//------------------------------// // 5. Always read the 'Read Me' files before starting your adventure. // Story: 2/1 Person - A new Perspective // by Feynna //------------------------------// During the night that day I went on a stroll through the park, worrying over what was coming ever closer and what already had happened in the last past days. Waking up in two bodies? Sure, it was weird but I got used to it by now. Even though it was still hard to do two things at once with both bodies, both of these things being different from each other. Reading two books at the same time? Hah, that was a dream come true, man. Meeting little Miss Impossible in the body of a hyperactive late teen? It still left my mind hurting every time I came across her and her antics. Physical law be damned if it ever touched that girl. Pinkie was the antithesis to everything the universe stood for. I was wondering if she was related to Deadpool. It would make sense in that strange way of her being a character in a comic or something like that. If only she stayed in the comic book in the first place. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a construct given form from a child’s wish for a friend that could do anything you asked them of. Working for Rarity was a relaxing way to get away from your worries for a time, I found myself admitting. Wearing girl’s clothes with my female half wasn’t as bad as I originally feared and was in a strange way even alluring.  No, I don’t get turned on by that, pervert. The few times I met Rainbow Dash had been fun too if exhausting in the physical kind of way. Playing soccer for hours really took it out of you. I was a bit put off by her overly boasting personality, but at least she had a way to back up the claims she made. Seeing her fly as fast as a jet cleared away any doubts that would pop up in your mind. How she didn’t get ripped apart by the pressure invoked by that speed was anyone’s guess. It probably had something to do with the Pegasus-blessing. No wonder they were a feared empire in the ancient days. I had yet to see an example of the epitome of the people blessed with the Terra-blessing. Oh, and I found out Lux had a Unicorn-blessing this day, after awakening from a nightmare I didn’t quite remember anymore. Sol, on the other hand, had a Pegasus-blessing. Yay for me, I guess. The only problem is that I now need to learn the things you typically learn in kindergarten in this world and not arouse suspicion in the progress. A feeling told me it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. And I went into the dreaded gingerbread house any kid on Earth would be warned against to ever enter if they got told the story by the Grimm Brothers. It was a sugary nightmare, but I survived with my sanity intact. I think. The first impression of this world you would get, with the colorful hair colors and cute houses and so on was of a rainbow and sunshine world. The second you would get of it, was a bit different but not that much worse, seeing that such a world had its rainy days. But the reality was, it’s just like any other with their own type of strife. You would think almost a thousand years of peace would have shown an absence of crime. The look and feel of this country was only the cover of a very thick book, though.  Thinking like a starstruck teenager only led to disappointment later in life, and I was sure there were people that only saw the good side of this country. The truth, however, wasn’t always the obvious kind. There was so much you didn’t see if you had no idea what it was like to grow up with a world experienced in warfare. The subtle nuances were lost on most of the citizens of this world, either because of ignorance or because they chose not to look too deep into the finer details of the picture they were standing in front of. Crime was still a thing in Equestria, wars were still a thing in this world, however rare they were. The ones that happened, though, were all the more brutal for it. I won’t get into the ones I had read about in the library, but suffice to say, they made Hitler look like a toddler playing grown-up. The evils of this world were of the darkest and most vilest kind one could imagine, and then putting another suitcase full of evil on top of it. Necromancer like the one I saw in the mural in the castle? Yeah, not something to take lightly. Weird monsters that could eat you in one bite? A common thing in the wilder parts of the world, steeped with chaos magic. In the short time that I was on this planet, I had the most disturbing nightmares of my entire life and they wouldn’t be the last. So, one would have to imagine what it meant to be a Chosen One in this kind of world. My reluctance to play my part was only natural in that regard. Not only because I didn’t want to be in the fabled hero shmero kind of fairy tale of a little teenager with a hero complex, but because it would certainly end with me having to die at some point a tragic death and possibly failing the world in doing so. If the fate of the world rested on your shoulders, would you want this responsibility? Even though I would’ve to play my part in some way, I at least wanted to decide in what way I went about it. I didn’t want the fame, because all it would lead to were false friends and backstabbing at the worst kind of times. Sure, I wanted the money, but only because I was the greedy type that would buy fantasy books en masse, but I could do without just as well. I wasn’t a good person by any means. I had my bad days. I had my good days, and I had my meh days. By the end of the day, I just wanted to be me and work with my favorite thing in the world. Books. They were your silent friend, not judging you for who you were or what motivations you had. All they were doing by the end of the day is telling you a story or teach you a thing or two, and you had the choice of what to make of it. I’m pretty sure you’re tired of me repeating myself, but I needed to make sure you know where I was coming from with this. Don’t be the stupid person and play the hero. That was what it basically came down to, and anyone telling you otherwise had a death wish. There was no such thing as waking up and knowing how to save the world by swinging around an oversized key, as much as you wanted to. A hero like that just didn’t exist and never would. You couldn’t pull skills out of your behind just because you wanted to, and no amount of begging your local deity would help you with that. Any deity granting that type of wish would be irresponsible. Sure, there were people that were born great (to most other peoples dismay) and people that were made great. But that shouldn’t be how you viewed the world around yourself. I’m sounding like a pessimist, man. When did this become my life? Somber mood in tow, I went back to the tree that was a house. Some sleep was in order and hopefully without nightmares. I could do without, thank you very much. With that I meant you, damn deity of dreams! Or whoever governed the realm of sleep on this part of the universe. Insomnia wasn’t on my list for Father Christmas, so some rest was all I wanted.  I kinda wanted to tell Pinkie Pie of the fat man in a red jumper, just to see her reaction. That idea would somehow lead to disaster, I just knew it. So no, I wouldn’t ever tell her of the man breaking and entering in a totally legal way, because children. And lots of presents, I guess. Commercial advertising fat man riding a sled through the air by magic reindeer brainwashing the youth of Earth aside, my dreams that night were troubled as always. Well, mostly always. Two days were all I had before seeing Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of the Sun at the Summer Sun Celebration and with my doubts, I was plagued the whole night of images of getting dragged away from the town to fulfill some destiny set out for the Chosen One that I got chosen to be by the choosing weapons of Chosen Ones.  Yeah, I didn’t think it was funny, either. Don’t look at me like that, that description just begged to be made, even if it is cringeworthy. No, I won’t apologize for that, deal with it. Like all nightmares that night, I ended up fighting some obscure threat one would find in the average ‘End of all Days!’ fiction. Mainly zombies, because fuck why not. I’m not a fan of the ‘Build a friggin’ bunker’ movement that people had taken a liking to, for the purpose of some weird dystopian zombie survival fantasy of theirs that would never ever come true. Mostly because it was just stupid to think something like that would be happening because of nuclear fallout and the like. You didn’t see zombies running around after Hiroshima or Chernobyl. I mean, even if that for some unlikely reason happened, you sure as heck wouldn’t end up being one of the one percent surviving that crap either way. But with necromancers being real, the fear of zombies and all kinds of undead was put back into me, so I concede to that point.      Doesn’t mean it wasn’t stupid, though. My fear wasn’t of ending up as one of the mindless hordes of undead, but more of the kind that knew what happened with oneself after being turned and having to feed on the flesh of the living. Like, I don’t know... Vampires and the like.  Not the glittery kind, fuck that shit. What I meant with vampires was more of the haze you would have to endure as you starved yourself because you protested your very nature of undeath. Vampirism was portrayed as a curse for a very good reason. And the worst part, I knew vampires were a thing that existed here, thanks to Rainbow Dash and her stories. The universe couldn’t hate me that much that I would end up as a vampire, right? More and more of these scenarios flitted through my head, and I was relieved when I found myself once more in the embrace of Horse God that night. Although, I was sad that I’d probably not get to remember her come morning. She patted my head like usual, not favoring one body over the other. Nice as it was, the time I had with her was short, but all the sweeter.     So, as day made itself known in the usual annoying way of shining brightly through your windows in the perfect angle to hit your eyelids, I got up out of bed and noticed at least some good thing that morning.     My cold was manageable on Sol, feeling only slightly bothersome now. It would still take a day or two before I was healthy again, but at least it didn’t feel like I was dying any day from being sick anymore. The medicine of these people was way more advanced than the one found on Earth. The doctor checked up on me as usual just before the early meal of the day. He told me that, if everything went well, I would be out the next day. Two at most, like I thought would have been the case. Glad they worked their medicine like wonder pills, I was left in a happier mood. Lux, in the meantime, was on her to the town hall to get that issue about payment out of the way. The workers would be at the library in about an hour from now, to wrap up their work. All in all, I was happy that time wasn’t an issue with that anymore. Would’ve hated the library to still be a construction site as that Twilight Sparkle character arrived the next day. Oh, gosh. She would be here the next day, hopefully, we would get along. Fighting over each other for the library was the last thing I would want. The receptionist saw me enter and told me to wait again, the mayor being in a conference about something concerning one Filthy Rich. Must be an awkward name to have, that guy. Seeing that I couldn’t wait around hours here, I told the receptionist I would be back later in that case and made my way back out onto the streets. Greeting the people on my way like usual with a small wave, I instead found myself back at the café.  Breakfast was a good distraction, I guessed. So, I sat down at one of the tables and ordered myself some sandwiches and a small salad with a summer tea. The food was pretty great here, it being rich in flavor with the right amount of spices to round things out. The tea was terrific as always, so no complaints there. It was a great way to pass time, watching the people walk by on the cobblestone street, that I almost missed the point where I would have to leave to get back in time. Paying the server, also giving a tip for the great work, I left to get on my way. Hurrying, I made it right as the crew got around the corner the next street over. Greeting them with a smile, I opened up the library with the key and let them in to finish their work. They had made quite a headway on the cables the last day, that only the apartment upstairs was left to wrap up and be done with the renovations.  These people worked hard and fast, quite a commendable feat.  They were okay being left to their own devices, so I got back out and on the way to the town hall again. The meeting wouldn’t probably be over by now, but I could wait for the rest of the time if it came down to it. In the end, it did come down to that. Three hours I sat on an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room. It took longer than the receptionist anticipated, much to my chagrin. But it wasn’t her fault for that, so I wasn’t mad. More mad at myself for having this much patience, to begin with, but I digress. The mayor welcomed me back into her office, a steaming cup of coffee next to her as I sat down at the chair I sat in before. At least this one wasn’t a pain on the behind. “So, to what do I owe this pleasure of your visit?” Mayor Madam asked me with a raised eyebrow. I was probably the second most person she saw within this week. “Hopefully nothing bad concerning the library, I take it?” “No, nothing like that. I was more concerned about payment, and seeing that we haven’t made an agreement on that yet, I came to rectify that as soon as possible,” I told her with a red face, not entirely comfortable with the idea of talking money. I didn’t want to appear as greedy, after all. Even if I might be just that, at times.  No one’s perfect. “Ah, yes,” the mayor frowned. I bit my lip, not wanting to come off as rude, so I bit back my begging urge to plead with a puppy dog eye look for the moneyz.  “Seeing that you will be co-working with Princess Celestia’s pupil, she left me with the instruction to leave the finances to her in that regard and gave you access to a bank account for daily necessities,” she said. Oh, gosh, thanks for that. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about that, then. Although, it didn’t sit well with me that the Princess apparently had taken an interest in me. And I haven’t even met her in person yet. With a little bit of luck I could stay out of her way for the Summer Sun Celebration. Okay, who am I kidding? Luck hated me, I wouldn’t get out of meeting Her Royal Royalness that easily. Don’t panic just yet, though. The future wasn’t written in stone, there is always the off chance I could stay behind the scenes like I wanted to. However small that chance is. I might have to stay out of the major areas of the town on that day, then. Including the library, I guess. Maybe a sleepover by Rarity’s would be nice, no idea what I would do with Sol in that case, though. Stay in the hospital for as long as possible, then? That would work if they hadn’t that good of a medical practice here. Okay, no biggie. I would find a solution. Somehow. “Thanks for the news then. How would I go about accessing that account?” I asked, getting back out of my mental ramblings.  “Princess Celestia told me her pupil would know, so you have to be patient until tomorrow. Is that all, then?” the mayor explained. Nodding my head, I told my goodbyes and left out the door. The money I get from Rarity should be enough until then, and if I needed more, I always could do more work for her. Going through the market, the sporty girl with the rainbow hair landed next to me as I got in line for a few fruits for a snack. Rainbow grinned at me, knowing something I apparently did not right now. “What’s up?” she asked me, her glee poorly masked on her face. I narrowed my eyes on her, getting suspicious. “The sun,” I deadpanned. “Wow, bad mood, huh?” Rainbow pointed out, mistaking my suspicion for that. Not that I blame her, I could be scary sometimes. I remember I once spooked the professor at university over something I don’t quite remember anymore. Something about a chicken, I think. And tar. And an overabundance of hate for that professor. I’m petty, so what? The line to the stand thinned out and I got my turn in no time. Unknown to me, Rainbow made a gesture about a handshake to the blond girl behind the counter, while I made my order for two of the red orange-tinted apples. “Howdy there, partner!” she greeted me with a country accent one would expect on a ranch. It certainly fitted her well and made her instantly likable to me. A cousin I don’t remember the name of spoke just like her. At least some memories of my family came back to me in the end. “Hello to you, too. Could I have some of these?” I asked, pointing to the desired apples. She grinned and scooped them up into a small bag and I paid the bits. Now, let me tell you something that friendly people are notorious to do at some point or another, depending on when you talk to them and what you’re doing with your hands at the time. They all give you a handshake, and depending on how strong they are, they overdo them quite happily. Or if they are spurred on by a prankster standing behind you, I guess. Because fuck that hurt! The laugh coming from Rainbow behind me told me she was the reason the girl at the stand decided to give me that friendly shake and left me crying out in pain. “Now there, don’t let me keep ya. Come by anytime, yah hear?” she told me with a smile. Hesitantly nodding my head in consent, I left with Rainbow in tow. Said girl wiped her tears away, heaving her strained lungs for air from all the laughing. Smiling, I shook my head, promising to get my revenge on her when she least expected it. “Oh man, that was hilarious! Applejack always does that to newcomers, I should have introduced you earlier for that,” she said, her scratchy voice laden in mirth. I tossed her one of the apples and bit into mine. “I take it she overdid it because of you?” I asked her between bites. These apples were perfectly juicy without being too sweet or sour on your tongue. You would see this kind of quality in gourmet restaurants on Earth, so good were they. “Yeah, but don’t take it out on her. She’s awesome, and has the biggest family in Equestria,” Rainbow told me, also giving me the impression that that was a warning I should take to heart and not cross her family in the wrong way. She wasn’t with the mafia, right? I’m not sure if there was such a thing here in this world, but I wasn’t keen to find out. Better leave it as a mystery for now, then. Lest I find myself in a situation that’s better left unmentioned. “Well then, you know where to find me, I need to get back to the library,” I said goodbye to her, walking through the busy streets back to the massive tree.  Waving to people along the way, I greeted Rarity with a hearty hello as she passed me by. She returned my smile and told me to meet her tomorrow before eight to get started decorating the town hall. Someone I also came across, was Pinkie Pie. The giddy girl was bouncing way too high for it to be possible by normal human physique, but I started to ignore her impossibility by now. Doesn’t mean my eyelids didn’t start to twitch, though. She blabbered on about how excited I must be for her party, so I continued my best to get away from her as soon as possible. There is a thing called ‘too much Pinkie Pie in one day’ if you asked me. Back at the library, I was pleased to see that the workers were packing up their stuff and that they had cleaned up the mess they made while working here. Reliability on that level wasn’t seen everywhere, if I ever needed their services again, I would know where to look. And with that, I now had nice hot warm water and all the conveniences of a somewhat modern household. Directly after they left, I gleefully took a long shower for the first time since waking up here. It was glorious! In the hospital, Sol was getting another check-up by the doctor and I found out they had test results for allergies done while we were out cold. Boy, was I glad I hadn’t eaten these apples on Sol, man.  Had I done so, I would be back in the hospital by now. Lux on the other hand couldn’t eat nuts, so I have to be careful on that front. Glad I didn’t decide to scavenge for food in that forest, I would’ve most definitely gone for these if I found them there. While the doctor told me more of the results of the blood tests they had done, I decided to read some novels on Lux. Not that the information wasn’t appreciated, but I understood little of what the doctor droned on about. I wasn’t a medical student after all. Sure, basic stuff I understood, but that was as far as my knowledge went. During the day, I went through multiple books ranging from the popular sci-fi of this world (imagine the stuff from our world and mix in a bit of magic spells), your typical fantasy stories (yeah, imagine it, a fantasy world with their own fantasy ideas), and the one or other adventure story (Daring Do, The Adventure Guy, Raiding Tomb and so forth being the more popular series amongst them). All of them were written splendidly, it was hard to put them away come evening, but my rumbling stomach demanded food. Sadness was quickly forgotten as I found myself at a restaurant I vaguely remember Pinkie Pie showing me during her tour. Getting a seat wasn’t hard, it wasn’t that late yet, but picking out a dish from the menu was. So many choices. In the end, I went with a pasta dish with a spinach sauce and a bit of cheese rubbed on top of it. Believe it or not, it was my favorite dish. The waitress took my order and came back later with a glass of what was called Colta Cola here while I waited for my food. The drink tasted like any soda you would know, also having the effect on you wanting more of it. That was sugar for you, I guess. They actually had charms on the glasses to keep your drink cool, instead of using ice cubes that would water down the drink itself if left standing long enough. The wonders of magic never ceased to amaze me. A few minutes of waiting rewarded me with the delicious smelling food and I began to dig in in my refined way of eating fast but not messy. It was a skill, believe me.  It was filling and just the right amount for one person, worth every bit it cost me. Other patrons around me seemed to have a great time here too, so it seemed. Every dish I saw looked better than the next, making me want to come back another day for sure. What I noticed, though, were the dishes with meat were sparingly used. This society, I saw, was more mindful of what they ate and how often they consumed something like the flesh of animals. I chalked it up to their deity being a horse. And the demigods setting a good example, seeing that Princess Celestia was older than a shriveled husk in a tomb. Waving a waiter over, I asked for the bill and paid up, giving a tip for the friendly woman having served me today, and left out into the darkening streets from the setting sun. Tomorrow was a big day, and everything depended on how this Twilight Sparkle would receive me. Here’s to hoping she isn’t an arrogant know-it-all. Stumbling up the stairs to the apartment in the library tree, my gaze landed on my red bag at the end of the bed. There was one thing left I could do this day. It was time to see what I could find out with the device I almost had forgotten. The technology was above and beyond what was possible on Equis at this time, it would do well to keep this a secret. The smartphone from Earth found itself back on the power grid, charging up. The generic jingle any phone made while booting up played and the logo displayed itself in the middle of the screen. Let’s see what we’ve got here, then. The home screen popped up a bit after a few minutes, the battery has reached the minimum charge to work without triggering the automatic shutdown. A picture of the winged unicorn horse from the mural was floating serenely in deep space. Swiping my finger across the screen, I found that it had no pin security yet. Would’ve to set that up as soon as I could, then. The connection to the internet was obviously absent, but there was an option to hack into any network I would come across. I’m not sure if I would ever need that, so I just made a mental note of it. There were of course the usual apps you would find on any modern phone, with a high-quality camera, calculator, measuring tools and compass, and so forth. What interested me more, was the ‘Read Me’ file sitting there at the end of the apps. Tapping on it, the document reader opened up, loading for a moment before showing me the content of the file. “Number One,” I read out loud, “make sure this technology never falls into the wrong hands. I’m sure you will do just fine, my champion.” I quirked an eyebrow at that. That felt kinda familiar to me, that wording. A few images flitted around my consciousness of a dream mostly forgotten. I’m positive now how I exactly ended up here on this planet, at least. “Number Two, make sure to discover and train yourself in the blessings I bestowed upon you and make good use of them.” Okay, not like I planned that from the beginning anyway. “Number Three, find the weapons of Sun- and Moonlight if you haven’t already. I’m not sure if these things were charged up as you found them. If not, I’m sorry for that, my champion,” I read on, making me groan in the process. I wouldn’t have gotten out of this even if I wanted to. Well, if Miss ‘I need a champion for whatever reason’ wanted me to have these, I couldn’t object to it, could I? “Number Four, tell Celestia and Luna I’m sorry, should you meet them at some point, they will understand what I mean,” I scoffed. Yeah, well they could wait for their apology until I got mine from them for the crap Starswirl did. I shouldn’t harbor resentment for that, but it felt like someone at least owed me that. “Number Five, I’m not sure how much memory you took with you upon transfer to this world, but I’m sorry for any inconvenience. Maybe you will remember the reason for your appearance here at some point, but until then, know that I’m sorry for what happened to you,” my voice got fainter as I read further, making me wonder what exactly happened as I entered my fucking room on my last day on Earth. Something bad then, that is all I could tell from that. “Number Six, when the time comes, I trust you will do what you must. I hope you meet my expectations,” I spoke faintly. Not foreboding at all, huh? We’ll have to see, lady. I won’t become a monster for the sake of bringing down a monster if that is what you mean. “Number Seven, do help the Elements on their trials, won’t you?” That was vague as fuck, man. What elements did she mean by that? I can’t see into the future, ma’am! Help me out here, will you? “Number Eight, you have half a year to prepare after the Summer Sun Celebration. If you’re not there when you’re needed, everything will be lost, my champion.”  Sighing, I stared at that warning. Half a year? How the friggin’ bananas did she expect me to get ready in that short amount of time? Talk about trial by fire, man. “Number Nine, on this device are three uses to turn back time by a month, use them only in dire circumstances. When you do, prepare yourself the best you can, for you can not go back before you used them, and if you run out of the charges you can’t get them back. It was a fickle thing creating this particular boon, don’t squander it,” the being behind this warned me. My eyes widened as I read that. That... that was like a cheat code for reality. Did she really trust me enough to give this to me? What did I do to deserve such an honor? Turning back time could cause so many problems, though. Better leave them for the emergencies that would turn out to be the end of the world, then. “Number Ten, there is a tome of spells on this device with runic circles, use them to set up spells only you will have access to while not having to carry a heavy book with you. I trust you will learn how to draw them with your mana in time.” Well, that was neat. I would have made pictures of them otherwise with the camera, but this worked out just fine. Smartphones were a godsend in that regard. “Lastly, Number Eleven,” I read on, “do not follow the rabbit.” Following that statement was a smiley face. The last one was most likely there to make me smile, but somehow I got the impression she meant that. Luckily, I never trusted rabbits, to begin with. Putting the phone on the nightstand, I got ready for bed. Just before sleep claimed me, I realized I never went to the hospital to visit Sol to keep up appearance. With a shrug, I thought it would be unimportant to dwell on that. That was easily explainable to chalk up on me being too busy, and it wasn’t like I could pretend I was there when no one noticed anyway. This night, my dreams were actually peaceful, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of eyes staring at me from behind the whole time. Whatever it was, I hoped it would leave me alone for the remainder of the night. The next morning came with the usual wake up call from the sun shining directly on my eyelids. Groaning, I got ready for a long day and night. Whoever put up that tradition of staying up all night for the dawn of the next day should get thrown into hell. I don’t care if it was Celestia herself, that is just unhealthy. Are little kids expected to stay up, too? If so, that is barbaric. After a nice and fast hot shower, I made my way out into the early fresh morning air on the streets of Ponyville. A few people were already outside, going about hanging stuff up on lanterns and roofs. Everything looked very festive already, rivaling the festivals found in Germany with their spirit. Germany has all kinds of festivities for every reason one could think of, it all depended on where you were at the time. This reminded me just like these times, people all full of cheer chatting and trading even before the main celebration started. Seriously, the Germans have a festival for chocolate, bread, tea, and so on. Everyone always thought of Oktoberfest all the time when thinking about them, that you forgot they had more than that. Rarity was already there at the townhall, greeting me with a wave as I went nearer. Returning her greeting, we both got let in by the mayor as she unlocked the doors. There were already some boxes to the side full of their own decorations. “Let’s get to work then, shall we?” Rarity asked me with a smile. I nodded and took one of the ladders we got provided with. A few flags on a chain went up going from one wall to the other, some ribbons went around the columns and flowers intertwined with chains of light went up and down along the walls.  It certainly looked nice. “That is a check for decorations then. Let’s get to the next location, Spike,” a voice trailed from behind me. Turning, I saw a girl a bit older than me with deep purple hair, bordering on midnight blue, two stripes running through it. One violet, the other pink. Her eyes were a vibrant purple, twinkling in the light coming through the windows. Let me guess, one Twilight Sparkle. “Beautiful,” the young green-haired boy at her side said, staring at a working Rarity. Instantly I saw he was smitten with her, and my jealous side started to fight for control of my face. I’m sad to say, I almost snapped at him in my emotional state. Breathing a deep breath, the raging feelings in me cooled down to a manageable level. And I was surprised he looked at me in the same way after that. Oh god, what the actual fuck, man. That... that, just... just, no! No! Oh friggin’ bananas, no! By all that is holy, stop looking at me like that, snake-boy!  Snake-boy was looking at us with his slitted green eyes and I could just about make out some horns starting to become visible at his hairline. And he had a friggin’ spiked tail, man. That must be the human transformation magic of the dragons. That meant he was a dragon whelpling, then? Must be very young if he has no fully developed horns in his human form. And judging by the way he acted, he wasn’t the brutal kind of dragon that would eat meat instead of gems. I never expected to see a transformed dragon in all my life upon coming here, but now I have. As long as he would keep his greedy mitts to himself, I hoped we could at least get along. He seemed like he was the little brother of Twilight, it would be bad if we hated each other. If he’s the pervy type, he will get a fist to the face, though. “Yes, yes, the decorations are beautiful. Now, come along, Spike! We haven’t got all day, we need to prepare!” Twilight insisted, at least I think she is actually Twilight. Could be a random person, for all I know. “Not the decorations, them!” Spike told her, pointing to us. Rarity was still in her little world, while I gave him the narrowed eyes, not liking how he was talking about us one bit. Here I hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with men swooning over me.  “Spike!” her voice cut through the room, making Rarity finally look up at them. The boy sheepishly rubbed his head where he got slapped for his manners. “Oh, hello, dears!” Rarity said, going over. I sighed and sat myself down on the ladder. This would get annoying now, I just knew it. “Can we help you?” “No, no. We’re just checking on the preparations, don’t mind us,” the woman said to us, trying to shoo her warden back out the door. He was like a lovesick puppy, standing stock still in awe as Rarity went over to them. “Oh?” Rarity asked in what I think was intrigue. One thing I learned about her, she was always fishing for the latest gossip. A quirk she needed to satisfy almost always instantly. “Yes, we’re here from Canterlot, checking up on the behalf of Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia,” Twilight answered, trying to get the boy to move. The second thing I learned about Rarity, whatever you do, do not, and I repeat myself, do not ever mention the capital or high society in her vicinity. She would go off like a little schoolgirl. “Canterlot?! You’re from Canterlot?” she squealed in a high pitch. I was lucky enough to have covered my ears beforehand, or I would have a tinnitus right now. I was left here alone, as she dragged the two away on a quest to fix the muddled attire up that the woman came in with, leaving me to finish the work here on my own. Looking at the boxes still full of stuff to hang up, I gulped. This wouldn’t be fun. When you are able to do multitasking, what would you do in such a situation? Well, I had one over you. I could just focus on my other body while I set Lux up to continue working in a mindless haze. Have you ever done something like that? Work while not focusing on what you were doing? It was the perfect way for me to get Sol out of the hospital in that case. Sure, he was still a bit under the weather, but nowhere near reason enough for the hospital staff to tell me to stay in bed. While Lux was working mindlessly on her task, requiring no input for me to keep going, I checked out at the reception with Sol. It was still a hard thing to maintain, but the fact that I could solely focus on my male half made it easier. Imagine your brain being a big processor, tell it to do something and it will. Okay, maybe not in the literal sense, but it was the best analogy I had. Now, I had two of these suckers, I could tell my other brain to do what I wanted it to do. Neat, but exhausting for my mental state. It is a bit of a workaround for the multitasking problem I have. Although, I would have to be careful on that front if someone were to speak to her. It wouldn’t do to let someone speak to me and only receive a salivating idiot as a conversation partner. Aside from that, I should go to Rarity for new clothes, if I wouldn’t bother her with my problems too much.  Opening the door carefully, I peeked into the foyer. She was currently strangling the poor woman with a corset around her waist. I knocked at the doorframe, smirking slightly in schadenfreude. “Am I interrupting, my dear?” I asked in a posh voice, trying to hold off the snickers. Both of them turned their heads in my direction, Twilights going beet red in embarrassment, while Rarity gave me a smile. Spike was sitting on a stool at the wall, watching fascinated as the tall woman worked on his caretaker. “Oh, Sol, dear!” she greeted me happily. “I didn’t know you were out of the hospital.” “Just got out a few minutes ago. Lux told me I could come by for some clothes?” I told her, lying a bit about the Lux part, seeing that I never went to visit myself. No one needed to know that, though. “Oh, yes. Come in, come in!” Rarity insisted, nudging me with her magic. Closing the door behind me, I joined her at the pedestal. “Guten Tag, verehrte Frau,” I greeted, holding my hand out to the abused girl standing in front of us. Twilight hesitantly reached her own handout, taking mine. I smiled in a suave way and placed a kiss on the back of her hand. Okay, I couldn’t hold it no more. Seeing her embarrassment, I burst out laughing. This was just too stupid for me to uphold all the time. I’m no gentleman, not by a long shot, but I could certainly act like that for a time. As long as I could hold my glee back. “Oh, gosh...” I wheezed, wiping a tear away. “The look on your face after that, oh man...” Rarity gave me a slap on my arm in good-natured mirth, shaking her head at my antics. “Ignore him, dear. He and his sister are a bit notorious to joke around,” she told Twilight, who nodded meekly. “Not as bad as Pinkie and Rainbow though.” The last part was muttered so low, I almost didn’t hear it. So, they were pranksters, then? I’m not the type to use fancy props to get at people, I mostly let my behavior do the trick. Not that I go actively around playing jokes on people, mind you. “I’m Sol, by the way,” I told Twilight, giving an apologetic smile for what I did. I’m not an ass, okay. May come off as that, but I’m not doing that on purpose. Most of the time. “Have you seen my sister? Red hair, green eyes?” I have to stick up to my cover story, after all. I’m obliged to ask about my other half, even if it may make me look insane to myself. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left Lux on her own, dear,” Rarity answered me before Twilight could get her mouth open. “I’m sure she’s fine on her own in the townhall.” Yeah, she was. If a bit sloppy, though. Drawbacks from using my other body as a puppet. She worked fine as it is, maybe look after the decorations one last time when she is done and everything would be fine. “So, who are you, then?” I asked the woman I was ninety-nine percent sure was Twilight Sparkle. “I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she introduced herself. I told you so, by the way. “That is my number one assistant, Spike. We’re here from...” She wheezed as Rarity pulled at the corset again, “...Canterlot! To look over the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. We’re staying at the... library! Could you please stop?!” “You’re the personal student of Celestia, then?” I asked, getting a disapproving look from her for omitting the title of her mentor. Not like I cared about that.  “Yes, I’m the personal student of Princess Celestia,” she answered, deliberately pronouncing the title in a way and tone you would see someone use to speak with to a little child botching up their spelling. Jeeze, loosen up, girl! “We will be seeing each other a lot then, I’m working there with my sister,” I told her, a slight grin overtaking my lips. Gosh, and here I wanted to make a good impression. What’s up with myself and riling up this woman? “I take it you know your way around a library, then,” she told me matter-of-factly. “Oh, I do,” my response was underlined with a smirk. She would learn of the majesty of the Dewey Decimal System in no time. I’m not sure if that system was already invented here, but judging by the library of Ponyville, there was a good chance it was not. Something similar might be a thing here, though. “So, what say you, Rarity? Have you tortured the poor woman enough, so she can get back to work?” I turned to the lady standing beside me. Said woman just scoffed in a ladylike manner. “I do not torture, mister,” Rarity protested. “Right, ‘artfully inflict pain’, then,” I corrected myself. She gave me a slap to the arm for that, but it was so worth it. “Thanks, I guess I’ll see you later at the library, then,” Twilight told me, tossing the corset onto a chair. Within a few moments both Spike and her were gone, leading to the situation of me being used for a pincushion. Revenge on the seamstress part, I take it. I deserved it, I’m sure. Rarity took my measurements, commenting on my talent mark again, and told me to sit down on the chair while she worked on my old clothes and new wardrobe. Even though I sat there only in my boxers, she continued to work professionally while my face learned how red it could become. Watching her work, it was like being in the front row seat of a magic show, everything floated around her in perfect harmony. Nothing got in the way in the whirlwind of objects orbiting around us, new attire taking form within minutes, while my old outfit got a long overdue, as good as new, repair. For the new wardrobe, she went with the black casual suit style that, frankly, made me look badass. A few short pants joined the mix, perfect for the summer heat, many T-shirts for both Sol and Lux, and even a jazz hat was amongst the stuff.  Fitting the fabric to my form with pins, I noticed that she took her frustration out on me with the needles because of my earlier bantering. Not complaining, I took it in stride like the half-man I am now. Although, I took note of how both my bodies reacted to the pain, even if I tried to suppress the reaction on Lux. Once everything was in place and fit perfectly, she told me to take them off for her to adjust them to be more fitting. Wearing clothing specifically fitted to you gave off a better impression of oneself than the mass-produced stuff sold nowadays in shops on Earth. As payment I got roped to do modeling on Sol for her, but I didn’t mind much. Rarity obviously was in shortage of living mannequins, I didn’t want to deny her my services after helping me so much. The finished clothing was put into bags, and it was a lot to carry, I tell you. We both got on our way back to the town hall where Lux was putting the finishing touches on the decoration. I tried to control both of my bodies simultaneously again, my practice coming to fruition slowly but surely. I didn’t stumble around if that is what you’re asking. Still, my focus was more on Sol at the moment, movement with Lux seemed a bit jerky at times. Concentration was key, and I slowly got the hang on doing small and different things from each other with both my bodies. “Are you there for the party Pinkie will throw tonight?” I asked Rarity at my side as we came into sight of the town hall.  “But of course, darling!” she answered me. Missing a Pinkie Party was something one wouldn’t want to do, then. Pretty sure it was because of what the pink-haired girl would do to you if you did, not because of the party itself. Well, I haven’t been to one yet, I can’t say anything for myself at this point. Let’s just hope I survive this one. Entering the building, I already saw I missed a few things. Well, no one can be perfect, not even Lux-bot. We worked together for the remainder of the day on making everything look good for the following morning.  At the end of the day, the mayor came by and looked over our work with an appreciative nod and smile. At least it was to her liking, or we could’ve spent the night working instead of getting dragged to a party. I don’t know which one was preferable to me. Pinkie Pie appeared sometime after the mayor left to go do whatever she did if no one was talking to her. And with her appearance, she took ahold of us, only to deposit ourselves a moment later. Only, now it was dark, as in ‘where the fuck are my hands’ dark and told us to stay quiet and yell ‘Surprise!’ once the light got back on. I’m pretty sure I should be one of the persons getting surprised, seeing that the party was partially for me. Although, I was pretty spooked out by the scenery change alone. Did you ever find yourself from one moment to the next in a completely different environment? Now I experienced this the second time in my life, not counting the tour Pinkie took me on. So, we waited... and waited. And waited a bit more, until waiting got bored and I started talking with Rarity about some of her fabrics. One of her most expansive silk was that of a star spider, whatever that was supposed to be. It was an interesting fact, for sure. Not so sure if I wanted to know the exorbitant amount of money it cost on the market. Picture a diamond as big as your hand. Calculate the value while having in mind that it was of the highest quality you could imagine, then add another one of them on top of it. Rarity was rich, I tell you. And she found the friggin’ spider she got it from, having cost her not even one penny to get. That I call luck. After a few minutes, Pinkie shushed everyone, and we waited with bated breath. The door opened, Twilight Sparkle entered with a light pink-haired woman and Spike. Then she actually pushed the other girl out, slamming the door shut like a jerk. What would that poor woman think of you?! You can’t mistreat people like that, it ain’t polite. Well, that is until Pinkie pulled her out from somewhere next to us while flipping the light switch. “Surprise!” she shouted in glee, everyone else following her example a moment later. The terrorized scream coming from Celestia’s protégé was karmic retribution enough, I guess. What an introverted person she was. No wonder Celestia asked me to make sure she got out more. “What are you doing here?!” she asked indignantly. “She got my permission to host the party here,” I answered on behalf of Pinkie, not wanting to get the eldritch abomination in trouble for something Celestia most likely ordered to take place here instead. How else would she ensure her student would take her mind off of work for the night of obligated partying. Yeah, that is a thing now. “Ugh!” she screamed and stomped off, making the pink party girl sad immediately. “Don’t worry Pinks, the party is great. Some people just can’t take too much awesome,” Rainbow told her. That was enough to push that smile back onto her face. During the party going on all night, Pinkie Pie introduced me to many of the townfolk I came across during the week I was out and about. Some were delighted to meet me, for various reasons, others were merely indifferent towards either of myself. Rainbow challenged me to an arm-wrestling match and introduced me to her long-time friend, Fluttershy. You know, the one living at the edge of the monstrous forest and the same girl Twilight so rudely shut out earlier. I took a liking to her and told her how much I respected her for living that near the forest, while she told me her talent was taking care of all kinds of animals, be it tame or feral. That was some serious major skill to have if even monsters would let themselves be petted by her. She wasn’t stupid to live there, after all. I stand corrected and I apologize to Horse God for mistakingly labeling her. She had guts, man. And she wrestled bears for a living, so props to that. At some point Spike went up to the bedroom Twilight had claimed for herself. We decidedly decided on our decision to ignore the loud ‘Crazy!’ from up above and continued on playing our little party games and such throughout the night. Most of us were nursing a caffeinated drink by the time everyone got ready to head out for the town hall. I stuck close to Rarity and the rest of the girls I took to calling friends during my stay here. Rarity actually had the honor to draw back the curtain for Princess Celestia.  But when the time came for the reveal, after the announcement of Mayor Madam, no one was on the other side. So, what did the people do with a missing ruler of the land? Right, totally not panic like headless chickens.  Pinkie was idiotically trying to play it off as a hide and seek game, annoying most of the people around her. It served its purpose, though. The citizens were less panicky than before, but one person still stood out to me in the mass. One Twilight Sparkle, nibbling worriedly on her fingernails.  If I didn’t know better, she knew what was going on. Her mentor was missing, and she was the only one that would have an idea of where she could be. The answer was probably something no one wanted to hear. Too bad the evil cackling gave it away. Seriously, like the supervillain kind of evil cackling. I half expected the Master to begin the monologue with a ‘Please, attend carefully’ right about now. “Such a long time,” a voice called out, the air in the room getting colder in temperature to the freezing point, a mist starting to appear on the ground. “How long it has been, my precious little subjects.” A field of stars entered the balcony in a smoke-like fashion. A face slowly emerged, grinning viciously. The figure wore the armor I last saw in the castle in the Everfree Forest. Luna has finally returned, only she was twisted in a mocking caricature of her pristine self. This lady here was but a fleeting memory of the warrior goddess she once was. Not that it made her any less of a master of the magical arts. The power coming from her alone was suffocating, I almost forgot to breathe. This was a deadly beauty to behold, for all this person promised was pain unending. I wanted to reach out to my bracelets, call forth my weapons to protect the people of this twisted monster standing before us. But I was too afraid. Too afraid of facing the might of this fallen angel, too afraid to show my ability to summon forth one of the weapons she helped forge, too afraid to fail these people if I decided to scrounge up the courage to fight for what was right. I was a coward, and these people would pay for my insolence. The guards that decided it was a good idea to attack the villain got roasted to a crisp by a shot of lightning, causing all the people to scream out in fright and I wasn’t better in that regard. These people just got taken out in one swing. There was no one here that would stand a chance against that woman, not with Celestia being absent. And I had a pretty good idea what the reason for that was. We couldn’t even stand a chance if we tried to mob her all at once. Hell, I was pretty sure even if I summoned my weapons, we would fail to do anything. “Is this all you’ve got? Did you truly forget who I am?!” the woman sneered in displeasure. Please, for the love of God, no one answer that! “Black bitch?” Pinkie stupidly asked, making my eyes widen in horror. I turned my head, as the woman on the balcony raised her hand in anger. This could not happen! Even though Pinkie may be the antithesis to everything rational in the universe, she was still my friend! I leaped into action, just as the former Princess Luna began to cast her spell. There was a small window of time I could take advantage of here, but being too slow would be the end of one of my first friends here. I needed to stop that. Jumping, hands stretched out... ... my arms wrapped around Pinkie, just as the lightning began to travel down in slow motion... ... I wouldn’t make it with my momentum alone. Was that it? Would this be the end before everything even started? Was this the last time I would get to do something with my life?  I pushed with all my might, Pinkie was flung away from me as we crashed to the ground in a heap. The scorched ground was smelling burnt to a crisp. The static in the air tickled the hair on our arms. Looking with Lux to the spot where Sol had been, everything resumed its normal pace again. Adrenalin wore off, my heart hammered within my chest. A bit away from Pinkie, Sol lay on the ground with his wings outstretched from the last-ditch effort I took to save the life of one of my friends. At least I did something right for once. Wheezing, I sat up and got promptly smothered by her in a hug. I glared up at the woman on the balcony, while she looked at us in contempt. “Very well, then. I’ll spare you, for now. Take this gift, for showing this much bravery. Foolish as it was, child,” she told me, smirking cruelly. Fuck you, too, Lady! I will make you regret this, this I swear.  Try to harm my friends, and I will raise hell to protect them. Letting go of Pinkie, we stood back up. This time I made sure she wouldn’t make any more clever comments to the baddy. “I know who you are!” the voice of Twilight Sparkle rang out in the silence. Gritting my teeth, I asked every deity that ever was, why these people just had to continue being stupid idiots. “You’re Nightmare Moon!” Gasps went around in fear, while said woman gave a fanged smile. Her slitted eyes glowed in glee, her armored hands wrapping around the railing of the balcony. “Then you must know why I am here, child,” she stated with anticipation. “You’re here to... to...” Twilight trailed off, not actually wanting to end the sentence in fear of what it meant. Even her confidence seemed to falter in the end, whatever she thought she could do before this, was forgotten in the face of this threat. “From this day forth, there shall be no sun! There shall be no light of day! There shall be no warmth from daylight! There shall be... only night!” Nightmare Moon shouted louder than a bomb going off next to you. Her cackle remained for a few minutes as she dissipated in a haze of smoke streaming out the window. This... was the end of the world and the beginning of eternal night.