//------------------------------//
// And if I go Around with You... 
// Story: Rebirth of Magic: The Misfit 
// by The Blue EM2 
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I was stuck frozen for a few seconds. Izzy had turned up around the right time in the story but-

HOW DID SHE KNOW MY NAME?

Izzy isn't meant to know who I am yet, or any of the others yet. Come to think of it, neither should I. There was no time for testing my theory right now, so I simply stammered out the first thing that came to mind.

"U- unicorn!"

With that word the entire town descended into pandemonium. Ponies were running and screaming in every conceivable direction. Some even jumped down manholes to try and escape from Izzy, whilst others boarded up shops and took refuge indoors.

Izzy looked at me. "Is everypony playing hide and seek? "I see you!"

Another pony screamed and jumped off the edge of the railing into the water.

Izzy frowned. "I was hoping they'd be more friendly. Still, I'd best be careful. Wouldn't want to end up in a trap!"

This was getting stranger by the minute. I had to get her out of here before law enforcement showed up. Speaking of law enforcement, I could hear Hitch bellowing orders to other ponies at the top of his lungs. I questioned how I could hear him that far away, but then I remembered ponies have very sensitive hearing.

The best solution in the circumstances was to try and stick to the script as closely as I could. I noticed Izzy had started wandering forward. "Now, if I recall correctly there's a trap about here..."

I leaped in and pushed her out of the way just as the trap activated. I looked to her and encouraged her to head away from this place. "I've got to get you out of here! There's a side street we can use to avoid the fire from the batteries! Come on!"

The two of us galloped down another street and raced round a bend, the percussive quadruple beat of two ponies galloping ringing out against the cobblestones of the street. I glanced back to see Izzy was still following, just at a slower pace. "I've never seen this street before! it's so weird seeing the street layout from a first person view!"

"Come on, we have to keep going!" I called.

"What's got you so worked up, Sunny?" Izzy asked.

"The Earth Ponies are terrified of unicorns, and by logical extension you. We need to escape or else they'll throw you in jail, or maybe worse!"

Izzy nodded whilst drawing her hoof across her neck. "I hadn't thought of that. But- STOP! Splatapaults in the next street!"

I stuck my head round the corner and nearly got a splatapault ball in the eye for my troubles. A small crew was manning the batteries and bombarding everything in sight- including Earth Ponies.

"Clearly collateral damage isn't a concept to Phyllis," I said to myself, noticing she was directing the fire of the batteries. I looked back to Izzy. "Eventually they'll have to stop to reload. That's our opening. When I say go, we go."

Izzy nodded. "Gotcha!"

Eventually, the batteries stopped firing. "Bring out the next ammo box!"

I glanced back. "GO!"

We dashed across the street and made it back to the coastal road just as the splatapaults opened fire again. Just a few more obstacles to go and we'd be home free. Those obstactles being a few unicorn traps and some angry townsponies, some of whom had seemingly decided to fight back.

I dodged between a few of the trap markers whilst Izzy bounced between them, but then I must have tripped as the world was suddenly revolving around me. A few bounces, and I landed right on top of a trap. Before I could react it was shut.

Just brilliant. I was stuck, and with no way out from the inside. And Izzy was out there with that angry mob! Any second now electric guitars would start up and-

I stopped. I knew from Tell your Tale that the individual inside the box is audible to the ponies outside. It was worth a try. "Izzy? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Mrs Box!"

"Miss Box. I'm not married." I paused. "Hit the big red button."

"The big red button on the side?"

"Yes! Now hurry up before Hitch catches us!"

There was a loud clunk, and the box suddenly opened up. The blackness of the box was replaced by open vistas and blue skies. Izzy grinned. "There you go."

"Thanks," I replied as we set off.

"No biggy," Izzy replied. "I know what it's like to be stuck in one of those. It's not fun."

We sped away from Maretime Bay, with Hitch's shouting becoming increasingly incoherent in the background.

"It was nice meeting you all!" Izzy called back as we sped up the path.





We made it back to my home in a few minutes. I pushed the door open and closed it behind Izzy as we entered, before reopening it as I had forgotten to enter the house myself. I closed the door again, locked it, and shut all the blinds around the home before finally settling down, my heart still pounding in my chest.

Izzy was peering closely at all the things inside. It still felt weird referring to them as my things, as I had only been Sunny for less than 24 hours at this point. She seemed fascinated. "It's incredible to see all these things in real life. A laptop screen doesn't allow you to appreciate the level of detail the animators put into every object. It feels so real!"

I decided enough was enough. "Izzy, we need to talk."

Izzy turned around. "You remember my name! That's a great start!"

"No, seriously," I replied. "You shouldn't know who I am at this point in the movie-" I jammed my front hooves in my mouth when I realised what I had just said.

Izzy looked understanding, though. "It's OK. I'm not from here either. I'm from another world! I also know the movie REALLY well, which is handy."

My eyes widened in surprise. Another pony in the same position as me? "Which continent?"

"North America." Izzy walked up to me. "Do you Earth Ponies also engage in staaaaaaaaaring contests?"

I backed up. "Sorry, Izzy. But seriously, if we already have this knowledge, we can skip so much dialogue."

This was an important revelation. So she had once been a human, like me! This made life so much easier, I wouldn't need to explain as many things to her. "So, you know how magic has been vanishing, right?"

"Yes!" Izzy said. "It makes sense to move the plot forward and go and get the pegasus crystal next. It helps I know what's happening. For example, Hitch is about to turn up outside and use a megaphone!"

Right on cue, we heard it. "Sunny Starscout- OW! The settings on this thing are off." There was a pause. "Sunny Starscout, you are under arrest! Come out with your hooves up!"

"She'll be unable to walk with her hooves up," Sprout added.

Izzy looked to me. "I'll create a distraction. I know how to get Earth Ponies on side."

I nodded. "Best of luck."

Izzy stepped outside and I grabbed my bags and some supplies as she spoke to them. Once I was ready, I picked up something and tapped Izzy on the shoulder.

That was Izzy's cue. "Ooh! Look! Giant piano behind you!"

Hitch looked behind him, and we dashed off in the meantime. It took several minutes of solid galloping but at long last we stopped at the sign which marked the town boundary. "Hitch cannot legally arrest us here as we're outside the town borders."

I then noticed Izzy staring at me intently. "Yes? Is something wrong?"

Izzy seemed to be in random mode. "You're really pretty. Is it something you did with your mane?"

"Thanks!" I said. "I didn't do anything unusual with my mane today, but I have something to show you." I flipped open my book. "See this? There's a series of old railroad tracks we can follow to Zephyr Heights, which should speed up this journey a little bit. And we can be in and out without too much difficulty." I glanced to her. "Do you have any food on you?"

Izzy suddenly produced a microwave from nowhere. "Not only do I have food, but I have a way of cooking it! What do you have?"

"I've tossed some sandwiches into my bag for storage, but I'm not sure it's enough." I took them out.

Izzy produced a cold bag, also from nowhere, and opened it. "You should really keep those in a cool bag to keep them fresh. Have they been in a fridge?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Keeping them cool is good in a humid climate like this." I glanced to the skies. "Weather's nice for a trip, isn't it?"

"Yes indeedally!" Izzy replied as we set off. But she hadn't asked me about smelling like fish. Well, that's one awkward conversation avoided.