//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: School Daze Part 2 // Story: How A Realist Saved The Show // by Mare Of Mystery //------------------------------// In the main hallway of Twilight's Castle was James checking his surroundings making sure nopony was inside at this time. Realize that they're all busy with the friends and family day being held at the school. But even with all this free time ahead of him, James took this extra time and raised his phone high and capture a few photos of the castle to keep for himself. "This is going on my wall..." He snickered, tapping vigorously on his phone. "Enough of that, let me try the first thing on this list," The note left by Discord showed nearly 6 types of powers available to him alongside descriptions. He went and carefully read from the top: Time stop: Freeze time in a focused area using a sphere of frozen time. Can be used as a defensive measure to prevent enemies from attacking or defensive for stopping objects. Any objects or projectiles fired outside will stop as soon as it touches the bubble but will shorten the duration of it. Raise and open the palm of your hands on the target or location you want to freeze. Up to three can be cast, any more will disperse the last sphere created. Each sphere lasts for 9 seconds. Time Shield: Form a sphere around you to nullify oncoming magic-based attacks. Unlike Time Stop, it will only appear around you regardless of cast. Cross your arms with the palm of your hands facing outwards or act like you need to be protected by something. Once cast, it will stay active until you leave the radius of the sphere or when it overloads on absorbing energy The shield doesn't stop anything from entering it, so use it strictly for defensive purposes. Time Dodge: Speed up time on yourself to immediately escape by dashing out of harm's way. Can be used to attack opponents without their notice by dashing towards them at a hair of a second striking them down. Focus on the location you want to go to and step forward; also works when you step back. It consumes the same energy as you would walking on foot and it cannot be used to dodge midair. You can dodge up to 18 feet, Time Vision: Use to locate any living creature currently within your range. It highlights them with a distinct color while keeping the environment bleak. Close your eyes and imagine enemies around you. Only works when you are completely still. Time Rush: Temporary slow-down time while keeping your real-time actions intact. The duration of this is limited to 12 seconds per cast, but with enough practice, you could go more. Each cast will consume tons of energy, so make sure not to overdo it. Hover your two palms close to each other and a small bubble will form. Stretch your hands outwards to expand the bubble and slow down the world. Time Mending: Recovery from wounds, injuries, and other physical-based trauma increase tenfold. Please be aware that this is an automatic skill and only activates when needed. Powerful magic-based attacks and injuries on vital organs will take more time to recover. P.S These powers can be made more efficient with enough usage, but there are still more I'm still restricting when the times are right. Want to learn offensive spells? You can use your unicorn form to practice unicorn magic. "Hmm, No wonder why I immediately recovered after falling like a hundred feet from the ground." he was already intrigued by the kit given to him by Discord, but off-putting that he has an aptitude for using magic in the first place. It was known that these powers sound like they came right out of a videogame. James was excited to see what he was capable of, putting away his phone in the hidden pocket to cast his first spell. "Alright, I need to practice on a live subject to get a feel of them when I'm at high adrenaline..." carefully figuring out the perfect testing grounds, "I'll wait until I can encounter one of the six—" "I'VE GOT YOU IN MY SIGHTS NOW!" A voice came calling out behind James, which frightened him. The voice in question sounds almighty, like a goddess coming for divine judgment. Turning around with his feet and torso, James couldn't believe his eyes as a bright yellow light emitted the one in behind the creature. The shape of its torso, flowing mane, and that longhorn of her horn can mean one thing. Princess Celestia... and she's coming for his ass... Oh fuck me... Do I have to fight off the Ruler of Equestria now!? This wasn't part of the job! The bright light soon began emitting intensely that he had to cover his poor eyes with his arms. But when the light seemingly faded, he found himself in another part of the world. He was still in Equestria from the looks, but now in a green landscape with hills, trees, and... dark cloudy skies. "This place is... very familiar..." he proclaimed to himself, turning around as the quiet vibe of the area gave him a chill down his spine. "What's going on? Where am I? When am I?" "The End of The End... or that's what I'm told this episode was called." corrected Princess Celestia, slowly approaching James towards the side, "You're James Alvera, I'm I correct?" "P-Princess Celestia!?" his sweet smile wasn't enough to make the white alicorn break her stern look, "First of all, It's an honor meeting you in person..." She broke her stern look and gave him a short-lived smile. "Well, given your certain knowledge of us I'm sure you're all ex-" "Although, I kinda preferred your sister, to be honest..." "Huh?! What's wrong with me?" she raised her tone, huffing a puff of steam from her muzzle. "Nothing is wrong with you, your majesty. It's just that my opinions deemed Luna to be the best royal sister." he grinned at her hint of jealously, "Both of you are fantastic, no doubt about it. But when it comes down to nit-picks, Luna comes at the top." "Enough, now..." she raised a hoof at him, signaling to stop this nonsense, "To the both of us... we are in the distant future." "This is... the series finale already!?" he was at a loss for words when something clicked in him. "Y-You're here because of the taboo Discord broke, aren't you?" "You are quite intelligent for who you are..." she chuckled, "Discord committed something he shouldn't have done. Taboos are complex rules in nature that can never be broken; consider them as the laws of the universe. They all follow the same principles or derive from them." "And?" James scratched his head on that one, "What exactly is this taboo he broke?" "He broke the boundaries between fictional and non-fictional world!" barked Celestia, "He took someone from a world that calls us fictional and brought them here. Causing a total imbalance to the natural order," James tried to make her elaborate further. "I understand these alternate dimensions and parallel universes from shows and mangas... but which one of our worlds is real and not?" "That's something far from my understanding, but that's not the point." Celestia continued, keeping her firm attitude, "Not only that, both of you are charged with violating the natural order of this world. You are to be sent back to your world to avoid the imbalance." He shook his head at her demands. "No. I can't abandon ship! I need the money, and finding a job back home is difficult already!" "Money issues, is it?" she closed her eyes and pondered for a while, leaving him curious over her next decision. "Very well... I may help you with your financial troubles." "You... can do that?" She nodded. " I can provide you as much as you want, name your price and it's all yours. All charges against you and Discord will also be dropped. Your time in Equestria will be short-lived." Getting paid by Celestia herself? I'll be honored to accept. With loads of cash on me... I can drop out of college and buy a new house. I'll cover it up by claiming I won the lottery, I can be set for— Wait... No James! You will NOT take the easy way again! My life was always easy with the help of my parents, I want the challenge... and I want to change the show for the better! "No," "Very well, I'll just send you—" she gasped at the realization of James' refusal. "What!? You would commit a crime against natural order to enlighten 4 creatures about the magic of friendship?! I'm giving you the money—" "—No! It isn't just for the money!" elaborating more, James took his ground against the princess, "I'm living the life every Brony desires! Lived amongst the ponies, and even met my beloved Twilight Sparkle. Not only that, I'm creating a season finale everyone deserves to watch and making this the greatest finale of a show yet!" "Huh? Beloved Twilight Sparkle?" "Sorry, Princess. My mind's made up, I'm going to save these creatures from their impending dooms. I don't care about the timeline bullcrap; it's always inconsistent in every form of media." Scoffed James, arms crossed as he stood his ground. "But the natural order—" "Screw that shit! The future isn't set in stone yet! Even if I do break the natural order, I'm doing it out of kindness!" continuing his justification, James pointed a finger at Celestia, "You agree with me right!? You want them to have a good future?" She was a bit conflicted when she sighed, "As much as I do want them to change for the better, it doesn't mean you have the right to do so. This is not your world, you're an endangerment to the natural order of this—" "—Enough!" he was the one who hushed her, "My mind's made up, there's nothing you can do about it!" James can see her looking peeved at his stubbornness, gritting her teeth together and snarking. Only to find her shaking off her frustration. "I see... do you think you're capable of the task?" she asked, still lighting up her horn at the giving single, "Let us settle this with a little test..." "Test?" Lighting up her horn, she soon transported Twilight and her friends out of thin air. All of them were confused as to why Celestia summoned them on short notice. James' heart was racing, seeing them all on the same battlefield gives him Deja Vu vibes. However, all of this was a tad strange to him. Not sure if it's a hunch or dumb luck, but James closely examined the behavior of the six as he examined their every movement. "Celestia, what's going on!? Is something the matter?" Twilight was assaulting her verbally with questions. As she flapped her wings to ascend to the sky, Celestia gave them direct orders with her voice of authority. "Girls! This creature has broken the natural order and poses a threat to the world. I want you to deal with him just like how you've done with the rest!" "Heck yeah! A secret-baddy to take down!" pumped Rainbow Dash from the sky, ready to duke it out at any moment. "A human?" examining James from the distance, Twilight was curious and confused at this last-minute being to defeat. "Is he from the other world?" "Whoever it is, he sure looks creepy..." Fluttershy's timid expression called out. Rarity was scoffing at his outfit, "That is the most hideous-looking ensemble out there! It belongs in the trash receptacle." "Focus now, you need to put a stop to him before he changes Equestria's future!" order Celestia, making all six ponies nod with her command. She then teleported way off in the distance and cast what appears to be a large yellow dome surrounding a large radius of the landscape. They seem like the mane six and they have their distinctive quirks, I need to gather more info... "I've always dreamed of this day, your majesty! A chance to be up close and personal with the six I've watched for half my life!" James put up a smirky face. "Eeek! What does he mean watch us? Creepy!" gagged Pinkie Pie, making a barfing gesture. Readying himself by cracking his knuckles and neck as he prepared a fighting stance raising his right fist to shoulder height and his left just below his chest. James would love to be one of those main characters to have a badass weapon, but that's not the case now. Having a hunch on the first one to attack, he prepared to test out his shield keeping him covered behind his crossed arms. Applejack was the first one to call out the orders. "Alright gals! Let's break for it!" The first one to call shots was Twilight preparing herself to fire lasers out of her horn. Her purple trail traveled long enough to reach James, but instead of being blasted away was a large transparent blue sphere that created a fractured reflection around him. The magic beam was neutralized in the bubble just like Discord's description on the phone. "Just as I planned..." he muttered, keeping steer clear of the oncoming crowd of ponies coming for him. "If this is the future, then I'm willing to go all out with my next move." The next ability he would like to try was his time dodge maneuver, to which Applejack was the perfect target. When she came trotting at full speed with her head out, he quickly knew she was going for a full-frontal assault. But as soon as she came close, he dodged out of the way with quick succession reaching almost a few feet away from her towards her left. It felt like teleportation as he described, but it was more quick-stepping to the location as he left a trail of blue energy along his path. The cowgirl was left confused as she stood without hitting a single thing. "When in tarnation did he go over there?" Applejack saw him from the distance, seeing the bipedal running towards her, "At least I'm right here and..." She was interrupted by James when he used his time dodge as an offensive measure, shoulder tackling her down to the ground. The force of his tackle was like a car going full speed on a highway, it left her a bit unconscious. Sorry Applejack, If that's who you are. "Don't worry Applejack, I've got this!" called Rainbow Dash from the sky, gaining enough altitude to ram James with her foreleg out in the open. James took a big gulp, immediately knowing that Rainbow Dash packs a punch with her amazing speed. He knew how the way she fights based on episodes and even from his PowerPoint presentation on her character analysis he did for a school project with 2 other brony friends. Wishing he could bring them along so that they can save the show together. Nonetheless, he tried to dash out of the way as soon as she zipped down; acting discombobulated as she seemingly missed him. "What the hay!? How is the faster than me?" she landed on the grass, "I'm the faster flying out—" The next action James did during a quick step into Rainbow Dash's general direction was grabbing her by the torso and swinging her a few revolutions before the combined speed of his dodge sent her out from the sky. She screamed traveling a generous distance away from the sky trying to regain control with her wing flaps. So long... eh-Dashie! Now who's ne— *WAHBAM* Getting hit with a comically large mallet to the head that looked like a cartoon, Pinkie pie came in and surprised whacked him from behind. "He's got some nice tricks! I bet Twilight can dissect you for sciency-stuff" She carelessly described, putting up a big smile. "That is... if he's okay with it..."Fluttershy came with her to reply to her remark When were these ponies so hardcore!? Luckily, the time mending skill recovered his head trauma in a matter of seconds. He quickstepped as soon as the pink pony began dumping a pie on his face. It sadly touched the grass to which Pinkie Pie frowned. The rest of the friends tried to circle him to gain an advantage from every angle. But James tried everything to dodge, shield, and avoid harm from Twilight and Rarity's lasers. At some point, he was grabbed by Fluttershy's long tail and sent up a few feet in the sky and fell at Applejack's crosshairs successfully bucking him with her two back hooves. He groaned in agonizing pain in his stomach, following alongside the ground. Shit! I forgot my time dodge doesn't work in the air! But it was an honor to be kicked by Applejack. I'll bump her up to fourth place in my top 10 favorite ponies list. Twilight is first obviously, Waiting to recover from the pain, the fight almost felt like an hour to him; panting like a thirsty puppy. He looked at the sky and Rainbow Dash waiting... preparing to do a Sonic Rainboom as it seems like for James. He was a bit excited to see one in person but concerned about a certain red flag he pointed out. She would never do a Sonic Rainbow in the vicinity of her friends. Are these the mane six? I need to stop her somehow, and I just know how... After casting another shield to protect him from the incoming beams, he placed his two palms close together and it began to induce a tiny blue sphere inside it. "Hold... HOLD..." examining the distance between Rainbow Dash and the beams, he quickly strategized a tactic using knowledge of his abilities. I hope this works... Now reaching visible distance with him, James stretched out his arms to cast the time rush. The entire world entered this ominous state, as everything appeared underwater. James can see the sky fractured up like broken glass and the timescale of the world itself came to about quarter speed. Making Rainbow Dash visible from the rainbow trail she made from her tail. Even the speed of the lazers was slowed down. Marveling at epic powers, he still has to deal with Rainbow Dash. Attempting to back away from Rainbow Dash, with her front hoof outwards as she slowly descends, he tried casting his time stop. With a raise of his left palm, targeting her to be frozen; out came a bubble similar to his shield that completely paused her every movement. So I can cast time stop while in time rush? Alrighty then, now if my deductions are correct, I could... Blinking forward to Rainbow Dash, he grabbed her like a cardboard standee and aligned herself so that she faced Twilight and Rarity off in the distance. He even relized that he could enter the sphere while a subject is within the time stop. Seconds later, the effects of the time rush expired, and everything. Twilight and Rarity stop their casting to realize Rainbow Dash is completely still, trapped in a sphere creating a fractured effect within it. "Whatever happened to Dashie?" pointed Rarity, seeing the pegasus frozen like a statue, "She's pointing to us?" "R-Rarity!" Twilight ventilated with her breath revving up, "I-I think we should get out of the way!" "Why? Dashie requires hel—" "—I think she's going to crash into—" *KABOOM* A large puff of rainbow-colored smoke formed as Rainbow Dash was thrown off course and somehow on top of a pile of Twilight and Rarity underneath her. All three groaned in agonizing pain as their minds started to adjust to the sudden impact. "Grrraugh!" rubbing her head from the throbbing pain, Rainbow Dash was coming out of her conscious state, "W-what happened? Did I get him?" Rarity's mummer answered her back. "N-n-no darling... you... crashed into... us..." "H-huh?... h-how?" is all she could muster up before the pain finished processing in her brain, "Argh! My back!" The remaining three ponies came to circle them, mustering up all their battle faces, and stared down at James. Which, he catches his breath from all of that magic casting. "Alrighty girls, let's finish him once and for all!" exclaimed Fluttershy, somehow unfazed at her friend's major injuries. Yes... something's off about them... all six of them. Just like a gift of divine intervention, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Rarity recovered from their injuries and began to form a circle with the rest of their friends. Magic beams dropped to them indicating their unique color, and they soon lifted off into the air. Princess Celestia was eyeing down James, acting like she was waiting for them to finish the job. "They're gonna do it... the rainbow beam that somehow solves mostly half of this shows problems," he spoke to himself, preparing for the worst that's about to come. Just as he was losing hope, he was reminded of the remaining powers he had. I can probably use a time shield to nullify the beam, but Discord did mention that It breaks upon overloading; That thing will tear me to shreds. Crap! What should I do? It's not like Time Vision is going to... Wait! Ignoring the fact that Twilight and her friends seamlessly transformed their bodies to their rainbow-fied selves and that he's probably going to die, James took a huge gamble and closed his eyes. Concentrating to make use of his Time Vision ability. Seconds after his focus, he saw something off-putting that would 100% confirm his suspicion over the six. Gotcha now princess... He witnessed the creation of the rainbow-colored beam coming straight down to his location, completely standing still and unfazed by the bright colors blasting him whole. He keep his eyes closed, imagining what happened if his suspicions were wrong. Could being blasted by friendship feel like a warm tingly sensation, or is it like being roasted in an oven. James' ears were irritated by the ambiance the beam made like a low-frequency hum. When the time that the six were slowly descending and their friendship beam died down, Princess Celestia stepped in front of them, using magic to make them disintegrate with a trailer of yellow sparks. Not to her surprise that James managed to be completely intact from the beam's blast, keeping a distinct grin on his face when the princess approached him to speak distance. "Now tell me... what gave it away?" she slowly gave James a curious face. He answered. "First of all... Twilight and Rarity would be goners if they got trapped in a Sonic Rainboom at blank range. Even then, their friends would be devastated and worried about their friend's safety." "And?" "Secondly. Out of all of the battles, Twilight would have more variety in her spell casting. Also, Rarity isn't the mare to use offensive spells; She usually cast defensive spells like shields." he added to his list of suspicions. "That seems to be all?" As if Celestia was giving him a job interview, she asks one last thing of him. "Oh, I figured that they weren't real because of my time vision ability, it only highlights LIVING creatures. But it only showed as one distinctive heat signature, yours." "Well done James," Celestia congratulated his efforts, then called out to the skies, "You can come out now Discord! He has piqued my interest!" A familiar figure to James poofed up in a veil of smoke as Discord was carrying a tube of popcorn and a pair of 3d glasses from the movie theaters. He was sighing as he made the two items vanish with his snap of a finger, "Oh, man! That was an amazing work of art! 10 out of 10! Sir James, how are you this fine day?" "Discord..." he kept his mind at ease when the chaotic creature approached him, "Those were your doing is it not?" "No, those six were artificially created by the brilliance of Celestia!" he corrected James, coming up to the alicorn looking quite marveled by the human's incredible talent. "See, told-ya this taboo-breaking is worth it." The alicorn then used her magic to dissipate the clouds from the sky, revealing the landscape's beautiful clear blue skies and shining sun. Celestia's tone changed from being the assertive ruler to the kind and caring soul she is. "You've picked a fine specimen for the job... that's all I'm saying...still, a human being with the aptitude of powerful time magic. All it took was to break a taboo; very fitting for the king of chaos." "It was a 1 in a billion chance I would find someone fitting for the job. Most of them would just want to live their life in Equestria and date their favorite pony based on the research from this...google or whatever. But enough about me, you improve your acting skills from the last time you were on stage." "Well, I had bits of practice with the help of my sister and my dream world." "Hang on your majesty," James recollects what she meant about receiving a message from the future, "Does that mean you're..." "At this moment, I am Princess Celestia from your current point in time." she cleared a few things up that had James' head rolling, "And this isn't the future, this is the same area that the battle of the bell took place; I just teleported us here from Twilight's castle." He elaborated further, still tired in the heat of the battle as he panted. "So you're aware of the events of the future already?" "Yes! We binged the entire series!" Answered Discord, pulling up a flat-screen television playing a random episode from the show, "However, I was not fond of the outcome of what comes to be... and so as Sunbutt here!" Celestia scowled, "I said not to call me by that!" "What's going here? Why are you two putting me in charge of changing the future?" James changed the topic demanding answers for his reason being here. Celestia began her intrepid story. "What you've said about destined futures and creating your path is true; nothing is set in stone as of this point in time. But when Discord alerted me that there goes a universe that depicts us as characters from fantasy and pure fiction. At first, I laughed. But when he showed me that the world also created a show about Twilight and her journey, It was magnificent. Like watching memories from the eyes of somepony who was there; even viewing events on what's to come. He also showed me the community of people that enjoyed our antics and quirky lifestyles; The Bronies, to be exact." Events of what's about to come? Man, this is all a huge brain ache, I can't even keep up with all of this meta shit "Let me take it from here Celestia!" Discord broke from his long silences and took the stage, "When we finished watching the last two seasons, we were... a bit discontent when we turned the three into a garden statue. It felt natural when you're doing it last minute, but looking back; it felt kinda rushed. The final episode was just a flash-forward scene with a lot of mysteries brewing! What happened to the statue? Do they make it in the end?" Heh, wait till you read the season 10 comics... Discord proceeded, "Then, something hit me. What If we bring a Brony to this world and see what he does to the finale? Not just any Brony, someone with the aptitude as well." "But, all that talk about taboo... and the natural order?" he reminded them of the crime Discord committed. Celestia cleared his confusion up. "Yes, Discord broke a taboo, and he's willing to accept the consequences in the future." she cleared up any confusion, and sternly stared Discord down like a disobedient puppy. "And despite trying to save four creature's terrible fates, you are also considered a criminal for breaking natural order." "So, I classify as a villain in this show? Even with my justifiable motives?" he let that sink in for a moment. Celestia smirked in front of him, observing his whole attire and outfit with a hoof to her chin. "As long as the outcome is desirable, I don't see why we should brand you as one. Though, you do look like one..." Nudging his shoulder, Discord turned over at his left ear. "Hey! Come on, it does suit you. Right James?" "I guess you can say that..." James replied, rubbing the back of his neck as they all laughed. "I would like to see someone with your caliber what you'll do to change the fate of the four," Celestia added, "I've heard from him you're going for Cozy Glow first?" "Correct your majesty, he told me to take some assignment in Manehatten. I don't know for sure why though?" he directed his attention to Discord, "Why is that?" He was grateful to answer back, keeping that sly tone inside him. "Not much, but I've done some digging outside of my screen time. I don't wanna ruin all the fun figuring it out, so here's one more hint; You can prevent her from even plotting to destroy all magic if you just take that assignment." Prevent her? What do I even have to prevent? "Fine, I'll look out for it," James sighed, reaching over his phone from the pocket, "Wow, 35 minutes in? Fighting does make time fly." "Oh by the way James!" Discord came up to his phone and tapped it with his finger, "I've given you an extra ability in your notes; consider it a reward for completing your test." Opening the notes app and scrolling down the list, James saw that an extra entry was added: Time Reversal: At any random moment when you are attacked, stop and reverse time to the precise moment before impact. Gain an upper hand while the opponent is frozen in time for a short while. This ability can activate at any time when you're being hit so be ready when it happens. "Thanks. This could prove useful," James thanked, putting away the phone back into his pocket, "So... now what? Twilight should be crying in her bedroom by now." "Oh yes, I should be consulting about the students from different nations by now. I shouldn't leave my dear sister alone." "Does Luna know about my and Discord's situation?" James curiously asked. She nodded. "Only she and I know, the rest are kept in the dark; I wouldn't want Twilight to panic about this taboo-breaking and natural order." she chuckled. She lit her horn bright and instantly flashed a bright light around the environment. Making James brace for it covering his eyes with his right arm. The light died down from their eyes James, he was back at the place he was just standing in before his encounter with Princess Celestia. Inside the main hall of Princess Twilight's castle. "I'm back..." He pulled out the phone to see another notification on the screen, "Hmm, is this..." It was a notification indicating a phone number has been added to the contacts list; Princess Celestia. "Feel free to call me when you have the chance," The princess offered to share full contact with him. "Wait, you have phones in Equestria?" he replied to her with a question. She nodded. "Of course we have telephones, we're not cave-ponies. Still, it isn't as far as advanced as yours. Anyways, I'll take my leave. Make sure you keep a low profile for now; you should be able to come back to the school when I give you the call." After The Princess made her leave, I decided to switch back to Mobius and hang out in Ponyville to let the events of the episode unfold. I've spent nearly hours at the bookstore reading some pony culture, artifacts, and some Daring-Doo and at eateries sampling the treats. I can't believe it takes nearly hours just to show 20-minute episodes. I guess now that I'm living here in real-time, I have extra time here. Speaking of time, Cozy Glow officially appears in episode 12, but Discord mentioned I can stop her from plotting at all if I take the Manehatten Assignment for Ms. Fluttersehy's class. I just have to wait for now. While Mobius was walking along a pathway, he noticed a pegasus flying past him reaching above what appeared to be a large city resetting on the clouds. He knew it was Cloudsdale, and he pondered to himself as he carefully examined the city from the ground. "Maybe I should try out my other forms next time..."